Prologue
I thought we were free of the constant fear, free of the nightmares…free of the games. But happiness never lasts in Panem. No, that part of our lives is over. President Paylor is dead, and with her died the peace. One of her advisors, Lupin Flight, stands in her place. I remember his first speech as president like it was aired only yesterday…
"When one era ends, another begins and this one is mine. Changes will be made, starting with the population. The rebellion was a time we shall not forget. It was the time when our beloved leader, President Coriolanius Snow, was brutally murdered by Katniss Everdeen. So it is decreed. All who were part of the rebellion will be found and publicly put to death along with their families. This goes for all, including you Miss Everdeen. You can run…but you can't hide…"
What happened next was a whirlpool of chaos. The necessities were packed and in rucksacks within seconds and before we knew it we were on the other side of the fence that once bordered district 12, running for our lives through the woods that used to be mine and my family's only chance of survival. Just the thought of my family makes me well up. My father died in a mining accident when I was only eleven, my thirteen year old sister was killed during the rebellion and my mother now lives in district 8 working as a nurse. Running is easy. During the rebellion me and Peeta did so for a long time, but now we have our own family to protect. Primrose Mellark, our eight year old daughter and Cinna Mellark, our five year old son. I don't know what I would do without Peeta. He is like my best friend, he is my rock… he is my love and my world. He has been there for me from the beginning of the 74th annual hunger games and hasn't left my side since. We got through two games. We can do it again.
