The Little Mockingjay

Youth

Song: Youth by Daughter

When I come to, I feel the cold ground against my face and there’s a throbbing in my jaw. I sit up and notice that the drugs have worn off completely; I’m no longer paralyzed. I also notice that I’m in a cell. It’s small and so dark that I can barely see what’s in front of my face. I shiver in the cold and pull my sweater tighter around my body. I inhale and smell a mixture of sweat and metal.

“Nadia?” A small voice asks.

“Flint,” I breathe.

He’s here. He crosses the small cell and sits right next to me. He’s also shivering. I take off my sweater and wrap it around him, leaving me in only my jeans and black tank top.

“You weren’t moving. I thought you were dead.”

“Sorry,” I say as I collect him into my arms.

It takes all of my strength not to cry; I’m so happy that he’s alive and here with me. I just wish that I knew where 'here' is. I wish I knew who these people are and why they took us. What are they going to do to us? I hear loud footsteps banging in the dark and I figure I'll find out soon enough. Flint and I separate to opposite sides of our cell, backs pressed to the walls, just in time for the lights to flick on. The prison slowly becomes illuminated with dim lights that hang from the ceiling. We sit in nothing but a box, shut in by a door made of metal bars. No beds, no blankets, no food, no water. Just a group of soldiers who glare at us, as if they're sizing us up. What are they gonna do, cook us for dinner?

"What do you want us for?"

I ask in a voice that comes out smaller than the one I usually speak in.

"Don't play dumb," one of the soldiers barks in a low tone. He stands in font of the other two men. I'm guessing he's the leader around here. A gun hangs at his waist. I flinch when I see it. The only weapon I've seen is my mom's bow, but that doesn't look nearly as intimidating as the gun. I pray he won't use it and shut my mouth, but Flint picks up where I left off.

"Tell us what's going on," he says in a trying-to-sound-powerful voice. I cut him a look, willing him to shut up so we don't get hurt. But, it's too late. The soldier throws open our cell door and before I can move, he slaps Flint straight across the face.

"No!" I scream, forcing myself off of the floor and to Flint.

As I cradle his face in my hand, one of the other soldiers speaks up. I recognize his voice. He was the one I heard when I was taken from the classroom.

"Captain, they don't know anything. My guess is they were never told."

His voice sounds noticeably less violent now. I hear The Captain scoff and he turns on his heal to leave. I let out a breath, which soon gets caught in my throat when I hear his words echo down the hallway.

His footsteps stop momentarily as he says,

"Fine. Hawthorne, you were there, tell them everything they need to know. Then let them know what we need of them."

The soldier turns his head and starts to reply, but then decides against it. He looks back to Flint and I and signals for us to leave the cell. We obey, and he stares at me as I walk out. His eyes are transfixed on me. It looks like watching me is causing him pain, for some unknown reason.

"I can't believe they didn't tell you anything," he says, his tone gentle now.

This is it, I think. This how I find out the dark secrets that my parents have been hiding. Finally. Maybe these people aren't so bad after all. Flint and I exchange a look that's half excitement, half terror, as we walk down a long hallway with concrete walls. The soldier turns abruptly, as if he's almost missed the turn, and holds open a door for Flint and I. This confuses me a great deal. Wasn't this the man barking orders as we we're kidnapped? He watched as I was sedated and punch hard in the jaw. He was there when Flint got slapped and I'm sure he was there when we got tossed into that cell to begin with. Why is he suddenly being nice to us? I walk through the door behind Flint, but I don't dare to look this man in the eye. I look around and there's not much to see except for a table with four chairs. Flint and I sit next to each other and the soldier sits opposite us. He stares at me for another second before starting.