eYa for chapter two! Okay so I'm dunna (yep that's my word 'dunna' like going to) post some lyrics to whatever song I'm listening to when I start each chapter, cause I always have my iPod read and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.
"Nothing on but the radio, feel the music playing soft and slow, you and me and the lights turned down low, with nothin' on but the radio" ~Gary Allan 'Nothing On But The Radio'
As expected Brock punches the first guy out cold that crosses his path, for no apparent reason. This may get ugly soon, so I take it as my cue to get going. I gulp down the rest of my soup and hand Sae back the bowl and give her my coin.
"Tell me who wins later." I whisper to her, referring on the fight that will happen soon.
"Don't I always." Sae gives me a grin that I return before I go and pick up my firewood. Vinne is still there, which is good, because I need him to come with me so I can borrow a wheelbarrow. He reluctantly agrees to come with me, no extra charge, and we pile the wood into the wheelbarrow. We walk in silence to my house. Vinne pushes it all the way there, it's a pretty heavy load too, which of course he just dumps the wood down besides the house for me to stack on my own terms.
"Thanks for the help Vinne." I genuinely thank him.
"No problem darling." He teases, I'm about to punch him in the face when he ducks and then takes off down the road back to the Hob with his wheelbarrow. I'll get him next time.
I begin the long task of stacking the wood up against the house. One down part about my brother; everything has to be perfect. That includes my wood stacking skills. If it's the slightest bit sideways or off he'll have me start all over again, and he won't care if I do it in the dark. Brotherly love only goes so far.
An hour later my hands are frozen from the frigid air and my back is aching from constantly bending up and down with the wood. I take one log inside and toss it in the fireplace, then urge the flame into a full out fire. Our small house warms up quickly and soon I've regained feeling in my fingers and toes.
For the rest of the morning I busy myself with cleaning the house, trying to get the coal dust off of things. I make the two beds; Kline's and mine, then clean our bathtub. Maybe we can take a bath tonight; we haven't in a few days. No one takes one everyday though, besides, I'll have to either heat up the water or it'll be cold.
I'm surprised when there's a knock at my door; I go and open it to see Hazelle. I stand back and let her inside, Posy comes in behind her.
"Hi Hazelle, whats up?" I ask, not really sure why she's here.
"Can I ask you a question that's been bugging me for years?" she asks me, Posy looks interested now too. I shrug.
"Sure."
"What happened? To you and Gale?" she asks me. Oh, that. I go and sit down across from her at the table and sigh.
"I wish I knew. I guess it's just he grew up so fast. I mean, I tried still talking to him, but, it just wasn't the same anymore. We kinda just grew apart."
"Oh, I see, sorry if it's a strange question, but Posy here was asking why you're such good friends with us." She smiles at me.
"Mommy said you and Gale were best friends!" she announces happily. I laugh at her, but then my mouth falls to a sad frown.
"Ya, we were. But things change Pos. People change."
"You should talk to him sometime Denver, he might like that." Hazelle suggests to me. I nod, but I know I won't. He's had a million opportunities to talk to me. Every day he has. He could've helped me and Kline out when our father died, but he didn't, just watched us struggle for the first year, watched us almost starve. I know he saw me sit on my porch all day and just cry, but did he come over and give me any words of support or comfort. No. He didn't, and it's hard to forgive someone after that.
"Maybe" I lie, if we're ever going to start talking again, he'll be the first one to talk, not me. Hazelle and I talk for maybe an hour more, then I say I should be going down to town, I promised I would check on Haymitch's house for him. Which reminds me, I told Darius to go find Haymitch earlier, Haymitch is in District Eleven. I laugh to myself as I walk briskly down the street after Hazelle and Posy go back to their house.
It doesn't take long before I arrive at Victor's Village, I check the lock on the door, and it's locked. Good, my job is done here. Why did I even agree to this, it's just an annoying chore to do for a month? Right, I made the stupid mistake of drinking with Haymitch. I don't usually drink just maybe once a month or so. I'm not good with liquor, I have two drinks and I'm practically drunk.
I'm walking just by the schoolyard when they go off. The noise that everyone in District Twelve fears the most.
The sirens.
They blare through the District, there's been a mine accident. Before I can think I'm sprinting through the streets, my legs won't carry me fast enough to the mines. I pray that Kline is alright, I pray that Gale is alright. Memories of last time I did this flood my mind, I waited hours by the mines for my father, but he never came out.
I'm one of the first to arrive at the mines, I run right up to the ropes that have been put to hold back the crowd that will gather here. I fix my eyes on the shaft entrance. Some miners have come up already, covered head to toe in solid black coal dust. Coughing, some retching most keeled over, gasping for air.
I feel people take both of my hands, I look to see Vick on my right, Rory on my left, each have one of my hands in theirs. I pull them into a tight embrace. I tell them that everything will be alright, that Gale will come out. I imagine my life if Gale was gone now. I'd miss him, a lot. Even though we don't talk, the simple greeting we give each other each day has a lot of meaning to me.
But now I only think of my brother, the only thing I have left. So I stand as the crowd gathers, Vick and Rory by my sides as we watch the shaft go up and down, each time bringing up miners. Families run past the ropes as their sons, their husbands, their fathers emerge from the mine that has now become a mass grave. They embrace, they kiss, tears stream down their faces. Boyfriends propose to their girlfriends, grateful they have survived this brush with death.
Time loses its meaning as the sun starts to sink. As it gets colder. Someone puts a blanket around me and the boys. I catch a glimpse of Hazelle and Posy, each have horrified looks on their faces. Posy may be only five, but she knows what the sirens mean. That's one of the first things we learn in school. Sirens mean death.
It's almost dark when the shaft comes up again; about three hundred people still remain by the mines. I search through the miners who step off the shaft. My eyes lock on Gale's face, he's covered in black dust. Barely recognizable. He limps as he steps off, I watch as Posy runs past the ropes and into his arms. I let go of Vick and Rory and push them towards Gale.
"Go, be grateful." I tell them. Rory wraps his arms around me before he runs off.
"Kline will come out, I know he will." I just nod solemnly to him, and then he and his brother go under the ropes and run to Gale. I'd run to him too, but I'd lose my spot here, then I wouldn't be able to see the miners come up. I'm relieved Gale is alive, very relieved, and very grateful. But I need my brother to come up next.
The minutes after Gale came up soon turns to hours, it's dark now, my body is stiff and frozen as I wait with about fifty people as the mines slowly go up, stay down for almost twenty minutes, then come up with miners, who are severely hurt, or dead. I press my hands harder on the mug someone handed me a while ago, it was hot then, now it's ice cold.
I feel arms go around me and I lean into whoever it is. I don't care who it is, the comfort helps me now, when I feel like I'm slowly being ripped apart. I look and see Darius, I manage a forced grin at him, he smiles at me.
"He'll come up, just wait, he will." He assures me, his joking is all gone now, he knows now is not the time for jokes. I just nod, because the chances of Kline coming out now alive are highly unlikely. Darius stays with me for half an hour, and then he leaves me alone again.
Just when I've about given up all hope, the shaft raises again to the surface, I see Kline and dash forwards as he stumbles out of the shaft. He slips on the snow, but I reach him in time to catch him. We both fall to the ground under the lamp light, I hold him in my arms as he lies on the ground, his breathing shallow. With each breath I can see the black powder that comes out with it. I wrap my arms around my brother and put my chin on his shoulder, just like I did this morning.
"I love you Denver" he chokes out to me, his voice is barely audible.
"Love you too Kline, forever." I let the tears run down my cheeks, because, while none of us will say it, we both know he's dying. No one interrupts us either, they just watch. After a few moments I turn and call out to a nearby man.
"Can you carry him to our house," I have to swallow the lump in the throat before I continue, "I, I want him to be there when,"
"Of course" the man interrupts me so I don't have to finish my sentence. He gently picks up Kline and I lead him to our house. I sit on the hearth by the fire and the man puts my brother in my lap. My fire still burns strong.
I gently stroke Kline's face, like our mother used to do.
"You need to find a job, anything that pays, anything but Cray." He chokes out instructions to me. I nod, I would rather die than loose myself to Cray. "And ration food well and keep yourself warm, stay alive." He tells me more.
"I know you don't need to worry. I love you Kline." I tell him again. He smiles up at me, his breathing is very shallow now, his heartbeat is irregular and slow.
"I love you too Denver, forever."
I wrap my arms around him tighter and lean down so my head rests on his chest; he rests his chin on my head. And then I listen to my brother's heartbeat as it gets slower, and fainter, and then it stops completely. I let the tears stream down and cover my face, because now I'm alone. Now I don't have anyone left.
Hope you.. I'm not going to say enjoyed, because her brother died along with a lot of others, its not really something enjoyable.. I hope you liked that chapter. Please review, next chapter will be up soon.