Sparks Fly

Chapter 15

My feet back up automatically and I blend into the trees. I cover my mouth with my glove to disperse the white of my breath in the icy air. Adrenaline courses through me, wiping all the concerns of the day from my mind as I focus on the immediate threat before me. Trapped. I'm trapped. Does Thread somehow know I've escaped his net today? Is he lying in wait, counting on the fact that I would be locked out of District 12 until the Peacekeepers could find me and arrest me, ready to drag me to the square to be locked in the stockade or whipped or hanged?

I shake my head to clear the panicked thoughts in my mind. This has happened before. I used to just perch in a tree and wait it out. If I was running late, Prim even got in the habit of going to the Meadow to check if the fence was charged, to spare my mother worry.

But today my family would never imagine I'd be in the woods. I've even taken steps to mislead them. And with everything that's been happening, I doubt it's a coincidence that the power is conveniently back on the same day that I choose to cross the fence.

I was vigilant when I slid under the fence this morning, but there's alway the slightest chance that someone could've seen, and money is scarce right now – any rational person would choose a handful of coins over loyalty to me, the very person who brought this upon them in the first place. It was dark when I went under and my face was bundled in a scarf. But the list of people who trespass into the forest is very short.

I stare at the thick patches of snow that glitter in the dying light of the Meadow. Whether or not Thread is aware of my transgression today, know that I have to somehow cross back into the district and pretend like I'd never left.

Any contact with the metal of the fence would result in my immediate death. The ground underneath the chainlink is frozen, which would make it nearly impossible to dig my way underneath. I am left with one option – going over the fence.

I stalk along the tree line, hunting for one that would be long and high enough to ensure that I'm nowhere close to the fence when I inevitably drop. I walk about a mile before coming across an ancient maple that seems to be the right length and height. It's difficult to scale the icy bark, but I manage to get a grip and slowly inch my way out on a limb that hangs above the barbed wire.

I try not to look down as I wriggle along the branch. It's safer to jump rather than brave the fence, but only just. Being high enough to avoid electrocution means a minimum twenty foot freefall. I estimate mine's about twenty-five. But I don't really have a choice. Here, at least, I can see I've got a snowbank to cushion my landing. I throw my empty game bag to the ground before me and slowly lower myself until I'm hanging by my hands. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and drop.

There's the sensation of falling, then an impact that sends sparks of pain shooting through my spine. I lie in the snow, trying to assess the damage. I don't need to stand to know that my left heel and tailbone have been injured. Badly. I'm hoping for bruises, but when I force myself onto my feet, I suspect I've broken something as well. I can walk, if barely, so I grit my teeth and begin trying to hide my limp as best I can.

My mother and Prim can't know where I was. I need an alibi, no matter how poorly thought up. Some of the shops in the square are still open, so I go in one and purchase white cloth for bandages. We're running low, anyways after the never-ending stream of injured people who are now deposited on our kitchen table. I make a point to stop by the sweetshop for Prim, buying her bag of peppermints. I stick one of the candies in my mouth, letting the cool, sweet flavor dissolve on my tongue.

By the time I reach my house, my left heel will bear no weight at all. There's ice everywhere, so it shouldn't be difficult finding some excuse for my injuries. As for the missing food, I'll just be vague about who I handed it out to. I'm barely able to keep putting one foot in front of the other, fully planning on collapsing in front of the fire when I get inside. But instead I get another shock. Peacekeepers.