The 140th Annual Hunger Games [Ended]

Chapter One: An Overwhelming Urge

I wasn't used to movement. I'd barely left my house since I won the Hunger Games the first time around and now they wanted me to do it again? Depression, self-harm, attempted suicide, mental breakdowns; did the Capitol care about any of that? Apparently not, or they wouldn't have forced both my brother and I into a game we'd already won before. And this time, we wouldn't even have each other when it was all over.

Everything passed me by in a blur, the training, parade, and interview. The shock of my current situation just wasn't allowing my brain to process anything. But the moment my platform rose upward into a blisteringly cold whirl of white and my eyes caught sight of the icy surface below me the fuzzy wall around my brain shattered and fear took its place.

Water.

Frozen water.

There was something truly evil in putting a girl with mental instability issues over a huge pond of frozen water. A loud robotic voice jerks me out of my daze, I glance up sharply to see a series of numbers scrolling against the white-blue sky. The countdown.

The icy chill was starting to seep into my already aching muscles; I was terribly out of shape and training had kicked my ass. But maybe I wouldn't even need it, maybe I could just step off... I breathe in sharply, tugging my foot back from the edge of the platform and clenching my fingers in my loose curls.

No, no, no. Bad Mia, bad.

Death is bad.

I bite my lip, enjoying the metallic taste that spreads over my tongue. The pain, and the tangy taste of metal, helps me to focus and grasp ahold of my frail sanity. A loud, shrill noise erupts throughout the arena and several tributes lunge from their platforms. But I find myself unable to move, my feet staying firmly rooted to the platform.

"No, no, no." I whisper, staring at the watery surface and imagining what it would be like to fall through. The terror, the sheer terror. I just couldn't... I couldn't even think about it.

"No, no, no. I won't. No." I announce to no one but myself, crossing my arms over my chest and sinking down into a sitting position. "I'm not moving." I snap, glaring at the ice as if it were mocking me. "You can't make me." Something hard comes down on my shoulder and I let out an involuntary shriek. On instinct, I swing my arm back and catch their wrist in my hand, prepared to twist -

"I swear if you break my wrist I'll leave you here." A calm voice threatens, his voice low and deadly. I relax, glancing upward into my brother's blank face, save for the amused look in his eyes.

"Sorry." I respond, releasing his wrist. Nick nods and peaks a glance at the Cornucopia before looking back at me.

"We need to move Mia, now." Nick urges, reaching for my hand. A surge of panic rises up in me and I tumble backward, hugging my legs to my chest and shaking my head vehemently.

"No, I'm not moving from here." Nick's eyes soften and he tilts his head slightly.

"You'll freeze to death."

"I'd rather that than drown." Nick steps back from the platform and jumps up and down on the ice.

"You won't drown, Mia. The ice is solid. See?" He jumps again, kicking his heels against the surface. I cringe with each action, silently begging him to stop. "Come on Mia, we need to move." He bites out, stepping up beside me and grasping my upper arm. I shake my head, an intense shivering starting to spread across my body.

"No."

"Mia, please." A sudden image flutters through my mind; one where I'm stuck under the ice with no way out and silently drowning to death. A streak of terror spikes a rush of adrenaline and I shriek, covering my face with my hands.