Panem Forever

Chapter 14

Spring
꧁༒☬.☬༒꧂

"Evelina, could you go out and pick some swamp potato while you're at the lake?" Delora Sanders, Evelina's mother, asked from the kitchen.

"Yes, mother," the girl replied, placing two slices of fresh bread and some berries in a basket. With the changing of the season, there came a change of moods. Things seemed to be going well in 12. There was more food, a morale boost in the guards, and a beautiful spring to lift their spirits. Still, there was a faint smell of death that hung in the air, clinging to the skin of District 12.

Daffodil Corwin, a bright, intelligent girl murdered, just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Coryo told her what had happened. To Evelina's surprise, it was not a rebel attack, but instead a rumble between two opposing sides. It was over a silly thing, really. The people beside Daffodil were trying to protect her. Evelina discovered her friend had a secret lover, a young man named Billy Taupe. He was a scrawny boy with greasy hair that Evelina remembered from school. It turned out he had been cheating on the mayor's daughter, Mayfair Lipp, with Daffodil. And oh, was she mad. That woman ratted them out, ordering a group of men who were loyal to her father to attack them. The first shot that rung out was from Mayfair herself. She aimed it at Daffodil, but missed and hit Billy instead.

It only escalated from there. Fist fights broke out between everyone, and soon Peacekeepers came to settle the problem. Daffodil, the kind soul she was, stepped in to get a Peacekeeper off of Mayfair, trying to remind him that she was the mayor's beloved daughter. Her kindness only cost her her life, for the guard did not take the aggression lightly. He shot her without a second thought, and her body was mindlessly dragged through the streets like a fresh deer that was to be sold to the butcher.

Evelina remembers only crying all those moons ago when Coryo had told her. She would never escape the Games, not now. Nadine and Daffodil, the only people in the world she could have considered a friend. Well, besides Lucy Gray and Coriolanus. She only just got to know Lucy Gray, though, and Coryo was more than a friend. What was he exactly? She often pondered this question to herself many nights, when the sun had faded and she was alone with her thoughts in the darkness. And when there was nothing else to think about, or when her own questions frightened her, she would always think of Coryo.

"Here," her father, Haywood, handed her a small knife, "for the swamp potato." Yes, the knife was for the plant, but it was also for protection, and Evelina knew this. She kissed both of them on the cheek before leaving, practically skipping to the lake. Lucy Gray had invited her and Coryo to join their band, The Covey, on a little day trip. She had been looking forward to it all week.

She met up with them in the meadow, Coryo trying to engage in conversation with a boy who had a long braid similar to the one Evelina usually sported. Today her hair was down, flowing freely in ebony waves. She linked hands with Snow as they marched down to the lake, a secret place Lucy Gray swore no one but them knew about. Now Evelina and Coryo did. Well, and her parents. But Lucy didn't have to know that, they would keep it a secret.

Evelina found herself liking Lucy more and more, she just had that sort of peace about her. "You can trust me, you know," Lucy had told her. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only one she could truly trust.

And she wanted to trust Coryo. Most of the time she could. But in the back of her mind, there was always a sense of doubt. His loyalty would continue to lie with the Captiol, and why wouldn't it? She didn't expect him to change his entire life for her, but a small part of her didn't want him to go back. She knew he was technically exiled, but somehow he would find his way home before the 20 years were up.