PART 12: The Archers, District 12

DILL'S POV

My name is Dill Archer.

I'm from District 12. I was put in the first ever Hunger Games and I just killed the little boy from 2.

13.

He was 13.

He was one year younger than Crawley.

Four years younger than Cliff.

Five years younger than me.

And now he's dead. And I'm alive.

And I'm against an alliance.

Was it really necessary? To kill him? Maybe. But now that Chicory is gone, I'm out of options. The odds are looking down for me. Two against one, District One AND four versus District 12.

I'm dead anyways. I already know it. And I have five siblings at home and I'm going to lose all of them. Or, more like, they're going to lose me.

And the four youngest are all abused by Cliff. I was always there to protect them. But soon, well, things are looking down.

You think I'm only responsible for Elijah? Well you're wrong. The kid was insane, yes, but he never would've gotten that way had I not attacked. I didn't even think about Chicory's safety. Well, I did, yes, and I killed him to protect her, but it was too late.

I guess you could say I was responsible for Chicory's death, too, 12-years old from my District.

She has a little brother. His name's Presely. He's the same age as my sister Rebecca.

I have five siblings. Cliff's 17, Crawley's 14, Miranda's 12, Rebecca's 7, and Natalie is 3. The thought of any of them going into the Hunger Games is terrifying to me, but in a large family, it's totally possible.

I hold onto the golden key into my fingers. This might be the last thing I see. It could. It's a nice little token, for sure. I wish there could be a way for somebody in my family to get a hold of this.

Crawley loves to look around at all the trinkets and knick knacks, but we could never spare any money to buy them. He would sure love this, though.

Natalie would be thrilled at the shiny key. Rebecca would be sentimental about it. She'd hold onto it and never let it go because it would represent me. Miranda might sell it for some extra income. I don't think I want to know what Cliff would do with it. I don't think it would be very pretty.

Suddenly I hear the heavy footsteps of two burly murderers.

They've come for me.

I look up at the ceiling as a silent final goodbye to my family before I see the Dark Pirate King and the Lusterous, Powerful Warrior.

There were three seconds between my seeing them and their attacking. Platinum holds up his sword and shoves me against the wall, with Drake at his side, holding up his sword.

"You killed the runt!" Platinum shouts at me. I struggle but it's no use.

Finally, I spit out a comeback to them, hoping that somehow it'll prompt them to let me go. "Yeah, so, I thought you two couldn't stand the little bastard!"

Drake suddenly whips his sword out and holds it to my throat, and I stare at it with weary eyes.

Platinum bursts out laughing, a sadistic and maniacal laugh that makes me try to fight back, but it's still no use. Platinum laughs loudly and shouts, "Wait… You mean to tell me that REDBACK RUNT cut you up that bad!?" He suddenly slashes my chest with his sword, reopening a wound that Elijah made and sending searing pain across my chest. I feel the blood drip away from the wound and roll down my stomach. I'm so sorry.

Drake laughs next, so hard that he doubles over, removing the sword from my throat. "YOU let HIM injure you!? Wow, that's kinda hilarious!" I try to escape Platinum's grip: I should be able to, after all, I'm 18 and he's only 16. But, he's a strong 16-year-old from District 1, and, though I'm one of the strongest boys in the District, I'm still from District 12.

Platinum and Drake laugh loudly together, and I feel stone-cold. . How fucking funny is it gonna be when I'm dead and you have to kill each other, ever thought of that?! "That's funny. He's so fucking useless and he INJURED YOU, of ALL PEOPLE!" Platinum howls of laughter.

I finally might just make enough progress to run away but Drake slams me against the wall again and presses his sword across my neck, hard enough that it goes through the skin.

Drake puts his face against my ear and the words slide out of his mouth like snakes, "Oh, Dilly, if I didn't hate every fucking particle of your being for stealing my kill, I might make your death fast." I… I don't know what to say. What can you say when you're in the middle of a fight you're going to lose. I should've started my apologies… I should've started them a long time ago, because there are a lot of them.

Platinum swipes his sword down my legs and I squeeze my eyes shut and do everything I can to prevent myself from crying out. I let out the discomfort with a pained growl and try one last time to free myself by punching Platinum as hard as I can.

Bad idea.

Drake presses the sword into my neck, "Making it hard, are you? We can play hard."

I suddenly think of my family, sitting in our small living room around the TV and watching it. I think about my District, being forced to watch me humiliate them by losing this fight. I just want it to be over and I shout at them, "Shut the fuck up and just do it if you're gonna do it!"

A laugh escapes Platinum's lips. "Well that'd be no fun, would it?" he asks condescendingly, "We already killed your District partner! You're next. Soon you'll just be another empty little specter like the rest of them."

The thought of being forgotten is terrifying to me. Natalie will never remember me… They'll have n one to protect them from Cliff and no one to protect them from poverty…. But just the thought that someday somebody will bring up their brother Dill and they won't remember me is too much to bear.

Empty little specter.

I kick Drake's shin as hard as I can and his face contorts in pain. For a second I think I have a chance, but Drake slashes his sword across my neck harshly and it's the end before I can even tell them I'm sorry.

PLATINUM'S POV

I visited District 12 once. I was there for the reaping, waiting to see what two teens in that crowd I would have to mentor for the 2nd Annual Hunger Games.

The reapings started a little late, and I was left to wander the place for a little while.

Ignoring the dirty looks given... Was, to be completely honest, god-awful. But that's being a Victor for you.

Suddenly, I heard a yell, "Natalie!" and felt a tug on the bottom of my pants. I looked down and there stood a little girl, with olive skin and long, straight, dark hair. She had big brown eyes that smiled up at me.

"Mr. Platinum!" she squeaked happily.

"Hi there," I said quietly, kneeling to her height. I recognized this girl... How could I not have? She was an Archer.

"Mr. Platinum! It's you!" She had dimples that showed when she smiled and wore big, black glasses that probably weren't hers.

"Yeah...Hi..."

"You know my brother!" she said happily, and my heart hurt already.

"Yeah, I did."

"Where'd he go, Mr. Platinum?" She asked me, taking a strand of her long hair and twirling it around in her fingers.

"He, uh, went far away. He probably won't be coming back very soon." It came out as a pained whisper.

"Are you alright, Mr. Platinum?" She asked, looking concerned. I nodded.

"I saw you on the stage, just like Dill was! And your talking made my Daddy cry! And my Mommy cried, too, and so did Becky and Miranda! Cliff and Crawley: they're the boys, besides Dill: they didn't cry. I didn't cry, though. Should I have?"

"Uh, I think it just depends."

Suddenly I heard another voice yelling in our direction. "Natalie!" a boy said. He had shaggy, dark brown hair and gray eyes. His sisters stood a good distance away.

"Let's not be bothering this...This...N-nice…"

"It's fine, really," I assured him, "She's cute."

There was a long and awkward silence between us. "Dill thought so, too," he finally said, quietly but angrily.

"I'm really sorry," I said, trying so hard to get him to believe me.

There was a long pause before he spoke up again, "So are we."

"This is my brother Crawley!" Natalie said happily, "Isn't he nice!?"

"The nicest," I responded. Just the fact that he hadn't murdered me yet made him the nicest.

"I love him a lot, Mr. Platinum! You should be friends."

He looked alarmed, and his brother gave me a death-glare from where he watched us from afar. At that moment, I could practically hear Dill yell at me, "Stay away from my sister!"

I blinked and suddenly snapped back into it, wiping the tears I was unaware that were falling down my face.

"Cliff's gonna fucking hate me for this," Crawley whispered to himself, but he suddenly threw his arms around my neck and cried into my shoulder. The cries, of course, were quiet enough that Natalie couldn't hear.

The little girl wrapped her arms around my leg and flashed up at me a big, dimpled smile. The glasses, far too big for her, went crooked, and she reached up with a hand to fix them, still holding on to my leg.

Meanwhile, Crawley kept his arms tight around me and I could hear him bite back tears. When I looked over at the other siblings, both girls whispered back and forth. The younger one's green-gray eyes were wide, and the older's brown eyes weren't quite as big but still wide. The boy known as Cliff scowled at me.

Crawley let go first, wiping his eyes. "S-Sorry," he stammered. "But... Thanks..."

He gave me a nod and ran off, but soon I noticed a flaming mad Cliff run after him. The two girls' eyes got only a little less wide.

The younger one came over and said quietly, "It's time to go now, Natalie." I noticed her fighting tears, too.

Natalie let go of my legs and said, "Ok Becky." Then she beamed up at me, "Bye Mr. Platinum!" She ran off and Rebecca provided a sad glance before running after her.

Little did any of us know at that time that the second-oldest Archer would go into the Games and I would've failed him, too.

CRAWLEY'S POV

"Hold on, now, kiddo!" Dill says. His voice is naturally loud, even when both of us were young. As we grew it just got deeper and even louder than before, something that I appreciate because I always used to know when he was fighting Cliff.

I giggle and wrap my arms tight around his forehead. Dill holds on to my legs and takes off running across the District, me giggling away and him laughing. He runs past plenty of people, accidentally knocking a basket out of someone's hands and shouting, "Sorry sir!" continuing on. I hold on tight to his head and giggle like a mad person, feeling tall and mighty. When we arrive back home he sweeps me off his shoulders and tickles my stomach, to which I squeal with happy laughter.

Those were the days before the Hunger Games. Those were the days before the rebellion. Those were the days before the blood, the death, the gore.

Just another normal day in school, right? Wrong. The bells ring during class and the teacher looks up. Suddenly we hear screaming, and voices shouting, "THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" They've never said that before. The whole school goes up in arms and everyone heads for the closets, the storage rooms, the basement… On my way to the younger classrooms to find my sisters, I see Dill push past everyone and shout at me, "Find safety, Crawley!" before pulling on the hat of his uniform and getting a gun from the men at the entryway. There were always stories of Dill fighting, but I never believed them until now, watching him leave. They file those of us who aren't hidden upstairs to the underground basement downstairs and the lights are soon turned off and we're told to be quiet. There's nothing I can do now but hope and pray my sisters are hidden well. And hope and pray Dill and Dad aren't hurt or killed. I sit against a wall and bury my face in my knees before hearing shots upstairs. Some of the other kids scream but are soon shushed, and I'm among the yellers, "MIRANDA! REBECCA!" A teacher puts her hand on my head and sounds upset when she whispers, "Sh!" I bury my face in my knees and sob quietly. The sounds of the wailing alarms echo in my brain and the sounds of the guns don't stop. Suddenly I feel a familiar figure wrap her arms around my neck and smell her familiar scent. And I know that at least Miranda is safe in my arms. I think Rebecca's upstairs, though… She could even be dead by now… But I have one sister. I have one sibling with me, and I'm never going to let her go.

And then Dill dies in the Games. After all that, Dill dies in the Games. And with that, my only source of protection is gone. After Platinum comes and goes for the Victory Tour, my parents have kept up with what they taught us when we were all kids: be kind to everyone, even if they're not kind to you. It's how I was raised. When Platinum came around on the day of the reapings, I couldn't help myself.

When Natalie ran to Platinum and hugged him, Cliff physically stiffened, and he growled in a low voice, "Someone get the stupid child away from that bastard."

Rebecca and Miranda stared at the two, whispering back and forth. Cliff flicked the back of my head forcefully, "Go, Loser!"

I stumbled forward, looking casual and doing everything to hide the bruises on my shins. I tried to be cold like Cliff and just take the child back, but that's not how I was raised and that's not how I am. I have a philosophy: be kind to everyone, even if they're not kind to you. Plus, something in the back of my head reminded me that he wasn't such a bad guy as Cliff, considering he was extremely genuine when he talked at 12 on his Victory Tour, and I still treasure his words. Maybe it was because my heart was hurting that I hugged him. Maybe it was because I wanted to be rebellious against Cliff. Maybe it was because he seems like a huggable teddy-bear type as opposed to the person he tries to be for the cameras. Maybe it was because I need someone strong in my life and I have no one. Maybe it was because Natalie seemed so happy around him. Maybe it was because of the tears that were pouring out of his eyes. Maybe it was because I just wanted to reach out to him. I don't know what made me do it, I honestly don't, but I'm glad I did. Hugging a strong guy like him is different than hugging the girls. Something about it is just a lot more comforting and cozy…Maybe it's because it's someone older than I am, as opposed to little Miranda and even littler Rebecca. Maybe I liked it so much because I needed to let out tears and I finally felt comfortable doing it. Maybe it's because I missed Dill, and how it felt when he used to hug me. Maybe it's because I remember how Dill's arms felt around me after the reapings and I want to live in that moment forever. Again, I don't know why, but hugging Platinum was good for me. But everything has its consequences, and soon Cliff started running over and I took off for the outskirts of the Districts. And, just like it always was, I had to give out a long time before he did, and he caught me by the front of the shirt.

"YOU!" he growled, "You… Fuckin' little TRAITOR!" He held up his fist to my face and the tears came back to my eyes, "Cliff, please!" I cried pleadingly.

"You think it's OK to just hug not only another GUY, but THAT GUY!? He may've rid us of that nuisance of an older brother, but he's still a FUCKING BASTARD!"

"Cliff! Please! I'm sorry!" He swung up his arm and it made contact with my jaw. I yelped and he glares coldly at me. "Don't you ever touch another guy AGAIN, do you understand me!?" I swallowed my tears and nodded, and his fist made contact with my eye and he shouted, "AND NEVER LOOK AT PLATINUM KRIETZER AGAIN!" I sobbed, but nodded all the same. He kicked my shin and said, "I can't fucking believe you. If I had any say in the affairs of the Archer household, you'd be fucking disowned." He stalked off and left me to sit there and sob.

And after that I never did as much as touch another guy, not even Dad. Even when Cliff is dead I'm afraid of him. I'll always be afraid of him. And I'll always want Dill and Natalie back. But I'm 21 now and there's nothing I can do about anything that's happened in the past. All I can do is pick up a bottle of booze and say, "Cheers!"

Dear Diary,

Natalie just told us all today that she's found a new way for us to get money: she's decided to go into prostitution. Which I think is disgusting, but what can I do about it now? I can see where she's coming from. The family needs money, and even with drunk Crawley, Miranda, and myself working in the mines, it's not enough. And I don't work very well, because I'm not built strong like Crawley and Miranda, so I work longer hours than both of them. The thought of my little sister having sex with some fifty-year-old? Terrifying. The thought of Natalie having sex at all at age 16? Against everything we've ever been taught as children. I tried pleading with her to not go, to just start in the mines or continue going to school, but she isn't going to listen. I just hope she doesn't get pregnant…

Signed, Rebecca Archer

Miranda's POV

Natalie knocked on my door, that day. The day of her first reaping.

"Do I look Ok?!" she asked, flashing me a dimpled smile. She walks in the room and I get down on my knees to adjust the collar of her blouse and help her tuck it into her skirt.

She stood still and watched. Her hair was in two loopy pigtails that I adjusted as I asked, trying to smile, "Are you nervous?"

"A little!" she says happily, "But I'll be alright."

There was a slight pause before I gave her a tight hug and a sad smile whispering, "Don't worry, Natalie. We'll make sure you're safe."

Natalie appears in my doorway. "Do I look Ok?" she asks, quietly and sadly. I look up as she walks in the room. I don't have to kneel now. Her expression is set on a frown. I walk over to her and tug down the short skirt she's wearing and tug on the sleeves of her shirt, hiding the bra-straps. She readjusts these things, though, as soon as I tried to fix them. Her hair's still in two loopy, floppy, messy pigtails and I even them out for her. I try to smile. "Are you nervous?" It comes out more pained than happy.

There's a long silence.

"A little," she says quietly.

"But I'll be alright."

I scale her from top to bottom sadly. My eyes fill with tears as I give her a tight hug and do everything to keep from sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Natalie," I whisper, hurt, "Please… Please try to stay safe…"