The Other Mockingjay

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I wake the next morning to horrific groans coming the kitchen.

Nervously, I creep down the stair case and peer into the kitchen. At first I'm startled at what I see. A man lying on our kitchen table, who's back has slashes, burns, and is nonstop bleeding. Then I can make out the marks to be whip marks. I think I can recognize him from the Seam.

My mother is tending to him to the best of her ability, but its apparent that she's struggling. Her hands are shaking uncontrollably. On top of that, any time she so much as touches the wound, the man shudders and his body spasms everywhere.

I've helped my mother treat wounds for a long time now, so his condition doesn't frighten me. Just a month earlier, Gale was also whipped, so I know what needs to be done. First I go and get snow from the front porch. My mother shoots me a grateful smile when I come inside with a bucketful.

She lists about a dozen different herbs and remedies for me to get from our cabinet, so it's a good thing I'm familiar with the treatment. After treating him for about an hour, my mother lays a towel on his back. She tells me it's best that I leave the house, as the man's family will be visiting soon. I agree, since I haven't really left the house in a while.

Once I'm at the gate of the Victor's Village, I realize how utterly alone I really am. I really don't know where to go. I don't really have friends. When I was younger, I was always known as the shy girl who's dad was blown to bits in the mine. I'd always felt out of place with my blonde hair and blue eyes, since most people in the Seam look alike with their dark hair, olive skin, and dull grey eyes. Katniss always told me I was lucky. That most people envied me. However in reality, it was always me who envied her.

She was always the brave one. With the great singing voice. All the boys liked her. She could hunt. As I got older, I always found my self hot with jealousy when she could just disappear in the woods forever. I knew she was genuinely happy. That's when the thought hits me.

I could go to the woods. I could gather herbs and plants for my mother's patients. I would be an asset to this family. Just like Katniss.

I've been in the woods before. When I was nine or ten, Katniss tried to teach me how to hunt. It didn't go well. I can still remember the first time I saw her kill an animal. I remember myself screaming, pleading with her not to kill it. That was the only time she brought me along. But things will be different now. I am not the same little girl she left behind in the first games. I am strong.

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I walk across the square trying to act natural. I know that if Thread catches me he'll whip me for sure, no matter how young I am. I wince as I see the whipping post and gallows. A new edition to our once decent town. I have hold my breath as I pass the rubble of what is left of the Hob, our town's black market.

I pass the Seam, sorrowfully. I grew up here. I watched my neighbors, the closest people I ever had to friends, die of starvation. I myself went without food, on too many days to remember. This reminds of our corrupt government. It reminds me of my hunger for defiance.

I set towards the opening in the fence at a faster pace, a new determination. Cautiously, I look around, making sure I'm out of sight. I don't need word of this spreading to the peacekeepers. Luckily I'm small, so I slip under the fence without hesitation.

A strange feeling stirs inside of me as I walk through the meadow. I recognize the primrose plant, which I was named for. I take a shaky breath, gaining my confidence. I don't know where to go, really. There's so much to see that I have no idea where to begin.

Eventually I find myself wandering through the rows of bushes at the edge of the forest. I notice the great variety in edible nuts and berries, and think of how fresh they are, compared to what most people can find in town. I take note to remember to bring a basket of sort, next time.

Next time. I could get used to this place. Eventually, I doze off near the edge the meadow.

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I awake about an hour later to an odd sound. I think it's some sort of buzzing.

Probably a hive in the woods somewhere. Worried that suspicions might rise I decide to start heading home. To my surprise however, the buzzing gets louder. As I reach the fence I realize the sound. The once electric fence has been turned back on.