Let the Games Begin!

Chapters 10-12

Chapter 10

Dimitri jumps off his broom in excitement.  

“Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!” he chants. He is as happy as a dog with a bone. 

“That. Was. Exhausting.” Harry pants. “I’m. Getting. A. Bit. Old.” He high-fives Dimitri.

We walk over to the broom shed, Minnie sulking. Minnie, Jonathan, Dimitri, Ron and Harry all put their broomsticks away, I keep mine with me, to put in my bags.

We walk back in to the kitchen of the Burrow. My parents, Hermione and Rose seem to be discussing something.

“We WON!!!!! Harry got the snitch!!!!!” Dimitri yells.

“One would, with Harry on their team.” Hermione says.

“Helena, please go and pack your bags.” my mother says politely.

“Why?”

“Don’t ask, we’ll explain later.”

I know better than to ignore my mum’s advice. I run up the stairs to Minnie’s room. I hurriedly put all of my belongings into my bag. It has an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, so my broomstick can squeeze in too. When I’ve sealed up my bag, I rush down the stairs, where mum and dad are waiting.

“Helena, the Peacekeepers are after us, so we’ve decided that we need to leave. Now.” my dad says urgently. “They know that we’re here, we could see their path using the Marauder’s Map.”

“Show me.”

My father pulled out an ancient-looking piece of parchment. The original Marauder’s Map was a map of Hogwarts and every person in the school was represented by a dot that went where they went. My father made his own versions, two maps. One of Panem, one of Britain (because of me attending Hogwarts). Peacekeepers Joel, Henry, Ben and Marley appear on the map, not far from the Burrow. Judging by the speed of their dots on the map, they must be in a hovercraft.

That’s when they arrive. A big metal machine hovers above the Burrow. A loudspeaker is attached to the exterior.

“Everdeens. Come out now, or see you, your friends and their house go up in flames.” the loudspeaker states.

That’s basically asking “Come out and die, or we’ll kill your friends, bomb their house and then kill you.” I guess that makes it an easy choice. I run straight out the door.

Chapter 11

The spotlight shines on me when I stop outside the door of the Burrow. A rope ladder descends from the hovercraft. A woman in a Peacekeeper uniform comes down. She jumps off the last rung and approaches me. Her golden hair flows over her white uniform.

“You must be the first ever female Peacekeeper.” I say curiously.

“I am, my name’s Marley.” she says confidently. Her voice lowers to a whisper. “I’m here to help. Sorry if I hurt you, it’s just for show. Look like you’re arguing.”

She grabs my shirt by the shoulder and tugs it harshly. I pretend to yelp in pain.

“Listen, Get in the craft. The first bathroom on your right, the disabled toilet, contains a time machine. It’s set to the correct date and time. Look for a boy named Percy Jackson.” She kicks my shins. “Your parents are going to be safe here, the Weasley family say that they have some protection available.” She pushes me in the chest.

We ascend the ladder, Marley constantly pushing me and yelling insults at me.

Three youngish looking officers stand before me. “Peacekeeper Marley. Good job. We commend you for your efforts. We especially liked the insult where you said that the prisoner’s face looks like a pig’s intestines.” A Peacekeeper named Henry says proudly, his small mouth shaped in a smirk.

“Can I go to the bathroom, or should I grace your lovely hovercraft with my waste, like a dog…” I demand, determined to get embarrassed looks on their faces.

“Although you look like a dog, we don’t want you to act like one. Peacekeeper Marley, guard the toilet door.” Ben commands, then self-consciously touches his over-sized nose.

“And get a move on. We need to show you to the new President, President Winters.” Joel adds, his spiky hair falling into his face as he talks.

Chapter 12

Marley pushes me through the door of the disabled toilet. 

“See ya kiddo.” she murmurs, and slams the door.

The air from the door slamming makes my empty handbag flutter.

I find a small object, about the size of an apple, attached to the toilet seat. It reads 20th November 2010. A red button read “go”.

“Hey! Peacekeepers Joel, Henry and Ben! The prisoner is attempting to escape!” Marley cries from outside the door, obviously wanting to not look like a traitor.

Heavy footfall approaches the bathroom. My finger reaches for the button. Hear a Peacekeeper stop outside the door. My finger is millimetres away. The Peacekeeper bangs on the door with his fists. My finger brushes the cool surface of the button. The hinges break off the door. I press. Guns fire. A stabbing pain goes through my right shoulder as I am lifted off my feet. I feel like I am going through a paper shredder.

The shredding stops hurting me, but the bullet-wound doesn’t,  as my feet touch the ground in a strange place. I can tell that I’m not in the British countryside anymore, as people bustle around me and skyscrapers loom before me. I put the time machine into my handbag and zip it up. I have no idea what else to do, so I do something crazy.

“Percy Jackson! Percy Jackson!” I yell.

A boy with sea-green eyes and black hair cranes his neck.

“Percy Jackson!”

The boy walks over to me, puzzled.

“Shout it louder, there’s someone in Athens who didn’t hear you!” he replies.

“Sorry, I had no idea what else to do.” I retort.

“Why were you calling my name?” he demands.

“Marley told me to look for you.”

“Oh, Marley. You must be Helena, then. We were told that you would be arriving.”