Under the Moon

Chapter Thirty Five

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

The message on the screen was simple. It read, "The exchange will be made almost immediately. If you see an approaching Capitol hovercraft, we are coming for the exchange." I cheered, excited to be finally leaving. After being given normal clothes and being permitted to shower, Shayne and I were led outside. No one could tell that we had been locked up in horrid jail cells. We looked clean, orderly, healthy, and well taken care of.

I heard the soft whoosh of a giant approaching hovercraft. The hovercraft was approximately the size of a small house. When it was five feet from the ground, a hole formed in the bottom and two figures were let down. They were Liz and Jenz. "Liz!" I shouted as I ran toward her. She glanced at us in bewilderment, her lip trembling as she attempted to talk. Since she hadn't said anything in months, her voice was hoarse when she spoke. "Zeze? Shayne? Jenz? Mom? I thought all of you were dead," she whispered. Alma had tears streaming down her eyes as she held Liz in a tight hug. I looked at Jenz, who had a giant smile on his face. "Thank you," he mouthed gratefully. At first, I didn't know what he was thanking me for, but then I realized that it was for bringing his family together. I nodded, waved goodbye to Kaymri, Liz, and Jenz, friends that I probably would never see again, grasped Shayne's hand, and pulled him to the hovercraft with me. We were pulled up inside it and the tiny door shut. I looked up and noticed that the only people in the hovercraft were Peacekeepers, doctors, and scientists. The doctors came to examine us, to make sure we didn't have any disease we could spread to the people of Panem. They asked us our living conditions and I honestly told them that I was unconscious, recovering in a hospital for seven whole months. Then, when I had recovered, I was put in a terribly tiny, boring jail cell, with my ankle chained to the bed. "Was it dirty?" a doctor wondered.

"No, it was extremely clean, actually," I said. After confirming that we were healthy, the doctors left and we got surrounded by eager scientists bursting with questions. "Did you spread the virus?" one asked. I eagerly nodded. All the scientists clapped. "And did it work?" he wondered.

"Yup. People were getting sick," I said.

"Good job. About their technology, are their weapons more advanced?" a blonde woman asked.

"A lot of their weapons are. Especially their nuclear weapons, but our biochemical warfare is much more advanced," I said.

"Hopefully, the virus will be fully effective," she said. I nodded.

"Go to sleep now, children. You've had a pretty exciting eight months. Turn right and go down a long hall. There, you'll find a room," the woman said. I nodded and followed Shayne. I came upon a small room with two white beds. "I'm not even tired," I said.

"Neither am I," Shayne responded. But despite this fact, I still sat on one of the beds. Having absolutely nothing else to do, I lied down and shut my eyes.

"We're here! We're back!" Shayne shouted. I jerked up and ran off the bed. "Yay!" I shouted. Shayne followed me as I sprinted down the hall, into the main area. A Peacekeeper led us to the gated center. He opened the gate, and allowed us to gently hop off the hole, being drifted slowly to the ground. I landed, with a thump, on Shayne. "Ow!" he said as he got up. I looked around us. We were on the giant roof of the mansion. We were herded by Peacekeepers who led us to a room, containing only a table and four chairs. I sat down in one and Shayne sat beside me. The Peacekeepers stood by the door, apparently waiting for somebody. I looked at Shayne, "I hope they won't torture us," I said, frightened.

"They may. But we'll tell them everything we know. Don't worry Zeze Zinc, they won't hurt us," he said.

"I wonder who's coming," I said. As if to answer my question, the door swung open and Snow entered, followed by a man, wearing a lab coat. Snow said, "Well, long time no see."