Chapter 1:
This is my first story ever and i'm nervous so be nice! Reviews are great so i can see what needs to be fixed or any ideas you may have! i am very excited to see where this goes! God bless!
Warning: I do NOT own the Hunger Games or any characters. I own my own character only!
I didn't choose this. I didn't choose to leave my family. My friends. My life for something the capital and my mom thought was best for me. The capital wants what's best for the capital. How could they expect me to love a man I didn't even know, in a different district. I watched from the train window as my old district 11 life sped fast away from me. All I had were memories and tears, tears that I felt would never stop. Somewhere in me lay a seed of hope that maybe, just maybe this life would turn out better than it seemed right now.
My husband, if you could call him that, didn't even show up to my arrival. A couple of peacekeepers were stationed at a desk labeled new arrivals. I walked over to the desk giving them my name and my husband's name. " Welcome to district 12 ." One said stamping my paper I assumed was what said I was now a citizen of district 12 and handed it to the other peacekeeper. I nodded and walked off. I read the paper he handed me. It gave me my address and a poorly drawn map of what was called the Seam. I took a deep breath. " Hope?!" I heard my name being called. I turned and saw Gale. I had only seen him in the picture I was given. I knew he was handsome but he was even more so in person. I grabbed my things and met him halfway. We weren't so different when it came to looks. We both had an olive skin tone, he had gray eyes while mine were a deep hazel, his hair deep brown and mine a deep auburn brown formed into waves down my back, him being 6'4 while I was obviously not that tall. He stretched out his hand. I took it and shook. " I'm Gale! I'm sorry I was late. I thought it would be best if I didn't show up in my soot covered work clothes." He said smirking. I gave a small forced smile. " That's okay." I said. " Sooo would you like to go see our house." He said. Hearing him say our house made my stomach sink. I didn't even know this guy and already we had a house. This was all so wrong. " sure." I said grabbing my bags. He reached out and took them from me. " Let me." He said and walked towards our home.
I figured out that the Seam was the poor area of district 12. It didn't bother me much. I was from the poorer part of 11. I learned to appreciate what I was given. It was a silent walk to our house. I was taking in what was my new home. The tall trees hovering over all the Seam houses. It was all very grey besides the few pops of color from the flowers. I spotted a small yellow flower on the side of the road that made me stop. We had these little flowers everywhere back in 11. Everything had a golden tent to it back home. From these little yellow flowers to the wheat in the fields. I picked the flower and placed it in my hair smiling. It brought back the memory of when I was staying at my meme's house one summer while my mom took care of my sick dad. We would make flower crowns and flower bracelets. A single tear slid down my cheek but I swatted it away quickly. I realized Gale was watching me curiously. " sorry." I mumbled blushing. He shook his head smirking looking the opposite direction and continued walking.
We arrived to a small house with a broken white fence around it. " Here she is!" He said spreading his arms out still holding my bags. I gave a small laugh. It really was funny. I followed him into the small home. When I walked in the kitchen was to the left with a small round table in the middle and to the right was a small sitting room with an old couch. There was a small hallway down the middle with two doors on either side. He carried my bags to what I assumed was our room while I checked out the kitchen. I loved to cook and my meme had some great recipes she gave me before I left. I realized Gale had nothing in the fridge or the cabinets. " I've been eating at home with my family lately. I'm not much of a cook." He said rubbing the back of his neck. " Well you got lucky then. I love to cook." I said smirking. He sighed. " I thought I was going to end up with some girly women who didn't cook, didn't clean, and was just a pain in the..." He said. " My family raised me right sir. Which included language." I said with an eyebrow lifted. He laughed. " You think I'm kidding?" I said teasingly. " No mam." He said smirking. I nodded. I was trying to think of how I was going to make dinner for the two of us when there was nothing to cook. " I thought we could have dinner at my old house. My family is anticipating meeting you." He said leaning against the wall. I suddenly got really nervous. I nodded. " Back to not talking I see." He said when the tv turned on. A capital program came on. I growled. That was the last thing I wanted to see or hear. Gale seemed to share my opinion.
I walked down the hallway and took a guess on which was our room. I opened the door on the left and was right. It had a queen size bed pushed against the wall with a window over it. There was a nightstand on the left side of the bed and a small dresser on the far side. Gale had set my things near the open closet. I began hanging my things up next to his. I folded my other things putting then in the dresser. I hopped on the bed and pulled a picture frame out of my suitcase. I set the picture next to Gale's on the nightstand. I looked at Gale's family and then mine. It hurt to look at the picture because everything had changed. Even before I left things changed. I decided to braid my hair into two braids like I always did working in the fields.
I walked of our room and back into the front area. Gale was nowhere to be seen. I looked around confused. " Gale..?" Nothing. I looked out our front window and saw him outside by our mailbox talking to a girl with a long dark braid and olive skin like ours. They gave a long embrace and parted. I went over to the kitchen sink to pretend and wash my hands. That seemed to be an embrace meant for people that were more than friends. I don't know why I cared. Did I really think we could love each other like a normal couple could? I laughed to myself. " What's so funny?" I heard Gale's booming voice ask. I shook my head. " You ready to go?" He asked I turned to him wiping my hands and nodded. He just stared at me. I looked at him confused. He turned on his heels and opened the door waiting for me to go out. I tossed the cloth on the counter and walked outside. He shut and locked our door and we headed to his old house.
We were walking for only five minutes when Gale suddenly tensed up. "Grab my arm." He whispered. I did as he said still not knowing what was going on. "Evening gents." Gale said with a nod. I saw a group of four guys huddled together. "Hawthorne." One said with a toothy grin. Chills ran down my spine. I pressed further into Gale's side. After we passed them Gale relaxed. "What was that about?" I asked him. " I don't ever want you to be out alone. Those guys are no good and have a rep around here." He said. "What kinda rep?" I asked. "A bad one. Just trust me." He said. Suddenly two boys and a little girl were running out of a house straight for us. " I don't trust people I don't know." I said. He looked down at me eyebrows lifted but had no time to respond.
The two boys tackled Gale to the ground. I had just enough time to let go of him. The little girl jumped on her three brothers. " Hey! Hey!" Gale yelled. They stopped and looked at him. " This is Hope!" He said motioning towards me. They all looked towards me. I probably looked like a deer caught in headlights, so they use to say. I smiled and gave a small wave. One of the boys reached up his hand. " The name is Rory!" He said. I grabbed his hand to shake it but instead he pulled me down. I fell down in the grass next to Gale. They all looked at me to see my reaction. I
couldn't help but bust out with laughter. I heard them join in. After we calmed down the other boy, who looked younger than Rory, shook my hand and introduced himself as Vic. Last but not least the little girl peeked around Rory shyly. " I'm Posey." She said quietly. " What a pretty name Posey!" I said sitting up. Gale followed and the two boys tumbled over on the grass. Posey settled herself in Gales lap. She looked to be around five. " Can you braid my hair like that after supper?" She said. " You bet!" I said smiling. She gave a big smile with her two front teeth missing. She jumped up and ran inside. I laughed. Gale got up and offered me a hand. I accepted and he pulled me up with a little too much force. I bumped into his chest and he grabbed my arms steading me. " Whoa." I said dizzy. He laughed.
Rory grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the house. " You've got to meet mom!" He said. "Yeah!" Vic said grabbing my other hand. They pulled me into the house. " Mom! Hope is here!" Rory yelled. I saw a woman with long dark hair in the kitchen cooking and it smelled so good! She turned and faced us. Her face lit up and she walked to us. She hugged me like I was her own daughter. " It's so nice to finally meet you sweetie!" She said smiling. " You too!" I said smiling back. " Dinner will be done shortly! " She said. " Do you need any help?" I asked. " Oh no no sweetie. You get to know the kids and you can help me next time!" She said. I had a feeling she needed the kids distracted. She looked tired and worn. I wondered where their dad was. " Hey!" Gale said from behind me. I turned around facing him. " Hi!" I said back. Amusement shown in his eyes. He started to shake with laughed. "What?" I said confused. He started picking things out of my hair. " Oh my..." I said blushing. " Please tell me I didn't just meet your mom with grass sticking out of my hair. " I said embarrassed. " I would but my mom taught me not to lie." He said laughing. I shoved him lightly. " Why didn't you tell me?!" I said. " Because you looked too cute for me to say anything." He said. I just stared at him. I turned and went to see what his family was doing.
Dinner was amazing and so was his family. His brothers reminded me of my two older brothers. Always bickering but loved each other all the same. Hazelle was a great mom and all her kids respected her a lot. Posey hung onto every word that Gale said. He was her hero and she was his little princess. We stayed for awhile and had to eventually go home. I promised Posey I would stop by tomorrow to see them. Hazelle kissed her son's forehead and mine too. We left and headed home. It was chilly and the wind was making my eyes water. Out of the corner of my eye I saw those guys that Gale warned me about earlier except there were three more with them. I grabbed Gale's arm and tucked myself in his side. I heard him chuckle. "Shutup." I said. " I didn't say anything." He said innocently. " You just did." I corrected him. And so began the raising of Hope.