Hello,
Won't spend forever thanking people, you know who you are and the help you have given me on this chapter is greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy.
The hovercraft shudders violently and for once I'm glad that something has interrupted my not too peaceful sleep. I rub sleep from my eyes and listen to the low and urgent murmur of the pilot and the peacekeepers. Moments later a peacekeeper walks towards us and asks me, in a low whisper to wake my mother.
"What's going on?" I ask him as I tap my mum's shoulder and shake her from her peaceful sleep.
"It's nothing for you to worry about"
"Yes it is, tell me!"
"What's all the shouting about?" my mum asks as her eyes adjust to the lights in the hovercraft.
"Capitol helicopters are circling above the skies of some of the districts, which is not something we expected"
My blood runs cold. The Capitol has come for us and a fate worse than death waits for me.
"What's the plan?" my mother asks, sensing how scared I am of the whole situation.
"We're not too far from the edge of the district eight, I'm afraid we'll have to drop you off their, we daren't go much further, the Capitol will suspect" we both nod.
"Will you be okay?" I ask, it's not something my mum likes to think about; too many people have sacrificed themselves for her safety.
"District eight is still a capitol territory, but most of them are still willing to help, we can pass ourselves off as a cargo craft, don't worry about us" and I smile, reassured that no more sacrifices will be made on my behalf.
We gather our things and I can't help but laugh. If there's one thing that Capitol shouldn't have done, if they want me to die, is let me watch the Hunger Games.
I check I haven't left anything behind and so does my mum, I am determined to make the peacekeepers job as easy as possible and leave without a trace.
"You have to keep going straight ahead to get to district thirteen, when you reach district twelve, you'll be about a week away" the peacekeeper says as we walk towards the exit
"And watch out for the winter" calls out another peacekeeper, who has come to escort us and help his friend "that's a killer"
We all stand, looking out at the metal door, hiding us from the unknown
"Anything else?" my mother asks
"No, just make sure you run as soon as we touch ground, have you got supplies?" he asks me as the door begins to open
"Yes" I reply "You're friend gave us some" pointing to the peacekeeper by his side
"Thank you" my mum calls seconds from hitting the ground
"God speed" the pilot, an older man ,who has come out to help his comrades set up their story as cargo men, calls to us. I don't have time to ask him what that means, because we've hit the ground and I'm running for all I'm worth .
I've never known what freedom tasted like, until my feet hit the forest floor and the wind combed through my hair as I run past trees and rare never before seen plants that I have no time to sit and admire. Mum just about keep up with me, our backpacks smashing into our backs as we jump over fallen branches and over ditches, I feel like I'm fleeing from the Cornucopia as we run, never looking back.
We have to stop a while later, so mum can catch her breath. I look at the watch on my hand, I shouldn't wear it in the districts, it's richer than a lot of what they have ever owned, but I guess that in the forest I am safe, no one comes out here from the districts, so I am told.
"We've got a good spot" my mum admires, looking at the tall trees that will be our shelter for the night "Have you got some rope?" mum asks and I pull out the strong rope from my backpack, it's enough to tie me into one of the trees for the night and it will give me some shelter or at least give me time.
"Don't touch any berries!" I warn her, as the image of a girl lying lifeless by nightlock berries comes into my mind. The gruesome and terrifying games, made to scare us are now the only thing that will empower us as we start to climb a particularly tall and sturdy tree near about a mile from a nearby stream.
Close enough to water to survive,
Far enough out of any predator reach.
I continue to climb up the tree, my eyes on my feet and hands. My mum's at the bottom waiting to catch me should I fall. I look back to check my footing and there she stands, looking just above me with a frozen horror in her face.
I slowly turn my face to the branch above and see a man, sitting on the branch with a dagger and a piece of wood in his hand. He looks at me and puts the wood down, but still holds his knife in the other hand.
Poised and ready to kill.
...