After the Flames (part 2)

Chapter 18: The Playground Arena

The schoolyard buzzed with excitement as Rye and his friends ran toward the big play structure, their imaginations running wild. Today's recess was going to be different. Today, they were Tributes.

Theo stood on the highest part of the structure—the "Cornucopia"—and raised his arms. "Alright, Tributes, get ready! The Hunger Games begin in three... two... ONE—GO!"

The kids took off, darting across the playground, scrambling over monkey bars and sprinting toward slides. Rye grinned as he ran, dodging imaginary arrows and ducking behind a wooden platform for cover.

"I have a bow and arrow, just like my mom!" he shouted, pretending to pull back an invisible string. "Pew! Pew! I got you, Theo!"

Theo clutched his chest and spun dramatically. "Ahhh! Nooo!" He stumbled backward, falling onto the wood chips, laughing the whole way down.

Mateo, crouched behind a slide, called out, "You'll never get me, Rye!"

"Oh yeah?" Rye grinned. "Watch this!" He climbed onto a low balance beam, holding out his arms like he was walking across a narrow log. "I'm sneaky, like my dad!"

Kylo ran up beside him, pretending to throw a spear. "Look out, Rye!"

Rye jumped off the beam and rolled into the grass, laughing. "You missed!"

The kids were completely lost in their game, running, shouting, and pretending to take each other out one by one. To them, this was just another game, like tag or make-believe heroes.

But not everyone thought it was fun.

A few feet away, Willow and Evie sat at a picnic table, their colored pencils spread out between them as they worked on their drawings. Willow, carefully sketching a small cake with flowers on top, looked up when she heard the loud shouts from the play structure.

Her stomach twisted when she saw what was happening.

Evie followed her gaze. "What are they even playing?"

Willow sighed. "Hunger Games."

Evie frowned. "Like... the real Hunger Games?"

Willow nodded, her fingers gripping her pencil tighter.

"But... isn't that, like, bad?" Evie whispered. "Your mom and dad were in those."

Willow swallowed hard. "Yeah." She didn't like this—not at all. The way Rye and his friends were laughing, pretending to "kill" each other—it felt wrong.

She turned back to her drawing, trying to focus, but the sounds of the game kept pulling her attention. Rye was now pretending to sword fight with Theo, while Kylo dramatically collapsed to the ground.

"I got you, Kylo!" Rye shouted triumphantly.

Kylo groaned, holding his stomach. "Nooo... You're too good, Rye!"

The other kids cheered.

Willow put down her pencil. "I don't like this."

Evie looked at her. "Are you gonna tell them to stop?"

Willow hesitated. She wanted to. But how could she? It wasn't like she was brave like her mom. She wasn't like Rye, who had no problem speaking up.

Instead, she just shook her head. "No... but I don't want to watch."

She picked up her things, holding her drawing close to her chest, and walked toward the school doors, trying to block out the sound of Rye's laughter as he played a game he didn't understand.