So this is my second attempt at making this, i hope that i have improved since. Anyway thanks for reading, i will continue this series and criticism of all types is appreciated. Thanks you.

Chapter 1

Fire after Silence

I came out the door, the shining light was so bright it seemed as if a thousand suns were covering the valley, this was not the case as very quickly my eyes became accustomed to the bright sun. I grabbed my pickaxe and my helmet from the nearby wooden chair, right where I had left them.

I only took a few steps before a voice stopped me from my trip to town "Nero, are you going to come back by dinner, remember its Catherine's birthday today." I turned around to find my mother standing outside the shack with her oven mitts still on. I put on my helmet, "Maybe, today I was planning to work double shift, maybe that way I could buy her a present today… but I'll manage mom, don't worry"

"Well, just don't get in trouble darling, I love you" she got back inside the house, "I love you too" I said, in a whispering voice as I began to walk towards town.

It didn't take long for me to reach the town, about 30 minutes or so. By the time I arrived the stores were open, and people outside the streets going to their jobs at the mines followed my same route I took every day. The Capitol's management building right in the middle of town was surrounded by those armed guards as always. And the loudspeakers began the usual morning announcements.

"Attention, the pay amount for mining per hour has been reduced due to a lack of demand, you may ask details to your mine's manager. That's all for today."

Another paycheck deduction, those were common place. Every year it was either a miserable raise, or a huge deduction. Sometimes it was a monthly thing. District 13 wasn't a bad place to live at, soldiers didn't get on your head that much. However if you got too close to the fences leading to the Tech Installations you were assured a nice beating.

I arrived to the mine, it was one of the biggest graphite mines that there was, maybe just "The" biggest overall.

Everyone that worked at the mine was family, you had to rely on the guy next to you. One little mess up and it all came down. That happened once, and it was horrible, 35 guys trapped, we tried to get them out. We even asked for Capitol help, but that never happens, never.

I got all my gear on and already Alto and Garrick were waiting for me, we were friends since birth.

"Nero, how's things?" said Alto while he was smoking a cigarette. We weren't supposed to smoke at the mine but Alto never cared about that. "Lizzie is sick as always, it's her birthday today, I'll see if I can get her a present today."

They began laughing. "Well with what we win, you won't get her much" said Garrick sharpening his shovel. "I know, that's why I won't buy it at the plaza, I'll see what they got at the bazaar."

The bazaar was the place were poor people would buy things, it was all junk… however if you knew the right people you could get very nice things. Clothing from 2, meat from 10, even some jewelry from the Capitol.

The working day was tiresome as always, we were always pushed into finding more, even when they kept saying demand wasn't high. I picked and picked and kept on every day. Life was difficult in 13, at least for us at the bottom. I never complained though, never. My mother always said "keep on the work, keep your head down, and keep your life intact."

After work, I split from Alto and Garrick even though we would always head down to the bar for some mead, today I went directly to the bazaar. No guards stopped me so it was a direct trip.

After arriving to the bazaar I passed the first sellers, then I arrived at the one right at the corner of the alley where Tenner Rollo's post was. He usually would sell metals and woods for houses. I walked to him and asked "Hey Tenner, you…" I got close to him "Got something to sell me on this day."

He made the usual look of disbelief, but with no hesitation he gout of the box of good he had. "Take your pick, each are 5 coins."

Excited I looked at what the box contained, soft cloths with Capitol markings, pins with different shapes, and even some collars. Something that got my attention was a silver necklace with a flower shaped photo holder, it was all complete. "I'll take this" I checked my left pocket then my right, and I found exactly 5 coins, I put them in the counter and got the necklace in my bag.

"Thanks Tenner" I began running home, I didn't even hear what tenner responded.

I began running and running, passing the plaza, Capitol management, and the departments. I got to the common grounds, that's how we called the place where most people lived at. It was compromised of wooden houses, some shacks, and a few metal sheet homes.

I followed the dirt track to my house, knocked on the door and it was Celestine, my other sister who was only 3 years younger than me. "Back early I see."

"Shouldn't you be a school?" I said, "Shouldn't you be at the bar with your friends" she responded jokily. She let me in and there she was, Lizzie, in bed by my mom and our next door cousins Sam and Filo.

"Hi Sam, hi Filo." Both of them gave me a small nod, I hugged my mother and then got close to my sister. "Hey Liz, how are you feeling."

Lizzie smiled and hugged my head, "Nero! You came like you promised!"

"Well of course I did, how could I not on my sister's 8 year birthday" I got hold of my bag. "Have you gotten your present?"

"Well, cousin Filo and Sam got me a new pair of shoes, and Celeste gave me a new mirror, this hand mirror. This one isn't cracked." Her smile was what helped me deal with all problems, in grey days like this one, she would make them seem bright and colorful."

"Well that's great, look what I got you." I opened my bag and found the necklace, "Close your eyes."

She covered her eyes with both her hands, she was little and her hands barely even covered her face, which put a smile on me. I took out the necklace, everyone in the room was in awe. "Open your eyes Liz."

The moment she saw the necklace in front of her face she screamed of pure joy, she hugged my head tightly and I handed her the necklace. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

After finishing near squashing my head she got off the bed and got in front of the dirty mirror of her vanity table. She put on the necklace and began jumping of excitement. Everyone looked at me in shocked, as if they suspected I'd got the necklace in a… illegal way.

"I didn't do what you think I did, I got it at the bazaar." Everyone's face switched from disbelief to joy after noticing Lizzie dancing around the room, feeling like a total Capitolian princess. That present had really made her day.

Shew danced towards me and hugged my head again, "Thanks Nero." She gave me a soft kiss on my dirt covered check.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, we danced around a fireplace outside the house, ate the cake mom had baked the entire day. It was a good day, a very happy scene with family and friends as well. I knew that the moment when curfew would begin our misery would return, at least for most of us, but not Lizzie. She was one of a kind, a light in the dark. The only one that would put a smile on your face no matter what.

The night when well, I slept on the sofa, it had always been that way, my sisters in their room, and my mother as well. My mother's room was the only one with a door. She thought that way we couldn't hear her cry at night, but I could, I always could hear.

The sofa wasn't bad, it was in front of the fireplace and in the winter I was probably the best place in the house.

The next morning it was the same routine, Lizzie and Celestine to school, my mom to bake, and me to work. Only that today, it was different. Soldiers everywhere, more than usual, I even saw Pete from the bar being dragged away to a jeep.

When I got to the mine it was also many soldiers, more than usual again. Still it was a normal working day, I dig and dig as always with my pick.

At around noon we heard loud noises from outside, the guards told us to keep working, and we did. The noises didn't end. "Are those… explosions?" asked Alto. "I don't know, there isn't any breach schedule until next month." Despite the guards telling us to get back to work we began to make our way to the surface.

Once we reached the exits we saw smoke coming from the city, followed by sound of gunfire. Before we could start making our way to the city lots of guards armed with batons and riot shields began pushing us back telling us to get back to work. Most of us picked up our gear and began heading inside the mine however, we noticed Eero Herriot, a near deaf man being beaten by the guards for not complying with the order. Everyone began to push back the guards telling them to back off. One thing led to another and in seconds one of our fellow miner struck a guard with his pickaxe in the chest. Blood covered the rocky ground.

Everyone began charging the guards who were quickly overwhelmed, we ran towards the city. Buildings on fire, gunshots from afar, and dead soldiers on the streets.

I avoided any confrontation, including some Capitol soldiers dragging people away into their vans. When I arrived to my home, it was all in fire, not only mine but everyone's. I felt as if I had arrived too late and began panicking.

In less than what it took to blink I found myself on the floor, suffering from strong pain in my head. I was meet by familiar faces, mom, Lizzie, and Celestine. "Oh thank goodness you're all right Nero." They had hold of my head and I laid face up. People surrounded me kneeling down in fear.

"You are all part of this, don't try to hide it! Where are the rest of those rebels!" a Capitol soldier screamed as he waggled his side arm around. He was accompanied by other soldiers aiming their weapons at us, the crowd. Some men lied dead around us.

"If you're not willing to cooperate. So be it!" said the old looking soldier with the pistol in hand as he pointed it to an old women in front of him. The rest of the soldiers followed and aimed their weapons at us. All I could do was embraced my sisters and my mother to try and protect them from the certain doom we would face.

At that moment I realized, this was different.