District 4

"District4: Fishing. The last well-known career district, their last victor was in the 95th Hunger Games."

"District 4's girls are nearly as amazing as District 1's," Slader exclaimed excitedly, standing on his toes to look out of the small window as the crowd gathered in the District 4 train station.

Kat rolled her eyes at him. "You do realize a District girl will have no interest what so ever in Capitol boy, right?"

"I can change their minds," Slader replied, grinning arrogantly.

Kat sent her eyes to the back of her head again, then stepped forward and slid her foot around his ankles, proceeding to pull the boys feet right out from under him. He gave a startled cry as she fell hard on his back side. He groaned and rubbed it gingerly as he slowly made his way back to his feet, all the while glaring daggers at her. "And we can call that revenge for what you did in 3."

"Oh, you're still sour about that!" Slader whined, throwing his head back and scrunching his face up in a displeased manner.

"It's your fault," Kat replied with a grin. "Now try not to fall behind, will ya?"

"I most certainly did not-" his rant was cut short as the door to the train opened and they were met with roar of approval from the large crowd gathered in the station. Kat hadn't expected this form of welcome from District 4, but she welcomed it with her well practiced, fake excitement. Slader followed close behind her through the station, reveling in the attention. Typical.

As Kat was busy keeping up her charade and restraining from slapping Slader, who was acting like child in a candy store, she didn't notice at first, when a small white haired girl broke from the crowd and rushed toward her. In fact, it wasn't until the girl had stopped her in her tracks and was pressing something into her hands that she realized she was there. She was may six or seven and she was shouting something to her district's guest over the noise. "Please! Give this back to me next time you see me! Please!" Then a white-clothed Peacekeeper grabbed her around the waist and dragged her off, apologizing to the Capitol girl.

Kat spent the rest of her trip through the station puzzled, and trying to find since in the odd request the girl had made. Why not just keep it is she wanted the thing back? What had she given her anyways? It was then that Kat realized she hadn't even taken a look at the thing yet. She opened her hand and stared down at a dolphin-shape dark gray locket on a leather strap, tied to make a necklace. She flipped the locket over curiously and found a name on the bottom, Trout. Kat mused over this, a trout was a fish, right? It was a freshwater fish as far as Kat knew, which meant it wouldn't be gathered in 4.

Then Kat had to fight her memory to bring back memories of the girl who had given-it to her. Small and slender, with large blues eyes and hair as white has snow that fell in luscious waves down her back, tied with a light blue ribbon and a similar colored polished stone resting in its center, very expensive, meaning she was of high wealth in the district.

Her cloths were nice as well. She wore a pure white dress with loose elbow-length sleeves. The top puffed slight, then tightened to cling to her waist, and then loosened back up as the skirt turned into soft down feathers that flowed swiftly down to her mid-thigh.

"Kat!"

"What?" Kat yelled at Slader without stopping, and found her running smack into someone. She fell flat on her behind and winced, looking up to see who she had hit. She found herself facing a man around his early fifties. He was tall and thin, his skin much resembled a wrinkled up boot rather than looking like it was once copper colored, and his thinning hair has as white as the clouds floating across the blue sky behind him. His eyes seemed to be the only thing that hadn't changed since his games, which Kat had watched the night before. An incredible green that much resembled the sea. A little girl with bronze-colored hair was peeking out from behind his leg.

"Don't you have any manners, Snow?" the man asked teasingly.

Kat grinned and accepted the hand he offered her. Once she was on her feet she smiled down at the little girl, "This must be Pearl."

The old man, Finnick Odair, gave a nod, accompanied with a proud smile. Finnick was the victor of the 65th Hunger Games, which he had won at the young age of fourteen. He had been a Capitol obsession for years, until the 76th Hunger Games, when one of his fellow four victors became pregnant with his baby. The Capitol had fell in love with the couple. The girl, Annie Cresta, had won the 70th Hunger Games and had gone mad do to it. Finnick was said to have a special talent at calming her when she hit a peak, which made the Capitols go insane with joy. After a few years of them together, however, they weren't as close to the front to the Capol's attention anymore. Then about five years ago, Annie fell ill with a disease that no seemed to be able to find the cause of and she died a month later. Finnick had been devastated, and everyone though he was going to follow in his wife's footsteps and go mad. Three years later, just as it seemed he was at his breaking point, their son announced his wife was to have a baby. When the little girl was born nine months later, Finnick seemed to pull himself out of his spiral and immediately fell in love with the little girl whose dark green eyes were just like her grandmother's.

That little girl, Pearl Annie, was now balling the fabric of her grandfather's pants tightly in her little fists. "My names Kat," Kat told the little girl, crouching down and offering a hand to the little girl.

The little girl cocked her head and reached up a small hand to touch Kat's bubble gum hair. "It pink," she said in amazement.

Kat laughed. "Yeah it is."

Pearl's eyes then wandered to her ears. Her finger brushed them and they gave a twitch. Pearl pulled back with a squeak then giggled wildly. Kat chuckled and straightened up. "She's adorable."

Finnick grinned. "I know." Kat laughed at him.

~Meanwhile~

Losing interest, Slader found himself wandering away from Kat and the two four dwellers. After about ten minutes of wandering around aimlessly, he found himself standing at the edge of a dock. He looked out over the water watching the waves beat against the shore. He was daydreaming about how nice it would be to live here rather than in the Capitol, when suddenly a head popped out of the water by the dock. "What are you doing?"

Slader jumped and nearly fell off the other side. "Who are you?" He asked in surprise, staring the girl. Her blond hair was slicked back by the water and her dark blue eyes were staring curiously at him. "Marine." She placed her bronze-colored arms on the wood and pulled her self up so she was hanging from the dock, still half in the water. "What's your name?"

"Slader," he replied, still staring at her.

"Whatcha doin' here, Slader?" she asked again.

"Uh, I'm with Kat Snow," he told her.

"No, Silly," the girl giggled. "I mean what are you doing here on my dock?" She pulled herself out of the water the rest of the way and perched herself on the wood of the dock.

Slader looked confused. "Your dock?"

"Well, I don't suppose its really my dock, but I'm the only one who ever comes around here," she spoke thoughtfully.

"Why?" He asked.

"Well, people are convinced its haunted or something. Ever since-" she broke off abruptly and said, "Sorry, I said too much. So are you going to answer my question?"

"I just ended up here I guess," he replied thoughtfully. "Now you answer mine."

"I did," the girl told him.

"You didn't finish though, ever since what happened?"

"Never mind, its just a silly superstition anyways. I mean its not like Flyn's still here or any-" she cut herself off again and looked ready to shove her foot down her own throat.

"Who's Flyn," Slader wondered.

"He's no one," the girl replied.

"You're lying."

"Just leave me alone, okay!" with that, the strange girl stalked off in a huff. Slader sat in confusion wondering what that had been about.

~District 4~

"I think we're here," Kat said, pointing at a spot on the map they had been lent.

Slader cocked his head at it and said, "Are you sure. I think we're over here."

"No I'm almost positive we're right here."

"But isn't that the Jewelry Shop over there," Slader pointed out, gesturing at the squat building sitting a ways off.

Kat frowned at it, then her eyes drifted to the map and back again. "Alright, fine, we're here, but this means nothing."

"Sure," Slader replied smugly, following after her as she stalked down the street with her nose buried in the map.

She snorted at him and then felt a sharp pain in her toe. She yelped and hopped on her foot, clutching her assaulted toe. When she looked to see what had caused the pain, she found a large stone about the size of a human head. Kat stared at it in confusion.

"See! I told you! Now look what you've done!" a voice called. Kat looked up and saw a face she recognized. It was a small girl wearing a black tank-top and a pair of similarly colored shorts, stomping down the street in combat boots that made loud thumping sounds on the cobble street.

On the other end of the blond girls death glare was a dark-haired boy around her age. He was standing near the the jewelry shop looking rather disappointed. "Hmm," he mumbled to himself as though he had not heard the girl. "I really thought that would go farther." He wore a tight sleeveless shirt that showed off budding abs and tight arms. Kat almost laughed at how funny it looked on a seven-year-old.

"You threw this?" she asked, placing a foot on the rock.

"Yeah, sorry," the boy said.

"From there?"

"Yeah."

"Nice job," she told him.

"Would have been better if it hadn't have it anyone," the girl commented, no upon them.

"Hey, I know you," Kat blurted out, unable to help herself.

The girl gave her a curious look. "Me? I think you must be mistaken. I've never seen you before, well except for on T.V, I suppose."

"No, I have," Kat insisted. "You were at the train station. You gave me this-"

Before Kat could finish her sentence, the girl exclaimed, "Trout!" and leapt forward to snatch the necklace from Kat's fingers.

"You mean your twin that your dad banned you from seeing?" the boy commented from the side with a smug grin.

"Shut it, Kye!" the girl snapped at him.

The boy called Kye looked slightly abashed, then clamped his mouth shut.

"Twins!" Slader called from behind Kat. "That makes sense! Identical twins!"

"Wow," Kye said from off the side, "You're quick."

Slader eyed him angrily, but kept his mouth shut, much to Kat's surprise.

"Why doesn't your dad want you to see your sister?" she wondered aloud.

"Cause she refused to-" the girl stopped abruptly. "She just didn't listen to him very well, that's all."

"Train," Kat said thoughtfully.

"What?" Both kids asked at once looking worriedly at her.

"She refused to train," Kat continued. They were looking at her like she was insane. "You know, in the family business." Both of them looked relieved when she said this.

"Yes, the family business," the girl said, and by the ways she looked at Kat when she said it, Kat knew she understood the cover up.

Kye, on the other hand, "I didn't know you had a family business, Bass. I thought your dad didn't have to work 'cause he was a vict-" The girl, Bass, stomped his toe to silence her slower friend. "Ow! What are you doing?" Clearly still oblivious to what was happening, Kye looked back to Kat and Slader. "Anyways, as I was saying. Her dad doesn't need a family business because- Ow! What are you kicking me for? Quit it! I'm trying to talk!"

Slader snorted as Kye tried to leap out of the way of Bass's kicks to the shin. A passing Peacekeeper looked their way, and at first seemed as though he was going to break them up, then began to laugh despite himself. Kye bolted like a rocket and Bass was quickly on his tail, leaving in their wake laughing spectators, as they headed towards town square.

~District 4~

"You sure took your time dragging yourself here," Slader commented as they approached the large white building.

"Oh, shut it, Slader."

"Rude much?"

"I'm not in the mood today," Kat responded, reaching out to ring the door bell.

"Your never in the mood," Slader grumbled.

"Well maybe if you didn't act like that all the time!"

"Act like what?"

Before Kat could shoot back her response the door in front of them swung open. Standing in it was a girl who stood at least a head above Kat, more than likely two, with golden-blond hair that bounced in tight girls. Big, dark blue eyes examined Kat through thick eyelashes. She plucked at a loose piece of string on her red half-top and Kat saw her eyes momentarily flit in Slader's direction before returning to her with a look of recognition. "Katalina Snow, huh? I was wondering when you would show."

"Okay, you know my names, so tell me yours," Kat replied, glancing longingly at the beach that the mayor's house was set up beside. The feel of warm sand between her toes was a tempting fantasy.

"Marine," the girl's voice broke her day dream. "The Mayor's daughter."

"Interesting." Kat noticed Slader looking extremely uncomfortable beside her. "May we come in and speak with your father.

"It's not really my decision, but I suppose so," Marine replied, stepping aside to allow them passage. They stepped into a large entrance room, one side all windows that looked out onto the beach and ocean, the other lined with photos of what Kat assumed to be passed mayors. Important looking men in black suits that didn't seem right on District 4 men. Marine instructed them to wait while she went to inform her father of their arrival. As soon as Kat heard her footsteps fade she turned towards Slader.

"How do the two of you know each other?"

Slader blinked at her from behind the light curtain of red, orange, and yellow strands that insisted on covering the dark brown that was his eyes. "What makes you think we know each other?"

"Don't play stupid with me. It's obvious," Kat snapped at him.

"Really?" He blushed, scratching the back of his head.

"Yes. Now answer my question."

"Well, we kind of ran into each other on a dock on the first day."

Kat was about to question him further, but the girl stepped back into the room, cutting her off. Marine motioned for them to follow, and led them down a narrow hallway. At the end of the long hall, they came to a large set of double-doors. Marine gave one a push and it swung open, revealing a large room with four walls all made of glass, sticking out over the beach.

A long desk stretched across the room in front of the wall parallel to the entrance. A tall, darkly tanned man sat behind the desk staring at the air in front of him it seemed. "Dad," Marine called. The man blinked and looked in their direction, "Oh, hello."

"Who's that?" Kat frowned at Slader, who had failed to offer even a greeting before starting in on a question. Slader was pointing at the only decoration in the room, a large photo on the wall behind the mayor of a boy, soaked and dressed in swim trucks, smiling smugly, with dark blue eyes staring at something unseen. He was standing on a dock reaching out into the ocean and the water stretched out behind him. His dark hair was sticking to his face in clumped groups and his teeth were a surprising white.

The mayor looked over his shoulder at the picture and answered, "My son, Flynn. He died three years ago."

"How?"

"He was pushed off one of the docks," he replied.

"I'm sorry for your lose," Kat said awkwardly, shifting on her feet.

"How do you know that he was pushed?" Slader pushed, Kat attempted to stamp his foot, but Slader had been expecting it and stepped forward.

"Well, what else could have happened? He didn't just throw himself off, with a shark looming around."

"Was the pusher executed?" Kat was fighting back punching Slader in the face at this point.

"Three of them were," the mayor replied. "And one was whipped, then, fortunately, was picked to go the the Hunger Games."

Kat blinked in surprise. Outraged she grabbed Slader's hand and began to drag him for the door. "I think we'll just be leaving now."

"You come to my home to question me about my dead son and then just leave!"

"I've heard enough, thanks!"