"Katniss, what happened to your face?" Gale put his hands on Katniss's shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes. The people of District 12 bustled around them, busy with their own issues. The Reaping was tomorrow, everyone had to prepare themselves for it.
"A bad hunt," Katniss replied, putting a finger on her nose and twitching it a few times. It was a miracle her nose was still in place after such a collision. The blue beneath her eyes told another story though. 
"What were you hunting?" Gale didn't let go of her. "A human?"
"Listen, Gale, this is really none of your business," Katniss repeated, slightly tilting her head away, unable to meet Gale's eyes. Gale's hands touched Katniss's face, as she hesitantly lifted her gaze.
"You know that you can tell me anything, right?" Gale almost whispered the last part of the sentence, as Katniss bit her lip, grabbed Gale's hand, and fast-walked away from the crowd. Once they were in a more secluded place, Katniss began talking.
"Yesterday, I went into the forest after midnight, and...a man attacked me," Katniss whispered as Gale's eyes turned ferocious. 
Gritting his teeth, Gale almost shouted. "Was it a Peacekeeper? Where is that man now?"
"Shhh." Katniss put her hand on Gale's mouth, shushing him as she looked around. "No, it wasn't a Peacekeeper. It was the... man that worked in that bakery."
"His name was Peeta, right?" Gale put Katniss's hand away, still holding it, his anger turning into confusion. "Why in the hell would someone like that attack you? He shouldn't even know you."
"I don't know, but before finding me, he broke down the door into my house and threatened my family," Katniss mumbled, her face a scowl. Just the thought of something happening to her family made her numb. 
"Fuck. Are they unharmed?" Gale cursed.
Katniss nodded.
"At least a bit of good information." Gale sighed in relief, knitting his eyebrows. "So, what the hell did he want from you?"
"I don't know. Everything happened so quickly. I didn't have the time to ask any questions, and Peeta wasn't that keen on answering them." Katniss shrugged, her eyes trembling slightly. 
"Well, let's go ask now." Gale's anger returned and he was about to move when Katniss stopped him.
"It's no use." Katniss looked away. "Peeta is dead."
Gale's jaw relaxed and anger vanished from his eyes. Grabbing Katnnis by her wrist, Gale pulled her even further away, hidden in the shade coming from a wall. "You killed him? Is that the reason why there are so many Peacekeepers walking around today?"
"What do you mean?" Katniss hissed.
"Yeah, since today's morning, Peacekeepers turned more aggressive. They started stopping people randomly on the street, asking them random questions. It has been quite an ordeal." Gale said, biting his bottom lip. "So, did you kill him?"
"No," Katniss concluded, looking down at her feet. Her palms turned into fists. "There was another man in the forest at that time. He saved me...and killed Peeta. He then told me to go back home and said that he would hide the body."
Gale listened and then nodded, relief on his face. "So, you shouldn't be in big trouble even if Peacekeepers find out about this. Who was that man? Did you recognize him?"
"No, I have never seen him before. He was young, with dark features, tall, lean body." Katniss tried to remember everything about the man. "His name was Draco."
Gale thought for a moment. "Never heard of him either. Good. If he is captured, he shouldn't know anything about you. Still, try to act as normal as you can."
Katniss nodded. "I know. Draco said the same thing."
Gale shrugged. There was a momentary silence before Gale continued. "What about your sister? Is she still having those bad dreams about the Reaping?"
"Yeah, she had one yesterday. Everyone is stressed out, and Peeta's assault yesterday is not helping." Katniss sighed. "I just feel like there is so much going on at once."
"It's alright." Gale pulled Katniss into a hug. "Everything is going to be alright now. Just pretend like nothing happened."
"Thanks, Gale." Katniss put her head on his chest. "We should go now."
Gale nodded and they departed towards the black market. Gale caught a rabbit earlier today, and he was planning to sell it there for some bread. Tents surrounded them from all around, and this part of the District beamed with life.
There were little to no Peacekeepers here, even after the incident with Peeta. Katniss looked around, scrutinizing everyone. Since yesterday, she simply couldn't get that man out of her head. Gale was walking beside her, seldomly glancing at her with a worried face.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Gale asked, grabbing her by her hand. "Do you ne-"
A figure with a hood suddenly bumped into Gale, interrupting him. He stared at the figure, but it promptly moved away, not even saying a word. Katniss let go of Gale's hand, her eyes opening a bit wider, as she followed the figure with her gaze. "Hey! You!"
Before even understanding, Katniss was already running towards the figure. However, the hooded figure turned left, disappearing behind a tent. Katniss ran there, looking around, yet she no longer saw any trace of the man. 
Gale walked up from behind, huffing slightly. "What was that?"
"I think it was Draco..." Katniss mumbled, staring at a single point through the tents.
-
Draco walked through District 12, appreciating the different life here. He grew up in London and rarely traveled to the countryside, much less to other countries. 
Yesterday, Draco spent some more time hunting a few rabbits and foxes, eating some of them and skinning others. He sold it in the black market today, buying some clothes. Then, he washed himself with some drinkable water.
After that, it was just a monotonous day of following Katniss around. He wasn't the best at being sneaky, but it wasn't hard to do so in a bustling part of the city. Draco saw Katniss meet up with Gale and they talked for quite some time, hidden behind a building.
Draco guessed that she told him everything. He couldn't really be mad, but he wasn't pleased either. After all, that put him at risk. Though the Reaping was tomorrow, so Draco didn't really care. Yes, there were more Peacekeepers around, but they were definitely slacking off. 
He just had to act normal and everything would be alright.
Other than that, Draco also took an opportunity to check whether Gale was infected or not. Putting his hood up, he bumped into Gale and then ran away, concluding that he wasn't a Mysthral. Katniss tried to follow him, but he just hid behind a tent, until they left.
"It's like I am both a cat and a mouse." Draco smiled. Then he left the tent that he was hiding in, going back to monotonously following Katniss and Gale. Eventually, they parted, and Draco took a break by finishing off his reserves of food.
Night came promptly. 
Katniss seemed to have no thought of going out anymore, so Draco took a seat on a tree branch near Katniss's house. It was dark, but the sound of the forest and birds chirping calmed him. Draco yawned. "I should probably stay here, just in case a Mysthral comes at the last minute to finish her off."
Draco then put his hands on the back of his head and looked at the starless night. He had checked most of the people in District 12 but yielded no results. He would probably encounter all the other infected in the Capitol.
"Fate is a strange thing, isn't it?" Draco mumbled to himself. Now that the excitement had somewhat settled, he realized what an amusing situation this was. He was hunting some kind of devouring worms, had levels and coins for which he could purchase skills, and was employed by a higher type of entity.
However, despite that, Draco was looking forward to what this 'other life' would bring about. It was definitely going to be hard, definitely going to be bloody, but, nevertheless, it would be fascinating. Like those fantastic worlds he had always dreamed about, literally.
His heart started beating faster again, and Draco couldn't fall asleep for the next few hours. Only when the moon hung high in the sky did the quiet sound of his perpetual breathing transpire.
-
The day of the Reaping finally arrived. Katniss and Prim dressed in the nicest dresses they could find, walking out of their house in an orderly manner. 
On the other hand, Draco left his hiding spot, returning back to his home in this world. He felt like the chances of something unexpected happening to Katniss were low now. And if something did happen, it would be near the Justice building, where the Reaping would happen. Draco would be there.
Finishing up his reserve of food, Draco removed his hood. Hidden beneath it was a nice linen shirt, tightly strapped around his chest. It was fully white, though had a shade of yellow from being washed improperly. 
From today and onwards, his real mission would start. From today, Draco has to become a different person. 
Sighing, Draco took a big gulp of filtered water from his cup and put it on the table. Then, looking around the room, Draco departed. In barely fifteen minutes, Draco was in the town. The smell of iron and smoke was not as strong today. 
In the distance, Draco saw hundreds of young people aged between 12-18 gathering in the square. Most of them looked surprisingly tidy. Draco made his way there, stepping in the soot below, staining his black shoes. Silently, Draco approached the group, towering over most of them as he got into the queue.
'The vibes here are definitely off.' Draco thought, feeling the overwhelming silence in this place. Everyone had dark expressions on their faces or were either looking down. Nobody talked with each other, not even when seeing a friend or family. It was just dead quiet.
As Draco got further down the line, he saw Peacekeepers surrounding the square, keeping everything organized. There were two groups, one of boys and one of girls. Draco's gaze then lifted, seeing a big podium looming over them, a few chairs and a microphone placed there.
"Next." Draco's thoughts were interrupted by the woman calling out in front of him. Seeing that he was halting the line, Draco took a step forward and stretched his hand. The woman cut his finger and scanned his blood with a peculiar device.
'This identity thing is quite convenient, Cal.' Draco thought, seeing his age and name appear on that device. The woman didn't even lift her gaze to glance at Draco, calling out the next person. Draco moved away, making his way towards the boy's group.
He looked around, noticing Katniss and Gale. At that moment, Katniss made eye contact with Draco, her eyes widening. Draco smiled and winked, then put his finger against his lips. Katniss kept staring at him, but Draco looked at the podium, seeing a few figures in suits walk out from beneath the curtains.
They took a seat on the chairs. Following them was a woman Draco recognized. Effie Trinket. She was dressed in a colorful purple dress, which had a protrusion on the shoulder, which didn't really look that good. Her wig was white and her mascara was overflowing, which was a bizarre contrast to her red lipstick.
She walked with lightheadedness, as if not comprehending what this situation meant to the people of District 12. Taking her stance in front of the microphone, Effie brought a paper from her sleeve. "Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Her voice was soft and high-pitched. There was complete silence followed after her words, but that didn't discourage her. Lifting her hands slightly, Effie continued. "Now, before we continue, we have prepared a short movie for all of you to watch."
Immediately after her sentence ended, a huge projector sparkled with life, showing a video. It talked about some prehistory of the games, how they were created as a punishment for the war many years ago, and how the victor bathed in riches. It was clear propaganda and none of the youngsters here actually watched it.
"Oh, I love it," Effie mumbled to herself, then continued, looking over the audience. "Finally, the time has come for us to choose one courageous man and a woman to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games."
Effie moved away from the mic. "As usual, we will begin with the female participant." Whilst saying that, Effie moved to the left to the glass sphere, where countless papers lay scattered. Pulling one out, Effie returned to her spot, opening it.
With a smile on her face, Effie read. "Primrose Everdeen."
An even greater silence followed. Draco saw the girls parting around someone. However, Prim was too small for Draco to see her in the crowd. After around half a minute, when the realization kicked in, Prim walked out from the group, taking little unwilling steps toward the podium. Draco saw her devasted expression and his heart flared a little in pity. 
'Reapings do feel more saddening in real life, don't they?' Draco thought. As per script, Draco heard a shout and Katniss ran out of the group. The Peacekeepers held her in place, but she continued to shout. 
"I volunteer as tribute," Katniss said, the Peacekeepers around her stopping for an instance, unsure how to continue. Katniss ran up to Prim, mumbling something into her ear. Draco was too far to hear. However, the shouts of emotional wreckage coming from Prim didn't escape his ears. Gale rushed in and grabbed Prim before the Peacekeepers did any more harm.
"I believe we have our first volunteer in District 12," Effie stated, smiling. She stretched her hand out, urging Katniss to walk up the stage. "Come up here, come on."
Katniss silently made her way up, Effie taking her elbow and walking towards the mic. "What is your name, my darling?" Effie asked, pushing Katniss closer to the mic. 
"Katniss Everdeen," Katniss whispered into the mic, hesitating. 
"That was a brave thing you did, Katniss Everdeen. If I am correct, that was your little sister, right?" Effie saw Katniss nod and she smiled. "Oh, you pure thing." Then, Effie was about to continue, when she saw people raising their three fingers into the air.
Effie took a moment of silence to herself before resuming. "Now, we are going to pick the male." Effie moved away from Katniss, taking out another paper from the glass sphere, and opening it. "Our courageous male tribute is going to be Ferric Wildrock."
Draco raised an eyebrow, thinking deeply. This wasn't a name he heard before. No, this was someone random. The people moved away and Draco saw Ferric. It was another young boy, probably 14 years old. He had brown hair.
Upon being called out, he started crying immediately, unmoving. Two Peacekeepers walked through the crowd, grabbing the boy. Draco stared at the scene. 'It's so easy to change the plot. I guess that's why Mysthrals can't be sure whether I am Cal's employee.'
"Come up here, little man. Don't be shy." Effie was once again stretching her hands out. The boy was basically being pushed towards the stage. Effie was about to grab onto the boy's hand when another deep voice echoed through the proximity.
"I volunteer as well," Draco said, solemn and unafraid. There was no worry in his voice. Silence engulfed the crowd as even Effie was slightly surprised. A few Peacekeepers approached Draco from behind, yet Draco moved before they managed to surround him. With straight, confident steps, Draco approached the stage.
Ferrick, the boy who was almost Reaped, stood with an expression of unbelieve, washing away the tears from his eyes. He bowed to Draco as he walked past, mumbling every form of gratitude.
"Well, this is a nice surprise. It's the first time ever in the history of Hunger Games that both tributes are volunteers." Effie stated with a smile. Draco walked up the steps, realizing that he was a few heads taller than Effie. He loomed over her. 
However, she wasn't intimidated. Grabbing him by his side, Effie walked to the mic. "Well, well, well, it seems like both of our tributes are of exceptional beauty. Don't you agree?" Effie turned towards Draco, staring at him. "What is your name, handsome?"
Draco lifted his gaze, seeing hundreds of people staring at him. Once again, just like the last time, they lifted their three fingers into the air and Draco nodded slightly. "My name is Draco Ashvale."
"The name of our male participant is Draco Ashvale," Effie repeated into the microphone just in case. Then, Effie continued. "What is the reason for your volunteering? No offense, but that young man looks nothing like you, so I presume you are not relatives. Is he perhaps a friend?"
"No, miss, It's my first time seeing him," Draco stated, his voice cool.
Effie raised an eyebrow. "Why did you volunteer then?"
Draco beamed a smile, revealing his perfect teeth. He halted his words, and took a step forward, grabbing the mic in one hand. Then, with clarity, Draco stated. "I volunteered because I want to win the 74th annual Hunger Games."
Effie took a step away, her mouth slightly widening. She coughed slightly, glancing over the entire audience. They were just as stupefied as Effie. A person from District 12 wanted to win? Coughing, Effie repeated. "You want to win?"
"No, let me correct myself." Draco's smile disappeared, as he looked straight at the filming drone hovering above. "I will win. I will crush anyone that will be in my way."
The audience took a moment to take in the information, whilst Effie opened her mouth for a few seconds. Eventually, she composed herself, grabbing the mic back. "Such motivation! It's a pleasure to know that such a determined man will be representing the 12 District this year. Now, unfortunately, the show must go to the end. Please, both tributes, shake hands with each other."
Draco turned towards Katniss. Her face portrayed a myriad of emotions at once. She was frightened of her future, yet also she was baffled by Draco's sudden volunteering. Even more, she was confused about his willingness to win. Everyone knew that District 12 barely had any chance. They were practically dead.
Draco stepped forward, stretching his hand out, a smile on his face. "Katniss Everdeen, right?" 
Katniss nodded, shaking Draco's hand. "Draco Ashvale?"
"That's right," Draco said. "I look forward to working with you."
Draco then released her hand and stared back at the audience. Effie was still holding the mic as she raised her hands slightly, excitement building up in her voice. "Let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin!"