Final Unit

Chapter One

Before the sun starts to rise a house in the former Victor's Village rumbles with life. The spring air leads a soft breeze smelling of the primrose flowers leading to the front door, which opens with a cautious creak. The middle aged man unmistakably shuffles as quietly as he can out of the house, caring for the still sleeping inhabitants inside. He wears a white apron, jeans and a blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves that matches his eyes. When he leaves to go to the bakery that he owns with pride, he slightly limps.

For one leg is a prosthetic, taken from him in a time that goes unspoken. This man with golden hair and a well fit build of a baker is told in the history books taught in the schools. He's damaged, but recovered as much of what he had before he was captured.

Its been years since Peeta Mellark has had any hijacked episodes.

Its been years since he has to talk about...those things that are unspeakable. He's married to Katniss, the love of his life, and has two wonderful kids. They aren't so little anymore, he has to remind himself. Zarrah Rue has Katniss's hair, and his eyes. She's a hunter, even surpassed Katniss in some respects. His wonderful daughter is much like him, drawing the world around her in amazing detail and knows her ways with words, and likeable to people.

She's passionate, much like Katniss, so they have their arguements. She sings and the world around her listens, but can't cook for her life.

That's when her brother comes in. Chase loves to bake, with a build similar to Peeta, he's become quite the Mellark, with his father golden locks and his mother's grey eyes. He's shy and quieter than his sister, and they love each other so much that they'll die for the other. Katniss tried takinghim out into the woods, even though he cant shoot an arrow or weapon at all, he took an interest to the plants and collects the bountyful wonders of the forest for use in the bakery. They're four years apart, just like Katniss and Prim. He muses about his family as he works in his passion for life.

When the clock strikes six in the morning, Zarrah Rue Mellark is fixing her long, raven like hair into a long braid straight down the spine of her back. She glances outside to see the sun just peeking out over the horizon. Sighing, she quickly changes into dark blue jeans and a blue shirt that matches her eyes, grabbing her shoulder bag that house her school supplies and without a sound laces her hunting boots, grabs her black hunting jacket from the hook by the front door, grabbing her lunch made the night before. Zarrah scans for anything that she could have missed, finding her quiver of arrows by the mantle and strapping it across her body. In that moment, Chase walks down the stairs with his backpack and lunch in hand, so silently, like their usual routine, they leave a scribbled note to mom on the counter and shut the front door behind them, companionly walking to school together.

Aren't you going to be caught with your arrows again? Chase pointedly looks at the quiver strapped to her back.

Maybe. I know Ms. Holden by now that I know where I can hide them. I'll probably put them behind Dad's bakery, by the apple tree.

Ms. Holden is strict. He allows.

You think? Just wait until you have her for Panem Literature in four years! She laughs at her brother's mockingly horrifyed expression. Yet she wonders why in her history class why everyone was so curious about the next unit, and why the hell her teacher, Mr. Olson keeps on staring at her when her warns about how serious his class is. How they were so fucking entitled and ignorant of why the past matters to why they were in his class.

Truely, Zarrah's been intrigued by the ideas of Panem's beginning, and why people revere her parents and stare and Uncle Haymitch with respect. It seemed so weird that her parents rarely talked about how they met, or anything about their pasts. Chase and Zarrah know that mom always has bad days, not being able to get out of bed and screaming in the middle of the night. Dad has to sometimes grip a chair with his knuckles turning white and has a room locked up at all times where he goes to paint. Or he takes a walk in the meadow. Their parents never fight however, and that's a blessing because most of the families here have something weird or not normal about them. They do too, yet the sibilings aren't able to grasp any idea about how important they were to their nation's renewal.

Zarrah and Chase each eat a muffin on the way to school the rest of the way in silence. Zarrah dashes to quickly hid her quiver of arrows, and they say their goodbyes as they part ways for their classes.

Chase heads into a morning of math and coal mining extraction for four hours. He excells at most of his subjects in school, and even if he's a brown noser and a bit of a class clown, he doesn't overdo the limits of his teachers.

Zarrah walks into Ms. Holden's classroom five minutes early, taking her seat in the middle of the classroom next to Emily on her left and Brandon behind her. Emily and Brandon are twins from District 5, moving here a while back. Emily has bright red hair and cheerful emerald green eyes with a shy yet stubborn personailty and Brandon is more mischivous with light brown hair and hazel eyes.

Hey. Greets Emily. Zarrah says hello back.

Ready for Hell in a novel?

Shut up Brandon, she might hear. Emily childs him.

Im ready to draw shit as she lectures for the next two hours. Zarrah smiles slightly, taking out her materials just as the bell rings, opening her incognito sketch book.

Ms. Holden starts speaking to the class and talking about naturalism on the board, however five minutes in the door opens and Cassandra, the absolute most cruel, somewhat popular, and arrogant strides into the classroom, ignoring Ms. Holden's glare and taking her seat next to Emily, who discreetly rolls her eyes at Zarrah who nods.

Looks like you found the time to be in class, Cassandra.

She reponds with twirling a long of blonde hair around her fingers, and Ms. Holden continues the lecture on Naturalism for the rest of the hour. In that time, Zarrah writes down the notes on Naturalism in her binder while continuing the sketch of mockingjays in a canopy of willow branches in a meadow, when the bell sounds for the five minute break.

Zarrah shows the sketch to Emily and Brandon who declares it a masterpeice while she continues the sketch. Ms. Holden talks to Cassandra privatelyand when the five minute break ends, Ms. Holden signals the class for their attention.

I believe that a project is in order. Its what we call the final year project, which as you all know that your education ends next year. The History Department combines support with the other departments. Each of you are required by The Republic of Panem to create an analysis and reflection of what you learn in the final year unit and how it affects you as a person and our nation as a whole. It can take any form, a portfolit of drawings to a video. What I am here to caution all of you about is that this project remains a secret and not passed to any other student here, or sibiling, or parents. Thats why the unit that you will be covering in your History of Panem course is such a secret, and also so serious that none of you will understand.

What you learn in the final year unit is also transfered into literature, of course, I can't tell you all any specfic things now, however if you have any questions, just ask.

Also, the finalist that is selected as the winner of the best Final Unit Project will have their project shown in the annual Rememberance Day and placed into the Panem Memorial Museum.

I'll give each of you a notebook that each of you must use to record notes on the Final Year Project in your history and also in this course.

So what are we doing now? Cassandra blurted that out, bored.

You have a study hall for the rest of this class period.

Ms. Holden glares at Cassandra as she passes out the small, leather bound notebooks to each of the students. When she teaches Zarrah, Ms. Holden's eyes softened slightly as she places the black notebook on her desk. Zarrah nods at her teacher, surprised that the usually strict teacher lessened her gaze.

She pens her name in cursive on the inside of the page, and spends the rest of the class speaking quietly with Emily and Brandon, confused about the relevations of the Final Year Unit.

A/N: So excited for this! Don't worry however, Im working on the second chapter :-) all rights to suzanne collins, etc, etc...

review if you want :-)