A/N- As promised, I wrote chapter 5 and now have it posted up here within a couple of days after chapter 4 :D

I just noticed that this chapter is quite short compared with previous ones... but oh well, there's only a certain amount that I can write for this part of the story... Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not... you know who

One hour. That's all I've got left to be here. Just one hour of being imprisoned in this concrete jungle; being told what to do and how to dress. Being told how to fit in and abandoning all my past memories. Abandoning myself.

I thought this was going to be my life. I thought I would be forced to be like everyone else here and one day get married to some rich pretty boy, raise five kids and swim in jewels for the rest of my life. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about anything and would never go without. I wouldn't be happy, but I'd deal with it. Because I made my sacrifice.

But, little did I know; I would one day escape this life before it properly began. That one day, I would be smuggled on to a train and go back to where I belong. In District 12.

My backpack is half empty. There's nothing I need. Not really. All I need is my reaping dress, which I have, neatly folded in the bottom of the bag. Oh, and a few containers of food that we'll need for the journey. Apart from that, I only have one possession with me.

I straighten the duvet and plump the pillows before I leave, wanting to leave everything the way it was before I came. Everything untouched, clean and tidy. Clothes in the wardrobe and perfumes on the dressing table. Closed curtains and a locked door. As if I were never here.

I pull out the small, silver key and turn it in the lock. It clicks quietly and I tiptoe down the corridor, cautious as I pass Monroe's bedroom. The last thing I need now, is for him to wake up and stop me before I even leave. I wish I could just leave without a trace, but Ethan persuaded me to write Monroe a letter, explaining myself. Well, it hardly explains anything. I didn't mention where I was going, why I was going or how I was going. All I wrote was that I was thankful for the roof over my head and that me and Ethan were going on an 'expedition' and not to expect us back for a few weeks. Pfft, like he'll believe that.

Even so, I signed the bottom and added something else that Ethan doesn't know about. I wrote, clear and simple: 'You're not my father and you never will be.' Well, I want him to know that nothing has changed over these months and that I still hate him. He's still the same bitter and twisted man he was before I met him. He needs to know that I haven't forgiven him. And that my parents are still the ones that raised me in District 12.

I slip the key out of my pocket, place it on top of the letter and leave the apartment, closing the door behind me and smiling. I will never have to see this place again. And it feels good to know that.

The station is practically empty, with only a few men loading carts with supplies. It's also quite cold, for a summer's morning, so I pull my jacket up to my chin. I'm un-noticed as I sneak past the trains and stand in an alcove, waiting for Ethan.

He arrives moments later, carrying a large rucksack on his back.

"You sure don't pack light" I whisper, looking at the bulging bag on his shoulders.

"Unlike you, I actually own things" He says back, his white teeth shining in the darkness.

"I do own things" I remark.

"Sorry... I forgot about all that air you're carrying inside your bag" He says sarcastically.

"Shut up" I say, nudging his arm hard.

He laughs, his breath visible in little puffs of white clouds in the crisp air. He checks his watch and nods to himself.

"Right. The train's leaving in about five minutes" He tells me. "So, they'll be done loading up the carts. This means that the coast is clear and we can sneak on the back"

I nod to him and he holds out his hand to me. I take it and we run across the road, towards the end of the train. When we reach it, Ethan swiftly picks the lock and holds the door ajar, leaving enough space for me to crawl through. I pass him my bag and climb onto the train, squeezing through the gap. Our two bags come shortly after, pushed through by Ethan. I grab them and put them to one side, then take hold of the door to let Ethan follow through.

Once he's in safely, we close the door and push a box in front of it. I sit back, leaning against some other wooden boxes and sigh. We sit in darkness and silence for a while, until the floor beneath us vibrates and the train begins to move.

When we're sure that the train has made it out of the station, Ethan unzips his bag and retrieves a large torch. He switches it on and the whole cart lights up. Now I can see everything in here and breathe a sigh of relief that Ethan got us on the right train. The boxes in this cart are clearly labelled with a sticker, marking '12'. They must be filled with goods from the Capitol for the peacekeepers or the victors of twelve. Apart from the boxes, it's just us in here.

"Well, at least you got us on the right train" I say.

"Yup, I have done it before, you know" Ethan points out, fiddling with the contents of his bag.

"What time is it?" I ask, unable to see through the windows to see for myself.

"Half six -ish" He replies, then throws me an apple. "You might be hungry by now"

"Thanks" I mumble, already biting into the piece of fruit. The skin rips and my teeth sink into the moist body of the apple, releasing small pockets of juice. "Tastes good"

"You bet they do" He says, tossing one into the air and catching it in one hand. "Came from the finest apple tree around"

"Ooh, really?" I tease.

"Uh huh. The finest fruit for the finest girl" He winks at me and starts to juggle with the remaining apples. The first few rounds are successful, each time he catches them with ease. But after a few more circuits, he loses his ability and the apples clatter to the ground.

I laugh at him and he scowls back, but I know he's just joking. He throws the apples to me and I start to pass them back and forth between my hands and the air, juggling perfectly. Ethan's face appears shocked as I continue to juggle them without a fault.

"Surprised?" I ask, still juggling while grinning at him.

"Yeah...Where did you learn to juggle?" He says, still mesmerised by the juggled apples.

"At home, I guess" I sigh. "Me and Peeta used to juggle all the time when we were working in the bakery. Once, when I was about nine and he was seven, we turned the kitchen into a mini circus. We were doing all sorts of tricks with spoons, eggs, loaves; pretty much everything in there!"

"Sounds fun" Ethan says.

"It was... well, until mother found out" I laugh. "She went ballistic at us and made us clean it all; not letting us leave until every last bit of flour was cleaned up... It was worth it though"

We both collapse into silence for the next fifteen minutes. Ethan sorts through his supplies, while I keep juggling. After a while, I start to feel bored from watching apples whiz around in circles in front of me, and I crawl over to sit next to Ethan.

He looks up and smiles at me, stuffing the packets back into his bag and zipping it back closed.

"So... how long 'til we're there, do you think?" I query, looking up to the windows that are way to high to see through.

"Hmmm, not sure. Maybe an hour or two now" He shrugs.

I look back down to the floor and then back to Ethan. "Is it really still there?"

"What?" He questions, seeming unsure about what 'it' is.

"District 13. Is it really still alive?" I reply.

"Oh right" He says, then adds. "Yup, never died"

"But, it was destroyed seventy five years ago... I've seen the remains on TV"

"It wasn't completely destroyed"

"How so?"

"District 13 isn't like any other district. It's underground"

I gasp.

"Underground? How?"

"They live in a huge complex underground, with all the best technology ever created. They've been building it up for years and years. It's like a different universe"

"So, that's why your friends went. To escape the outside world?"

He sighs, but nods all the same. "Yeah, I suppose they did. And now I'm going to do the same. Hopefully, with you, too"

"Ethan... you know I would love to, but I've got to stay in twelve, you know that"

"I know, for Peeta's sake. I get it"

"He's about to go into the arena again, so he needs me now. I can't leave him again"

"And I'm not expecting you to leave him. But, what happens after the Quell?"

"You mean when he's... dead?"

There's a brief pause between us, both of us shocked with what I just said.

"No, Zinny, I never said that..." Ethan trails off.

"It's ok, you don't need to apologize. I know that he probably won't survive this; not with the other tributes being victors" I say, my teeth gritted to hold back the tears.

"Zinny, I..." He begins.

"No, Ethan. No more sympathy acts. When he's gone, then I'll go with you to thirteen. And we'll live happily together, maybe get married, have kids and live in safety from the Capitol"

"Wow... there's no need to plan so far ahead"

"I'm not planning, I'm just saying what's what"

"What if you meet some Mr Perfect in thirteen? Will you have his kids and forget about me?"

"No way! I won't meet 'Mr Perfect' there; he doesn't exist" I pause. "Besides... I've already found someone"

Ethan looks at me and I swear he blushes slightly. He then takes my hand in his and runs his fingers through my hair.

"And I've found someone too"

A/N- Okaiiiiii, so now is the start of the next chunk in our tale... going back to District 12 and stuff.

Well, now is the time for you to click on the review button and leave me REVIEWW!

Thanks, FireflyLlama x