—— DISTRICT FOUR. The home of fishermen, the best fishing nets in all of Panem, the best beaches, and the biggest population of orphans in the entire nation. Small pox had left the likes of children like sixteen year old Quinn Maverick on her own. She once had a father who spent endless hours aboard the boats, wondering if they would bring in enough that week to set aside some money for the winter. But he always still found a way to  gift his family with small but luxurious things like a batch of cookies to make up for the batch that their mother had burnt to a crisp. Her mother had been a doctor of sorts, her hands worked well when it came to stitches or using her fingers to press gauze into deep wounds. But when it came to things like baking, she was hopeless. On top of the money Quinn's father brought in, her mother always divided the morphling she could get her hands on and sold it to those who wanted some. Whether they needed it or not, it didn't bring in much money, but it was enough to help make sure they would be comfortable during the winter months when fishing was slow. Then a few years behind Quinn, had been her sister. Then, nearly a decade before Quinn, was her brother, Quinten— a boy who had left their family to be a tribute for the sixty-fourth Hunger Games. She had been four at the time, far too young to comprehend the death he suffered.

But she hasn't been too young to witness her parents and sister fall victim to the small pox three years ago.

        Since then, Quinn had become a creature of habit as a way to survive. Spending her afternoons weaving baskets until her fingertips blistered, all so she could hopefully catch a few fish and send them for a quarter of the price at the market in Four. That was what she had to offer her new found family among the orphans in District Four. They didn't have the luxury to be shipped off to a academy where they could be trained for the games, and at least have a bed to sleep in and three meals a day. Nor did they have a chance to be adopted by some Capitol citizen. In District Four, everyone had to take care of their own— and for kids like Quinn, the children in the warehouse were her own. Everyone did their best to pitch in, some of the younger girls would sell beads made of shells at the market, a majority of the older girls would spend their nights out looking for anyone who would offer them some money, regardless of what they had to do. The younger boys would rummage through trash, and once they were old enough they'd find work and move on from the warehouse. Maybe taking one of the older girls with them and marrying them to just get them off the streets hopefully. It was just the way life was.

        Most of the time, they were left alone. But the peacekeepers in Four weren't exactly fond of having them around. Quinn had her share of scares to prove that. Some were from being picked on at school, driving her to just drop out, while others were from the rough material of a peacekeepers glove smacking her across the face.

        There was a bit of hope for them though. The younger ones particularly. Hope that came in the shape of the Victors of District Four. They were different than the facade they showed the rest of the nation. Mags Flanagan wasn't the prideful Victor the Capitol wants to see— she was sweet, kind, and extremely generous with supplies and her time. Finnick Odair wasn't the charming, love-toy that the Capitol fond over— he was kind, caring, and funny. The type of person that the kids at the warehouse liked having around. Then there was Annie Cresta, despite her sanity barely existing anymore, she took after Mags and went out of her way to help however she could.

       If it hadn't been for the three of them, the orphans wouldn't have had a chance in District Four. What would the peacekeepers do to them? Nothing. The peacekeeper's were practically defenseless against them, they could beat a Victor, they couldn't arrest them without good reason. And helping the population of orphans in Four wasn't a good enough reason. They allowed the Victors to carry on— going to the warehouse to share stories about the Capitol or their ancestors that lived there when Panem was actually North America and Canada. Mags would teach them how to make fishing hooks, Annie would help the younger kids paint beads, and Finnick would try to train them as much as her could about knives, spears, and how to survive. Just in case one them were to be reaped for the games.

"Have you eaten anything, Quinn?" Annie questioned, her voice was soft and quiet. Quinn looked up sharply from her latest weaving project and nodding before she looked back down at the weaving in her fingers. "Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind a bit more, would you?" she asked as she slid her back down the wall of the warehouse to sit beside Quinn. Handing her a quarter loaf of bread with a green tint of seaweed.

As soon as the bread was in her fingers, the dull and constant gnawing at her stomach became much more noticeable. "I guess it wouldn't hurt..." she replied, offering Annie a thankful smile as she began to take a bite of the bread. "Why do you do all this for us?" she questioned despite having food in her mouth. As she waiting for Annie's response, Quinn took the silence as a time to just appreciate the flavor.

"There's no reason not to," Annie replied, "Finn and Mags, they know what it's like out here. Remember?"

Oh yeah, she thought. It was hard to remember that they had been in the same position as Quinn. Now they lived in luxury. "But you've got everything now," Quinn stated taking another bite of the bread. "Why would they...why would you want to come down here?"

Annie was quiet for a moment, "Because it's wrong not to. It's wrong the way you guys have been...kicked out of the District like this..."

"Until the reaping..." Quinn said quietly. When it came time for the reaping, the orphans were welcomed with smiles by everyone in the district. It was the only time they were all aloud to really mix with all the other kids. Everyone was happy when one of them got chosen and not one of their own kids. It was like that was all the orphans were used for in the district.

Annie frowned, "Well, you've only got three more years." Annie pointed out.

If only you knew that I entered more than last year, Quinn thought to herself. It would be an escape, a chance at least.

"How many more days until the reaping?" Quinn asked, "I lost count."
   
          It was a foolish thought— being reaped could be an escape. But Quinn thought about it day in and day out— a chance to get out of here.

Annie's frown grew heavier, "Two..." she sighed, "But Mags and Finn are the mentors this year." she said, attempting to make her voice sound a bit more hopeful.

Quinn let a small smile spread across her lips. It wasn't that Annie wasn't a good mentor, it was just that sometimes...she just couldn't focus, she just wasn't all there all the time. Mags however was a good mentor even though she lost her ability to speak a few years earlier. Then Finnick, he had two Victors under his mentorship. Annie and Thomas Kneelson—an eighteen year old who had one the seventy-first games, but he was so out of it that he never left his house.

"I know I only have three years, Annie..." Quinn sighed finally, "But what about the rest of them?" she frowned looking towards Annie. Her bright green eyes met Quinns dark, almost black eyes with the same look as always. A look that proved that Annie had lost herself in the games and a look of hopelessness for everything.

       Quinn only had three more years in the reaping, but there were children that weren't much older than four who hadn't even been able to grasp the idea of the games. They were all just future pawns of the Capitol— some of them could die in a few years because of the games, the peacekeepers, hunger, some disease...and it seemed like nobody cared. Panem didn't seem to care. It seemed like the only people who cared was Mags, Annie, and Finnick. And even they knew there was nothing they could do to change a thing.

note;
Ahh! Thank you so much for reading! This rewrite/edit has been in the making since I finished this series a few years ago. Thank you O-Obliviate- for rereading and inspiring me to finally get to it!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to drop a comment!
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