Hazelle Hawthorne

Hazelle sighed. She missed her district, the one she grew up in. District Twelve. But if Gale returned, he will not be welcomed. And she made a vow to herself to never leave Gale and the kids. The kids—Rory, Vick and Posy, that is—were not really kids anymore, but she was used to the term.

As for Gale, she did not know. Gale was not as warm as the kids were, after the Rebellion. He became cold and aloof, which made people want to veer away from him. Thus, the twenty-five year old Gale Hawthorne did not have a girlfriend.

Hazelle suspected it was Katniss Everdeen who was the cause of Gale's troubles. But how could she blame the girl who stole her son's heart? Plus, Hazelle liked her way too much.

Therefore, Hazelle was stuck in District Two, taking care of her children all day long. She was unemployed, much to her dismay. But alas, that was how things were.

Rory Hawthorne

Rory was a different story. Sure, he missed District Twelve, but he missed her even more. Her soft blond hair and cheerful blue eyes. Her warm and…well, cute face. Her likable personality, and how everyone couldn't help but love her.

Of course, Rory was referring to Primrose Everdeen, the beautiful sister of the Girl on Fire. Primrose Everdeen, the pleasant sister of the Girl on Fire. Primrose Everdeen, the dead sister of the Girl on Fire.

But there was a much bigger problem. His older brother, Gale. The one he had looked up to as a role model. But Gale had failed him in more ways than one. By being distant and guarded. By always scowling. By never bothering to talk to him.

(And though Rory never admitted it, it bothered him to think that Gale's bombs could have killed Primrose Everdeen.)

Gale's sudden cold attitude was bothering him even more than Prim's death was.

Vick Hawthorne

"Hi, Gale." Vick said cautiously. He did not know if Gale would shout at him and tell him to go away or allow him to come in his room and speak with him, even just for a tiny moment. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Mm." replied Gale, clearly busy with his paperwork. But he looked up, and that was a start. Maybe Rory wasn't completely right about the new Gale. "Of course, Vick. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Vick fidgeted. "Well… it's about… the Mockingjay."

Gale raised his eyebrow. "The… Mockingjay?"

"Yeah, you know… the girl you always hunted with. Katniss Everdeen."

"What about her?" Gale asked sharply. "What about Katniss Everdeen do you want to know?"

"We haven't heard from her in a while, have we? What's happened? I thought you were friends, Gale." Vick answered. For some reason, the very subject of Katniss Everdeen caused his older brother to become agitated and aggressive.

"Vick." Gale's voice was suddenly filled with pain. But he had masked it with a cough. "Vick… we aren't that close anymore. I'm busy, now, so please. Get out."

As Vick remembered that short conversation, he realized that maybe Rory was right about the new Gale.

Posy Hawthorne

Getting out of District Thirteen was a good start. The Rebellion was over, the Hunger Games was stopped, the Capitol was destroyed, and the evil President Coriolanus Snow was dead. Posy had thought that her family's lives will get better, along with hers of course.

But she could not have been more wrong.

First of all, she loved District Twelve. But District Twelve was blown to bits, and five-year-old Posy was one of the few who escaped to District Thirteen. She had always thought that it would be repaired, replaced with a better District Twelve.

She had anticipated their return to District Twelve ever since they had gotten the okay to get out of District Thirteen.

They were headed to District Two. And what Posy had noticed was that Gale had not spoken to her, Rory, Vick or their mother the whole time. This shocked her as well as saddened her. She always wanted a better life, a happier life with her family.

But things were just about to get worse with the new Gale.