What does the future hold ?
when 11-year-old katniss everdeen moves to Panem with her Mother,younger sister and new stepfather , Peeta could tell she was different but special right away and that just left him wanting more.
chapter 1 :
Katniss stared out the window and watched as the tiny droplets of rain raced down the car window with such determination. The rain drops kept moving no matter what obstacles came in their way, just when you thought they were going to stop ,they didn' pulled her head from the glass feeling the warm air hit the cool spot on her forehead. She looked around at her family members in the car. Sometimes she felt like THEY were the raindrops always moving on so quickly around every corner as the obstacles tried to stop them. `Im nothing like them ' she thought quietly to herself looking out the window once again. No, she was much , much,much worse. She was useless and worthless and a complete coward.
Katniss wasnt like her mother and sister .For when as obstacle was thrown at her, sometimes it was just too much for her to first, when Katniss saw how her mother and prim had so easily moved on she thought she was the only brave one. But now it became clear to her that she was the only who wasnt brave, NO katniss was the cowardly one who would rather dwell on the past whilst her mother and prim became the mature ones ready to move on for a better start . Katniss once again put her head against the window and stared at the drops with all her might with so much intensity she swore she could feel them. She almost cried harder at her own stupidity when she realised they were her own tears making their way down her cheeks.
She was awaken from her thought as she ducked her head and violently wiped her hand across her face, dragging the tears away with her rough palm. "oh my my ", Katniss's mother Lily everdeen shrieked with utter delight as she watched the car drive through the pretty village. Katniss had to admit the village was very pretty, It had a river that flowed right through in the middle of the towns main street . The shops were all small little buildings packed closed together, all painted in beautiful eye catching colours like pinks, blues and greens. " It reminds me of myyyyyyy...SYLVANIANS VILLAGE!"a seven year old prim squeaked from beside me as she bounced in her seat happily staring ahead.
"hahahahah, your right it acctually does look abit like your sylvanians". i chirped before taking one last look at the pretty village before it disappeared from my sight .The car quickly turned a corner and the beautiful village was quickly replaced by a large estate of dirty old houses all squashed closely up together. I saw a mother open her dirty old front door and take her son in her arms who had obviously just fallen while playing with his friends. She kissed him and held him close, he closed his eyes and lay his head against her chest as his friends all came up asking him and his mother if he was okay. The sight warmed my heart . The image was quickly replaced by a large group of kids my age all swarming around an old smashed, lob-sided lamppost. All together i noticed around eleven boys and around six girls. My eyes watched the girls closely , most of
them casually wore washed away slightly ripped dresses , that looked far to short on them . Katniss guessed this was because they'd had the dresses for years and their parents couldn't actually afford to be buying them new clothes. The girl faces looked dirty and many of them just had their hair in casual braids not caring if some parts of their hair didn't stick in place . Katniss's lips tugged into a soft smile as she remembered how she used to wear her hair like this all the time. The boys and girls now all ran from the lamppost running and screaming as one blonde boy also her age started to chase them . Katniss had to look away , the sight was to painful for her . This grubby run down estate where she presumed the poorer people of the village lived reminded her of where she used to live in a village in another town called Capitol . Katniss,her mother and prim had lived in the Seam.
The poor part of Capitol. That was before Sam , Lily's new husband had moved them out here to Panem. Katniss looked at her mother wondering if she had felt it too. Lily kept a straight face looking blanky ahead but katniss didn't miss the look of sadness flash across Lily's face. "The unfashionable part of town. do try to avoid these parts children , you never know what kind of trouble you could get yourself into here " Katniss and Prim's stepfather Sam spoke directly to them for the first time on the roadtrip. He flashed his eyes at the overhead mirror,trying to catch his stepdaughters expressions and as he did Katniss caught his eye. She kept her blank face on . " Oh yes , I couldn't agree more " Lily chimed in " Some ... weird people around these parts".
They Family soon pulled in at their new home. Prim and Lily both squealed with delight and Katniss faked one too , so no one got suspicious. She stared at the new house with wide eyes , taking in everything it . It was huge but she couldn't say she hadn't expected that, Sam was a very rich man after all. But... this house was beyond big , heck it was beyond massive! It looked like it could house an army . Katniss looked around at the private gardens that surrounded the house .The trees and hedges were all shaped and cut perfectly , not even one slight flaw to them . " Woooooooooooow" she felt her mouth let the words slip out without even noticing .Lily turned to her eldest daughter, a huge grin plastered to her face. She threw her arms around Katniss in a large hug " Isnt it just AMAZING katniss!" I just nodded my head , looking around ,still not believing i lived here. " well, im just glad i found a home you truly like girls"
Sam said looking at the house with a small smile before stepping forward and putting his large arms around Prim,Katniss and his wife happily.
She looked around her new room . She truly felt like a lost puppy , the room had already been decorated and contained all kinds of furniture flown from the best places in the world , as Sam told her before the maids brought her upstairs to see it . It was decorated with a traditional English twist , was what Katniss decided as she examined the furniture closely. Everywhere Katniss looked she noticed several China Delph sets. She actually thought it looked quite pretty but still felt out-of-place. She felt like this room and everything in it ,from its fluffy cream carpet to its beautiful Victorian style dressing table, to its vintage brass bed and its large wooden, but still polished shiny wardrobe belonged to some rich spoiled little girl . `I am that rich spoiled little girl ' Katniss reminded herself ,sitting at the edge of the large brass bed covered with soft floral sheets. She looked up and for the frist time noticed her mother standing there.
She was watching her daughter with a look of confusion on her face. Katniss stared right back at her . Then the memories came back to her. FLASHBACK
How she blocked prim and her out ,after her father's death two years ago. Katniss was only nine years old ... only nine years old , to young to lose her father and also take care of her five-year old was a time she would never forget .They still lived in the seam as Katniss's father was only a coleminer and they didnt have alot of money . The news was so unexpected , she felt like a part of her died when he died , in fact nearly all of her her mother was far worse . The police saw the shocked look on Prim , Lily and Katniss's face and shot Katniss a sympathetic look. He carefully took a brown envelope out of his jacket pocket and placed softly in Lilys hand . She didnt even look at him ,none of them did. After all , he was the man who just told us the most horrific news of their lives . Their father and lily's
husband was dead. As soon as the police man left Prim let out a deep cry and ran towards Lily. lily didn't show any sign of comfort towards her younger daughter , instead she just harshly pushed Prim to the ground and quickly ran out of their old house and down the Seams long narrow road and she was gone. Katniss was still in shock . Had their mother just left them ? Had she just left them by themselves . Her nine and five-year old daughters ? Did they really mean that little to her . Katniss's blood boiled as her eyes travelled to her little sisters shaking figure on the ground ,still in the same place where their loving `mother' had pushed her . She bent down softly and took Prims head in her lap . She didnt say anything . Katniss just silently cried and wished for her father as she stroked Prims's blonde hair. They were practically orphans now . A deep feeling sunk in Katniss's stomach as she realised she had to do something to keep her and Prim alive.
She was now practically a mother to her five-year old sister aswell. `I need money , I need food , i need a job ' She felt like screaming as she panicked but she knew she couldn't . She softly took Prim fully in her arms and carried her up the old creaky wooden stairs to Prim's and Katniss's old mattress. She lay prim down and then soon lay down beside her .She thought for a little while but soon they both fell into a deep sleep as they were both so emotionally drained . The next morning Katniss was just trying to prepair a breakfast when Their mother came storming back in. She wordlessly went to the sitting room and sat down on the old chair that Katniss's father used to love. All the while she kept her eyes to space .Lily stayed clear of her daughters for the next few days ...and weeks until very quickly two months flew past, where lily just sat on the old chair eyes to space , only moving when Katniss brought food for her . It was then Katniss realised she had also lost her mother the day her father died. Prim was the one who was affected most by how Lily no longer seemed to care about them. She still tried to climb onto her mother's lap again or hug her hoping her old mother would return the gesture but she never did so Katniss would always end up pulling a broken down screaming crying Prim off of her Mother's lap. It broke her heart. One morning Katniss ran a bath for Prim . As her younger sister pulled her ratty grey dress over her head Katniss realised how much Prim's ribs jutted out and how her sister was slowly fading away. She quickly fled the old bathroom. They were running dangerously low on the all the money they had left, that the police had given them to survive. Katniss panicked , she no longer knew what to do . She saw the arm of the old arm chair out of the corner of her eye and that was when nine-year old Katniss lost it. She ran into the small cottages sitting room and collapsed on the floor before her mothers knees. "Mother,m-other"she choked "I DONT KNOW
WHAT TO DO ANYMORE" she screamed not caring who would hear her anymore. She looked up hoping lily but be looking at her ,but once again she wasnt . " MOTTTTHER..MOTHER..MOTTTTHHHHHHHHHH-ER, DONT YOU CARE ,DONT YOU CARE THAT YOUR OWN DAUGHTERS ARE SUFFERING TOO , THAT THERES NO MORE MONEY ,THAT WE'RE DYING? " it was like she didn't even hear Katniss speaking , and then katniss thought she got her answer, NO,no... her mother didn't care about them because she ws being selfish towards her and prim. PRIM ! katniss thought. `she's abandoning me and prim '. Katniss couldn't take it , she sat up and slapped her mother full on the face , leaving a harsh red burn . " LISTEN TO ME ". lily looked at katniss , Katniss saw surprise and hurt flicker in her mother's eyes before Lily Everdeen got up and ran out the door. This time Katniss broke down and just cried into the old black carpet . She felt Prim come and stroke her hair before she fell into a deep slumber.
END OF FLASHBACK :
All of a sudden Katniss felt a burning heat in her heart as her fists curled up. " I dont like this room at all Mother, you know i hate all this kind of stuff but yet you seem to think you can just change me ,and make me li-" She never got to finish her words before Katniss was harshly shoved up against her bright pink bedroom wall . Lily put her arm over Katniss's throat and held her daughter in a strong grip. " Well you had better learn to like it Katniss because IM TELLING YOU NOW .Sam has gone to alot of trouble buying and doing this house up all for us ! He very kindly came to me a while ago and asked what colour was your preference for your bedroom, and i said this Katniss ! ,because i figure its about time YOU CHANGED YOUR ATTITUDE YOUNG LADY ! " She slapped her daughter hard across the face , making Katniss go weak in her Mother's grip as she desperately tried to stop heaving and breath normally again . " I'm disgusted with your behaviour Katniss , we have a new life now and have all had to go through some very important changes. We are no longer Seam rats. We can afford to live a better life now but yet you keep being ...a useless brat and struggling , I , I just don't know whats wrong with you anymore. " Lily had now let go of her , and was now facing the other way whilst fiddling with her fingers. " In five minutes I want you to call for the maid and she will redo your hair and put a nicer dress on for dinner , you look horrendous " Lily was just getting ready to walk out and leave the room ,when katniss pinned her mother to the floor in one quick move. She always had that fire in her. " No mother , I'm disgusted in `your' behaviour actually. For two months you ignored us. completely. Then you just decide to go get married without even telling us ! Prim tried , Prim tried to tell me this was a good thing , that we should be happy for you . That this marriage had changed you and soon enough you were going to sit us down and talk to us and tell us how much you loved and missed your only daughters! but you never did. You just pretended that now we had money ,that the accident had never happened, that you had never left us . You pretended we were all happy families when you never even muttered the words sorry to us ! I wouldn't call that a change ! " Katniss finally let go of her Mother , expecting her to say something . But she didn't. Lily Denver just stood up, straightened out her dress and left the room in a hurry .She stopped in her tracks halfway down the hallway and screamed " Rose, Rose , Katniss needs cleaning up for dinner immediately" Katniss couldn't take it anymore . She ran out of the house , she didn't know where she was going , but she kept running just knowing she'd be happy to go anywhere as long as it wasnt back there.
