Sterling Moonraker | Peacekeeper | FIN

With age comes wisdom…and grey hairs.

Your parents told me write about certain parts of my life, so that you can learn about your rather successful grandfather. Your parents are a great disappointment compared to me, excluding your Aunt Penny, who took on the more suitable career. Your parents like I predict yourselves, whale it out in District Four, doing the simple jobs. Unlike your older much frailer grandfather, who is bringing peace to your Panem. They told me to keep this not so explicit, they don’t want me to scare you kids but you need to face the hard truth of life.

I’ll have to start from childhood wont I? Just like you seven dimwits, I was born in District Four. I was the only child to your great-grandparents, Maverick Sr (yes Mav, you were named after your great-grand father) & Rosalie Moonraker. They weren’t successful in anyway, my father a fisherman, my mother a fisherman’s wife. I rarely ever saw father, he was always out on his boat, working. I was a stocky as a child; my mother fed me lots of fish, hoping I’d grow. When I was eight, she got me fat with all the fish. My father sought out that I lose weight, so sent me off to the career centre.

Just like you lot, I trained. My father’s plan worked, I did lose weight and I had a growth spurt. At fifteen years old, I was handsome (like I am now) tall young man. I had all the girls in the training centre swooning over me, in particular a girl called Penny. For weeks I knew she had her eye on me, I used to show off with my swordsmanship and used to swipe vulnerable lads to ground. Giggling in her little girly group, I had to win her over somehow.

Now you best read this seriously kids, you’re going to learn how to obtain the love of your life. I was seventeen when I conjured up the courage to speak to Penny. As a teenager, I was quite shy talking to people, especially women. I used to sweat, my words came out like nonsense, I could never control what I was saying. My father said I had a learning problem, I struggled with my words at school too, could never spell them properly or read them. So I apologise if none of this make sense, I can speak properly now but not so much write.

When I was younger I also discovered I could sing, I was fifteen and was invited to one of the many beach parties. Someone began chanting, wanting us to all join in with his chant; well did I let out such a beautiful voice. Many of them were left speechless; I am very multi-talented unlike your parents.

So I used the voice on Penny one day on the beach, serenading her with a love song and well it worked. I had fallen in love with a precious girl with sun coloured hair, beautiful grey eyes, she was everything I dreamed of in a woman. Penny was a year older than me; we regularly met up on the beach shore, got up to a lot of shenanigans in the caves(Which I advise that none of you lot do) When she was nineteen, she had Tenner, a year later, Little Penny  and then the twins Auric and Vesper. Her parents were one of the wealthiest in the District, so they supported us with our little clan.

My four children, three quarters of them disappointments.

Travelling around Panem helped me see a lot of things, how the different Districts work, I was even based in the Capitol for a short while. It is a very enjoyable job, being a Peacekeeper but I can still remember the first time I killed someone.

Not long after finished the training, I was posted in District 7 and we had to capture a rogue lumber in the forest. His weapon choice of course was an axe and I found him; holding it to the neck of another peacekeeper. Without though I just pulled the trigger…he was gone…his life taken away from a tiny piece of metal. I can remember his face, about a thirty year old man with full beard. He had just run from his work, he didn’t want to do it anymore so he just ran and I killed him.

Whenever I thought about it, I thought about my children too, how they too could easily have their life taken, as well as Penny. I was told to forget about it, I had more to come and that was very true but I can never get rid of the image. His lifeless face with the small circle wound in his forehead.

With all the work, I had grown a stern shell around me, I couldn’t look weak. I had to be remorseless; I couldn’t have any morality towards these criminals. There are a threat to Panem and must be eradicated. Although deep down, I couldn’t just change but in time it did happen.

With age comes strength…and wrinkled skin.

I graduated at 22, thirty years later I was finally posted in District Four permantley. During those thirty years, I did visit your parents; most of you were even born during that time, so I had to see my grandchildren(many of you were very ugly babies.) I had been to every edge of Panem and I was finally back in District Four for good, I hadn’t been for a year so I had a lot to catch up on.

I was to return home to find out someone was missing.

Yes your Aunt Penny had been the clever one and became a Peacekeeper like me and at the time she was posted in Eight so didn’t know either. I came home and your Grandmother Penny was dead. She had been ill, she had been for months and your ignorant parents and uncles didn’t bother to tell me. She was my wife; they could have got a message to me. I told them whenever I move Districts, they knew where I was.

What ignorant selfish, stupid bastards they’re! She had been dead for two months as well and was already buried! I was distraught, the love of my life gone and I didn’t even know. Little Penny wasn’t even told either, I had to tell her, I got the message to her easily two days later. I decided to stay only 6 months and asked to move, I couldn’t face those selfish people I called my children.

They’re useless and I hope you don’t follow in their footsteps.

For another ten years I moved around Panem, the old fearless Peacekeeper. Since Penny died, my heart was no longer soft, it was made of metal. I bumped into your Aunt many times, your successful Aunt, she is just as good a Peacekeeper as I. The younger peacekeepers look up to me, the stern old one. Sadistic Sterling because I no longer care why criminals do what they do, they’re criminals, they’re selfish ignorant souls. Even though I’d bet they’d tell their father about their mother’s death.

Your parent’s told me to attach a picture of what I look like but I’d rather describe what age does to you.

For years I still kept up to my running, even at forty I could still run a marathon but after that age did begin to take a toll on me. Running for a while began to become hard, especially on my heart, not only did your parents ruin it but so did age.Becoming breathless was a regular thing for me on assignments, slowly I couldn’t keep up with the younger ones although my brain was all still there. Grey began to attack my black hair; my face was no longer smooth like a baby’s arse, more like a wrinkled hand bag.

Muscles that used to be prominent began to disappear under the saggy skin. Pain began to attack my body too, especially my back, slowly my body is beginning to fall to bits. The other peacekeepers suggested I retired but I am not going to do that. The only way I going to leave this job is:
They force me too.
I lose all my marbles
I die

Don’t just give up on life.

I’ve made a name, I’ve my name throughout Panem and I want to continue it. I am not writing this so you can learn about me; I am writing this to teach you a lesson. Don’t just hang about the District; follow in my footsteps, make a change to the world you live in. Don’t be a useless bunch like your parents.