Snow's Reign

Part 3

District Twelve was a solemn place; full of misery and desolate dreams. Hunger gripped tightly around the place with it's bony skeleton fingers. If you were fat or old normally you would be criticised or at least decently hidden into the cobwebs; but no, not here. Being fat meant you ate a lot and you would be congratulated for having so much food. Being old meant you survived all the mine explosions and peacekeeper beatings, you were lucky. Nothing really happened here apart from the Reaping.

 Reaping took place some days before the Hunger Games, an elimination "game" in which twenty-four children from the twelve districts battled it out to the death. The victor receives a house in the Victors Village in their district, safety from any Reaping (well almost any reaping) and a life hidden away from all the action.

 So far, District Twelve had only two victors and one was dead. The remaining live one was Haymitch Abernathy; he won the 50th Hunger Games, the second Quarter Quell. Quarter Quells happened every twenty-five years and they added something "special" to the Games. A twist, an unusual characteristic to the already dreadful Games.

 The 74th Hunger Games changed District Twelve. It began with the Reaping.

 "Primrose Everdeen!" The name of a twelve year old girl, her first reaping and her name was only in once. "I volunteer!" was the desperate cry of her older sister, Katniss Everdeen. The first volunteer of District Twelve stood alongside a baker boy, Peeta Mellark. For now, they were a team.

 Procedures of the Hunger Games allow the tributes (the name for the children offered up) to live a life of luxury for the short time they are in the Capitol. Treated like Kings and Queens and trained until they are presented to the Gamemakers, they are made to feel lucky or at least luckier. When they are presented to the Gamemakers they show their talents aiming to get the highest score possible (out of twelve). This was to get sponsors; sponsors allowed you to receive death preventing medicines, food, water.

 Katniss managed to score eleven, the highest score from the tributes. This marked her out as competition, the careers (District One, Two and Four (the wealthier districts)) had made her a target.

 During the Games, lives were lost, pacts made, pacts broken. As Peeta slowly died and Katniss managed to destroy the careers supplies, giving her a chance to win. When Katniss' friend died she felt broken. Until then, Katniss and Peeta were made out as "star-crossed lovers" and Haymitch consummately achieved in making the Head Gamemaker allow two people from the same district to win the Games. Katniss immediately thought of Peeta.

 Together they strived through the Games until they were the final two. When the Head Gamemaker announced only one person could win, Katniss persuaded Peeta to eat nightlock, a poisonous berry. This swayed the Head Gamemaker, forcing him to allow two victors. Unknowingly, he just signed his death warrant.

 Months past, Katniss and Peeta attended many celebrations for their victory; District Twelves first victory in twenty-four years and two victors at that.

 President Coriolanus Snow has been leader and ruler of Panem for at least twenty-five years. Although I shouldn't say this, it is unknown whether Snow gained power through democratic election.

 The 75th annual Hunger Games was approaching, a Quarter Quell. Another twist, another surprise to the unfortunate. All over Panem a message would be broadcasting to the people. All over Panem people would discover this year's twist. President Snow read it out.

 This year's Quarter Quell would consist as usual of twenty four tributes. However, the tributes are to be made up of existing Victors.

 Katniss was going back into the Hunger Games.

 Last year Katniss and Peeta made decisions that some people thought rebelling. To save their lives the they were forced to lie and proclaim their love to one another. Sooner or later they would have to marry.

 When it came to the night before the Games began, all tributes were interviewed. Peeta was once again put into the spotlight and so he lied once more. Unfortunately, he said to the whole of Panem that Katniss and Peeta were already married through a little ceremony of toasting bread together. He also said that Katniss was pregnant.

 This set off a lot of people because the two star crossed lovers wouldn't be able to have a child together. Unfortunately for the lovers, this could have started a larger rebellion. Therefore, in Snow's eyes, they were the fire-starters, untrustworthy.

 Now in much more danger than before, the lovers knew they would be so much happier and safer dying in the arena. However, the arena seems to want just that.

 Katniss and Peeta team up with Finnick Odair and Mags because Haymitch told Katniss to trust them. They had no other life line.

 They faced again perilous dangers, including toxic gases, mutated animals and small tsunamis to name a few. Close to death, they stuck together.

 After just two days in the arena, one of older, wiser tributes had figured out a plan to kill the majority of the careers. When the clock struck a bolt of lightning would hit a tall tree sending power to the end of a wire. The wire could wipe out anyone touching the water in the middle of the arena.

 Unfortunately, it went terribly wrong. Katniss didn't understand what was happening. Her part of the mission was to unwrap the wire to the lake. Another tribute (named Johanna) had knocked her and cut open a part of her arm. What Katniss didn't realise that Johanna was taking out Katniss' tracker. She was helping.

 Katniss desperately tried to find Peeta to warn him of what happened. She appeared too late and was hit by a sudden blast. The lightning had struck. Katniss was taken away.

 Later on Katniss realises she has been used in a plan as a rebel. Although furious, she is heart-stricken as she is told that her home, District 12, was ruthlessly destroyed.

 President Snow had ordered this to happen. He infiltrated the whole operation by luring the rebels into a trap. Using Peeta (who was left in the arena), he managed to lead the entire rebel army into a remote jungle outside Panem. He gave them false hope. Snow claimed he would allow the rebels to survive if they didn't stay in Panem. It was territory after all.

 Katniss had been on a mission to steal Panem's Particle Fusion Generator (the power source). It was a huge crystal with atoms and compounds invisibly bouncing from all matter in Panem. Blue in colour and only ten inches big, it seemed less powerful to anyone who saw it. It needed to be retrieved for the rebels to help themselves; they were dying and winter was coming.

 The rebels still hated the Capitol. They hated the Hunger Games. Why punish anyone like that for seventy-five years. Now they would have revenge.

 Katniss began the mission alone. She had been successful in retrieving the item but no one had heard from for weeks. Until now.

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Another really long one (sorry!). I don't know when they'll be a shorter one :/