Here's the second chapter :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games in any way, but I really, really want to :)


I don't understand why we all have to gather in front of the justice hall. They never told us why, only that we had to be there. We understood the seriousness behind it though; the peacekeepers did look very stern, as if the choice of disobeying didn't even exist. So we came here, and I stand together with Chord and our children. Through the course of these last four months we had adopted three of the orphan children that were living on the streets. But even living on the streets is better than being dragged to the orphanage. It is a tiny cottage, with a leaking ceiling and water damage all over the place. And those who end up there will starve. People have no money to give away to the place yet. We're all still rebuilding the district; all of our money runs out as soon as we get them.

I look down at Zane – a twelve year old boy who I knew from before the rebellions beginning. He used to live a few houses down our streets and was a good friend of Carly's. He was an only child to the Whistlewart couple, and when the war began both of his parents joined the army. They never came back. So this little boy with his beautiful brown eyes and matching hair were left alone to wander the streets. When we first welcomed him into our home he was utterly thin, so thin his ribcage was showing fairly well, but now a few months later he has begun to get a layer of fat on his body.

He really is such a sweet boy. The rebellion has given him nothing but pain and sorrow, but he can still see the goodness in life. He is so kind with the other three children, and has even taken on a roll of being their big brother, protecting them from every possible danger. He even beat up a kid who made fun of Niles' braided hair, and we didn't even have the heart to lecture him about it afterwards. He looked so sweet with his eyes burning with anger over that incident, so I just sent him to the other kids to play before smiling towards Chord. After that, none of the other youngsters even tried to tease any of Zane's 'brothers and sisters' in fear of receiving the same treatment.

With a huge grin on my face my eyes wander on to Niles, a chubby little six-year-old girl with apple red cheeks and a constant look that seems to always question the world. I don't really know what she has been through these last years, she won't tell us anything about it. She actually won't speak much at all. I don't even know if she actually origins from this district, but I love her all the same anyway. Even if I constantly have to remind her that we won't go, that every day when she wakes up we will still be there waiting for her to get up, that we will stay by her side forever, I will always love her. She is such a sweet innocent child, and it's a great shame that she had to go through so much horror at such a young age.

Even though she is quiet, I can sometimes see signs where she lets us know how much she cares for us. A short look of awe or maybe even love here or there, a small pat on our hands, an act where she's displaying her feelings. It always makes my heart warm.

She is Chords little jewel. They understand each other completely anyway. At times when she's really unhappy Chord is the only one who can make her smile. They have a special connection, something I can never understand. She actually seems to trust him.

I leave the sight of little Niles and look up at Carly. She has really become so much stronger since I left her in the forest with mother. When I left her at mere five she was so shy and… well in lack of better words, weak. The way I remember her anything could've broken her, and that's coming from a girl who missed out on two weeks of her life because she lost her mind leaving home. But now, now Carly is much stronger. She helps me and Chord with everything, she takes such great care of little Niles, she protects her when she's threatened and she comforts her when she's sad. And not is she only a strong and brave little warrior, she is also going to become such a beautiful woman. With her blonde hair and purely mesmerizing blue eyes that is always radiating with warmth she will be swarmed with boys later on, enchanted from her eyes.

I sort of fear for the arrival of that day, I don't want to see her end up with some jerk who only goes after beauty. I want her to find someone who loves her for her, not for her looks. Someone who can see her warmth, her humor, her strength. Someone who will always stand by her side. But even if I fear for this day, I also long for it. I long to see her start her own family, get her own children. She will be such a terrific mother, with all of the love and care that she withholds.

I smile a bit as I gaze over at Iason, he is only three years old but he is already such a charmer. He's always smiling and really loves to just hug everybody. Even now he stands with Carly's arms around him, really soaking in her presence. I almost begin to giggle as I remember how he walked over to our neighbor Mr. Overwill one day earlier this week and just hugged him. Iason couldn't reach so far to hug him around his neck so he just settled with hugging his leg which forced Mr. Overwill to stop what he was doing. He was really proud of himself later when he came back too. Oh, I hope he will never change, that he will always be sweet little Iason. He will probably be just as popular around the girls as Carly will be with the boys. Or else I will eat up my hat! I don't own one, but still.

I don't look over at Chord, I just feel him standing beside me, holding his arm around my waist. It's comforting when he does this; it makes me think he will never leave, even though I know he won't. I tilt my head down so it can rest on his chest and I close my eyes, so I can focus on hearing his heart beating. Dunk-dunk. Dunk-dunk.

I guess both he and I have grown up even more since we adopted the kids and became a family. As so many other young people in this country we have been forced to grow up so much quicker than the generations before us, but after we got them we have sort of understood why things are as they are, why everything has happened, why it is important. And then at the same time, we have actually managed to keep our youth, at least in some ways.

I love this family of mine. Just a few years ago I would've never dreamed of this, but now that I got it, I could never think of it being any way different. I can't see it being any other way than me preparing Zane's and Carly's lunches for school before sending them there, preparing games and other fun for the additional two for the entire day while Chord is off at the factory where they make high-class jewelry, working. I guess he was really lucky to get work there, it means that I wouldn't have to work too but can focus on our young kids instead, but I really do love to work so I will try later on to get a job, when Niles and Iason are ready for kindergarten.

When I first came back home I couldn't wait to start working, but now I have found out that I love being at home with the children also. I am such a housewife. I used to make fun of the housewives that lived on my street back in the days, claiming that they had no real life, that they were lazy, but now I have realized the joy that lies in it. I have learned about the happiness that taking care of a household can bring, of spending the entire day with the children. Of watching them grow day by day right in front of your eyes. Now that I have learned this lesson I dread the day when Niles and Iason will begin going to the local kindergarten.

So far they're not ready for that though. Niles is still so unsure about everything, and even though Iason can play and be happy around everybody he still gets a bit scared when he hears certain noises or sees particular things, and so far I and Chord are the only ones who can calm him down once he is scared. As soon as this changes though, as soon as other people can cool his temper, I will begin to seek employment. Secretly I hope this is far in the future though.

I guess I could work at the local hospital then, I do have much knowledge of the practice and they really are in need of more experienced staff. They are also harsher with the people they hire. Unlike other employments they require that you have much experience in the field, they don't hire those who knows nothing on the matter of healing.

And I do so know some of the one's that works there; I remember Mrs. Yule, a middle-aged woman who worked as a doctor next to Mr. Shant out in the war. She was really nice. Quite strict, but nice. I think she'll remember me well enough to hire me… It was a shame that Mr. Shant didn't come back to this district though, but went to district nine once everything ended. I don't even know why, but I think it has something to do with the memories of everything; of his wife and his former life.

I'm being yanked away from my thoughts when I feel how people keep being pushed against us. I look around and see how crowded the huge courtyard has gotten in just a few minutes. I pull Zane and Niles closer to me before looking over at the crowd. I really hope they will tell us soon why we are here before someone will get crushed.

Every now and then my eyes fall on a peacekeeper on the outlines of the crowd, trying to keep everything calm and quiet. They have gotten quite harsher after the wars end than they were before. Before they weren't that stern with all the rules; you could break many of the minor ones without them interfering, but now they punish you for everything, even things that never had been illegal before. Now, they tend to punish people for everything. I guess the Capitol wants to break us down, that they want to make us so weak and afraid that we won't attempt any more rebellions for quite some while. They have even raised a huge fence around the district that is always electrified, making us stay within its boundaries at all times. I remember how people I knew before used to go out hunting in the forest surrounding the district before the war. Now they can't do that anymore. The Capitol has deprived us of many of our former privileges, and I can't fathom how it is for the lower districts since they had it much worse than we did before the war. I know that Chord is worried sometimes about his friends in 5, and I try to soothe him as much as I can, reassuring him that they are okay, that they are fine, but I know he doesn't quite trust this.

I watch out over the courtyard to find a huge pole sticking up from the ground in its center, very strangely if you don't know its function. I know of its use though. I have seen too many people being dragged towards it before being tied to it, only to become whipped senseless by some sadistic peacekeeper. And not only adults but also a few children have been receiving this treatment. And then they try to justify it by saying that they had broken a rule and deserved it. They even say this when they accidently kill someone by whipping them too much.

I close my eyes as I remember a young boy who was being whipped unconscious some weeks ago. I can still hear his cries ring through my mind, time and time again until he fell silent as he slipped into unconsciousness. He never came out of it. Now he is one of the few people who are lying in our new cemetery. Luckily none of my protégées have broken any rules and found themselves in this situation. I don't know how I could deal with it.

But however bad we're having it now after the rebellions abrupt end, I know that it could be far worse. In a national broadcast, not even a month ago, the Capitol showed us how they bombed down District 13 for 'a great duplicity', which means that they still tried to work against the Capitol. They showed us how they dropped bomb after bomb down on the villages, down on the unknowing people. They showed us a few people running around in panic, utter alarm showing plainly in their faces as they got hit by the missiles.

They even showed us how the entire district had been leveled with the ground afterwards, smoke searing up from the remnants of the former houses after the bombs. A few charcoal black bodies lying scattered on the ground. They told us that nothing would be able to live there for a long time, and I believe them. Not only is the district swiped off the face of the earth, but it looks poisoned, radioactive. In the footages you cannot see any living thing around. Everything is dead, covered with coal. Everything is turned black, the color of death…

After this event people here at home became more careful for a while, avoiding the same fate as our friends in 13 had been encountered to. People still live in fear of being struck by missiles, we still fear of doing something wrong. We still fear that we're next in line.

I clench my throat and take some deep breaths trying to keep from crying over this. Over the fate of the human race, over how we have resorted to war and death threats. I hug Zane closer to me as I feel Chord resting his hand on my back, stroking me soothingly. It helps. I don't start crying.

I hear how someone slaps a microphone and I find myself being ripped away from my thoughts. At the stage I see our new mayor, Mr. Bellantyn. I don't like him. Unlike our last mayor, a Mr. Styce, this successor is extremely snobby. He is always seen wearing 'fancy' clothes and is always tinting his hair in weird colors. He has also had extended plastic surgery, which shows plainly on his face. His lips are huge, his eyes are lifted so they are crooked and even if he hasn't passed the age of thirty yet he looks about double as old. But what can you expect from a resident of the Capitol?

Today he is wearing a crimson red suit that is just disgusting to look at. I can't believe this is what they wear in the Capitol, it's simply awful. And then the small amount of hair on his almost bald head is tinted a matching color… I wonder if he really thinks this is considered to be beautiful out here. He looks like some sort of alien.

"Good day everybody," he starts off; and I notice he sounds quite excited. I hope it's something nice he has to tell us. He continues: "I bare news from our Capitol, and very exciting ones at that. Our leaders have since the war's end been trying to find a way for us to never forget the terrors of its rage. And now, after many months of deep thinking they have found their answer."

I feel how my stomach begins to tingle. I don't like what it is he's saying. I can feel where this will lead; this speech of his will not end well, at least not for us. I know they have found another way to haunt us, to reprimand us yet again for trying to rise above their reign.

"A competition has been created; a competition that will unite the Capitol with all twelve districts. This competition will be held annually." He pauses, clears his throat while looking around over the crowd. "In two months' time we will hold a reaping here in District 1, where we will choose one young man and woman between the ages of twelve and eighteen that will represent this district in these games. The reaping has been designed so it will be fair to everybody; at the age of twelve you will receive one ticket with your name on it, at thirteen you will have two, at fourteen three and so on. But let's say that you are poor, and you don't have enough food. You can trade in another ticket for a year supply of corn and flour, and you can trade how many times you want, but with each trade another ticket will be signed with your name.

These tickets will be collected into bins; one for the ladies, and one for the gentlemen. During the reaping one of these tickets will be picked out randomly, and the person whose name is written on the ticket is the one who will represent our district. However…" He looks around again over the entire courtyard. "However, one can always volunteer for another, choosing to go oneself to this competition. But, you can only volunteer for a person of the same gender, a boy cannot volunteer for a girl and vice versa."

He takes a break in his speech, allowing us to let the information given so far sink in a bit in our minds. I look down at Zane, he's twelve, and he will receive a ticket. He might be chosen to be part of this competition, whatever it will be. And so will I, and Chord too. If we're really unlucky, both I and Chord might get picked, being forced to leave all four children alone. But that won't happen, and even if we were to get picked we would be back in no time whatsoever. Mr. Bellantyn has begun talking again I notice midway in my thoughts so I begin to listen again. I know I have missed something, but how important could it have been?

"So, only one will be able to go back to their district after this competitions end. Only one, the winner, will ever get to come home again." Oh crap! Seems like it was something important that I missed. I look up at Chord and I see how his face has whitened, and I realize that it must've been something horrible that I missed. I focus yet again on Mr. Bellantyn's words.

"This competition will from now and always be called The Hunger Games. I will be happy to see you all here again in two months, and make sure to look your best as we will be broadcasted nationwide!" he finishes with a huge grin on his face.

I pick up little Iason as Chord picks up sweet Niles and we all begin to walk home. Nobody of us speaks a word, but I can see how Niles looks from me to Chord and I realize she knows what might happen in a near future. I smile at her and decide to let her know that we won't go anywhere, that we won't disappear.

The day slowly passed after the mornings chocking news. I watched the day pass on as in a haze, I couldn't interact with the others. I just thought about these so called Hunger Games and wondered what they would contain. I wanted to just ask Chord so badly, but I didn't want any of the children to hear me. At some point of the day he went out, I don't know where to, I hardly noticed him leaving, even though I can recall him telling me about it before he left.

When night finally fell and we all went to bed I spoke to Chord and asked him what it was I had missed. He told me that these twenty-four children chosen to be part of the games would be put in an arena where they would fight until just one remained, and that this one would become the victor. This victor would withhold great wealth and honor. Every district would also be obliged to build twelve houses where possible victors would live on their return.

These news really surprised me, and it took quite some time before I realize what it actually meant. That it would come so that the twenty-four children chosen for this 'game' would be forced to actually… murder one another, until only one kid were still left alive.

"Cleo… Our mayor signed a treaty where he agreed with this decision, all of the mayors did. All of the districts leaders signed this agreement." He looks at me concerned while telling me this. It is quite hard for me to think, all my thoughts are blurry. But then the news sunk in, and I understood what it meant. It meant that all of the twelve districts mayors have agreed to that two of their children would die each year. But what did they got out of it?

"Why?" He shakes his head as he tells me.

"Because they would be given more money. Simple as that. Mr. Bellantyn's secretary told us about it. She had heard the whole thing from the other side of the door." I can't believe it. To do such a horrible thing, just for a bit of money… It's sickening, it's wretched, and it's just appalling.

As all of these news really sank in I felt my face turn pale. I felt a single tear falling down my cheek, making its way towards my chin. Chord embraced me, sheltering me with his arms as I lay down beside him. I buried myself down as close I could get beside him. And then I just lay there, thinking about these Hunger Games, until I after several hours finally fell asleep only to dream horrible nightmares where Chord and Zane played the main characters.

I watch as Mr. Bellantyn points them out to go to the games, me and the other children being left behind. I try to reach them, but peacekeepers hold me back just as I am about to touch Chord's fingertips reaching towards me. Then we're being pulled apart without any goodbyes, and I scream at the peacekeepers. I kick them and I hit them with every little piece of strength in my body, but they're gone.

I watched how they were forced to be part of these games, I watched as they were fighting other children. I saw how they both died time and time again on account of various different children in various different ways. I saw them being cut in two, how they were stabbed multiple times, how they were unable to rescue themselves. I viewed how they were tortured, how they starved from lack of food, how they suffered from great injuries, and I could do nothing to help them.

I screamed, out of fear for them, and out of distress for not being able to reach them. I screamed as I weren't able to help them, as I was not able to heal their wounds, as I couldn't ease them. I screamed my lungs out; I shed too many tears to count. I buried my face in my hands, but the images of their deaths haunted me everywhere. I scratched my face till it bled but the only thing that I could think about was those two. I couldn't hide, I couldn't escape them, the images were always there. They were always there to frighten me. No matter how much I tried they wouldn't go away, they refused to disappear.

I tried to run away; I ran through forests, I ran through deserts, I ran through huge plains, but they never left my side. They were always right in front of me, no matter how many times I changed direction they were always right in front of my eyes for me to see. It is the most scared I have ever been.

When I finally managed to escape the dreams hold of me by awaking I wept, I cried out of fear that this might really occur, but also out of joy that it hadn't. I cried out of relief that they weren't dead, out of relief that they were both alive.

I saw the morning light simmer through the curtains of my bedroom window and I knew the morning had come long ago. By reaching across the bed I knew that Chord had already left, probably long ago, for work. I got out of the bed where I had been haunted for hours, and I stepped out of my room and down to the room that Zane and Iason shared. I saw them both lying in their beds, still sleeping soundly, and I merely stood there for minutes, just to enjoy the sight of them being alive and healthy. I listen to their breaths, their steady breaths and I lean back at the doorframe, and slowly slide down on the floor. I close my eyes and release a huge sigh of sheer relief.

Everything's alright. They're all fine.


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