Chapter 1

A tall, blonde, boy stalks through the woods outlying District 12. His feet make no sound as they cross the forest floor. The boy's grey eyes search for game and he sees a flash of movement to his left he stops, listening. His chest slowly moving in, and out. The boy crouches and picks up a stone, flinging it into a nearby bush. A flock of birds explodes out of the bush, screaming at the sky. Before they could reach the safety of the canopy, three were down. Arrows were strung right through there eyes.

Katniss bustles around the kitchen, braid flying, getting ready for dinner. Finn would be home soon with the game. The boy had gotten Peeta's hair, but Katniss's skill with the bow, and her eyes(hunters eyes Peeta called them.) Finnick was only sixteen and already exceeded her in height by nearly three inches. He was strong, like his father had been at that age. She remembered watching him carry around flour bags for the bakery, when they were just teenagers. Something drifted back to Katniss, a memory of a conversation they had had a long time ago, before the first games.

"Peeta, I've seen you carry around fifty pound bags of flour without breaking a sweat!" insisted the younger Katniss

"Yeah," retorted Peeta, "I'm sure they'll have plenty of bags of flour for me to chuck at people, Katniss"

Katniss pushed thoughts of those times away, instead remembering when Peeta had finally convinced her4 to have Finnick. Was it really that long ago? She remembered when her mother had first laid Finnick in her arms, with her seam eyes, and Peeta's golden hair. Peeta had been so proud, he had practically paraded Finnick through the town, telling everyone in sight. She remembered too, when her daughter Rue, had been born. Rue had inherited her hair, and eyes bluer,even bluer than Peeta's. She laughed remembering what the three year-old Finnick had said, upon first seeing her.

"She smells funny mamma," he had said looking up at her,"can I get a dog instead?"

Katniss was still smiling when the sixteen year-old Finnick walked in through the door.

"Hi mamma," he said swooping down to kiss his mother on the cheek,"look what I brought you" he sang

Katniss looked down at the three grooslings in her sons large, rough, hands. Right through the eyes, just like she had taught him.

She smiled, "Perfect timing, I was just putting the soup on," she said, "so, how was hunting?" she questioned her son, thinking about her own days in the woods outside District 12.

"Good, the woods were nice" answered Finnick

"hmmmmm" was his mothers only reply

"When are Dad and Rue going to be home?"asked Finnick, "I'm starved!"

"Soon, give or take a couple of hours" chuckled Katniss, "you know how she is with those cakes"

It was true, Rue had a way with cakes, soon she would be better than her father in the art.

"Why don't you go check and see if they're coming up the drive?"

"You sure? Need any help?" asked Finnick

"No, dinners almost ready anyways"

"Okay" Finnick replied, heading towards the front door

Finnick walked out of the front door to his house, searching for his sister and father coming up the road. After a minute, he could see two smudges at the end of the road, slowly forming into his father and his younger sister. He yelled and ran over to them. When he got there he threw his Rue over his shoulder. His little sister was thirteen, but barely ninety-eight pound soaking wet.

"ahhhhhh!" squealed Rue, "put me down Finn, put me down!"

Finnick jogged up to the front porch and set his sister down.

"Jerk" joked Rue, playfully slapping her brother's arm

"Yeah, yeah. So, how was school?"

"Same" she shrugged with an odd glint in her eyes, "You?"

"Same" Finnick wearily replied

"Sooooooo, did you see Lilly today?" she questioned. That look was in her eyes again, only this time Finnick knew why. How could he have not seem Lilly? In her new, pale green dress, with her dark curls cascading down her back. Lilly, with her, golden eyes, bright, while she was laughing at something her best friend Caroline had said. Her head thrown back, shoulders shaking. Finnick snapped back to earth.

"Nope" he shrugged, faking nonchalance

"Oh come on, Finnick. I can read you like a book" she smirked,"and dont even try to deny it"

"That's it," Finnick stated, "no more miser nice guy!" He yelled chasing her into the house, and pinning her to the couch,. Rue was one of the most ticklish people in all of

District twelve, and only a blessed few knew that. One of those people was her big brig brother, who currently had her pinned to the couch.

"Finnick, stop!" she yelled giggling, "I give up! I surrender! I surrender!''

Finnick let her up, both of them laughing

"Okay you two," called there mother from the kitchen,"come on in for dinner, while it's still hot"

"Coming mom!" They yelled in unison, and immediately burst out laughing again, this time barely able to stop.