Kodi Nyquist

"I hope you really know what you're doing."

I swear, that's the fifth time Marquette has asked that, and truthfully it's getting really annoying. Just like the last few times, I reply softly, "Don't worry, I know what to do."

The three of us left camp about two hours before the sun comes up. Although we've been trekking through these woods for a while, I've been trying to keep my conversations with Marquette down to a minimum. It's not that I don't want her there; in fact, I'm glad she found us. I trust her, and I know the feeling is mutual. But every time I see that seashell shape laced onto her jacket, all I think about is—

The blood. The little girl lay lifeless on the ground. The brute that killed her now stands with a smirk on her face, wiping her spear of the twelve-year-old's blood. "Let's see your little smile now," the D4 girl snarls viciously. The boy with the beanie, watching from hundreds of miles away, wanted nothing more than for that monster to die. But he knew that it would never bring her sister back.

I can't bring Lynn back. I've known that from the beginning. Then why do I still have these nightmares? Before I can question myself even further, I snap back to the task at hand. It's almost time for my plan, and what I'm about to do requires skilled hands and a focused mind. And I'm pretty sure thinking about blood and death is the opposite of focus.

We are nearing our destination of the abandoned town, the moon still hanging high up in the sky. That's when Marquette suddenly asks, "You look really tense, Kodiak. Are you…okay?"

I try my best to make eye contact without looking down at the seashell and lie, "First of all, you can call me Kodi. And second, I'm not that tense. Maybe a little nervous because of the plan."

That part was true. I was a little nervous about it. After all, killing people isn't something I've gotten used to. That girl by the lake was a total fluke; I barely even knew what happened. And I hadn't meant to kill Faust, I just acted on instinct. But this was planned murder. And if there is anything I knew about legal issues, it's that planned murder is worse than one out of instinct. Then again, they both involve killing, so they're not good either way.

Finally, we reach the outskirts of the city. The moon is beginning to set, so we only have about 30 minutes before daybreak. Selene, who I realize hasn't said a single word until now, utters, "Can you run the plan by us one more time Kodi?"

I nod, take the point of my knife, and draw a crude diagram of the town. "Okay, so here's the Cornucopia. To the west, I noticed a couple of metal-plated sheds with power lines handing over it." I direct my knife to a square to the right of the triangle that is the Cornucopia.

"First we have to cut the lines so they come in contact with the shed," I continue, making a snipping motion with my fingers. "The power is probably shut off, but still, be really careful. When we're done, I'm going to head down to the circuit breaker, which is here. Once you see me at the circuit breaker, I'm going to give you sixty seconds to lead the Careers into the sheds, where I'll connect the wires, electricity will surge through, and then…"

"Fried Careers," Marquette finishes, a smile playing across her lips. I smile back, satisfied with my plans. At first, when I saw this town, I thought of it as an inconvenience. Like a fortress for the Careers who already have an advantage. But as I lay there last night, I thought of how this place was perfect for a guy from District 3. An electronic nerd with an expansive knowledge of how things work is thrown into an arena full of power lines and circuits. I suppose it doesn't get any better than that.

I nod and finish off saying, "So, are we clear?"

Selene raises her hand, which I try to stifle a giggle at. "C'mon Selene, it's not elementary school. You don't need to raise your hand," I laugh.

She shrugs and gives her winning smile—Lynn's smile—and says, "Sorry Kodi, force of habit. Anyway, what if we're still in the sheds when you connect the wires?"

I don't need to answer that sentence, because Marquette does that for me. With a flip of her hair, she mutters, "You don't want to find out."

xXxXx

On top of the shed, Marquette slices through the cable as Selene and I guide it down onto the metal roof. Luckily, my guess that the power was off was right. Not for long, I thought as the last cable is placed onto the metallic roofing.

"You know what you're doing, right?" Marquette inquires before I slip down off the roof. I roll my eyes and reply for the seventh time, "Yes, I'm sure I've got it handled."

Marquette blushes and timidly says, "Well, yeah, I guess you should know. After all, you arefrom District 3. You guys probably learned all this stuff in school."

In truth, I really learned my electronic skills from my dad. It has always run in the family, dating back to my great-great-grandparents. The Nyquists have been the electronic whizzes in D3 for a while now. I still remember my father, teaching me how fix our old television…

Calloused hands delicately weaved the wires in and out. The man began to grin as a little spark jumped between the two copper lines.
The room turned into a factory. The television became gears and pistons. Then came the crash. Then, the blood…

I slip away without saying a word back to my team. The circuit is a pretty good stretch away from the Cornucopia, so nothing to distract me from my work. That is, except for the flashbacks. I don't know which is worse; that, or five angry Careers marching up the street.

I jam the knife into the cover, prying it open. Underneath, wires of all colors hang; red, blue, green, yellow. To any other person, it would have looked like a jumbled mess. But to me, it was my canvas. In my head, I start to count, One. Two. Three.

I'm about to reach down when I look over my shoulder. Imagine my surprise when I saw someone crouching right next to me, peeking from behind my head. Not of a Career, or my teammates for that matter. No, this was someone I haven't seen in a long time. She was older since I last saw her, yet somehow it felt as if I had seen her yesterday. Then again, I guess technically I've been seeing her every night for four years.

Her blonde hair was swept over her head, her hazel eyes shone with intrigue. A golden leaf bracelet was looped around her wrist. And her smile…her winning smile.

"How it hanging bro?" My fingers grasp onto one of the wires as I slowly respond, "H…hey Lynn."

"Sooooo….you gonna fix those wires or what?"

"It's been a while, little sis," I reply as I try to twist the wires. But my hand just keeps trembling, and I can't make it stop.

"You know how much I hate it when you call me that! And yeah, I guess it's been a while," she complains. I can feel her hand on my shoulder. But she's not real, and yet…

"Jeez, Kodi. You know how much I hate it when you're in trouble," she says, raising her eyebrows in distress.
"Well, I don't see how much more 'in trouble' I can get," I reply bitterly.
"But you have to listen, Kodi. You need to stop worrying—"

With that, I pull hard on one of the wires, and my finger gets a sharp jolt. But I don't care about the pain. I wheel around to face the apparition that is my twin, and utter, "Stop worrying? Lynn, you're dead! And I can't go around one second without thinking of you! You just keep flashing into my brain, and it's making me go insane! How can I stop worrying?"

I slump to the ground, tears dropping to the floor. Sliding off my beanie, I run my fingers through my messy, brown hair. I'm ready to give up. Maybe just kill myself and then be rid of all this pressure. But then I feel the warmth of Lynn's hands around my wrists. Feel them guide me back to the wires. Feel them slowly manipulate the wires until two rest in my hands.

Ever so softly, I whisper through tear stained eyes, "I'd forgotten how great you were with electronics, sis."

"C'mon Kodi, it runs in the family." My twin lets go, revealing the leaf bracelet around my wrist. I had the urge to keep holding onto her, never releasing my grasp for one second. My twin sister, the one I never wanted to let go. The best friend I wished had never left. And now she was leaving again.

But my hands are still latched to the wires, and behind me, Lynn whispers gently, "You know what to do. Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine…"

"Sixty," I finish with a nod. Then, a spark.

Marquette Tetra

Kodi slinks off the roof without saying a word. "Fine then, don't talk to me. That's cool," I remark. Behind, Selene giggles.

"You're kinda funny," she says once she takes her hand away from her mouth.

"Funny in a weird way or funny 'Haha'?" I ask while scratching my nose.

"In a 'Haha' way, of course!" she answers while giving a grin. Which, by the way, is so adorable it could melt anyone's heart.

Selene continues, "I think it's amazing how you're so funny given the circumstances. I mean, what with the Games and all." Now that's an interesting thought. Truthfully, I thought I was being a total downer. As I said before, murder does that to people. But I guess not.

Without thinking, I reply, "Well, laughter is something most people can't afford. So might as well make use of it while you still have it." Well, where did that come from?, I think. Deep down, I wonder how long I'll be able to follow those words. Actually, I'm pretty tempted to blurt, Do as I say, not as I do, but then I'd sound too much like my father. My hypocritical, tyrannical, evil, abusive, monster of a father.

Selene taps my shoulder to get my attention, which is something I've noticeably been lacking for these past few days, and whispers, "Kodi's at the circuit. I think it's time to go."

I give a small grunt of approval as I check the Cornucopia, which is actually within throwing distance of the shed. I can make out the Careers, minus the girl I killed of course, now wide awake and checking their supplies. Then I see the pile of smooth stones, the kind that lines sidewalks and ponds, below us at the entrance of the shed. And a plan immediately pops into my head. A dastardly plan. It was probably also going to be the most fun the two of us are going to have in a while. And fun is a luxury we should make full use of, right?

"Wanna play a game?" I utter deviously. I don't have to turn back to know that Selene is grinning from ear to ear.

xXxXx

Selene gets the first hit. The hollow sound of a rock against Gordon's head is probably the most satisfying sound I've heard in a while. But, not surprisingly, he rubs his head as though it were some fly or something. But that's okay, we weren't throwing to kill. We just need them to look back.

Sure enough, the Careers spin around to see Selene and I waiting. "What's up team? Did you miss me?" I shout, tossing another rock at them. This time it catches the girl from District 2 in the leg.

"Well, Marquette, I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come back for more. Thanks for saving us the trouble," Gordon replies angrily.

"As much as I love the intelligent conversation with you, we've gotta scoot. Stuff to do, more shit to steal. Y'know how it works," I shout back. They're probably steaming now by the subtle mention of my theft. Now hopefully, they'll take the bait.

Gordon responds with a guttural roar much like a bear. He raises his sword and leads the Careers on a charge straight towards the shed. But all can do I shake my head and smile. The rage on his face is a little unnerving, but that didn't hide his stupidity of taking the bait. I take Selene's hand and we race inside the shed, which was about to become a toaster oven. All we need to do is make sure we're not fried along with them.

I don't know why anyone would make a tool shed made entirely out of metal, but if Kodi's plan works, I'm not going to really complain. The little compartment is dark, damp, and smells of fertilizer. The shed should be able to fit all five of the Careers, albeit barely. Luckily, there's an old rusted back door that can easily be jammed from the outside with my javelin. I can think right now is, Wow, this plan's actually going to work.

Selene and I squeeze our way through the door, but not before Gordon throws his sword, lodging it in the metal frame. "Whoa-ho, man! You mad bro?" I call out, peeking my face out for just a split second to taunt him. Then, with a satisfied grin, I begin to shut the door.

At least, that was the plan anyway. But before the rusted old door could creak shut, something blocks its path. Gordon's sword.

It was only one second of lost time. But it was all the Careers needed to bust through that little space, led by Gordon and Lito. The impact of the door smashes me right into the hard concrete. And there was this little voice in my head that sounded eerily like my father, taunting, Well that's a bit of bad luck, ain't it sweetheart?" For once, my father and I agreed on something.

And to think, all this bad luck occurred within the space of a minute. A minute. Sixty seconds.

The moment my stupid mind begins to wrap around that idea, there is a sharp crack, and the smell of burning flesh begins to fill the air. The sword hilt radiates electricity, and the spark sends Lito and Gordon sprawling into the ground. The hair of the males from D1 and 2 stand up on end and dazzling sparks arch from between them. One of them is grasping onto the metal door frame, and from the point of his grip I can see smoke rising up from his skin. It is truly a comical sight; if you get past the foaming mouth and violent muscle spasms.

And just as suddenly as it started, the sparks stop. From my spot on the ground, I spy Gordon and Lito's unmoving bodies lying flat on the concrete. Grinning, I pick myself up, dust off my pants, and ask Selene, "Well that was pretty good timing, wasn't it?"

I'm about to inspect their bodies when I realize there's no answer. I whirl around to see nothing but the empty backyards of the abandoned suburbs. No Selene in sight. Which meant she was lost, alone, in this abandoned city full of who knows what. Maybe some mutts ready to pounce on their next victim, or other tributes who heard the sound of Kodi's trap.

I take a look back at the bodies of the fallen Careers, their skin still smoking from the electricity. If I don't hurry, they aren't going to be the only corpses strewn across this God-forsaken town.

What...is...up readers? I've been trying to update once a week, but I've been getting a little busy lately, so sorry if i take a bit too long. But don't worry, I'm still writing in my free time, so hopefully i can keep chugging out chapters. But in the meantime...

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