Chapter One

Panem had been free of Snow's terrifying reign for six months. The districts town apart by bombings and attacks were being repaired and made stronger than before. The poorer districts began to flourish in ways they never had before. With all thirteen communities harnessing their trades and gifts, and the technology released by the capitol, rebuilding was well underway. Buildings were nearly back to their former glory. But even in the midst of beauty and improvement, there will always be those who hide in the dark.

Between all the rebuilding and restructuring of the government, there were still stragglers of extremists—those still violently opposed to any form of government. They were afraid that any leader would be just as bad as the last—that the Games would never truly end. Their belief was that in order to eliminate the Games once and for all, all traces of Snow, of the world he created, they had to eliminate his entire line. Both political and familial.

By the six-month mark, they were untraceable. But they were getting sloppy and their footprints weren't covered well enough. Paylor's peacekeepers were closing in. But by six months, all but one of Snow's family members had been eradicated. No one knew where the last member was hiding.

-8-

Colette Mavick glanced to her right as she casually strolled down the street. The Capitol was nearly back to normal, maybe with fewer colors. She smiled as she watched stranger helping stranger go about cleanup duties. Colette was on her way to her job at the records office at the edge of the square. Her job was to keep the records clear of any of Snow's influence. She made sure the records were accurate and honest. It was a tiring job because Snow's influence ran deep into the records. But Colette was talented and knew exactly what to look for.

"Colette!" A chiming voice called out. Colette looked over to see a colleague and friend of hers jogging up to meet her.

"Hello, Solace." Colette smiled at the man. "Running late today?"

"Nah," Solace waved his hand. "They have me coming in a few hours later than normal this week since someone has made such great progress."

Colette grinned. "Someone is pretty great, huh?"

"And so humble. Charming. Beautiful. Stunning. Sexy as—"

"Ok, ok, enough." Colette laughed. "You are so full of yourself."

"Yet you love me for it." Solace grinned.

"You certainly have your moments."

"So how is your project going?" Solace asked in a quieter tone.

Colette's smile faded. She looked around subtly. "It… isn't going as well as I'd hoped. There's so much in the way and I can't get around some things."

"You know there's a way—"

"No, Solace, you know why I can't do that. You know what they would do if they found out what I was doing!"

"They would thank you! Hell, they might even give you a position!" Solace rebutted.

"Solace…"

"Colette…" he echoed.

Colette shook her head and sighed. "If I can't get through by the end of the year… I will find someone to help. But I'm not going to them."

Solace echoed her sigh. "Fine. But I really think it would be worth it. Min, you know it's not on you to do this alone."

"No, but I always have been, so why should this be any different."

Solace was stopped from responding by a loud din coming from the center of the square. A large crowd was forming around the podium. A man in what used to be a bright purple jumpsuit stood on several crates in front of the crowd, shouting angry words to them with cheers echoed back at him.

"Solace…" Colette muttered.

"I know. Go, I have your back." Together, the two individuals crept to the edge of the crowd. Peacekeepers were standing by in their much more civilian looking uniforms in case a riot broke out.

Solace and Colette made it to the crowd, only to hear the man shouting about the same thing he had been preaching for the last five months.

"We cannot move forward until Snow has been wiped from the world!"

"Snow's been dead for half a year!" a woman in the crowd shouted.

"President Snow is dead. But his legacy lives on! His grandchildren were killed at the bombing. His son was killed a few weeks later. But his blood still runs through our Panem!"

The crowd booed.

"His daughter. A victor of the Games is still out there! She has infiltrated our homes. It's only a matter of time until she corrupts this new peace! Citizens, Herminia Snow must be put down!"

The crowd cheered.

Solace gripped Colette's arm as the crowd began to get restless.

"We need to go to work." Colette muttered.

"Let's go." Solace nodded. The two walked away as the peacekeepers began to calmly dismiss the crowd. No violence had to happen.

-8-

Colette was waiting around the entrance of her work for Solace to quit flirting with the receptionist so they could walk home together. When he finally got done and walked out, Colette rolled her eyes at the lipstick mark on his cheek.

"She loves me. She doesn't realize it yet, but we're going to get married and have two point five children." Solace said with a dopey grin.

Colette laughed softly. "As long as I'm invited to the wedding."

"Invited? Uh, my dear girl, you will be my best woman."

The two friends laughed and joked together as they neared Solace's home.

"I seriously thought Risa was going to fire him on the spot. She was so mad!" Colette laughed.

"Ah, but who could ever fire Rune? The man is an icon. I want to be like him when I grow up." Solace snickered.

"You know he's nearly ten years younger than you, right?" Colette grinned.

Solace flapped his hand. "Pish posh, dear Herminia."

Colette shushed him as she looked around. "Solace, you know we're not alone out here."

"I think you need to relax a little. No one lives on this street but me and some of the elderly survivors."

"No, Solace, I can't—"

"Just chill, doll face. No one would ever think you'd stay around here. Herminia Snow, under their noses the whole time? Inconceivable." Solace was getting louder and louder the more he talked. "Imagine the scandal."

"Solace!" Colette barked. "Enough."

Solace sighed. "Look, I know you want to be careful, but did you see that crowd? It was tiny. You're safe! No one can get to you."

Colette frowned. "That's what my father thought. Look where that got him."

"Yeah, but your dad was a psycho and had some terminal craziness."

Colette snorted. "Terminal craziness… I hope it doesn't run in the family." The two chuckled as they stopped in front of Solace's house.

"Take care, blue. I'll see you tomorrow at work. I don't go in until noon."

"Alright. Thanks for the pep talk, Sol." Colette hugged him.

"Anytime."

As Colette turned onto her street a few minutes later, she couldn't help but feel eyes on her. She casually looked around, but didn't see anyone. It was probably adrenaline from Solace's joking words. She sighed as she let herself into her darkened home.

After a small dinner, Colette sat in her favorite armchair, thinking about the day and conversations with Solace. She knew he was right… she couldn't do this on her own. She didn't have the funds, the time, or the technology. But that was another day's problem. She was tired and drained and needed a good bath and night's sleep.

Colette went to her bathroom and turned on the faucet for her tub. She felt the water as it was instantly her preferred temperature. Quickly shifting out of her work clothes, Colette stepped into her tub and sighed as the warm water soaked her skin. As she relaxed, she glanced down. Her right arm was scarred by a horrible, vicious, jagged line running from her shoulder to her inner curve at the bend. It was the greatest remaining reminder of her times in the Games. The others that littered her body were faint now, but they would never fade from memory. The scar on her arm was a gift from the only person she ever killed in the Games. The only one standing between her and surviving. The girl who was two years younger than her with a twin brother and three younger siblings. Several of them had also perished in the games following her year. But none of them lived now. Not after the second rebellion.

Looking at her left arm, she rubbed her wrist where a permanent mark stayed bold and vibrant. A three petaled rose was burned into her wrist the night before the Games started. A reminder from her father that no matter the outcome of the Game, she would always be his soldier. His pawn. His to use for his game.

She hated that brand. She hated it so much, she even tried to slice off that part of her wrist after the Games ended. Which was why her wrist also held a white scar at the base of the brand. One of her father's personal guards caught her and stopped her before she could cut too much.

The water turned cold and Colette realized she was falling asleep. She needed to go to bed so she wouldn't be a zombie at work the next day. They needed her sharp and alert.

-8-

The next day started much the same as any other day. Colette ate breakfast and got ready for another intense day at work, then began her trek.

But normal, calm things never lasted. Not for Panem and not for a Snow.

By lunchtime, Colette knew something was wrong. She'd had a feeling all morning that something was wrong and she just couldn't shake it. She decided she needed some air, so she took her small lunch outside to a small cubby on the side of her work building. Solace still hadn't come in to work, so she tried to convince herself he was sick and that was why she felt off about the day. But the noise coming from the square told her otherwise. She walked closer after setting her lunch aside. All she could hear was shouting with no distinct words. They grew louder and Colette realized they were heading right to her building. She scrambled for her things and raced inside.

Solace was sitting on the desk up front with the receptionist again.

"Solace!" Colette cried. He turned his grin to her, but when he saw her fear-stricken look, he quickly stood and rushed to her.

"What is it?" he asked urgently.

"They're coming for me." she whispered with wide eyes.

Solace licked his lips and grasped her arms. "Ok. Ok, let's go to Risa. She can help. She'll trust you."

"No, that would just put her in danger. Hell, I've already put you in danger!" she struggled in his grasp for a moment, trying to free herself so she could get away from him and keep him safe.

"Colette—"

"Let me go, Solace. Please. I want you to be safe." Her desperate plea was met with silence. But a moment was all she needed. While he was thinking, she was mustering up her training and strength. She quickly slid her foot out and shoved it behind his knee, knocking him off balance. She took his distraction and snatched her arms out of his grasp and knocked him to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I love you." She whispered before she turned and ran to the stairwell with an emergency exit.

She silently skirted around the building as she listened for the enraged crowd. She could see them. The man in purple was leading them still. They breeched the building with a sound of glass shattering. Colette waited a few minutes before glancing around again and dashing for the alleyway across the street. It would be a straight shot to the woods from there.

Just as she reached the entrance of the alley, a voice shouted from behind her.

"She's running!" and so began the chase.

Colette shot off like a rocket. Speed was something she was good at. She could do fast. But not for too long. Not with the little training she'd done in the last few months. But her life could depend on it, so she pushed her feet as far and as fast as they could go.

"AAH!" was heard above her and soon a heavy weight crashed into her. Colette was thrown to the ground and for one terrifying moment, she thought she was caught. But the jump from the attacker winded him more than her and she was able to recover faster than him.

But the few seconds delay wasn't enough for her escape. She struggled briefly to get off the ground and took off the moment she was mostly vertical. Colette made it a few feet further and paused to look behind her, but that was a fatal mistake. The second she hesitated, she felt a sharp impact on her back and a strong electrical current shot through her body, causing her to cry out in agony as her body seized to the ground.

She was motionless aside from the spasms of pain running through her body. The concrete beneath her face was rough, but it disappeared a moment later as strong hands wrenched her from the ground.

"We got her!" a voice screamed in her ear.

Colette could barely feel the movement around her as she was dragged through alleyways and into the courtyard. The crowd had hurried to follow her captor and soon she could feel stones and garbage being thrown at her and horrible things being shouted. Eventually, the man clutching her arms and dragging her around threw her into a stone pillar. It only took Colette a moment to realize that this was the very spot her father was killed by an equally irate mob. She was finally able to steady herself and stood straighter as the crowd formed a semi-circle around her. The leader in purple took up his spot on the crates near where Colette stood shaking.

"Panem, here is your justice! Here is your vengeance! Herminia Snow!" he bellowed. The crowd jeered and continued to through objects at her, many hitting their mark on her body. With every impact of garbage or rock, she was pushed back into the pillar.

"What should be her fate?" the leader called.

Voices shouted out in response, speaking over each other as they demanded recompence.

"Death!"

"Stone her!"

"Send her to the Arena!"

"Kill her!"

Many voices insisted she be killed and soon a chant went up to kill her. Colette could barely look into the crowd as she feebly shielded her face from debris.

"With this final death, Snow's terror will be ELIMINATED!" the leader screamed.

The crowd converged around Colette, ready to kill her once and for all. Collette looked at the crowd and saw Solace struggling to get through to no avail. He was shouting her name in a panic, but he was drowned out by the other voices. Colette shook her head at him. He didn't deserve to be killed by her side. He had done nothing wrong. His eyes showed his heartbreak for her, but he quickly sprinted out of the crowd and out of her view. Colette closed her eyes as she resigned herself to her fate, knowing he would be safe.

"Panem, here is your justice." The leader growled again. "Take it for yourselves."

The chaos exploded. The crowd closed in on her and began beating her in every spot they could. She cried out and screamed with every bone broken and piece of skin torn open. She could feel blood flow down her arms, her leg… she felt it stream down her head and into her eyes. Colette was forced to the ground as her broken leg gave out beneath her. This just opened her up for more injury. The crowd began kicking her and stepping on her limbs to restrain her.

Finally. Finally, after what felt like hours, the new order peacekeepers showed up. The crowd was slowly dispersed, one by one. Some lucky citizens were able to get in a few more kicks and hits, earning more cries from Colette. At last, the crowd was forced back to a safer distance and the leader had disappeared. Several peacekeepers stood in front of Colette while the rest held back the angry crowd. She panted and heaved as she laid on the ground, unable to move or even see through one of her eyes.

Many in the crowd ran away, unwilling to be arrested, while others were bound and placed in a custody van. Once there was a clear safety border, the peacekeepers came closer to Colette. One bent down and rested a hand on her shoulder, causing her to cry out in agony.

"Ma'am, we're going to get you out of here. I'm sorry, but it's going to be uncomfortable." The taller of the peacekeepers said as he knelt.

Colette whimpered slightly at the concept of being moved, but nodded ever so slightly. The peacekeeper gathered her up in his arms as gently as he could, but she still felt the fire burning through her entire being. The jostling of her body caused her to go in and out of consciousness and soon she couldn't stay awake as the pain knocked her out.

A.N. Please let me know what you think! Other stories in progress have not been abandoned.