Chapter 2: District 12
The next morning I wake up, slide my feet into a pair of hand me down boots from my mom, pull up my trousers and but on a black long sleeve shirt. I pulled my long dark wavy hair into a braid and threw my jacket on. As I finish getting ready I look out the window to watch the sun rise.
As I walk down stairs; the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air, my father runs his family bakery since his family disappeared during the war. So every morning he begins to bake the daily batch of breads, and pastries. My mom and my brother are still asleep.
They don't know I meet Finn every week and relax in and around the woods. My dad always says to my brother and I that he better never see or hear about us being in the woods ever, he also says that the woods are forbidden to the two of us and that they are too dangerous.
He's over protective when it comes to my brother and I it's really annoying. My mom doesn't want us in the woods either but both of them are wrapped up in their boring and depressing lives to notice that I sneak to the woods every week anyways.
I hear him whistling a tune in the kitchen while baking. I creep down the stairs, step by step without making a sound and quickly but quietly open and close the door then run off to meet Finn.
As I run through town I wave and smile to the people I pass on the way. The district itself is still a little run down from the war, but it has improved from what I heard it used to be. It used to be dirty, dusty, and really worn down and the houses were nothing but shacks but now the houses are a bit more solid. Also it was very poor, people were starving and dying left and right but after my parents won the Hunger Games they used the riches they received to improve the town. So the district isn't as poor as it used to be and no one starved anymore; there was always just enough food to get by for everyone we may not be the richest district, but we make do. People are happier now fathers went off to work while mothers stayed home, sat on their porch of their small homes or went to the market or "the hob" as people call it. Children laughed and played in the streets it was a nice sight to see we were in peaceful times and that's how everyone liked it.
I only have to pass a few gates and buildings to finally reach the scruffy meadow. There are so many memories in this meadow my parents used to take my brother and I here all the time and we would play here, also Finn and I would play together here as kids as well.
I look around for Finn but he isn't here yet. I sit sown in the soft green grass I start to rub my eyes I'm pretty tired so I decide to lay down and close my eyes for a few.
I open my eyes and sat up, realizing I fell asleep I didn't know how long I was asleep for, but looking at the position of the sun it mustn't have been long. I glared around looking for Finn but he still wasn't there he usually isn't this late. I shrugged it off, yawned and lay back down.
Suddenly I see a face looking right above mine and jumped up screaming "whoa!" I turn around and see that it's Finn "damn you Finn!" I yell as he's laughing "it's not funny!" I say as I punch Finn on his arm. "Sorry" Finn says happily.
Whenever I see him smile I think of the picture of him as a baby with his father (Finnick Sr.) and mother (Annie) my mom showed me. God he's the spitting image of his father; Finn is a well built, brown eyed, and blonde haired 18 year old boy, he's 2 years older than me, but we've been best friends since I can remember. We have seen each other every day since his mom is good friends with my mom; he and I do everything together and he's a really good sparring partner.
"So, what's the deal Finn you usually aren't this late where were ya?" I ask him as he sits down beside me playing with the grass and flowers around him.
"I was helping my mom make breakfast this morning for her and my sister and doing chores and stuff, I decided to stick around and help her, you know the usual" Finn says with a sigh.
I decide to change the subject "Well you're here now so wanna head to the woods to practice?"
Finn smiles and says "Sure lets go"
Separating the meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of district 12 is a fence. my mom said it used to be electrical, but when the capitol destroyed district 12 the fence and all of its electrical properties went with it so now its and ordinary fence that keeps out the predators and animals in the woods so they would never invade our streets like they used to.
I crawl under the gate flat on my stomach in a small open patch, while Finn climbs over and jumps to the other side. We run into the woods and decided to race to the lake as our warm up.
