Recover

Wake up

Luna Night - District 9 Victor

I dig my fingers into my desk drawer and pull out the first pencil I touch. I switch on the lamp perched on the side of my desk and the room fills with an eerie yellow light. Outside my window everybody in district 9 is still asleep, that is everybody but me. I flip open my notebook, past pages filled with nightmares, and smooth out the first clean page I see.

My fingers go to work while my mind searches for every detail my mind has managed to hang on to through my awakening. My page fills with the image of desert sand smeared red by tribute blood but the image doesn't leave my head as I hoped it would.

I color in the last of red, leaving everything else in the picture black and white. After all, the only thing that stands out in the desolate landscape is the river of blood. I lean back in my chair and hear it creak in response to my shifted weight. I dig my finger tips into the tense spot above my eyebrows and mutter to myself.

"Why do you torture yourself Luna?" I don't move as I hear the soft feet walk through my doorway and across my master bedroom.

"It's not torture, it's… release." Maybe not release exactly but a victor told me that we all need a way to remember and accept our games, even if that means reliving them every day.

"You don't seem too free to me." I look up, still slouched in my chair, and see May holding a plate with two sandwiches. The plate shines, clean and pristine, and she sets it down near my sketch pad.

"I feel better," I lie and stare at the perfectness of the sandwiches next to me. "Why are you up so early May?" I see her hair is hardly brushed and she's still in her pink pajama pants and black tank top.

May reaches behind her and pulls the spare chair from against my wall. She sits on it straddling her legs across the back and picks up one of the sandwiches. "You know, I always get up this early." I raise my eyebrow at her questioningly, and she rolls her eyes. "Fine, you woke me up with your mindless sleep chatter. Happy?"

"No."I pick up the other sandwich and take a monstrous bite. While Nico and Nina stay with me only during the day when my mom is at work May has moved in permanently. She occupies the room down the hall from me but it's now apparent my night hours aren't as private as I hoped they were. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I'm fine, really."

"Sure you are. Did you know it's 4:30 in the morning?" Sometimes my sister feels more like a mom to me which is weird because she just turned 14.

"No…" I glance out at the window and see not one light in the distance, just my sister and I's yellowed reflections. Her black hair has been cut to hang about an inch over her shoulders and she usually keeps it pinned half up, half down. "Listen May," I say turning back to her, "you should go back to bed."

"Too bad I'm already awake." She reaches over and picks up my sketch pad. Crumbs slide off her fingers and tumble to the carpet but she doesn't pause. "Jeez Loon, these are morbid." She flips through the pages and stops at the one of Aric leaning over the fire pit we made the first night in the arena. It took me all night to get the sunset's light to perfectly hit his broad shoulders.

I see her smirk slightly and I grab the sketchpad from her hands. "Ok that's enough." Somehow I feel that moment of adoration for Aric should be kept private.

"Gosh Luna, you two need to just stop "being friends" and get together," May says standing up from her chair and walking around to my other side.

"Sorry May but Aric and I's relationship is none of your business. Your opinion isn't needed in that area." I close my drawings with a muffled snap and May crosses her arms across her chest.

"Luna, it's been almost 2 months. Stop pretending nothing's going on between you two. Everyone knows you lust for each other."

I close my drawer, with my sketches sealed closed deep inside, and start to stand up. "Lust? Honestly May, I think you're the only person that uses that word." I start to walk toward my bathroom but May follows close behind.

"Pa-LESE" She huffs in annoyance, still following me. "He totally likes you."

"Yea sure, come in," I say sarcastically as she steps into my tiled bathroom and sits on the toilet with her legs crossed. "Make yourself at home in my bathroom. Oh and while I get ready you can make a bed in the bathtub."

"Jeez Luna," She shoots onto her feet and looks at me as I splash my sweaty face with water. "You two need to just hook up and get it over with!"

I wipe my face on one of the hand towels and turn to face May as I dab my face dry. "Gosh May, do you have any idea what you're saying? "Hook-up" and "lust?" How do you even know those terms?"

May bites her lower lip and suddenly goes quietly. Gotcha. Always trying to act older. "Well everyone knows those words! I mean, school… and stuff."

"I do not want to know what your school is like then." I walk out of the bathroom, fully aware of May following me on the plush carpet. Since I've gotten home the one thing I'm glad has changed is that I don't have to sit in class 3 hours a day. In district 9 we go to school for 3 hours and the rest of the day is ours to work in the hunting industry.

"Well it used to be your school too Loon," she says as we descend the stairs and walk into the open kitchen. My little shadow just won't leave me alone today.

On the kitchen counter I see a loaf of bread and other sandwich supplies still out on the counter. "Well not anymore, I'm happy to be out of there."

School was never fun for me. Ever since I beat up the most popular kid in my school, Hunter Brown, 5 months ago for bullying a kid, I've been something of an outcast. Thinking of my solitary school situation reminds me of Zia, my only friend that died in the arena. I could really use her charisma right about now.

I brush some of the loose crumbs from the counter into my hand and throw them in the sink. I pack up the rest of the supplies as May sits on one of the bar stools on the opposite side of the counter near the living room. I hear her sigh – loud enough for her to want my attention – but I just place the leftover meat in the fridge next to our other luxuries I can now buy. Usually I just get them because Nico and Nina are so picky.

I glance at the clock on the wall and see it's almost 5:00 now. I rub my eyes again and blink rapidly trying to clear my vision. I go to the shelves where we store our plates and such and grab a clear cup. "You want one too?" I ask over my shoulder to May.

"Yea sure," She says, deflated from our conversation. I go to the sink and start to fill a cup with water.

I set May's cup on the counter in front of her and she looks up from drawing imaginary circles on the countertop. She leans her head on her elbow and looks back down when she sees the cup. "So how's school?"

May looks up at me with her eyebrows up and annoyed eyes. "You're seriously asking me about school at 5 am?"

"You brought it up first," I say knowingly as I grip my water and take a sip.

May sighs and sits up straighter. "Its fine I guess." She takes a sip of water and I nod absentmindedly. Outside I can see the horizon start to gray; I can't wait for it to be day. It may sound terrible but today I just want to be alone. You'd think after the games I'd never take my family for granted but after last night's nightmare I need to be alone to regain my sanity.

I push off the counter and chug the last of my water. "I'm going to go shower. I'll be down before you leave though." I squeeze May's shoulder as I walk towards the stairs.

In my bathroom I turn on the hot water in the shower and sit on the ground. The tile starts to fog up around me but sitting in my pajama shorts I don't really care. I close my eyes and hope that the steam will clear my head a little. The steam creates a warm, humid blanket around me and I feel myself start to dose off slightly.

My eyes snap open when I hear May walk up the stairs past my room. It mustn't have been over a few minutes but either way I rush into the shower and wet my hair quickly. Since the arena I cut my hair so it just hangs to about the middle of my back instead of my waist. I pour a large amount of shampoo into my hand and massage my scalp with the fruity scent.

When I'm done I turn off the water and grab my shower from the hook near the shower curtain. I dry off and quickly use the fancy tools in my bathroom to dry my hair and body. Now dry, I run into my room and fish around for a pair of jeans and a short sleeved dark blue t-shirt. I tie back my long hair into a silky ponytail and turn away from my full length mirror.

Outside my window I see the sun rising above the other houses in Victor's Village. Across the street I look into the front window and see Aric sitting at his kitchen table alone. His dark hair hangs into his eyelashes as he leans down toward his breakfast. Under his feet I see a flash of golden hair and I know Stella is begging for food again.

I look at my clock and see its 7:30. 7:30! I run from my bedroom and into the hall. School starts at 8 and I usually like to walk May down. I must have been asleep for longer than I thought. When I get downstairs I see May is already standing near the front door with her backpack slung over one of her shoulders.

"Wow. I thought if it takes a person two and a half hours to get ready it meant they weren't just dressing in a t-shirt and jeans."

"Hahaha very funny." I walk past her and grab the house keys off the hook. May opens the door and steps onto the patio as I take one last look at the kitchen, hoping it's not dirty again.

"You coming?" I turn back to May and close the door without answering. We start walking down the clean cut sidewalk with me closest to the paved road that nobody uses. I see May look up at me but I keep walking without acknowledging her. "Should we walk slower past Aric's house?" She teases and I pick up my pace.

"No May. Let it go." Ever since I got back from the capitol May – and almost everyone else in District 9 – has been on my case about Aric. When Aric told the country that we would figure things out back home I really wanted to follow along with that plan, but nobody else seems to know we need to think things through –separately.

"Oh don't worry, I won't." I sigh and she laughs lightly to herself. The walk to May's school is quiet after that and I don't try to start another conversation. I only walk May because I don't want her running into trouble on the way, you never know what kind of people live out in the world.

As we approach the school yard I feel myself tense up. Many kids stare at me with envy while some others glare with resentment. The ones who glare are none other than Hunter Brown's minions – I mean "friends".

Speak of the devil. As soon as I enter the small school courtyard I see Hunter and his friends by one of the large oak trees the district has managed to keep alive. "Ahh, so they're our pretty little victor." Hunter says and his mob laughs behind him. I give him a curt little smile and press my hand against May's shoulder, signaling her to hurry up.

"Didn't you beat up that kid?" May whispers when we're out of ear shot.

"Yea, 3 months before the games. He was beating up some 14-year-old so I beat him up." I say with a shrug.

May laughs quietly, "Why don't you just beat him up again if he's bugging you so much?"

"Oh believe me, I might just do that." I mumble through gritted teeth as we continue walking forward. "Ok here you are," I announce as we get to May's door. "Have fun, see you later." I kiss May's head and walk away as fast as I can.

Luckily as soon as Hunter Brown see's me again the bell rings and his mob slowly prowls towards the school building. I rush away from the school and take the back roads toward the town market. I need time to think and sometimes it feels like only walking can help me anymore.

Most of the town is empty with hunting and school but I never have anything to do anymore. I walk towards the small fabric store and buy two pink ribbons for Nico and Nina before I pick them up today. On a last thought I go to the sweets shop and buy a chocolate powder May likes to mix into her milk at night.

As I walk away from the stores I feel the autumn breeze start to kick up around the near empty streets. I know I should be on my way to pick up Nina and Nico but I'm not really in the mood to babysit with my bad dream last night. Recently it feels like they're getting more and more realistic, and frequent.

Last night I was standing on the beach at sunset. Not just any beach either but the beach from the games. It was so real I could feel the moist air around me. I could taste the salty water on my lips and smell the rotting smell of fish. I stood on the beach for a while until I heard running across the pale yellow-white sand. I turned and running straight at me was Hail Chryssler.

This time when Hail ran at me his sword it sliced right through my stomach. I didn't scream or moan; I didn't even feel pain. I fell to the ground and still I didn't die. Blood coated the sand as I watched Hail Chryssler pull something out of the thick jungle brush.

I watched in horror as a pale faced Aric emerged holding his gushing side. I tried to speak but my throat was swollen with blood and just as Hail raised his dripping sword, ready to end Aric's life, I woke up.

I replay the scene in my head as I round the corner in a back alley way. I'm so focused on the distant look in Aric's face when he came into view I don't even see the peacekeeper until I ran straight into him.

"Somethin' filled up
my heart with nothin',
someone told me not to cry.

But now that I'm older,
my heart's colder,
and I can see that it's a lie.

Children wake up,
hold your mistake up,
before they turn the summer into dust."

oooo first chapter! Isn't it weird to see Aric and Luna in a normal everyday situation? Eating breakfast and taking care of sister's isn't anything like the arena is it? Haha. Write back your feelings about it!