Hunger Games: Fog of War

Chapter 1 of my new Hunger Games story, the last entry in my OC series, hope you enjoy it, read and review please.

Disclaimer: Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Chapter 1

The harsh light, the whiteness of the room, the cacophony of noise dulled to a background hum by the thick walls. That was all that greeted fifteen year old Lillian Whelan when she opened her eyes. Sitting up she sighed, massaging her temples, praying her mind wouldn't break yet again.

'Three years since I won the seventy-second Hunger Games...' She thought sadly. 'Three years since my mind snapped and I was reduced to this; little more than a pathetic mad girl...a figure of pity and shame.'

She sighed as she finally got out of bed, looking around the cramped quarters her family had been given. After the disastrous Quarter Quell of the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games, which saw all former victors ending up being reaped to fight again, things had gone from bad to worse.

Lillian tried to focus her thoughts as she dressed. 'We had a plan, to try and stop the Capitol, but in the end...we just...'

Following their attempt to destroy the arena, which was successful; only a handful of those who survived escaped, the rest were captured by the Capitol. This left a bitter taste in Lillian's mouth as one of those captured was Kai Raithebone; the victor of the Seventy-first Hunger Games. He had been her mentor during her games and was also the person she had found herself crushing on, hard.

That made her separation from Kai due to his capture and her escape all the harder, since the last thing Kai said to her before forcing her to flee, was to reveal that he loved her, actually loved her.

'What did it do for us however?' She thought. 'What do I do now, especially now I'm here...'

She was in the underground rebel base in District 13 against the Capitol, having been brought there after her rescue. District 13, the supposed destroyed district following the first rebellion which saw the birth of the Hunger Games and the rise of Lucrum family as Presidents. Yet the rebellion lived on in secret, taking refuge underground, finally, after all these years, the leader of the Rebellion had returned from her self-imposed exile to lead them, it was time for direct action, another war was coming.

Lillian was still unsure however. 'Where do I fit into things?'

Pushing her medium long black hair back from her face, she looked in the mirror, tired grey eyes stared back at her. These traits, along with her olive skin were shared by the rest of her family, all of them from the Seam of District 12, now definitely a destroyed District. The District, despite its poverty and struggles, was her home, Kai's home.

So it had been bombed to oblivion by the Capitol in retaliation for their actions during the Quarter Quell. Now clad in the bland clothes that everybody wore in District 13, Lillian turned to leave the room, observing her family briefly as she did so. With a short sigh, she left the room, her mind still distracted.

One thing that still bothered her was her older sister Cathy's behaviour. Cathy was one of the girls who, following Kai's victory became an obsessive fan, after Lillian's victory, with Kai supporting Lillian, Cathy became jealous. Yet now she was acting differently, awkwardly.

Once outside in the corridor the noise of District 13 filled her ears; there always seemed to be some sort of activity.

"Lillian."

She turned and saw a woman approaching her, a woman aged twenty-seven with the same Seam traits as her, except her hair was shot with grey at the temples. It was Aviva Lawaway, the third and final District 12 Victor, winner of the Sixty-fourth Hunger Games and mentor to first Kai and then Lillian, as well as many others.

Lillian turned. "Aviva?"

She wasn't sure what to make of the woman. She was reserved and somewhat withdrawn due to what she suffered over the years, especially during her Games. She did not suffer fools gladly and yet there were times where she could be remarkably kind and thoughtful.

Aviva nodded. "I'm afraid it's business. You've been summoned to meet our leader...and the council."

Lillian inhaled shakily at that; the council were people from each District who had joined the Rebellion and worked as advisors to the leader of the Rebellion, who was also one of the few surviving members of the previous Presidential family.

Unsure as to why they wanted to see her, Lillian nevertheless followed Aviva through the bustling underground District; it was hard to believe that this place existed, with all their activities, hidden for all these years.

Finally arriving at the council chamber as it was called, Lillian entered when summoned and looked around, the twelve council members all sat there, observing her without comment. Lillian's gaze was drawn to the leader of the Rebellion. A woman of forty-three, Ariel Raithebone, the mother of her beloved Kai, the two survivors of the previous Presidential family and the true heirs to Panem.

"Lillian, welcome..." Ariel said calmly. "We need to talk. We believe you may...hold the key, to our victory."

Lillian bit her lip; straight to the point it seemed. "I wouldn't put it that strongly, but I believe I know what you speak of."

"If not victory, it will win us the support of the Districts." One of the council, the representative from District 4, said.

The one from District 2 spoke up. "Yes, well, we will need to put it to use..."

Lillian bit her lip; they were referring to the master copy of Kai's blackmail data, information Kai had gathered over the years which allowed him to gain incredible leverage and even come close to unseating the current corrupt regime.

It was now in her possession, even if all other copies were found and destroyed, so long as she had this, they still had a bargaining chip.

"What do you mean?" She asked carefully.

She remembered Kai's words, to guard it carefully, only use it if she really had to, it was her safety net after all.

"We must use it at once." District 2's representative said. "You must give it us, for us to use."

Lillian sighed. "But what if, doing that, would lead to the death of Kai, and the others who are held captive. We must try and rescue them first."

"We will do what we must; now hand it over." District 1's representative stated. "This is not the time for idle..."

"No." She said quickly. "I'm sorry, I get you are desperate and I get why, but I cannot just hand this over."

There was a sudden ripple of tension as they realized she was refusing.

Lillian fought to keep herself calm and said simply. "Agree to what I said, rescue those trapped in the Capitol, then I'll give you what you want, that is all."

With that she turned and left, not caring that she hadn't been dismissed; eager to escape the tense atmosphere before her mind snapped again.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.