Hijacked

Chapter 2

“Miss Cresta.” Snow says, laying a hand on her arm.

She jerks it away as if his touch burns her.

“Where’s Finn?” She repeats, sounding close to tears.

“He’s going home.” Snow says. “You, Johanna and Peeta are staying with us for a little while.”

I take Annie’s hand. She doesn’t pull away from me but her hand hangs limply in my grasp. I take her to a seat and Johanna follows, her hands cuffed behind her. Annie, the poor girl who everyone says is mad. She doesn’t seem mad to me. Just sad, broken.

“Annie, what’s District 4 like?” I ask, attempting to make conversation and distract her.

“Fine.” She answers, staring into thin air.

“It’s got the ocean.” I say. “Is that nice? Can you swim?”

“Finn taught me,” She replies without looking at me. “Why?”

“I just wondered.” I tell her. “I can’t swim.”

“Oh.” She replies

I’ll keep trying to get her to talk. Not now, some other time. We all sit in silence for the rest of the journey. I’m wondering what will happen to us, if Katniss and the other Victors are okay, why they’ve taken me. Johanna mumbles angrily to herself, cursing under her breath. Snow’s name is involved in this mumbling rather a lot. Annie seems much less inquisitive, humming a strange little tune until she drifts off to sleep, her head lolling on my shoulder.

When the hovercraft lands, I shake Annie’s shoulder gently.

“Wake up, Annie.” I say.

She opens her eyes and lifts her head off of my shoulder. She rubs her eyes and looks up.

 Six peacekeepers enter the hovercraft and I feel Johanna tense beside me as she looks at the open door. She’s considering running. But I think a part of her knows the peacekeepers will grab her. I’ve always found peacekeepers creepy. Black helmets so you can’t see their faces, all dressed identically. And there’s always more than one, so they can overpower me.

When I was little, four or five, they used to give me nightmares. Some kid at school told me about avoxes, and peacekeepers pursued me in my dreams, intent on cutting out my tongue, silencing me. It seems pathetic now, that that was what scared me; my dreams. Now it’s my reality that terrifies me, my memories. Sometimes I wish I could just forget it all.

Two of the peacekeepers grab Annie, dragging her from her seat. Another two grab an uncooperative Johanna, and they get kicked for their troubles.  The remaining two reach for me and I gasp in fear, gritting my teeth, as they hold me tight in their grasp. It’s stupid of me, but I still flinch at their touch, their blacked out helmets. I’m still scared, like I was when I was little. I still want to cry and blink and wake up. Then I’d know it wasn’t real. But it is. It’s all real. I struggle and they hold me tighter. After a minute or two I give in. They won’t let me go, no matter how hard I try to wriggle away.

“Okay,” I sigh “Okay.”

Snow smiles

“Good. Now please show our guests to their rooms.”