Haymitch's tale

Chapter 1

I wake up to cold drops of water landing on the indent of my right eye. I squeeze my eyes tighter shut and wipe it off with the back of my hand, after I do that I open my eyes to see the grey ceiling leaking again, I move my head to the right side of my pillow and roll onto my side so the water won’t hit me anymore, I can feel my brother’s head down at my feet, with his keens pressed against my back and his feet kicking me every now and then in between my shoulder blades, he crawled into my bed last night from the thunderstorm we got around midnight, he had squirmed around and kicked me in the shoulder blades a couple times for about an hour before he fell back asleep with his arms hugged around himself and his legs wrapped up into like a pretzel.

I could feel the pitter patter of the rain hitting my window and the wall of my grey house. It always seemed to rain in the mornings when spring time rolled around but it was good for the people living in the Seam, it meant they actually might have some water to drink that night at dinner, I was one of those people who lived in the seam, the Seam was a small place in the village with small brown greyish houses that sat on either sice of the dirt and gravely roads and had tiny dark alleys in between the shops we had along the busy streets, I used the dark alleys as many short cuts to get home quicker from school or to cut through Miss conner’s yard to make it to the Donner’s candy shop faster, also in the seam, everything that was here in this part of this village was covered in coal dust and soot no matter how many times you washed it or what you washed it with.

I dragged my skinny slim body out of the bed that my brother and I had been using and of course, I did it quietly making sure not to wake my little brother, Conrad who was now snoring softly.

My dad was sleeping on the sofa like he usually did in the wet months, he smelled of coal, minerals and beer like he always has been since as long as I could remember, he was still in his miner uniform, the grey button up shirt all wrinkled and blackened from the coal now that he had mined for 10 hours straight, the heavy denim overalls with the keens sewed up messy by my mother, the dark grey wool socks with the left one party off his foot and had soot deep in the fabric, his yellow hard hat was the end of the sofa with the light flickering on and off in front of the end table, next to it was his muddy black boots, they usually sat there, I looked over and saw in my dad’s hand that was hanging off the couch was a green beer bottle, the brand was Arrow face, it had always been his favourite kind of beer. I gently removed the bottle from his coal stained hand making sure not to wake him, I noticed it was empty. I sighed hoping he only drank one but knowing he at least drank 5 bottles. I went outside smelling the Smokey air that filled my lungs, I went into our little front garden that was now all muddy from the rain and smashed the green bottle on a rock that had been there since I could talk, it shattered, I picked up the big pieces and broke them again with this time a hammer I had made out of some firewood and a rock I found at school.

“What are you doing?” A girl said, her voice was soft and sweet. I looked at her blankly. She was thin like most of the citizens here, she was a little shorter than me, she had long dark brown hair and big sparkly blue eyes, she was in a silk navy blue raincoat stained with stool from the mines with the hood pulled up over her head. She was also very pretty. She walked over to me where I was kenning in the mud. I could hear the sloshing sound coming from the rubber boots that looked way too big for a girl her size. She spoke to me in that sweet voice she had. “You know you can sell bottles for money too, right?”

I looked at her. “Yeah, I know but I can sell jewellery for more money and maybe even trade it for some things.” I picked up a triangle piece as I ran my index finger along the edge, I took out a tiny screwdriver from my jean loop and started turning it in one of the corners. “You make jewellery out of beer bottles?” she said, surprised. I nodded quickly as I was getting the screwdriver through the glass.

The girl squatted down next to me as I took out a silver chain I got from an old dog’s leash and laced it through the glass triangle. I picked up the necklace and dropped it in a tin bucket my family used to collect rain water. The girl looked at me. “Pretty clever.”

I shrugged. She sat on one of the rocks. “Why jewellery?” She asked as she pressed her elbows on her knees and rested her head in her hands. I spoke, making another necklace out of some thread that used to be a fishing line. The garbage collector traded it with me in exchange for three logs of firewood, he always needed it to keep him and his pet rat, Whiskers, warm.

I mentioned to the pretty brunette girl. “There’s more styles, more risk of it breaking and the rich people like shiny things.” She giggled at that. I started using the brim of the bottle for a ring. “You do this for your family? I thought your dad worked in the mines, he is always carrying coal back.” she stated. I sanded down the sharp edge of the brim. “He makes money but we barely get enough money to even feed my brother, trading the clothes he outgrows and firewood helps but there’s just only so many children who need clothes and people who want firewood.” I said keeping my focus on the ring I was making. She crossed her legs, and stated. “My dad's a butcher so we always need soap and clothing in my house.” she then added. “I guess we have that in common, always needing that one item.” She looked at the finished ring I had.

“How much for the ring?” I looked at her beautiful face. “You know what? Take it, it’s a gift.” She smiled and slid it carefully onto her middle finger. I smiled as I looked at her hand. “It looks beautiful.” I said charmingly. She giggled. She looked at me. “I can’t take this.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out three patties and two sausages wrapped in parchment with string holding it together. She finished her sentence. “Without giving you something that will help your family.” I looked at the meat. I held it closely to my damp T-shirt. “Thank you. This is really going to help my family out.” She Smiled and got up and walked away. “Wait!” I called out a little too desperatety. She looked back at me, I felt my cheeks turn red and cleared my throat. “Um… wait.”

She smiled and said “Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

She smiled. “Kiara Bo Williams, yours?”

“Mitch. Mitch abernathy.”

As she looked over at me, a cart came around the corner fast and a hay bail was thrown off the carriage from the speed it was going at. It hit the wooden fence and landed right beside me. I jumped out of the way as it rested in my yard, I exhaled in relief loud, She giggled loudly seeing me startled like that over a hay bail hitting the fence.

“Nice to meet you. hay-mitch!” And she ran off giggling. I liked the sound of that, Haymitch. After I finished making the jewellery I went to go sell it down by the Hob. The kids call it the black market because so many of them are scared of the people there but the traders are super nice to everyone. a local boy I sold to walked up to the milk crates I had set up shop on, we went to school together his name was Xander Mason and he was my best friend, he had an uncle in the capital so he never had to worry about money but he came down to the market to buy the goods that we sold. “Hey Mitch how’s your parents and Conrad?” I nodded and said. “We’re getting by.” He smiled. “what do you have today?” he asked as he scratched the back of his calves with his shiny new black loafers with the laces done up nicely. I said. “Call me haymitch, Xander.” He looked at me weirdly. “Is that your full name?”

I lied. “Yes.” He smiled. “Okay, Haymitch.” He looked at the necklaces and bracelets I had made. “How much for two necklaces?” He asked me. “What do you have to trade?” I responded by trying my best to sound aggressive to someone I liked. He dug through his bag with his black curls dancing like waves as they hung in his eyes. He had two lavender bars of soap, three yarn balls and a loaf of bread. “A bar of soap.” I said. He placed one down on the crate and threw two necklaces into his bag, before he walked off he placed a baseball on the table. “For Conrad’s birthday last month.” I took it and placed it in my bag.

“Thanks dude, he’ll love it.” And he walked away from my booth, my brother, Conrad, had always liked my friends, but him and Xander had always gotten along very well, Xander’s dad took care of every legal matter you think of and his mom was the best doctor in district 12, he lived in a big house in victor village which was just being occupied by the lucky families like Xander’s since our first and only victor, Lucy grey baird disappeared, so Xander could afford really nice things like baseballs and Xander, being the person he is always made sure to help the people he liked like me and my family. After trading with many people I was running out of jewellery and the leftover firewood I had left at my booth.

I heard running and saw a shaggy looking guy with a scruffy beard that was covered with coal dust sprint into the black market. He was in overalls meaning he was probably from the mines. He was old and thin, he held a tobacco pipe in his left hand with his braille, black, long fingers wrapped around it tightly, I knew the man well, his name was Stan, here, we called him scruffy Stan. if my family lived anywhere else my parents would keep me and my brother away from him but he used to be a great artist and builder here, he even did tattoos on his days off before his hand got broken by a guard because he was protecting a little kid.

He was screaming very loudly right now in the black market. “Peace keepers!” He Yelled in his smoker voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. “Peacekeepers coming! Peacekeepers are coming!” I saw all the booths hide their valuables quickly as the ones that were more expensive and fancy that were a little more permanent pull down their wooden shades and blinds to act like their booth was closed as some of the sellers helped the smaller booths close up. Scruffy Stan said quickly to me. “Hide your jewellery Mitch.” I stuffed the necklaces and bracelets in my pants along with the rings into my boots.

“Scruffy stan, call me haymitch.” He nodded. “I’ll pass that around kid, I have to go tell the others about the peacekeepers.” and he ran down yelling. “Peace keepers!” as he placed some firewood on my table. And ran off to help some others hide valuables. The old lady next to me was selling shoes and golden buttons. Her hair was wrapped up in a ripped up bandana, her face had coal dust all over it and she had a scar from the top of her left eye brow down to the tip of her nose. My mother always bought my sneakers from her booth and always got a couple buttons every month for clothing. When she was hiding her buttons she spilled the tray. I went to help her hide her buttons but the peacekeepers came in. One of the peacekeepers pulled me up. “Anything valuable kid?” He said in a creepy low voice, I shook my head furiously. “No sir.” He looked down at my hand. “I see you have some shiny buttons. I’ll take those.” He smiled evilnessly. “Yes sir.” I handed the buttons, he looked at me and keened me in the gut. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to lie?” he said as I gripped my gut. He then pushed me to the cement floor and he walked away after that. The peacekeepers would come in here around the start of the month that the reaping was in every year and take our goods we were selling. After they left I slowly got up and emptied my pockets and gave the buttons I had time to shove in my pockets before the peacekeepers came in and gave them back to the lady. “Thank you baby.” The old lady said to me. She called everyone baby, she had such a bad memory that it was just easier for her that way.

When I got home my mom was doing up Conrad’s white reaping shirt. “What’s going on?” My dad was doing up his tie, he smelled more like lavender and less of beer. My dad said. “It’s the quarter quell, we have to go watch.” He then turned to face me and added. “Haymitch.” I looked at him. “I see scruffy Stan doesn’t waste any time telling people.” My dad laughed. “No, your mother told me what she saw out the window and what that angel called you, is she a looker?” My mother yelled angrily. “Rod, that is inappropriate!” He yelled back. “Not for me! For him!” I left them fighting in the kitchen as I took my little brother’s hand and walked him into my room. I saw that my mother had taken my sheets off my bed from the leak. “Conrad grab that end and help me move this next to the wall?” Conrad helped me get my bed next to the wardrobe and I set a bucket down in the ground where my bed used to sit to collect the water. I looked up at the ceiling as it dripped trying my hardest to drown out my parents shouting by focusing on the drops hitting the tin bucket. I put my hands into fists and put them on my hips.

Conrad tapped me on the back. I turned around and saw tears streaming down his rosary cheeks. I came down to his level. “It’s okay, dad’s just had a hard day, he’s just shouting.” I said smoothly. He wiped a tear away. “Is he going to hit mom like the peacekeepers did?” I shook my head. “no he’s just yelling that’s all.” My dad would never hit my mom even if he was drunk or we weren’t home.

He had never thrown a punch at me or my brother he wasn’t the best man but he was decent enough to never hit my mom or hit us at all, the only way Conrad knew that our mom had been hit before is because he saw her get beat by two peacekeepers when she was out pass curfew, when she came home she was all bloody from the attack she endured. My brother gave out a blood curdling scream. I quickly covered my ears as my father turned to see my mom, he took care of her all night with what little supplies we had, I don’t think my brother ever recovered from that horrfic night. He still has nightmares about seeing his mother so badly wounded and the screams she gave out when my dad was trying to heal her wounds and bloody cuts.

I pulled off my sweaty grey shirt that was covered from the soot of the fires burning back at the black market, I took Conrad by the hand and guided him over to the bed. I sat down on the bed so I was eye level with his chest, I turned his collar up and threw over a navy blue tie. As I was doing it up my brother said. “What are they going to change about the hunger games this year?” Even though my brother was not old enough to be in the hunger games he had always wanted a lot on knowledge on it after the year I turned twelve, what kind of five year old needs to know about the hunger games? Conrad looked and acted a lot like my mother, kind hearted with gentle soothing hands who cared about everyone and everything.

I was not like that, more of a man who provided for his family and protecting them from anything that could cause them harm, the people in the black market always say I look so much more like my mom but I have the personality of my father before he started drinking.

I answered Conrad’s question saying. “I don’t know, but it can’t be worse than last time when we had to choose who would go into the arena and fight to the death.” My brother looked at me scared. “Who went in?” he siad with his voice trembling. I shrugged tugging the long end of his tie forward. “Probably someone at the end since no twelve year old should die.” I looked at him. “Conrad, I know you want to ask mom and dad but that’s just going to get you in trouble, promise me you won’t ask them.” He nodded. “I promise.” I nodded and folded his collar back down as I tied his tie up. “Is that too tight?” I asked him.

He looked in the mirror making his damp hair look nice. “No, it’s fine.” I nodded. He turned to me. “Thank you Mitch.” I looked at him, seeing his glossy chestnut brown eyes. “Anytime buddy.” I choked out before going into the bathroom to wash up for the quarter quell myself.

I poured water over my nude body in the wooden tub washing the coal dust off my body, unfortunately that was impossible since it was the seam, I dunked my head under the warm water getting the dirt off my face. I pushed my hair back when I came up for air, I used the bar of soap Xander had traded me and I soaked it in the bath water before scrubbing my body with it and then using the scrub brush, I cleaned under my nails and the bottom of my sore achy feet, when I got out of the wooden tub I dried myself off and button upped my white dress shirt, I turned the cuffs up nicely, and pulled up my black ironed dress pants, doing the fly up quickly, I then grabbed an old ruined shoe box and opened it to find a pair of black loafers, I barely wore these shoes, two times a year at most, once to christmas mass and the reaping, this year it would be three, christmas mass, the reaping and the quarter quill. I placed them on the cobblestone floor and I slipped on my black slacks over my heela with the help of a shoe horn I made of od wood. I walked into the kitchen unfolding my blue tie to put around my neck.

My mother told me to sit in front of the mirror, she brushed my hair gently as I quickly did up my tie and tightened at to the top.

After my brother got his shoes on we set out. My mother held my brother’s hand as we walked towards the sign in desk. “name?” A peace keeper asked my mother. “Lorianna Abernathy.” The peacekeeper crossed her name off. “Next!” I walked up quickly. “Name?” He said again. “Haymitch Abernathy.” I said. The guard searched for my name. “It’s under Mitch sir.” He looked at me. “Do you want it changed to haymitch?” I didn’t hear what he said but I nodded anyway. The peacekeeper yelled. “Next!” And I hurried away like one of the frightened mice Xander and I would find in the school house.

I walked over to my parents who were with my brother, I felt my shoes kick the tiny rocks on the gravel path. My mother had let go of my brother’s hand now. “Okay, Conrad, go sit down with your friends, Mitch- I mean haymitch will go get you after.” Conrad nodded and ran over to the other ten year olds. I then left to go stand with the other sixteen year old males.

“Hey!” I heard a female friendly voice say, I spun around on my heel and saw a brown haired girl. She was in a white short sleeve dress that ended at the top of her keen caps. There was a pattern of tiny sky blue flowers over it. She was wearing black Mary Jane shoes with the buckle on her left shoe broken.

“Kiara.” I said. She shifted her eyes. “That’s me.” I felt my heart begin to pound. “What are you doing here?” She turned to look at the stage and then back at me. “The same thing you are, to see what the second quarter quell is going to be.” I looked down. “Right, sorry that was a stupid question.” She giggled at my response. “I can see my nickname has caught on since that’s what people are calling you now," she said.

I smiled and said. “It’s got a nice ring to it, no one can deny that.” I looked at her bright eyes and took a deep breath. “I have to go stand with the other boys but do you want to hang out after the ceremony?” She raised an eyebrow and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks feeling like an absolute total fool, she then burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh you should have seen your face, I’d love to hang out haymitch.” I felt relieved as I felt my cheeks cool. “Okay, see you then Kiara.” She smiled. “It’s a date!” And ran off to go stand with the other girls.

I pushed through the crowd and stood next to Xander. Everyone was trembling with fear, it seemed like you could cut through the tension with a knife, Coriolanus Snow, our president would be on the screen any second now. I could see the sweat beating on the boy’s forehead a couple kids down, he was my height and had his blonde hair done up in a perm, his glasses were pushed up high on his nose and he was dressed in all black dress clothing, Xander was kicking the dirt with his hands buried deep in his pockets.

His curly hair had been wet, it was flatter than usual and was dripping. The crowd was silent that you could hear the breaths being taken by the people around you. I wished I was 19 years old or closer to Conrad’s age, at least then I wouldn’t have to fear about playing in the games where they’ve thrown a wrench into the gears. I hoped Conrad wasn’t worried about me.

Xander whispered in my ear. “I’ve heard the quarter quells get worse as time goes on.” I looked at him puzzled.

“What could be worse than having to vote for someone in your district to die? Let alone being the one being voted for.” Xander stayed silent. “They had to send their own neighbours to their death because they got the most votes, what’s worse than that?” He shrugged. “I don’t know but that’s what my uncle from the capital says and you know he works for president Snow.” and Xander shoved his hands deeper in his pockets, I felt my heart began to race.

I then heard static, everyone’s head snapped to the front and the T.V. Screen had turned on, soon we would hear the awful news that had been dangling in district 12’s smokey air since the start of this month.

Chapter 2

An old man appeared on screen, the president, president Snow, he wasn’t an elderly man but he was old, he was old enough to be a man with light grey hair at least, I had heard stories from elderly people down at the black market that he was a very good looking man back when he was a young boy, scuffy stan told me one time when I was warming up by the fire on a cold Snowy sunday what president Snow used to look like: a tall man with curly blonde hair with a strong jawline and baby blue eyes.

Everyone said he looked like an angel back in the day but not anymore, how could a man so heartless have been known to be so good looking? he must have been a real handsome guy to act like this and still get married, I know he had to have been because he had a little child that he adored, I think it was a daughter. she seemed to be the only thing he had ever cared about and loved with whatever they had replaced his ugly heart with in that chest of his. he was an evil man in the eyes of every child, teen and parent in the districts. He spoke in a loud voice that blasted through the speakers. “Hello district 12!” I saw my brother at the front quickly put his hands over his ears to protect them from the noise. “Welcome to our second quarter quell.” President Snow said with a wicked grin on his face. my body tensed up when he spoke those last two words. “Like last time I will open the known black box and read the out loud to you, the envelope nor has the box been opened in over 50 years.” I felt my finger nails dig into the palms of my soot covered hands.

“But enough chit chatting, time for the moment we’ve all been gathered here today for!” the screen changed from president Snow to a younger man in bright blue funky clothes, his jacket sparkled on the screen. He was walking over to someone, he had long eyelashes that were made to look gold by makeup and spikey flame coloured hair. He presented a small black wooden box to president Snow. Snow carefully opened the box pulling out a yellow envelope, I could hear my heart pounding in my head, I hoped no one else could hear it, they probably were too busy hearing their own.

Snow ripped open the evople and took out a cream coloured sheet of paper. He unfolded it with care, he looked at the screen and then read the sheet. “For the 50th annual hugergames and the second quarter quell we will seclet double the amount of tributes, two males and two females from each district.” I heard a loud cry from a weeping mother. I didn’t dare look behind in fear it was my own.

Snow continued. “No matter age, disability, sickness or family history.” I heard a man yell angerily. “Monster!” I was relieved for it to not be my father's. It was too high pitched, but I was also upset it wasn’t his voice either. “They will be placed in the arena to fight.” Snow had said after that man shouted. I could hear other kids weeping and crying around me. I looked over at my brother, I could see he was looking behind himself searching for my face in the crowd, he couldn’t see me from the tall boy in front of me but I could see his concerned face as he stood up from his chair still looking for me to see what expression I had plastered over my face. I looked back at the screen with my eyes beginning to be glued to the brightly lit rectangle. Our president smiled wickedly. He spoke happily.

“And may the odds be ever in your favour!” the screen then faded to the darkest black. All I could hear was uneven breathing, I was waiting for it to turn into chaos and the place to be trashed by the civillians but it never came. It was a couple minutes before any child moved from the crowd to go meet up with their parents and go back home with the terrible news that they now had double the chances of being sent to fight to the death. I moved after a couple kids had moved. As I walked towards the 10 year olds I stayed silent only looking in front of me. I didn’t want to look around and see other kids in terror of what we have just heard. In silence I found Conrad and took his hand to lead a him back to my parents, he kept asked what President Snow meant by that announcement, what did he mean by double the amount of tributes? I refused to anwser his questions iut in the open like this and it wasn’t the time to ask so he stayed silent.

as I was finding my parents I walked pass Kiara, I saw her father’s hand on her shoulder gripping her sleeve tightly but not tight enough to hurt her, Kiara’s face was emotionless. when I found My mother she hugged me tightly. I looked at my dad. He just nodded but I could see he had tears in his eyes and was fighting to keep them from falling. We headed home just before it started to spit outside, the leak in my room was still going. I tore off my dress clothes and put on a pair of old jeans that my mother had sewn the keens back together about dozen times. I didn’t feel like wearing a shirt that I would only wear for a couple hours before having to get ready for bed and I would just get it covered in coal dust just for my mom to wash it again so I just stayed shirtless, with everything that was going on, me going out in public shirtless was the least of my parents worries.

I decided to try and fix the roof where the leak was coming from. I took the old ladder my dad bought long before I was born that we stored in the back shed along with a hammer I made back when I was 13 from a rock I found at the black market. I leaned the ladder up against the house and climbed up onto the roof. I took a couple 2 by 4 wooden planks up on top of the roof with the help of my brother, after Conrad and I were done getting the wooden planks up on the roof he ran inside covering his head with his jacket from the rain, I chuckled since he was acting like it was pouring heavily while on the other hand I was shirtless not bothered by the water dropets falling, I looked around on the roof and found where the leak was. The wood had been rotted. probably from all the weather it had endured and it looked like the plank was going to snap any minute. I placed one of the 2 by 4 wooden boards over the rotting one. And started to hammer it into the roof.

“Hey!” I heard someone shout. I got scared and lost my balance, I rolled off the roof and landed on the ground in a pile of mucky hay, I grunted when I hit the ground. I looked up to see Kiara laughing. “I’m so sorry. Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” she said in between laughs. I sat up in the damp hay. “Yeah, I’m okay.” I said as I picked the straws of hay off my bare troso. Kiara was standing outside my yard on the other side of the fence. she was in beige track pants and a black V-neck T-shirt. I stood up pushing my wavy bangs to the side. She had finally stopped laughing but was still smiling “What were you doing up there on the roof anyways?” I rubbed the mud off my hands onto my jeans. “Fixing a leak.” She nodded. “You want me to come back later?” she asked.

I shook my head saying. “No, give me two seconds.” I quickly ran over to my family’s old ladder and took it down from the house and laid it down on it’s side rail against the side of the house where I usually put it when it wasn’t winter and Snowing everyday. She looked me up and down. “You might want to grab a jacket.” I nodded grabbing a leather jacket that was hanging on a chair on my porch. Kiara said. “Where do you want to go?” I shrugged. “doesn’t matter, let’s just get out of here.” Kiara nodded and started walking. Neither of us said anything until we passed the bakery. “What do you think about the quarter quell?” She asked me. I shrugged. “Nothing, I’m 17 so I’m pretty use to feeling like I could be getting sent to my death.” I dug my hands into my pockets. “I don’t even know why every district has to send a couple kids to die every year, it seems pointless, the kids are innocent, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

Kiara shouted. “Exactly! What did we do that was so awful that we should get sent to our death?!” Kiara then turned the green ring i gave her on her index finger. “Hey, you’re still wearing it.” I said pointing at her finger. She looked at me wierdly. “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be.” I smiled. “No one really ever cares about the jewellery I make, they care more about the tools I make out of stone.” Kiara was surprised. “You make tools out of stone too? Like what?” I turned a corner with her next to me. “War hammers, axes, tiny knives, draggers, arrowheads, sometimes I even make hunting traps.” I said counting on my fingers. Kiara took hold of my hand. “You're amazing, you know that.” I scoffed. “Just trying to put food on the table.” Kiara brought me over to a bench in front of a little pond, many couples went here on dates, in the summer the sun would shine on the water making it look like gold liquid. The trees that surrounded the area curved inward forming sort of a dome with no roof. She sat down next to me on the bench and said. “No, you do put food on the table but you also make amazing tools that are useful, you protect your family, you adore your brother, you make jewellery.” She said showing me her ring. “And you make me happy.” I looked at her surprised.

“Haymitch, I don't know how long I have until the reaping so I need to ask you something, will you go out with me?” She said. I scooted closer to her. I took her by the shoulders and kissed her. She didn’t pull away which made me feel relieved. She ran her hands through my blonde wavy curls. I deepen the kiss. It then started to pour we pulled apart from the rain. Kiara let out a cry in surprise. I saw the water hit the blue pond in front of us as the fish swam into their little homes and hiding places, and the trees that surrounded the area blew loudly. We looked at each other and laughed as we got soaked. I took off my jacket and put it over both of us to stay out of the rain even if we were both down dripping wet. I walked Kiara home and then went back where I lived with my family.

The reaping was a week away now, me and Kiara had been spending a lot of time together lately, She brought me food that I could share with my family in exchange for a piece of jewellery.

It was a sunny morning on this Sunday in the seam. I was keening in the dirt of my front yard, I was burning a nail over a small campfire that I had started, I wanted to burn some holes through the broken glass so I could use some of the fishing line I traded to make more necklaces. I saw Kiara walking up, her hair was in a low bun, she was in a white frilly short selevee shirt and homemade jean shorts, She approached my fence. She didn’t look happy, I placed the nail down and stood up with the dirt staining the keens on my pants. I walked over to the fence. She leaned on the wooden fence around my yard and said. “Promise me you won’t do it!” I was confused on why she sounded so panicked. I asked her. “Promise? Promise not to do what?” she ran her hands down her shirt like she was drying the sweat off them. “There was some news on the T.V. you didn’t see it? It was on the radio too.” I shifted my eyes around avoiding her face. “I’ve been out here all morning and we only use the T.V. for the hunger games.”

she said. “Okay, um… I was at Xander’s house delivering some sausages, his dad was going to pay me up front for them, Xander answered the door and when he went to call his dad President Snow showed up on the T.V. and said if you put your name in for the games a second time you would get a year supplies of oil and rice.” I was filled wih shock and happiness. I could put my name in again so my family could survive this winter.

Kiara looked at me. “Promise me you won’t do it Haymitch Abernathy.” I said in a gentle voice. “Kiara, Babe-” Kiara interrupted me. She was shouting at me. “You can not be serious right now!? Are you actually considering putting you name in again, having your chances be triple for a bit of supplies!?” I tried to reason with my girlfriend. “Kiara, I could finally give my family enough food this winter that my ten year brother doesn’t have to wonder where his next meal is going to come from and if he’s even going to get it.”

Kiara was tearing up. “Please don’t do it, I’ll give you all the meat I can get from my family, free of charge, just don’t do it, don’t try and die.” I knew there was nothing she could say that would convince me not put my name in again. “There’s nothing I can say or do that will make you not do it, is there?” I took hold of her hand. “I’m sorry.” she shook her head. “Don’t be, you want to protect and provide for your family so they can have the best life possible, it’s part of the reason why I fell in love with you.” she said.

She cleared her throat. “Today is the last day you can sign up, it’s at the stage.” I looked at the time. “I should get going then.”

Kiara asked me. “Can I walk with you?” and I smiled at my girlfriend nodding happily. As we walked through out the gravelly streets we chatted with one another. “Why is this even an opinion now babe?” I asked as I walked holding Kiara’s hand. “Isn’t it obvious? Snow needs some new ideas, the games aren’t brutal enough for the capital.” I scoffed. “Yeah, let’s throw them in the arena and see how long they last after pretty much starving.” Kiara laughed. I turned a corner at the bakery. “I wish Lucy Grey didn’t disappear, she might have been able to help the tributes.” Kiara nodded and said. “You never know she might still be alive.” I looked at her confused. “What? She was like in the 10th hunger games she’s got to be dead.” Kiara shrugged at me. “Not neccssaryily, if she was like 17 or 18 she would be going into her early 70s and sometimes people can live that long.” I shook my head. “I doubt she’s still alive.”

Kiara nodded. “Yup you’re probably right.” I saw the stage, there was a table with two peace keepers, the line was long. I looked at Kiara. “You don’t have to stay.” She shook her head furiously. I saw her knotted bun bounce around. “I’m not leaving, not now, not ever.” I thought of Kiara’s and Xander’s life, what it must be like not to worry about living, Xander was a boy who was born with a dollar bill in his hand, he had everything he needed in the palm of his hand. Kiara was not the same as him but she was definitely better off then I was, living in a place that always had food must have been nice, bakeries, Butcher shops, seafood markets or anyplace with cattle, Kiara would always have something in her stomach to give her energy.

The sun was starting to set and we finally made it to the front of the line. the first peace keeper was a young man who was tall and thin, must have been just started the job, the other one looked older, he was familiar meaning I had seen him before, he was the one who took the buttons from me at the black market.

The young man stood over us. He must have been at least over 6 foot 3. His voice was loud but not deep. “Name?” I spoke as clearly as possible. “Haymitch Abernathy.” He flipped through some papers before finding my name and information. “Purpose of being here?” I looked at Kiara. “Uhhh…” she spoke up. “The supplies exchange.” I nodded. He mumbled and set and pen out in front of me. “Read this and sign it.” I quickly scanned over the page and signed it quickly. The man took it back. “Thank you, may the odds be ever in your favour.” And me and Kiara left as we were getting off the stage Kiara said. “He was helpful.” Sarcastically. I decided to just nod and hurry home quickly before night fall.

Chapter 3

The next day was another rainy day, like it usually did in the little town we called home. I was achey and sore from falling off the roof yesterday and had some bad bruises on the left side of my body, but I could mange the pain, me and Conrad made it to school soaking wet. Conrad was in a rain jacket that was way too big for him and even with me holding my book bag over his head, it still looked like he fell into the river down by the baker’s and the Chrome’s house. Mr. Chrome lived in a small house down by the river with his son, they had a shed out front which Mr. Chrome and the builder down by the black market had fixed up, Mr. Chorme was a hairdresser and cut almost everyone’s hair for goodies in exchange. He would get a loaf of bread from the baker, soap from Xander, meat from Kiara’s family, he usually asked for firewood from me but every now and then he would see if I had any jewellrey that he would probably trade for other things.

I got into the mess hall that was also the mud room, it’s where the higher grades ate lunch while the younger ones just ate in their classrooms. I walked in and picked a hook closer to the entrance. The rotting wooden door blew open as a girl in a red raincoat walked in and used all her strength to close and latch it so it would stop blowing open “wow! You look cold.” I turned around and saw it was Kiara as she removed her soaking wet hood that didn’t really give her much protection since her hair looked almost black from the water. I nodded. “Look, my hair even turned brown!” showing her my roots from where the rain had soaked it the most. “Here, I bring one everytime I have to walk through the sand pits.” she handed me a white towel that had some soot in the cotton. I took the towel from her thanking her for being so kind. I dried my hair and ringed out my shirt. “I’m sorry I don’t have a change of clothes.” I laughed. “I don’t think they would fit me, beside I have my gym clothes in my desk in Mr. peter’s class.”

Kiara nodded. “Um… my father was wondering if your family would like to come over for dinner, my mom isn’t eatting much because of the date that the reaping happens but that leaves us with a lot of food and way too much meat for just the two of us to eat and we don’t like to waste it because, well, we live in district 12.” I looked at her. “Why does he want my family to come over?” Kiara shrugged. “I don’t know.” I stared at her hard. I looked into her big eyes seeing the light shine off them. She rolled he eyes as she sighed. “He wants to know if you’re good enough for me.” she then said in a manly voice imitating her father. “I need to know if this boy will treat my little girl like the queen she is, he better be willing to sacrifice himself for you.” I laughed. “Sounds like a great dad. You deserve one like that more than any girl I know.” and we both walked into our classrooms.

When I got home I told my parents what Kiara bo williams had offered us. My mother said. “Oh my! I have to bake a pie, I don’t want her family to think we’re rude.” I rolled my eyes, I said before my mom could even get the kitchen oven turned on. “The Bo Williams are not going to think we are rude, they already know we are poor, why do think Kiara always brings us raw beef, chicken and other meats?” I said holding up the sausages wrapped in a brown parchment with a sting wrapped around it tied in a bow. My mom ignored me. “Haymitch, what fruit did Xander trade for the firewood?”

I said in an annoyed voice. “strawberries from the capital’s bushes.” and I walked away and into my room. I fell down onto my creaky bed, I felt the sting on my chest and stomach from the mattress that was 2 inches thick and as hard as rocks. I got up after a 20 minute nap with my blonde wavy hair standing straight up like it did after I slept. I put on a white button up shirt that I had tried my best to get the black soot out of the fabric and pulled out a pair of black dress pants that were in the back of my closet that I wore only for special events like a funeral or to the church around christmas, I ironed them quickly but carefully so I wouldn’t burn myself, I threw them on my body and opened the new bottle of gel Xander had traded me for a dozen fire logs and two bracelets for his sister who was turning 10 next month.

I moved all my hair to the left side leaving a strong part on the right side, I gelled the strands of hair out of my face and gelled the longer pieces behind my ears. I walked out of my room to see my mother putting a tie on my brother. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What are you doing mom?” I said in a tone that sounded a little disrespectful from the look my father gave me where I apologised quickly after he looked at me angrily. My mom said. “We are going to Xander’s chapel after to pray that god protects you in the reaping and that your name isn’t picked. I nodded and slid a black tie into my back pocket. My mom had put on one of her dresses she would wear to special events or when we go see family and friends on christmas or easter. My dad had shaved his face and washed the dirt, coal and anything else that had dirtied him back in the mines. He was wearing a suit with the red bow tie he wore last time to my graduation from grade 8 into high school.

We set out soom after that. My mother brought the strawberry pie she made as my dad held an umbrella above both of them as me and my brother carried our own. My brother’s umbrella had dinosaurs on it while mine was just plain black. Xander had gotten the dinosaur umbrella for my brother’s birthday two years ago and it is probably the nicest thing my brother owns. We made it to my girlfriend’s house, I saw her in her red raincoat outside feeding some of the animals outside, before she hurried inside when we were just about five houses down but I didn’t shout her name since I knew we were way overdressed, I could see that Kiara was in the handmade jean shorts that she wore on that sunny sunday morning.

My mother walked up and knocked on the door. A pretty woman opened the door, she looked like Kiara only her eyes were brown. She was in black pants and a white shirt with a blue blouse over it. My mother said with a huge smile on her face. “Hi, we are the abernathys, sorry if we look overdressed, we are going to a friends chapel after.” the woman nodded and signaled us to come in. I caught a glimpse of a man making food in the kitchen. Kiara then said. “Mother, dad wants to know if I could set the table.” she then saw my family. “Oh! You're here!” she walked over to us And kissed me. I was surprised but didn’t pull away. After she stepped back she shook my mom’s and dad’s hands. “You must be his parents, he looks just like you both, and I’ve already met Conrad multiple times.” my mother replied. “I made a pie, I hope you guys don’t mind, it’s strawberry.” Kiara smiled taking the pie. “Oh! Of course we don’t, strawberry is your favourite mother, isn’t that right?” Kiara’s mom nodded, Kiara asked. “can you put this in the kitchen and tell dad the guests are here, mother?” Kiara’s mom nodded and took the pie as she walked into the kitchen. I guess Kiara could read the room and the expressions on our faces. “My mother is mute, she communicates with pen and paper or signing out letters in sign language, but don’t worry we will translate everything she says.” after a minute I heard a deep voice say. “I just want to meet him, I’m not going to be mean.” as I saw Kiara’s mom making hand gestures. The man walked out with a whole chicken cooked and place it on the table. He had black hair and was balding at the top of his head, he had a short goatee, he had a beer belly and he seemed smaller than last time I saw him as I was dragging fire wood to the black market. He was in a white T shirt and black pants with a white apron that had an orange sauce with black and green spices on it. He looked at my family.

Kiara said. “See dad, normal family, mother and father are still married they have two sons that are raised well and are kind, the dad works in the mines.” the dad put his hand up. “Sweetheart please.” he looked at me. “From the outside he looks nice and from what you tell me he is good to you.” He then looked at his daughter. “I just want to make sure.” as he messed up her hair and went to get more food. My father and mother introduced themselves to Kiara’s mom and dad. “hi I’m Rodfrod abernathy you can call me Rod and this is my wife Eden.” the mother signed something. Kiara said. “My mother asked if it’s spelt like the garden in the bible.” my mother smiled. “Yes, exactly like the garden.” Kiara’s mother smiled. Kiara’s dad said. “Nice to meet you, rod and eden, my name is augustus bo Williams and this is my my wife Anya Bo Williams.” after we all got settled we sat down and began to eat. The parents talked as me, my brother and Kiara talked about school. I noticed Augustus looking at me.

I cleared my throat. “So Mr. Bo williams, how long have you been in the butching business? Did your parents do it?” he said. “Actually yes they did, my dad actually built that oven out there in the yard.” I said. “Dad please pass the water.” and filled Kiara’s glass back up.

Which made Mr. Bo williams smile. I said. “These round things are absolutely amazing by the way.” Kiara laughed. “They’re called patties Haymitch, has Xander never given you one?” I replied. “Um… Xander’s mom usually cooks very big meals with a lot of vegetables since they grow food in their garden but the patties he has always given us were beef.” Kiara said. “Oh.” Kiara’s mother signed something to me. “My wife wants to know where you got your necklace.” Mr. Bo williams said to me. I looked down and saw the necklace I had made out of a clear “Betty beer” bottle.

I said. “Oh, I make them out of beer bottles or Jam jars.” Mr. Bo williams said. “Kiara you told me he sold fire wood down by the market.” I said. “I do, but sometimes I have jewellery there too. I made that ring for Kiara when we first met.” Kiara’s mom signed something. “My mother was wondering where I got it.” Kiara said. I took off the necklace. “Um… Mrs. Bo williams you can have the necklace, I have plenty more at home and it is a little too girly for me anyways.” she smiled and blew a kiss to me. Mr. Bo Williams said. “She is signing Thank you.” I smiled. “Well, you are more than welcome.”

Dinner came to an end and my mother’s pie was served. After the bo williams took a bite they were shocked on how good it tasted. “Oh my god, this is amazing!” Kiara said. She looked at me. “Your mom can really cook!” Mr. Bo williams said. “Wait, you made this? Like form scratch? Oh my gosh, anya, baby, eat it! It’s better than the ones Xander trades for the turkeys at christmas!!”

I was happy that the Bo williams enjoyed my mom’s strawberry pie. Kiara said. “Oh, Haymitch, I want to show you our chickens!” she looked at her dad. “May I?” he nodded as he shoved another piece of pie in his mouth. It had stopped raining so we didn’t need an umbrella or Kiara’s raincoat. As I was walking over to chicken coop she grabbed my arm, swung me around, and kissed me, she put her hands on my chest, I cupped her face when I kissed her back. When we opened our eyes again, I said. “What was that for?” she smiled. “For being the man I fell so hard for and being the boy my dad would approve of.” I pulled her close and kissed her on the head. She nested her hand close to my chest.

“I didn’t really need to show you the chickens.” I said in a sacrsitic tone with a smile on my face. “You don’t say!” she laughed and lightly punched me in the arm. We then heard church bells. She walked over to the back fence and looked over at Xander’s house that you could barely see. She leaned forward and then back into the yard, she propped herself up and sat down on her wooden french. “I wonder why the lights are on at Xander’s chapel. I sat down next to her. “You mean you never have gone?” she looked at me. “I’ve gone to Xander’s chapel but only around christmas and easter.”

I said. “Tomorrow is the reaping, the start of the hunger games, many families go there to pray that god will protect them, we will be going there after this so my parents can ask god to protect me.” Kiara nodded. “It doesn't actually change anything though.” I told her. “You’re right but it gives my parents some peace of mind.” She placed her hand on mine.

“Are you scared of tomorrow?” I said. “Alittle, but my family doesn’t know, my mom is always hugging and kissing me before I have to go sit with the other teenagers, I don’t know if my dad is drinking more because he’s scared I might get picked or because he’s having a harder time in the mines because the days are getting longer, my brother by now is crawling into my bed in the middle of the night because he doesn’t want to lose me.” Kiara rested her head on my shoulder. “I guess that’s the only good thing about being an only child, you don’t have to worry about losing and sibling.” I looked at her. “Oh, you are an only child, I just noticed that, you just are so nice and caring and understanding I thought you would have at least two.” she shook her head, she replied “nope, My mom and dad had their-” she said in a high pitched voice. “Prefect angel.” And then rolled her eyes and sighed. I was staring at her now as we sat on the fence.

She looked over at me a couple times until she said. “Yes, haymitch?” I said “can you smile for me please?” She looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Why?” I cupped her face. “So I can remember it and dream about it tonight.” she shook head laughing at the ground. “Okay.” she grinned.

I smiled. “I think you’re beautiful.” I said as I kissed her, she closed her eyes and grabbed my shoulder as she ran her hand up and held my head as her fingers ran through my hair. “Hey Haymitch we’re going now-” I pulled away from Kiara and saw my brother standing inside the doorway. He then said “OhhhhhhHhhhhhhHhhhh! Kiara and Haymitch sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

I quickly ran over and covered his mouth with my left hand as he continued to sing. Kiara and I heard his muffled voice say. “First comes love, than comes marriage, then comes a baby sitting in the baby carriage!” me and Kiara started laughing at my brother. It was nice to laugh at something with something so horrible right around the corner.

My family left after to go to church. When we walked in we were greeted by Xander. “How are you doing buddy?” he asked Conrad. Missing up his hair. He gave me a man hug and guided us to an empty pew. He said with a pained face. “Let the odds be ever in your favour.” he looked at me. “My dad thinks our house and chapel is bugged.” I said. “It’s all good.”

Xander walked away. The mass started and the priest started the prayer and then the list of names started. Mine was third one but everytime they said a name we had to say amen. And the hour long church started.

By the end my brother had fallen asleep with his head resting on the pew infront of him keening on the keener. We finally went home and I quickly stripped down into my boxers before climbing into bed and throwing the covers before I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 4

Reaping day couldn’t have come any faster than it did. I was awoken at first light by my brother kicking the back of my head hard. He had woken me up when the moon was shining bright in my window last night crying, he told me he didn’t want to lose me, he had been waking me up on the night before the reaping every year since he could understand what the hunger games meant to people who weren’t in the capital or district 1 and 2 and why none of the people who were reaped came home, he was always too young to know what this meant to kids 12 and older, how kids were being sent to die for punishment of their ancestors, my mother and father were very clear with me not to tell him, it was the one thing I understood completely from when I was a little boy, but we all knew he was growing up even if he would always be such a sweet boy, one day he would understand that nobody from district 12 came back alive from the hunger games, the night he woke me up I thought of instead of giving him a long speech that would both make us stay awake for the rest of the night with no sleep, I just picked him up with the sleep still in my eyes and let him sleep in my bed for the night, he must have moved in his sleep after crying alittle to be asleep with his head down at the bottom of the bed and his feet possibly giving me a concussion if he kicked me hard enough.

He had fainted tear lines on his face, his hands were snuggled up next to my coal stained blanket. His hair was brushed over his eyes and the busted up gash on his hand he scraped on the sharp fence had now scabbed over, the sun shined in through the window of my room, I felt the slight breeze blow through the crack of the window and flow through my hair.

My mom got him up soon after I was awake and helped my brother while I cleaned myself up for the cermony. I stood in my family bathroom butt naked, with my towel in my hand. I sighed and got into the tiny wooden tub. I washed myself good and scrubbed my feet and hands until they were red. I ran my hands through my hair making sure every strand was coated in shampoo and conditioner. I poured water over the blonde wavy locks that covered most of my head until the white soapy hair turned into a dirty blonde colour. I made sure the shampoo was out of my hair by ducking my head under the water and staying under for as long as I could before having to come up for air.

I stood in front of my bed dripping wet with a towel wrapped around my waist. A breeze blew through my window. I shivered as it hit my soaking wet nude body and passed through me.

I dried the bottom half of my body and put on a pair of black boxer shorts. I got the towel and got my wet feet dry so I wouldn’t rot the wood more than it already was. I then got my black dress pants ironed and I quickly threw on my white blouse buttoning it up and tucking it into my pants. I slicked my medium length hair to the side with a strong side part. I could hear my mother’s voice in my head when I no longer wanted it cut short. “You can have long hair if you’re going to take care of it.” The phase bounced around in my head as I checked my part one last time. It was now time to leave for the reaping. I was doing up my buckle as I was going out the front door as I slipped my leather brown suspenders over my shoulders. My mom held my brother’s hand tightly, I noticed his left cuff undone, I remember he always used to undo them when he got nervous, scared or was stressed. As we passed the bakery I saw a couple of 12 year olds looking more terrified than ever. I remembered my first year. I think the only thing that kept me from breaking down was Gus. Gus was a young boy. He was a handsome man who had every girl all over him but it was obvious he was gay. I was close with him since my dad was close with his dad. He told me I had nothing to worry about when it was my first reaping, that was seconds before he was chosen to die in an arena that had no way out. I saw the line to where we had to check in and took my brother’s hand from my mother’s shaky hand. My brother went first. “Name.” The peacekeeper said.

“Conrad, Conrad Abernathy.” The peacekeeper looked him up and down. “Age?” Conrad looked at me and I squeezed his hand. He said. “10 sir.” The peace keeper said. “Next!” I l stepped closer to the peacekeeper. “Name.” I said clearly. “Haymitch Abernathy.” He checked my name off. “Age.” I stood up straight. “17 years old sir.” He looked at me. “I’ll need to prick your finger, Snow’s orders.” I stuck out my index finger, he pricked it and placed it on a piece of paper in a box where the words Haymitch Abernathy was written at the top. The red thick blood coming from my finger stained the paper as it soaked through. I wiped my finger on my pants as I walked away and took hold of my brother and walked him over to the other ten year olds. Conrad smiled when he saw his best friend, Bader. Bader was a tanned boy with straight black hair that had been slicked back. He was a strong boy which surprised me, his family was a lot like ours, poor and barely got by in the winters, his mom died when he was born. Bader was born in the middle of the night, bader’s father, Mr. Chrome took her to the Mason’s house. The Masons have a lot of medicine so Mr. Chrome thought it was the best idea he could think of at the time. the whole town could hear the screams from the mason’s house, it wasn’t until the next day that we found out Una Chrome passed away, her last words before she passed were. “His name is Bader, it means full moon. He is full, full of life.”

The tanned boy smiled as we walked up. “Yo moon!” My brother yelled as he started to roughhouse with him. “Hey Bader.” I said. I looked over at my brother. “Hey, I’ll come get you after, see you soon.” And I walked away. I hadn’t seen Kiara yet, it was probably better that way, just in case one of us was getting sent to our death. I walked silently into the boys and found a spot to stand and wait. Xander came and stood next to me soon after, he was in all black. Including a tie he had on that was tied up nicely.

I saw a woman with a zebra printed dress walk up on stage. She had black eyeshadow and black lipstick on. She was Asian and had her jet black hair in a long braid. “Welcome to the 50th annual hunger games and the second quarter quell.” We kept quiet. “As last year ladies first.” I tightened my hands into fists hoping I wouldn’t hear Kiara’s name. The woman pulled a name out. She opened it and said into the microphone. “Lillian Cameron.” Nobody moved until a little raven haired girl moved from the crowd; she must have been younger than 12, more like a 7 year old, she looked way too young to be reaped. Were they serious?! I saw her move slowly out of the line. She was in a buttoned up light blue dress with a pattern of white flowers all over it, it was buttoned up to the top with two buttons undone, she wore a baby blue ribbon in her hair that matched her dress, she had white tights on and black Mary janes. She looked so innocent apart from the terror on her face. A tear rolled down her face when she passed my line in the crowd. After the little Cameron girl made her way to the steps she stopped, probably to take a deep breath, or debating if she should try and run away knowing the peacekeepers would catch her. She stumbled up the stairs onto the stage tripping over a couple from how small and little she was. the zebra printed lady called the second girl. She reached into the fish bowl and drew one from the bottom, I held my breath hoping it wasn’t a slip that said Kiara Bo Williams, the lady read the slip out loud. “Maysilee donner.” I heard a loud cry. Everyone’s head snapped to the loud sound including the kids who were to young to understand what was going on, It was a girl in the crowd. I wondered if this girl was the one who had just got reaped or if she was related or knew the girl that just got reaped and would be dead soon. She was hanging on to the girls next to her, they were both blonde and young, they were pretty too but they looked very sad, the one on her left had her hair parted on the side, her eyes were a deep blue and her lips were the colour of the pink bubble gum like the ones Xander got from his uncle up in the capital. The other girl looked exactly like the girl weeping, the only difference was that her hair was parted down the middle and the girl crying had bangs. I heard the girl that looked like her say. “It’s okay maysilee. I won’t let them take you away from us.”

Unfortunately a peacekeeper heard this and dragged her on stage with the help of another peace keeper while while a third peacekeeper held back the girl who wanted to protect her, Everyone including the older adults and younger children could hear her crying as they took her up to the stage. I looked over where my brother was and saw him looking absolutely terrified. I could see him talking to Bader, probably asking more questions about the hunger games. We don’t watch the hunger games at my house, we try to hide what’s happening to the kids that are reaped from Conrad but school is always teaching the little ones about it. After they choose the girls I let out a breath of relief. The zebra printed woman said. “And now those strapping young gentlemen will be chosen.” I saw Xander with his fingers crossed and his eyes shut tightly. I never understood why his uncle didn’t send a train to get his family out of this place but that's none of my business. The zebra printed lady walked over to the boy's fishbowl, smiling at us with that look we found so evil, as she reached in and grabbed a bent slip. “Allan Dario Visher.” It was silent until I heard a lot of loud screaming and yelling. I turned around to see a dark brown haired guy who was 15 or 16 on top of a peacekeeper punching him in the face over and over again, his helmet was 3 feet away from him, the kid had punched it off his face, I could see the bloody face from where I was standing as people next to me stood on their tiptoes to see what was all the commotion. A couple of peacekeepers ran over to the fist fight, one of the guards pulled the teenager off the peacekeeper and he was tasered in the side and handcuffed for what he had done. They walked him up onto the stage. The zebra printed lady took a moment to gather herself like the rest of us had to on what we had just witnessed, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat before giving us a smile and she pulled the last name. I was beginning to feel relieved. But then The zebra printed lady took a slip from the top and said. “Haymitch Abernathy.” I froze. my name had just been pulled. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, my lungs seemed to be squeezed like when my mother would ring out towels, I felt the air leave my lungs as my vision started to blur, it felt like time had slowed down, I could see out of the corner of my eye Xander’s head turning towards me, I felt his eyes burning into the side of my head. I could feel the sun get hotter as I started to sweat as I felt some of the liquid run down the back of my bare neck. I felt like I was going to vomit and then pass out, was this what death felt like? Did everyone go through this feeling when they were reaped? I steadied myself quickly, I couldn’t faint in front of everyone, if that tiny girl and the two teenagers could walk up on that stage and I had to be carried because I was out cold what kind of message was I sending to my family?

I took a deep breath and slowly walked out from the crowd and started for the stage. I saw a little boy running towards me.

He latched onto my legs, ripping his left black pant leg at the keen in the process. “Don’t go, please don’t go.”

It was Conrad. I tried to pry him off but he had a iron grip on my calves. “Conrad let go, let go, get off of my legs.” He shook his head viciously “no no, no way, please stay.” I try to unlatch his coal stained fingers from my legs. “I can’t, let go of me.” He tightened his grip around my legs. “No haymitch!” I could feel the chill of his hands through my black pants. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

“Please don’t go Mitch!”

Nobody had called me Mitch in at least a month. I couldn’t talk when I saw his

Brown eyes that looked like the bark on the fire wood I would sell at the black market.

I shook my head trying to get his tiny ten year old hands away from my legs. I heard the gravel on the path get kicked as the dust rose up. I saw Xander coming towards me and my brother. He didn’t say anything before he wrapped his hands around Conrad and lifted him up over his shoulder and carried him away back to the chairs where the younger kids were sitting where my mother was waiting to take Conrad's kicking and hitting he was carrying out on Xander’s body. I made my way up on the wooden stage and I looked out over the crowd. Xander had gone back to the boys he had tears in his eyes, I never believed he could feel loss. He had everything he ever wanted. I switched over to the crowd of girls as the zebra printed lady blabbered on about whatever she was talking about. I searched the crowd for Kiara, I finally found her on the right side. She was crying, the tears were running down her gorgeous face, she wasn’t even bothering to wipe them away. I could see she was twirling the green glass ring I gave her from the time I first met her.

I was snapped back into reality when Allan Dario reached out and shook my hand. I shook his and turned to the girl my age or a year younger and shook her hand, I then squatted down and shook the little one’s hand, her whole entire hand was smaller than the size of a baseball. She was so small.

The zebra printed lady took us into separate rooms, with a peacekeeper, maysilee was put into the first room, then Allan Dario, I was the third one to be put into a room and last the little one who was named Lillian. The peacekeeper just stood there staring at me. We stared at eachother for a while, it was kind of creepy he didn’t stop looking at me once, I wonder what was the others were doing, were they crying because they knew they were going to die or were thy just sitting like I was, I heard a loud crash next door and a high pitched girl scream, then I heard a boy scream some nasty words about the capital and then it was silent, I guess he ran away, I wondered if they put two peacekeepers in Allan Dario’s room from what happened when he got reaped, if I was a peacekeeper I wouldn’t feel safe being in a room alone with him, my leg shook as I waited in that room for whatever was coming, a thousand thoughts swirled in my head, I felt like I was going to explode from everything that was going on, how was my family going to cope with this!? I finally sighed and put my head in my hands accepting defeat to everything I had just endured. A couple minutes passed and the door swung open and my brother ran in, launching himself on to me. I had never been so tightly hugged by him, he gripped onto my button up shirt tightly still crying. My parents came in after. Conrad did not want to let me go, he wanted me to stay so he wasn’t going to let me go, at this moment I was his and he was mine and we only belonged to each other, my brother and I had always been close but this was something different, he knew I was going away for a long time and would probably be sent back dead, I remember when he was five and we attended Gus’s funeral, he was so young he didn’t know what was going on, of course we didn’t tell him how Gus actually died, my mom just told him he died from a horrible disease that was found too late for treatment, I was allowed to see him for the final viewing but my brother was not and I was happy he didn’t get to see him, Gus’s face was smashed in like a pancake, his eye sockets were black and purple, his lips and jaw line were all deformed, his forehead had been all bloody from the big gaping holes in it, I had nightmares after I saw Gus like that. I kissed Conrad as he hung onto my body in this moment, he finally pulled away, I heard him sniffle, Conrad looked at me as he cupped my face with his cold small hands pressed to my cheeks. “Will you at least try and win? You’re charming and handy.” I cupping his face like he did to me. “Of course I’ll try and I’m bold, remember.”

I saw my dad. He was standing in the corner of the room leaning up against a wall in his suit and black tie. He looked at me blankly. I walked over to him confidently. I spoke in a very firm voice that I had never used with my dad. “Listen to me, you actually got to try, you can’t just drink yourself into coma, I won’t be there everyday to step up, promise me, you’ll protect them.” He nodded fighting back tears and he spoke to me for the first time in a long time. “I won’t let you down son.” My mom was shaking when I turned to her. I gave her a shy smile. She said. “Oh, just come here, baby.” And I wrapped my arms around her body. My mom cleared her throat. “Um… Mitch, Xander didn’t think he could say goodbye but he wanted you to have this before you left, he thought it would remind you of home.” She gave me a navy blue tie. I could tell by the texture that it was different. Conrad added in a choked voice. “He said it was from the capital, he told me it’s his lucky tie, maybe it could give you some luck.” I nodded and tied it quickly. “It’s time.” A peacekeeper took my parents out of the room. “Stay.” The peacekeeper said to me as he shooed them out. I heard my brother start to cry and scream as he fought to stay, I didn’t want him to get hurt so I said. “It’s okay Conrad, I’m okay, I love you buddy, I’ll be okay.” the door shut when I said. “I promise Conrad.” I then whispered. “I promise you, brother.” I sat on the wooden bench with the left keen shaking. The door opened and I saw Kiara’s tear stained face come in she rushed towards me, cupping my face and kissed me, I could taste her salty tears. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” I said to her. “Don’t apologise, you did what you thought was right.” she said horse. I held her hand. She looked me in the eye. “Listen to me. I know who you are, I know. You want to protect the people from home but I need you to think of your family, I need you to protect them from the capital.” I didn’t know how she thought I was supposed to do that until she said the next sentence to me. “So when that cannon goes you ignore everyone and everything and you run as fast as you can and you hide somewhere good, don’t be brave and don’t be bold, be the man that I fell in love with.” I nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek, before kissing her again.

“Time’s up.” The peacekeeper said before grabbing Kiara and dragging her out. “I love you Kiara!” I shouted as the door was slammed shut. I sat on the bench with my leg shaking looking at the scuff on my loafers when my brother clung onto my legs after I was reaped.

I didn’t know how long it had been since Kiara had left, had been hours, or minutes, had been days, or years. I knew thinking years was silly and completely unreasonable but I don’t think any of the people in the districts would blame me for hoping that it was that long, I just wanted to stay alive for as long as possible before I would be sent to my death, it was very quiet in this room after the peacekeeper left, I didn’t mind it too much, the quietness helped me think, all I could hear now was the wind hitting the window and wooden walls outside and I couple of foot steps outside, I could see my breath from how cold it was in this room. The quietness was started to bug me now, I of course, usually liked it but I really wanted someone to talk to, I could hear the rocks being thrown at the building wall, this is what the boys in Conrad’s grade and the boys in his school hallway would do on weekends and after school, I don't know why but I couldn’t say much since I use to do the same thing with Xander when we use to be their ages. I fanned myself with my hand and pushed my hair back from all the sweat. Finally a peacekeeper came and marched me out to a train. The zebra printed lady was there. “Hello darling, I hope the goodbyes weren’t too hard.” I stayed silent as I saw the little Lillian crying softly. Allan Dario shouted. “Who are you?!” The lady jumped. “Oh, how rude of me, my name is trinity, trinity richman.” The girl whose name was maysilee whispered into my hear. “Really living up to that last name isn’t she? with all that Capital attitude.” I laughed but covered it with a fake cough. When the peacekeeper stared at us with a tightened grip on his bat. The zebra printed lady named Trinity clapped her hands happily. “Okay everybody on the train, the capital can’t wait to meet the tributes of district 12.” I rolled my eyes as Maysilee loaded up. Allan Dario lifted Lillian since the steps were too big for her, then Allan Dario and finally I got on the train. Trinity led us to a room, it was open and had a wood with lavender smell to it. There was food, actual food, not the crumbs I would find in the kitchen cabinet at Xander’s house where he kept the cereal and crackers. My mouth started to water. Trinity said. “Help yourself to food and drinks.” We all rushed over and started grabbing food. As I poured some mixed vegetables onto my plate I felt a tug on my shirt, l looked down and saw Lillian looking up at me. “Excuse me, can you pass me one of the turkey and cheese sandwiches please? I Can’t reach them.” I looked at the sandwiches that had melted cheese and grilled turkey with the bread a crispy golden brown colour. I took one and smiled, handing it to her. After the four of us filled up our plates we sat down at a table with trinity. I put my fork down. “So how exactly is this going to work?” I asked, wiping my greasy hand on my pants. Trinity looked at me with her legs crossed. “Excuse me, what are you talking about?” Trinity asked me curiously. Maysilee said. “I think what Mitch is asking is who our mentor is going to be?” I nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking, me and maysilee have learned that the tributes are trained by past victors but Lucy grey is either long gone or living in the woods with the wolves.” Lillian said. “What I think haymitch is saying is you guys probably won’t have her training us.” Trinity nodded. “That’s correct.” A male deep voice said. “They’re smart, they may have a chance at winning.” We all whipped around to see a man that reminded me of scruffy Stan. He limped into the train cart. “My name is Rummage Baser.” I looked at him with my head tilted. “Are you like a retired peacekeeper or a victor from a different district?” Trinity said. “Rummage was the first victor in district 7, he won the 5th hunger games, but he doesn’t like to announce it, he’s been living in the shadows of the capital since he won.” Allan Dario finally said. “Why?”

Rummage sat down in front of the train window. “Your life is never the same after the games.” Lillian scooted closer to Allan Dario. Maysilee said. “Aren’t you supposed to help us win? How is that going to work when there’s 4 of us.” Rummage stood up. “I don’t know but there’s only one thing I can do until we’re at the capital.” He pressed his old fragile hands on the dining table and said. “Try not to die.” And he left with a bottle of beer. Trinity cleared her throat. “He will be more helpful at the capital, he doesn’t like to be woken up.” She said happily. I ran my hand down Xander’s tie. The four of us ate in silence. Maysilee put down her fork. “So do you go by Allan Dario or do you go by one of those names or like have a nickname?” Allan Dario looked up. “Does it matter?” Maysilee looked confused. Allan Dario added to his sentence saying. “Look, I don’t know why we are acting like we’re going to be friends, we didn’t choose to do this.” I piped up. “I’m just happy I know a couple people here.” All three of my fellow tributes looked at me like I had three heads and six legs.

I sighed. “Maysilee, your dad is the man who owns the candy shop, you have a little twin sister that looks exactly like you, you volunteered at our grade school to help students with work and studying, you cleaned up my brother when he got in a fight.” I looked at Allan Dario. “You’re mom and older brothers were killed by peacekeepers when your brothers were going to run away, you work at the soup kitchen.” I looked at Lillian. “Your next door with the Chromes and the son, Bader babysits you.” Maysilee looked at me. “How do you know so much about all of us?” She asked reaching for an apple juice box. “I work at the black market. I see Allan Dario everytime he works the morning shift, and my little brother is best friends with bader.” Trinity walked up to us. “Well, goody gumdrops! your rooms, they’re ready!” Maysilee turned around in her dress making her shirt become wrinkled. “Um… I'm sorry, did you say rooms?” Trinity grinned and said. “Yes, it takes at least a half a day to get to the capital.” I looked at Allan Dario. Who gave me the same look. “We are not going anywhere alone with you!” we both said at the same time. Trinity’s smile faded. “Well, that’s a shame, the peacekeepers will lead you to them then while I will take the girls.”

The peacekeepers wasted no time on shoving us into the next cart, they walked us for a while until we approached a door. It led us to a big open room, there was a game table at the far side of the room with ping pong set up at the moment, a exercise bike, a red punching bag and darts on the far wall, closer to us was a living room set up, sofas and armchairs, a 60 inch T.V. Mounted on the wall, a coffee table with books, the remote and a chess game set up.

There was a door on either side of the room. The peacekeeper said. “Those doors lead to rooms, I hope you two can decide who gets what room, enjoy.” and they left us in the Rec room. I walked over to the ping-pong table. There was a pad with buttons on it, I pushed the button that said FOOSBALL the tabletop flipped upside down into a foosball table, the glass was clear, the players were blue and red. I looked over at Allan Dario who was looking at the chapter books. I said normally. “Hey.” He looked at me. “You want to play a game of foosball? first one to seven.” I said showing him the white ball. He stood up and walked over. “first one to ten and you got yourself a game.” I put the ball in. “You’re on!” I said smiling. We played for a while and I lost count by six. “So do you like boxing in your spare time, I mean you put up quite a fight.” Allan Dario spun the defence bar. “Gus was my cousin, he taught me how to fight before he died.”

I looked at him. “I see the Similarities.” Allan Dario looked at me. “You’re the boy who sells the fire wood and jewellery, right?” I looked at him spinning the offence bar. “You got a good eye, Allan Dario, nobody really knows I sell jewellery at the black market until they walk up to my booth.” He said. “you don’t have to call me by both names, you can just call me one of the names, it’s such a waste of time and breath to say the whole thing, but you can continue calling me by my full name if you want.” I retrieved the ball from him scoring. “Do you prefer a name.” He shrugged. “Either or, I respond to both.” I nodded. A speaker went on. “District 12 tributes 20 minutes til dinner, get dressed up please.” I looked at Allan Dario. “Is It okay with you if I take this room?” He nodded and walked into the other one. After the door closed behind him. I walked into mine. My bedroom was a lot bigger than the one back in district 12, mainly because Conrad was in my bed more than his own. My room was massive compared to the one back in district 12.

I don’t know why it was so big, it had cream coloured walls and a nightstand on either side of the bed, the lighting wasn’t bad and neither was the heat. On the made bed was a pile of clothes with a comb, hair gel and a silver watch. I changed quickly into the new clothes and did my hair in the small bathroom they provided me and Allan Dario to share. I refused to change my tie though, I wanted Xander to know I appreciated his gift and definitely didn’t want him to think I didn’t care.

I heard a knock on my door. “Um… Haymitch, we leave in two minutes.” it was Allan Dario’s voice I heard. I shouted back. “Thanks bro!”

All I wanted to do was lay on my bed and sleep. It had been a long day, and I had felt all the emotions I knew of in the span of a couple hours, but of course they wanted us to eat dinner, these people never had to go hungry, I doubt they even knew what it was like to feel like you were starving. I sighed and walked out of my room. Allan Dario had showered. His hair was a darker colour than before, he looked refreshed and was in a dress shirt and black pants that was not covered in coal dust like his old ones.

The peacekeepers came and escorted us to the diner where the girls were eating chicken breast and medium rare steak. They were giggling and chattering away. Me and Allan Dario sat down across from them. “Looks like you guys became friends.” I stated looking at Maysilee. She swallowed a piece of chicken. “Did you two not hangout.” I shook my head no. “we played foosball for a while, we don’t know much about each other though.” I said cutting my steak. Maysilee rolled her eyes. “How much do you need to know? Half the time all you guys do is nod at each other.” I heard Lillian giggling as I saw her covering her mouth with her hand. Allan Dario was cutting up her chicken breast as he grumbled something. When he finished he said. “Kind of dumb that they gave her a thick chicken and steak instead of chicken nuggets, like something a normal 12 year old would eat.” we all laughed at that. Trinity walking in to the train cart in new clothes. She was in a big teacup blood red dress with frilly short sleeves. “I hope you four get a good night's rest because tomorrow is going to be a big day! There will be P.J.s in your room. Enjoy your dinner, I’m going to go to bed.” and she walked out of the train cart. Allan Dario looked at me. “I am sleeping in my boxers and playing foosball with you instead of going to bed earlier.” I smiled at that as I bit into the chewy steak, I felt a ton of savoury flavour fill my mouth, I wished so much that my family could taste food like this, if I won maybe one day they could but that would mean I would have to kill the sweet girl named Maysilee, my new friend, Allan Dario and the little innocent one, Lillian. I shoved the thought away focusing one eating as much as I could knowing I would need as much strength as possible when I had to fight the other teenagers that have been reaped in the arena.

I finished my meal with my stomach aching and feeling like I was going to be sick to my stomach.

• • •

I sat on the sofa slouched down with a pained look on my face in mine and Allan Dario’s rec room, he walked out of his room in checkered black and dark grey pants and a plain light grey shirt. He sat down in a arm chair turning on the T.V. he looked over at me and said. “What’s wrong with you?” I responde saying. “I don’t think I would ever say this but I think I ate too much.” Allan Dario laughed. “I’ve been sick not eating enough but never sick because I’ve eaten too much.” Allan Dario stretched his feet out. “Well I guess that’s our new normal.” we watched the T.V. before I said. “Why are they making us be friends if we are just going to turn on each other in the arena?” Allan Dario said. “I plan to befriend everyone, the more friends I have the better chance I have of getting an alliance.” he looked at me. “But if I’m getting in one, you’re coming with me.” I smiled to myself. I was happy that Allan Dario had my back in this awful sitation, he was good person even if he threw a punch at every peacekeeper we have been in contact with. He turned off the T.V. “I’m sorry haymitch, I’m beat is it okay if I go to bed. I nodded, if I was being honest, I was too. After the T.V. Finished the news about district 11 I turned off the T.V. I knew my family would be on the screen crying if I kept it on and I don’t think I could bear seeing their tear stained faces. I wasn’t the weakest but I definitely not the strongest. I went to bed soon after. I was done with this day. I was asleep the second I laid down.

I was awoken by a bump on the train. I groaned into the mattress. I rolled onto my side facing the wall and curled up snuggling with the covers, it was we but I missed not feeling the warmth of my brother’s body or his cold feet kicking me in the ribs. I wondered if he slept in my bed last night or did he crawl into bed with my mom and dad? Did he even get any sleep last night?

I climbed out of bed and put on a white T-shirt and dark cargo pants, I tucked Xander’s lucky tie into my back pocket with the thicker end popping out, showing just a couple of inches of it, I put a black belt on with a sliver rectangle buckle. I we aller out of the rec room into the end cart. The end cart was empty the walls and roof were made out of clear glass, there was a sofa that wrapped around the inside of the cart. Lillian was there, she was laying in the middle of the floor. “What are you doing?” I asked her. “Looking at the clouds, I was looking at the stars but the night ended.” I payed down next to her with my hands behind my head. “I use to do this back at home, my room had a skylight.” I sighed. “This is relaxing.” Lillian sighed. “I’m scared.”

I turned my head to her. “I don't want to die, you three actually have a chance but I don’t, I’m small for my age and not very strong, the first person who sees me will kill me where I stand.” I held her hand, it was smooth and warm but so tiny. “I won’t let that happen.” She looked at me. “I promise.”

The door then slid open. I looked up. To see an upside down Allan Dario. “Finally, there You two are! Come on, we’re almost at the capital.” And ran down the corridor with a slice of toast in his mouth. Me and Lillian stood up quickly and followed him down the cart to the main one where trinity and Marylise while rummage snored in a white leather armchair at the end wall.

Lillian ran to the buffet to eat breakfast. I walked in and saw that rummage had two empty bottles of beer next to the armchair he was sitting in, he reminded me of my father which wasn’t good, I hoped he had never hit anyone before like my dad had done countless times when someone tried to take away his beer, I grabbed a plate and started filling it up with a mush yellow food. I grabbed a golden brown toast and sausages with grill marks on in that would make anyone’s mouth water, I remember when I first tasted a sausage, it was the pack that Kiara brought, I then was reminded I usually would have gotten sausages from Kiara back at home. I played with the mush yellow food on my plate. Lillian looked at me. “Do you not like eggs?” I looked at her. “Never tried them, too many other things I had to trade fire wood for like bigger clothes and healthy food that wouldn’t go bad so soon so I could feed my family.” l

illian replied. “You should try them, my dad use to find them sometimes, he would cook them for breakfast.” I grabbed the fork and stabbed the yellow mush. I put it in my mouth. the warmth of the mush spreed through my body as I tasted the salt and pepper taste on the bland taste of it.

It wasn’t bad but coming from a place where you’re fighting to survive without enough food, I enjoyed it. I started to eat the sausage after I finished the eggs and the taste of the spicy sausages made me miss Kiara. I remembered our first kiss in the rain when we laughed when it started to pour, I remembered when she scared me off the roof.

I smiled remembering her beautiful face, her sweet voice, her kindness when giving he free food even if everyone in that district was struggling to survive. I then heard Lillian say.

“Wow!” I turned to see the capital. There was white and light grey buildings that were so tall they seemed to touch the clouds, I wonder how many people could live in the capital, I saw the lights glow upon the city there was a crystal blue lake surrounding the city that refectioned the golden glow of the lights burning bright throughout the city, I couldn’t believe this could be someone’s normal, where everything was beautiful are made to be perfect, where they didn’t have to worry about food or warmth or getting thrown into a arena where they had to fight to the death.

Allan Dario stood up and walked away angerliy, he was heading in the direction of our rooms he slammed the meatal door leaving the train cart, he slammed it so hard the frame with the sliver spoons on the wall fell and the glass shatterers. “What’s up with that gentleman?!” I heard rammage say angerily. I turned to the drunk man and said. “Well, not everyone believes they’re going to win this hunger games. You’re not beong much help either since you don’t think any of us will win, some mentor you are!” and I walked away angrily too.

I arrived at mine and Allan Dario’s rec room. He was throwing darts at the bullseye and he was throwing them hard. I sat down in the armchair. “What’s the bullseye ever do to you?”

He looked at me throwing the last dart. He sighed. “Sorry, there’s no mines here, that’s where I would usually take my anger out on the rocks.” I put my docked feet on the coffee table. “Are you okay?”

Allan Dario shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, nothing can stop this, it’s just we have watched for years and years district kids going in and dying, I don’t know why we’re all acting like this is normal.” I nodded. He got up. I’m going to get some rest before we arrive, you should too.” I nodded and went into my room.

Playing with Xander’s tie. Wrapped it around my wrist, undid it and would wrap it around again. I eventually fell asleep until a sharp turn jolted me awake. I meat up quickly from being scared out of my sleep. I looked at the time. We had to be only 20 minutes away from the capital so I got up and made my wake to our main train cart.

Chapter 5

I walked into the train cart with Allan Dario while I did up Xander’s tie. Maysilee turned to see us. “Oh! Where did two run off to?” I shrugged. “Just our room, we wanted to rest up before we made it to the capital.” Rummage had woken up. “I don’t know why you would, nothing special is happening there.” He was in a suit and tie now. “Than why are you dressed up?” Allan Dario asked. Lillian spoke up. “He says trinity forced him to wear it but I’m not too sure.”

The train then came to a sudden haul, to keep me and the other tributes from getting hurt and being flung to the other side of the cart we all did different things to steady ourselves. maysilee held onto one of the chairs, wedging her foot up against another one of the chairs, this chair was nailed to the floor so it wouldn’t move, I saw her boot press up against one of the woodedn legs so she wouldn’t be thrown, I grabbed hold of the shiny dining table to keep my balance and not be flung across the room to the other end, but Lillian, due to her size, had already been flung forward from the force. Luckily Allan Dario grabbed hold of her arm before she flew into the metal buffet platter. As he held onto one of the metal steel pallars that separated the windows. I heard her make a surprised shout when his large hand caught her small forearm. Trinity looked at us. “Don’t worry, you get use to it.” Allan Dario held Lillian closer to his side as he glared at trinity.

The train door slid open as we were getting ready to leave. As I stepped out onto the pavement I smelled the air, it was pure, clean, it didn’t smell like district 12 or the black market. There were many people other than the peacekeepers. “Where are all the sponsors?” Allan Dario asked.

Rummage scoffed. “You think you would have sponsors?! You guys are from the poorest, weakest district out there!” Rummage then walked off away from us. I heard Lillian sniffle and heard Allan Dario say softy. “It’s okay.” I felt bad for Lillian, sponsors were really her only shot of being not the first one killed. Trinity clapped her hands together. “Well let’s get you guys to your rooms so you can get ready for the parade!” The peacekeeper led us to our rooms, me and maysilee in front with Allan Dario and Lillian were in the back. As we walked the streets we saw all the capital people with bright hair and crazy outfits, they looked like they belonged in the circus with all the other clowns. We all stared at them but they stared at us too, I couldn’t tell if it was because we didn’t look like a rainbow threw up all over us, or was it because they had seen us on T.V. And knew we were district 12 tributes. Soon We approached a big building. One of the peacekeepers turned around. “Boys and girls will be separated.” I watched as Lillian’s face turned to sadness as she slowly walked over to maysilee. One of the peacekeepers led me and Allan Dario to our rooms, we went up a glass elevator. You could look over the city in the elevator, the propel down there looked like the ants I would find in my kitchen back home where my little brother would corral them and then keep them as pets. The elevator dinged and they opened to a long hallway with two doors. I knew what we were supposed to do before the peacekeeper said. Choose your rooms. We’ll be back soon.”

I went into the room on the right while Allan Dario went to the room on the left. When I walked in I was stunned to see the kind of room we were getting. My bed was a four poster with red velvet and cream coloured sheets with matching four poster drapes over the bed, it had to be queen sized at least, nothing like the single that barely fit me let alone my brother crawling in with me some nights. There was a chandelier over my bed on the ceiling. The room was rather big with a walking closet and a door to the bathroom. I walked into the bathroom it had a tub on golden legs and a walk in shower. It had double sinks with bright lights on the frame of the mirror, the toilet was in a little room with a door. As much as all of this looked great and was a lot better than what I got at home, all I wanted was to be home breaking bottles and making them into jewellery while trading fire wood well.

Soon enough the peacekeepers came to get us. They took me and Allan Dario down a elevator. He leaned over to me and whispered. “My little sister told me Kiara bo williams was crying after the ceremony, do you know why?” I nodded. He whispered back. “It was because of you, wasn’t it?” I nodded. “You two are in love with each other, like real love, aren’t you?” I nodded. The elevator then dinged as the doors slid open. Maysilee and Lillian were already there when we arrived to the room. A peacekeeper said frimy. “Strip.” I looked at him thinking I heard him wrong. “Strip now! The prep team will want you clean before handing you over to your stylists.” I quickly took my shirt off and I kicked off my shoes and removed my socks. I saw Allan Dario undo his pants. When we were finished me and Allan Dario were left in our boxers, maysilee was left in her bra and underwear while Lillian was left in her underwear and an undershirt. The peacekeeper looked her up and down. “Yeah, this white tank top is not going to work.” Allan Dario walked in front of Lillian putting an arm out to keep her behind him. “Are you suggesting she takes it off, she’s a little girl!”

The peacekeeper said. “Of course not! We’re not monsters, you know?” He radioed someone. “Jones, can you have a training bra sent down please?” A couple minutes later a small white bra came down with another peacekeeper named jones. He saluted the other peacekeeper and left quickly after. The peacekeeper looked at maysilee. “I expect you can help her put it on.” Maysilee nodded. We were led into a room with four steel beds and crazy looking people. The peacekeeper spoke. “these are prep teams, treat them with respect, they will be taking care of you until you are put on the arena.”

A tall thin man with icy blue hair, in a winter themed tux with black eyeliner said. “Haymitch Abernathy, over here.” I walked over to him. “My name is Logan I will be taking care of you along with Vivian.” I looked at him confused. I said. “Who is Vivian?” I wanted to add. "is she going to look as ridiculous as you do?” But I didn’t knowing the sort of clothing and outfits they were wearing were normal here. A girl with fire looking hair and a fire dress with gold lipstick and eye shadow came towards me with supplies on a cart. “You must be haymitch, I’m Vivian.” I nodded. She smiled. “Well hop on the table so we can get started.” I pushed myself up on the table. I laid on my front. I felt cold water on my legs. I gritted my teeth as they hosed me down. They waxed my body from head to toe leaving just the hair on my head. They rubbed my body in lotion and clipped my toe and fingernails. They then wheeled me into a new room. Logan said. “miss Winter will be here shortly.” I didn’t say anything as they left. I fell really bad for Lillian. The only person who should be seeing her with so little clothing is her mom, not weird looking strangers. I knew I shouldn’t sleep but I must have fallen asleep because when I awoke a pretty lady with light chestnut hair that was turning grey and pretty blue dress was shaking me lightly saying. Wake up sweetheart.” She was older than my mother, she had the smile of a sweet grandma and she had beautiful hazel eyes. I sat up straight. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” I looked at her and said in a small quiet voice. “Are you miss winter?” She laughed. “Oh please call me Lodian, sweetheart.” She blinked and said. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, I can’t even imagine what you must be going through.” I started playing with Xander’s tie that I had tucked into my boxers. Lodian looked at the tie. “Is that a family members?”

I shrugged. “Not biologically but I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t there for us, at least when he knew we were struggling.” I sighed. “He invited us over for dinner when a lot of the livestock died from the cold, so my family wouldn’t starve to death, he even mushed up a banana with some strawberries for my baby brother and who wasn’t eating solid foods yet.” She smiled. “He seems like a nice boy, and I’m sorry you were chosen for this.” I shrugged. “It’s kind of my fault. I put my name in another time for some oil and rice. My dad works in the mines and that doesn’t pay well if at all.” Lodian looked at me. “Mines?” I nodded. “My district is known for the coal dust and the mines.”she smiled. “I have an idea for your costume.” I sighed. “Are we going to be ores like all the other tributes from district 12?” She shook her head. “I have a different idea, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow, don’t forget you have a party to get to after chariot ride!” Lodian said happily.

I raised my eyebrow at her. “Party?” But before I could answer, two peacekeepers said. “Time’s up! Back to your room!” I was lifted up by a peacekeeper who walked me through the halls until we reached the elevator. I met up with maysilee in the elevator. We talked quietly to each other careful not to let the peacekeepers see, we didn’t know what they would do if they saw us talking. “Hey.” I said at the back of the elevator where me and maysilee had huddled together. She looked at me worried. “Have you seen Allan Dario lately?” I shook my head. “No why?” She rubbed her hands together. “You didn’t see?” I shook my head. “No, I was taken straight to my stylist after my peep team.” She nodded. “Allan Dario lost it when he saw how red Lillian’s skin was from the waxing and they weren’t very gentle with her when they hosed her down.” I nodded feeling bad about Lillian. She was so little and being put through hell just so they can live stream her death on T.V. For the whole world to see. The elevator dinged at my floor and the peacekeeper dragged me out of the elevator. I saw maysilee wave goodbye as the doors shut. He shoved me into my big room. I almost fell onto the floor but I grabbed hold of a fancy chair in my room to balance myself. I turned around to see the door being closed. I heard it click and then heard something that sounded similar to when I sliced the fire wood I would sell at the black market back in my front yard.

“Did that peacekeeper just lock the door?” I thought. I walked over to the door and pulled on it. It didn’t bugle, that peacekeeper did lock my door, but why? It was probably because Allan Dario lost it, he was getting awfully close with Lillian. I then remembered that Allan Dario used to have an older sister that was going to be named Allie but it was a stillbirth, and if I was being honest Allan Dario and Lillian had similar face shapes, they both had similar tans with Allan Dario just being a little darker, both had dark hair, they could definitely pass as siblings. I walked over to my bed where a pile of folded up black dress clothes with a note on top that said. FOR THE PARTY -TRINITY

I took the note and placed it on the night stand. I then faceplanted onto my bed. I didn’t want to move, I just felt so tired all the time, I never felt this tired in district 12. Maybe it was because I didn’t have to fight off the thought of knowing I was going to be stabbed, shot or beaten to death.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the sparkling chandelier that was hanging from the high ceiling, The biggest thing I had to worry about n district 12 was what we needed the most in my family and if I could sell enough to get what we needed. My door was opened, I sprung up, to my surprise it was Allan Dario. I looked at him blankly. “Can I come in?” he asked. I nodded. He came in shutting the door quietly. “Are you okay?” I asked him as he pulled up a chair and sat in fron of my bed where I was sitting. He nodded. “yeah , just wanted to see if you were okay.” I shrugged. “Yeah, I know I have no chance of winning but I can’t shake the feeling that me dying only gives you three a better chance of winning, one less person to fight, am I right?” Allan Dario shook his head. “You’re making jokes about your death? That’s some skill bro, most people I know would have burst into tears by now about dying.” I looked at the boy sitting in front of me. “You and the girls haven’t.”

He said. “Who said we haven’t done it behind closed doors?” he quickly wiped away a tear. I looked at him. “hey, you have a chance of winning this, you know that, right?” he shook his head with his eyes closed. “That’s not what I’m afraid of. It’s Lillian, that little girl has no way of winning.” i looked at him with sorrow. “Her brother is in my class. He visted me after he said goodbye to Lillian, he talked to me saying he was praying that someone would volunteer for her or atleast someone would when they saw how little she was, when he heard her first name he was hoping cameron wouldn’t be after it, I told him I would protect her, but if I live and she doesn’t, I won’t be able to live with myself.” I stood up.

“I’ll help you protect her and if something happens that you guys get separated, I will protect her until you find her again, I know how her brother feels I would want someone to protect my brother if this was happening to him too.” I them heard a knock from the other side of the door a voice that belonged to trinity said is a singsong voice. “Boys, lunch!” I stared at Allan Dario. He said. “I can barely stand her voice sometimes.” and he headed to the dining room.

Chapter 6

We walked into the room where Rummage and the girls were eating lunch when Lillian was standing on her chair trying to reach the soda filled jug that had icecubes in it. Allan Dario rushed over. “Hey, hey, hey! I got it, I got it. Just sit down kiddo.” And he poured her a glass of whatever was in the jug. Lillian drank the cup and gulped it all down. Rummage looked over grinning. “Ah, I like a kid that can take beer down like juice.” Allan dairo looked worried as me and Maysilee stared at rummage, I could see Lillian’s eyes fill with tears. Trinity then said. “Rummage don’t scare the kids, she isn’t drinking beer, that’s iced tea, a drink that doesn’t harm you, my niece has been drinking it since she was four.” I looked at trinity. “Niece?”

She nodded. “I have family you know?” I nodded knowing it was hard to believe that, all those capital people care about now is the hunger games, they enjoy watching children die. I wonder how Trinty would do if they threw her niece in there to die. It wouldn’t do any good killing more kids, I just wish it would all stop.

the kids in the districts not have to fear their for their lives when their 12 until they’re 18.

So parents didn’t have to worry about their child getting reaped.

So 12 year olds weren’t screaming from nightmares of being reaped.

Let us believe that we will die in our bed at home with our lover holding our hand with our children and their children nd the rest of our family saying their goodbyes to us before he pass away.

give some mercy to all of us, help us not have to worry about dying from more than one way. I sighed and sat down at the table. Rummage cleared his voice. “Well, I see this group is a lot stronger than last year’s, the boy hung himself before he even met his stylist, my money was on the little one going before we even left the station.” Lillian looked at Allan Dario. “What’s hanging yourself and how do you do it?” Allan Dario held her hand. “Doesn’t matter, it’s not important.”

Rummage stabbed the steak on his plate. “Well, since you’ve all made it this far i don’t think you’ll be giving up anytime soon so I’ll walk you through the next couple of days.” he took a gulp of the liquor he was drinking and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his white button up the shirt that the had now stained the cuffs of it a brownish yellow colour. He said. “Well since the interviews are canceled because of the death-“ I looked at Rummage. “Wait, wait, wait, what?!” I was shocked by that information. Rummage wiped his mouth with a white napkin after he took a bite of a piece of meat stained black from the grill marks and drenched in a dark barbeque sauce. He nodded chewing. “The party you guys were supposed to go to tonight has been cancelled, you interviewer is- was very old, he had been pretty sick and he didn’t want to miss meeting you guys but his health had other plans for him and his heart just couldn’t get him through the day so they are going to find a new interviewer for you.” Maysilee put her fork down on the table. “And how long will that take, Rummage?” Rummage swallowed the bite of meat that ws in his mouth, he shrugged. “Not too long, probably a couple of days.” I rolled my eyes. Allan Dario stood up with his hand pressed flat down on the table. “Probably!? Do you have any idea what is actually going on?! I mean really, since we’ve been on the trip all we know is if we win, which I must mention, you haven’t given us mush hope that we will win, all you have done is drink yourself into coma every chance you get!” Trinity said. “Boys, boys.” we all looked at her as she smiled. She placed her hands on Rummage’s shoulders. “Rummage doesn’t know much about your time before the games, but I do.” she clapped her hands together again for the like dozen time since we’ve met her. “Your interviewer will see you on your second day of training, um.” I looked at the tributes as they stayed silent. Rummage cleared his throat. “So, first thing tomorrow morning you’ll wake up. Eat breakfast and be taken to your prep team.” he started to cut his steak into smaller pieces. He continued. “After they have scubbed you and gotten you ready for your stylist you will be sent to your stylist for the costumes that have been made, after that you will be put on the chariots and shown to the capital, remember, to smile, looking at you pretty boy!” he said pointed at me. “And you! Don’t punch anymore people out, that isn’t how you get sponsors and you’ll all going to need them. Since the interview has been moved, you will have you’re first training day and then, after the second day of training you’ll have a party and interview before the other last and final day of training, remember to show your skills the game makers will be watching, they will rank you after the interviews for the capital to see on the last day of training and then finally, the actual games.”

I said. “wait , how do we know when they are watching us?” rummage laughed. “You don’t.” Allan Dario asked. “So we are just guessing when they are watching us.” rummage nodded as he took another big gulp of liquor. “Well that’s just great!” I said angrily.

These people were setting us up for disaster but I shouldn’t be suprised. We were never going to get any sponsors anyways, at least I wouldn’t be disappointed if I had a low number. I remember when gus had his ranking, the game makers gave him the number 10, my district was happy that we might actually have a victor but he didn’t make it very far, he ran straight for the middle and despite his speed and reflexes he got his face smashed with a in by a war hammer.

the rest of of the hour me and the other tributes ate all of the food we could without throwing it up after. Lillian really did like the ice tea, every other minute Allan Dario was pouring her another glass.

I went to the train station after, it smelled like home there with all the fuel and burning coal I could think clearly, I wondered what my brother and my girlfriend was doing, it was sunday so Conrad would be either doing his homework or he is packing to sleep over a bader’s house so my mom and dad can have some time to themselves, my brother and I would always sleep over at our friend’s house once or twice a month so my mom and dad could relax every now and then, my mom could sleep longer in the morning instead of being woken up from me breaking bottles in the front yard or chopping wood, my dad could actually take out the trash without it being full 10 minutes later because my brother crashed my old bike down by the rocky area where the pine tree was planted and badly scraped his keens and hands again. Hopefully he still went, but I can imagine why he wouldn’t want to, Xander was probably sad that I didn’t come this time, I usually went to his house when it was time for my parents to have alone time and then I would pick up my brother on the way home.

Kiara was probably at her house helping her dad with the meat, whether it was selling, packaging, cutting or storing it, she could be in her room crying too. She knew I would be dead soon, Allan Dario was right, it was werid that I wasn’t upset or sad or sobbing that I would be dead soon, it’s not like I wanted to die, maybe it was because I had come to trems with me dying at home from stravtion that this wasn’t news to me, but my family wasn’t the only family that had trouble with food and money to go around, I didn’t dwell on it too much, we all had the different things in our lives that we needed to take care of.

I walked through the streets of the capital, I definty wasn’t in district 12, this place had stores bunched together that didn;t even have an alley in between them, kids were running around playing but they were wearing shirts thata said may the odds be ever in your favour or had other shirts with the second quarter quell or shirts that had 50th hunger games

I shouldn’t be thinking it would be any different they were in the windows of every clothing store I passed, of crouse girls and boys would be wearing them, but I hoped they would have a little bit of empathy for th kids that would be killed soon, I knew this was just some yearly show they got to watch and enjoyed like a birthday party or christmas back at home that m or my brother would enjoy because Xander would always bring the best gifts.

I made my way back to the building that I had been living in for the time being until I was thrown into the arena to die, I made it to my room and flopped on the bed but I didn’t go to sleep I had that kind of tiredness where I was so exhausted but also so awake but you have no energy to do anything at all that all you do is lay down. I evenatally fell asleep and woke up the next day, breakfast was slow, rummage went on and on about how we had no way of winning, didn’t look like he was going to be much help, or any help for that matter, I didn’t like him much, none of us really did, Lillian was scared of him, Allan Dario was upset that he made that comment about Lillian committing sucide and Maysilee tried to stay as far away as possible from him which I could understand he always reeked of some sort of alcoholic drink, I never understood how someone could drink something that tasted so awful, my dad was one of those people who would drink, he allowed me to have a sip on my fifteenth birthday and it tasted awful, people said it was what happened after but could it really be that good to drink something that I believed tasted like goblin urine if they existed. My dad said the beer would help him sleep which I only believed until 4 years ago. After I finished the last of my chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes I was taken with Maysilee to my prep team. Vivian and logan scrubbed me clean and hosed me down, I wasn’t waxed like yesterday since I hadn’t growth much hair back and most boys had hair but I knew the girls would be since the stylists would want them hairless. I was then wheeled into a room, the peace keeper said. “Lodian will be here shortly.”

I didn’t mind waiting it gave me time to think, but I loved seeing Lodian, she was always so sweet to me. She came in soon after I was wheeled in. I sat up and she smiled at me. “Thought this might be more comfortable than that paper gown.” she said handing me a white fuzzy bathrobe with the word PAMEN stitched on the right hand side in gold thread. I put it on. “Thank you.” she smiled at me. I threw away th soaking wet gown that was falling apart as I crumbled it up into a ball. Lodian said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you yesterday but I brought my grand daughter with me to help with the clothes can I bring her in, if not, that’s okay she will be happy to spend her time here talking to trinity, she wants to take trinity’s spot after she retires.” I shrugged. “I don’t mind but I do have a girlfriend back at home so if she starts staring she’ll have to leave.” Lodian laughed. “I can asure you she won’t be staring at you, she has a big fat cursh on the boy that was chosen in district 3.” I wondered what Lodian’s granddaughter was like, hopefully she wasn’t dressed insanely bright, ridiculous clothes and makeup. Lodian walked out to get her grand daughter and clothing pieces. 2 minutes later a girl walked in, I couldn’t see her because of all the fabric she was carrying. “Where do you want it again grandma?” Lodian walked in with a rack of clothes and a hardhat. “Just on the counter over there sweetie, thank you my love.” she placed the fabric on a counter and pushed her blonde hair back.

Lodian looked at me. “Haymitch, this is my grand daughter.” She turned to the girl and said. “my love, why don’t you introduce yourself.” The girl was pretty she had blonde curly hair down to the middle of her back, she was in normal clothes, or as normal as they could get, she was in a short sleeve light blue dress with see through short bubble sleeves that zipped up at the back, the rest of the dress had a small white lily pattern all over it. Her eyes were as blue as the afternoon sky.

She was wearing golden slippers that reminded me of cinderella.

She stuck out her hand to shake mine as she gave me a warm smile like her grandmother had the first time I met her the other day ago. “It’s very nice to meet you Haymitch abernathy my name is Effie trinket, I’m here to help.” I shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.” Lodian then brought over the hard hat. “Look at me sweetheart.” I looked at Lodian as she put the hard hat on me and fastened the strap. “Too tight?” she asked me. I shook my head no. “Effie may you hand me the ash?” efffie handed her a stainless steel metal bowl full of ash and soot. She dipped her pale fingers into the bowl and spread ash and soot over the yellow hard hat. I looked over at Effie trinket unfolding a pair of overalls. They were dark grey light my father’s, but they weren’t ripped.

As Lodian got the outfits cut, pinned and trimmed to fit me, Effie helped by putting ash and soot all over my body where you could see my skin. She smiled at me as she worked. After the pants had been cut to fit me Lodian said. “I forgot the suspenders in my room, I’ll be right back!” and she left, leaving me and Effie trinket alone in the room. I sighed and sat down. Effie Trinket looked at me. “Did you not get any sleep last night?” I shook my head. “Kind of hard to get sleep when I know I’m not going to win the hunger games and am going to be murdered soon.” she walked over to me and crossed her arms. “Not with that attitude you’re not.” I stood up. “Effie, you don’t get it, you live in the Pamen, the capital.” she shrugged. “Yeah, so?” I groaned, rolling my eyes back into my head. I looked at her as I put my hands on her shoulders. “So! You will never understand the fear and stress of having to kill kids so you can live, these hunger games you call entertainment, the kids that are killed in those arenas! They’re real, this isn’t some story where they don’t actually exist, they are someone’s kid.”

Effie trinket yelled. “You think I don’t know that!? I’m not just some stupid spoiled brat that lives in the capital Haymitch, I know I’ve never had to live in the districts and fear that my name might be pulled out of those bowls but I see what it can do to someone, I just hope you won’t be the same if you win.” I crossed my arms. “Okay then, if you see what it actually does then you must not watch the hunger games.” sje looked at me blankly. “You do, don’t you?” she didn’t say anything but stared at me. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, you don’t see us as people with families and feelings, you see us as a way of entertainment.” Lodian came back in with secspenders. “Okay haymitch, arms up sweetheart!” I did as I was told. Effie trinket kept putting asha nd soot over me and the clothing but hse never looked at me and she was no longer smiling. I felt bad for what I did but she had to know how I was feeling, I was going to be killed in less than a week. I kind of hoped she would watch the hunger games this time at least when I died she would know someone and I hoped she would feel sad and maybe even cry but I wasn’t hoping for it, i was wishing for it.

Soon Lodian loaded me up on a charintot with one of the other tributes whlie two others were on another chariltot. One of the people from my prep team said. “Haymitch!” it was logan. “Grab her hand and help her up, will you?” I grabbed a girl’s hand in a matching miner’s costume. It was Maysilee. “Lillian is with Allan Dario behind us, by the way a young blonde girl gave this to me she told me her name was Effie, it belonged to you she said.” Maysilee handed me Xander’s tie. I looked up and saw Effie staring at me as a girl around her age was talking to her and I then saw Effie talk and she broke our eye contact to look at the girl she was talking to.

Maysilee said. “Do you know her?” I shook my head no. “Nope, I just saw her once or twice in our building.” I lied to Maysilee some one who knew what I was going through. I felt awful but we were going to be moved soon. I thought about telling her the truth but if I did that it meant I was confessing to lying to her. I was pulled away from my thoughts when I heard cheering. District one must have just been seen by the crowd. I gripped the handle on the chariot as it started to move. We soon enough passed for the crowd to see us. I looked and saw the crowd dressed up like clowns cheering and clapping throwing hats and scarfs and roses on the trail that we were on in the charilots being pulled by beautiful white horses. I looked over at Maysilee smiled and laughing. She smiled brightly at me, that showed me that we weren’t just from the same district, we were friends and friends tell the truth and real friends listen, she was my frind she would listen. I said. “Maysilee, she looked up at me. “I lied to you, I do know that girl who gave you the tie, she’s my stylist’s grand daughter.” Maysilee looked at me. “Okay, it’s okay that you lied.” I closed my eyes and opened them. “That’s not all.” she looked me in the eyes. “I’m scared, I’m really scared Maysilee. I don’t want to die.” Maysilee looked at me and hugged me tightly. “It’s okay haymitch.” I heard the crowd go wild when Maysilee wrapped her arms around me. I heard the the speaker say. “Look at that! Two tributes hugging they are saying that they love each other and will protect each other in the arena, this will be interesting to watch.”

we soon came to the end of the trail and the horses became to a haul. Maysilee let go of me. I looked at her. “Thank you, I needed that.” she smiled. ‘Hey, don’t mention it! us, Lillian and Allan Dario. We’re family now.” I looked over at the charilot that was carrying my other felloe tributes. I saw Allan Dario hop down and say “come here.” as he picked up Lillian and placed her on the ground. He walked over to us with Lillian’s tiny hand wrapped around his hand as she hung on tightly. “Ready for a day of training?” Maysilee sighed loudly signalling that she definitely wasn’t and from the looks that looked like they had been painted on to Allan Dario and Lillian’s face they seem to feel the same way.

What could we even train for? It’s not like we have been fighting our whole entire live the only thing we fought was our hunger, would Lillian even beagle to lift the heavy weapons, would I even be able to lift them? I guess we would find out soon when we were taken to the training grounds. I walked with my fellow tributes you to the training grounds. There were tiny little wooden cabins with the numbers 1 to 12 written on them, we were led into the cabin with the number 12 on it, trinity and Rummage were in there with Lodian and three other weird looking people I was guessing were Maysilee, Lillian and Allan Dario’s stylists, one for each. There in the cabin we were allowed to t out of the miner;s outfits and get the ash and soot off our bodies. The cabin was made out of wood giving it a district 12 feel from how it looked I sat on a wooden stool as Lodian washed my face with a wet cloth that was dripping wet. It had been soaked with warm water, it felt nice to be cleaned. I remember how my mom would clean my face after me and Xander had played in the mud when we were just little boys and our biggest worry was making it to the rusty swing set that was about 100 yards away from our school, it was the base of tag at our school, the last on there a recess would be it, i wonder what Xander was doing at the moment and I hoped he was taking care of my brother and parents like he did when I was still living there.

Lodian placed a pile of folded clothes on my lap. “What are these?” I asked looking through the folded pieces of clothing. “Training clothes, these are just for today, we weren’t allowed to see the grounds so we couldn’t make the right kind of clothing but I will have a better outfit for you tomorrow, I am really sorry.” I shook my head. “Don’t be, you have done more than enough for me, really Lodian, thank you.” I smiled and walked into the stall with my name painted on the wooden door in black letters all in capitals, I walked in the stall and looked around, it was made out of wooden boards. There was a light hanging from the ceiling, there was a bench that faced a six foot mirror that had been mounted to a wall. The floor was made of dry cement. There was a sink with a bar of untouched pale green soap in a counter, the counter was marble it had candles on the side with along with steel bowls a razor a hair brush, a hair dryer, deodorant, shaving cream and a six pack of water, I placed my clothes down on the bench and sat down looking at myself in the mirror. I pushed my hair the side and started to change. After I finished changing i looked in the mirror to see what I looked like I was in a light grey shirt with the panem logo on the front, in district 12 we always called it the bird of death since their logo was a bird with it’s wings spread out and of course being reaped meant you would be dead. On the back of the shirt it had DISTRICT 12 printed in black.

The shorts were rather plain. Black with a white strip down the sides of them. The clothes were loose, they probably wrapped around the district 1 and 2 tributes, i walked out of my change room. I looked and saw Rummage talking. “you kids have to work on skills of survival and not worry about fighting more people die for nautral causes than getting killed by another teen.” I saw Maysilee taping up her feet. I sat down next to her. “What are you doing?” she torn the tape with her teeth. “Taping my feet to give my pantat fasciitis to heal, I used to climb and run and rocky surfaces, my aunt told me about this to give my feet a chance to heal, I’m guessing this will help in the arena, hopefully I get a sponsor to send me some tape.” I nodded and walked away. “Do you want to tape your feet too?”

I turned around and thought for a second. “Yeah, why not?” I took the tape from Maysilee and followed the movements I just saw her do on her left foot. “Do you know you’re doing it wrong?” I looked up at her. “I could help if you would like?’ she said it with a bit of pleasure. She keened down and took the tape from me as she began to tape my feet, I looked at rummage who was trying to hide a flask but I could see the outline of it through his shirt and you could smell the whiskey in the cabin.

It was too strong to miss, I wonder if trinity had talked to him about not drinking so much around us but I didn’t bother asking, it wasn’t worth my breath. After Maysilee finished appealing the last strip of tape to my foot we were led into the court yard. We were led to line up with the other tributes. All the boys were bigger then I was aside from a boy who was from district 9, he had calluses on his hands and fingertips probably from working in the grain fields, every district has children working young, some younger than others in the grain farms like in district 9 and the fishing in district 4 they start working at a very young age unlike our district where you have to at least be seventeen to work in the mines but district 10 is a whole different story, they have kids as young as three working by feeding the animals since they are known for livestock. The boy looked different then a young child would be, he had a scar on the left side of his face behind his ear, it when from the base of his neck into his bushy chestnut brown hair.

A man in brown suit walked over to us, he was around my dad’s age he had black hair with the roots turning grey, he began talking as he stood in a semi circle. “Welcome to the training grounds tributes, there are a few rules before we allow you to begin, no fighting with the other tributes, we don’t have time to heal all of you before the games, second, don’t just train by fighting, food and water is something you will need in the arena to survive so don’t ignore those training techniques third, shelter and fire is going to help you stay alive so try making them or you are going to die from the cold at night.” he looked around “and lastly, don’t forget about your fellow tributes they are the ones that can help you in the arena, become friends with them.” he smiled at all of us. “You may begin.” all of the others ran around doing everything. I stood there not really knowing what to do, I can make weapons with rocks. I didn’t really need to learn how to fight but running might help if I want to get some food in bag from the middle, maybe some furit of a loaf of bread if I’m lucky, a canteen would be super helpful, that would be great for water.

I then heard Kiara’s voice in my head saying the words when she said goodbye to me. “I know who you are, so when that canon goes you ignore everyone and everything and you run as fast as you can and you hide somewhere good, don’t be brave, don’t be bold, be the man I fell in love with” I shut my eyes tightly remembering her face. I opened them and saw that nobody was at the firemaking station. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to get this out of the way, I walked over and read the instructions, there were pictures and words but it was all so confused. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “I said the same thing buddy.” I whipped around to see a boy with dark eyebrows his eyes were a hazel colour his had black hair that had been buzzed his palms had thin red lines across them, he had dry mud in the hair in his arms he didn’t look much older than Maysilee and me, he was wearing the same clothes as me, I couldn’t tell what district he was from since he was sitting against a tree. “Who are you?” he stood up and walked over to me. “Rippy Pocker, district 8.” I nodded.

“Haymitch abernathy district 12.” he said. “Coal, can you teach me how to make fire?” I shook my head. “No, but I can help you make fire is you help me learn how to sew and stitch.” he looked at me confused. I said. “You’re from district 8, you’re known for fabrics and textiles, I know you make clothes, help me with sewing and stitching and I’ll help you with building a fire, do we have a deal or not?” I didn’t tell him this but I really didn’t know how to make a fire but I needed to learn how to stitch cuts if I got harmed in the arena. He shifted his eyes around before he shook my hand and said “deal.” I smiled and looked at the instructions. “Okay so it says we should have three types of wood, tinder kinding and fuel.” rippy looked at me. “What are those?” I didn’t have to read about that Xander had taken me on a camping trip once and told me about them. Not to mention having to help keep the fire going in the black market, espaically around winter time when it got really cold.

I said “Tinder is things that catch fire quickly like dry leaves, pine needles, bark, hay, stuff like that, kindling is wood that will burn longer than tinder. Sticks mostly for that, and fuel is when you need the fire to burn long into the night, that’s when you use logs.” he nodded which I assumed meant he understood me. “When I lived back in district 12 we always had water or some wet old towels to put the fire out when it was night fall, I’m guessing that will be useful, wet bark, twigs and leaves will work, better than using the water we’ll gather for drinking.” I said. “

Follow me.” Rippy followed me into the tiny wooded area they had created. “Teepees are the best, you create a teepee with the sticks.” as I set some up. He did the same with some sticks. aI then showed rippy how to start fire using dry grass and making a base by rubbing a stick down all the way down to the grass and then when the grass is smoking to place it in the teepee and blow lightly. I saw smoke quickly rising. I carefully picked it up and placed it in the teepee I created and blew lightly as I saw the beautiful red, orange and yellow glow as it blinded me for a split second. I helped Rippy with his until he got a spark and made his own fire. I smiled nodding. “Good job Rippy.”

he smiled and I saw that he had a gold tooth on the bottom of his teeth in the front on the right side. He said. “I keep my deals, come on let me teach you how to sew and stitch.” he went to run off, but I said. “Wait!” as I poured half a bucket of water on his and then the rest of mine as I kicked some dirt on it to cool it off and then ran off after rippy. He was at the table where there was thread. I looked around and saw Maysilee at a table with a big screen, I turned my head the other way and saw Allan Dario teaching Lillian how to hold a sword. He looked like he was teaching her how to swing a bat which I guessed he might have already taught but more in a protective way then just a something fun to do in the summer when you’re at school. Rippy taught me how to sew and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. He taught me a couple ways with stitching on clothing which was helpful if I got different or deeper cuts. After rippy taught me everything he could I walked over to Maysilee who was typing as fast as she could before the screen said in big red letters. GAME OVER. Holly berries are poisonous.

I looked at Maysilee who slammed her hand down on the table. “What are you doing?” Maysilee reset the game and started back at level one. “Studying berries and plants, you choose if they are either poisonous or edible, this will help in the arena when we need to fight, and I don’t want to die by natural causes I could have prevented.” I nodded. “Well, I don’t think Lillian has to worry with Allan Dario. We both know if they are the last two remaining, Allan Dario would slit his throat without a second thought.”

I then heard a grunt followed by a loud punching sound. I turned my head to see a big man with huge muscles fall to the ground from Allan Dario’s fist that had come into contact with his jaw. Three other people started to fight Allan Dario as he fought back. I heard Lillian say. “Stop it guys! Let him go! Stop Dario, don’t touch him!” I saw a couple peacekeepers run out. Lillian was now crying. Maysilee ran as fast as she could over to us, Maysilee had opened her arms by now, Lillian then jumped into Maysilee’s arms wrapping them around Maysilee’s back, Lillian also wrapped her legs around Maysilee’s lower back and hips as she cried into the crook of Maysilee’s neck softly.

I could see Maysilee holding her tightly as the guards grabbed Allan Dario and the other three people who were fighting him. They were yelling at each other and saying things that nobody should hear but they took them all away to their own cabins, I could see Allan Dario was furious, I don’t know why but he was pissed. I left Maysilee with Lillian, they had been together a lot while me and Allan Dario hung out in our rooms doing whatever we wanted, I mainly thought about what was happening but I don’t know what Allan Dario did.

I was down by the tiny stream making fish hooks, I was sharpening one when I saw a pair of barefeey wrapped in white tape, the skin was pale with the bolttoms of the feet covered in dry dirt.

I looked up as I pushed my blonde hair back to see who it was, the pale girl looked down at me. “Hey Maysilee.” she smiled and sat down across from me. “Where’s Lillian?” I asked as I wrapped string around the hook. She sat chris cross. “In the cabin with Allan Dario, she was scared they had hurt him badly.” I nodded. I turned my body around. “Who were they even?” Maysilee looked around to make sure nobody was watching. She leaned in close. They’re from district 1.” I looked at Maysilee in terror. “Is he insane, district 1 usually teams up with district 2 and it’s twice the size of the years before.” Maysilee nodded. “This year they’re calling themselves the careers.”

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “That doesn’t sound good.” Maysilee shifted in her seat. “It’s not, I don’t know what these tributes are like but they’ve been fighting for years and have been taught to vomluteer the minute a name is picked.” I sighed. “They are always huddling around each other talking in those annoying hush voices.”

The sky was getting dark by now. Me and Maysilee left for our cabin. When we walked in I heard Allan Dario scream, he was stripped down in his boxers. There was a medic there with Rummage and trinity. “Ow! Stop slapping the bursie on my back!” he said looking at a brightly coloured person, I assumed it was one of his perp team members. “I’ll do what I please! How dare you fight the tributes from district 1, do you know how that looks on us, and not just us but all of district 12! Oh, panem, you better hope you heal fast because you’re in the training ground tomorrow!” me and Maysilee left for the changing rooms quickly.

When I got in the stall made out of wood I locked the door. I leaned up against the wall and slid down. I looked over at the corner and saw the pile of Allan Dario’s wrinkled clothes, they were badly ripped and blood stained. “What did they do?! Stab him?!” I thought to myself. I felt my shirt begin to stick to my achy back from the sweat. I stood up and peeled it off. I rubbed my face with it and sighed looking at my messy blonde hair that now looked like a mop from the length it had growth since I hadn’t gone to bader chrome’s in a long time. I missed the haircuts from his house. The smell of candles burning or whatever his dad had put in the oven to bake. His dad use to cut my families hair, he pretty much cut everyone’s hair. I was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Yeah, yeah one second.” I shouted as I hung my shirt up and went to unlock the door. It was Lodian. “Thought you might like some causal clothes.” She gave me a gentle smile as she handed me a pile of neatly folded clothes, I took them from her wrinkly old warm hands.

“Thank you.” I said. I took the clothes. And closed the door. I locked the door and placed the clothes on the bench. I took the shirt and put my arms in the holds as I rolled it up and threw it over my head. I did not mind the black long slevee shirt and the frey sweatpants.

All I wanted was to lay down in the bed I was being provided. The fight was an exhausting actively. I was led back to my room by peace keeper. When I got into my room I immedtay collapsed onto the carpeted floor. I didn’t even make it to the bed before I was knocked out cold. I didn’t dream of anything I was so tried. I didn’t mind sleeping on the floor, it had a nice carpet that was soft enough for me and I stayed sleeping on the floor the whole night.

Chapter 7

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry I don’t mean seem cruel I’m sorry I have to wake you.” I sat up on the ground with Lodian next to me with her hand on my arm. “Have you been on the floor all night?”

I got up. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I felt embarrassed she found me on the passed out on the floor still in the clothes she gave me yesterday.

Lodian said. “Breakfast is almost over but there’s 10 minutes left if you want to eat before you have to get ready for the training grounds. I felt the grumbling in my stomach of how hungry I was and I could see that Lodian had heard the noises it made as she gave a laugh like the stereotypical grandmother would. I wonder if she was like this when Effie was young.

We both walked to the dining room where my friends where eating. Maysilee was drinking coffee as Allan Dario cut up three sausages fro Lillian as he held a strip of bacon in his mouth. I went over to the buffet and loaded up the china with many types of meat, Kiara had told me it gives you a lot of vitamins that I would need on the training grounds. When I finished I bit into a round sausage patty. Trinity said out loud exicted. “Oh the chef’s patties are the best I’ve ever tasted!” she then turned to me and said. “Don’t you agree?” I shook my head as I swallowed the savoury meat. “No, Mr. Bo Williams makes better meat.” Trinity gasped. Rummage started laughing. I guess because I had somehow offended Trinty.

Allan Dario said. “Mr. Bo williams? The butcher with the outdoor oven? He doesn’t sell patties!” I took another big bite of the big, savoury, grilled patties. I said. “No, he doesn’t sell them to customers, he does give them to guests at his house, and I’m dating his daughter so, I’ve eaten a lot of what he makes.” after I finished all the meat I went back for eggs. And filled up my plate with them.

Maysilee looked at me in disbelief.

“How are you possibly still hungry?”

I shrugged I shoved another spoonful of eggs, but it was probably because I missed dinner last night and my stomach was begging for food so it could function. I drank a glass of orange juice feeling the ice cold sweet liquid run down my throat into my stomach. Soon enough we were all escorted back to our rooms to get ready, the other tributtes would change out of their pajamas and into casual clothes, the older kids would probably shower while Lillian showered at night and get ready for the day. I stood up and walked behind Allan Dario and Lillian while Maysilee ran her hands through her tangles hair trying to untangle it as she made her way to her room, we could see the glass elevator, Lillian then looked at Allan Dario. “I’ll race you to the thrid floor!” Allan Dario said smiling. “You’re on!” Lillian looked over as Maysilee smirked and nodded slightly. Lillian said so quickly. “Three two one, go!” and ran down the fancy corridor laughing as Allan Dario ran after her.

“We’ll hold the elevator for you guys on the third floor!” Maysilee hollered to them as Allan Dario shouted back. “Thanks guys!” me and Maysilee stepped into the elevator. Maysilee punched in the number three with her thumb. “You don’t really talk to us about-” she paused. “Well, really anything actually. Why not?” I shrugged. “Why would I?” Maysilee went in front of me to look me in the eye. “Because we’re friends! hell, we’re family, Lillian and Allan Dario are obviously the closest but you're also part of this group.” I threw up my arms. “I am not going to befriend someone who I might have to kill soon. Maysilee grabbed me by the arm. “I don’t know about you but Allan Dario has already promised to Lillian that he will protect her and if they are the two last ones standing, he has already said he wouldn’t hestainte to end his life right then and there.” I looked at her. “We’ve also decided to team up together.” her shook her head. “Listen, tributes 1 and 2 are going to team up, the best way of any of us winning is building alliance.” the floor dinged and I saw Lillian running as fast as she could to the doors while Allan Dario limped quickly over to us. “What the hell happened to you dude?!” I said, worried. “I fell down the stairs.” he said, holding his left knee cap. Lillian was still panting from how fast she ran but she seemed fine knowing she beat the guy that was probably the fastest out of all of us from how tall his legs were.

Today, in the cabin we had long pants which was helpful from all the hard and spiky elements in the forestry woodsy area which I now saw that’s the reason people were so quick to avoid the hunger and shelter skills they will need in the arena. Today I decided to work on the weapons they had offered us, I knew Kiara did not want me to run in the middle but I didn’t know what the arena was going to look like, if we were not in a forest or around a forest I wouldn’t be able to make tools and I wanted to know how to use them if I got my hands on them. I started with a bow and arrow which was a lot harder than it looked.

I could barely shoot them and they weren’t making it very far from where I stood. I could hear snickering. I turned around and saw two big men with chests the size of dump trucks, they had strong jaw lines and big arms with a good amount of meat on their bones from the food they were served, they were from district 2. The boy on the left was dark skinned and had his black curly hair in spiked up dreadlocks, they were dyed silver and bronze, his eyes were dark and small, his eyebrows were shaped to make him always look angered. He stood straight and tall, he had to at least be six feet tall, his arms were bare but they were big, he could probably choke me out with one, the other boy was white, his hair was short and blonde it was flattened and shiny, he wore a smirk on his face with his goatee trying to hide it with it doing a poor job, his left side burn covered the end of a scar that ran down the line of his jaw, this boy was shorter from the other boy but not by much he was 5’11 at the shortest, his arms were hairy and big but they had scars all over them but I didn’t know from what and I didn’t think I wanted to know.

There was a girl there with them, I knew her, she was from district 1, she was a pretty girl but she was tall and very lean, I could tell because she only wore a bra on the training grounds, her dark hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, half braid. Her eyes were blue, her legs looked like she worked them out the most. Her teeth were showing and I could see the ones on the top beside the four front were fangs. I saw her whisper something to the blonde haired boy as they both laughed looking at me. I ignored them and continued to shoot arrows at the targets with zero luck.

Maysilee came over to me after I had made it to the actual target. She looked at what progress I had made today. “You know you’re supposed to hit the target, right?” I put the bow down. “Yes, I know I’m supposed to hit the brightly coloured bullseye captain obvious!” she giggled at my comment. I pushed my sweaty hair back. She took the bow from me.

“Maybe it's time you try a different weapon.” I took off the leather quiver with the bird logo of the capitol carved into it with the outline being brined to make it darker. “What kind of other weapons?” I asked Maysilee. She placed the bow down on the table. “I remember seeing you drag firewood to the black market on that old sled of yours, and when I was delivering candy to kids in the mornings I could hear and see you chopping the wood.” I closed my eyes remembering me going out in the summer mornings. I would go outside in jeans and chop some firewood so I could have more dry logs when winter rolled around. Maysilee would pass by every now and then, back then she was just known as “the blonde girl from the candy shop” we would wave at each other when she passed, I remembered she would sometimes bring her sister with her. Maysilee came back with two axes. “Try these instead.” I looked at the big axes. “Do you think I’ll be able to throw them? I’m not super strong.” Maysilee looked towards that target. “You don’t have to be, just think of something that angers you.” I slid my index finger past the blade and looked up with my eyes landing on Maysilee. “Like what?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “Anything, could be a bully at school, an Irritating teacher that doesn’t know when to stop, the dirty air back at home, I fight with your girlfriend that you should have won, really haymitch, it could be anything.” I looked at the axe smiling. “I think I have one.” I gripped the wooden handle and put my feet shoulder width apart. I looked at the target, imagining president Snow’s face was painted on it. He was the whole reason children were dying and children were killing and he would soon have mine and my fellow tributes on his hands.

I took a deep breath and threw the axe as hard as I could grunting. It flew through the air spinning so fast and rapidly that it was starting to form into a dis formed axe. It hit the target. I heard a clang, the axe laid on the ground still. The target board was broken in half with tiny pieces of wood on the ground with the white sheet that had the bullseye painted on torn and ripped, nobody was talking, nobody was moving, nobody was talking. Everybody was silent and staring at me, I could feel their eyes, staring into the back of my head burning into my skull. The silence was the loudest it could ever be, the loudest thing I had ever heard in my life. I wanted some sort of noise, something, anything! A bee buzzing, a plane flying over, birds cropping or singing, a frog croaking even, I then heard clapping it was the careers. I bowed a little, showing them some sass. Maysilee was still in shock. “How'd you do that?” I shrugged. “I don’t know, I didn't know I actually even could but if it makes the careers consider letting me in just so I can turn them down so they fear me, I’m all in, besides this means I can protect you guys and they probably won’t want to mess with you three.” I threw axes for a couple hours, my arms hurt and felt like they were going to fall off, but I couldn’t stop, this was going to help when I was in the arena fighting to stay alive. I made a couple fires and put them out with not much smoke rising. I heard screaming and yelling. I whipped my head around and Allan Dario fighting with another male tribute on top of the platform from the rock wall. I knew Allan Dario couldn’t get in any more trouble. I ran away from the blackened wood and ash and ran to the rock wall. I ran up to it and climbed as fast as I could. “Allan Dario, stop!” I shouted, getting my hand on the platform. When I raised to my feet I bolted in front of Allan Dario and whoever he was fighting. “Yo, yo, yo, stop, stop!” I then saw Rippy pull the other tribute who was trying to fight Allan Dario away, I then had time to see if Allan Dario was okay, he looked furious. Rippy screamed. What the hell, levin?!” Levin’s hair was bloody along with his face. He spit a mouth full of blood out of his mouth. He grinned wickedly and said. “I’ll kill her the second I see her, I’ll slit her throat where she stands!” Allan Dario screamed and launched himself but I was holding him back from doing anything reckless and roofless. I led Allan Dario back to the cabin. Trinity was there and she did not look happy. “What the devil do you think you’re doing out there!?” she said looking at Allan Dario. He stood up and shouted. “I am not just going to listen to someone talk about killing Lillian!”

Trinity groaned. “You have to calm down, they are all thinking of killing the little ones and not the strong ones.” Allan Dario’s eyes filled with anger. “Are you saying I’m supposed to listen to them talk about how they are going to kill the little girl I want to protect more than anything?!” Trinity didn’t say anything. Allan Dario grabbed a bottle of wine and screamed chuckling to the far wall, it smashed with the red wine splatting on the wall. Allan Dario stormed out of the room slamming the door behind himself, the red stain looked like a blood stain, as it dripped and ran down the wall to the floor.

The broken green glass was all over the floor, they were the sizes of the glass I would make into the jewellery I would sell back at home. I sighed through my nose as I knelt down and picked up the paper sticker and crumbled it up. I began picking up the shattered glass and throwing it into an empty bucket that we would fill with water so we could wash the dirt and mud off our hands after making fires and shelters. Lodian placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll clean up. Maybe you want to take a nap on the benches in your change room before you want to get ready for the interview and party.” I nodded and went into my change room. I saw that Lodian had left a pillow for me on the bench.

I laid down on my side as I faced the wall. I tried to sleep but I was really just resting my eyes. I was so exhausted but I couldn’t fall asleep, I didn’t know if it was because I was in an unknown place or it wasn’t anything like home and the things I was used to happening at night. That gave me an idea. I grabbed the candles and lit them. I then ripped off the training shirt I was in that was now soaked in sweat. I grabbed some of the toilet paper and lit it, I let it burn in one of the steel bowls, after it was finished burning and all that was left was ash I dipped my hands in and wiped it all over my chest, abs, arms and face, the smell of smoke coming from the room filled the stall, I went over to the sink and wet my hair a little. I looked in the mirror. I felt really good, it was like I was back in district 12. Soot everywhere, the smell of smoke coming from the houses and shops, the wet hair from the rain, I went to lay back down on the bench and started to drift off then I heard a knock on the door. “Sweetheart?”

I heard Lodian say. I got up quickly and unlocked the door. She looked at me up and down. “Missing home?” she asked with a sad smile. I looked at her. “How did you know?” she gave a giggle. “Not all of us grew up in the capital. I remember the soot and smoke everywhere, the rain drizzling every other day and getting soaked. Me and my brothers would wait in the candy shop until it stopped, to run home and stay dry.” I was so surprised. “You grew up in district 12?” she nodded. “That’s why you are my stylist because you know about district 12.” She smiled and held my hand. “I wouldn’t style any other district tributes.”

I said. “So that’s how you know so much about my past.” she nodded. “Anyways, you might like to shower since the will be starting soon, but I suggest doing it back at your room, the shower here isn’t very good.” I looked at the shower and then back at Lodian. “Okay.”

Soon after talking to Lodian I was escorted back to my room where I showered the soot off my body and got cleaned up. Training was getting harder and harder as I could notice from how exhausted I was getting by the end of the day. I laid on my bed after the nice long hot shower I had. I knew I couldn’t sleep very long if I was going to sleep, I said. ‘This is ridiculous. being treated like royalty and then thrown in an arena to fight to the death.”

“You’re right about that.” i sat up quickly and saw Allan Dario sitting in an armchair reading a book. “How’d you get in here? You do know you have your own room, right?” he nodded. “I know, but that has nothing to do with me pinching the peacekeepers keys.” he said holding up the keys. I laughed. “You really think any of us could win?” Allan Dario said placing the blue book he was reading down on the coffee table. I groaned falling back down onto my bed. “You Have the best chance of winning if that’s what you’re asking, you can fight, you’re strong. I made jewellery and chopped firewood for living back in district 12, Maysilee lived in a candy shop and can tell what plants are edible but she doesn’t know how to fight and I don’t think I have to mention Lillian.” Allan Dario nodded saying. “Yeah, she’s the smallest and one of the youngest kids in the games.”

There was then a knock on the door. I looked at Allan Dario, we both knew we weren’t allowed to be in each other’s rooms. “hide.” I said. He ran into the bathroom and hid in the bathtub. I heard the sweet kind voice come from the other side of the door. “Sweetheart, it’s Lodian, can I come in?”

I said. “Yeah, come on in!” Lodian was in a beautiful red sparkly dress with a black dress jacket over it. I said. “Allan Dario, it’s okay, it’s just Lodian.” Allan Dario walked out of the bathroom and sat back down in the armchair. She looked at Allan Dario. “Breaking the rules. I’m happy you’re still being kids." She cleared her throat. “Um.. sorry, the peace keepers are going to come get you soon so the stylists can get you ready, just thought I’d give you a heads up.”

I nodded. “Thanks Lodian, and thank you for not being upset with us about Allan Dario sneaking in.” she nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek as she left. After she left Allan Dario snuck back into his room and he both waited for the peacekeepers to come, drag us out of our rooms and send us to our stylists.

Out of all the stylists I think Lodian is the most normal and not so obsessed with the capital, from what she told me about her past she grew up in district 12. I heard the door open and two peacekeepers come in.

“get up, now! The taller one boomed. I stood up. They forcefully grabbed my arms and led me out of the room, down the elevator out the doors and to a train car that was going to take us somewhere else.

“Where are we going?” I asked them before I got in the car. “You’llsoon find out.” as they pushed me in and shut the door.

Chapter 8

I pushed myself onto my bony elbows. I felt the pain run through my funny bones as the metal doors closed and we started moving away from the train station. “Oh, Haymitch! Are you okay?” I felt soft hands on my back, they were Maysilee’s. I grunted, pushing myself into a sitting position. “Yeah, I just landed on my bruises I’ve gotten from training.” She gave me a helping hand and helped me stand up. I brushed myself off. “Thanks.” she said. “Come on, our stylists want to talk to us.” and she jogged down one of the train carts. I followed her into a room where Allan Dario was reading a story to Lillian who had curled up on his lap. And was dozing off to sleep. Trinity and rummage were talking about something while Lodian and the other stylists were talking about something, I noticed Lodian was the most normal looking one out of the four, I felt bad for my friends. I sat down across from Allan Dario and Lillian. “Seems like she’s tired.” Allan Dario stroked her raven hair out of her cute face. “She’s not very old, this was her first year and she needs to rest.” Maysilee looked at her. “She looks like an 8 year old. How do they expect her to win in these games?”

“They don’t.” I said. The room went quiet. “They are putting her in so that the capital has someone who will definitely scream when she gets murdered, us older kids don’t want to give them the satisfaction of that so we die with a blank stare on our faces but that little girl she’ll probably die with terror on her face as the tears stain her face.”

“Dark much?” Maysilee said as Allan Dario hugged Lillian tighter. Soon enough we got to our stop and we were led into a massive building. Trinity led us to a corridor. I saw the rest of the tributes gathered in the hallway. Lodian said. “Sweetheart!” I turned around and saw her in a dressing room with my name painted on the door. I followed her in. She sat me in a chair. “So this is it?” I asked her. She looked at me with a confused look. “After this I will never see you again, right? Isn’t that what happens?” she shook her head no. “no, of course not! I see you off before the games, I make your outfit for the games you know so I will see you again.” she said as she did my hair. “What am I even supposed to do in this interview?” she smiled. “Just be yourself.” I scoffed. “Yeah, because everyone in the capital loves kids who hate this place.” She placed her hands on my shoulders. “There’s more to you than hating the capital, you have a family that adores you, you provide for them by selling goods, you have a best friend that you try and take care of even if he had more than you and you have a girlfriend, right?”

I said. “Yeah, Kiara bo williams.” Lodian cupped my face with her right hand. “See, you have so much to talk about, just pretend you’re talking to me and I’m sure they will love you.” I hugged Lodian. “Thank you.” I pulled away, I said. “Miss winter.” She giggled and said. “Anytime.” she looked at me smirking. “Mr. Abernathy.” she said. “Anyways, your clothes are there, you’ve got 10 minutes to get ready.” I nodded and got up. I stripped down into my undergarments and got into the dress clothes. They were all black, black dress pants, black dress shirt, black tie, black dress jacket, black lofters. I walked out of the dressing room and saw Maysilee getting her black dress zipped up by trinity as Allan Dario was dancing with Lillian as she twirled around and around in her sparkly ruffly black dress with a braided updo. Allan Dario was also in all black. His pants and dress shirt with a black bow tie and dress vest. I looked down the hallway and saw other colours.

I found Lodian talking to rummage. She saw me walking over to her. She smiled at Rummage and waved goodbye as I approached her. “Hey Lodian.” She hugged me. “Hello sweetheart, you look so handsome in the suit.” I accepted her hug. “Why are we all in black Lodian?” Lodian looked at my tributes. “It’s your district colour.” I raised my eyebrow. “District colour?”I asked, Lodian nodded. “I have never heard of a district colour in my entire life.” I said.

Lodian said. “Well, of course you haven’t, you’re not a stylist, I’ll run the colours by you super quick. District 1 is gold since they are luxury, district 2 is white for all the masonry and peacekeepers, district 3 is silver for technology, district 4 is blue since they are known for fishing and water, district 5 is purple for power since lighting looks violet in their district, district 6 is dark grey for transportation mimicking the roads and railroads, district 7 is brown for lumber, district 8 is pink for all the sewing they do, district 9 is yellow since they’re known for grains, district 10 is red for livestock and all the meat they produce, district 11 is green for growing all the other crops and lastly district 12 is black because your district is known for all the coals and mining.”

I nodded barely remembering any of them. Lodian pinched my cheek. “Don’t worry about remembering, it means nothing to you.” for a while I talked to Maysilee until the show started and we were shoved into our rooms. I could hear the loud speakers and the muffled chitchatter outside my dressing room, I messed around with xander’s tie until Lodian came in. “It's almost your turn, are you ready, sweetheart?” I shrugged. “Maybe.” she noticed the navy blue tie in my hand. “Is that the one your friend gave you back in your district?” I nodded as I twisted it around my wrist. Lodian sighed and pulled up a stool and said. “Look at me sweetheart.” I faced her as she undid the black tie she had laid out for me and carefully tied Xander’s tie around my neck. She looked at me. “He said it was good luck, Didn’t he?” I nodded. “Hopefully it brings you luck then.” she said and left. I waited a minute looking in the mirror. I smiled trying to make it look as believable as possible, I got a decent smile and thought it had to do for today.

I walked out of my dressing room and heard the interviewer say. “Let’s hear it for Lillian cameron!” I heard cheering and clapping and then the interviewer said, “Honey, can you send haymitch out please, thank you.” Maysilee walked over to me. “Don’t feel too bad if you don’t get the same reaction as she did, the only ones getting that kind of reaction are the careers and cute little kids like Lillian.” I furrowed my brow. “What did you and Allan Dario get?” She looked at the ground. “Not that, the most was some scattered claps, no cheering though.” Lillian tucked on my sleeve. “Haymitch, they’re ready for you.” I nodded as Lillian ran off to go see Allan Dario who was reading a book. Maysilee placed her smooth warm hand on my shoulder. “Hey, good luck.” I said. “Thanks, I’m going to need it.” she scoffed at my response. “don’t worry, you’ll do great, break a leg!” and she walked off. I stood at the entrance of the stage behind the curtain waiting for him to call my name. “Let’s hear it for Haymitch abernathy!” I heard lots of clapping but not much cheering or any at all.

I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage. The lights were so blinding I put my arm up to cover them so I could see. My eyes stayed squinted though. I saw a man who was probably in his late 20s, early 30s sitting in a cream coloured comfy looking armchair with a massive grin on his face, he sat with his legs crossed. He had purple hair that almost looked like a bluish indigo colour, his skin was an olive tone, he was in a sparkly dark blue and black suit, with a white ruffled dress shirt with a plain black bowtie.

I walked slowly out and shook his hand. My eyes started to adjust to the bright, bright lights. “Hello Haymitch, I’m caesar flickerman.” I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you, sir.” he smiled. “So how do you feel about sitting in front of so many people? This must be a new experience.” I said. “I feel fine, probably because I can’t see any of them.” flickerman started laughing as the crowd burst out laughing. I didn’t know why that was so funny, I literally couldn’t see any of them because of the lights. Flickerman straightens up. “So haymitch, you were reaped, when you heard your name what was your first reaction?” I stayed quiet. I thought for a minute and then finally spoke. “Well, I was scared when I first heard my name but not for the reasons people must think, I provide as best as I can for my family while my mother takes care of my brother and the house as my dad goes to work in the mines. I trade firewood and jewellery at the market for foods, medicine, liquids, soaps, clothing, whatever my family needs at the time, my brother is only ten, he doesn’t know how to make jewellery or even lift the axe to chop wood for that matter, so when I heard my name, I was scared they wouldn’t make it through the months and I would be alone if I got back.” flickerman said. “Wow, that must have been so sad.” I nodded. “It was, but I remembered I had my name put in more times for a year supply of oil and rice, I am happy that they won’t have to worry about food so much now that they have something to fill their bellies, and my girlfriend said she would bring over meats for them like she did before and my buddy, Xander said he would try and help as best he can.”

Flickerman said. “Girlfriend? Buddy? I’m sure we would all love to hear about your personal life wouldn’t we?” he said laughing as he looked out upon the crowd as they cheered. I smiled. “Um… okay, sure!” I thought for a minute, “so Xander is great, he’s been my best friend since we were little, little, tiny kids, he’s the only best friend I’ve had other than Conrad.” Flickerman leaned towards me. “Conrad?” I nodded. “That’s my 10 year old brother, Xander is the only other best friend I’ve had then my brother.” the crowd said. “Awwwwwww!”

I continued. “He’s great, he always has what I need for my family and trades with me, if he had no use for the fire wood or jewellery, he usually invited my family over for dinner in the winter do we can actually have a full belly around christmas, he has some family here so he’s probably watching me right now, what’s up Xander?” I tapped my chest twice and then pointed to the camera. The coward went wild. Caesar flickerman laughed. “Now tell us about that girlfriend of yours.” I smiled remembering her face, the way her lips felt, how she made me feel so loved. I sighed, smiling to myself.

“She’s amazing, I think she’s the one, and I know every teenager says that about their love but it’s not like that, this is different, the way she looks at me, it’s different and the way I feel about her, I’m not in love with her, I’m obsessed with her, she can turn one of my bad days into the best day of my life just by being with me. She’s the one who gave me the name, haymitch.” Flickerman said. “Your name is not haymitch?” I shook my head no. “My name is Mitch, the day I met her a hay bail was thrown off a cart and landed next to me, it startled me and from then on she started to call me haymitch and I enjoy the name so I changed it.”

caesar flickerman said. “She sounds amazing.” I nodded. “She is, she’s the reason I haven’t given up, I’m going to try and win for her.” I looked at the camera. “I’m doing this for you Kiara, I love you so much baby.” The crowd cheered. Caesar Flickerman said. “So, Haymitch, what do you think about the Hunger Games having 100% more competitors than usual?" This question made me rage, they were asking a question they knew the answer to, I decided not to give them that satisfaction. I cleared my throat and said. “Well, they'll still be 100% stupid as usual, so I figured that my odds will be roughly the same.” the crowd erupted into laughter. Caser was laughing. He finally said. “Well, haymitch, I wish you the best of luck and let the odds be ever in your favour!” I shook his hand. “Thank you.” flickerman stood up. “Let’s hear it for Haymitch!” The crowd cheered and clapped loudly, they were going wild. I smiled brightly. I saw some bleach blonde hair out of the corner of my eye, Maysilee was waving to me. I looked over at her. She mouthed “Bow.” to me. And I took a bow making the crowd even more excited. I walked off the stage and Lodian approached me. She hugged me. “That was amazing, they loved you.” I smiled.

Trinity came backstage after the crowd settled. She clapped her hands together. “Are you four ready for dinner?” With a big smile on her face. I could hear all our stomachs growling for us to eat something.

Trinity sat us at a table, with shiny silverware and silver spoons with a big china plate and a crystal glass full with water. We looked around for a buffet table but nothing was around. Trinity noticed and said. “Oh! They bring the food to you, we are having pasta, caesar salad and steak, medium rare.” She had a big smile on her face even if we only knew what salad was, I wondered if Kiara knew what steak was, let alone medium rare.

An Indian man brought over a huge bowl of pasta and placed it in front of us on the table the pasta had a splatter of big meatballs that were drenched in red sauce. Allan Dario went first and said to Lillian. “Tell me when to stop.” of course he was going to serve Lillian first before he took care of himself.

After we all had pasta on her plates I looked over to Maysilee and saw a golden pin clipped to her chest on the left side. It was shiny, it was a circle with a bird in the middle of it, I had never seen the bird on the pin but I was never really into birds, there was an arrow down by the bird’s tail.

I nudged her in the arm, she turned to me as she swallowed a meatball. “Where’d you get that pin?” she looked down at her chest. “It’s a family heirloom, my sister gave it to me when we said our goodbyes to our family, she thought it would bring me good luck.” I guess a lot of us got good luck charms, mine was xander’s tie, Maysilee was the pin, I wondered if Lillian’s was her blue ribbon she wore in her raven hair and if Allan Dario had a good luck charm from a friend or family member back in district 12.

“What kind of bird is it?” I asked Maysilee pointing to the pin. She smiled. “People call them a mistake, but my family says a mocking jay.” I furrowed my brow in confusion. She looked over at me. “They weren’t meant to exist, a mockingbird mated with a jabber jay and they had a mocking jay, the only difference is that they repeat each other to each other instead of repeating our secrets to the capital.” I nodded. “It’s nice.” I said.

The server then came over with caesar salad, we helped ourselves to the green salad leaves as Allan Dario gave Lillian all the little pieces of hard bread he had picked out of his serving. Maylisee smiled. “You look good in xander’s tie.” I was shocked she knew it was xander’s. I started. “How?-” she cut me off. “Xander is the only one who clips a tie tac so low down.” she says, showing me the tiny holes close to each other and the horizontal creases “And his mom always irons them vertically.” she pointed out, showing me the crease up the middle.

She looked past me. “Oh my god!” I looked over my shoulder. “What!?” She asked in disbelief. “Is that Xander in the beige pants and suspenders?” I turned around to see a boy with black curls slightly moving around. I was about to catch a look at his face when the chef blocked my view and placed a steaming plate of vegetables and a brown steak with black grill marks in front of me. My mouth watered from just looking at it as the scent filled the room. I resisted the urge to tear into it and devour the meat. I stood up and started to walk over to where I saw the raven curly haired boy but the chef stopped me.

“No, sit and eat.” He said politely as he pointed at my chair. “I’m just going to be a second.” I said, trying to reason with him. He wouldn’t let me pass him. “Just please eat first, you can dance with your girlfriend later.” He said pointing to Maysilee. Me and Maysilee gave each other a very grossed out look. “Oh, we’re, we’re not together, we don’t like each other in that way.” I said quickly. The chef laughed uprumply. I looked at him with a blank stare. “I’m being serious.” I stated. He looked at me. “Okay, yeah, sure you don’t like her.” He said in a sarcastic tone. I tried not to get mad and sat down in the chair as I cut through the thick piece of steak and ate it. It was chewy and had a lot of juice and spices. I stuffed my face with it. Soon I finished it. I looked at the chef. “Now may I go?” he smiled and nodded. I went to where I saw the boy that might be Xander but I couldn’t find him.

Could Xander really be here or was it just someone who had raven coloured curly hair with a similar haircut? My answer was soon answered when I felt a boney frim hand grab my shoulder from behind me. The hand forcefully turned me around. I looked forward and saw a black curls coming towards me. I got a glimpse of the strong jawline, the skin tone that was a little bit tanned, the big black eyes. I knew it had to be Xander after he hugged me. I wrapped my arms around him. “How are you doing, man?” I said. He pulled away. “Unphased as ever I see.” he said smiling. “What are you doing here anyways?” I asked. he shrugged. “I called my uncle and got him to pull a couple strings.” I nodded. “Oh, okay.” I dug my hands into my pockets. “So how’s my family doing? Are they eating okay? Are they warm enough at night?”

Xander shook his head smiling. “Why don’t you ask them yourself.” as he pointed behind me. I turned around and saw a blonde boy sprinting towards me. As he got close to me I opened my arms as he jumped into them. He buried his face into the crock of my neck as he held on tightly to my black silk dress shirt. He wrapped his legs around my waist. I saw my mom and dad coming over a while back. I turned back to Xander with my eyes becoming watery. “How?” was all I could say. He laughed. “Did you really think I would come see you and not bring your family?” I smiled big.

As my parents came over I placed Conrad down and hugged my parents. My mom kissed me on the cheek. My mom was crying uncontrollably. I could barely understand what she was saying, she couldn’t let go of me, she just kept kissing and hugging me, I had never seen them so happy to see me. My dad even seemed glad, which was a first for me. The last time I saw him even a little happy was when he got to hold Conrad for the first time and got to make his middle name Jasper for the ore he found the day he found out he was going to be a father of two. My dad didn’t smell of beer, he actually grabbed a glass from a server and smelt it before drinking it. He said. “Oh, yes! water! I’m dying of thirst!” I looked at my brother for an explanation. “Dad quit drinking, he only has a bottle once a month and he hasn’t hit the liquor store at all, he’s actually sleeping in his bed again!” my brother said happily. I looked at my dad. “You want to talk to me, don’t you?” he asked. I nodded. He walked over to me as my brother started to learn different handshakes from Xander. The first thing I said was. “Why aren’t you drinking anymore? You’ve been passing out on the sofa longer than Conrad has been alive.” he took a deep breath. “The day you got reaped my life came crashing down, I didn't know what I was going to do, you didn’t see this but before I said goodbye I cried, oh boy, did I cry.” he wiped his eyes.

“You told me not to drink myself into a coma and I haven’t, and I’m not going to ever again I’ve started to do other things too, things a dad would do for his sons, I’ve been walking Conrad to school, playing catch with him outside, I’m helping your mother with dinner, I started to read stories to conrad in the afternoon, I started kissing your mom goodbye before I left for work, I started sleeping in our own bed again I even started to slow dance with your mom in the living room in the evening. I wanted to be a better husband, a better father! I thought I might be able to be a better dad to Conrad and maybe he would think of me more. I wanted to be more than just a drunk miner who passed out on the couch every five minutes. I wanted Conrad to think more of me than what I have given you to think because all I gave you was a drunk man.” I shook my head. “That’s not what I think of you, I swear! I think of you more than a drunk.”

my father said. “No, no you don’t and that’s my fault.” he put his hands on my shoulders. “When you win I’ll give you the father you deserve and you can be the teenager you’re supposed to be and go hangout with Xander and go on dates with Kiara instead of trying to provide for us.” I looked at him. “You remembered my girlfriend’s name.” he nodded. I furrowed my brow looking at the ground, I never believed he would remember her name, let alone that I had a girlfriend, I looked back up at him. “Do you want to be doing this?” my father smiled. “Yeah, I do, I enjoy spending time with your brother and I am falling deeper in love with your mother and I feel so much more awake, energetic and healthier since I started only drinking a beer a month.” he then said “I told you I wouldn’t let you down son and I won’t and I haven’t. I promise I’ll keep it that way.” I nodded. “I know you will dad.” he sighed. “Come here, give me a hug.” I wrapped my arms around his body. I felt his lips kiss the side of my head. After me and my father stopped hugging Xander said. “Um… haymitch, I brought you one more surprise.” I heard someone say.

“Baby!” It was a female voice. I turned around and saw a brunette in a beautiful dress run over to me. The minute she got to me she kissed me, I accepted her kiss. I hugged her when she pulled away. “I missed you so much!” she said as I heard her sniffling. “I missed you too, Kiara.” I wanted to look at her so I pulled away and cupped her face, I brushed a tear away from the side of her face. I kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tightly again.

Chapter 9

Me and my family sat at a table talking. I looked out onto the dance floor. I saw the lights on the floor changing as people started to get up and go show off their moves. I felt Kiara’s hand in mine holding tightly as she ate the food Xander’s uncle had purchased for Xander, my family and Kiara. My brother seemed to love the food, he couldn’t stop stuffing his face, my mom had to tell him to use his fork and knife about a dozen times, this was the first time he didn’t say a word through a meal. Kiara kissed my hand. I turned my head to look at her.

She had a fork in her hand as she swallowed a leaf soaked in ranch dressing from the salad. I smiled. “Hi.” I said. She looked at me grinning. I heard the song die out as a new slow song came on. I looked at the ceiling hearing the music fill the room. Kiara tightened her grip on my hand to grab my attention, I looked at her. “Yes, babe?” she smiled. “Do you want to dance?” I furrowed my brow thinking I had heard her wrong. She laughed shaking her head. “I said do you want to dance?” I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. My dad leaned over and said. “Excuse my son’s reaction, nobody has ever asked him to dance.” Kiara looked back at me. “I can’t imagine why, he’s so good looking.” Conrad butted in saying. “Because lucinda wilson danced with him and he stepped on 7 of her toes she only had 4 fully functioning ones.” my mom quickly leaned over and whispered in his ear. He then said. “I mean three!” I laughed and Kiara led me to the dance floor and put her arms around me. I placed my hands on her hips as we moved side to side slowly. “Please excuse my brother’s smarts, he doesn’t have much.” Kiara smiled and said. “How do you expect him to when the only math teacher is like 900 years old?” I laughed at that, Mr. colton did look like he was 900 years old, he’s been teaching math to kids since my dad started school. Nobody ever learned how to do anything mathematic until grade 6 unless your dad was willing to help you like Xander’s dad. I said. You’re talking to me about school? Say something about district 12, I miss it like hell, it’s the only home I ever knew and I don’t know many people here.” she smiled. “It’s not raining as much, the sun is shining more, Conrad as been walking home with bader so they can play catch down by the railroad fence.” I raised my eyebrow. As I spun her. “That park is still holding?” I asked, she nodded. “School’s okay with me, I’ve started going to Miss Lumberwood’s dance class for extra curricular, have you ever taken any of her classes?” I scoffed. You’re talking to someone who told 6 of her classes.” Kiara was stunned by my statement. “Really? Which ones?!” she said as she stepped back twice as I stepped forward.

I responded. “Me and Xander took hip hop in grade 1 and then we moved up to break dancing at grade 2, after that Xander started going more into theatre and joined the baseball team. We still hung out since theatre needed as much dancers as they needed.” Kiara clapped her hands. “I remember you and him had a dance battle in step up 1.” I smiled. “Yup, it grade 3 to grade 6 I did salsa, tango, ballroom waltz, swing dances like that, miss Lumberwood made me and sally donner partners, we did really good together, eventually Miss lumberwood ran out of dance moves to teach me and I just danced in my free time when I wanted to.” I pursed my lips before continuing. “Then I asked lucinda to dance and I got really nervous and couldn’t focus on dancing.”

Kiara twirled me around. “Well, you are doing incredibly well tonight.” she leaned in close. “you know I started to learn tango, maybe we could do the dance Miss lumberwood teaches all her tango students.” I smiled and nodded. Miss lumberwood’s classes never changed, I might have taken different dance styles but there was always another class she was teaching when I was there and she never changed anything. By now another song had started to play. She placed her hand in mine as she slid her other onto my shoulder blade.

I started to walk to the left with Kiara as we twirled I could hear the people getting quiet, I apun around keeping my eyes on Kiara, she was so pretty, she looked so happy to see me, I had never been so in love with her then now, with my arms around her and hers around me is where I wanted to be for the rest of my life, everything washed away as i danced with her, nothing else mattered, I had Kiara, she had me and she was only mine, she looked into my eyes as he danced. Kiara slid her lig up my body, we were on the second last 8 beat count. I walked backwards with her following me, as we walked I mouthed. “Dip?” and she gave me a slight nod.

I let go of her back twirled her, wrapped my hand quickly around her and dipped her as the music stopped. We were both breathing heavily. I smiled at her as she grinned at me brightly. I heard clapping, I looked up and saw that everyone was watching us. I quickly pulled Kiara back into a standing position and rushed over to our table. “Well, well, well, maybe I should have done tango as well.” Xander said. Me, Kiara and Xander giggled. “I’ll teach you a little of it.” Kiara said. She then looked at me. “Wait… can I?” I closed my eyes as I giggled. “You can dance with me and other guys, I can dance with you and other girls, besides, Xander’s not your type anyways.”

she kissed me on the cheek and took Xander onto the dance floor. I didn’t mind them dancing together, Kiara was allowed to have guy friends which Xander was and I was allowed to have gal pals like Maysilee and Lillian. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw it was Lodian. “Can we dance?” I stood up and said. “Yes we can.” as we got on dance on the floor Lodian whispered in my ear. “Have you Ever done any lindy hop dancing, sweetheart?” I nodded. “Great because that’s all I know, I’ll follow your lead.” I started kicking my feet as Lodian followed me, I had so much fun with Lodian, she was a very good dancer even with her being a grandmother of somebody around my age, I saw a flash and saw Effie taking photos on me and Lodian dancing. I smiled as I spun Lodian once, I jumped high as she did a little dancing on her own. Soon the dance ended and I needed to sit. I drank water as I looked out on the dance floor with my brother dancing to a fast song with my girlfriend he laughed as Kiara twirled him around and then dipped him. I smiled as I loosened my tie. “You look happy sweetheart.” Lodian had sat down across from me.

“I am. My family, girlfriend and best friend are taking care of each other the best they can, it gives me hope that when I’m gone they will be okay.”

Lodian said. “You don’t know you’re going to die.”

I shook my head. “Oh, but I do.” I took a deep breath. “But that’s not going to ruin my night. My family is here, my best friend is here, my parents got to see me when I’m not starving, my girlfriend and baby brother are having fun dancing on the dance floor, that’s all I needed.” Effie walked up to me. “I’ll take him from here grandma.” She turned to face me. She said, “Shall we?” I got up and said, “I guess we shall.” as I bowed. We started to do a jive dance which was fine because I liked any kind of dancing. It was obvious that Effie had been dancing since she was a little girl because she was very good.

I dancing the night away with all the girls there, whether it was my girlfriend, my mom, Lodian, Effie, Maysilee or even Lillian I had a lot of fun, me and Xander even broke out some breakdancing moves getting our nice clothes all dirty when we were rolling around on the floor, we showed them off in the circle the tributes had created. I danced with Conrad too which he enjoyed a lot.

I walked over to my table and saw Lillian had fallen asleep on Allan Dario’s arm. “Looks like she tried herself out dancing with us.” I said.

Allan Dario looked around. “How she sleeps through all this noise is beyond me.” I laughed as I went to go talk to my parents.

Eventually the party ended and I had to say goodbye to my friends and family again. It was hard but they were happy they got to see me again. This time my dad told me he loved me more than I could ever know and was very proud of me, more than I could ever imagine. I said goodbye to them as they left hugged them on and kissing my girlfriend

I woke up in my bed the next morning with my head pounding and my ears ringing, I guess the music was louder than I thought.

It was our last day of training. I kind of just messed around with the weapons and resting by a tree while camouflaging myself. Maysilee lightly touched my leg. I opened my eyes. “Too much dancing?” she asked. I nodded standing up. “At least you can rest after this.” she looked down at the tree. “But I don’t think that is a problem since you’ve been resting here or at least an hour from how it looks.” I looked down and saw the soil and saw that it was hard earth. “How long have you been napping?” I shrugged.

“Couple hours.” I said. Maysilee said hopefully the gamemakers didn’t see that.” I looked around and saw cameras around the training grounds. “They’re going to make the games as hard as possible for people like us so it’s harder for us to win.” Maysilee continued on, I wiped the dirt off my hand on my pants. “Why would they do that, I mean to us?don’t they want a big battle and make it as long as possible?” I asked. Maysilee said. “Not when they’re betting on who is going to win, and of course they are betting on the careers, they win every year. Wireless is the most recent vitor who wasn’t in district one or two who won but that was still 9 years ago.” I sighed looking at the ground. “So the games are going to be set up in the careers favour.” Maysilee nodded. She took hold of my hand.

“Keep this to yourself, Allan Dario is trying to keep Lillian as calm as possible and he doesn’t need something else to worry about yet, freaking Lillian out anymore than she already is.” I nodded before picking up a rock and throwing it against the tree trunk.

As the sun set we all ran back to our cabins and led back to our rooms as we walked together I yelled to the girls. “Good luck on your ranks!” Lillian just waved as Maysilee said. “You too!” as a guard started to drag her to the other elevator. Me and Allan Dario rode in the elevator. When we got to the top. I looked at Allan Dario, he was giving a blank stare towards the door and hadn’t said one word the whole way to our rooms, I then saw a salty tear ran down his cheek, he didn’t even more to wipe it away. I looked forward the peacekeepers were in front of us this time and weren’t paying much attention to us, So I slowly and quietly reached my hand out and took hold of her left hand. I interlock my fingers with him. He looked over at me. I mouthed. “I got you.” he smiled at me. The elevator then dinged and we quickly let go of each others hands. “Good luck on your rank haymitch!” he said as he was taken to his room. “You too Allan Dario!” as I was shoved into my room. I turned on the T.V. when I made it to the sofa. They had just started and the careers were on. I didn’t not want to listen to their ranks. But I did anyways, 10, 9, 11, 10 were their ranks. “Great!” I yelled at the T.V.

The rest of it went pretty smooth. Rippy got a 7 and his male buddy, Levin got a 6. I waited and waited and waited until we were on, they finally finished the last district 11 tribute and Maysilee was on the scene. Caesar flickerman started to speak. Maysilee Donner with a score of 7, Lillian Cameron with a score of 2.” That wasn’t surprising, she was so small what did they expect her to get, I hoped her family wasn’t wishing for a higher score that was completely unrealistic or were crying at home because they definitely knew she was going to die from what the other kids had gotten. “Allan Dario with a score of 9 and Haymitch with the score of 8.” I was shocked. I was expecting a 5, 6 maybe a 7 like Maysilee, but an 8 a rank lower than Allan Dario. I didn’t think I was that good.

I soon went to bed, didn’t feel why I should when I was going to be dead real soon, what was the point of sleeping but I went to bed anyways, I had to try to win, for my parents, for Xander, for Kiara and Conrad, for Lodian, I promised them all I would try and win this, so I could go back home and move my family into a better house so that we weren’t eating the food Xander’s family could afford and the meat scraps Kiara could get her hands on and give my family to eat.

Chapter 10

I was awoken by my door being knocked down and two peacekeepers coming in. I was barely awake before they gagged me with some sort of rag and put a blindfold over my eyes. They dragged me away from my bedroom to some unknown location, all I saw was pitch black, I couldn’t see anything so I used my other senses that could help me out here and try to figure out what was going on. The other senses I used were hearing, touch and scent. My touch was limited since I could only feel things on my bare feet since my arms were being restainted by the peacekeepers.

My hearing helped me when I heard the elevator door ding open. “Where were they taking me?” I thought. I soon heard them punch in a number. I was brought on to a floor that I hadn’t been to, or it didn’t feel familiar enough to me. I started to scream into the rag in my mouth, I was using all the air to make a sound loud enough for someone to come to my rescue. I was suddenly grabbed by the face hard, I could feel the familiar rough leather material of a glove squeezing my jaw. “Shut up! Or I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your head.” a peacekeeper said. I could hear his pleasure in threatening to end my life in his voice. I was quiet until I was placed in a room. I recognized the scent of all the soaps and lotions, among the other things. A peacekeeper said. “Watch him, I’ll be right back.” I didn't know why it mattered, I was blinded and couldn’t talk.

A couple minutes later. The door opened and I heard a gasp, then a familiar sweet lady’s voice say angrily. “I told you just bring him here as he is! No blindfold, no gag.” the peacekeeper answered back. “We have to follow the orders we are given, he’s all yours.” and the door opened and closed one last time. I heard steps walk over to me. The gag was removed from my mouth and the blindfold was untied. I saw Lodian standing in front of me with sorrow in her eyes. “I’m so sorry sweetheart, I demanded them not to do that to you I guess Snow ordered them to.” I wiped the drool off my mouth from when I was screaming.

“It’s all good.” she cupped my face before gently brushing my cheeks. She then turned away and started looking on the counter for something. “Are you here to get me ready for the arena?” she turned around. “Unfortunately, yes.” I nodded as I sighed. Lodian made me face the mirror and slicked my hair all the way back. She rubbed lotion on my face and the back of my neck. She then gave me a pair of dark green cargo pants with an army belt.

She clipped my toenails as she put a pair of heavy wool grey socks on my feet. She gave me a white T-shirt with a V-neck and a button up black and blue plaid shirt to put over it. She then went over to the coat rack and came back with an oversized bomber jacket with brown elbow cuffs with grey wool on the inside.

The bomber jacket was black and slick. “Hopefully this is warm enough and good for the rain, it’s the best I could do without knowing what the arena is like.” I threw it over my body. “Thank you Lodian, this is more than enough. She then handed me a navy blue tie. I looked at it closely and noticed it was Xander’s. “Hopefully it brings you luck.” I put it in my jacket pocket and zipped it up.

She looked at me with sadness. “Effie is here to talk to you, is it okay if I send her in?” I nodded. Lodian left the room and Effie walked in. she was in a teal short sleeve dress that had bubble sleeves, her dress ended at her knees, she wore the dress with white stockings and a pair of gold high heels. Her hair was in an updo with braids and buns. “You look very nice and fancy.” I said trying to sound as nice as possible. “I don’t have much time so listen closely.” I stayed silent. She looked at the door and then back at me. “The cannon is going to go, that’s when you can safely step off your platform, you’ll get blown up any time before that, the first thing you’re going to see is everyone running to the middle. Don’t do what everyone is doing, don’t worry about the weapons, tributes leave them behind when they find their known weapon, that’s when you can get one. The middle will turn into a bloodbath. Don’t run into it.” I looked at Effie in confusion. “I don’t understand, why are you telling me this?”

Effie took hold of my hand. “Because I see the way Kiara looks at you, you don’t get to fall in love like that a lot, you’re lucky if you do, it happens once in a lifetime, I might not know her very well, but I know you, and you deserve to see her again, and marry her and watch your children grow up and you deserve to die an old, old man in your bed with Kiara holding your hand as you take your last breath.” I smiled at her. “Don’t let me see you die on that screen Haymitch abernathy. Promise me!” I nodded. “I promise.” She hugged me tightly. “I have to go now. But I love you so much, you have been a really good person to me even when I wasn’t to you.”

I said. “You’ve done great, Effie trinket.” and she left the room.

Lodian then led me to another room. There were stairs going up somewhere with a door. Lodian put her hand on my shoulder. “Listen to me, you’re going to be taken to the arena by a plane, keep your head down and stay quiet, then nobody can say you were giving them dirty looks or said something to offend them, that’s how the careers like to get started, by killing a few on the ride there.” I nodded feeling like my voice wouldn’t work the way I wanted it to.

I saw Lodian’s eyes fill up with tears as she flunk her arms around me. I heard her sniffle. She clung to my jacket, holding on for dear life. She kissed me on the cheek. I said. “I’m going to be okay, I’ll be okay. I promise.” it felt wrong to lie but I knew Lodian needed the comfort, she needed to believe that I thought I could win this. When she finally let go I climbed the stairs and opened the big door. I heard loud whirring sounds and felt harsh aggressive winds against my body. Dust was going everywhere. I squinted my eyes to protect them and put a hand up to block some of the debris. The plane was going, no wonder it was so loud and the dust was going everywhere. A peacekeeper shouted at me. “On the plane now!” I could barely hear him but understood what he said. He pushed me forward with his rifle. “Now!” he boomed. I hurried onto the plane and sat down quickly. I did as Lodian told me to and kept my head down as I examined the heavy duty steel toed boots I was given. I fidgeted with the tie on my pants. I heard a tiny grunt. I slightly looked up and saw Lilian trying to get in the seat that was too high for her to climb into. She had cargo pants rolled at the bottoms so they weren’t so long. She had a black shirt on with a dark zip up sweater that was undone. Her raven hair was in a braid wrapped around into a neat bun.

“Whoa, come here, let me help.” I saw Allan Dario pick up the tiny girl and place her gently in the chair and he buckled her up with the thick red seatbelt that went over your shoulders and connected to a buckle down in the crotch area.

Allan Dario sat down next to her, he pushed a strand of hair that had fallen down from his head to the side, his dark hair was slicked to the side, he was wearing black cargo pants, a black T-shirt and a brown trucker coat. He buckled his seat belt and then grabbed hold of Lillian's hand. I quickly put my head back down and waited for the ship to take flight. After everyone had loaded up, the ship jolted up making us all jump and then we were off, the ship stayed silent all you heard was the uneven breathing of the tributes and the ship engine going. After an hour of flying we were taken off the ship by peacekeepers and we were led into the same little cabin. The cabin looked like something I would see back in district 12, it looked like a house of a friend’s or Kiara’s house that was next to an outdoor oven and the pigs that rolled around in the dirt and would start squealing and run away when it thundered. A peace keeper pushed me into the cabin where I saw an endless flight of stairs. He pushed me forward with his gun. “Go down the stairs and find the door with your name on it.” and I walked down the steps. I heard my steps echo over and over again as they hit the steel steps. I could feel the stairs vibrate as the other tributes started to walk down them, I could hear their steps now too as the echos got louder and bounced off the walls and found my ears. I finally saw a tiny wooden door, as I got closer to the door it got bigger.

I finally made it to the door and pushed it open to a long hallway with about a dozen doors on each side. I walked down the hallway and read names.

RIPPY

LEVIN

WAILER

SAMDINA

I finally saw a name I recognized, it was my male fellow tribute, Allan Dario. my door was next to his. I opened my door and saw a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while. His hair was lime green and he was in a white sparkly suit with a red bowtie. He stood up when I saw him.

“Hello Haymitch.”

I looked at him with a confused look. “Logan? What are you doing here?” he put his hands behind his back. “Sending you off of course, they rather a person who isn’t so old do it, if Lodian was younger she would be here but she isn’t.” I tighten my hands into fists. It sounded like a stupid reason to me to make it a rule but I knew it was only a rule to hurt us more then have someone we knew that cared about us and were close to send us off but I knew if I said that, Logan would say it was a rule for safety reasons. He walked over to a glass cylinder and opened it. I just stared at it. He looked at me. “Get in, this is how you get into the arena.” I walked over and stepped onto the platform in the cylinder. He touched my arm. “Good luck bud, and let the odds be ever in your favour.” I nodded as he closed the cylinder and sent it up. It scared me at the start but he gave me a thumbs up when I started to hit the glass and look for a way out. Soon I was on a tiny podium, I looked around the place and it was absolutely breathtaking, the sky was a beautiful baby blue colour, it stretched out over the landscape like a bed sheet without any flaws, the grass was long and had a bold colour of green. The sun shone brightly down on me and the rest of the tributes, I hoped Maysilee didn’t burn like my brother did in the summer, there were mountains across from me, the sun beamed down on them making the shiny minerals become blinding, the Snow on the top and sides of them was so bright it hurt your eyes if you looked at it for too long, I heard running water from some kind of waterfall I couldn’t see but everything was so different it was hard to take in, this was nothing like district 12.

I saw a pyramid made up of backpacks, knapsacks, food and bottles of water and other survival supplies, around the pyramid was weapons in stands, racks, cases, cages, open boxes and a whole bunch of other things. I looked around and saw Allan Dario a quarter away from me on my right and Lillian a quarter away from me on my left. I guessed Maysilee was right across from me but was blocked by the gigantic pyramid. I saw the timer start to count the last minute. I got ready to run to the middle but then I heard voices in my brain. “Don’t do it, don’t go, don’t go to the middle, run the other way.” I shook my head trying to get rid of them but they wouldn’t leave.

50 seconds.

I could still hear them telling me not to do it, I covered my ears and stuck my fingers in them quickly trying to get the voices out but they wouldn’t leave.

40 seconds.

I wiped the sweat from my hands off onto my pants and repositioned my legs to try and get a better chance of running as I took a deep breath and breathed out through my mouth making my lips into an O shape.

30 seconds.

I saw Lodian looking at me, I could still feel her hug around me and her lips on my cheek as a voice said “are you really going to die before nightfall after all she did for you?”

20 seconds.

I heard Effie trinket’s voice echo in my brain as I heard her say what she told me before I left. “The middle will turn into a bloodbath. Don’t run into it.” I shut my eyes tightly and opened them to look at the time.

10 seconds.

I then saw a tear stained face that belonged to Kiara bo williams. I heard her voice say. “When that cannon goes you ignore everyone and everything and you run as fast as you can and you hide somewhere good, don’t be brave and don’t be bold, be the man that I fell in love with.”

The high pitched canon went off.

Chapter 11

I turned around and ran as fast as I could into the forest that was behind us, looking behind me once or twice to make sure nobody was following me with a weapon. I stopped when I was at least 5 metres in the forest. I saw people go for the loot that was there, people were getting killed, whether it was stabbing, slashing, beating, strangling, they were killing each other brutally. I then heard an explosion and people went flying, the game makers had made a minefield. Of course they did! After all this was entertainment to them. I looked as far as I could and saw a blonde girl running away with an orange backpack into the tiny forest that led to the Snowy mountains. I saw her turn her head as she kept running to make sure nobody was following her, it was Maysilee, I was happy she was alive and getting the hell out of that place, she was breathing, she was alive, for now at least, I turned my head closer to the inside of the arena and saw Lillian standing at the edge of the woods. I said quietly to myself. “What are you doing? Run kiddo!” I then noticed that she was waiting for Allan Dario who was grabbing loot from the middle. I saw him grab a dark green knapsack and slash someone in the gut when they went to grab him, I heard yelling and saw a guy go to kill Lillian but Allan Dario made it their first and stabbed him.

Allan Dario pulled the dagger out of his chest as the man fell to the ground gripping the middle of his chest as his blood spilled out onto his T-shirt. Allan Dario kept Lillian behind him, making sure she was okay and safe from any of the other tributes.

I couldn’t watch anymore. I turned around and started to sprint through the woods hitting branches and twigs out of my way as I ran through the woods, I heard a loud cry from Allan Dario, he sounded hurt and in pain, with a hint of concern for Lillian’s safety, as much as I had grown close to my male ally and the little one, I couldn’t run back and help him, I needed to stay alive for myself and my family, I continued to run deeper and deeper into the thick forest I could hear the dirt and soil get kicked around from my feet moving so quickly and the dead leafs crunch under my heavy duty boots. I then tripped over a thick root of a tree that had grown out of the ground and rolled down a hill, I tucked myself into a ball, protecting my head and torso, I learned that you should always protect your head from the tornado drills we had had at school in past years. I kept grunting from my body hitting the frim surface of the hard earth with the debris flying up getting caught in my throat and affecting my vision.

I finally stopped rolling. I was on my front, I used my forearms to look up. I coughed the dust out and blinked away the tiny particles that were in my eyes. I saw a pond. The minute I saw it I got up quickly and ran over to it, I fell down to my knees, I could feel the wet ground through my pants as it soaked my kneecaps. My throat felt like it was on fire, I dunked my head in and started to drink it. I brought my head up and gasped. I pushed my wet hair back as I looked forward and saw a big waterfall. I sat there for a second catching my breath, it might be nice to sit for a minute before I have to start fighting for my life again. I then heard a lot of shaking and gambling. I sat up straight and looked around for anything out of the ordinary, the ground then started to shake and the ground started to open up. I didn’t have time to stand up and run so I moved back quickly, kicking my feet from the opening so I wouldn’t fall into the huge ravine. The water was sucked into it. It kept falling into the hole, finally the pond was empty, bone dry in my opinion. The big gorge then closed after all the water was gone.

I sat there trying to get my breathing under control from the terror and panic I just went through. I turned my head to look out onto the empty lake that had lost all the water that once had filled it. The water was all sucked up by one of the gamemaster’s tricks. I was going to die by natural causes. My anger and regret had then taken over my emotion, I should have run into the middle and at least grabbed a bottle of water. I threw a rock on the ground with a grunt of frustration and it broke. I looked at it. And then up into the sky. I smiled brightly. “Kiara, I’m going to come back home!” I grabbed the two parts of the rock that broke. One of the rocks had a sharp edge. And I started to file it down on the other broken part of the rock so I could make it sharp. I wasn’t thinking of hurting anyone with it, but it would be useful for hunting animals or even just cutting some edible plants or fruit.

I filed the stone down and made it as sharp as I could, this was the first time I felt like I had never left district 12. I knew I wouldn’t be making weapons back home but I did make jewellery and tools like little knives along with things like shovels and hoes for gardening. After I had gotten the stone down to a sharp edge. I slipped it into my pocket, I went to walk east north but then I heard a whole bunch of canons. I stayed as still that was humanly possible. I counted the cannons going off.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Eight tributes had been killed which meant there were still quite a few people to go. As I walked on I wondered if one of those unlucky eight souls was Allan Dario or Allan Dario and Lillian, I hadn’t seen Maysilee but that only gave me hope that she had already ran into the woods that was across from me going the other way.

I walked around the forest and found a big cliff in the distance. I was under it but I still had the urge to go check it out so I did. I walked up to a high ledge. At the end of the ledge was a willow tree that had vines hanging over it going down below the ledge to the very bottom where I was standing. The sun shone through the leaves giving the green long thin leaves an emerald glow.

I quickly took the sharp stone out of my pocket and began to cut through the vines, I moved my hand back and forth fast cutting through the vines, when I got through it, I wrapped the end of the vine I cut around my hand and gave it a good tuck to break it off higher up.

The vine snapped, it left a little bit under fourteen feet of vine that was still attached to the tree, which gave me at least six meters of vine. I wrapped it around my body like how Xander would carry his messenger bag and made sure it was tightly secured around my body. I heard a bunch of footsteps and got scared. I had the sharp stone but that was nowhere close to a weapon that could injure someone where I would have time to run away and find a place to hide while they mended their wounds.

I stumbled back and fell into the thick vines. The vines were so thick that I didn’t even realize how much space was under the ledge behind the vines, it was like a little cave, I layed on my stomach in the dirt looking out through a vines, and saw a little girl sit down in front of a big oak tree, she looked like she was from district 9, the grain district. She placed her bag down and fell to the ground in exhaustion. I felt the same but I knew I couldn’t do that in the open. Something I wish she knew because the next thing that happened was something I wish I didn’t see, I heard someone say. “YO, COME HERE YOU LITTLE RAT!”

I stayed silent as the little girl screamed, she got up quickly and ran away. away from the oak tree which was good for me, I heard louder footsteps of two boys pass by, they were the boys that I met back in training. Rippy and Levin. Rippy didn’t strike me as the fighting type but after the fight between Levin and Allan Dario, I didn’t know what to think about anyone other than my fellow tributes. I sat behind the thick vines for a while after they passed. I was breathing heavily. I could have died, I almost did! It set in that I had nobody, Allan Dario would kill me to protect Lillian, Maysilee would do the same to be able to go home and see her sister again, anybody would want to go home and see their family again, I was not going to hold that against her. After I could no longer hear Levin and Rippy’s steps and I assumed they were long gone I crawled out from behind the vines.

I looked around to see if anybody was around but it didn’t look like I was in any danger. I ran and slid on my knees over to the bag, staining my pants with damp dirt. I grabbed the bag and ran in the opposite direction Rippy and Levin had gone. I kept running until I saw a big maple tree I could get into. I got a running start and jumped when I got close. I grabbed the lowest branch and then swung my body back and forth a couple times before hoisting myself up with the help of the heavy duty boots I had. I climbed higher and higher until I was about 50 feet in the air. I sat down on a thick branch. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I sighed, trying to catch my breath. After I started to breathe normally again but my lungs still had the burning sensation and my throat still felt like I ate one of the spicy peppers in Miss Conners garden she would sell at the black market.

I pulled the knapsack off my achy back and put it on my lap. I heard the items thud when I placed it down or more like threw it down. I unzipped the top and opened it up.

I started to go through the supplies I had.

Rope, that will help with tools.

Three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into two triangles per sandwich. “Finally some food!” I said quietly.

A small hatchet with a leather blade cover, that would be good for gathering the wood for fire.

Last but not least was four bandage wraps with silver clips.

It was getting dark and it would be impossible to see. I quickly packed my bag up and started to climb down the tree until I heard a scream and a canon go off.

I stayed as still as possible. I thought for a second and knew that staying in the tree would be safer, not many people look up instead of forward and it would be harder to see me in the dark. I looked back up and started to climb back up the maple tree, I made it back to where I used to be sitting. I leaned back on the tree’s trunk, I heard the wind blow and saw the leaves dance to the left as I could feel the cold air hit my face and run through my hair. I shivered in my jacket. I started to drift off but kept jotting awake. I finally had enough and grabbed the rope. I tied it around my ankle making it into a noose. And then tied it around the tree branch I tied it on my foot and the branch so if I fell off I would be okay. Yes, I would be hanging upside down by my ankle but at least I wouldn’t be dead.

I let my legs dangle over the branch on each end. I sat there thinking of what my family and friends would be doing today. When I closed my eyes I could picture their faces. My brother crying in my bed not eating anything, my mother sobbing in the kitchen at night trying not to wake Conrad, my dad taking his anger out in the mines when he hit the rocks, Kiara sitting down where we had our first kiss, Xander sitting on the cream coloured loveseat in his living room watching the hunger games start only keeping his eyes on me hoping I made it further and further through the games. I shivered as the air blew again. As I thought of my family and friends' faces I started to hear soft bells. I looked up and saw a tiny box being dropped by a parachute. I grabbed the box and popped it open. I pulled out a black beanie. Inside the beanie was a small bottle of black liquid. There was a note at the bottom of the box. I took it out carefully and read it quietly.

“Sweetheart, keep your ears warm and use the pine pitch glue for the tools you’re making.”

I looked down and saw the word -MISS WINTER

I put the coal coloured beanie on and my head, the bottom of my ears poked out while the blonde hair on the back of my head close to the bottom flattened onto the nape of my neck. I took the bottle of pine pitch glue and tugged my backpack onto my knee, I unzipped the small pocket and gently placed it inside. I just hoped it wouldn’t spill if I had to run away from someone. I leaned back. I chuckled to myself smiling. I fell asleep after my ears warmed up and I got used to the cool air blowing every now and then. I was awoken by the capital’s song playing. I looked around and saw pictures flashing. The girl I saw from district 9 was in black and white like others. Levin’s and Rippy’s were in colour, I later realized if they were in black and white it meant they were gone.

My district came up, we were all in colour, I was happy I might have some people to team up with, it also gave me hope that when Allan Dario screamed at the start of the games it wasn’t as bad as he made it seem which made me feel a lot better, he wasn’t hurt and neither was Lillian, Maysilee was probably somewhere hiding out and I was in this tree with my amazing stylist sending me gifts to help me in this awful place like I knew she would.

I woke up around late morning. I didn’t know what time it was but I had to get out of the tree and start working on the tools I needed. I untied my foot and wrapped up the rope and climbed down the tree. I went north and found some more rocks. I squatted down and broke rocks on a huge smooth grey stone that I used as sort of a work table for the rest of the morning I made blades, as I collected some of the rocks I would use for weapons and tools I felt like I was back at home down by the mines and mountains where I would go to collect materials to sell, Xander sometimes came to help me find materials but I’m sure he hadn’t done it since I left, he was a rich kid who only came to help me. After I collected at least a dozen stones, I walked back to the rocky table with the rocks thumping around in my pack, I dumped them on the makeshift table and looked around making sure nobody was around. I finally started to notice how pretty the whole place was, not just the middle but the whole land. I hit two rocks together until I got a sharp one that I could use as a weapon. I was able to get a long, thin one.

I hit the edges over and over again until I could get it into the shape I wanted, I needed it into some kind of triangular shape. I wiped the sweat off the back of my neck as I continued to hit the stone with a rock. I heard noises and looked up. I saw a chipmunk run around. I smiled as it looked for nuts and other food. I got the blade into the shape I wanted. I looked at the chipmunk again as it started to dig.

Then a big black wolf jumped out of the bushes and ate it in one bite, it growled loudly. I inched away quietly until a twig snapped under my hand. It turned to look at me. His big yellow devilish eyes landed on me, his ears went up in the air, the points cut the air as they grew, I could hear the wolf’s breathing as it snarled, I didn’t move, I was frozen with fear, it filled my body to the brim.

Even if I wasn’t scared I knew enough from the books I read that if you ever came face to face with some animal that ate meat, that the last thing you want to do is run, if you do they will think you’re pery. He showed me his teeth as he scrunched up his nose and his eyes focused more on me. I slowly put my hand into my pocket reaching for the sharp knife I had made earlier, the wolf than howled. I got my knife out and stabbed the wolf in the middle of the chest, it fell back and whimpered. This gave me time to grab my stuff and get to my feet. I grabbed my bag and threw the sharp triangular rock I had made in my pocket and got to my feet. At this point the wolf had gotten back to its feet. Our eyes locked with each other. I saw his feet move closer to the ground, I knew what was going to happen. I ran right as the wolf leapt off the ground and tried to pounce on me. I didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. I had made him mad and wounded his chest. I dashed away and deeper into the forest, I took sharp turns and ran in many different directions to lose him, I didn’t care about finding my way back to where I had been, I just wanted to lose this beast that was on my tail, I knew he was chasing me because I could hear him. His feet jumping off the ground after crunching the leaves and hitting the hard earth, the snarling breaths it kept taking as it ran faster and faster to catch me, I could feel his breaths, or I thought I could.

I thought of stopping and just letting it happen but I couldn’t, that’s what Snow wanted, he wanted me to believe I couldn’t survive this, he wanted me to give up, that’s what the gamemakers are trying to make me think, I can’t die, I can’t do that to the people who have helped me, I can’t do that to Logan and Vivan, to Trinity, to Rummage, to Lodian, I couldn’t do that to everyone watching or the people back at home, I couldn’t do that to Eiffe Trinket who probably had the remote in her hand if she was keeping her promise, I couldn’t do that to my mom and dad, my little brother, my Kiara, my best friend.

I grabbed my bag and pulled out the hatchet, I looked behind me and saw the wolf, I threw off the cover and launched it towards the wolf, I saw it skin the wolf but that didn’t stop the beast, I took a turn and fell down a steep hill, I rolled down the mudslide into a body of water, I splashed into the water, I felt the cold liquid around my body, I opened my eyes and saw blurry light, I swam to the top and looked around for some sort of land, I wasn’t far from the shore so I swam over to it. I coughed as I crawled on the dirty sand and rocks that made up the tiny shore line next to the mudslide I had somehow survived. I looked around for the wolf I was running from and saw it had fallen and landed on a sharp root sticking out of the mudslide, he didn’t make it as far as I did. The root had pierced the skin like a knife. The wolf laid there dead with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, there was no more snarling, no more moving, breathing, no more danger.

I flopped back on to the sandy ground and sighed in relief breathing heavily but I still felt a little bad. I coughed a little more water up but I stopped and closed my eyes to relax as I continued to catch my breath.

Chapter 12

I was awoken by a canon. I heard the waves hit the rocky sand. I sat up propping myself on my elbows. It was dusk outside, the sky was gloomy like the sun was running out of its light. I remember that happened in my school when I was in the 5th grade, my classroom light burned out in the middle of math.

I decided to set up camp here, it wasn’t a bad place for a night. I dropped my bag on the ground and collected some sticks and a couple of oak logs. I now wished I had the hatchet, I then made a fire with my bare hands.

It was hard to get it going but after 5 minutes I could see smoke, I blew on it lightly as the dry grass caught the heat and the flames rose high slowly. Night fell quickly. I threw pieces of wet twigs in the fire to keep it from getting too high and giving off my location from the smoke. I wondered where my friends were. Lillian was definitely with Allan Dario but I didn’t know where Maysilee was, from what it seemed she was probably alone like me, on how she was handling all of this, I didn’t have a clue. The capital song started to play again. A boy's face showed up. It was in black and white and looked very familiar, it wasn’t levin’s or rippy’s but it was one of the boys that hung around Levin a lot, they seemed like friends back in training, I wonder what happened between them.

Did they get into a fight or did Rippy or Levin kill him? Maybe the duo finally snapped knowing there could only be one victor or Levin turned on him instead, the second option seemed more likely but I knew I was only saying that because Rippy helped me back when we were training. I went over to the shore line and cupped my hands, I washed my face with the water. I then dunked my head into the cool water. When I came up I slicked my wet hair back. The gel Lodian had put on my hair had washed out by now, if not yesterday it definitely did when I fell into the water and down the mudslide. I put my hands in the water. I cupped them under the icey water. I brought them up to my mouth and drank the water. I tasted something other than the plain icey taste of the water. I waited a minute as I kept my cheeks puffed up with water. I'm sure I looked like a chipmunk when it had nuts.

I was thinking it might be my mind playing tricks on me or the taste of my own blood. My eyes went wide and I spit the water out. I spit as much saliva as I could. I groaned and threw a handful of sand into the water. It was salt water. Drinking it would kill me faster than dying of thirst.

I was very mad now, not to mention how alone I felt, I guess Allan Dario and Lillian were being pretty clever, they thought about how it would feel in the games and decided to stay together, being alone was not good, you only had your thoughts to go off I guess that’s why the careers always seem to win, they always have someone else with them.

I crawled over to my pack and started to dump the rocks out I had thrown in earlier in the morning.

I looked over to the trees and reached into my pocket and grabbed the tiny knife I had made the first day here in the arena. I walked over to the tree and cut off a branch the length of my arm. I went back over the fire and sat down. I got to work with the branch I had achieved. I sat criss cross on the gravelly sand, I could feel the damp stones on my thighs. I gripped the stick and pulled the long thick branch over my lap. I was hunched over while working on the branch but I didn’t mind the pain I would get in my back later, everything else already hurt in my body. I sawed off all the twigs and smaller branches on the long stick. I then turned the knife 90 degrees and started skinning it, the bark was thick and a dark brown but the waves that had crashed against the cliffs and rocks had made it damp which helped me skin it of its bark.

When I got it smooth I placed my knife down and held the palm of my hand, I hadn’t realised how sharp the knife I had made was no matter where you held it, I stuck it in the ground and I grabbed the damp bark threw them in the fire to bring it down, since the wind that the waves created was not helping the little light go down like I was hoping it would. I took the skinned stick and drew in the gravelly sand. I threw the stick down and shivered in the cold, dark night as the air grew stronger and stronger. I felt the damp clothing stick to my skin. I quickly tore off my bomber jacket and threw it on the sandy surface and took off my plaid shirt and my V neck shirt, pulling it over my head.

I stripped now into my underpants and laid all my clothes further up on the shoreline to dry. My underpants would have to dry on my body, so I warmed myself up by the fire trying to keep as warm as possible as my clothes dried. I decided to get some sleep so I got my bomber jacket and used it to keep my warm, hopefully the fire would help more than I thought they would. I stuffed my pack under my head making a better pillow for myself than the gravely, hard, sharp ground.

I stared into the fire thinking of what was going to happen the next day, what trouble I would be running into, I just wanted this to be over, even if it meant getting killed, but I wasn’t going to be breaking my promise that soon, I had people back at home counting on me to come home, I had people in the capital watching me, hoping, wishing, praying I don’t die and end up like the rest of the fallen tributes from my district and the other ones around here.

Night grew on and on. Long and slow, I heard the crickets chirping away as I laid on the ground waiting for morning to rise, fireflies dancing around in the sky as I laid on my back with my bomber jacket over my legs and my chest being exposed. I put my hands behind my head, interlocking my fingers, looking up at the night sky, seeing all the stars sparkle, remembering you couldn’t see any in district 12 from all the soot and smoke, not to mention the dark clouds we had from the coal dust. I eventually fell asleep and woke up to a log falling through the fire and blinding me. I scrunched my face up. As I turned away from it and opened my eyes. It was still dark out and my back was covered in gravel and sand. I sat up and looked out into the waters and walked in.

I swam out rinsing the dirt off me and the debris in my hair. I pushed my medium length hair back. I floated on my back letting the dirt and debris wash away on its own. I knew the fallen tribute anthem was already over, I had definitely slept through it. I noticed the sun was coming up. So I paddled back to shore and stood with my back to the fire as the fire dried my boxers as best it could. I then collected my clothes, throwing on my shirt and jumping into my pants. I tied my bomber jacket around my waist and grabbed my knapsack, stuffed the plaid shirt in it and then threw it over my shoulder. I walked over to the fire I made the night before and stomped on it to put it out. I watched the bright, rich colours disappear and turn into black smoke rising into the beautiful baby blue sky.

I set out after that walking uphill and into the forest. I looked at the palms of my hands seeing the tiny cuts from the branches and sharp twigs I was scraped by going down the mudslide, they looked like they had been drawn on with a thin red ball pen. I could see the dirt that implanted itself into my fingerprints, most of the mud had been washed away from under my fingernails. I walked through the forest, twirling the knife I had made, it was the only weapon I really had and it would

I have to do. I slipped it back into my pocket as I pushed some branches out of my way. I thought, how could I be walking for so long? This place must end eventually.

I then remembered I had to run away and wasn’t going in a straight line. I walked up a hill feeling my knife hit the other side of my pocket.

I went deeper into the forest, I wondered what Maysilee was doing with what she had stolen from the Middle, I wondered what Lillian and Allan Dario were doing. I heard my stomach growling. I hadn’t realised how hungry I had gotten since I had been running for my life for the past couple of days. I opened my backpack and dug through it for one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I found one and tore it out of the bag. I bit into it and sighed as I swallowed the creamy thick peanut butter and the rich juicy blueberry jam.

I sat down on a dark red rock as I continued to devour the sandwich. As I was finishing it off I heard Chaim bells. I looked up and saw a parachute. I floated down to me. It looked like it was dancing. I reached my hands up and gripped one of the strings. I pulled it down into my lap. I untangled the string around the box and threw the parachute attachment on the ground. I unclipped the box buckle and opened it. I reached in and took out a steel block.

I was confused why someone sent me a steel block, was it was to knock people out and give them serious head injuries? I guess anything was legal now. It was the hunger games after all. I looked down and saw a tiny white rectangle. I took it out and read it. “Sharpen those tools, sweetheart -miss winter” I smiled it was a sharpening block.

I took out the small knife and started to slide it across the block. I could hear the scarping, it made me feel powerful, I didn’t know if I should be happy or scared about that, I lived in a small village that was covered in coal dust, where the air was ashy, where almost every person had to wonder if they would have a meal when they got home let alone any food. I wasn’t powerful, I was weak. I was fighting in an arena probably about to die so my family could have a year supply of oil and rice, but if I didn’t make it out ot here, if I died, I’m leaving my family to be living off the bit of money my father made, if we were barely making ends meet with the money my father brought home and the goodies I got at the black market what was going to happen if I didn’t come home? At that moment I knew I would have to kill some people, even if it meant my family and friends seeing it, I would tell them why I had to do it if they didn’t understand why at the start, I prayed my mom and dad kept my brother out of the room when they were watching me in the arena but knowing my brother, he was probably be peaking around the door frame of his room and seeing in the windows of Kiara’s and xander’s houses from the street walking to and from the farm house we called school.

I slid my knife again hearing the scarpes. I hoped it wasn’t too loud but my question was answered soon after that thought when two rocks came flying from behind my head, one hit a tree and made a thud when it hit the hard earth, the other one missed my head by one inch, it landed in the leafy small plants making the leafy ruffle like an animal was inside it.

I then felt a small rock hit me in the back top of my head, I held the crown of my head. I turned around and saw a a figure run away. I knew I was going after whoever hit me and I was going to make him pay. I threw my bag over my shoulder, slipped the steel block in pocket and gripped my now sharpened knife and chased after that boy that threw rocks at me.

I ran down the little slope to try and cut him off but he was faster than I thought, he jumped down in a ditch and ran down where the middle was, I stayed next to the ditch above it in case he climbed out but he climbed out of the ditch on the other side. I jumped to the other side barely making it, I ripped my pants from the jump with the sharp twigs cutting them. The guy ran through the forest pushing branches out of the way that helped me find out where he was at. He kept turning and twisting his path, he must be trying to get rid of me or throw me off his trail but I wasn’t going to lose this coward that easily.

I gripped the knife tighter in my hand. “Sorry guys.” I whispered under my breath as I kept chasing after him. I knew my family and friends didn’t want me to hurt anyone but this was a game of kill or be killed and I had to make it back home even if I knew when I caught this boy my innocence would be leaving me forever, along with my brother, parents, and best friend, along with my girlfriend would also see me take someone else’s life and see I have changed so much from when I left district 12 in that white shirt, beige pants and suspenders, and my parents would have to watch their little boy, my brother would have to watch his hero, Xander would have to see his best friend, Kiara would have to watch her first love slit a kid’s throat and see me watch someone slip away into the afterlife.

As I ran as fast as I could I tripped over my own feet I had grass stains on my cargo pants and my left hand hurt from landing on a sharp branch but I was okay, I hoped my grunt wasn’t too loud to alert any other tributes, especially ones that were stronger than me and wouldn’t mind killing me.

I got up quickly and kept chasing the crook that threw rocks at me. I didn’t know if I could catch this kid, he was fast and was quite a bit a head of me, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to let them go but it just meant someone else would kill them and then that tribute would get sponsors instead of me, the food I had wasn’t going to last me very long. If I wanted any chance of getting home I needed sponsors to send me food and water, an axe wouldn’t be too bad either since there weren’t any at the middle and I lost the one I had, I wasn’t surprised by that, the capital doesn’t sent things to tributes from district 12, nobody knows why but they don’t, but we guess its because the careers usually win every year.

2 always has the strongest team but 1 gets more sponsors, they usually team up together and let 4 in their group since they can actually get some food, I already knew not many people liked 12, Snow hated us, he only liked the people who are willing to kill and put on a show so he can get money.

I jumped over a log and ran over the crunchy leaves. I could see the dark hair of the kid in front of me. My chest felt like it was on fire from all the running, I couldn’t believe this kid wasn’t in pain or slowing down.

As he kept running I noticed where we were, I knew where he was going and I had been here before, it’s where every tribute was at the start of the games, the middle, we weren’t too far from it, this was not the way I wanted this kid to go. I noticed the green forest area with the moss growing out of the trees, the sun barely making it through the trees over at this land, the air was misty and everything was wet, this was the place I was running it before I turned a corner and rolled down a steep hill at the start of the games. I stopped from chasing him as he turned right and ran right as he continued running right away from me not looking back once, I continued running straight knowing he would have to circle back if he didn’t want to get caught by the careers and die a painful death, I got to the place where going down the hill was a safer bet than before, I continued down the hill watching my steps and slowed down to jogging instead of running, I got down and heard the rock thrower’s heavy breathing, I saw the dark hair not far from me.

I ran as fast as I could, my leg moved faster than they ever had, faster than when I would race Xander to the candy shop when the Donners got a new shipment of sweets. I was right beside him but he didn’t know, he looked behind him trying to see if I was still chasing him but he didn’t know I was the closest I had ever been to him in the time I had been chasing him. I took this opportunity to sneak attack him. I brought my arm up and pushing the branches out of my way and leaped onto the guy, I grunted as I did, trying to get on the rock thrower. I was on top of him, he was a lot smaller than I imagined and from his running he was very, very fast to be so far ahead of me. He hit me on the forehead lightly and tried to crawl away from me to get back up and run but I grabbed his ankles and pulled him back harshly and fast towards me, I noticed he had long raven coloured hair that looked familiar, I knew I had seen before but from where? I heard the boy scream in high pitched familiar voice trying to grab onto something so I couldn’t pull him any further. I got onto the boy’s torso, grabbing my knife in my right hand getting ready to kill this tribute fast so it would be the most painless death I could give him. He kicked his feet under me helplessly, I was high enough up that he couldn’t kick or knee me in the balls which would give him the chance to run away, the boy tried to push my face away, digging his nails into my face, scratching me. I brought my hand up and punched him square in the jaw, he stopped and brought his hands to his face holding his cheek from the blow I gave him. I flipped the knife out ready to slit his throat. I sighed closing my eyes and said in a whisper. “Please forgive me.” I brought a knife ready to slit the throat when I felt the small warm hand wrap around my wrist as he said “Haymitch, please don’t.” and at the words he said I got to see the boy’s face. I was in shock. The boy wasn’t a boy, it was a little girl, a little girl who was way too little to be twelve in my opinion.

She had terror on her cute face, her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, I had never seen someone so scared in their lives. I said in disbelief. “L-Lillian?” she held tightly to my hand. “Please don’t do it Haymitch, it’s me.” I noticed what I was doing. I was fighting against her grip trying to hurt her and I was still on top of her. I let go of the knife dropping it, it landed beside her making a light thud against the hard earth. I rolled myself off of the little seven year old like body. I laid on my back heavy breathing.

I couldn’t believe I almost killed the child I sworn to Allan Dario I would protect. She sat up finally. I quickly did the same after that. I waited for her to run off far away from me, but she just sat there in silence. We listened to the wind running through our hair, the birds chirping, the crickets even sounded loud. I was the first to speak. “

I’m happy you’re okay.” she looked at me. “I guess you didn’t recognize me.” I smiled and said. “We’ve all changed a little.” which was true. Lilian’s hair was not in updo crown briad anymore, it was let down and ran down her back with some damp strands, she didn’t have her jacket on anymore, her cargo pants had been cut into capri pants she had sand and dirt in her hair with some mud on her face and arms and she had a red scar the length of my ring finger from the side of the bridge of her nose down to her earlobe, it now matched to tiny fresh bloody cut I had given her from the tip of my knife.

I’m sorry I cut you kiddo.” She shrugged it off. “I’m sorry I threw rocks at you.”

I looked at her. “why did you throw rocks at me?”

She sighed. “I needed your help but-”

I said.” but what?”

She looked down. “I didn’t know if you would hurt me if I went up to you.”

I nodded. “Hey, where’s Allan Dario? He told me he wouldn’t leave your side for a second.” I looked over at her. She was crying now. My eyes widened and I felt my heart break a little. “Lilllian.” I said frimly. She wiped a tear away. “Where’s Allan Dario?” she cried harder. I closed my eyes. “No.” I said. She looked at me. “He’s not dead.” I looked over at her, I was reliefed. She then said. “But he might be soon, I need your help haymitch.” I looked at her. “What happened to him?” I asked the little one, Lillian said. “It’s easier to show you than telling you.” she then added. “Will you help me haymitch?” I nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power to help.”

Chapter 13

Lillian led me down to a hill to a huge sharp rock pile. She grabbed a small geryish shiny wet rock and grunted pushing it out of the way, I ran over and helped her out. We moved it over to the side, she then said in a tired voice. “we’re good.” I let go of the rock and saw that it revealed a small hole. ‘Follow me.” she said. As she slid in. I prayed this wasn’t a trap and followed her in.

I looked around as my eyes adjusted to the darkest. I heard a quick noise that sounded like dirt being kicked off a high cliff.

I looked over and saw Lillian lighting a lantern. She looked at me. “This way.” I followed her down the cave. I soon heard heavy loud breathing and grunts with another voice shushing them. Me and Lillian walked in to a bigger opening I looked to my right and saw Allan Dario propped up next to the wall of the cave with his head resting on a knapsack like bag. He was sweating like crazy and his hair was drenched and dripping sweat. He was shirtless and you could see the sweat shine from the little campfire that had been made, his and Lillian’s jackets were over his legs. I saw Maysilee trying to soothe him as he shushed him dabbing his head with his shirt that she had soaked in water. She looked over at me. “Haymitch!” she shouted happily.

she got up quickly and ran over giving me a big hug.

I wrapped my arms around her now smaller troso. Lillian sat down next to Allan Dario, dabbing his forehead like Maysilee was as he kept arching his back and rolling slightly onto one of his sides. He was obviously in a lot of pain but what happened and how did he get here? And when did Maysilee find them? Allan Dario didn’t seem good or like he was going to make it much longer, unless he had some sponsors sending him things like meds, who was I kidding?!

Allan Dario needed a doctor treating him and he needed a doctor treating him now!

I looked at Maysilee and walked over to her. She looked tired like she hadn’t slept in days. I said. “Catch me up too speed, will you?” she walked with me to the far wall, where two sleeping bags had been laid out. I was guessing they were hers and Lillian’s.

“When the canon went off, unlike you, we stayed, I grabbed the first bag I saw and ran, of course I got a couple arrows shot towards me and a knife thrown at me but I made it out unharmed. Allan Dario on the other hand, not so much. He ran into the middle grabbed two packs and killing some people for them, he and Lillian decided to stick together so she waited for him at the edge of the forest, as he was protecting her, he got a katana to the leg along with an arrow piercing his thigh, with all the fighting going on Lillian managed to drag him into the forest without being noticed. After they were far enough in the forest. a girl form district 11 by the name of Lgata found them and helped Lillian.”

I looked at Maysilee. “L-who helped Lillian?” Maysilee said. “Lgata L-got-ah. I don’t know who she is but she helped Lillian and Allan Dario into this cave, she tried to help best she could but she knew Allan Dario didn’t trust her so when she and Lillian were outside gathering wood for a fire she told Lillian she was leaving because it was stressing Allan Dario out that she was there and he wouldn’t rest because he was scared that she would hurt Lillian so she gave Lillian some cream that was send from a sponsor and left.”

I said. “What cream?” Maysilee held up a tin.

“This cream, here’s the note that was send with it.” I took the note and read it in my head. “Use this for cuts and injuries it works like a charm.” I looked at Maysilee. “Is it true? This note.” Maysilee nodded. “As bad as he and his cut looks, it looks a lot better than when he first had it, there was nothing Lillian could do about it when it was fresh but apply pressure. Luckily he pulled through so that she could treat it.” I looked at my friend arching his back as he grunted and breathed heavily. “How long has he been like this?” Maysilee sat down on the sleeping bag. “Since he woke up.” I sat down next to her. “Is he always like this when he wakes up?” she shook her head. “When I first got here it was screaming, biting down on his jacket then hitting the ground but Lillian told me before I got here he would cry and beg for the pain to stop saying god please make it stop, he even asked Lgata to end his life one time, I know it doesn’t look good, but this is the best he’s ever been.”

I looked at the cream. “Can’t we give him some cream so he’s not in pain?” Maysilee said. “We give it to him at night. That way if someone comes in at night they are not expecting anyone here and we have the element of surprise, but in the day if they hear him we are all still here ready for an attack, besides he’s been resting rather peacefully after he gets the cream and we don’t have much left maybe two more uses, three tops.” I took the tin. I screwed the cold metal lid off. Maysilee was right, there wasn’t much left. “Do you think he’s going to survive?” Maysilee looked over at Allan Dario who had Lillian holding his large hand in her tiny small hands now. “I honestly don’t know, but I’m not leaving that little girl alone.”

Night was going to be soon. I left the cave giving myself to process what I had been informed. I walked away from the cave into the forest before sitting down in the dry dirt with my keens bent with my hands resting on them. There was two things I knew for sure, Allan Dario was badly wounded, and all of district 12 had their four tributes. I couldn’t believe that the odds were really working out in our favour for once. I chuckled to myself for a second.

Then I heard the soft ringing of bells. I looked up to see a parachute, it had something soft and dark attached to it. I reached up and grabbed it, there was a note stuck on top of the cotton material. I carefully pulled it off and opened the note.

“Keep warm and cover that wound with whatever you can find. -miss winter I unrolled the cotton material and realized it was a sleeping bag. As it unrolled something fell on the dirty ground and landed in the dead leaves that covered the earth’s surface. I picked it up and saw that it was a wrap for wounds, I remember seeing them in the Mason’s house when I went to grab meds for my family if we had enough money from my dad working in the mines.

I put the note in my pocket and picked up the roll. “What’s that?” I heard a voice say. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the knife I had sharpened holding it out in front of me to defend myself as I whipped around. I was face to face with Maysilee. She put up her hands. “Hey, hey, hey good person, good person, remember?” I sighed and placed the knife back in my pocket. “Sorry, you scared the litreal soot off me, I guess I’m still a little on edge.” she nodded. “We’ve all been there.” she saw the sleeping bag. “Did you get a gift from a sponsor?” she said as she got down on the ground and started to roll it back up at the other end of the sleeping bag. I shrugged. “Not exactly, they’re from my stylist, Lodian, I mean Miss winter, at least that’s what you would know her as.” I said dropping the sleeping bag for Maysilee so she could roll it all the way up. She smiled. “You guys seemed close even if you two only met a couple weeks ago.” I nodded. “We were.” I heard some thunder and looked up. Big black clouds started to form, the sky turned gloomy and dark, it felt like we were back in district 12, at this time I would be selling firewood and jewerlly at the black market and Maysilee would be working the register at the candy shop. Me and Maysilee had both looked up into the dark sky now waiting to be blessed with water that might actually be drinkable but that hope faded away fast when a drop of what we thought was water landed on my pant leg. “Ouch!” I said out of pain with surpise as the rain droplet burned a hole through the cargo fabric of my pants and into the flesh of my thigh, the skin turned red and I saw blood start to ooze out. Maysilee looked up, her face showed pure terror. She then screamed. “It’s acid! Get into the cave! now!” Maysilee grabbed my hand and sprinted off with me as I followed her, we ran over to the cave as the rain drops started to fall more and more, I had to slow down to stay with Maysilee and protect her we were getting hit making us yell from the acid burning of skin and sinking into our flesh, I pulled Maysilee’s jacket over her head to protect herself as the acid was taking a little longer to burn though the bomber jacket’s matreial as I protected my head with my bare hands and forearms. As we were nearing the cave we had been calling home for a couple days I noticed the cave entrance was blocked and I ran ahead of Maysilee to move the big rock.

As I placed my hands on the rock they started to burn. I screamed in pain as I felt my skn of my hands burn and peel off, it hurt so bad, it didn’t feel like burning yourself but worse. But I pulled through the pain and got the rock out of the way, if I didn’t, Maysilee and I would both die from the acid and Lillian would be left by herself trying to save Allan Dario alone, as I kept pushing the giant rock away Maysilee finally yelled to me. “It’s away, you can let it go! come on!” I let go and jumped in after Maysilee climbed in. I landed on my knees and and got up as I grunted and followed Maysilee to the main room, Maysilee then turned around to check on me.

She immediately noticed my hands, she ran over to me saying. “Haymitch! Your hands!” Maysilee said as she carefully took my hands in hers. I saw the bloody flesh on my palms, my skin had completely been burned away and peeled off. “Here put them in the water.” She led me to a tiny pond and gently placed my hands that now showed the tissue and bloody flesh that was once covered by my peach skin in the like warm water.

I screamed in pain as the water touched my hands. I could see Lillian watching me out of the corner of my eye. I sighed when the pain started to fade. I closed my eyes and let my hands soak in the water. Maysilee walked over to her sleeping bag and grabbed something metal and ran back over to me. “Here, let me see your hands.” She said in a voice that reminded me of my mother, it sounded like the voice she would use on my brother when he hurt himself or on me when I scarped my keen back when I was an only child.

I laid my hands face up. Maysilee took the metal thing she had grabbed out, I realised it was a tin can, as she unscrewed the lid I knew what was inside the container. I put my hands on her. “No, you can’t! That’s not for me, we only have a little bit left and we should use it on Allan Dario.”

Maysilee said. “Your hands are worse than his leg, we should use it on you.” And she went to scoop some out. I stopped her again. “I can manage, Allan Dario is fighting for his life right now!” I could see that Maysilee was getting angered. She grabbed my wrist. “Haymitch the skin of your palms is missing, they are gone and have burned away, do you want them to get infected and possibly lose them?!” I didn’t know how I could fight back with that fact, if I made it back home I would need my hands to help provide. I looked over at Allan Dario who was resting soundly and nodded whispering. “Okay.” And Maysilee applied it over my open wounds. I allowed her to use a little bit of the bandages for my palms but the rest was going to be meant Allan Dario.

Night came like it always had. Allan Dario had woken up so me and Maysilee helped him. I removed the jackets from his legs and rolled up his pant leg to the wound. It looked wrose than I thought it did, the cut was deep and had cut through the skin muscle and part of the tissue. I saw Allan Dario grint his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, fighting the urge to make a sound from the pain. Maysilee screwed off the top of the tin and scopped the last bit of the cream, the paste was placed on Allan Dario’s leg as Maysilee gently rubbed it on and around the wound. Allan Dario winced in pain as Maysilee finished applying the pastely cream. He let out a sigh of relief. He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. He looked around and then saw one of the teenager’s jackets, he gripped it tightly and brought it up to his shoulders as he rolled onto his side and tried to sleep. Me and Maysilee then quickly wrapped up his leg with the rest white wrap Lodian had sent me, w also used one of the wraps that was in my bag and the sleeves of my plaid shirt. Maysilee decided to stay with Allan Dario until he was for sure back to sleep.

I walked back over to the sleeping bags and rolled mine out next to the others. I sat next to Lillian who was eating a mixture of berries in a wooden bowl. She knew what I was going to ask her. “Maysilee got the bowl from the cornaquina, I picked the berries from some of the bushes. It’s what we’ve been living off since Allan Dario was the one who had any idea on how to hunt.” I looked at her as she popped a couple blueberries into her mouth with her dirty fingers tips stained with the juices of the mixed berries. I looked to the left and saw my backpack. I quickly pulled it towards myself and opened it. I looked at Lillian who was searching for more blueberries.

I said smiling. “Do you like peaunt butter and jelly?” holding out one of the plastic bags with a toasted sandwich with big amounts of smooth peanut butter and red strawberry jam. She took the bag from my hand and ripped it open as she shoved the triangular sandwich into her mouth, she didn’t even care that the curst was still on it like when she did back on the train and would leave the curst on her plate. I ate some of the berries in the bowl that Lillian had picked on pervious days. After an hour Maysilee came over to the sleeping bags where I was laying flat on my back playing with Xander’s tie and Lillian was sitting chris cross drawing in the dirt with a sharp stick.

Maysilee sat down next to me. I propped myself up on the boney elbows as they pressed into the cuishonong of the sleeping bag I had. She said. “He’s resting again.” I looked over and saw Allan Dario laying on his side facing away from me. “It’s going to get chilly tonight, we should start a fire.” I said. I took out my knife and said. “I’m going to go grab some wood.” and with that I left the girls and Allan Dario. I had cut wood before with a knife but I always perferred axes since I could do it in one hit. I cut branches off trees quietly looked arond making sure I wasn’t going to get stabbed in the back out in the open.

I made it back to the cave with thick branches. When I got to the main room of the cave. Maysilee was braiding Lillian’s hair at the momet she noticed that I was back and ran over to help me make a fire. Maysilee built a Teepee and I got some smoke going and then a orange and yellow flame started to burn. I sat in front of the fire throwing tiny pieces of a twig in. I looked over at Maysilee who had Lillian’s head resting in her lap, Lillian was out cold, she slept peacefully as she rested her head on Maysilee’s lap, and the scar on her face was healing well. Maysilee storked the little girl’s raven hair to the side of her head.

I threw another piece of a twig in the fire. I then heard Maysilee speak, her voice was quiet and soft, she was trying not to wake the tiny girl that was sleeping. “Hey, if you want to sleep, I can take first watch, wake you after like five hours.” I said. “It’s okay. You rest, I got it.” She nodded and leaned back to rest against the cave wall, but before she fell into a deep sleep she said. “Good night haymitch.” I looked at her but saw that she had closed her eyes. I whispered. “Goodnight Maysilee.” I stared into the fire wondering what was happening back home. My brother was probably fast asleep along with my parents, if not my mother was probably crying in the kitchen as my dad tried to comfort her best he could.

I didn’t know how long I was passed out for but I was jolted awake when my head started to fall. I looked around to see if anybody was hurt. Maysilee was fast asleep, her head rested against the cave wall, her legs stretched out with one of her hands resting on Lillian’s shoulder as the other one laid face up in the dirt. Lillian still had her head on Maysilee’s lap. She was sucking on the tip of her thumb, I remember seeing my brother suck on his fingers when it got cold outside. He would do it to keep them warm, hopefully if I won this he wouldn’t have to do that and mess up his big teeth when he got them all.

Maysilee’s jacket was thrown over her tiny body like a blanket, she slept in a fetal position. Her hair was pushed away from her face that showed the innocnce I once saw at the reaping when she walked up on stage back in district 12, the scar on her face was now as thin as paper, it looked like someone had drawn it on with an ink red pen. I was pulled away from the beautiful girls when I heard the loud breathing to my left. I turned and saw my fellow male tribute in a great amount of pain. I looked at Allan Dario who once was resting with his head on a bag. He laid there with his chest showing that was covered in dirt and the blood that had once been in his leg, his shirt was still soaked in water and was on his forehead keeping him in as much comfort as it could. He kept arching his back, rolling on to his sides slightly as he kicked his feet around. I ran over to him. “Hey, Hey, Hey.” I keened down next to him. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” I saw his face starting at the ceiling of the roof panting heavily. “Just try to relax Allan Dario, we’re going to get you through this.”

Allan Dario’s hand gripped my wrist. I looked over into his eyes. He breathed through his teeth. “Please, please, please, please!” he pleaded and begged me over and over again. “Please just end it, kill me, I can’t go on, kill me!” I shook my head. “No.” I whispered. I said louder for Allan Dario to hear me. “No, we are going to get you back to normal and you can do it, I know you can.”

He moved his head to the side. “God!” he hit the ground with his fist, tears started to pour out of his brown eyes. “I can’t! Please, please! Kill me, I’m begging you kill me!” he begged me just to end his suffering, the pain of dying would be less painful than what he was going through right now, it wouldn’t even take much. Suffocation would take a couple minutes but Allan Dario was breathing on his own, he would be gone in less then 3 minutes, he wouldn’t even suffer that much.

But I couldn’t kill him, he was too determined to protect that little girl and I had to give Lillian hope that he would be able to pull though this injury. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Maysilee. “Hey, I’ll take him, you need some rest anyways.”

I unwillingly left Allan Dario with Maysilee after saying I could stay up a little longer. I crawled into my sleeping bag and closed my eyes as I drifted off. I was awoken by an. “Oof!” and a bit of pain in my ankle. I sat up straight to see Lillian lying over my legs. “I’m Sorry! I’m okay, but I’m sorry.” she had tripped over my ankle. I started to calm down. I looked around. “Hey, where’s Maysilee?” Lillian pointed to the exit. “She went to check if it’s day time yet.” I nodded. “Um… can you watch him, I’ll be right back.” Lillian smiled and nodded. I walked through the dark tunnel with my knife out just in case someone got in or one of the game maker's creations was ready to hurt and kill me. I was luckily okay, I climbed up and out of the cave and walked away from the cave, I was a bit aways from the cave when I found Maysilee, she was walking towards our cave with a dead squirrel in her hand. She was holding it by its tail. “Hey!” she said. “I thought I would try and get some actual food other than just berries.”

I nodded, smiling. “Yeah. That sounds great.” as Maysilee walked over to me, we heard Lillian scream loudly in terror. She was scared and in trouble. We both jumped and Maysilee dropped the squirrel immediately. “Lillian.” I said.

“She’s in trouble.” Maysilee added and she ran past me back to the cave and I followed her. The only thing I could think of was if she was in trouble, Allan Dario was too. He was hurt badly so there was no way he could protect himself for long let alone the little one. As we ran we both heard a canon. I got scared when that happened. Was it one of my friends or the emeny that might be in the cave, I hoped it was the emeny but I couldn’t believe Lillian was capable of killing anyone, she was the smallest out of all the tributes and she was the youngest, being born on the day of the reaping cemorny was just bad luck for her, if her birthday was just one day later, someone else’s name would have been out of that fish bowl, maybe someone who actually had a chance of winning, or someone like her, or it could have been Kiara getting picked which would be my worst nightmare. we ran to the cave we had been calling home for the pass couple of days. Maysilee hopped down into the hole. I jumped over a rock landing in the hole.

I fell catching myself with my hands but I go up quickly and ran after Maysilee. We ran into the main big opening and saw Lillian crying over Allan Dario’s body. I was confused until Maysilee’s eyes filled with tears as she choked out. “Oh no. he’s dead.” I walked over to Allan Dario’s lifeless body and placed my index, middle and ring finger on the side of his neck where it attached to his strong jaw line.

He was cold and there was no pulse. I sighed as Lillian looked at me with her tears in her eyes. “Can’t we bring him back?”Lillian asked but Maysilee stayed silent, I pulled the jackets back and saw that the white bandages and plaid sleeves that I had wrapped around his thigh was now soaked in dark thick blood, it was leaking, he had definitely lost too much blood to live, it was a miracle he made it this far without water.

I sighed and sat down on my keens, I waited a couple of seconds before I fell back in the hard ground behind me, laying down. I looked up into the rocky ceiling as Lillian started to screaming and crying over her the teen boy’s body. “No, no, no, no!”

I heard her cry out.

“No!” she all she kept saying.

I couldn’t imagine what she felt, she lost the one person who was a brother figure to her, he had been her big brother, he was her big brother, blood or not, they were family, I don’t know how I would cope with losing Conrad, what would I do if something like this happened to him? Aside from my thoughts on how she felt and what I would do if I lost someone so close to me, I felt like a huge failure, I had failed Maysilee, I had failed Lillian and I had failed Allan Dario. I thought he could live, that we would get him out of here. But I set him up for death, he went through all that pain to die. I laid there listening to Lillian having a mental break down and Maysilee crying silently.

Chapter 14

I wiped the sticky, smelly sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand as I patted the dirt down with the small shovel, my jacket was in my backpack, I had sweat stains at the neck hole of my shirt, on places at the back and under my armpits. I had quickly made a shovel out of a thin rock and a long stick and I used some of the pitch pine glue Lodian had sent me. I did this when Maysilee stripped Allan Dario of his clothes leaving him in his white shirt and boxers. Lillian then helped roll him up in a sleeping bag. I then buried him as Maysilee and Lillian gathered flowers to place on his grave. Lillian had picked yellow flowers. Maysilee told me that Lillian said gold was Allan Dario’s favourite colour. Me and the girls gave a moment of silence for Allan Dario and everything he did and sacrificed for us. “We should keep moving.” Lillian said. Me and Maysilee looked at each other. “Um… do you want a minute alone with Allan Dario before we go?” Maysilee asked her. Lillian shook her head as she walked away from the grave, And we followed her, walking away from the grave of Allan Dario. I followed Lillian as Maysilee stood beside me trying to stuff Allan Dario’s jacket in her pack as I held tightly to the bloody bandage. We removed it thinking it might still have some use but it had been stained red from all his blood loss.

“What do you think is going on in district 12 right now? Y’know after they saw what just happened?” Maysilee asked me. I squeezed the bloody bandage in my hands. “I don’t know and frankly the only thing I want in that district is for the family to know that I have the utmost sympathy for them, I wish I could have saved him.” Maysilee stopped. “This isn’t your fault Haymitch, you didn’t kill him, you are not a doctor, he just lost too much blood, stop blaming yourself for things you can’t control.”

I sighed and pushed a branch out of my way as I followed the little one who was leading our group. “Hey, Lillian, where are we going exactly?” she said. “I have a friend that said she would help me if anything happened to Allan Dario.” I looked at Maysilee with a look that said we were going to die. Maysilee said. “What friend? You’re 12!” she turned around. “So?”

I stepped in. “so, since you’re the youngest here, people are going to try and trick you so they can wipe you out because you’re so small compared to us.” Lillian continued to walk. “Not this one.” I saw a big opening of a giant valley with beautiful lime green grass. The sky covered it like a dome, every step I took just made me wonder how big this place really was. The sun made the wet grass sparkle.

I saw Lillian smile. “Lgata!” she shouted and she sprinted off into the meadow. I said. “Hey, Lillian, no Lillian, wait! Stop!” me and Maysilee ran after the tiny 12 year old. I looked out seeing Lillian jump into a short raven haired girl’s arms. I didn’t know what I thought of this, Maysilee and I didn’t know Lgata like Lillian did, we didn’t trust her like Lillian had but on the other hand we didn’t know the kindness she had shown Lillian and Allan Dario, we didn’t know the things she gave up to protect them and keep them safe, we didn’t know the sacrifices she had done to keep Allan Dario alive until me and Maysilee got there to try and nurse him back to health before he let go. I walked over to Lillian and Lgata.

When Lgata saw us she pushed Lillian behind her using herself as a shield. She yelled. “Lillian, run! Don’t stop no matter what you hear! Run!” as Lgata held her war hammer above her head ready to swing it towards me and Maysilee. Lillian said. “It’s okay Lgata, these are my friends, Haymitch and Maysilee, they are from my district.” Lgata looked at us for a while. She then slowly lowered her hammer. Lgata had dark eyes that matched her hair that was raven coloured like Lillian’s. Her skin was tanned and smooth, it reminded me of Xander back at home and she had plump lips, that was not something I saw a lot of since many people in district 12 have thin lips, or they have been blown off from an accident in the mines, like Crowner’s uncle and Gillen’s older brother.

Aside from her young looking face she was small for her age, she was short and skinny, coming from district 11, our district struggled a lot with the same problems even if they did crop work out in the fields. I towered over her and Maysilee was at least 4 inches taller than her. She looked at us. “I heard the canon, I have to believe that it was for Allan Dario.” she then looked at Lillian who was chasing a butterfly. “Or she wouldn’t be here.” Lgata added.

I took a deep breath through my nose. “I don’t expect you to trust us, heaven knows I wouldn’t but I know we all have one thing in common, and that’s to keep that little one safe.” Lgata smiled. “I’m glad we agree on something.” she looked at Maysilee and back at me. “Follow me, I’ll show you where I’ve been staying.” She led us to a thick forest area, I saw she had tucked her sleeping back under a thick hollow log. I looked around for any other sleeping bags but all I saw was dirt and leafs from the forest. I turned around and faced Lgata who was facing away from me. “Where are your truibute friends?” she didn’t turn around. “Lgata?” she stayed silent. Maysilee looked at Lgata who was now completely still and silent. She spoke. “Gone. two of them ran into the middle, Quintal got a ninja star to the face and Rosemary had her neck snapped.” Maysilee asked. “what about that boy with the limp and the long hair, what was his name again?” Lgata said loudly. “Titus.” she then said normally. “Got caught in the acid rain, with his limp he fell and didn’t get to a hiding place in time, I heard him scream in agony and watched his skin peel off until I heard the canon and he stopped screaming.” she wipped her nose on her jacket sleeve. “We weren’t friends but we did know each other.”

As Lillian and Maysilee gathered food I had time to talk with Lgata. I picked at a green leaf and started to tear some pieces of it off. “Why’d you leave Lillian?” Lgata looked at me. “Boy, oh boy, right to the point I see.” she said. I chuckled at her response. She looked back at the ground as she kept digging. “I left because I didn’t have a choice, Allan Dario was sick and wounded and all I was doing was causing him stress which was not helping him, it just made him get worse, I left Lillian all the food I had left and a bottle of water that she probably burnt in the fire the next night, all I did after I left was pray that Allan Dario would pull through and Lillian would be protected and safe, I’m thankful you guys found her.” She looked at me. “And I’m sorry about Allan Dario, truly I am.” I nodded. ‘Thank you.” I stared at her as she stared at me.

I shook my head quickly. “What are you doing?” she looked back at her hole. “Looking for water or flint.” I raised my right eyebrow at her. She scrunched up her face and furrowed her brow as she removed a rock from the hole. I looked down. “Why?”

she looked at me. “When was the last time you saw water here.” I stayed silent. She sighed and spoke up. “Well, the last time I saw it was when these games started at the middle God knows how long ago, and the careers are keeping that place guarded so unless we want to die slowly by thirst we need to find some.” I chuckled at her comment. “What’s so funny?” she demanded back at me.

I sat up on my knees. “You remind me of my girlfriend, she was feisty and always working trying to provide for her family and mine when she gave me free meat to feed my little brother.”

She grinned at me. “You remind me of titus.” We stared at each other for a while. I then heard bells chiming. I looked up and saw a parachute.

“Are you getting gifts from sponsors, because that’s new to me.” Lgata asked me, looking at the parachute. “Not exactly sponsors.” I replied as I took hold of the parachute.

I disattached the parachute and unlocked the black box, I saw the note but that was it. I read it. Beware of the squirrels, sweetheart -miss winter

I passed it to Lgata. “Beware of the squirrels? What the hell does that mean?” I then saw Maysilee walk up to us. She had a panicked look on my face. I went to wave but she yelled. “No! Don’t move.” I got scared. “Lgata, Haymitch walk over to me and Lillian really really slowly.” Lgata looked up and I saw the terror fill her eyes. “Oh, that doesn’t look good.” I turned around and saw a million squirrels in the trees but they weren’t like the ones back at home. These creatures were the size of rabbits or a very small dog, their tails were sharp and spikey. Their eyes glowed red, I could feel them staring at us. I slowly walked back away from them as I slowly and carefully put my hand in my pocket for my knife. “Girls, get ready to run.” I then heard a twig snap. I looked over and saw an oak branch under Lgata’s right foot. I looked back up and the saw the squirrels showing us their teeth, they were like tiny shark’s teeth, they were stained yellow. They started to move down towards us and we took off.

We could hear their scurrying feet on the tree bark and dry earth, I felt them jump on me over and over again. I threw them off, but my friend, Maysilee was having more trouble. I took off my jacket and put it over her head, neck and chest. “Here, keep it on your head, come on!”

we ran through the twisted jungle like forest, there were so many squirrels I could no longer see the light of the sun through the trees. I ran down the hill after the girls, I know we were fighting against each other but Maysilee was my best friend right now, I promised I would protect Lillian to Allan Dario and Lgata reminded me too much of Kiara to leave her to die. I felt like I had an obligation to keep these girls safe. I could hear the girls screaming. Lgata’s high pitched screams and Lillian crying and I could hear Maysilee grunted. We ran farther down hill. I ran over to Lgata. She kept running with her war hammer. “Hey! Give me that!” I grabbed her war hammer and hit a dozen of squrriels with one swing. “Go, go, go!” I yelled as I caught up with the girls. I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. “Haymitch!” Maysilee yelled. “Are you okay?” I yelled. “doesn’t matter! Go, get out of here!” she did as I told her and I got up and hopped along to them. I had definitely rolled my ankle. We made it back to the valley rolling out of the forest I held out the war hammer screaming at squirrels as they snarled back at me. “Go, get out of here! Go!” they finally retreated. I had some scratches on my arms and face with one or two on my collarbone but nothing bad, Maysilee had a bleeding ear but aside from that she was okay thanks to the help of my jacket, Lgata had some one her face and there were twigs and branches in her hair but Lillian had it the worst. She had a squirrel bite on the back of her hand where the thumb joint was and the bite had broken the skin.

Maysilee took one look of it and said. “We should bandage that now.” I nodded and started to dig through my backpack and found Allan Dario’s shirt. I torn a piece off and wrapped her hand up in it.

We decided to just chill out in the valley after the crazy attack from the ballistic squrriels. It was a cloudy dark day. It reminded me of district 12 Maysilee had fallen asleep she had rested her head on the bottom of my calf so I had to stay still, I didn’t mind though. I looked up at the sky feeling the wind blow through my hair that now was a mess and was not slicked back like before, I ran my hand through the front feeling the ends at the top of my ears move slightly.

I watched Lgata using a small dragger to cut up some vegetables she had collected. Lillian had been eating the Christmas berries Maysilee had found. I kept my knife in my hand with my fingers gripping it tightly, I held on it for a while even when Maysilee awoke, I was still on edge about the Squirrels.

“Haymitch, it’s been an hour they aren’t coming back.” Maysilee said as she braided Lillian's hair using the blue ribbon to tie it up that she had worn when she was reaped about a month ago now. It was the afternoon and it was way too hot to wear a jacket so we were now sitting on them in silence. “How many are left?” Lillian asked.

I was a little taken aback. I hadn’t really thought of it, I hadn’t been keeping up to date with the fallen tributes, the ones I only knew were the eight we lost at the start, Allan Dario and Titus and maybe that girl from district 9 but she might still be alive. “I uh… I don’t actually know.” I looked at the teen girls for any support on this matter but they were as lost as I was on how to talk to this little one about this topic, so I continued to speak to Lillian. “we’ve lost ten from my knowledge but we could have a lot more fallen tributes.” I repiled as I tore off my shirt. Poking my two fingers through a hole I had gotten from the acid rain. I looked at the scars on my hands that were fading. “Do you want some thread and a needle?” Lgata said saving me from talking to Lillian about this topic any longer than I had to.

I looked at Lgata. “I thought you didn’t get gifts from sponsors.” she opened her bag. “I don’t, but titus did.” she handed me a tin. I popped off the lid and removed a needle with a bobbin of black thread. I quickly put the thread through the needle and started to sewing my clothes back together. “Where’d you learn how to do that?” Lillian asked me. I replied with. “The boy from district 8 said he would teach me if I taught him how to make a fire so I did and he taught me this.” I looked up. “You guys should get some sleep, with less people they are going to be out for blood, and I volnteer to keep watch at night.” I said finishing up the sewing job with only poking myself two times. Maysilee said. “No, you sleep, if you’re going to keep watch at night you need some rest.” I agreed and rolled up my shirt and jacket for a pillow.

I drifted off pretty quickly, it had been a while since I dreamt which I didn’t mind, that only means nightmares can’t happen to but I enjoyed the dream I had, it showed all my friends and family happy that I came home, Maysilee, Lillian and Lgata were there too. But I knew that would not be the ending of this story in the real world.

I was shook awake when the sun was setting.

“Haymitch, I’m sorry to wake you, but Lgata caught some food for dinner, would you like to join us?”

Chapter 15

I sat up with my hair standing straight up. I looked down to see Maysilee had thrown Allan Dario’s jacket over me. I put my shirt back on and walked over to the fire where Lgata was roasting two birds. As Lillian ate slowly some of the christmas berries but she was missing her mouth a lot more than getting them in her mouth.

She had black circles around her eyes and she was sweaty. I could see the sweat soaked though the neck hole and at her armpits she stared at the group but didn’t say anything, her eyes looked slightly yellow and it looked like she had popped a couple blood vessels in her left eye. Drool started to come out of her mouth and she was shivering. I leaned over to Lgata. “What’s going on with Lillian? Why is she like that?” Lgata looked over to the little one. “I don’t know, maybe she’s cold, you’ve got to remember she just lost the person who promised to stick by her side through the whole thing.”

I stared at her dark eyes that looked blankly at the group. I saw Maysilee blow into her hands. “Well, it is getting chilly, Lillian, you should have Allan Dario’s jacket on as well.” Maysilee softly put it on her. She looked at Maysilee slightly but she stayed pretty lifeless when Maysilee spoke, Lillian never did that before. I watched the bright sun set over the tree tops and glow through the branches, I didn’t love the place we were at but we couldn’t go too far, wondering aimlessly through the woods getting caught by Rippy and Levin or the careers is a lot worse than seting up camp just in the woods next to an open huge valley.

It was different to watch a sunset, our district usually is grey and dark so this was something new, I never had seen so many pretty colours, how the oranges could turn to yellow and pink, the clouds were all different shades of purple and violet. I could hear the crickets start to chirp, I wondered if Xander’s family in the capital ever saw a sunset like this. The night fell quickly and I sat there looking at the night sky as the girls slept in silence. I walked back to our base put the fire out, there was no need to keep it lit when we all had our jackets on and we all had sleeping bags, I had lent mine to Lgata since I was going to keep watch tonight.

I sat against a big tree trunk, I played with Xander’s tie, I wondered if this tie was really lucky, would I be dead if Xander didn’t give it to me? would Allan Dario be alive if I gave it to him? would Lillian not have been bit if she had it? I felt my eye start to close but I had to stay awake but my brain got the better of me and I fell asleep I was later jolted awake, I looked around to see if the girls were okay, I could hear Lgata softly snoring and I saw Maysilee roll onto her left side. But when I looked over at Lillian she was not like the other girls.

She was sitting up cris cross apple sauce in the dirt facing away from us. “Lillian, what are you doing up, try and go back to sleep.” she didn’t answer. “Do you want to keep watch?” I asked her. She didn’t say anything. I touched her shoulder and she whipped around and scrambled away from me. “Hey, it’s just me, it’s haymitch, Lillian.” she screamed. “Who are you?!” she then looked down at her hands. “What did you do to me?!” I was confused, what was she talking about? She grabbed a rock. And started yelling at me she was charging towards me with the rock. “Lillian, Lillian, it’s me, it’s me!” she ran towards me I ran out of the way and she landed in the dirt. She got back up and she was more angry than before. “It’s haymitch, you know me, haymitch abernathy, from district 12, who sells firewood and jewellery at the blackmarket, who helped you with Allan Dario.” she hit me with the rock, I fell to the left and landed in the dirt, I felt the blood run down the side of my head. She tried to get on top of me but I got away quickly. “Maysilee, Lgata! Get up, wake up now, get up quickly, something’s wrong with Lillian, she’s gone mad!” I saw Maysilee scared out of her sleep as Lgata raised her head sleepy and saw Lillian going absolutely crazy. Maysilee went to wrap her arms around Lillian, pinning the little one’s arms to her sides so she couldn’t hurt anybody but she kicked Maysilee in the stomach sending her like 4 feet back, Lgata grabbed one of the knives I have carved. Lgata screamed. “Lillian stop or I’ll have no choice but to hurt you, I really don’t want to do that!” she didn’t stop trying to hurt me and Lgata went to throw the knife at the little one.

Maysilee said. “Wait! Look, her mouth, look at her mouth!” I kept running away from her but I got a good look at her face, she was foaming at the mouth. She had gotten rabies. I yelled. “She has rabies, run!” I grabbed my bag and sprinted into the valley. I yelled. “we have to find some sort of water source!” Maysilee agreed. “Yeah, I remember in science class that people with rabies are scared of water!” We kept running until we got to a cliff. Maysilee and I almost fell off it to our death. I then felt a drop of water hit my bare hand, we had been blessed by someone, or, for Lillian, we had been cursed.

When the water hit her she screamed in terror. “AHHHHH! AHHHHH! AH!” she was very scared of the water and she started to back up. “Wait, Lillian!” Lgata said. Me and Maysilee went to grab her but we were too late. She had fallen off the cliff to her death. Maysilee said. “Lillian! No! No, no, no!” she put her head down on the ground and started to cry. Lgata just stood there. We looked at each other.

We eventually made it back to camp, I helped Maysilee go back to sleep since she was so torn about Lillian, we all were but Maysilee seemed to take it the hardest. Me and Lgata couldn’t sleep after what we saw. I saw that Lillian had taken the blue ribbon out of her hair as it laid on her sleeping bag under the covers a little.

I looked at Lgata who’s tears had stained her face. “I’m sorry about Lillian, I didn’t really get to see how close you two were but she did go to you right after Allan Dario died.” Lgata sighed and said. “She would have never made it anyways. Besides, there’s no cure for rabies anyways.” I went over to Lillian’s sleeping bag and took the blue ribbon and stuffed it in my pocket. I than heard a flyer go over us. “What are they doing?” I asked. Lgata replied saying. “They’re retrieving Lillian’s body so the family can have a proper funeral.” I then started to feel horrbile. “Oh, we buried Allan Dario in a sleeping bag.” Lgata said. “They will probably dig him up after this nightmare is over.”

I shook my head. “God, you remind me of Kiara.” Lgata turned to me. “Is that your girlfriend’s name? Lillian told me about her and how much you loved her, I noticed you and a brunette dancing at the party after the interviews, is that her?” I was astonished that she could remember that far back and in great detail. I nodded nervously. “Yeah, um… yes, that was her, good memory by the way.” she shrugged smiling. “It helps when you’re trying to forget things, remembering things in detail I mean, filling my brain with meaningless things always helped me forget things like this.” I scratched the back of my heel with my blood stained hand. “Do you try and forget things a lot?” she nodded. “Back in the fields a couple years ago, peacekeepers came and killed every teenager, people say it was because the games were getting too boring for the capital, luckily, the school was holding a sports day, so many of the teens were playing sports down by the abandoned factory that we use as a school gymnasium, but the next day the adults found all the teenagers that were working in the feilds slaughtered for something so pointless as their age, my best friend was one of them.” I looked at Lgata with sorrow in my ocean blue eyes. “I’m so sorry, Lgata.” she shrugged. ‘It’s whatever.” I sighed.

“I lost Gus to the games.” She looked at me. I continued to talk about the amazing person Gus was. “He was a basketball player, he was also a good looking guy and all the girls were in love with him but Gus had always been into the guys, he was always good with the younger kids since he coached soccer and baseball in the spring after school, he was the one that calmed me down at my first reaping.” Lgata had given me her full attention now. I looked at the earthy ground. “That was minutes before he was sent to his death.”

I inhaled sharply. “He ran into the middle and was killed in a matter of seconds by getting his skull smashed.” Lgata grabbed hold of my hand. “I’m so sorry.” I shrugged. “It’s whatever.” and we both started to laugh. Maysilee than sat up. “Will you two quit talking and go to bed?!” me and Lgata backed up. Maysilee seemed fired up. I crawled away and laid down in my sleeping bag. “Goodnight Lgata.” she nodded. “Goodnight Haymitch.” I pulled Lillian’s ribbon up to my face and smelt the lavender flowers she had been in when she was waiting for Allan Dario when the games started, as I fell into a deep sleep I kept picturing Kiara’s face, Lgata was really bringing my true love back into my life, I had forgotten how much I loved and cared for her, I would do anything to see her again but the only way for that to happen is to win these games, I was thankful that two of my friends were taken out by natural causes instead by the hands of me, I didn’t wish death on Maysilee and Lgata but the only thing I hated more than losing was having the blood of those two girls on my hands, I hadn’t killed anyone and I especially didn’t want them to be my first kills.

I was awoken by Lgata putting her hand over my mouth, I woke up in a panic, when I saw her I harshly grabbed her hand and moved it rapidly away from my mouth. I looked at her with a look of anger and disgust. “What the hell was that for?!” I said angrily but quiet so I wouldn’t alert any other tributes in the forset. She shrugged. ‘For fun.” she said giggling with her hand over her mouth trying to hide the enjoyment she had in scaring me out of my peaceful sleep.

I looked around our base. “Where did Maysilee run off to?” Lgata pointed to the left. “She found a creek down the hill, she’s washing the dirt and berry juice off her hands down there.” I had excitement on my face. “A creek? You mean like a creek with water.” Lgata tilted her head to the side. “Yes, but it’s a saltwater creek.” I picked up a rock a chucked it. “God damnit!” I said out in anger. Lgata reassured me that we would find some clean drinking water. Lgata and I packed up our things and we jogged down to the creek where Maysilee was soaking her hands in the water to clean them off. When we got down the hill, I saw a blonde haired girl with bangs and a side braid on the left side of her head, with her jacket sleeves rolled up. I saw her cup the water and wash her face with it. She saw us and put a stick up to her mouth. “It’s us!” I said quickly. She lowered the stick. "Sorry, I thought you might be the careers or that boy and girl from 10.” I said. “District 10 still has tributes?” Maysilee got up on one of her knees. “Yup, I was awake when the fall tribute anthem came on, their faces were in colour when the other two were in black and white, I remember the boy being named Gwen and the girl was named ursine.” Lgata nodded. “Yes, I remember seeing the other boy getting an axe to the gut, a day before I met you two.” I remembered the two tributes, gwen and ursine, from the interviews.

Gwen was a tall, thick boy, his hair was flat, he had brown eyes and pale skin. He was in a red dress shirt with a black bowtie and a pair of matching suspenders. I remembered the girl well, she reminded me a little of Lillian, she had to only be 13 or 14 but she looked more her age, she had white skin and long light brown straight hair, she had big eyes that looked like chestnuts, they were complimented by her long black eye lashes.

I didn’t think I could kill her, it would just feel like killing Lillian which I would never dream of. I said. ‘Come on, we should get going before we’re found.” Maysilee made her way across the creek to get to us and we set out. I walked next to Lgata, as Maysilee led us.

I saw Lgata was carrying a small axe “Hey, how did anyone get an axe, there wasn’t any at the cornucopia, I kept scanning there for one when the countdown started.” Lgata took a huge step to catch up with me. “You don’t get it, do you?” I was confused. “Get what?” I asked her. She held onto a tree as she stepped up a bit of a hill. “We are district 11 and 12, the lowest districts there, which means the only district President Snow wants to lose more than mine is yours, you guys pretty much got robbed when you were chosen.” I stayed silent. She continued as we started to walk down a slope. “So when you showed your moves with an axe and you were good Snow said to not put any in the arena to stop you from winning, the ones people have are from sponsors.”

I replied. “But I only know how to use axes from chopping firewood.” Lgata shook her head and said. “Doesn’t matter, Snow saw it as an advantage so he removed them.” I hated myself now, why did I show my skills? That was a dumb move on my part, of course Snow would remove the axes if he saw that I was good with them and actually had some skill.

We walked for most of the morning through every kind of landscape you could think of. Finally when I was leading the group I said. “We can stop here, this is an apple tree, I’ll try and get some lunch for us, I threw my pack down and started to climb, I felt like I was back in district 12 getting my brother to come down for dinner, I collected a bunch of green apples. They were shiny and big, something you didn’t see much in my district. I sat down next to Maysilee and opened my pack. “I still have two slices of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if you two would like to eat that.” Lgata said. “I wouldn't mind having a slice.” I gave her one and watched as she took a monster but out of the middle. Maysilee ate the other slice which meant she would actually have some sugar in her body from the jam of whatever fruit they used. The crusts from the other sandwich had turn green so I threw them into the forest for some wild animal to eat, I’m sure they would enjoy it.

We ate in silence until we set out again. I was walking with Maysilee who was twirling the stick she had held up to her mouth when she thought me and Lgata were going to hurt her. “What is that anyways?” she looked at me. “Oh! Um… well, it’s a blowgun, I grabbed a bag at the cornucopia and then sprinted off into the woods, I didn’t want to stay there any longer then I had to, when I got somewhere safe, I opened the bag to see what I got and inside there was this stick, a wooden blowgun, a bunch of sewing needles and I left the container that held the cream for Allan Dario outside when it start to rain acid, so I have some poison with me, I’ve been dipping the needles in there and then I will shoot them at people to protect myself.”

I looked at her. “You made poisonous darts for your blow gun.” I saw the look on her face that was a confused expression. I then said. “That is extremely smart and resourceful, its also a tactic that is useful in defence and offence.”

As we walked Lgata stopped in her tracks. I almost walked right into her. I looked out and saw a big opening that was filled with ash and soot, everything was as black as the night, the forest that once was here had been burned to a crisp. I was frozen in amazement and disgust. What could have caused this.

“What the hell happened here?” Maysilee said to herself. Lgata looked at her and then back at the blackened land.

What do you think happened? One of the gamemakers sickening tricks, guessing some tributes were here so he burned this part of the forest to watch them run for there lives, I wonder if they made it out alive.” I kicked some of the soot down the ledge. “Should we go around?” I asked. Lgata nodded and started to walk around on the right side. Me and Maysilee followed her watching our step, who knows if the ledge wasn’t stable from all the fire that this land had endured.

We made it to the other side without falling in to the pit of ash, which if I was being honest I wouldn’t have minded, I didn’t think I would ever say this but I missed being covered in coal dust, I remember everyone in district 12 complaining about how they couldn’t get anything clean because of the mines, I remember how older folks would cough like they were dying. I missed the feeling of the soot in my lungs and how it would stain my clothes, it sounded weird but I missed home, I had never been homesick but now that I had felt it, it was one of the worst feeling in the world.

Chapter 16

The girls and I found a place to set up camp, I stayed on my sleeping bag as the girls made a fire and rolled out their sleeping bags for the night. I opened my bag and took out a bright green apple.

I then removed the knife from my pocket and cut two pieces off the apple. I looked at the girls who were putting their jackets back on now that it was getting colder. I offered both of them a piece of the apple and they both popped the fruit in their mouth. I could tell Maysilee wasn’t expecting the sour taste of the apple when she scrunched up her face. I covered my mouth to hide my enjoyment about her face but she could tell I found it funny when she turned to me and said. “Oh, be quiet Haymitch!” but I still laughed at it. Lgata seemed to enjoy sour things though, I tried a piece of the green apple and tasted the sour juices as they spilled into my mouth when I bit down on the slice of apple. It felt nice to taste something that had some sweetness in it instead of something as blend as the sandwiches I had stolen from the girl from nine or overpowered with flavour like meat.

This was a different taste and I didn’t mind it. At night I kept watch protecting the base and watching for any of the game maker's mutts. I played with xander’s tie as I wrapped it around my hands and unwrapped it.

I wasn’t really watching but now I was on guard from when I heard a laugh and a cough, they were close. I kicked Maysilee. She looked at me. “What?” I got down and the army crawled over to her. “There’s people in the forest, near us we have to go.” she nodded. I looked over at Lgata who was further away. I looked at Maysilee. She knew what I was going to do. “Don’t you dare! They don’t even know we’re here, if we stay put and don’t attack, they might just pass by, leave Lgata there, she’s quiet and they don’t know she’s here.”

I didn’t listen to Maysilee and ran to get Lgata up. I landed next to her. “Lgata get up. Get up! We have to go!” she looked at me confused and tired. “Wha?” she said, confused. “There’s people, we have to go, we have to get out of here!” the people knew we were here and close by. I heard a boy yell. “Hey I found someone!” And then running footsteps followed by a quick slicing noise. “No!” I screamed. I caught Lgata in my arms as she fell to the ground. Maysilee yelled. “Haymitch watch out!” she grabbed her blowgun and blew a dart into the boy’s chest. I heard a cannon go off as the broad shouldered boy fell to the ground. I looked at Lgata who was lying in my arms with an arrow through her neck. She was gasping for air. I felt my ocean eyes well up with fresh tears. “No, no, no, no.” I said.

I looked at the bloody arrow that had pierced her neck. I pressed my hands to the opening on her neck trying to stop the bleeding as her head rested in my lap. She was crying quietly.

She said, “I want to go home, I want my mom, I just want to go home.” I looked at her. “You are, okay just hold on, you’re going to be okay.” I heard someone yell. “Lukers! Where are you?!” I looked up and then back at Lgata, her eyes were closed. I patted her face lightly. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t close your eyes. Hold on, okay.” Maysilee said. “Haymitch we got to go. Now!” I shook my head. “No.” a canon then went off.

I looked at Lgata. “Lgata. Lgata? Lgata!” Maysilee said. “Haymitch, they’re coming, we have to go.” I looked up and saw the glowing light. I grabbed the arrow in Lgata’s neck and broke off the metal sharp part and pulled the rest out of Lgata’s neck. I grabbed my bag and ran off with Maysilee. I heard a girl say. “Lukers!” As I ran into the dark thick forest with Maysilee who was holding her blowgun in her left hand, she checked behind me to see if I was following her which, I was.

We made it to a ditch with long grass covering the ground. We decided to stop here and stayed quiet to not come into contact with any other creatures in the forest or other people which is what we were trying to avoid.

Maysilee saw me still hold part of the arrow, the arrow that had been impaled in Lgata’s neck. She sighed. “I’m sorry we had to leave Lgata, I know she reminded you of Kiara.” I said. “Then you understand why it was so hard to do that, because it felt like I was leaving Kiara.”

Maysilee replied. “Haymitch, if we hadn’t left when we did, there is a good chance we would both be dead! I told you we had to go so you can go home to YOUR girlfriend, to your Kiara!”

I groaned. “Okay, and what about Lgata’s family, yeah? What do you think they are feeling right now?!” I yelled. “At least one of us had the decency to remove the damn arrow from her neck so her loved ones don’t have to witness that!” I shouted at Maysilee, showing her the broken arrow I had in my hand.

Maysilee yelled. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry that I didn’t leave you there to die, there with her so your brother can watch that group gut you like a pig!” she threw her head back and then looked at me again. “You know that family is counting on you, right? They are counting on you to go back home so they can live without starving to death, if you go home you won’t have to work in the black market, your family is counting on you, but I guess you don’t care!”

I hollered back. “Don’t you tell me what my family is doing! How would you know?! you sell candy for living, rotting out the children's teeth back home, rotting my brother's teeth! that’s some wisdom coming from you!” she looked at me angered and then sighed. She fell down on the ground. “What the hell are we doing? We’re at each other’s throats and we just lost one of our friends.” I nodded. “We have to work together instead of tearing each other down on what we are have and had done in our lives, whether it was here or back in district 12.”

Maysilee fell asleep while I took my first watch. I don’t know how she could sleep after what just happened, we were almost killed and we lost Lgata, but she did take Lillian’s death rather hard. I threw the broken end of the arrow into the fire but kept the sharp part, I might be able to make a tool out of it, I looked at my hand and saw the dried blood on my finger tips, the blood that had once been pumping through Lgata’s body, I assumed the flyers had taken Lgata’s body and the other boy’s body too, I assumed his name was Lukers.

I saw Maysilee shiver. I sighed and gently layed my jacket down on her body. I listened to the crickets chirp as I waited for the night to turn into day, everyone knew wandering through the forest at night you were bound to get killed. I heard the athem play. District 1 showed the boy who Maysilee had killed with her blow gun, distict 3 and 5 had everyone dead, distrct 6 and 7 only had a girl alive each, district 8 had lost both the girls meaning rippy and levin were still running around this arena. District 9 had lost everybody, district 10 had nobody left which must have changed cause I could have sworn they had one more person left and district 11 also had lost everyone, I saw Lgata’s face pop up, her black wavy hair let down as her bangs were parted in the middle, her plump lips in a straight line showing just a bit of her white teeth, the image changed to Allan Dario he looked so real in the picture.

he kept a death stare on his face, looking like he was ready to kill anybody who crossed him, his brown hair was all curled in the front with the rest combed and gelled up to the top with the ends of the hair curled too. It then switched to Lillian’s face. She was so innocent like she had been before it was almost impossible to believe this little precious tiny baby faced girl tried to kill me, her face was showing a bit of terror, her hair was in an updo with two buns. Her eyes sparkled from whatever like was hitting them and the screen then showed Maylisee in colour of course since she was still alive, they showed the death tributes in black and white to say they were gone, her hair was brushed nicely, it fell perfectly over her shoulders and down her back, the bangs stopped just above her eyes as she looked into the camera with a little bit of terror on her face, my face then popped up, I looked nice in the photo, lodian had done an amazing job making me look presentable and like I belongs in the capital. I hope my family didn’t feel bad that I didn’t look like this on a regular day, I looked away at this point and the anthem turned off.

I counted the people we had left, I wasn’t great a math but it would be nice to have an idea of how many people are left. 15 was the number that came up until I heard three cannons go off. I said in my head. “12 are left.” Maysilee sat up when the last canon went off. I put my hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around whipping me in the face with her hair. I said. “It’s okay, their just canons.”

I then added. “There’s only 12 of us left. We might actually win.” Maysilee nodded sleepy and went back to sleep. I fell asleep too but was awoken from a brid pecking at my pocket. I shooed him away and it cawed at me and it flapped it’s black wings I flew into the sky as fast as smoke rose. I couldn’t take this anymore, I was bored. I wanted it to be day so I could get out of here. I got up and walked out of the hidden ditch. I breathed in the fresh air that I would never smell back at home, the smoke filled air I could never compare to this, I wanted to take this air home with me, trade our smokey air with the capital, see how they liked it, even if some of them didn’t do anything bad, it was the way they were raised, they didn’t know the hunger games any other way.

I closed my eyes and them opened them again. I wanted help and I needed someone to guide me. I then heard dinging bells. I looked up and saw a parachute. “Oh thank you Lodian.” I took hold of it frimny not wanted to let it go. I sat down and torn off the parachute attachment throwing it away from me, not caring where it ended up.

I then carefully opened the black box. In the box was a water canteen, something to drink from, this could be filled when it rained, so me and Maysilee would have water when we were thirsty and it wasn’t raining, oh, this would really be helpful. “Thank you Lodian.” I then looked in and saw the note, even if the items she sent were more useful my favourtie part of getting her gifts were the notes. I had kept every single one she gave me, tucked away in my bag down in the bottom so they wouldn’t get ruined. I picked up the note and realizied it was not on a slip it was on a folded piece of lined paper, I unfolded it with care and also realized it wasn’t Lodian’s handwriting either, but someone else’s, it was obvious it wasn’t hers. It said.

“Haymitch, Grandma Lodian passed away last night, she’s been pretty sick these past couple of years, but she didn’t want to miss meeting you, she left you a jewerlly box in her will, she said she was certain her sweetheart would win, you were the only one she called sweetheart, nobody knows why but she only called you sweetheart, at the dance I took this photo of you two dancing, I feel like you should have it in memory of her, I’m still watching, waiting for you to win, and I know you will because Grandma Lodian said you would and she’s never been wrong. Don’t let her dying prediction be wrong, don’t make me have to hear that canon and turn off the T.V. -love always, Effie trinket P.S. the place you’re in is an arena, keep that in mind.

I folded up the piece of paper and put it in my back right pocket. I looked in the box and saw a photo of me and Lodian dancing. It was a jive dance. I was in the dress clothes that little old lady had prepared for me and Lodian was in that stunning dress she wore. We were holding hands. And we both had our feet off the ground with our right legs crossed over our left. I was smiling looked at Lodian as she smiled looking at me.

I closed my eyes tightly as tears started to fall on the ground. I had lost the one person who thought I could win this thing and not just because that’s what you’re supposed to say to a tribute but actually believed I could win and would win. I tucked the photo in my back pocket and looked out again. It was time I walked back to where Maysilee was sleeping luckily she hadn’t moved from where she was which I had to assume meant she didn’t realize I had left.

I grabbed my bag and put the photo of me and Lodian along with Effie’s note with the rest of notes I had gotten form Lodian, it was the last thing I had of Lodian along with the gifts she gave me like the black beanie, the sharpening block, the pitch pine glue alng with the tin, the bloodly bandages, which I had kept and was not going to throw away now and the sleeping bag that I was determined to go get when day rose.

But there was still one thing that kept eating away at me. Effie worte, the place you’re in is an arena, keep that in mind.

What did she mean by that? Was she trying to hurt me or make fun of me, make me feel bad about myself because she would never have to do this or was she sending me a message, trying to help me out? I would have to talk to Maysilee about this in the morning, right after we went to get our sleeping bags back.

I heard a movement and saw Maysilee wake up. She looked over at me. “Hey.” she said still sleepy. I said in a choked voice back. “Hey.” I didn’t realize my voice sounded like that. She sat up quickly. “Have you been crying? What’s wrong?” I responded back to her question. “Yeah maybe a little. Um… Lodian my stylish, she passed away last night.” Maysilee wrapped her arms around me as I burst out in tears again, I guess I thought I Wouldn't be losing Lodian while I was in this arena, I thought I would just lose Allan Dario, Lillian and maybe Maysilee if she was killed off before me, Lgata was already the person I didn’t think I would care if she went until she became a member of the gang. Now I had lost more people then I originally thought I would be losing.

Later Maysilee and I went back to sleep. I kept thinking about that line Effie had written.

The place you’re in is an arena, keep that in mind. What did that mean? Yeah, duh! I’m in the arena, I’ve known that since I was dropped in here, it had to mean something, Effie’s not stupid and I don’t believe she would be that mean to me, to make me dance around this and make me rack my brain about it. I laid on the ground for about two hours, an arena, an arena, a dome like shape, what was she trying to tell me? It then hit me.

I’m in the arena! An arena is like a dome! A dome always has to end, it can’t go on forever! Maybe there is a way out of this nightmare at the end of this dome shape. I had to tell Maysilee but I knew it could wait till morning.

Chapter 17

Me and Maysilee made it back from the way we ran from the careers and where Lgata had been killed. When we walked into the tiny base I could see the blood stains on the ground in the dirt, Lgata’s body had been moved, probably taken back to district 11 for a proper funeral, one that she deserved. Maysilee saw me staring at the blood of our friend. She took hold of my hand. “Hey, why don’t you keep watch in the valley while I pack up the sleeping bags. I’ll meet you out there, okay?” I looked at her. “Are you sure?” she smiled and nodded. “Positive.” I listened and walked out into the valley waiting for her to finish. I knew she only sent me me away because I couldn’t bare to be near the blood that once was in my friend’s body and had spilled out onto the earth’s ground to be soaked up by the soil.

I looked back at Maysilee. There was only 12 of us left, what if we were the last ones? I would kill myself before she had to. I walked a little farther into valley keeping my distance from her maybe if I left her it would be easier for her to survive. I then heard a voice. “Hey, miner!” I turned around and saw an asian boy come closer to me. I grabbed my knife out of my pocket. “Ohhh, you think that’s going to help you miner?” this boy was from 10.

I said back. “You should know, you use one everyday butcher.” I smirked at him. “How dare you call me that!” two girls appearing. “Calm down Garveled, he’s just trying to get under your skin.” one said. She was dark skinned and had her hair in tight braids. The other one had round frame glasses, I was surprised she still had them, she said. “Besides what’s a miner got against good old meat, that’s what your little girlfriend of yours sells for living, right?”

I had forgotten Kiara’s family owned a butcher’s shop and that’s how they made a living. I said. “Well, four eyes! My girlfriend likes being called a blutcher because unlike this boy over here, she could kill anything blindfolded.” the girl was mad, I had definitely hit a sore spot calling her four eyes because of her glasses. I heard a boy say. “Now, now, now, Haymitch, I thought we were friends! After all we’ve been through.” it was Rippy and levin was right behind him. “You see mitch, we’re the same.” levin said

I shook my head. “We are nothing alike, I would never kill that little girl from nine.” I then added. “How do you know my real name?” he smiled. “Oh! It’s what Xander said when I slit his throat in the bathorom at the party.” my eyes widened. “You’re lying.” he shrugged. “Fine, don’t believe me, you’ll know soon enough when you join him in the afterlife.” I realized they had surrounded me. I spinned my knife around. “Bring it on.” I said, trying to sound confident. the boy from district 10 charged at me I spun out of the way and he crashed into a tree. The black girl went to take me down by clothlining me but I grabbed her forearm and swung her around tripping her over my foot that I had stuck out, she fell flat on her back. The girl with the glasses ran and went to stab me.

I ducked out of the way and she stabbed the black girl in the face.

I kicked her back and the black girl fell to the ground and a canon went off.

The girl looked at the dragger that was dipped in blood.

“No.” she said.

The boy from 10 said. “What the hell was that Nova?!”

the girl I expected her name was nova said. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-”

she didn’t have time before Levin snapped her neck.

Another canon went off, as the girl fell to the ground with her glasses flying off her face. I looked at the boys that were had left.

the boy from district 10 who’s hair was buzzed and had a dark skin tone. Rippy pocker, the boy with the dark eyebrows and hazel eyes his hair was longer but not much from the last time I saw him. The boy with black tight cruly long hair that hung aroung the back and sides of his head. I spinned the knife again. “Just us boys.” the boy from 10 went to hurt me. I kicked him in the chest making him fall back on Rippy. Levin went to cut me with his hatchet. I ducked and slit his throat with my knife. He fell to the ground holding his neck. The boy from district 10 tackled me to the ground. We wrestled on the ground rolling each other to be on top of them. He pushed my face to the ground so he could have a better advantage. I started to push his face away from me and scratched his neck in the process, not hard, but enough to startle him. He got distracted giving me time to roll him onto his back. I could still hear Levin holding his neck choking on his own blood. The boy under me was trying to knee me in the crotch to get me off him but his legs squrimed under me helplessly he managed to get me on my back, I went to cut him with my knife but he grabbed my hands and turned them around making the knife face me.

He started to push them down closer to my body. I struggled with him for a while pushing up but he was stronger the knife was coming closer to me and grunted and huffed trying to get it away from me.

I shut my eyes tightly with my teeth grinded together. I felt the wet old tip gently glaze the top of my neck as it was getting closer and closer pushed into my skin. I quickly moved my head to the side and stopped holding the knife away from me. The knife stabbed through the earth’s curst.

I could still hear Levin choking on his own blood. The boy got up and he punched me in the jaw. I took a could steps back. He swung his leg up and I caught it and pulled him forward, he fell on his side. I ran to grab my knife but Rippy threw a piece of string with a wooden ball on each of the ends at my feet, they wrapped around my ankles tripping me. I looked down and started to untie it but the boy from district 10 had gotten up. He forced me down. I turned him around and got on top of him. He tried to push my face away. But I bit into his index and middle finger hard. Levin had stopped choked now and a canon went off. I bit into the fingers hard and wouldn’t let them go. I started to taste the mentally thick warm red blood in my mouth that was from this boy’s fingers.

I let go and spit out the tip of the middle finger I had bit off.

I took the string thing rippy had tripped me with and wrapped it around the boy’s neck and pulled on it hard. He started to gasp for air, he started to claw at the string around his neck, his face started to turn red, bright, bright red I kept pulling on the string until I heard the canon.

I let go and stood up. I turned around and saw Rippy standing there with a thick branch. I sighed. “I’m going to give you this chance to run away and hope the careers kill you off, becuase even though you killed that girl form nine, you were my friend at one point.”

he looked at his dead friends And choked out. “You killed them.” he said. “You killed them all!”

he looked at me and said. “I have to get them justice.” he swung his stick at me hitting me on the bridge of my nose. I fell back. I turned over onto my stomach and army carwled to retrive my knife. I gripped it hard as he grabbed my let boot and pulled me back. I turned around to cut him but he put me in a headlock. He got ready to slit my throat but he didn’t I heard a blow sound and felt Rippy loosen his grip, I got out of his grip and stared at him. He reached behind his neck and pulled out a sharp object. I saw blood pour out of his mouth, he fell to the ground and a canon went off. I stood there and looked around. I saw Maysilee hiding in the trees as she amerged. She looked at me. “I don’t care how many people are left, we have each other’s backs, got it?” I wiped the blood off my face. “We’ll last longer with each other.” she stated I looked around at the dead bodies that I had killed. “seems like you just proved that.” I said. she threw me a sleeping bag. “We’re allies, we should get going.” me and Maysilee walked through the forest going straight for as long as possible even if it got hard, we eventually ending up going through an area of pine trees, I cut the branches in front of me with the hatchet I grabbed before leaving the bodies there to be picked up by the flyers.

“Haymitch, where are we exactly going? Can’t we just go around this?” Maysilee asked pushing branches out of her path so she could keep following me. I replied. “It probably would have been easier to go around this area but we’re almost at the next opening.” as I cut a couple more branches off. Maysilee caught up to me.”this is pointless haymitch, we should stay close to the middle, the gamemakers will eventually push us to the middle, we know how to hunt and I know about plants that aren’t poisonous.”

she took hold of my hand. “we can win this, the careers will eventually run out of food.” I shook my head as she stated the facts. “Yeah, but the careers have water and we don’t, we need to keep moving.” and I jumped down a tiny slope and I heard Maysilee start to follow me down. I didn’t know if Effie was right about this dome thing but I needed any hope I could get, I felt like I did when I said my goodbyes to my family and Kiara, I would do anything to stay alive a little longer, I didn’t want to die even if I knew there was no stopping it. Maysilee followed closely behind me as I kept an open path for her behind me, I didn’t know if we walking in circles but I needed to believe we were getting somewhere closer to the end of this arena, how long could it possibly be?

I wonder how long they had been working on this arena, if I thought the train ride was long, it was nothing compared to how long it ws going to take to walk to the end of this Arena, I hadn’t told Maysilee what we were doing because I didn’t want her to think I was desprate even if I was, I grew up in a household where the man never broke down and was always strong, living with the two girls from my district for the past two and half months, and meeting Lodian Winter and Effie Trinket and then teaming up with Lgata, kinda showed me that they just wanted to stay alive for their families, and here I was trying to find a way out of this arena with no way back to district 12 and a number of people who would be looking for me and Maysilee if she decided she wanted to come with me.

I couldn’t think like that right now, if I wanted to be alive and see my family again I had to get out of here, we would find a way back home and then I would pack everything that was necessary when I got home and run into the woods with my family, there was a forest next to our District where district 13 used to be before the war, nobody knows what’s out there becuase we’re not allowed to leave and if you do and get caught the capital will cut your tongue out, I just knew I couldn’t just let my family watch me die, if they didn’t want to go with me, I would leave by myself and Maysilee would probably follow unless she wanted to die. I would walk as far as I could and get the hell out of this mess.

I would get pass the forest into the ruin of district 13, I would probably stop and look for anything I could savage in district 13 and then keep moving, I didn’t know what was past district 13 and from what I remember, frankly nobody did, I could get past district 13, I could find out what’s there, it could be a place where fighting wasn’t mandatory, where teens biggest problems were passing tests, where 10 year olds played with marbles and raced to the swings not wondering where their next meal is coming from, where people became famous for doing good things, not because of where they lived and how much money they had, where people could breathe without coughing every couple of hours because they got the smoke caught in your lungs, where kids wore clothes that hadn’t been sewn up about a dozen times but that was a fantasy if I ever heard one, every person who didn’t live from district 4, 2, 1 or the capital thought about this fantasy, going somewhere that was like this, or wishing the world would change to be like this but I don’t think anyone thought about getting past all the districts, running into the thick forest next to the seam, walking through it until they hit the ruins and whatever was left of district 13 before moving past it and seeing whatever was out there after the districts. Maysilee leaned up against a tree. I looked back at her.

“Come on, we have to keep moving, besides we’re almost there anyways.” I said walking over to her even if I had no idea how much longer we had to go on foot.

She shook her head no. “we’ve been walking for hours, can’t we take a bit of a break?” she looked up into the sky and added. “It is around noon maybe we could have lunch.” I didn’t want to stop but I was hungry and Maysilee looked like she needed to rest, I had to remember that not everyone who lived in district 12 had to run away with their goodies when the peacekeepers came to raid the black market, Maysilee helped her family with the candy shop working the register after school, she would sit on a stool behind the register and would do home work if nobody needed to be ringed up, meaning she didn’t stand all day behind a booth or have to run out of the black market when it got radied like I had to, I could run and walk longer then her so even if I wasn’t tired, she was, the candy shop was a nice business, everybody knew Mr. Donner but everybody knew him as the candyman. He was a streotypcial father of two teen girls. Tall with dark grey hair, tired from hearing his daughters laughing in the other room late at night, a beer belly from eating the food they couldn’t finish, wearing an old pair of sneakers and jeans with a T-shirt like most dads would.

I wonder how her family was doing, her sister was probably working the register now since her dad was always so busy getting his supplies and restocking the shelfs and her mom working on house chores and buying food and essentials with what money they had left over, after using most of it on bills that for like water, power and a working bathroom. Of course it was never a lot money but some of us didn’t even get money for food sometimes.

I cut up another green apple that I collected. I cut off and piece and handed it to Maysilee she smiled and took it, taking a bite out of the juicy flesh of the apple. I cut another piece off for myself, with so many people gone it was peaceful to just sit and eat lunch with Maysilee, it reminded me of when we were on the train eating for the first time, all of us staring at each other not saying anything because nothing we could say would make it any better, we were also too busy stuffing our faces with food because we had never had a meal like that back at home.

Me and Maysilee finished two of the apples and went back to our journey on walking to the end of this arena that I had still not told her, I wasn’t going to sound stupid in front of the only person who had my back and hopefully I wouldn’t have to be the one to kill her. We came across and stream. I jogged down the hill over to it kicking rocks and leaves everywhere. I keened down and cupped the water and drank it. I let it sit in my mouth for a minute before spiting it out all over the ground. I threw a rock as I sat on the ground with my legs outstretched. “Salt water.” Maysilee walked over to it and cupped her hands as she washed her face with it. “At least it’s not all useless.” she said as she continued to wash her face. I looked over at her before I went to keen down beside her and scrub the dirt off my fingers and clean the earth under my fingernails.

I pushed my hair back with some of the water as I continued to scrub my hands. My hair was way longer than I wanted it, I really did want a haircut from Mr. Chrome and a big one. Maysilee noticed and said. “Hey, pass me your knife, I give you a trim.” I had no idea if Maysilee kew what she was doing, but I didn’t have a choice, my hair was getting in the way of winning and the capital wasn’t going to fly out Mr. Chrome with his ten year old son for a couple of days so he could cut my hair.

I sat down tossed the knife in the air and caught it. I spun it around twice. I handed the knife to her with the blade facing me. I went to turn around I said. “Can you try and not make me lose an ear?” she gave me an annoyed look. “Keep insulting me and you’ll be losing more than just an ear.” I chuckled alittle as I turned around. I felt the hair lift off my head and the slicing motion of my hair as Maysilee cut my hair. I sat there for a while when I felt her pull my hair. It was yanked back and I let out a yelp. She said. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to pull.” I rubbed my head where the hair that was pulled was attached and rubbed it. “It’s all good.”

I could see the cut ends of my hair start to blow through the wind and over the stream onto the other side. Finally Maysilee finished. I looked into the river and saw my reflection start to clear. It wasn’t anything like what Mr. chrome’s work but I had to give Maysilee some credit because Mr. Chrome had been cutting hair for years and Maysilee was using a knife instead of sisscors like Mr. chorme would. And it wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be and I could definitely get it cut and evened out when I got back home with Maysilee if we ever made it to the end of this dome shaped arena, apart from the thought of getting killed I was enjoying spending time in the woods with Maysilee, it was peaceful and calming, a lot more calming than before when we most districts still had 3 to 4 tributes left since now most tributes were completey wiped out and district 1 now only had a single tribute. I knew the girl was after us, she knew we were the ones that killed Lukers. But we did lose Lgata, of course that didn’t matter to anyone but us, it definitely didn’t matter to her that we lost a friend and ally.

I walked walked across the stream steping on a rock that was poking out of the water but was still wet and slippery, I could see the moss growing up the sides of it. I got across and turned around to see Maysilee trying to balance herself on the slippery rock. I held my hand out to help her across. She took hold of my hand as she crossed carefully, not wanting to fall in the water and give away where we were from a splash if anyone else was near by. After she got over safety we went back to walking straight by now we had walked for almost a whole day. Maysilee said around the evening. “I can’t go any further.”

I turned around to see her resting her hands on her knees as she leaned her back up against a tree. I walked over to her once again. “We can’t stop now, we haven’t got much longer to go, we’ll be there soon, I know we are close.” she stood up. “Haymitch, you’ve been saying that all day and I haven’t seen anything else but the thick forest we’ve been wandering aimlessly through.” she stated looking around. She then asked me. “You say we’re almost there, but you haven’t really told me where we are going, so where are we going?” I sighed. “You’ll think I’m stupid.”

She looked at me. “I sit behind the O’conner twins in science, the ones that shoot spit balls at the second graders and the ones that burned their eyebrows off in the first week of school, there’s nothing you could say that could make me think you’re stupid.” Maysilee said smiling as she folded her arms.

I nodded and said. “Okay, when you were sleeping last night, I left to get some air, but not to far just in case you did need help.” her face didn’t change from that statement which made me glad tht she wasn’t mad that I left her alone so I continued. “That’s when I got a gift from who I assumed was Lodian, it turned out to be her grand daughter who was kind enough to give me the news that I wouldn’t see her if I returned back.”

Maysilee shrugged. “Why would you think I would think you’re stupid for losing someone you loved and cared for? That’s absolutely ridiculous Haymitch! You know that right?” she asked me. I sighed and said. “her grand daughter sent a note with the news of Lodian’s passing, at the end it said-” I stopped in my tracks, I had forgotten this could get Effie hung for helping me and Maysilee out. Maysilee looked at me. “Spit it out Haymitch.” I walked over to her and said. “I can’t say it out loud, it might get Effie hung.” I said quietly. I then whispered in her ear. “She thinks she might know a way to get us both out of here without us killing anyone.” Maysilee looked at me with bewildered eyes. “You mean-” she didn’t have to finish, I nodded. She jumped into my arms I hugged her tightly swinging her aroound. I could feel her tears soak the yoke of my shirt. When I put her down and released her from my grip she looked at me. “How?” I whispered back. “It’s arena, meaning it’s a dome shape, it has to end eventually, right?” Maysilee nodded. “Yeah, of course! It can’t go on forever.” she then said. “This is the smartest thing you’ve ever said to me so far.”

And we kept on walking forward. I looked back to see there was no way we could turn back on how far we came. And I jogged to catch up with her with my pack swung ove my shoulder with the sleeping bag attached to it. When night fell and we couldn’t see well we finally set up camp. I let Maysilee rest giving me time to think of the people of was coming home to. A mom, a dad, a brother, a best friend, the most prettiest girl I had ever seen who also happened to be my girlfriend. “When Maysilee seemed to be fast asleep I tied the blue ribbon Lillian had worn in her hair when she was reaped into a blow, I put it in Allan Dario’a jacket pocket and zipped up the pocket.

I then folded his jacket back up and placed it in my backpack again, I don’t know why I was still carrying it with us, I guess it was just my fear of losing one of the jackets we needed and maybe needing another one, besides, Lodian wasn’t here to give me another one and I didn’t really think Effie had much money to spend on me, she was raised in the capital unlike Lodian who grew up in district 12 and moved to the capital for a better life for her and her family.

I saw Maysilee’s sleeping body start to shiever from the cold breeze she was getting and being on the ground. I pushed my lips into a thin line, feeling sorry for a girl who just wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed again but instead she was in this arena wondering if she was going to make it to the next morning. I grabbed her jacket that she was using as a blanket and pulled it up closer to her face over her shoulders to keep her warm. I also brushed her hair back that was in her face to cover her neck from the chills aswell.

I took out a piece of thick cloth I had skinned off of a boar that had been trapped in a snare trap a most likely fallen tribute had made, I took out some thin light brown rope I took from the snare trap the fallen tribute had set up and started to make a cover for my knife through the night with what light the small fire could provide me with, I cut holes in the skin by twisted my knife around with the blade pushed agasint the boar’s skin to weave the rope through, I wrapped it around my knife to see it it was long enough, I needed to do a couple more inches of holes before the knife fit into it.

I weaved the rope through the holes on the skin and then I tied the rope together and cut off the extra skin. I slipped my knife into the casing, it fit like a glove over the sliver blade, I then looked up into the stars and said. “Kiara, I’m coming home my love, I’m coming home, I promise.”

I couldn’t die not when so many people were counting on me to come home and they knew I was smart, smart and strong, a lot of the careers were just strong, not smart, that’s what Xander always said, whether he was right or wrong, I don’t know but I had to believe him to give myself some hope that I could win this with them still roaming around these parts of the woods me and Maysilee were walking through.

With all the thoughts running through my head I eventually tired myself out that I started to dift off.

Chapter 18

I nudged Maysilee awake at first light. She looked like she got some good sleep and knew what was going on when she didn’t grab her blowgun getting ready to shoot and lauch a piosioned dart into my thoart, like she had done before when I had woken her up and her thinking I was someone from the careers wanting to hurt her and me having to remind her that I was on her side.

I stomped on the tiny fire I had relit at like 2 in the morning to keep me warm until I thought it was an appropriate to wake Maysilee so we could set out and keep moving. Maysilee had been really helpful throught this whole trip, not just to me but to our fallen friends, helping out Lillian when Allan Dario was injured, taking care of him and trying to make him as comfortable as possible when Lillian went to go find me, taking over caring for Allan Dario so I could sleep, taking some watches and staying up a couple more hours so me and Lgata could get some extra sleep at night and of course, saving my life from Rippy and his buddies when he had me in a head lock ready to slit my throat.

I said. “Hey Maysilee…” Maysilee turned around as she swung her knapsack over her shoulder. “Yeah?” she said in a gentle voice.

“Thank you.” I replied.

“For what?” she asked

“For everything.”

She giggled. “You mean saving your life?”

I smiling shaking my head. “Well, also trying to heal Allan Dario wounded leg and taking care of Lillian when he couldn’t.” I said looking her in the eye showing that I meant what I was saying. She seemed alittl bit surprised. “Oh um… it’s no problem, I guess.” and with that she turned around and continued to walk. I swung my knife around my fingers in the leather casing. “When did you get that?” Maysilee asked me as she took a couple fast steps to catch up to me. “Oh, um, I made it last night while you were sleeping.” Maysilee touched my arm slightly. “Did you sleep at all last night?” I stayed quiet. I didn’t want to lie to Maysilee, she deserves the truth after all she’s done for me and my friends. She knew the answer before I could tell her. “You need to sleep haymitch. tonight I’m taking watch and you’re resting.” I nodded and continuing up a hill. After we got up it, I looked out to see more thick forest as far as I could see, I didn’t know how far the arena was but I sighed and continued to walk down, as I walked I tripped over a rock sticking out of the earth and tumbled down the big hill.

I tucked myself into a ball with my arms protecting my head even if my jacket was wrapped around my waist getting a cut on my arm was a lot better then hitting my head and possibly giving myself a concussion or cracking my head open and leaving Maysilee all alone in this arena. I grunted as I felt my body hit the hard ground over and over again, I landed on the bottom of the hill in the forest. I heard a girl voice say. “Haymitch!” everything was spinning since I had rolled down a big hill and I got dizzy I looked up to see who shouted my name and I saw a blurry blonde haired figure running down the hill, it reminded me of when my mother would run down the hill back in distrcit 12 after me and Xander would have a race to see who could get to the bottom first and then we would laugh face down in the grass when we saw all the grass and leaves that were in our hair.

Xander’s curly hair picked up anything and since my hair was thick it picked up a lot of leaves in the autum weather. I missed being little and playing with Xander, I wonder how her was doing back home, I was his best friend but now that I think of it, I was his only friend, a lot of the boys made fun of him because of his uncle living in the capital, at least Kiara would have his back.

I felt Maylise’s hand on my back, she had made it down the hill and was seeing if I was okay, I coughed a bit, I was definitely winded. She said. “Are you alright? Please tell me you are alright.” I put a thumbs up as I caught my breath. I got up and dusted off my clothes and picking out some blades of grass and dead pieces leaves in my hair, I tightened my jacket around my waist and walked into the forest. I looked over at Maysilee. “You coming?” she looked up. “I think you have another gift. I looked up and saw a parachute. I took hold of it and saw the number 12. I popped the top of the box off and saw a timer. It was counting down. I knew what this was, Xander had shown me pictures of them when his uncle gave him books for his birthday. I grabbed Maysilee’s hand. “We have to get out of here!”Maysilee was confused. “What!? Why?!” she ran with me not knowing why I sprinted away from a parachute package but she knew soon after we heard a loud explosion and dark grey smoke rise into the baby blue sky.

I took a deep breath and started to pant with my hands on my knees leaning over trying to catch my breath.

“That wasn’t a gift.” I stated. “That was a bomb sent to me by someone who is hoping the careers win.”

Maysilee looked at me and asked. “People can do that?” I said. “If they have money they can.” She got up from the birch tree she was leaning on. “But that’s not far!” I opened my arms wide. “What part of any of this is fair?! This isn’t a game about being fair, they just want a show to entertain everyone in th capital and apparently this was their best idea. Damn capital idiots!” I said through my teeth. I stepped over a log and kept walking hearing the steps of Maysilee following me. She stayed quiet for the most of the walk, I guess she was was lost in thought and to tell the truth I had been lost in the thought a couple times, just wondering what is going on back at home, I hoped everything was okay, I wonder if they were celebrating that we came this far in the games. We had never had someone come this far in a long time, not when I was alive at least but it’s been like that for a while for as long as Snow has been the president. As I was walking I felt Maysilee grab my arm. I looked at her concerned. “Do you notice that you are about to step in posion ivy?” she asked me. I looked down and saw the green vines running along the ground. “How can you tell?” she pointed to the leaves. “Three leaves, my dad taught me and my sister, Sally a saying when we were young and wanted to start gardening, three leaves, let it be. I lived by it since and it’s been helpful though this arena, knowing the capital, it’s probably more than just an itchy rash.” I nodded. “Yeah, you’e probably right, we should go around.”

I started left and found where it ended, the vines grew up a big oak tree that’s branches stretched out over the sky giving lots of shade, I looked up seeing the sun trying to break through the leaves of the trees. I walked pass the oak tree where the poison ivy wasn’t going to touch or hurt us, as we passed the posion ivy I heard a snap, I turned around seeing it was just Maysilee who had stepped on a small twig. I was relieved it wasn’t one of the careers and just my friendly ally.

Maysilee and I continued our journey out of this nightmare called the hunger games, I thought the second quarter quell was a cruse on the teens of every district but looking back on it now, I’m happy I had more friends in this arena.

I did have more enemies but I don’t think I would have made it as far as I did without Allan Dario, Lillian and Maysilee, Allan Dario kept Lillian safe which gave Lillian the chance to find me and gave me a place to stay during the night that was hidden away from the other tributes and when she died, Maysilee stayed with me and saved my life from Rippy, levin and their friends. I don’t think I would make it if it was just one of them helping me out, I don’t think I would make it if it was just Lillian helping me, I don’t think I would make it if it was just Maysilee helping me, I then thought if it wasn’t a quarter quell I would be back at home right now, I was the second male’s name that got pulled, if it was just one male, Allan Dario would be going he was the first one, I would still be in district 12, selling fire wood and home made jewerlly, I would be home hanging out with Xander on the weekends, playing with Conrad after dinner, holding Kiara every chance I got. I just want to go home and be able to do that and doing what me and Maysilee were doing right now, walking for god knows how long to find the end of the arena, that’s how I get home to do those things, hang out with Xander, play with Conrad, hold Kiara in my arms and so much more.

I twirled my knife around my fingers in the casing, I then heard the terrifying sound of thunder clapping, me and Maysilee looked at each other knowing what happened last time we were scared what would happen this time, we had no shelter to protect oursleeves, no place to run without maybe running into more trouble, no cream that could heal the acid burns, I looked at the palms of my hands that still had faded scars from last time.

I looked up and closed my eyes to be ready to feel the first agonizing water dropet from the acid that soon would be falling from the sky, I felt like I had failed my family at this point. I felt a drop hit the side of my forehead but no pain came. I opened my eyes to Maysilee who would have the same look on her face, she held out her hand as more of th rain droplets came, she smiled. “It’s just water.” she said happily, I smile and instantly opened my mouth as the rain started to fall into it, filling it up, oh, I had missed the taste of water, Maysilee said as she opened her mouth aswell to get a drink, she then pointed to a big bush and said. “The leaves, use the leaves!” I turned around seeing the rhubarb leaves filling up from the water on the bush. I torn off two leaves from the plant giving one to Maysilee and using the other one for myself, I drank the water in the rhubarb leave quickly. I sighed loudly when I finished it, I had never felt so refreshed in my life, I wonder what Allan Dario, Lillian and Lgata would be like if they were here drinking the rain with us, I hoped they were in a place where they got all the water they wanted, I continued to drink from the leave as the water filled the indent of the leaf as me and Maysilee used them like bowls to drink from, I smelt the familiar smell that I remember from district 12 that turned out to be the smell of rain, me and Maysilee couldn’t get enough water, we didn’t even care that our clothes were getting soaked.

This was the first time since the hunger games started that me and Maysilee had gotten any fresh clean water, the water we had seen before was either super dirty or, like that water we found in the stream was salt water which would just kill us faster if we drank it. I remembered the canteen Lodian’s grand daughter, Effie Trinket, had sent me and filled it up with water knowing we would need water later after when its stopped raining but for now, me and Maysilee drank feeling the water fill our bellies to the brim, I could feel the fresh water run down my throat, I felt better, with my body temperature going higher up to keep me warm and I felt more awake. I wonder how Maysilee was feeling but from how she looked I could tell she was feeling exactly like how I was feeling.

Her eyes closed as she swallowed the amazing taste of water that I had never noticed until now, she was just letting the water flow into her mouth from the leaf now, I watched her fall down onto a rock and drink the water from there. I smiled at my friend who was enjoying her water, I felt happy, something I hadn’t felt in a long time, she was glad too, to see us drinking water, I gulped the rest of the water in the leaf and waited for it to fill up again, eventually the rain stopped and we had quenched our thirst, after a minute of waiting and sitting just relaxing we kept walking, I held Maysilee’s hand as we walked because we knew we could do this, we got water and I was happy, I hoped Kiara wouldn’t be mad but she didn’t seem like the jealous type, if I remembered correctly, Maysilee and Kiara were friends and Maysilee had a huge cursh on a boy that lived down the street from her that grew vegetables in his family’s front yard, his dad was a pastor at the church and his mom was the cleaner at the church, his name was Baxtar and he was a good looking kid. I looked up and saw a clearing. I was filled with happiness. We were there! We were at the end of the arena, I couldn’t believe we did it. I whispered quiety. “We did it.”

Chapter 19

I walked quickly up the hill with Maysilee I had let go of her hand now, I started to jog as we went up, we could survive, both of us, I didn’t know what we do when we got back home but at least our families would have their kids back in their lives and knowing we weren’t going to be killed on T.V. for nothing, like I had thought before, I could run away from the district, into the woods and make it past district 13 and see what’s out there and when I do find something better than whatever life I had in district 12 I could bring my family and we could build the life we wanted.

Maysilee and I finally made it to the top of this cliff and I was filled with anger and disappointment when I saw what awaited me. It was just a drop, a huge drop me and Maysilee looked up over it, down below was millions upon millions of giant rocks, they looked very small from where we stood but we knew they were big and huge down there.

Ahead was small trees, pines, oaks and maples and they were nothing like the trees we saw in the forest we had just walked through, I was angered, we had just walked for a good three days straight to just find this which turned out to be nothing, Effie was wrong, there was no way out but killing everyone first. I would have to kill them to go home and I was not going to kill Maysilee which means this quarter quell plan worked they wanted us to become friends so we wouldn’t kill each other or some of the tributes would kill each other, kill their friends and apparently that was entertainment to the capital.

Maysilee finally spoke.

“That’s all there is Haymitch.”

I didn’t say anything, I just rubbed the bridge of my nose where the blood had dried and turned into a scab where Rippy had hit me in the face with a thick branch.

Maysilee continued. “We should go back now.” as I heard her feet turn around, I shook my head and replied with one word. “No.” I said. I heard Maysilee turn around as she start to look at me, I could feel her eyes staring into the back of my head. “What do you mean no? Are you just going to stay here for the rest of your life until these games end?” I could hear it in her voice, she wasn’t being mean or calling me stupid, she was asking an actual question she wanted the answer to. I nodded. “I don’t know, but I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.”

I heard Maysilee speak. “alright, well, there’s only five of us left, better aswell say goodbye now, don’t want it to come down to the two of us.” I blinked away a tear. “Okay.”

Maysilee said. “Goodbye Haymitch.” and walked away.

That was it, the girl that I had been with for almost the whole game just left, I didn’t know why I thought this but I thought we could make it back home both alive, even if this wild goose chase we were on that I got from a note sent by a girl that was raised in the capital was a dead end, I still thought we might be able to get back home together, maybe the capital would show mercy on us, let us both go home, but it had never been that way ever.

It did not when lucy gery came home, not when that 16 year old from district 4 won, not when that girl they had nicknamed “nuts'' won from being a step ahead of the game or the boy they had nicknamed “bolts” who was from the same district, he electored the remaining tributes and won. I kicked some rocks away from me, I watched them bounce across the gravely ground of the cliff as they rolled down the cliff like when the soccer ball would roll down into the bushes back in district 12 when the older kids got the soccer field. I was so done with these games, with this thing they called entertainment, there was nothing I found amusing about the hunger games and I never got enjoyment from watching the hunger games, the only thing that I enjoyed is when my parents turned it off the T.V. and I got to escape this reality for a little while. whether it was just pretending to sleep in my bed with a comic bed under the pillow when my mom or dad checked on me to see if I was asleep or beating the hot wheels toy cars around on the carpet at Xander’s house with him and Conrad.

I looked up at the blue sky, it had cleared now, the grey clouds that had blessed me and Maysilee with water had disappeared into thin air. I heard squawking coming some birds, it was a new sound to me and probably to anyone else who could hear them or was paying attention to the sounds in the woods, I started doing that after that wolf tried to attack me. I looked off the cliff again seeing the big drop, there was no way down without falling or jumping to your death and I didn’t see a way down that wouldn’t end your life. This couldn’t be it, there must be something to this cliff, I wouldn’t accept me and Maysilee walking all this way to turn away because it just turned out to be a dead end, I couldn’t accpet that Effie trinket risked her life, risked being hung for treason! I couldn’t let that be no big deal.

I could feel the cameras on me, I could hear my brother running to his room in tears, Slamming the door shut with it hitting the uneven door frame, because I, his big brother was trapped. That door hadn’t shut since before I was born, it only shut when my dad had forced it shut and ripped more of the paint off the door.

I could hear Xander screaming at his parents to turn off the T.V. because he didn’t want to see the only person he considered a brother die, I could hear the capital cheering as they got pleasure from watching me in pain, I could see my father holding my mother as she cried because I was going to be dead soon, I could see everyone in the black market holding hands as the pastor asked god to protect mine and Maysilee’s soul, I could hear Kiara’s voice say. “Come on Haymitch, baby. Use that big beautiful brain of yours, babe.” I shook my head with my eyes closed, I couldn’t think of anything. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry to my family and friends, I failed you.” I knew the capital was filming me, hopefully they let district 12 see this.

I kicked a couple pebbles off the edge of the cliff, as I turned to walk away, I heard a buzz, like when something got electored. I turned around and saw some familiar pebbles on the ground.

I looked to my left and picked up a smooth, dark gery stone, I took a step closer to the cliff, and tossed the stone off the cliff underhanded. I heard the buzz and saw it coming back to me. I reached out my hand quickly and caught it, I threw it up in the air and caught it, I smiled at the rock. There was a glitch meaning there was a way I could win without killing anybody, I wanted to tell Maysilee but she was already long gone, it wouldn’t matter either, what was it going to prove? I felt the air breeze past me. “Kiara I used that brain of mine.” I said to myself, I couldn’t stop smiling, I couldn't believe I found this out so quickly, well, there was one thing I knew, the capital didn’t do this on purpose, this was an accident they missed and thankfully I was going to use it to my advantage.

I then heard more squawking, it was louder.

And more aggressive. I didn’t think much of it until I heard the worst sound I could hear at that moment or any moment, I wished it was a sick trick from the capital or my ears playing tricks on me, I never wanted to hear this sound, these words being said, but here I was hearing it and standing there it terror.

“HAYMITCH HELP ME!”

I stood there for a second before I heard the most blood curdling scream that was filled with complete terror and fear. I dropped the rock and ran, I sprinted down the hill as fast as I could. “No, no, no, no.” I said running down the hill, through the long thick grass smelling the fern perfume as I got down the hill away from the cliff, I didn’t know where to go, I heard the scream but I had no idea where to go now, so I did the only thing I could think in that moment. I shouted. “Maysilee! where are you!?” I had never heard her scream for me to help her like that, it was a scary thing to think about, but what was even more scary was the terrifying, fear filled scream that came after.

I looked around trying to see if I saw anything that pointed me in the dircteion of where Maysilee went. I then heard the loudest squawking as a flock of candy, bubble gum pink birds flew up above me, that was odd, I had never seen or heard of birds that had the shade of pink like candy and bubble gum did. Then a piece of clothing fell out of one of their peaks. I picked it up, it was the material of the bomber jackets we were given, it was a dark gery meaning it was Maysilee’s.

These birds were mutts made by the capital that just attacked my friend and possibly killed her! All I know is that she is alive now, no canon had gone off. I ran as fast as my legs could go, as I ran I reached for my knife grabbing the casing and throwing it on the ground not caring if I could find it later, Maysilee was in trouble and I owed her for saving my life when I had the encounter with Rippy. My bag bonuced around on my back even if was pretty full, I heard the water in the canteen swish around in the cylinder container. I ran down through the forest. “Maysilee?” I called out again, I ran around looking for my blonde friend but I didn’t know where. I ran left and saw a opening ahead of the forest, I knew it could be a trap, being out in the open where I could be killed off with no cover whatsoever but if there was even the slightless chance that Maysilee was out there I had to check. I ran out into the opening looking for the girl who has been by my side since the games started. I ran out into the middle and stopped looking around. I saw the tall grass about 10 feet away from me pushed down and a peach coloured figure laying down on the ground. I ran as fast as I could to it and noticed it was Maysilee. She was bloody and had tiny holes in her body. I knelt down next to her trying to make her as comfortable as possible at this time. She gripped my hand. She started to talk but struggled from the holes in her neck. “The birds, the pink ones.” she coughed. “They were mutts.” I felt the tears start to stream down my face. I said in a choked voice. "hold on Maysilee.” I tore off my shirt, lifting it over my head and crumpling it up. I then tried to apply pressure with my shirt to Maysilee’s neck. “This is going to hurt but I need to try and stop the bleeding. She pushed my hand away. “No. don’t.” I wiped the tears that were blurring my vision. “Maysilee. Please, at least let me try.” she coughed and shook her head, she winced as she ripped something off her jacket.

I had no idea what she grabbed. She took my hand in hers and placed something in it, she closed my hand into a fist, it felt cold like something metal. I opened my hand and saw a golden pin. It was the one I noticed at the dinner where my family came to visit me, I looked at the mocking jay with the sun shining on the golden metal. She said with the last bits of her energy. “Give it to her, give it to her.” I didn’t know who “her” was but Maysilee then said. “Give it to Sally, Sally Donner.” I stroked her hair with my free hand.

“Maysilee please don’t leave me here, I need you.” she reached up with her hand and cupped my face as she brushed a fresh tear away from my face. “Win it for both of us Haymitch.” she then said. “Go home, a place where you can starve to death in safety.” I knew one thing I had to tell her before she passed into the afterlife. “I’ll share my offerings with your family, don't worry about them, I’ll help.” she smiled and coughed again. “I love you Haymitch, you’re the best friend I ever had.” She choked out. I said, trying not to have my voice crack. “I love you too Maysilee.” She then took her last breath and I heard the canon. It sounded fate since I was focusing on Maysilee. “Maysilee, Maysilee, Maysilee are you still there?” she didn’t answer as I shook her lifeless body. “Maysilee!” I sobbed out. “Maysilee…” I said very quietly. I lowered my head onto her chest and cried.

I looked around. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone, I’m so so sorry.” I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. I heard two more canons go off. That means there was just two of us left, I had made it to the finals. I knew the flyer was waiting for me to leave so they could take Maysilee home for a porper burial. I looked at her as I blinked back tears. “I’ll never forget you Maysilee.” I leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Rest easy and in peace Maysilee donner.” I then left her body there and walked away. As I expected the minute I could no longer see her a Flyer flew over me. I put my shirt back on and looked around. Who was left who was the last tribute I had to either kill or hide and wait unitl they died of nautral causes but knowing the captial they would push us somehow to be closer together so one of us would be a killer.

As I walked I heard other foot steps I turned around and saw the girl from district 1. She was from the district that had the most victors and I was from the district that’s only victor ran away and is probaby dead by now. The girl from 1 was tall, taller then me probably, she was blonde like Maysilee but she had a sour look on her face, looked angered by something, Maysilee never looked like that she was always showing a calm face, a nice face, and even in this situation she always tried to smile.

She saw me and ran towards me, she was charging at me full speed and I ran into the opening.

She followed me. I took a deep breath. “Well, let’s finish this, shall we?” she gripped her axe tighter and I spinned my knife around my fingers once again and posbbily the last time. I heard Ceaser’s Flickerman’s voice in my head. “Let the games begin!”

Chapter 20

My knife had blood on the blade, the girl from district 1 jogged up the hill after me with a fresh cut from my blade that was stretched across her right shoulder, she held it when I cut her, the blood was soaking through her tank top. She looked at me with that sour look and swung her axe. I ducked out of the way and went to stab her but she took a step back letting my strength overtake me making me fall onto the ground, I got a face full of dirt.

I heard her yell and I rolled to the left and she brought her axe down jamming it into the earth’s crust. She looked at me on the ground, with my hands holding my weight, with my legs outstretched slightly bent, she took her axe blade out of the ground and I stood up quickly. She went to cut me on the neck with her axe but I ducked and then raised really quickly giving me the opportunity to swing my knife at her, near her neck. I did it twice before she brought her foot up and kicked me back in the chest. I leaned over holding my gut with my hand that was not holding my knife. She brought her arm holding the axe down to slice my free arm off but I acted quick and grabbed both of her arms not letting them go, even if she was in district 1 and I was in district 12 practically starving myself, I was stronger then her, I guessed it was from dragging all that fire wood to the black market all year round.

I held her arms tighter as she fought to get free, I head butted her face. She leaned back and I let go of her arms. She looked at me, I saw the bloody nose I had given her, she wiped her nose on her bare wrist and saw the blood. I saw the anger spread across her face, she was not happy that someone broke her nose, let alone a boy who sold fire wood for living from district 12. She went to cut me and I ducked running under her arm and slashing her in the back, she shouted out in pain, she turned around and I punched her square in the jaw, my punch was so hard it turned her face to the side. She leaned down a little to spit out blood. I went to cut her arm and try and make it deep enough that she would die quickly but she brought her free hand up blocking my attack and swung her axe into my gut. I gritted my teeth together as I shut my eyes tightly, I felt the blade cut into my flesh and organs hearing them gush from the blood that was pouring out. She rolled herself over my back and kicked me down, I fell but got back up. She keened me in th gut where she cut me that didn’t help my well being, as I leaned down to hold my gut she ran up towards me and stepped on my bend keen hitting me in the back of the neck with the blunt part of the axe, nevertheless it hurt pretty bad.

I turned around and stabbed my knife hard. I hit something sensitive because I had never heard her scream in that kind of agony before. I removed the blade and noticed I had stabbed her eye, it was just blood now, I had blinded her and if head butting her hadn’t made her hate me before she sure as hell did now, now that I had just caused permanent damage to her that would affect the rest of her life negatively. She hit my arm making my knife fly out of my hand. I saw it fly through the air and land on the ground in the tall grass. I looked at it and ran to it, I then leaned down and grabbed it, putting it in my pocket, and I ran away. It might sound like a coward move but my organs were literally hanging out of my body now, I held them in my body with my arm over my gut, I looked down, there was no way this was fixable, I wonder what people were thinking back home in their houses.

They were probably on the edge of their seats. My mom and dad were probably praying to every god that had ever been believed in that I won, Xander was probably at the market selling fire wood for my family telling everyone to stay and watch the end of the hunger games that would be projected onto the blank wall saying I was still alive. Kiara was probably yelling everything that was happening to her parents that were probably working in the kitchen and swearing at the district 1 girl. “Haymitch just head butted her, Haymitch broke her nose, attaboy baby! Hey! Don’t swing that damn axe at my boyfriend you female bastard!” I could hear Kiara saying. As I was running I got an idea when my eyes landed on the cliff. I climbed up to the top with the help of my hands pushing up off the ground, my injures were bad, really bad, this might be the only year we wouldn't have a victor returning home alive.

The district 1 girl followed me like I thought she would. I knew this was the only way I would go home possibly alive, but she had to do one thing that I wasn’t sure she would do, I was pretty messed up and in no shape to fight my way out of this nightmare, I had to use my next best weapon, my mind, something I don’t think this girl had, all muscle, brain is what my dad use to say about people like her, people who lived in the higher districts who always won the hunger games, that thay had so much muscle, yet so little brain.

this could be our year, the year where we won, the year where all the teens that once lived in the higher districts all came home in body bags.

I got to the top of the cliff and fell to my knees. I watched as the girl from district 1 walked up and looked at me with her sour face, the whole right side of her face was bloody from when I stabbed her eye. She was breathing heavily from climbing the cliff which was a bit of a climb so climbing with my guts practically spilling out of my stomach that was now gushing blood was a very long and painful climb. My arms that were holding my middle and keeping my organs inside my body were soaked in thick hot blood.

I winced in pain as I started to feel lightheaded. I had never felt lightheaded like this, was I dying? who was I kidding of course I was dying but I thought it would hurt more. Finally this girl from district 1 decided it was time she won. She threw the axe at me and I dodged it. She had done what I wanted her to do, I smiled at her. She looked confused, something different that wasn’t a sour expression on her face. I whispered to myself. “I won.” I then collapsed to they ground. When I heard the static sound. I had my eyes closed but I heard the buzz and knew the axe was getting launched into the district 1 girl’s body and then I heard the canon going off.

Chapter 21

I wake up in agony. I breathe through my teeth. “Well, look who’s alive.” I open my eyes to see rummage sitting in a chair beside me. He then yelled "can we get some pain meds please?” I looked at him weirdly.

“What are you doing here?” I say while pain shot through my veins, he crossed his legs. “Waiting for you to wake up of course.” he said. I went to sit up while pain was targeted towards my middle. Rummage leaned over. “No, No, don’t try to sit up, a team of doctors just spent several hours stitching your gut and stomach back together you’re still very sore and tender.” He grabbed a white remote. “Try this.” He stated handing it to me. I looked at the remote and held a button down feeling the bed lift me into a sitting position. I lifted up my shirt a bit and saw my gut now being very deformed, rummage sighed and said. “It’s going to look pretty messed up for a while but you will definitely have one awesome looking scar after it heals.” After Rummage told me that he cracked open a bottle of beer and handed it to me. “Here, it’s the next best thing to pain meds.” I leaned forward a little wincing from the pain and took the glass and he cheered me. I took a sip as the gross liquid went down my throat and I made a sour face. “Yeah, it’s what happens after that makes people drink it.” I swallowed. “That’s disgusting. I love it.” I placed it on the desk next to my bed. He smiled at me. “Congrats on winning, kid. You were right, I should have been more helpful to you guys than just a drunk, I’m sorry.” I shrugged at his apology. “I know how much the hunger games can screw you up, and it can do a really good job of doing it, I get it.” I replied back to him. He sighed. “And I’m sorry about Lodian, she was an amazing woman and a great family member.” I looked at him confused as I took another sip of the beer bottle. “How do you know Lodian, I never saw you talk to her.” he shrugged. “She gave you the nickname sweetheart, my nickname was honey.” I was still puzzled as to how he knew her.

He sighed. “I called her mom.” I was astonished. Rummage was Lodian’s son. I shook my head. “Wait that doesn't make sense, Lodian is from district 12.” he nodded. “correct but she moved to my district for a fresh start and had me soon after she moved there, then she moved to the capital.” Rummage said. He sighed. “I’m happy you won and I’m happy my niece, Effie helped you.” I nodded. “yeah me too.” I added. After a good drink and feeling the after effect of alcohol I was transported home. I was allowed to keep my bag from the games as a souvenir. I slept for most of the time coming home but there was a couple things I needed to do before I went home. When we finally reached home, I went to Allan Dario’s house first. I saw a little girl who was probably 4 or 5 brushing the hair of a doll, she looked like Lillian. When she looked up at me she yelled. “Daddy! Somebody wants a coffee!” a muscle man that looked like Allan Dario only his hair was changing to grey and he had a beard. I said. “Um… actually I’m not here for a coffee, your son, Allan Dario was in the games with me.” the man stayed silent. I sighed. “I was there when he passed away in his sleep and I just wanted to tell you, I’m so so sorry that he didn’t make it. I wish I could switch places with him but I can’t.”

the man nodded. “Thank you for that, kid.” the man said. I cleared my throat. “Um… before I, I mean we buried him, I stripped him of his clothes, thought you might want his belongings from the capital to know he fought well.” I said as I placed the folded clothes on the counter, the man picked up the bomber jacket and smelled it. He started to cry. “Thank you Haymitch.” I knew it was time for me to go as I left I saw the little girl lift the shirt and say. “this is big brother’s!” The dad said. “Yea it is baby.”

I pushed the wooden door open as I left the tiny coffee shop Allan Dario called home once, I felt like I could have done more but I knew that was impossible.

I walked down the streets as people congrationed me on winning as people ran through the streets having fun that we actually had a victor this year, there was a party down where the reaping happened many teens and young adults were down there drinking, I hoped my father was down in the seam with my mother and brother, waiting for me to come home instead of down there drinking, I wouldn’t mind going there after I settled in at hime though. I saw the small local grocery store that everybody in district 12 went to to buy non-perishable items I looked at the sign that hung from the wooden wall that read CAMERON’S SHOP

I took a deep breath as I opened the door. I walked into the brightly lit store seeing a few people shopping as a boy who was no older than eight at the resigter helping a customer. A sleeping little baby was in his arms as he gave the bald man his change. I saw a girl who was probably 10 stocking the shelves and helping out as much as she could. I saw a boy toddler playing back at the register with some hot wheels. They must be Lillian’s siblings, I then noticed even if she was the youngest child in the hunger games, she was the oldest kid in this family, all her siblings lost their big sister and the toddler and baby won’t remember her when they grow up.

I walked up to the boy at the register. “Hi sir, my name is Kaleb, how can I help you?” he asked me as he shifted the baby in his arms. My eyes filled up with tears. He didn’t know who I was. The 10 year old girl came behind the counter. “I’ll put geala in her crib.” Kaleb said. “I got her, Inaya.” the girl said. “Wait one second, this jam has been opened, do you think it’s bad?” she then looked at me and dropped the glass jar that smashed into pieces. She was paralysed with shock. She then ran past Kaleb, almost knocking him down and then she sprinted up the stairs and quickly tripping on the first step but getting back up again and running up the stairs as fast as she could. Many people who had a two story would run a business on the bottom level and live on the upstairs level. Kaleb looked me up and down. “Who are you?” I stuttered. “I-I’m-”

I was cut off when the girl who ran upstairs that assumed name was Inaya started to drag a woman down the stairs. “Mom, I swear on Lillian’s grave it’s him, I swear on her grave!” a woman with raven hair like Lillian and a tanned skintone walked down stairs she was still in her pamjamas, her hair was matted, she looked tired and her eyes were red and puffy, she had tear stains on her face from crying probably because of Lillian’s death. She took one look at me and said. “I’ll be damned.” she walked up to me. “What are you doing here, Haymitch?” she was being very nice as I guessed she could see I had glossy eyes. I bit my lip and spoke. “I’m really sorry about Lillian-”

Inaya said. “Please call her lily, that was her wish on her birthday, to be called lily.” I nodded and continued, “lily was way too young to die the way she did and I wish I could have saved her but I couldn’t and Lillian, I mean lily deserves everything and more to be back here instead of me.” the mother wiped her eyes. “Thank you.” I reached into my pocket. “I can’t bring her back, but she had this in her hair when she was reaped and she wore it in the arena I thought you might want it.” and I placed the light blue ribbon I had tied up into a bow gently on the counter.

Kaleb had now placed geala on the floor with the toddler and when he saw the ribbon. He backed up to the wall. His flat top hat fell off when he backed up to the wooden wall. The woman looked up and picked it up. She looked at me. “You have no idea how special this ribbon is, this ribbon was her father’s who passed away before geala was born, he gave her the ribbon saying it was his mothers who was supposed to pass it down to her daughter but she only had him so he gave it to her because he was supposed to give it to his first daughter who was lily and she was supposed to give it to her first daughter, unfortunately that won’t happen so now it’s a family heirloom.”

She looked at me. “Thank you.” I nodded and left. It was now for the last stop that was a fallen tributes house, I could barely think of this family without feeling awful for what happened to their daugther. I walked through the town as I made my way to the candy shop, I hope they weren’t closed today, usually after the games they’re closed to mourn our fallen neighbors but for their daughter being killed, I don’t know how long they would be closed for. the least I could do was hounor Maysilee’s dying wish and give her sister the pin. I walked down the gravelly path that the truck would come up with the new sweets. I saw the door without the sign saying “Come On it We’re OPEN” instead it said. “Sorry, We’re CLOSED” but I walked in anyways, this is what Maysilee wanted and I was going to do that for her. I pulled on the golden fancy door handle. I heard the bell ding like it always had when Xander had got money for sweets. I heard a girl around my age say. “Can’t you read?! we’re closed! Come back next week!” the blonde girl then turned around as she finished stacking chocolate bars on the shelf behind the counter.

She looked at me and choked out. “Haymitch abernathy?”

I smiled. “Hi Sally.”

She shook her head. “Um… I’m sorry but we’re closed, I can give you one of those chocolate bars you like though if that’s what you want.” she said, reaching to the top shelf where my favourite chocolate bars sat, a three by six milk chocolate bar filled with caramel and hazelnuts that I would share with my brother after dinner. I put my hand up. “I didn’t come for your candy, sally. even if I have missed the Donner’s chocolate bars.'' Sally smiled at that. I continued to talk. “I’m really sorry about your sister, what happened to her was a inhuman way to die and I know me apologising doesn’t make it better or hurt less and to be honest, it is unforgivable that I couldn’t save her but before she died she told me to give this to you.” I gently placed the mocking jay pin on the wooden counter and slid it to her, it made a sound like when drawing on a chalk broad as the metal slid across the wood. She picked it up and ran her hand over the textured bird.

She looked up at me with glossy eyes. “she would want you to have it.” I said to Sally.

Sally wiped away her fresh tears. “Thank you Haymitch, I appreciate your kindness and loyalty towards Maysilee, I hope to see you at school next year.” I left the store and walked down to the black market, there was one thing I had to ask scruffy stan. I walked through the busy city block until I passed the pond and big maple tree that should be long dead by now from the weather, wind and ashy air it had endured.

I walked into the black market and peple started cheering as I walked in, I smiled a little as they praised my name and the way I won but there was only one person I wanted to find, I finally saw him, with the old pipe in his mouth and his scruffy hair and beard, he was leaning up against a pillar close to the fire trying to stay warm, he had a peaky blinders hat on, he was in a white and beige flannel shrit and in overalls that looked very nice for living in the seam or district 12 for that matter. He smiled when I walked over. “Hey scruffy stan, you look different from the last time I saw you.” he smiled and said in his smokey voice. “Been helping out with the sales, fire wood a lot since you left.” I nodded. I then said. “You used to do tattoos, back when you were younger, right?” he nodded. I asked him. “Any chance you still have the ink gun?” he smiled knowing what I was asking.

After about several hours of laying on a table wincing and grunting, tightening my grip on my shirt laying face down as scruffy stan wrote letters on my back and wiping the blood off my skin as he pushed the needle into my bare back that was covered with bruised dirty skin, he was finally done as he placed the needle gun down and wiped the last bit of red blood off of my back, Scruffy stan held up a mirror so I could see what the tattoo looked like. I read the words in order.

Allan Dario Visher

Lillian Cameron

Maysilee Donner

OUR FALLEN DISTRCT 12 TIRBUTES

I smiled at the words that Scruffy Stan worte. “Thank you Scruffy Stan, I hope they would feel honored if they were still here.” he nodded. “They would Haymitch, you know they would.”

Finally after all these tasks I had to finish before I could go home I had done them all and could finally see my mom, My dad, my little baby brother, my girlfriend, Kiara.

I pulled on my shirt slipping it over my head, I grabbed my bag and ran all the way to my house. “Mom, dad! I’m home!” I finally made it to my property but it was silent. That was weird, it was never silent at my house, my dad would either be snoring or chopping wood if he was home, my mom would be whistling as she did house chores and you would hear the constant banging of the baseball Conrad would be throwing against one of the walls outside the house. I walked into my house. “Mom? Dad? Conrad?” I was in shock when I saw what the house looked like, the chairs that sat at the dinner table had been smashed into broken pieces beyond repair, the table was flipped over, the glass clay model Conrad had made for mother’s day back in kindergarten was broken next to the fireplace, the sofa had a giant tear down the middle where you could see the stuffing in it. My house was destroyed, but we definitely hadn’t been robbed, there was nothing worth stealing.

I was upset about all my things being gone through but the thing that scared me was how strong the smell of blood was, it smelled stronger then when any of my friends died, Allan Dario, Lillian, Lgata and Maysilee never had this strong a scent. I walked in to the kitchen and was horrfiied at to what I saw, my mom and dad in a puddle of their own blood not moving or breathing, my mom was face down in the thick red liquid, as my dad laid partly on top of her with his hand over her neck holding her head like he was trying to protect her, he really had changed from the drunk man to a loving father and husband.

I turned around and saw my brother’s neck slit laying on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling he had the blanket from my bed wrapped around him. They woke him up just to kill him, he had fallen asleep on the floor again, I then heard a sound and a green ring hit the outside of my left boot, I picked up the glass green ring and looked in my room to see black boots that were connected to a pair of skinny legs, I ran into the room to see a brunette trying to breathe normally. “Kiara!” I said in fear. She had been stabbed many, many times. I cupped her face with my now bloody hands as she wheezed for air. “What happened here?! Kiara, speak to me.” she said. “Peacekeepers, came, a-And slaughtered us, because, y-you won, S-Snow’s… not happy.” I felt my heart shatter. I did this to them, their dead because I won, they died because I survived. I cupped Kiara’s face as I screamed. “Somebody get a doctor, I need help, Help! Please!” Kiara brushed my cheek. “It’s okay babe, I’m sorry but I don’t think they can fix this.” I held tightly to her hand. “Kiara, I won’t let you die.” she wincied. “I’m okay Haymitch, it’s alright, I’m ready to go, I’ll be okay.” I felt the tears start to roll down my face. “What about us? I don’t want to live without you.” she closed her eyes. “I’m always with you, just like in the hunger games.” she brought me close and kissed me. she spoke softly, she said. “I love you so much.”

I sniffled and said. “I love you too, Kiara.” she then took her last breath. “Kiara, Kiara?” I said shaking her body. Kiara?! Kiara!” I said as I laid her down. “Kiara!” I screamed as I sobbed over her body. I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

After three hours of sitting in my house on the ground against the wall next to my bedroom doorway, with nothing but the smell of blood and the broken items, with my tear stained face, I finally got up and walked outside, there, I saw three miners looking at my tear stained face. I spoke as clearly as I could in this moment and said. “There’s been a murder.”

Chapter 22

It had been three months since I walked into my house and found it destroyed with my family dead. I had gone to eight funerals since I got home, my mom’s, my dad’s, Conrad’s, Kiara’s, Allan Dario’s, Lillian’s, Maysilee’s and mr. Bo williams. After the Bo williams found out what happened to Kiara they were devastated to find out their first and only daughter was gone but mainly wanted to know how she died.

thankfully Effie wrote a letter to me telling me that president Snow was furious that I won the hunger games instead of the girl from district 1 so he sent the most aggressive and strongest peacekeepers to my home and told them to kill everyone inside, and that’s what they did, they didn’t care if they weren’t related to me like Kiara or if they were still just a kid like Conrad. Mr. bo williams couldn’t believe his only child was gone, two weeks after her death he hung himself in his barn, mrs. bo williams left district 12 after losing her husband and daughter.

She diecided to go where I was going to go if there was a way out of the arena, she went to district 13 to see if there was anything out but I don’t think she’s going to find what she wants to, the home that belonged to the bo williams still stands but it empty at moment, some family and friends are going to clean it out and see if anything is of value to anyone in need, the food will probably be the first to go, my mom and dad were buried together with my brother next to them, Kiara was buried three rows back from them next to her father, Allan Dario, Lillian and Maysilee were scattered around the grave yard.

I couldn’t sleep a lot of nights knowing that me being able to breathe made all these people die, me surviving killed them and I’ll never forgive myself for that, I cried all hours of night for a long time, the only thing kept me going in that arena was my family, that if I won I would be able to see them again but of course I’m a boy in district 12 and you never win in district 12.

When I had moved into victor village Xander helped me go through everything that was in my house to see if anything was still usable but nothing was not broken other than some pictures and my dad’s hard hat, even if they didn’t have much value I kept them in my new house. When Xander left me in my new house with my family pictures and my dad's hard hat I collapsed and started to cry, this is not what I wanted, I wanted to win so my family could live in this house with me. I got to work getting everything ready in my house, the first thing I did was open a drawer and put everything that was in my bag in the drawer except for the moldy PB and J sandwich crust nobody didn’t eat.

I put all the notes that Lodian had sent me with the picture of us in the drawer, the bloody bandage that Allan Dario used, the tin that had the cream in it, the black beanie Lodian had sent me, the sharpening block, the pitch pine glue, the wooden bowl Maysilee got from the middle, my canteen, the bloodly arrow point that had killed Lgata, my bomber jacket and my bag. I didn’t put my sleeping bag in there just yet, I wanted to sleep under it until I got actual sheets for my new king sized bed that I hoped one day I would share with Kiara. I bought a armour stand to keep in my house to honour Conrad since his name meant brave counsel, I hope he would have liked it. I was still pretty torn over my family so Xander came over two weeks after I moved in. I was laying on the couch watching the news with a beer on the coffee table, it was my third one, I found out that beer does heal all pain.

Xander sat down in one of the arm chairs. “How you doing Mitch?” I sipped my beer and shrugged. “How would you feel if your family was killed and you found them in a pool of their own blood?” I Asked him in snarky way. He sighed and pressed his elbows into his thighs. “Haymitch, I can’t imagine how much pain you are in right now, I wish I was there, I wish I could have saved them.” I sat up. “I’m glad you weren’t there and you didn’t save them.'' Xander looked at me confused. “You’re happy I didn’t protect your family from those peacekeepers.” I shook my head. “Xander, the people that attacked them had guns, knives, whips, weapons, if you tried to protect them you would have had a matching pool of blood you would have been laying in.” I looked at him. “You’re all I got Xander, I have lost everything I once knew.” Xander nodded. “You’re not going to lose me, I promise you haymitch.”

but that was a lie because later when winter came, Xander fell ill with the flu and passed away in his bed on the sunday right after christmas at 6:13.

My life had completely been flipped upside down, I wasn’t going on dates with Kiara, I wasn’t racing Xander to the candy shop and seeing Maysilee at the register talking with her twin sister, I wasn’t eating dinner with my mom and dad, I wasn’t walking Conrad home from school, I wasn’t even going to school!

I visited Xander’s grave every week. I later put his tie in the drawer with all my hunger games things. I didn’t want to see it anymore, it only reminded me that I lost the last person who knew me before the hunger games.

I finally got the reward for winning and sent the earnings to to Allan Dario’s, Lillian’s and Maysilee’s family they all got the earnings they needed to survive, Maysilee’s family obviously needed less than the other families since the candy shop was always getting customers and Lillian’s family got the most because of all her siblings and the family needed to feed all those mouths.

I spent most of my earnings I had left on arrow face beer, I now understood why it was my dad’s favourite, that’s all I was drinking now was beer. I would find myself passed out on the couch with open beer cans and bottles on the coffee table at 2:00AM in the morning.

I stopped visiting Xander after a bit, I started to drink so much that I couldn’t remember my own name, the beer made me forget about what happened, I didn’t remember finding Allan Dario dead, I couldn’t see Lillian falling to her death, I didn’t know I held Lgata and Maysilee in my arms when they died, I forgot that my family was killed and I forgot my girlfriend's last words but of course, I would wake up from the beer and remember all the pain that was in my life, drinking was all I did now, my hair got long and I finally cut it but left it at shoulder length.

When spring came back around the 51st hunger games was all people were talking about, a lot of teenagers came to ask how to win since they were so scared of being reaped but I never had an answer for them that could help them, the reaping rolled around in the next couple of weeks. I stayed in my house since I didn’t have to go but watched it on T.V. like a good mentor would since I would have to be their mentor no matter what happened, I thought it was stupid that I had to mentor them knowing they were going die anyways, some treat!

I watched Trinity walk on stage and start her speech with that huge smile on her face as she clapped her hands together over and over again. I heard the voice say. “Ladies first!” I cracked open an arrow face beer bottle. I watched her reach in hand into the fish bowl and as she went to read the first girl’s name as I took a drink of beer.