Chapter Text
I rub my eyes and connect the final wires of my project just as the first bird chirps.
Goddammit.
Great. It's Wednesday—my project is late. Again.
Oh well.
I pull the screen of the old computer down and screw it on, careful not to catch the delicate circuits. Then I place the computer onto the scanner, ready to digitize the model and send it to Ms. McKee.
I glance at the clock. It's only 5:54—school doesn’t start till 9:00.
I grab my coat from the chair and pull on some socks. Then I peek my head through my doorway.
Left: Sparky’s door(his ‘room’ is my closet) is wide open and I can see him on his little bed sleeping in a star position.
Right: Aunt Iona’s door is shut tight. I don’t hear any movement.
Perfect.
I quietly dash down the hallway to the door.
Peeking through the peek-hole, I unlock the door and reach into my pocket for my aunt’s ‘lost keys’ to lock it again.
I’ll be back before 6:30.
Instead of going frontward, down the street; I go around through an alley beside our house and into the forest—or well not yet.
There’s an invisible ‘fence’ surrounding the forest. I’ve seen glimpses of other district’s fences and I’m pretty sure they have electric fences. Not surprising—Snow wouldn’t arm someone with a gun then turn his back—he’s too smart. I hate him.
He took my brother from me.
Anyways, I find the fault in the wall—a shimmering spot where the air seems to move differently the size of a sofa cushion.
It’s a small opening but I’ll fit.
I don’t like going on-foot in the forest because of coyotes and foxes and all, so I climb through the trees.
I remember the first time I climbed a tree.
My grandfather had helped me onto the first branch and then backed away.
Grampa! I’m gonna fall! Help!
Keep going, Finnie. If you fall I’ll catch you—I promise.
Randy Crossley! Please!
He shook his head.
I did fall. And he did catch me—but apparently cheap health care isn’t something that Snow’s too fond of, so when Grampa got his heart disease, we knew we’d already lost him.
I tighten his jacket around my shoulders and perch onto one of the branches.
My garden sits right there beside a shallow river. The river, which I’ve dubbed Sagittaria due to all of the arrowheads growing there—Aunt Iona’s ‘best friend’, (Aunt) Birdie Grey’s mother calls them katniss—an odd name but I like it.
I blink back into the moment and look at Randy’s lettuce—not Grampa Randy, Randy my older brother—being devoured by a frickin’ rabbit!
I jump down and run at it. Frightened, it skedaddles.
I bend down to see how much damage it’s done—this is what feeds my family—it’s important.
I jump as I hear someone yelling—not from the direction of Five, from the forest.
Against all common sense, I follow it.
I can’t make out words, but if someone’s in trouble I have to help them!
I start running and bump into another invisible wall.
I look up.
Holy shit is that the—
“Hey!” someone yells from somewhere to my left.
I barely glance at them as I run back towards my garden, barely bend over to uproot some lettuce and through the hole in the barrier.
“No way,” I whisper to myself. “The arena is right there.”
***
Aunt Birdie is over tonight and helping Aunt Iona make dinner—nothing fancy, just lettuce stew.
I know District 5 is represented as one of the ‘rich’ districts but the truth is, we’re not. Sure the places where they get clips from and record are well nourished but that’s only a span of 10 blocks—the rest of us are just as starved as say, District 12 or District 11.
I’m not actually sure why Snow doesn't hide that they’re poor, too.
After dinner, I help Sparky, my six year old baby brother, sleep.
Tomorrow’s reaping day and he keeps saying he’s scared I’ll go just like Randy.
“Finnie,” he sobs. “What if they take you? Just like Randy?”
I brush his moppy blonde hair out of face. “That’s not gonna happen, Sparks.”
“But that’s what Randy said!”
“It’s not happening bud. I promise”