The mystery Avox girl was beginning to bother me. I lay awake in my room, thinking about what she could possibly have done wrong. Then a disturbing thought crossed my mind. What if she knew something she shouldn’t? Would the Capitol cut her tongue to keep her quiet?

I couldn’t stand lying there doing nothing. I pulled on a silky dressing gown and went for a walk. The beauty of the quarters no longer interested me, perhaps because I hated the Capitol so much. How could I admire the beauty of a place where men and women walk around with their tongues cut out? I did, however, find a very nice balcony next to the dining area, that looked out on the city. I stepped out onto it, wrapping the dressing gown tighter to protect me from the cold breeze. Outside, the city was alive. I wondered whether the people in the Capitol ever slept. I could hear their strange electronic music, booming out and reminding me of an irregular heartbeat, and their whoops and cheers as they danced. The billboards and posters on the buildings showed images of the tributes, and I saw my face on several. It disgusted me that in their culture, the Hunger Games were celebrated. I turned my back on the crowds of people I despised and went back inside. I was even more fed up than I had been before, and my eyes drooped from two nights without sleep. I was seriously considering returning to my room, when I heard the scream. Suddenly alert, I strained my ears to hear which direction it was coming from. Left I thought, and then ran.

The screams became louder and more insistent. I could tell it was a male voice, but who’s? I quickly did a check in Logan’s room, but he was fast asleep. Not him. I carried on running, twisting down different corridors and hoping I was going the right way. Realising I was unarmed, I clenched my fists, ready to attack.

One final turn, and I knew I was in the right place. The corridor was darker than the others, as there was no light, and I fumbled in the darkness for a door handle. Finding one, I turned it and burst into the room. The light was on, and after the darkness of the corridor, it burned my eyes. Shielding them, I looked around the room. In the corner, the voice of the screamer came. He was curled tightly in a ball, wailing loudly, but other than me, he was alone. So why is he screaming?

“…Drew?” I asked. He looked up at me, still screaming. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin white as paper. I was tempted to run away from him, and forget I ever saw him, but I couldn’t. He’s your friend I told myself. He pointed a finger in my direction, quivering uncontrollably.

“There! Behind you! Don’t let her get you!” he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. I whipped around, but there was no one in sight.

“Lucia! Can’t you see her? She’s right there!” he shouted, pointing right at me.

“Drew, I’m here to help you,” I whispered “Don’t you recognize me?”

“You’re trying to kill us both! Get out of here! Get out!”

“No,” I said firmly “I’m not leaving you.”

His eyes rolled back into his head horrifically, bloodshot and still spilling tears. Quickly, I grabbed him under the armpits and sat him up. Then, spotting a glass of water on the cabinet, I threw it straight in his face. He spluttered, slumping again, but he was no longer screaming, which I took to be a good thing. He blinked, looking up at me like he wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. He was sweating, his clothes stuck to his body and his hair damp, but his teeth chattered. I gasped for breath, afraid of the events of the past minute.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped.

I nodded, unsure what to say. I went into his bathroom and fetched a damp cloth, pressing it to his forehead and dabbing it. His muscles began to relax, and his breathing slowed, but his pulse never changed. I could practically hear his heart beating.

“Is this common…for you?”

He nodded. “More recently so. You shouldn’t have had to see that.”

I swallowed “What did you see?”

“Her.”

I needed no further explanation. As though he was a baby, I removed his soaking shirt and found him another. I managed to get him to crawl to his bedside, and I lifted him the rest of the way. Tucking the duvet up to his chin and refilling his glass of water, I settled down on his sofa for another night of sleepless hell.