Gwen Cords & Peter Mursers

Gwen's legs dangled over the wall, the pale skin gently burning in the sun. Peter's brown arm held Gwen lightly in its grasp, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Siblings." Gwen breathed. The sun was out, the gentle warmth seemed so innocent as it shone down upon a city wracked with grief.

"Tommy, Sammy…" She stopped, her sibling's names choking up in her throat.

"I know. I know." Peter soothed. But he couldn't stop Gwen from crying. How could he sooth her? Having no siblings himself, Peter's only worry was for Gwen.

"And Jeorgie too. She's twelve Peter. Twelve." Her blue eyes were soft and red rimmed. So… Fragile. Was the word that came into Peter's head as he cradled her. But worry didn't make you weak or fragile. Gwen's hair blew softly in the breeze. Not fragile… Strong. Stronger than Peter, that was sure. Peter had never known the life that Gwen had lived. He in the sun and Gwen in the shadows, it had been pure chance that they had met that day in the street. Gwen had been running, her winnings from the BotFight tucked in her jacket. Her robot was clutched in her left hand, its tiny head swivelling round as she ran from her beaten competitors. Peter was running too. He was sick of the tutoring and the manners. He was running from a privileged life, and Gwen was running from a poor one. Somehow they had met in the middle, as Gwen, blue eyes blazing dangerously, had pulled him into an alley. She had pulled him along behind her until she had stopped, breathing heavily.

"What were you thinking?" She hissed. Peter looked shocked. Never had anyone spoken like this to him.

"Don't you dare get all high and mighty on me." She had said. " i know who you are, the Mayor's son. But I saved you." Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Saved me?" He asked.

"They would've ripped you apart. The son of the source of all their problems. A sitting duck…" She grabbed his hand again and pulled him through the darkness.

"Here. Go." Then she had left him. Peter had looked around and seen that he had been left right in the alleyway outside his house. Sitting in bed that night he had realised that he was in … Love. It had only taken a few days of going through his father's population files to find the picture of the girl who had saved him. For a while he had been a creepy stalker, but then one day she had noticed him. That had been two years ago. Now in their last year of the Hunger Games they had finally advanced to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage.

"Why did you take so much tesserae?" He asked.

"It's my last year, Golden Boy." She chuckled softly. "I can't take out any more after this year so I gotta make it count. Next year …" Peter put a finger to her lips.

"Don't think about that. I can skip school today, we can go down to the Cogs Cafe. I'll pay." Peter suggested. Gwen smiled and sat up.

"If you get cookies for the others we have a deal." Peter laughed. Gwen always seemed to make him.

"Are you ready." She smiled. Peter paled.

"No Gwen."

"One."

"Two." Peter closed his eyes.

"Three." Gwen jumped and pulled Peter off behind her. She landed in a ball and rolled up to her feet. Dusting dirt off her clothes. She reached her hand down to Peter, pulling him up from where he lay sprawled on the ground.

"You're lucky the fall didn't kill me." Peter grumbled. "Otherwise you'd be without a lunch." Gwen just laughed.

Torapo and Neruo Miatana

"Does it have nuts in it?" Torapo asked. Neruo sighed.

"Torapo. It's a plant." Neruo had brought home a selection of offcuts home from the lab where he worked and was showing them off to his family.

"Nice cooking Nick." Silina said. Silina Miatana had been diagnosed with severe dementia right after the birth of the Miatana's youngest child, Silia. Racota, their father, wrapped his muscular arms around his wife, prying a plant from her pale hands.

"I'll take Mother back to bed." He told Neruo. Neruo nodded.

"I'm coming too!" Silia shouted as she ran after her parents with Dolly clutched in her grasp. Neruo laughed at his little sister's antics as he turned back to the plants.

"Torapo! Stop!" Neruo snatched the plant from Torapo. Torapo looked up at her brother two chocolate eyes.

"You said they didn't have nuts." She said carefully.

"That doesn't mean you can just eat them!" He waved the purple plant in her face. "This - is poisonous!"

"What about- this one!" Torapo grabbed the blue plant from the end of the row. Jumping onto the couch, she dangled it just out of her brother's reach. Despite his anger Neruo couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok. I give up." He held up his hands in defeat. Torapo smiled and hopped down from the couch. She turned as she placed the plant on the table.

"Argh!" She screamed as Neruo knocked her to the floor. Neruo turned her over and tickled her belly.

"No! Stop!" She giggled. Neruo sat back on his haunches and let Torapo stand.

"I'm going to school, okay?" She said. Neruo threw Torapo's bag over to her and she caught it by its straps. Torapo waved as she walked out and Neruo was left alone to pack the plants back into his bag. He secured the locks and stood up.

"See you this afternoon!" He called.

"Has Torapo left for school yet?" Racota yelled from the bedroom.

"Yes!" He called back. He fingered the handle of the door. It had fallen off yesterday and Neruo didn't want to be the one to break it again. He pushed it down carefully and shouldered the door open. He was walking down the street towards the lab when he heard the sound of a girl crying - Torapo. He ran to the source of the noise, stopping outside the Cogs Cafe.

"And, and then... " He spotted Torapo at a table with a blonde haired girl, crying her heart out.

"And they robbed me!" She sniffed. A boy with short dark hair approached the table with a blue milkshake. He placed it down in front of Torapo before sidling into the booth next to the blonde girl. Peter. Neruo's breath caught in his throat. The mayor's son. He looked at Torapo, sipping happily on her milkshake. Not looking in the least like she had just been robbed. Two can play that game, he thought angrily. He rushed up to Torapo.

"Oh there you are Torapo!" He placed his hands on a startled Torapo's shoulders. "Thank you so much for finding my sister! You see, she is a bit - off. Completely bonkers if you know what I mean."

The blonde smiled softly. "The poor thing." She squeezed Torapo's cheeks gently. "I - am - Gwe - n." She sounded out. "And - thi - s - Pe - ter." She gestured to the mayor's son. Neruo nudged Torapo.

"I - am - Milkshake." She said, annoyed that she had to play along to her brother's game. Gwen and Peter just nodded. Torapo knew that Neruo was going to take her away, she could feel it in his grip. She sipped at her milkshake with renewed vigour.

"We have to go now." Neruo said. "Come on, Torapo." Torapo rolled her eyes but followed her brother out. "Thankyou!" Neruo called. As soon as Neruo had determined that they were out of sight of the shop, he turned on Torapo.

"What - were - you - thinking?" He seethed. Torapo backed up against the wall.

"I - I."

"Well, what? Neruo advanced on Torapo.

"Have to go to school." Torapo was off before Neruo could catch her. And once again Neruo was alone with his plants. Alone and seething.

District 3 Reaping

Keira Monton stepped back from the microphone, steadying her hair has it swayed in the harsh wind. Her pink hand dipped into the ball of slips. Sifting through the hundreds of slips she found one at the bottom.

"Gwen Cords!" She shouted. Gwen paled and stumbled forward, she had just reached the stage when a hand shot up from the crowd.

"I volunteer!" Peter shouted. His hands went up to his mouth. What had he just done? But it was to late now. Peacekeepers grabbed hold of him and pulled him to the stage. Keira squealed in delight as Peter reached his hand out to touch Gwen's.

"And you are?" Keira held the microphone up to Peter's lips.

"Peter Mursers." He could barely breath.

Keira raised an eyebrow. "Son of Mayor Murser?" Peter nodded duly. His breathing thundered in his ears.

"Well haven't we got some interesting tributes! And we are only halfway through!" Peter watched through hazy eyes as she drew out a slip from the sibling's bowl.

"Neruo and Silia Miatana." Peter watched wide eyed as the boy from the Cafe hefted a tiny girl - no more than five onto his hip.

"No! NO, NO, NO, NO!" A voice screamed. "I VOLUNTEER. PUT SILIA DOWN!" Peter saw a girl in the front row run forward. It was the mad girl from before. "I volunteer." Her voice broke as she reached Neruo. Neruo was crying too as he set Silia down and picked Torapo up. "No." He whispered as he cradled his sister in his arms. The ache in peter's chest doubled as he watched, as if in a trance, Neruo climbed the steps. Torapo's hands were around his neck, holding on like it was end of the world.

"And this is?" Keira asked. Her smile wavered as she watched the siblings.

"Torapo." Peter breathed. Neruo looked at Peter, thanking him silently. Peter didn't understand how they felt. How could he? He couldn't, but he could try.