The New Games

Prologue

Prologue

I make my way out of my home, biting my lip nervously. I shouldn't be doing this.

I stop in my tracks. What if they shoot me right away? What if they don't believe me?

Oh well; it was to late to turn back now. I had already completed my physical transformation so that the public would believe that I truly was who I said I was, not some phony that was attempting to pass off as Crystal Snow in order to satisfy the district's bloodlust.

I stare down at my feet, placing one foot in front of the other, convincing myself to start moving again. I didn't want to cause too big of a scene.

My bare feet sink slowly into the sand as I walk, and the pale grains cover them like a second skin. I'll miss this place; waking up to the waves, the sand beneath my feet, the wind in my ears, all of it. It's become home for me.

Home.

I had never had a home before I came here, save when I was 6 and below, and still naive. Yes, I had had a house, a kingdom at that, but never a home. The Capital just never suited me. I was too much of a wild and free-spirited person, never afraid to voice my abstract opinions, no matter the consequences.

I took a deep breath, looked up and in front of me, and continued on my way.

People were whispering and pointing at me as I walked by, some even gasping in fear. I felt a tinge of remorse; the people who I had lived side by side with for years were now scared of me.

My destination was the mayor's house, which was like a mansion compared to the others of District 4. It had giant white columns that loomed over our heads, an actual doorbell, and was decorated with the finest art of the district.

It didn't compare to the capital, but all in all, it was a luxury for the district.

I knocked on door, biting my lip nervously.

The mayor, Fredrick Beamington, opened it, and his eyes grew as wide as saucers when he saw who I was.

"C-Crystal Snow," he stuttered.

"Yes," I replied simply. "I am Crystal Snow."

I held my chin high, looking him in the eye. I refused to show any fear.

"Take me to District 13. I am surrendering."