Once Upon A Dream

Chapter 1: Katniss

"Jay! Where are you?" I hear Aunt Flora call up to my room.

"Coming Aunt Flora," I say. I look in the mirror and quickly braid my chocolate colored hair before rushing down the stairs. All three of them are standing in the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"We need you to go out to pick some berries. We're gonna have you learn how to bake a pie," Fauna says excitedly.

"Are you sure about that? Last time you had me cook, I almost burned the cottage down," I say.

"Yes we're sure, now go out and pick lots and lots of berries so each of us can make a pie," Meriweather says. All three of them share shooing me out and I slip on my boots and jacket and grab the basket before leaving.

"And don't be home before lunch," Flora says shutting the door. I keep walking until I get to a hollow tree. I reach in and fish out my bow and arrows out. My aunts hate when I use them. They say its not last like. But they don't complain to much when there is fresh meat on the table. Besides, its mostly for protection. There are a lot of strange creatures out here.

I get to the berry patch and begin picking berries. As I do, I see a lynx slip into the meadow. I smile and kneel down as he comes up to me and purrs, rubbing against my legs.

"Hey Gale," I say petting him."How's my little hunting partner?" He lets out a little growl, but its not really aggressive. "I dreamed of him again last night. He took me away from that musty old cottage a danced with me in the woods. It was magnificent."

Gale suddenly gets up and scampers away. I watch him and shrug. He's a wild animal, not exactly a house pet. I pick berries until my fingers get sore and I sit down on a log. Eventually birds start to flutter into the tree above me. I look up and watch as they hop from limb to limb. After studying them for a moment I realize they're Mockingjays, the bird I was named after.

Mockingjays are interesting birds. They weren't meant to exist. When King and Queen Everdeen were married, The vengeful fairy Maleficent sent out birds called Jabberjays, to the castle gardens to record messages and help her find the king and queen' weakness. This was easily figured out but the guardsmen and the birds were sent back with lies. Maleficent became angry, and sent banished them to the Enchanted Forest, where since they were exclusively male, they would die and fail to reproduce.

But they didn't. They mated with female mockingbirds and created the Mockingjay. And while they can no longer relay messages, they relay melodies with outstanding accuracy. I laugh and whistle a little tune a listen to the melody they create as it over laps in the warbles.

Suddenly I hear a rustle in the bushes and look over to see Gale. He leaps up on the log beside me and sets something in my lap. I pick it up to find its a red hunter's hat.

"Well what did you find?" I say putting the hat on my head before taking it off and setting it on Gale's head. "Well look at you. You look just like my prince. You know I really shouldn't talk to strangers. But you aren't really a stranger. We've met before." I pick Gale up and start dancing around the tree. And then I start singing.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

But if I know you, I know what you do
You love me at once
The way you did once upon a dream

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once,"

All of a sudden I feel warm hands on my arms causing me to drop Gale and he runs off and I hear the sweet melodic voice of a man sing

"the way you did once upon a dream"