The Spark of District 13

Chapter 12 ~Luke

I was right about Bruce & Shine. They were completely livid when they heard about the fight. Shine wouldn't look at me the rest of the night, & Bruce scolded me as if I was his child at dinner. Meanwhile, Ivey just sat there staring at her stew trying to stay out of it.

"You know better than to get into a fight like that!" Bruce growls, "all you did was create more enemies for yourself in the arena! You have a real death wish son."

"And talk about bad manners!" Shine shrieks as she stares down at her stew, "you should be ashamed of yourself young man!"

"Why are y'all getting so mad at me? She was the one who attacked me! I was just using self defense!" I yell back at Bruce & Shine in anger. Why is everything my fault?

"You still egged her on," Bruce spits dryly.

"Well, she deserved it! She was the one who has to point out every flaw I make! She's the one who is always trying to get people to hate me!" I snap back defending myself.

"You still shouldn't have fought back," says Shine, "be a gentlemen for once! You never have good manners! My God, you district people are such heathens I swear!" That's it, she crossed the line.

"Oh really? You want me to be a gentleman to someone who's going to try & kill me in a few days? Heck, she tried to kill me today!" I roar, "I don't think I need to have manners toward someone who wants me dead, and on top of that, you just go & shut up about my district! You're not any better than us! I don't care if you won the bloody war or not! You leave my family alone! If you don't listen to my warning, it'll come back to get you later mark my words. That's it, I'm leaving! You guys will never listen to my side of the story." The second I'm done raging, I get up & storm out of the room. I go up to the garden.

The garden is a beautiful place upstairs on the roof. It's full of sweet smelling & colorful plants & trees all around. I like it up here because it's tranquil & quiet. It's a good place to get away from all the fuss of being an imprisoned tribute awaiting death. The only unmerciful thing about this place is the force field outlining the roof. It's there in order to keep us tributes from jumping to our deaths before the Games. This way, we're forced to participate. If I could've done it by now I would have, believe me. I sit down on a ledge of the roof still smoldering. I hate Shine. All she's done so far for me is pick me for the Games & insult my family every chance she gets. It makes me mad how the people of the Capitol think they're so much better than us because they won the war. They think we've all given up. They think their Games has destroyed our every last hope of freedom. Well, for some it has, but not for all of us. I see it back home. People want to make a change & fight back again, but they know they can't. They're waiting for a day when they can revolt again because the Capitol has gone to far once again. They will not murder out children forever. We will succeed someday, & when we do, they'll all see we are more than their slaves. We are people who can do things ourselves. I just wish I could be there to see it.

I stay on the roof for the majority of the night until I think it's about time to go inside. I sigh as I take one last breath of the fresh air & leave the garden. It's quiet & dark when I get inside. Everybody else is in bed, so I have the whole apartment to myself. I walk out into the living room in order to find somewhere new to think when I see her. Ivey is up as well apparently. She's sitting on the window sill staring out into the night with tired eyes. She must be exhausted but can't sleep for some. I guess she's not alone. I'm tired, but I feel restless at the same time. It's a strange feeling to have. I go over & plop down on the couch next to her in the darkness. She doesn't seem to notice me, so I speak up.

"Hey," I say out into the darkness, "can't sleep either?"

"No," she whispers back, "I don't know why. Too much on my mind I guess. This has been happening a lot lately."

"Tell me about it," I concur. Then I remember something that I've been meaning to ask her. I know the answer but it's bothering me. "Say Ivey, how come you've been avoiding me lately? Are you still mad about what I said or something? I thought you said everything was fine." Ivey looks over at me a bit surprised by my sudden question. Then she sighs & turns away toward the window as she speaks.

"Well Luke, like I told you earlier today, I think it's about time for us to go our separate ways. I mean, in a few days we'll be enemies so mine as well not make attachment. You know that. I told you today in training."

"Yeah, I know. But Ivey, I've been thinking. I've been kinda dwelling on my death recently & it has put me in a bad mood for the most part. I can tell it has been doing the same for you. I began to wondering why we are dwelling? Shouldn't we be living life to the fullest if we only have a few days left? I mean come on, do you really want your last days to be full of worry, sadness, & grief? I know I don't. I'm tired of being shut out Ivey. I want us to be close until the end. You're my sister, & I want to spend as much remaining time with you as I can. Please Ivey. Listen." I say desperately. This has been an issue that has been bugging me for the past couple of days now. I noticed how all I've been doing is wasting my time worrying. I should let fate take care of that & enjoy my remaining life. I don't want my last days to be miserable. I want them to be unforgettable. We need to live everyday as if it were our last because it might as well be. Ivey needs to know this. When Ivey doesn't respond to my proposal, I egg on.

"Ivey?" I say, "do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Luke I do. It's just- if I get attached to you right before the Games & then have to kill you that would be horrible. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself or worse: I may not be able to do it when the time comes. I need to get away from you so that when the time comes...... I can kill you...." Ivey says exasperated by me not understanding her version of the story.

"Ivey, you don't have to be the one to kill me," I say, "there are 24 other tributes in the battle. I'm sure to be killed before you have to do it I promise you!"

"Yeah, but what if you're not? What if we're the last two? I don't want to be the one who strikes first," she wails as tears begin to roll down her cheeks, "I don't want to hurt you & that's the problem!"

"Ivey!" I say almost a little too loud, "you need to snap out of this! Let fate control our destinies. Live in the present, not the future. You need to stop dwelling on what's going to happen & enjoy what is happening. I'm still alive & well right before you now, & all you do is worry about my death. The present is a gift. It doesn't deserve to be wasted. Trust me Ivey. Live everyday as if it was your last, & I promise you, your life will go smoothly. Come on Ivey, just give it a chance." Ivey's eyes are trained on me as if I had just spoken the words of a saint. She looks like she's at a loss for words as if she doesn't have a comeback. I almost smile in spite of myself. I'm good at arguing, & she knows it. There is no way she's going to win this battle, period.

"Luke, I just don't know," Ivey starts but I stop her.

"Come on Ivey, give it a chance. Give me a chance. I don't want to lose you just yet," I say with a smile, "I love you Ivey. Please don't push me away." That's when she leans forward & pulls me into a big hug.

"I love you too Luke. You're right as usual. I shouldn't be focusing on the future. I should be focusing on the present. I should be focusing on my remaining time with you. I should live everyday from here on out as if it were my last & make it count," she says into my ear while we embrace. That's what I was looking for. This is great. I have made amends with Ivey. My life has gotten that much better.