The First Victor

Preface

The war has changed everything. Just when we were around the corner from winning, with the Capitol under siege and slowly starving to death, we lost it all. Trying to invade the Capitol killed many soldiers and lost much equipment. Then, District 13, the main source of our firepower, abandoned us. We couldn't go on without them. Now the Capitol has regained power and completely annihilated District 13. If I wasn't scared before, I'm completely terrified now.

Kids grow up fast in Panem. Some of us start working on the farms by the time we're eight in District 9. Couldn't tell you what it's like in the others. I thought it would be impossible, when they told me about the uprising, to ever beat the Capitol. For years we've slaved away for their gain, doing everything they told us, and still not having enough to eat at the end of the day. The people were over it, me and my family included. There's six of us, my parents, me, and my three younger brothers. I used to have an older sister, but she died from sickness long ago, before I was even here. Our mother manages a house full of boys better than anyone, having grown up with eight brothers. You'd think the people here were having a lot of kids in preparation for the war, to have more soldiers, with all of the large families. But that can't be true, we were much too young to fight, and I don't think it was planned that far in advance.

I was right about it being impossible to beat the Capitol. I was only thirteen when the war started, and I'm still only sixteen now. The amount of lives lost in that short time makes me shudder. Thousands of people from the districts, however many from the Capitol, and the entirety of 13. We also lost dad. Mom didn't cry for days after it happened. I thought it was odd at first, did she not love him? Now I know that she was just trying to stay strong for us.

Everybody knew that the Capitol won once we didn't have 13 to rely on. The aftermath has come quickly. Families are getting rounded up and executed across the country. Mostly the "rebels" that played the biggest parts in the war and their accomplices. Some are completely innocent, but in the eyes of the Capitol, no one from the Districts is innocent. We have never been seen as people to the Capitol. We are animals, savages, the insignificant worker ants that support their lavish way of life. The uprising was supposed to show that without us, they have nothing, without us, they starve. So maybe they should treat us a little better. At the very least make sure that we're not the ones who are starving. But the Capitol thinks differently. They believe keeping us down keeps us unthreatening, forcing us to have no option but do the work they demand. However they didn't understand that hungry people do crazy things.

I fear they've learned their lesson.