•
"Prim!"
Katniss calls, as she waits for her baby sister, Primrose, to come out of her grade school class at the end of the day. Prim came running with her small, dark green pouch bouncing against her hip, the strap sling across her chest, over her shoulder. Prim's arms wrapped around Katniss when she caught sight of her, stumbling back she let Prim down to her feet before they could both fall into the dirt underneath them. Prim's gloved hand found Katniss's cold, bare hand in the soft light of afternoon. It was a Friday, when usually after school, their father took them to the Hob to trade off whatever their father had gotten from hunting. The Hob was District Twelve's most illegal black market, and hunting in the woods was illegal in every district.
Prim swung Katniss's arm, hands locked, as she skipped with Katniss home. The walk alone through the wooden, small houses of the Seam was normal. The Seam was the poorest part of Twelve, where Katniss and her small family of four lived. Katniss had never seen a day not living in the wooden, two story house their parents had gained at a young age after marrying. She had never dreamed of a time where she did not live in the small, dingy home. She imaged growing old in that house, possibly marring a boy she cared for, with kids of her own. Occasionally, thinking Prim, and her own family, could accompany her, too.
As they walked, they gained hello's and waves from neighbors they had talked to and known their whole lives. The smile on the two sisters young, smooth faces made them look more perfect than they actually were. When they got home, there was no fighting, no screaming, no taunting, no arguing. Their family was one who could control everything without need to wrestle their own idea through the original ones, they all cared equal for each other. Being as poor as they were, they had a limited food simply and the most uncomfortable sleeping conditions. Some nights, Katniss was so sick of the thin mattress she shared with her sister, she would walk to her mother and fathers room, begging to sleep on her fathers chest for warmth, protection and comfort. He agreed every time she asked, Prim following, begging to sleep with her mother. They never grew from it, sleeping peacefully with their parents arms around them.
They were almost home, the walk only taking fifteen minutes, beside waiting for Prim to come out of school and reuniting with her. Katniss knew she would get to see her mother and father again, she was as excited for the hunt to the Hob as much. Yet, the cloudy sky and dark gloomy afternoon twisted her thoughts of seeing Greasy Sae, the old woman who sold soup, and hopefully getting a new ribbon for Prim into a never ending nightmare that still haunts her till this day. Images of partially invisible hovercrafts, stamped with the logo of the Capitol, made its way over head, covering the beautiful pink sky of sunset that had suddenly turned dreadfully gray. Ropes and ladders were flung off the boarding of the flying ships, sliding down many Peacekeepers, guards of the Capitol. Their suits, shiny, white and new, were such a distraction from the black around the district. Just the thought of Peacekeepers coming to Twelve made people cringe and hide in their houses with their kids afollow.
As Katniss and Prim tilted their heads back to see the commotion, every single Twelve citizen had fled into their homes of the Seam, closing their covers and locking the doors tight. Prim, never releasing Katniss's now freezing cold hand, wrapped her arms around Katniss's waist while they continued walking at a faster pace. Katniss was going to fast for Prim's five year old legs.
"Slow down." Prim begged as she held tears back like Katniss taught her.
"We need to head home, fast. I'm sorry." Katniss was only taking caution. Her mother and father has always informed her to run home or head to a neighbors house, which was off limits and out of her mind now, if something like this happened. Prim nodded, understanding why Katniss was in such a rush to get home while her feet began to burn. Without notice from Katniss and Prim, Peacekeepers ran up to the homes of every citizen in the Seam area, knocking several times to get attention of the household members. If not answered, they would break down the doors with both their feet and guns. Katniss's deliberate mind was captured by a Peacekeeper holding one gun as big as Prim. She knew now, she had to immediately get her home.
YOU ARE READING
truculent.
FanficI'm different. That explains me. Period. You don't have to know my name, because you already know it if you're from around. I'm the, what they call it, laughing stock of District Twelve at my old school. People don't necessarily laugh at me, they ju...