"My military leader roles consists of training new military members, scouting for promising talent and working with the president." I peer closely at the thick document I was given. My bedside lamp emits a warm yellow glow that reflects off the bright white paper. I'm lying on my bunk, cocooned in the warmth my blanket, too excited to sleep.
"When do you start?" asks Volta on the bed to my right.
"Tomorrow. I'll be given a group of beginners and I'll start training them. Soldier Taliss gave me a list of stuff they have to learn. I guess they're testing my leadership skills." I hesitate. Then, all at once, the excitement drains away and the doubt begins to creep in. Am I a good leader? What if I fail? Can they... take my position away?
"They'll listen to you." Volta must have heard the anxious tone in my voice since she brushes my concerns aside.
"I'm not sure... I'm not that much older than them."
"Just scream at them or something. Threaten to put them in the dungeons," she laughs.
"Dungeons?" I'm intrigued. Since when does 13 have dungeons?
"Yeah. We have dungeons at the bottom of the compound."
"You're joking."
"Nope."
"Are there- are there people still in them?" My brain is whirring with thoughts. What if there are? What does that make us?
"Why we go down and see. Or are you afraid you're gonna lose your new position for breaking the rules?"
"Nope I'm not afraid. I'll come with you. I want to see." And I do. I'll risk it. I have to know. If I don't, I know this will devour my mind. Every waking minute will be focused on the dungeons, and the only cure will be seeing if they are real. Eventually, I'll drag Volta to come with me. Why not go now?
I sit up and neatly arrange my military documents on my bedside table and flick off my lamp. In 13, they're very strict about energy. Better not waste it. The room is plunged in darkness and I grope around my drawers for my torch.
"Ouch!" Volta exclaims.
"Ow!"
"That was my toe!"
"Sorry..."
" You should have kept the lamp on," she hisses.
I fumble around for the cold, cylindrical shape that signifies my torch in a drawer I stumble into.
Volta grabs a torch and lights the room. I find mine and we and head towards the door. I catch a grin on her face and find myself smiling too. Since I've come to District 13, I've hardly broken any rules. I've always been an exemplary citizen. I think this is the first time I've broken a major rule- sneaking out after lights out. They have a whole list of silly rules that we must follow- shirt must always be tucked in, stick to your schedules, never steal food, in the event of an emergency stay calm, never leave the compartment after 22:30. The doors automatically lock but Volta pulls out a hair clip and works quietly to unpick it.
"Here hold this," she whispers, handing me her torch. "You know, if you want to back out now we can?" she mocks ridiculous baby voice. "There's still time."
"You can but I'm not, I want to see the dungeons."
"Wise choice President Coin."
"Hey!" We break into laughter and muffle it as best as we can.
"Done!" The door swings open after a few minutes. Volta steps into the gloom and I follow her.
Our footsteps seem to echo on the cold, stone floor. Each sound we make seems to be magnified a hundred times. I feel like the whole compound can hear us. We creep to the nearest stairwell and descend deep into the earth, trying to be as quiet as possible, which is difficult considering the stairs are metal and clang with every step and movement
YOU ARE READING
The Ballad of Lucy Gray
Fanfiction"Was she alive, dead, a ghost who haunted the wilderness? Perhaps no one would ever really know." ~Suzanne Collins. After Lucy Gray Baird leaves the safety of District 12 behind to live the rest of her remaining days out in the wilderness, the vict...
