THE HUNGER GAMES: the taste of Whiskey and Snow // CORIOLANUS SNOW

One

"You ready?" She whispered to herself.

With a swish of her explosive curls, she pounced like a lioness from one branch to the other. The tree creaked in response as her arms slammed against the bark. She kicked her legs and pulled her body weight safely atop the tree.

"How does Whisk do that?" Jimmy asked, slightly in awe. From all the way down in the safety of the ground, he could never imagine his boney knees being able to climb a tree like her.

Ratley scoffed, feeling everything except admiration. With his arms crossed next to Jimmy, he stared at the girl in the tree with disgust. "Don't give her the credit Dipshit, I told you she's like a monkey freak."

"What's a monkey?" Jimmy asked, showing his poverty all too well.

Ratley rolled his eyes, putting his hands in his old coat disapprovingly. He cringed at the reminder that they were district 12, the stupid and poor people. The district so far away from the capital that they didn't even know what a monkey was. "It was in a book I read about the capital. Apparently the rich people have them there." he explained. "They have big limbs and fur all over. They climb trees, like Whisk."

"Have you seen one?" Jimmy asked wide eyed at his friends knowledge.

"No, I just read about it in a book," Ratley repeated, irritated.

Suddenly, a stick came flying down from the top of the tree and leaves showered down on them. "Ah," Ratley cried covering his face, trying not to get his clothes dirty.

"Listen up, I can see it from here," Whiskey yelled from the top of the tree, flicking back her hair from her eyes.

Ratley brushed the leaves from his shoulders and straightened his hair. "Ugh, what was that for?" He complained. "You could've just said that without the leaf shower."

"What does it look like!" Jimmy yelled, ignoring Ratley. Jimmy's orange afro bounced with him, full of excitement. His old trousers hung on to his waist for dear life.

"Um... I can only make out the lights, but they're beautiful. Yellows and reds.. and even some blue. You should come up and see yourself," Whiskey announced, staring into the distance.

Jimmy's face lit up, "Really?"

"Sure I'll help you," Whiskey grinned, flashing her teeth, already on her way down the tree.

"Don't be serious, Jimmy," Ratley complained, but Jimmy was already reaching for Whiskey's hand and being helped onto the first branch.

Ratley rolled his eyes and planted his feet firmly in the thick rooted grass. Like everything else in district 12, it was tough, surviving on a tiny bit of light on the forest floor. It's naturistic beauty was lost in its struggle to exist. "I won't be going up there. I'm not a wild animal," Ratley announced.

Unlike Jimmy's grey, once white, singlet and his green pants two sizes too big, Ratley was wearing his stolen leather shoes and his waist coat. He liked to look nice because the people at the capital liked to look nice. If he was going to one day fit in with them, he would have to dress like them.

"I refuse to be covered in dirt and sticks. I'm wearing my favourite jacket. I don't want to get it dirty. That's behaviour of children. You guys are acting like scum from district 12. You know, I bet in the capital nobody climbs trees," Ratley continued to argue.

"Rat," Whiskey interrupted. "We don't care about your coat. Surely you didn't walk all this way just to sit at the bottom of the tree."

He paused, thought about it for a moment and then finally gave in. Whiskey knew him too well to be arguing with her.

"Fine but if I get hurt it's your fault," Ratley sighed.

Whiskey's smile widened as she watched him approach her. Her hand reached out towards him, shaking ever so slightly more than natural. Ratley, of course, completely un-noticing, grabbed her hand, whilst continuing to complain about something. His hand was bigger than hers and surprisingly gentle to touch. His fingers enclosed around hers like she was the page to one of the many books he'd read.

Whiskey treasured the small moments like these when Ratley and her's hand touched. It was electric and she craved it - despite knowing he didn't feel the same. It was a blessing and a curse for she could ignore the sadness of his dislike every other time in her life expect when their touched skin. For the heaviness was too much to fight when his hand was resting in hers, knowing he'd never appreciate as much as her. She always swallowed these feelings and allowed the small gifts none the less. A touch of a hand from the boy she'd love for years was better than nothing.

Suddenly, Whiskey's breath caught in her throat for a moment. Her cheeks tinted suddenly at the idea he'd heard it. She quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the tree so she could hide her face. She moved away from him and darted up the tree. "Hurry up, Rat. You'll miss the lights at the rate you're going."

"Yeah, whatever," he sighed, following her up.

Jimmy sat at the top of the branches, captivated by the view. For one night only, the sky was clear enough that the capital could be seen from district 12. The lights were small, yet stunningly beautiful.

Whiskey and Ratley perched next to Jimmy and dreamed away into the night, hypnotises by the city lights thousands of miles away.

"It's bizzare that a place that looks so small and is so far away can control our lives," Whiskey said quietly. Years of built up anger was present in her expression.

"That's were I'm going to live when I'm grown," Ratley sighed. "I cannot wait to get out of here."

"You keep saying that but you're 18 tomorrow and you still haven't got any closer than the fence to district 11," Whisk pointed out, glancing at his face. The night made his skin glow like a painting - he was art to her.

His brown eyes stabbed hers carelessly.  "I don't know what your problem is with the capital. Every time I bring it up you shut me down."

"I don't shut you down," she defended herself, noticing the red paint smearing across his canvas. "I'm just saying-

"Saying what? That you don't want me to live in the capital?"

"They treat us like dirt!" Whiskey yelled, turning away from him. "Why can't you see that? You're so blinded by wanting to be beautiful to these rich people that we don't even know."

"At least I have a future," he jabbed back at her. "At least I have hope and I'm not going to just live in district 12 my whole life like you, Whisk."

"You want to live in the capital but they'll never accept you." Whiskey yelled. A few birds in a tree flew away. "They'll never accept you because you were born here, not there. You're not one of them."

"I'd rather be. I'd rather be them that one of you," Ratley yelled back.

They both went quiet for a second. All that could be heard was the wind in the tree tops at night. Whiskey fought her tears back, refusing to look back at Ratley who was glaring at her from across the branch.

Finally, Jimmy spoke, breaking the intense silence. "What happens if we get called as a tribute tomorrow?"