Aftermath...
I remember running through the woods, quiver in hand. I can't remember what had happened to my bow. But it had been with me. That much I'm sure of.
My father always joked to me that the woods seemed to be my home, rather than my actual one. It never bothered me though. It was true. Ever since my sister Primrose had been born, I decided that I was more useful out of home than in.
Hunting... my father trained me. On his free days, though. But it wasn't as if he was with me every day. I couldn't be selfish. Katniss needed him too.
My older sister. As much as I wouldn't admit it, I learnt a lot of what I know today from her. So who am I?
More of that later.
My heart raced. My unusual light-brown hair plastered to my neck. I just needed to be out of there. For once, I WANTED to find someone... to tell him what I knew... what I had just seen.
Useless knowledge if no one would listen.
I'm two years older than Prim- who looks very similar to me, except with her eyes- and two years younger than Katniss. Both of us have the same colour eyes, which probably isn't anything special, since most of the Seam do.
I heard a snap of twigs to my left and I veered towards the sound, bursting into the clearing.
"What the..." I heard the boy exclaim, jumping out of my way, startled. "What in the world is your problem?"
He seemed annoyed, and I knew better than to be overly-anxious when someone looked as hungry as he did.
He didn't bother asking my name.
"Everdeen," he said, his voice controlled, "You're... their son. Their ONLY son. Katniss is your sister."
"Umm, yes?" I replied, my voice coming out a lot more strangled than I wanted. But whose wouldn't after having run a mile under heavy foliage.
"So?" he asked, folding his arms. I struggled to put a name to his face. He seemed familiar.
"I need your help."
He seemed to ponder about it for a second, but I could tell he was going to help me anyway. Even before he said it.
He shrugged his shoulders. "What's the deal then?"
"Something's wrong in the mine."
"Everything's wrong with the mines. Not the first time someone proposed that they might be dangerous."
I ground my teeth. He needed more info.
"Capital Guards," I whispered, "I saw them coming out of the escape tunnel."
That got his attention.
...
Together, we ran into town. Not everyone could know. Some people would think nothing of it. Capital guards frequented the districts after all, especially now since the reaping was upon us.
But in the mines?
No.
Such a place would be almost... degrading for them.
I was seconds away from home... seconds. My mother seemed like the most obvious person to tell. Gale... he told me his name as we moved... stayed with me. I hope it was to help verify my story and not... as I suspected, to meet my big sister.
The way he said his name was almost creepy for me to hear.
It was then that I heard it.
The explosion. That erupted in the distanced, and rumbled under our feet. But the earthquake that resulted in the aftermath of it shook a lot more than district 12.
I felt my heart ,for the first time, stop momentarily.
I felt the fear that the collapsed mine did a whole lot more than make a part of the tunnels inaccessible.
I smelt death.
And it scared it.
On the other hand, Gale remained impassive. He told me to head on home... and tell them the obvious.
The part about the Capital guards was just between us. And it was the closest thing to a friend I'd ever considered in my life.
I gave him a small smile and turned away.
He did not have to know everything that was going on in my head.
...
My hand fingered the door handle as I struggled to compose myself.
THEY did this.
The Capital.
Without caring about who they affected, and how they lived afterwards.
Who was going to help us now... with food... and money? How could we support Prim? But we had mother. She'd help as much as she could.
All I had to do was push, and I couldn't.
Grief had turned to a rage that I couldn't explain. I wanted revenge.
The Hunger Games was one thing. It was almost tradition to 'safeguard our future' in that way... but an unprovoked attack on people who had never done anything to them?
How did they rationalize these deaths?
Could they?
I have to change what I said before.
I needed revenge.
I turned away from home and headed back into the woods.
I had my own bow... my hunting knife... and I was already wearing my 'forest clothes'.
I was going.
I didn't know where for sure.
But District 13 seemed a liable option.
There were the rumours after all...
...
"Where are you going?"
I turned around, though there was no need to. I recognised the voice.
"Well?" the voice continued
"Katniss... I'm going."
"WHAT!" She rushed me, and pressed my back against a nearby tree. I could see the tears in her eyes, so much like mine. Grey mist like a rainy day.
It was going to rain for a long time in our lives.
"I need to. I can't stay here anymore."
"Do you know what they're saying? What happened in the mines today?"
"What?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"It... c..collapsed. Dad was down there. They haven't retrieved any bodies yet."
Her voice was breaking, and I made no effort to tell her NOT to cry. It was something she couldn't do in front of Prim.
I had to lie to her.
"I'm not ready for the responsibility."
"You're nine years old! There are so many in the Seam who support families younger than you!"
I looked away. "I don' t want to."
Could I tell her that I was about to exact revenge on out father's murderers? She had to live here. She had to see them in a couple of weeks for the Reaping.
I couldn't do this to her.
Her grip weakened and I moved away.
She cleared her throat. "If you go... I don't know you anymore. You don't desert family."
"I'm sorry Katniss."
"I don't forgive you."
"Prim would forget me in time."
"And mother? And me? Would we forget?"
"You could try."
"I will."
I turned my back to her.
"I'm doing this for us." I murmured, which is as much as the truth as she was going to get from me.
"Don't lie to me," she muttered, and I heard the sob behind the words.
First father, now me. Was I doing the right thing?
"Bye Katniss."
I heard no reply.
It was the last time I talked to my sister, but not the last I saw her.
...
I'm the middle child of the Everdeens who left home right after his father's death.
To seek revenge, to rebel against the Capital, to make a change in Panem.
This is my story.
My name is Hollis Everdeen.
Not sure how you all would think of this... Kinda backdrops the Hunger Games (Book One). And though I may have some of the characters you might recognise, most of the children would be strangers to you. I hope you enjoyed this.
Feedback is greatly appreciated. And it makes me happy.