Sancha Viel - D5 - Fin | Hunger Games: The RPG

Sancha Viel - D5 - Fin Oct 14, 2017 4:27:00 GMT -5

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Post by ryan on Oct 14, 2017 4:27:00 GMT -5

It was never easy in five. Being the district that used to be covered in farms, now it is plagued by oil rigs and refineries. There aren’t many farms left. We were lucky, my family and I, to have one of the last farms in the district. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep a living up. My family kept the farm going no matter what. Even when people tried to convince us that what we did was no longer what made money, we found a way to make money. I took care of the animals that we did house, and I worked closely with my father in order to make sure they were growing up in the best environment.

While it was hard, and there were times where we couldn’t provide the best environment, we strived to make sure the animals were taken care of. Well, that was until the pollution had gotten to be too much. We attempted to raise young animals even when the oil rigs started popping up, and while we were successful for a while, all good things must come to an end right? I didn’t think much about it to be honest. I didn’t want to think about it. I just wanted to work, and work hard. I loved caring for the animals. They were my friends. One in particular, who I called Betsy, was a horse that was born the same day I was. She was a white thoroughbred that was the last horse that her mother gave birth too before having to be put down. My parents were sad to let her go shortly after Betsy’s birth, but they thought of both of us as miracles.

I had two brothers. Key word there is had. While we were growing up however, we all were different people. I tended to be a bit more overconfident in my skills as a farm hand. There were days where I tried to out lift my brothers but I would get tired and fall to the ground while whatever I was lifting spilled everywhere. My brother’s San and Sen both had similar personalities. They were reckless, and sometimes, I envied that about them. I usually stuck to taking care of the animals pretty closely, making sure they were getting ready to be bred, however, San and Sen both had other things in mind when it came to the animals. San liked to mess around with the animals because he claimed he was bored and really had nothing better to do. When I would tell him to knock it off, he would just look at me and laugh. He knew that I wasn’t going to do anything because I was too afraid to fight him. He was twice my size and could easily lift me with one hand. I couldn’t do much when it came to fighting back, but what I lacked in muscles, I made up for in compassion. What I lacked in bravery, I made up for in confidence. My mother always told me that I was the one she wouldn’t worry about. I could take care of myself, and while I craved my family’s attention, I wasn’t heartbroken if I didn’t get it. I could understand that everyone was busy and I found my own way to distract myself when I felt alone.

One day while me and San were out with the animals, I watched closely, trying to see what San was up too. I didn’t know what to expect because I knew that San was probably getting bored, and that meant he was going to try to create himself some entertainment. With my father farther ahead than us, I watched as he grabbed a rock and threw it at one of the horses. The horse whinnied lightly and continued to follow the path that we were walking. I heard a light chuckle come from him and I told him to knock it off. Again, he grabbed another small rock and threw it at the same horse, this time hitting it in the head. The horse began to buck a bit, but I was able to keep it under control. This time I screamed at him to stop. Of course, he didn’t listen, and he grabbed another rock and this time hit the horse in the eye. This sent the horse into a frenzy, kicking up its back legs and bucking them into San’s head and chest. In the commotion, all I could hear was the cries of the horse and a loud cracking noise. I watched as San dropped to the ground and the horse ran off. I ran to San, shaking him and screaming at him to make sure he was alright. After a minute of not responding I realized that the force of the horse’s buck snapped San’s neck like a twig. In the horror of it, I screamed for my father, and life at home was never the same.

Well, it would never be the same, because that’s when the oil rigs popped up in droves.

The pollution became nauseating, and toxic fumes spread through the air like a plague. Sen always had bad asthma, and one day collapsed while trying to lift a bail of hay to one of the animals. The air was poison, and Sen didn’t make it. By the time we got to him, his hand was over his chest, and my eyes were never dry again.

So that’s why I am the only one of the Viel’s left. I always thought that one of us would have been reaped and sent to our deaths. I never thought that it would be outside of an arena. By the time we finally got over the death of Sen, raising animals became too much of a task for us to handle. Slowly, we started selling animals. We had to trade in our farm clothes for black overalls. My father didn’t want to give up his animal farm, but he could tell that this was no longer what made district five special. Instead, black gold ran rapid through the district, and the name of the game was how much of it could be rounded up to make a profit. I hated it, since I had to be the one to take care of what animals that we did keep. One by one though, I watched as my father sold one after the other. He got good money for them. Money that bought us things that we did need to survive. As much as it saddened me to see the animals go, I knew our lives were more important than the animals.

One day my father came back from one of the oil rigs that he now worked on. He came out to the field and found me, playing with the two horses we had left. Betsy and another one named Min. He admired the way that I took care of both of them, especially Betsy, because of course, that was my horse. He came up to us and looked at us solemnly. He had a weird look on his face, which meant that something awful was about to happen. That’s when he called me over. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I could feel the acid eat away at the tender flesh. I knew what he was going to say. The tears fell before I reached him. It was time for me to part with one of the horses. When I said that to him, he looked at me and shook his head. He sold both. Min was a male horse, and Betsy, a female horse. He told me that he couldn’t pass up the money that was offered for them, and he told me that he was sorry, but he didn’t have a choice. I screamed at him. I begged him to keep Betsy. I told him that she was the only thing that meant anything to me. I had nothing to hold onto here in five anymore, and if I lost Betsy, surely I would lose myself soon after. He shook his head again, saying that today would be my last day with them, and to say my goodbyes. There was no negotiation when it came to my father, and my mother didn’t care too much either. If it helped us survive, then do it. That was the mindset of my parents. I hated them for it, but I also respected them for it.

I hugged Betsy. Petted her. Fed her one last meal before locking her up in the shed that we kept her in. I made sure she knew she was loved and that she would be missed. I hoped that she would be happy where ever she was going. There wasn’t much for me to do anymore. So I kissed her nose and made my way back to the house.

Later on that night though, I had a revelation. I knew that Betsy didn’t want to go where ever she was going. This was my chance to do something for me. I knew I didn’t want Betsy to leave, but I also didn’t want to fight my father on it. I snuck out of the house and made my way to that shed. I was going to set her free, to make sure that she would have her best chance at another life. I was set in my decision, and I had concocted a story if my parents asked what happened.

However, when I got to that shed.

            And opened the door to it.

                                She was gone.

                                                The shed was empty.

                                                                Just like my heart.

PAT: 1622