A/N Hello fellow Fanfictioners! This fanfic takes place after the 74th Hunger Games, but the Capitol figures out a new way to control the spreading rebellion. Katniss tries to escape the clutches of the dark Capitol, but they have a firm grasp on her future. Will Katniss and Peeta find a way to ignite the sparks of rebellion, or will the dark twisted sadness of the Hunger Games loom over her forever? This is a Katniss/Peeta fanfic, but there may be some Katniss/Gale. But if you've read my other fanfic, you know I love Peeta. I'll generally write this fanfic in Katniss's POV, but for the first chapter I wanted Gale to have his opinion of the new rule. The chapter is a bit short, but I promise it will grow as I continue with this story.
~RadiantAsTheSun
Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Oh, how I wish I do though...
Gale
"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you- the tributes of District Twelve!" The frantic words of Claudius Templesmith reverberating in my mind. Katniss is finally coming back home to District 12, and a sliver of hope runs through me. My stomach churns from the anxiousness of getting to see Katniss, the reason making my face burn. Why did I have to fall in love with my hunting partner? Life would be much easier if I had kept my heart restricted in the boundaries of friendship. I see Katniss kissing that Mellark kid again, the love fully palpable in his eyes. But what confuses me most is that it's Katniss kissing him! Katniss, the girl who says she never wants to get married and have children because of the world we live in! And what does she do? Her and Mellark become the star-crossed lovers of District 12! The world is coming to an end. Either Katniss has lost her mind, or I never really knew my best friend. I'm thinking the latter.
The memory of Clove on top of Katniss flashes through my mind, and I'm just thankful Katniss is coming home. Even if she's in the arms of Mellark when she does. I remember the way Clove flushed with anger when Katniss had spit a mouthful of saliva and blood in her face and the way I could tell Katniss was going to stare her down when Clove was going to kill her. Pride had ran through me when Katniss escaped the feast. I still smile when I see Katniss staring blankly at the sound of the trumpets in the air, announcing her and Mellark are victors. She thought she was never going to survive through the brutality of the Hunger Games. But everything else in the Games was painful. Especially when Katniss was kissing Mellark in the darkness of the cave.
I twist the flask in my cold hands anxiously awaiting the arrival of Katniss. I should be getting home now, I already gathered today's usual haul from my trick snares. Today I have the day off from the mines because the victors of District 12 are coming home. I'm glad to get away from the claustrophobic tunnels, foul air, and suffocating darkness on all sides. I can never breathe in the coal mines because I only feel really alive in the fresh air of the woods. I rise from the tree stump I was lying on, my joints complaining from awakening from my thoughts. I trek through the flowing streams and growing grass silently, not making a sound. I make it to the fence that surrounds District 12 in good time. I listen for the hum of the electric current that sometimes charges the fence. It's as silent as stone. I wriggle under the opening under the fence easily through years of experience. The walk to my house in the Seam is loud with people milling about, talking excitedly. I get to my house in minutes to see my mother waving at me through the window. She smiles at me and disappears to meet me at the front door.
Mother welcomes me through the house, and takes my game bag away from me. She pours me a mug of herb tea which I wrap in my chilled fingers gratefully. I hear our old TV in the background, a Capitol reporter telling us how there's a change of plans for the arrival of victors in District 12. I look at my mother quizzically, wondering what the alterations are. I rise from the chair I was sitting on swiftly to enter the small family room where we keep our television. Rory and Vick are staring at the TV, a confused expression noticeable in their eyes. Posy hugs me when I enter the room, her smile warming me up. I kiss her on the cheek while she squeals, the joyfulness of childhood in her laugh. I sit on the creaky couch with Rory and Vick, the announcement going to brought up soon. My mother enters the room nervously, wondering what's going on. A lady with bright purple hair that sticks out on all sides with a neon green dress is brought up on the screen. Her Capitol accent is comical, but she has a serious expression her face that keeps me from laughing.
"Hello Districts of Panem! My name is Sylvia, and I am hear to address an important announcement that President Snow recently added. President Snow decrees that all the left over victors of the Hunger Games are to be sent to the Capitol and live here in luxury! How wonderful it will be to have the all the victors live in the Capitol in splendor! You all have something to look forward to if you are reaped for the 75th Hunger Games, that will be coming up before you know it. The Victory Tour for the victors of District 12, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, are still scheduled of course, but instead of going back to District 12 to live in the Victor's Village, they will be staying here in the Capitol!" The screen fades to black as my mother switches it off. She looks at me sadly, a concerned expression on her face. I turn away from my family, and sprint out of the small house in the Seam towards my freedom. I squirm under the silence fence, and enter the woods once again. How could this happen to me? Why is the Capitol bent on ripping apart my future?
"I HATE THE CAPITOL! THE CAPITOL IS CRUEL AND VICIOUS, BUT THEY CAN'T DO THIS! THEY CAN'T RUIN MY LIFE ALL THE TIME!" I scream at the woods, my whole body shaking with white hot fury. It's the Capitol's fault that Katniss isn't here with me, trying to calm me down. What guile plans do the Capitol have now? What other plans do they have that will affect my future forever?
I soothe myself by stroking the rough bark of the pine tree I was screaming at. I face the fact that I'm never going to see Katniss again. I'll never see the smile that lights up across her face when we're hunting together in the woods. I'll never smell the flowery fragrance of her hair when we lie side by side in the sun. I'll never know the taste of her lips. All because of the Capitol.
I stay in the dark forest until the moon rises in the sky, the gloominess of twilight fading away into the black of the night. I gaze across the stars, the smile of Katniss Everdeen ingrained in my mind. I will hold onto the memory of her forever, willing myself never to forget the girl I love.
Katniss
I arise from the warm bed covers groggily, the sweet tendrils of sleep still hooked on me. I rub my tired eyes slowly, wondering why the texture of my bed is slightly different than I had remembered. That was my first inkling something wrong was going on. My eyes stare widely at the ceiling, realizing it's not the ceiling of my room in the Training Center on the twelfth floor. The smell of the dark room is muskier and doesn't set with me very well. I rush out of the bed swiftly now, my thoughts much clearer. I run to the blood red drapes of my room, and unclasp the hooks to release the holds. The window has a large view of the Capitol, the ruling city of Panem. The tall skyscrapers glisten in the morning sunlight in a rainbow of hues, the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and crazy alterations wander the wide paved city streets. I step away from the window, angry about the meaning of all this. Why am I still here in this artificial Capitol? Aren't I supposed to be on the next train out of here to District 12 with Peeta... oh no. Peeta.
He doesn't know I was acting to be in love with him. Haymitch had said he was already there when I asked him why he didn't tell Peeta how the Capitol is mad at me for making them a laughing stock. But what does "he's already there" possibly mean? Could he really be in love with me?
The danger of my current situation awakes me from my drifting thoughts. Where am I? The last thing I remember is being whisked away in a car with blackened windows meant to take Peeta and I away to District 12. Where is Peeta? I scrutinize the room carefully for a hidden door to mark my escape, but instead I hear a small whispering sound. I gaze towards the bed, wondering what or who is making that noise. I glide towards the huge bed, my curiosity growing each second. I lift the fuzzy blanket to find the person who has been haunting me the moment he gave me the bread in the rain. Peeta.
His ashy blond hair curls around his fair skinned face, his lips turned in a smile. He looks much younger in his sleep, the gruesome memories of the Games not stalking his every thought. I listen a bit closely to his soft whispers to find out he's whispering Katniss. I back away slowly, horrified by the thought of him sleeping next to me in my bed and whispering my name. He may be in love with me, but this is inappropriate. But what if it's not his fault. After all this isn't your room, I argue with myself.
I shake him awake gently at first, but than I start to turn frantic after he doesn't move. What if whoever took us drugged Peeta, and made sure he stays asleep, driving me insane. But Peeta's blue eyes gaze at me with a confused expression.
"Where are we?" He yawns, stretching his arms out. He hits the jackpot with his question. Where are we?
"I don't know. But I don't have a good feeling," I say while my stomach churns at the thought. I look down at my fleece pajamas that I had put on the night before and then at Peeta's bare chest. I realize he only has his boxers on one second to late, because Peeta looks up at me teasingly. But there's nothing funny about this situation. Something is really wrong here, and I must figure out what it is.
"Peeta, I'm serious. Something wrong is going on here. Let's go," I say, starting to search the room for a door. A tall oak door stands at the darkest corner of the room, where I rush over hurriedly. I fumble with the knob, my hands suddenly slick with sweat. Peeta hobbles over, still unsure about his prosthetic leg. He doesn't have his metal cane with him anymore, making simple things like walking difficult for him. I lead him through the doorway with my hand as we escape the gloomy hallway for the stairs. We trudge down the small stairs, every step a new obstacle for Peeta. I'm patient with him, when we enter a large but surprisingly welcoming kitchen. The countertops are sleek, but are packed with endless kitchen supplies. I can tell by the way Peeta's eyes light up that he's thrilled.
I lead him away from the kitchen to enter a huge study filled with shelves of books and a mahogany desk. Peeta sweeps me away from the room to lead us toward the living room where we both hear the buzz of television. We walk in to the living room the see Haymitch laying on the couch, a bottle of liquor in his jittery hands. He grins at the pair of us together, the liquor making him incoherent. I glare at him angrily, as if I'm blaming him for our weird abducting from the Training Center.
"We have a small change of plans. We're not going back to District 12," Haymitch says, the harsh reality crushing my hopes. I will never see my home of District 12 again.
A/N How would you feel if a half naked Peeta was sleeping next to you, whispering your name in his sleep? Tell me all about it in a very appreciated review...