Chapter 1
Crystal:
They can't fool me into thinking that we live in harmony. No more rebels, no more wars, it's a lie. I know what they wanted, another Hunger Games. And I would have been in them for certain. Because I'm the granddaughter of President Snow. And what a message that would send to the capitol.
I'm Crystal Snow. I hate my name. It sounds like a prissy little fairy who has a happily ever after. That is one thing I don't have. Besides, what can you shorten Crystal to? Cryssie! That's even worse. The capitol and their stupid names, stupid fashions and alterations. They tell the districts that nobody does that anymore, but how is everyone else meant to realise that Elva Crapton got new red cat ears to match her tail and Alder Sampson dyed his skin purple instead of blue? It's all just a game.
My dad, President Evan (he doesn't want to be known as President Snow so he uses his first name), says that we should all go to school together as children. But that means that I go to school with Katniss Everdeen's daughter Willow, who, as you can imagine, shuns me. And she's the most popular girl in our high-quality sports school, so of course that means everyone else does. What about other Capitol citizens, you ask. Oh, I'm the only one. Everyday I board the warp train and go to District 4 for a day of uselessness. But not today.
Today I'm running. Getting the fuck out of Panem because, well, we can't be the only ones out there, right? Somebody else must have survived the war they all talk about. And they can tell me what happened before Panem. Because literally nobody knows, or if they do, they won't tell me. But I think they'd tell the President's daughter, wouldn't they?
7:00. I wake up, shower and eat. I get dressed into not my uniform, but a black and red jumpsuit. I'm not even going into school so why would I wear a stupid little blouse. Also, I can't be bothered to deal with Willow today. She's not a prissy little bitch, I'll give her that, but for some reason she has to beat me. And she doesn't. It makes me laugh. She sits on the table with all her friends and i just don't eat lunch because I hate seafood. I'm the outcast. No problem people, I don't want to deal with you.
9:00. The warp train. It as, as the name suggests, a high speed train that warps to different terminals along the path that goes through all 13 districts and back to the Capitol. It takes me 10 minutes to get to Four, and an hour if you want to go to Thirteen from my home. I sit in my usual seat, between strangers or names and faces I vaguely know. I have my bag over my shoulder, but no pens and books today. Today I have five water skins, various food packages, my dads gun with a lot of bullets and my crossbow. My main weapon. Loaded with darts of tracker jacker venom. I'm not playing around today.
9:30. I reach the woods. Everyone else knows I'm gone now, school started ten minutes ago. The office is probably on the phone with my parents right now. I don't care. They never really notice me anyway.
Branches snap under my feet. Nobody's out here anyway, nobody goes into the woods anymore, not with the food regimen and the free warp trains. It's not like anyone went out here anyway. I could have gone along the wood by the sea, but what's the point? This place is further away from everybody. And I like being alone.
But I'm not alone, am I? Because, yep, there's definitely someone up that tree.