Hi guys! Here is my first EVER story! So, what I need from you are Reviews to tell me whats great and whats... not so great. Any and all comments are valuable to me so please do take the time and effort!

As I'm sure you've gathered, this story is set before the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins, and I plan that it will tell the story of the Dark Days and the origins of the Hunger Games. Unfortunately, I don't own all the characters that will be in this.

PROLOGUE

Standing on the balcony, you could see for miles - the new cityscape of the Capitol. After the recent mishaps of violent storms and raging hurricanes that had ripped through the capital city of Panem, many of the old buildings had been destroyed. A shame really; some had been modern and striking, others quaint inheritances from our ancestors. However, we had been lucky. The buildings of our core infrastructure had survived and reconstruction of wrecked areas had recently finished.

What a sight it was! The new face of the Capitol! Its original fortress appearance seemed to be overcome by the latest designs and materials only recently developed (or should I say redeveloped, after finding information about them left by our ancestors). New structures were formed by domes and arches and columns, glittering golden roofs intricately woven into the very fabric of many inventions, and the dull, boring, grey administration towers around this very building no longer looked dull and boring with it being composed entirely of glass.

High up here, there was quiet. Above all the bustling streets lined with shop fronts where traders drove their vehicles, beeping angrily at citizens in their way. Above the everyday life of people moving in and out of the research labs, hospitals, and factories in the industrial wing of the city. Above the echoing blasts of guns being fired in the Training Centre of the barracks. Here, a man could lose himself in his own thoughts. He could leave reality behind and let his thoughts take over control…

I sighed and leant my head in my hands. I was one of few men who could never lose focus of his responsibilities. A clear head was vital for a man in my profession. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted my little reverie.

"Come!" I called, tearing myself away from the sights and sounds that rose up to the balcony. A man entered dressed in a black suit with the purple diagonal that symbolised his role as part of the Guard.

"President Solnar, Commander Snow is here to see you. He said something about it being extremely urgent, sir."

"Thankyou Soldier, let him in."

As the soldier slipped back out of the large oak doors, I wandered over to the maps that hung from the cream walls. My finger traced the contours of Panem on the yellowed paper of the intricately detailed map - the curve of the Capitols northern edge as it ended at the foot of the Mountains, the road that ran out of the city towards the Districts, the shapes that formed the border of the most outer District, District 13.

"District 13, sir. How interesting that you find its shape so appealing. There has been a bit of disruptive behaviour in that District - more than the usual."

"Disruptive behaviour? More than the usual stealing of food or minor pub brawls?"

"Yes sir. More like raids from their Food Warehouse and a couple of the Guard were killed in your last so called 'pub brawl'."

I moved my finger to touch the area where District 13's Food Warehouse was located.

"I see. Well, we'll just have to give them another telling off, won't we?"

I turn to find the familiar face of my second-in-command, Kione Snow, watching me study the map. I break into a smile at the look of concentration on his face but my smile doesn't affect him.

"Kione, how are you?"

"Good, thankyou. Better."

"Yes, how are you coping without Darcy?" I considered my old friend's expression. The poor man had just lost his wife whilst giving birth to his son and I felt sorry for him. Maybe he needed some time off.

"I miss her… We all miss her. But at least she got to see the baby before she passed."

"Oh yes, have you named the baby yet?"

"Yes, I named him after his grandfather." He pauses.

"Well, what did you name him then? What is it?"

"Coriolanus. Coriolanus Snow."

Well, what did you think? Please do send in Reviews - I'll even give you a mention in my next chapter...