Caught in the Crossfire

Chapter 7

"Attention," the president announces to us, "As you can see, Thirteen's Battle isn't really completed yet. Not until only one victor remains."

You know what? It's official. This woman is not my mother. I'm beyond upset. I'm beyond frustrated. Beyond angry. She'll be lucky if I ever speak to her again. How could she not let me say goodbye to Electra? We both know she won't make it.

"Raines!" I hear his mother wail. "My poor boy!"

All of District Thirteen is in uproar, voicing our hatred for Isolde Coin without fear; not that it fazes her. She presses a button behind the television screen. I cover my ears immediately-God, I hate her stupid sirens-and suddenly, everyone goes silent.

They know the punishment for speaking out after a siren blares. Death. Our leader (not my mother!) continues speaking:

"I refused to disclose this information as a note to all of us. Rebellion always has consequences, and they're never meant to be pleasant."

No, really?

"If you think this is unfair, glance back at the screen; my own daughter wasn't exempt from these consequences. Life is all about sacrificing for the good of others. Today, we'll honor the sacrifice of a young man or woman. So please, stay to watch how the battle unfolds."

Or else, her stoic expression says.

The ruined city we live underneath haunts me like no other place. A gravesite for millions of people who died in the Dark Days. Whoever dies in Thirteen's Battle will only become the latest casualty. But rarely do you have a casualty with an audience.

Eyes on the projector screen.

Three beeps follow, and Raines and Electra set out in search of each other.

Oh, why bother hoping? My sister's eyes are bloodshot; her face white as snow. Her life could end soon, even if she wins again. She coughs violently with enough force to throw her onto her back in the concrete. Like a trooper, she rises. Electra continues on- and Raines suddenly appears.

She fires at him, the bow humming like a rubber band. An arrow lands in Raines' left ankle. Though he cries out, he trudges forward to my sister, until he's close enough to strike her where she stands.

I hear a kneecap break.

As she's placing another arrow on her bowstring (she must think she can still shoot him from such near proximity), Electra's body starts jerking uncontrollably. It all happens in slow motion to me; her tumbling again. The bow flying from her grasp. But she doesn't recover.

Though Raines barely did anything, he's defeated Electra. My last true family member is dead. They say twins share a connection where if one hurts, so does the other.

Well, that's exactly how it goes. I feel dead, too.
*********************************
I stand by the manhole where Raines is supposed to come down through. He makes his way slowly, carrying Electra's body.

Eerie. A source of misery. I start bawling when I see her.
"Alma... I'm so sorry," Raines tells me.

"H-hey, y-you didn't have a- a ch-choice, R-Raines," I stutter, mustering up my gentlest voice. "And it was the plague that killed her. Not you."

He nods grimly. "I guess you're right about that. She looked awful. But, I did kill Xavier..."

"I-I'm not angry with you, okay? Sometimes things happen that we don't have control over. Your survival instincts kicked in."

"Then, we're good?"

"Clear as crystal," I assure him. We embrace for a quiet moment, enjoying new friendship. He's like a little brother I wanna protect. With my life. If I can help it, he won't ever suffer again.

Now for my next mission: to locate District 13's illustrious leader. It's no shock that I find her inside the office. No tears paint her face, but her eyes are encompassed by circles. The woman hardly sleeps. I know she's a private person, so she could've easily had her major cry session some other time, when I wasn't around. I doubt it, though. She knew Electra would die. She knew.

"There she is," my mother says. "District Thirteen's future leader. Just how I planned it."

"You... you planned for me to succeed you all along." The thought actually makes sense. Jason and Electra always did say they liked the idea of me as District 13's president; they told our mother this, too. Neither of them wanted to lead. Up until now, I'd forgotten how excited I was for presidential life.

"Yes," she replies. "Even when you were little, I saw that you had loads of potential; that you were willing to do what was necessary. Whereas Jason... Jason was too nice. He wouldn't even kill a spider. Your father and sister were the same. You and I share a determination which they lacked. So you can understand why I thought they'd be terrible presidents. Unfortunately, you were the youngest."

Oh no. She didn't... "What happened?" I asked.

"Those injections Theseus, Jason, and Electra had didn't contain any real medicine. Whenever they were scheduled, I swapped their syringes for shots of plain liquid."

Devious. If I had any sympathy left for her, it just went out the door.

I feel inside my pocket, where I keep a knife for emergencies. "You know what? I'm finished making excuses for you, Isolde. Now I see exactly what a heartless wretch you are."

"Hey," she says. "What's done is done, and even if I wanted to, I can't change the past." Apparently having said her piece, Isolde turns her back to file through some papers. Here's the cue I've been waiting for.

The moment I whip out my knife and fire it towards her.