But I will remember it. It's all I have left now.
The frosting on the cake is too thick. I want to cry. I specifically asked for a thin layering of it, and instead what do I get? A whole avalanche of the purple stuff. It's too late now though. The sponge has already been decorated in rosettes and ribbons and those edible diamonds I begged mother for.
I am sat at my dressing table trying to ignore the cake behind me while an avox attends to my hair. She runs her hands through the long locks, searching for knots.
"Braided at the sides, like in the magazine." I point at the complex hairstyle shown on the glossy pages. Picking up a silver brush she gets to work. I glance in the mirror and smile. Even if the cake situation is a terrible disaster, at least I look good. It is terribly bad manners to be vain but I think today I am allowed an exception. The sleeveless yellow silk dress makes the amber flecks in my eyes more pronounced and my hair seem even more red, if that is at all possible. I can see the window in the mirror, and the glare of the greenhouses across from our house blinds me momentarily. It's strange how far our family lives from the city. Most people live in the huge apartment blocks that line the centre. They're so high they kiss the clouds.
The avox wakes me from my thoughts by placing the brush on the table with a sharp clunk. I inspect the hairstyle and nod in approval.
"You can leave." I instruct. Scurrying away quickly, she shuts my bedroom door behind her with a thud. I pace over to the cake and run my fingers delicately along the apple green candles, shaped into a cursive "sixteen". I have to admit, I do feel a little queasy at the thought of hosting a party for nearly all of my school. Still, it should be the event of the year. Flicking my eyes to the frosting I sigh. It is only a small imperfection, but I can't help but take it as a bad omen. I always get teased for how superstitious I am, but I just call it meticulous.
Bored of over-thinking the disastrous cake, I stroll out of my room and down the glass stairs, stopping to look at the fish that swim in them. Occasionally I get scared that the glass will crack,and the water will come pouring out, taking the multi-colored fish with it. Of course it doesn't, and never will, but I still feel a little apprehensive to put all of my body weight on it. It makes for a great conversation piece, though. I skip down the stairs quickly, and canter to the front kitchen.
Xander is staring intently at a thick, leather bound book and sipping a glass of orange juice.
"What are you reading?" I ask, wrinkling my nose. "
"A book, Lav-Lav."
"Hilarious. I'm rather hurt, Xander."
Flicking his eyes up at me he says reluctantly "Why?"
"Well one would expect you to wish your dear twin a happy birthday, especially on such an important birthday." I gesture to an Avox and say "Hot chocolate."
" I fail to understand how sixteen is such a different age from the others, but happy birthday anyway."
" I am truly touched, Xander, I didn't know you could be so emotional! I must have really grown on you." Pretending to brush away tears, I smirk at him.
The avox hands me a steaming mug and I slide into the stool next to him. Staring into the frothy contents of the cup wistfully, I remark mournfully "The cake has too much frosting on it."
"Oh no, somebody rewrite the history books, the rebellion wasn't the most tragic event in history, not now that Lavinia's cake has too much frosting on it!" He cries in mock anguish, flinging a hand across his forehead.
I try to keep my face stern, but end up giggling instead. "It's a serious matter! You may jest all you like, but I think the universe is trying to tell me that something bad is going to happen."
"Oh here we go again. You and your superstitions. Remember that time a black cat walked past you and you refused to leave the house for two days?"
"Yes well, that was the week when that weird illness went round and I didn't catch it. So my intuition is right!"
Xander rolls his eyes and turns back to his book. Even though we are twins, we are so different, or perhaps the idea that all twins are similar is just a cliche. All I know is that while I partake in normal activities like parties and shopping, Xander reads and reads and reads. He's horribly smart, but his social life is all but nonexistent.
"Where's Mother?" I quiz.
He finally puts the book down and looks at me. "I'm not sure, actually. She wasn't here this morning and I've not seen her anywhere."
"She's probably gone off painting or something and completely forgotten that its her favorite childish birthday."
Xander looks at me pointedly.
"That its her childish birthday." I correct.
Suddenly a door somewhere near the front of the house bangs open and there is the tap-tap of heels running on our marble floor. The kitchen door swings open and Mother enters, her long, curly brown hair disheveled and her face red and sweaty.
"Ah speak of the dev-" I start.
"T-there isn't time. You have to listen to me. Now." Mother interrupts quickly, panting out short breaths.
I stare startled at our usually serene parent, and when I glance at Xander his face mirrors my confusion.
"Lav, go to the first study, and go to the safe. Open it, the code is LD13X. There are three bags inside it, bring those down to the kitchen. And get changed, into something warm and black, and wear your riding boots. " She instructs to me.
"What's going-" I start, but she interrupts me again. "No time, sweetie. We have to be quick, I'm sorry."
With a curdling feeling inside my stomach, I run up the stairs, no longer caring if they crack. Fingers of cold dread sweep their way up my spine. "What on earth is going on?" I whisper to myself. I sprint to the first study, and enter. One entire wall is a safe and there is a small keypad embedded on it, the green screen glaring at me. My flinger fly across the keys, quickly inputting the code. True to Mothers word there are three black back-packs in there. They're large and sturdy looking, and have a rolled up mats on the top. These bags are used by the adventurers in my books, when they go traveling on foot. I crease my brow at the sight of them. Why do we need them? Will we be leaving the Capitol? Nobody ever leaves the Capitol, though, and I wouldn't understand them if they wanted to. The Capitol is a safe haven, its golden walls protecting us from the cruel outside world, from the grubby little districts full of people jealous of the Capitols wealth and prosperity.
Grabbing the bags, I run to my wardrobe room,and search right to its furthermost corners to find a large black jumper that I shove over my yellow tunic. I pull on some black trousers and yank my riding boots on. Making my way back to the kitchen, I glance out of the large bay windows in our entertainment room and up at the tips of the skyscrapers. They shine in the evening sun like stars. Sometimes I do wonder why everyone can't have a piece of this, why we can't let the districts have a little bit of what we have, because we have everything.
I enter the kitchen to find Xander filling a water bottle hastily. An assembly of food lines the table, bread and biscuits and dried meats being the main culprits. Mother stands staring out of the window.
Xander places an armful of water bottles on the table. "Put these in the bag." He whispers.
I start to shovel everything in. A few knives glitter dangerously on the table, and I look up sharply at Xander. He shrugs, his face wrinkled in worry, and I put the knives carefully into the backpack.
Mother paces over to us and pulls me into a tight embrace. For a moment I feel safe and content once more, my Mothers arms wrapped around me and her scent of roses heavy in the air. Then she lets go and I'm back to confusing reality.
"Mother, what's going on?" Xander demands, his eyes flashing.
"I'm so sorry, sweeties. They found out. They found out, but I'd been so careful I don't understand how." Mother exclaims, throwing her hands up in despair.
"Who found out?" I ask, more afraid now than I thought was possible.
"The Capitol. The Capitol found out." She lets out a deep breath and then seems to steel herself. "I am part of a rebellion, to end the oppression of President Snow. I work in collaboration with District 13, which still exists, only underground. That is where we have to go, that's where I had been planning to take us, but something-something must have happened. There is a man on the fifth guard-post on the wall who will let us climb up, and from there we will have to travel to District 13"
I am not sure if my Mother is completely, clinically insane. I can only stare at her.
"We have to leave now, grab the bags." Mother commands.
That is when the kitchen is filled with yellow, opaque gas. I can't see anymore I can only hear shouts coming from outside the house. Then I feel a hand slip into mine and hear Xander shout in my ear "Cover your face! I have the bags, we have to go, they've got guns!"
From somewhere in the commotion I hear Mother scream "Lavinia, Xander, go! I'll distract them, you run!"
We sprint hand in hand through the corridors that snake through our house and burst out of the back door.
"We can't just leave Mother!" I shout at Xander, as he leads me through the back streets and towards the wall.
"They've already got her, Lav. There's nothing we can do. She'll find a way to escape though. I know she will." He cries. A teardrop flies from his eye and lands on my cheek.
We run for what feels like an eternity until we reach the fifth guard-post where a rope ladder hangs. Xander climbs first, all three of the back-packs swinging from his shoulders. I follow him in fast pursuit. The sun is boiling, and the heat spreads through my hair, making me sweat even more. We finally reach the top to be greeted by a grim faced man.
"Where is Io?" He asks gruffly, using my Mothers first name.
"She-she got captured." I stutter out.
He frowns and nods. "You'll have to make it on your own. You'd better run fast though, they're already after you. Use the map, its in one of those bags."
Throwing the ladder down the opposing side of the wall he turns to us. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that Io gets away, that is if she doesn't make sure of that herself. She's a fighter, your Mother."
I climb down first, the height not bothering me, even though its al least a 30 foot drop. I glance behind me as I descend to see a sparse forest, that thickens out. We should hopefully be able to find somewhere to hide out for the night in there. I reach the bottom and wait a few seconds for Xander, before grabbing one of the bags and slinging it over my shoulders. Grasping his hand, we break into a sprint towards the trees. I can feel a bubble of emotion in my chest threatening to burst, and a few tears spill from my eyes. I brush them away and try to remember what the world was like an hour ago, when my biggest problem was having too much frosting on a birthday