1 The Promise
"Lavinia. Daughter, wake up." Father's gentle hand shook me awake.
When my bedroom light lit, I found my mother standing by the switch fully dressed, as was my father.
Father drew back my covers. "Lavinia, it's time for you to keep your promise."
Glancing at the clock, the time had just passed 5 a.m. Shivering, I reached for my blankets. "What are you talking about? I've still got two more hours of sleep."
Ripping my blanket from my hand, my father pulled me up in bed and cupped both sides of my face with his hands. "Lavinia, listen! It's time for you to keep your promise. Do you remember your promise?"
I began to breathe hard as the seriousness of my father's words fully woke me from sleep. The sharp focus of his eyes brought back the memories of the camping trip from a couple years ago when my brother and I had made promises to our parents as we sat together around a campfire.
My older brother, Hadrian, entered my bedroom in street clothes, carrying his backpack and a rolled up tent.
The promise fully came back to me, but it did not help me overcome my bewilderment. "I've got senior orientation at high school today."
Father placed a finger over my lips. "Do you remember your promise?"
Remembering that my promise meant no speaking until further told, I nodded.
Reassured that I understood, Father left my bedside and retrieved my backpack, dumping the school contents on the floor before handing it to me.
As part of the promise, I began filling my back with clothes that I would use for camping. When I finished, I began to dress myself when my mother returned from the bathroom with my toiletry kit. I could see the worry on her face as it was clear that she had been crying. After stowing the kit in my pack, I gestured towards the bathroom to my father's nodding approval.
On the toilet, I could see my hands shake as I tried to collect my thoughts. I hated camping, and this unexpected trip filled me with dread. Alarmed by my mother's redden eyes, mine now began well, the distinction being that I did not know why this trip had to happen. Quickly coming to terms, I knew that I had to leave the Capitol without questions, without words, as my father had requested of us a couple years ago in the forest. All I knew was that I loved my parents and would keep my promise.
When I exited the bathroom, my father with my pack in hand immediately escorted me towards the front door of our apartment where my mother and brother stood waiting.
Mother handed me one of my thicker jackets, which stunned me since summer still had a couple weeks remaining.
My brother carried a similar thick jacket in his arm with his pack slung over his shoulder.
When the front door opened, I paused. "Are we actually doing this?"
My father grabbed my arm tight and pulled me towards him. His stern glare told me everything that I needed to know.
I nodded and mouthed the words, I promise. The pressure in his grip subsided, and I followed my family out of the apartment.
As Father struggled with the car keys, I watched him make the needed adjustments to the car seat in lieu of our hired driver. Having never seen him drive a car, I tried to recall if he had ever mentioned driving in his youth. I turned to Hadrian to see his concerned look as he observed our father attempting to start our large luxury car. When the engine came to life, I heard Mother noticeably breathe a sigh of relief.
As I fought to control my emotions, Hadrian took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes relayed to me the confidence that he carried in abundance, only slightly reassuring my frazzled nerves.
Within thirty minutes, our father had driven through the empty early morning streets to the train station. Parking at the distant end of the half-filled parking lot, Father remotely opened the trunk and set on the ground our backpacks, two small sleeping bags, and the rolled tent.
Removing his smartphone, Father held it up for all to see, reminding us of the next step of our promise. One by one, we all dropped our smartphones into the trunk of the car, including our parents. Our father held up his wallet, and I proceeded to remove mine from my trouser pocket, dropping it into the trunk. After our mother's hand purse and Hadrian's wallet were dropped into the trunk, our father tapped his wallet again forcefully to make certain that we carried no other objects. My brother and I patted our empty pockets to reassure him before watching him drop in his own wallet and shutting the trunk.
To my surprise, the train station bustled with activity as governmental and business people of the Capitol rushed for their trains, traveling for their duties outside the Capitol to various parts of Panem.
We continued to pass platforms until Father turned towards our apparently intended train, which was destined for the far eastern parts of the country. We stopped before the second-class railcars and set our gear down.
Digging into his jacket pocket, Father removed a bundle of folded papers bounded by a rubber band. He removed the band and began sifting through the documents. "We can speak now, but keep it low." He handed me an identification card that displayed my picture.
Glancing at it, I read aloud the name printed below my image. "Aurelia? What's going on father? We're not going to our regular mountain campsite are we?"
"No we're not." Father handed Hadrian his identification card.
My brother smirked. "Mine says that my name is Juno."
I turned to my mother to find eyes of despair staring back at me. I reached for her. "Mother?"
She said nothing as she stepped in between my brother and me, taking hold of both our hands.
Father looked at me with solemn eyes. "As part of your promise to travel whenever and wherever at my discretion, you and your brother must travel east."
Hadrian tucked his identification card into his breast pocket. "How far, Father?"
"As far as your legs can carry you. Take the train to District Twelve. From there, you will continue east.
I pulled free of my mother grip. "And do what?"
"Wait." Father took a firm hold of me by my shoulders. "You will have to wait until we come get you. Whether it takes a couple days, a couple weeks, or more, you and your brother will wait until we tell you that it's time to come home."
"This sounds insane."
"I know, but we have a friend in District Twelve who will guide you to the forest. He will be able to help you with supplies. Follow his advice."
"Okay. We will." When my father released me, I found myself stepping back. "What's his name, this man who is suppose to help us."
"Haymitch Abernathy, the sole living victor of the district."
Hadrian huffed. "The drunk we see every year on television."
Father nodded. "That's him, but don't let his drunkenness fool you. He's a valuable friend." Father began sorting cards and paper, handing us each a credit card along with some old paper money. "The credit cards are tied to your temporary identities. You will travel by your new identities until your return. There are enough funds to pay for the train tickets and some meals. Once you reach District Twelve, you will have to use cash since no one has the ability to accept credit cards in that district."
Having never seen actual paper money in my life, I stared at the money in my hands. "Are you in trouble father?" I turned to my mother to see her wipe away a tear.
Father prepared to speak when the clamorous sound of boots marching startled him, silencing him.
We watched a squad of Peacekeepers begin to pass on their way to the third-class railcars. Following our fathers lead, we tucked our cards and cash into our pockets, as we too remained silent.
From the corner of my eye, I could see some of the Peacekeepers eyeing us as an unwelcomed whistle came from within the formation of men. I turned to my mother who glanced back with a forced grin.
After the Peacekeepers had moved out of earshot, Father continued. "We have important business that will make life chaotic for the next few days, and we don't want you and Hadrian to suffer through it. The press will be in a frenzy looking for ways to get to us since things may be heating up. Your mother and I would feel better if you two were far away from chaos so we can focus on what we need to do."
Feeling my mother's hand take hold of mine, I looked to my father. "Are you being promoted? You've worked so long and hard for the Capitol, Father. I'm surprised that President Snow hasn't made you his Vice President."
"It is work-related, darling. I will tell you that, but being politics, we must keep the rest a secret, even from our families."
I turned to my mother. "Couldn't you have told us some of this in the car instead of letting us worry?"
"We're afraid that the press has bugged our car." Mother squeezed my hand.
The intercom announced that the train for District Twelve would soon be departing.
Father dug into one of his larger pockets and removed a book made of paper. He handed it to me, but did not let go, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Lavinia, this time I want you to read it." Father released his grip.
Glancing at the cover, I recognized the book to be the tedious survival camping guide that Father had given me the first time he took us camping. "Ah, do I have to? Camping is already boring enough."
Father faintly smiled. "Yes, pumpkin. Consider it part of your promise."
"Okay. I'll try."
"Remember to keep a low profile. If someone of authority questions you, say you are studying district governments for school. If you speak to people from the districts, you're just a couple of kids out to study remote wildlife. If you meet the right person, say that you need to get lost in the woods."
When I failed to respond, Hadrian spoke for the both of us. "We will, Father."
The intercom announced final boarding for District 12, forcing goodbyes to be exchanged.
Mother wrapped her arms tightly around me for the longest hug shared between us in ages. She whispered in my ear. "Listen to your brother and take care of each other."
"He's only a year older than me, Mother. He should start listening to me."
"Maybe he should." Mother broke away and brushed my cheek with her thumb, her reddened eyes wet from fresh tears.
I reached for her hand. "Mother, I'm scared. You and Father are not yourselves."
"We're fine. All this political hubbub will blow over, and we'll come find you. I'm proud of you for keeping your promise today."
"Well, I'll tell you one thing: I'll never make a promise like this again."
Father swept in and hugged me so hard that he briefly lifted me off the ground. "Thank you for keeping your promise."
As he continued to hold me, I laid my head on his shoulder. "I hope it goes well for you, Father."
"Me too, Lavinia." He loosened his hold, stepping back.
Breaking away from hugging mother, Hadrian gave father a brief hug. "Good luck, Father; whatever it is."
"Thanks, Son."
Hadrian picked up his pack, along with the rolled tent and slung them over his shoulder. "How will you find us when it's time?"
"Our friend in District Twelve will keep track of you. He'll guide you to a safe location where we'll meet up."
"Okay." Hadrian turned to board the rail car.
I turned to board when my father's arm stopped me.
"Remember; contact no one in the Capitol. We don't want the press to find you. And Lavinia, I need to ask you to add one more thing to your promise."
"What, Father?"
"I need you to promise to never give up. No matter how hard the road ahead becomes, never give up; never stop trying. Can you do this for me?"
The instinctive sense of fear began to take hold of me, filling me with doubt. I glanced at my mother to see her continued glum stare. Looking up into my father's eyes, I knew that whatever was happening, it had upset him to the point where I could now see the affects. I swallowed hard. "I promise, Father. I will never give up."
"Good." He kissed me on my forehead and released his grip on my arm.
Hearing the whistle indicting immediate departure of the train, I passed my pack up to my waiting brother. As soon as I was on board, I felt the train begin to move. I turned back to wave before shutting the door.
Hadrian stood before a closed window and waved to our parents as we watched our father take hold of mother's hand.
Staring out the window, I began to feel sick to my stomach since less than an hour ago I was asleep in my warm bed. Riding a train out of the Capitol was the last thing in this world that I wanted right now.
As the train pulled away from the platform, I watched my parents drift away when my mother ripped her hand free from Father's grip, spinning away in tears. When he tried to console her, Mother shoved him back.
"Mother!" Dread filled my body and I dropped my pack to open the train car door.
My brother's arms grabbed me, pulling me away from the door. "You can't open the door now."
"Something is wrong! They didn't tell us everything."
"Lavinia, calm down. They will come find us when they're ready." My brother's strong hold pinned me against the bulkhead of corridor.
"Let me go! I want off the train!"
"No! Father said that you might overreact and told me to be ready. I'm not letting go until you promise to calm down."
Squirming did nothing to loosen his grip, and I was forced to submit. "Fine. But I'm done promising anything."
Hadrian continued to hold me tight until the train entered the tunnel. At which point, he knew that I had no choice but to remain on the train. He released me. "You always overreact."
"Shut up. Did you see Mother?"
"I saw her. She probably just hates getting up this early like the rest of us." My brother picked up his gear and progressed down the corridor to find an empty second-class compartment.
Retrieving my pack, I darted forward to catch up. "No, Hadrian. It's more than that. Father has never spoken to us in that way before."
Hadrian stopped in the corridor and spun around towards me with his index finger extended over his lips, silencing me with a hush.
Remembering my promise of secrecy, I bit my lip and followed him until he found an empty compartment.
Taking my pack from me, Hadrian stowed it on the overhead shelf. "Sorry, Sis. We have to be discrete."
I slid the door to our compartment closed. "I know. I'm just worried about our parents."
"They're fine." Hadrian removed his jacket and sat down.
Tossing my jacket onto the bench, I sat down across from my brother. "Well...at the next stop, I'm going back."
"You can't. You promised."
"I know, but this is bigger than my promise. I can feel it."
Hadrian lent forward onto his knees. "Do you remember that camping trip when we made our promises to Father?"
"Ya, I remember." Crossing my arms, I slid down against my bench. "I remember the promise, and the cold, and the unrelenting mosquitoes."
"Father has only asked for one thing in our life. You know how lucky we are to have such lenient parents. He told us that he wouldn't ask us to partake in this journey unless it was absolutely necessary. Think hard about breaking your promise before we reach our first stop. I intend on honoring my word." Hadrian lent back. "Besides, this is kind of exciting in an adventurist way."
When my brother pulled out the old paper money to study, I began staring out the window, remembering when our father sat us down around the campfire and made the request that put us on this train on this late August morning.
I had originally thought his request to be a lead-in to one of his nightly ghost stories that he enjoyed tormenting us with before bed, but there were no ghost stories that night. Father had begun by mentioning that his job as the President's economic advisor had became stressful, followed by proclaiming how everything changes in the universe, that someday things would change for the better for all of Panem. This was when he told Hadrian and me that we would someday need to remove ourselves from the Capitol to allow him to focus on his work. If he knew that we were far away, he thought that he would be free to make the changes necessary to set everything right. From the way he spoke, the austere honesty was what sent chills through me that fateful night. Reflecting back, it occurred to me that the serious tone with which he spoke to us this morning was that same honest expression that came out on that camping trip.
The door to our compartment flew open with a large crash, startling me upright on the bench. I looked up to see two large Peacekeepers in the corridor, staring at us with smug grins.
The larger of the two men waved a finger towards me. "We've been looking for you."