Conrad Martell 18
One month ago
I connect the last of the wires in the engine that I have been fixing over the last few days. I flip a switch on the outside and it begins running again, shaking up and down like a motor. Hastily, I turn it off, remove my protection visor and hand it to my client.
"There you go ma'am, good as new," I say with a wink. The middle-aged woman takes her engine and leaves me with her due money.
"Ya know, you don't have to flirt with every single one of our customers," My boss states, stepping into my workstation.
"Hey! I'm just tryin to be friendly… you know… build a good report…" I reply, while fiddling with my messy, dark blond hair in the mirror which can never seem to behave itself… a bit like me.
"Oh and another thing…" He begins. I turn back to the older man. He is short and chubby, yet, I know he still technically has the authority over me given that he could throw me out anytime.
"I need you to work an extra shift tonight."
"No can do!" I blurt instantly.
He crosses his arms and begins to examine me with his slimy eyes.
"Don't tell me you're gonna be out racing in one of those heaps of junk again. I thought I'd banned that." He groans.
"You're not the boss of me," I retort.
"Actually I am," he says calmly.
"Oh yeah, you are…"
He then aggressively steps forward so that he's right in my face, or at least my chest. Trying to size me up.
"And if you've got a problem with that then you can crawl back to the gutter I found you in. Don't forget who saved you when you were a scared little kid and put a roof over your head," he reminds me sternly.
I make sure my posture remains the same, this guy can't intimidate me no matter how hard he tries.
"And don't you forget who doubled your business annual profit," I remind him with a smug undertone to my voice. After this, I push past him, sling a worn sweater around my shoulder, and head outside onto the cold streets.
Around the back of my mechanic's, there is a secluded garage where we keep all sorts of spare junk. I reach down and heave the metal door up. As it rattles open, it gradually reveals my scrappy junker on the inside, it's only slightly illuminated by the street lights outside. However, the old rusty car pieces and junk that it's made from are still clearly visible.
"You are an ugly piece of trash but I do love you," I say, rubbing my hand across its metal surface.
When I yank the old door open, I almost taking it off as I do so. The seats are uncomfortable of course, made from a rough fabric of an old chair. There isn't much room inside as the vehicle is long and thin, almost like a rocket with the wheels protruding on the outside.
"Time to roll," I mutter to myself, caressing the leathery steering wheel.
Later that night
My junker crawls to a stop under the dark back alleys. Fumes of smoke are emitted everywhere until the load engine is finally switched off.
I hop out of my junker and find Josie and Rudy waiting for me next to their own junkers, outside Rick "Buster" Myers restaurant. He is the owner of the restaurant and these streets and here he holds the monthly junker race of which he is still unbeaten.
The streets are dimly lit under the yellow street lights, with a little commotion starting to build up around the line of parked junkers at the end of the street.
As I approach my two friends, Josie is staring at me under her shades with her usual impatient eyes while Rudy is just standing with his hands in his pockets.
"What kept you?" Josie questions in a demanding tonne. I shrug.
"I'll get to places when I like." I answer.
Suddenly I notice three figures approaching us fast from down the street! I nudge Rudy.
"Hey, ugly people at 12 o clock… I think there's gonna be beef…" I whisper to him. All Rudy can do is stare at his watch in confusion…
As the figures get closer I begin to recognise them. It's Royce, Rick's younger brother (but rumours say he's actually a genetic experiment). He is nothing more than a thug, with a big tattoo lacing his bicep and a puffed out chest. He is tall, although he's still below my 6'2 frame. On either side of him are two District 4 pirates (the pirates have a base around these parts).
"Don't worry, Rudy's got our back," I whisper to Josie.
Suddenly all I can hear is the sound of Rudy's junker screeching off in the opposite direction and just like that he has run away in a flash. Josie just glances at me and rolls her eyes.
The next thing I know, the three of them are directly in front of us, sizing us up. Royce is inches away from me, in fact, the hairs from his beard are almost touching my face.
"Are you nuts, Conrad? Showing your face around here again?" Royce bellows.
"What are you talking about?" I smile, wiping a drop of his spit from my face.
"Have you forgotten? You broke my cookie in half!"
"That was in nursery!" I shout.
"No way!" One of his pirate friends exclaims.
"I've killed people for less than that!" He continues.
"I'll break more than you cookie if you don't get out my face!" I respond, taking a step closer to him.
With that comment, the muscular young man shoves me back into my junker! I counter straight away by hitting him with a hard punch as he charges at me. The punch crutches his jaw perfectly and he is sent back flying! From my side, one of the pirates is quick to tackle me to the ground while I notice Josie fighting the other with a wrench.
I continue rolling around on the floor with the pirate, each taking it in turns to hit one another until he is finally smacked with a wrench sending him flying off me and onto the hard concrete! Josie is standing above me with her wrench, offering out her hand with a smug smirk under her shades and the other attacker lying defeated at her feet.
I dust myself off as I stand up, staring down at the three thugs groaning on the ground.
"Why don't you lay there till Tuesday… that's when they take out the trash!" I yell at them angrily.
Suddenly we are surrounded by angry people with guns, bursting out of the restaurant. It's Rick "Buster" Myers himself with his thick black beard and deformed eye staring straight at me like a snarling predatory animal!
His brother returns to his feet from the vicious right hand I gave him, now angrier than ever! Pushing to get to me however Rick intercepts him and shoves him back!
"You're embarrassing me!" He shouts assertively at his brother.
He turns straight back to me with his glaring right eye.
"You hit my brother. You know what that means right? Blood for blood," he says coldly.
"Hey! He was in my face!" I protest.
He simply shakes his head. "I don't care."
I begin circling about, my eyes moving around the dark street until they hit Rick's beefed-up, bright red junker and become fixed on it. It is so amazing, it even has badass flames decorating the exterior!
Finally, I turn back to Rick.
"You wanna settle this on a race?" I ask cockily.
He smirks, I can see in his eyes that he will never resist the challenge of a race. He turns back to the rest of his crew who are now all muttering amongst themselves in surprise at my sudden challenge, then back to me with a venomous smile.
"Ok, what are the stakes Conrad?"
"If I win…I get your junker…"
There are growls of shock at my suggestion all around! Even Josie is taken back by my brazenness.
"You got balls kid," he smirks.
"And what do I get out of it?"
"If you win… we never show up round here again…"
He looks at me as if to say 'Is that it?'
"And… you get 20% of my company's profit from today…" I add.
"Deal!" He responds!
Josie jerks my arm and forces me to face her!
"Conrad you can't do that!" She exclaims.
"Don't worry I know what I'm doing…" I mutter in her ear.
Rick moves towards his junker with five other members of his crew, including Royce….
"Alright if all of them are in then so am I!" Josie insists.
"Be my guest…" I reply, gesturing to her junker.
"You know what Conrad you must be crazy or just plain stupid… I honestly can't tell," She sighs, hopping into her junker.
I follow her and step into my own brown heap of trash junker.
"Maybe a bit of both," I smile, while fastening my seatbelt.
We take our place on the start line right at the end of the street, our vehicles parallel to our opponents. I look to my left and find Rick staring at me intensely in his bright red junker, revving up his engine aggressively.
The race track in front of us is lit up with red arrows telling us where to go. I've been down this track enough times to know it off by heart anyway including the secret shortcut…
A countdown appears directly in front starting at 5…
My foot slowly bites down on the accelerator as my eyes narrow to the track ahead.
3…2…1
BEEP
And just like that the race begins! I slam down on the accelerator in an instant however Rick is still somehow leaps and bounds ahead of me! The first corner fast approaches as I begin to make ground on him, one of his buddies suddenly intercepts us and slams into my junker almost causing me to lose control!
I ease up on the accelerator just before we turn the corner, allowing him to get slightly ahead of me; however, as soon as we hit the corner I suddenly speed and crush him into the side of the building, taking him out of the race!
Now I am behind, with Rick far in front and Josie in second. I slam the accelerator again to try to regain some lost ground! The track keeps changing from narrow streets to suddenly a more main road which I find is much more well lit when skid onto it!
Some pedestrians are forced to throw themselves to safety as we come screeching through! Now, just as I am making ground on Josie and Rick I feel something bump into the back of me! It's another of Rick's crew. BASH, BASH, BASH. My seat shudders forward!
His assault on my junker is relentless!
Thinking fast my hand fiddles around with my eject spare parts switch, my thumb clamps down on the switch, releasing a whole array of metal scraps from the back of my junker! The junker behind me is flipped into the air and crashes along the road surface multiple times until it is left in a heap! There is a crunching echo throughout the street as it smashes to pieces! Two down!
"Woooooo!" I scream at the top of my lungs, followed my a giggle as I turn back to the road!
The road widens, the positions haven't much changed. Rick is still in the front while Josie is in second place. I am in third and the rest of Rick's crew including Royce are behind me.
As my eyes scan around for the secret street slip into for the short cut, all of a sudden flames ignite from Rick's junker ahead! I hold my wheel tight trying to not let the brightness distract me however Josie is thrown off course! She spirals out of control and ends up crashing into a tree!
I catch a glimpse of her rolling out of her smoking junker as I drive past before my vision narrows to Rick's junker in front, squeezing the accelerator down as hard as I can!
The main road ends with a left turn just ahead and then I see it! The shortcut just before the turn! Rick takes the turn however I twist my wheel just quick enough to slip through the shortcut, crashing the side of my junker into the alley!
I zoom through the alleyway at full speed until I emerge on the outside, practically smashing into the side of Rick's junker!
"What the!?" I hear him yell!
The final stretch of the race lies in front! It is a slow build up to a ramp which throws you over a river however without enough power you won't make it and will experience a terrifying drop into the river below!
Rick's junker is faster than mine so he pulls ahead early by activating his nitrous oxide however I have one final trick up my sleeve! I flip open my Nitrous oxide booster next to my steering wheel and prepare to boost myself right at the last second! He has done his too soon just like he always does! We begin ascending the ramp with Rick still ahead until I use my thumb to snap down hard on the button suddenly boosting me like a rocket! I am thrown right back into my seat while simultaneously my junker shoots over the river, I look to my right and see Rick disappear behind me while we're still in mid-air! In a split second, I have landed on the other side and moments later I am across the line in first place, skidding to a halt! Rick crosses in second place a few seconds later.
Crowds gather around me cheering as I leap out of my junker. i grasp my stomach tight and hold my breath to prevent me from throwing up immediately! I make my way back towards Rick as he slowly exits his soon to be mine elite junker! All I can do is stare at him smugly awaiting my prize!
"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word," he admits, slowly and hesitantly handing me the keys.
"The truth is we'd miss having you around here Conrad," he smiles.
I spin back to the clapping and whistling crowd and hold up the keys in triumph! They are cheering my name!
"Conrad! Conrad! Conrad!"
Royce and the rest of the crew soon turn up as well in shame but then some more unwelcome guests suddenly appear in their hummer trucks!
"Peacekeepers!" Royce yells!
Chaos erupts as we all dive towards our escape routes, mine happens to be my recently won junker!
I reverse back and smash into one of the hummer trucks to clear a path meanwhile people are being arrested on the ground all around me! While moments ago I was a lion celebrating his prize now I am just a mouse, fleeing from a cat it seems. To the peacekeepers and world, I ain't shit!
I speed down the alley feeling the power of my new junker! I think I lost them…
Emily Lynch, 17
One month ago
I Stroll casually through the higher-end side of our town, slowly admiring the storefronts that line the streets. About halfway through the town, I come across a lovely flower bouquet, run by a kind elderly woman named Janice. As I walk up to her store, she smiles at me.
"Good afternoon, young lady. Would you like some flowers? They're fresh from my garden today." I nod cheerfully and look through her stock.
"I want to surprise my boyfriend." I say. She jumps up from her seat and walks over to a bouquet, pulls it out and hands it to me. I examine the bouquet, a collection of white and red roses.
"They're perfect." I compliment, gleaming from ear to ear. I take out coins from my pocket and hand them over to her.
"He's a lucky lad." She takes the money and winks at me. I turn away before she can see my cheeks turning red from blushing. I hope he thinks so. I push the doubt out of my mind and make my way towards his house.
Once I finally reach his home, I fall to a halt. I close my eyes and focus my breathing. He'll be happy to see me. He has to be.
Stop psyching yourself out, Em.
When I open my eyes, my breath gets caught in my lungs. His front door is open and he stands in it, lips locked with a girl I don't recognize from this distance. She pulls away and waves before disappearing down the other direction. I cover my mouth with my empty hand and find my vision getting blurry from the tears. As I begin to back up, to disappear from this situation, I see him turn to look at me. That's when I take off running, my mind is so distracted that I'm almost hit my a speeding red vehicle, with flames decorated on the outside! Briefly, I catch a glimpse of the young man driving it, a rugged looking boy with dark blond hair. His deep blue eyes hone in on me for a split second before turning back to the road ahead. Following him are several speeding hummer trucks with peacekeepers inside! My feet continue taking me at full speed! I don't stop until I end up at my front door. Making a desperate attempt to try to catch my breath, but between the running and sobbing, I find myself struggling to breathe at all. My hand aches from the bouquet, I didn't even realize how tightly I was grasping them. I'm about to throw them to the ground, to take out all my frustration on them, when my little brother Lukas opens the door. I quickly wipe away my tears, hoping he doesn't notice, but he's too distracted by the flowers to notice me.
"Are these for me?" He asks, taking the bouquet away from my aching hand. I pull him into a hug.
"Of course, honey. They're all for you." He hugs me tightly and I close my eyes. Despite the fact he's not like other little boys, Lukas never fails to bring a smile to my face. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Present Day
I'm sitting with my novel resting on my knees, leaning back against my pillow. I slowly turn the page, losing myself in the world the author has created. There aren't many books available in Panem, especially not in District 6, but fortunately we're well off enough to afford small luxuries like these. Even if I do have to reread the same book once or twice before I can get my hands on the next one.
"Em!" I hear Lukas' voice echoing in the hallway.
"In my room!" I shout back. I close my book and straighten out my legs as he bursts into my room, a huge grin on his face. He jumps onto the bed and bounces into my arms. I burst into laughter as I hug him tightly.
"Hey, you goofball." I ruffle his hair and he pushes my hand away from him.
"Can we go play outside?" He asks, rolling off the bed and sitting on the ground, peering outside my small window.
"Later. We have to go to the square first." I straighten out my clothes and stand up. Even though this is Lukas' third reaping, he doesn't understand the danger him, nor I, are in. Compared to others in this District, the ones with large families and who require tesserae, we're pretty lucky. But that doesn't lower my anxiety.
"I don't wanna." Lukas pouts. I crouch down and pull him up to a standing position.
"I know. I don't want to either. But we'll go together. Give me a second to change, okay?" He nods and rushes out of my room, not shutting the door behind him. I smile as I go over to the door and shut it, making sure to lock it just in case he forgot. With a sigh, I walk over to my closet and pull out a simple blue blouse with black tights. I quickly change, trying to avoid my reflection in the mirror. The less time I spend seeing my hideous face reflected back at me, the better.
After I change, I find Lukas in the kitchen with Peter. I give a huge smile to my older brother.
"I'm surprised you're here so early." I tell him. He smirks at me and pulls me into a hug.
"Thought I'd walk with you two over to the square." He tells me. Lukas pushes us apart and waves a toy in my face.
"Look what Peter brought me!" I gently hold his hands to reduce the toy's shaking. With that, I can see it's a plushie, a stuffed yellow dog.
"Adorable! Have you come up with a name for him?" I ask.
"Not yet!" Lukas pulls the plushie close to his heart and squeezes it tight. I smile at him, then at Peter.
"You two ready?" Peter asks. I nod. Taking Lukas' hand, the three of us make the walk from our house to the town's square. We wave bye to Peter and I take Lukas over to the line to check in. Even though it's a short walk, we're one of the last ones to check in with the front. I take Lukas to the section with other boys his age.
"Stay here, okay? Once it's over, I'll come find you." I try to pull away from him but he grabs my arm.
"Don't leave me, Em." He begs. I gently pull his hand off of me.
"I have to. But don't worry, I'll be back." I kiss him on the forehead and manage to pull away before he can stop me however the distraction causes me to accidentally run into someone as I turn around.
"I'm sorry-" My mouth falls agape when I see the person I ran into. I stare face to face with Martin, who avoids eye contact as I push past him before he can see my face reddening.
No, screw him. I've shed too many tears over that lying, cheating asshole.
Maybe he'll get reaped. I can't stop the horrible thought from creeping into my brain. I should feel bad. I do, feel bad.
Thankfully, our escort mounts the stage and begins her speech before I can let that thought get any darker. I manage to tune her out as she plays the video from the Capitol and gives us her yearly speech.
"Let's see which fortunate citizens will represent our marvelous district in this year's Hunger Games!" I raise my chin up and watch her skip over to the girl's bowl. I find my breathing begins to shake as she chooses a single slip of paper and pulls it out.
"Our female tribute is...Emily Lynch!"
I let out a quiet gasp and begin to feel the tears forming in my eyes before most people have even had time to register who was chosen. By the time they locate me in the crowd and make a path for me up to the stage. By this point, there's no hope in keeping my composure, and by the time I take my position on stage, the tears have run down my cheeks and begun to stain my shirt.
"Now, the males." I ignore our escort's clearly irritated tone once she realizes I'm a lost cause. She pulls a name from the boy's bowl and I pray to whatever higher form exists that it's not Lukas.
"Our boy is...Conrad Martell!" My sigh of relief gets caught up with my tears and I end up letting out a few unattractive coughs. Between trying to catch my breath and slow my tears, I'm an absolute mess.
A large boy who can't be younger than 18 steps onto the stage. His composure is well kept, but I think I catch a glimpse of pity in his eyes. I wonder if he'll keep that same sentiment when the bloodbath begins, when the violence takes over. He seems somewhat familiar but I can't quite place my finger on it.
I shake his hand yet avoid eye contact, his firm yet he gives a slightly erratic hand shake. As I'm taken away into the Justice Building, I long for this morning, I long for the comfort of my own home and my own family. And I know, no matter how hard I try, the odds of me returning to that same comfort are minimal to none.
Thank you to Rising-Balloons for Conrad and AlexFalTon for Emily! Hope you liked these two! Next it's time for the blog! So keep an eye out for our profiles.