Chapter 1: The missing
This is my first attempt at a crossover story like this, reviews or PM's would be amazing! Also ideas and suggestions are accepted ^_^
District twelve, the place where you could starve to the death in happiness was slowly fading away. Each day people would go missing, names reported followed by there pictures placed on the 'missing' board in front of the justice building.
A large handful of the districts teenagers are gone, mothers weeping at the absence of there children and cries of sorrow aren't strangers here.
For the sixth time today I walk up to the giant wooden board with pictures of teenagers along with there names all plastered for everyone to see. There are only a few names I recognize.
Primrose Everdeen
Age: 12
Missing since: Six months ago.
I continue to read over the long list of twelve year olds missing, it makes my gut churn and sting just at the thought of what could be happening to them. My eyes follow further along the list.
Katniss Everdeen
Age: 16
Missing since: One month ago
Gale Hawthorne
Age: 18
Missing since: Three weeks ago
Delly Cartwright
Age: 17
Missing since: Five months ago
George Cartwright
Age: 11
Missing since: One month ago
I cant read the list anymore, all I'm reminded of is there faces and how much sadness it brings to even read this list; I'm about to step back when a familiar voice whose voice is almost welcoming right now.
"Peeta"
"Madge" I say while slowly turning around. It's not hard to see the pain in her eyes, out of her small circle of friends she and I are the only ones left.
But, it has to be harder for this poor girl. She holds more pictures and details of the missing in her hands, it's her job to pin these up on the board.
"I'm running out of space" She says emotionless as she takes a few steps closer to the board while scanning it with her eyes.
"Get a bigger board" I say harshly, but don't regret it.
"So you're expecting more people to go missing!?" Madge's fists clench, she drops her head slightly and I watch as her once bright blonde curls drop over her face.
"Nobody wants people to go missing" Is all I can say, I don't know what else to say. Will this even stop or will it continue until all of us vanish?
"I-I'm sorry Peeta, it just" Madge stops, she whimpers and her lips begin to quiver. The girl raises her head and glances at the list again, "They're all gone"
"Maybe they're in a better place" Well maybe they are, if they are… dead then at least they could be somewhere different then this hell.
"But what if they aren't" Madge says through her sobs. But before I can reply she drops the pictures to the floor then crashes onto the ground on her knee's; sobbing heavily.
"Just leave me alone Peeta; I want to be alone" The blonde girl catches her breath only for a few seconds before sobbing again.
But then I see it, in the pool of photos under her knee's I spot her mother. Then, a feel a lump in my throat as I look at the portrait next to the blonde girls mother, It's a picture of my brother Rye.
Resisting the feeling to drop to my knee's I simply back away in disbelief, this cant be true. My brother. He; can't be missing?
My legs carry me away. The sign is far in the distance with Madge still sobbing in front of it.
I soon find myself crashing through my front door, instead of being greeted with my yelling mother I am greeted with the sight of her sitting at the table with a bottle of whisky with a lost look in her eyes. She looks broken, it worries me. Nothing could ever break my brutal mother, but this nightmare has.
My dad approaches me and speaks with a dull tone, "Haymitch wanted to see you, he says it's important" He doesn't even look me in the eye, he just turns around and walks away.
"O-okay" I say, not that they are listening.
So I take my leave and begin walking to Haymitch's house. He is rather famous around district twelve for being a drunk. No one knows why, all he says is "Something bad happened". I've been told that he went missing when he was fifteen for two weeks; and when he returned he just wasn't the same person. But no one asks or talks about it.
It doesn't take long until I find his house. It's the only house inhabited on this street. Before I even raise my fist to knock on the door it slides open revealing the unshaved; dirty face of the drunk.
"Come in" His deep sluggish voice drawls as he slowly opens the door wider.
I step inside; he slams the door causing me to jump but leads me to his living room. Haymitch gestures for me to take a seat so I comply and sit on the cold brown leather chair as he does the same on the opposite seat.
"So what is it you want?" I question almost immediately.
"I- I have something to tell you and something that I can't tell the rest of the district, they wont understand" Haymitch sounded serious, I don't like where this going at all. "As you know twenty four years ago I went missing correct?"
"Yeah?" I wonder where he is going with this…
"Its- its because I went looking for the girl that vanished a few days before hand, Maysilee Donner. Your friend Madge's aunt"
"Wasn't she kidnapped by some capitol enthusiasts?"
"No, she was taken by- no I shouldn't tell you… I don't want to get you involved" His voice dropped, its obvious he's hiding something from me. Almost as if, almost as if he knows what's going on!
"You're hiding something from me, why did you bring me here if you aren't going to tell me?" I ask, why is he acting so weird?
"I just want to warn you that; what ever happens or whoever goes missing don't go" Now he's looking at my directly in the eye, it's almost terrifying.
"Just don't go. Wait until all this is over then move to another district, just promise me you will?" Haymitch is growing anxious, its obvious by the tone of his voice and I frankly don't know how to respond other than "I promise"
"Just don't" He cuts short, his head darts upwards out the window. He is glaring to something on the outside, the man is terrified. "Just, just go home for now"
I can't reply before he whisks me up and shoves me outside, "I'll be back tomorrow"
But Haymitch doesn't reply he just almost slams the door in my face.