Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, Gale would be my personal butler. ;)

Rated T for some strong language.

Might change to M rating later on.


Prologue

The hooded figure raced towards the sound of explosions. He stumbled and fell into the cracked pavement. His ears were ringing and his left leg gushed out blood. But he couldn't afford to stop now. He had to find her and get her out of there before it was too late. As a mob of people ran past him, one grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"James! You insane?! It's over! We need to get out of here! NOW!"

"Henry, I'm not leaving my wife here!"

"He's got her James. There's nothing you can do. She's as good as dead." Henry shouted over the explosions.

"She's not dead-"

"How would you know James?! We need to grab as many people as possible and escape through the uncharted tunnels. We can't stop this war without you-"

"War be damned! I'm not leaving her here to die. It's going to be fine Henry. I'll sneak in there, grab her and get the hell out of there before anyone notices. We'll meet you guys on the other end."

Henry had a bad feeling about this. But he let go of his arm. "Be careful. We're going to camp in Section Z for now. Once you have her, meet us there. Good thing we prepared for this."

Running past Henry, James ducked behind a crate and took in his surroundings. Most of the District was in ruins. Buildings that once stood tall, were now a pile of black ruble. The only thing he could hear was the agonizing screams of victims caught in the crossfire and the explosions taking out each building one by one.

Dashing towards an alleyway, he snuck past the enemy soldiers and ran towards the mayor's neighborhood.

The once pearly white homes of the elite are now ablaze in angry orange flames...except for one. One was left untouched. It was their home. He was almost there.

There was no one outside patrolling the area. To be on the safe side, he climbed up the trellis that led to the window of their master bedroom. The window was already opened.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

He without hesitation slipped into the opening and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

"It took you long enough Jameson. What a pleasure seeing you again." The voice behind him chuckled humorlessly.

He spun around,"Where the fuck is she?!" He stared at the man before him, hatred laced in his glaze.

"Right there."

James turned and froze. There she was. Bloody, mangled and tied up. Her eyes frantically met his. Her eyes widened as James felt the man press a gun barrel up against the back of his head.

The man chuckled once more. "You know. You kids made this easy for me. This little 'group' of yours is finished. You think you can outsmart me?"

James fell to his knees as the man kicked him down.

"You think your ragtag team of misbehaving misfits can take me down? I have news for you James. You shouldn't trust everyone you encounter. Every step you took, every plan you made. I knew about it. Oh I knew about it all. My darling, please come out."

A young woman came into his vision.

He stared at her in disbelief. "YOU! You traitor! We took you in! We trusted you!"

"Yeah well... sor-ry." she says in a sing-song voice as she swings her knife around.

"How could you do this to us?! We're your family!"

"I don't have a family! I never did. When Snow made me an offer...I just couldn't refuse. It's the ultimate power. Power over everyone. I'll rule along side him. Those friends of yours will make me their new leader. They will never." With each pause, she kicked him, "Ever. Ever. Know about anything. All I have to do is put on a victim act and tell them I was too late to save their "fearless leaders". They'll eat it all up. How does it feel? To know you lost?"

Before James could say anything, the man named 'Snow' forcefully pulled his head back. "I have some good news for you. You see, your wife hasn't been completely honest with you. Have you my dear?"

"Leave her out of this you sick twisted bas-"

"I'm pregnant."She sobbed. "I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant."

"Eleana...?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just- I thought I'd have time to think this through."

"When did you find out?"

Eleana looked down."2 weeks ago...I swear I was going to tell you but-"

"Alright party's over!" The woman said as she swished her knife to the side. "The family reunion was sweet and all but unfortunately for you, you're not getting a Happily Ever After."

Snow smiled his sinister smile. "My good friend here," he gestures to the woman, "says your wife is having a beautiful baby girl. I can assure you, no harm will ever come to her."

"You're not taking my baby away!" Eleana shrieks.

"Too bad you won't live long enough to watch her grow." Snow pulls out a tiny black sphere out of his pocket. "It was nice getting to know you Jameson Everdeen. But your time has come. Don't worry, you'll go out with a bang!"

The woman threw a sobbing Eleana over her shoulder. "You will never get away with this."

Snow turned to her. "Oh sweetheart. I already have." He pressed the button and tossed it. A hovercraft was waiting outside. "Our ride is waiting."

James watched helplessly as they jumped out the window.

His legs were numb. His face was bloody and broken. Every part of him ached. His heart ached the most. He stumbled but supported himself using the bedpost. He had to find her. He had to. He just had to.

They had a daughter. They had a kid!

His vision started to cloud as the fog of gas got stronger and stronger with each step. He couldn't stop. He just couldn't.

His breathing became shallow as he collapsed on the floor.

Eleana.

The house erupted in flames.


17 Years Later

Katniss

The sunlight shone brightly through the leafy canopy above where I lay. The lush champagne pink and milky white leaves of the tall willow tree tickled my bare back. The bench and tea set in front of me. Around me, there was an endless meadow with light pink, royal blue, and canary yellow flowers. Tall white polka-dotted royal purple trees fenced in the area. The black and white checkered path lead to the pond off to the left and went up to as far as the brown door. Surrounding the path, were gold and silver bushes filled with various fruits.

Katopia was probably my favorite place in the entire country. Grated, father never allowed me out of his sight. I had only made it to the gates before he pulled me back here. No matter how big or grand the palace was, I couldn't help but see it as a tiny cage. It was for my own good he'd say. The world is a hazardous place he'd say.

I was a secret, kept hidden from the world. Nobody but father's prized employees knew about my mere existence. I had everything with the snap of my fingers – expect for this. The more father forbid it, the more I longed for it. The closest thing I had to the outside world was those reality TV shows and reading some old books I found in father's study. I did like Keeping Up With The Lefashains, and Pride and Prejudice was a fantastic book. But it did nothing to rid me of my thirst.

What was wrong with me? I had everything a girl could have ever wanted - I was a princess after all. But no matter the number of custom made clothing and shoes, I wanted more. I wanted friends to go shopping with, a boyfriend who'd ask me to Prom. To be educated at a High School instead of home schooling. What did teenagers my age do? Did they egg their teachers houses like those guys on TV? Did they gossip about the latest fashion? Are they party goers?

I wonder what mother would do in a situation like this. I twirled the locket in between my fingers. It was a simple golden heart locket. Inside was a picture of my mother. My mother died during my birth. She had a rare disease. But with no cure, they just hopped for the best. When the time came, delivering me was her final breaking point.

I was around the age of 8 when I asked about her. Father told me of their adventures and how they made the world a better place with each passing day. She was vibrant , passionate about the world and had a slight temper. I could tell it hurt him deeply to talk about their past life, so I hadn't asked about her since.

Getting up, I picked up my book and my made way down the path. Opening the door, I walked into my room. "Tavia!" Hmmm. She should be here..."Tavia!"

"I'm here Ms. Katniss!" She rushed out of the bathroom in a huff and bowed,"Your bath is ready!"

"Thanks." A relaxing bath is just what I needed before I went up against my pigheaded father once more.

The hot water was physically soothing. Unfortunately for me, the bath did nothing to calm my nerves. Sighing I ran my fingers through my hair. Running away wasn't an option. He'd find me in a matter of seconds. I didn't want to cause a panic either. I want him to allow me out there. The world can't be so bad.

...

As Dante styled my hair, I asked, "What's it like out there?"

"What do you mean Jelly Bean?"

"Outside the gates." His face was suddenly indifferent. "What? It isn't that bad...is it?"

He sighed and stroked my hair. "There are some things you wouldn't understand. Things that you don't know. And it's for the best that it stayed this way." Dante was the closest thing I had to a friend. He has been my personal stylist since the day I was born. Being a famous fashion designer, he knew a lot about the fashion world. His mocha colored skin glowed in the sunlight and his dark chocolate eyes usually lit up as he would tell me about the latest trends.

His sudden change of mood was frightening. What was going on out there? "It's nothing to worry about. This," He gestured to the outfit laid out on the bed, "is your outfit for today. Your father will be home around dinner. You stay out of trouble Missy."

"Okay." I smiled and hugged him. "Thank you Dante."

His arms wrapped around me, "Don't mention it."

"YOU SLEPT WITH MY BOYFRIEND?!" She shoved her.

"I WOULDN'T HAVE TO IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A FLOPPY FISH IN BED!" She gloats with a mocking smile. Oooooooh! She did not just say that!

"WHO DOES SUCH A THING?!"

"Jennifer! Jessica! What on earth is going on?!" Janet Lefashain demanded as she walked into an up coming battle.

"Mom! This slut stole my boyfriend!"

"Is this true Jessica?" Jessica looked at her designer shoes. "How could you betray your family like that!"

"Oh fuck you! That's rich. Coming from the same woman who has fucked men left and right behind dad's back!" Jaylee piped in.

"At least I'm not some teenage whore who's dating a 20 something year old father!"

The bickering continued for most of the episode. Things were thrown and smashed to tinny pieces, secrets spilling out from every corner and shrieks of anger. It was definitely a war zone. The episode ended with a teary eyed group apology and a family hug.

"Hey Pumpkin!" I jumped. I didn't hear him come in.

"Father! You scared me!" I giggle and run into his opened arms.

"Sorry for being late. I had to take care of a certain issue back at the office." He takes my hand, "You hungry?"

"I'm starving!"

His eyes shine with amusement, "Shall we?"

"We shall!"

...

Looking over our dinning room table, I stuffed my plate full. Octopus, lobster, roast beef, pork. I was sure I was drooling. Focus Katniss! You need to discuss things with him! But how was I going to approach the situation?

"Something on your mind Pumpkin?"

Darn it! He knew something was up. I took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Father, about the outside-"

He slammed his fist down. "Absolutely not! We've been over this Katniss! It is far too dangerous out there!" His voiced boomed. His entire face was red with fury. It frightened me to see him like this. But I couldn't stand down. Not anymore.

I straightened my shoulders and kept my head held high. "Father," I say calmly taking his hand in mine, " I just turned 17 last month. I'm almost a legal adult. You need to let me grow up. I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't keep me locked up for the rest of my life. I know you're only worrying about my safety but I am ready for this. You do realize you need me to take over the presidency once you go into retirement? How can I run the country and keep everyone safe if I have no idea how to do so? Please father, I'm begging you."

He rubbed his white bearded chin. After minutes of silence he sighed. "You're right. I have been a tad too over protective. You are my heir and predecessor and as such you have responsibilities and a status to maintain. Tell you what, I'll let you travel around the Capital. ONLY if you keep your identity a secret from the others."

As I was about to protest he held up his hand, "Katniss, it isn't safe out there and I'm only trying to protect you. On your 18th birthday, you will be publicly announced as the heir. This gives you time, 11 months to be exact, to learn the ways of our people. You can do shopping or whatever it was you wanted before your responsibilities are a must and a first priority."

Wait... really?! I beam at him. "Oh father! Thank you so much!"

"Remember Katniss. Life isn't all fun and games. You have a duty to our people. Don't waste your precious time. You only get this one shot before your tasks need to be arranged."

I nod. "I understand father. I won't let you down!"

"Good. You may be excused from the table. I have to make some phones."


I know Katniss is very much OCC but I thought I'd try something different. She's a Capital citizen after all.

It was just another random idea. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it. R&R.