the soldier

chapter 4

The guards blocked everything from me so I couldn't see the people or the people couldn't see me. I just want to see the people from my own community but couldn't they direct me to building. They walked me into the building and just left me by the door to the stage. The mayor came out of his office and looked at me.  "Hello, dear nice to see you again. Everyone has been missing you and is happy that you are back home." I looked at him like do I know you but I didn't say anything for a couple of minutes because I wasn't sure if he wasn't speaking or not. "Where is my family?" That was the first question that came out of my mouth and I wanted him to answer it so I know they are safe. "Well they are standing in front so they can see you much closer than where they were so I will go out the other people that work with me and this lady her name is chole she now picks they names on reaping days so she will come out with you?" I really didn't care what he has to say I just want to my own family that I left to go serve in the capital. That's all I really want right now but no he wants to give a damn speech about what happened two years ago and then bring me out.

They hid me behind the doors with the lady that I don't care about at all. I heard clapping and yelling and it wasn't nice at all. They just want to see me I suppose. But I'm not sure at all but I have to wait and see I guess.  "Welcome everyone, I'm sorry that I have to take time out of everyone's busy schedule for this but we have a special person that arrived here this morning off notice. I know you guys are mad about what the president said but this person is very special to us and to this one family.  But she volunteered two years ago. Let's recap."  I could see through a crack that everyone is confused about what's going on. But they have big screens n both sides and they replayed the video of me volunteering for my sister. I couldn't see my own family at all. But everyone was in shock. The doors opened and the sun blind me and Chloe but we walked out to the microphone. I stood there looking at everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen and girls and boys, Jen is home now she arrived here this morning in the guard's car."  I saw everyone smiling cheering and clapping that I was finally home.

I saw my family in the corner and they are in shock that I was home and they were crying because they didn't see me in 2 years and.  I ran off stage and hugged them to death and the guards came and walked us out where the justice building is and one of the guards gave me my bag and we headed home. Everyone was clapping when I walked by them, They moved house because I was serving time In the capital, and it's huge and nicer and expensive to live in and it's called victor and the village of the capital so whoever served time in the capital moved the family in here. They were just built because I'm the only one that really did time in the capital. Dad unlocked the door and took my bag up to my room because I had a long day. "So honey what was it like to work and live in the capital." I was looking around while sitting down while my mom was in the kitchen cooking for us.  "it was different from here and the training that they put us through was very difficult. It was expensive. I didn't go out a lot."

My family listened to what I had to say about the capital and it wasn't that scary but it was hard to do things without my mom and dad there telling me its ok. But everything in the capital was useful and it was a life lesson to learn to work in the capital. "What about the training? Was it hard?" I looked at my sister and gave her a half-smile and looked down. I don't know what to say about it. I remember what they did to all of us. "It was difficult to go through. it can either break you or make you." She looked at me with a sorry look on her face. I knew she regrets getting picked two years ago but I had a duty to protect her and I did. i knew I did the right thing to protect her.