Peppermint Wilson- District Eleven (15)
Apollo and I stood back to back, both wielding a spear. I'd told him it would be better for me to look weak, but he didn't like being away from me, so I trained a little with him. That's how it is when you have a twin. You're your own person, but you're never on your own.
As far back as I could remember it was like that. Apollo and I worked in the same fields, shared a room in our tiny house, helped each other at school, and watched out for each other. When he had a cold, I picked twice as much fruit so the guards wouldn't whip him for missing quota. When we had so little food I was crying with hunger, he stole a peach and for the next week I was terrified he'd get busted and they'd shoot him. He joked that I wasn't too scared to eat the peach, and I told him if he did something that stupid again I'd save the guards the trouble.
During lunch, Apollo and I looked over our competition. There were the Careers, of course, swaggering around like they'd already won. I got the feeling they wouldn't be as brave against someone who fought back. There was a little girl from Five eating cake next to her brother, who was daring anyone to so much as look at his little sister. They were a mixed bag, and I was glad I had Apollo with me so I didn't have to worry about allies.
"What are you going to get?" I asked Apollo as we looked over the meal options.
"I don't know. There's so much stuff. The grilled chicken sandwich looks good, but so does the pot pie," he said.
"I was thinking about the pie too. What if I get that and you get the sandwich?" I asked. When you have a twin, you always get two choices.
The night before the Games, someone knocked at my door.
Oh, who could it be? I let Apollo in.
"Can I sleep in here?" he asked.
"Ick, we're not little kids anymore!" I said.
"Not on your bed," he said. "Just on the floor."
"I'll feel silly with you down there like my dog or something," I grumbled. I tore off the blankets and made a pile next to him on the floor.
"Remember, don't go starting fights just because you can," Apollo said as I tried to get comfortable.
"That's what you're for," I said. We whispered shared jokes and strategy plans long into the night. Secretly, I was more nervous than I let on. Apollo would start a fight, and he was sweet enough not to realize what the stakes were. Both of us swore we wanted to be the first of us to die, but I had the feeling Apollo would fight harder for that "honor". I felt like a terrible sister thinking it, and I loved him so much it hurt to think we'd be in the Games together at all. We'd always been together, and I wanted him with me for so much longer. I knew when the gong went off I'd run straight to him, and I knew he'd be there for me. I wanted it to stay like that forever.
I didn't realize Peppermint was that young. I really must look more closely at my notes.