Burning Embers

For the first time in ages, I went to school with my stomach warm and satisfied. It would have been an alright day, but the stares ruined my mood as soon as I stepped onto the schoolyard.

Griffin's eyes narrowed at the sight of everyone staring rather blatantly at all of us Elwood children. Callie and Dahlia frowned at each other and then looked to me for guidance.

I put on a brave face, smiled, and said, "Be strong today." They nodded their heads and left to go to their classroom. I looked at Griffin; his eyes were hard and his lips were pressed into a tight line. "We're going to be okay." I murmured to him.

"We're not the ones I'm worried about," He replied with a sigh. "I'll see you after school."

After Griffin left, I stood alone. By myself, I suddenly became very conscious of all of the pairs of eyes watching my every move. I was no longer Emelina Elwood. I was the tribute's sister. The dead boy's sister.

I tried not to think about it, but now I couldn't get the images out of my head. I've seen the Games before; I grew up watching them. I knew all of the cruel and brutal ways tributes could be killed. One year, a girl smashed in another girl's face with a rock. Another year, a boy trapped tributes in nets and speared them.

I started picturing Reed in those situations, and I began to feel sick. My head was throbbing. The sea of children began to blur, and I felt the ground moving beneath my feet. The concrete was rising up to meet my face when suddenly someone caught me.

"Leena!" A panicked voice was shouting. "Leena!"

"Gale…" I murmured dazedly.

As my vision focused, I saw freckles sprinkled on his nose and his eyes turned from grey to green. Familiar features faded to foreign, and I yearned for Gale's arms to be around me instead.

"It's Blaze…" Blaze told me slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Blaze Whitlock. He was a little older than myself; I saw him at school a lot… when I could get a glimpse of him through the sea of his fangirls. Blaze, admittedly, was a good looking guy. He had thick brown hair, a clean face, and these glowing green-grey eyes. When he liked a girl, he gave her this killer grin. I've seen it before… I've received it before. Blaze was, according to Reed, one of my admirers.

But I didn't like Blaze. He was conceited, arrogant, and a little cruel. The only reason why he paid me any attention was because I was one of the few girls that rejected him. Not many would even if they couldn't stand Blaze as a human being. He was the butcher's son, and everyone could do with extra food.

Still, it was hard for anyone to blame Blaze for the way he acted. His family fell victim to the games several years before. When his brother was sixteen and Blaze only nine, Ellis Whitlock was reaped for the Games. He would have had a chance if he could've gotten his hands onto a weapon.

Blaze never talked about him.

"Blaze," I repeated with a thick tongue, "I—I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing for fainting?" He questioned with a raised brow.

My cheeks flushed and I grumbled, "I don't know." Suddenly, I was very conscious of being in Blaze's arms. "I… well, we should get to class."

"Right," Blaze nodded, looking embarrassed. He helped me back to my feet, watching me to make sure I was steady. I mumbled a thanks before hurrying off towards the school.

"Leena, wait!" Blaze called after me.

Despite my desire to just go to class and get this day over with, my feet stopped and turned myself around. "Yes?" I asked curiously.

I watched as his facial features softened and his eyes held compassion. "I'm sorry. Reed shouldn't have been picked. Your family didn't deserve this suffering."

Blaze was the first one to say those words to me. The first one to offer words of sympathy rather than endless awkward stares of pity. My broken heart thumped against my chest, and my eyes began to water. I knew that more than anyone, Blaze would be able to understand the pain of losing a big brother.

"Thank you, Blaze, that means a lot." I whispered.

I should have stayed; maybe we could have talked more, but I wasn't able to. I couldn't let the feelings of sadness overwhelm me.

Turning on my heel, I sprinted inside the school.