/AN/
Okay, so.
This is a project I've been working on for a while. It started as a dream I had, of my own reaping day. It was different from this, but the idea is the same. Now, you'll notice, some elements from the world of 'The Hunger Games' are different or missing. Don't panic. Some are intentional while others are probably not a big deal. This is listed as a crossover because, yes, Jack Frost was in my dream. And I had to keep him. Other than his little sister and MiM, by this point, I don't think any other characters from Rise of the Guardians will be mentioned. Please please please do not start reading this for a lot of Jack Frostiness. This is not his story. I also just want you to know that while I had a lot of fun writing this, you may think a lot of it is bs or filler/time wasting. I would still like to know your opinions. And, as always, constructive criticism is welcome. This is a Hunger Games fanfiction so I hope you're ready for similar themes. There's death, innuendos, swearing, etc. I'm not a great actiony/violence writer, but I tried. Don't expect to wait long for any chapters (unless I lose the document) cause it's mostly all written now! I can still change things around if I get some suggestions but I've gone over it several times and most things are set in friggen stone. I could always get a new stone... Point is; depending on the reaction I get from this first chapter it could be a couple of days to the next chapter or a week.
I HOPE Y'ALL LIKE THIS. PLEASE REVIEW, FAV IF YOU LIKE IT THAT MUCH, AND FOLLOW FOR MORE.
*Hearts*
When I wake up, the sun is still high in the sky and warming everything under its rays -including me. My fingers stretch out, to the right, seeking the one I had fallen asleep next to on the lush grass. His cold hand finds mine and our fingers lace together slowly, happily. If only we could stay like this all day... But it's impossible. This is the day of the reaping.
He rolls onto his side so he's facing me, still holding onto my hand. "Took you long enough. I've been waiting for you to wake up."
"Why didn't you wake me? Jack, you know we can't afford to be late." I frown at him and will away the uneasiness in me. Reaping day is never something to look forward to; I would rather focus on the moment. On my hand in his. He leans closer and my heart skips a beat.
"I wouldn't let that happen. Besides, your sleeping face is cute." he states easily. I know a blush creeps onto my face, but I also know he wouldn't understand.
Jack Frost. My classmate, my neighbor, my best friend. He only moved into the house next to mine a couple of years ago but from the very start he was friendly and kind and simply a lot of fun to be around. I don't know when I fell in love, but I know I couldn't tell him. He doesn't see me the way I see him. From his white shaggy hair to his ice blue eyes and everything else- I love him. I just wish he knew how his words affected me. I wish he intended for them to affect me like they do. I wish he would love me too. But that's too much to wish for -I'm being selfish again.
"How much time do we have?" I ask him. The subject of the reaping hangs over Panem like a sick, falsely entertaining cloud. The games are cruel. We all think it on some level of our conscious, but no one is brave enough to say it let alone do anything about it.
He rests back against the grass and peers up at the sky. There used to be a tree right where we lay in my back yard, but even before Jack had moved in next door my adoptive father cut it down. I'm very thankful. He guesses, "Probably a couple of hours. Well, we might want to be there early so-"
"More like an hour." I finish for him. He glances back at me and I smile. It's plenty of time to do nothing together and yet not enough by far.
"Hey, Meg?" While my full name is Megan, he rarely calls me that. I don't mind it, but sometimes it bothers me that he prefers the short version. It's meant to be endearing, I know. It almost feels like he doesn't want to take the time to say the final syllable. He's lazy, but that's just too much. I watch the clouds as he asks me, "What if I'm chosen?"
It's a question I expect. I always expect it. Especially from him. Beneath his care free attitude he has a great fear of the games. I also have a fear of him being chosen. He's strong, but not violent. When he needs to protect someone he'll do what he must and no more. We're all capable of the things we see in the games. Jack is capable of them. He would do what he could to avoid making a kill but the games change people, even if just for an instant. It would change him, possibly taking away his smile. He'd be haunted by the memory. And so would I if I had to watch him go through that.
"If you were chosen?" I know I have to answer him. "I would... do whatever I could to get you out of it. I'll bribe someone to take your place if I have to. Make a shady deal. If you're chosen, I'm not letting you go."
"You seem so sure that you can do something" he chuckles. He points up to the sky, "See that cloud? What does it look like?"
He always points out the strangest looking clouds and expects me to somehow see into his mind to figure out what they are to him. Luckily the answer is usually the same so I tell him, "It looks like a snowflake, of course. A snowflake in the middle of Summer. Winter is calling to you again."
He grins at me but shakes his head. When his eyes focus back on my face, I wonder what he sees. My dark hair, wavy and falling just below my shoulders? My blue eyes that I'm told have darkened from being in shadows too long? I don't understand what anyone means by that, but I don't argue. Maybe he's just taking in my almost plain features that he insists on calling cute. I don't know. All I know is that he's looking at me and I don't want his eyes to leave mine.
"What do you see?" I ask after a while, not sure if I'm talking about the clouds or not. He looks at me like it's obvious and I frown at him again. Since when is anything in his mind obvious to me?
He turns back to the cloud, apparently happy that it hasn't changed much in the few moments after he spotted it. I study his profile carefully. His smile, even just seeing it from the side, looks full. It's joyous and casual and I try to memorize what makes this smile different from the rest. Some hair has fallen into his face and I lean over to brush it away with my free hand, careful not to block his view. His eyes flit over to mine again and his words are soft, "It looks like you, Meg."
I blush again, "What do you mean?"
"You were right to guess snowflake. It does look like a snowflake. And so do you." It's an odd compliment, but knowing his love for all things Winter I smile at him. When he continues my eyes have trouble deciding if they want to watch his eyes sparkle or his mouth move. It's very warring. "A snowflake is unique. It's beautiful. Special. Sounds like you, doesn't it?"
"Not really" I reply, laying back in the grass, "I don't get it, Jack. Why do you say such things to me? I could easily take them the wrong way, you know."
"And what way would that be?" he wonders aloud, though I think it was more to himself, "I like telling you the good parts about yourself because you sometimes forget them. Meg, you're my best friend. You know me better than anyone else. Well, maybe there are a few things you don't know... Whichever way you take my words, it's probably how I mean them."
There is a long list of things he doesn't know, either. He doesn't know that I love him. He doesn't know that his words mean more to me than he wants them to. He doesn't know that it hurts to only be his best friend. He doesn't know that I want more.
But still, I can't tell him. I can't risk ruining what we have. I've seen it before. I've seen him reject girls before in the nicest ways possible. He smiles and then apologizes, stays with them a while to make them laugh again. To make sure that they're not too upset about it. Somehow it always works out. They all keep having fun like nothing really happened. I can tell, though. There's something different. It's subtle. There's a crack in their bond. I can't let that happen. I can't let him look at me with a wary smile, concerned that his effort at comfort has been undone or that he somehow did something wrong when he rejected me.
I've heard awful stories, too. Stories about best friends where one of them fell in love and confessed to the other. It didn't work out, and the one confessed to felt betrayed. Like their friendship had been a lie -some ruse entirely made up just to be close so they could one day be together as a couple. That's not how I see it at all. I cherish our friendship. If I lost that -if I lost him- I wouldn't be able to go on. So even though for a moment I think of telling him; I keep my mouth shut.
He points up at the clouds again, "Look. There. Christmas tree." I can't help but laugh. Looking around the sky I spot something and point it out. We watch for a while, both pointing at certain shapes. He eventually lets go of my hand and I don't mind. He's still beside me and that's what matters.
But then my curiosity gets the better of me and I have to ask him the question I'd avoided since I became so familiar with him. "What if I'm chosen, Jack? At the reaping?"
My words hang in the air for a few long moments. His smile fades and I almost regret asking. His serious face turns to mine, "You won't be."
"That's sweet, Jack. But it doesn't answer my question. I gave you a serious reply and now I think you owe me one."
"You've never asked before, Meg. I've never... I don't want to think about it. If you're chosen, I don't know what I'll do. Something stupid. Something desperate. But I know what I want you to do." he rolls over again and leans over me, his hands pinning down my arms. He smiles but it's not the mischievous or kind smile I'm used to seeing, "Run. Run fast, run far. Don't stop, and don't look back. I'll cover you, and so will everyone else who cares about you. Believe it or not; there's a lot of us."
I stare up at him. He's so close and I can feel his breath on me. His words sink in of course, but I can't focus on them. He's being protective and all I can see is how much he cares about me. The words hang on the tip of my tongue. I know I've held them in too long and it won't be much longer before they burst out of the small cage in my heart I've kept them locked away in. I love you, Jack. Why does it have to be so hard to tell you?
"Do you understand?" he asks me. I snap back to reality quickly and smile at him. Luckily, he smiles back. I'm not that lucky though and he stands up. "My dad made those cream puffs you like. We should go get some." He helps me up and we peer at the white fence separating our yards. We'd asked to have it taken down but realistically it wasn't a good idea. And so we hop over it.
His father isn't a cook. He didn't own a bakery nor has he ever worked at one. The cream puffs are a family recipe, one that I've been denied. It's a joke that I should marry Jack simply to get my hands on the recipe. I'll admit to thinking about it. They're delicious. Everyone loves them -especially me- but they're only made for special occasions.
"He made them for you, you know. Cause he knows you like them" Jack tells me as we head toward the back door. "But he's not making a big batch so don't have too many, alright? Save some for later?"
"Of course. I don't think I can hold them in anyway. I'm nervous. Who's going to be picked this year?"
"Not us" he says with a smile. Like he's certain. It's comforting. We walk through the door and the smells fill my nose and cause my mouth to water. Jack takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen where a small plate of cream puffs sit. He picks up a note and reads "These are for you. Hope you both enjoy them. See you later, and good luck!" Laughing, he comments, "I guess it is kind of obvious that you would be with me, right?"
"Yeah!" I say cheerily, "Cause we're inseparable!"
"Even though you just use me to get to these" he picks up a cream puff and holds it near my mouth. I take a bite and he lets go of my hand, giving me the rest of the small pastry. "I knew it. That's all I'm good for, isn't it?"
"There are many things you are good for, Jack Frost. This is just one of them."
We slowly finish off the pastries and talk to each other for a while. We don't expect his parents or his little sister to come home any time soon so Jack and I separate to get ready for the reaping. It's not a particularly formal event but it is televised and we're meant to at least try to look civilised.
We live in a comparatively rich part of District 7. It's often referred to as cozy. There is one small mountain in the middle, and that's where our Theatre is; where District events happen. Our main export is lumber. Outside the city limits there are large forests all around. Most take buses to the factory, but some have the opportunity to carpool with the higher ups.
It's easy to find the commercial areas -just stay close to the big mound of earth. Residential areas are spread out all over. There are fences and walls to mark the limits of the district; peacekeepers patrol them. To protect us, they say. And I believe them. I have no reason not to. Because I was told that my parents went outside the larger part of the walls, into the denser part of the forests. They never came back and I never left for rational fear of the same happening to me.
I put on my best pair of jeans and a light-colored sweater; there really is no dress code. I don't know if it looks good, I just know that it's comfortable and will keep me warm. Smiling, I reach out and grab the hair clip my other best friend, Gale Hawthorne, had given me. Jack has never given me anything like this. It's small and in the shape of a little pink cartoon heart. I laughed when he first gave it to me, which made him upset, but I immediately apologized and told him that I truthfully love it. I then kissed his cheek and that definitely cheered him up. He is very different from Jack Frost.
He's not as cheery, for example. He seems to only smile when he shows up at my house out of the blue. His parents and adoptive parents have been friends since their early years. He is always welcome. And he takes advantage of that, coming over at random times during the day and occasionally at night for dinner and such. Our two families do come together once in a while for a game night. Gale is also, in my personal opinion, not as attractive as Jack. Though I supposed I'm a bit biased. He has a quick temper and enjoys telling me how smart he is compared to me. In his own subtle ways of course.
Downstairs, the little lightly colored house is just as plain as most houses in the area. Janet and Brian, the couple who adopted me years ago, are waiting for me. They smile and hug me, and I linger for a bit. "I should... probably go catch up with Jack." I tell them.
"I thought you always go with Gale? Won't you wait for him?" Janet asks me with her sugar sweet voice.
"I haven't talked to him recently. We never made a plan for this year-"
"Since when do you need a plan?" questions Brian. "It's tradition, isn't it? We always look forward to seeing you two together." They've told me this many times. Gale and I aren't even really interested in each other. Luckily the days of arranged marriages are -for the most part- over with.
"I'll see him there. I want to go with Jack." They smile at me sadly but I know they won't push it any more. I think they know how I feel about Jack. Actually, I'm sure they do. I haven't exactly hidden it from them.
I hug them once more, grab my keys and ID, and walk out the front door. Jack's waiting for me on the sidewalk but his back is turned. I quietly approach him. He's wearing a similar outfit. Jeans and a blue hoody he has been very attached to since before we met. My hands reach out and I hug him from behind, startling him out of his thoughts. He laughs and turns around in my arms to hug me back.
"Meg! I was waiting for you! What took so long? Parents?"
"Yeah. Also I'm a girl so it obviously has to take longer for me to get ready" I joke. He grins at me and leads me down the road, his arm around my shoulders. "Did your parents make it back?"
"No, they're probably out with friends. We'll see them at the reaping. We'll see my sister..."
"Jack, you know she's not going to be chosen. Remember? You begged the Moon. And I've asked the Universe -you know it owes me. We've taken every random precaution we could think of. She's safe. I promise." I move so his arm falls from my shoulders and take his hand in my own.
"You're safe too" he says, "I didn't only beg the Moon for her." I look sideways at him while we walk and let my mind wander. I wish he meant it the way I want him to. If only we were going on a date. If only we were holding hands because we can and not for the support we need today. If only the games didn't exist.
"Thank you, Jack." I wish I could tell him.
"I mean it. I couldn't stand to lose either of you to those stupid games. They're not even fun! I'm sorry, Meg. It's the only game I can't let you take part in." I smile at him but he's focused on what's ahead of us. I squeeze his hand and keep walking.
The Theatre was only named that for the sake of giving it a name. Really, it's a natural formed stage at the base of the mountain. I look around shortly for Gale, not really interested in finding him. Jack's hand is still holding mine and we walk towards the group of children gathering in the large area between the stage and the concerned parents.
"You okay?" Jack asks me when we're almost there.
"Yes. Fine." Am I really? "You?"
"Fine. Absolutely. We're going to come out of this."
"We always have." I promise, squeezing his hand again. We separate, smiling as we part. Some officials scan my ID and take a small machine to my finger, drawing blood. We're told it's the easiest way to keep record. I don't even care. Blood has never bothered me. When I turn away from the official, I see Jack getting his blood taken. His face twists for a moment. Blood bothers him.
We fall in line to take our places in the crowd. Finally I look around. Up on the stage there are two large bowls filled with slips of paper. My name is in there only about several times. The odds are in my favor. In between the bowls, in the center of the stage, is a single microphone. Behind all of that, at the back, are four chairs. One for the mayor, one for the representative from the Capitol that will announce the names, and two for the mentors. On the sides are screens filling up with various live footage.
The cameras all around point at various things. The stage, the parents, the children. One points directly at me and I wave for no particular reason. When it turns away, I keep looking around. Peacekeepers, cameras, more peacekeepers. Has anyone ever tried to run away from this? I bet they didn't get far. No one would.
Then I spot someone waving at me from the left. It's Gale. He simultaneously points to his head and nods at me. I remember the hairclip and smile, turning my head so he can get a good look at it. It's a good luck charm, he's told me, I have to wear it to important events.
Jack steps in front of him, blocking my view. Well, I like this view better. We stare at each other for a while, shrugging and trying to guess what the other one is miming. It's stupid and we get glared at, but I know that he won't make it through this without a couple of smiles. Even when the announcers start, I'm still too focused on Jack to really pay attention. It's all Hunger Games, anyway. The same speeches every year. Blah blah blah, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
I don't know when it happens but at some point Jack turns away from me. I try to focus on the stage too, but I keep picturing the fear he's hiding behind his eyes and I have to make sure he's alright. He doesn't ask for my help, ever, but I still try to protect him and his smile. It's cheesy and more literal than it should be, but; I would give my life for him. If we were in the games together, I would make sure he won at all costs. I would make sure he made it home. Even if I didn't.
It's time for the names to be called. The Capitol representative, Polly, dressed in a tight-fitting blue dress, announces that it will, again, be ladies first, I don't know why she does this, it's not a requirement. Maybe because if a boy's name is called first, the girl will be less than compliant when their name is called. I wonder absently how Polly fit into that dress, and also how she's fighting off the cold. Capitol folk aren't used to being away from temperature controlled... Well, everything! Homes, cars, even the trains! Not saying I'm jealous but I think if I had such control over how hot or cool it was at any given moment I would be a lot happier.
She walks over to the bowl on her left and smiles big for the cameras, bunching her shoulders up for a moment like she's so excited. Her hand hovers over the bowl. Another smile at the cameras. Her hand dips into the bowl. I realize I haven't been breathing. Everyone leans forward slightly as her hand mixes up the slips of paper. I turn away and see Jack staring at me with a look of fear on his face.
I smile at Jack and turn away, not wanting him to worry. There's no need to worry. I'm not going to be chosen. I'm not going to the games. But some poor girl will be. As long as it isn't me, though I would rather it not be anyone. And as long as Jack doesn't go either. I make a mental note to tell him later. Tell him everything. But that can wait until after we spend time with our families-
"Megan Theia"
It echoes. Like an annoying bug in my ear. Then everything is in slow motion and I don't know if the buzzing, or the spinning, or the nausea will ever go away. It's such a sudden thing my heart drops and my entire body goes numb. Everything is fuzzy and my sight blurs. I don't even know what's happening anymore.
I panic.
Time skips regular speed and goes straight into overdrive. Jack's warning is in my head, "Run! Run fast; run far!" I think it's in my head. Someone is shouting behind me. Behind me? I'm already running. Where are the guards? Why is no one trying to stop me? I don't think anyone is. I feel like I'm running through a tunnel and all I can see is what's straight ahead. What am I thinking, this is so stupid! They'll catch me and I'll be in trouble- But I'm already doomed to be in the games. What more can they do?