Untold

The Plan

The boy struggles, attempting to punch and kick his way out of the crowd of Peacekeepers, but it seems like they were expecting a fight so the Official that looks like someone who works at the Court comes forward with a Tazer. He puts the blue sparkling object to the boy's back. He shakes a bit and then his eyes roll back into his head and he collapses, limp on the ground.

I couldn't watch anymore, so I left my hiding place, hearing the branch of the bush snap back into place, and went to go find my brother, Everitt

Without wasting anytime I run at a manageable pace to our house, which is outside of the town but nowhere near the border of the District. As I leave the thin forests in the Town more and more trees appear close to each other, I dodge and weave between them. I find myself running faster and faster. The ground beneath and the green around me passes by in a familiar blur as I jump over tree roots, animals, rocks, and streams. When I start to see the homes from my neighborhood, I forget trying to conserve my strength and full out sprint through the backyards of people's houses and reach the sidewalks of my neighborhood. The wind brushes my bare arms raising some goose bumps and my hair whips behind my head. My shoes land loudly on the concrete as every one of my steps become larger and quicker. Soon I reach my house, grey like all the others but of moderate size.

I don't go inside. Instead I run right past our house and into the forest behind it. Deep within the forest about a mile south of our house and two miles west is a small crooked wooden shed in a plain. Our meeting spot for afterwards.

I gently open the door, because the hinges were coming loose, and enter immediately into Everitt's embrace.

He hugs me tightly around the waist and I wrap my arm around his neck.

"We did it! Clove we did it!" he whispers in my ear excitedly. "We really did it!" He let go and smiles the happiest smile I've ever seen on his face in years. He's so happy there are tears streaming down his cheeks. Chuckling, he uses his sleeve to mop up the wetness. I feel myself tearing up a little as well seeing him this happy. His face lights up with achievement and pure relief at getting something he has wanted for years. I see his hazel eyes, identical to mine, sparkling like never before.

Belated, he inserts the disk drive into his stolen HMS against the back wall and starts tapping away. He looks so innocent and jubilant like when we were younger and received new weapons for our birthday, or when Mother said something nice about him that didn't sound too sarcastic. I hate to take this moment away from him but I have to know something.

"Hey Everitt, who was the boy you used as the decoy?" I ask.

"He's the son of the Victor Brutus. His name's Cato. He thinks he's so cool just because his dad is a Victor. Plenty of people are Victors! Doesn't mean they're anything too special and everyone thinks he's so good and perfect." Everitt answers still tapping away.

I nod understanding, and allow for a little time between my next question so to not seem suspicious. "So you chose him because you're jealous of him?"

"No! Why would I be jealous of a person like that? I'm a way better sword wielder than him! Why do you think I'm jealous of him? I'm not!" Everitt turns around his glare full of anger, but he quickly calms down. "Anyway no I only chose him because I saw him in the Office lobby trying to get in but the clerk at the desk wouldn't let him in even after Cato threatened him. So I thought he was the perfect candidate just sitting there outside the Office after it happened." He says turning around to the HMS again.

"Oh." I say. I don't know what came over me but seeing that boy getting dragged away from me hurt, somehow. Like I was actually sad about a stranger that I have never met, even though he claims that we did. Did we meet but I forgot about it? I would have remembered if I met someone like that, because he was the type of person you remember. He was really handsome with a straight jaw, long nose, high cheekbones, and spiked blonde hair. Visually, everything about him was good-looking but he didn't carry himself like it. When he smiled he didn't know how well it fit on his own face like some other boys. He wasn't shy, definitely not shy, but he was humble. At least that's how he seemed when he bombarded me outside the hospital. Everitt obviously doesn't like him though.