Your It!" shouted Meg from the other side of the field.
"Not Fair, you cheated," Cameron shouted back.
Kids. I smirked. They're too young to understand everything. So carefree. If only I could be that young again. But alas, I'm nineteen now, and my Father has a need for me nearly every day, doing anything that needed doing around the small Village.
Worry creased my face, remembering what had happened a few days ago.
A Live broadcast aired all across Panem, announcing the Formation of the New Republic of America.
It should have been great news. We all learned about the old world back in school, especially how America was one of the Biggest Powers in the World at that time.
But we still have bad memories about Snow and his Dictatorship. Nearly all Grandparents talk about the war, which they participated in, to free the people of Panem from his rule.
Governer Katniss Everdeen played a great part in making this peace last. But now, it seems that, even after all these efforts, her plans have failed. The fact that it's called a Republic changes nothing. We all secretly know that one person leads everything, and that trouble is around the corner.
"Hey! I touched you!" Cameron shouted.
"You did not!" My sister shouted back.
"Guys..." I was tired of this babysitting job, "Stop bickering."
"Fine." Meg huffed.
"Okay!" Cameron said.
"I saw Cameron touch you. Meg, you're it."
My sister gave me the look she always gives me. The I'll-kill-you-in-your-sleep look. She never does that though. Not yet at least. There was a fire in her belly that could have put grown men to shame.
I laughed, looking at my watch in the process.
It was Close to Six PM, and we needed to be back by six, otherwise, my parents would have my head.
"Shit," I muttered, before standing up and walking closer to them. "Kids, it's time to go, sadly."
"Kids!" I said, "It's time to go!"
"Ohhhhhhh." Both of them moaned.
"Stop moaning," I told them, "Now get going."
They ran towards the small village of Rome.
A name from a time now long forgotten.
After Snow's dictatorship fell, we found a multitude of secrets that only Snow himself had known. One was a bunch of coordinates, leading to various locations in America. Each location had a vault there, which once opened, brought us new knowledge of the past. There, we had found many names of cities now long destroyed by the Rising sea, or wars of the past. Our Village Leader, my Father, had decided to name the Small Community after Rome.
The Two Kids were still playing tag in front of me, but I kept a close eye on them right up until I reached the door of Cameron's house. I knocked, and Cameron's Ma, Mrs. Daria Penschi Opened it. She still wore her husband's surname, even though he had passed a few years ago now. Serving as a Pilot for a small Company, his Helicopter had gone down, due to an engine malfunction.
"Thank you, Jordan."
"No Problem, I'm happy to help."
"Bye Jordan, Bye Meg!" Cameron said, and then the door closed.
"Come on Meg, let's get home before it's dark."
In the matter of a few minutes, we were already stepping inside our own house. It was large, compared to most houses in the village, and we had two cars parked in front of the house, more than most Villagers could afford. My Father as the Mayor, my mother as an Administration worker for Panem, now NRA.
They were both staring at the TV, looking at the news, ever since the declaration for the NRA.
My mother was laying out plates, tearing her eyes from the TV, and then she noticed us, Greeting us with a smile.
"And now for some special news!" The newsreader said, "Governor Everdeen and her Husband, Governer Melark are visiting the Capitol. She has been invited here, from her private residence, by the New Republic of America. A nice parade will take place tomorrow to celebrate the forming of The NRA. The team of News Of Panem wishes everyone participating and watching the parade a nice time!"
"The NRA is up to no good, I tell you." My Father Said.
"Yes dear, I know." My mother replied, having listened to his ranting for the last few days. She too wasn't too happy about the change. Then again they both had a reason to feel paranoid. After all the Last Government that ruled over Panem had been brought down, years of Death and Dictatorship later. Both of my Grandparents and my Grandmother from my Father's side had died in that war for freedom.
My father then turned to me, probably noticing me for the first time since I've entered.
"Ah, Jordan, my son. You're back!"
"Daddy!" My sister squealed, running forward to hug him like she did every day.
"Hello, Cupcake." He said.
Once Meg let go of dad, she turned to mom and gave her a squeeze too.
I walked up and squeezed the hand of my father, and then gave my mom a kiss on the cheek.
"How was babysitting?" She asked.
"Fine," I said. I told her when Meg wasn't close by, that I didn't like it. She just smiled, with a knowing look in her eyes. "Anyway, you've arrived just in time. Everyone Come sit down."
My stomach rumbled in anticipation. I hadn't eaten much today. Some bread with cheese and that's about it for lunch. Thankfully, our dinner was always cooked.
I sat down, my sister next to me. It was venison steak. Bit chewy, but better than bread and cheese, that's for certain.
Once we finished, we thanked our dinner and raced up the stairs. I ran into my room. Finally all by myself. This was my kingdom. Machine Parts were strewn on my desk, currently forgotten. I was trying to remake one of the Holodiscs used by the Commanding officers during the siege of the Capitol. I found a broken one thrown away once, and I'd taken it home. I hoped that some secrets could be learned from it.
My wall was covered in posters. Most were of bands that I liked. They had formed after the fall of Snow.
I wanted to work with one of my little projects, but I felt spent, so I just flopped onto my bed and fell asleep, knowing that I had nothing else to do for the day.
"Rise and Shine!" Said a voice, shaking me.
"Mom!" I moaned, feeling like I had only slept for a few seconds.
"Come on, I even let you sleep for longer, now wake up!" She ordered.
"Okay, Fine."
She left the room, having done the deed of waking me up. Slowly, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I stood up, got dressed in some clothes fit for a day of relaxation. While pulling my shirt up, I remembered why I was waiting for this day. No babysitting, no Jobs! I planned forward, talking with a few friends so we could meet up, figure out the Holodisk together. I wanted to go as soon as possible, so I decided to pack up my gadgets and stuff. These guys could help me a lot.
I packed up and rushed down for breakfast. My sister was already sitting on the couch, next to father. The news was still going on the TV, and I thought about if my father even went to sleep tonight. My plate was still on the table. There were leftovers from yesterday, enough for everyone to have a nice breakfast. I quickly took out the biggest piece of Venison I could find and chewed it vigorously.
"Slow down a bit, dear. I know you'll be meeting friends, but that doesn't mean you have to choke yourself." My mother said from the sink.
"Okay mom," I tried to say, but I had food in my mouth, so it sounded like I was humming.
I finished quickly and thanked my mom for breakfast. I then ran up, grabbed my suitcase of gadgets and back down again. I was excited! I wasn't always free of duty, so this was a rare thing for me, and I wanted to make the most of it. I was done so quickly that I still had some time left before the meeting. I sat down next to Meg, my suitcase in my lap.
"This bloody parade is shaking up the Capitol more than the Great Fire." My father said.
The Great Fire was really just What the name suggested it was. In 2248, Twenty Years before I was born, a massive fire spread throughout the Capitol, destroying most Buildings in the city. Hundreds had died, and it had taken a long time to rebuild after that. Most buildings since then have been rebuilt, the damage mostly fixed, but the memory of the fire was still engrained in the minds of the people living there.
"And I've just gotten word from our reporter that the Newly Appointed Spokesman of the NRA will be making an announcement in front of Thousands of People!" The Newsreader said, and the picture cut over to a man, standing on a balcony.
"People of Panem, I welcome you to this new Era. From this point on, we will live like Kings and Queens! Our Plan isn't to Govern but to Expand. We'll restore the power of Panem as it was before the World Ending Catastrophes destroyed most of civilization. Panem will be Greater than ever before, I can promise everyone that!" Cheers rang out from the crowd gathered in front of the Spokesman, Alexander Creek.
My Father perked up as he listened, no longer slumping.
"However, every road has a few potholes, and we've reached one of those. I can tell you, it isn't easy to fix, but we'll do our best for the greater good."
Two White-Cloaked Peacekeepers walked out of the door behind the Spokesman, carrying a person each. The people were tied up.
"What in the hell..." My Father trailed off.
"One of our greatest, most beloved Governors has Betrayed us, tried killing me in my own chambers after I had invited them over. I am a Patient and Forgiving man, however, this cannot go unpunished."
A Cold shudder ran along my spine. Something wasn't right. The entire house was silent as we continued watching the news. Even the Crowd that had been cheering only a few minutes ago had gone quiet.
"Isn't that right? Governor Katniss Everdeen and Governor Peeta Mellark."
A collective gasp came from the crowd, and even I drew in a breath.
"You have been found Guilty of Attempted Murder against the Leader of the NRA, and therefore the punishment is death."
The spokesman drew a pistol from inside his suit, and turned towards them, holding it right up to the head of Governer Mellark.
An audible bang rang out, quickly followed by a second one. The Struggling governers now lay still, the Peacekeepers dragging them away.
"A lesson, for all those that try and follow." He said, putting away the firearm.
It was all too shocking. No, this must be a dream, right?
But it wasn't. The spokesman kept talking.
"For easier administration, we're going to impose a new system. Every small village, with less than Five Hundred Citizens, will be evicted, before the remains of the villages are burnt to the ground. In the Span of a few minutes, Peacekeeper units will arrive. Do. Not. Resist. They are authorized to use lethal force, if necessary. Please comply with everything they say."
"To Hell with that." My Father snarled, jumping up from the Sofa, and running up the stairs.
"For Good of Panem!" Then the screen went black, along with all the lights in the house.
In no time my father was running down the stairs again, holding an Assault Rifle.
"Where did you-" I tried asking.
"NO QUESTIONS. GO."
He kicked open the door and started rounding up the nearby people. Everyone had seen the News.
"To the Forest. It's the only way out!" He yelled, and without hesitation, everybody ran for the treeline. Some others also carried similar weapons to my father.
Not a moment later, two APC's came rumbling down our road, stopping a few meters from the Main Square, where everyone had gathered, and the doors opened up. Dozens of Peacekeepers poured out from it, and without warning, the Stacatto Fire of Gauss Weaponry signaled that they were firing upon us.
Many bullets hit the Villagers who were running for the Trees, felling at least thirty of them, many more tripping over those that had gone down.
My father and those who had any sort of Gun started shooting back towards the Peacekeepers, dropping two of them.
"GO!" He yelled at the three of us, who hadn't moved yet.
My Mother nodded and grabbed my Sisters hand. Before I could turn, my Father look me in the eyes, smiling, before handing me a Pistol, along with a Belt of ammo.
Then I ran.
While Running, I saw the Peacekeepers notice us, and many of them broke off from the APCs, running towards the people escaping.
They didn't shoot though, instead, trying to grab people, and drag them away. This didn't go down well, and Friend and Family Ran to help with Fists and Bits of Iron they had grabbed from their House or kitchen.
After a few hits, the Peacekeepers started firing, some of them blindly into a crowd.
I noticed Cameron Penschi, the kid who had been playing with Meg only yesterday, trying to escape the Grip of the Peacekeeper. Mrs. Penschi Ran up, trying to help, but she was knocked out cold with the butt of the pistol he held, and that didn't go down well with Cameron.
He Kicked the Peacekeeper in the Groin, who immediately started curling up.
The Finger of the Peacekeeper slipped, firing the pistol into Cameron's Skull from point blank range.
Anger swelled up in me, and I gripped my Pistol tightly.
Running up to the Groaning Peacekeeper, I shot him in the back twice, dropping him for good.
Then tucking my pistol into my pants, I hauled Mrs. Penschi onto my shoulders, and with a final glance to Cameron, I kept running. Tears running down my cheek.
A second Peacekeeper lay in front of me, and to be sure I shot him once in the chest before I heard his Radio.
"Strong Resistance. Withdrawing. Commencing Fire Bombing."
For Good Measure, I slung the Rifle He carried onto my back, before picking up the Briefcase full of my Machine Parts. Until this point, I had hardly even noticed it.
"HURRY UP, TO THE FOREST," I Yelled.
Already in the distance, I could see black dots, which I knew wouldn't turn out to be birds.
The APCs came to life with a roar, and they started backing away from our Village, going back down the Road.
The men that had stayed to provide some cover fire were now running towards us, though with fewer numbers than when I had last seen them. With a sigh of relief, I noticed my Father amongst the crowd, carrying Mr. Treniller, who had been shot in the leg.
"We aren't safe yet Son, get going!" My father yelled.
Each of them carried at least two more weapons, scavenged from the Peacekeepers.
By now, the bombers were getting louder, until they were drowning out the APCs.
"We're gonna make it!" Mr. Polker yelled joyously.
Then he stopped, and I glanced back for a moment.
Blood was trickling from a hole in his forehead, and he collapsed in that second.
"They have Snipers! Get Going. Trees will give us cover!" My Father yelled.
We were the last ones to enter the forest, leaving behind Fifty Dead.
I smiled at my father, who smiled back.
Before I knew what had happened, my father was gone. A thin red mist hung in the air.
He Lay on the floor. His Head leaking blood.
"Grab those Weapons and Run!" Mr. Jaelm Cried, sprinting after the other Villagers.
I had to be dragged from the body of my father, the shock still heavy on my shoulders.
My Father. Dead.