Thanks for checking out this story! I hope you like it. English isn't my native language so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. :)

Katniss loved this place. Everytime she entered the woods the silence of it wrapped itself around her like an comforting blanket. The only sound she would hear was the constant crunching of the leaves under her boots and the silent melodies sung by the mockingjays. Sunlight would kiss her face in the summer and snowflakes would make her shiver in the winter. She would come here whenever she was happy or sad, scream her voice raw into the silent void before her whenever she was angry or just put a smile on her face and have a successful hunt with Gale.

The woods always were her biggest chance to escape. To just disappear from this cruel world for just a few hours and then come back with a much clearer mind. The woods always were her little promise for safety whenever she needed it. Until now.

Summer has fully reached district 12. It was a beautiful day, a Sunday, when Katniss jumped out of bed, quickly dressed herself and gathered everything she needed for an entire day of hunting with Gale. Her mother and sister were still asleep when she quietly slipped out of the front door and breathed in the fresh morning air. The sun already started rising at the horizon and the clear sky above her promised a warm and sunny day.

Katniss sighed deeply and sets off for the woods. She would meet Gale there and together they would track their way to the lake in which Katniss father taught her to swim. In the past she always avoided it since it always made her miss her father so much. But ever since she showed Gale this particular place and they started fishing in the lake regularly she found herself looking forward to every single trip there. The lake always used to be a place which brought up all this terrible sorrow inside of her but now it was a place which made her think of all the good memories of her father.

Like always she didn't stop when she reached the fence. She just ducked her way under it and continued straight for the woods which now lay right before her. They literally were calling and longing for her but the sudden buzz of electricity behind her made her stop dead in her tracks. Ever since she could remember the fence has never been electrified. It was the very first thing her father told her on her very first trip to the woods with him. The fence which captured district 12 in its fangs has never been electrified. Ever. Why would it be different now?

Katniss turned around slowly. The buzzing still continued. At first she thought she might have gone mad and imagined the sound, but when she reached for a small branch lying right before her feet and threw it right against the fence it started to scream and smoke. Yellow and blue sparks danced around the little branch before it fell to the ground. Katniss eyes widened with shock while she stared at it. How was she supposed to get back in? And who finally noticed that the fence hasn't been electrified all these years?

Before she could think any further she got her reply. Suddenly she heard an angry cry to her left. She turned around to see at least ten peacekeepers running right at her direction. Their guns were pointed directly at her. Katniss knew instantly that running would do her no good. They would shoot her right in the back if she would.

So instead of listening to her head screaming for her to run she raised her hands above her head and let them come for her.

She didn't know how much time has passed since they locked her up into that damned cell. They were quick of capturing and escorting her to the justice building. People had been staring at her while she passed them surrounded by peacekeeper but Katniss couldn't have cared less. By now probably everyone in twelve already knew about her arrest. Everyone including her mother, Prim and Gale.

A shiver ran down her spine while thinking about what they might do to them if they accused Katniss of a crime. They could not just only punish her but her entire family and everyone she knows or cares for. She flinched while imagining little Prim getting whipped by a peacekeeper. If they were cruel enough they would even make her watch so that she would never dare to do something like this again.

But what exactly had she done to make them arrest her? This question had been swirling around her head ever since they left her alone in this cold something of cell. Of course she knew that it wasn't exactly allowed to just sneak off into the woods like that but she had been doing that for years and nobody ever seemed to mind. The peacekeepers in twelve never really have been that strict about rules since they also made their own profit from all these illegal activities. They even would buy a deer or a wild dog Katniss shot in the woods. They could easily have her imprisoned or punished for that since they even had a proof that she broke the rules. But they never did such a thing, so why would they do it now?

She suddenly heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her cell. A young peacekeeper appeared behind the bars. A helmet covered half of his face but Katniss would've recognized him anywhere. It was Darius, one of the youngest known peacekeepers in District 12. She often met him at her trips to the hob and had already sold several preys of hers to him. She liked him, even considered him her friend, but when he unlocked the door to her cell and met her staring with an trembling gaze she knew that this friendship wouldn't help her this time.

"Miss Everdeen...please follow me," he tried to say as calm as possible but the trembling of his hands also took over his voice. Katniss nodded slightly, rose to her feet and followed Darius lead. He didn't even bothered to put handcuffs on her which probably indicated that he saw her as no threat without her bow and arrow. Which was true. Without her bow and arrows she wasn't able to defend herself quiet as good as with them.

Darius led her to a long staircase. The way out of the underground prison of the justice building Katniss never knew about. Or anyone ever knew about. They climbed the stairs and got out into a narrow hallway. Darius continued without stopping for the big wooden door at the end of the corridor. Katniss followed him in a slightly slower pace. She searched for a way to escape. But when her eyes catched a glimpse of the gun in Darius hand she knew that he had straight orders. If she would run he would have to kill her.

When they reached the door Darius opened it without hesitation. They both entered a small room. A big wooden desk stood right in the middle of it. Seated behind it was no other than the mayor of District 12, Mister Undersee. Right next to him stood twelve's newest head peacekeeper. Romulus Thread.

"Miss Everdeen, please have a seat," said Undersee in a gentle voice and nodded at the chair positioned right before his desk. Katniss obeyed and sat. Goosebumps now covered every part of her body. But she wouldn't let them see how much she actually feared what was about to happen. She raised her chin and turned her face into an icy mask. Thread smiled amused at her.

"Miss Everdeen, why do you think did my peacekeeper arrest you?" The question Undersee asked was simple yet so hard to answer. She tried to read in his eyes what he wanted to hear but his face was as blank as white paper.

She decided that telling him the truth was the only way of maybe getting out of here with just a small punishment. "Because I was on the other side of the fence?"

He nodded. "Yes, that is part of the reason. Mister Thread, would you please explain to her why exactly she is sitting here right now?"

The cruel smile of the head peacekeeper widened. "Of course, Mister Undersee. Miss Everdeen, in the past month we have been watching you and your friend. What was his name again...?"

"Gale Hawthorne," responded the mayor even though Katniss could see in Thread's eyes that he knew Gale's name. Her traitors of hands started trembling when they mentioned him. It was worse enough that she got herself in this situation but if they also would drag Gale into this she would go mad.

"Ah yes, now I remember, thank you. We have been watching you and your friend Gale, Miss Everdeen. We have been keeping track of all your trips to the woods, of all the things you sold at the Hob and to the Mayor's daughter. Isn't it true that you always stopped by the house of the Mayor and sold strawberries to Miss Undersee?"

Katniss swallowed hard. "Yes."

"So you confess that you and your friend have broken the law which says that it is completely forbidden to ever cross over the fence or to sell things at the black market?" She could tell how much this cruel bastard was enjoying his task. She wanted to rip out his throat for this but knew that this would be a very unwise move. She would not only risk her life but also the ones of her family and Gale.

"Yes," she responded flatly and hoped for the best.

Thread directed a pointed look into the mayors direction. "Both things are crimes which only get punished with public whipping at the post. But since she has done both multiple times over and over again I suggest we kill her family and make an example out of her for everyone."

"NO!" Katniss jumped out of her chair and started forward Thread. Two peacekeepers were instantly at her sides, grabbed her and pushed her back into her seat. But this time she got tied to it. Her desperate gaze burns into the peacekeeper. "Please, kill me instead! I'm begging you! My family has done no wrong! I was the one who committed the crime not them. Please!"

Thread seemed pleased with the result of events. He met the eyes of the mayor. "What do you suggest we do with her, Undersee? The way I see it, it would hurt her a thousand times more when we kill her family. On the other side, she is right. Her family has done nothing wrong. She is the troublemaker. But how exactly do we accomplish to punish her in an effective way?"

Undersee stared at her with his blue eyes. His daughter Madge had the exact same eyes. Katniss knew them because she and Madge were friends or something similar to it. At school they would team up for group assignments and eat together in the breaks. They never talked a lot while being together but it was the closest relationship Katniss had to another girl except for Prim.

His gaze was mixed with pity and understanding. He knew that for Katniss there was no other way to provide for her family if she didn't go hunting regularly. But he couldn't show sympathy to such obvious crimes. Snow would have his head for this if he ever found out. So of course Undersee said: "I agree with you that her family indeed should not be included into her punishment. Killing her would be too easy and to ineffective. But I have an idea which might be the resolution."

Threads eyes flashed with interest. "Tell me your idea then."

Undersee took a deep breath. What he was about to say didn't seem to be pleasant for Katniss. "I suggest we send her to the capitol and let her serve there as an Avox for the rest of her life. We will announce this punishment in public. We will make an example out of her and show the people of twelve that this is what happens when they break the rules."

Ice took hold of her heart. Even if this punishment wasn't as worse as the first one the thought of never seeing Prim and Gale ever again took her breath away. She gasped for air and stared horrified at the grinning Thread. They would send her into hell itself. The capitol.

But Thread seemed not exactly satisfied. "This is a very good idea, Mister Undersee…but what about Hawthorne?"

"I think he will learn his lesson when he hears what will happen to Miss Everdeen. I'm positive he won't cause us any trouble after that," answered Undersee far too convinced.

Katniss body was tense. She stared at Thread and begged him with her eyes for mercy. He seemed to notice her pleading gaze and grinned triumphantly. "Alright then, Undersee. I think we can agree on that. But if the boy dares to make another misstep he won't get the mercy we gave Miss Everdeen today. He'll be hanged in public, understood?"

Undersee nodded tightly and turns to Katniss. "Then it's decided. You, Miss Everdeen, will be send immediately to the capitol. You will serve there as an Avox until the day you die. Take this punishment as granted since under other circumstances it could have ended far worse for you."

He probably even expected Katniss to thank him but she wouldn't give him such a pleasure. She wouldn't thank him for destroying the future of both Prim and her mother. She wouldn't thank him for endangering Gale's life. She wouldn't thank him for sending her to the place she hated so much she'd rather die than go there.