Chapter 2
I tried to smile, but they knew. Even though I didn’t tell them they had the correct answer, they had it in their brains.
I finally took a deep breath and said “OK, hush now. I have more important things to do then listen to a bunch of boys try to guess what is in my pocket.” I grinned and opened my book.
They all retreated back to their seats and whispered. I tried to listen to their soft voices, but I really wanted to finish my book. Once we got to school, I closed my book but kept it in my hands, grasping my hands around it close like me life depended on it. I just didn’t want anyone to take it. My mother gave it to me after she gave me the pin. I’ve been thinking about it. I really, really desperately want to know how she got it. Once, when I tried to ask her, she pretended she didn’t hear me and walked away. Oh how stubborn she can be! Then I remembered, today was a good day. Usually, I hate going to school. I like hiding away in my sleeping back with a flashlight and a book. It was a good day because lately, in English class, we have been learning about the rebellion that happened about 125 years ago. It is the same thing I’m reading about and I may be able to find out how my mother had it. Halfway through the day, the bell rang for the fourth time. I popped up out of my seat. I had English next. I collected my things and went into Ms. Farthing’s room. I sat down and looked at the board. It was a presentation about what happened after the war. My grin went from ear to ear. I rubbed my hands together thinking that the pin was in my hand. The teacher started to speak.
“Today we will be working on what happened after the war. Now, as you know, Katniss Everdeen had an icon. It was a small pin. This icon was shown around the country and it represented the rebellion. You know its history in the Hunger Games, but do you know what happened to it after that? After the rebellion?” I was pretty much at the edge of my chair waiting for the answer.
“She gave it to her daughter. After that, people couldn’t trace their family tree, and it’s lost. There are people from around the world who travel almost everywhere to find it, but they never have. There are many ancestry websites but after hours of searching, people gave up. Years ago, a woman found her grandmothers diary. This grandmother had the pin. In the diary, she talked about how she literally fought for it. This scared many, and those people backed off, but some became even stronger.” I shuttered.
What if I was attacked by some foreign person? I took a deep breath. Nobody would attack a twelve year old. I raised my hand for a question. Ms. Farthing pointed at me.
“Yes?”
“How old was the girl when she was attacked?”
“Thirteen, I believe. It has been said to be passed on when the daughter turns twelve. I guess this young woman had it in her possession for a while.”
I thanked her and quickly opened my laptop. I searched ‘ancestry finders’. Too many things came up. I clicked on the first one and searched ‘Everdeen’. I saw Katniss. She married a man named Peeta and had two kids. One was a girl. That was the first passing. I recognized the name. She was the author of the famous book about her mother. Then, she had three kids. One was a girl. That was the second passing. Katniss’ granddaughter had a familiar name, but I couldn’t remember it. Then, I got to the last daughter. An only child. Her name startled me. It was my mother.
