Chapter 1

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I'm seventeen years old, I live with my mother and my sister in Panem's Lunar Colonies. My father was killed in an "accident" when I was only eleven years old. He was a rebel, and I found it only fitting that I followed in his footsteps.

The Capitol lies in the heart of Panem. The world used to be filled with different countries, different cultures, but he Capitol believed the world would be... more peaceful if everyone believed in the same things. So they took over, wiping out each culture until the whole world was filled with Panem pride. But my people are not a part of this pride.

The world became to small for everyone to live comfortably there. So they sent all the outcasts to live on the moon. And then the dark days began.

When my people were first sent here, the moon was not suitable for human life, even now, it's not the same as on Earth. They spent their whole lives trying to turn it into a place similar to their real home- Earth. Years of back-breaking work. And now Panem wants to take it all away from us.

They want to turn our land into a vacation city. A tourist hotspot. They want to send us to Mars, so we can make it nice and pretty, and make it our home, so they can take it away from us all over again. That is why my dad was a rebel, that is why I'm a rebel. That is why we must fight back.

"Hey Catnip," I hear Gale call me by my nickname. Gale has been my friend ever since I joined the rebellion last year on my sixteenth birthday. His father, was killed in the same "accident" as my father, and we both share a passion for protecting this land.

"Gale," I wave to him as I walk into headquarters. "Why'd Coin call this meeting?"

"I don't know," Gale says as he takes a seat. "But I'm sure we'll find out in just a minute. Kind of how meetings work."

"So I've heard," I scowl and sit next to him. We wait in silence for Plutarch and Coin to arrive. They are the ones in charge of this revolution. They've got the money to buy our weapons, and I've got the guts to wage this war. That's why I'm the leader. That's why I'm the Mockingjay.

You see, I've always hated the Capitol. But my father's death sparked a fire in me that is very capable of burning down all of Panem. At age twelve, I managed to kill Seneca Crane, he came to the Lunar Colonies to start the plans for the "remodeling" of my home. I thought if I killed him my problems would go away, that they wouldn't bother trying to take the colonies away from me. Instead my actions made me a Capitol traitor, a criminal running from President Snow's laws. If only I had the opportunity to kill him.

President Snow stays inside his mansion in the Capitol. He never leaves, but I promised myself that someday I will kill him. Someday I will get to send my arrow through his ice cold heart, and make him pay for every rebel he's killed.

Before I can fantasize about his assassination, Plutarch and Coin walk in with grim looks on their faces. "Don't tell me you're here with bad news." says Finnick. When he was fourteen, he fought off a whole squad of peacekeepers who were treating his family like slaves.

"What did you expect Finnick?" says Johanna. "They always bring bad news." Johanna and Gale are just like me and Finnick, we stood up to the President, and now we're criminals, names on President Snow's kill list. That's what makes us the faces of the revolution.

Beetee makes all our technologies- from hovercrafts to a bow that recognizes my voice. And then there's Haymitch, a man who's drunk more often than not, and insists that he's important and deserves to be at our meetings. When I first joined the rebellion, I thought he was a spy, but when I told the others about my suspicions they laughed in my face.

"Well," says Plutarch. "You were right to assume we bring bad news,"

"See," Johanna throws her arms in the air.

"How bad is it," says Gale.

"Yeah," I meet Coin's eyes. "What are we up against?"

Coin lets out a frustrated breath. "The Capitol is sending millions of Peacekeepers."

"Millions!" Haymitch stands up, slamming his hand on his desk.

"We bring good news too," says Plutarch. "We're ready to fight back."

"Finally," says Gale. "I've been waiting to do this for years." We all have been waiting so long. This rebellion has been in the works since before I was born. My father was one of it's founders. And it's finally time!

Plutarch introduces us to the rest of our new squad. Boggs, Jackson, Mitchell, Homes, Cressida, Messalla, Pollux, and Castor along with Finnick, Johanna, Gale, and myself make up Squad 451.

I come home later that day after some intense training. Mom is making dinner, and Prim is setting the table. "You're home." my mom says, after kissing my cheek, and turning her attention back to the potatoes. "How was your meeting?"

"Good," I say as I ruffle Prim's hair. "They're finally letting us fight back."

"You're going to fight, aren't you?" says Prim, sounding worried.

"Yeah," I say. "They're shipping us off tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," says my mother as she turns to look at me.

"Yeah," I sit down at the table.

"Do you really have to go?" Prim asks.

"I want to go," I explain. "I want to fight back."

"But... why?"

"I just want for the colonies to be free." I sigh. "Don't you want that? Freedom?"

"Yeah, but I just don't want to loose you." she says and her eyes start to water.

"Hey," I laugh. "I'm a lot tougher than you'd think, little duck."

"Promise me you'll make it,"

"I promise to try." I wipe her tears away. "Let's eat."

Later that night, as I lay in my bed, I think of the danger that awaits. Can I really survive this war? I shrug. Oh well, if I die, then I'll die for what I believe in.

So this is the story that I've been working on since August! I'm so excited to put it out into the world, and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have! Tell me what you guys think of this story so far. Mockingjay Part 2 comes out in 9 days! How excited are you? What scene are you most looking forward to seeing?