One: The Offer


I hang up the phone and stare at all of them.

"Rekyah?" he repeats. "Your name is Rekyah? Not Tawnie?"

"Yes. My name is Rekyah," I say tearfully, yet with a hint of defiance. "Daughter of Rulton Matashia. Former Capitol citizen. And I'm here to help you now."

"How can we trust you?" Maisha yells. "How can we trust you anymore after all that you've done?"

I swallow my tears and remember back to when I'd asked nearly the same question to Sleet, back before this all happened. Before I was Tawnie. Before I met Mashad. Before I was a spy.

I stare at each one of them in turn before answering.

"Because," I say slowly. "I have this."

And I open my hand.


"Rekyah! Wake up, it's already time to go!"

No way. There's no way in hell I overslept again.

I roll over and peer up at the clock on the wall. It's only 5:30. My stupid little brother must be playing a trick on me.

Then I remember: today we have Warcraft Training. It starts at six o'clock sharp. Anyone who is late will be accused of treason and executed. Just like my father was.

"Wait up, Sakei! I'm coming!" I shout.

Luckily I slept in my training clothes last night, so getting ready takes all of five minutes. I throw a bag over my shoulder and run down the stairs to my waiting family in the car.

"Hop in!" my mother shouts. "We're going to be late, Rekyah."

"Yeah, you overslept again," says Sakei.

"Lucky we woke you up before Mom really exploded, huh?" Solei says with a childish smirk.

"Shut up, dweebs," I mutter.

Sakei and Solei are my twin little brothers. Solei is ten minutes older than Sakei, but they're both equally sized pains in the butt. I wish I was twelve years old again, like them. Life was so easy back then, before the war.

It's because of this war that I have to wake up so early and prepare for Warcraft Training. Warcraft Training, or WT for short, is a mandatory war prep 3-hour session we've been attending every Tuesday and Thursday for the past month. In WT, we learn basic strategies for survival: camouflage, hand-to-hand combat, knife throwing, and a lot more.

"Why do we have to go to WT every week?" I'd asked my mother when we'd first attended the session.

"The Capitol needs every one of its citizens to be prepared for battle at any time, sweetie," she'd answered.

"Even Sakei and Solei?"

"If necessary, yes."

"But they're just twelve! Why?"

"It's wartime, Rekyah," she'd said.

As if that answered everything.

I actually don't mind going to WT that much. I can crush my neighbor, Ronallo, in wrestling, and the trainers at the center have complimented my archery skills. If the Capitol threw me in the middle of a battlefield, I might actually survive.

"We're here," my mother says, interrupting my thoughts. "Get out of the car, before we're late!"

Sakei, Solei, and I obediently follow out mother into the Training Center. Losing one of us again would result in failure.


My father, Rulton Matashia, was a member of the Rebel Forces. Sending messages between the thirteen districts and risking his life in the process, he supported the rebels completely.

Notice that I am using the past tense. My father, along with two other men and two other women, were executed nearly three months ago for treason against the Capitol. The execution was broadcasted live all across Panem, a mandatory viewing for everyone. Nearly everyone avoids interacting with us now.

To be honest, it may have hurt the twins pretty badly (they still went into our father's room for days each morning to wake him up, and burst into tears when remembering what had happened), but it hit me much harder. My father and I were very close, even closer than my parents had been.

I still remember our last 'normal' conversation, the night before he was caught:

"Father, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, sweetheart, just emailing some friends. What's up?"

"Mother said to tell you dinner is ready."

"I'll be down in a few. Tell Solei not to eat all of the dessert, okay?"

"I will."

My father never came down for dinner that night. He spent the last night of his life 'emailing friends' or, in reality, informing the rebels about the Capitol's progress.

The next day, his laptop was stolen at work and everything was leaked. The Capitol was not even humane enough to allow my father to say goodbye to his family. He and the others were killed within 24 hours, barely within our knowledge.

I've sworn never to support this rebellion that took away my father's life. I will never forget that day, that day of horror because of revolt.


"Excellent job, everyone," out trainer that day, Anada, tells us after today's session. "Nice aim, Rekyah. Next session is next Tuesday, same time and same place. Don't forget. You are dismissed."

As usual, I earn a few dirty looks from the teenagers around me for Anada's praise. I ignore it. Praise means nothing.

I pack up my water bottle and towel, complimentary from the Center, and begin to leave, when Anada stops me.

"Rekyah, wait a minute."

I spin around. "Yes ma'am?"

"I'd like to speak with you for a minute."

I look back at my brothers who are waiting at the gymnasium door. "You guys go ahead. Tell Mother I'll catch a cab home."

"Okay," they both say at the same time.

Anada smiles. "They're adorable. What are their names again?"

"Sakei and Solei."

Anada continues smiling, then abruptly bites her lip as if remembering an unpleasant fact.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" I ask.

"Nothing," she replies "Follow me."


Anada leads me up (and down) the fancy elevators and down numerous halls until we stop in front of a tall wooden door.

"Well, this is it," she tells me sadly. "I am not allowed to enter this room."

"But I am?" I ask, surprised.

"Correct."

"Who's in there?"

"You'll find out. Knock."

I knock three times on the door and nearly jump when a deep voice replies, "Enter."

"Good luck," Anada whispers before leaving.

When I step into the room, I gasp when I see a thin, balding man with white hair sitting behind a mahogany desk.

"President Sleet!"

"Yes, Rekyah. What a pleasure to finally meet you," he says with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," I say, taking a bow. "But what do you mean by finally?"

President Sleet sighs. "Sit down, child. I must tell you something."

I take a seat on a chair across from this make-shift desk. "Is this your office?"

"Yes, child. I have many secret offices. You are currently in one of them."

"What did you have to tell me, sir?" I press on.

"Rekyah, you've been chosen to participate in our Young Espionage Program," he says.

"Espionage?" I say with a gasp.

"It's a fancy word for spying."

"I know what it is, sir. It's just . . . I am . . . why me?" I sputter.

"We've been watching you for a while, Rekyah," Sleet tells me. "My associates and I think you'd be perfect for our current open spy post."

"How long have you been watching me, sir?"

Sleet coughs uncomfortably. "Um, well, ever since the, uh -"

"Oh," I say flatly. "I get it, sir."

"Rekyah," Sleet says, continuing to pronounce my name Reek-yah, instead of the correct way, Reck-yah. "The point is, we really want you in this program."

"Why me? I was directly related to someone who helped the rebels. How can you trust me?" I ask.

"That was the main reason why we didn't want you on the team, at first," Sleet says quietly. "But Anada convinced us to give you a chance. She gave you a fabulous recommendation, child."

I sit back in my chair, considering this opportunity. I would love to join this program, if it means leaving the Capitol, but what about my family? Would they be safe?

On the other hand, this is the perfect way to defy my father, to get back at him for ruining my life. To swear against the districts that rebelling is wrong.

"That sounds like a wonderful opportunity for me, President Sleet," I finally say.

Sleet smiles a devilish grin. "So are you in, Agent Rekyah?"

I nod. "I am."


A/N: So what do you think of this story so far? Just to clear things up, it takes place seventy-four years before Katniss's Games, during the rebellion, before the Games have even started. The italicized portion at the beginning is kind of like a foreshadowing phrase. It kind of tells what will happen at the end of the story. R&R?