Kingdom Come

A/N: I'm a terrible person. I admit it. I haven't posted in like a month or more, and I have no excuse. I've been busy, of course... but not too busy that I couldn't write more than a lousy chapter. I motivated myself several times, but never past a couple words before I moved onto another story. And I'm so sorry for that. The only plus would be the experience I gained through my writing. I studied several types of writing and learned more about what I am good at and what I am not. I improved, but for some reason I find this story to be my worst work, and perhaps that is why I have delayed this chapter so long. Whatever the reason, I am terribly sorry and however much I promise a new chapter soon you will know by know I tend not to be very good at keeping promises... so, um, here's the chapter. Again, I'm sorry for the delay.

Disclaimer: I own a Hunger Games shirt, and a cheap replica Mockingjay pin. Erm... that's about it. Darn.

Days passed before anything of even meager interest occurred in the prison Katniss was confined to. Every day she would receive her small portion of food and her short escort to the filthy bathroom. Even between those trips she saw nothing, just rows of sad, empty cells.

Once she took a good look at herself in the cracked and dirtied bathroom mirror, as she rinsed her hands, savoring the little sanitation she received there. Her face and skin were dirty, having it been several days since her weekly shower, and her greasy, tangled hair was matted to her head in an unpleasant way. She had already lost weight since arriving, and her ribs stuck out more than she expected. Katniss turned so she faced profile and ran a hand over them, and grimaced. She was not in good shape. The lack of food had done its damage on her body.

Then the guard called and she was back to being stuck by herself once more, left to wallow in her memories and mental images of her deteriorating condition, and she wondered just how long she could last before it became too much.

A few days later, she heard the familiar sound of footsteps traveling down the rows, coming nearer to her. Soon enough, the jingling of keys and the click of the lock signaled her to stand. The door slid open, and there stood Seneca Crane, one of her guards, and she almost smiled, but it would hurt her dry cheeks to do so anymore.

"Miss. Everdeen," Seneca greeted in acknowledgement, and when he nodded his head with his hands behind his back, dressed in his blue uniform, it reminded Katniss of some sort of bellhop. Only he was not here to make her stay pleasurable.

"Seneca," she said back, and brushed off her pants. "How nice to see you."

Of course, her tone was obviously sarcastic, but carried a bit of truth behind it. Out of everyone she had encountered in her stay, he was by far the most human. He addressed her with a sort of respect and calmness, unlike the others, who treated her like a piece of trash or barely bothered to acknowledge her at all.

"Are you ready?" he asked, ignoring her words. She shrugged, and took a few steps forward.

"I guess so."

He nodded and turned on his heel, leading the way as Katniss followed, not bothering to keep a very close eye on the girl behind him. On her first trip to Cato's quarters, (she had been guided with a blindfold,) she had asked him why they didn't assume she was going to make a break for it with such little to restrict her, and Cato just shrugged, leaning back into his large chair and giving her a small smile.

"Well, Katniss. This prison is a maze of twists and turns. Even if you did manage to slip away soon you would become lost. And there's always the fact that even the in the virtually impossible idea that you do manage to escape, we could have somebody at your apartment much faster than you ever could."

A shiver rippled up Katniss's spine at the thought of him. He was a ridiculous man, assuming she would drop everything for him without a fight. She believed he had assumed that would be the case after the first few meetings, due in part to his constantly smug smile and relaxed body language. But a few more meetings and she realized he was becoming more impatient, and in turn increasingly tenser. Who knew how an angered psychopath would act? It was only a matter of time before they came to that point, Katniss guessed.

They rounded the final corner and she saw the familiar, worn door of the bathroom, the only thing breaking the pattern of cells she had become accustomed to. She gave Seneca a nod and walked in.

After finishing her business, Katniss washed her hands thoroughly, taking another look at her skinny body and face with a grimace before walking out the door. She expected to see Seneca exactly where she had left him, tapping his foot and facing the door. However, he wasn't there.

For a second, she thought maybe this was a test, to see if she would run, but when she heard the sounds of loud voices she realized this was impromptu and there was something going on. Her instinct was to go towards the commotion, but she hesitated. She didn't know what lay before, after all, and she wasn't one to jump headfirst into things. But Katniss decided to go anyway, and followed the deserted hallway and echo of voices.

When she finally arrived at the source, she was incredibly surprised to see Seneca and another guard whom she didn't recognize struggling with a small girl, looking to be about the same age as her. They each had a hold on one arm as she kicked and jolted in front of an open cell. She was whimpering and Katniss knew that what they were doing probably hurt. That was enough to jolt Katniss from her confusion.

"Seneca? What's going on?" Katniss called out, and all three halted, looking up to state at her. She really shouldn't have said anything. She had no authority, and they might see it as forgetting her place. And that would be bad. Verybad.

Too late.

"Are you Everdeen?" the bigger, unfamiliar man grunted in an irritated, yet intrigued tone. Katniss nodded slowly, swallowing involuntarily.

He gave her a glare. "Then what the hell do you think you're doing here? Shouldn't you be in your cell?"

She looked at Seneca hesitantly. She did not want to rat him out, however she also didn't want to face the large, muscular man who could probably easily break her neck if prompted to. He stared back at her, stone faced but a bit of fear in his eyes. That was when it hit Katniss.

He was afraid. That was why he treated her so fairly. The guard did not seem to work whole-heartedly, and although she had no real evidence to suggest this, but Katniss guessed he most likely had a family waiting at home, who he had been forced to leave after they were threatened by none other than Cato.

Son of a bitch.

"I had to use the restroom," she said slowly, hoping her voice didn't sound shaky or fearful. "And when I was being escorted back, I heard noises and broke away to come investigate. I haven't heard human noises other than the guards and Cato since I arrived."

The young girl caught her attention. She stared at Katniss with intense green eyes, her ratty hair plastered with sweat to her forehead and cheeks. Her eyes were filled with hope, as if maybe she expected a herd of rescuers to flood in behind Katniss, wielding weapons while they made the guards let go and set them both free.

Katniss jolted when she heard the man's voice again, and she flitted her gaze back to him, trying to forget the hope, because she was quite positive soon it would be ripped from her as well.

"Where is your escort, then? Surely they can explain?" Katniss tried to think up a lie, but she was on short notice and really she hadn't been a good fibber in the first place.

"I believe he probably went to alert close guards," she said quietly. "Maybe he knew of the newcomer and wasn't too concerned. They're convinced I am too dumb to find my way out anyway."

She could tell by the way the guard gave her a look that she hadn't exactly won him over. But he had a resisting prisinor who had fought for God knows how long and he didn't seem eager to start one with another. He just nodded, and thrust his chin towards Seneca.

"Take her back to her cell. Alert the guards she has been located, and she is also restrained. We don't need word of this reaching the boss."

Katniss thought she detected nervousness in the eyes of the large man, but if it was ever even there it was gone in a heartbeat as he became one hundred percent surly once more.

She took a step forward, the chipped stone floor cold on her bare feet. She shivered but attempted not to show it. "Wait just a second. I can't just leave the only other prisoner in this damn place that I have knowledge of. Just let me talk to her."

The bigger man was baffled. "What are you talking about? You are a prisoner, and you do not get to try and negotiate with your guards." his face was becoming angry, cheeks flushing a light red.

Katniss stared at him, tempted to take a step back but determined not to. "Think about it. You are the only person in a massive maze of cells and the same dirty walkways. You haven't seen sunlight in weeks, and you are alone with your thoughts despite the many guards watching you. You finally see a sign if other life, and yet you can't talk to them. How would you feel?"

He growled deep in his throat and leaned towards her, his face getting too close for comfort. "I'd keep my trap shut is what I'd do. Now be a good bitch and follow orders unless you want us to force you."

Katniss shot a look at Seneca, who was looking at the floor, his hand still gripping the other girl's scrawny upper arm. She scowled. He couldn't even look her in the eye. Coward.

But a part of her was screaming at her that it wasn't his fault. She pushed that voice away.

"I'd like to talk to Cato," she said suddenly. It was a long shot, but perhaps he could see it her way. If he gave her some leeway, maybe he would believe she would more seriously consider his... /kind/ offer.

The guard didn't take the bait. "Nonsense. You've already met with him this week. Seneca, take the girl back to her cell. I can handle this one," he added when he saw the other man's eyes drift down to the jittery girl. He nodded with the slightest hesitation and walked towards Katniss, putting his hand on her upper back and gently pushing her away.

Katniss resisted, staring deep into the eyes of the girl. She shivered when she saw the desperation there. This girl would not have the opportunity to leave for a very long time, that much was obvious. She had no hope left, not after she knew Katniss was not there to save her.

"Miss. Everdeen," Seneca growled low in his throat, a quiet signal of warning and Katniss broke eye contact, grudgingly allowing the man to lead her away from the scene. The guard stared after them as he started to wrestle a less resistant girl into the dark cell. The two turned the corner and Katniss could hear the door finally slide shut.

She stayed silent the short trip back to her cell, and when she was safely behind bars once more she heard Seneca utter the most words she had heard from him during their short time of knowing each other.

"Are you insane?" he hissed, and Katniss was taken aback. She wrapped her hands around two separate bars and put her face between the spaces, like she had seen plenty of film prisoners do. It squished her cheeks and made her head ache, but she kept it there.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she replied, a small bit of long-absent spark lighting. It felt pretty darn good, Katniss decided.

The man, however, glared at her and she wondered if he had even noticed her small but refreshing achievement. "You don't fight with guards, unless you have some sort of death wish. You should know that!"

"I don't have a death wish! I haven't seen an outsider's face in weeks! How did you think I would react?" she shot back, her voice raising an octave.

Seneca grabbed the bars just above the spots her hands rested and she flinched them down an inch as he leaned closer to her. "Smartly. Obediently. I don't know, Katniss. What if Dawson decides to inform the others of this incident? What could happen then?"

Katniss knew by the way the guard apparently named Dawson looked around involuntarily at the mention of Cato that he wouldn't be letting word of the incident out anytime soon. Still, images of a bleeding and unconscious Prim or Peeta flashed in the back of Katniss's mind, and she shuddered before realizing Seneca had used her first name, for the first time since she had arrived.

"Are there others?" she asked him suddenly, and he just gave her a confused look. "Others that care, I mean?"

He gave her a weird look, and then shook his head. "There are many of us. Plenty care about something."

"No," Katniss growled, becoming frustrated. "That care about me, and anyone else that may be trapped here. Does anyone else care that there are innocent people in danger? Or is it just you?"

Seneca stared at her for a long moment, before sighing. "Most of us do, I think. A lot of us are here due to debts owed to Cato, or we really need the money. Very few did it for the pure sake of enjoyment and loyalty. It's difficult to explain... but don't think that none of us care. We do. And I hope you hold onto that."

His words sounded a bit haunting, but Katniss found solace in the comfort there. She nodded slowly, giving Seneca a small, almost lifeless smile. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

He gave her a sad smile right back. "I hope it does. Have a good evening, Miss. Everdeen, and please remember to behave if there is ever another sticky situation as the one we were in today."

The words, though light and airy as if chastising a small child, held dark and heavy warning, one that held a situation of life or death. He turned to leave, letting the words hang in the air, but Katniss reached out as if to catch him, wondering one last thing before he went on his way.

"Seneca? What is her name?"

The look on his face when he turned around let Katniss know he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Miss. Everdeen..."

"Please," she cut him off. "Please, just tell me."

He hesitated, looking down both sides of the hallway, before quickly speaking her name in a quiet whisper before turning and becoming one with the shadows as he ventured away.

She spoke the name out loud, letting it roll off her tongue in a way that made her warm inside. For some reason, it gave her hope, that she didn't have to be stuck in this hell alone. And she may have been selfish for thinking that but at the moment she hadn't cared.

"Annie Cresta," she whispered once more into the silent air with a small smile, before turning around to spend the rest of the evening by herself.

"You want what?" Cato spun slightly in his plush chair to face Katniss, eyes narrowing in suspicion and perhaps a little anger.

Katniss didn't flinch. She tilted her chin slightly, and looked the blonde boy straight in the eye. "I want to see Annie Cresta," she repeated once more, matching his scowl with her own. "Must I repeat myself?"

He glared at her so fiercely it would have made any other woman shake with fear, but Katniss was on a mission and hope won out over her frightened feelings. "You should really watch what you say, Katniss. You may think so, but you have absolutely no authority here, although Mr. Crane may be wrapped around your little finger."

She felt a cold feeling go through her, and resulted to looking slightly past him at the navy wallpaper instead of directly at Cato. She said nothing, just waited.

"And why, do you presume, do you believe I should allow you to meet with this prisoner? For one, she's mentally insane, and two, you were not supposed to ever find out of her arrival."

His speaking was so sophisticated she wondered if he was an old man in disguise. But then she shivered, kicking away that thought when she pictured an old-looking Cato, down on one knee asking for her hand in marriage while his fake teeth creaked and shifted in his mouth.

"I just want to talk. I'll agree to be monitored, advised, anything. I just want to see her," she said firmly, leaning forward in her tough wooden chair. Cato raised one eyebrow at her, and she just stared at him.

"Annie Cresta is the wife of a man who has caused me much stress in the past. While we are currently looking for him, she refuses to say anything," he said slowly, and Katniss got the feel she knew where this was going.

"Perhaps if she had a different type of encouragement she would squeal. If you'd agree to help us in our interrogation, I believe a short meeting may be able to be arranged, all in good while you remember your own choice." Cato folded his hands over his desk, staring at her expectantly. She felt like a small child again, facing the principal as he questioned her of why she had stolen Aaron's cookies, or why she felt the need to push Suzie over on the playground.

But this was a bigger question. Be able to meet the newest addition to the prison family and possibly have to betray her trust later, or stay out of it and live her cramped life in her prison cell.

However selfish it was, the option was clear to Katniss.

"I agree," she said. "And I will not forget your offer, and I thank your for your... flexibility."

Cato nodded his acknowledgement, and then sighed, staring her up and down. "I suppose this means you have not changed your mind?"

When she shook her head no, he sighed once more. "Katniss, I will not wait forever. Soon enough I will start having to remind you of what can and will happen."

She didn't need reminding of what that meant, and when he called for the guards she excused herself without another word. But when she looked back, he was idly playing with a small trinket on his desk.

'Cato is a very lonely man,' she thought as Seneca lead her away.

A few days later, two sets of footsteps approached her cell, and Katniss knew her desire had been met. She couldn't help but give a small grin of achievement. So maybe she was still a bit persuasive.

"Hello, guards," she greeted with a hint of mocking as they came into the light. To her surprise, Seneca stood before her, along with another woman with dark brown hair and a rigid stance that she didn't recognize.

"So this is the brainless one, huh?" the woman grunted to Seneca, who looked her up and down and gave a nod. She smirked, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, well, my brainless friend. We have been called to escort you to the cell of Annie Cresta. There will be no outrageous behavior, like you seem to exhibit. Do you understand me?"

Katniss shot a glare at the other guard, who looked her right in the eye with a hint of amusement in his light eyes. He had told her he wouldn't tell anyone. But then again, there was something about the female guard that Katniss seemed to trust. She seemed almost teasing in her words, as if they were talking normally and not with prison bars between them.

"I understand," she replied, and got up to walk over to the bars. As Seneca fumbled with the keys, the woman gave her a nod.

"I'm Johanna Mason, another guard here. Address me as such, as I find the idea of you calling me by my surname absolutely ridiculous."

Yep. There was something different about her.

Katniss was escorted on both sides by the guards, who like the others, didn't seem to pay her possible chance of escape any attention. They walked leisurely and soon Katniss recognized the hallway and knew they were close.

She didn't expect Johanna to roughly grab her arm and pull her back into the shadows of a cell.

"What the-"

A hand clamped across her lips, silencing her imminent yell of protest. The nails were sharp, Katniss thought as she winced, and probably left a mark.

"Be quiet!" Johanna hissed in her ear, as her grip became tighter across her face. "Stop fidgeting! I'm not going to hurt you."

Katniss forced herself to still, looking out of the cell where she saw Seneca, looked absentminded as he leaned against the wall. So he knew something was going on.

Johanna turned her around with such force it almost made her dizzy. "You only have so much time," she said quickly. "I know what he wants you to do. I know you're smart, Katniss. Everything is not what it seems. Remember that when you engage with Annie Cresta."

She leaned slowly from Katniss's ear. The brunette stared at Johanna with a mix of fear and curiosity in her gray eyes. Johanna suddenly leaned forward and placing both hands square on Katniss's shoulders, pushed her hard up against the stone cold wall. Katniss stumbled to the floor, shock preventing her from making a noise until anger and irritation bubbled up into her.

"What was that for?" she protested, pushing herself up. Johanna glared at her, warning her with her eyes.

"Pretend," she hissed. "Do you want him to figure it out? Pretend I'm hurting you, brainless!"

Katniss, although still angry, emitted a few groans as Johanna kicked the wall and banged on the bars as if they were Katniss herself. Watching the force packed into each blow, Katniss reminded herself not to get into the way of Johanna Mason. Ever.

Eventually Johanna pulled Katniss out into the hallway once more, and she pretended to stumble and grunt with pain and Johanna loudly explained to Seneca that Katniss had been getting on her nerves with her complaining and stubbornness. Without a word they continued on, until they could hear the sounds of soft breathing from a cell near them.

When Katniss took a glance at Johanna, she just scowled and shook her head. "Well?" she asked in a gruff tone. "Go on. It's unlocked."

So Katniss turned back to the cell, and as she opened the door slowly, small beams of light raked across the face of a small, frail woman trembling in fear before her. Her clothes were tatters, the cloth ripped to shreds at the edges. Her face was smudged with dirt along with the skin uncovered by the saggy clothes. But as she looked into her eyes, she saw something different. Something intelligent, unique.

Yes, everything is not what it seems, Katniss decided. And Annie Cresta falls into that category.

Love? Hate? Eh? Tell me in a review!

Even though I don't deserve it... PLEASE review. It would make my Thanksgiving. Please? I'd appreciate it, thanks. :) Well, my friends, (although you hate me), I bid you farewell, and please don't explode from overstuffing yourself tomorrow. Ha! Get it? Overstuffing... eh, nevermind.

~Pie