The Hunger Games (MCR Fanfic)

Chapter 2

Word Count: 5,848 words

Started: January 16th, 2016 Finished: February 16th, 2016

WARNING: Major feels from the get go folks, be prepared. Also slight Frerard later on, so have fun with that ;)

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When I walk through the door I see my mother attending to Mikey who's wearing my first reaping outfit. It's a bit big on him, but my mother is securing it with pins. My old outfit is a blue long-sleeved, ruffle collared button up shirt with a pair of dark brown pants. Mikey is even wearing my old leather shoes that are very faded & beat up now. I look at Mikey's face & see that his eyes are still red & blotchy from crying. Must've still been crying after I left.

    A warm tub of water waits for me. I scrub all of the dirt, grime, & sweat from the woods off of myself. I even take the time to wash my hair. When I get out, I see something on my bed that almost makes me cry. It's my father's best shirt, he wore it when he got married. My father died in a mine explosion when I was extremely young. Mikey was just a toddler when it happened.

I remember that exact day too. I was six at the time & Mikey was three. My mother came to my classroom that day & picked me up early. I remember being excited at first because I was out of school & thought I was going on an adventure with my mom & Mikey who could just barely walk then. Only if I knew what was really in store for me then I wouldn't be merrily skipping down to the coal mines.

Quite a lot of people were gathered around the entrance to the mines. Concerned husbands & wives of the miners were standing there waiting for something, but I didn't know what it was. Then the first ten charred & burnt bodies came up from the mines on the elevator. Half of the miners were dead & the other half severely injured, but alive nonetheless.

After about four more loads of people come up from the elevator, I found my father lying motionless on the ground. I ran over to his body, I thought he was just sleeping so I tried shaking him awake. "Daddy? Daddy wake up," I said shaking him. My mother came up behind me & put her hand on my shoulder. "Gerard honey, I'm so sorry to tell you this, but your father is dead," she said trying to hold back tears.

I started to weep over my father's dead body, I couldn't believe he was gone. My mother couldn't be strong any longer & started to cry too. Mikey only cried because he was scared of the blisters & open wounds on my father's exposed skin. Later on though, Mikey found out the truth horrible truth & couldn't sleep well because of nightmares he had back then either.

My father didn't own much, but the stuff he did we threw out because he wouldn't be needing them anymore. I can't believe my mother decided to keep the shirt after all these years though. "Are you sure?" I ask my mother. She nods & gives me a smile. I take a look at myself in a cracked mirror that leans up against the wall, I don't look anything like myself. The clothes I'm wearing make me appear older than I really am. I look like a man, not a teenager.

    Mikey is standing behind me. "You look handsome, Gerard," says Mikey. "& nothing like myself" I reply. I see that he's shivering from fear. Now that the reaping draws near he's even more terrified than ever. Mikey has stopped crying, but now he has this terrorized look in his eyes & when he speaks his voice is shaky. I pull him into hug to try & pacify him, however; he still shakes. I take a look at him. My old clothes are only slightly baggy on him now.

    I notice that his shirt has came untucked from the back of his pants again. "Tuck your tail in, little duck," I say smoothing the shirt back into place. Mikey replies with a "Quack". "Quack yourself," I say. We both laugh. At least I calmed Mikey down a little bit. "C'mon, let's eat" I say giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. The fish & roots are already in the soup cooking for tonight & we're planning on roasting the squirrel & rabbit for dinner as well, so Mikey & I eat the rough homemade tessera bread & chew on a few mint leaves.