Hey guys, I'm sorry this too so long, but I was experiencing some major writers block. Anyway I'm going to start this new thing where I answer your reviews at the beginning of the chapter. So in the coming chapters if you have any questions or theories, post a review and I'll make sure to answer you!

ColMikeFuser

Good story so far...enjoying it immensely.

Thank you! I hope that you continue to enjoy the future chapters!

lissee92

This is an awesome fanfic can't wait to read chapter 18.

Thanks , hopefully I can get these chapters up as quickly as possible.

issy2606xxx

Update soon please. I love this story so please try to make it as long as possible.

I hope I can get the chapters up quickly. I fully intend on extending this story to fulfill all of it's possibilities!

(Katniss's POV)

A little while after May's confession an awkward silence seems to linger. I am immensely grateful when Peeta calls us down for dinner. May literally runs down the stairs into the kitchen. I hear Peeta let out a surprised gasp and walk into the kitchen to find May clutching Peeta tightly around his waist. Peeta shoots me a confused look over May's shaking form. Peeta gently pries May off of his waist and bends down so he as at eye level with him.

"Hey, my flower, are you okay?" He whispers. May hesitates, but finally looks at him with her matching blue eyes and nods slightly. "Alright then," he leads her to her spot at the table, "I made one of your favorites, breaded chicken and mashed potatoes. . ." he says. She look up a him, giving him a small smile and nods gratefully.

Dinner was an awkward and mostly silent affair. Once in a while Brogan or Peeta would try to strike up a conversation but they all quickly died out. Nearly all of my attention was focused on May and I could tell she new it. She silently ate her dinner while she stubbornly kept her gaze only on her plate. I felt a knot twist on my stomach when I thought of what was to happen after dinner. The time was coming, and it was coming quickly.

The meal ends quickly, and Brogan bids us goodnight. He is the one thing I am not worried about, once his head hits the pillow, that boy is out like a light. May all but runs from the table when she finishes eating, but as she begins to make her way upstairs, Peeta calls out to her.

"Oh, uh May, could you stay down here?" he says. She hesitates just long enough for me to notice, but eventually nods and makes her way to the lone chair next to where Peeta and I are sitting on the couch.

I take a deep breath, and feel my hands shake slightly. Peeta, as always, notices and gives my shaky hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Okay," I start evenly, "May we are aware of what you have been learning about in one of your classes. And we just wanted to tell you that we are here for you. I now regret every second of my life that we hadn't told you earlier, but if I'm being honest I was afraid. But I'm hoping that you will forgive me, and that we can make up for it." I manage to get out.

"So, May do you have any questions?" Peeta adds. Many emotions play out on May's face as she looks at us with wide eyes. She nods slowly.

"Yes, who was Prim? If she was our Aunt how come you've never told us about her? Did she move away? Are you mad at her? Is that why I've never met her? How come-" I cut her off to keep more painful words away.

"Yes, May. Prim was my little sister, and would be your Aunt. I've never talked about her because it is so, so, painful. I was to scared to feel that pain again, and I apologize for keeping your Aunt a secret." I say quietly. I see Peeta give me a sad smile, and her brings my once again shaking hand to his lips.

"How did she die?" I hear May barely whisper. I give her a confused look. "You said she was your little sister, was. I can read between the lines." She finishes.

"Well May, I don't know if you've learned this yet but I was chosen to lead the revolution against the Capitol," I smile slightly at her wide eyes, "And during a mission in the Capitol, someone dropped bombs onto the wall of children who stood in front of the Presidents mansion. The rebels medical team swarmed in to help the kids, and your Aunt Prim was one of them." I don't even realize that I'm crying until Peeta leans over to me and gently wipes a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

I look over and see May's eyes are a bit wet as well. I go on before I can convince myself otherwise. "You would have loved her, and she would have adored you! She was brave, kind, beautiful, smart, talented, and the sweetest darn thing in the whole country. I know that if she was still here today, she would be the most successful doctor in all of Panem." I go on a rant.

The corners of May's lips turn up slightly, but I know there is more.

"How old was she?"

"Thirteen." I say, and I am sure for a second that May couldn't hear me over the sound of my heart splitting open.

She lets out an involuntary gasp of grief, for an Aunt she never even met. I allow a single warm tear to glide down my face and lean over to bury myself in the crook of Peeta's neck.

"May?" Peeta says, indicating if she has more questions.

"Yes, well, um-" voice is thick with grief for a girl she does not know, "dad, what about your family?" she finishes hesitantly. I feel Peeta tense beneath me only slightly.

"Well, at the end of the Quarter Quell, your mom blew out the force field that surrounded us, causing the entire country of Panem to experience a major blackout. During this period of time the Capitol dropped bombs all over the district, killing a lot of people," he takes a shaky breath,"including my family."

"Tell me about them?"

From where I am leaning on Peeta, I can actually feel the muscles in his lips twitch up.

"Your brother is named after my father, Brogan Mellark. He was the kindest man I ever knew, and was my rock during my childhood. My mother, Bertha Mellark, was indeed a harsh women, and firmly believed in the phrase 'tough love'." I roll my eyes subtly, that's putting it lightly. "I had two older brothers, Henry and Rye. Henry was the oldest and my mom's favorite since he's the most like her I guess, stern and serious. But since he's a Mellark he had I fun side that Rye and I were able to bring out on occasion. Rye, oh god, Rye was the complete opposite of Henry." He says, chuckling slightly. "He was always cracking jokes and playing pranks at school. He was always trying to make people smile, and he usually succeeded." Peeta is now smiling happily. I know that smile, it's the kind of smile you wear when you forget that what you are talking about is gone. "Henry was married about a year and a half before I was reaped," the happy smile begins to slide off his face. I squeeze his hand and give him a slight nudge to reassure him. "His wife's name was Bella and she was the most graceful women in the district. Thin and fair, but a bit uptight if you ask me. She was nice enough though." Peeta shakes his head and breaks the nostalgic trance. He begins to stare off into space, so I try to keep the conversation going.

"Anything else you wanted to talk about?" May begins to shake her head but she thinks of something and actually snorts in amusement of her thought.

"Yeah, where the heck did you learn how to shoot a bow and arrow. And how come you stopped?" My cheeks blush a bit at her question.

"I actually didn't stop," May cocks her head in confusion, "Sometimes when you go to school I go out hunting in the woods. I mean where do you think all of the fresh meat come from?" I finish playfully. In my head I am praying she won't be upset with me.

"Oh, I don't know, THE STORE!" She yells.

Oh no.

I hide my face again in the crook of Peeta's neck to hide my embarrassment. May huffs loudly and turns her head away from me. "I'm sorry for yelling, it's just- why didn't you ever tell me?" She whines.

I sit up and look at her sadly, "As soon as I found out I was pregnant with you I was terrified. Not because of the fact that I was going to be a mother, but over the fact that I didn't know that I could protect you. I was scared that you would eventually find out about, well you know, and well hate us. I was scared I was going to lose you, one way or another. I never wanted you to have a reason to be afraid of me, and I didn't think having you know that I have the ability to kill an animal with ease would help that cause." I answer seriously.

May doesn't speak for a while.

"I think that's enough for now." She says finally. "Goodnight, mom and dad. I love you."

I love you

My heart swells with selfish joy. Even after everything she now knows, she still loves us.

"Goodnight flower. We love you too." Peeta says for the both of us. I smile lovingly at my daughters tired face. I watch as she makes her way up stairs, and lean into Peeta, content.

(May's POV)

I sit in my dark room trying to digest what just happened.

1. Mom's little sister, the one for whom she risked her life for again and again, died very young in a brutal explosion.

I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like. If something like that happened to Brogan, it would destroy me. And I aren't nearly as close as my mother seemed to Primrose. When my mom volunteered to her sister, she basically signed up to die, all so her sister wouldn't have to go into the games. It's pretty amazing...and awful.

2. Dad's entire family was killed in an intentionally fatal bombing of the district.

This one may have gotten to me the most. If only because I am very close with my dad. He is so kind and wonderful that it's hard to imagine that such a horrible thing happened to him. His entire family was killed, murdered, in a bombing sent by the capitol. It's hard to imagine that the government of Panem was once so horrible. It's makes me wonder what else happened in my parents past that they haven't told me yet.

3. My mom still hunts and is highly skilled with a bow and arrow, and she never mentioned it fear of us, well fearing her.

It's pretty upsetting that my mother was so afraid of us being afraid of her, that she chose to keep her biggest passion from us. I don't understand why though. I mean the fact that my mom can shoot a bow and arrow is awesome. How many kids can say that. Hopefully I can convince her to take me hunting sometime.

I sign and snuggle deeper under my thick covers. Tomorrow after school is the when we are going to start watching my parents second games. A stab of guilt shoots through me, but I ignore it. I need to know. My parents may have started to tell me somethings but that doesn't mean that they will tell me everything.

I close my heavy eyes and let sleep take me.

I am barely able to keep my eyes open in math class. My teacher should really just retire all ready. We have been going over the same question for about 15 minutes. I look over at the girl next to me and we share a look of dread.

Riiiing

Thank god! Finally the bell rings signaling the end of the boring class. I make it to my locker and open it, and grab my books for history. I am just closing my locker when I hear the echo of feet in the hallway fading. Class is going to start soon. I end up having run to the classroom to make it in time. I make it to my desk just as the bell rings to start the class. The teacher makes her way up to her podium and begins the lesson for today. I look up at the board.

The words, The Aftermath of the Games.

The aftermath?

Before I can wonder about today's lesson title the teacher makes her way up to the podium to start the class.

"Okay class, quiet down. Today as you probably know from reading the board, today we are going to start learning about the aftermath of the games. Now I'm not talking about how the country was generally effected. I'm talking about how all 75 victors we deeply, and traumatically effected."

"Plagued with nightmares and PTSD these children suffered for basically the rest of their lives." For just a moment I see her eyes flick to me and I flinch at the meaning behind her eyes.

Pity.

It may have only been there for a second, but I saw it, as did most of the class. I look down at my desk as my eyes begin to burn with unshed tears.

I think back to all the times I have been woken up by my mom's screams. Even the few times I have heard my dad grunt in pain or fear in his sleep.

What aren't they telling me. What tortures them during their every living moment.

I wait outside Ali's locker for her. She has been itching to tell me about how her date with Lars went yesterday. I soon see her running up to me, excitement showing clearly on her face.

"Oh May! It was amazing." She continues to gush as she opens up her locker and puts away her 8th period books. "He took down to that cool roller rink I've been wanting to go for a while. And oh! It was so much fun! Did you know Lars is a naturals roller skater! Oh oh oh, and after we got some ice cream and took a walk in the park and watched the sunset! Oh May, it was like something out of a movie!" She giggles.

Wonderful. My two best and really only friends are experiencing a fairy tale romance and I am left on the sidelines.

Ali checks her phone and gasps.

"Oh come on May, we gotta meet Lars at the home. She grabs my arm, and we both giggle as she pulls me down the hall just a bit to quickly.

Ali drags me the rest of the way to the house. We walk in quickly, giggling quietly to each other. I turn my head and nearly collide with Lars's chin. I blush and look up at him with a smile. He looks right through me. I turn and see that he and Ali are making eyes at each other. I groan and roll my eyes. I push past him and make my way to the tapes and the projector. I take the tape with a golden 75 written on it, with the words 3rd Quarter Quell written in small writing under the numbers.

I take a shaky breath and put in the tape.

I back away from the projector and look towards my friends. Ali is giggling and twirling her hair,blushing. And Lars is grinning adorably and blushing even brighter than Ali.

I huff and bury my head in between my knees.

This sucks.

The pair finally stop their flirting and join me on the floor.

"Okay here we go. The second time my parents are forced to fight for their lives."

"We're here for you May." Ali says. She places a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, no matter what." Lars adds. I risk looking up at him and am met with his perfect smile and warm eyes. I try to fight a blush and manage to smile back.

I take a deep breath and make my way up to the projector to start the tape. I press the button before I can chicken out and scoot back to my friends.

The golden word The Reading of the Card appear on the screen.

"What's the reading of the card?" Ali asked quietly.

Lars and I both shrug and turn our attention back to the screen.

The evil man I have come to know as President Snow walks up to a Podium. A little boy carrying a small chest walks up to him.

The reading of the card is apparently when the President reads what the theme of the 3rd Quarter Quell will be. This Quells theme is that the tributes will be reaped from the pool of victors in each of the districts.

I shiver at the evil in the eyes of the late President Snow.

The reaping are next. We start in district 1 where the first victors reaped are a pair of sibling who apparently one back to back games. The tributes from district 2 catch my attention because of how crazed they look and the fact that the female tribute's teeth have been altered to be disturbingly sharp, tipped with gold.

District 3's tributes are a bit odd but they aren't too strange.

District 4's tributes, oh god Finnick Odair (his face is one of the reasons I have remembered his name) is one of the most handsome men I have ever laid eyes on, and based on Ali's face I'm pretty sure she agrees with me. For the female tribute at first a pretty woman with dark brown hair is reaped and she immediately freaks out. But an old woman volunteers for her.

I sigh knowing that her volunteering for the games is basically a death wish. My heart goes out for the woman because I am sure she knows that too.

The tributes from 5 and 6 don't really stand out that much. They are basically just addicts and their appearance shows it.

The female tribute from district 7 look pretty dangerous to me so I automatically begin to worry how she will effect my parents survival, even though I know they will survive.

Finally we make it to district 12. My mom stands alone on the female side of the stage. You can already see the toll the first games have taken on her, and you can tell she has matured even more than since last year.

My dad and their mentor from last year, Haymitch Abernathy stand on the other side of the stage.

Hm, Haymitch Abernathy. I'll have to ask my parents what happened to him.

Anyway, it's no big shock that my mom is reaped as the female tribute. My eyes fill with tears as I watch her slowly make her way to the center of the stage.

Haymitch and my mom share a look right before the male tribute is called. Once Haymitch's name is called my mom's faces crumbles. My dad immediately volunteers to take is place and I smile against my better judgement.

"Why would he volunteer to go back in to the games, that Haymitch guy can handle himself I'm sure." Lars asks confused.

I look up at him, shocked. "Because he needs to protect her, no matter what." I say seriously.

"Yeah Lars, haven't you met her parents. He loves her, he'll do anything to keep her safe." Ali adds.

Lars gulps and nods, embarrassed. I scoff quietly and look back to the screen.

The Tribute Parade, here we go...

Once again guys, I am really sorry about how long this chapter took to get out. I promise that I will try to never have this long of a delay on chapter updates. Anyway, please review! Remember I'm going to start responding to any questions you might have at the beginning of the next chapter. Bye!