Running away was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I'd been angry about the Hunger Games since I was old enough to realize exactly what has going on. The Capitol uses it as a tool to get power. So I stopped watching. The first year it was fine. The second, my parents got a special invitation for the entire family to go to a special viewing. I didn't think much of it, seeing as my cousin was a Gamemaker. Still, I refused to watch it. I went, but averted my eyes most of the time, and never, ever cheered or applauded. The year after that, we got a letter saying anyone who didn't watch the Games would be questioned by the government. I found out only our street got the letter. By that time, I was thirteen. The next year, my parents invited over a bunch of people.
It was there I met Epsilon. He had dark hair and brooding eyes. I knew something was different the second I saw him. One thing was for sure, he had absolutely no Capitol 'adjustments.' Like me. I had none too. It took me a while to get up and talk with him. I asked him to take a walk with me outside, and he did. We slipped away when no one was watching. The monsters inside were to enthralled in the murders of twenty three, no, twenty four children. I've seen the Victors. They have dead eyes and meaningless lives.
"So," I said, in almost a whisper.
"Hey, you're the one who ask me to come."
"What do you think of the Games? I mean, not these, just the Hunger Games in general."
"I don't know."
"You don't know?! How can you even think about liking them? It's murder! I thought you were different. "
"How can you say that? You don't even know me. But now that I trust you, I agree. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a trap."
"This could still be an act. I mean, it's not, but I could be."
"A few years ago you think I didn't notice when that Peacekeeper showed up at your door and gave you guys a 'special' invitation to go watch the Games? Not to mention all the other years!" When he says 'special,' it sounds like the worst insult he could think of. But I know it was a compliment towards me.
"Well now that we understand each other…"
The conversation continued like that for a long while. Eventually, we make our way back inside, lest someone notice our absence. Over the next year, we continued to talk. That led to planning. Yes, planning our escape. We were going on a rumor. A rumor I got when talking to a mentor. District 13. And somewhere in between all of this, we fell in love.
Finally it was time to go. We snuck out of the Capitol in middle of the night. That way, we'd have a few hours of sleep before our parents raised the alarm. Then, we'd have a little bit of time while they were searching the city. We had enough provisions to last us for weeks.
It wasn't easy, living in the wild. As much as Epsilon and I hated to admit it, we were used to the comforts of Capitol life. We stole some more food from 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. In 10, we learned of Peacekeepers chasing us. From then on, we traveled faster, slept less.
We were running through 12's woods when they caught up. Suddenly, all of the birds went silent. Then, a single mockingjay gave a warning cry. I huge hovercraft suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We were already tired of running and we hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. We knew, from 11, that they were getting closer. Now they had caught up.
I looked over and saw to teenagers hiding under a rock. They had olive skin, dark hair, and grey eyes. For a second I made eye contact with the girl, pleading for help, but neither moved. They both looked pretty startled. It's illegal to go into the woods and even more illegal to hunt, which I knew they were doing from their bows and arrows. I don't blame them, though. If they had helped us, we would have all been caught.
A huge net scooped me up and a spear attached to a cable shot through Epsilon. As both of us were hauled up, I screamed his name. But I knew, as surely as the hunters did, that he was gone. Taken. Murdered.
I was thrown in a cell, gagged and tied up. Soon, a man in bright white clothes came in.
"I'm sorry about your friend." He said, and gave me a shot in my arm. The world blurred and spun. I was knocked out before I hit the floor.
I awoke to the smell of a doctor's office. My heart hurt, my mouth hurt, everything hurt. I knew what had happened. I was an Avox. His name had been my last word. Even though I wasn't dead, I was no better off alive.
My life was only serving others.
Until one day, when the girl showed up as tribute. I learned her name was Katniss. And she still felt guilt about what had happened. I tried to be nice, show her I never blamed her, but she didn't understand. And how could she?
How can you understand someone with no voice?