Dave Strider was sitting on the porch of his home, listening to the sound of his brother complaining to his mother. Again.
"You don't know what I go through for you," he spat through gritted teeth. "Thanks to me and that little shit," he jerked a thumb back at Dave. "You both receive extra food. Do you care about the safety of your children?" No, in fact. She did not care. Nor did their father. The truth is they wanted to get their children chosen for the Hunger Games. That way, they get more food. Even if the boys don't survive, at least the people would be more than willing to supply the family with sympathy food. Both Dirk and Dave knew this. Their parents didn't try to hide it from them. Only their small family of 4 knew. If they told anyone else in District 10, the threat of a beating was in order. So the two brothers kept it to themselves, having another reason as to hope to not have their name called out at the reaping. Having zoned out of their argument, Dave shifted his glance towards the woods. No one except a certain John Egbert, that is. Dave was in District 10, but John was District 6. They had met there, in the woods. No one knew why Dave slanted off, there. They only watched him go, then come back hours later, with the biggest grin anyone could imagine. Well, a grin for a Strider, anyway.
He enjoyed keeping John a secret, everyone thinking he was 'Oh, so mysterious', but he needed to tell his brother. Or Dirk pushed him against a wall, pinning his arms down, and forcing him to spill his secret. Whichever way you look at it. He told him where and how they met. How John practically got on his knees, begging Dave not to kill him.
They had found one another when Dave ran out after hearing his parents fight. You'd have thought he'd be used to it now, after 14 years. He had put up with this his whole life, grew up with it. Yet, it still got to him on occasions, and affected him. Sometimes he just needed to break down, or get some fresh air. Be alone, or cuddle up with his brother. It was nearly always a different emotion, but mostly, he knew it was best to clear his head.
John had been chasing a rabbit. His intention wasn't to kill it. He couldn't. Instead, he had gone after it for his older sister, Jade, to keep as a house pet. Dave was amazed that he was able to afford this, but then again, every district was different. Poor, rich, fucking loaded, no one was the same.
John informed Dave that he didn't actually go out looking for a rabbit to take home, he had left because his father was baking once again. Dave failed to see this as a bad thing. Apparently, Mr Egbert made so many cakes, he could cure world hunger and have leftovers. John smuggled a piece to give to Dave to try – he didn't actually need to hide it, his dad was more than happy for John to take the cake, but John had said it felt more like an 'adventure'. As soon as Dave bit into the delicious, frosty icing, he knew he would give his heart and soul to be John, even if it were just for one day. Dave safely tucked the rest of the cake away in his pocket for his older brother, Dirk. He would have to give in to Dave's story then, and know that yes, there actually was a real boy called John Egbert who lived in district 6, and was best friends with his brother, Dave Strider.
After an hour of following the rabbits footsteps, John looked up, realising he had absolutely no idea where he was. He stood up straight, frantically scanning the area. Trees right, trees left, ahead and behind. He took a small step forward, gasping as he tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. Groaning, he groggily lifted his head, steadying his glasses. Refocusing his vision, he set sights on the rabbit, which was now perched in front of him, twitching his nose. John slowly pulled himself back up, figuring he may as well continue to follow the small creature, hoping it would take him to water, or food source. Pulling twigs out of his hair, he stalked it through the bushes. He grunted as a branch tugged at his shirt, yanking him back. John pulled forward, but being brought back each time he tried. He tried one last time, ripping the fabric on his shirt, as he collapsed forwards, shoving sticks out his way as he fell, stumbling over everything he stepped on, until eventually, he came in contact with another figure, crashing into him, knocking them both to the ground. The other boy jumped up almost immediately, scooping up the breathless, terrified, trembling rabbit into his arms, stroking it to calm the creature down. John hadn't even looked up. He was cowering, covering his head with his hands.
"Please don't kill me," he wailed, trembling worse than the rabbit. "Or do... whatever, just do it fast."
Dave knelt down beside the boy, who jumped at Dave's calm, steady voice. "I'm not gonna kill you."
Slowly, he raised his head. Dave had straightened up again, still clutching the rabbit. "I'm not going to kill you," he repeated. "Unless of course you kill this poor thing," he gestured towards the rabbit. "You won't gain anything from it. She's so small; you'll get nothing off her."
"I wasn't going to kill her," John had said with a shaky breath. Dave paused, waiting for the reason why he was chasing it. When he realised he wasn't receiving an answer, he spoke up again, his voice now harsh. "You were chasing her... for fun?"
"No!" John snapped, jumping up, surprising both himself and the other boy. "No," he said more softly. "I was going to give her to my sister. She loves bunnies. She keeps them as pets," his eyes laid upon the rabbit once again. He was dying to stroke her beautiful brown, glossy fur coat, and show this boy that he wasn't going to harm, her.
Dave raised an eyebrow, examining the well-kept boy. He decided not to make any remarks on his last comment. "Well, I just hope your sister... Jade keeps her away from any other animals you may have. She's from the wild, young, and not used to any other rabbits. She won't want any other new ones around her outside of her warren."
John took a step forward, impressed. "You know a lot about rabbits."
Dave smiled. "District 10," he said calmly. "I know all there is about each and every animal."
Every district had their own trade mark. District 10 happened to be livestock, but over time, they seemed to become more animal friendly, until finally, they accepted all animals, and refused to kill them for meat as often as they used to. There was a lake inside their district, along with a woodland area on the edge, both containing large varieties of animals. Every creature was allowed to run free in any part of district 10 as they have every right said by each citizen. Even vermin were allowed to. Although, even though yes, they did sometimes have to have a job of slaughtering cows, chickens, and sheep, despite that over 80% of the citizens were against it, but no one was ready for a rebellion, leaving the mayor with the only choice of keeping everything the way it already was. The last rebellion was around 50 years ago, the main culprit being a young girl, aged around 17 at the time, but the capitol had refused to let anyone learn about it in school, so the past remained a mystery. If you were lucky enough, you could go to your ancestors, or ever just the crazy elderly for information. If no one found out about the private secret spilling, they were more than happy to inform you all about the young girl. She herself and her family haven't been heard of in years. No one was sure whether they ran off, or passed away. No one particularly cared, anymore.
John's face had changed emotion completely. His eyes were widened in shock. "Oh, I-I'm not supposed to talk to anyone outside of my district," he stuttered.
Dave sighed. "What's the worst that's gonna happen? What do you really think I'm going to do? Or, better so, can do?"
John relaxed slightly. He decided that, okay, maybe this boy was safe. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe he was just looking for a friend...
Before he knew it, John had stuck out his hand. "John Egbert. District 6. Nice to meet you!"
Dave examined John's face, which had broken out into a sideways grin. Lowering his gaze, he landed upon John's outstretched hand. What was so wrong about a friendly gesture? Nothing, that's what. Dave carefully steadied the rabbit in one hand, and with the other, clasped it on John's, giving it a strong, sturdy shake. "Nice to meet you, too, John. The name's Dave Strider from district 10, as you already know. I live in this shit, and I just hope to god your conditions are better than mine."
John laughed for the first time in Dave's company. It was so contagious, that Dave began chuckling himself. Both boys were soon in fits of uncontrollable laughter, and it was clear, that they both knew they were going to get along fine. They made a pact to meet by the crystal lake (named after the shocking icy blue colour the river his, which looks significantly like you're gazing into a bank of un-cut crystals) every other day to hang out. They shared different knowledge and traits, the best way to deal with certain things, and the best material to build various objects. Anything they knew, they shared with each other. Anything.
After months of this, meeting up became constant and crucial. Every day they would sit by the river bank and just... talk.
This morning, like any other, they had met up. But this time, it was different. The conversation was forced, the air cold.
"I want you to meet my brother," Dave had said after minutes of silence. They both knew this wasn't what was originally on his mind, but it was a distraction. "He's sort of like me, so of course you're going to like him."
"Dave, are you crazy?" John hissed, even though there was no one around for miles. "You can't bring a kid from another district to your home. The peace-keepers will go nuts!"
Dave leaned back against a tree trunk, folding his hands behind his head. "Ah, you see, that is where you are wrong, Johnny boy. Our peace-keepers are chill. They wouldn't give two shits if you paraded down the street with an elephant."
"Yes, but that's different, Dave!" John whined, his brow creasing. It was obvious to Dave that he was terribly frustrated. "Your district doesn't mind animals! In fact, I bet they'd welcome a lion with open arms, and every person in your village would have fights on who looked after it, and where it stayed. I, on the other hand, will be sent to the stacks."
Dave made a 'pfft' sound, flicking his last statement away with his hand. "John, please. Those things haven't been used in centuries."
John rolled his eyes. "Well, there's always time for a first."
Dave decided to drop the conversation there, as John sat across from him, staring him down with his brows knitted together. They sat in silence for another hour, until Dave finally stood up. "I better be off, man. Gotta get my brother and I looking pretty for the reaping. It takes time, y'know."
John grinned, grabbing onto Dave's hand to lift and steady himself up. "Well, be sure to meet me back here an hour after. Don't change clothes; I want to decide for myself if you were pretty enough."
Dave winked. "You know I won't let you down."
John sniggered. "You better not," he then stood up straight, looking Dave dead in the eyes. "Good luck, Strider."
Dave gave him a single nod. "And all the best of luck to you, Egbert."
They parted ways, returning back to their homes, hoping that they would see each other again.