Hunger Games 1. The First Fight

The snow crunches under my feet as I walk towards the center of the District. Many peacekeepers make eye contact with me, I can even tell through their masks which covers their eyes completely. I know they have been looking at everyone today. Looking for a sign of suspicion in anyone. They know the spark has grown.

At the last Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and her stunt with the nightlock berries was an opportunity for my family to stand up for what they believed in. My father is in control of the rebels in District 2 and he is leading the greatest rebellious attack on the peacekeepers today that Panem has ever seen. With me being in the Career academy currently, he is allowing me and my classmates to join in on the least dangerous part of the fight. Our job is to just escort all of the rebel leaders and their families to safety to the outskirts of the district. Most of the Career students have parents as rebel leaders so most of us are basically protecting our family.

I walk down what our district call The Cliff which is a hill that is so steep you could fall down and end up on the street below with one wrong step. At the bottom of The Cliff there is only two places to go to which are the aboandoned warehouse that used to be some factory or go to the hospital. I cautiously walk towards the warehouse, feeling as if my feet are in a precarious place. I trip and collapse about four feet down the rest of the hill. I feel the scrapes form over my palms and right cheek. Dirt obscures the original color of my clothing, changing my deep blue pants and blood red shirt turn into a muddy brown.

As I finally get to my feet I notice three peacekeepers approaching me. I know the names of all three of the peacekeepers. At least I know that two of them are real peacekeepers.

"What are you doing down hear Fandel? Shouldn't you be reporting to your usual Career Academy schedule" asks the biggest of the three named Hammond, the head peacekeeper.

"I was directed to get the current listings of hospital patients that have been confirmed to have fatal wounds and diseases."

The lie comes out so casually. I've been taught to lie ever since my father let me in on the rebel plans. Being tortured if captured still meant no giving in, and if you are at your breaking point then lie.

"Why would they order you to do something so... Inconsequential?"

"The sound in your voice sounds as if you're implying that I'm up to something."

I can see my words sting him. He is angry that I am acting obviously like I know something, although not saying something to let them have a reasonable reason to arrest me.

He leans close, barely audible he says,"Just be careful. Any same trace of mischief can make anyone look guilty. My associate Mahs will escort you to see to it that you complete your duties."

Just what I had hoped for. I simply nod at Hammond and brush my shoulder against his as I walk straight towards the hospital. I hear the armor of a peacekeeper following me. Finally I feel Mahs hand clasp my shoulder.

"They're far over The Cliff now. Lets go."

I run after Mahs, following him to the warehouse, my real destination. Mahs is a peacekeeper, but also a rebel which is why I personally classify him as not a real peacekeeper. Mahs is eighteen now, already one of the top new peacekeepers in just the three months since he graduated from the Career Academy. Being two years older than me, I've seen him as my second brother.

"They're already here."

Mahs opens the warehouse door completely now, allowing us both to enter. Sitting at the table, the only piece of furniture in this particular room, are the other Career student rebels. My seven companions; Magenta, Faverish, Crisella, Ender, Brut, Elize, and Mahs. All eight of us to save our own families and families of others. Lives entrusted in our care. Hope granted in us.

Magenta, a short black haired, muscled girl who is my age, stands up and says,"At least we have the biggest rebellious team ever in District 2!"

She has a very sarcastic humor which makes her so likable because she is seen as such an optimist, someone to give us all a bit more faith in ourselves.

Mahs stands guard by watching directly out the window. The other peacekeepers won't question him because they'll see him as just someone guarding the bottom of The Cliff. I begin the meeting after Magenta sits.

"We are designated to save the group of families of our leaders that will all be in the Westing's home just about half a mile away. We have to lead the group that half mile back and then back here where there is a tunnel under the very floor we stand on that leads all the way to what once was District 13."

All of two knows District 13 still exits. The Capitol can deny it all they want. My brother had made us all learn.

"So we just go into the fight?" objects Faverish.

"We agreed to the plans of our father's. We will not back out now."

No one else had any other comments so we all go our separate ways from the warehouse, preparing to meet up at the home of Red Westing in three hours. With the journey to the Westing house a bit out of reach, I only have about a hour and a half of time to spare before our assult. From the warehouse I journey back up The Cliff and stand on top and look at the scenery straight ahead. Most of it is blocked by the street of District 2, by almost everywhere you can still see The Nut secluded around the wilderness. The Nut is the peacekeeper's main base. The place where my father will go to fight. Today the fight was scheduled because of the announcement that we expected to outrage us, but the Quarter Quell this time has no affect on no one in our district but our Victors. This Quarter Quell is meant to kill Katniss Everdeen or Peeta Mellark or even both. They have been our inspiration to fight. Our leaders are not going to let their role models die. Neither will I.

I dodge more eyes of peacekeepers, making a couple of the their routines stagnant by looking extra suspicious into the eyes their mask hide. A couple more stop me, interrogate me, and reluctantly let me proceed onward towards my home.

My house is as great as every other house in the district. All have the same cubic structure, baize color, dome shaped roofs, and families each dedicated to be better than everyone else around them. My family only inherited the district trait slightly. We are still competitive players, but don't pick up a fight with everyone we pass by. Currently living in my home with me are my two sisters, my mom, and my dad. My oldest sister, Azalea, is a peacekeeper who is a spy for our side. My other sister who is still older than me, Serenity, is barely a graduate from the Career academy and expects to become a soon to be teacher there. I'm only a year younger than her so our age makes us better at communicating than with everyone else in the family. My brother no longer lives here and has not for four years.

Inside my home I find no one. I quickly grab my sheath of arrows and my bow. My bow I stole from the Career Academy in my first year. It's the fanciest thing in any of the Districts I bet, beautifully forged, strong but lightweight, black but brighter than anything in Panem. I rush outside and am about to continue towards the house of the Westing's when Serenity calls me from the opposite direction I was heading.

"Wait! I'm going with you. Dad asked me to..."

"You are supposed to go with the other young adults and fight off the peacekeepers at the train station."

"Not anymore."

She rushes inside and comes back out with her rack of knives slung over her shoulder and some placed in her belt slots. Her outfit is jet black. Black ankle high boots, black tights, a high waisted black skirt, and a long sleeved velvet shirt with a leather jacket over it. I doubt she'll be able to run in those boots since they have heels, but I know she won't change her outfit no matter how many times you ask her to.

We start jogging towards the Westing house. After thirty minutes I'm already about 0.2 miles ahead of her, so then I start walking. She is not visible when I look back so I know I might as well wait for her since we are not allowed to leave the Westing house until the whole team arrives. When I start walking I notice three peacekeepers looking at me to the right. They stop, their heads turning the more I advance along the street. After fifteen minutes of walking I see they slowly are following behind me. Two more start doing the same to the left of me. I know they were getting ready to hold me down and shoot me. Luckily a rebel never walks alone.

Before I can even load an arrow I hear the throw of the knife. I hear a groan from behind and know that Serenity got one. I roll and dodge about ten bullets, feeling the bullets bounce off the dirt beside me. Citizens around us start screaming and running away. I stand behind a lamppost, hearing the iron deflect the bullets. I quickly turn around and shoot an arrow at the first human figure I see. The peacekeeper is now pierced in the hand, dropping its gun. Serenity I see took out three peacekeepers already and too has hid behind something because I don't see her. With three dead and one injured that leaves one. My arrow flies before the peacekeeper even looks at me, letting out blood from his eye before he even realizes he is about to die. The glass on the masks are no match for these weapons made from the Capitol to fight enemies like them. Serenity pops out from behind another lamppost and runs until we are embracing each other. Without saying another word we both continue down the streets, knowing we won only the first battle of the night.


	2. The Bombing Starts

The tone in the rest of my assault team's voices are unrest at the news of the encounter with the peacekeepers.

"You what!"

"How many!"

"People saw you!"

The fact that my suspiciousness was noticeable makes my team even more disgruntled, causing us all to argue over leaving the Westing's home early. Inside this home, the same cube as all the others, lives the Westings obviously who is the family of Faverish. He is the son of District 2's mayor. Mayor Westing stands among our group, one of the ones eager to start leaving immediately. This house you would expect to be different from everyone else's, but it is not to help decrease the urge of people to fight someone and possibly murder them.

"Shut it! All of you!" I burst out. This bickering only wastes time.

"We are to leave at the designated time we were given. Any flaw or change in the plan could ruin everything."

My assault team seemed to have finally agree with me, but the families we are supposed to be saving have not. Finally out of the corner of the room, my mother rises from her seat and sternly says,"Anyone who leaves will not have our protectors following them, so those who will risk it on their own may leave."

Silence. No more feud. My mother's opinion is valued highly throughout the entire District because of her amount of education which is the highest in all of Panem and also her amount of strength. She was a Victor in the 52nd Hunger Games while pregnant with my oldest sister who is my oldest sibling. At eighteen she was fierce, someone deadly with someone else's life on the line besides her own. Her age has grown fast physically, her hair turning more gray every day from the stress of worrying about my father, us at home, and my brother who is not...

The amount of people my team must protect is ten children eleven years old or younger, six other armed Career students, four young adults who are also armed, and five mothers, one that is my own. There are no rescues for anyone who falls behind, none for anyone captured, once we leave we do and that's that. We must all save these innocents now. The time has come.

Blackness fills the sky now. All thirty-four of us walk out of the Westing house without looking alert for an incoming attack. Honestly, I expected bombs to be dropped on us because of the acts of Serenity and I, but I didn't mention anything so that I wouldn't make anyone worried. The group all walks down the road in a circle; My assault team on the outside, young adults next, Career students, mothers, young children. We all speed walk, not run, trying to be unnoticed by any spies lurking about. No houses seem to have life, nor does the streets. Everyone has been assigned a duty in this rebellious plan. That can only mean one thing. The peacekeepers are already watching the few on the streets.

Us.

When everyone starts seeing me run they do the same. I hear the gunshots coming from all sides, hearing screams from the children that may die from how poorly this was planned. I hear gunshots from some of my assault team members, but I don't stop running. I was assigned to stay with the group at all times, to not stay and fight. Ahead I see incoming peacekeepers so I quickly shoot an arrow into the hand clasped around its gun. He drops the gun and so as I run past him I stop to finish him off. If I don't I know he'll force his anger onto one of my other entourage members. I duck one of his punches, and then quickly punch his injured hand, causing him to squeal. I then take the arrow out from his thumb knuckle and jab it through where his stomach is hidden by armor. With three jabs I feel the arrow slash through flesh, oozing blood onto the outside of the armor. I run back to the group that is only about a yard ahead of me, not forgetting to still have hold of the arrow I just used. I hear even more gunshots now, still fighting my urge to turn back and fight, to save the ones I know are fighting. Mahs, Faverish, and Magenta. The three left to fight while the rest of us escape. I know it's wrong to leave them. Wrong to abandon ones you can help. Ones you can save.

As we advance through the street I notice the peacekeepers are focused on the team members I just left behind, allowing us to easily escape. None of the ones we are to protect are dead yet. Neither are the team members I still have with me. We continue towards Then Cliff at a jogging pace. As we are about to start the climb of The Cliff I hear the scream before I do the gunshot. I shoot the arrow so forcefully that it shatters the peacekeeper's mask and lands right on his forehead. I look at the victim. A mother, not mine, but Faverish's. Bleeding like a river, I see the wound in her chest is hopeless to even try to staunch. A tear slips out of my eye. I barely hear her mutter the word even though my body reacts immediately.

Run.

And I do. My group follows and then I hear the sizzle of grenades. I suddenly stop. I allow my entire group to run up ahead The Cliff and solely turn around to face the dozens of peacekeepers all pointing their guns at me. I load one arrow and know exactly what to target. The explosive barrels beside them are usually used in case of emergency and left on streets for anyone's use. Stupid I know, but perfect for this exact situation. The explosions cause a domino affect. One bomb causes another, and another, and another, and so forth. I don't even bother to look back to see if there are any survivors because I know there won't be. I saw them fly off the ground, the fire engulfing them like a lion would a mouse. Dead. All of them. Still I can't help grinning.

I finally reach the top of The Cliff and look down to see Serenity waving at me from the window of the warehouse. They made it. We made it. As I'm about to head down to rejoin my group I'm stopped by a shriek behind me. I turn to see smoke filling the streets. The explosives may have killed peacekeepers, but also dozens of others. I drop to my knees at the horrific sight. Burning, pleading, and death fill the air. It starts to feel as if it is taking over all the air. I let out three tears from my left eye and then feel my eyes become so heated that they feel as if lasers are being shot from them. This is my doing. I've saved and killed today. Killed more than saved, but still. I tried as hard as I could to live out my brother's legacy and failed. I'll never be him.

I look past the ruins of the street below and then see the destruction of the rest of the district. I see bombs by where the Justice Building is. Hovercrafts bringing more peacekeepers. And then I notice something that was not planned. The Nut stands untouched. Left as if the war surrounding them was miles away. That could only mean one thing. The plan my father had made for The Nut resulted in him being captured.


End file.

Hunger Games, Adventure, Sci-Fi