Hello to any readers out there! This is my first fan fiction, so I hope this isn't too bad. I also chose to do a crossover. So, if I do mess up, I mess up in two dimensions! In case you were wondering, this story takes place after The Hunger Games ends and before Catching Fire begins. Well… anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, especially not Young Justice, The Hunger Games, or anything that might be referenced in this story.
Chapter 1: Forget It
The forest glowed in a soft pink light as the sun rose. A rabbit nibbled at green roots that stubbornly persisted in growing, even though the temperatures had been dropping considerably the last week. I hid in the shadow of a large tree as I watched. The rabbit's brown fur had been almost impossible to spot in the early hours of the morning. It was not the case anymore, with the sun finally peeking above the horizon. I was close enough that I could see the rabbit's wide eyes dart to the location of every little sound as it chewed, searching for predators. I silently reached back to grab an arrow out of the quiver on my back and readied it on my bow, knowing that any noise would cause me to be noticed. It was a practiced move, one that I had been doing for years while trying to support my family through hunting.
It still feels strange to think that I don't have to hunt for my family anymore. Ever since I became a victor of the Hunger Games, my family and I get everything we could want. Well, except maybe freedom. But the Capitol would never allow Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, the girl that caused the Capitol to be the laughingstock of Panem by beating the Hunger Games with a handful of berries, to be truly free. It is a fact that I have accepted, if not willingly. At least I am still able to go out hunting for my best friend, Gale, and his family. He still needs the money and food gained from hunting to support his family, and, now that he is working in the coal mines, he isn't able to hunt on any day except Sunday. He's too stubborn to accept the money that I offered to give him, but I managed to convince him that I should still hunt for his family. Hunting lets me take my mind off of everything that has happened to me and also helps me to feel a connection to my dad, but Gale's mother Hazelle, his two brothers Rory and Vick, and his little sister Posy depending on me is one of the biggest reasons why I still hunt. It is also why every shot I take counts. I raise my bow, preparing to shoot the rabbit through the eye like I always do. It is the shot I am famous for. The rabbit froze, as if sensing danger. The entire forest seemed to fall silent. I held my breath as I drew the arrow back. That's when the world exploded.
I guess I might have been exaggerating when I said the world exploded, but that sure was what it seemed like to me. Right in front of me, in the exact spot the rabbit had been eating, a brilliant flash of white light appeared that was accompanied by a deafening noise that sounded like thunder. I jumped backwards in surprise and managed to hit the tree I was hiding by. Hard. My hand let go of the arrow and it shot off into the forest where I knew I would never find it.
After the initial surprise, my first reaction is anger and annoyance. This… thing, whatever it is, caused me to lose an arrow that I was always so careful to keep safe and the rabbit that I had been waiting for hours to get was now nowhere in sight. Then my first rational emotion appeared. Fear. What is this thing? I couldn't tell what it was doing, but from experience, I guessed that something that suddenly appeared without warning probably wasn't here for any reason I would profit from. It could even be something sent from the Capitol to punish me for everything I had done. That sent a chill down my spine. The light had started pulsating to the time the thundering noise kept. I really didn't want to stick around to find out what the Booming Light was going to do next. I turned and ran back to the hole in the fence by the Meadow that was my most common entrance and exit to District 12. A quick glance back assured me that I was not being followed.
I ran the whole way to the fence. The only reason I pause is force of habit. I always check to see if the fence is electrified. I forced myself to take a couple deep breaths so I could hear something other than my own panting. The only sound in the woods is a bird chirping. No tell-tale humming. As usual, the electricity isn't on. The sight of the fence finally allows me to calm down a little. Surely the Capitol wouldn't do anything to me while I was out in public, right? Then I reminded myself that every year the Capitol forces everyone in the Districts to watch 24 of their children kill each other. I doubted me being with other people would make the Capitol change its mind if it had something planned, but the thought of not being alone still somehow managed to help me push my terror down. Even though the warm rays of the now risen Sun have managed to drive away the chill from last night, I'm still cold from my encounter. I am relieved to find that I still have my bow, quiver, and sack of game that I had managed to get before seeing the… Booming Light? Was that what I had called it? It isn't really a classy name, but it was the best I could think of on the spot. I took the bag off my back and looked at the three rabbits I had managed to find on the snares that I had checked before I actually started hunting. It was a pitiful amount of meat, especially considering how much I usually bring in, but at least I had some. And I wasn't planning on going back out today.
I find the log that I always hide my bow and quiver of arrows in, and then sneack through the hole in the fence into the Meadow. Stopping by my old house, I drop off my dad's old leather jacket and my worn hunting boots in order to put on the uncomfortably snug and expensive clothes that my mother thinks better go with my status as a victor. I take a quick look around the house. Buttercup, my sister's scruffy tomcat, decided not to show up today. He doesn't like the new house we got any better than I do, and I often run into him at this old house. We don't exactly get along. Maybe it has something to do with me trying to drown him when he was a kitten. But, now that we have our reluctance to be in the new house in common, I find our relationship growing. I will feed him some scraps of meat and pet him whenever I meet him here. Unfortunately, he isn't here today, so I don't have any reason to stall going to Gale's. Even still, I stand in my old house for a while longer. I walk over to the fireplace with many memories of nights spent looking at the fire flashing through my mind. I look at myself in the cracked mirror that leans against the wall. My fancy clothes clashing with my straight black hair pulled plainly back in my customary braid. My gray eyes gazing listlessly at me. My olive skin coated in the shadows of the abandoned house. Some people say that I am pretty. I don't see it, and I don't care. I just look like all the other people who live in the Seam, the place where I feel like I belong. I glance out the window and sigh. I've stalled long enough. It's time I delivered the game to Hazelle.
I take the longest route I can to Gale's house that isn't just walking around in circles. How am I going to explain the meager amount of game that I have today? I can't tell Hazelle about the Booming Light. If she didn't think I was crazy, she would start to panic. Part of me is also worried that I have just imagined the whole thing and am going crazy. It isn't even believable. A rippling light in the woods that sounded like thunder? I have never even heard of anything like it. No, this discovery would be something that I keep to myself.
All too soon I arrive at Gale's house. I can see Hazelle look up through a window when she hears my knock. She smiles broadly as she opened the door, and I try my best to look happy to see her, too. I have always liked Hazelle. Aside from being hard-working and determined to keep her family as comfortable as she can, being with her makes me feel like I had never gone to the arena. It is like I have my old life back. The life where I knew where I fit into the world and was happy.
I give Hazelle the bag. She walks over to a table and starts taking the rabbits out. When she'd laid the last rabbit on the table, she gave me a quizzical glance. "Bad luck today?" I just nodded, not meeting her gaze.
"It's okay. And this fat one has a very nice pelt as well. Someone is bound to pay good money for it." I'm relieved she didn't ask any more about it. I didn't really want to lie to her, and even if I tried, I'm a horrible liar. She would've seen through me for sure. She is now holding the rabbit she had mentioned before by one of its back feet, looking every inch of it over with a keen eye. That's when I noticed her hands were red and looked raw.
"Hazelle, do you need more of that salve my mother makes for your hands?" She looked up at her hands, slightly surprised. When her husband died, she had gotten a job washing merchants' laundry. She worked her fingers to the bone and her hands used to get very cracked and bleed easily in the winter, until my mother created a salve for her. I couldn't see how Hazelle hadn't noticed her hands. Maybe she was so focused on the rabbit that she had forgotten about them. They looked like they hurt, though.
"Oh, yes. I keep meaning to ask you about that. I ran out shortly before summer began, but I haven't needed it until now. These colder temperatures never help. If you would ask your mom to make more, I would appreciate it. That reminds me," she turned around and poured a cup of something, which she proceeded to offer to me, "would you like some tea?"
"Yes, please." I say as I wrap my hands around the warm cup. I take a deep breath of the steam coming off the surface. We sit around talking for a little while. We discussthe weather, what it was like having Haymitch as a neighbor, and other unimportant things. It felt good. When I finished my tea, I decided that I should continue on with my day. We hugged and I left out the front door.
The Sun, now high in the sky, makes me blink as I step out the door. A couple people leaning against a building nod and wave to me as I stride past. Very slightly I dip my head to them, just enough to acknowledge their greeting but show that I'm not interested in any type of conversation. Aside from not being a chatty person, I really should have been home by now. And I still haven't even gone to the Hob yet. My mom and Prim both know where I go every morning, but if I'm not home by a certain time, they start to worry. I check my pockets. The gold coins clink together as I rustle the bulging pouches in my pants. I'll just make a quick stop and add to the profits of the black market community.
An old warehouse comes into view. Named the Hob, it was originally used to store the coal that came out of the mines. Now it is the center of illegal trading in District 12. Exactly where I belong. I try to buy a couple things from everyone there that I could possibly have a reason to buy from. At least I can do something productive with all this money I have.
After I have a bowl of Greasy Sae's latest concoction, which appears to be a stew made of wild dog meat and beans, I head for my new home in the Victor's Village. The only people who are allowed to live here are victors and their family, so my only neighbors are Haymitch and Peeta with his family. It isn't exactly a friendly atmosphere here, seeing as Haymitch is a surly drunk that spends most of his time passed-out in his house and Peeta is hurt by the fact that I pretended to be in love with him, while he actually is in love with me. The chance to get away from this place can be added to the list of why I hunt. Luckily for me, though, Peeta doesn't really want to be around me and, as I said before, Haymitch spends most of his time at his house, so I don't have to try hard to avoid them when I do stay around here. I think that's why I did a double-take when I suddenly realize that Haymitch is walking towards me. He's awfully close. How long has he been in sight and I just didn't notice?
You can tell he's drunk by the way he is slightly staggering as he comes closer. That and the bottle of white liquor in his hand. When he reaches me he smirks and holds his arms out wide like he's going to hug me. "Well, if it isn't the girl on fire. How've you been? Got anymore boy problems?" His breath is sickly sweet.
I will owe him forever. He somehow managed to get both Peeta and me through The Hunger Games alive. But that still doesn't mean that I have to like him. "No more than I had before." Like I would talk to you about relationship problems. "Athough I about had a heart attack when I saw you walking down the street. Is the world ending, or did you just decide I needed to be blessed with your company today?"
That comment managed to turn his smirk into a scowl. "You wish. My supply is running low." He holds up his liquor bottle. This makes me decide I should leave and let him get more. The last time he ran out, there was a shortage and we couldn't find any alcohol anywhere. He started screaming and trying to fight things that weren't there. It really scared Prim and, frankly, it wasn't very enjoyable for me either. "Fine. I'll just be going then." His hand grabs my arm as I start to go. I don't even try to fight him. He is surprisingly strong for being such a wreck.
"Have you started working on your talent?" he asks as I turn to look at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your talent. Have you started working on it?"
My blank stare must have given away my confusion, because he swears and pulls me closer. "The talent that every victor is supposed to have when they go on the Victory Tour?"
He should've just hit me over the head with his bottle. Anything other than remind me of what I had been dreading ever since I got back from the arena. The Victory Tour is placed almost halfway between one Hunger Game and the next. The victor of the latest Hunger Games makes a visit to each district, usually starting in District 12 because we have the least magnificent celebration of all the districts, and ending with the district the victor comes from after a stop in the Capitol itself. This year, since Peeta and I come from District 12, the Tour ends here and starts in District 11. Where Thresh came from. Where Rue came from. How will I ever be able to face their families? How will I say what I should say when all I'm thinking about is that I'm alive because of their actions, while they're dead? If I could I would just forget everything that happened, pretend it all was a bad dream. But it wasn't, and the Victory Tour does nothing to help me forget.
I glare at him and try to tug my arm out of his grip. "I'll get to it. Although, it is hard for me to do that with you holding me here."
He doesn't relent. "You don't understand how much this means. You have to be a good little girl that's crazy in love." I can feel blood rushing to my face and decide that my shoes are more interesting to look at than his face. "You have to be oblivious and innocent. You have to look excited to be up on stage surrounded by throngs of people. And you have to have a talent, just like any other victor, because if you mess up in the slightest, the Capitol is going to make life even worse for everyone. Are you listening to me?"
My head shoots up and I look him straight in the eyes. Fury is pulsing through me and I'm having a hard time thinking coherently. The only thoughts I can make out are how I never wanted any of this and how much I hate the Capitol. Why did he have to bring all this up? "It isn't fair!" I snap.
Haymitch just smirks and chuckles darkly. "Nothing has ever been fair, sweetheart. Why do you think that would change now?" With this he finally lets go of my arm and heads off towards the Hob, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I don't know how long I just stood there, silently fuming in the middle of the road. Everything the Capitol had done kept running through my mind. All the districts in poverty while the Capitol taunts us with its wealth. Forcing us to send our kids to their deaths solely for the Capitol residents' amusement. Making us celebrate sending our kids to their deaths. Throwing me into an arena where I sent kids to their deaths. Killing Prim... no, Prim is still alive. It was Rue who died. Killing Rue, while I could only helplessly stand and watch. They didn't actually throw the spear that stabbed her, but I still hold the Capitol responsible. Wait a minute. Prim was expecting me to be home a while ago. She's bound to be worried about me. What if something happened to her while I was gone? I could feel my heart start to tighten. It isn't too hard for me to imagine her lying on the ground, bleeding out, while I sing to her and cover her face with flowers... I have to go to her. Now. Only then do I notice that I have actually started running to the house without intending to. With my mind now fully in sync with my legs, I will them to go faster.
It turns out that I needn't have worried. A small accident had happened down in the mines. Some unlucky man had managed to drop one of his gloves in the middle of a tunnel. As he was stooping down to pick it up, part of the tunnel collapsed. His co-workers managed to dig him out and had brought him to my mother to tend his injuries. I watch them through the doorway as they work in the kitchen.
It always amazes me how my mom transforms everytime there is an injury or illness to cure. She goes from timid to determined in a heartbeat. Prim's in there with her, doing anything she can to help. At the moment that means she is standing off to the side holding bandages, just watching and waiting for my mother to ask for them. I feel a rush of pride for my sister. She's so brave in there, facing all the blood and pain that I always run away from. This is what she was meant to do. To tend to people. To tend to anything living, actually. She could doctor anything back from the dead. That's who she is. Dr. Primrose Everdeen.
Immediately I regret my train of thought. Any sweet or content feelings I may have been having turn sour. The Capitol doesn't allow women to become full doctors. There they go again, controlling my life and everyone else's. My sister, who was destined to become a doctor, isn't able to. Something Gale said to me awhile ago comes to my mind. I can't really remember the conversation, but I do remember him saying something along the lines of, "I would, if I didn't live here." Prim could be a doctor if we didn't live in Panem. However, I also remember my reaction to my conversation with Gale. It felt all wrong. It was just wishful thinking. There is no way to escape the oppression of the Capitol, to be free in the way that he was talking about. Even if we ran away into the woods, the Capitol is almost guaranteed to find us. Especially now that I'm such a famous victor. My fury is rising again, pushed now by the injustice done to the people I care about instead of by the injustices done to me. However, the outcome is the same. My hands clench into tight fists. I feel the need to do something, but nothing I do will help at all. My frustration is starting to get the best of me. Only the thought that my sister and mother will be distracted by me if I punch the wall keeps me from venting my anger on it. Instead, I turn and run to my room. I barely stop myself from slamming the door behind me as I jump onto my bed. Using my pillow as a muffler, I scream until I have nothing left and pass out from exhaustion.
The next morning I feel no better. My dreams consisted of me being stuck in a giant bowl with sides made to look like forested mountains. Giant Gamemakers watched me from above as I searched for a way to escape. Whenever I got close to a way out, one of them would pick me up and place me in a different area of the bowl, often right next to something that wanted to kill me. They would also set things in the bowl. Sometimes they were muttations or random tributes from former Hunger Games that would attack me and were impossible to kill. Other times they set Prim in there. Or Gale. Or Peeta. People that I care about. One time it was even my father I saw lowered in. I would run to their screams, only to have them whisked away from me by the Gamemakers just as I reached them. It seemed to go on for days. I finally woke up when a muttation that I thought was my mother turned around and bit my shoulder. My whole body trembles as I grab the first clothes I see. The fear, helplessness, pain, and anger from my dream have carried over into my waking thoughts. I need to calm down. Maybe hunting will help. I feel a slight amount of hesitation as a memory tries to surface, but I push it away and head for the forest.
I waste no time at my old house, quickly changing into my hunting gear and running out to the meadow. Once on the other side of the fence, I pause to listen to the forest. The owls hooting, a branch snapping as an animal steps on it, these sounds usually help me relax. They even make me smile sometimes. They aren't working today. Yesterday's and last night's emotions are piled on me and I feel like I'm about to burst, even in the sanctuary of the forest. "Relax," I tell myself as I start jogging through the woods. I don't even notice that I didn't grab my bow or quiver. I just keep going. All of my attempts to calm down are failing miserably. If anything, they're making me even more furious. Why can't the world be fair? Why can't I be happy and live the life that I want to? My pace increases until I am sprinting. There's a light up ahead. I must have been running for a long time if the Sun is coming up. I can hear the blood pounding in my ears, getting louder and louder... Wait. That can't be. It's too loud. And the light is too white to be the sunrise. It even looks like it's pulsing... I suddenly turn around and try to run away, but it's too late. I feel a strong pull that tugs my feet out from under me. I can't believe I forgot about it. Everything that happened yesterday and last night must have pushed the memory out of my mind, that memory that I shouldn't have forgotten. That feeling that I got this morning when I woke up, I now regret ignoring. It could have saved me from this, whatever it is. My fingers leave long scratches in the ground as I try to claw myself away, to no avail. No one, not even the owls, hear my scream of panic over the noise of the Booming Light as it pulls me into its depths.
Whew... that took awhile to finish, but first chapter complete! I hope any readers enjoyed! Go ahead and review if you want to. Just a warning, it will probably take some time for an update. I am determined, though, to finish this, no matter how long it takes! So, bye for now!