After her rebirth by Cici

Chapter 2

Katniss was still riding the high of her second chance at life, but the shadows of her past were never far behind. Outta nowhere, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. A voice she knew all too well called out, "Katniss!" She whipped her head around and saw her dad, Oliver Manners, storming in with a bunch of rough-looking dudes. "What the hell is going on?" Katniss asked, her eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear.

Oliver marched up to her bed, his eyes cold and hard. His face was a mix of anger and authority.

"You have some guts to ask what's going on." Oliver's voice was dripping with rage. "You little monster, you hurt Clara! Why'd you let those jerks mess with her? Do you even get that you could've killed her?" Katniss felt her heart drop. She'd been given a second shot at life, back in the summer of her nineteenth year.

She'd just started college, dreams and hopes all lined up. On the way home with Clara, they ran into some thugs, and things got ugly real fast.

"What do you want?" Katniss glared at the punks, ready to throw down to protect Clara.

Before she could even finish her sentence, the thugs attacked. Katniss and Clara fought back with everything they had, but they both got hurt bad.

Katniss took the worst of it, her blood shining bright in the sunlight. But her family didn't see it that way. Oliver rushed to her, with Elodie and Clara right behind. Seeing Katniss covered in blood, their anger exploded. "Katniss! What did you do?" Elodie's voice was sharp, like she already knew Katniss was to blame.

Katniss tried to get up, but the pain held her down.

"Mom, it wasn't me." Katniss's voice was weak, tears blurring her vision.

Her forehead was busted up, needing stitches, while Clara just had a small bump. Yet, Katniss got blamed for "ordering thugs to mess up Clara."

the same way. She tried to explain, to apologize, but all

even bother. No one would believe her anyway. She snapped back to the present, asking

livid, his eyes blazing with fury. He looked like he wanted to strangle her. "Katniss, what's wrong with you? That was

his neck were popping out. He rushed over, glaring down

our family raise someone as cold as you? We should've left you alone back

stared at Lucas, not saying

and tear into Katniss, but

sat by the bed, holding Katniss's hand, smiling

back, tried to make it up to you, and supported your studies. Now you're in college, while

teary. "You shouldn't have hurt Clara. A girl's reputation is everything. Even though she wasn't our real kid, she grew up with us. I've treated you both the same. Don't hold a grudge against her, okay?" Looking

let her go to school, which

people up and show off

stuck in a storage room. Everything she

had the nerve to

instead of

right or wrong, just

wanting to waste

take it anymore and yelled, "Katniss, don't push it. You did something awful to Clara, and you can't take a little criticism? You're always up to no good, but now you're actually cursing

is because of the Manners family. What more do you

second brother, Dylan Manners, looked like he wanted to say something but