Traitor Games
Sunlight breaks through the shuttered windows, throwing light across my face.
I sit up, rubbing my eyes.
"Today…" I say stretching, starting as I hear a girl singing outside my window.
My room is on the second floor of the community home in District 7.
I open the shutters, only to be blinded by sunlight, when my eyes adjust I'm looking out into the sawmill and the forest, a girl in a red dress sits in a tree not four meters away from me singing, what we like to call – a "Valley Song".
The sound is refreshing and rich; I close my eyes letting the song and the warmth of the sun envelope me.
When I open my eyes I find that the girl has stopped singing, and is looking at me with her head slightly cocked to the side, like that of a bird.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you." I say scratching the back of my head sleepily.
The girl gave something of a smile then disappeared into the foliage.
I sighed deeply and shrugged it off, only just realizing my half-nakedness.
I slip on some calf-high boots that are made from supple leather, and head downstairs.
"Time for breakfast then?" says Milly jumping from the top of the stairs into my arms.
I laugh and say "I guess so".
When we walk into the kitchen, Tim serves us a plate of gray mush with a grunt.
"So, the Quarter Quells today…" she says poking her food with a rusty fork.
"Please, can we not talk about it; I really just want to have some down time before I find out what meaning of torture they have planned for us."
"Come on Aiden, aren't you even a little bit curious about what the theme for the Quell is?" she inquires.
"Not at all, I'm going." I grumble, and walk away.
Outside is much better, the normal sounds of saws and axes hitting trees has died down to a faint hum, making the grumbling sound from my stomach even louder.
I pat it reassuringly and say, "Let's see what the woods have for us today."
I follow the path from the doorstep past the saw mill, and into the remains of what used to be a forest, until I reach a thick line of oaks and junipers.
As I walk on the pine needles I notice that there's a low-lying area to the left where the canopy seems to part slightly. As I thought; a slow stream slides down a granite surface, giving the water a pinkish look. As I go down to drink, I notice a sort of bluish moss on a nearby rock, intrigued I moved closer to investigate.
"Maybe the Apothecary will know something about It." I say, scraping up some of It.
"Ah, you see, you've stumbled across what some people – even in the Capitol – consider a delicacy, if you have the stomach for it." The old man behind the counter chuckles, taking a bit and chewing on it, convincing me it's quite safe to eat.
I take a bit and chew, immediately flavor explodes in my mouth, one I've never tasted; it's tangy and rich at the same time.
"What's it called?" I ask taking another piece.
"Some call it Wintersmort." He replies helping himself to the rest.
"Wintersmort," I repeat.
Hey guys, Sam here, that was chapter one, I'll be editing it sometime soon I hope but reviews are incredibly appreciated. (In my defense this was written late at night, and I'm a sleepy, sleepy boy.)