Capri 'Crash Queen' Wynters{D3} Finished!

Some people can only take so much and once they've had enough they have two choices: to get out or extend their limit. But me, I didn't have a choice. I could either leave or die. Die in the worst way I could ever imagine possible. And I certainly wasn't going to let that happen.

Ever since I can remember I was abused, neglected, and over protected all at the same time. How? That's my parents for you, wackjobs, most likely not right in the head. They were messed up, their lives were messed up and they decided to take it out on me. They blamed me for all their problems, no matter what it was. Whether it was financial, or something as dumb as the weather, it was always my fault. I'd be beaten for it too. I still have scars on my legs and ankles from when vases and dishes were thrown at me and I couldn't manage to get out of the way quick enough. There were also nights when I would go hungry, not given any food because we couldn't afford it. That was my fault too apparently.

Everything was always my fault. When teachers asked me where all the bruises and cuts came from it was something I did, my parents were never mentioned. I'm pretty sure none of my teachers believed any of it but they never said anything. And why should they? I was just another one of their students. Besides, I some how managed to never let my parents mistreatment affect me. I always had the same amount of energy- unlimited. I was considered the crazy one in my class, the kid at heart. Always hyper and trying to make a game of everything, sometimes not at the best moments. But that's who I was, who I still am. Crazy, outgoing, and a little immature. I was a wild child. And my parents even tried taking that away from me.

* * *

"No." It was an answer I heard a lot. That and "That's way to dangerous Capri." My parents were trying to destroy me. Little by little they would take things away from me. It started out small, not being able to go out with friends, go for runs, and go shopping. As time went on my limits became greater. After a while I wasn't able to go to school and eventually I wasn't even allowed out of the house. I was considered an 'embarrassment' to them which meant I wasn't allowed to be seen by the public eye.

I can try and lie by saying it wasn't hard being locked up in the house all day, but it was. No fresh air, no sun on my face, it was torture. I needed the outdoors. I needed anything but to be stuck staring at the wall all day. But most importantly I needed food, and I wasn't getting any.

It had been almost four days since I'd last gotten anything to eat, the only thing I was given was water. I tried to stay quiet, but the hunger was getting to me. I tried figuring out what their motive could possibly be but I couldn't think of anything. They can't be trying to kill their only daughter, can they? So one night while their were eating dinner I gathered the courage and asked "Can I have some food?" They didn't even look up from their plates when my dad replied with that one word answer I've heard for so long, "No."

This wasn't real. It couldn't be happening. I knew my parents hated me but I never thought that they wanted me to die. I laughed a little, "You're joking, right?" If they were it was some cruel joke. This time my mother stopped eating. She set her fork down and actually looked at me for the first time in weeks. "No," she said. And her tone was so serious I knew there was no way this was a joke.

I stood there for a minute trying to take in what this meant. With this new realization, all the hatred I've ever had towards my parents boiled over. My father looked up from his meal and raised his eyebrows at me, trying to figure out why I was still standing there. I glared at the both of them, and just like they've been giving me one word answers for the past year, that's what I gave them. "Okay," I said and I turned around and walked out the with only the clothes on my back. That was it. I was done. I had reached my limit, and I sure as hell wasn't raising it for them.

* * *

Two and a half months I roamed around the streets of Three, scrounging for food in trash bins, sleeping in alleys and sometimes abandon buildings if I got lucky. Living off scraps was hard and eventually I couldn't take it anymore. I needed something more satisfying, something would keep me going through the day without having to stop and throw it up multiple times. So I did what I had to do to survive, I stole it.

I started by taking little things, a piece of bread here, an apple there. My heists became bigger as I grew more confident in my skills. I would find my way into large crowds, blending in easily, going unnoticed, and easily pickpocket a wallet and take a few dollars. I would quickly slide the wallet back into my victims pocket and be on my way, slipping back into the crowd without any detection. A couple of dollars from each person made a huge difference in the way I lived life on the streets. I was now eating meals I had never dreamed was possible. I looked more like a part of the higher end of the district rather than a mangy street rat. It wasn't bad, my life was better than ever. There was only one problem, it was boring. It was the same thing day in and day out. Wander, steal, eat, sleep, over and over again. Everyday of my life. Well, everyday of my life except two, one that scared me shitless, and the other changed my life forever.

* * *

It started out as any other normal day, I'd find my way into a crowd and pick pocket a few wallets. The only problem was that every wallet I seemed to grab had little to no money in it. I was growing frustrated and the rumbling in my stomach didn't help my situation either. As my hunger grew so did my desperation. It was almost dusk and all I had to show for today's efforts were a few cents and an empty stomach. I sat against a building and let the pangs of hunger overtake my body. It had been three weeks since I felt the effects of hunger. Sobs began to rack my whole body and I had given up hope, I felt like a failure.

I was about to find an alley to retire for the night when I saw it. The white uniform of a Peacekeeper making his way through the crowd. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be loaded with money. This was my chance, my chance to not go hungry for the night, possibly even a few days. I stood up and surveyed the situation, there were enough people in the streets that I could easily slip in unnoticed, but wasn't this whole situation kind of odd? Don't Peacekeepers normally patrol or something? This one was simply walking through the crowd, he didn't even have his gun out. I couldn't worry about this now though because my small window of opurtunity was beginning to slip away. I had to act now or starve for the day, maybe even longer. So I did what I had to do to survive, and when then next wave of people came I stepped in and disappeared into the crowd.

I swiftly moved along through the crowd, dodging people as I went, my target becoming nearer and nearer. I was locked in, like a tiger on its prey, and nothing could hinder my sight. I was close now, close enough to reach, but I had to wait. I felt eyes watching me from all over, not just one pair, but many. Maybe it was me just being paranoid, who knows. I couldn't let it stop me, not now, not when I was so close. I waited for the feeling to pass and then I went in. I slightly picked up my pace so I could be side by side with the man. My hand slid down near his back where I spotted the wallet. I was just about to take it when something grabbed my wrist. The offender wheeled me around so that we were now face to face. "Hey!" I shouted "What-"And I stopped dead, because the Peacekeeper in front of me was not the one I had been tailing. "What do you think you're doing young lady?" His voice was a deep, rumbling bass, the kind that all the huge tough guys have. "You're coming with us," said my target as he grabbed both my arms and handcuffed me.

* * *

The last thing I remembered was being thrown into the back of a white van with the Peacekeeper symbol on the back doors before I was knocked out with some high-tech Capitol drug. When I gained conciousness I was in a sterile room devoid of everything except two metal chairs and an unusually clean table. I spotted the mirror and knew they were watching me. "Well," I said staring directly at the mirror, the impatience clear in my voice "Are you gonna send somebody in or what?" As soon the words left my mouth the metal door to my left flew open, and the person they sent in was the same one I tried to steal from earlier. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. Great

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," said the man with a devious smile on his face. He began to examine me from head to toe. I stood defiantly as he took in my rugged appearance, everything from my knotted hair and tattered clothes. "Why don't you take a seat princess?" I knew 'princess' was in no means a compliment. "No thanks," I said almost hissing "I'd rather stand." I added a smile at the end that probably looked more like a grimace, I leaned against the wall and folded my arms across my chest. "Whatever suits you. Now, Capri, let's talk about your crime-" I cut him off in the middle of his sentence. "One, how do you know my name? And two, I didn't commit any crime."

The Peacekeeper, I decided to call him Bill, looked at me and gave me a sly smile. "I know your name because we've been watching you from weeks," My mouth almost fell open when he said that, but I somehow managed to keep my composure. All that time I thought I had been going unnoticed, when in reality I was being watched. There's no way, he must be bluffing. "And you did commit a crime, you were stealing, and that is punishable by death." I pulled myself off the wall and walked over to the table where Bill was sitting at and laid my hands on the cold, metal surface, getting right into his face. "You have no proof," I said. Then I straightened myself up, slowly making my way towards the door. "And even if you did, I would just say the hunger had driven me insane, and then I'd get off perfectly free." Bill got up out of his seat and began to make his way toward me. "You listen here girl, we have plenty-" I began laughing, almost hysterically. "Admit it, you don't have a case." I paused slightly, giving him time to let it sink in. "I think I'll be leaving now." I glared at him, letting him know our little meeting was over. "Fine," he said "Would you like a ride back to the slums?" And he began to laugh, a laugh so frigid and haunting that it could melt even the happiest of hearts. "Thanks," I said. The hate for this man rolling off me in waves. "But I think I'll walk." And with that I left, slamming the door behind, the man's laughter echoing in the back of my mind.

* * *

I laid low for a couple of weeks, just in case the government was keeping tabs on me. Even though I had a pretty good hunch that they weren't. Better safe than sorry though, right? Once I was sure they were gone, I began my normal routine again. Everyday was the same, except one. One day I found out I wasn't as good as I thought I was. I discovered that there were people better than me. That one day changed my life forever.

It began like any other normal day. I rose late so I could blend into the lunch crowd, they always had cash on them. I made my way into the crowd, trying to spot the wealthiest looking person to steal off of. I had just spotted my latest victim when I felt it, eyes, just like that day with the Peacekeepers. Except this time it only felt like one pair, not the twenty I felt watching me on that day. I kept walking, keeping my target in sight, but not taking anything quite yet. If this pair of eyes was with the government I'd be screwed. I risked a quick glance behind me and the eyes that I felt were still trained on me. In fact, they were looking right at me.

I made a mental note of the man and turned back around. He couldn't be any older than 20, he had red hair and looked a little scruffy. At least that assured me he wasn't part of the government. Now it was time to decide if I was going to care that this man was watching me or not. If I did, I would take the chance of not finding anything for the rest of the day. If I didn't and took the man's wallet, I would risk having this man turn me in. I knew what I had to do, and that was make the quickest steal I have ever made in my life and hope that red-head back there wasn't paying attention when I did. I made my way up behind the man I had spotted early and managed to take his wallet so quickly that if you blinked you would have missed it. I gave a sigh of relief because there was no way mystery man behind me could have seen it. I was off the hook, but just to make sure I glanced into the store window I was passing to see if he was still tailing me. And of course he was, and by the smirk on his face he had seen everything. He must not have been blinking.

I looked behind me again and cursed a little under my breath. He was picking up his pace, as if he was determined to catch me, but that sure as hell wasn't going to happen. My feet quickened underneath me, determined to lose him in the crowd. I dodged into side streets and alleyways, hoping that I had the advantage of knowing this area better than he did, but of course I didn't. His foot steps echoed mine, and just when I thought I had lost him I managed to get myself caught in a dead end. I watch as his broad figure blocks my only route of escape. "Well fuck," I said as I try to figure out another way out of this mess. That's when I hear it, laughing, and not a guy's laughter, but that of a woman's. I look at my capture and cock an eyebrow. I look down the other end of the alley and see a dark shadow emerging. "Well done, Party Poison." She says as she comes into clear view. "It seems you found a good one."

A good what? What exactly qualifies me as a good one? I watch as 'Party Poison' nods. "I do my best ma'am." I glare at him. What kind of name is Party Poison anyway? "Alright," I say stepping forward "Who the hell are you guys?" The woman laughs again "I'm Lyla and that's Cyanide and we are part of a secret rebel group that has been trying to secure freedom for the citizens of Panem." I crinkle my nose a little, why the hell do I care? "Well that's nice! Now, if you don't mind I'll just be on my way." I try to make my way out of the alley but Cyanide steps forward and blocks my path even more. I sigh and turn around to Lyla. "What do you guys want with me?" I almost beg. She looks at me calmly and makes it simple, "We want you to join us." A laugh escapes me and it takes me a minute to compose my self. "Why me? I'm nothing special, I'm just a street rat." Cyanide stares at me, "Yes, but you're a smart street rat," he says. "An incredibly smart one," adds Lyla "We've been tailing you for a while now and it's not easy for people to blend in the way you do,it's almost a natural talent. It's even harder with that colored hair." She smirks, eyeing my bright red matted hair, almost with envy. "Yeah, I know," I say "I could see him coming from a mile away." My eyes glint with mischief. I don't know how smart it is harassing him since I'm pretty sure he could kill me with his bare hands. Apparently he's not as mean as he looks because he gives a low chuckle and Lyla begins to laugh again. "Feisty," she says, "I like her. Take her to head quarters Party Poison." He nods and starts leading me out of the alley. "Soo," I say looking up at him "About this whole 'Party Poison' business, I think you need to reconsider your name." He laughs at me as he leads me off to my new home, my new life.

* * *

This is my past, my life, my story. And it's all written down in this little book, never able to be read by human eyes except my own because it's too dangerous for us to know about each other. It's too much of a risk. It's basically like it never happened since I'm not allowed to speak a word of it to anyone. When I joined the Killjoys I knew I'd be giving up a lot, but I didn't think that I'd have to give up my past. My story defines me, but it doesn't determine what I am. That I decide on my own. I had a choice to pick between doing nothing or making a difference. And now that I chose I have to make sacrifices, some a lot bigger than others.

I stare at the flickering flames of the fire, letting them mesmerize me. I know what I have to do, but it's so hard. I've always had trouble of letting things go. Your life is like a book, each moment adds another chapter and nobody's story is the same. Maybe that's why I'm having trouble letting go of the little book that's in my hand. It holds everything about me, each precious moment. But really, what does it matter? You decide where you go next. I look at the diary in my hands, this was my book. I let the single tear roll down my face, shedding it for everything that happened, all the hard times that I never once cried for. I let all the pain fill my body for that one second. And then I release it, and the only way to release that pain is by getting rid of the past. I take my diary and throw it into the fire, along with all the good and bad things that have happened to me. I watch as it burns, making the fire grow as it does. Once I'm sure it's gone I turn and walk away, from the fire, from the pain, and from my past. Now I'm just a girl with no story. Just a girl doing what she thinks is right.