I am not repeating this again. Suzanne Collins owns The Hunger Games.

Chapter One

The carriage was rattling loudly, causing Katniss' feathered hat to fall from her head. She held out a gloved hand, steadying the hat to its former position. It was a revolting task visiting the man her deceased father had worked for when he was alive. Katniss would be joyed at the chance of meeting a rich individual, but now, the idea seemed terrifying to do.

Of course, it was her idea in the first place to take on her father's job as an assistant. Katniss pushed aside her right door's curtains, taking a short glimpse of the scenery before her. The carriage was quickly approaching a large manor. She had to admit, it was beautiful. The plants and lawn were well tended, but the manor itself gave off a dark aura. As the carriage came to an abrupt pause, Katniss placed her hands in her lap. She heard the sound of the coach door open, revealing the bright sunlight and the aged face of her chauffeur. Katniss inhaled deeply. She gently placed one of her white heels onto the hard ground. It made a soft click, and her other heel met the surface shortly after.

"Miss Everdeen," A tall dark haired man bowed to her. He looked young. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My master has been...expecting your arrival for some time now."

Was he the manor's butler? Katniss followed him into the large estate; her eyes searching around the area. The main room was enormous. A crystal chandelier hung above them in the center, illuminating the portraits of several men and women hanging on the walls. Several employees were racing all over the place. There was a short maid carrying a pile of neatly folded towels, a chef skimming over a cook book, and a large woman mopping the floor. She paused to observe the entire room until a voice interrupted her.

"Miss Everdeen, please come along. He does not like to be kept waiting."

"Right, of course." Katniss cringed as she answered him. This master of his didn't seem to be the friendly type, but even those kind of people were hard to come by in the world. She followed the supposed butler up the stairs, and found herself standing in front of an oak door. Slowly, her hand fell on the door knob, twisting it as quietly as possible. The room inside wasn't as large as the room downstairs, but it did give off a sudden eerie feeling. It took a moment for Katniss to realise that she wasn't the only one in the room. There was another person. A man to be exact. He was studying one of the many bookcases until he turned around to face her. Katniss studied his handsome features.

"You look," Katniss swallowed. "Younger than I had expected." There wasn't a huge difference between them for he looked to be her age as well.

The man stared at her. "I expect you to be here early in the morning tomorrow. Your father died when we were looking into an investigation regarding a thief in one of the nearby towns. Latness is not an option, Miss Everdeen." Even though he didn't announce his name, Katniss knew his name. The infamous Cato - one who was not to be reckoned with. His last name had always been a mystery. He had a cold look on his face. It was something that even she couldn't decode.

"Yes, sir." She spoke softly. Katniss left the room, wanting leave urgently. She hurried down the stairs. A young blond woman was already down below, clutching onto her parasol. She was a goregous woman and was obviously very wealthy.

"Lady Glimmer, welcome back." Katniss laughed lightly to herself. She had met so many people with...interesting names, but Glimmer? The woman began heading up the stairs, hitting Katniss on the shoulder as she passed by. Her beautiful face had a look of disgust toward her. Surely, she was one of the people who looked down upon commoners. Katniss could hear the woman laugh behind her.

"Since when did Cato allow people like her to be here? His standards must have shrunk since the last time we've met. Shame, really."

Correction; she was a bitter woman.

Katniss stared down at the news article in front of her. It was the very first one that explained the tragic events that took place the day her father died, which was three weeks ago. He had died whilst accompanying Cato to the mines. From what she heard, her father was last seen yelling out to Cato to run, and he did. Katniss studied the photo of all the people who died in the accident. She slowly posted the piece of paper on the wall. It was the first clue she had to finding out what truly happened to him.

"Do you really think it was an accident?" The sudden voice startled Katniss until she realised it was only her younger sister, Primrose. Truthfully, she had not thought of the accident as a set up, but it was beginning to sound like one. Katniss paused before answering her.

"Yes, Prim. Go back to sleep." It was difficult to lie to Prim, but she had to. She was still young. The last thing girls her age needed to think about was death. Katniss quietly sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. She arched her neck around to face the news article.

Was it really an accident?

Fortunately, I finally found the time to write the first chapter down. Please pardon the short length, I plan to make it much longer as the story progresses. As for the reason why I have PENDING in the summary is because I will determine whether or not I shall continue this story. I hope people do read this though.

Until then, enjoy!