Chapter Twenty-One: Positivity Goes a Long Way
I Think We Get It Now.
Thomiah Marshall, District Eleven Male
People always ask me how I get through the days while field work is in session.
For me, it's never been that hard. If you can ignore the constant threat of being beaten senseless by a Peacekeeper, I've always found field work to be, well, fun.
Well, it has been fun as of recently. Since I've gotten used to it and am in much better shape than I've ever been, I don't find the work that grueling, which most of the others do. I know I'm lucky enough to know that there will be a meal when I get home, which is something that not a lot of the District can say. On top of that, I've been doing this for four years at this point, ever since I realized that I was never going to be a good enough student to become a merchant or an assistant to the mayor or something like that.
That's why I can do the heavy lifting most of the time. I'm doing said lifting now.
"Hey, Thomiah, a little help?" This comes from Richard, a friend and coworker of mine, who's currently struggling to lift a packed crate that has to weigh fifty pounds, at least.
"Sure thing." No surprise here, but two people have a way easier time carrying something than one ever will. Thus, we can easily move the crate from one end of the field to the other.
After that, it's time to give the plants some fertilizer. While it rains enough here that water is hardly ever a problem, clearly the Capitol (who dictates what crops we need to plant, and how much) has never heard about crop rotation (or just doesn't care), meaning we have to add a ton of fertilizer (Capitol-provided, of course) just to make things grow in it anymore.
It's a nice break from all the heavy lifting, though, so I'm not complaining.
Eventually, it starts getting dark, and the Peacekeeper watching our field tells us to "get out of his sight."
As soon as I hear that, I sprint down the muddy lane, Richard and Carie (Richard's twin sister) hustling behind me in a wild race towards the tiny cluster of shacks that we call home.
Surprisingly enough, all three of us still have energy after what most people would find as a grueling day of work. However, we're some of the luckier people in District Eleven, meaning we have consistent access to food, even if it's not a lot of it. This means we actually have some energy to start most days, whereas I've seen some of my former coworkers just kind of break. One second, they were doing a fine job, the next, they'd collapsed in a row of crops and a Peacekeeper had to spend five minutes reviving them.
When I finally reach the outer line of the cluster of shacks that we call a village, I stop to catch my breath for a minute. In that time frame, Richard and Carie are both able to catch up, although they're panting just as much as I am.
Quietly, we move through the overcrowded, narrow dirt lanes, making sure not to bump into anyone in the process. Then, at the last row of shacks, we split up, with Richard and Carie heading towards the shack in the top right corner, whereas I head exactly two shacks to the left of the central shack of the row.
"See you in a bit?" Richard calls this over his shoulder.
"Of course," I reply. Finally, I step inside the little shack I call home.
It's not quite a shack, in the sense that we've actually managed to make a comfortable home out of it. The mattresses we sleep on are shoved in a corner, with the toilet in another corner, blocked from view by a ratty shower curtain. Mom and Dad are currently in the third corner, cutting up raw fruits and vegetables on a plate for dinner, and Helena (my sister) is in the fourth corner, absent-mindedly playing with a rag doll that had been a gift for her eighth birthday. (She claims she's looking for a job, but something about the way she says it tells me that it'll take a while to find one.)
She sees me first. "Mom, Dad, Thomiah's home."
I quickly respond to her. "Yes, I am home. How was everything today?"
Mom answers first. "Not terrible, but not great either." In other words, just like any other day at the pre-packaged meals factory that she works at.
Dad quickly follows. "Same here."
"I'm assuming it's the usual for dinner?"
Helena smirks at me. "Well, duh. Were you expecting gold-plated caviar or something?"
At that, we both burst out laughing. I wouldn't be surprised if such a thing exists in the far-off Capitol (if anyone would even come up with an idea like that, it would be them) but we don't even have fish here (edible ones, anyway), let alone caviar.
When the raw fruit and vegetables hit the table, it's a mad dash for everyone to get their share before it's all gone- and while we can still see it. (We can't put torches inside- because the hut is essentially made of straw and dirt, one toppling torch could spell disaster, in great big flaming red letters.)
As soon as everything is gone (and Helena is done unleashing colossal burps that nearly shake the table) Richard and Carie stick their heads in the room.
"Thomiah, Helena, you guys want to do something fun tonight?" Carie practically shouts this, waving her arms around like crazy.
I look at Mom, then Dad, wondering if they have anything to say about this "something fun." Thankfully, after a few seconds of awkward silence, Mom says, "It's fine if you want to go outside for a few hours."
"Will do," I say, before Helena and I hustle out the door and into whatever the hell Richard and Carie have planned for the two of us.
It's almost full-on night at this point, meaning we have to be careful to stay on the road. Mostly because we don't want to damage any of the crops we've spent so much time growing, but partially because the sides of the road have so many nasty plants to their name- poison ivy, poison oak, bushes with nasty thorns that take forever to pull out, and some I don't even want to know about.
Richard and Carie leading the way, the four of us wander down one dirt road after another, for what has to be at least half an hour or so. However, after countless twists and turns, the walking finally ends, and we come across a relatively secluded stretch of land. No crops, no houses, no Peacekeepers, no nothing.
I turn to Richard and Carie. "Okay, this is… interesting. I've never been here before."
"Are you sure we're not lost?" Helena's whipping her head back and forth, presumably looking for something familiar to cling on to. However, there isn't anything that could qualify for that in this place.
"No, we're not. And we still have a bit of walking to do," Carie says.
"You sure? This looks like a dead end," Helena counters.
Neither of them respond. Instead, they high-step off the road, walking into what I can only assume is woods. Not wanting to be left behind, I follow them, although I practically have to drag Helena along with me. She's probably kind of scared, and I can't really blame her, considering that even the Peacekeepers usually stay out of the woods at night.
However, after about a minute, a faint glow appears in the distance, breaking up the pitch black of the night. Another minute, and it's lighting up the woods, making it so that we can actually see where we're going. One minute later, and we realize that it isn't a glow, it's a bonfire.
While a bonfire in the middle of the woods (which are highly flammable, by the way) is probably a bad idea, the kids who are watching it- a boy and a girl who look to be about my age- don't seem concerned. Occasionally, they toss some weeds into the blaze when it starts to falter, but for the most part, they're letting it be.
As for the others, most of them somewhere between Helena's age and my age, most of them are talking, or dancing around the fire, or holding roughly-made wooden cups of something.
Helena squeals like a little girl, then rushes over towards what appears to be the most crowded part of the party. I try to stroll over to take a look, but Richard holds me back.
"Just have to tell you one thing- do not, under any circumstances, drink anything they offer you. That's the only unpleasant part of this thing- it looks like regular water, but it's spiked."
"How can they-" I start, but Carie cuts me off. "Don't ask. It doesn't even taste that good. I tried it the first time we came to one of these things. Getting home was a nightmare that night."
This is really awkward. Judging by the way Richard and Carie are talking to everyone else, it seems that they've been here many times before. However, Helena and I didn't even know this place existed until about five minutes ago, meaning we're definitely going to be on the outside looking in for the most part.
So, for the most part, I wander aimlessly around the bonfire, talking to anyone who's willing to have a conversation. I might be good at making friends, but the so-called "dance floor" (which is really just a square patch of dirt that's been flattened out by so many people who have used it before) is not my scene. However, Helena's currently on it, and she appears to be having the time of her life.
Oh, whatever. The worst day of the year is tomorrow, anyway. So why not have a bit of fun today?
While all good things must come to an end, this is one of the few good things that I'm happy is over.
Richard and Carie manage to break free of the crowd of people on the dance floor, even if they have to practically drag Helena with them. As they wave goodbye to everyone there, I join them, and we walk side by side back into the woods.
Well, Richard, Carie, and I all walk. Helena just kind of staggers. She trips over seemingly nothing a couple of times, too. I don't make the connection for a while, but after she bursts out laughing for seemingly no reason for the third time in the past few minutes, I start to wonder if she drank some of that imitation water.
That answer quickly becomes a clear "yes." I don't know what the people who made that stuff put into it, but whatever it is, it's making Helena's breath smell awful, to the point that I'm walking a solid five feet away from her just to get some fresh air.
Thankfully, Richard and Carie know the twisting roads to get back home well. Before long, the cluster of shacks becomes clearly visible, and Richard and Carie split off from us. "See you soon, guys," Richard calls over his shoulder.
Before Helena can stumble inside the house, however, I grab her shoulder and pull her out of earshot of the little shacks. "Helena, how much of that stuff did you have to drink at the party?"
She starts to say something, but I cut her off. "It's pretty obvious, so don't try hiding it. You could barely walk in a straight line on the way home. And I've seen you every day for fifteen years, you're not this clumsy."
Looking at me in the eyes, she answers. "Half a cup. Some kid offered me it, and I drank it to be polite. It tasted awful, so I let him finish the rest. Why is that such a big deal?"
"Didn't you hear Richard say 'don't drink anything that they offer you?'"
"No, I didn't. Sorry that drinking that water was such a huge deal for some reason, but seriously. What's the problem?"
Okay, she clearly didn't get the memo. "Helena, that wasn't water! It was this weird… alcohol-infused… thing that we weren't supposed to drink! And now you're all drunk and weird!"
She's obviously confused. "How could they-"
"I asked the same question. Apparently, it's one we don't want to know the answer to. Let's just hope Mom and Dad went to bed early tonight."
She's pretty lucky she only drank half a cup. Currently, she seems a little "off," but hopefully Mom and Dad could chalk it up as being tired. If she had had any more, it'd be pretty obvious she was drunk, especially since she'd never touched alcohol before coming to this party.
Quietly, I lead the way, with Helena slinking in behind me. Mom and Dad seem to be asleep, but they could just be lying down, so I don't want to chance it.
Without a word, we head over to the mattress we sleep on. Usually, Helena sleeps closer to our parents' mattress so that she can be closer to Mom, but it makes sense to switch tonight, just because I'm nervous Mom will be able to smell the alcohol on her breath if she's that close.
I'm not sure about all the side effects of alcohol, but I'm guessing one of them is drowsiness, since Helena practically falls on top of her mattress and is snoring loudly within a minute. And by loudly, I mean she sounds like an elephant with really bad congestion. It'll be a miracle if anyone can sleep through that racket.
However, I have to try, since, even though the Reapings are tomorrow, we still have a half day of work in the fields. I want to be as productive as I always am.
So, I press one ear against the mattress and plug the other with my hand, and try to get some rest.
After some time staring at the ceiling, with Helena's snores having quieted down considerably, I'm finally able to force my eyes shut.
Silence takes over the world. Then, there's nothing.
Author's Notes:
-It might not be the best chapter, or the greatest thing ever. But it is done, which is more than I could have said yesterday.
-Honestly, I hit a wall when trying to figure out what to do with this guy. The stuff before the second break came easy, but I had no idea where to go with it for a while until the party scene just popped into my head.
-Thanks to Tiger Outsider, once more, for Thomiah.
-All that's left is the D10F and the D9M/D9F chapter, then we're actually starting to go somewhere!
-See you next chapter!