Hello, I am unsure if anyone even reads Hunger Games fanfiction anymore but I've recently found myself entranced in the trilogy again! I was rereading my old stories (including this one) and I've decided I would like to rewrite it. This was first published when I was 12 and while I doubt anyone who used to follow the original story is STILL waiting for an update, I hope I can improve the quality of the story and actually finish it! I hope someone out there reads this and appreciates it, and if that's you, please let me know :)

Katniss POV

"We could do it, you know" Gale says to me staring out at the rising sun in the distance. We're sitting in our favourite meeting spot in the woods, the place that's been just ours for the last 4 years.

"Do what?" I say, picking at the grass beside me.

"Run off, we could do it" Gale explains turning his gaze to face me, "There has to be something else out there"

I'm silent, for once. I know that we've talked about this before, but I've never truly humoured the idea of it. Gale often goes on rants about various topics; his hatred towards the Capitol, unfair working conditions in the mines, possibilities for the future that would never actually happen. I don't usually have a lot to add, and I learned long ago to not bother trying to talk him down from his grand schemes. Instead I just pretend to listen while my mind is elsewhere.

"Never mind, I didn't expect you to-"

"Okay" I interrupt, impulsively. Lately I've started to have the same thoughts, what future do we really have here besides waiting to starve to death while our children get plucked off to partake in the hunger games. It seems many other people have had similar ideas as some Districts have started to rebel against the Capitol. Despite all the chaos our country is facing, the games are still going to happen this year as the reaping is this afternoon.

"What?" He questions me, obviously taken aback by my willingness and attentiveness "Are you being serious?"

"You heard me. I think I'm ready to go, but we would need to figure out what to do with our families" I have a feeling we won't be doing any hunting today after this conversation.

"Obviously we would take them with us" Gale replies

"How do you suppose we do that, even with the districts rebelling the Capitol will notice 2 families missing?" I point out, maybe this isn't a good idea after all.

"I already thought about that, with the Hunger Games going on every year the only way to miss it is if you are extremely sick...or dead" I shoot him a quizzical look and he just smirks "Think about it, what is the most frequent way people die in district 12?"

"Mining accidents" I respond quickly. And it's true. Despite mining being our main industry the equipment is old and the tunnels are unsafe with accidents being frequent. Next to being crushed to death under hundreds of pounds of stone starvation takes almost just as many. District 12 is infamous for being poor amongst the Districts.

"Exactly, if we can fake our death through a mining accident no one would suspect a thing, and there would be no way to identify our bodies either" He says excitedly. We devise a plan for the next few minutes and then start heading back towards the fence. We all go down into one of the old mine shafts that no one uses any more for mining but people often wander through, rig some explosives, and escape through one of the back exits leading into the woods. It seems like a perfect plan, as long as we can execute it without a hitch, but I still have an uneasy knot in my stomach. Either way we're escaping District 12, either to freedom beyond reach of the Capitol, or death by peacekeepers.

Once we reach the meadow we head our separate ways and promise to see each other soon. When I get back to my home it's still early enough that Prim and my mother are fast asleep. I coax them from their dreams and instead of helping them get ready for the reaping I break the news of our plan.

They both object at first but they know that I won't budge on this. We can't take very much without drawing attention to ourselves as we walk through town so Prim and I pack up the few possessions we have into our usual backpacks we use for school. My mother is in the kitchen packing up some food for our journey, as well as some herbs and medicine that may come in handy if we need it. Luckily it's late spring and the weather is warm so we don't pack any extra heaving clothing. I pack up a few of my dear possessions as well, a portrait taken 6 years ago of my family and I under a willow tree in the meadow. My mother's locket with a tiny picture of my Father and Prim in it, a small hand mirror with a large crack down the centre and my Father's old notebook filled with information of various plants. My dearest possession though goes right onto my jacket, the pin of a mockingjay my father gave to me only a few months before the accident. Then we're ready to go.

Gale's POV

At first when I tell the plan to my family they all seem wary of it, but they all trust me so hastily we get ready. My youngest siblings Posy the youngest at 4, and Vick 9 don't fully grasp what's happening but do what they're told. Rory, about to turn 13 listens very carefully to me and is eager to show his maturity by acting like leaving doesn't bother him. But I know it does. He will miss his friends and his life here, as will I.

I grab my backpack and start stuffing clothes into it. I find my box where I keep all things precious to me and go through it.

Inside I have my Dad's medallion, his initials and date of birth are engraved in it. My medal of Valor, the old pocket watch that's been in my family for countless years, and a few family pictures.

There's one from when Dad was alive and one of Posy when she was born. Katniss would kill me if she knew that I had this, but I also have one of her. It's not a photograph but it's a drawing of her I found on the ground in front of the school a few years ago.

It's spot on; her eyes look so real, so alive. I don't know who drew this, probably some lovesick boy, hoping that someday she would love him. It's utterly hopeless though, Katniss has never been interested in boys. She's focused on keeping her family alive and almost nothing else. I know I've never crossed her mind as a love interest before and I don't expect to. Who knows, maybe in the forest she'll find the boy who can sway her attention! The idea makes me chuckle to myself as it's so outrageous.

Soon enough our bags our packed and the kids are retold the plan before we step out of our house for one last time.