Backfire Part 1
Crunch...crunch...crunch...the pebbles went as I shifted my weight to my left leg. Sweat poured down my face as I trudged towards the cottage I called my home in the town. My arms ached excruciatingly. I carried chunks of wood in my arms as I limped for home. Long story short, I got the wood from the forest, and let's just say... That's not very...legal. Right then, my dark brown curls covered my eyes, disrupting my sight. I tried to blow them out of the way but they stuck to my skin, like glue to paper. I moaned as I tried to free up one hand but just made the pain from the exhaustion worst. I gently placed the logs of wood on the ground and wiped the matted hair away. Then I saw their pearl-white coats appear around the corner. Their vicious eyes stared straight at mine. Their lips parted and formed into a terrifying snarl.
"Get him." one of them barked. Peacekeepers. I grabbed as much wood as I could and ran for it. I took off at top speed, trying to lose them. I ran for dear life. I could feel their footsteps scrape across the rocky ground as they chased me at my heels. The footsteps grew louder and louder. My breath shortened as I rounded a corner. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder... This is it. I'll never get to see Mom ever again. I was dragged into a dark room. Pitch-black.
"If you're going to kill me... Please... Make it-" I couldn't finish my sentence. A soft hand was clamped over my mouth. Then I saw her. Her big green eyes. Her straight, copper hair. Her faint freckles that lined her cheeks. She held her finger to her lips. Be silent she was telling me...so silent I was. I heard their footsteps grow louder and louder.
"Where is he?" I heard one of them say. They inched closer to the door. Each footstep sending billions of shivers down my spine. I could hear the knob of something turn slowly. I slammed my eyes shut, hoping for the worst...
"He's over there!" a distant voice called. There was hesitation but they're footsteps led away, growing fainter and fainter in the distance. I exhaled. The girl released her grip on my lips and knelt beside me. She studied me curiously as I panted, trying to get breath into my lungs. The wood I was able to save tumbled out of my arms as I sat, crisscrossed on what felt like a wooden floor. She lit a candle and the whole room was illuminated. A wooden staircase, wooden ceiling, wooden walls... It was basically made out of different types of wood. I studied her more closely. She looked about 10, like I was. She wore a hooded black robe. Underneath, she had on a pink dress laced with a red ribbon at the center where her waist was.
"Um... A thank you would be nice." she encouraged as she crossed her arms and waited expectantly. I grinned.
"I guess... I kinda owe you my life." I replied sheepishly.
"And?" she insisted as she waved her hand to continue.
"And thanks." I finally admitted. She smiled widely at me as she plopped down to a crisscross position like how I was. She held out her hand.
"I'm Maysilee Donner. Mazy for short. What's yours?" she said. I took her hand and shook it gently.
"Haymitch. Haymitch Abernathy." Her grin grew impossibly wider. And so did mine.
I stared out the window, white with fog. I wiped the window with my hand and peeked out. White. A white blanket covered the grass. I could see my faded reflection. Old. Tired. Done was the man I saw there. His hair, matted and white. His blue exhausted eyes held so much misery. The permanent creases in his forehead. My breath reeked of alcohol. What do I care? It's not like I matter. I placed my hand against the cold glass. So did the man in the mirror. I slowly turned my head to the right, so did he. My eyes filled with tears. So did his. The memory. That memory. Of the first time I met her. It's been years. Decades since I last saw her. My fingers clasped at the window sill in frustration. I have nothing to live for. Nothing to live for. Then I saw the bracelet on my wrist. Beads of different shapes and colors hung onto a black piece of rope. I clutched the beads. Mazy.
