Chapter 2: "No....YOURE LYING!" I scream. My father steps toward me. "Rose.." he starts. I swat way his loving hand. "NO! IF U REALLY LOVED ME YOU WOULDN'T HAVE PUSHED YOURSELF TO THIS!" "But I-" "I AM NOT LIKE MY MOTHER. AD I WILL NEVER BE LIKE HER!" with that last scream, I force the door open and run outside, towards the only place I truly belong to. The woods. A 24/7 electrical fence surrounds district 12, but sometimes it fails. I wait utility it fails and open the latch and go through. If its on, I just move through a hole I made under the fence, like a chipmunk or a dog. I reach the fence and go slightly closer to feel heat. There's no heat, so I open the rusty latch and move through to the woods, my true home. Surrounded by birds, squirrels, deers, and even bears. To cover the sun, only leaving small patches of it are redwood trees. I love it here. Today is perfect for it. I run, it's the only thing I can do it seems like. Running and running along towards my ffavorite place. Te lake that stands by a small place I call heaven. My grandfathers hunting house. I remember when my father took me out here and let my waddle in the shallow parts. My father, I can't think about him right now. Anger boils my blood and I storm into the house and slam the door behind me. Inside, are memories I never want to forget. Maria, Alex and I on my 10th birthday. Alex killing his first bear. Maria catching her very first rabbit. Alex and I hanging from a branch on a tree. Moments like that, I never wan to end. I'm pretty sure grandfather shouldn't mind because we decorated it to be like home. Multipule blankets and pillows with make-up and brushes for Maria. Pencils and paper for me. And at least 50 books for Alex to read. I collapse on my bed and start bawling. My father hates me, he has to if he wants me to go into the Hunger Games. Just to keep the house! A knock on the door. "Go away." I whisper. In unison, a boy and girl voice. sixteen and eighteen year old voices. "Rose its us, Alex and Maria." they say.
Update: I dry my tears. "Come in." They rush in and surround me. Maria hugs me and Alex holds my hands. "Your fathers horrible. News spreads fast." Maria cautiously says. "I'll have to agree with that lil sis." Alex agrees. "Let's just face it. My father doesn't want me." I tell. Their jaws drop, so to say. "Rose you are the best person I know. Honestly." Alex hugs me tightly and I smile slightly. "If I don't go though, My fathers going to leave for more competitions. Cecila is going to abuse Pj and I hardcore." I say. Abuse, slaps, punches, pushes, cuts, verbal, mental. If that's bad, I can only imagine the horror that will await. "You can make it Rose. I know you can. We both do." Maria encourages, motioning towards both her and Alex. "You are the best hunter I know. Even better than Alex. All u have to do is imagine those people are animals." "Thanks. What if, I have to volunteer?" I say, placing my hads on my thighs and sigh. Alex thinks for a moment. "Well, we'll just have to see don't we?" Maria claps. "Let's change the subject. Rose I brought your mothers dress. I snuck into ur room and grabbed it. Along with the mockingjay pin" "Maria I don't want anything having to do with my mother." I groan. "Aw c'mon Rose please?!?" She begs, giving her puppy dog face at me. "You're going to give in." Alex challenges. "Not this time." I say, already starting to give in. "In 3,2,1" "Okay Okay Maria I'll do it!" "Yay!" Maria happily states. She digs into her baby blue backpack until she finds my mothers dress and holds it up. "It's in perfect condition isn't it?" "Yeah, perfect." I say. Maria then finds the mockingjay pin. She holds it up to the window where sunlight sinks in. It sparkles and glints in the sun. "I polished it." She gushes. Digging her backpack one last time she pulls out Light blue eyeshadow, black eyeliner, lipgloss and clear nailpolish. "MAKE-UP?!" I yell as I head for te door. "ALEX!" Maria exclaims. Alex wraps his muscular arms aroun my waist and pulls me back, laughing. I look back at him. His shaggy blond hair glimmers in the sun and his bright blue eyes stare at me smiling. "Cmon Rosy-Posy. You know the drill" He says laughing. Placing me on a chair, he holds me down at the shoulders from behind me. "It'll be fun, I swear." Maria giggles. She places out the make-up. "Now Alex, when I change her you have to go outside! no pervs allowed!" "Oh shucks." ~•~•~•~•~•~• Still In chapter two.
Update: The horror of sitting there having no way of escape, Maria applying liquid eyeliner that she let's go off my eyelid slightly. After, she puts on the eyeshadow, saying the whole time I look pretty and gorgeous. "Ok, I beg of you," I plead. "No nail polish." Maria thinks it over for a while, the seconds ticking by. "Ok, no nail polish." she finally agrees. She then places a thin layer of lipgloss on my lips. Alex is laughing though all this, knowing i despise make-up. As soon as I stand up I'm going to punch him in the gut to show him even girls with make-up can kick his ass. Maria frowns slightly. "What?" I question. "Alex is this good enough?" she asks him. Alex walks to the front and for that one second he stares at me in awe. "You look, uh, perfect Rose." he says. My eyes widen. Does he still like me? We dated when I was fifteen ad he was seventeen. We had to split because our love was affecting our feeling towards Maria. We exluded her way too much. The amount of deer and rabbit and squirrel slowly decreased. I had finally realized what was happening and quickly cut off the relationship. He understood, and we quickly hunted frequently to make up. We didn't hunt for ourselves, we hunted for the unfortunate people in district twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety, my mother used to say. "Maria? I think it's time I got changed." I quickly say, catching the gleam of love in Alexs eye. I have to stop it before it progresses again. If I loved him again, what if I died in the Hunger Games? "Of course," Maria understands what's going on through my head. "Alex, out!" "Okay okay, just remember, I'm innocent until proven guilty." alex laughs and walks out, closing the door gently behind him. Maria stares at me and crosses her arms, grinning. A special gleam in her eye that only means one thing. Matchmaker time. "MARIA! I don't like him anymore." i mutter and I pull my gown over my head and off. "I know, but he likes you." "Obviously, but I don't want to be with him anymore." She sighs and tosses me the dress. "You cant avoid him forever Rose. You have to face him." "Not now." I pull the dress on and let the shoulder parts slide to the side of my shoulders. "But when?" "I- I don't know."