Catching Fire

Finfic By; Noelle Deschene

Chapter 1

It's the day of the victory tour, and I'm required to be on the tour, because I have won 2 Hunger Games before, and it's time for Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Malark's victory tour. They were the first two people ever permitted to have two victors to live. I want to tell them both that if the Gamemakers hadn't of been so scared of not having a victor, both of them would be dead. I'm hunting in the woods, tracking a rabbit, when I start thinking about Cato, my older brother that died in the last Hunger Games, thanks to Katniss and Peeta. They say to be in love with each other, but I'm much smarter than all the people they fooled in the Capitol. I know that Peeta maybe still in love with Katniss, but to me Katniss isn't very convincing. No matter what, she just doesn't seem too sure of if she is in love with Peeta. I'm getting ready to kill the rabbit with my throwing knife, when me and Cato's friend, Jace, comes up behind me, and makes me lose my focus by yelling, "Why are you trying to catch a rabbit, Bramble? You know that they are always too fast for you!" I try throwing my knife at the rabbit before it gets away, but my knife lands in a nearby tree. "What the heck!? Why can't you just let me focus and get a rabbit every once in a while, like a normal person?" "Well, a normal person wouldn't be out here hunting, now would they?" He says back, smirking as usual. I go over to retrieve my knife, and then when I get back over to reply, within a matter of seconds, I'm on the ground with a knife to my neck, underneath Jace. "To fast for me, just like always, Jace. You don't have to attack me anymore." I say. He just looks at me and smiles. Then he uses his knife to trace around the circle of the necklace that hangs around my neck. I can't help feeling that I'm about to blush. "Why do you still wear this out hunting? Someone could see that necklace and realize that it's you, and I told Cato I wouldn't let you get in trouble." He said while he got up and helped me up. "Well, I still wear it, just because it's the last thing Cato gave me. You and I both watched him die, so I need something positive to remember him by." I reply back. He smiles at me. "Why don't we go visit his grave?" I shake my head. "No way. I'll be crying, and I don't really want to cry before I have to leave for the tour." "Well, then how about you sing for me? You should remember that old song that Katniss sings. I'm sure Cato would love to hear you again…" He says. I do remember the song. I don't really like to sing that much, it reminds me of when I was in the Hunger Games and my ally, Jaces little brother, died. "Ok." I sigh. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass a soft green pillow. Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes and when the again open, the sun will rise. Here it's safe, here it's warm, and here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you. Deep in the meadow, hidden far away a cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray. Forget your woes and let your troubles lay, and when again it's morning, they'll wash away. Here it's safe, here it's warm, and here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true, here is the place where I love you." I sing, and by the time I'm done we arrived at the gate to our District. "Very good. Did you hear the birds? It sounded like they all froze just to listen to you sing. They must think you have a beautiful voice." He says. I can't help blushing, but I use my hair to hide my face from him. He starts giggling when he sees me hiding. Ever since we met, he's been finding ways to make me embarrassed and it somehow makes me like him more, and him laugh. "Come on, let's just get trading before you have to go on the tour." He said while trying not to laugh. "Um, yeah, about that….. How would you like to go on the tour with me? My grandfather said that I could bring someone if I wanted to, and you're the one that calms me down, no matter what. Well, what do you think?" I ask. "Really? Of course I will go with you. Remember? Cato assigned me to keep you safe." He smiled at me, and before even thinking, I threw my arms around him and started saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" And he smiled and hugged me back. I let go, and he said that he would handle the trade route, because he knew I had to get ready for my prep team. And he had to get ready to leave, too.

About an hour later, my prep team arrives at my house in the Victors Village. My prep team is made up of all girls, Mary, China, and Agatha. When they get into my room, they all flock me, saying what their life has been like, and how there is a lot of business that I have to attend to once the tour gets to the capitol, and how it's apparently a very bad idea to have feather and sparkle costumes at birthday parties. My grandfather is, unfortunately, President Snow, the president of all of Panem, so I'm sometimes stuck with the problems that I know how to handle, and he doesn't want to deal with. My stylist, Emily, is just like all the other people in the Capitol. She wears way too much glitter eye liner, and has a different colored wig every time I see her, and giant fake eyelashes, and glittery tattoos. But when it comes to her clothes, she has the style of a genius. She always makes me glittery gowns and puffy dresses, just everything she makes me is so amazing, and when she walks in, I get up and hug her right away, and she smiles and hugs me back. "How have you been, cupcake?" She says. That's her nickname for me, when I was in the games our angle for the interview was that I was as sweet as a cupcake, so she thought of calling my cupcake. "I've been fine. Since about 3 minutes ago, I haven't heard a word from the capitol, but I have an idea on who I want to bring with me on the tour….." I reply. "Ok, what's her name and where does she live?" Emily says as she works through the bag of clothes and dresses she brought with her, for me of course, and got out a fur coat for me to wear in district 12. "Um, about that… His name is Jace, and he was Cato and my best friend. But he and I are still friends." I answer. Almost as if on cue, all of them give a, "Oooo!" in unison. "What? Is it wrong to bring my best friend who just happens to be a boy? Besides, Cato told him that if he died in the arena, which he did, that Jace has to protect me and keep me out of trouble. And he has, so I trust him to come with me on the tour." I say, rolling my eyes. All of them start giggling as I'm dressed and my hair in its signature off to the side curl. By the time I'm done, it's nearly time to leave for the tour. I tell them where Jace lives, which is probably a mistake, but then all of them are back with him in nearly two seconds, because he was already at the door knocking, in his best clothes. I've never seen his fancy clothes before, so I have nothing to say, just giggling. "Hey, watch it, miss fur." He reply's to my giggling, which stops when he says that, and I realize that I look much more ridiculous. He will only be making appearances at districts 1-11. He will also make an appearance at the capitol, but I'm the only one who will be making an appearance at district 12. "Well, I'm the only one who is making an appearance in district 12, and it's cold and snowy up there, so I need the fur. And remember who is taking you on the tour, keeping you from working." I snap back at him. He smiles and rolls his eyes. Within 45 minutes, mostly taken up by Emily prepping Jace, we're on the train heading for district 12. I take off my coat and hand it to one of the capitol servants. "Well, what do you think?" I ask Jace. "Whoa… This place is too cool, and you got to spend a day on here, 2 times? If I would have known that the train was this nice, I would have volunteered for Cato." He says, laughing in astonishment. "Yeah it's nice, I guess. But wait until we get to the capitol. This seems like nothing." I say back. "Want me to help you look around, or do you just want to wander around?" I ask. "How about you show me around, because I'm almost positive that that if I wander around, I'm gonna cause all kinds of trouble." He reply's. I begin to laugh, but catch myself and try to hold back, but can't help it, and laugh anyway. When I look at Jace, he's smiling at me, but when I look at him he looks away, nervously. "Well, ok then. Why don't we start off with your room?" I lead him down a few hall ways, to the room car. I show him a small room with its own bathroom inside. "This is your room. Peeta's room is next door, and Katniss' and my room is across the hall. Next is where you, Peeta, Katniss, Haymitch, Effie, and I will all be eating." I lead him down another two halls, until we get to the dining car, which is full of capitol delicacies'. "Wow… Can we eat this stuff, Bramble?" He asks. I nod. "What? Can we eat it now?" I nod. "But pace yourself, or you might be going to bed with a stomach ache. I don't want you throwing up when we get to district 12. Got it?" I tell him, good thing too, because if I hadn't told him, he would be stuffing himself sick. "Well, I'm going to my room. You know where I am if you need me." When I get to my room, Jace was done eating and was heading back to his room. When he did get back, he knocked on my door. "Yes?" I asked as I answered the door. "How much longer until we arrive in district 12?" "About tomorrow, noonish. Why?" I ask. "Well, this train is stuffy." "Then just wait until we stop for a fuel break, which shouldn't be too long from now." I answer back to him. When it's time for the fuel break, it's sundown. I hear Jace calling my name, so I leave my room, and we walk out to see the sunset. "Wow… I've forgotten how beautiful the sunset out here is. We should be near district 6 by now." I say as I sit down on the track with him. I feel him put his hand on mine, but don't object it. We sit there in silence for a few minutes. Say something, stupid! I think to myself. "Maybe we should go back on the train, before the train leaves without us, and we miss dinner. Effie hates it when people are off schedule." I say finally. He laughs like I was kidding, and says, "Really? Figures someone from the Capitol would like to be on schedule. Ok, let's go." He says. I get up and fallow him to the train. When we get back on, the train is moving again, and Effie is standing there, waiting for us with an angry look in her eyes. I manage a nervous smile at her before she gives us a lecture about how important it is to stay on schedule. "Listen, Effie, I get this lecture all the time from my grandfather, so I really don't need it now. And we were not late. But, you're right; we're not on time, either. Our punishment shouldn't be so sever. Wouldn't you agree?" I tell her when she's done, and she sighs and says "Fine. Your punishment will be to be escorted with me to the first feast, which is in district 11. Ok?" "Yes, Effie. Now, unless you would like to be late for dinner too, I suggest that we all head to the dining car." For dinner, we had all of my favorite meals: Vegetable soup, chicken on a bed of rice, and apple custard. After dinner, Effie shoes us back to our rooms, while she worked on the schedule for tomorrow. We walked back in silence, there was nothing to say, nothing at all. When we got to our rooms, I finally say, "So….. What did you think of dinner?" "Oh, it was delicious. How about you?" He replies. "I loved it. Sweet dreams, and may the odds…" I begin. "Be ever in your favor." He finishes, and we start laughing. "Hey! I heard that!" Shouts Effie from down the hall. We try to stop laughing, but laugh when she's in her room. "Well, it looks like we need to go to bed now. Sweet dreams, Bramble." He says. I nod and walk into my room. Only five minutes do I hear Jace sigh and walk in his room, and then I drift into sleep.

If only my dreams were sweet. I spend most of the night in Jaces arms. I always have two nightmares, the one where I'm Katniss and I let Cato die. The other one is the one where I'm watching Cato die over and over again. Jace always seems to calm me down, since I've been having these nightmares ever since Cato's funeral, waking up screaming from everyone. "Ssshhh… It wasn't real. It was just a dream." He said trying to calm me down. "But, it felt so real." I say trying to get free of his grip, which only gets tighter. "Let me go, before I get the capitol attendants to come and take you away." I say. He laughs and let's go of me. "Want to go watch some television?" He asks me. "Sure, but won't we wake Effie?" I ask. "Isn't that part of the fun?" He asks, snickering and mimicking my tone. I smile and put on a robe, and we walk to the viewing room.

When we got to the viewing room, there were 2 tapes on the floor, both with the labels, except for the Hunger Games number, scratched off. "Why does Effie still have these? I thought I told her to get rid of them." I say, picking up one of the tapes. "Well, maybe she still wanted to keep them to show tributes what other tributes can be like. Come on, let's watch them, they're bound to be on now anyway." Says Jace, taking the tape from my hand. I try to object, but before I can, he puts in the tape and presses play. I know that these will be gruesome, for these are the years of my Hunger Games.

Chapter 2

I sit down and watch. It starts off at the reapings, when my name is called, the camera's show Cato with, for the first time, regret in his eyes. It goes straight to the opening ceremonies with me and Jared, Jaces younger brother, in perfect gold costumes. With the light reflecting off of us, then it cuts to our training scores, mine was an eleven, the highest one. Then it cuts to our interviews, and there is Ceaser Flickerman in his twinkling starry midnight blue suit. First is the girl tribute of that district, then the boy. First is the girl from 1, her name was Jennifer, I think. Each interview is 3 minutes, and when the buzzer rings, your time is up. It's around 7 minutes before it's my turn. "Hello, Bramble." Says Ceaser. "It's really Annabelle. But, thank you for having me tonight, Ceaser." I say as I sit down. He laughs as if it were some kind of joke. "So, if your name is Annabelle, why does everyone call you Bramble?" He asks. "Well, I never really thought that Annabelle fit my personality. Neither did Cato. So I asked President Snow if I could change my name. He said that the only name that suited me was Bramble, because I'm dangerous, like the thorns on a bramble bush, and mysterious, like the leaves on the bush. I could heal you, or poison you at any time." I reply. He smiles. "So, who's this Cato? Your boyfriend?" He asks me. I laugh a little. "No. He's my older brother, which I will protect no matter what." "So, let's talk about the opening ceremonies. When I saw you, I thought of you two as gold birds. And how you just stopped my heart when I started thinking you really were golden birds. Did anyone feel the same way?" Ceaser calls out to the audience, which is answered by a round of applause. "Well, I have some of that gold here, would you like to see?" I ask, and then he nods. I take out a gold locket in the shape of a heart, with a little key hole in the middle, and a gold key, then I unlock the locket and I have two pictures inside. One of Cato and one of a young Jace. Good thing he doesn't remember this is him, or I would be seriously blushing right now. "Who was that little kid anyway?" Jace asks me as I return to reality. "Oh, no one important." I reply. I know I'm blushing when I hear him start to giggle. I start watching again, and now it's Ceaser who asks the question. "So, who are these two?" Asks Ceaser. The pictures are on one of the screens so everyone can see them. "Well, the one on the left is Cato, and the one on the right is a secret." I say to Ceaser. "Oh, well I'm sure you can trust anyone here." Then the buzzer goes off, and he says goodbye. I sit back down in my seat. Then it's Jared's turn. Next, after all the interviews are over, it's the morning of the games. I'm in front of the cornucopia, and I have an eye for a collection of throwing knives, then I look over to Jared, and he's smiling and nodding, most likely saying to go for the knives. I nod back and turn back to the cornucopia. The arena is an entire forest all around us. The gong sounds, and the camera is on me the entire time, watching me kill innocent people to get the knife set. When it's finally over, only the tributes from 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 remain, thanks to me. The tributes from 1, 2, 3, and 5 make an alliance, and that includes me and Jared. I take out all the girl tributes of 6, 7, and 8, while Jared takes out the boy tributes from those same districts. After that, I kill all the girls. Then I'm the only girl left, and you can clearly see that most of the guys, except Jared it seems, are taking a liking to me. They're always offering to keep watch for me, even though the only thing to watch out for is the Gamemakers deadly weapons. All of them trying to protect me when I go out hunting. And worst of all, three of them tried to kiss me when we went out hunting. I ended up killing all of them except for Jared and the boy from 8, Derrick. We separate until the last day, when we all meet in front of the cornucopia. Jared and I exchange a glance, and then Derrick, the boy from 8, runs over to Jared and slits his neck. "Noooo!" I scream and try to run over to Jared, but Derrick grabs my hand and pulls me close. "Why….? Why did y-you k-kill him?!" I yell at him. "He was going to kill you, and I wanted to protect you." "No, he wasn't going to kill me! He was going to kill you, and protect me. And now you can die to for all I care!" I yell at him, then with a quick swift hand, I jab one of my knives into the pressure point in his shoulder. I then run over to Jared and hold his hand for his last few breaths, and then his canon fires, but not Derricks. I run over to him, he is just getting off the ground, sword drawn, and he's heading toward me, then I stab him in his stomach and started cutting away at him until his canon fires and Claudius Templesmith announces that I am the crowned victor. Then it cuts to the night I spent watching the highlights, and then it cuts to the final interview. By the time me and Jace are finished with the video, Effie is up and it's almost time for breakfast. Since we don't want to watch my other year, because when I'm in the arena I'm an unstoppable killing machine, I decide to put on the clothes from yesterday, since I'm wearing them again today, and head down.

When I get there, I see Jace in his clothes from yesterday, and Effie working on her schedule. "Ok, so we should be in district 12 by noon, and then you will finally be able to meet Katniss, Annabelle." Says Effie. "Oh yeah, when Katniss and Peeta are here, please call me Bramble. I'm hoping that they don't know my real name, and I want to keep it that way. Ok? Annabelle is just too embarrassing." I ask. She sighs and nods. For breakfast we have a normal Capitol breakfast: Homemade waffles, rolls, and hot chocolate. After breakfast, Jace went to go take a shower, leaving me and Effie alone. "Why did you keep them?" I ask. "I wanted the tributes to remember you. Forever. You're the one who inspires them." She says not even looking up at me. We just sit there in silence, until Jace comes out and sees me and Effie in silence. "Ok, what happened this time?" He asks. "Nothing that concerns you, Jace. Now why don't you and Bramble go and hang out for a while? It's only 9 am, so it'll be a few hours before we get to district 12." Says Effie, and she shoes us off. "Hey, have you seen the window compartment yet?" I ask Jace. He shakes his head. "Come on, I really want to show it." I say pulling him toward the back car.

In the back car the entire back window comes up. I show him how to work it and we just sit there, window open, letting the wind, and snow, blow on our faces. "Man. This train is way cool. Hey, what's that coming up on our right?" He asks. I look to where he's pointing, and see that its district 12. "Well, it looks like we're here." I look at the watch Effie gave me, and it says noon. "Right on time too." The train pulls up to the station, and we put the window down. Knowing that someone might know me. "Stay in here and away from windows. Ok?" I tell him, putting on my fur jacket. He nods. "If you need anything, just ask one of the Capitol assistants. Now, I have to go, but I won't be long." I say, and then I show him that I'm bringing my throwing knives, and I show him I also have my hunting jacket. He smiles at me right before the door closes behind me. I get flocked by reporters from the Capitol when I get off the train, and I can almost hear Jace sighing. As I try get through the reporters, someone grabs my hand and pulls me from the crowd. My rescuer is none other than Haymitch, the oldest victor of district 12. He holds me still and glares down at me. "Hi, Haymitch. How are you?" I pause expecting an answer, but nothing comes from his mouth. "What did I do wrong this time?" I ask. His answer is a little too obvious. He lightly lifts my coat, revealing my hunting jacket and throwing knives. I shrink down in his hold. "What? It was too tempting… I had to bring them. I'm going hunting, if it kills me." I say. He just grins and hugs me. "It's good to have you back, cupcake." He says in my ear. I just sigh and hug him back. When he lets go, we are on our way to town. "So, how is she?" I ask him. "Oh, well let's see… She is in, so far, a lot of trouble with the Capitol, and she still hangs out with Gale, her "Cousin" in the woods, when she should spend all her time with Peeta." "Well, let's start off with something simpler. I just got off a train with Effie… So, let's start off with if she's alive or not." I tell him. "Oh, well I think that, since she's spent all of her time in the woods, that she's alive." He says somewhat sarcastically. "Next, you've already told me that she is indeed in trouble with the Capitol. So, next is if she is planning something too dangerous for her, or the Capitol?" I ask. "Not as far as I know. Now, why don't you go on and get to hunting?" He says trying to hide the annoyance in his voice, which is not working very well. "Ok. I'll go, while you wait until I come back to scare Katniss. Ok?" I ask him. "Well, why do you always need to be throwing around deals? But, ok." He agrees, and then we say our goodbyes and I head off to the woods.

When I get through the gate, I see footprints in the snow. "Hmm… Seems like I'm not the only one out here in the woods today." I say. I start to place my feet in the foot prints, fallowing them, until they stop. I cut an X in a tree, and then head back. On my way back, I get a squirrel. When I'm out of the woods and in the meadow from where I came, I go and drop off the squirrel at the house that I know Katniss always goes to after hunting. I put it at the back door, and then I knock and ran away. I hear someone answer, asking if there was someone there, and then I her gasp at the sight of the squirrel, and she starts calling out Katniss' name. I gasp, possible too loud, and I start running to the Victors Village, hoping she won't see me. When I get there, I realize that I should just hide, but it's too late. I'm flocked, once again, with reporters and camera crews asking for my autograph. It's not until someone, who I believe is Haymitch, grabs me and takes me from the crowd. "Thanks again, Haymitch." I say to my savor. "Um, sorry, but I'm not Haymitch." He says back. I look at him in disbelief. My savor is non-other than Peeta Malark…

Chapter 3

"P-p-Peeta? Is that really you? Why did you help me?" I ask. He just smiles and laughs. "Yeah, it's really me, and I helped you because you looked like you needed help." "I never need help. Now let go of me." I tell him. He laughs and lets me go. When he does, I see Effie coming out of Katniss' house. "Well, it looks like I have to go hide, and you have to get ready to see your "Lover"." I say, and then I just walk away. I hide behind some of the crowd, enough to get out without anyone seeing me, and wait for Katniss to come out. When she does, she starts off by walking to Peeta, which quickly turns into a full out run, and she jumps into his arms, and he catches her and spins her and then he steps on a patch of ice it seems, because they both fall into the snow, Katniss on top of Peeta, and they kiss. I can't help but to laugh at this. She helps him up and they hug. I step into the area in front of them, and say, "So, how are my two favorite little love birds doing today?" Katniss freezes when I say this, and gives a slight gasp. She lets go of Peeta and turns toward me, looking shocked. I give her my signature smug smile. "Don't you remember me, Katniss? Peeta sure does, don't you Peeta?" I look at Peeta and he nods. He whispers something in Katniss' ear, and I know he told her my name is Bramble and I'm a victor. That's when she smiles at me for the first time. I signal for them to come with me on the train, which they fallow. Once on the train, they both get surprised to see Jace there. Effie gets on behind them and tells them this is my friend Jace, from district 2. "Hi, I've heard so much about you two." Says Jace, apparently trying to be nice. There's a clink coming from my jacket, and Effie came over and took off my fur coat and pulled open my hunting jacket, and she's glaring at me when she sees my knives. "Really, knives? Why did you bring them into the district?" She asks me. "Well, Haymitch knew about them. And he didn't freak out. So, why are you?" I snap at Effie. She backs up, surprised at what I had just said. "Because, you of all people should know that you shouldn't carry any weapons here." She says back, sounding angrier than yesterday. "Well I went hunting and lucky for Katniss I caught a squirrel for that family she's always hunting for! Now I'm tired of talking to you!" I yell before I storm off to my room. On my way, I can hear Effie crying. When I get to my room, I lie down on my bed. I stare at the ceiling until Katniss comes in and asks me if I really did give that squirrel to Hazel. "Yeah. Is that her name? I didn't know where else to take it, so I gave it to her." I say. She hugs me. "Thank you." Is all she says to me. Then, when she let go, she tells me it's almost time for dinner. "I'm defiantly not going to have dinner with Effie. At least not after what happened this afternoon. You go. I'm staying here." I say, she shrugs. That night I didn't even have dinner, nor did I have nightmares. I just lie awake all night. Around midnight I sneak to the back car. When I get there, I see Jace sleeping there. I wake him. "W-what? Oh, hey. What's up? Were you having nightmares?" He asked sleepily. I shake my head. "No. No nightmares. Just couldn't sleep, I guess. How was dinner?" I ask him. This seems to jolt him awake, because he suddenly gets up. "Wait, I thought that you had dinner in your room, did you not have dinner?" "No. But I'm fine, so how was it?" He hesitates before answering. "Well, it was fine." He says after two minutes. I smile. "So, where are you out here and not in your bedroom?" I ask. "Well… I was out here thinking about how you yelled at Effie, and I guess I just fell asleep. Your excuse?" "I couldn't sleep and my room was stuffy, so I walked out here." "Ok, fair enough. So, what do you want to do?" He asks. "I don't know. What do you want to do?" I ask back shrugging. "Well I really want to hunt, but I don't think we can do that on a moving train. So… Do you want to talk about what happened?" I look at him, uncertain if I want to talk or not. "Sure. Maybe that will help." He smiles at me, and he sits up completely to make room for me to sit down next to him. "So, why did you yell at Effie anyway?" "I was tired of her trying to control my life. If she was the escort for District 2, I would die. I just snapped I guess. I mean, Haymitch didn't seem too bothered by it, so why should Effie? She has all she could ever ask for in the Capitol, and I had to watch my on brother die. She just gets me so mad sometimes." I say. He puts his arm around me. "Listen, Effie doesn't know any better, she's from the Capitol. Most of those people don't even know their own name. They think that the entire thing is just some cool television show. Just ignore them like I do." "Funny you should say that, because now I'm making you come to the Capitol interview with me and you will make an appearance." I say. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" He says back. I start laughing, he does too, and we just sit there laughing. "I think this will help me sleep a little more soundly, but what am I going to say to Effie in the morning?" "Don't worry, I'll tell her everything for you. But you owe me something." "Oh really? And what would that be?" I ask, and then there's a long silence like he's trying to think of something. "I'll find something." He says finally. I smile. "I will always owe you something, huh?" I ask. He laughs. "No, not always. Now why don't you go on back to bed?" "Na. I'd rather just talk out here. What do you want to talk about now?" He shrugs. "Um… How about why you freaked out when my little brother died?" "Well, he reminded me of you, I guess. But, something came over me when I saw him die." I say with a shrug. So, we just sit there talking about different things, until I fall asleep.

When I wake up I'm in my room, I have no idea how I got there, and have my prep team hanging over me. "Ok, can I get breakfast first? I know I have to get ready for the parade, but I got to admit, I'm hungry." I say. They all sigh and nod. I get on the clothes I had on yesterday, and headed down. When I get down, Katniss, Jace and Effie are the only ones there. Effie gets up out of her seat and practically ran over to me in her heals, and then she gave me a hug. "W-w-what? What's going on here? Why are you hugging me Effie?" I say confused. "Well because, now I understand. Don't worry; I won't try to control you anymore. Jace told me everything." She says. Over her shoulder, I spot Jace. I push her away. "I'm gonna kill you!" I say, then I lung toward him, and he gets up and runs away. Effie grabs my hand and pulls me back. "No, no. Please at least try to mind your manners. Come now, eat breakfast." "Fine. But after breakfast, I'm so killing him." For breakfast we have Katniss' favorite: Lamb stew with died plums, along with other delicacies, orange juice and a pot of steaming hot chocolate. After breakfast I head back to my room, where my prep team has be waiting for me. I take a shower, dry off, and let them make me over. They were told to do my make-up and nails according to the dress I'm going to wear. Emily is going to style me from there. All my make-up is a light gold, so now I look like I'm wearing real gold. When Emily comes in, I look like gold. "Well, there's my little gold princess." She says when she sees me. "Ha, ha, very funny. I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if you had this much gold make-up on." I snap back. She just laughs. "So what's the idea of my dress today?" I ask after she stops laughing. "Oh, well I thought why not make someone worth as much as gold, to be like gold? So, today you'll have this dress." She pulls off the cover on my dress, revealing a beautiful dress that has the color of gold, and sparkles. "Ok, I love the dress, but I have to beg to differ, I don't think that I would need this much make-up." "She's right; you guys put way too much gold make-up on her. She's supposed to relate to gold. Not be covered in the stuff. All you need to do is take off one layer. She needs to look like this when we get to the Capitol. Ok?" They all nod, and it doesn't take them much time at all to get me back to a light brush of gold. "So what are we going to do with that hair of yours?" Emily says when I have on the dress and the shoes. "Well, it looks like I missed lunch. Oh well." I say with a sigh when I see the time. "Oh, don't worry, dear, you'll get all the food you'll need tonight at the feast." Says Agatha. I roll my eyes. "Hmm… Oh! I got it!" Says Emily, then she feverishly goes to work on my hair. It takes her about five minutes to get it perfect. "There, what do you all think?" She says to the prep team. They all gasp in delight. They hold up a mirror so I can see. I gasp. Down the back of my hair is a single this braid of golden hair. "Wow… How did you think of this? Katniss wears her hair in a braid, not me. But it looks amazing. Thank you Emily." She smiles. "Ok, now Katniss and Peeta will both have different clothes for the speeches and the feasts. But you won't. I don't think you need to wear that many dresses. And this one is functional. If you want to go out, you can go in this dress." And by go out, she means hunt outside of the fence. "Really? But what about my knives?" I ask. "Well, there's a secret little pocket that already has about ten knives in it." She says pointing to my ribbon-belt. "Awesome. How did you think of it?" She shrugs and smiles. When I'm finished, I'm not aloud out of my room until the parade. And when the Capitol attendant comes in to tell us that there was a malfunction with something, and it will take about one hour to fix, I start to freak out. The thought of being stuck in this room for another hour is just about as bad as being called in the reaping. I sneak out and go to the end car. The problem still hasn't been fixed when I get there, so I sit down and look out the window. "Everybody's waiting for me to breakdown; everybody's watching to see the fallout, even when you're sleeping, keep your eyes open." I sing not thinking if anyone is there. "I'm not." A voice says behind me. I look at who it is, and it's Cinna, Katniss' stylist. "No one cares, Cinna." "I care. I don't want to see you breakdown." "Well, most people in the Capitol are waiting to see me breakdown about Cato's death, which, by the way, your tribute killed." I say, and then I look back at the window. "Hey, that was last year. Come here and spin for me." He says extending his hand to me. I take his hand, get up, and spin for him. "You now, my dresses don't have a special qualities like yours do." I try saying before I spin, but it's too late. My dress is going out and flying looking just like a flower. "Whoa… I look like a flower." I say in astonishment. "Emily told me that your dress would have some special qualities. What else does it have?" "Well, I have a pocket in my belt that holds my throwing knife. And, now I'm dizzy." I say giggling. He smiles. "There's the girl we need for the feast. Now, why don't you go and show Jace that dress?" "Because I'm not aloud out of my room, I snuck out here." "Emily probably didn't want you to show Haymitch, Effie, Katniss, Peeta, and Jace your dress." He replies with a smile. "Well, it looks like I'm gonna be busted when if I get back to my room with no one seeing me." I say sadly. "Yeah you will, you got here without anyone seeing you." He says looking out the door to see if the coast is clear. "There's a difference, I wasn't trying." I say smugly. He signals for me to look, and I see no one in sight. I mouth the words thank you then I run off back to my room. When I get there, I get a round of glaring from my team. "What? You really didn't expect me to stay in this room until the parade did you?" I ask as I walk back to my make-up table. "Well, I was hoping. Now, who all saw you?" Asks Emily, still glaring and she's angry with me, you can tell in her voice. "Just Cinna, I think." I say, then the train starts moving again. "Well, it looks like we're back on track. Now Effie doesn't need to fret about her precious schedule." I say. Emily comes over and starts to play with my hair. She sighs. "Well, at least now no matter what, no guy will be able to resist you. You look beautiful right now." "Thanks. No one ever says that anymore." I say, sort of blushing. "Well, with your mom and dad dead, someone has to say it." She smiles brightly.

When we arrive, no one knows where Peeta or Katniss are, and I find out that Katniss had an outburst at lunch to Effie. "Well, why doesn't anyone tell me anything? I should have known." I say. "Well, I would have, but I was told to not enter your room. So, I couldn't possible tell you. But, that doesn't matter now; it's time for them to get ready for the award ceremonies. And, you look extravagant. We better hurry if we are to make it on time for them to have enough time to get ready." "Effie, we get it, we need to fallow your schedule. Do you have any idea where they are?" Effie shakes her head while looking at her schedule. "Great, I have to find them. I'll be right back, you just go get Jace." I say, then I walk off to the last car. When I get there, I see them sitting there looking out the window, with it open. I stand in the doorway, as quietly as possible. "Well, don't you look comfy?" I ask, and they both jolt. I laugh hysterically. "Effie wants to tell you that it's time to go into district 11." I say, still giggling. Katniss rolls her eyes at me. As they leave, Peeta pats his hand on my head, and I quickly shake it off, which happens to make him laugh. Ok, now I just need to see what Jace looks like, laugh at him, and I'm all good until the award presentation. When Katniss, Peeta, and I get back to the main car, Effie is back with Jace. I walk in behind Peeta and Katniss, but I can still see him as Effie flocks them. He has his hair combed back, a nice black suit. I stare at him for a while, then Effie grabs my arm, bringing me back to reality, and pulls me forward, showing off my outfit and make-up. When Jace sees me, he looks as surprised as I did when I saw him. "See? You're not the only one who looks and will look nice, Jace. Even if you're not used to fancy nice clothes, you have to wear them." Says Effie. Jace and I are the last ones out the train door. "What, no remarks about my outfit, Bramble?" He says as we walk out. "I would, but I've never seen you look so nice, and plus, Emily's the one who put you in those clothes, so you had no choice." "Why don't we give them a show? For the cameras? I'm sure the Capitol will love it." "A show? Like what?" I ask with curiosity in my voice. He looks down at me and grins. "Well, Peeta put on quite a show last year, so what do you think of his idea?" "No. There is no possible way I'm going along with the love card." "Oh come on, it won't be that bad." "Yeah it will, Katniss and Peeta, and everyone in 2 will make me live it down. And I sort of played that card in the Games with your brother, even though I didn't mean to. It just looks that way with the way they played it." Well, at least I have that lie to hang on, for now. If he realized how I really felt about him, that lie would die in less than two minutes. "Please? For me? This is the first time in 8 years that I've asked for something from you. Just say yes, and let's get on with it." He says with such a wry smile that makes me wonder if he wants us to act like this on purpose. I sigh. "Ok. But only when we're on camera. Got it?" I spit back at him with bitterness that I didn't intend to give him. I look back up at him, and he looks concerned. "Sorry, I'm still a little mad at Emily for making me sit in that room all day and miss lunch." I say then I look down at the ground. Jace grabs my chin and pulls it up so I can face him. "No one's perfect, and it was a mistake." I give a slight glance to my right, and see all the cameras are on us. I look a little more to my right, and I see Emily and Cinna nodding at the exact same pace. So this is what Emily wanted from me all along? For me to have romance? No wonder she said those things earlier today. She wanted me to have a little romance in my life. I look back at Jace and give a sweet smile. All the cameras flash at once. They all want to capture this moment, hold it, and never let it go, for this is the first time in my life I've ever shown even the littlest bit of romance and compassion for anyone other than me and my brother. What pictures are shot here today will be on Capitol television tomorrow, which means Snow will see it, be outraged, and I'll be in trouble. But right now, I could care less. To finish off the show for now, we hug, then we walk over to Effie and everyone holding hands. "Good show you two. But I have two questions; who thought of it, and how did you guys improve it so well?" Asks Peeta as soon as we start walking again. Jace puts his hand up, "I thought of it, and I'm used to romance, she's not. She's never had a boyfriend, so I don't know how she caught on so quickly." Says Jace. "Well, I was just fallowing his lead, I had no idea what I was doing, something just….. Came over me, I guess." There it is again. Another lie. Another one that I'll owe him for. I look down and blush. "So Emily, did you like the show?" Asks Jace. "Perfect. Why did you think Cinna and I were nodding? Portia would have been nodding, but she was trying to fix Peeta's hair." I look over at Portia, but she has started fussing with Peeta's hair again. "Why are you fixing his hair, if it's not messed up?" I ask her. She stops for a minute. "Because, it's the only way to occupy myself before the speeches. I'm just so nervous for today, and tonight. One slip up and the country hates someone." She says. I roll my eyes. "Well, that makes complete sense, since the entire country already hates me, so I've got that covered." I say with sarcasm. Jace nudges me, and we both start laughing. "Oh please, figures you two would be so immature. Not everyone in the country hates you, sweetie. Just a few districts." She says putting her hand on my shoulder. "So, you're proving that I'm hated by many? Great. Now I know that I really am hated." I say back. We continue walking all the way to the justice building in silence, except for the occasional giggle from Jace or Katniss.

It takes about ten to fifteen minutes to dress Peeta and Katniss. Peeta, Katniss, and I all go out on stage together. Jace refuses to go, but somehow, Effie gets him on stage with me. We sit next to each other, for Katniss and Peeta both request that if we're going to make this love thing work. We sit off to the side, shaded by a roof overhang, while they give their speeches. It starts off with the mayor introducing Peeta and Katniss and giving them the awards. Then they give their speeches. To finish off Peeta's speech, he says something truly terrible. "And, Thresh, and Rue's family will both get a month's worth of Victor rewards." In other words, every month, the two families will get a month of Victor money, which one month can feed a family for one year. I look at Katniss, and she seems as surprised as I am. Peeta thanks the district for having them, and then we all start walking back inside, when Katniss runs back to the podium and says, "I didn't personally know Thresh, but he let me live, and I could never repay him for that. Rue was my ally, she told about this district, and I felt that I really knew her. So I thank them for giving their lives for me and Peeta." Then, about ten seconds later, someone in the crowd whistles Rues four note tune. Almost as if on cue, they all put their lips to the three fingers on their left hand, and stick their hand in the air. Katniss looks like she is about to cry. She, Peeta, and Jace walk back inside, and I stay outside and talk to a peacekeeper about how to handle what has just happened. "Well, you should know how to handle this; this is your district, not mine." I tell him. He nods. "Well, this might be my district, but this has never happened before. But, with your permission, we could get rid of the problem entirely." "Ok, just make it quick. I have to get back to my party." He nods again. He signals to two of the other peacekeepers, and they go and find the man, who whistled, they bring him to the stage in front of everybody. They put a gun to his head, and they put a bullet through it.

Chapter 4

I can hear Katniss, Peeta, and Jaces footsteps, and they are getting quicker as they get closer, so I hide. They come out in time to see him fall to the ground, and then two other peacekeepers push them back inside. When they leave, the peacekeeper I was talking to puts two more through his head, just to make sure he's dead. Then I come out, and I sneak inside. I run until someone catches me, and gives me a big hug. "Oh my god, I thought you were dead! Don't you dare do that to me again!" Jace says. I start laughing. "I promise I won't make you think that I'm dead again." I say, hugging him back. He pulls away smiling. "Now, I think we have feast to go to." He says, and he holds out his hand to me. I accept his hand, and we start walking to the room where Peeta and Katniss will see tonight's clothes, and then we hear a loud crash. I look around to see where it came from, when Effie comes running past us, grabs my hand and pulls us into a room down the hall. "Effie, what is going on?!" I yell at her once she has closed the door. She just shakes her head. "Not something I should worry you with now. Besides, it's almost time for the feast. Now, where are Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch?" I shrug. "We heard a loud crash, but we don't know where it came from." Says Jace. "Well, what good does that do me?" She snaps back. We hear another crash. "What the heck is that?" I say. After ten minutes, I get anxious and go to look for them. I walk right into Haymitch and I end up on the floor. "Ow. Effie has been looking for you guys. And why was there crashing coming from upstairs?" I ask and Katniss helps me up. Haymitch and Katniss both look at Peeta once I'm up. Haymitch sighs. "Ok, go back and tell her not to get her wig in a twist. We'll be right down. And, how did you hear any crashing from the dome? Wait… Forget what I just said." "Why were you in the dome? I thought they locked those after your victory tour, Haymitch, you know, when you spent hours up there." Haymitch rolls his eyes, and then he just walks on. We all fallow all the way back to the room where Katniss and Peeta see their clothes, then I walk back to the room where Jace and Effie are until the feast.

At the feast, there are a few tables full of food, more than in district 2, laid out for everyone to choose from. I don't eat at all, most of the time I have to play like I'm in love with Jace. "Oh, you two are darling together!" Says one of the camera men tells us. "Aw, well thank you." I say to him. "Why don't we see a kiss?" He says. I look up at Jace, who is smiling down at me. "A kiss?" I whisper to him. He grabs my chin, and pushes his lips against mine. I've never kissed a guy before, and I've always heard that it's supposed to leave some kind of impression. I can hear people gasping, and I think that I nearly hear Effie faint. When we pull away, most of the eyes in the room are on us. I look over and see Effie fanning herself. I look over to see Emily and Portia smiling brightly. "Oh, you two make such a great couple." Says the camera man. I look back up at Jace, then I turn and run away. I run outside into the cold, and I end up in the woods at night, with who knows what in these parts of the woods. I nearly forgot that I had weapons, when I hear howling, and I wild dog tries to attack me. I quickly get out a knife and it goes straight through his heart, and he's dead in a second. I sit down on a tree stump and try to comprehend what just happened. I'm too tired to go back inside, especially after what has just happened. There's someone coming from the justice building, but I can't make out who it is, I can hear them calling my name, I yell back I'm here, and then I faint just as they come into seeing distance. When I awake, I have three pairs of eyes looking down at me. "W-where am I? And who are you?" I ask. "It's ok, you fainted out in the woods, and now you're back on the train. I saw that dead dog lying next to you, and thought that you got really badly heart when I saw you had fainted." I get a little relived when I realize that it's Jace who's talking to me. "Why did you kiss me, Jace?" I ask, then I realize that he's smiling at me. "Because, I thought you wanted to make it believable. So, if I didn't kiss you, everyone would know we were faking. And you don't want that, now do you?" "No, I guess not." I say, shrugging. "Watch, I'm going to do it again." He says, then he leans in and plants a kiss my forehead. "Stop. I don't like it when people kiss my forehead. But, how long was I out?" I say, angrily, almost annoyed. "Well, you were out through the rest of the feast at 11, and it's about noon now, so at least one day." Says Katniss. "Come on, Peeta. Let's leave them alone." She says, and then she and Peeta leave the room, and it's me and Jace left in my room. After about two minutes of silence, Jace says, "Listen, about last night, I'm sorry I did-…" I sit up and kiss him before he could finish. He kisses me back. When we break, he asks, "Now why did you kiss me?" I giggle. "Because, you talk too much." I say, trying to hold back from laughing. He smiles. "But, there has to a real reason for why. Do you like me now?" "Of course not, I was returning the favor, and plus you kissed back." I say. He smiles even more. "Hey, I'm hungry, how about you?" He asks. I nod. "You feel strong enough to walk?" "Yeah, I'm fine. What was for breakfast?" He shrugs. "I was here with you all night and all morning, just to be sure you were okay. Even through breakfast." He says. That's when I remember how sweet and kind he is, no wonder he has had many girlfriends, while I was walking home alone- sometimes with Cato- in the cold. I get up and fallow him to the dining car; I realize I'm in the same clothes from yesterday, and then I sit down at the table.

The next few weeks are boring; we go to every district up until two, which we are going today. When I'm ready, I have an orange dress and an orange ribbon in my single braid. When I spin, I sparkle like a real bar of gold, as if I've ever seen one. Jace looks very handsome today. His hair kind of looks like Cato's when he had the interview; combed back and perfect. He has another black suite on, like always. When we get off the train, we have a parade for Katniss and Peeta, and Jace and I sneak off. We go to see our families and friends that we haven't seen in a while, which for me is no one but my adopted mom and dad. My real mom and dad were helping with the resistance, so Snow killed them. I go with Jace to see his friends, which are mad at him for taking me for himself. I just laugh and roll my eyes. They all try to kiss me, but they end up getting Jace mad, they stop when he says that it was all just a card that we played for the show. All his friends have had crushes on me since they saw me when I was ten walking home from school one day. That night at the feast, Jace and I try to stay away from each other, so nothing becomes too weird between us. Right about Jace and I were about to dance, because one of the people asked for us to dance, a peacekeeper comes in and asks Jace if he would mind if Carly, the peacekeeper who came in, borrowed me for a second. Jace doesn't and I'm on my way to the peacekeeper headquarters, hidden in a mountain. We go down about 40 to 50 feet to the conference room in an elevator. "So, why am I needed in the conference room? And why now?" I ask as we get off the elevator. "Head says there's someone who wants to talk you from the Capitol, miss." Says Carly. Head means the head peacekeeper. "Um, ok…" I say back. When I get to the conference room, there is one row of peacekeepers on both sides of me, and there's a hologram Capitol seal floating in the middle of the table. I walk up slowly to the table. I press the except call button on the hologram, and there's a man facing the wrong way, with snow white hair. Suddenly, I gasp, because I know who it really is. This call was only for my eyes and ears. This call is from President Snow.

Chapter 5

"Sir? Turn around." I say, he turns around, and smiles a snake like smile. "Ah, Annabelle. How have you been?" He asks. I return the exact same smile. "Fine and yourself?" "Worried, to be honest. The rebellion in eight is getting out of hand, and I'm afraid that if you stay on the tour too long, one of the other districts will go out of control. We're starting to lose control of one. So, come tomorrow, you will be relocated to the Capitol until you are 17. And you will not be permitted to see that wrenched boy anymore. Ok?" "What?! What wrenched boy? Do you mean Jace? You can't take away my only friend! You already took my only brother! And you also took away my own parents! You can't do this… You just can't!" I yell at him, tears are beginning to form in my eyes. "I can and I will. I have already talked to Effie and she said that she would miss you. And yes, I do mean Jace." He holds up the picture from the feast in 11, where I'm in Jaces arms, and we're kissing, obviously printed off the computer. "I just printed this off my computer, and do you really think that I'm going to let my granddaughter be kissed by this boy? For all I know he could be a part of the rebelry! For god's sake, Annabelle! Think about who your friends with! There is nothing else I can say about this." "You… You… Y-you monster! I HATE YOU!" I manage to yell at him before I end the call and run out crying. I run and run until I run into one of Jaces friends, and I'm on the ground wiping the tears from my eyes. It's Tom, the only friend who didn't try to kiss me. "Hey, short stuff. What's wrong?" He says helping me up. "I have to leave, to the Capitol. Leave Jace… I just can't. Any advice?" I ask him. He's known as the advice giver, so I had to ask. He laughs. "I can't think of anything at the moment, but why are you moving to the Capitol? No one can do that." "Well, my family's not, I am. I just got a call from my grandfather, and he said that the rebellion is getting worse, and he wants me to be safe, so I have to go to the Capitol. And, I can't see Jace anymore… What am I going to do?" I sit down on a bench just outside of the Justice building. "Listen, you can't do really anything about it at this point, except, maybe you could try running away, you know, into the woods…" He says. I laugh because this does make me feel a little bit better. "Yeah, I won't make it five miles." I say. We both break out laughing. Then Jace comes out, and Tom says his goodbyes. "Hey, what was that all about? Why were you gone so long?" He sees my face, and he can tell something is wrong. "What's wrong?" "Sit down, I have something important to tell you, and I think you might not like it…" He sits down next to me. "I've been relocated. To the Capitol, to protect me from the rebelry. Until I'm 17." "Well, that's good news, maybe now I won't need to over try to keep you safe." He says giggling. "I'm not done… I'm leaving tomorrow, and… and… We can never see each other ever again. I'm so sorry, but I can't do this." I say, then I run off crying. I go to my old house, the one I lived in before I was crowned victor, and I just sit there, crying. I hear loud boots outside, and know it's time to go. I walk outside to see a group of four peacekeepers waiting for me. I ask to go to my house in the victor's village, they say yes. I get there and tell my parents what all has happened, get my stuff, and I am escorted to the hovercraft hanger. I drop off my stuff, and they say they don't have clearance to launch until morning, so I am welcome to go back to the feast until then. I do, and everyone there comes over and asks me where I've been. I say that I had to see my folks, and they all believe me. I spend the rest of the night talking to Haymitch and Effie as Jace stands alone in a corner, probably thinking about what I told him. When morning comes, Katniss and Peeta both know what has happened- except that I'm Snows granddaughter- and they both feel bad for me. I give a hug goodbye to Haymitch, Effie, Katniss, and Peeta. When it comes down to Jace, I don't know what to do. "You are staying on the tour, right?" I ask. He nods. "I thought I might as well, I mean you did invite me before you were relocated." "Listen, thank you for everythin-…" I can't finish because Jace is already hugging me so tight that if I tried to pull away, I couldn't. I hug him back. "I'm going to miss you, Bramble. Don't you ever forget me. Go it?" "I couldn't even if I tried, Jace. Don't you forget me, ok?" I say back, he nods, and I'm on my way the Capitol. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to get there, much faster than on train. When we land, Snow is right there waiting for me. "Why, I thought you would be a little hard to handle, since you were so mad last night. But you seem ready to handle the Capitol." I sigh and nod. I move into his mansion, and I'm there alone until they come to the Capitol. It's about a week before they get here. Jace, Peeta, Katniss, Effie, and Haymitch are interviewed, Effie and Haymitch first, then Katniss and Peeta, and ending with Jace. I snuck out, and am now sitting on the top of a building nearby to where they're giving their interviews. After Effie and Haymitchs' interviews, I don't remember much, because I'm in charge of those two, worst comes worse, Snow kills both of them on television. When it comes to Peeta and Katniss, I'm paying attention, but all that happens in their interview is that Peeta purposes to Katniss, and Snow offers to have their wedding here. I role my eyes at the ridiculousness. When it comes to Jace, I nearly stand up so I can be ready in case he gets attacked. "Well, we've seen him all over TV as part of the newest couple in the district, and he had to see his sweetheart go," Begins Ceaser, he's in his midnight blue twinkling suit, but I can't tell what color his hair is. "You know him, you loved him, and here he is, Jace Feldspar!" He signals to back stage, and Jace walks out on stage, looking completely covered in Capitol make-up. He sits in the chair next to Ceaser, and Ceaser starts off by asking him things like how he's been since I left, or they make a joke about how the Capitol is not too different from 2. Then Ceaser asks the question that nearly gets me to run away and hide in the woods. "So, how to you really feel about her?" "Who Bramble or Annabelle?" Jace answers sarcastically. "Well, aren't they the same person?" They both laugh, which makes me smile. "Yeah, I mean… I miss so much. And, if she's watching right now, I hope she hears this, I love her. I have since I met her and her brother. I miss her like crazy, and I hope that one day I'll be able to see her face, just one more time." He says, looking directly in the camera. I gasp and I get up. I know this probably dangerous, but I don't care. I know one of the peacekeepers must have seen me, because they're shooting at me, thinking that I'm a rebel probably. I run from the bullets, and I try to jump to the other building just before the mansion, and just before I jump, a bullet hits me and I get a soaring pain in the side that was hit. I scream so loud that I'm sure everyone in the Capitol Square can hear me, especially Jace, because I can hear him gasp and get up, he probably knew that it was my scream. I put my hand to the side that got hit, and when I pull it away, it's bloody. Suddenly I'm not in the Capitol anymore, I'm in the arena and Jared is about to die, only this time it's not Jared, its Jace. Then I'm back in the Capitol, and I get up, walk to the front of the building- which is just in front of the square- so everyone can see me, especially Jace. Blood trickles down my arm, and I look directly at Jace. We hold each other's gaze for a minute, and then I run the other building. I jump, but I don't make it. I'm holding on to the ledge, and I swear under my breath. I hear Jace get up and try to run to me, but he gets blocked by peacekeepers and they're trying to tell him that I'm just a rebel trying to kill Snow. I hear one of them yell "Shoot her down!" to the rest, and suddenly I get a million bullets shot at me. That's when the second bullet hits. Looks like you guys have been practicing. I think. Right before I climb up, I hear someone yell my name and I hear peacekeepers hit the ground. But I can tell it's a real fight to get to me because I swear I hear someone nearly get shot a bunch of times. When I do get up I just lay on my back on the roof, most of the shooting has stopped so the peacekeepers can go and help the others with Jace. I put my hand on my side again, and when I pull it away, it's even bloodier than before. "Man, it's like the Hunger Games all over again. Why do I have to endure this?" I whisper to myself. I hear the sirens that indicate evacuation of the square, but over that I can hear Jace still fighting. I hear Snow yell Annabelle, apparently wanting to know that I'm out of the square. I try to call for help, but it comes out as a moan. Just before the bleeding gets worse, I manage to yell something to the world below. "HELP! Please, someone help!" Then I start crying from the pain. Before I can scream again, someone puts there hand over my mouth. They pick me up, and I'm starting to black out, but I swear I see Cato caring me. "C-c-Cato?" I manage to get out just before the entire world goes dark.

When I wake, I have no idea where I am, and I have terrible pain in my side. I put my hand over the spot that I got shot, and find that's been bandaged. I try to sit up, but I'm strapped down to the bed. "H-h-hello? Is anyone there?" I ask out into nothingness. There's no response, and then a door closes. "Who's there?!" I ask furiously. "It's ok, Annabelle. You're in the hospital." Says a doctor, I don't know who because I can't see who. "Why? What happened, and how long have I been out?" I ask. "Well, after you nearly bleed to death, someone carried you to the hospital. And you've been out for about a week." I can hear him writing something on a clipboard. "What?!" I try to break through the restraint, but fail. When the doctor comes close, I can see his face, but I don't know him. "Why am I locked under restraints? Let me go, now." I say. He just shakes his head. "No, we can't let you go, you're not in a good physical condition to be let go at the moment. And you're too dangerous to be let out of the restraints. You can be let go in about a week." He says as I slide my arms out of the first two restraints, and the doctor glare at me. "You're not going to stop until you're out of here are you?" I shake my head, and I get my arms past the next set of restraints. He sighs. "Ok, if you promise to be extra careful and extra sensitive, I have the clearance to let you go. Promise?" "Fine, but you have to let me go now, and allow me to go back to district 2 for therapy. Got it?" He nods, and then he presses a small button on the wall, and the restraints are gone. I slowly and carefully sit up and see the clothes I was in that night on a chair, they have a whole on the side where I was shot, and that side is all bloody. I see I'm in a Capitol hospital, not too far from where I was shot, and I can see there are a lot of people waiting for me outside of my room when the doctor leaves. I slowly get out of bed and walk to where my clothes are, and I see there's another pair of clothes underneath them. I get dressed in my new clothes, which is a light pink dress and a pair of matching flat shoes. When I walk out, everyone gasps, and I know why. I haven't been out of that room in a week, and you can see my bandage through my dress. It goes from my waist up to my arm, and it's pretty bloody. As I walk out I look around for Snow, and there he is near the back, walking forward. When he gets to the front, he looks surprised. "Really? You really want to go back to 2 that badly?" I shake my head. "Wasn't my idea, sir, it was the doctors." I say hoarsely. "Well, I guess if the doctor recommends it, I'll have to let go back to 2. Someone get her on the next hovercraft to 2. Now." He says to the crowd, and one of the peacekeepers walks to the front. "Sir, the next flight is in one hour." She says. Snow hesitates for a moment, and then says, "Ok, arrange for her to be on that flight. Ok?" He asks her, she nods says something in her earpiece. One hour later, I have some of my stuff packed, for the week that I'll be staying in district 2, and I'm on my way to 2. After about 45 minutes, we land in 2. I get off and I'm inside the peacekeeper headquarters. Once I get out of the mountain, I walk directly to my house in the victors' village. I go inside, and my mom and dad try to hug me, but when they see the bandage, they ask me what happened. "Way too long of a story to tell you now, but later this week, before I go back I promise. Now, have you seen Jace lately?" "We saw what he said about you, Bramble." My mom giggles. "The last we saw him it was earlier today in town. Try there first." Says my dad. "Thank you. Thank you so much." I say, then I'm out the door walking to town. When I get there, I ask around to see if anyone has seen Jace, and they all said he was heading out about 10 minutes ago. I thank them and walk to the fence that surrounds the district. I hear the humming, then I press the one thing that no peacekeeper and no one else knows about, not even the head peacekeeper. A button, small and the same color as the pole it's on to keep it hidden. I came across the paperwork about it a while back, before I met Jace, and I told Cato about it. After we met Jace, we found out there are two ways to get in. His way and my way. His way is that there is a branch that hangs low over the fence, he's tall enough that he can grab onto it if he jumps, and he just climbs it. When I get into the woods, I look around for any signs that he was nearby. I see nothing and I go farther into the woods. I hear a rustling in a tree nearby, and I walk over the tree. I look up and see one of Jaces shoes. I smile, knowing he's probably tracking a bird, I stay silent. He shoots and arrow and two birds fall down. Three more fly away, and I can hear him swear under his breath. He starts to climb down, and I quietly walk over to the two dead birds. When he's on the ground, he's facing away from me, so I hide behind the tree. He walks over to the birds, and puts his head against the tree. "Oh, Bramble, how I wish you were here, not in the Capitol with them doing who knows what to you, possible even trying to kill you." He whispers, but I can still hear him. I whisper back, "I do too." I can hear him looking around in confusion, and my strength is starting to give way, and I slide down to the ground on the trunk. He hears me, pulls his arrow back, and walks cautiously around the tree. When he sees me, he drops his bow and arrow, and walks over to me. I smile up at him, and sort of smiles back at me. "Hey, Jace." I say to him. "Oh my god… What did I do to you?" He says to me and knells next to me. He gingerly uses one hand to press on my bandage. I wince when he's in the ring of pain from the bullet. "You said you loved me. So I stood because I wanted to give you an answer on if I loved you too. And I got shot. That's what happened." I say to him. He rubs my arm. "But you kept fighting. They had to send 45 peacekeepers to try to take you down. And I saw someone pick you up and carry your limb body away. I thought you were a goner, and I thought I would never get to see that face again. But here you are." He strokes my face. "You nearly died because of me, Bramble. That's not ok. Not if I really do love you." A tear come from his eyes, and I kiss his cheek. "It wasn't your fault. But it'll take a while for me to heal, and I think they got someone to donate blood for me. But, I'll be fine. Ok?" I say, somehow this sort of reassures him. "Who was that carried you away anyway? I want to thank them for taking you to the hospital and saving your life." "I don't know. I thought it was Cato, but that was just the blood loss hallucinations. But I bet I can figure it out." I say. "You think you have the strength to walk back to town? I have to do some trading." He says with a smile. "I think." I try to get up, but I just fall right back down. "Or not." I say giggling. He laughs, gets up, and extends his hand to me. I take his hand, and he helps me up and I immediately fall into his arms. "Just can't get enough of me can you?" He laughs. I look up at him and smile. We stare at each other for a moment, and then he snaps out of it before I do, and his voice brings me back to reality. "Need help climbing? Because I think that with your condition, we should try the tree today." "No, I'm taking the fence." He smiles. We make our trade routes, which are to just a few shops in town. The next few days are like heaven, until I'm sent back to the Capitol. That day, Jace and I meet up in the woods to say our goodbyes. Then I'm required to go straight back to the mountain so I can be on my way to the Capitol. When I get back, I spend much time in my new room. My old one had a balcony, that's how I got onto the roof of the buildings. This one just has two or three windows that open wide and you can see the entire city. Once I look through my windows, I see my old friend Mattew, who has blue hair, longer than I remember. I leave the window, and go to the nearest peacekeeper as fast as I can. "I would like to go out. Under surveillance and in disguise, of course." I tell him. He says something in his head phone, and he says ok. My disguise is just me in my light blue dress, with a light blue sweater, so no one can see my bandage and realize who I am. I'm also wearing sunglasses, so no one can see my eyes. I walk out, and Mattew is still sitting on a bench just outside of the mansion, looking mad as he hangs up the phone. I walk over and say in one of the Capitol voices, "Is this seat taken?" "No. Go right ahead." He says. I sit down next to him. "What's wrong?" I ask him in my normal voice. He seems to remember this voice, because he jolts when I say that to him. "A-a-Annabelle? Is that really you?" He says in a hushed voice so no one but me can hear. I lower my glasses. "Now, who else would it be?" I say. He smiles, and he hugs me. I wince a little, and then I laugh and hug him back. "Looks like you've grown into that hair of yours." I say when we stop hugging. "Looks like you haven't colored your hair at all." He says. "Well, in 2 we don't have enough money to color out hair every two weeks like you guys do." I say. He seems to be looking me up and down. "What?" "Where's your bandage?" "How did you know about that?" I nearly jolt up when I ask him this. He shrugs. "How wouldn't I? It's been on 24/7 since the incident." "Well, that's stupid. Hey, does it show who carried me to the hospital?" "Nope. Why?" He asks almost nervously. "Because I really want to thank them for saving my life." I say back. A peacekeeper comes out and say that my time is up outside, and I'm required to go back inside. I say to Mattew, and I go back inside. After that, my life's boring. When I go to bed I leave the window open. I hear someone sneak into my room through my open window around midnight, and I try to scream, but the person covers my mouth. He shows his face, and it turns out to be Mattew. "What the heck are you doing here?!" I whisper angrily at him. "I just saw the interviews, the complete one, you know, when you were shot? Well, when that Jace boy said he loved you, remember it was all just for the cameras, got it?" He says, somehow glaring and showing compassion at the same time. "Well what do you care? I left you and the Capitol unexpectedly, so neither of you should be fans." I say, and then I look down at the floor. He puts both of his hands around my face and forces me to look at him. "I don't want to see you get hurt, ok? Just try to think who your friends with, and think if we went to war, which side would they choose? Yours or the enemy?" Then he leans in and kisses me full on the lips. When we pull apart, he hands me something. A golden necklace that has silver rose with a red gem stem. It was my mothers, before she was proven to be committing treason against President Snow. The red gem stem is a symbol for the rebellion, but no one knew about that secret except me, Mattew, and Snow. The silver rose is a symbol for the Capitol. Snow had it changed after he killed her. "How did you-.." I begin. "Don't worry about it; just think about what side your friends are on. Yours or the rebels. Ok?" I nod and except the necklace. He leaves through the window, and I remember those words for the rest of the night, even though I don't know myself which side I would be on. I fall asleep clutching the rose, just in case Snow tries to take it from me. When I wake, its dawn, and I can hear someone talking right outside my door. "Man, she's a piece of work; I should've killed her with her parents a long time ago." Something tells me that this person is not fond of me. Then I sent something, something that only one person I know has that sent… It's the overly scented rose that President Snow always wears. "She's worth nothing; she won't be any use to me in the rebellion. And she's so much trouble that I had no choice but to send her away from any of her friends, and hoped for her to die in whatever district they sent her to, but now I have to deal with her all over again. It'd be much better if I could kill her off right now."

Chapter 6

I sit straight up- which hurts my side- and I'm looking at the door. How could Snow play like the good guy for so long? My instinct is to demand I be sent back to district 2 for the rest of my life, but then I remember how much Mattew had looked caring last night and how he found the last thing from my mother for me, and I realize that I have to stay for his sake. Mattew was jealous that Jace was getting all of my attention, instead of him, when he must've thought Jace looked repulsive. A tear starts forming in my eye. To think I thought he really loved me…I will never forgive him for that. I think to myself as I wipe the tear away. I clench the rose even tighter, and get out of to get dressed. It seems that I'll always be wearing a dress while I'm here, because at the moment that's all that's in my closet. I put on a soft red high cut- so the dress can hide the necklace- dress from my closet. Once I'm dressed, I walk to Snows office. Once I get there, I walk right into his office- without knocking because I'm so mad at him- and I get pushed right out by a peacekeeper. "Hey! Let me in! Sir, I need to talk to you, now!" I pound on the door. A peacekeeper says I'm to go to my room, but instead of going to my room, I go to the room with the balcony, and I climb onto the buildings I was on the night I was shot. I walk along the first building and when I get to the edge between the two, I see a pool of dried up blood. I stand over the ledge, and I can see the training center for the tributes. I reach for the necklace Cato gave me, take it off, and hold it out over the ledge. "Goodbye Cato, I will always miss you, but now I have to kill Snow before he kills me and that's a promise. For you, I'll kill him." I whisper, then I let the necklace fall. I hear footsteps behind me, and I instantly jump to the next building- because I thought it's a peacekeeper. Once on the other building, I started running, and the footsteps behind me speed up, and I find myself being chased by someone. I'm out of breath by the time I get to the building right before the training center. I know that if I try to jump, I'll either not make it or I won't be able to get out from the roof. When I'm at the edge, I want to jump to the training center, but instead I just let fate be fate, and I turn around. When I do, I see Mattew running to me, slowing down when he jumps on the building. "Man, you sure can run fast, girly." He says panting, obviously out of breath too. "Well, I wouldn't have to if you didn't sound like a peacekeeper about to kill me!" I yell at him. "What do you mean?" He asks and I tell him everything from what I heard, to how I was pushed out of Snows' office and how I was required to go back to my room. "That somehow doesn't comfort me at all." He says when I'm finished. "Yah, well that means that he's planning a way to kill me and Katniss both off. So, I imagine it shouldn't be, considering you were jealous of Jace." I say giggling a little at the last part. I sit down while he tries to object. He sits down next to me, still objecting. "I am not jealous of Jace. I don't like how he gets all of your attention instead of me, but I'm not jealous." "Dude, you just admitted that you were jealous. But, I don't know which one of you I love. Jace was there for me when my adoptive brother, Cato, died in the Hunger Games, and you probably just laughed when he was eaten alive by stupid Capitol mutts." I say looking at the square, seeing me getting shot at ten different angles. I get pain from my side and stand up. Mattew looks at me worryingly. "What's wrong?" He asks and stands up to join me. "I can't take it here anymore, Mattew. It's sick how the Hunger Games are always played, and you guys always enjoy them. Root for your favorites, move on to another when they're killed. But, I always thought that the Capitol had too many forces to be over thrown. But one day, the Capitol must fall. All good things must end, and this Capitol reign was great for Capitol residents, always having food on the table. If you would have lived in the districts like me you would understand that we all had to struggle to get by. Are you with me, or the Capitol?" He hesitates. "I'm sorry, but I'm with the Capitol. And I didn't know he was your brother. You're right the Capitol has too many forces for it to be over thrown, so any rebels don't stand a chance." He says. "Well, then I guess we have nothing left to say to each other. This will be our last meeting…" I say, and to finish, I bow and say, "And may the odds be ever in you favor." Just like one of the Capitol people, and then I run and jump back to my old room. When in, I sneak back to my real room and I try to plan how to escape. I decide that at midnight, I'll pack up all I'll need to get to the train station and get back to 2. When midnight does come, I'm already packed and ready with one bag of clothes, mostly dresses from my closet, and one bag with my knives, hunting jacket, and valuable jewelry. I open my window, and jump down from my room. I feel someone watching me, and I turn around to find nothing. I sneak to the train station, and within ten minutes, I'm on a train back to district 2. In the morning, I'm back in two, and I know Snow is looking for me like crazy by now. I walk back to my house in the victors' village, and my parents are surprised to see me. I tell them about how I missed them so much that I snuck back to district 2. They promise not to turn me in, and I settle in my room upstairs. About an hour later, someone is knocking on the door. I get ready for a peacekeeper to come up and take me back to the Capitol, but the voice I hear coming from downstairs is Jaces'. I start to relax, especially since he's here to give my mom and dad what's left of his hunt. "So, how are you doing since she left?" Asks my dad. He's always too protective, even though he's not my real dad. "Well, I haven't been good or great. So, I guess pretty bad. That's what I've told you ever since she left again." Replies Jace. I stand by the stairs, and I see my dad point up and I quietly walk back into my room as Jace asks what that means. I can't hear what my dad explains, but I do hear when Jace comes up the stairs and I act like I'm lost in thought at my window. When he comes in, I know he's starring at me in the doorway. I sigh, and turn around acting like I don't see him and I sit down on my bed. He sits next to me. "I know you're acting, Bramble." He whispers in my ear. I smile. "I know." I whisper back. I look up at him. "I love you." He says. "I know that too. Hey, do you mind if we stop talking with minimal syllables?" I ask. He smiles, leans in, and kisses me. When we break, and he says, "Now, why don't we go to town, you tell me the real story?" He says, and that makes me smile. Before we go, I insist on wearing some of the clothes I have in my closet, and something to cover my face. When walk into town, and I tell him everything from when Mattew kissed me to what Snow said, and about my promise to Cato, and about me running away. When I'm done, he's looking at me strangely. "You do know that Snow will have every peacekeeper looking for you, right?" He says. I nod. "Why do you think that I'm in disguise? Man, you really need to catch on." I say. He rolls his eyes. "What's going to happen if they catch you?" He asks, grabbing my hand when a large group of peacekeepers walk by. "Well, it depends. If I'm with you in the woods, they'll try to get me out of there and they'll think that you kidnapped me from the Capitol, so they'll most likely kill you in the case, but if I'm alone in town, they'll just take me back to the Capitol" I say. He doesn't let go, and I have to wriggle my hand out of his grip when we're on our way back to his house. "I you would only calm down, maybe I would be a little safer." I tell him. "When you're done here, I'm going to the woods, and you can join me if you want. And don't worry, no one has ever seen you or me in the woods, and I doubt that they ever will." I tell him, and I head to the fence. About an hour later, Jace is there to join me. And without warning we're attacked by peacekeepers. One of them shoots me in the leg with a knock-out dart, and I'm on the ground while they beat Jace bloody. "Jace, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." I get out before I'm out like a light. Is this how I fall asleep now? By something knocking me out? I don't know, but I know I must get back to Jace as soon as possible. When I wake up, I'm in the Capitol again. All my muscles are numb from the knock-out dart, and I don't want to say anything to anyone since I don't know if Jace is alive or dead. Periodically, a nurse comes in to check on me and to feed me. When she asks me if I want to talk, when I shake my head, she always sighs. Within a week, my muscles aren't numb, and I can get up and move around. I don't want to leave my room; I just sit on my window sill. One day, while sitting on my window sill, Mattew appears at my window. I don't feel like talking, or opening the window for him, so he just writes down what he has to say on some paper. "Listen," He begins, on the paper. "I didn't think you would actually run away, and I'm sorry for what I said. I saw you run away, and aren't you missing something?" He holds out my necklace from Cato out with that note. I gasp. I get my own paper and write to him back, "Where did you find that? I thought I ditched that a while ago." "I just found it around. Just like I found you almost dead!" He writes back. "Unlike Jace, I cared enough about you to carry you back to the hospital before you bleed to death. When you're choosing who to be in love with, chose me. I actually care about you." I just stare at his words. Then I start to get angry at him. "Look, unlike you, Jace isn't trying to make you look bad, and he's sweet and caring. He nearly got killed to get to me! You just jumped over a building. But, you shouldn't try to pressure me into loving you!" I'm about to close the shade now. "You should try living in a district for a little while, Mattew. It's the worst thing ever to be picked to go into the arena, and you wouldn't know because you have always lived in the cozy life of the Capitol!" After that I just shut the shade, but Mattew is pounding on my window. I open it, and his note says, "I'm sorry, really sorry, but it kind of was your fault that you got picked twice." I realize he is right; it was my fault that I got picked twice. I open the window, and kiss his cheek. Then I close my window and my shade. In about 3 weeks, I'm issued back to 2, why? I have no idea. But when I get back, I don't even go to see Jace. I just go back to my home, the one I grew up in, and I watch the news that everyone is supposed to watch tonight. It starts off showing Katniss' wedding dresses, because the Capitol citizens are going to vote for their favorite. Then it goes to Snow, and I immediately know why I was sent back to district 2. It's the reading of the card for this year's Quarter Quell. Snow starts by reminding us all of the Dark Days and how this country rose up out of the ashes. Then he says, "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it. On the fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes." That's the year my old friend, Haymitch, won. "And no we honor our third Quarter Quell," Says Snow, and the little boy in white steps forward, holding out the box as he opens the lids. I can see the tidy, upright rows of yellowed envelopes. "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors." That's when it comes completely clear to me, I might not be the only girl victor in district 2, but I know that Snow will put my name in the most times, and Katniss is the only girl victor in her district, so she will be picked. That's how he plans to kill us off; he's hoping that we'll kill each other in the arena.

Chapter 7

I get up and I run for the woods. I press the button, but I don't wait for the 30 seconds that it takes to turn off the one section, so as I go under, I get a little electrocuted from the fence. About ten minutes later, I hear someone calling my name. I don't answer, for I don't care. I just sit there and try to accept that I'm going to die, and I make a promise to keep the other tribute from my district alive, no matter what. I hear someone coming from a tree, and I run from them. But just as I get a head start on them, I see lights ahead of me. I turn around, see Jace, run to him, and push him further into the woods. He looks at me, panting, and I mouth the word, "Peacekeepers" and he immediately understands. A whole group of twenty walks by us, but they can't see us, because we're too concealed in the woods. When they're gone, and all seems quiet, he says, "Looks like someone I know is going back into the arena, and I'm going with." I look at him. "You go with, you're killing me, got it?" He shakes his head. "No way. Never." I sigh. "Look, you know this is Snows way of getting rid of me, for good. So, whoever is my counterpart has to kill me or me and Katniss could kill each other." I say with a laugh. "You still don't understand do you?" He's looking at me seriously now. I shake my head. He sighs. "I'm never leaving you. Never. Mattew can think what he wants, but you will be mine." Then he kisses me. I quickly pull away. "What the heck is wrong with you two? I'm not a prize from a crane machine!" I move away from him. I try to run, but he grabs my hand. I yank it away, and I run through the fence, without pushing the button and I get electrocuted. I hold back my scream, but sort of collapse on the ground, in front of a peacekeeper. He comes over to help me, realizes who I am, and asks if I had permission to be here. I nod, and he helps me to a healer in town. When I get there, I realize I have more than a few cuts from the fence, and some electricity in me still, I have a broken heart too. When I go home, a peacekeeper escorts me back to my house and my parents are scared that I might be there without permission again. I tell them that Snow sent me here, and then they send me strait to bed. I don't think sleep is an option. I just lie awake all night thinking about what Jace said and about what Mattew said. By dawn, I'm all cried out. I'm still a little hurt from last night, but not from my shooting- the healer took of my bandage, and there are still two little marks from the bullets in my side. I get dressed in my usual for hunting, and I head out without eating, and my mom is starting to worry. She begs me to eat, but I turn it down and I just leave. On my way through town, I see Jace though the crowd, and I can see he's try to get to me. I look away, shake my head, and I quicken my pace through the crowd. I make it all the way to the woods without him talking, or even getting to me. I walk through the woods alone. On my way back, I get 4 rabbits and 3 squirrels. I sneak through the fence and I run to my house. I give my load to my parents to give to Jace if he stops by, which he does. I'm out in the back, practicing for the games, when he comes by. Right when he comes out, I throw my knife and it just barley misses his head and hits the house. "I missed on purpose." I say to him, annoyingly as I get my knife. "I know you did." He says back. "Go away, I'm practicing. I don't need your help for this." I snap back at him angrily. "Just hear me out, and if you still want me gone once I'm done, I'll leave. Never look back. For you." He says grabbing my hand with the knife. I try to pull away from him, even try getting my knife out of my hand and stabbing him, but with each pull, his grip gets tighter. I finally stop when my hand is nearly broken from his grip. "Fine, make it quick. I've got a lot of practicing to do if I'm going to win this." I snap. "I'm really sorry about what I said. I didn't mean what I said in the way I said it, I really do love you, but I shouldn't have said that to you. I thought, and it sort of came out of my mouth when I didn't mean it to. I know you're not some prize, but I don't want to lose you. Please, can you ever find a way to forgive me?" He says, looking pleadingly into my eyes. I look away. "No, now get out of here and never come back. I'm more than just a piece for your games, Snow." I snap back to reality, with him staring down at me, then I realize what I just said. I get out of his grip, back up, and I throw the knife as hard as I can, and he has to duck for it not to hit him. "Get out of here Jace, before I kill you." I say at him. He gets up, frightened, and leaves. Tears are forming in my eyes as I realize that if I die, he might decide to die too. For the rest of the afternoon, I practice with no brakes. At night, my mom has to take my knives from me to get me inside. For the next few months, Jace comes by, but only to give news to my parents. Not anything more. It's not until the day of the reaping that we talk and wish each other luck. I'm in a roped off area with the other girl victors, and I look over at the boys side, and see the same thing for the boy victors. We have a guy escort named Liam Hensworth, and I usually hate it when he comes, but today I kind of resent it a little less. He is sitting in his chair off to the side, talking to the mayor in his reddish-brown hair. Liam has his hair dyed every year. Last year was deep purple. This year it's reddish-brown. The mayor gets up, after about two minutes, and gives the speech about the history of Panem. It's so boring, that I always think that I could run away from all of this in an instant, risk getting captured by peacekeepers and then turned into an Avox by the capitol, just to get away from this one speech. When the mayor is finished, Liam walks up to the podium and says, "Ok, now it is time to choose a courageous man and woman to represent this district in this year's hunger games. As always, ladies first." He pulls out a name, which is my friend Maryland. I look over to Jace, and he shakes his head indicating that I shouldn't volunteer for her. I walk out into the isle, and yell at Liam, "I would like to volunteer as tribute, and no one my volunteer for me." He looks kind of surprised, because I'm the first in a long time to just walk out and emit I'm going to die, and that I want to. He looks at the mayor, who gives a sad sigh and nod. Liam looks back at me, and motions for me to come up to the stage. I walk up, and I look at the crowd. I see my parents and my mom is close to weeping for what I just did. I am now just putting myself in the arena for slater. I look at Jace, and for a moment, I get lost in the expression in his eyes. But, right before Liam pulls out my partner's name, I come back and I realize that his expression says that he'll miss me, and he really does love me… I can't believe what I just did! There he is, possible the love of my life, and I'm setting my life on the line so my grandfather won't have to torture me or him before he kills me. Liam calls out my partner's name, and I'm thankful for the name. "Timothy Whenlock." Tim. The advice giver. The only one of Jaces friends who didn't try to kiss me. Good, someone I can cry over when he dies. After we're thanked for representing our district, we get off the stage. I get ready for all of the goodbyes, but instead the head peacekeeper is waiting in the doorway, smiling smugly, and says that there's a new protocol. We're quickly escorted to the car that takes us to the train station. When we do get the train station, there are reporters there to get pictures of us, but they seem to just crowd around me. At the last moment, when I was just about to suffocate from the lack of air from the crowd, Tom somehow gets through the crowd, and gets ahold of me and gets me on the train. I watch district two go by, with all my last goodbye's still hanging on to my lips. Tom is standing in the next window, with the same expression on his face. I look over at him, and he looks over at me, and I mouth the words, "We can keep each other company." He nods and somehow suppresses a small smile. After that, I walk to my room. It's next to Liam's. I don't go to dinner, until my mentor, Michael, is pounding on my door, and seems to be trying to break it down with his foot. "Why should I be going down to dinner, if I'm being set up for slaughter anyway?" I ask when I finally answer my door. "Listen, I didn't let you die the last two times you were in, and I'm not going to let you die now." "Might as well. I'm worth nothing to no one now." I say rolling my eyes. When I look back at him, he's still staring me down. "You matter a lot to Jace. He made me promise to let you live no matter what. And, unlike the other mentors, I like to keep my promises. Now get down to the dining car, before I get the Capitol assistants to come and get you down there." He says angrily. I laugh. "Yeah, get a couple of avoxes to come and get me. Um, yeah, good luck with that." I say before I attempt to close the door, but he puts his foot in front of the door to stop it from closing, and then he reopens the door, grabs my arm and drags me to the dining car. When I get there, I can see Tim is waiting for me at the table. "Oh look, the gangs all here." Says Michael as he throws me in the chair next to Tim. I glare at him and begin eating. Tonight's dinner is the same as every dinner on the first day of the Hunger Games journey, chicken and some stew. I only eat the stew so I can give Snow the satisfaction to kill me with one of his Gamemaker tools. After dinner, I try to skip out on the replays of the reapings, but Michael has to pull me and drag me to the viewing car. Once there, I have no choice but to sit in between Michael and Tim. Tim really acting like my friend now, he puts his arm around me, and he seems to want to keep me safe for Jace. I'm too tired to try and run now, so I just give in and put head on his shoulder and except his kindness. When we watch the reapings, we hear Ceaser gasp when I volunteer for Maryland and say that no one can volunteer for me. "Why would she ever want to go back in?" Says Ceaser in astonishment. I kind of laugh at this, because he always tries to be ahead of the game and he tries to help us out, but now he's just trapped in a world of confusion. Then we go on to district three, and two old people, probably in their late thirty's, are picked. I don't really pay much attention to the rest until twelve. Katniss and Haymitch are picked, but Peeta volunteers for Haymitch. I sit up, nearly stand at this. "What the heck was Peeta thinking? Doesn't he know that this is just a nice way for Snow to kill both me and Katniss?" I say aloud, and then I see that everyone in the room is looking at me, and then the anthem plays, then the seal, and then the screen goes black and I get up, head out and go back to my room. I don't if I sleep at all, if I do, I must look like a lunatic, because all night I wake up from nightmares that have Cato and Clove, Jared, Jace and Mattew, my real parents, and how Snow plans to kill them all.

When I wake up, we have just entered the Capitol, and its dawn. I get ready in a light blue shirt and some black pants. I don't bother with the outfit I wore for the reaping, I just leave it on the train. Right when I get off the train, there is a round of applause for me from all of the people waiting in the train station. Probably because I volunteered to go back into the arena, there's bound to be at least one person who hates the Capitol just as much as I do. We are quickly escorted to the training center hotel where we will be living for the next few days. We have to wait until the rest of the tributes to get here before we can leave our apartment and get ready for the opening ceremonies, which includes getting prepped. But as I wait, I have nothing to say to everyone, but Tim, since they're ignoring me completely. After a while, Tim gets so annoyed that he starts ignoring me too, and I'm forced to just stay in my room until the hour passes and I'm sent down to the recreation center where I'll be prepped just like all of the other tributes. I don't say anything until I'm with Emily, and even then I don't say much. "Listen, since you're going back in, I need to make you look extravagant so you will get more sponsors. Ok? Can you just try to work with me?" She asks with pleading eyes. I sigh and utter the first words of my day, "Fine, but don't expect any other words uttered from me for the rest of the day." She laughs at this and then goes to work getting me ready for the opening ceremonies. That night, I'm prepped and ready for the opening ceremonies. Because Cinna's outfit was so amazing last year, all of the stylists are trying to catch up. I end up wearing a girl version of what I think is a giant brick costume, probably trying to get us to look the part of gold or something else that is related to the product of my district, which is masonry. I'm waiting by the wall near my chariot, and Katniss is next to the horses of hers'. Finnick Odair, the boy tribute from district 4, walks over to me with a hand full of sugar. "Bramble." He says to me in a smug way. He won the Hunger Games the year before me, and he was 14, and I was 14 when I won the first time. I get annoyed instantly from him, and I utter my first words since I was with Emily, "Go away, runt. I don't need you're company." This somehow makes him laugh as he eats his sugar. "Sugar cube? They're for the horses, but I mean, come on, we only have a few days left in our lives." He says popping another cube in his mouth. I roll my eyes, and I look away. He laughs even more, and gives me a sugar cube even though I didn't want one. Finnick leaves and Tim walks over, when Tim does get over next to me, I chuck the sugar cube at Finnicks' head, it hits him, and he turns and stares at me intensively. "Now, that my friends is how you properly use sugar." I say with a mischievous smile and bow at Finnick who is going to talk to Katniss now. After about 5 minutes, I have to get on my chariot with Tim. We're riding out, and Katniss and Peeta are just about out when I notice their costumes. Their wearing simple black outfits, but their glowing like two individual candles, standing as strait and as separately as physically possible. The entire ride ends in the city circle, just outside the training center and hotel. As we all get into the circle, I can see Snow sitting on his "Thrown" where he sits before he gives the speech. His snake-like eyes meet mine as he's getting up to give his speech, I know that he's trying to tell me something with the look he's giving me, and one look at Katniss tells it all. What he's saying is as clear as day, "Fire is catching, my darling. And I would like you to put it out, permanently. If you don't, say goodbye to your beloved friends and family of district 2."

Chapter 8

I nearly scream when I grab onto Tim. I'm so petrified with fear, that I need someone to hold onto before I fall of the chariot and scream at the top of my lungs. Tim grabs me back, knowing that if I got terrified, it must be something too terrifying to ever not be scared again. I'm starting to breathe faster, as if someone has just stabbed me, as I gasp for breath, because Snows message has knocked every ounce of wind out of me. "What is it?" Tim whispers in my ear. "Fire is catching… And it could mean the end of 2." I reply at the same level of loudness as him. "Welcome, and Happy Hunger Games!" Say Snow as he addresses the crowd, it's the same speech every year, but I never knew how terrifying it really is and what it could really mean. "We thank you for you for your bravery, and you sacrifice." Snow continues. And he always ends in the way that every Capitol person ends when they're done talking, "May the odds be ever in your favor." Then we're pulled by the horses back into the Training center. I quickly get off my chariot, and I bolt for the elevator, and when I get in, just before I'm sent up to district 2's floor, I get a glimpse of Katniss, and aggravated tears start running down my cheeks, and I try to yell something at her, I don't know what, but it seems to offend her, or at the least get her attention, so I'm satisfied. I ride in the elevator alone, and I go straight to my room. I don't sleep, I don't have the time. All night I'm awake and I'm planning Katniss' death, maybe I can decide how to kill Peeta while I'm at it. But for now I'm planning in careful detail how I will kill Katniss, and how that will torture Peeta. I know I said that I would kill Snow before he kills me, and that I'm for the rebels, not the Capitol, but if I don't go along with Snow's plan, all my promises, all my wishes, all my loved ones, will be gone in a second. And Snow would never look back to rethink what he had done… Just like how he killed my parents. In the morning, I don't even eat breakfast with the others, I just get dressed; go into the dining room, grab a roll and I head down to the training room. Just as the elevator doors open, I'm finished with my roll and I see that I'm one of the first ones there. Katniss and Peeta arrive just about 2 minutes after me. Then Tim arrives, mad at me. Oh, shoot! I promised we would keep each other company! Why don't I remember things like this? I guess that these Games are already starting to change me to someone like I was last time… Great, now I have one evil president who wants to kill me, one mad potential team mate that my best friend recommended, and one furious girl on fire, whose actions could very well mean my death. Ok, so now I have a pretty good hate list going on the first day of training. When everybody finally shows up, I don't pay attention to the Teacher, which is the one who tells us what we will be doing here for the next few days before the Games begin and tells us the rules- like not to try to kill anyone until the arena and not to throw, or shoot anything at the Gamemakers who will be observing us- instead, I look over at the Gamemakers and I see the one thing that will help me the most in the arena, the force field weak spot. I look back at the Teacher, and I smile grimly. For a moment, I can see my reflection on the floor, and I see a blond version of Clove, and revenge combined with sorrow courses through me, and I glare at Katniss and Peeta, they both look at each other when they see my expression. When the training begins, I run to the archery station pick up an arrow and a sheath of arrows, and then I start shooting. I hit all of the targets on the bull's-eye. I always knew I was a sharp-shooter, but I never knew that I was this good on a bow and arrow, and bye the looks of everyone else, they're not as good as Katniss and I, looks like I have a lot of potential team mates now. Then, I start talking to Tim, while shooting, and when I have to see his expression while he talks, I don't realize that I had let go of the string until the entire room goes quiet and I see that, even without looking, I hit it right on the mark. Tim glances back and forth form me to the arrow. I hear the pair from 3 gasp, and I look around the room, and all eyes are on me... Everybody's waiting for me to breakdown; everybody's watching to see the fallout. The words replay in my head, the words I sang in front of Cinna on the train, and I begin to get frustrated. I angrily give my bow and sheath to Tim, and I step forward and say, "What!? It's like you've never seen someone shoot a bow and arrow! You all saw Katniss shoot one last year, so get over it!" I then go over to the knife station, grab a knife, and from, what I believe is 60 feet away, I throw the knife and it hits the dummy right where the heart on a real person is. I walk over to the knot ting station, and the talking continues. After about an hour, I've been to all of the stations, and someone throw up on the sword station, so I'm not going back there today. The rest of the day I spend at the knife station, while Katniss shows her skill at the bow and arrow station, hitting 5 fake birds in one round. Ok, so she's good, it's not like I'm perfect. I'm not the bow and arrow one, Jace is. I start to head toward the elevator, when Tim stops, and I look over to where he's pointing, and I see Effie and Haymitch talking to Katniss. "We should go say hi, don't you think?" I laugh. "They don't even know you." "You could introduce me." He suggests. I stop laughing and look at him in surprise. "Why would I talk to my opponents mentor? Or, even worse, Effie? Effie is a little too pink for me." I rebuttal at him. I then continue walking to the elevator, Effie starts freaking out over the fact that I'm here. "Dear god, please don't let her come over here." I say under my breath. Too little, too late. She runs over to me and practically squeezes me to death. "Effie, please let go." I say to get her to stop hugging me. "Oh, Bramble. It was so brave to volunteer for that girl, what was her name? Well, it doesn't matter. I can't believe you're going back into the arena." She says, nearly tearing up. "It's nothing, I mean, Katniss is going in again too," I say, right when Tim is there, and he elbows me in my side. I wince as the side that got hit with bullets stings with pain. "Oh, and this is Tim. You should know him; he was the victor in the Hunger Games the year before Katniss and Peeta." I say pathetically holding my hurt side. Effie laughs. "Of course I know him! I know everyone who's anyone!" I roll my eyes. "Well, we have to get back to our floor, but maybe we'll be able to catch up sometime before the Games. Bye." I say, then I grab Tim's arm and I quickly walk him over to the elevator, we get inside, and within seconds, we are soaring up to our floor. "Did you really mean that? To catching up with Effie?" I laugh and shake my head. "Yeah, um… No. I'm not even aloud out of the training center, and neither are you." I smile at him. He smiles back, almost sweetly, and that gets me to wonder, what is going through his mind? Does he secretly like me too? Well, it's too late to figure it out now. We're in these games, and there's no way out for me now. I am the last of my family, and I'm the only one who knows about the crimes Snow has committed against my family and all of the districts. He's right, thanks to Katniss, fire is catching, and I was put in the arena to put out the flame, before a wild fire is in the Capitols hands. When we get to our room, there is a buffet of Capitol food waiting for us in the dining room. I just eat a few rolls, while Tim eats some full plates. "Come on, you have to eat more, Bramble." Says Michael. "Am I the only one who remembers what happens in the arena? Starvation, dehydration, and so much more. I'm at least smart enough to know that if I gain weight, I'll slow down, and if I slow down, I'm increasing my chances of dying by twenty two percent. And if I increase my chances of dying, then there's a more likely chance of not going back to district 2. Then all of my family will be dead when Katniss and Peeta win." I snarl at Michael. Everyone is staring at me, so I get up and go to my room. The next few days, I spend at the fire making station, because that was the one station I didn't go to when I was in the arena the second time. I learned so many ways one how to start a fire. All the tributes spend lunch together, but I always end up eating with Tim and whoever he decides to sit with, thankfully he never sits with Katniss or Peeta, so with that I'm in the clear. I don't even talk to Katniss or Peeta during the training, but Tim talks to them every day on our way to lunch.

On the day that we're evaluated by the Gamemakers, I'm not even nervous, except that I don't know what I'm going to do. The order the training evaluation goes, is by district. First district 1, then 2, and so on. But the boy tribute of whatever district goes first, then the girl. So, I'm the 4th to go, and Katniss is the last one. The district one tributes go pretty fast, and then Tim goes, and it takes about 10 minutes before I'm called. Everyone is silent when they call my name, then, right as I'm about to walk out the door, Katniss says, "Throw straight." It stops me in my tracks as I comprehend her words. I turn around and give her a slight nod as I walk in. I see the Gamemakers are completely focused on me, and without thinking, I run over to the knife station, and I hit all of the dummies, right on the mark, and then I run over to the archery station, and without looking again, I start talking to the Gamemakers, and I hit the target on the mark. The Gamemakers clap and I exit. I quickly run to the elevator. "One minute. Not bad." I say smiling. When I get into my room, I just lie down and I wait for the thirty minutes that it takes the rest of the tributes to finish, then I sit at the table and I eat one piece of the chicken that's for tonight's dinner. Michael begs me to eat more, and I ignore him. At about nine o'clock, the training scores are up. The girl from 1 got a 9, the boy from 1 got a 10. I got an 11, like usual. Tim got a 10. I barley pay any attention to everyone else except for when the scores for Katniss and Peeta come up. "Katniss Everdeen, 12. Peeta Malark, 12. Congats you two." Says Ceaser Flickerman. I roll my eyes. Congrats, Katniss and Peeta. I think to myself. Suddenly I register what I just said, and I get and run to my room from the viewing room. I can't believe that I'm glad for her. I sleep that night, and I dream about what it will be like in the arena. What will they put us in this year?

Chapter 9

When I wake, it's just after dawn, and I hear stirring in the dining hall. Great. I think. I'm going to be late again. Better get ready before they come down here and pound on my door. It is the interview day, and I might as well get ready to go back into the arena tomorrow. I get up and I get on some sort of decent clothes. When I get down there, I walk right into Tim, and we're both on the floor laughing. He helps me up, and I sit down at the table with him. We eat a little of breakfast, and then it's time for training for the interviews. "Well, since you've both been in the Hunger Games before, Michael and I don't think you two need the training. You are free to do what you would like, so long as you stay on this floor, of this building." Says Liam when we ask who we are with first. "Well, then am I suppose for the next eight hours?" I ask. Liam tries not to laugh, and Michael is close to falling on the floor from laughter. "Fine then. Forget I asked." I say, then I storm out of the room to my bedroom. I just lie there for a while, thinking about what is going to happen tomorrow in the arena, when I hear a small and quite knock on my door. I ignore it, until it comes again, a little louder, but still quite quiet. I get up and answer it, and I see it's just an Avox, meaning it's time for lunch. I walk down, and see I get there the same time everyone else gets there. I barley eat anything, and neither does Tim. When we're all done, it's time to get ready. I'm put through two hours of prepping before Emily comes in. I'm wearing a beautiful light blue dress with matching shoes for my interview, and I have my hair in that single braid again. I wait about another two hours before Tim and I are escorted to the interviews. I sit in the seat between Gloss, the boy tribute from district 1, and Tim. My interview goes pretty fast, Ceaser just asks how it's like being in the Capitol again, and stuff like that. When it gets down to Katniss and Peeta, I'm actually smiling, which I don't do very much. Katniss goes up, and this year has the worst thing I've ever seen. When she spins, she turns into a Mockingjay in her wedding gown. I gasp at the fact that Katniss is a Mockingjay. Great, now there's even more influence into the rebellion. And I have to deal with it. I'm now so angry at Cinna, that I almost don't catch anything Peeta says. "So, how are you doing now that the wedding's off?" Asks Ceaser. "Well, when we heard about this year's Hunger Games, we couldn't wait any longer to get married, so we got married in district 12. We didn't fill out any paperwork, or anything, but there's this little ceremony that an engaged couple walks into their house, and they make toast together. Katniss and I had to do the toast ceremony before the Games." Replies Peeta. I look over at Katniss, who's obviously hiding because Peeta's lying. "Really." Says Ceaser, then he say something that I don't quite catch, but Peeta replies with more lies. "If only it weren't for the baby." I roll my eyes. The timer goes off, and Peeta sits back down in his seat. Now it's time for the National Anthem of Panem. We all stand, and Katniss and Peeta start a chain of hand holding. I try to object, but Tim grabs my hand, and starts giggling. I roll my eyes, again, but I can't help but smile. After the anthem is over, we're all required to go back to our floors. I see Cinna waiting by the elevators, and since the departure order goes just like the interviews, I know I have a few seconds before Katniss gets here, so I quickly run over to him and slap him. "You idiot! You did something so stupid that the act that you just put on with that dress could start a rebellion. And you very well know that. I hope I get to kill Katniss before I kill you, because then you could suffer and that is the best kind of pain." I tell him, while he holds his cheek from my slap. I walk away in anger, only to see Katniss and Peeta walking up. They didn't hear anything, I know, because they just got off the stage. As I walk past Katniss, I say, "Nice dress. Good luck tomorrow." "Like wise." She says, and she gives me an innocent smile. I return the smile with a smug one, nicer than the one I gave them in the training center though. I manage to catch up with Tim, and we ride elevator up to our room. I try to sleep, but for some reason, I hear a quiet knock, quieter than the Avox girl's, at my door at nearly midnight. I open it, and I see Tim standing in the doorway. "Hi." I say quiet. Almost like the tone I use when I talk to Jace in the woods. "Hi." He replies back, in a little louder tone than mine. He walks in, and I lock the door behind him like I do every night, just in case if Snow tries to kidnap me or something. He sits on my bed and I sit next to him. "What if I don't make it out?" He asks, nearly tearing up. "Don't worry, that won't happen. I'm not letting you die, at least not under my watch." I tell him, which makes him at least smile. I lean my head on his shoulder, as if her were Cato. "What if I don't make it out?" I say. He looks down at me. "I won't let that happen, either. You mean a lot to Jace. And I don't want you to die." He replies, still looking down at me. I sit up after he says this. "What? What do you mean by that?" I ask. His reply is so sudden, that I don't have time to realize what it means. His reply is him leaning in, and kissing me. Ok, so now I know what's going through his head. He likes me, but he wanted to wait until the day before we went back into the arena again to tell me. Now I just have to figure out what's in Effie's head. When he breaks the kiss, he's somewhat smiling. I don't know how to reply. I just sit there, until he says, "That's what it means. Well, I should probably go back to my room. We have a big few weeks ahead of us." He smiles at me, then he leaves. I lie back on my bed, trying to understand what he means by that, until I fall asleep. When I wake, I have to quickly get dressed; I put some of my hair into that single braid, and head up to the roof for the hovercraft that will be taking the tributes to the arena. "Hold still, Bramble. The more still you are, the more efficiently I can place your tracker." Says a lady when my ladder brings me up into the hovercraft. Yeah, like I'll be able to move, the magnetic force that holds me in place while the ladder is being pulled up is still on. Once my tracker is in, the force is gone, and I walk over to Emily. We walk to the room we will be sitting in while we get transported to the arena. I look out the window until they black out- which means that we're approaching the arena. When we finally land, we go from the hovercraft to the catacombs, to the preparation room. When we get there, I put on the arena outfit- which is just a blue jumpsuit, and a belt. Emily holds out Cato's necklace, and puts it on me. "Where did you get this?" I ask her. "Oh, your friend Mattew gave it to me the night the card was read." She replies. Then I put on the leather boots, and I'm ready. I sit there, with Emily until the nice, sweet voice tells us it's time to go. I step into my cylinder, let it close behind me, turn around to Emily, and see her nodding her goodbye. I turn back around just in time to figure out my plan. When the cylinder goes dark, I quickly untie my shoe laces, and when I'm in the arena, I'm surrounded by water, a pink sky, and jungle. I look down, and act like I didn't know my shoes were untied. I kneel down, and I quickly tie one shoe, then I go to work rewiring the mines on my pedestal, then I do the same thing on the other side. I stand up and I have thirty seconds. When it comes down to ten seconds I'm ready to proceed with my plan. Right at the ten second mark; I run off my pedestal, and I realize something… I forgot to disarm the back of the mines, so when I step off, there's an explosion behind me, and some debris of my pedestal stabs me in the back of my leg. I fall on the ground, but I get up and continue running. I get to the cornucopia right when the gong rings. I get a throwing knife set, a sword set, and some spears before the rest of the tributes get onto the land. Once they reach the opening of the horn, I'm in the water and I'm swimming to the jungle. Once I get on land, I run through the jungle until I can't see the beach anymore. I climb a tree, which is hard considering my leg, and I get a good view of everything from it. I see Katniss, Finnick, Mags- the girl tribute from 4- and Peeta swimming on to my shore. Tim is still at the cornucopia, probably looking for me, while killing people. The water around is the cornucopia is becoming red with blood and my leg is bleeding very badly. I take off my belt and wrap it around where the debris hit my leg. I hear something below me, and when I look down, I see Katniss, Finnick, Mags, and Peeta below me. They thankfully walk on, and about 10 minutes later, I hear Katniss scream Peeta's name. I look at them, and I see Peeta on the ground, and I think I see his chest smoking. Before I can think what I'm doing, I slide down the tree and run over to the nearest tree to them. I watch Finnick try to do CPR on Peeta, which ends up working. As they're walking away, I run over to the tree I was just in, and I think that they hear me, because as I scaling the tree, one of Katniss' arrows flies past me. "Hey! That could have hit me! I thought we were all friends here." I yell down at them. I know they're at the bottom of my tree, because when I get to the branch I was on earlier, I can feel someone scaling my tree. I look down, and I see Katniss is climbing. "How about a deal, I won't kill any of you, and we become allies, and you don't kill me. I have very important information, for all of you." I tell Katniss once she's about 10 feet away. She sits on a nearby branch, looks down at her group, they nod. "Ok, but you have to tell us everything you know. Got it?" She yells up at me. I look over at the shore, and I see Tim, with tridents and swords, angrily looking around. I see him yell something, but it takes a moment to register what he's yelling. He's yelling my name, and he's going to kill everyone who tries to kill me if he finds them. I look back down at them, and nod. I slide down the tree behind Katniss, and when I get down, I fall onto the ground because of the loss of blood from my leg. Katniss helps me up. "Yeah, next time you go in, remember to disable the back mines first. Ok?" Katniss tells me, somewhat sarcastically. I smile. "Thanks for the input, but you and Peeta are the ones getting out of here. Not me. Not Tim. Maybe Mags or Finnick, but as of the stunt I just polled, I'm joining my parents in the underworld." I reply, grimly. We walk for about 15 more minutes before we settle down for our shelter. Mags and Finnick make a hut, some baskets, and some mats for us out of grass. Mags even makes me a wrap to replace my belt for my leg. "Wow, how do you do that? It's actually quite cool." I say to Finnick. He laughs. Then we start hearing the cannons. About ten tributes are dead today. Now we just need to find some water and we're all good here. "Hey, I'm thirsty." Say Peeta when everything is silent. "Yeah, so are we, but I can't be mean because we aren't the ones who walked into the force field. You are." I tell him looking at the beach, while leaning against a tree. I expect him to rebut, but all I get is a slap on the back of the head from Finnick. "Ow. Can we refrain from hitting me?" I say rubbing my head. That gets a few giggles out of Katniss and Peeta, but no one else. After a while, I fall asleep. I wake up to the anthem and the dead tributes pictures in the sky. I go back to sleep, and I wake up just before the ringing begins. Twelve chimes, then it starts raining, and lightning strikes a tree. Then, about two hours later, the mist begins. Katniss and I have no trouble waking up the others, but Finnick is carrying Peeta, and Katniss is carrying Mags. We run for about ten to twenty minutes before Katniss collapses. When we start running again, we are just about at the edge of the jungle, when Katniss collapses again. "I'm sorry, I can't carry Mags. Can you carry her?" Says Katniss to Finnick, while I'm just watching the mist come closer and closer. Mags then goes up to Finnick, kisses him on the lips, and walks right into the mist. I don't waist anytime getting Katniss to her feet, and dragging her and Finnick onto the beach. When we get on the beach, the mist just stops like there's a glass wall in front of it, and we hear Mags cannon. Everyone is burned from the mist. "What type of mist was that?" Asks Katniss. "Gamemaker chemicals. The worst kind of chemicals you can get in the Capitol." I say lying on my back in the sand. Then I sit straight up, and everybody looks at me. "Tim was in the part of the jungle we were in. What if he died from that mist?" I ask to them. Katniss scoots over to me and sits next to me. "We never heard a cannon except for Mags, so he probably got out of the mist. But what's this you were saying about the mist? You promised you would tell us everything you knew in exchange for us not killing you." She says. I smile and laugh at this. "Ok, well what would you like to know?" I ask when I finally stop laughing. Peeta raises his hand. "Who are you really?" He asks me. I freeze. "I'm… I'm… I'm Annabelle Marie Snow. I'm President Cornelius Snow's granddaughter." I say, and I take off my rose necklace and Cato's necklace and put them in the middle of the circle of us. "I am the daughter of the two people who started the new rebellion with this symbol. A white rose is the symbol of Snow, but the red stem stands for poison. I don't know why, it just does. The two people are Melody Snow, and Snows son, Peter Snow. I am also the adoptive little sister of Cato. One day I hope to be as talented and as amazing as they were until Snow killed them all. He killed my own parent's right in front of me, and then he shipped me off to District 2, then I watched Cato die, then he said he wanted to kill me." Tears start running down my cheeks and into the sand as I remember when Snow killed my parents. I snap back to reality and wipe the tears from my eyes. We sit there in silence. At about dawn, everyone but me falls asleep. I sit there for a while before I decide to leave and find the other careers. I don't find anyone, until Tim tackles me in a part of the jungle that seems to be covered in blood. When we're both on the ground, he sighs with relief. "Oh, good, it's only you. Where have you been? I was looking everywhere for you." He says. I push him off of me and I feel for my necklaces. Oh no. I left them with Katniss. "Listen Tim, if you don't kill any more people, we can be allies. Ok?" He nods. We go further into the jungle, when I can't help but ask, "Where are the other careers?" He shakes his head. "They wanted me to be in their group, but I left them because I needed to find you. I know where they are, I left them when they were asleep." He replies. I nod. "Ok, let's go back to them. Then we at least have a fighting chance." We walk past Katniss and her group without waking them, but Katniss is awake, and she's looking for me, because I was keeping watch. When we get to the careers camp, we find it empty, except for a few bags, which are empty. "Well, this is great. Now we have nothing but bags that used to contain weapons. Let's go back to the blood jungle." We walk over there, but we're sure to keep away from Katniss' camp. When we get to where Tim tackled me, the blood is gone. We sit there, until we get a parachute that has a nail in it. "Michael is sending us a message somehow…" I say, then I look at the tree I'm leaning against. I take the nail and a rock, and I beat the nail into the tree, but I have to top of the nail out enough so I can pull it out of the tree. When I do pull the nail out of the tree, nothing happens, until water starts coming out of the hole I drilled. I quickly make a grass basket, and I catch the water in the basket. "The trees are filled with water! If only I had a spiel, this would be a whole lot easier." I tell Tim. We both drink the water until the basket is empty. "We should make a plan to kill the other careers." I say when the basket is empty. Tim nods. "But what? We could lore them over here with something, and whoever they leave to guard the camp, the other one of us could kill." He suggests. "That's not a bad idea. Have they drunken anything lately?" I ask him. He shakes his head, and then we both start smiling. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asks. I nod. "We should tempt the careers with a basket of water!" We say in unison. I go to another tree while he gets some fishing line, from who knows where. Once the basket is full, another tree is hit by lightning, so it's about noon. We tie the end of the fishing line to the basket, and I head over to the career camp. When I finally find the camp, I place the basket in plain sight, because there's no one there at the moment. Then I hear a rustling in the jungle on the other side of the camp, and I hide behind a tree. They see the basket. "Who's this from?" Says Gloss- the boy tribute from district 1. They all shrug. Gloss walks toward the basket, and I tug on it a little bit, and then it's pulled back all the way into the jungle by Tim. Gloss most be off his game today, because he appoints Embrodia- the girl tribute from his district- to guard the camp while he and the others go and fallow the basket. When they're gone, I position my knife to hit her right in the neck, but then I hear the scream that only my teammate can make. I run from my tree, and Embrodia sees me, but for some reason she doesn't come after me. I run all the way back to our camp, just in time to see the knife enter his heart.

Chapter 10

I see Gloss standing behind me, smiling. "That's what you get for leaving us to find her, Timothy. Have a nice after life." He says, then he runs back to his camp. I run over to Tim. He's still breathing, but his breathing is quickening. "Tim… I'm so sorry this happened to you, it's all my fault." I tell him while I put his head on my knees. "Please, sing once for me." He says in a chocked up voice. Tears are forming in my eyes, and I nod. The first thing that comes to mind is the Hanging Tree. "Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where they strung up a man they say murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem, if we met up at midnight in the Hanging Tree…" The tears are now streaming down my cheeks. "Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where the dead man called for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem if we met up at midnight in the Hanging Tree." The light is starting leave his eyes and his breathing is starting to slow down. As I sing the next verse, it starts raining blood again. "Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met up at midnight in the Hanging Tree." His breathing is slowing even faster, so now he's on the verge of being dead and the last verse is barely able to be heard. "Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear a neck-lace of rope, side by side with me. Strange this did happen here, no stranger would it seem, if we met up at midnight, in the Hanging Tree." I sing, and I hear his cannon. I lean down and kiss his forehead, and I close his eyes. I gently put down his head, and I stand up and leave. About an hour later, I hear something behind me, but when I turn around, there's no one there. I walk about 10 minutes before I get something in my stuck in my back. I look behind me and I see Embrodia with her swords running away from me. I take out the sword from my back and I start crying again, but I get up and I start walking again. When the tears stop, and I get out of the jungle, my hair is stained with blood, and my cheeks are stained with tears. I walk along the beach, until I see Johanna- the girl from 8- Beetee, and Wiress. Beetee and Wiress are from district 3. Johanna yells Finnicks name, and I see Katniss and her group. I don't move. I just let Katniss see me, and when she does see me, I collapse on the ground, and she runs over to help me. When I'm up against a tree again, I can hear Johanna yelling something at Katniss, and that sort of makes me laugh. "Listen, I'm sorry I left you guys. I shouldn't have." I tell Peeta and Katniss, who are sitting in front of me. "It's okay; we thought you'd be back, especially since you left some things." Says Peeta, holding out my necklaces. I smile at him. "Thanks. When I left, something happened." I tell them taking the necklaces. "What happened? I mean before you got stabbed." Asks Katniss putting her hand on my shoulder. "Well, let's start with last night. Tim, my counterpart tribute, kissed me last night. And he died today. That made me realize how great full I should be to you guys. I would like to be allies again. I can't fight off careers on my own." They both nod. About an hour later, I'm in our new hut, and we have revised a schedule for keeping watch. "Ok, Katniss, you and Bramble have the first shift tonight." Says Beetee. When everybody is asleep, my head is on Katniss' lap. "Bramble," Katniss says. "Yeah?" "What if it's just you me and Peeta? Then what will we do?" She asks looking worryingly down at me. "Then we'll do you're nightlock berry stunt, only with knives." I say smiling at her. She laughs. I go back to looking at the lake. "Katniss," I say after a minute. "Yeah?" She replies, moving a piece of hair from my face. "Whatever happens to me, promise you'll kill Snow for me?" She nods. "Cross my heart and hope to die." She says. I look up at her, and I remember that's what Clove and I used to say to each other. When we were little in training class. I was always gifted with shooting, so I was always in her level class. "And you have to promise me that you won't let him hurt Prim." She says, and that make me smile. "Cross my heart, hop to die." I say. "I don't what it is, but the more I know you, the more I don't hate and want to kill you." I tell her. This makes her laugh. I look back at the lake. "This isn't what it's supposed to be. I read books everyday about what they think Panem is and what they're doing. Nothing of what the Capitol is doing is what it's like in the books. The Capitol is supposed to be protecting us from things like this, and helping us. Not trying to turn ourselves against one another. I hate them." I say, starting to cry. "Nothing is like the books anymore. When the new Panem first started, for a few years I guess it was like they say in books, perfect almost. But all good things have to come to an end, I guess." She says, while she wipes the tears from my eyes. I gasp. "That means the luxury of the Capitol has to end too, right?" I ask her. She nods, then realizes what I meant. "Your right! The Capitol has to end sometime." She exclaims. I smile brightly at the thought of no more Capitol, and then I just fall asleep with the dream of not having a President Snow still in my mind.

I wake up at around noon, and Katniss has a theory of the arena. "It's a clock. That's why Wiress keeps going tick-tock. She's trying to tell us that it's a clock." She tells us. I just stare at her in disbelief, like it's not even possible. "Is that necessarily possible? I mean what proof do you have that she's right?" I ask her. She explained it to all of us. By the time she was done, it was just about time for a snack of shellfish. While we ate, I finally got some feeling in my back again. "Ok, so now that you've explained all of this, what's our next move?" I ask Katniss when I'm done with my fish. "Why don't we try going back to the cornucopia and stocking up on our weapons?" She says. I nod. Later that night, we all swim to the cornucopia. When we get there, everyone goes to the cornucopia, except Beetee and Wiress. There are no more knives for me, but there are some swords I could use. When I come out, Wiress is washing Beetee's coil, which was covered in blood from the same part of the jungle I was in, and she's singing a little song about a clock. Katniss is telling a story to Johanna and Finnick about how they use song birds in the mines of district 12. I decide that there's nothing really to do, but sit by myself and admire my new swords. Everything seems so peaceful, almost like how it was with me and my real parents, like we're not in the games. Like we're not going to die. Like we were all old friends at a party. I almost feel at home with these people, these people who are now my friends. I scoot deeper into the cornucopia. I nearly fall asleep, when I noticed something… Our little song bird has stopped singing… I get out of the horn to see Gloss letting Wiress drop to the ground with a sickly pink smile on her neck. Embrodia comes out from behind him, smiling. I stare stunned and paralyzed at them. Then, something comes over me. I lung for Embrodia, one of my new swords at the ready, and I begin slashing at her. She just moves back and tries to kill me with her sword, until Gloss pulls her back, and I'm thrown into the horn of the cornucopia, and the world around me begins to spin. "Ahh! What the heck is happening?!" I scream before it starts to make sense to me. We're in a working clock. And right now is the restart of its clock work. When the spinning stops, Wiress is out at sea, and so are Gloss and Embrodia, and Katniss is in the cornucopia with me. I hear Wiress' cannon fire, and I see Katniss swimming for Wiress, and when she gets to Wiress, she grabs the coil, and swims out of the way for the claw to come and get Wiress. When Katniss is back on the shore of the island, she gives the coil to Beetee, who now looks sad. Everyone except Katniss and Peeta has now lost their district partner. We go back to shore, once I find a comfy spot, I fall sleep, until it's my shift with Peeta. I sit with Peeta, silent, while the others sleep. "You know, we can talk too, Bramble." He tells me, breaking the silence. "Please, call me Annabelle. I favor it more now." I say. After that we go back to silence. "You know, people in my district treat me like a Capitol mutt when I get back from these games. And I hate it. I hate being treated like I'm something the Capitol created. Like I'm not even me anymore. But Jace… Jace is different. He wouldn't care if I killed everyone in his family. He just cares that I'm home safe. With my true self still in tack." I smile when I say this. "Jace really seems to care about you more than anything. Like how I care for Katniss." Peeta replies. "I wish he were here right now. So I could tell him how I really feel about him. Except that for one, I'm going to die here, and two I have no idea what I feel about him." I laugh a little at this, and this gets the funny out of Peeta. "Well, that won't help, now will it?" He says, and then we both brake out laughing. "So what should I do?" I ask once we stop laughing. Peeta shrugs. "You told Katniss you liked her fairly easy." I tell him, rebraiding my single braid back into its place, because since I've gotten into these games, it's gotten a little bit messed up. "Well, that's because I was being interviewed, and I thought that if this was my last time to live, I might as well tell her I love her. I don't think that will work with you, being you don't know your feelings for him." He said. Once everyone woke up, it was just about dawn. We have shellfish for breakfast, again. At about ten, a ten foot wave crashes on the shore a few feet down from us, and I hear a scream and a cannon. "One down, however many left to go." I mutter. By about noon, when the lightning strikes the tree, Beetee has a plan on how to kill the rest of the tributes. "We wait until about midnight, we tie this coil around the lightning tree, put the rest of it around other trees and in the water, and everyone on the beach is dead in under a minute." He tells us. "I like it." I say. I hear a slight beeping sound above me, I look up and I see and catch a parachute. "Sweet. I haven't gotten a gift from a sponsor before. I wonder who it's for." I open it, and I see a bunch of bread. I give it to Peeta. "Here, you're the bread expert." I say as I give the basket to him. "It's bread from district 3, so here you go, Beetee." He replies. Beetee takes the basket, but then he gives it to Finnick, who immediately starts counting them. "24 exactly." He says when he finishes. "Ok." Says Beetee. About an hour later, we hear a scream, and Katniss goes running off. Finnick fallows her, and Peeta and Johanna fallows Peeta. I stay with Beetee, then I hear something so familiar, and I swear I've heard it a million times. I hear the scream, and I clench my hands over my ears. I try to get over the memories, but their too painful. As I go through the flashbacks, I copy the scream; for this is the scream is from my own mouth, when my parents were killed.

Chapter 11

Beetee is trying to shake me back to the present, and when I do come back, I see Finnick and Katniss caught behind a glass wall. I run over, grab a rock, and I throw the rock as hard as I can on the wall, but all it does is deflect and hit me right in the eye. I fall backwards all the way down the hill of the jungle we were on, all the way until I was in the water. "Holy crap! That glass is thick!" I said getting out of the water and holding my now bruised eye. I run back over to Beetee. "According to Katniss' theory, this should end in about ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." Said Beetee, and as if on cue, the glass was went away. I laughed at this. "Time teller." I tell to Beetee, which somehow makes him laugh. Katniss comes over to inspect my eye. "Well, it doesn't look too bad. Especially since you got hit with a rock." She says. "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm gonna die." I tell her. She tells me that I have to rest, and Beetee convinces Finnick that he has to rest too. We both sleep for about two hours, before Beetee wakes us for another delivery. Finnick counts the bread again. "24." He says. "Ok, so we now have 48 little bread rolls." I say. "So, maybe we can fill up on bread and shell fish." I suggest which gets laughter from everybody, even me. We gather more shell fish, and we eat that with the bread. Peeta even finds one that has a pearl in it, and he gives it to Katniss. "Aw. You two are so cute." I tell them. Tonight I have to stay watch for three hours by myself. We get another delivery, and I count them this time. "24." I whisper to myself. So now we have 72 mini rolls. I wake up Finnick at the end of my shift and I fall asleep faster than a light.

When I wake up, I'm the last and Beetee is talking the rest through the plan of the day before midnight when we're going to go through with the major plan. I don't pay much attention, until he's done, then I just go off in the jungle by myself, in search for Embrodia and Gloss. I get into another part of the jungle and I hear another scream ahead of me, then I hear the cannon, and I see the claw getting body parts from a tree. I hear a low growl, and something running toward me, so I flee back to camp. I run, and I fall down a cliff, and I somehow end up at camp from falling. "Whoa! What happened? Why did you go off on your own?" Asks Johanna, grabbing my arm. "Because I have a knife and a sword." I say, pulling my arm away from her. "Well, what did happen?" Asked Finnick. "Um… There's a muttation over in that part of the jungle." I tell them pointing to where I ran from. Peeta marks this on a leaf map of the arena, he's trying to make a visual so we know where to and not to go. "I was just trying to find Gloss and Embrodia so I could kill them." I tell them. "Listen, if we're going to carry out with Beetee's plan, no one is allowed to wonder off and get killed by who knows what." Says Finnick. "Yeah, like you know everything about the arena. You've only been in twice now. I've been in three times. And you might've been the youngest person to win the Hunger Games, but you were also the oldest in the arena that year." I tell him. I get up and I go back into the jungle, but just close enough that they can see me. When night falls, I'm just sitting at the edge of the jungle. Katniss comes up to where I'm sitting, and sits next to me. "Beetee says it's almost time. You ready?" She asks. I nod. "Let's kill them." I say. We get up and we all head down to the lightning tree. Beetee gives Katniss and Johanna the end of the coil to wrap around some trees, and I start wrapping the coil around the tree. Beetee takes the end of the coil and one of my swords and walks toward the force field. I shrug. "So, you excited to have a better chance on going home?" Asks Finnick to Peeta. "Wow. You two sound like old chums. And you barley now each other. Too bad I don't have anyone like that anymore." I tell them, still wrapping the coil around the tree. They both laugh, and Finnick puts his arm around me. "You have everyone here and everyone in the Capitol. You should have someone you can call your friend." He says. I nod, but then I shake my head. "I used to, and then he kissed me. His name is Mattew, and he lives in the Capitol. He was the one who carried me to the hospital the night I was shot." I say, shrugging off Finnicks hand. I go back to wrapping the coil around the tree, and then I put the rest in the water. I sit on the sand while Peeta and Finnick talk. I see Johanna run past us, blood on her, and Finnick runs over to where Katniss is supposed to be. Peeta and I fallow him. Peeta starts to get worried and calls out her name. We get a reply, but she's a long way off. Before the explosions start, I see a small star that gives me hope. Everything goes off at once, and Peeta and I are on the ground with our bodies not letting us move. The claw comes down and grabs us, and another one gets Johanna. Is this what being dead is like? Am I really dead? Have I lost the only chance I had at going back to Jace? To my life? To kill Snow? I think to myself as the claw brings me into the ship. Once inside, my worst nightmare comes to life. Snow walks up to my body, and closes my eyes.

When I open my eyes, I'm in a hospital bed, with nothing but a blanket for clothing, and a restraint on my waist, both of my ankles, on both of my wrists, and on my neck. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I call out. I hear groaning, and try to see who that was. I see the blond hair of Peeta, and I know that neither of us are dead. An Avox girl comes in and feeds me some applesauce. After that, I get knocked out by medicine and I go back to sleep. When I wake up, my restraints are gone, and I'm wearing a tacky hospital gown, so I know it's been a couple of days. I sit up, and I see Peeta, who's still asleep, in a hospital bed and gown across from me. I look to my right, and I see an empty hospital bed that has a name tag the reads, Johanna Mason. The door is opening, and I smell the familiar sent of rose and blood. "Snow." I gasp, as Snow walks in the room. "Hello, Annabelle. How have you been?" He says walking to be bed. "I don't know. I've been knocked out for a good amount of time. Yourself?" I ask as I get my defense up. "Fine. Do you know why you're here?" He asks. I shake my head. "Did Peeta, Johanna, and I win the Hunger Games? Can I go back to my district?" I ask, nearly getting up out of the bed. Snow just smiles his snake smile, and shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid not. We have an uprising. The day Katniss shot the arrow through the force field; we fire bombed district 12, and all of its citizens." I gasp a little at this because I remember I promised Katniss I wouldn't let Snow lay a finger on Prim. "Except for about 800 people that escaped to the woods, but they'll die out there." I let out a relieved sigh, and I see that Peeta is waking up. "Ah, dear Peeta. It's nice to see you up. Why don't you go and get some tea for all of us?" Say Snow. Peeta nods and goes out to get the tea. When the door closes I hear him scream in pain. I try to get out of the bed and help him, but Snow holds me back. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Now, why don't you get dressed and we'll get you back to your old room?" He says. I see that there are some clothes on a bedside table. He exits, and I get dressed in some silk black pants, and a light pink silk shirt. When I come out, I am escorted by Snow and some body guards to my old room. When we get there, I wait for the guards to leave before I ask Snow, "So, where are Peeta, Johanna, Finnick, Beetee, Katniss, and Jace?" "Peeta and Johanna are in interrogation. The rest, even Jace, are in district 13, I believe." He replies. Great. Jace is safe in a district that was obliterated. "So, what are you going to do to me?" I ask. He smiles grimly at me. "Well, in a few days is you and Peeta's interview with Ceaser, and he will ask you if Jace is still your boyfriend, and you will reply no, and that Mattew is your new one. You should remember Mattew." He says. "No. No way. You can take away my freedom, but you can't tell me who to love. You don't even want me!" I yell at him. "That is all true, but if Katniss is going to be the face of the rebellion, you will be the face of the Capitol. And maybe you can crack every rebel in Panem." He says. I look down. "I will listen if you promise not to hurt Jace." I tell him. "Of course. If you listen to every word I say, I won't hurt your beloved Jace." He replies. Yeah, like you ever kept a promise.

The End of Catching Fire

Mockingjay Coming Soon!