A/N - This is my first multi-chaptered story that I've ever posted. It might start slow, but I promise it gets better. If you see any typos throughout I apologise, I edit it myself and often miss things but they gradually get fixed as I read over things. Thanks for reading! Xx

PART I

CHAPTER 1:

Of all the districts, there were none that compared to District Four. It was a beautiful place, stunning in every way. The water was never too far, no matter where you were. The blue of the oceans, rivers and lakes sparkled underneath a warm sun, the people thrived, generally happy and healthy (when the Capitol was not attempting to interfere and expand their power). Every day was a good day, except for one. The one day every year that was dreaded, the day of the reaping ceremony.

Statistically, District Four had done fairly well in regards to victors. There had been many, and amongst them some of the biggest stars from the Games, some of the most popular and revered, though they themselves, would have preferred not to have been. But no parent enjoyed seeing their child off into the brutality of the Hunger Games, none ever came out the same. In there, it was either kill or be killed. Mags could account for that herself. The eighty-two year old was more than just a living legend, more than just the oldest surviving victor in Panem, she was a mother too, and not even she had been spared the trauma of sending a child into the Games. Her daughter, her beautiful, strong daughter, with long caramel brown hair, highlighted blonde by the sun, just like her father's had been. Her daughter, who she had trained herself since she was just a little girl, happy and carefree, who loved the ocean more than anything else. Her one and only daughter, who was reaped at just sixteen. It was older than Mags was when she went into the Games, and older than a number of her competition, but it didn't matter. When it was your own child, none of that mattered. In her eyes, she was still just a baby.

Her daughter, unlike many from their district, hadn't volunteered. She had trained only to ensure that she was ready in the worst case scenario, but Kailani Allyn had never desired such glory. The thought of killing the other tributes pained her, it did not, however, stop her. Armed with the double-sided spear she preferred, Kailani killed eight of the other tributes in the end, which was a third of the entire field. Kailani was smart, she kept away from the Cornucopia and the bloodbath. In an arena with a large river winding through the middle, she knew how to survive without the supplies awaiting them, tempting them to risk their lives in the initial battle. She kept to the connecting streams, fought past the obstacles that were thrown at her, and even then, with her smile and determination continued to charm the sponsors into sending gifts. She was a dangerous opponent, and her competitors knew it. Mags remembered clearly the moment her daughter was first attacked. It changed the entire game. They were on the fourth floor of the training centre, as was allocated to them. It was she, another mentor- he was her daughter's best friend, they had known each other since they were just small children, and Finnick Odair had won the games two year before- as well as both of their prep teams, and escort. It was only early, the sun barely haven risen when the alliance of four were noticed, creeping silently towards a sleeping Kailani. She was alone in the arena, she had made no alliances, even the male tribute from their own district had left her on the off, preferring to join with the Careers. She was a sitting duck, or so she had made it seem. The male from District One stepped in the wrong place, he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have, none of them were, and as soon as he did, a net wrapped around him and hoisted him into the air. Before the others even had time to register what was going on, Kailani was on her feet and the female tributes from One and Two were dead, their throats slit and blood dripping from both ends of her spear. You had to be fast to catch fish, and she was one of the quickest in the district. Unfortunately, her last opponent knew that, he was from District Four as well. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they fought, it was too even, too close. Finnick switched often between screaming curses at the television screen and sitting in a tense silence. Mags however, watched the events unfold in a deathly stillness. It was only when, finally, Kailani impaled her enemy through the heart and he collapsed to the ground, did she, and everyone else, let out breaths of relief. The camera focussed on her face, but it was terrifyingly blank, not even when she killed the male from District One, still ensnared in her net, did she bat an eyelid. It was wrong, so wrong. No one dared speak a word because they just knew that they'd witnessed a change in the girl who had always smiled. That was what the Hunger Games did, it changed people.

With all of the death and killing, it was no surprise. Kailani would go on to win those Games, and by all accounts, it was one of the quickest in history, but by no means was it considered unsatisfying for the Capitol. It was as brutal and horrific as ever, and after killing another two tributes out of self-defence, and the last two in one final battle to become victor, Kailani became the shining star of the Games. But she was different. Mags had mentored a number of victors in her time, she had seen them break, seen them fall into depression, seen them pretend everything was alright, however, this was not any tribute, this was her daughter, her only child, and the pain she felt at witnessing her broken form returned to them was like nothing she had ever experienced, it was almost crippling. She didn't cry, she barely said anything, for her the Games were not yet over, there was still so much to do and she had to remain strong. Kailani knew that, she'd been around the Games long enough to know how it all worked. However, as Mags took her into her arms for the first time, she didn't fail to notice how her daughter shook. She was alive and for that Mags was glad but, Kailani wouldn't be the same again, a part of her had died in those games. It was only when they returned home, when Finnick was finally convinced to leave and Annie Cresta was persuaded into visiting another time, did Kailani break down into sobs and fall into her mother's arms as if she were a lifejacket keeping her from drowning. Maybe she was. It took months for her to recover, and in all that time, she never left their little shack by the sea, nor would she accept any kind of visitors. Finnick was going out of his mind with worry, not even his yells at her window would rouse her though. All Kailani wanted to do was hide away, to tuck herself into a dark corner and not have to deal with anything. And if that was what her daughter wanted, then Mags made sure that that was what she got. It would take Kailani two months and five days before she allowed Finnick to visit, and it would be another week before he convinced her to go outside. The time helped to heal her, but it would never be able to fix what was broken completely.

Annie Cresta emerged worst off than most. A kind, and sweet girl, her parents had never taught her to fight, she survived the Games only by chance. When an earthquake broke the wall of a dam, water flooded the entire arena and as a girl from District Four, Annie was the only swimmer strong enough not to drown. She became the victor, but after witnessing the decapitation of her district partner before her very eyes, it was as if something within her snapped, her brain couldn't handle the pressure. She wasn't crazy though. Some thought she was, she would have her moments where mid-conversation she would break off, her eyes would glaze and she would no longer be aware of her surroundings, sometimes she would laugh when nothing was funny or squeeze her eyes closed, clap her hands over her ears and block out the entire world, but she was still Annie.

Kailani had known her for years, and she knew, with absolutely no doubt, that her friend was not crazy. The doctors labelled it as post-traumatic stress, which at the very least, was preferable to insanity. It took some amount of effort, but over the months following her win, they managed to coax the Annie they knew back out of her shell. The process was hard-going, there were parts of her that just could not be retrieved no matter how hard they tried. It all became easier though when she and Finnick began to fall in love. Kailani saw the change in their relationship as clear as day, it was so obvious. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment where it happened, but she would always remember the day where she first noticed it, where everything she had seen over the past few months clicked into place. They were walking on the beach together, their hands linked, their faces alight with happiness. She knew her stomach had sunk, her mind had dismissed anything between her and Finnick a long time ago, her heart however, was a different matter entirely. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as Annie bounced up to her and told her the good news though. She was so much like herself again, it was hard for Kailani not to be happy. As long as they were happy, then whatever she felt did not matter. That night, alone in her room, she was so happy she cried.

If only everything had been that simple.

They were supposed to be perfect for each other. That was what everyone had thought, but it seemed the Hunger Games had done more damage to Annie Cresta than any of them had ever realised. Darkness lingered within her. The kind of darkness heavy with resentment and anger, darkness that didn't enjoy being hidden away. It was as much a part of her as her kindness was and she had accepted that, but she had never intended for anyone else too. No one was supposed to see that side of her, no one was supposed to know. Not that that made her actions any more acceptable. Annie could have sworn that when Kailani walked in on her having sex with some other District Four man, a man that was clearly not Finnick, her friend very nearly killed her. Brown eyes darted around the room, looking for some kind of weapon, it was as if she was in the Games again. To their relief, she found none. Both of them may have been victors, but Annie did not make a single kill, she ran away and hid in the corner of the arena, tears streaming down her face. Kailani had survived. She had killed and fought, and she was just as dangerous as she was then. Never claiming to be anything more than a coward, her partner moved quickly, and jumped out of the window, disappearing into the bushes as fast as his legs would possibly take him. Kailani let him go, perhaps she was planning on dealing with him later, she clearly had more pressing matters to deal with, namely, some kind of explanation. That was fair, Annie supposed. Her voice was cold as she spoke, she knew the tone had shocked her friend, but no more than the explanation would. She did not deny the situation, she did not beg for forgiveness, she merely gave the truth: sometimes she needed more than the undying love Finnick had for her, sometimes it was a lot to handle. That wasn't the explanation Kailani had been hoping for, she was seething, she wanted her to tell Finnick the truth, tell him everything. Annie wondered if perhaps her anger was directed towards more than just her affair, she wasn't foolish enough to ask though, that would most certainly get her killed. It was as if Kailani's anger had flipped a switch within her, Annie felt her hardened exterior melt away and terror flood her body in its place. The woman Kailani was used too, had returned but not even she tried to defend her actions. Instead, she asked Kailani to keep just this one secret for her. She knew it was harsh, but she pointed out that Finnick would be devastated if he knew. That won her over. Even when she caught her on countless more occasions, Kailani kept her secret.

That should have been it, that should have been the extent of their problems, but then it came, the announcement no one had been expecting.

It wasn't a surprise that President Snow was said to be furious over the events of the previous year. Two winners in one Games, the Capitol had been humiliated by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of District Twelve. They had outsmarted them, made them the laughing stock of Panem, and even worse than that, last year had seen a change. Discontent was bubbling under the surface of the districts, the scent of rebellion was in the air, the Capitol had to do something to stifle it. The Third Quarter Quell, marking the 75th Hunger Games, provided a perfect opportunity. The Quarter Quells occurred every twenty-five years, and were a reminder to everyone that the Capitol still held all the power, that they were in control, that it was the rebellion of the districts so many years ago that resulted in the Hunger Games being born. The Quells saw the usual rules of the Games changed or altered. The First Quarter Quell made the people of each district vote for their tributes, vote to send the children of their friends or neighbours into the competition. It was a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence. The Second Quarter Quell doubled all the tributes from each district. It was reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen. If possible, the Third Quarter Quell was slated to be even worse. It was a reminder to the rebels that not even the strongest amongst them could overcome the power of the Capitol. For the Third Quarter Quell, the male and female tribute for each district had to be chosen from the already existing pool of victors.