Jago

There she stood. He examined Swann, his sister. She was only eleven like him. Today was there birthday and they were turning twelve however. Twins. They were fraternal twins that looked completely different. He had his father's blonde curls, she with her mother's darker hair. She had her father's blue eyes and he didn't know where he got his gray eyes. His dead aunt perhaps?

He knew his mother did not like to speak of their aunt that had died at thirteen when she was eighteen. Swann danced around in her silk dress that her mother had been able to afford of course, since she was the leader of the rebellion and Peeta was her husband and his dad. Today their mother was once again whispering very quietly to herself about something.

She looked at Peeta for comfort as if they knew something they didn't. Dad was more trusting and open. Mom was plain terrified. She said it was a thing that had happened to her at a younger age as a teen. She said she would tell them when they hit twelve, the age Prim was when she got scared.

That was all he knew, all he heard from dad at least. He was always worrying it seemed. Swann was always dancing and playing with the wind blowing her hair back, looking beautiful without trying like mother did.

The only story he knew was that at one point she was forced to choose who she loved most. Her friend at a young age, Gale Hawthorne or her sort-of-friend Peeta from the event she wouldn't tell them about.

Swann didn't have a care in the world. He blue eyes sparkled even in the cloudy weather, indicating there would be rain tonight. "Swann?" He asked quietly. "Yeah Jay?" She said, using her nickname for him. She smiled a dazzling grin straight at him. He knew mom had many secrets, she had never wanted them. He overheard. Peeta had begged her, he had always understood them more than her. He suddenly remembered Swann.

"Do you ever wonder about mom and how worried she seems all the time?" He asked, his eyes clouded.

She blinked once and then shrugged. "Uh, no." She became a little less happy after that and stopped dancing around.

More secrets kept from him. She was only 30 seconds older than him. Being the younger one was a pain. He was short, he was 30 seconds younger. But he seemed like he whole family was against him.

"Swann you have a secret."

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

There was a gulp and he watched as her makeup began to run. Not from tears, but from a nervous sweat. She was a terrible liar.

"It is official! You and mom hate me!" He mumbled. Her blue eyes softened. "No, Jay I love you. So does mom, she just wants to protect you from her own nightmares so you don't have them too." She said.

He chewed his lip. Should he believe her? He was such a sucker for those big eyes. He gave a half-smile.

"OK. But do me a favor Swann. Tell mom to stop treating me like a tiny child because I can fend for myself believe it or not." He frowned.

She shook her head. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this. I can't tell her that." She said. He got so angry that all of a sudden his face just went pure red and purple like a bad bruise or birthmark. He ran into their home. He was about to solve this once and for all. About mom's little secrets and his sister's sudden sad behavior. She was always happy and he wondered why but he wasn't too interested. This case intrigued him.

He ran up the stairs. "Mom I'm twelve now so I demand that you tell me what your huge secret is. He glared at her. She had those big brown eyes though and once again he made the mistake of looking into them.

"Mom why are you like this? Always so depressed. Please tell me! You told Swann." He said. She sighed. "Listen, Jago it was fifteen years ago and I was eighteen and I got lucky to live. That's all."

He shook his head. "How though? I want the whole story...please. And why did you tell Swann and not me?"

She chewed her lip now, similar to what he did when he was thinking. "I guess Swann was just so carefree and happy...I just wanted to get it over with."

"Mom, I get it but tell me." She took a deep breath. "Fine. I was sixteen and it was time a thing called the reaping..." She went on about something called The Hunger Games. Then she told the tales of horror, going back, and fighting in the rebellion. He ha heard about the rebellion but dad or mom ha never said what they were rebelling against.

"Mom I can handle this." He simply laughed. "I won't have nightmares and I will practically be the same...I was just...curious." He kept pausing to get his breaths out. She was right. He didn't want to hear that. Just how she survived and how she had to deal with Rue and Prim's deaths. It was sad. Then the heartwarming story of her an Peeta. He wanted it all away. This whole ran faster, faster, faster. Soon he tripped and fell in nothingness, darkness. Then he was sobbing and throwing rocks.

He had no idea that a certain man was watching them. A man who wanted the games back and was certain to have the Mellark and Everdeen family tree killed. But now he had a closer connection with his mother, Katniss Mellark. He still didn't know her middle name but he knew the details of her life. The hunt for survival and food.

Though he still wished for a grandpa, since his mom said that their grandpa had died when she was young. They rarely saw their grandmother who worked at a hospital in another district.

He tried to make a bow like she said her grandpa had made for her. He grabbed some sticks. It seemed easy in his head. When he started, he learned he couldn't even do it without glue, tape, tools, or string. Not to mention that he couldn't make anything to save his life. He looked up and saw the outline of the moon in the darkening sky. Curfew.

He threw himself inside and saw Swann all up in her nightgown already. Mom didn't know he had ran out the door or she didn't show it. He was glad she didn't know. Dad winked. He knew but wouldn't tell that meant.

Mom was unbraiding and straightening Swann's hair and that was rare. Mom was never this calm. Maybe it was the stress taken off her chest by telling him.

"Hey champ! Might wanna put on some pajamas and take off those clothes his dad said.

"Oh right!" He winked back. How could dad keep his calm through this whole thing? He shook his head. He was lucky for these parents even if they were crazy and unpredictable.