Part 1: The Invasion
Chapter 1
It all starts the day the other family moves in.
My siblings and I had listened in the other room as our parents argued with the Peacemakers, but there was nothing they could do. So now we have four other people living in our basement that we have to feed and let use the bathroom.
This is so not okay with me.
It frustrates me that I can't do anything about it. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't his family. But of course, it is. It's Blaire who's living with us, the boy who tormented me throughout school and doesn't stop now.
"I can't believe you left this," I point at the dead mouse sitting on the desk, "in my room." My face is red in anger and he smirks.
"You look like the old American Flag," he snickers.
I feel my cheeks burn more as he refers to that. I just had to make my hair blue with sparkles, didn't I? I refuse to give him any prize though.
"And you look like a mime," I shoot back.
It's the truth. His hair is dark black and his skin looks deathly pale. He even added the dark makeup around the eyes and has the dopey expression most of the time. He scowls at me and I stick out my tongue. He storms out of my room, mumbling as if it's my fault he's here.
"Don't forget your little friend," I call after him. I pick up the mouse by its tail, determined to show I can do anything he can, and toss it at him.
He dodges it and yells in a whiny voice, "Mom, Shine is throwing dead mice at me."
Blaire's mother poked her fat face out of a doorway down the hall. "What is this entire ruckus about?" she asks angrily, "Your father is trying to watch the television."
Blaire seems to forget all about his little present to me. "What's on? Anything good?"
I understand his question. Nothing has been airing except for President Snow explaining how everyone was completely safe and how they had everything under control. To be honest, I didn't really care. Before Blaire's mom could answer my mom comes walking around the corner.
"Mom," I say, running to her, "Look at what Blaire put in my room."
I point at the dead rodent lying at Blaire's feet. I expect my mother to start yelling at him, but she just sighs.
"Blaire, talk to your mother," she says, giving his mom a meaningful look, "And Shine come with me."
Blaire looks at me smugly as we part. I give him a look that says this isn't over. He makes a face as the door closes that he thinks looks cool but I think makes him look ridiculous with his mime makeup. I follow my mom to the front room and we sit on the couches.
"Do we have to have them live with us?" I blurt out, "I can't stand Blaire anymore."
"I know, Shine," she says, "but remember what I told you about houses not being livable anymore?"
I know where this is going. "Cut me the little kid crap, Mom. I'm fourteen. Tell me what's really going on."
My mom studies me and sighs, "You're right, I can't keep trying to protect you. Do you know that broadcast we watched as a family?"
How could I forget it? The broadcast has burned in my memory ever since Katniss Everdeen said the words: If we burn, you burn with us. I don't know what it means exactly, but I know it's bad.
"Yes," I say.
"The Rebels, those are the people Katniss Everdeen represents, have taken over some blocks." She looks…different than usual, less confident than she normally is. It scares me.
"They invaded the Capitol?" I ask.
She nods, "And they continue taking it bit by bit."
My breath catches, "Isn't the President doing anything?"
She shrugs, "Everything he can. But Shine, please try to make nice with Blaire, they can't go anywhere else."
I'm sure that won't last long, but I nod anyways, "Okay Mom, thanks for telling me."
She smiles sadly as I stand. I walk out of the room and to the nearest television. I turn it on and start paying attention to President Snow's words.
"We ask you to please let people into your homes," he's saying, his big lips moving smoothly, "We need everyone to help if we're going to beat the Rebels."
The scene changes to Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and their gang. They're running down the street, pursued by Peacemakers.
"Mr. Flenn, Gasty," I call down the hall, knowing they're the ones that are most interested, "Come see what's on."
Even though I only called two names all of both of the families walk in. Everyone sits around the television, some on the floor and some on the couch. My siblings don't even argue about who gets which, they're too distracted by what's showing on the screen.
Katniss is, of course, shooting arrows into the Peacemakers, who are shooting at her. The Flenn family gasps as they see their house. Just then something shoots out the window and strikes one of the Katniss's party members. He drops to the ground. The others keep running. I glance at Blaire, who seems shocked that something that came out of his house had just killed someone. I look back at the screen and see that the Peacemakers are gone. But something else is coming. The camera backs up and shows a giant black wave coming for Katniss's group. It zooms back in when Peeta garbs Katniss's neck. He's about to finish her when another team member tackles him. The others scram as Peeta kicks the other off, sending him straight into another trap. A net comes over the other member and he stops moving. Other party members handcuff Peeta and they make their way into a house. The one I think is Gale stays outside, trying to get the net open. Finally he gives up and follows everyone inside the house. Moments after the door closes behind him the black wave arrives, smothering everything in its path. Everything is covered in a thick, oozing layer. If the man in the net wasn't already dead, he is now.
The room is completely silent as we all hold our breaths. We don't see anything moving inside the house. Time slowly ticks by. Then the house collapses on itself. We all stare as the house crumbles to pieces. If anyone was in there they are dead now.
A reporter appears on the screen. "We will do a search for their bodies." She was grinning triumphantly. "We will broadcast it as soon as we have any evidence."
My siblings cheer and even the parents look relieved. Mrs. Flenn takes little Jain in her arms and kisses his forehead. My mother takes the twins, Light and Bright, in her arms and dad clasps Gasty's shoulder, grinning. The only one that isn't celebrating is Blaire. When he turns I see his eyes are shining with held back tears. He sees me looking and quickly walks out of the room. I follow him into the living room. He curls up in a corner, wrapping his arms around his legs and facing away from me. I stand behind him, not quite sure why I pursued him.
"Hey," I say, "Why are you crying? This is good right?"
He didn't look at me, "Why is it good?"
He has to be pulling my leg. "We just beat Katniss Everdeen! That has to be good."
"I'm not so sure," he replies.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
He shakes his head, "You won't understand. Just like everyone else."
I don't think I'm supposed to hear that last part. "Well how can I if you won't tell me?"
He spins around, dark eyes blazing, "Fine, you want to know? I think all this killing is pointless."
His anger surprises me. I take a step back. "But without it The Rebels-"
"Oh cause what they're doing is so bad," Blaire says sarcastically.
"If it weren't for them then you'd still have your home," I point out.
"Well the Capitol has done much worse things to them."
"What are you talking about?"
He took something out of his pocket. Papers, it looked like. "I've been doing some research ever since we had to move out." He holds the papers in front of my face, waving them around. "They torture them and let them starve! And, just while they're at it, they send their kids off to kill each other."
"That's to teach them a lesson," I object.
"And what good did that do?" he shouts back, "It just fed the fire of the next rebellion."
I had nothing to say to that. Why was Blaire defending The Rebels? The people who had caused us so much trouble? He had a point, but the Capital was our home! But…but…
He stares at me, waiting to see how I'll react. I turn away from his burrowing gaze, feeling confused.
"Where did you get this information?" I ask, changing the subject slightly.
He brushes it off like it's not important. "I have my ways, but let's just say my dad's work helped."
His dad works as a bodyguard at the capitol. He would have information about the capitol. How did Blaire managed to break into the system? I've been giving him too little credit, unless he had help. But still…he's defending The Rebels! The very enemy his father is protecting the Capitol from.
Before either of us could say more my brother, Gasty, calls out to us.
"You two come back in here," he says, "Something's happening."
We walk back in the room and sit at opposite ends. On the screen the fallen building is being picked through by machines and Peacemakers together. After a moment of looking the women announcer is back on the screen, looking more upset than before.
"We have not found any evidence of the bodies," she announces grimly, "It appears the Katniss Everdeen has escaped."
As a note of defeat settles around the room, I can't help but notice Blaire's smile.
The weeks after that the government takes some safety measures. We are forbidden to go outside, all cell phones have been turned off, and the built-in touch screen computers can only be used for research. Who would do research at all is beyond me. So there is nothing to do and it is terribly boring. Blaire is my only company, and he's back to his old mood. I'm sitting on the couch trying to be creative and draw something when he comes in and starts being annoying. Like usual.
"What's with you and stars anyway?" he asks, poking the corner of my eyes, where I had printed stars onto my skin.
"I did it to say I'm out of this world," I say dramatically, only half-joking.
"Well, you're full of yourself," he states as he continued to poke my stars.
"Why did you make yourself look like a mime?" I shoot back at him.
He scowls and I feel a burst of satisfaction. I draw a quick sketch of his dopey face, (purposely making it bad), and show it to him.
"It's like looking into a mirror," I announce, grinning.
"Haha, you're hilarious," he says. Then he snatches the paper out of my hand and flips to a new page. He takes my pencil and draws a picture. When he holds it up I glare. "And this is you in the future!"
Its me standing on the moon in the outfit astronauts wore in our history books. My head is huge and I'm grinning madly saying, "I'm out of this world!" In my hand is the old American Flag. Again with the flag! I hit the notebook out of his hand and stand up.
"What's your problem?" I scream at him, "Why do you always have to make fun of me?"
He snickers, "You're face is red again."
Anger builds up in the pit of my stomach and before I know it my hand raises and slaps him across the face, hard. He sits there, looking stunned, redness appearing on his cheek despite the makeup. I stand with my arms folded, waiting for his reaction, daring him to hit me back.
We glare at each other for several long moments. I'm surprised at the anger I see in his eyes. It seems he's angry about more than just my slap. Our conversation from a couple of weeks ago pops into my head. The one about if what the Rebels were doing was bad or not. Is he still steaming from that argument?
He slowly stands and the rage on his face scares me, but I don't back down. His hands are in fists at his sides, as if he's really trying to keep them still. One makes its way up to grip my shirt. He opens his mouth.
Before he can speak the twins come crashing in. They're shouting and pulling on something that neither of them will let go of. Blaire lets go of my shirt. Light grabs onto me and Bright onto Blaire. Bright always went to Blaire for his problems; it annoys me like nothing else.
"Shine," Light complains to me, her electronic color-changing headband shining, "It's my turn on the pCube but Bright won't give it to me." At the same time Bright says, "I'm not done with it yet and Light keeps trying to take it."
I say, "Bright, give Light the pCube."
At that same moment Blaire says, "Light, stop trying to take the pCube from Bright."
We glare at each other. We are never going to solve the problem this way. I pluck the cube out of the twins' hands.
"Since you two were fighting over it neither of you get it," I said, walking over to Gasty, who had just walked in. "Gasty does."
He seems surprised at first but when I give him a look he understands and takes it.
"Cool," he says.
He flops down onto the couch and starts messing with the cube. The twins start whining to me but I hold up my hand and they stop.
"Listen," I tell them, "Gasty gets a half an hour on the pCube, that's thirty minutes. Then Light gets it," I see Bright open his mouth to object, "Just because you already got to play it, Bright. Light gets thirty minutes on it, then it's your turn. It will switch back and forth like that until you're done with it. You have to tell me when you start and I'll keep track of the time. You guys got it?"
They nod.
"Good," I say, "now go find something else to do."
They scamper off. I breathe a sigh of relief, it actually worked. I turn to see Blaire staring at me, but instead of anger, something else is in his stare. I can't name was it is, but it makes me feel weird and self-conscious.
"What?" I say harshly. I still hadn't forgotten our fight.
This snaps him out of it. His expression turns sour and he trudges out of the room. All of a sudden I feel very annoyed again. I sit on the couch, tuck my legs to my chest and fold my arms around them, glaring at the wall. I feel someone's eyes on me again and I look at Gasty. He's smiling at me; his red contacted eyes making him look conniving.
"What?" I ask again, exasperated.
"Nothing," he says, turning back to his game.
Oh there's something. I continue looking at him, but he doesn't look back up. After a few more minutes I slide next to him and watch what he's doing. Gasty is a whiz with electronics. He could win any game system, crack any code, break in to any website…
A thought occurs to me. There is no way Blaire could break into the Capitol files, but Gasty…maybe he could. I'm positive he could. Did he help Blaire break into the system? He wouldn't…would he?
"Hey Gasty," I say, trying to sound casual.
"Hm," he replies.
"Me and Blaire had a fight," I say slowly, careful with what I say.
"Yeah, I heard it when I was coming down the hall," he tells me.
"No, it was a couple of weeks ago," I say, "Blaire started defending the Rebels. He said the Capitol was doing horrible stuff to them. He had these papers that had all the information on them and when I asked where he got them he was very vague."
"Supporting the Rebels?" Gasty still didn't look up from the pCube. "Why would he do that?"
"I don't know," I admit, "but he seemed to think they were doing the right thing. What I'm wondering is: How did he get that information? If there really was anything it would probably be locked up behind lots of pass codes and security systems. Blaire would never be able to break in without getting caught."
Gasty's black eyebrows went up but still he didn't look at me. "That's true, but why would he even look for that information?"
"Don't try to change the subject. Blaire couldn't break into those files alone, he had help."
"Help? Who would help him?"
"You tell me."
His red eyes finally met mine. The corner of his black lips quirks up and he holds up his hands in surrender.
"Fine, you caught me," he says.
I stare at him open-mouthed. I was hoping it wasn't true. "You helped Blaire break into Capitol files? Why?"
He shrugs, "I was curious."
"But now all these crazy thoughts are running through Blaire's head and you-" I stop talking, a new thought dawning on me. "Hold on, you don't agree with Blaire, do you?"
He sets the cube down on the arm of the couch and sits back, rubbing his chin dramatically.
"Now that is a good question," he says, "According to records written by the President himself, he purposely lets the Districts starve and die while he sits all comfy cozy in his over-plush couches. I just don't know if I believe him."
I can't believe this. He's three years older than me and I think better than he does.
"You've gotta be kidding me," I say, "You support the Rebels too?"
"I never said that," he replies, "I don't like what they're doing, I think its stupid, but I understand where they're coming from."
"Of course it's stupid!" I yell.
"I know, they're just going to die," he says, "There's no way they can beat our government's military."
"And what about us?" I ask, "What about us Capitol citizens? They're taking away our homes."
"I just told you I didn't like what they were doing," he points out.
"Ugh, boys are so frustrating," I grumble, standing up.
He grins, smoothing back his bright red hair. "We try."
I give him one last glare and stomp out of the room. I go to my room, slam the door behind me and collapse on my bed. I twist the blankets, trying to control my anger. Two, two people in my home who aren't furious with the rebels. And one of them was Gasty, of all people! I looked up to him, but now I'm not so sure I should. I felt like punching one of them in the face, but I had to make do with my pillow.
After tons of punches I'm sure my pillow will rip with one more. I'm about to deliver it when my mother walks in. She stops in the doorway, a look of concern on her face as she studies me. I'm frozen mid-swing. I think she's going to start yelling but she just ignores it.
"Get anything you can carry," she says, "We're leaving."
"Wait, what?" I ask just as she's walking back out. I catch her arm and try to stop her. "What do you mean we're leaving?"
"President Snow has issued an emergency evacuation," my mother explains, "Everyone must go to the Capitol building."
"But why?" I wonder.
She pauses, pursing her lips. "The Rebels are closing in. They think Katniss is in the Inner City."
I'm shocked. "What? How did they get in past all those-?"
"It doesn't matter," my mother interrupts, "We'll be safe at the Capitol building. Get only the things you can pack into one suitcase."
I'm about to complain. One suitcase? How was I supposed to fit all I wanted in there? My mother's expression cuts me short and I bow my head.
"Yes mother," I say.
"Thank you, Shine," she says, then walks down towards the twins' room.
I walk back into my room and look around. One suitcase, that's it. I have no idea where to start so I slip on my coat, my jacket, hat, and tie on my scarf. It's in the middle of winter so it's going to be cold. I grab my biggest suitcase and start sticking things into it. Extra clothes, brushes-both the teeth and hair kind, I decide to leave my hair dye and extra star stuff. I didn't need them, although I did want them. I pack my notebook, for something to do, and a family photograph. I manage to fit tons of other stuff before it's full. When I'm done I wheel it out to the living room, where everyone else is gathered.
Bright is crying and my mother is trying to comfort him, telling him everything is okay. Light is also crying and walks over to me.
"Mom won't let me take Vanessa," she sobs.
I kneel to her. "Vanessa will be okay here. She has Gills and Mark. Mark will protect her."
Her little hiccups grow quieter, "They were about to get married."
"It will just have to wait a bit, okay?" I say, buttoning her bright lemon yellow coat.
She nods and goes to help comfort Bright. Little Jain is whaling and Mrs. Flenn rocks him in her arms. The two fathers are gathering food and Gasty and Blaire are talking quietly in the corner. I shoot them a glare and Blaire catches it. He grins at me, apparently feeling proud. So his little Rebels have managed to overtake the Inner City. Good for them. Gasty turns and walks over to me. He has a bag on his shoulder and a small suitcase at his feet. All he has for warmth is a light jacket.
"Won't you get cold?" I ask.
He shrugs. "I never really get cold."
I nod my agreement. It could below freezing and all Gasty would need was a hat and scarf. The fathers finish packing and we all head out the door into the crowded streets. Ice pelts my exposed skin and stings my eyes. We are immediately swept into the crowd and Gasty holds me close to him. I take his hand and my mom's, who takes Light's, who holds Bright's, who clutches Dad's. Blaire's family is behind us. We follow the flow and I can just see a few feet ahead. People press against me and step on my suitcase. I end up just holding it, which gets tiresome. Some citizens obviously weren't prepared for the evacuation. They were only wearing their nightgowns. Gasty lets go of my hand and I panic, but he's just pulling off his jacket. He hands it to a child passing by who's only wearing his pajamas. The child takes it graciously and a smile warms Gasty's face. I look admirably at him as he takes my hand again.
We break into the main alleys and follow the Peacemakers' commands of staying to the right. Things get brighter despite the snow and I can see faces pressed against the glass of shops, all refugees. For a moment I wish we would have evacuated sooner but then I remember we're going to the Capitol building. We'll be the safest there. I see my sister whisper something to my mom and point at something. I look at what and see a woman in a bright red coat. Why did she catch Light's interest?
Suddenly blasts pierce my ears and my mother drops down next to me. I look down at her for a moment, thinking she had just tripped. Then hands grab my arms and start leading me away from her. That's when I see the darkening red stain that spreads across her chest. Tears flood my eyes as the reality sets in and despair takes over me. I thrash against the hands, trying to get back to my now dead mother.
"Mom," I scream my voice high and grief filled, "Mother!"
Then I see the girl wearing a bright yellow coat kneeling next to her. Light shakes our mother, trying to get her to wake up. Tears stream down her face as she sits in plain sight of any shooters.
"Light," I shriek, "Light, get away from there! Light!"
I see my father start heading towards her, a weeping Bright on his back. Before he can get there more gunshots ring out and holes appear in Light's chest. The blood sprays all over the coat I got her for her birthday as she lands on her back. Her lifeless eyes seem to stare right at me.
"Light," I screech, "No, Not Light! Light, please no!"
My body shakes with the force of my sobs and finally I let whoever's holding me lead me away from the two corpses. I look up into Gasty's face and see his shining eyes. The tears don't fall, but the pain is written on his face. I bury my face in his chest and my tears soak his shirt. I feel my father's arm wrap around my shoulder and they guide me through the crowded streets.
I'm jerked back and the movement causes me to look up. Just feet from us a pod releases steam. I can feel the heat of it from where I'm standing and everyone in its path gets cooked alive. My brother pulls me onto a street and we continue walking, ignoring the screams and wailing around us. More gunshots ring out and people drop everywhere, but the only thing that matters to me is my family standing around me. We had lost track of Blaire's family after the first shootings. Rebels surround us shooting but we just run forward, praying nothing gets us. All of a sudden two citizens burst out from another street. They have guns and start shooting, at who I'm not sure.
I hear a metallic pinging noise and pain explodes through my calf. I cry out and start to fall. Gasty catches me and picks me up in his arms bridal style. I look down at my leg and see blood trickling out of the hole in it. Fighting nausea but moaning in pain I look around. I see the woman in the red coat running in the opposite direction, her gun firing at everything.
Everything from then on is foggy. I vaguely remember another pod going off, sending burrowing bugs into the skin of nearby citizens and Rebels. I barely register pain in my hand and lift it to look at it. I realize that a bug has latched on and is now tunneling into it. Before it can get far Gasty pinches my skin, squeezing it out and flicks it away. I just have time to think, or maybe I said it out loud, Hehe, Gasty, I reach up and pat his cheek, you're glowing, before I passed out.
I woke up with my head in my father's lap. Bright was on the other side of him and Gasty sat at my feet, his hand lying protectively on my leg. I looked at my shot leg, at the considerably smaller hole, and at the blood that was, most noticeably, not there. I shifted my leg and pain shot up it, just not as much as I thought would.
"What is this?" I say, perplexed and slightly annoyed. If I fainted, it should have been for a good reason.
Gasty smirks at me, but I can see the relief in his eyes. "What is what?"
I gesture wildly towards my leg. "I was shot! Now it just looks like I was stung by a bee or something."
His smirk grows. "Gun wounds don't really bleed unless they hit an artery. Which, in your case, it didn't."
"That is so la-" I stop talking when Bright's upside down face takes up my vision.
"Shine," he says, tears run down his cheeks and landing on mine. "Don't you ever do that again. You have to promise me that you will never make me feel like that again."
"Oh Bright," I say, shifting and hugging him. The memory of my two family members' deaths came back to me and I start sobbing. "I'm so sorry. I promise that I won't. I will only make you happy, got it?"
He nods and his tears stain my coat. More tears flow out of me. Bright was my strong little soldier, seeing him like this devastates me. I feel more arms wrap around us as Gasty and Father join our hug. We all shake and tremble together, grieving for our lost loved ones. Finally Father pulls away and we all just lean on each other. The tears had stopped a long time ago and we're silent.
This is when I notice what's going on around us. We're in the City Circle and are surrounded by refugees. Some are walking around aimlessly, others are weeping, and others are eerily still, letting the snow cover them. I look over at the President's mansion and notice a concrete barrier surrounding it. It's about four feet high and has refugees inside it. I feel a burst of anger as I assume that they're the ones picked to get protection, but then I notice that they're all children. Ranging from teenagers to toddlers they huddle on the ground with others or by themselves. Peacekeepers guard them, but they don't do anything to help them and their freezing conditions. I look at Gasty and see he's watching the children too. Rage is fierce in his red eyes.
"Gasty," I say. He doesn't look at me but gives a small "Hm," in reply. "Why are those children there? Why doesn't President Snow take them somewhere safe?"
Gasty looks at me. The anger in his eyes is not directed at me, but it still makes me lean back. "He's using them as a human shield."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"He means that the President is using them as a protection against the rebels," my father answered.
"But that puts them all in danger," I say, shocked. "Why would he do that?"
"To save his own pathetic life," that came from a new person who had just walked up. Blaire.
He's alone and blood stains his coat. I can't tell if it's his or someone else's. His eyes are hollow even though his voice was filled with hatred. I want to know what happened to him but I'm too afraid to ask.
Gasty does instead. "Is your family…?"
Blaire shakes his head. "Not all of them. My parents, yes. Jain was taken away from me."
I look where he's staring and see the little toddler inside the wall. He's crying and crawling around, looking for familiar faces. I look back at Blaire and see that his fists are clenched at his side. This must be so hard for him. He sits down next to Gasty and puts his head in his hands. Gasty grabs his shoulder and stays silent.
Suddenly one cry said by hundreds of people pierces the air. "The rebels! The rebels!"
The crowd in front of us surges to the left and Rebels come pouring into the circle. They push the refugees back to the avenues but since we're on the edge we aren't swept up in the movement. I watch as a hovercraft marked with the Capitol's seal appears right above the refugee children. The bottom opens and hundreds of silver parachutes come raining down into the waiting arms of the children. They know what the parachutes mean: Food, medicine, gifts. They had watched it over and over on their screens. The hovercraft disappears. I have enough time to be envious of them and angry that we didn't get the blessing of parachutes. Then they explode.
Suddenly I'm very happy that we didn't receive any.
I hear Blaire screaming besides me and more join his cry. Detached body parts and dead eyes litter the ground that was swiftly becoming red. Most were killed in the explosion while others laid in agony and some walk around mutely. I can see Jain's limp little body lying among the dead.
With tears streaming down his face Blaire starts to rush towards the barricade. Gasty and I grab him, keeping his with us. He screams at us, trying to break out of our hold. Apparently the Peacekeepers had no idea of the exploding parachutes because they're breaking down the barriers, trying to get to the surviving children. Among their white uniforms come others. I have no idea who they are until Gasty mummers something under his breath.
"Rebel medics."
Rebel medics? Why are they here? Why are they helping us? President Snow sent the parachutes, right? I have no time to wonder more because that's when the rest of the parachutes go off. These send flaming streaks flying towards the crowds and set flame to everything they touch. I scream as one soars towards us and feel my father pulling me out-of-the-way. Gasty jumps away at the last second.
Blaire isn't so lucky.
He had been so caught up in seeing his dead brother that he doesn't see the burning ball coming at him until it's too late. He's flung back when it makes contact, his skin and clothes aflame. He lands roughly ten feet away from me and I pull away from my dad and run to him. Panicking I rip off his jacket. By his scream I know I pulled off more than that but I don't let that stop me. I pat his remaining clothes and skin with snow, trying to douse the flames. It turns out he's one of the ones who got it easy. He had managed to step slightly to the side before the ball hit him, so only his left side is burned and his face is intact. The others I see burned out of the corner of my eyes aren't spared the painful death. When Blaire's screaming becomes whimpers I look around.
Gasty is helping with others who were burned but are still alive. I see countless bodies lying charred and motionless around me. I notice one who is especially bad. She's lying at a base of a light pole and she's shrieking and crying. She doesn't notice the flames that still lick her. She stretches out her hand as if reaching out to someone. I look where it's pointed and see a corpse with a long blonde braid. Then the woman faints. The Rebels still swarm in the crowd, but it's obvious they don't need to do anything more about the refugees. I see of bunch of them crowd around the woman and lift her up. I get a glimpse of her face and my blood runs cold.
It's Katniss Everdeen.
But that's not possible. Katniss Everdeen is evil. She's the leader of the Rebels. She doesn't feel anything, yet I had just seen her mourning over some girl. Who could be important enough to Katniss to make her cry? My thoughts are interrupted by Blaire when he tugs on my sleeve. I can barely stand looking at him. The skin on his left arm and leg was inflamed and blistering in some places and in other places it was charred black straight to the bone. I fight bile rising to my throat and force myself to look at his face. Its better looking. The burns stop on his neck, so his face is intact. He looks like he's fighting to stay conscience.
"Why…" he pauses and tries again, his voice is a little stronger but still scratchy. "Why did you help me?"
I probably shouldn't be cruel to the injured person but with everything happening at once my nerves are fried. "Because you got hit with a flaming fireball. Did you forget that?"
I know if he could he would have rolled his eyes. "But, I thought you hated me."
I don't know what to say. We have had our fair share of fights, but I don't hate him. How could he think that? Actually...
"I thought you hated me," I reply.
His eyes go wide in shock. "No, I don't."
I'm about to ask why he teases me but his eyes close and I know he won't reply. I realize how hard my heart is pounding and I take deep breaths to slow it. I don't know why I bother because I'm still freaked out and there is no way I'll be calm. I look around and spot my dad sitting on a ledge a couple of feet away with Bright. I shout at him and he comes over to help me. He picks up Blaire gently and gets Gasty. Together we walk to the nearest doorway and step inside.
It's crowded and filled with refugees. Some take Blaire and lay him next to a line of other unconscious people waiting for medical attention. I'm pushed into a wall and have to stay on the edge of the crowd. Since I can't do anything else I sit on the windowsill and watch the scenes happening out the window.
Bodies still litter the ground and the Rebels have to step around them. Some of them don't care though and just walk all over them. Others seem to go out of their way to kick the corpses. Anger flares inside of me but I don't dare to go out and confront them. They enter the mansion and surround it. After a long while I see a white flag rise up out of the tallest tower. I whimper.
The Rebels did it. They won.
I turn and take a long look at Blaire. Wouldn't he be happy right now. When I look out the window again I see the Rebels escorting some high-ranking Officials out of the building, but I don't see President Snow. Wouldn't he be the first they went to?
Somehow I fall asleep there on the windowpane. My dreams are filled with blood and explosions and it's a blessing when I'm shaken awake. I blink my eyes open to see Gasty. His face is melancholy and he points to the T.V mounted and the far wall. It's flickering to life and a woman I recognize as Coin comes onto the screen.
"Its over," she says, "We have captured your President and he has unconditionally surrendered. I am now the President and we will be patrolling Panem. Any Capital citizens who try to fight us will be punished."
It turns off and it's completely silent in the room. No one can believe this is happening. A little girl starts crying and soon enough the room fills with whimpers and sobs. I feel depressed and defeated but no tears come. I see Gasty is the same way. I grab his hand and pull him over to me, setting him down next to me. I lay my head on his shoulder and clutch his arm. His presence makes me feel safer.
"What's going to happen to us?" I whisper, scared of the answer.
He strokes my hair. "I don't know," he replies.
This makes me panic. Gasty always knew. Always.
"Why?" I ask, "Why did President Snow do that?"
He looks at me for a long moment. "It wasn't President Snow."
"But the hovercraft had the Capitol's seal on it."
"If he had a hovercraft don't you think he would use it to escape."
I let this sink in. "So it was the Rebels." It seems so obvious now.
Gasty doesn't say anything. Eventually portions of the little food that was managed to be saved gets passed around. I take small bites of mine, realizing I wasn't really hungry even though I haven't eaten for a couple of hours now. Father and Bright slide in next to Gasty and I.
We spend the next few days in that cramped room. Blaire didn't get attention until the third day, and when he finally does it doesn't really do much. All they can do is make sure he doesn't have any infections. Thankfully, he doesn't. He still hasn't woken up and lies on the ground next to my family.
More updates are broadcasted on the T.V. President Snow had been trialed and found guilty. Katniss Everdeen herself was doing the execution herself. So she had survived her burns.
To keep ourselves busy my siblings and I make up games to play. Gasty's brilliant at coming up with new things and Bright always has a way to make them exciting. They take the old game of Tic-Tac-Toe and change it to Tic-Tac-Dodge. Don't ask about the dodging, you don't want to know.
Depression and defeat still weighs on everybody's minds though and the sound of tears never stops. I become more inspired as I watch Gasty cheer-up the little children. He must be freezing without his jacket, but if he is he doesn't show it.
Finally the day of President Snow's execution comes. Blaire wakes up just before we leave. Rebels file in and march us down the short distance to the front of the mansion. Hundreds of Capitol citizens are there, all watching the raised platform in the front. All of the other people flooding the streets are Rebels. They outnumber us at least eight to one. I clutch on to Gasty, Father and Bright and take comfort with Blaire behind me. They are now my lifelines in the ocean of fear flooding my mind.
People file onto the stage, including guards, officials, Rebel leaders, and victors. I watch Peeta's burned yet still handsome face as he takes his place. He seems angry, very angry. Bursts of cheers erupt from the Rebels around me when Coin steps onto the balcony. Then Katniss steps out, looking stiff but sharp in her Mockingjay suit. The crowd grows louder and I shrink back, trying to look small. She turns profile and waits until they march President Snow through the doors. The noise grows deafening and my heart drops to my stomach. They tie his hands to a post, though I doubt he would run.
Katniss reaches for her single arrow and notches it, aiming straight for the white rose over President Snow's heart. He coughs and bloods drips down his chin. My breath becomes faster as I wait for the arrow to fly. Katniss pauses, probably for dramatic effect. Her and President Snow's eyes meet just for a moment before she sends the arrow flying. It's in the air for less than a second in it seems before it hits its target. Striking the beautiful white rose it enters the President's heart and he slumps forward. Dead.
The majority of the crowd goes nuts. I expect joy to show in Katniss's face, but her eyes are hollow. She's escorted off stage and that's the end of it. Coin starts talking.
"Things are going to be different from now on," she says, her voice ringing throughout the circle. "Things will be fair between all people. Everyone will do their work and what they earn for that, and no more innocent lives will be wasted."
Cheers respond to her words and I feel as though I'm slipping away from reality.
"To celebrate this new era," she continues, "and to make up for all those who had to suffer through Snow's selfish plans, we have one more thing to do." She pauses as anticipation rises in the crowd. "In two weeks from today, we are going to have a final Hunger Games. This one with Capitol children."
This brings me sharply back to reality and makes my blood run cold. My breath catches and I squeeze Gasty's hand, begging him without looking at him to tell me this won't, this can't, happen. He squeezes my hand back reassuringly, but I know there's no denying what's going to come.
The 76th Hunger Game was about to begin.