High quality content, recent updates. That is superb and we were used to it.
Becuse of that it is strange when we don't recieve them at t… morehat amazing speed.
But that is not a problem. To be frank, this means that what you do is kinda outstanding IMO. Of course in a positive sense.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peacekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from his right at the end of the hall. He found his Aunt Myra standing there. Now that Grandad was gone, she was the only one taller than him in the family. On her face was a mix of relief and confusion. She didn't care though, and she joined the hug immediately, making it much tighter.
After a moment, the three of them walked over into the kitchen and sat down at the table. No one was here, yet he still felt the need to sit at the left end, since that was where he always was. Myra and his mother sat down next to him. "Where did everyone go?" Marten asked his family.
"Honey, they're all at the Town Hall." Myra replied.
"What are they doing there?"
"The district... is being forced to choose a tribute this year..." She sighed. "Your uncles took all the kids down there this evening."
"What?" Marten bursted out. "I thought the Reaping was cancelled."
"It was. This ain't the Reaping... It's worse... They're voting..."
"A vote?" Marten looked away from both of them. It felt as though he should have been scared or even surprised at the news, yet it didn't really faze him. So much had happened in the past 24 hours that none of it really affected him anymore.
"Marten..." Salla sighed, still holding her hands on her head. "You're a fugitive now..."
The thought hadn't even occurred to him yet, but he supposed she was correct. He was, indeed, an escapee from prison. Although it was his father who'd released him, he was sure they'd come looking for him eventually. District 4 could never just give up a murder case like this. Marten was not afraid. He was guilty of murdering the carpenter's son, and would willingly bear his neck to any punishment that came his way. He just had to see his family one last time.
"Yes..." Marten replied. "I am. I've got a bit of time before they find me though. I would like to remain here."
"That's fine, hon." Myra said. "Stay as long as you can."
His mother shot him a look of desperation. Her eyes looked sad and distant. "Is it true what they said? You killed the carpenter's boy?"
"Yes."
"They're going to kill you, aren't they? With Zak, they knew they made a mistake... They won't make it again."
"Most likely..."
Salla began weeping silently into the table. Myra leaned over and wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law. "I've had to bury too many family members this week..." She cried. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? I hate this fucking district!"
"It's okay." Myra said, offering a shushing noise. She was trying to calm Salla down, yet she was never very good at the task. "Marten's here now. Everything's going to be okay." When her efforts proved to be unsuccessful, she turned to her nephew. "Did he deserve it?" Myra asked with a stone cold expression.
"Yes."
She seemed to physically relax. It was as though it made the act better somehow. He know she had been waiting to hear that answer ever since she'd heard of the incident. "That's all we needed to know..." She let out a sigh. "Do you want something to eat, honey?"
"I'm starving." He responded with haste. It had been a day since he'd last eaten. "Can you make me your poached eggs? I always love them that way."
"Of course." She replied. She stood up from the table and walked across the kitchen. She reached in the cooler to grab the eggs, and when she did, Marten saw it was much emptier than when he had set off that morning. When the stove lit up and the pan was laid on top of it, only Salla and Marten were left sitting across from one another.
"You used to be afraid of the water." His mother told him, still not making eye contact.
"What?"
She sighed and wiped a strand of hair from her cheek. "I don't know if you remember this, but when you were four years old, your father and I used to take you down to the river to learn how to fish. It was your first time..." She laughed a little bit. "The way you looked at me when you stepped in, it was like you weren't even sure what the water was."
"You're right." He replied. "I don't remember any of this."
"We happily waded you into the water, and every step you took, the tighter you clung to my leg. At one point, your father had enough of it and just kind of yanked you off. He set you down it water where you couldn't touch the bottom, and you were panicking like all hell... I tried to tell him to stop, but every time he just told me this was how he learned from his father, and this was the only true way to learn."
"Let me guess. I drowned." Marten smiled. He normally wasn't the type to joke, but seeing his mother so sorrowful made him wish to cheer her up.
Salla smiled too, and took a moment to respond. "No. Actually, you looked like you were going to for a moment. If your head would have gone under the water, we would have scooped you out immediately. You were in no real danger, but at the time, I was worried sick for you. All of my panic was for nothing though. Before thirty seconds had passed, you had learned to swim."
"What's the point of this story, Mum?"
She brought her hand to her cheek and rested her head there. "That day was the first time I realized how tough you were. I wasn't capable of understanding your father's methods then, but I'm starting to see them now. You have a strong will, Marten... Nothing can break you. Me? I'm not like you or Zak. I can't throw a fishing line... I can't swim for my life... I can't handle it when people are killed around me. You can, though."
"Yes." Marten said. As much as it pained him to admit it, he did not feel any remorse for Ronn or for Poole. When he thought of either of them, he felt regret, but no sympathy. Both got what they deserved. This was one of the few things that frightened him. He knew that he should feel sorry for the people he killed and watched die. He knew he should feel sorry for their families, but he couldn't feel anything.
"The world is going to throw in your face anything it can get its grimy hands on." His mother continued. "When it does, don't let it change you, Marten. Be that little boy your father set down in the river. Be like a stone in the creek. Let the world flow around you, yet stay adamant in your position. Please? For my sake... I don't think I could stand it if you were broken too."
"Have you been preparing that, Mum?" Marten asked, chuckling a bit.
"Every single day." Aunt Myra laughed softly from the kitchen.
"It's true..." Salla replied. "I know I've been waiting to say this for the longest time. I wanted to tell you when you were a man... And I can't see any better time than now. I don't approve of the things you've done, son. I hate it, but I know you. And I know you're going to do everything in your power to make it right."
"I will, Mother."
"But don't you think for one moment that-"
As she said that there was a loud pounding on the door. The noise made the entire house shake slightly. There were two people were shouting outside: one of which was recognizable, as it was his sister's. The other was vaguely familiar. Marten stood up from the table and stepped forward quietly to make out the conversation. His mother and aunt did the same. He expected the door to be opened by his uncles and many cousins, but this was unexpected. Half of him was even hoping it might be his father.
"Please, sir!" Willy pleaded. Her words bled through the paper thin walls. "Don't come in here! Our family has suffered enough already."
"And you don't think other families feel the same way, girl? Get the hell out of my way!" The man's voice was gruff and angry.
"No!" There was another loud slam on the door. Marten's mother anxiously clutched onto his shoulders.
"Who is that?" Salla asked softly from behind the shoulders of her son.
Myra stepped forward towards the door cautiously in curiosity. She whispered back. "It's that escort fuck from the Capitol. What is he doing here?"
Myra placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door slowly, leaving the conversation outside exposed. Willy stood up, shocked that the door she had leaned against had fallen from behind her. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked in a demeaning tone to the pair standing outside.
In the entryway, there was a man of average height, wearing a greasy mop of black hair and a mustache that didn't quite reach the sides of his face. His jaw was thick, yet clean-shaven. He was a rather ugly fellow, but made up for it with his impressive voice. Marten knew him as the escort who normally hosted the Reapings every year for District 4. His name was Marc Bishoppe.
The man frowned at the question and pulled down the flaps of his suit to stand up taller. Perhaps he hoped to appear more intimidating to people who towered above him. "The meaning of this, miss, is that the citizens of Panem have come to a conclusion on who they will choose to occupy the spot of male tribute in the Twenty-Fifth Annual Hunger Games."
"They've chosen me?" Marten asked, bewildered.
"That would be correct sir." Bishoppe replied, turning to the boy. "Although, I'm sure it won't surprise you. You are charged with murdering a citizen in cold blood, are you not?"
"This is outrageous!" Cried Willy, still standing outside the door. "Send him back to prison, lock him up, but you aren't going to use my little brother as a pawn in your game!"
Marten's mother only clutched his shoulder harder. "So why was it you?" Myra asked offensively.
"Hm?" He opened his ear. "I beg your pardon?"
"Out of all people to send to gather the tributes, why did they choose you to pick up a murderer?" She stepped closer in an intimidating fashion, but he stood firm.
"I am the escort, am I not?" Bishoppe raised an eyebrow. "If you choose to become violent, and I advise you do not, I can simply have guards at my back within moments. Mr. Lewis, I would ask you to understand, that this truly is the best option for you."
"The word option implies I have a choice..." Marten clenched his fists.
Bishoppe chuckled under his mustache. "You're correct, being that you don't. Your peers have unanimously decided it should be the citizen with the least to lose. You have a life sentence to your name. Imagine this is your trial, Marten. And in the eyes of the court, you have been served."
Willy stepped into her home and slammed the door behind her, causing the house to shake once more. Marten hadn't even noticed the man had simply walked inside. Yet, now all five people stood in a circle arguing about what Marten's fate would be. "You can't break our family apart further!" Willy screamed in his face. "You can't break our spirit!"
Bishoppe took a moment and sighed. He wiped the spit from his face and flicked it onto the floor. "I'm afraid I do not need to, Miss Lewis. I only need his for one month. And if everything goes well for you, he will emerge not only a victor, but a free man."
"They'll forgive me of my crimes?" Marten raised his eyebrow.
"My good sir... All victors are murderers." He put his small hand on the shoulder of Marten's that was not occupied by his mother's hand, and gripped it. "The only difference is you will be one to emerge with a few more deaths on your hands."
"I truly do not have a choice, do I...?" Marten sighed.
"You do not." Bishops shook his head.
"Don't do it..." Willy pleaded. "Don't go with him."
"The stone in the creek..." His mother whispered from behind him. "The stone in the creek..."
Marten didn't want to partake in this game, but could he really send another to their death in his place. In all likelihood, that man would be far more worthy of a full life than himself. Thinking about this reminded him of the last words of the carpenter's boy before his blood decorated the river. "You're going in that arena," he had said, "and when the timer hits zero, if you're lucky, you'll make a minute." The memory was almost haunting now. Even more than it was before. Marten remembered what he had pledged before. He would accept any punishment that came his way.
Marten sucked up his gut and spoke the words he knew needed to be said. "I suppose... I volunteer as tribute."
I'm nearly convinced that the Captiol instantly discards kids who are psychos or mentally unstable and agressive, becuse they might start killing people too soon. I mean they may be dangerous to their trainers, mentors other tributes before the Games starts. Or people who think they have nothing to lose, and would try to go on a murder streak before the Games.
And why? Becuse with like 16 tributes instead of 24, it is not that fun. Or with dead people from the Captiol.
By the way, I start to like Marten, more and more. He has good chances to win IMO.
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peace… morekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from … [view original content]
I have an idea.
I'm nearly convinced that the Captiol instantly discards kids who are psychos or mentally unstable and agressive, becuse … morethey might start killing people too soon. I mean they may be dangerous to their trainers, mentors other tributes before the Games starts. Or people who think they have nothing to lose, and would try to go on a murder streak before the Games.
And why? Becuse with like 16 tributes instead of 24, it is not that fun. Or with dead people from the Captiol.
By the way, I start to like Marten, more and more. He has good chances to win IMO.
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peace… morekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from … [view original content]
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peace… morekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from … [view original content]
Sorry for taking to long to comment, I got very busy the last few days. Anyway, it was a great chapter, definitely my favourite from Marten! While Marten will always come behind Aura in my biased book, he is a lot better than I thought at first and I now like him as much as I like Saul. I'm looking forward for his future chapters
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peace… morekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from … [view original content]
Me! I saw it last Saturday and it was amazing but the ending left me a bit eh, just like the books ;-;
Though, I agree that I liked the first two movies better. Also, I heard Lionsgate might be investing in a prequel for The Hunger Games! Hopefully it's another set of games >:P
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peace… morekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from … [view original content]
Penn felt dishonest about leaving. She truly did want her father to come on this journey with her. No matter how it felt at times, she knew he did truly love her, but she had come to the conclusion that Jomal was holding her back. She didn't understand why so badly he wished her not to be in the Games. The Games were the only thing she felt she knew. The Games would bring her purpose... Yes... They had to.
Penn slid under the fence as if she was born to do so. There was a spot at the corner of District 1 where the fence had been dug under by animals. The hole was shallow, but it was large enough to allow both her and her boyfriend to pass through unharmed. Even if the electric fence was armed right now, they would have been fine to crawl under. According to Dray, the fence was hardly ever lit. Only when there were escapees from prison would this border come into play. They were just making it all too easy for her.
"Woo!" Penn jumped to her feet on the other side of the fence. She felt adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was, as of now, no longer a member of District 1. "I feel alive! Dray, get your fat ass over here!"
Dray laughed and duck down to shimmy under the fence. She was glad she had at least one person in her life who was willing to support her. When he stood up beside her, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "It feels good, don't it?" He said. He turned around slowly and Penn followed his gaze into the beautiful forest around them. "No one can tell us what to do. Not the Capitol, not President Snow... No one..."
Penn turned back around to face the District she called home for so many years of her life. She promptly threw her arm in the air and raised her middle finger. Dray saw her doing this and replicated it. After a few moments, Penn felt the feeling had sunk in and spun back around. "Okay. Let's go. Do you know how far it is to the next District?"
"I have no idea." He replied. "A few miles, maybe?"
She was dismayed to hear this. She was hoping he would at least know something about where the Districts were. And she desperately wished it to be only a few miles. If it were any farther, it may take her longer than she planned to walk there. As Jomal had told her, you weren't eligible for the Reaping after the age of eighteen. She had to make it this year... She couldn't miss this.
As they walked through the forest, Penn allowed herself to be its beauty. The light shone through gaps between the trees, lighting the path ahead. As it was very early in autumn, leaves had just begun to fall off their branches, and the wind carried them away. It was peaceful and serene, and it brought Penn a kind of joy. If she wasn't so set on joining the Hunger Games, she might be content settling here.
Dray wrapped his left arm around his girlfriend and they strode together. Neither of them even knew which way the fence for the next District was, but they knew they would eventually find one. "Do you know what we're going to do when we get there?" He asked.
"No, but I have a vague idea." She told him. "I'd imagine they'll have some sort of Town Hall. We just have to find it and announce my plans to volunteer."
"And they'll just say yes with no question?"
"Probably. Why wouldn't they? I'm offering to win the Games for them. All I ask for is a share of the winnings, and District 9 can have the rest. And it would mean they don't have to waste a life of one of their girls. It seems like a pretty reasonable argument to me."
"I suppose that's true." He sighed. "Can I ask you something, Penn?"
"Of course."
"Back at the house, you were kind of mean to your dad." He raised his eyebrow. "I know what he was telling you was bullshit, but he did have a few good points."
"Like what?" Yesterday, she felt she would have punched anyone in the gut for defending her father. Today, though, she was willing to listen to reason.
"Everything he wanted was for you." He looked down into her eyes and seemed pained. "I looked at him last night and saw a man who would do anything to protect his daughter. I guess it just hurt him when she wanted to get herself... wanted to be in the Games to get rid of him. You responded to what he thought was protection with harsh words. I don't know... I just think you went a little overboard on him."
Guilt began to flood Penn's mind, because she knew he was right. It was a terrible feeling, but she felt she needed to have it. "I know what you're saying... and I get it." She told him. "Maybe I was a bit hard on Dad. But last night... I don't know... I was just so angry. I couldn't handle it. Has there ever been a time when you've felt like that, Dray?"
He looked ahead towards the forest around them and sighed. "There was one time. We talked about it a lot before. But... yeah, you wouldn't remember."
"What was that?"
He looked away from Penn, as if he wished he hadn't said anything. "I went off on you, about a month ago."
"On me?" Penn was surprised. She unhooked her arm from his back and looked at him. When he met her gaze, both had stopped walking forward. "What was it about?"
He opened his mouth, but caught himself from saying anything. He looked away, and when he returned there was the beginning of tears in his eyes. "No, I don't want to start this again." Dray told her. "Can we just pretend it didn't happen?"
Penn didn't respond. She was only bewildered by her boyfriend's response. He began walking again, and she shook her head, catching up to him. This was a good day, and Penn didn't want to ruin it for the one person who she had to talk to. When she looked behind her, the fence to District 1 was no longer in sight. There was no turning back now.
She walked beside Dray, but no longer felt the urge to put her arm around him or hold his hand. She decided she wouldn't do either of those things until she knew the truth. After minutes of walking, Dray cut apart the awkward silence. "So, how much can you remember?"
"Barely anything." She replied, zipping up her brown windbreaker. "Whenever I try to think about something, it's like a dark spot in my memory. It's like... I know there is something there, but it's blocked or covered by something. I mean, I remember how to speak. I remember how to read, and I remember how to kill. Everything else I only know because you or Dad told me."
"Damn..." He cursed. "I can't really imagine what that's like. You can't remember anything about me?"
"I only remember what you've told me, Dray."
"Can't remember how we met..." He seemed saddened by this. Penn could feel it to. "Can't remember our first kiss... First New Year's Eve..."
"None of it."
"Damnit..." He looked away from her. "But you know they were there? Just blocked by a curtain or something?"
"Something like that."
Dray turned his head to Penn in a meaningful manner. "Maybe if we could recreate those times, all the memories would come back? I just want you to know who I am..."
"I know who you are." Penn told him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I think it's best not to dwell on the past. We'll make new memories. But as for right now, we need to focus on getting into District 9. That's the task at hand."
"Right, right..." He replied. "Maybe once you get back, I could take you to the theatre again. You used to love going there on the weekends..."
"Once I get back, yes." Penn told him. "I would love to go with you."
The two of them walked around a large tree and came across a small ditch. There was a trickle of water flowing downhill about five feet down, and the sides were wet and muddy. It went for as far as Penn could see to her left, but to her right, it flowed down into a large pond. Evidently there had been a rain out here last night. Jomal had told her before she left. She was surprised. They had only been walking for a half hour. It didn't seem like far enough that the weather would change.
Dray began to swing his arms to and fro, getting ready to jump, but Penn put her hand out and grabbed him by the shoulder in hesitation. The ditch was a ways across. She wasn't sure even she could make the jump.
"What is it?" Dray raised his eyebrow in confusion.
I love Penn's chapters. I find them so interesting as she's so desperate to be in the Games. However, I kinda got the feels when Dray said "when you get back". ;-;
And.. I chose to walk around the pond. Safety first!
Chapter 14: The Underbrush
Penn Cassidy
Penn felt dishonest about leaving. She truly did want her father to come on this journey with … moreher. No matter how it felt at times, she knew he did truly love her, but she had come to the conclusion that Jomal was holding her back. She didn't understand why so badly he wished her not to be in the Games. The Games were the only thing she felt she knew. The Games would bring her purpose... Yes... They had to.
Penn slid under the fence as if she was born to do so. There was a spot at the corner of District 1 where the fence had been dug under by animals. The hole was shallow, but it was large enough to allow both her and her boyfriend to pass through unharmed. Even if the electric fence was armed right now, they would have been fine to crawl under. According to Dray, the fence was hardly ever lit. Only when there were escapees from prison would this border come into play. They were just making it a… [view original content]
Chapter 14: The Underbrush
Penn Cassidy
Penn felt dishonest about leaving. She truly did want her father to come on this journey with … moreher. No matter how it felt at times, she knew he did truly love her, but she had come to the conclusion that Jomal was holding her back. She didn't understand why so badly he wished her not to be in the Games. The Games were the only thing she felt she knew. The Games would bring her purpose... Yes... They had to.
Penn slid under the fence as if she was born to do so. There was a spot at the corner of District 1 where the fence had been dug under by animals. The hole was shallow, but it was large enough to allow both her and her boyfriend to pass through unharmed. Even if the electric fence was armed right now, they would have been fine to crawl under. According to Dray, the fence was hardly ever lit. Only when there were escapees from prison would this border come into play. They were just making it a… [view original content]
Wait... she seriously leaves her father behind? Gosh, she just reached a new low in my eyes. She's so freaking selfish and ungrateful, it's... I don't even have words for how much I hate her. Still, let me try to explain. Aside from the missing memories, she has a perfect life and the way she just throws it all away is just... She had a nice life at district 1, which she apparently spent with being a huge bitch to everyone around her, aside from possibly Dray. And now, she managed to flee her district, something that almost nobody manages to do, but instead of enjoying this chance, she decides to throw it all away by volunteering for the games, with a seriously dumb plan, all to satiate her lust for blood, or as she likes to put it 'To find a purpose in life'. And even the missing memories stuff does not make her sympathetic to me in the slightest. From what we know, and as hard as it is to believe, the pre-memory loss Penn was even more obnoxious, so perhaps it's for the better that she's gone forever. And even after her memory loss, all that matters to her is to get a chance to kill people. It would be fine if she only ruins her life, she deserves it, but the fact that she ruins the lives of everyone around her... I mean, her father basically just lost his daughter, which by all means should be enough to ruin his life. Her boyfriend, who is definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is about to get himself killed as well and it doesn't seem to matter for her. I mean, does she really think no one will ever find out that they are escapees from District 1? She's already pushing her luck when she is hoping that they will accept her instead of turning her into an avox, but we know that this is at least going to work out in her favour, more or less. But Dray? He's still someone who escaped from his district, so even if they allow Penn to participate in the games, I doubt there will be any mercy for him. But well, at least she's guaranteed to get her chance to kill a lot of people, so I am sure it's not going to matter to her that her boyfriend and her father have to pay the price for it. As for this choice, I don't think it's a surprise that I chose for her to jump across the ditch. It's more dangerous for her, which is good.
Chapter 14: The Underbrush
Penn Cassidy
Penn felt dishonest about leaving. She truly did want her father to come on this journey with … moreher. No matter how it felt at times, she knew he did truly love her, but she had come to the conclusion that Jomal was holding her back. She didn't understand why so badly he wished her not to be in the Games. The Games were the only thing she felt she knew. The Games would bring her purpose... Yes... They had to.
Penn slid under the fence as if she was born to do so. There was a spot at the corner of District 1 where the fence had been dug under by animals. The hole was shallow, but it was large enough to allow both her and her boyfriend to pass through unharmed. Even if the electric fence was armed right now, they would have been fine to crawl under. According to Dray, the fence was hardly ever lit. Only when there were escapees from prison would this border come into play. They were just making it a… [view original content]
Wait... she seriously leaves her father behind? Gosh, she just reached a new low in my eyes. She's so freaking selfish and ungrateful, it's.… more.. I don't even have words for how much I hate her. Still, let me try to explain. Aside from the missing memories, she has a perfect life and the way she just throws it all away is just... She had a nice life at district 1, which she apparently spent with being a huge bitch to everyone around her, aside from possibly Dray. And now, she managed to flee her district, something that almost nobody manages to do, but instead of enjoying this chance, she decides to throw it all away by volunteering for the games, with a seriously dumb plan, all to satiate her lust for blood, or as she likes to put it 'To find a purpose in life'. And even the missing memories stuff does not make her sympathetic to me in the slightest. From what we know, and as hard as it is to believe, the pre-memory loss Penn was even more obno… [view original content]
I know, right? While I am currently the most intrigued by Theo and while Aura is the one I'm rooting for the most, Penn is the easiest for me to rant about, and I mean this a lot more positive than it sounds. Her character simply angers me and that always prompts me to write long comments about how much she angers me However, if there's one good good I can say about her, it's that she is interesting. All of the PoV's are extremely interesting for sure and Penn is no exception. While every other PoV manages to be totally sympathetic though, Penn is the complete opposite, but I could never say that she's boring.
I know, right? While I am currently the most intrigued by Theo and while Aura is the one I'm rooting for the most, Penn is the easiest for m… moree to rant about, and I mean this a lot more positive than it sounds. Her character simply angers me and that always prompts me to write long comments about how much she angers me However, if there's one good good I can say about her, it's that she is interesting. All of the PoV's are extremely interesting for sure and Penn is no exception. While every other PoV manages to be totally sympathetic though, Penn is the complete opposite, but I could never say that she's boring.
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character? Don't hate me! Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is what gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
Though, I have a feeling Penn won't last very long in the Games. Once she volunteers for District nine's female spot, she'll be seen as a threat as District nine volunteers are definitely unusual, especially twenty five years in. Also, the skills Penn may possess might be present during her training, thus making her more of a target for the Careers.
And you're right that she comes off as obnoxious. I have a feeling her constant desire of the Games will put me off her character for good. e.e
Wait... she seriously leaves her father behind? Gosh, she just reached a new low in my eyes. She's so freaking selfish and ungrateful, it's.… more.. I don't even have words for how much I hate her. Still, let me try to explain. Aside from the missing memories, she has a perfect life and the way she just throws it all away is just... She had a nice life at district 1, which she apparently spent with being a huge bitch to everyone around her, aside from possibly Dray. And now, she managed to flee her district, something that almost nobody manages to do, but instead of enjoying this chance, she decides to throw it all away by volunteering for the games, with a seriously dumb plan, all to satiate her lust for blood, or as she likes to put it 'To find a purpose in life'. And even the missing memories stuff does not make her sympathetic to me in the slightest. From what we know, and as hard as it is to believe, the pre-memory loss Penn was even more obno… [view original content]
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character?
I like her storyline, but her character? Certainly not! The more I think about it, the more she strikes me as a psychopath.
Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is what gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
But here's the thing, she lost her memories. Shouldn't the brainwashing be gone together with her memories? There's also the thing, if I remember correctly, the career-district parents play a huge part in their childrens brainwashing and Penn's dad never appeared to me as a supporter of the games. Therefore, I assume that she isn't really brainwashed, but that her opinion about the games is her genuine conviction. Finally, it takes a special kind of stupid to see the games as a chance to find a purpose in life. Her father told her about the games and considering how much he was against her participating in them, I don't think he sugarcoated anything. So, no, I have no sympathy and no pity for her, because I reserve my pity and sympathy for those who never wanted to be in the games in the first place, those who don't caloussly destroy lives just to get a chance to destroy even more lives in the selfish attempt to find some sort of meaning in life. Besides, I'm not only hating Penn for her sick bloodlust, but also for all her other despicable traits and for her utter lack of likeable traits.
Though, I have a feeling Penn won't last very long in the Games. Once she volunteers for District nine's female spot, she'll be seen as a threat as District nine volunteers are definitely unusual, especially twenty five years in. Also, the skills Penn may possess might be present during her training, thus making her more of a target for the Careers.
I can only hope so. I mean, that's a good thing with her memory loss, she also definitely forgot that non-careers in general don't show off their skills in the training, so maybe she will become an early target, taking maybe one or two careers out before she goes down herself. I definitely wouldn't mind.
I have a feeling her constant desire of the Games will put me off her character for good. e.e
I have the feeling that TeamKennyW00t is building her up as so incredibly unlikeable on purpose just to turn her into some super-likeable hero later on. Maybe she's even going to save my Aura and I'm going to end up feeling bad for every insulting word I ever said about her XD But of course, as long as she is that obnoxious psychopathic bitch she currently is, I have no problems in hating her with a passion.
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character? Don't hate me! Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is wha… moret gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
Though, I have a feeling Penn won't last very long in the Games. Once she volunteers for District nine's female spot, she'll be seen as a threat as District nine volunteers are definitely unusual, especially twenty five years in. Also, the skills Penn may possess might be present during her training, thus making her more of a target for the Careers.
And you're right that she comes off as obnoxious. I have a feeling her constant desire of the Games will put me off her character for good. e.e
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character?
I like her storyline, but her character? Certainly not! The more I thin… morek about it, the more she strikes me as a psychopath.
Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is what gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
But here's the thing, she lost her memories. Shouldn't the brainwashing be gone together with her memories? There's also the thing, if I remember correctly, the career-district parents play a huge part in their childrens brainwashing and Penn's dad never appeared to me as a supporter of the games. Therefore, I assume that she isn't really brainwashed, but that her opinion about the games is her genuine conviction. Finally, it takes a special kind of stupid to see the games as a c… [view original content]
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character?
I like her storyline, but her character? Certainly not! The more I thin… morek about it, the more she strikes me as a psychopath.
Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is what gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
But here's the thing, she lost her memories. Shouldn't the brainwashing be gone together with her memories? There's also the thing, if I remember correctly, the career-district parents play a huge part in their childrens brainwashing and Penn's dad never appeared to me as a supporter of the games. Therefore, I assume that she isn't really brainwashed, but that her opinion about the games is her genuine conviction. Finally, it takes a special kind of stupid to see the games as a c… [view original content]
50% of readers chose to [A. Jump across the ditch.]
"Let me." Penn smiled. She placed a hand on Dray's chest and pushed him out of the way. She knew it might be too far, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of the thrill. She came this far simply for the thrill of being selected for the Hunger Games. Why would she let a small ditch get in her way? She bounded over the hole, landing on the other side with one foot. The other was planted in the mud and she almost slipped, but managed to catch herself. When she emerged on the other side, she jumped in excitement.
"My turn!" Dray shouted. He leaped as far as he could, landing in the same spot as Penn did. Except, his first foot landed in the mud, and gave out from under him. He slid backwards, and on the way down, his chin collided with the ground. He fell to the bottom of the ditch and into the creek. "Shit!" He yelled as he regained his composure.
"Gotta land with your dominant foot, Dray." Penn told him.
He stood up, and tried to brush off the mud from his clothes. It was no use. They were thoroughly caked in mud. When he looked back up, he caught Penn's outstretched hand and climbed out of the ditch with her help. "I don't think my dominant foot matters when I land on something that's going to give out from under me, Penn."
"Yeah, whatever." She replied. When Dray climbed out, he held his hand up to his jaw and shifted it around. Penn cleared off the mud from it and found a large black blotch just below his right jaw. "You've got a bad bruise there."
"Son of a bitch..." Dray cursed. "Should have walked around... Now I'm covered in mud and my face hurts like hell." He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to wear off the pain.
"Hey." Penn knocked him on the arm. "Don't apologize for the risks you take. Live your life the way you fucking want to."
"Now you're starting to sound like your old self." He laughed.
Penn put her hand on Dray's shoulder and smiled up at him. It seemed like everyone in this world was against her, but she was glad to have at least one person she could count on. "C'mon." She told him. "We've got to be close."
The two of them walked for what seemed like forever. When she asked him how long they'd been out, he revealed it to be half past noon. They'd been walking for three hours. The further they walked, the forest became less and less dense until there were barely trees in a field as far as she could see. Everything was flat, and the grass was tall and yellow. It ticked when she touched her fingers to it. For the first time since she woke up, Penn could see the whole sky with no cloud cover or trees blocking her way. It looked... peaceful... She almost regretted having to leave it behind for the Hunger Games. Almost...
"I've never seen anything like it." Dray said. Looking around at the fields. He had stopped trailing mud behind him a while ago, and now it was all dried onto his body. "Everything looks so huge and open. It's like we could do anything."
"We could do anything." Penn repeated the statement. She held out her hands and touched the bristles of the tall grass. She felt as though it should remind her of something, dragging the drapes from another of her memories, yet it didn't. This was an entirely new memory. "You know... Once I get back, let's get my father and live out here. We wouldn't have to worry about anything at all."
"But Penn..." He raised an eyebrow. "Your father wants to live in the Capitol."
Penn shrugged. "No, my father wants to go to the Capitol to find my mother. I don't see any reason we can't come back."
"Well, you can run the idea past him. I'm not sure he'll want to come back after working so hard to get in."
After walking for another hour, Penn and Dray came to a long fence. It ran as far as she could see in either direction, and the wires were only inches apart. It was tighter and more secure than the fence in District 1. It was ten feet high, and at the top, there was a sign warning of the danger. It looked, for the most part, the same as the other one. Penn pulled out her knife and strode toward it.
Dray caught her arm before she reached the wires. "Hold up... What are you doing?"
"Cutting a hole through?" Penn replied. "I hope you don't expect us to walk all the way around until we find another entrance. Time is wasting."
"It could be electrified." He warned her, squeezing her arm tighter. "The voltage is turned off in District 1 because the Capitol trusts us not to try to escape. I've heard it's different for some of the other districts."
"Oh yeah?" Penn replied. She bent down and searched around on the ground. She picked up a small worm and held it up. It wiggled around in her fingers before she dropped it on one of the wires. Nothing happened. The worm simply fell back down to the ground and burrowed down. "Doesn't seem electric to me."
Dray seemed confused. "I was so sure... I thought District 9 kept theirs on..."
"You guessed wrong." Penn responded. She held up her knife and began to cut through the wires. It was difficult, but it took about a minute to get all the way through a wire. When the first one fell, she knew she had made it. Victory was so close she could almost taste it.
"Hey Penn..." Dray said as he stood there. He took off his dark green stocking cap and his black hair fell closer to his neck. "You know what I said before?"
"What?" She asked, still cutting through the fence as fast as she was able to.
"About how I went off on you before?" He made himself clearer. "I figure you need to know the truth. I can't keep it to myself."
Penn cut through the last wire of the fence and the hole she made was large enough for either of them to fit through. But instead of stepping through, she just turned to her boyfriend to finish the conversation. "Go on."
"I don't know how to say this in a better way... So I'll just say it. You're too reckless, Penn." He told her. She felt offended the moment he said this but she let him continue. "About seven months ago, there was a huge tornado up north of town. It ripped a huge chunk out of the forest. Everyone was safe inside, but you thought it would be a nice idea to go watch it tear up the road."
"I sort of remember that now, yes." Penn replied. "You came out to stop me, Dray..."
"Yeah. I did. I did it for you, Penn." He told her. Penn could see the weight of sincerity in his eyes, and knew she would have to listen the whole thing through. "The storm was dangerous, and I didn't want you to get hurt. So I tried to talk you into coming back home. But you wouldn't listen. Every time I tried, you'd just get closer to it. Eventually, I... hit you. And I'm sorry."
The moment Penn remembered Dray slapping her across the cheek, she almost felt it happen again. It had made her so angry that day, but today she understood him more. "You hit me?" She asked.
"Yeah." He seemed angry at himself even to have to say it out loud. "You weren't listening to reason... I tried everything. And... You didn't talk to me again for a month after that."
"Why did you tell me this?"
"I didn't want to have to live with it under shadows. I want to be honest with you..."
Penn sucked in her gut and fought back her urge to question him further. She walked forward and he flinched a bit. She wrapped her arms around him. Her clothes were muddy, but she hardly cared. "Dray... I forgive you..."
Dray let out a sigh of relief. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say that." He told her, hugging her back even tighter.
The hug lasted for close to fifteen seconds and when she let go, Penn stepped through the hole in the fence she had just created. "Let's get moving." She said, as Dray followed behind her, stepping through the hole himself. "I want to get into town before nightfall. There's no telling how close we are."
"Or how far..." Dray added, he looked around at the fields full of tall grass. "This is our new home, Penn. As far as I know, I think we're the first ever to switch Districts like this."
Penn and Dray came to the top of a hill and saw a valley beneath them. It was miles away, but at the bottom laid a town. It wasn't much larger than the city she grew up in, but she knew it was where she needed to go. When Penn took her first step forward, she smiled. She finally had a direction to travel on her journey. This was where Penn needed to be. This was her purpose.
Yay! Another part that doesn't fail to intrigue me. And damn, I warned you guys! Safety first!
I hope you don't mind me asking, but is Skeeter going to make a second appearance within Book 1? I'm curious and excited as to how you're going to be writing her and such:P If you can't give out that information then don't worry!^^
50% of readers chose to [A. Jump across the ditch.]
"Let me." Penn smiled. She placed a hand on Dray's chest and pushed him out of the … moreway. She knew it might be too far, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of the thrill. She came this far simply for the thrill of being selected for the Hunger Games. Why would she let a small ditch get in her way? She bounded over the hole, landing on the other side with one foot. The other was planted in the mud and she almost slipped, but managed to catch herself. When she emerged on the other side, she jumped in excitement.
"My turn!" Dray shouted. He leaped as far as he could, landing in the same spot as Penn did. Except, his first foot landed in the mud, and gave out from under him. He slid backwards, and on the way down, his chin collided with the ground. He fell to the bottom of the ditch and into the creek. "Shit!" He yelled as he regained his composure.
"Gotta land with your do… [view original content]
Yay! Another part that doesn't fail to intrigue me. And damn, I warned you guys! Safety first!
I hope you don't mind me asking, but is Sk… moreeeter going to make a second appearance within Book 1? I'm curious and excited as to how you're going to be writing her and such:P If you can't give out that information then don't worry!^^
Well... do I have to say it again? It's a fact that Aura is awesome. Of course, I just have to root for her, but she's not only my favourite just because I created her, but mostly because I got by far the strongest feels out of her parts. Don't get me wrong, the others gave me feels too. But the only one who came even close was Saul in his interaction with Peara. I'm going to admit it, I had wet eyes after some Aura parts and because of that, she is my favourite and will always stay my favourite. Theo is great as well, but while his storyline is so damn interesting, he gave me less feels than the other PoV's, simply because his situation is not as heartbreaking. Marten deserves some mention as well. While I like him less than Aura and Saul, he grew on me and should not remain unmentioned.
Favorite non-POV character?
Several whom I enjoyed a lot. There's Cass, for being so utterly adorable and for amplifying the already strong feels I got in Aura's chapters. Her friendship with Aura is just sweet. There's Caesar, for being, well, Caesar. I love how you wrote him. And finally, while I naturally hate him, I am so incredibly intrigued by Snow and think the way you write him is just brilliant. He's my favourite antagonist, which qualifies him for the position of my favourite character as well. But in the end, considering that he's utterly and irredeemably evil, I still like him less that Caesar and Cass of course. I am also curious about the other tributes. If their personality is as well-defined as our PoV's personality, I can't wait to learn more about them. But well, for now it's Cass, Caesar and Snow, in this order.
Least favorite character.
That one is easily Penn, by far actually. Hell, even a complete bastard like Munrow, as much as I want him dead, still only looks out for his district, in a very twisted way. Penn on the other hand only looks out for herself. I think in previous comments I already went into detail why I hate her so much. Unlike Munrow, who at least has a single redeeming trait, Penn has none. I'm still hoping for her to get better, but as long as she stays the way she is right now, I simply hate her. Munrow is a close second, but as I said, he has this single redeeming trait. Oh, and then there's Aura's father, Rowan. The only reason why I hate Munrow more than Rowan is that Rowan had less screentime and therefore, less time to be a complete asshole. I bet in Aura's future chapters, this will change and at the end of the book, I will probably hate him as much as I hate Munrow. But as long as she's this obnoxiously selfish psychopath, Penn will always come first when it comes to my least favourite characters.
Where do you think the story will head next? Or just random predictions.
I still think things will end horribly for Dray and for Penn's father. There's no way the Capitol is going to let such a humiliation unpunished. After all, they are willing to kill whole families even more minor offenses, as seen with Haymitch or Johanna. Penn's survival already stretches it a little bit, but she is at least guaranteed to go to the games. Maybe Dray's death can serve as a catalyst for her to become a better person. Other than that, I have no real idea where the story is heading in Book 1. Obviously, there's going to be the remaining reapings soon, but aside from Penn, I don't know what could happen in the meantime for the other PoV's. Maybe Saul will get a chance to kill Munrow, I'd like that.
Any suggestions for my writing?
None. This story is amazing and your writing leaves me speechless. I wouldn't dare to suggest any improvements.
Hey guys, we're exactly halfway through Book 1 now. So it's Mid-book feedback quiz time!
* Who is your favorite POV character thus far?… more
* Favorite non-POV character?
* Least favorite character.
* Where do you think the story will head next? Or just random predictions.
* Any suggestions for my writing?
Woohoo, questions. I love to answer questions
Who is your favorite POV character thus far?
Well... do I have to say it again? It's a … morefact that Aura is awesome. Of course, I just have to root for her, but she's not only my favourite just because I created her, but mostly because I got by far the strongest feels out of her parts. Don't get me wrong, the others gave me feels too. But the only one who came even close was Saul in his interaction with Peara. I'm going to admit it, I had wet eyes after some Aura parts and because of that, she is my favourite and will always stay my favourite. Theo is great as well, but while his storyline is so damn interesting, he gave me less feels than the other PoV's, simply because his situation is not as heartbreaking. Marten deserves some mention as well. While I like him less than Aura and Saul, he grew on me and should not remain unmentioned.
Favorite non-POV character?
Several whom I enjoyed a… [view original content]
Haymitch's family got killed because the capitol felt humiliated after he used the forcefield around the arena to kill his final opponent. Johanna refused to work as a prostitute, so Snow killed her family in return. I might be wrong there, but I think Haymitch even implied that this is common whenever someone who is too important to be killed, like a victor, humiliates the Capitol by refusing their orders or by revealing flaws in their system, something Penn definitely did by switching districts.
Goddamnit Capitol XD Haymitch didn't even humiliate you with the forcefield thing. He just used it. If that's true, they should have killed that one tribute's family too for digging up the mines around the cornucopia.
Haymitch's family got killed because the capitol felt humiliated after he used the forcefield around the arena to kill his final opponent. J… moreohanna refused to work as a prostitute, so Snow killed her family in return. I might be wrong there, but I think Haymitch even implied that this is common whenever someone who is too important to be killed, like a victor, humiliates the Capitol by refusing their orders or by revealing flaws in their system, something Penn definitely did by switching districts.
Comments
Don't sweat it. You just spolied us.
Post it when you have the time for it. It is better for us and I guess for you too.
I spoiled you? What do you mean?
High quality content, recent updates. That is superb and we were used to it.
Becuse of that it is strange when we don't recieve them at that amazing speed.
But that is not a problem. To be frank, this means that what you do is kinda outstanding IMO. Of course in a positive sense.
Oh I see. Well thank you. I thought you meant I spoiled part of the story to come somewhere lol.
Alright, I'm back bitches.
60% of readers chose to [A. Tell about your father.]
"Pop saved me..." Marten replied. "There was a Peacekeeper who started torturing me... Pop talked to him and convinced him to stop. He got the keys and escaped."
"What do you mean, he got the keys?" His mother asked further. Marten found it harder than he'd thought to admit what he'd seen.
"He... he killed the guard. Broke his neck... got the keys off him..."
"Oh my god..." She leaned against the wall, staring down at the ground. She placed her hands on her face. "They're gonna kill him... The last time... Oh god."
Marten closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around his mother. He could barely listen to himself say the words out loud. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, having suffered worse than any with the death of Grandad. He felt a wetness on his shoulder, and knew she was crying into it.
"Marten?" He heard a voice from his right at the end of the hall. He found his Aunt Myra standing there. Now that Grandad was gone, she was the only one taller than him in the family. On her face was a mix of relief and confusion. She didn't care though, and she joined the hug immediately, making it much tighter.
After a moment, the three of them walked over into the kitchen and sat down at the table. No one was here, yet he still felt the need to sit at the left end, since that was where he always was. Myra and his mother sat down next to him. "Where did everyone go?" Marten asked his family.
"Honey, they're all at the Town Hall." Myra replied.
"What are they doing there?"
"The district... is being forced to choose a tribute this year..." She sighed. "Your uncles took all the kids down there this evening."
"What?" Marten bursted out. "I thought the Reaping was cancelled."
"It was. This ain't the Reaping... It's worse... They're voting..."
"A vote?" Marten looked away from both of them. It felt as though he should have been scared or even surprised at the news, yet it didn't really faze him. So much had happened in the past 24 hours that none of it really affected him anymore.
"Marten..." Salla sighed, still holding her hands on her head. "You're a fugitive now..."
The thought hadn't even occurred to him yet, but he supposed she was correct. He was, indeed, an escapee from prison. Although it was his father who'd released him, he was sure they'd come looking for him eventually. District 4 could never just give up a murder case like this. Marten was not afraid. He was guilty of murdering the carpenter's son, and would willingly bear his neck to any punishment that came his way. He just had to see his family one last time.
"Yes..." Marten replied. "I am. I've got a bit of time before they find me though. I would like to remain here."
"That's fine, hon." Myra said. "Stay as long as you can."
His mother shot him a look of desperation. Her eyes looked sad and distant. "Is it true what they said? You killed the carpenter's boy?"
"Yes."
"They're going to kill you, aren't they? With Zak, they knew they made a mistake... They won't make it again."
"Most likely..."
Salla began weeping silently into the table. Myra leaned over and wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law. "I've had to bury too many family members this week..." She cried. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? I hate this fucking district!"
"It's okay." Myra said, offering a shushing noise. She was trying to calm Salla down, yet she was never very good at the task. "Marten's here now. Everything's going to be okay." When her efforts proved to be unsuccessful, she turned to her nephew. "Did he deserve it?" Myra asked with a stone cold expression.
"Yes."
She seemed to physically relax. It was as though it made the act better somehow. He know she had been waiting to hear that answer ever since she'd heard of the incident. "That's all we needed to know..." She let out a sigh. "Do you want something to eat, honey?"
"I'm starving." He responded with haste. It had been a day since he'd last eaten. "Can you make me your poached eggs? I always love them that way."
"Of course." She replied. She stood up from the table and walked across the kitchen. She reached in the cooler to grab the eggs, and when she did, Marten saw it was much emptier than when he had set off that morning. When the stove lit up and the pan was laid on top of it, only Salla and Marten were left sitting across from one another.
"You used to be afraid of the water." His mother told him, still not making eye contact.
"What?"
She sighed and wiped a strand of hair from her cheek. "I don't know if you remember this, but when you were four years old, your father and I used to take you down to the river to learn how to fish. It was your first time..." She laughed a little bit. "The way you looked at me when you stepped in, it was like you weren't even sure what the water was."
"You're right." He replied. "I don't remember any of this."
"We happily waded you into the water, and every step you took, the tighter you clung to my leg. At one point, your father had enough of it and just kind of yanked you off. He set you down it water where you couldn't touch the bottom, and you were panicking like all hell... I tried to tell him to stop, but every time he just told me this was how he learned from his father, and this was the only true way to learn."
"Let me guess. I drowned." Marten smiled. He normally wasn't the type to joke, but seeing his mother so sorrowful made him wish to cheer her up.
Salla smiled too, and took a moment to respond. "No. Actually, you looked like you were going to for a moment. If your head would have gone under the water, we would have scooped you out immediately. You were in no real danger, but at the time, I was worried sick for you. All of my panic was for nothing though. Before thirty seconds had passed, you had learned to swim."
"What's the point of this story, Mum?"
She brought her hand to her cheek and rested her head there. "That day was the first time I realized how tough you were. I wasn't capable of understanding your father's methods then, but I'm starting to see them now. You have a strong will, Marten... Nothing can break you. Me? I'm not like you or Zak. I can't throw a fishing line... I can't swim for my life... I can't handle it when people are killed around me. You can, though."
"Yes." Marten said. As much as it pained him to admit it, he did not feel any remorse for Ronn or for Poole. When he thought of either of them, he felt regret, but no sympathy. Both got what they deserved. This was one of the few things that frightened him. He knew that he should feel sorry for the people he killed and watched die. He knew he should feel sorry for their families, but he couldn't feel anything.
"The world is going to throw in your face anything it can get its grimy hands on." His mother continued. "When it does, don't let it change you, Marten. Be that little boy your father set down in the river. Be like a stone in the creek. Let the world flow around you, yet stay adamant in your position. Please? For my sake... I don't think I could stand it if you were broken too."
"Have you been preparing that, Mum?" Marten asked, chuckling a bit.
"Every single day." Aunt Myra laughed softly from the kitchen.
"It's true..." Salla replied. "I know I've been waiting to say this for the longest time. I wanted to tell you when you were a man... And I can't see any better time than now. I don't approve of the things you've done, son. I hate it, but I know you. And I know you're going to do everything in your power to make it right."
"I will, Mother."
"But don't you think for one moment that-"
As she said that there was a loud pounding on the door. The noise made the entire house shake slightly. There were two people were shouting outside: one of which was recognizable, as it was his sister's. The other was vaguely familiar. Marten stood up from the table and stepped forward quietly to make out the conversation. His mother and aunt did the same. He expected the door to be opened by his uncles and many cousins, but this was unexpected. Half of him was even hoping it might be his father.
"Please, sir!" Willy pleaded. Her words bled through the paper thin walls. "Don't come in here! Our family has suffered enough already."
"And you don't think other families feel the same way, girl? Get the hell out of my way!" The man's voice was gruff and angry.
"No!" There was another loud slam on the door. Marten's mother anxiously clutched onto his shoulders.
"Who is that?" Salla asked softly from behind the shoulders of her son.
Myra stepped forward towards the door cautiously in curiosity. She whispered back. "It's that escort fuck from the Capitol. What is he doing here?"
Myra placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door slowly, leaving the conversation outside exposed. Willy stood up, shocked that the door she had leaned against had fallen from behind her. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked in a demeaning tone to the pair standing outside.
In the entryway, there was a man of average height, wearing a greasy mop of black hair and a mustache that didn't quite reach the sides of his face. His jaw was thick, yet clean-shaven. He was a rather ugly fellow, but made up for it with his impressive voice. Marten knew him as the escort who normally hosted the Reapings every year for District 4. His name was Marc Bishoppe.
The man frowned at the question and pulled down the flaps of his suit to stand up taller. Perhaps he hoped to appear more intimidating to people who towered above him. "The meaning of this, miss, is that the citizens of Panem have come to a conclusion on who they will choose to occupy the spot of male tribute in the Twenty-Fifth Annual Hunger Games."
"They've chosen me?" Marten asked, bewildered.
"That would be correct sir." Bishoppe replied, turning to the boy. "Although, I'm sure it won't surprise you. You are charged with murdering a citizen in cold blood, are you not?"
"This is outrageous!" Cried Willy, still standing outside the door. "Send him back to prison, lock him up, but you aren't going to use my little brother as a pawn in your game!"
Marten's mother only clutched his shoulder harder. "So why was it you?" Myra asked offensively.
"Hm?" He opened his ear. "I beg your pardon?"
"Out of all people to send to gather the tributes, why did they choose you to pick up a murderer?" She stepped closer in an intimidating fashion, but he stood firm.
"I am the escort, am I not?" Bishoppe raised an eyebrow. "If you choose to become violent, and I advise you do not, I can simply have guards at my back within moments. Mr. Lewis, I would ask you to understand, that this truly is the best option for you."
"The word option implies I have a choice..." Marten clenched his fists.
Bishoppe chuckled under his mustache. "You're correct, being that you don't. Your peers have unanimously decided it should be the citizen with the least to lose. You have a life sentence to your name. Imagine this is your trial, Marten. And in the eyes of the court, you have been served."
Willy stepped into her home and slammed the door behind her, causing the house to shake once more. Marten hadn't even noticed the man had simply walked inside. Yet, now all five people stood in a circle arguing about what Marten's fate would be. "You can't break our family apart further!" Willy screamed in his face. "You can't break our spirit!"
Bishoppe took a moment and sighed. He wiped the spit from his face and flicked it onto the floor. "I'm afraid I do not need to, Miss Lewis. I only need his for one month. And if everything goes well for you, he will emerge not only a victor, but a free man."
"They'll forgive me of my crimes?" Marten raised his eyebrow.
"My good sir... All victors are murderers." He put his small hand on the shoulder of Marten's that was not occupied by his mother's hand, and gripped it. "The only difference is you will be one to emerge with a few more deaths on your hands."
"I truly do not have a choice, do I...?" Marten sighed.
"You do not." Bishops shook his head.
"Don't do it..." Willy pleaded. "Don't go with him."
"The stone in the creek..." His mother whispered from behind him. "The stone in the creek..."
Marten didn't want to partake in this game, but could he really send another to their death in his place. In all likelihood, that man would be far more worthy of a full life than himself. Thinking about this reminded him of the last words of the carpenter's boy before his blood decorated the river. "You're going in that arena," he had said, "and when the timer hits zero, if you're lucky, you'll make a minute." The memory was almost haunting now. Even more than it was before. Marten remembered what he had pledged before. He would accept any punishment that came his way.
Marten sucked up his gut and spoke the words he knew needed to be said. "I suppose... I volunteer as tribute."
End of Chapter 13
I have an idea.
I'm nearly convinced that the Captiol instantly discards kids who are psychos or mentally unstable and agressive, becuse they might start killing people too soon. I mean they may be dangerous to their trainers, mentors other tributes before the Games starts. Or people who think they have nothing to lose, and would try to go on a murder streak before the Games.
And why? Becuse with like 16 tributes instead of 24, it is not that fun. Or with dead people from the Captiol.
By the way, I start to like Marten, more and more. He has good chances to win IMO.
Haha actually this theory is correct in some ways.
Marten is cool. PLs be good to Delmara.
Oh don't worry, Marten's a good chap.
To be frank, it seems logical. It is a game after all. And a good game IS fun to watch.
So, I guess there will be no "2/3 are cripples" Games too. Maybe one or two for the "lulz" but not more.
Of course this is just a "what if".
Besides I think the universe of dem Games is not thought out well. I mean the Captiol even fucks with District 2. But I won't rant here.
I absolutely love Marten's character. Also, sorry for the late reply!
@liquidchicagoted wake up Liquid, a new part is up!
Sorry for taking to long to comment, I got very busy the last few days. Anyway, it was a great chapter, definitely my favourite from Marten! While Marten will always come behind Aura in my biased book, he is a lot better than I thought at first and I now like him as much as I like Saul. I'm looking forward for his future chapters
Who saw Mockingjay part 2? It was my favorite book but I liked the first two movies (Hunger Games & Catching Fire) better.
Me! I saw it last Saturday and it was amazing but the ending left me a bit eh, just like the books ;-;
Though, I agree that I liked the first two movies better. Also, I heard Lionsgate might be investing in a prequel for The Hunger Games! Hopefully it's another set of games >:P
Great Part!
sorry for being a little inactive lately.
That's fine. I love your profile picture by the way. I'm in the middle of that series.
Yeah I refuse to see it. I really didn't like the last book lol. I feel like it would spoil my perception of the movies.
Oh man, I just finished season 2, Can't wait for it to come back on in January.
How far are you in?
Almost done with Season 1. I was doubting I'd like it after the first episode just seemed like teenage drama, but I'm glad I stuck with it.
Chapter 14: The Underbrush
Penn Cassidy
Penn felt dishonest about leaving. She truly did want her father to come on this journey with her. No matter how it felt at times, she knew he did truly love her, but she had come to the conclusion that Jomal was holding her back. She didn't understand why so badly he wished her not to be in the Games. The Games were the only thing she felt she knew. The Games would bring her purpose... Yes... They had to.
Penn slid under the fence as if she was born to do so. There was a spot at the corner of District 1 where the fence had been dug under by animals. The hole was shallow, but it was large enough to allow both her and her boyfriend to pass through unharmed. Even if the electric fence was armed right now, they would have been fine to crawl under. According to Dray, the fence was hardly ever lit. Only when there were escapees from prison would this border come into play. They were just making it all too easy for her.
"Woo!" Penn jumped to her feet on the other side of the fence. She felt adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was, as of now, no longer a member of District 1. "I feel alive! Dray, get your fat ass over here!"
Dray laughed and duck down to shimmy under the fence. She was glad she had at least one person in her life who was willing to support her. When he stood up beside her, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "It feels good, don't it?" He said. He turned around slowly and Penn followed his gaze into the beautiful forest around them. "No one can tell us what to do. Not the Capitol, not President Snow... No one..."
Penn turned back around to face the District she called home for so many years of her life. She promptly threw her arm in the air and raised her middle finger. Dray saw her doing this and replicated it. After a few moments, Penn felt the feeling had sunk in and spun back around. "Okay. Let's go. Do you know how far it is to the next District?"
"I have no idea." He replied. "A few miles, maybe?"
She was dismayed to hear this. She was hoping he would at least know something about where the Districts were. And she desperately wished it to be only a few miles. If it were any farther, it may take her longer than she planned to walk there. As Jomal had told her, you weren't eligible for the Reaping after the age of eighteen. She had to make it this year... She couldn't miss this.
As they walked through the forest, Penn allowed herself to be its beauty. The light shone through gaps between the trees, lighting the path ahead. As it was very early in autumn, leaves had just begun to fall off their branches, and the wind carried them away. It was peaceful and serene, and it brought Penn a kind of joy. If she wasn't so set on joining the Hunger Games, she might be content settling here.
Dray wrapped his left arm around his girlfriend and they strode together. Neither of them even knew which way the fence for the next District was, but they knew they would eventually find one. "Do you know what we're going to do when we get there?" He asked.
"No, but I have a vague idea." She told him. "I'd imagine they'll have some sort of Town Hall. We just have to find it and announce my plans to volunteer."
"And they'll just say yes with no question?"
"Probably. Why wouldn't they? I'm offering to win the Games for them. All I ask for is a share of the winnings, and District 9 can have the rest. And it would mean they don't have to waste a life of one of their girls. It seems like a pretty reasonable argument to me."
"I suppose that's true." He sighed. "Can I ask you something, Penn?"
"Of course."
"Back at the house, you were kind of mean to your dad." He raised his eyebrow. "I know what he was telling you was bullshit, but he did have a few good points."
"Like what?" Yesterday, she felt she would have punched anyone in the gut for defending her father. Today, though, she was willing to listen to reason.
"Everything he wanted was for you." He looked down into her eyes and seemed pained. "I looked at him last night and saw a man who would do anything to protect his daughter. I guess it just hurt him when she wanted to get herself... wanted to be in the Games to get rid of him. You responded to what he thought was protection with harsh words. I don't know... I just think you went a little overboard on him."
Guilt began to flood Penn's mind, because she knew he was right. It was a terrible feeling, but she felt she needed to have it. "I know what you're saying... and I get it." She told him. "Maybe I was a bit hard on Dad. But last night... I don't know... I was just so angry. I couldn't handle it. Has there ever been a time when you've felt like that, Dray?"
He looked ahead towards the forest around them and sighed. "There was one time. We talked about it a lot before. But... yeah, you wouldn't remember."
"What was that?"
He looked away from Penn, as if he wished he hadn't said anything. "I went off on you, about a month ago."
"On me?" Penn was surprised. She unhooked her arm from his back and looked at him. When he met her gaze, both had stopped walking forward. "What was it about?"
He opened his mouth, but caught himself from saying anything. He looked away, and when he returned there was the beginning of tears in his eyes. "No, I don't want to start this again." Dray told her. "Can we just pretend it didn't happen?"
Penn didn't respond. She was only bewildered by her boyfriend's response. He began walking again, and she shook her head, catching up to him. This was a good day, and Penn didn't want to ruin it for the one person who she had to talk to. When she looked behind her, the fence to District 1 was no longer in sight. There was no turning back now.
She walked beside Dray, but no longer felt the urge to put her arm around him or hold his hand. She decided she wouldn't do either of those things until she knew the truth. After minutes of walking, Dray cut apart the awkward silence. "So, how much can you remember?"
"Barely anything." She replied, zipping up her brown windbreaker. "Whenever I try to think about something, it's like a dark spot in my memory. It's like... I know there is something there, but it's blocked or covered by something. I mean, I remember how to speak. I remember how to read, and I remember how to kill. Everything else I only know because you or Dad told me."
"Damn..." He cursed. "I can't really imagine what that's like. You can't remember anything about me?"
"I only remember what you've told me, Dray."
"Can't remember how we met..." He seemed saddened by this. Penn could feel it to. "Can't remember our first kiss... First New Year's Eve..."
"None of it."
"Damnit..." He looked away from her. "But you know they were there? Just blocked by a curtain or something?"
"Something like that."
Dray turned his head to Penn in a meaningful manner. "Maybe if we could recreate those times, all the memories would come back? I just want you to know who I am..."
"I know who you are." Penn told him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I think it's best not to dwell on the past. We'll make new memories. But as for right now, we need to focus on getting into District 9. That's the task at hand."
"Right, right..." He replied. "Maybe once you get back, I could take you to the theatre again. You used to love going there on the weekends..."
"Once I get back, yes." Penn told him. "I would love to go with you."
The two of them walked around a large tree and came across a small ditch. There was a trickle of water flowing downhill about five feet down, and the sides were wet and muddy. It went for as far as Penn could see to her left, but to her right, it flowed down into a large pond. Evidently there had been a rain out here last night. Jomal had told her before she left. She was surprised. They had only been walking for a half hour. It didn't seem like far enough that the weather would change.
Dray began to swing his arms to and fro, getting ready to jump, but Penn put her hand out and grabbed him by the shoulder in hesitation. The ditch was a ways across. She wasn't sure even she could make the jump.
"What is it?" Dray raised his eyebrow in confusion.
http://strawpoll.me/6127804
I love Penn's chapters. I find them so interesting as she's so desperate to be in the Games. However, I kinda got the feels when Dray said "when you get back". ;-;
And.. I chose to walk around the pond. Safety first!
I like it. Who's your favorite character?
Pennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. So desesperate XD.
Wait... she seriously leaves her father behind? Gosh, she just reached a new low in my eyes. She's so freaking selfish and ungrateful, it's... I don't even have words for how much I hate her. Still, let me try to explain. Aside from the missing memories, she has a perfect life and the way she just throws it all away is just... She had a nice life at district 1, which she apparently spent with being a huge bitch to everyone around her, aside from possibly Dray. And now, she managed to flee her district, something that almost nobody manages to do, but instead of enjoying this chance, she decides to throw it all away by volunteering for the games, with a seriously dumb plan, all to satiate her lust for blood, or as she likes to put it 'To find a purpose in life'. And even the missing memories stuff does not make her sympathetic to me in the slightest. From what we know, and as hard as it is to believe, the pre-memory loss Penn was even more obnoxious, so perhaps it's for the better that she's gone forever. And even after her memory loss, all that matters to her is to get a chance to kill people. It would be fine if she only ruins her life, she deserves it, but the fact that she ruins the lives of everyone around her... I mean, her father basically just lost his daughter, which by all means should be enough to ruin his life. Her boyfriend, who is definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is about to get himself killed as well and it doesn't seem to matter for her. I mean, does she really think no one will ever find out that they are escapees from District 1? She's already pushing her luck when she is hoping that they will accept her instead of turning her into an avox, but we know that this is at least going to work out in her favour, more or less. But Dray? He's still someone who escaped from his district, so even if they allow Penn to participate in the games, I doubt there will be any mercy for him. But well, at least she's guaranteed to get her chance to kill a lot of people, so I am sure it's not going to matter to her that her boyfriend and her father have to pay the price for it. As for this choice, I don't think it's a surprise that I chose for her to jump across the ditch. It's more dangerous for her, which is good.
Haha you always write the longest for Penn chapters.
I know, right? While I am currently the most intrigued by Theo and while Aura is the one I'm rooting for the most, Penn is the easiest for me to rant about, and I mean this a lot more positive than it sounds. Her character simply angers me and that always prompts me to write long comments about how much she angers me
However, if there's one good good I can say about her, it's that she is interesting. All of the PoV's are extremely interesting for sure and Penn is no exception. While every other PoV manages to be totally sympathetic though, Penn is the complete opposite, but I could never say that she's boring.
Ah well I suppose that's good. It's so hard for me to write her chapters man... Disagreeing with literally everything that comes out of her mouth.
Am I the only one who actually somewhat likes her character? Don't hate me! Her District is brainwashed into thinking being a tribute is what gives you purpose though, so I can sort of see where she's coming from. I can't help but feel sorry for her character as she does not, and I repeat, does not know what she is going to go up against.
Though, I have a feeling Penn won't last very long in the Games. Once she volunteers for District nine's female spot, she'll be seen as a threat as District nine volunteers are definitely unusual, especially twenty five years in. Also, the skills Penn may possess might be present during her training, thus making her more of a target for the Careers.
And you're right that she comes off as obnoxious. I have a feeling her constant desire of the Games will put me off her character for good. e.e
I like her storyline, but her character? Certainly not! The more I think about it, the more she strikes me as a psychopath.
But here's the thing, she lost her memories. Shouldn't the brainwashing be gone together with her memories? There's also the thing, if I remember correctly, the career-district parents play a huge part in their childrens brainwashing and Penn's dad never appeared to me as a supporter of the games. Therefore, I assume that she isn't really brainwashed, but that her opinion about the games is her genuine conviction. Finally, it takes a special kind of stupid to see the games as a chance to find a purpose in life. Her father told her about the games and considering how much he was against her participating in them, I don't think he sugarcoated anything. So, no, I have no sympathy and no pity for her, because I reserve my pity and sympathy for those who never wanted to be in the games in the first place, those who don't caloussly destroy lives just to get a chance to destroy even more lives in the selfish attempt to find some sort of meaning in life. Besides, I'm not only hating Penn for her sick bloodlust, but also for all her other despicable traits and for her utter lack of likeable traits.
I can only hope so. I mean, that's a good thing with her memory loss, she also definitely forgot that non-careers in general don't show off their skills in the training, so maybe she will become an early target, taking maybe one or two careers out before she goes down herself. I definitely wouldn't mind.
I have the feeling that TeamKennyW00t is building her up as so incredibly unlikeable on purpose just to turn her into some super-likeable hero later on. Maybe she's even going to save my Aura and I'm going to end up feeling bad for every insulting word I ever said about her XD But of course, as long as she is that obnoxious psychopathic bitch she currently is, I have no problems in hating her with a passion.
I have inspired debate... This is so exciting lol.
True, true. Anyways, i'm hella excited for all the tributes to meet:3
Especially seeing my character(Skeeter) make her second appearance! ^^
50% of readers chose to [A. Jump across the ditch.]
"Let me." Penn smiled. She placed a hand on Dray's chest and pushed him out of the way. She knew it might be too far, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of the thrill. She came this far simply for the thrill of being selected for the Hunger Games. Why would she let a small ditch get in her way? She bounded over the hole, landing on the other side with one foot. The other was planted in the mud and she almost slipped, but managed to catch herself. When she emerged on the other side, she jumped in excitement.
"My turn!" Dray shouted. He leaped as far as he could, landing in the same spot as Penn did. Except, his first foot landed in the mud, and gave out from under him. He slid backwards, and on the way down, his chin collided with the ground. He fell to the bottom of the ditch and into the creek. "Shit!" He yelled as he regained his composure.
"Gotta land with your dominant foot, Dray." Penn told him.
He stood up, and tried to brush off the mud from his clothes. It was no use. They were thoroughly caked in mud. When he looked back up, he caught Penn's outstretched hand and climbed out of the ditch with her help. "I don't think my dominant foot matters when I land on something that's going to give out from under me, Penn."
"Yeah, whatever." She replied. When Dray climbed out, he held his hand up to his jaw and shifted it around. Penn cleared off the mud from it and found a large black blotch just below his right jaw. "You've got a bad bruise there."
"Son of a bitch..." Dray cursed. "Should have walked around... Now I'm covered in mud and my face hurts like hell." He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to wear off the pain.
"Hey." Penn knocked him on the arm. "Don't apologize for the risks you take. Live your life the way you fucking want to."
"Now you're starting to sound like your old self." He laughed.
Penn put her hand on Dray's shoulder and smiled up at him. It seemed like everyone in this world was against her, but she was glad to have at least one person she could count on. "C'mon." She told him. "We've got to be close."
The two of them walked for what seemed like forever. When she asked him how long they'd been out, he revealed it to be half past noon. They'd been walking for three hours. The further they walked, the forest became less and less dense until there were barely trees in a field as far as she could see. Everything was flat, and the grass was tall and yellow. It ticked when she touched her fingers to it. For the first time since she woke up, Penn could see the whole sky with no cloud cover or trees blocking her way. It looked... peaceful... She almost regretted having to leave it behind for the Hunger Games. Almost...
"I've never seen anything like it." Dray said. Looking around at the fields. He had stopped trailing mud behind him a while ago, and now it was all dried onto his body. "Everything looks so huge and open. It's like we could do anything."
"We could do anything." Penn repeated the statement. She held out her hands and touched the bristles of the tall grass. She felt as though it should remind her of something, dragging the drapes from another of her memories, yet it didn't. This was an entirely new memory. "You know... Once I get back, let's get my father and live out here. We wouldn't have to worry about anything at all."
"But Penn..." He raised an eyebrow. "Your father wants to live in the Capitol."
Penn shrugged. "No, my father wants to go to the Capitol to find my mother. I don't see any reason we can't come back."
"Well, you can run the idea past him. I'm not sure he'll want to come back after working so hard to get in."
After walking for another hour, Penn and Dray came to a long fence. It ran as far as she could see in either direction, and the wires were only inches apart. It was tighter and more secure than the fence in District 1. It was ten feet high, and at the top, there was a sign warning of the danger. It looked, for the most part, the same as the other one. Penn pulled out her knife and strode toward it.
Dray caught her arm before she reached the wires. "Hold up... What are you doing?"
"Cutting a hole through?" Penn replied. "I hope you don't expect us to walk all the way around until we find another entrance. Time is wasting."
"It could be electrified." He warned her, squeezing her arm tighter. "The voltage is turned off in District 1 because the Capitol trusts us not to try to escape. I've heard it's different for some of the other districts."
"Oh yeah?" Penn replied. She bent down and searched around on the ground. She picked up a small worm and held it up. It wiggled around in her fingers before she dropped it on one of the wires. Nothing happened. The worm simply fell back down to the ground and burrowed down. "Doesn't seem electric to me."
Dray seemed confused. "I was so sure... I thought District 9 kept theirs on..."
"You guessed wrong." Penn responded. She held up her knife and began to cut through the wires. It was difficult, but it took about a minute to get all the way through a wire. When the first one fell, she knew she had made it. Victory was so close she could almost taste it.
"Hey Penn..." Dray said as he stood there. He took off his dark green stocking cap and his black hair fell closer to his neck. "You know what I said before?"
"What?" She asked, still cutting through the fence as fast as she was able to.
"About how I went off on you before?" He made himself clearer. "I figure you need to know the truth. I can't keep it to myself."
Penn cut through the last wire of the fence and the hole she made was large enough for either of them to fit through. But instead of stepping through, she just turned to her boyfriend to finish the conversation. "Go on."
"I don't know how to say this in a better way... So I'll just say it. You're too reckless, Penn." He told her. She felt offended the moment he said this but she let him continue. "About seven months ago, there was a huge tornado up north of town. It ripped a huge chunk out of the forest. Everyone was safe inside, but you thought it would be a nice idea to go watch it tear up the road."
"I sort of remember that now, yes." Penn replied. "You came out to stop me, Dray..."
"Yeah. I did. I did it for you, Penn." He told her. Penn could see the weight of sincerity in his eyes, and knew she would have to listen the whole thing through. "The storm was dangerous, and I didn't want you to get hurt. So I tried to talk you into coming back home. But you wouldn't listen. Every time I tried, you'd just get closer to it. Eventually, I... hit you. And I'm sorry."
The moment Penn remembered Dray slapping her across the cheek, she almost felt it happen again. It had made her so angry that day, but today she understood him more. "You hit me?" She asked.
"Yeah." He seemed angry at himself even to have to say it out loud. "You weren't listening to reason... I tried everything. And... You didn't talk to me again for a month after that."
"Why did you tell me this?"
"I didn't want to have to live with it under shadows. I want to be honest with you..."
Penn sucked in her gut and fought back her urge to question him further. She walked forward and he flinched a bit. She wrapped her arms around him. Her clothes were muddy, but she hardly cared. "Dray... I forgive you..."
Dray let out a sigh of relief. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say that." He told her, hugging her back even tighter.
The hug lasted for close to fifteen seconds and when she let go, Penn stepped through the hole in the fence she had just created. "Let's get moving." She said, as Dray followed behind her, stepping through the hole himself. "I want to get into town before nightfall. There's no telling how close we are."
"Or how far..." Dray added, he looked around at the fields full of tall grass. "This is our new home, Penn. As far as I know, I think we're the first ever to switch Districts like this."
Penn and Dray came to the top of a hill and saw a valley beneath them. It was miles away, but at the bottom laid a town. It wasn't much larger than the city she grew up in, but she knew it was where she needed to go. When Penn took her first step forward, she smiled. She finally had a direction to travel on her journey. This was where Penn needed to be. This was her purpose.
End of Chapter 14
Yay! Another part that doesn't fail to intrigue me. And damn, I warned you guys! Safety first!
I hope you don't mind me asking, but is Skeeter going to make a second appearance within Book 1? I'm curious and excited as to how you're going to be writing her and such:P If you can't give out that information then don't worry!^^
Probably not within Book 1, but right at the beginning of Book 2 yes.
Hey guys, we're exactly halfway through Book 1 now. So it's Mid-book feedback quiz time!
Woohoo, questions. I love to answer questions
Who is your favorite POV character thus far?
Well... do I have to say it again? It's a fact that Aura is awesome. Of course, I just have to root for her, but she's not only my favourite just because I created her, but mostly because I got by far the strongest feels out of her parts. Don't get me wrong, the others gave me feels too. But the only one who came even close was Saul in his interaction with Peara. I'm going to admit it, I had wet eyes after some Aura parts and because of that, she is my favourite and will always stay my favourite. Theo is great as well, but while his storyline is so damn interesting, he gave me less feels than the other PoV's, simply because his situation is not as heartbreaking. Marten deserves some mention as well. While I like him less than Aura and Saul, he grew on me and should not remain unmentioned.
Favorite non-POV character?
Several whom I enjoyed a lot. There's Cass, for being so utterly adorable and for amplifying the already strong feels I got in Aura's chapters. Her friendship with Aura is just sweet. There's Caesar, for being, well, Caesar. I love how you wrote him. And finally, while I naturally hate him, I am so incredibly intrigued by Snow and think the way you write him is just brilliant. He's my favourite antagonist, which qualifies him for the position of my favourite character as well. But in the end, considering that he's utterly and irredeemably evil, I still like him less that Caesar and Cass of course. I am also curious about the other tributes. If their personality is as well-defined as our PoV's personality, I can't wait to learn more about them. But well, for now it's Cass, Caesar and Snow, in this order.
Least favorite character.
That one is easily Penn, by far actually. Hell, even a complete bastard like Munrow, as much as I want him dead, still only looks out for his district, in a very twisted way. Penn on the other hand only looks out for herself. I think in previous comments I already went into detail why I hate her so much. Unlike Munrow, who at least has a single redeeming trait, Penn has none. I'm still hoping for her to get better, but as long as she stays the way she is right now, I simply hate her. Munrow is a close second, but as I said, he has this single redeeming trait. Oh, and then there's Aura's father, Rowan. The only reason why I hate Munrow more than Rowan is that Rowan had less screentime and therefore, less time to be a complete asshole. I bet in Aura's future chapters, this will change and at the end of the book, I will probably hate him as much as I hate Munrow. But as long as she's this obnoxiously selfish psychopath, Penn will always come first when it comes to my least favourite characters.
Where do you think the story will head next? Or just random predictions.
I still think things will end horribly for Dray and for Penn's father. There's no way the Capitol is going to let such a humiliation unpunished. After all, they are willing to kill whole families even more minor offenses, as seen with Haymitch or Johanna. Penn's survival already stretches it a little bit, but she is at least guaranteed to go to the games. Maybe Dray's death can serve as a catalyst for her to become a better person. Other than that, I have no real idea where the story is heading in Book 1. Obviously, there's going to be the remaining reapings soon, but aside from Penn, I don't know what could happen in the meantime for the other PoV's. Maybe Saul will get a chance to kill Munrow, I'd like that.
Any suggestions for my writing?
None. This story is amazing and your writing leaves me speechless. I wouldn't dare to suggest any improvements.
Probably Bellamy or Lincoln. I like Jasper too though. I'm on Season 2 now, and I'm starting to see why you have Murphy as your profile pic.
What happened to Haymitch and Johanna? I haven't read the books in a while.
Haymitch's family got killed because the capitol felt humiliated after he used the forcefield around the arena to kill his final opponent. Johanna refused to work as a prostitute, so Snow killed her family in return. I might be wrong there, but I think Haymitch even implied that this is common whenever someone who is too important to be killed, like a victor, humiliates the Capitol by refusing their orders or by revealing flaws in their system, something Penn definitely did by switching districts.
Goddamnit Capitol XD Haymitch didn't even humiliate you with the forcefield thing. He just used it. If that's true, they should have killed that one tribute's family too for digging up the mines around the cornucopia.