Through the Trees, Give Glimmering Light
Pandora stared at the radar. They had been flying for hours now, any minute they would pass through the perimeter of District 7. Her arm was soar from holding the gun, but she wasn't about to let her guard down now.
"We have to be near, right?" She asked.
The pilot swooped through clouds. It was stormy out. A few thunderheads rumbled next to them, lighting up the night with flashes of blue and white.
"You're the one looking at the monitor."
"Is that a yes?"
He wiped the sweat from his brow. "Any minute now. Do you have to keep that gun pointed at me?"
Pandora didn't reply. Her mouth tensed, her eyes darkened. One look at her and the pilot knew the answer.
"These hovercrafts have trackers on them. My guess is that we're being followed right now."
"We had a head start."
"You better hope."
Pandora furrowed her brow and turned away, something past the windows caught her eye. At first it looked like the sun was rising through the clouds, but then she checked the time. It was midnight.
Her lips parted, slowly she unlatched the seatbelt and stood up.
The clouds below were glowing orange and red. It was unsettlingly beautiful.
The hovercraft was soaring through a sea of clouds that never seemed to end. All she wanted was a glimpse of the source, an explanation.
"You should stay seated, Miss."
Pandora pressed her hand against the glass. "The clouds look like they're on fire."
With one final push they finally broken free from the haze. The aircraft dipped. Pandora saw what stretched out below. The awe transformed to horror.
"Oh my god." The pilot whispered. "I don't think it's the clouds that are on fire."
Far below the belly of their aircraft was a forest. It was forest that, at midnight, would appear a vast shadow on the landscape below…but not tonight. Tonight there was a nightmare traveling through the woods. The trees were being devoured by fire. Black smoke rose from the woods. Violent red flames licked the air. The fires spread for miles.
"Where—where are we?"
He was already pressing on the radar. Studying the map and degrees. When he froze Pandora knew what the answer was going to be, but in truth she had known where they were the second her eyes met the terrible fire.
"We've just entered District 7."
Pandora cupped her hand over mouth. She fought back a scream and shook her head. There was always a chance of forest fires in District 7, but this was no accident. Pandora knew. The Capitol had lit up the district like a mound of kindle doused in gasoline.
"No." She clawed at the glass. The fire was so intense that the black smoke that came off its rape was hindering the range of sight for the aircraft. Judging from the expanse of trees aglow, they had to be on the outskirts. She darted to the radar, "Where are we? What part of 7?!"
"The lower southeast sector. It's only forests out here. Why would they set this on fire?"
Pandora stepped back. Her head burned. She didn't want to reply, but the answer appeared so quick that she couldn't stop the words. "The runners. They're smoking out the runners."
The pilot glanced to her astonishment. "You mean—"
"I mean it's an easy way to kill the people trying to flee."
My home, my history…on fire.
"Miss, I don't think we should be here. This isn't right."
Pandora slowly sat into the seat and stared out the windows. She was in some wild trance. Her nails were digging into her thighs.
"Keep flying."
"If I land anywhere here the jet will be in danger of combusting."
"We aren't landing here."
She lifted the gun and pointed it at him. No matter what she had to stay calm. She couldn't fail, there was too much to lose if she did. Pandora thought hard about Viktor, about the broadcast. At the time the place he was filming at looked familiar, it reminded her of an old sawmill that August and Dash had found when they were hunting years ago. There were several of them out in the middle of nowhere, left to the woods, but there was something special about this sawmill in particular…
"Bring up your map on the radar."
The pilot hesitated before listening. Pandora cleared her head of fear and traced the lines on the screen with her finger. "There. Northeast of the center of 7. You see that?"
"The lake?"
"Yes. Just south of the lake there is an abandoned sawmill. It's still in the wilderness, but several miles out of town. I want you to land there."
There were other sawmills, yes, but none that were like this one. It had been left for so long that trees began to overtake the building, Pandora remember. Their roots grew over the floors and equipment. August had explained to Dash that the forest had taken back the land. And in the background of Viktor's broadcast Pandora had seen the clear silhouette of the stubborn root of a tree breaking through the ceiling.
"What if it's on fire?"
Pandora leaned close to the windows, studying the devastation that grew below. She noticed the curve of the flames, how they traveled in a perfect line around the perimeter. "It will be out of the flame's path. The Capitol is lighting up the outskirts. It's a ring of fire, we're going to the center."
"Fire travels fast though. How long before it reaches town?"
"Look outside. How long do you think these fires have been burning? They're controlling it, making sure that it doesn't get to the center." She tapped the lake on the map again. "Land here."
He shook his head. "You're crazy. I should have let you shoot me."
Pandora cocked the gun and pressed it against his temple. "Keep talking and I might still do it."
"Alright! Just—don't point that thing at me."
They flew through the smog and fire until it was behind them, but even after Pandora saw the flames in her mind. She would always remember how they looked, how easily her home burnt. The lights of town twinkled but they dodged civilization and swooped north. It wouldn't go well if the hovercraft was seen. Who knew how any Capitol soldiers and Peacekeepers were scuttling around the district like cockroaches. Pandora felt her stomach churn at the thought of them killing families she knew.
"I see the lake." He said.
Her eyes lifted, sure enough it was coming into view. It was a beautiful pool of silver. Pandora took some comfort in the fact that no matter how many flames danced around that lake it would never disappear. The water would remain.
"Hold on tight."
Her hands gripped the seat belt. She closed her eyes as the hovercraft made its final decent.
"Come on, Viktor…" She whispered. "Be there."
The metal beast rattled and groaned as its wheels met the ground. Pandora swayed haphazardly around and cringed until the landing was over. It was dark all around them. The only light she could see came from the fires miles away and the reflection on the lake, but it was enough. She unbuckled herself and marched to the main chamber of the hovercraft.
"Open the ramp!" She called.
The pilot paused. "Why are you doing this?" He asked.
From the supplies on deck, she grabbed a knife and backpack. "I'm sorry I held the gun at you. Please, open the ramp for me."
"I'm not going to wait for you to return."
She nodded in understanding. "I know. I always knew that."
He disappeared for a second, she thought he was going to refuse her, but then the doors began to open. Slowly the ramp lowered. The air bit with cold fangs. Her nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of crisped pines and decaying earth. She sucked in a breath and gripped her gun.
"I hope it's worth it." He said from the cockpit.
She stared ahead, at the forest, at the thick grass. It was autumn, only then had Pandora realized this. Leaves were falling form the deciduous trees, blanketing the ground.
"It will be," She answered. "I hope you make it back to your kids safely, sir."
Without waiting for a reply she walked down the ramp and out into the wilderness of her youth. Pandora didn't look back as she trekked toward the lake, but after five minutes she heard the murmurs of the hovercraft and knew that he was preparing to the take off, this time without her. She had one chance to get this right, there was no time for do overs and regrets.
Darkness gathered.
Overheard a flock of geese batted their wings, prematurely forced out of their nests by the fires and violence that the Capitol had inflicted on 7. She stopped to watch them fly. Pandora was one of those geese now.
"Will we meet through the pine?" She sung quietly. "The leaves are green and fine."
Her boots pressed into the earth, her eyes focused. For years she had tried to forget that song, those words. Now it was the only thing keeping her from breaking down. The forest swallowed her. The lake was just ahead, as was the sawmill.
"Darling, I've a many things to show you.
Underneath the bowing branches,
Our melodies sweetly shine."
More birds cawed and screeched in terror. Her heart was heavy.
"I'm not afraid." She told herself. "Don't be afraid."
Now would have been a wonderful time for Adric's ghost to appear, but he never did. Even if he had Pandora knew that it wouldn't have been enough. The real Adric was close now, and her hallucination seemed to know and respect that.
With one final step she past through the forest and entered the clearing where the sawmill rested. Her hands trembled.
Seeing that old building took her back to simpler times. It was truly a beautiful sight. Instead of gazing though she found her feet moving, only after did she realize that she was running as fast as she could. The wind blew her hair back. Her gun lowered as she made the final jump to the steps.
It was quiet. So quiet that Pandora had a hard time believing anyone was hiding out there, but when she noticed the footprints on the porch and the shining brass knob, free of dust, she knew that this had to be the place. The door creaked as she stepped inside.
White breaths lifted to the ceiling.
There were old saws scattered around the floors, barrels of supplies stacked along walls, and growing over all of it were the trees. She stepped carefully, her eyes searching for clues. So far the only thing she had were chaotic footsteps with no discernable pattern or point of origin. She listened, at first there were no sounds, but then…
"Ouch!"
She gasped. Her eyes wandered around.
"Wait for us here, they say, wait for us. Brilliant idea, Viktor. Brilliant idea. And now I'm bleeding. Brilliant."
Pandora lowered her gun. Her heart was hammering against her chest. It was Viktor. She could hear him. He was babbling to himself like a loon.
"Viktor…" she whispered. "He's here."
She jumped over the gnarled tree root and spun around. Her eyes shifted from the ceilings to the walls. Finally she saw it—a dull light waiting up a few steps, spilling out from a cracked door. Her heart jolted into her throat, her feet thumped against the floorboards. She dashed up the steps and body slammed the door. It flew open and she stumbled into a small room with no windows. In fact it looks like a large closet.
Viktor was threading a surgical needle. The moment Pandora crashed into the room he let out a scream and whirled around in shock. He was wearing the same glasses he always had, only now they were cracked. He looked so much older than Pandora remembered. His arm was bleeding profusely. When he saw her he stopped cold. The needle in his hand dropped.
"Viktor."
His blue eyes were watery and unblinking. "Pandora, you're alive?"
"Yes. I'm alive. I'm here. I got your message, I've come to help you!"
When she rushed to hug him, he stumbled back. "Message? You mean the broadcast I sent out?"
"Yes. As soon as I could I got out of District 13 and—what's the matter? Are you upset?"
Viktor shook his head. He was silent for several heartbeats before an indiscernible noise escaped his lips. Suddenly he raced forward and pulled her into a powerful embrace. "You're alive. I can't believe you're alive. They were saying you were dead, Pandora. We all thought you were dead."
Pandora was shaking. She didn't know if it was the adrenaline or the fear. "Didn't Adric tell you? Didn't he tell you that he got me out?"
Viktor pulled away. The mentioning of Adric had made his eyes dull. "Adric."
"Where is he? Is he alright?"
Viktor looked like he was on the brink of tears. "Pandora, he didn't know you made it to 13. His father told him you and Plutarch had been found and killed on sight in District 8 during the siege there."
"What? How could he believe that?"
"I don't know, but he did."
Pandora clasped her hands to her head. "You're bleeding. Let me help."
"I'm the doctor here, young lady."
She ignored him, grabbing gauze and pressing them to the gash on his forearm.
"Pandora, listen to me—"
"I can sew you up. Let me just clean it first. When Adric comes back we have to be ready to leave, maybe we can make it past the fires."
"Pandora, stop. Stop!"
He grabbed her arms, but she gave him a shove.
"No." She tried to hit him but he held her wrists and stared at her.
"Listen to me. Adric thinks you are dead, Pandora."
She looked at Viktor. Her eyes were filling with tears. "It's not true."
"He does."
"No. But—but he'll come back and then he'll know I'm not dead."
"He's not going to come back, because he can't."
"What?" She clenched her jaw. "Where is he!?"
"I sent that broadcast a month ago. I thought that maybe District 13 would see it as a chance to help District 7, but no one ever came. No one."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her face was flushed.
"He thought you were dead, Pandora. You have to realize that Adric doesn't have anyone. No one except you. He lost it when he found out. I told him he needed to keep pretending but he wouldn't—he just—he wouldn't. He did things he shouldn't have done."
Of course Adric would have believed that she was dead. Adric, who had lost his mother. Adric, who had been left to seek approval from his abusive father for the rest of his life. All his life he had been groomed to expect careless abandonment, of course it would be believable that one more person abandoned him by dying.
"Adric has been sentenced to an execution tomorrow morning. Death by hanging for conspiracy, and mutiny. He admitted to everything, Pandora. I tried to stop him."
A horrible shrieked filled her throat. With a final push she wriggled from Viktor and dropped to the ground. A cold sweat dewed on her temples.
Viktor knelt to her side, pulling her hair out of the way. "There's still time, my dear. We still have time."
Pandora caught her breath. Her lips shook.
"We have a plan."
Viktor peered up in surprise. Pandora was taken off guard by this new voice. A shiver traveled through her body as she looked up, into a face filled with familiar features. It was a woman around her age with beautiful long blonde hair, her clear blue eyes sparkling in the shadows.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She said to Pandora.
"I don't know you."
The woman smiled. "Pandora Sullivan, I can't believe you just said that to me. For years we sat next to each other in class. I was your brother's first kiss."
Suddenly Pandora's jaw dropped. The blonde hair, the dainty features. Years ago it was this girl that had forgiven her after the games, for Marius. "Lena."
Lena smiled. "Hey. You were the last person that I expected to see."
"Oh my god." Pandora looked to Viktor in disbelief. "How?"
"She found me." Was all he said.
"I swear, you kill a girl's boyfriend, the least you could do is remember her."
"Lena, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. "
Lena dropped to the ground beside Pandora. "Right. We went through all that years ago. Remember? I think it's time you stop being sorry."
"Never. I'll never stop."
Lena nodded. "Yea. I'm kind of getting that right now. Mironov, what happened to you?"
"I was working on the force field equipment and I sliced my arm."
"You're making a mess."
"Did you get the blueprints to the Justice building?"
Lena grinned from ear to ear and pulled out a stack of papers from the bag she had slung over her back. "It was a piece of cake."
"Good."
Pandora still didn't understand. Her head was foggy. She wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all at the same time. She was home, she was home but nothing was as it seemed. Old faces smiled at her, told her everything was going to be alright, but it wasn't alright. Nothing was alright. "What is happening?"
They ignored her.
"What about the children?"
"Slate is ready whenever we are. When they bring the Officer out for execution we'll be prepared."
Pandora climbed to her feet. "Tell me what is happening, right now!"
Lena and Viktor stood up. Lena beckoned the doctor to sit, slowly she began to thread the surgical needle. As she started to sew up the gash on his arm, Viktor spoke.
"We need to sleep, tomorrow will be long."
Pandora didn't exactly know what he meant by that. "We can't fight the peacekeepers, there are too many of them. None of us will make it out alive."
"You've been away for a long time, things change." Lena said. "Adric isn't the only one that needs help."
"Who else?" Whoever it was, Pandora wasn't going to care. They didn't have much time. She needed to get to him before the execution and escape into the wilderness.
Viktor and Lena looked at each other before he spoke. "I barely made it to District 7, Adric helped me. I got away the night you flew out of the Capitol, brought supplies and equipment with me. I was smuggled in. I owed it to you, Pandora. I knew I had to help. The first week we were here was good. Then they increased the number of soldiers. After Adric refused to pretend, everything went wrong…they took the children."
"What?"
Lena's face was filled with rage. "All of them. They took all the children."
"Why would they do that?"
"The Capitol is using them to build something, something big. It looks like a prison. The orphaned ones are kept locked away, the others are sent home at the end of the day."
"But there must be hundreds of children, how can they keep so many locked up?"
Lena finished up the stitching and sadly gazed at Pandora. "You'll find the number of District 7 children has dwindled. A few years after you left for the Capitol and never came back they started getting sick. At first everyone thought it was the famine, or a sickness, but it wasn't. They put something in the water. I lost my first and only child when he was three. Only a few of the strong ones have survived."
Pandora was shaking. She couldn't believe everything she was hearing. It was too much. After she had departed everything had changed, everything had been ruined. Deep down she knew it was all because of her. All those years she had been sitting in a glass tower in the Capitol, Snow had been bitterly getting back at her in ways she hadn't known.
"And that's not all…" Lena whispered. There was more.
"I don't understand, Lena. Why would you help someone like Viktor, or Adric…or me?"
Lena wasn't surprised by the question at all. No doubt she had posed the same question to herself many times before.
"I have my reasons."
"Tell me."
"Pandora now is not the time." Viktor said.
"Tell me why!"
The room fell silent.
Lena's eyes met Pandora's. There was tension in her gaze, tension and kindness, but afterward all Pandora would recall was the explanation. Her soul would repeat the words over and over, until the end of her days. "The men…they were using women. Raping, murdering. If you look out across the knolls now you'll see the bodies dangling from the branches. They swing so terribly. And one of them was—" Her voice cut off. "Marius's mother. They killed her and strung her up. I couldn't just let her dangle there. I decided one night that I would go out and bury her, bury her in respect. I had just cut her down when a soldier shone his light in my face. I thought that was it, I thought I was going to die right then, or worse."
"It was Adric." Pandora said.
"Yes. He was holding a knife, but instead of stabbing me he helped me cut her down, and not just her—everyone. Every single woman and man dangling out there. That night I watched in silence as he buried them all. Each grave was deep. Together we gathered flowers and spread them over the bodies. I knew it then, what kind of a man he really was."
Pandora stood in the hollow of that old sawmill, flicking her eyes between faces that had haunted her dreams. Was she still dreaming now? Waking or sleeping, it never mattered, whether real or imagined fears were still fears.
"He cared when he could have chosen to look away." Lena said.
Silence, cold and haunting, settled around them.
"What if we can't get to him in time?" Pandora looked at Viktor. "What if he dies? How can you be so sure of all this?"
"I wasn't sure. Not until you walked in." He stood up, grabbing his cane. "Now, I'm certain."
Pandora stepped back into the shadows. Panic swept over her, her insides were forming knots within knots. She had hoped it would be easier than this.
"Why?" She whispered.
"Because if there's one person I have faith in to save Adric it's you, Pandora Sullivan."
