A/C: Hey guys! This will be my first action/adventure fanfic I've ever written on this site. I'm a young, aspiring author and I absolutely love constructive criticism, so please be sure to send me review to aid me with my writing skills!
This fanfic will be a dystopian AU, and I'll try to keep on canon with the personalities of the characters. I'm aiming for around 15 chapters of this story, if not a bit longer. I don't really have an updating schedule, but I'll try to update at least twice or thrice a month. Honestly, it depends on my work load at school.
This story is an Everlark, maybe a bit of Everthorne, but Everlark will be end-game. I rated it T because there will be some mature language and violence.
This chapter will be a bit short, I just wanted you guys to a have peek of what's to come.
I own nothing, all property belongs to its rightful owners.
The day drawls on, as per usual. In the suburbs of Sans Francisco, the days are lively with cars bustling about and teenagers racing through the side walks on their skateboards. One may think I would become accustomed to these loud noises after living in this area for my entire life, but instead I'm sick of it. Everyone, and everything, is too noisy. Dare I say it, but I would leave here if I could. I would probably take off into the woods, and live a simpler life hunting for food and trading goods. That's not the case, however. Instead, I have to deal with teenage brats and rich guys with a total IQ of 40. I almost snort at the situational irony as a reckless pre-teen whizzes past me on his roller blades, and our bodies nearly collide. I lose my balance as I jump to the curb, and I drop to my knees. I can hear his laughter off in the distance as I scowl in his direction, wiping off the dust from my already worn-down jeans. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take a trip to the coin laundry this early, but looks like I have to.
With that being said, now I'm pretty sure you know why I hate it here. And you - and also admittedly myself - couldn't imagine things getting worse for me. Surely, haven't I had enough? My parents passed away four years ago because of a car crash, and I only recently obtained custody of my younger sister. In addition to that, I'm the sole provider of our household, trying to make a living as a Loblaw's cashier and custodian at a middle school. I don't even have my high school diploma, let alone any post-secondary school education, to go up the ranks at any work establishment. The only thing that is making my life any bearable is Prim.
Prim.
I almost smile at the thought of her. The very mention of her name alone causes me to relax. She's smart, beautiful, kind and generous. Basically, she's everything I'm not. I have high expectations for her, because I know she can achieve a lot if she works hard enough. That is why I'm working day and night, so that she can have the future I never had. Or never will have.
But then, as I stand in front of our old building complex, I am reminded why we are here in the first place. I quickly punch the elevator's "up"button, and scurry inside. I'm squished between an odd smelling man and an eccentric looking woman, who is adorning a purple wig. Again, everyone is so loud and I want to bang my head into oblivion. Why is everyone so loud today, any way? So I cannot reiterate how grateful I am to escape this position, now that my floor has come.
I sigh heavily, trying to compose myself before I enter home. I don't want to make Prim stressed out because I'm stressed out. So I repress all my feelings of anger, frustration, anxiousness deep inside of me, only to be recalled late at night. I brace myself against the door, then I twist the doorknob open. The stuffiness of our small apartment welcomes me, instantly giving me a migraine. Biting my lip, I step into the living room and drop my backpack onto the floor. Then, I quickly walk towards the window, and pull it open. Although it is already hot outside, I prefer the fresh air over the mugginess inside home. After, I collapse onto the sofa, closing my eyes and trying to relax myself before my evening shift.
But then Prim comes prancing along, squealing at such a high pitch that I'm sure only dogs could hear. I snap my eyes open, and look at her warily. "Hey, Prim," I mumble.
She is smiling wildly, and exclaims, "He kissed me!"
I sit upright. I narrow my eyes at her, preparing myself to kick any boy's ass who touched my little sister, with her consent or without it. I haven't had my first kiss yet, and I'm 20. And Prim, who is only a mere 15, had hers?! She's far too young to have a boyfriend, and I know how teenage boys think at this age. I've heard enough whispers in the hallways to know that. "Who?" I snap.
"Rory," she says dreamily. Her blue eyes flutter closed, almost as if she were dreaming about her stupid kiss.
I snort. Yeah, I should have saw this coming. The Hawthornes and us have been close for the longest time, and it's hard to miss all the puppy faces the two youngest have been giving each other. The eldest Hawthorne boy, Gale, is my friend. We always joked that we would finally become into brother-sister once they get married. But we were never serious about that, well, at least not myself. "You're too young to date, Prim," I state.
"But I'm in the tenth grade now, Katniss! I'm no longer a kid," she shakes her head vigorously, her blond braids whipping side to side.
Rolling my eyes, I respond, "Then why do I constantly have to tell you to tuck in your shirt?" Prim scowls. "Little duck." Her scowl deepens at the comment, but from her eyes I can tell she's enjoying this.
A moment later, she joins me at the couch and continues with her speech."Katniss, I didn't even know he was going to kiss me! It was all so sudden and unexpected, but then he..." she rambles on, but I tune out. I usually pay attention to what she's saying, but when it comes to girl stuff ... well, I'm not the best person to talk to. And honestly, I simply don't feel like talking today. So I just nod, include a "yeah" if and when appropriate. When I'm sure she has talked my ear off, she suddenly says, "Hey, what's that?"
I turn my head, and look to where she's pointing. My eyes follow to the window, where I see a few helicopters whizzing by in the distance. "Helicopter, Prim," I state, baring my uninterest.
"Yeah, but it's strange seeing so many," she replies.
Cracking my knuckles, I say, "It doesn't matter. Any way, come help me with dinner."
We get up from the living, and within a few steps we make it to the kitchen. Our kitchen is embarrassingly very small, almost a third in size of what ours used to be in our childhood home. The one we lived in while our parents were still alive.
I scold myself internally, and force myself to forget about those memories. Time has passed, and we need to move on. We can't constantly dwell on things of the past, when there are many issues worthy of our attention at the moment. So I make my way to the old, metal sink, and I clean my hands with cold water and dishwasher soap. Prim does the same. We cut the carrots in a comfortable silence, and I'm thankful that I have a minute of rest for my ears. We then chop some onions and green capsicum, and throw all the vegetables into a pot. Prim fills the pot with water, and we bring the soup to a boil. I toss in bits of chicken half way through the cooking time, and then a bit of corn starch to thicken the soup a bit. Half an hour passes, and then we deem the soup ready. We take out metal bowls, and pour into some soup for each of us. We take our dinner to the couch, since we don't have a dining table. I turn on the old, battered television in the corner of the room, and we watch Jeopardy in silence.
I'd like to say that today was uneventful. A normal day at best. But then there's a power outage.
The television shuts down. We are left watching our reflections on the dark screen. I get up, and crane my neck to peer into the kitchen. The light that was once on is now off. "Power outage," I mutter. Prim frowns, and murmurs something about finishing her homework in her bedroom. She escapes the living room, and I'm left scanning the apartment to find out what the source of the outage may be.
It's still bright outside, so it's no big deal for us. There's probably repair or something in our building, and we'll get electricity in no time. Besides, this outage means a smaller electricity bill for us today. Now, Prim can focus on just her homework instead of being addicted to those baking YouTube channels. I'm just worried about the night time, when it will be insanely dark without a blink of light...
I spend the rest of my remaining two hours on the couch, reading a book I've already read more than once. Too many times to count, actually, but that usually is the only leisure activity I get if I had a wee bit of time for it. I can't really focus on the words though, and I don't know why. Something feels heavy at the pit of my stomach, and suddenly I wonder if the chicken was fully cooked or not.
Two hours later, the electricity doesn't return. I get up, and move to the window. The nearest intersection is managed by a police-officer. The traffic lights don't work. Maybe it's because of a city power outage? Yeah, that's probably it. A construction accident, or maybe equipment failure. Who knows?
My thoughts are interrupted by a loud alarm. Prim comes rushing in, and she's saying something I cannot decipher. Is it coming from our apartment or outside? I shut the window, and although the noise is still deafening, it's a bit quieter.
So it's coming from outside.
Where the hell is it coming from? I scan outside with Prim by my side. It certainly can't be coming from any emergency services, like the police or ambulance. This is a noise I have never heard before. It's a painful, screeching sound, and I have to place my palms over my ears to spare my eardrums. A few hours ago I was complaining about the honking of cars and people talking, but I'd prefer those sounds over this damned alarm. Everyone on the street is looking confused, some people come out of their cars to find out where's it coming from. It fills the entire city, not only with its deafening noise but with fear and uncertainty.
The same helicopters Prim had pointed out earlier now surround the city, except in larger numbers.
And that's when all hell breaks loose.
Please be sure to check out my other fanfics - "You Found Me" and "Play it Again"! YFM is very angsty, and PIA is more fluffy.
Until next time!
-Alina