Chapter One
Like it could ever last. Like the peace and freedom that our country once had, could ever last. We fell into the jaws of chaos when I was about twelve, my brother was ten. We lived in district twelve as we always have. News came through the phone lines that something was happening in the capitol. The news came from district thirteen. They told us that they would tell us more. The news never came. District thirteen was obliterated this time for real, it seemed like the capitol was going to take power once again. Everything changed one afternoon as I ran through district twelve tugging my little brother behind me. He was never as fast as me, but I ran with him anyways
When we got to our house in the victors village (which no other people had moved into except for my family and Haymitch) we found my father in the living room his head in his hands. My mother was not in the house. My father said that she had gone hunting. He said she didn't want us to see her this way, whatever that meant.
I wanted to know what was wrong, but my father seemed distressed and I didn't want to bother him. Soon enough I would know what was happening. Instead I went down into our basement, it was bare of furnishings, but it had its uses. I went to a small closet on the back wall of the basement and grope for the specific item I was looking for. I pulled out a leather jacket that used to be my mothers, it was a little too large but at least it was warm. My mother never really wore it anymore, my father says that the memories were too strong for her.
I ran outside and to the meadow which wasn't too far away. No one was there to watch me go into the woods. My mother would kill me if she knew that I sometimes followed her into the woods. I used to just watch her from a distance, but when I was eleven I found another bow hidden in a log and wrapped in a water proof covering. I took it doubting that she would ever know it was gone. It turned out I was a fair hand at using the bow and arrow. I doubt I'm as good as my mother because I never practice on a moving target, I felt bad about taking a life that didn't need to be taken. Ultimately I don't need to bring game home, I don't need the food.
We were always fed well, although our parents seemed guilty about using the money that they had. We were told in school that both of my parents were victors from the 74th hunger games. The second to last one that ever happened. Apparently it was odd for two people to come out of the hunger games. In fact it was very unusual. There was a revolution soon after my parents victory in the hunger games. They teach us about the revolution in our eleventh year in school.
They've taken us into the coal mines that used to serve as the main occupation in our district. I didn't like it much it felt cold, dark, and somehow helpless. I was glad when we left.
I throw my hair over my shoulder trotting through the woods. I shoot at knots in the tree's as I run by aiming for their centers. I almost always hit my mark. I will go back later to retrieve the arrows that I shot. I run for a while even after all of my arrows are gone. I love the feeling of the wind in my hair, I feel so wild and free. I stop to rest on a log my chest heaving.
When I was younger I used to love to dance. I would dance in the meadow close to our house near the fence. I used to feel such joy, such freedom, when I danced, but dance has no practical use. I get that same feeling when I run, especially when I'm in the woods. There is no one in the woods to watch me except for maybe the birds. I turn back running the same path that I came through plucking the arrows from the trees making sure to count them before stowing them in the log. They were all there, they always are.
I hurry to the fence wiggling under it, there is never any electric current, but it's useful to keep predators out. It wouldn't be good to find a mountain lion prowling the streets killing random people.
I hurry home ducking through the window I had left open. I scramble out of my mothers jacket and hang it carefully closing the closet door. I run upstairs my face still flushed hurrying to my room. I was lucky no one noticed me. When my mother got home I was busy at my desk writing an assignment for school.