Chapter 2- Dove Rosestar
"Move on, girl. Nothing for you to see." The Peacekeeper pushes me along roughly, and I stumble over the weathered stones on the street. Nothing to see? Nothing but the man they have just shot in the square. If they didn't want me to look, they wouldn't have done it where all of District 6 can see.
Cabel reaches back and grabs my hand, squeezing it for reassurance. Harsh penalties aren't rare here, but they never get easier to see.
"Come on. Let's get out of here," my brother says, and we push through the crowd of people that mill about the square. My friend Opal catches my eye, and we wave to each other before we lose sight of one another in the crowd.
District 6 is so large it takes ages to get anywhere. Factories and buildings jut up everywhere, and in between are the buildings where the people live, and the crowds of people themselves. I don't think I've ever seen an empty street as long as I've lived here.
Finally, Cabel gets us to the street where we live with my mother. A simple brick building connected to the others like it in the row; two bedrooms upstairs, one big room downstairs. Mum has one bedroom, Cabel the other, and I sleep in the room downstairs on the sofa.
It's just us three, my mother, brother, and I, since my father was killed four years ago by the Peacekeepers that keep order here in District 6. I don't know what he did; my family never talks about it. I miss my father every day, though, and the ache hasn't gone away in the four years since.
"Mum! We're home," Cabel calls into the house. He looks back down the street, looking for something, or someone.
"What are you-" I start to say, but Cabel shakes his head and pushes me into the house. He follows, shutting the door and bolting it.
"Who was it this time?" Mum asks grimly. I look from her to Cabel and see that both of them are solemn.
"Not with Dove here," my brother starts, but I grab his hand.
"Why not? I'm fourteen now; I'm not a child!"
He and my mother exchange glances full of meaning. She sighs.
"She's right Cabel. She isn't a child. Who was it?"
Cabel starts to pace back and forth, hands tight behind his back. "Ferrick Stone. I heard from Chrysan that he stole a weapon from a Peacekeeper. They shot him in the square."
"What did Ferrick think he was doing, pulling a stunt like that?" Mum asks, sitting down at the table. Her face is pale.
"There's unrest in the district, Mum," Cabel continues. "There's a group who's determined to overthrow the Capitol."
"That will never happen! One band of rebels against the whole of the Capitol? That's how the Dark Days happened, Cabel. And if you're even thinking of joining them- "
"It's a suicide mission for sure," Cabel says. "I want no part of it."
Mum relaxes a bit more. "And if I can avoid the reapings for just two more years, I'll be free to take care of you and Dove," says Cabel.
"You'll never be picked; District 6 is too big," I say. Cabel smiles.
"Yes, I suppose the odds are in my favor for that, aren't they? Now to keep you and me out of the Games, and then we are as safe as we can be."
"Just stay out of trouble, Cabel," Mum says, getting up. "No rebellions or plots."
"He would never!" I say. "He's too sensible to join in something like that."
"Don't you worry, Mum. I'll always be here to take care of you and Dove."
I trust that my brother will keep his word. Ever since my father died, he's been saying that he'll always watch out for me, and so far he has. I trust Cabel above anyone else in the world, even my mother.
The reapings are in a few weeks though, and that sends a wave of apprehension through me. Even though District 6 is large, there's always that chance, never mind how miniscule it is. Always that chance that the unthinkable could happen. What would I do without my brother?
At least with such a large district it will probably never happen.