Chapter 5- The problems begin
When I awoke I surprised to find I was completely alone. The tiny house was completely empty, and I was positive of this after a quick check around every corner the house had. I looked down at myself and was disgusted. The clothes I had found myself in I guess over 12 hours ago where now even more disgusting than they were before. They had a new layer of dust on top of the previous grime that also clung to my skin. I felt greasy and dirty and it wasn't a feeling I enjoyed. It then occurred to me that Jack had been wearing a very similar outfit when he had arrived, which was a huge relief as I didn't want to be the only one in filthy clothes.
I decided to explore the area. Where had Taina said we were? District something? 11? I couldn't remember. I left the house to look for anyone or something to do. The best thing to find would be a way back home but I couldn't see that appearing any time soon. I found myself shortly after wandering for a minute in a large expanse of space. They was a large building in front of me, it looked like when it had been new it would've been grand and beautiful. Now it just looked in a state of disrepair and could really do with some work done. I walked up to the steps and found a huge 12 engraved into the floor and door. I guess we're in district 12 then I thought. I was just about to step up to the door when I heard my name "THALIA" I turned around quickly to see Jack the other side of the area. I waved and started to walk towards him. "How did you find me so quickly?" I asked him
"I was just heading back to the house when you appeared and walked off, I thought I'd give you a minute"
"Well, I wasn't done." I replied stubbornly "I'd like to know what sort of place I'll risking my life for" it then hit me. I was going into some 'games' that would surely kill me off and then I'd be dead in a long line of children to come. I stared into space and gasped at this revelation "I'm going to die" I whispered "You might not" Jack replied "Someone has to survive and it could be you" I looked up at him. "But then you would be dead" I spluttered before turning on my heel and walking away as I didn't want to cry in front of him. Yet. I walked out of the main square and away from the big building and Taina's house towards some trees, a fence was put up around them but I found a huge piece missing and clambered through into the wild. I prowled through undergrowth until I found a clearing. It looked over hills and freedom and I burst into tears. The thought of being dead in a short amount of time terrified me. I'd never been tough or a killing machine. I was a normal 21st century teenager, I knew how to tweet in under 140 characters and which characters from Harry Potter were the most damaging to the fandom when they died (which were all of them from Dobby to Colin Creevey). I didn't want to go and kill people, or be killed for that matter. There was the smallest chance that I wouldn't get chosen but I couldn't see it happening. My body shook in tremors of despair. I felt the breathless feeling of pure emotional pain well up inside me and my stomach clenched in hate for the situation.
I must've been there for an hour or two as the sun moved across the sky by miles. I stood up to the feeling of hunger and emptiness. I wasn't going to hang on to Brooklyn Harrison anymore. Thalia Fairwater was going to become me and she was going to be tough, brave and stronger than Brooklyn every could have imagined. I wiped at my cheeks in a hopeless attempt to make myself look less upset but it was a task destined to fail. I scrambled through the bushes and trees and scraped myself multiple times on twigs in awkward places and plants with thorns trying to climb to the top of the trees canopy. I couldn't find the way back to the fence, I was walking in at one point literal circles and I felt Thalia start to sink so I toughened up and walked straight through a very thick group of plants finding myself right at the fence just further up from where I had entered. I scrambled through the now muddier ground and finally reached the hole in the fence that would let me go back into the world of fear, sacrifice and hatred. I braced myself. Took a deep breath and climbed through and didn't look back at the forest to where freedom could have been mine. I had to do this for the people of this place and let one more child live for one more year.
I started back around the corner to the big building and where I had last seen Jack and ran straight into a little boy "Oh my goodness I'm sorry" I exclaimed, he looked up at me and smiled. He was covered in dirt but still had the pure looks of a little boy who still had his innocence. "It's ok" he mumbled before walking off towards a very run down looking shop that sold only grey looking bread. I'm doing this for him I thought as I somehow picked the right route back to Taina's house.
Why had I been the one chosen to come here? Some survival expert would work ten times better but no. I was me. I might as well face it that I was stuck here and I had to make it as far as possible.