A/N: Please keep reading! I apologize for it being kind of slow, but it will pick up and she will come out of her shell soon! I tried putting a slight, very tiny southern twist on the way they speak, but I'm so far up north I don't really know what south is (jk). PM if you're confused. Thanks! Read & Review

Chapter 2: My Dear Delilah

"Among the willows and through the trees,

The ancient forest sways with the breeze,

And by the river there they sit,

Their hearts and souls made to fit,

A stolen moment and a stolen kiss,

Where betrayal is a strong stench before the line of oak,

They are following their wake trailing a line of smoke-"

"Delilah!" My eyes peel open, unwilling to wake. "Delilah, dear?"

"Mama?" I croak, stifling a yawn. The night is still young as I prop myself up against my pillows. June's grey hair is illuminated by the moon streaming through the window adjacent to my bed. Her firm hand grips above my elbow and I still struggle to wake up. She sits at the edge of my bed and watches me. June isn't my real mother, we all know this. But the habit had come from when I was little and since she had no children herself, she became Mama.

"Delilah honey, you ought to come fer a walk with me. We have t'enjoy the Luna." June whispers. Suddenly, my mind is alert. I open my eyes fully and I force the grogginess away. I take a good look at her and try to decipher her face. But June, like always is calm and collected. Although she has said the code word that we've made up when I was young, she shows no emotion. Only the simple, casual expression she wear all the time.

"Ma shoes," I say, sitting up, reaching for the thin rain jacket at the bottom of my bed. I put it on as June hands me my battered knee high boots. I slip them on, trying not to wake the other girls. June puts on my hood and takes me by the hand. Normally, I refuse to let her take care of me. Although she is tough, she is getting weaker within each coming winter. But this time, I let myself fall into her caring nature.

"Hurry Delilah, we ain't got much time. The clouds will cover the Luna soon." She whispers as we step out into the night. The summer air is cool and gentle against my face and the many stars dots the sky like...time. For a moment, the few next lines come to me. But they look up into the night sky, the stars are a reminder that time cannot die.

June leads me away from our small little cabin towards the river. We follow the thin, nearly disappearing path that has just repaired itself from last summer's stay. June is in her fifties and not nearly as old as she looks. But the wilderness has outrun her amount of work and made her look weathered. Although she still gathers and leads the group through tangled plants and uprooted trees. The night life fills the never silent woods and I listen to their songs. I listen to their calls nearly every night.

I hear the river before we reach it and I begin to lead June to our rock. But before I do, she whispers harshly and pulls me back. "No, Delilah. We have no time!"

"Mama?" I ask, the urgency in her voice startling me. "What's going on?"

"Dear, we must be quick about this! You know about Ms. America Singer, of course!"

"Yes," I say, trying to search her blue eyes for any indication of what's to come. But all I see is the sea blue that I've seen for ten years. "We're rootin' for her to win."

"And ya know all there is t' know 'bout the Northern Rebels and 'bout the Monarchy and the castes-"

"Yes! Mama, is this a review? I don't need to be taught-"

"Delilah!" June says suddenly. She takes both of my hands and then leads me to the ground. "This is a serious matter. You an' another have been chosen as a sort of truce between North and South. We haven't always gotten along with the North. We stand for the similar things, but-Ms. America Singer has got to win! And the council of both North and South have decided that South ought to be the one to volunteer the insiders! Do you understand?"

"Mama," I breathe, unable to comprehend what she's saying. "I-I don't understand-"

"Dear, the North is coming to us. As a truce, they will be taking you as a volunteer to go inside the castle. Delilah, I had just come from the council meeting. They will arrive at your cabin before midnight. The council will lead you and the other here to the river where the North will be waiting."

Darkness caves into my chest and squeezes my heart. Panic and pain surge through my veins so fast that I am too stunned to speak. Her words loosely string together in my head but I can't make meaning of it. I gape at her, my mouth open. They will be taking you.

"But Mama," I gasp, grasping her sleeves. "I don't wanna leave you! Why are they taking me? I-I haven't done anythin' wrong! You have to talk to Casper and Coleman! Convince them that I need to stay! They've known me since I was a little girl! I used to play..."

"My dear," June's voice breaks for the first time in a long time. My heart shatters at the sound of her frail voice. Like finally, her voice matches the way she looks outside. June has wrinkles but bright blue eyes. I am almost taller than her and she jokes that we're going to switch places some day. June is the only other person I have out here. She's taken care of me for as long as I can remember.

"Delilah, this ain't punishment. All has been said and all has been done."

I swallow the bile in my throat and try to stay calm. "June,"

"Delilah, you must be strong and you must keep your head. The country needs Lady America and we need you to do what you are told! You are a very beautiful, very strong girl and I believe that you are the best person for this job! You have to be strong! Grant me one last wish before the night is over?"

I fight back tears, trying to keep them from spilling out. "Of course, anything."

"Make sure that you remember yourself," June brings my hand up and rests it where her heart is. "Make sure you remember me, my dear."

"I will."

"I love you, Delilah. You are my Luna. You are my Sun."

"And I love you, Mama."

Later that morning after the night June dropped me off, I keep trying to go back to bed. I know I should be getting up. Sarah and Neven won't wake unless I do. But I can only hear June's words echoing in my head over and over again. The morning is the same as most mornings. It's sunrise and the wildlife stirs, calling and waking. The sun has not come above the line of trees, so I take this as my cue to get ready. Once the sun rises above the tree I wake up Sarah and Neven.

We don't normally have the luxury of a cabin and a spring bed. This is heaven. We come here every two years. We usually stay in huts we've made ourselves and move from place to place, making sure not to stray too far from the castle. We have an underground place we use for the fall. It's my least favourite. I've never known more than this. Our group doesn't raid the Castle. We stay quiet, only wishing to be living out here. Although, when a few people from our group do join other Southerners to raid the Castle, I never go. Even if June let me, I would prefer to stay here. People may say it's wrong, but it's all I know.

Sarah, Neven and I all share the same one room cabin. It's small and we have two beds pushed up on either side of the cabin. Sarah and Neven being sisters, share a bed. We have our clothes and supplies stored away in a small wardrobe Ollie made for us when we first arrived. Right by the wardrobe is a small mirror hung up on the logs by a nail, right under the mirror is a bin we use as a sink. We all eat together for every meal and we all contribute to the affairs of our group. We have two windows made from glass that had been stolen previously.

I stand at the mirror, grabbing my brush that is balancing on the edge of the bin. I brush out my blonde pin straight hair and try to ease my stomach with the sense of routine. My hair has not been cut since last summer. It's long, grazing just above my waist and I brush it through slowly. I have dark green eyes and fair toned skin. Neven says I'm pretty but I don't care much for how I look. I don't think I'm terribly ugly, just human. To me, I just have a mouth, a nose, eyes and a brain. I have not cared for how short I am, nor does it matter to me if I'm taller. I am Delilah.

I quickly French braid my hair the way June told me to do and I make sure not to think about what is to come. I suddenly feel my hand against her heart as she asks me not to forget her. I shake my head and move onto getting ready for the day's work. I put on black, lightweight pants and pull on my socks. Even though it is summer, we have to cover up as much as we can from the bugs. I slip on a plain v-neck, forest green t-shirt and wrap my rain jacket around my waist. I turn away from the wardrobe, after I retrieve our buckets and gloves.

"Sarah?" I call, slightly nudging her shoulder. "Sarah? Time for water."

She groans and I walk to set the buckets by the door. I slip on my gloves before I try waking them again. I stretch out Neven's name, in a sing-song voice. "Neh-Vin!"

Most of us had come out here by choice, either led away by people or stumbled upon by chance. I had been the latter. I don't remember what had happened. I don't remember much more than when I was at least six. June says I came out when I was five but she's the only thing I remember from being young. Some, like Sarah and Neven, were born out here. Their parents came out here when they were teenagers and they're the closest thing I can relate to the poem I remember by heart.

"Time?" Sarah asks, sitting up, her curly dark hair sticking up in all angles.

"It's at least seven." I answer her. "Sunrise."

"Water time." Neven responds, still with her head under her pillow. Her voice is muffled and I sit down on the edge of their bed. I try to fight back tears again because if what June said was true, then I'll be leaving here. June said to be strong, so that's how it must be. I look away as Neven sits up with Sarah.

"Five minutes," Sarah laughs, looking at her sister.

"Yeah, sure." Neven responds, sitting still. Neven has soft brown hair and caramel coloured skin. Sarah's skin is a slight shade darker with curlier hair and they both have full pink lips. We all have a hard edge to us from living out here. Callused hands, short fingernails or skin used to being out in the sun all day. You cannot be soft and expect to survive.

In a sudden burst of energy, she jumps up from her bed and leaps over Sarah to the mirror. She grabs her brush and quickly runs it through her hair. Sarah follows and then within the next couple of minutes, we leave our tiny cabin.

Getting water is no breeze. You have to be able to hold full buckets of water and haul it through the woods to where we then boil it. Every day we have to get two buckets. You can do your quota in the morning all at once, or split the two. I split the two. Not only am I not able to carry two, I like to have an excuse to go to the river by myself.

The light filters though the green leaves and strong branches gently. Sarah and Neven follow behind, quiet. The walk down is not quiet though, there's cracking of wild life, many animals stir and the river is rushing farther down. But it's my favourite walk, down to the river and back up. I feel like I can breathe by the river, by any large body of water really. Once we get down to the river, we dive for the water. I fill up my bucket, setting it on the ground a few feet away.

"Did you leave with June last night, Delilah?" Sarah asks while washing her hands as the water goes by.

"Yeah," I say, casually. "We went for a walk."

"I bet it wasn't June, I bet it was Hudson!" Neven laughs, wiggling her eyebrows. I throw a nearby twig at her, missing her by at least three feet.

"What an athlete."

I ignore Neven's comment and roll my eyes. "Of course it was June! Why would you think it was Hudson?"

"He looks at you when you're not looking." Sarah sighs. "And we know you do the exact same thing to him."

"No I don't!" I cry without a hint of aggravation. They tease me a lot about him and I never understand why. Hudson is one of the Hunters that June told me to stay away from. I understand her weariness considering he causes some trouble with the group. "Besides, he's a bit..."

"Audacious?"

"Imprudent." I say simply using the words we've been memorizing from the stolen dictionary. I stand up and dust the dirt off my pants. I look up into the sky; the sun has already chased away the early morning sky. It's cool but the day will become hot. Suddenly, I remember last night and I hold my breath.

"Out here, you're lucky if a squirrel looks your way." Neven sighs, picking up both of her buckets.

We carry our buckets up to the water tank that sits near what we call the Dine. It's basically where we eat every meal. It's a long log house where the floor starts four feet below the surface and the many branches conceal it above, considering it's the largest building we have ever had. I've heard that our settlement is much gentler than others. I believe it, considering the stories I've heard from raids. But like June has always said, we are only as good as our actions. And we raid too. Our settlement doesn't like to call ourselves Rebels. But we are...in a way.

The girls and I finish pouring the water into the tank, and then proceed to the Dine. The Dine is loud but it's a comforting loud. People sit at the long tables as Cook and Ellen shoot out bowls of oatmeal and hard bread. My favourite.

"Girls!" I look over to Sarah and Neven's parents sitting with June. June smiles, her kind eyes squinting a bit. My stomach does a bit of a drop, but I wave.

"Hi Mama, Daddy." Sarah smiles as she sits down between her parents.

"Mornin' girls, did ya finish yer water?"

"Of course we did." Neven smiles. I sit beside June and she reaches her hand out to hold mine.

"Good morning, Dear." She whispers before kissing me on the top of the head.

"Morning, Mama." I whisper back. I look into her blue eyes and she sends me a silent message, later.

"Why don't you girls go grab a bowl?" Lela, Sarah and Neven's mom, says, smiling kindly. We get up and make our way to the large opening into the kitchen where Cook and Ellen work. Cook and Ellen make most of our meals with the help or rotating members of our group. They work hard, cooking breakfast or dinner while the whole group contributes to lunch.

"Good mornin' girlies!" Ellen calls, beaming. Her grey, wired hair messily gathered at the top of her head.

"Mornin' Ellen, Cook!" I call, grinning. Ellen and Cook work in sync, doing what the other needs and never bumping elbows. Their kitchen is always busy, clean and they live here in the dine in the back room. I lean against the counter, lining up in front Neven and Sarah.

"Here's yer oats." Ellen says, handing me a hot bowl of lumpy oatmeal. "And yer bread."

"Thank you," I smile. Sarah and I wait for Neven to get her oatmeal just as Ellen calls her back.

"Share this with yer family Neven," Ellen says, handing her over a plate of squirrel. "Them hunters just brought this little feller in."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

We walk away from the kitchen and Ellen as Sarah snickers. "Lucky you Neven, you got a squirrel to look at you."

"Aren't you clever."

Sarah and I laugh, "You had that one coming, Nev,"

We sit down with June, Lela and Richard on the bench as they're just finishing their oatmeal. They eat some squirrel, chatting about nothing and everything. I scoop up my breakfast, enjoying the filling of my stomach and the squirrel.

"We're having trouble trying to track around this area." Richard is saying. "Not a mess of game anymore."

"A few of us are going out again today to check the snares but..." Lela trails off, sighing. "I doubt we'll find much."

"What are you planning on doin'?" I ask, taking a bite of my bread.

"Well, we're going to have to go farther away from the settlement if we wanna get some real meat. If not, well we're relying on one too many things. Squirrel ain't gon' feed everybody." Richard says quietly, keeping his eyes in his twiddling thumb. Suddenly, the air has become somber, June and Lela make eye contact but quickly break apart, but not before I notice. I have a feeling this may be something to do with what June told me last night, but I can't be too sure. I feel too sick to finish my bread and instead, I place it into the empty bowl of oatmeal.

"Everythin' should be fine." June says nonchalantly.

"How do we know?" Lela whispers.

"If we fight hard enough, things should smooth out," As if a last minute though, Richard continues. "This hunting season..."

Suddenly there's loud clatter from the front of the dine and it relieves me from our odd bubble of obvious, unsaid accusations and predicaments.

"HUDSON! GIT BACK HERE BOY!" A loud, booming voice calls out from the kitchen. The sound of clattering pots and pans echoes throughout the dine, forks and spoons clattering into bowls, curious to see what all the commotion is about. Flying out of the door from the kitchen is Hudson, something in his hands as he is chased out of the kitchen by Ellen, wielding a large, metal spoon and intense fury on her face. Hudson of course, is wearing a look of complete amusement, dodging people and skirting around the benches and tables. I shake my head, unamused. I sigh heavily and turn forward again only to see Neven clearly enjoying the childish act.

The dine is filled with groans and huffing of fed up people. Suddenly a loud voice sounds from the front of the dine, the door wide open. "HUDSON SERGIE."

Silence settles over the Dine like a thick blanket and I turn my head to see one of the hunters, Darren, standing at the door, a large rifle resting upon his shoulder. Darren is well respected, but the steadily growing impish behaviour of his son have reflected bad on him. "Get over here."

"Dad," I hear Hudson say, surprised.

"Now." Darren demanded, his voice full of unquestionable authority. Hudson slumps to his daddy and as soon as they leave with the loud shutting of the door, the Dine bursts with murmurs and chatter.

"That boy a real character." June mutters, shaking her head slightly. Ellen grumbles back to her kitchen.

"Well," A voice says from behind June. I freeze, recognizing that voice. "I'll agree with you on that one."

"Hello Coleman." June sighs in a short, clipped tone.

"Mornin' Juney." Coleman, the leader of the Council says. I stare intently on my empty bowl and last nights event buries itself deep in the pit of my stomach. "We've gotta talk. And I mean you too Lela and Richard."

"You girls get started on your jobs and we'll see you later." Lela says, planting a kiss on Sarah's head and reaching over to squeeze Neven's hand. June stands up reluctantly, placing a hand on my shoulder. She doesn't say anything and I don't look at her as she follows Coleman out the door. Neven and I make eye contact and I shake my head, unsure if I should tell her.

The day is a slow burn, dragging out in the hot, still air. I gather anything from nuts and berries, to medicine and fire wood. We all work as a team to take down the trees and prepare them for building or firewood. As I'm picking berries, I search for June, but I don't see her. All day, I don't see June or Lela or Richard. By the time I finish dinner and helping haul water to the boiling tank, I'm ready for bed. My body aches for my cabin and I sluggishly make my way back home. I curl up quickly, letting my sleepiness take me.