Three Years Later

I sighed as I heard my four month old daughter crying from the next room. "I know, I know." I murmured, walking in and picking her up out of her swing. Even at such a young age, Hera reminded me so much of her father. She inherited her father's red hair, though hers was a strawberry blonde, but she got my brown eyes instead of his green.

I slightly bounced her as I walked back to the kitchen to get her bottle ready. I fed her as I walked around the house. "Knock, knock!" I heard Purnia's voice as the front door closed.

"Hey!" I looked up at her. "You finally left Panem?" We currently lived on the island of Libertas, in which had been founded during the Dark Ages by those whom had somehow managed to flee or escape Panem and the controls of the Snow family. Most of them gradually escaped through the years even though it wasn't easy, they had to avoid the peacekeepers, especially if they sent the peacekeepers out to hunt them.

Even tributes from former games called his place home. Either they faked their deaths out in the arena, or they were really close to death, and were discovered to be alive if they were pulled by rebel peacekeepers or Game Makers, and were brought here. This country was peaceful, and based on the constitution of the original United States that was now Panem. We didn't have to live in fear and our children would be safe here.

When I learned that I was pregnant, I only told Darius and Purnia. We didn't know what to do, but we knew that the capitol could not find out, we couldn't not tell anyone, especially our parents. My father would have probably made me get rid of the child before she was born and disown me, and if he had learned it was Darius, would've had him killed. But Purnia helped me to fake my death and put me in contact with Plutarch Heavensbee and some of the other rebels to get me here. That was a year ago.

"Yeah." Her voice was distant, and she wouldn't meet my eyes. "I have something to tell you, and you might not want to be holding that baby." She stepped forward to get Hera, and I let her take her.

"Purnia, what is it?" I asked her, she cradled my daughter and continued to feed her.

"Um, they turned Darius into an Avox."

My heart dropped to my stomach and I almost lost feeling in my legs. I had to grip the back of the couch to hold myself upright. "How? What did he do?"

"We got a new head peacekeeper, Thread, I'm sure you've heard of him?"

"Yeah, he was head of us when I had my hands on training in 11."

Purnia nodded. "Anyway, he interfered with Gale Hawthorne's punishment and got beaten on the spot. He was later transferred to the capitol, and they made him an avox there."

I groaned. "The man's an idiot." I put my forehead in my hand. "But he's my idiot." I sighed. "So that's it then? I'll never see him again? Hera will never know her father?"

"Not necessarily." Purnia said. "The Third Quarter Quell is coming up." She said. "It has been announced that tributes will be pulled from the pool of current victors. Plutarch and the other rebels are planning to make their move then. Plutarch is going to try to get him and as many other avoxes and prisoners as he can out." She assured me. "By the way, I brought a familiar face with me."

She stepped back in front of the door and nodded her head. I looked towards where she was gesturing, and I saw someone whom I thought that I would never see again. "Oh my God, Vitus!" I quickly ran over to hug him. "I thought that I would never see you again!"

"Same here Venus." He nodded, hugging me back. "I really thought you were dead until Purnia told me that she helped you to fake your death."

I pulled him into the house before closing the door and walked back over to Purnia. I took my daughter from her and walked back over to Vitus. "Vitus, meet Hera, your niece." I handed her over and he gently took her.

"Well, hello there Hera." My older brother had become a peacekeeper three years before me. We were our parent's only children, and we were two and a half years apart in age.

"Mom and dad?" I questioned.

"They're alright." He said. "They are their same self entitled and righteous selves." He sighed. "When they were told you died, dad wanted to make sure it was duty related, so it didn't same the family." He rolled his eyes. "Seriously sis, you're better off here. Hell, so am I for that matter." He shook his head. "I couldn't do it anymore, so when I heard about the rebellion, I joined as soon as I could."

"I guess then we need to be ready too." I murmured. "Or at least those of us in the military." I shook my head. "We would take all the refugees as we can, that 13 can't take."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask, I know other peacekeepers have come here. Have they joined the military or the police?" Purnia asked.

"Both. A few have joined the police force, but most of them have joined the military. The training is a lot similar to what we went through back at the academy. And it is most familiar." I shrugged. I like this better than I did peacekeeping."

"Is that even a word?" Vitus asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "If it wasn't, it is now."

My brother nodded. "I'll have to look into that."

"Our next training is next weekend." I said. "They'll probably have you train with us." I glanced to Purnia. "You too if you're joining us."

I looked outside as it started to rain. "Do you guys have housing yet?"

They both shook their heads. "No, not yet." Purnia said.

"It's going to get dark soon. You can stay here tonight and I'll take you to the offices in the morning."

Vitus nodded. "Sounds good."

"I'll get something started for supper, if you want to go get a shower and freshen up. We have hot water here." Hot water was something that didn't come too often back in 12, you had to take showers at a certain time if you wanted hot water, which often got annoying. Or if you were really desperate, boil some water to put in the tub.

"Thanks little sis." I rolled my eyes as he handed me Hera back. He and Purnia went to the bathrooms that I pointed to. I put Hera down in her crib in her room and went back to the kitchen to find something for supper. I hadn't been to the grocery store lately, but I had some chicken, so I seasoned that and threw it in the oven.

I didn't even realize that I was crying until I felt that my cheeks were wet. I went to wipe them away, but that made it worse, more tears came. "Venus?" I heard my brother's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Sorry. I'm just, I'm scared for him, Vitus." I cried harder. "I really, really miss him."

Vitus came over and hugged me. "I know you do." He murmured. "We will make every effort possible to bring him back to you when the time comes."