Rowen Hart was not a rule follower. She was never afraid to speak her mind or follow her convictions no matter where they lead her. She was absolutely certain that the Capital could never take away her spirit.
But the Games change everyone.
Years a...
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~The Reaping~
"Rowen! What did I say about tracking mud through the house?"
I cringed at my mom's words and turned slowly on my heels. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun only illuminating the annoyance on her face better. "I'm sorry" I paused, "I promise I'll clean it as soon as I get back from the square."
She ran her hand down her face and gave me a tired look. She seemed older than usual today. Like the mere thought of what would occur in a few hours had sped up her aging process.
These days were always the worst for her.
I stared into her blue eyes that matched mine, trying to convey the calm I felt in my own head. Tonight when we got back home she'd realize that she was stressing over nothing. "Just be back in time to get ready. I don't need my child looking like she just rolled around in the mud before she sees peacekeepers"
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I just pecked her cheek and ran out the door, eager to leave the dust filled house. My mom and I lived about a mile away from the center square, where I spent most of my days. Mom moved us toward the outside edge of the factories in hopes I would stay out of trouble, but that never seemed to work out.
The streets were emptier than usual as I walked down the paved roads of District 8. A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead due to the summer sun. The factories weren't in normal production because of the events of today, so the sky almost looked blue making it impossibly hotter.
I craned my head up to look for any birds as I walked. Unfortunately, there were none in sight. A stray dog would pass occasionally, but that was it. Maybe the birds had left to go somewhere else. Maybe they realized how much of a waste it was spending their time here.
As I began to approach the impoverished section of the district, I shoved my hands in my pockets and gripped the spare coins that I had saved up. It all came from random jobs that I offered to do for the richer families in the area. Mending clothes and babysitting newborns were the most frequent ones.
There was one reason why I always took this route. One reason why I spent every moment of spare time I had with the people I hated most to earn extra money.
"Rowen!" Ace yelled as he ran toward me.
A large smile spread on my face as I looked up at my best friend. Back before Ace dropped out of school to work full time in order to feed his family, he was the one person that ever talked to me.
None of the other girls ever appreciated the fact that I fought the boys they crushed on in the play yard, so I had Ace. Due to him being two years older than my fourteen year old self, he became like a big brother in a sense.
Ace's family had lost their house a little less than a year ago after his father died, leaving him as the sole provider for the family. We were in the same boat in that aspect. Most men didn't live to see past thirty-five with the brutal work here. Their house was repossessed by Peacekeepers and Ace, his two sisters, and his mother now all lived in a community shelter on the outskirts of the square.
