Disclaimer: I own nothing but original characters
Chapter 1: The 24 Tributes
"On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebelling districts had no hope left, there will be twice as many tributes AND they must be twelve years of age."
Prim cries on my mother's shoulder and I storm out.
I run to a different section of the fence and find two girls, about twelve years old; about to enter the woods, not knowing the fence was electrified.
"Stop!" I shout. The two girls freeze and turn their heads towards me. They see me and relax a little; I don't think recognize me but I definitely don't look like a Peacekeeper. They still stay on their guards, just because I'm not a Peacekeeper doesn't mean I won't turn them in.
"Relax," I say "I won't tell the Peacekeepers, but you should know that the electricity is on 24 hours a day now."
I take a good look at their faces, I've seen them once or twice before, they're Lily and Jane Kennedy, the twins from the orphanage.
"Thanks for the tip," says Lily "but why do you want to help us."
"Because I hunt, and I know what the punishment is for being caught hunting. I'm Katniss, Katniss Everdeen. What I would like to know is why you're here."
"It's a long story," says Jane.
"I have time."
"Well, it all started when we were eight years old," starts Lily "My sister, our two friends and I were out playing when we spotted a gap in the fence. Jane took the two toy swords she made a few years ago, our friends Daniel and Edward stole some knives from the kitchen, they went into the woods and I tagged along. A few hours later we were still there and I was getting annoyed from being the only one without a weapon when I found something inside a hollowed log." My bow and arrows "They weren't mine and I knew that, but I wanted to try them out and a few minutes later I was sitting next to the two dead squirrels that I shot. That's how my friends found me. So each night, when everybody else was asleep, we would sneak out and go hunting in the woods. So, when they announced the rules for the Quarter Quell, we thought that we were more qualified to enter than the others so we planned to volunteer in the Hunger Games this year."
I was shocked by how selfless this girl was.
"So, where are Edward and Daniel?"
"They should be here any second now."
"So, as you are planning to volunteer for the games, would you like to be trained by one of your mentors?"
"Are you serious?" asks Lily
"Yes, just one problem, my bows and arrows, both the ones I was using and the spare ones you were using, are on the other side of that fence."
"No problem," says Jane "The boys have just the thing. Since the fence is usually electrified at night, we use a grappling hook that we invented to get on the other side of the fence."
I wonder how four twelve year olds could build a grappling hook.
Suddenly, two figures appear from behind a house.
"Ah!" screams Jane "Daniel, Edward, you guys scared me."
"Sorry," says Edward, he turn to face me "hey, aren't you Katniss Everdeen? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to train you for the Hunger Games."
"Are you serious?" asks Edward
"Yes she is," says Lily "now, do you have the grappling hook?"
"What for?" asks Daniel
"What else?"
"Oh, right"
He climbs on top of the roof of the house in front of us and shoots the grappling hook. He ties it to a branch in a nearby tree.
Suddenly, he gets on the branch and starts walking on the rope. His brother Edward follows.
I raise an eyebrow at Jane; she shrugs and follows the boys.