Ever In Your Favour || Schmico Short Story

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For as long as anyone could remember, the land had been divided into 13 districts. The Capitol stood above them all and relied heavily on their work to survive. Each district represented one line of work, which supplied the Capitol with food and clothes; something which many of the workers were not blessed with. They worked for hours every day, watched over by the peace-keepers, unable to rest. They had to stick to their daily quota, or else punishment would follow.

Every year, the Capitol would host a game. A game to keep the districts in line, to show them how powerless they were. It was called the Hunger Games. One girl and one boy from each district would be chosen as a tribute to fight to the death, for victory. For what seemed like a life of luxury. Too many innocent young girls and boys had given up their lives in that game. It was known that many victors turned to a life of drugs and alcohol to deal with the everlasting memories of the games. Some had even been known to take their own lives, just to escape the constant torture that was their everyday life.

District one was the district known for luxury. From this district came the tributes known as careers- they are trained specially for the Hunger Games and volunteer themselves once they are old enough. They are ruthless killing machines, difficult to face and even more difficult to defeat. District two was known for masonry. District three was technology- perhaps one of the districts with the brightest of people in many's opinions. District four was known for fishing, supplying the Capitol with its large share of seafood. Power was District five's job. A very important one indeed. District six worked transportation. District seven was lumber. Many strong tributes came from here, after hours of slinging a heavy axe and carrying large logs. It paid off. District eight was textiles. Grain was District nine. Livestock came from District ten, yet another very important puzzle piece to how the Capitol thrived. District eleven was agriculture. District 12 worked down deep in the mines. A danger job, to which many had lost their lives to in the past.

District 13 was military before it was brutally destroyed. Rumors were quick to spread about why it was destroyed. Had they rebelled, or did the Capitol deem them too powerful? A threat, perhaps? The Capitol believed that no one survived, but others believe differently.

It was a crisp morning in district ten. A thin layer of frost swept over the ground, colouring the floor a dirty white. A young boy, that of only 18, was making what little breakfast he could for his family. His name was Levi- a shy, timid man that liked to keep to himself at the best of times. A few years back, his sister had been chosen to fight in the games. At the time, she was only 15. Far too young to have to witness such terrible things. She was far too young to die. Levi hadn't been the same since. He remembers the exact day it happened.

Her name was Charlie, a bright girl who could bring a smile to anyone. She had such a future ahead of her, but her life was cut short once the games began. She used her knowledge to outsmart many of the other tributes. She hid well and rationed her food and water supply. One night, another tribute found her. Some guy from district eight- what he did to her is simply unspeakable. Levi didn't understand why he had to kill her so violently. He can still remember her screams ripping through the open air, bouncing off every rock around her. She begged him to stop.

After that, the family fell apart. His father worked day and night to keep his mind occupied. There was rarely a time when he was home anymore. His mother put on a brave face but he could see her suffering underneath. She found herself comfort through self-medicating whenever she could. His other sibling, a younger girl named Emma who was now 12, couldn't understand it fully. She still believed that Charlie was going to come home.

"Hey," A soft voice came from behind Levi. It startled him, but even so, he smiled when he saw who had interrupted his thoughts. "I'm hungry."

Levi glanced down at the little food he had in front of him. "I have some food here. You need it to grow big and strong, okay? It's not much, but it is all I could do."