The Hunger Games: The Untold Story of Annette Snow

Chapter 1

Just FYI, a little copyright information: I own all these characters with the exception of the ones owned by Suzanne Colins.

The soft knocking on my door is what woke me up, pulling me abruptly from my dreams. Opening my eyes slowly, and wincing as bright, harsh light shines through the enormous windows, I tried to shake the thick tendrils of sleep from my mind. Groggily, I kicked back the thick silk sheets and manage to get myself into a sitting position. The monitor above my doorway showed that Valentine, Kyste and Mayer had gathered in a lose circle around the door. I felt a smile stretch across my face, and the slid out of bed. Grabbing a black t-shirt, I slid into a pair of cashmere tan leggings. Somehow, my favorite dark brown leather boots had found a way into the deepest corner of my closet and it took a few moments to locate them. Yanking them on as I tripped through the door, I just managed to miss Mayer by just a few centimeters. Kyste laughed as he pulled me to my feet, and I felt a bright red blush creep across my cheeks. I mumbled an apology to Mayer, and checked my phone. Slim and silver, it fit into my hand flawlessly. Everything about it was perfect for me; the wireless Internet, the thousand-megabyte storage, the app that allowed me to track Mayer, Kyste and Val's movements. Unfortunately, my grandfather, President Snow, had the ability to track my movements in turn from his phone. That was, until I had Kyste hack into the tracking software and alter it. Now, when I wished, I could roam around the Capitol Palace untracked.

Like now, for an example. The four of us were on our way to the Rose Garden to hang out away from the prying eyes of the security. Together, we could completely disappear from the cameras when was necessary. Kyste was incredible with technology and Val distracted the guards so he could hack into the mainframe. Mayer could sprint faster than anyone I'd ever met, so he would more often then not be our lookout, running up and down the hedges when we heard an approaching and unwanted visitor. I was the granddaughter of Snow, so no one questioned me when I pulled the 'do-I-really-need-to-get-my-grandfather-involved?' card. My upbringing had been different than most girls and boys, but I enjoyed it, the parties and dresses and nights spent dancing. Still, a girl needed privacy every once and a while, right?

So it was then that we strolled leisurely down to the gardens, enjoying the rose-scented breeze. Mayer had gotten a picnic basket of food for us, so we settled down at our favorite location: hidden between the intersection of two hedge walls, there was a small, square plot of soft grass. Roses wove up and down the thicket, spotting the deep emerald with bright red, white, yellow and pink rosettes. The noonday sun was directly overhead, basking us in its warm rays. The day felt perfect, and I was delirious with happiness to be outside the confining walls of the Palace. Inside the great marble walls, there were only a handful of things that actually made me smile. The DigiBox, a huge, dome-like room was covered floor-to-celling in screens. Just before you entered the room, you put contacts in, which helped the stimuli. Upon entering, you typed in the desired place, time and date that suited your fancy. When that was complete, you would blink, and be standing in your destination of choice. The other places were the Presidential Library, the kitchens, and the training courts. The Presidential Library lived up to its name; oak bookcases stretched to the distant ceiling, all stuffed with every piece of literature the Library could get a hold of. On rainy or hectic days, the soft, plush armchairs offered rest and relaxation. Protection, really, from the acidic words that bounced around the Palace and Capitol. Similarly, the training courts were always a safe haven from the scathing looks I so often got when walking through the Capitol. They always seemed to come from adults, men and women alike, who felt that the next President should be elected. I simply put my nose in the air and kept walking. People knew better now than to openly oppose Snow's wishes for me to be his successor. One man, Euphilius Marlyn, had been executed for jumping me on the darkened streets one night that Kyste and I had been out. Luckily for me, Kyste was fast on his feet, knocking the blade from Euphilius's hand. The Secret Service had appeared minutes later, jailing him and later sentencing to death. It was soon after the incident that Snow had implanted the tracking service in my phone. He even had started to smile at Kyste now, releasing me from yet another burden. Snow had always hated my friends, finding my choice in companions 'poor'. Now, he tolerated Kyste and Mayer, though his dislike for Val remained. Looking at her now, I can see why he finds her a bad example. Her long, ice-blonde hair had been dyed a neon, peacock blue, and thick eyeliner ringed her huge, amber eyes. Each ear had several piercings, and a tiny diamond was embedded in her upturned nose. Though where Val and I were different in many ways, Kyste and Mayer where polar opposites. Kyste, with his thin frame and blonde waves, was shy and tech-savvy. Dark curls were messily thrown across Mayer's forehead, and he was tall as well, though he was well muscled from years of training for the Secret Service. He was just sixteen though, so it would be another two years before he could even apply; the application process was long and difficult, taking some as long as a year to be granted clearance. Security seemed to be everywhere around my grandfather and I, always lurking far enough behind that, for a few moments, you could almost pretend they were just shadows. Even Kyste's breach only lasted us several hours before they noticed something was wrong. So when we got this precious time outside the Palace with out a legion of Secret Service, we spent it wisely. Flopping down on the soft grass, I stared up at the impossibly blue sky, watching as hummingbirds flitted about the roses. Eyes scanning the area for any threats, Mayer sat down softly next to me, Val next to him. Only Kyste was left standing, and he set the basket down before lowering himself onto the ground.

"I can't believe the Hunger Games are here already." Val's voice was unusually soft for her. Mayer swallowed, and Kyste looked nervous. We all knew what was coming this year for us. Every year, the seniors at Capitoline Hill, were split into groups of three. There were thirty-six of us, so each trio represented a District in the upcoming Hunger Games, who worked together in trying to sponsor the tributes. Group projects were always difficult for me, due to my age. I was a good three years younger than half the seniors this year; but it wasn't my fault I was hyper-smart. That was due to my parents, the Dr. Alyss Snow and Stefan Snow, Mayor of Capitol City. That was actually why Kyste, Val, Mayer and I had bonded so close. As two fifteen-year olds and two sixteen-year olds, we were by far the youngest in our grade, using each other as life rafts more often than not in the writhing tide that was our school. The best education in the country couldn't prevent you from being hated, or help you make friends. Some days, it felt like my only friends in the world were the ones lying on the ground with me right now. Kyste unpacked the lunch, and we ate in silence, taking in the beautiful scenery. Val's long fingers were twirling between them a crystal glass, she was looking at it for a few moments, watching as it caught the sunlight and refracted rainbows across Mayer's face. A smirk stretched across her face, she began pouring mineral water into the glass when she spoke.

"A little birdy told me you made a new friend at your Grandfather's last ball...A Jaxton Grives, by any chance?" Kyste turned his snort of laughter into a not-so-casual cough, and Mayer's was laughing so hard his shaking fingers dropped the platter of sandwiches.

"What?" I was taken aback by the boy's sudden rudeness. I usually only expected it from Val, sometime a bit from Mayer. Never doey-eyed Kyste. When no one answered, I pursed my lips and said, again, "What?" Biting his lip, Mayer tried to speak, but he was shaking so hard now that he doubled over. Kyste looked at me, pity in his moss-colored eyes.

"Jaxton Grives is defiantly not the kind of guy you want to get mixed up with. He's a total wildcard, Ana, and you've seen the way he treats girls. Jax goes through them faster than he goes through drinks at a party." My mouth, against my will, dropped open. I couldn't believe how blatantly rude they were being. Clenching my fingers into fists tight enough to turn the tips white, I felt molten rage seeping through my bloodveins.

"Two things; one, my love life is MY love life, not yours, and two, how dare you say something so terrible about someone you all, collectively, have spent about twenty minutes with?!" An audible hitch, common when I got enraged, caught the last few words. This sent the boys into another laughing fit, and Val surprised me by knocking them both upside the head.

"Just because you both fail to see his attractiveness doesn't mean we don't, so I'll thank you to shut up about him and eat your lunches. And Kyste, what if Ana and I burst out laughing every time we saw you making puppy eyes at Ainsley Shay? Hmm?" This time, I was the one who burst out laughing; Kyste and Mayer's expressions are simply too stunned for it not to be funny. Val and I continued giggling as we set up the rest of lunch, and it was only when I produced a chocolate cupcake the size of a small cake that I saw Mayer's lips twitch into a barely-visible smile.

"You definitely know how to win a man's heart, Ana." I snorted, this time because I knew all he really wanted was to eat the thing himself.

"Ehhhhh, you get the last piece," I reminded him. He bit his lip, holding back a smile. "Alrighty then." I cut the cupcake into quadrants, letting Val then Kyste pick their pieces. I chose one, offering the last-and the smallest-piece to Mayer, grinning wickedly as I did so. Today, so far, had gone perfectly. Of course, when the sun began to sink behind the enormous city wall, Kyste yawned widely, reminding us of the fact that by now, guards were surely looking for us. Mayer pulled me to my feet, and I was surprised to feel a sharp jolt of electricity running up my arm as he did so. I chalked it up to some static charge, though even as he let go, the tingling remained. Brushing it off, I pulled my leather jacket over a dusty white tank top, feeling the softness of the leather as it settled on my skin. With the sun setting in vibrant shades of pink and gold, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of nerves when I remembered tomorrow's Pledging. Who would I get as partners? Would they mind working with a fifteen-year old girl? Could it be possible they were a part of the increasing number of kids who hated me? What if I drew a bad district, like ten, eleven or even twelve? Kyste ended up pulling me from my internal worries by snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Ana? You still there?" I blinked furiously, trying to clear my thoughts. The jumbled haze inside my head cleared, leaving me feeling blank and empty.

"Yah, I'm fine," I mumbled.