Fourteen years later…

"One more day until my birthday," I counted tally marks with my chalk on the basement floor.

I'll be sixteen, also the day before the reaping day. The day the capitol chooses a boy and girl tribute from each district to fight a death game in order to survive.

I was curled up lying on the floor in my silk pajamas, "I'll never get used to it… I don't belong here." I moaned.

I looked up to see stairs in the faded black basement followed by a steel door barred shut. I recognized the footsteps from my father are faint but grew deafening each step. The door unlocked creaking open to reveal him.

"Emily! The five days are up; you had to have learned your lesson by now?" My father replies. The light pouring in the basement, my eyes stung so, I hung my head low not looking at it further.

I slouched up to a wall where the light didn't reach me. My nails with grime underneath, my body covered in dirt and smelled like rotting meat on the floor my dusty blood red hair covering my face; I turned to face him and slid my hair back. His face seemed odd like he hasn't slept in a week. His cropped black hair streaked white was out of place and blood shot eyes bulging. Must be the five o clock shadow he grew.

"Yes… I have."

Emily's POV flashback:

The point in time was five days ago that pouring night. I was punished when I got caught by my father with my best friend Alex Donner; a seventeen year old Capitol Peacekeeper the only person accepted by my father, who I really liked, my one and only friend.

The trouble began when Alex and I ran to reach the border without my father's permission because I skipped a mission, hah. The mission: kill the family that stole meat from a local store. Which, I have to say it's pretty pathetic the capitol goes through such lengths in cases like this.

First, I was in my home frustrated killing the innocent for little crimes putting me through Hell. Until I thought of a plan I was going to leave District 3, leave the crazy nonsense of killing, and leave most of all, my crazy father. I went in my room grabbing a suitcase I stuff with my belongings. I put on a dark red hooded cloak and sneaked out the window, the rain made a good sound blockage. Having to run fast as I could away to reach the outside border. I ended up bumping into Alex when he was done keeping the peace in our District. His body was soaked, the white uniform sticking to his tight muscled skin. His face showing confusion, "Who are you?" he ordered. I didn't answer, and then he gently lifted my hood. He revealed me as the rain touched my dry pale skin and red hair. He was surprised, "Emily?" I still didn't answer him until when he saw my suitcase; his features were strong but soft. I told him why I was running away.

He nodded and asked me, "Your not going alone, are you?"

"Well…" I paused

"Don't you remember your promise?" he said solemnly.

"Of course, but I don't want you trying to stop me"

"Who said I was stopping you, I'm coming with yeah"

"But… I," I said.

I had no choice but to agree, and so we ran but we weren't so lucky. My father found me "hiding" and wasn't shy to order his guards to "seek" me out. We both got chased in a nearby alley, no exit. We fought back though skillfully side by side we were trained to kill of course.

"Isn't the rain getting colder around here, Emily?" he said sarcastically to me while grabbing a knife from his military sheath.

I did the same course of action but replied; "Sure is Alex, this is probably better than murdering a family, the rain could be an add-on effect. This will be an excellent substitute," I half smiled.

We stood back to back and the guards made the first move. We both deflected their moves counterattacked them in many ways possible. We slit their throats and stabbed them at their weak points. This made an instant kill if you knew the human anatomy.

But there were too many, one guard was running in the middle of the street to call for back up. I followed quickly and rammed him to the ground. I lay on top of him my left hand gripping tight to my knife and my right hand choked at his throat.

He gasped for air, he cringed to my arm, "P…P…Please," he said. I thought of his request, I loosened my grip. The solider started to cough and I stood above him frowning.

Then someone shot me from behind on my right shoulder, I put my hand on my wound, blood and a weird green liquid. That'snotgood… my eyes started to see purple dots, but I turned around slowly walked wobbly at the person who shot me. That Coward! I stood motionless looking away from the shooter and stared at Alex his blonde hair dawning out the night. He was surrounded with guards looking helpless without me. We looked at each other's eyes his light blue and mine hazel, but one tear shed through mine and I fell on the cold muddy street.

I only heard Alex's voice shouting, "Emily!"

Found out later when I woke up conscious, I was shot by a new chemical invented by the capitol called Fading Forest, when injected to the person's body will cause a dark green liquid to ooze and leave a permanent burn mark. The main effects are fatigue, but if given the precise amount will lead to a painful death. The name was given because even the strongest organisms can survive to live or die. The chemical is deadly next to the Nightlock berry grown in the wild area of the Districts.

Later that night, I found myself at my basement floor startled by my father; who threw a full bucket of ice water at me. Then, yanked me up by the hair, I flinched. His face was saddened and disappointing as he looked at me.

"Do you realize what the capitol could have done to you and most of all to me?" "What would happen if they knew about your betrayal?" Questioning with anger, then slapped me across my cheek so hard the echo caused my ears to ring.

"The materials I wasted to get your sorry ass back here! Including the desperate situations we live in today!" he went on.

I breathed heavily trying hard not to let my sensitivity get the better of me, "Father, please I only felt sympathy for them," I said in a calm voice.

"Sympathy; don't talk to me about damn sympathy!" his blood about to boil.

"Guards hold her up!" he says to them, standing behind them

The guards did as they were told and grabbed my forearms roughly and with delight because of what I did to their comrades.

My father grabbed a whip from his back pocket and gave me eighty lashes on my back. I screamed dreadfully loud, when he was done I landed with a thud. The guards exited with my father going last.

"You'll stay here for five days with no food or water. The maid will come to bring you clothes to sleep in. You have to understand something Emily you can't escape what you were born to do." The last sentence he said to me as I stared blank and emotionless at him.

Yeah, born a murderer just like you…

Emily's End POV Flashback

"Good then we can forget our little delay and proceed with a new mission, here put this on…" He (my father) told me in a rich heavy voice.

He tossed me a fabric laced, purple dress with sapphires, by the look of puzzlement I gave my father; he walked closer to me and also gave me an earpiece.

"We have direct orders from the capitol to assassinate a man of eighteen, by the name of Jake Laurel. I also confirmed his location; he will be attending the mayor's Thirteenth Hunger Games annual ball," He stately explained.

"Do we know why they want him dead?" I ask curious given the situation.

"He has been trying to hack the main frame of the Capitol's computer system for the information, what the capitol has been doing to the people from the past games with secret info. While doing this for the past five years he has never been caught so now it's our job to stop him. I also learned he's trained in hand to hand combat and creating special weapons making him a threat to the capitol." He told me and turned around walking slowly to the door then stopped.

"Oh and by the way if you ever disobey me again I'll toss you out on the streets. And make sure when you're done getting ready, eat supper I don't want you fainting on the job tonight," his voice full of mock. I rolled my eyes.

Beep…Beep…Beep…

My father's phone rang; he grabbed it from his side pocket, still his back turned to me.

"Ray Redgrave here…yes; all things are according to plan…" the words I heard while he walked away.

I got half dressed, took a shower and fancied myself to finishing up in my bedroom, exiting from this confined dark void I was in for five days. I missed sleeping in my lavender bedroom that was at end of the long hallway. My two clean wood polished dressers filled with all types of clothes and jewelry for various missions. The clothes I needed most for tonight I pulled out is white leather gloves, shorts, (including the dress my father gave me) diamond pair earrings, an old wrist watch and an emerald necklace. Then I walked away in front my glass closet, to reveal variety types of shoes and weapons. I put on a pair of black high heels and strapped a harness on my leg to carry my knife and handguns.

Glancing at the round mirror centered in the corner I fixed my red hair in a tight bun held it by a white flowered hair pin. I took a gander at myself and the mirror revealed to me as an innocent girl. My stomach growled about to eat itself my body feeling weak. I sighed and followed myself quickly out the door to the dinning room; I ate a quick meal of stew and one loaf of bread with a cup of water. My father came to me abruptly and said, "Are you finished yet?" Waiting impatiently he even kept tugging at his red tie, his little bad habit.

I got up from my seat I quickly reached out for my gun and twirled the trigger around my finger. Stopped at a rapid pace and reloaded the gun with a piercing snap.

"Let the games begin," I declared.