***CAUTION: CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE***
Fighting For Your Heart
Prologue
Welcome to District 24, where you can die from disease. Where you can wake up hearing screams and gunshots. And the worst part, where you can lose a family member or friend because they go off to fight with the rebels.
Chapter 1
I wake up hearing yelling and running. Then, a gunshot. My little sisters, Morgon and Rilette, come running in crying. I know right away what I need to do.
"Come here." I say to them quietly, "It's okay. It's all over." They sit down on my bed with me and I soothe them.
"Sing to us Meg. Please." Morgon tells me. I sing the one song that I know will calm them.
Sun goes down
And you close your eyes.
Make a wish
And see the fire flies.
"You know the rest." I tell them, "Sing it." And they sing our favorite part.
Melodies fill the breeze
Sweeter all the time
I kiss them on the heads and get up. They ask, "Where are you going?" I tell them, "Out. Just sleep. I love you." I walk out with my jacket on and think, finally! Fresh air! I jog and occasionally hide so the soldiers don't see me. I get to the electric gate and pray with all my heart that it's not on. I climb over it and rush to a hole in the ground where I keep my bow and arrows, and take them out.
I ready my bow and slowly walk through the forest. A twig snaps behind me, I whip around, and raise my bow.
"Dammit Gale!" I shout at him, "You almost gave me a damn heart attack!" I drop my bow and start slapping him till he backs away, laughing and smiling.
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Won't happen again." he tells me, still smiling.
I've known Gale for as long as I can remember. Our fathers left to fight with the rebels when I was four and Gale was six. He looked after me while my father was gone. When they died during a bombing four years later, the only thing I could do was run to Gale, crying. I remember him holding me in his arms, soothing me. He was crying too.
"Wipe that smile off your face! You could've been killed!" I yell at him.
We keep walking until we get to our spot by the lake. We sit on the rocks by the water in silence. Gale then breaks that silence, "They're drawing names today. For two new soldiers. A boy and a girl." he pauses, takes a deep breath, and continues, "My names in the bowl. And so is…so is yours." I look up at him.
Once you hit sixteen, your name gets put into the bowl. Gale has had his name in there for two years. It's my first year.
I take a good look at Gale. It could be my last. He has tears running down his eyes. It's the first time I've seen him cry in years.
"Gale?" He lifts his head and stares into my eyes. "Don't worry about me." He wipes his eyes and tells me, "I have to. I-You mean everything to me." I stare at him for a while. I mean everything to you? It's the first time he's said anything of the sort.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. It's a locket. I look from the locket then back to him. He gestures me to him. I slide over and he puts the locket around my neck. "So you'll remember me. If anything happens." He pulls me into him. I close my eyes and just for a moment, I feel there's no one but us in the world. Then, the siren rings. Time to gather at the center of District 24.
GALE WALKED ME home so I can get into my best clothes. I put on an ordinary blue dress with a white ribbon, pull my hair up into a ponytail, and double check to make sure I have my locket on.
Gale and his family are waiting outside our house to go. Then, we are all off to the gathering. Oh God, please don't be me or Gale. I think. I slip my hand into Gale's and he wraps his fingers around mine.
We get there and everyone's in groups of boys and girls. Gale turns to me and we hug. Then, we go to get our fingers pricked. The needle was as sharp as hell. I gasped as it pricked my finger. A few of the soldiers, or as I call them, the bitches from hell, directed me to the sixteen year old group of girls.
Felina Trinket, the head rebel, came up the steps and stopped in front of the microphone. I glanced at Gale, we locked eyes for a moment, and he mouthed a few things to me. Good Luck. I mouthed back, Thank you. Then, he mouthed something that I couldn't make out. He smiled and we turned to face Felina. She reached her hand into the girls' bowl.
I bit my lip. What if it was me? What would I do? What would Gale do? What would happen to my family if I didn't come back? These questions hung in my head like a vine on the top of my head.
Felina pulled the slip out and read the name into the microphone.
"Mary Margret Ashen."
I was relieved that it wasn't me. But, then it hit me. Mary Margret! She's my friend from third grade. I turned to see her long blonde hair pulled into a bun and her blue eyes wide with shock. She slowly made her way to the stage.
"Now, for the boys." Felina's voice was bright with excitement. How could she be happy? Two people, one boy and one girl, were going to fight in a war that started twelve years ago and still hasn't ended.
Once again, she reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out the slip. I froze in place as she read the name I didn't want to hear.
"Gale Tallthorna"
