Author's Note: Thank you for your patience while I was working on revising and editing this story. I also thank Ceps for your comment. I hope that I am able to clarify your comment.

Chapter 10: Lies

My head spun in all directions as I sat on my bed. Father stood by the door as my hands grasped my temples trying to stop sudden nausea. I did not know what to do. He strode into my room standing in front of me.

"Tell me what happened," he begged.

"Nothing," I lied to him.

"Feel free to tell me the truth when you feel like it," he said as he tried to leave the room before I stopped him.

"Lies," I said causing him to turn around. "Lies are what makes the world revolve. I had to lie about what I felt for Peeta. That was what happened. Snow cornered me in a trap. I just lied to you about what happened. I lied to most of the people of Panem about what went on between Peeta and me during those days I cared for him to save his life. That is not all. Snow lies to the people of the Districts daily about what goes on. We only know what Snow tells us."

"I have seen it since my time here what you speak of. Snow lies to his people regardless of where they are. The Districts, the Capitol. Katniss, tell me, what was it you lied about."

"Tonight, I was asked by a Capitol person if I actually love Peeta," I started dropping my gaze from his. "I...I...answered that I did."

"Do you love him?" Father asked calmly.

"No, Father, you know I did it to repay a debt I owed him," I defended myself.

"Why did you lie?" he asked as he sat down next to me.

"Snow," I managed to say before he stood back up.

"Continue," he responded.

"He told me yesterday when Peeta and I were together, there could not be a doubt in our mind we were in love with each other."

"Who did he threaten?" Father asked.

"What?"

"I know Snow well enough that he would try to threaten someone."

I remained silent. True Snow had threatened Prim, but that was something Father could figure out himself. Father looked away understanding my response before he gave a sharp nod before leaving.

I sat there rethinking over what happened the past few days. Father left me to myself to process over what happened often resulting in me not eating. At meal times, Father dragged me into the kitchen to ensure I ate something. Out of stubbornness, I would not eat. In return, Father refused to allow me to leave the table until I ate something substantial.

In my time alone, I would think. I analyzed every move Father made in combat. His reflexes were superior to any Peacekeeper along with his skills. How were they able to capture him?

I remembered what Snow had told me when I first came here before the games started. He mentioned that they captured Father inside the forest. How did they do it? Undoubtedly, the other elves would have been able to stop them before Father would have left. Something wasn't making sense.

I couldn't stop thinking. How did I leave the forest without the elves finding me? How were they able to do it a second time with Prim?

How long has Father lied to me about these questions? No. He hasn't lied to me about it because I never asked him these questions, but the issues I asked him about, he never gave me a full answer. Therefore, Father has not yet lied to me.

I stood up waiting for Father to come to fetch me for dinner since I still did not stir out of my room. I had been thinking for hours trying to conjure up the answers that I wanted to know before deciding to ask him. I started pacing in my quarters rethinking all my hypothesizes. Most of them were ludicrous and made no sense.

The door opened as Father entered. He seemed more surprised to see that I was up moving instead of crouched against the wall somewhere.

"May I ask why for your sudden change in demeanor?" he asked.

"Father there are questions I need to know the answers to," I answered him.

"Ask," he said as he sat in the chair next to the desk in my room.

"First, how did, or rather, how was I kidnapped?" I asked sitting on the bed across from him.

"That was a long story. Whoever captured you, had been waiting and planning. I could never forget that day. We were being attacked from the south by our enemies. This attack was different than anything we had experienced. The scale of it was more extensive; therefore, all of our warriors were pulled to counter the attack which included your mother and me.

"Before we left, you were placed in the care of a friend of your mother. The group who kidnapped you overpowered her and ran off with you. We arrived about two hours later to find you gone. We hunted them, only to find you were gone, vanished. Whenever we were able, we would hunt search for you."

My heart stopped at what he said. I couldn't tell him how close he came to finding me from what I saw in my vision. Father sensed what I was thinking and looked away.

"What did you see in the arena? You never fully told me," he inquired.

"I saw myself as a baby being held in the woods. You and mom were close to finding me before you went in a different direction."

"At least I knew at some point I was close to finding you," he answered. "Tell me, what are some of your other questions."

"Second, how was Prim kidnapped?" I asked.

"That would be something I would need to discuss with her," he answered.

"Sorry for asking," I apologized.

"No, it was a reasonable question that would need to be asked at a different time."

"Okay, thirdly, how were you captured. Based on everything Snow told me, it didn't make sense."

"What did Snow tell you?" Father asked standing up to lean against the adjacent wall of my desk hands folded against his chest.

"He told me that you were captured in Mirkwood," was about as much that I was able to get out before Father did something I never expected.

Father started laughing.

"That statement is the most amusing thing to reach my ears in a long time by elven standards," he answered my perplexed face. "If it were the case, you would be going back to Twelve as a Victor of these blasted games instead of sitting here discussing this with me."

"I figured the same thing based on what I had seen you do in the games," I answered giggling. "You believe without your help, I could actually win?"

"Yes," he answered, "you understand the game of survival better than most of them, and you have a true motivation to win. Prim."

"Could you still answer the question?" I asked trying to get back on track.

"I wasn't in Mirkwood when I was captured. I was farther south of Gondor than I realized when I was captured," was all he answered.

"What were you doing that far south?" I asked before asking about Gondor. As usual, Father dodged the question.

"Searching for you and your sister," he answered. I felt idiotic for asking it figuring that it had something to deal with her and me.

"How did they capture you?" I asked. "You could have easily defeated them."

"I believe you know the answer to that," he answered.

I thought it over as he watched me. I kept going through all of the possibilities. I rooted out of them that were utterly false such as outmatched, outnumbered, or trickery from the Peacekeepers until I landed on one. I was shocked knowing if this answer were correct then I would be more confused and bewildered.

"You allowed them to capture you," I whispered while I turned my head towards Father.

He nodded his head in confirmation. I opened my mouth to continue to ask questions, but he raised his hand to stop me.

"Somehow I felt it was the path I needed to go down to recover you and your sister. However, I still put up some sort of fight. One of their scholars were there watching the fight," he continued before I interrupted him.

"The rest is evident," I answered. "Thank you."

Father offered me this hand as we walked to the kitchen. The kitchen was situated adjacent to the outer wall. The room split into two separate rooms. One was the dining room, which was slightly larger than the actual kitchen. Prim was already seated at the table waiting for us.

We ate in silence before Father spoke up. In itself, this was highly unusual. The three of us would eat silently, and then upon finishing, we would clean up after ourselves and spend as little time together till the next meal as possible, or how I spent my days.

"Katniss, Primrose," he addressed us before continuing, "I have been thinking for the past couple of days. As your father, I believe it is my duty to educate the two of you."

"In what?" a solitary voice asked walking into our dining room. Snow.

"President Snow, what a pleasure to see you again," Father addressed him with a low growl in his voice.

"Yes," Snow answered, "I guess as much when I walked in. Now to answer my question, what did you want to educate your children in?"

"Shoemaking," I answered earning a disapproving glance from Snow and Father.

"I suggest you instruct your daughter in etiquette because the ones her foster parents gave her are sorely lacking, and I advise you to expand her literary knowledge beyond fairy tales."

"I considered leaving that to my father," Father answered with the same tone in his voice as Snow.

"I do have some matters to address to you before I leave in private," Snow addressed him.

Father glanced at us moving his eyes to signal us to leave the room. Closing the door behind me, I paced the floor trying to think about what it was Father and Snow were discussing.

It was several hours before Snow left. Half the time I spent with my ear to the door trying to hear the conversation between Father and Snow. After an hour I gave up and sat against the drawer in the room.

I glanced at the door as Prim walked into my room. She carefully closed the door behind her.

"You know Dad already knows that you are in here," I told her as she walked up to me.

"When I left my room, they were not in the living room. I suspect Dad is in the garden on the roof."

"There is a garden?" I asked.

"Yes because this used to be the Tributes Center from the First Quarter Quell to the year before the second one," Prim answered before answering an anticipated question. "One of the scientists told me about it while you and Dad were-"

Prim stopped there I understood and did not do anything else.

"What happened the first few days you were here with Dad?" I asked.

"Nothing much," Prim answered. "He and I spent some time in different rooms. Dad made sure I ate. It was later when he and I started bonding. Dad wouldn't force me to spend time with him unless I had to."

"I guess that is my fault," I interjected. "I snapped at Dad within the first few hours I met him."

"No, Dad is a patient man," she answered. "I think it comes from the thousands of years he has been alive."

I smiled as I figured that is something they had discussed.

"When did you become so wise?" I asked her.

"Since the reaping," she answered.

"Is Snow still here?" I asked her. "I haven't heard him leave yet."

"Neither did I," she answered. "Katniss, I miss Buttercup and Lady."

I chuckled at her response. I figured she would miss that darn cat and the goat.

"Mom would need them to keep mice out of her house and to get some money off the goat," I coaxed her.

"I know, I just miss them," she said.

"Think how much Dad missed you," I then said.

"What changed?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked

"You and Dad," Prim answered. "I know how you trust strangers. Especially given the circumstances."

"I thought Snow was trying to trick me to lower my guard. In the arena, I saw something. Something that convinced me that he was my father and what he said was true."

A door slammed shut from the living room.

"Looks like Snow is gone," I said as the door to my room opened.

"Dad," Prim said as he entered the room.

"What was your conversation about?" I asked him.

"A warning," he answered.

"A warning from Snow would cause anyone to be frightened," I said.

"Snow is only an old man," Father answered me.

"An old man with power," Prim interjected.

"Prim, I have seen things that Snow has never dreamed of," Father said as he started walking out the door.

"What were you talking about earlier about educating Prim and I?" I asked him.

"As I was saying earlier, it is part of my responsibility to make sure you and Prim are educated. I intended to teach you our language with some of the history of our people," Father explained. "However, with Prim, I would like to teach her what I know of healing, but with you, Katniss, I would like to guide you with some fighting techniques."

"When do we start?" Prim asked.

"I expect the two of you up and ready at sunrise every day," Father answered as he left the room.