:|~|: CHapter 1 :|~|:

:|~|: Five Years Later :|~|:

I creeep out of the tiny moss-covered shack that I call home, garb a nearby rock and start sharpening the bone i use as a knife. When it is sharp enough to draw blood with only a single prick, i got on the hunt. I havent eaten in threee days, and my stomach is screamingfor food. I tread gracefully over the garss, practically floating. I make no sound, so the animals dont ear me.

Dropping to the groud, I begin to crawl. Theres a squrirel just ahead of me, munching on nuts. Delicious! In the blinnk of an eyee, i leap upon it, grab it in one hand and slash its throat with the bone. Warn bloddd gushes all over my hand as the animal writes and sqeals in pain. When it finaly dies, I take it back to my shack. Lighting a fire, I pick out the bones before shoving the meat onto a stick, cooking it and eating it in one bite. My stomach still grumbles; food is very scarce this year, and i dont hunt properly when I'm huntry.

THERE'S BETTER FOOD INTOWN, the voice inside my head says. GOOOD MEAT AND VEGEETABLES AND BRAEDD. DON'T YOU WANTS BREAD?

"shut the fuck up," I tell the voice. Every day it's been trying to get me to got into town, even though it's not safe. "Why dont' you leave me alone?"

GO!1k!1!1

i SCREAM and hold my head from the volume of the voice. "Alright, alright! GOD." i TRAMP off towards District 12, muttering "i can't believe I'm doing this..." LIttle did I know what awaited me in town on that fateful day...

The seam is the illegal market in District 12 where people buy food and supplies and things that they aren't supposed to have. On the fateful day that I went there for the first time, it was pretty crowded. i slip between the people unnoticed, moving towards a table filled with food. Grabbing a red apple with a worm hole in it and a loaf of grainey braead, I tuck them udner my coat and move towards the exit door. HA!

I walk back into the open and head for the fence. I'm nearly out of town before i trip on a rock and the apple falls out of my coat. I stoop to pick it up, and when i look up, my face fills with horror as i realize that many peacekeepers are wataching me. "what are you doing here?" one of them demands as another hoists me up and holds me by my shoulders and points a gun at me.

I break free, kick the second guy in the balls and stab the first guy in the nee with my nife before taking off. I can see the fence from where I am. HA! I'll be home in no time!

WAIT! STOP!

The voice scares me, and I trip on another rock. FUCK. Looking up, I see myself surrounded by peacekeepers who are all pointing their guns at me. FUCK FUCKD FUCK...!

"dont' shoot!"

Two large, strong musculer hands grasp my arms and pull me up and out of the circle of peacekeeprs. "she's with me," a male voice says before the hands push me around a corner and out of the peacekeepers's sight.

"what the hell?" I exclaim, breaking out of the hands and whirling around to face their owner. "I couldve taken them on myself...really...have we met?" All my anger dissipeats as I stare into the face of my rescuer.

The young man standing in front of me is tall for his age, but he looks like he has the same amount of years on him as me, 17. HIs skin is tanned and gives off a golden glow. Beneath his stout arms and stouter chest lie majestic, rippling muscles that are barely concealed by his gray shirt and brown vest. HIs jaw is square and chiseled, with suttle yet graceful curves and contors. HIs hair is black as finely ground coal and rests atop his head in tufts as soft as the feathers of doves and bunnies. But his eyes were what entranced me the most; they were majestic pits of light grey that seemed to be endlessly deep. They spoke to me of loss, despair, desperate times, anger and hatred, and i understood their language.

"I dont think so," he said, smiling. "I would have remembered those eyes of yours."

I look at the ground to hide my sky blue eyes that glitter with silver sparkles. "it's a birth defect. So anyway , what's your name?"

'GALE!" a female voice screeches. A ruddy girl with dirty reddish-brown hair in a messy braid tromps up to us with a scowl on her face. "ARe you crazy? Those peacekeepers couldve killed you! Who is that, anyway?"

"i'm LIlith," I say in my defense. "i've seen you before. You're Katniss Everdeen." I then turn to GAle. "Thanks for that. I couldve taken them myself, though."

"With what?"

"With this!" I say, reaching for my bone. But its not there. "CRAP! I lost my bone. I'll have to find another before I go hunting again."

"You hunt with a bone?" Katniss says. "how have you lived this long?"

"i'm lucky."

"Why don't you show her some other skills, Catnip?" Gale asks her.

"I'm busy!"

"It won't take long," I say as I bat my eyes pitifully. "I"m a fast learner."

Katniss looks from me to gale and back before sighing. "Oh fine. But it's got to be quick. Come on."

GAle and I share one last long, lingering gaze before Katniss drags me off towards the fence. For once, I thank the voice in my head for messin up my plans.