Stark had just settled in his place amongst the crowd of young men when his wandering eyes found the figure of Grey Gallows. He was a good-looking and well-toned 17-year-old, but thin and a few inches shorter than Stark. He was the closest thing that Stark had to a friend, although their relationship didn't resemble a friendship very much at all. At most, he was a student to Stark. It was only last year that they started interacting with each other; these interactions consisted of sparring and training only. Despite the occasional scolding toward Grey, Stark treated him fairly well. This was unusual for Stark, but he only did it because he liked having him around. Acting like a teacher made him feel important and honorable.<br/><br/>After slithering through the crowd, Stark shoved the kid beside Grey out of the way. Once the kid began to protest, Stark shot him a menacing look and the kid humbly backed off. Grey looked over at Stark and smiled, saying, "Nice to see you, too." Stark returned the smile and said, "I want to give you a front-row seat to see me become a tribute." Grey's eyes brightened and he exclaimed, "Cool, I'm going to volunteer, too!" A chord of dread hit Stark hard in the chest and then dropped down into his stomach. Many images flashed into his mind at that point; they all showed Grey killing him.<span style="font-style: italic">What am I thinking</span>? Stark asked himself with a plastered smile on his thin lips.<span style="font-style: italic">He's just a stupid, little boy. He has no chance against me.</span>Although Grey may not have been as strong as Stark, his motions were fluid and he had good reflexes. During their spars, he often dodged Stark's attacks and could even strike him on some occasions. Just a few weeks ago, Grey managed to pin him to the ground, winning the match.<br/><br/>"Yeah?" was all Stark managed to choke out as these thoughts ran through his head. After a moment, he composed himself enough to ask, "W-why is that? I thought you were going to wait until next-"<br/><br/>"Nah," interrupted Grey with a wave of his hand, "I think I'm ready."<br/><br/>Stark scoffed. "But you'll be fighting against me." Grey grinned and coolly said, "That'll make things interesting." Stark smirked back as he glowered at him. He suffered through the tedious introduction and the insignificant girls' picking.<span style="font-style: italic">Grey has identified himself as a tribute</span>, thought Stark as he put his hand into his pocket.<span style="font-style: italic">So he has identified himself as an enemy.</span>His fingers gripped around something in his pocket.<br/><br/>"It's time for the men's reaping!" cried the cheerful presenter. No sooner did Grey step forward and begin to raise his hand that Stark stuck his knife into Grey's back, severing his spinal cord. Grey released a gasp before collapsing onto the ground. As the surrounding people stared in horror, Stark walked into the path separating the two groups and declared, "I volunteer as tribute." He laughed a little as everyone turned to look at him.<br/><br/>"Congratulations!" said the annoucer with a big grin. "Come join me on the stage, Mister..."<br/><br/>"Stark Hellebore," said Stark with a grin as he climbed the stairs.