The Living Games
A/N So this is my first time writing a story that does not have Katniss or Peeta's point of view in it, and the 74th Hunger Games aren't in the point of view of someone who knows what's going on like we do. *Hint hint*. You might notice that this is different from my other stories, because it is. I'm trying to write better, so let me know if I succeed! Now, if you have any complaints, if my grammar's weird , or if you don't like how long or short it is, anything really, please let me know. Also, this story starts off a bit serious, but that goes away when the dialogue starts ;) PLEASE ENJOY THIS STORY! *CURSE WORDS BEWARE*
Also, in case you are wondering, this is only rated T for fluff, because I can't resist it, death, you know, it's the hunger games, people are gonna die, cursing, which you already know, maybe some suggestiveness, like teasing and joking around, and . . . yah, that's pretty much it. There are some mentions of alcoholism, so if that makes you uncomfortable I won't be offended if you leave. There's no M stuff here, since it is rated T.
Chapter One: The Beginning
This was the end of the worst time for District 12 . . . Winter. Kids dropping like flies from the cold, having only the coal stuck in the boots from working in the coal mines to use for fires, and having very little meat brought in from the hunters, since most of the animals were hibernating, and the Peacekeepers—Let's not even start on the Peacekeepers. They were keeping an extremely close eye on them. Times in District 12 got so bad, that some people wished they were chosen for the hunger games so they could die in less pain and agony. The Hunger Games was a survival 'game', or a punishment for something that is very irrelevant. 41 years ago, 13 Districts rebelled, and 12 made it out of the rebellion alive, but not living. They were forced to send two tributes during the Reaping, a poll of some sorts, to fight to the death. There was only 1 Victor (survivor). The Victor would be bathed in riches and never want for anything ever again, except for their sanity back. Being a Victor meant having nightmares about allies you were close to, or the people who you brutally murdered. Victors lived in their own part of the District, called the Victors Village, where their nightmares become reality. At the time, refusing to do what was asked of you lead to you being killed. Of course, they had changed it later on, but why kill your family, when you can be killed just as easily?
Even the wealthiest of the merchants barely scraped by. The Seam had been secretly named The Graveyard because so many kids died each day. So many that only halves of classes would show up. It wasn't helping much that you could get whipped for looking directly at a Peacekeeper, but it was better to get whipped in the winter. If your family could get you to the apothecary before it was too late, they would have better supplies since they stock up for winter. But with the strict Peacekeepers, some people didn't dare leave their homes. They would send another family member to take the whipped person to the apothecary. They're known as Insiders. It's a dumb name, but it's all the stupid, gossipy girls from the merchant class could come up with.
The other seasons in District 12 weren't bad. Enjoyable, actually. The Peacekeepers would soften a little, although they still gave out the occasional whipping. The Capital would need extra Peacekeepers for the more rebellious districts, such as District 11. Things got so bad in District 11, that they couldn't leave their houses for a week. Which, of course, lead to more deaths, which meant they had to make more children. The more for the Games the merrier! On top of that, the other districts would get scared. District 12 is apparently not an important district. President Snow didn't worry about the districts with no chance of rebellion. There was talk in the mines once, but all of the miners from that shift mysteriously disappeared, and there had been no talk since then. The only problem with that, was that there was only talk, and no action. Just a group of angry miners, who once they went above ground would forget all of their anger. They had families to worry about.
With the Victors' Village as vacant as the good in President Snow's soul, District 12 was the embarrassment District. Just because they didn't train like the overly proud Districts (1, 2, and 4) it meant they were just a useless, but necessary district. No use in bombing off another sad district and wasting resources, especially one as inferior as District 12! The people in the Capitol are probably laughing at them right now. Along with District 6. The Morphling smugglers, as people (those bitchy Merchants) called them. As if they even know what Morphling is.
Luckily in District Twelve, it was just turning spring, fortunately for the Merchants who made their money by selling goods that were available in the spring, summer, and fall. Even though Aubrey Oric was a Merchant, she sure hated those gossipy girls. They somehow knew everything. If you dated anyone, they knew. If you had your first kiss, they knew. If you took a shit, they knew. Aubrey was the poorest Merchant in Town. Sometimes (most of the time), she didn't know how she made it into the Merchant class. The only reason she was a merchant is because her family owned a shoe washing business. They only got a lot of customers during the summer and the fall, so they weren't doing so well right now.
Anyway, she was an outsider with the Merchants. She was blond and blue eyed, but that's all she had similar to the Merchants. While their blonde hair was often long, curly, and decorated with pretty bows and ribbons, her hair was straight and flat, and it barely skimmed the end of her shoulder. Some people in the Seam had better hair than her, and they could barely feed themselves! She did have one thing the other Merchants didn't have. The bluest eyes anyone had ever seen. They weren't a pale blue, but they were full of color. All of the other Merchants were jealous, but they'd never admit it. She was also different in the way of her sexuality. She was a hidden bisexual. Most people in Panem didn't support same-sex anything, though the Seam was more open and accepting about it than the Merchants. Unlike all of the other Merchants, she didn't think of the Seam as scum, like they were just dirt on the bottom of their shoes. Aubrey thought they were brave. They went into the woods (those who were desperate, or brave enough) knowing they might not come out again. Knowing that they could be whipped, or, more likely, killed. She always wanted to see the woods. She was never brave enough, though. One time she came close to it, but a woman picking apples quickly, as if in a second the Capital would come or something, told her to go home and walked her to the end of the Seam. She left her apples (which she had to if she didn't want to get whipped), which could have easily gotten stolen in their poor, starving district, and risked being seen with a poor Merchant just to walk her home.
Most Seam people hate the Merchants because they were rich, while they were not, but her family was kind of a joke. Everyone laughed when she walked down the halls, and the bigger kids would take her lunch, or make fun of her until she cried. Today was one of those days. Being only 14, she was younger than the others she went to school with. Being a rich Merchant also meant no one would mess with you. They were too afraid of being tracked down by angry Merchant fathers, who would take away money, or get them whipped by Peacekeepers. Since her family was not rich, they had no power. No one was scared of her dad. He spent what little money they had on alcohol, getting drunk until Aubrey's mother had to take him to the apothecary.
That day, the 18 year old Merchants teased her and teased her until she was red in the face and had tears streaming down her cheeks. Even the Merchant she had had a tiny crush on hadn't done anything to help. She ran from the school, since no one in her family would care. Her father was dead to the world, and her mother was to busy trying to keep him alive, and tending to 2 other kids.
Aubrey ran to the District fence, not bothering to check if the one minute of electricity they had was on, and ran. This time, there was no woman with apples there to lead her away. She ran, and ran, until she couldn't tell where she was anymore. She stopped at a tree that was providing shade and cried. She wasn't afraid like the rest of the Merchants. She wasn't even thinking about the woods. She was thinking about the things The people at school had said. Oh, the awful things they called her. Stupid. Poor. Whore. Those stupid ass bitchy Merchants started a nasty rumor that she fucked rich, old town men to stay in the Merchant class. By then, she had wanted to rip out their blonde ponytails and shove them down their pale throats, but she had pulled a girl named Payton's ponytail and gotten in trouble. She had gotten fined by the girls dad, and had to stay home for a week, being piled up with work when she went back to school. That was the only time anger like that consumed her. It was only a month ago. Her mother had thought she was sick, not knowing what went on.
By this point, Aubrey was slamming her fists on a tree and screaming. How life was unfair. All she wanted was to have money. She wanted to be a Victor. Little did she know, the Victors wanted to be her, but she didn't realize it. They had money, and power. Everything she didn't. She wanted life to be fair. What she also didn't know, was that the Victors would kill (have killed) for her life. Every time she said it wasn't fair, her mother would say, At least were not living in the Seam. She would always storm upstairs and say, yes mother, until last week, when she muttered not yet under her breath. Her mother gave her a dirty look and Aubrey rolled her eyes and gave her a look that said, you know I'm right, and went off to brush her short hair. She didn't bother with homework. Sure, she did work in school (barely), but that was it. Why do extra work when nobody cares? You didn't need to know what a function was to wash shoes.
Just as Aubrey was about to make a hole in the tree, a strong, olive hand grabbed her arms.
"What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed? Be quiet!"
She turned to the voice, and saw a dark haired boy, with olive skin matching his hands. When she turned around, he raised an eyebrow. You wouldn't be able to tell she was a Merchant, with her poorly made made clothes, and her hair tucked under a hat she was given from someone out of pity. She hadn't wanted it, but her mother told her not to be stupid, as if she was the one that needed to be reminded. She was married to a drunk who couldn't even see half of the time because he was so drunk!
"Why are you here? Don't you have school to be at?" the boy asked. He looked to be about 16.
"Don't you have school to be at?" Aubrey shot back at him.
All she got was another raise of an eyebrow and a one word answer.
"No."
"But you're 16," she argued. He must go to school, Aubrey thought. It doesn't look like he works in the mines since he's underage, and he's definitely not a Merchant. Not with muscles like that . . .
"I'm providing for my family. And I'm 15. " Aubrey must have had her mouth wide open, and her jaw must have hit the ground, because he laughed. "And how old are you? I'm guessing 12? 13? Why would your mother let you out here alone, or at all?"
Aubrey glared at the 15 year old and mumbled, "I'm 14," under her breath loud enough for him to hear. She knew he was joking, but she was still annoyed.
The boy burst out laughing. "Right. Well, I'm Zane, by the way." He stuck out his hand.
"Zane?" Aubrey shook it. "That sounds normal for a Seam name. No offence. Like I have room to talk about the Seam like that."
Zane gave her an odd look. "My great grandfather was a Merchant back before and during the dark days. We lost all of our money and had to move to the Seam."
Aubrey laughed. "Well, lucky you. I keep wondering how I'm not in the Seam yet." This time, Zane said something.
"W . . . What? But you're from Town, you're that girl who owns that shoe shop. Why would you . . ." he paused for a second. "Is it because of the rumors?"
"You mean you don't believe them?" she raised an eyebrow.
The boy gave her a look.
"No. Should I?"
She eyed him for a moment.
"No," she said, kind of hesitant. "But people usually believe everything the Merchant girls say."
"Well, it sounds so stupid. I would just accept it and move to the Seam. So, why wouldn't you?"
Aubrey tilted her head.
"Plus, you kinda look like you're not all the way straight. And they never said anything about girls so . . ."
"You know, I'm starting to like you."
"Really?" he wagged his eyebrows.
She glared at him.
"Not like that, you idiot."
Zane laughed, and Aubrey grudgingly admitted that she was really intrigued by him.
"So, you got a last name or . . .?" she trailed off.
"I do, but I prefer not to share it with random strangers that I meet in the woods."
She held up her hands. "Touché."
Zane looked at her curiously.
"You know, you never told me why you were here."
Aubrey sucked in a deep breath.
"Er . . . I prefer not to tell it to random strangers that I meet in the woods?" she said sheepishly.
"Ha, ha." Zane took her hand and made her sit next to him. "Now, what's the real reason? I have a guess, but I'd rather let you tell."
"Well," she started timidly. "There are these awful bullies in school. You know, those older Merchants? The rich ones? Yeah, them. Today wasn't a good day. Their teasing got a little harsh. So I left. And I ended up here. And . . . yeah."
Zane nodded his head.
"I figured as much."
"But you still asked?"
He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"I wanted you to tell me, you idiot."
Aubrey scowled. "Um, I am not the idiot. You're the idiot."
"My idiot senses say otherwise."
She snorted.
"It must be malfunctioning from so much idiot coming from you."
Zane glared at her.
"Oh, ha, ha."
Aubrey smiled for a bit and then realized something.
"Hey, you never told me why you were in the woods and not at school."
He snorted.
"I hunt. Duh."
Aubrey rolled her eyes.
"I didn't expect you to answer so honestly. What if I was here to kill you?"
"I think you just made it clear you aren't. And you've already seen me here. What else would I be doing?"
"Taking a leak?" she suggested.
Zane laughed.
"I can assure you that is not why I'm here, my toilet works just fine. As to why I wasn't at school, well, hunting never waits. And we had a test today that I didn't study for, and my mother thought I was only skipping school to hunt, so how could I pass up the opportunity?"
Aubrey shook her head.
"You are just something else."
"So I've been told."
Aubrey sighed and lied her head on his shoulder.
Yeah, yeah, stranger danger and all, but she felt like she could trust him for some reason.
After a few minutes, she looked up to see the sky darkening considerably.
"Well, I better go before anyone realizes I'm gone. School is way over by now, and my mom might notice that the floor is still dirty."
Zane raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
"Ditto. I need to get my stuff and go home before anything comes after me."
Aubrey leaped up and stretched. She looked down and noticed Zane was still there.
"Well? Go get your stuff and meet me back here."
He jumped up and saluted.
"Yes ma'am."
Aubrey hummed for a bit while she waited, then abruptly stopped when she realized what she was doing. Then she started again because why not?
Zane came back a few minutes later, sporting a hunting bag and some rope.
"Okay, let's go."
They walked towards the fence, exchanging playful insults along the way.
"If I'm the princess of idiots, then you must be the king."
"Wouldn't that make me your dad?"
She thought about it for a second then shuddered.
"Ugh . . . just the thought of being related to you is sickening."
"I'm honored to have such high regards from you."
When they finally reached the fence, Aubrey felt herself feeling kind of sad. This stranger had made her feel more happy than she had felt in a long time.
"Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye," Zane said, biting his lip.
Aubrey laughed kind of sadly.
"Yeah. But I'm sure you'll see me again. Maybe I'd even meet you here tomorrow." she slid in a tiny suggestion.
Zane smiled at her.
"I'd like that. I want to get to know you more. You seem . . . well, interesting. I like interesting people."
Aubrey smiled at him, then made a split second decision.
She threw her arms around his chest and hugged him for a second.
"See you tomorrow," she whispered against his chest.
She turned around and walked away, sneaking one glance at him and his shining grey eyes.
