73rd Hunger Games

Chapter 4

Flora then introduced herself. And explained that we will get to talk to our families for 5 minutes in total. "You can break it up in anyway you want". Then she asked in her posh tone "So who do you want to see? William?".

He looked down "My family".

"Ok. And you Miss Seawater?"

"Umm, well. The Weather-Knots please", I said. Clearly I haven't thought this through.

"Interesting choice. You don't have any family members?"

"Well, no actually".

"I see, ok then." Then she bounced off forwardly down the corridor. The peace keepers then took us in two different directions, William one, me the other.

I was placed in a medium size room, just bigger than my shack. It had a few trinkets and cozy chairs, but nothing much more to occupy the space.
This room looked like it was barely ever used. Maybe it was only used for one purpose.

Then the door opened...

It was him, Henry. I ran up to him once he was out of the door space. I wrapped my hands around his neck and squeezed him tightly. I couldn't bring myself to cry.

I then looked down at little, frightened five year old Macey. "It's ok. I'm going on a short holiday". I remembered when I nursed her when she was just born.

I looked up at ten year old Alexis who was about to cry. "Don't worry, I'll be back in time for your birthday." Henry and I looked after her when she was a baby. She's practically my younger sister.

I then turned to sixteen year old Rose. "Be brave, you've only got two more years of this". I remember how she taught me to swim when I was younger.

I looked at the eldest, Isabella. "It's your last year. Be strong and have a good life, okay" as she nodded to me crying now. What can I say, she was the one that taught me how to survive in the district, how to be a lady and how to make good money. I couldn't abandon her, even if this might be the last time I saw her.

I then turned to Mr and Mrs Weather-Knot, my parents, well the closet thing to it. "Thank you for giving  me a home when my parents couldn't, thank you for feeding me a clothing me and thank you for giving me a great start to life". There's nothing much more I could say to them.

I then turned to heart-broken, no longer joyful Henry. My Henry. That couldn't bare to see me, that was fighting back the tears. I can't stand to see him this way. I just hugged him. Helpless, I can't change this, I can't change the way the Capitol acts. I can't change Panem's past but I may be able to make my future.

A sudden urge of determination filled me. "I will make it out of the Hunger Games".
"Ok Henry, ok. I won't let anybody kill me. I won't let the Capitol change me. I will come back to District 4, alive." I turned to face the family, "I will make all of you proud."

I then turned back to Henry, "I will make it out the Arena. You just watch me."

Then Henry pulled something out of his pocket and placed it into my hand. "I was going to give you this tonight at the dinner. But, there has obviously been a change of plans".

There was the joyful Henry I remembered before this disaster.

It was  a metal 'H' in the shape of two arrows. One was pointing up and the other down with a small piece of metal joining the both of them. "What is it?", I asked clearly dumbed founded.

"It's a symbol", butted in the mayor. "It represents courage, faith, balance, forward change, equity, life, hope, fate and freedom. The symbol of a warrior, of a fighter. It comes from a longtime ago."

Henry blurted out. "Before the games, before the war, before Panem, before all of this.

The mayors wife now spoke up. "Legend has it, the warriors that wore this before a fight, came out a survivor. They lived as long as they wished. But now, it symbolises hope and change more than anything else. I guess it's because more people want that now, more than they did back then."

"What is it called?" I asked being empowered that this symbol was given to me.

Henry looked up. "The spark".