Hey guys. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated since.. October? Goodness, that would be my newest low. So, since it's been a while, I'll bring you all back up to where we left off.

Cato, Katniss, and Prim are trying to find this Rebellion and they have run away from civilization and into the forest in hopes they can run away from where they're being persecuted. It's night and Cato has his arm wrapped around Katniss, staying up while her and Prim sleep.

I hope that explains everything for you guys. If not, just read the last couple chapters. Or even reread the entire fanfiction!

Thank you to the people who gave me the motivation to continue. I have a vision for where this will go!

Carry on!

Thom's POV

Katniss ran away yesterday. And today, I'm requested to speak with Snow. I've prepared myself to die; to give myself in hopes people will find their hope. That's the reason why I was here in the first place; to get to a high position and then destroy part of their foundation. That was my goal, and I fulfilled it.

As I walk to his quarters in the Castle, I see two guards standing at the door. Both recognize me and let me in, even though we all know where Snow's "talk" with me will go.

The men open the doors, and I'm welcomed with the familiar snake eyes that I've worked for, for so long. And they're unwelcoming.

He knows.

"Come in, Soldier. We need to have a talk," he says, his voice laced with venom. And I notice through the window that something is being built. Before I sit down, I get a full view.

A Hanging Post.

"From my understanding, you were guarding fugitive Everdeen's cell. Am I correct?" he says.

"Yes sir," I reply evenly.

"It's your majesty, to you Soldier," he spits. Visibly regaining his composition, the King rolls his shoulders back and fixes his crown atop his head. His white hair is balding and he reeks of roses. Then he takes a big breath and looks me in the eye, his eyes swirling with anger.

"Yes your Majesty," I say in the same tone as before. I hate the words on my tongue, but I have to do this for the people. I have to play my part up until my death, which seems to be coming upon me very quickly.

"Soldier, I do not like my prisoners getting away. Do you realize how much harm she could cause to my kingdom?" he asks.

I shake my head. I want him to talk more so it can buy me time to live. More so, it will buy Katniss time to get away. They'll be sending groups in every direction to capture her and put her death, so if I buy her as much time as I can, the Rebellion may live longer.

"She could give them the idea that they can be something. The children? They may think that they can be more than a common peasant." He pauses. "She could put in their minds that they're worth something."

"But sir," I begin, "what harm could come from that?" He chuckles darkly, and shoots me a venomous look. He sees her as this huge threat; as someone who can overthrow him. Which she very well could, if she had an army as large as his. The rebellion's population is roughly half of Snow's, some from the main Village and some from villages far away on the outskirts of the kingdom. All were widely oppressed, although the people from the outskirts got away with much more. The rebellion formed outside of the kingdom so no loyal soldier of Snow's would stumble across it.

"A war would rage on. Everdeen has fire in her that would set the entire kingdom ablaze. With that fire, people would think they amount to something and think they can overthrow me," he growls. Standing up from his chair, he gets up and walks towards the window in which I saw the post being built. His eyebrows furrow and a harsh scowl appears on his face, but only for a second. Turning on his heel, Snow retrieves two goblets filled with red wine. Or at least what looks like red wine. The closer Snow gets, a putrid smell invades my nasal passage and I cringe. It's definitely not red wine.

"I like to think of myself as a highly adored man in a kingdom full of old criminals and their concubines; people below my feet that I sadly have to rule over," he says offensively. "From my look, I would never allow such people to think they're much more than they really are. In my eyes, Katniss Everdeen is nothing more than a maiden with dangerous ambitions and a dirty body. She needs to be stopped." Glancing up, he sits down carefully in his chair decorated with jewels and gold. Such a beautiful throne for such an ugly creature. "You, my unfaifthful soldier, failed to stop her."

He definitely knows. And he's going to kill me, then go after Katniss.

I decide to defend myself.

"Sir, she got out on her own. She attacked the other soldiers and I had tried to keep her contained, but she was far too fast for my own feet," I lie. This might save me time. "I had tried running after her, believe me. But with the wounded soldiers, I had decided to tend to them instead since I could not physically catch her."

"Soldier, the maids that had tended to the men had reported them to be abandoned. How had you attempted to tend to them?" He clearly doesn't believe my plea, but I try to keep it going.

"I had gone back to my duties, your majesty, so no other prisoners could escape."

"And I have one question for you, soldier," he digs. "How did Mrs. Everdeen escape?"

He holds me in a stand still. I don't know how to answer this easily off the top of my head, and I know I've been defeated. I'd never admit it to Snow, but he's won for now. Katniss will need to start running by now. Taking a breath, I look to the wall and shake my head.

"I don't know, your majesty," I say defeatedly.

"Oh," he begins, "but I think you do Thomas." With a dark chuckle, Snow rings a copper bell and four foot soldiers barge through the doors. Roughly taking me by my arms, I begin to fight them. Since Snow knows of my acts of treason, there's no point in me hiding the fact that I work for the Rebellion. The men hold me to my chair and Snow holds the goblet to my lips. "Now," he presses, "where is the location of the Rebellion?" His snake eyes dig holes into mine as he presses the metal closer to my head. Shaking my head, I keep my lips pressed tightly together and my eyes forward. I don't want him to think that the Rebellion is weak; I am representing them at the moment, and it would be wonderful for Snow to feel threatened.

Without my reply, the soldiers from behind me force open my lips. Before they force the liquid down my throat, I get a whiff of the content inside: blood. They're going to force blood down my throat.

Forcing my jaw open, Snow tips the goblet and down it goes. It's thick and still warm, and I gag at the metallic taste. This must'nt be pigs blood; Snow is not that merciful. It has to be human blood for sure, which brings me to gag even more.

My air passage is blocked from not wanting to down the liquid and I can see black spots covering my vision. Without a second thought, I relax the muscles in my throat and it goes down with a disgusting aftertaste. I feel horrified at the situation, whereas Snow is clearly enjoying it.

"Drink up," he says with a smirk as he pours the blood down my throat once more.

Katniss' POV

We trudge on. The Rebellion is farther away, kept in the security of the trees. Some say it was forgotten when Snow's reign grew powerful. Some say it grew stronger because Snow tightened the reigns. All I know is to look for something out of place. In the woods, everything is dense and dark. The leaves above allow some rays of pure sunshine to come through, yet most of the light is filtered. That means shadows are cast and some areas are almost impossible to see clearly. The farther in you go, the darker everything gets. And the more dangerous it gets.

Cato is giving Prim a piggyback while I walk behind them, keeping guard with my bow. My eyes flit this way and that, and this tingling feeling shoots up my spine every time we pass a dark area. After a while, I start to get used to my surroundings, but the feeling refuses to cease.

As a child, my father would take me into the woods and hunt. But the areas we would hunt in were nothing like where we're currently at. My father would stick to light areas with mild foliage. The animals were much more easily spotted and everything was clearly visible. He'd also warn me to never go into these areas. Many times, he'd tell me that bands of thieves would make a home in these woods, and torture any passerby who had the courage to stumble upon their camps. Even though I was a young child, I had been the oldest and was supposed to be the one to watch over Prim and my mother if he were ever to pass; which he did, in fact, in a mine explosion up the mountain. That had been the days when people used coal instead of wood to burn fires, but ever since the accident, no one dared to go back up the the mountain. Thankfully, with the bow and arrow, we have some means of protection.

Through the thick foliage, I can see the eyes of animals lurking in the undergrowth and in the branches of the oaks. Their yellow eyes glow once the light from above catches them, and I make sure to not make eye contact. I can't see much of what kind of animal they are, so playing it safe would be the wisest choice. Prim looks around in awe and looks slightly intimidated by our surrounding. She's never been out of the village before, and the farthest she has been there had been the flower stand. This being, the woods is a new planet for her.

Cato carries her with ease, his muscles easily defined from holding her. Prim is roughly a hundred pounds or less, which is an easy load for Cato. His broad back is to me, although I can see every muscle through his thin shirt. His blonde hair shimmers when little amounts of sunshine make contact with it. His porcelain skin is slightly dirty from sleeping on the forest floor, and his clothes are wrinkled. But he still looks perfect, to me at least. After making up with him, we seem to have a comfortable silence hanging in the air. I don't mind the least bit, especially if there's more talking when Prim's asleep.

The farther we venture into the woods, the more ominous it becomes. Every sound from the animals around us echo, which becomes a problem since we can't tell if they're five feet away or fifty feet away. The light dims as the sun becomes lower in the sky, telling me that it's around six o'clock. With that in mind, I know we need to find a place to sleep where plants in our face aren't an issue. Although with the forest becoming denser and denser, it might be almost impossible.

For the next half hour or so, we spend our sweet time looking for a relatively clear space and come upon nothing but more plants. Cato is still patient, whereas I'm worrying. What if we don't find a place to sleep by nightfall? What if we're left traveling through the night with no rest? What if we have to sleep in the undergrowth? The "what-if's" play over and over in my head as new, horrific scenarios pop up. Cato turns around and sees the look on my face, and he gives me a look.

"Stop over thinking things, Katniss," he says in a tired tone. "We'll be fine."

"How do you know that?" I ask him.

"I don't," he answers honestly.

"Exactly, so that gives me the permission to worry," I say tautly.

"Stop worrying, Katniss," he says.

"I can't," I growl, and I step ahead of him. Walking quickly, my eyes flit around the forest frantically. The sun is setting lower and lower, which only increases my blood pressure and the need to just run until we come upon open fields. But before I can quicken my pace, a strong hand grips my arm and pulls me back to its owner. Cato looks down on me and in my eyes, as if telling me to just calm down. I do, as soon as our eyes meet and I stare into the icy depths. My breathing starts to match his and I just sigh, leaning my head against his chest. His arms wrap around me in a tight embrace and he sets his chin on top of my head.

"I don't know what I'm doing," I confess defeatedly. "I don't know where the Rebellion is, I don't know where we are, I don't know what I'm doing..." I trail off. I'm becoming tired with every word that comes out of my mouth, and my muscles start to relax underneath Cato's touch. Exhaling, I realize that I held my breath longer than usual. The cool air of the night chills my skin, so I nuzzle deeper into Cato.

"I'm scared," I finally admit softly, closing my eyes as my cheek presses against his pectorals. Kissing the top of my head, Cato leaves his mouth there and speaks.

"Everyone gets scared," he says, his chest rumbling. His low voice brings me comfort in ways that are indescribable. Just feeling his body flush against mine brings me this sense of security that I haven't felt since my father died.

"But what if we never find them?" I ask. He shakes his head and slowly looks down to me.

"We will," he says confidently. "And when we do, Snow's gonna have a force to reckon with."

Smiling, we continue our journey through the dark forest and come upon a small clearing. Trees surround the area, but there are no plants covering the area. Picking sticks quickly, we form them into a cone and light them on fire. Tucking myself into Cato once more, I hold Prim's sleeping form to me. Her skin is warm, although she slightly tremors unconsciously.

Resting my head against Cato's chest for the second time today, I quickly fall into a deep sleep.

I haven't updated in forever. I would edit the previous chapters, but I don't have them saved in my documents and I can't copy the chapters. So, there goes my opportunity to make this story better, haha! I'm so sorry about little grammatical errors that I've missed in the past.

So, I've decided to continue this story. I was really feeling like I should finish this chapter today, so I did. I would like to thank everyone who gave me the motivation to continue. I would love some feedback, and hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Although, I have been busy working out, preparing for school, and soccer tryouts.

I'll let you guys in on what happened to me last Wednesday: so, I was practicing at this elementary school near my house that has this large, covered area. It has grass around the outer walls, so I get on my cleats and kick the ball against the wall. It has these little marks that I try to aim for, high and low. After thirty minutes of doing this and pacing around, I decided to take a break and sit down IN A CLEAR PATCH OF GRASS WITH NO BEES OR FLOWERS. I had my headphones blasting music, so I couldn't hear much around me. But literally a second after I hear a buzz in my ear, I was stung first on my ear. I have this large phobia of bees (specifically wasps/yellow jackets), so I stood and started to run when three more came. I outran the bees (yes, I left my ball so I could get out of harms way), and ran the entire way home... a good five minute walk and probably a two minute run. I was screaming, and my neck, arm, and ear felt as if they were lit on fire, and I went into this state of shock and paranoia for like ten-twenty minutes?

I was stung by wasps and my dad's side of the family is deathly allergic, so I wasn't sure if I had carried the gene for it. I missed soccer practice that night and fell asleep after my mom gave me Benadryl.

The situation reminded me of Katniss and the tracker jackers, and all I have to say is that I would never wish that upon anyone. Annnd, it inspired me to update my stories.

Story time over. I would love to get some reviews, and I also would love it if you all would check my story on Fictionpress. It's called Tranquility, and I have 24 reviews for 7 chapters. To find it, search for me in the Author's section (same username for Fictionpress that I have for Fanfiction).

Until next time.

~HeyoMyFellowReaders101