KATNISS:

When I first heard the screaming, I thought it was Prim.

She's been having nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night, with tears streaming down her face, begging to snuggle up with me on the bed. But this time it wasn't her who was having nightmares. It was me.

I wasn't really that surprised that the nightmares were from the arena. I remember desperately trying to protect Peeta; running to the Cornucopia to get his medicine. I could never forget the mutts and Cato's face before I took him out of his misery. I also distinctly remember a friend. Her name was Rue. I don't know what was worse; the fact that I couldn't save her or that she accepted her death. My name is Katniss Everdeen. I should be dead. I survived the 74th Hunger Games, barely slipping out of the Capitol's grasp, and managing to come home with Peeta Mellark, who should also be dead. Why aren't we dead?

I dare say that the Capitol is afraid of us. They're scared we might start a rebellion; an uproar in the districts. Rumors are circulating that we should brace ourselves for an attack any day now, but so far the peace has barely been upheld. We're on the brink of breaking and we can barely hold on.

People come up to me sometimes and say that I am brave. That I am so selfless to have volunteered in the place of my sister. That I am the symbol everyone is looking up to. They say that I am their hero. But I am no hero, or heroine, really. I wasn't really thinking when I volunteered in the place of Prim. All I knew was that she couldn't go to the Capitol without me putting up a fight.

I jolt awake, sweat on my brow. My hands had grabbed the sheets around me and they felt clammy. My throat felt raw, aching from the screaming. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up, changed my clothes, and quietly, left the house.

I now live in the Victor's Village, where only Peeta and Haymitch accompany me during the long hours of fake interviews and publicity taking place during the Victor Tour. I couldn't stand being in front of cameras, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was in the arena. Everyone watching my every move, trying to see through the holes of my so-called-star crossed romance with Peeta. And there was especially one person who would always be watching. His name was President Snow.

My only escape were the woods. I ran across the roads and approached the nearest fence that surrounded District 12. I climbed under the wires and then in that moment, I never felt more free, or to whatever extent freedom is in District 12.

I ran as fast as I could into the woods. The trees were a blur; leaves crunching under my feet as I ran. Branches snapping as I broke them out of my way. The smells of nature overwhelming me. I could smell the breakfast I would catch for when my mom and Prim wake up. I stopped in the middle of a clearing in the woods. I looked around for a slightly bent, tall wayward tree that had a makeshift hiding place I had carved out of the bark, where I hid my bow and arrow. When I was almost 2 feet away from the tree, I heard jostling. Feet pounding toward my direction from the left. On instinct, I ran and hid behind a bush. I had barely concealed myself when I saw her. Or them to be exact.

She was short and skinny with chopping blond her that barely went past her chin. She was accompanied by a tall, brooding young boy who had a cropped black hair and dangerous eyes, skimming around for danger. They both wore matching black uniforms. What struck me, was that they both had tattoos. The girl had three raven tattoos on her collarbone and two circle tattoos on each shoulder. One was of two hands joined together and the other were flames. The boy had tattoos curling around the back of his neck, which I assumed ran down the majority of his back. The only people who had tattoos that I knew of, were people from the Capitol, with their eccentric hair colors and clothes. What I didn't understand was why there were two kids, from the Capitol, running in the woods.

They weren't looking at me; they were talking in low hushed voices, backs hunched as if they were conversing secret plans. I slowly crept from my bush and brushed my hand inside the tree bark, gripping my bow and arrow. I barely had time to pull it out, when the boy spun, pulled out a gun and pointed it at my head. I flinched.

"Don't move," said the boy. "Or I'll shoot." The girl widen her eyes in surprise, but not before pulling out a knife, readying it to throw it at me.

"Who are you?" said the girl, eyeing me warily.

"I'm Glimmer" I instantly said. I don't know why I said her name. She just popped into my head because both her and the girl had blond hair.

They both looked at me in suspicion and then the girl looked over to where my hand was.

"Take your hand out. What are you hiding in there?" said the girl.

"Nothing." I said. They looked like they didn't believe me, but at that point, I didn't care because then I saw Gale, hiding behind them. Without a second thought, I put my bow in position and shot an arrow into the creek near them, sending a small splash into the air. The boy turned in surprise and gave me the opportunity to run in the opposite direction.

I sprinted, going back the way I came, nearly tripping over a log, because at that moment, my head was spinning. Why are there two kids from the capitol with a gun, running in the woods? And worse, why did they look like they've been running for a long time?

I was almost to the fence, when I was roughly shoved to the ground, falling flat on my face. It was the girl. She was half my size, but had managed to push me down with so much force, that my head felt like it was on fire. We rolled and punched, not knowing who was winning in the amount of bruises we were going to have. I found an opening and kicked her off me. I picked her up and threw her up against a tree.

"Who the hell are you?" I said through gritted teeth. I've never seen anyone fight like that from the Capitol. I didn't even think anyone from the Capitol would have left the Capitol itself, with their money and food. Unless this girl wasn't really from there.

"My name is Tris and I am your worst nightmare." And with that, she punched me in the stomach and I fell to the ground, hugging my abdomen. She kicked my side again and I rolled over. I had thought I was done for, when I saw the girl crash onto the ground as well. I was slowly losing consciousness, but not before I saw Gale's face looming over mine. "Catnip, you are so dead."

THE END OF CHAPTER 1.