Disclaimer: I (Sadly) DO NOT OWN Maximum Ride OR the Hunger Games series, just thought I'd throw that out there…
Summary: What would you do if you were born with wings? What would you do if you were taken away from you're mother and used at the Capitol for "scientific purposes?" What would you do if you were wondering if the odds… were really ever in you're favor?
I jumped awake, the nightmare still fresh in my mind. I couldn't shake it out. I closed my eyes and I could still see myself flying over District 10, buildings were burning, people were screaming, and I was safe… flying. I could see the children standing in long lines for the reaping even though around them their world was already turning to dust.
I shuddered. I had to remind myself that it was just a dream, about a real nightmare, the reaping.
Every year the Capitol holds something called "The Hunger Games." Don't get me wrong, it's not about food, and it isn't like a game that you would play when you were younger. It's about life… and death.
The reason that the Hunger Games are held is because the Capitol wants to remind us about the dark days. The war. The chaos. The death…
Every year they take two kids from each of the twelve different districts. They train them, prepare them, and then push them into the Games where they fight to the death until only one remains.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I had to stop thinking about the reaping and the Hunger Games. Even though it was a week away, I had to get my mind off of it. It was driving me nuts.
"Dessity, are you ok?" I heard a little voice ask from the darkness.
I relaxed, "I'm fine Rosie, go back to sleep."
I could hear my little sister Rosie get out of bed and creep over to me. "Why are you shaking?" she whispered.
I felt for her hand in the darkness and took it, "I'm just… cold."
"But it's so hot outside – " Rosie started to say.
I squeezed her hand, "Shhh, you'll wake Avery and Mom."
I didn't even think about her waking up my father, he was probably relaxing in a deluxe hotel in the Capitol.
I could hear Rosie's breathing quicken, "You're not cold are you Dessity? You seem scared."
I gently pushed her away, "I'm not scared, just cold, now go to bed."
Rosie sighed and walked back to her bed mumbling something about how it was crazy that I was cold when it was burning up outside.
Five minutes later, I could hear Rosie snoring, and I officially decided that I wasn't going to get anymore sleep. So, I stood up and quietly got dressed. I made sure that I picked out the shirt with two slits in the back for my wings. Yes, wings. I know that sounds a bit odd, but you get used to it. I grabbed my boots and slipped them on. Then I walked to the door to venture out into the warm night.
"Rosie was right, it is hot outside," I groaned as I walked out into the yard.
It was covered in grass, but had some weeds in it, which my mother was probably going to make me pull up. Our yard meets the dirt road that runs all around the district at a sharp turn.
The first thing I did out of habit was go check on our cows. Bluebird was my cow. She was mine because she was different than all of our other livestock. She was different, just like me. She was as white as snow, with dark brown eyes. All of the other cows were either brown, or black.
I reached out to Bluebird over the wooden fence and patted her nose. "Hey Bluebird, how are you?" She snorted onto my hand and I quickly took it away and wiped it off on my jacket.
"I guess that means you want me to leave so you can munch on your hay," I said as I patted her one more time before I took off.
I ran down the road which led to town. I took a giant leap, extended my wings, and immediately I started to soar over my district. At first, I was only a few feet in the air, but before I knew it I was hundreds of feet in the sky.
I started to think back when I was smaller, how I had dreamt of running away and flying to another district, no matter how far. I had never gotten to pursue this dream, and eventually lost interest in it. But I still thought about it, I thought about how I coped with being the only one to have wings in my district because some people tested on me when I was a baby.
I was yanked back into reality when something hit me. I tumbled in circles in the air. It took a while for me to regain my balance, but I finally did. I searched the air to see what had hit me, but there was nothing in sight.
"Well that was… odd, "I said to myself as I continued flying.
I started to go back to thinking when I got hit again, and started to tumble.
I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins. This wasn't normal, usually things didn't fly this high. So, I flew up another fifty feet and looked down, and that's when I saw it, or… him to be exact.
I could see a small figure where I had been the minute before; he had dark curly hair and tan skin. I also noticed something else about him. He had wings. I gasped; there was someone in district 10 who had wings… just like me.
Before I could decide what to do I found myself tucking in my wings and shooting down as fast as a bullet towards the boy. When I thought I was close enough to him I quickly snapped my wings open and rose up.
I turned around and caught a glimpse of the boy's face as he tucked in his wings and dived down just like I had. After that I didn't see him again. I shrugged my shoulders then eventually dived down too, and when I got to the ground I unfurled my wings at the last moment and then landed.
I ran back down the dirt road to my house, and quietly stepped into the house, which was hard to do because the adrenaline was still pumping through me.
I quickly got back into my night clothes and sat back down on my bed. I hadn't noticed that I had been smiling the whole way back to the house until that moment.
Because I finally knew that I wasn't alone.
Yay! The end of the chapter! :3 Chapter 2… coming soon.
