You Won't Drown: A Hunger Games story

Prologue

"Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There's no winners."
- Haymitch Abernathy, Catching Fire

Annie Cresta and Finnick O'Dair enjoy a rare afternoon together in district four. The train to take Finnick to the Capitol to celebrate the victor of the 74th Hunger Games wouldn't leave for another hour or so, and so they had time. Since the last twelve hours or so of the Hunger Games is mandatory viewing in Panem, the two of them sit and watch it together, wondering how it will end, wondering who will win.

The mutts had finally finished their attack, and Katniss, the girl from district 12, had put Cato, the boy from district 2, out of his misery. Another cannon went off, signaling his death, and then there were two tributes left. Katniss and Peeta looked around expectantly, waiting for a hovercraft to come rescue them both, but it wouldn't come. After all, the games only had one victor, and two people being in love wouldn't change that. The Hunger Games didn't exist for compassion, all that mattered was spilling the blood of innocent children.

Then the tributes pulled out the nightlock berries that they had hidden away in their jackets somehow, and it occurs to Annie and Finnick, as well as to the Gamemakers, what's about to happen. Katniss and Peeta are doing something no other tributes have ever dared to do, beat the Capitol at its own game. They're rebelling, and they're doing it where everyone in Panem can have a front row seat.

Annie and Finnick both hold their breaths, neither of them sure what this would mean for not only district 12, but all of Panem. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark both raise the berries to their lips, and count to three.

"Stop! STOP! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

All around Panem, there's shocked silence as people are glued to their television screens. Two victors? Was it even possible?

Apparently it was, because the hovercraft picked up both of them, and carried them out of the arena and to "safety." The fact was, they wouldn't be safe anywhere in Panem now, and although they survived the games, they would surely face a fate worse than death when they arrived in the Capitol.

A few minutes later, it's time for Finnick to leave, and he regretfully gets up from the couch, grabbing his bag for the train ride. It's all over so quickly, the games, Annie's time with Finnick, and the tenuous peace Panem had held onto for the past seventy-four years. Who would have thought that a few innocent looking little berries could bring the all powerful Panem to its knees?

A/N: Sorry this is so short, I just had to put it in order to set a little context for the story. All the Hunger Games characters of course belong to the amazing Suzanne Collins, I don't own anything except for a couple of new characters I'll be introducing later on. Please let me know what you think of the story so far!