CHAPTER ONE: Family, Friends, and Fiends

I live in the Capitol...but I hate it.

Let's just get that little detail straight. I don't like having all of this delicious food available when people are starving. I think the colorful buildings are ridiculous. I think the fashions are grotesque. As well as the people. In fact, I could almost say that I would much rather be a famined coal miner from District 12.

Almost.

As soon as the Capitol found out, I'd probably die in an "accident". Or just executed for encouraging rebellion. So, needless to say, I keep my mouth shut. It's difficult sometimes, but I manage. Me keeping my distaste for the Capitol a secret while living in luxury compared to the povertized Districts keeping it under wraps is a small feat. I admire them.

That admiration goes a long way during the Hunger Games. How cruel of the Capitol to force innocent children—some even younger than 13-year-old me—to fight to the death on live television. And even worse, their parents are forced to watch. It's sickening. Sadistic. Inhuman.

I hate it.

Aliss read and re-read this diary entry on the balcony of her third-story room. It was the first in a long list of written complaints against the Capitol. She'd started this diary two years ago. One sentence caught her eye.

In fact, I could almost say that I would rather be a famined coal miner from District 12.

And now, District 12 was gone. Blown to bits by the Capitol, just like District 13 before it. Abolished for rebelling. Aliss believed it started with Katniss Everdeen, the girl who won the Hunger Games. The girl who tricked the Capitol once, and thought she could do it again. But Katniss really didn't have any choice, Aliss thought. She would have been assassinated because of the berry thing anyway.

Aliss looked up from the yellowing piece of paper. She had a wonderful view of the Capitol from her balcony. Most people saw it as a work of art, but it was a hoax. The bright buildings and beautiful architecture were just distractions. There was absolutely nothing amazing about the city.

With a sigh, Aliss closed her diary and stored it in the hollow brick which she then replaced to the wall beside the door to the balcony. She had to keep the book safe under all costs. If anyone loyal to the Capitol found it...

She escaped the abuse of the wind and closed the doors tightly behind her. She turned to face what was her room. A small suite would be a more appropriate term. The walls were high and angular, forming small columns and crevices throughout the room. The only completely smooth side was made entirely of glass, which portrayed a stunning view of the Capitol. Her bed sat in the corner farthest from the window wall. A dresser, vanity set, desk, and small eating area that was composed of a squat little table and four pillows made up the rest of the furniture. A bookshelf loaded with books was set near a plush beanbag against the window wall. Aliss liked to read there. The desk was covered in sketch pads and journals filled with short stories. Easels littered the room, their arms embracing colorful canvases. Three doors were the only exits to the room—one that lead to the bathroom, one that opened to the balcony, and the last that granted access to the rest of the house. This was Aliss's sanctuary, the one place where she could be herself and do whatever she wanted. This room was the only place where Aliss could be...Aliss.

She flopped onto the beanbag chair and selected a thick paperback novel she'd been reading. Aliss plummeted into the adventures of Dorris Radely, a man who wrote books about the rebellion of District 13. He gave the people heart and soul, as if he didn't care what the Capitol thought. Dorris Radely was probably a pen name; although he didn't directly state his feelings toward the Capitol, they were apparent throughout the book. Aliss would be severely punished if anyone found out she was reading it.

There was a knock at the door. Aliss hastily traded Dorris Radely's book with another before uttering, "Come in."

Her maid entered. Thea was a harsh, bitter old woman who was famous for her sharp tongue. A switch was on her person at all times, in case one of the few mischievous children in the house was misbehaving.

"Your father wants you at dinner tonight, seven o'clock sharp," Thea said.

"And if I don't want to eat with him?" Aliss challenged. She took advantage of every opportunity to upset Thea and her father. It was yet another hobby she'd taken up due to hours of solitary confinement.

"I have been instructed to wash, dress, and escort you to the dining hall if necessary," the old maid countered. "Unless you wish for me to do so, then I suggest you get a move on."

Knowing she'd been defeated, Aliss slammed her book shut and stomped off into the bathroom. She stayed in the warm bath water until Thea pounded on the door, ordering her to hurry it up. She slowly got out and drained the water before stepping into her room and choosing pants and a cotton shirt to wear to dinner.

"I don't think so," Thea said when she saw Aliss. "This is a formal event."

"I'm going to eat dinner with my dad. In some normal families, it's a casual event," Aliss snapped.

"Your forgetting who your father is. Now go change before I change you myself."

Aliss went through four outfits before she found one Thea saw as acceptable. It was a floor-length dress made of crimson silk that wrapped around her petite frame. Thea took Aliss's silvery blond hair out of its ponytail and gently folded it into a more appropriate-looking style. As a final touch, she hooked a necklace that had the appearance of ensnared vines around Aliss's neck. Aliss noticed it matched the silver thread detail along the V-neck of her dress.

"There," Thea beamed. "You look beautiful. Just like a lady."

Aliss didn't feel like she was going to see a family member. She felt as though she was going on a date. This is humiliating, she thought. I shouldn't look like this to go eat dinner right across the hall! Much less with my father.

Thea tugged her down the hall and into the grand dining area. It was made completely of marble. The only things that weren't marble were the half-domed glass windows and the crystal chandelier that hung above the large marble table.

Thea scampered away after ensuring Aliss sat down at one end of the table. Her footsteps echoed in the empty room. An Avox offered her some refreshments. Aliss downed a glass of champagne. And then another. She was on her third glass when her father finally made it. He smiled at her with his overly-full lips, his surgically altered cheeks crinkling.

"Aliss, my dear," he said softly. "You look lovely."

"I can't say the same, Daddy," Aliss hissed. That false smile faltered for a moment. His snake-like eyes flashed dangerously. He sat down at the other head of the table, far away for most people, but much too close for Aliss.

"Now, Aliss dear, be civilized. You wouldn't want to be punished for disrespecting your father, now would you?"

"Having you for a father is punishment."

"Most people would be overjoyed to have me as a relative," her father said.

Aliss gazed at him steadily, her face impassive. "Those people would be sadly mistaken."

The food arrived, momentarily saving Aliss from having to hear her father's voice. She nudged the entrée with her fork, mentally pleading for this night to end soon.

"So how are your lessons?"

"Fine."

"Your painting?"

"Okay."

"Any friends?"

"No."

"No one?"

"I said no."

"Well, maybe if you were a bit more open you would have at least one," her father snapped. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

"And I'm trying to eat," Aliss retorted. The comment about opening up was him teasing her. He knew how imprisoned Aliss was.

There was silence at the table. They finished the dinner portion and were served dessert. Aliss could feel her father's eyes on her expressionless face. It made her sick.

A servant came in. He clacked toward the table, stopping at a respectable distance from her father.

"President Snow, you're needed in the conference room," he said.

"Can it wait? I'm having dinner with my daughter," President Snow replied, almost sarcastically.

"No, please don't let me stop you from making the Districts miserable," Aliss said daringly, scooting her chair back and standing up. "It must be very important work."

She walked out of the room, hands shaking with fear and anger. Her father's eyes burned holes in her back on the way out.

Aliss slammed the door to her room. She ripped the pins out of her hair and shrugged out of the dress, replacing it with a nightgown. A cold, dead weight had settled inside her, so she crawled into bed and pulled the thick quilt up to her chin, curling into a little ball. Meetings with her father always made her feel like this. He was a disturbing man.

Moonlight streamed through the glass windows, bathing everything in its pale glow. Aliss shuddered. The warmth of the blanket wasn't helping anything. Why did he have to be her father? Why did he even keep her alive? She'd criticized him and embarrassed him several times, but he let her live. He didn't care about her, obviously. It was so confusing.

A knock on the door brought Aliss out of her reverie. She turned and sat on her elbows, glaring at said door.

"Thea, if that's you, go away. I don't have the patience to put up with your crap tonight," she yelled.

"It's not Thea," a familiar voice said. "Can I come in, please?"

Aliss huffed, and thought for a moment. "Sure, Evan. Come in."

Evan was a guard her father had assigned about a year ago. Aliss was only two years younger, so he was good company. He was the closest thing to a friend she had. He opened the door and stepped into the moonlight cautiously, reading the expression on Aliss's face before saying or doing anything.

"I take it dinner didn't go too well?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to Aliss's feet.

"Does it ever?" she said.

Evan laughed nervously. "No, I guess not."

They sat in silence for a moment. Aliss studied Evan's boyish face. It was enhanced by his dark brown curls and big green eyes. He was cute, which was normally not good for a guard, however it worked for Evan. That baby face masked extreme accuracy with a gun.

"When did you paint that?" he asked suddenly, once again shocking Aliss out of a reverie.

"What?"

"When'd you paint that?" he repeated, pointing to a canvas. It portrayed a landscape of hilly forests bristling with frost and a sunset background. The light of the sun glinted off the frosty branches, creating the illusion of an icy fire. It was one of her better ones, so she kept it on display.

"About a week ago. Why?"

"Just wondering. It's really good," he said, rising off the bed for a closer look.

"Thanks," Aliss said, feeling slightly embarrassed. She always did when people commented on her work. "Hey..."

"What?" Evan said innocently.

Alice had suddenly noticed the cold feeling was gone. She rolled her eyes and got up off the bed too, drifting over to her desk and trailing her fingers over its soft wood top. Evan's eyes followed her. Why do people always stare at me? she thought. Maybe people found her unsettling. Aliss wasn't much of a people person to begin with due to her confinement, but add that to her ghostly appearance, she must make people uncomfortable. Self-consciously, Aliss looked down at herself. Her porcelain skin was the exact same color as the white nightgown. Her hair was almost silver. Even her eyes were the palest of blues. I must look like a total freak. But then again...she added, thinking of a man she saw on the street with blue hair, gold skin, and a bubblegum pink suit. At least I don't try to look like a freak.

She glanced over to find Evan still gazing at her. Unlike most people, his gaze didn't flicker away when her eyes met his. Evan could be unsettling in his own ways, like how he seemed to know exactly what is going through your head a moment after you think it. Or how he stared at you even after you notice. And he keeps staring. And staring. And staring.

Aliss looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You're kind of creepy when you do that, you know," she said jokingly. Even though it was kind of true.

Evan laughed. "Sorry, I guess it's a force of habit. No one's had the guts to tell me to my face before."

"But they said it behind your back?"

"Yeah."

"And you still do it?"

"Like I said, force of habit," he said, a smirk playing at the tips of his mouth. "Sometimes I do it just to annoy them."

They both laughed. Then Evan sighed.

"I should probably get back on duty," he said.

"Yeah, you probably should," Aliss replied, though she really didn't want him to. She needed someone to talk to, someone she could trust.

"I'll swing by again tomorrow," he said hastily, using his freaky mind reading skills. "Okay?"

"Okay, Evan. Goodnight."

"G'night."

When Aliss woke the next morning, she was confused. Her room was still dark, with the exception of the last remains of moonlight that trickled through her window. It's still nighttime? she thought. Aliss was a heavy sleeper; it took Thea barging into her room and screaming in her ear to rouse her most mornings. Not even a nightmare could wake her up when she slept, much to her disadvantage. So what was loud enough to do so now?

She heard it again. A thunking at her balcony. Gently sliding out of bed, Aliss got up to inspect it. Before she reached the door, however, it slowly slid open, two shadows blocking the river of moonlight. One enormous figure stepped into the room with an eerily quiet tread. Aliss froze, though the cool night breeze whipped her hair around her face.

The figure lunged toward her. It rammed into her, knocking them both to the floor with a loud thud. Aliss kicked and scratched, to no avail. The only response she got out of her attacker was a muffled "Omf!" that quickly resulted in her being thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She still fought, but knew it was hopeless.

Then she remembered Evan.

"Help! Someone help! Evan! Evan! Help!" Aliss screamed. Her attacker quickly pulled her off of his shoulder and put his baseball-glove-sized hand over her mouth, but it was too late. His accomplice ran across the room and locked the door, seconds before slam that nearly rattled it off its hinges.

"Aliss!" she heard her friend call as he rammed against the locked door. "Aliss!"

"Let's go!" her attacker said. The men quickly sprinted out the back door, but were slowed by Aliss grabbing the frame at last second. They pried her fingers away, and then ran across the small balcony and onto a ladder. When they reached the ground, Aliss noticed a small, outdated car waiting with its engine running. The accomplice opened the trunk while the other man dropped her inside carelessly.

The last thing Aliss saw were her kidnappers' dark silhouettes against the bright moon.

First chapter done! And yes, I know, I have a bit of explaining to do about the whole chapter rearranging thing.

Originally, this was two separate chapters. However, I soon realized that it would be more efficient for me to just merge some chapters together. I am very sorry for the confusion. The previous chapters are STILL THE SAME, they're just put together to make longer chapters. This means that instead of having ten chapters, there is now only five. I will stick to this new policy, so it might take me a bit longer to write chapters, but when they are published they will be complete and there is less chance of a cliffhanger, even though this chapter does have one. Thank you for your understanding, and I'm really sorry for the trouble. I do think that this will improve my story though, now that the chapters are longer. Also, I am going through them and changing stuff like spelling mistakes.

I don't own Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does.