Crushed : A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 6

It seemed like ages passed until the Victory Tour. I was worried because of the rebellions that the trains would be more heavily guarded. But like every previous year, volunteers were requested. The Capitol always practically begged everyone to come do work for them. I scoffed. As if the Capitol citizens even knew what the word work meant. Sure enough, Sparkle volunteered us as soon as possible. Deep down, I felt a gnawing worry. This was like the Hunger Games. We hadn't talked about our plan much. We just knew we had to steal a train. The one time I mentioned it, he quickly told me to be quiet. Not rudely, just that we could be killed for treason if we made a single wrong move. But at this point, death would be better than living for another moment with my awful family in the miserable District 1.

Sparkle's Perspective

The day of the train-loading finally arrived. There was one problem though. Neither Crystelle or me wanted to leave Flicker behind. Or my mother, for that matter. "We can't leave without them. They'll be killed for our actions." Crystelle murmured.
"Mom will come with us... but Flicker won't."
"Don't do that." Crystelle said, and I looked at her. "Don't assume. Let me talk to him." I just shrug my shoulders. I don't want to get my hopes up, but deep inside me, I know that Crystelle is the only one who could get Flicker to listen. "Good luck," I call out to her as she knocks gently on his bedroom door.

Crystelle's Perspective

There was a hollow echo as my fist tapped against Flicker's door. It swung open sooner than I expected. "I'm coming with." Flicker said, already holding a backpack on his shoulders. I shot a look at Sparkle, who just smiled at me. "Come on, we're going to be late." Sparkle said, then we were rushing out the door. Gemmine was already there, so we joined her, loading crates of luxury goods onto the train cars. "Flicker," I mutter, lifting a large crate with the help of Sparkle. He nods, and we lift the crate slowly, allowing him time to clamber into the train car behind it. "See you soon," Sparkle whispers as the doors slide shut. The next train car is very easy to sneak onto. Gemmine jumps onto the car with Sparkle and I under the pretense of moving the crate. Sparkle and I emerge, but no one notices that Gemmine is hiding in the shadows behind the crates. It couldn't have been any smoother for Sparkle and I to get on the train. As the last car was filled, they yelled for two more people to come help refuel. Sparkle and I dashed over and threw the chunks of coal from District 12 into the boiler. Suddenly, Sparkle's coal-covered hand was in mine and he was yanking me up onto the hitch between the engine car and the first cargo car. The train was moving, and I felt like I was going to fall. The ground and train tracks were whooshing by and I was standing on a small connector. "Come on!" Sparkle yelled over the roaring of the train, stepping onto the small ledge by the engine car and hauling himself up the side. "What?" I screeched back, practically teetering on the edge. "Come on!" He yells again. I wobble over to the ledge, and Sparkle hauls me up. At the top of the train car, the wind and the engine are deafening. Sparkle and I fight the current of the air as the train picks up speed. I don't know how fast the train can go, but I know if it gets any faster I'm going to get picked up in the wind and tossed carelessly to the ground. I look up as soon as I hear a loud sound. Sparkle managed to pry the windshield out of its frame. He made sure I could climb through the front of the train, then followed behind me. The controls made no sense to me, but Sparkle just looked at them and smiled. "Train stolen." He popped the windscreen back into place, and we beamed at each other. My feet are just about to take a step forward, when he turns to face the window. "We're going away from the Capitol."
"Good," I respond. I don't know where we're going, but I don't want to be anywhere near the Capitol.