Shot In The Dark
How familiar is this? The smell of sweat, heavy breath, anxiety and fear raising the room temperature. Sadly, I know this situation is all to familiar to my childhood. Bring on the games...
1. An Odd Start.
My name is Thunder Silvers. Or Taylor Silvers I guess. You know me from years ago. I'm in all your textbooks. They never use my name. And they never tell you I'm hundreds of years old. Here, let me explain a little further. You know my love. Fang. Or, Nick. Of course you also know Gazzy. He is more known as Dylan around here. Well, you also know we are part of the flock. Maximum Ride made us famous. She fought for the world. Unfortunately it didn't end as planned. There was this old town back before I was even created. It's name was Chernobyl. Chernobyl was a ghost town, the only creatures living were wild wolves who have been called radioactive due to the cities high levels. Well, Max's mom became so interested in this place that she dedicated the rest of her life to studying it. She was so deeply in love with her study that she even began forgot her own children, Max and Ella. Soon others scientists started to join her when they started recreating Chernobyl. They said they would make the work of their ancestors successful. They lied to us. They lied to the government. But mostly, they lied to the population.
From this point, all I know is what I have heard. The world soon found themselves in a horrific Nuclear Fallout. Fang, Gaz, and I made it out. Well, Everyone else survived too. But we. this is where everything gets interesting, we traveled. We traveled in time to Panem. Max and the flock are still stuck back in time saving the world so they can be raised to this brutality. Soon we plan to get them. Save them. But we have to figure out how first. For now, all we can do is blend into District 12. Gale and Katniss found us in the woods and after we told them our story, they decided to help us out. They got us into school here and we help them out in trade with their hunts.
We have been living here for almost six months now. It's okay I guess. We don't have to worry about a place to stay, or where we'll be next. We don't even need to worry about whitecoats, flyboys, or the dogs. I love the view from way high up. Everyone hates district 12. They say it's just a dirty coal mining city. But the lights are so magical. Fang and I go up and fly around after Gaz falls asleep some nights. It is the only time we get to go back to us. We take Gazzy out to the woods and run for a while. He found a new love for swimming. I feel like I have begun to raise him like he started in my own womb. He is Fang and I's world, I would keep him safe through anything.
"Thunder, are you ready?" Fang asks as I finish eating my piece of bread starring out the window.
I wiped my hands on my jeans and stood up, "Yes. Is Gaz?"
"He is just finishing brushing his teeth." right then he comes bouncing around the corner. Prim following him. We started our journey to school now. Katniss was already there most likely. She always went and hunted early before school. We walked the now familiar streets of 12. We made it to the school in very little time.
As always Sasha walked up and started talking to Fang, "Hi Nick!" She said sweetly, "How are you this morning?"
"I'm fine. You?" He said back politely. This whole exchange makes me want to erupt in laughing fits. She hits on him everyday. And she doesn't get it. She still thinks he is into her and all.
"Wonderful. Have you made any plans for the weekend?" She smiles.
His face cringes, "Ya, I'm helping Gale's family with some stuff. Sorry."
"Maybe next weekend!" She smiles and turns to me, "How are you?"
"Dandy!" I mimic her overly happy attitude.
"That's so wonderful!" She is way too happy, its wrong.
Katniss and Gale walk up to us along with Peeta. Gale always seems so tense around Peeta. I know it's because of something called the Hunger Games. And Katniss saved Peeta's life, and they have said they are lovers. But I can tell it's not as real as everyone believes. She's torn between two people. We all stand there and wait for the ringing bell to signal us to class. Everyone made small talk and the time went fairly fast. Soon we were all headed to our rooms. School here is nothing like it was back in the day. It's just like grade school. Except the different teachers come to you. Katniss, Fang, Peeta, and I's class was at the end of the hall. We sat down and the homeroom teacher began a lecture.
She explain how the reaping was close and we all needed to be getting ready for the big day. She explained it a little and moved on to the next topic. I didn't pay much attention to the rest. Reaping? Something about it put everyone on their toes. And made them scared. Or even nervous. Not matter how hard I dug though, no one's mind was releasing anymore than that. They were all to concentrated on the subject our teacher had moved onto. All but three people.
Hunger Games. How exciting. When will it end? Didn't the Capitol get enough joy from last years? Hunger Games. Stupid, horrible, awful, stealing, sick games. Gale thought. He was going off, but I wasn't getting much except he hates them and I already know Katniss and Peeta were in it. But I wanted to know what it was. Badly.
Katniss just pictured herself in the woods, scared and alone. That's all I was getting from her, which was still no help to me. And lastly Peeta thought of how truly lucky he was. Just an image of berries then fireworks with his and Katniss' picture erupting in the sky.
I was curious all day long. I had no time to ask any of them about it either. I would have to wait for when we took Gaz to swim and a little stretching. Thankfully the school day went by fast and we made our way back to Katniss' house. She ran up the stair to her room and changed her shoes and clothes getting ready to go out. We all slid under the fence and went to the lake. Gazzy dove in happy as came be. He loved to swim, almost as much as Angel did. Oh Angel, no matter how deceiving and mean she could be, I missed her little smile and her cute ways. I missed Iggy's remarks and his smirks. I missed how Nudge never shut up, strangely. Mostly, I missed Max's competition. I missed how she wasn't afraid to stand up to me. She wasn't scared of what she thought. I even missed Total and his annoying comments. I missed the flock. I miss the family.
Gaz came up from under the water, "Are you guys going to swim?"
"No I think I'm going to go... Sit up in the trees, I need some relaxing." I said winking at Gazzy. Gale and Katniss didn't know about our secret. We wanted to stay as normal as possible. So, keeping it on the down low was our best idea. Gale and Katniss stood up after eating some food Prim had prepared for them and headed off to hunt some more. "Are you going to go with them, swim, or come with us?" I asked. Gaz had a new love for hunting. Gale was teaching him snare. Which he was very good at. Probably because it was as close to creating bombs as he could get. And Katniss was showing him how to work with a bow and arrow. He was defiantly good at that too, but better with the traps.
He thought for a second, "I'm real close to getting a solid movement on the bow, I think I'm going to go practice!" He smiled big, jumped out of the water and shook off like a dog. Then took off to catch up with Gale and Katniss who were at the end of the meadow.
Fang and I walked in the other direction and ran for a few miles to make sure we were out of sight. I sighed when I opened my wings. It's the best feeling ever to stretch them out as far as they will go them push up hard. Catching air. Soon we were miles above the ground, looking down on the patchwork quilt of District 12. Nothing but open air. The wind flowing through my hair. Fang's unforgettable smile. For living a life of cages, and torture, I have to admit I don't hate what it gave me. I have all the freedom in the world when I spread my curse and take flight.
After an hour and a half of flying, we landed and started walking back to the lake. I loved how Fang could make me laugh over anything. I never opened up to anyone really, but he was someone who I could. I loved him so much. And I would do anything for him. Kind of the way Katniss feels about Peeta and Gale.
We broke into the meadow to see Katniss holding a bow with Gaz by her side mimicking her every move. She reached back slowly, grasped an arrow and slide it into the strings of the bow pulling back at the same time. Gazzy did the same and it looked as flowing and perfect as Katniss' did. Gale pointed to the row of apple's he had set up for them and Katniss went first. She took all ten of them down in a blink of an eye. Restringing her bow faster then I though possible. Gazzy sat there watching very carefully. Gale set up ten more apples for him. He strung the bow again, just like he had a few minutes ago just like Katniss had shown him. Gale nodded and he let it fly, grabbing another and stringing it just as swift as he had the first. He wasn't as fast as Katniss, but he had the form. After he hit all ten he turned and smiled big sticking his tongue out. It was getting dark and a little chilly so we all started heading back. I decided this was the perfect time to ask about reaping and what exactly the Hunger Games were. Katniss turned extremely pale, and Gale's face went cold. That's when their thoughts burst open.
What a sick, cruel, inhumane game. I would know too. Throwing kids in an arena to kill each other just for their pleasure. It's like the Superbowl of our time. Fang's face was shocked, and poor Gazzy. I know exactly what he was thinking about without even reading his mind. He watched his childhood flash by his eyes. All of us did. Only, this was worse. You couldn't escape.
Hey guys. Thanks for reading this far. I love any kind of review. I hope it was good. Also, Thunder is obviously my own character. If you have any questions on her she has a small description in my profile or you can just ask me. And I wanted to say that this is taking place after the first book. Please review. Thankk youu.