PART I
"THE ASHES"
1
I stare down
at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather. This
is here the bed I shared with my sister, Prim, stood. Over there was the
kitchen table. The bricks of the chimney, which collapsed in a charred heap,
provide a point of reference for the rest of the house. How else could I orient
myself in this sea of gray?
Almost
nothing remains of District 12. A month ago, the Capitol's firebombs
obliterated the poor coal miners' houses in the Seam, the shops in the town, even
the Justice Building. The only area that escaped incineration was the Victor's
Village. I don't know why exactly. Perhaps so anyone forced to come here on Capitol
business would have somewhere decent to stay. The odd reporter. A committee
assessing the condition of the coal mines. A squad of Peacekeepers checking for
returning refugees.
But no one is
returning except me. And that's only for a brief visit. The authorities in
District 13 were against my coming back. They viewed it as a costly and pointless
venture, given that at least a dozen invisible hovercraft are circling overhead
for my protection and there's no intelligence to be gained. I had to see it,
though. So much so that I made it a condition of my cooperating with any of
their plans.
Finally,
Plutarch Heavensbee, the Head Gamemaker who had organized the rebels in the
Capitol, threw up his hands. "Let her go. Better to waste a day than
another month. Maybe a little tour of Twelve is just what she needs to convince
her we're on the same side."
The same
side. A pain stabs my left temple and I press my hand against it. Right on the
spot where Johanna Mason hit me with the coil of wire. The memories swirl as I
try to sort out what is true and what is false.
What series
of events led me to be standing in the ruins of my city? This is hard because
the effects of the concussion she gave me haven't completely subsided and my
thoughts still have a tendency to jumble together.
Also, the
drugs they use to control my pain and mood sometimes make me see things. I
guess. I'm still not entirely convinced that I was hallucinating the night the
floor of my hospital room transformed into a carpet of writhing snakes.

















