Chapter Ten

Jason slumped down in his home. Not that it felt like that to him anymore but he couldn't think of anything else to call it. The lodge seemed like he was distancing himself too much from what had happened, like he was shunning the memories he had of the place and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to remember them, so much that it felt like he was in the memories, with Sophia and his parents. But it was impossible. Because that's all they were now wasn't it, memories that only he would know.

He switched on the projector but put the volume down as low as it would allow, watching the mandatory games. Not that there was much point in anyone in the village watching it anymore. Both the District Seven tributes had gone within the first few hours of the games, but still they were forced to keep watching. There was no point in it though. No one ever supported another District as to do so was awful. To wish the children of someone you knew to die so that someone else's could live. But that's what the Capitol wanted though. They wanted them to side against each other, blame the entire District for the death of a loved one. It was clever but like every plan it would have it's faults. All Jason had to do was find them and then….

"Jason Beech open the door!" the loud authorative voice of a peacekeeper accompanied by the banging of a fist on wood interrupted Jason's daydream. Could they get in his mind now and see what he wanted to do to Snow? Or were they here to make some kind of taunting jokes about his sister? Either way they were in trouble. Jason got up and walked towards the door, thoughts of sticking a knife into President Snows head still dancing through his mind.

"Can I help you?" Jason asked, as politely as he could manage. He didn't like the peacekeepers, no one did, but there was no point starting the fight with them. If it was going to happen it would happen on their terms, he would simply end it.

"You need to come with us immediately," to voice sounded like a robot. No emotion. No heart. Not even arrogance. Just a voice saying words.

"And why would that be?" Jason slumped against the doorway, preparing himself to make a run for it if need be but he couldn't let them see that was what he was planning to do.

"Is there anyone else here we can have this conversation with?" the peacekeeper replied raising an eyebrow at the boy. He was known to the peacekeepers as one to watch. He never got into trouble but something about him didn't seem right, like he was going to crack at any moment.

"Why? Aren't I enough to handle?" Jason responded, keeping his gaze fixed on the leader of the group but watching the other three out of the corner of his eye. The two at the back were fidgeting nervously, clearly new to the area. The one at the front who was talking would clearly like to think he was in control but it was the one who wasn't talking that had Jason's attention.

"Do you live with anyone else?" the peacekeeper tried to remain calm but Jason could tell he was getting to him. They were used to people being scared, used to having fear already installed in people rather than having to install it themselves, but Jason was the exception to that. The way he saw it he had very little worth fighting for so why not just fight for the sake of it?

"No. But I find myself to be more than enough company."

"In that case you need to come with us at once," the peacekeeper advanced towards the house and Jason, reaching out to grab Jason. He jerked back out of the mans reach.

"Can I ask why?" Jason said now ready to leap into action if the answer wasn't satisfactory.

"Your name is Jason Beech, brother to Sophia Beech who died in the hunger games yesterday," Jason clenched his fist at the mention of Sophia. "You are only fifteen years old, therefore we cannot legally allow you to live alone. We are here to take you to the Community Centre where you will stay until you are eighteen and then you are free to live wherever the mayor deems suitable."

"What?" Jason gave them a look of pure disbelief. They couldn't do this, could they? He could support himself; he didn't ask anything form them he hadn't even ever taken out tesserae. I mean sure he'd heard of them taking kids into care when they couldn't look after themselves but he could. They didn't need to do this.

"You heard, now come on we haven't got all day," the peacekeepers once again went to grab him and this time succeeded. They boxed him in between them while Jason tried to make some sense of the situation.

He knew he was part of District Seven. He knew the Capitol were in control. He knew that being from District Seven there was no way he could try and over throw the Capitol. Yet.

Arden Mason wandered through the town. He never really knew what to buy, it had always been his wife Iris's job, after 12 years he should of learned but he just stuck with the same routine. He couldn't control much in his life any more. Couldn't even guarantee his own child's safety, which made him feel even worse about things. It wasn't like he blamed himself, he just wanted the right that every parent in the Capitol had, knowing that their child would be safe year in and year out.

That was when he saw him. When he looked across the street and saw the boy being shoved along rather unnecessarily by four peacekeepers. Something about him seemed all too familiar. His blonde ruffled hair coated with grease, his clothes scrunched up and torn, his skin where it wasn't coated in dirt had been stained in dried blood. Arden couldn't get rid of the feeling that he was important. Of course.

He ran across the street and blocked the path of the small squad. "Can I ask what's going on?" he questioned, knowing the answer was probably going to be a slap in the face and being told to move on. But he couldn't leave the boy like this.

"Apparently I am incapable of looking after myself because I'm so little and defenseless, but I need four big strong peacekeepers to take me everywhere," the boy mumbled, Arden couldn't help but smile, he was exactly like his father had been. His remark earned him a hard slap on the back of the head.

"He's being taken to the community center," the peacekeeper replied bluntly.

"Why?"

"He lives alone and is a minor. He will stay there until he is eighteen and then the mayor will allocate him a house."

Arden took a moment to think about this. He was just managing to support himself and Johanna, but clearly the boy could hunt, it was no secret that was how his sister had managed to get in with the Careers in the games, and that was something he had never been able to do let alone have time to learn.

"Well he can stay with me," Arden replied, not sure if this was the best idea he'd ever had. He knew what Iris would have said, that if someone needed him and he could help then it was his duty to do so. She had always been the caring one in the relationship, and the smart one. He was simply there to look after her and make sure she didn't care for other people to the extent that she put herself in harms way. Johanna had inherited the same qualities as her mother, which was probably the reason he was so protective over her.

Jason didn't know how to react to the offer. He knew that Arden was Johanna's father. He knew that years ago he had been friends with his own father. But he owed Jason nothing. And this was a lot more than nothing.

Clearly his request had taken the peacekeepers off guard as they mumbled amongst themselves debating whether or not it was allowed. He doubted this sort of thing happened often. Usually people struggled so much to look after their own children that they wouldn't dare try and adopt another one, no matter how sad the kids from the community center looked no one dared risking starving their own children.

"Well, I umm, I guess that could be allowed. Assuming that you understand fully that should this prove to be too much of a strain on you then he will be taken into care. And that his actions are now held firmly on your shoulders until he turns eighteen," the peacekeeper tried to make up for their earlier unknowing ways by listing the rules already obvious to everyone. Jason looked into the mans eyes and was taken aback that he was looking the peacekeeper straight in the eyes, not backing down.

"Yup, sounds fair to me," he didn't break the gaze, standing with a straight back towering over the peacekeeper it was hard to believe he was related to the tiny girl he was attempting to train. Aww crap, Jason hadn't even thought of that. He hadn't spoken to Johanna since he'd seen her in the woods; he doubted that she wanted to see him all that much let alone live with him.

"Ok then, he's all yours," the peacekeeper sounded slightly pleased to be rid of the irritating child, he chucked Jason in the general direction of Arden but Jason managed to stop himself colliding with the man who'd just saved him from the community center. The peacekeepers walked off and left the pair alone.

"You didn't need to do that you know," Jason mumbled, realizing the state he was in.

"I know. But you look like you need help and I doubt you'd get it there," the man replied indicating towards the community center.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, umm thanks," Jason said, not really sure how to repay him. "You know I can hunt. I mean I know I'm not meant to but I'll bring you whatever I catch and…"

"Jason that's all fine and well but that's not why I wanted to help you."

"Then why?"

"Because you needed it. And with the Capitol continuing to pull us apart every chance they get I figure we should at least stick together in our own District."

And with that the pair began walking back towards the edge of the woods, and the home they would now share with Johanna.