.::[[A New Beginning]]::. {The Uprising}

always thought i'd float away
and never come back

They called themselves the Uprising.

It was a fitting name, in Kiara Mason's opinion, one that suited their cause very nicely. They were rising up. Growing stronger. Initiating a spark, however small, that could lead to a bigger flame, and eventually a roaring fire that would alter history forever. Never again would the entirety of Panem be pushed around by the ominous, looming force that was the Capitol. Never again would innocent children be forced to kill each other for sport and travel to an arena in which everyone faced their worst nightmare at some point. Never again would people starve while the Capitol lived in luxury. Never again.

Of course, the time when all that would be true was a long way away, but that was a minor detail. What really mattered is that all these people were here now, leaving their districts, their homes, to show their desire for a change. This group had been going since just after the Rebellion itself, building up and becoming stronger with every new addition. Many questioned the ability of a small number of people to change a way of life so drastically, but this was how everything began, right? The Rebellion had started this way, too, with a small group of people who called for a change. Maybe it wasn't going to happen for a while, but it would happen in her lifetime. Kiara was sure of it. That was why she was here; to make sure it did.

Kiara had to admit, though, that it all sounded incredibly dramatic to her. What was all the hype about? They were just doing what needed to be done, and nothing more. Of course, she supported the cause; ever since Colton's untimely death in the Hunger Games she'd held a grudge against the Capitol and everything they stood for. But really, it seemed more prudent to her to keep everything on the down low, rather than parade around about it.

She'd come across Griffin deep in the woods about a week or so ago. After she'd loosened up a little and decided that killing the man in front of her wasn't entirely necessary, he'd explained to her about his group, his gang. At first, Kiara was skeptical. First of all, what if it was all just a story? What if this was just some delusional guy who'd gathered a couple of friends and suddenly decided they were well on their way to shaking up the nation? The small fourteen-year-old had no way of knowing if what he spoke about was true or not, but if it was, she didn't think she'd be able to pass the opportunity up. And he'd promised her...the use of her knife. She'd be able to use her most prized weapon, and really use it. Not just against defenseless animals for food, or the occasional person she came across while running in the woods who tried to mess with her, but against those who really needed to be stabbed in the back.

Literally.

It was about four in the morning, just hours after she'd met Griffin, that she'd decided to do it. She was up in a tree, concealed from any predators by its thick, leafy branches. Nowadays she felt more comfortable spending the night in the woods than in her own bed back in Eleven. She knew the woods, knew what to expect from them. And home...well, she didn't know her own home. Not anymore.

She'd gone over the pros and cons before she decided. Pros: Fight for what you believe in. Get revenge on the bastards that were the Capitol, decked out in horrible clothing, jewelry, and makeup with their taunting, singsong accents. Use the knife that had become an extension of her arm over the past three and a half years, the knife that she knew how to torture with, even though she hardly ever did. Those Capitolians, though, they deserved it. She'd slice off each of their fingers, one by one, carve her name into their skin, all over, so they knew it was her who had done it. She'd carve her brother's too, so they knew who they had killed. So they remembered. Because they never remembered the deaths of those in the Games, only the successes of the Victor.

Then there were the cons, though. She'd have to leave her district, the only place in which the spirit of her deceased brother, her protector, remained. He didn't follow her into the woods, and he was unlikely to follow her all the way to District Thirteen, either. She'd have to continue on living ,when sometimes all she wanted to do was follow in Colton's footsteps and just die. But really, that was it for the negatives. There was no one and nothing she'd miss back in Eleven; not her parents, not her friends.

So the pros obviously outnumbered the cons. And, as was the norm in decision-making, majority ruled.

So here she was, having made the trip up to District Thirteen in less than a week. Trips like that was what she was built for; she ran most of the day, stopped to rest and hunt occasionally. She slept through the majority of the night, both to refuel stamina and because she knew that running in the uninhabited forest in the dead of night was practically a death sentence. Bears, wolves...freaky Capitol muttations...who knew what you'd find here?

District Thirteen was a bland place, but that was to be expected, considering it had been wiped off the map fifty some-odd years ago. It no longer smoldered like the Capitol so often insisted it did (that proved they were obviously lying about one thing) but most of the buildings were still in ruins. She felt as if something more was there, though, as if she was missing something...there were more secrets than she could count up to here in District Thirteen. But hey, while she was here, why not try to dig them up?

There were a lot of people by the Justice Building, and she recognized Griffin, giving a speech. As usual, she was late. She listened vaguely; it was something about getting to know one another. Oh, shit. Making friends was a lost art for Kiara; when pigs flew, that would be the day when Kiara Mason would get along with someone else. At this point in time she wasn't looking for a fight, but her fist clenched around the hilt of the knife in her belt all the same. If anyone messed with her....

The people here were...a weird bunch, to say the least. There was even a little girl here; she couldn't have been more than twelve. She was practically crying over a water bottle, for some reason. Kiara rolled her eyes, but decided it was better not to question the presence of a twelve-year-old when she hardly looked more than twelve herself.

There was also an older man there, much older than the rest...he went up to the little girl whose lip was quivering over the water bottle and spoke to her. And then an older girl made an appearance, brandishing a knife very like the black-haired District Elevener's own, and Kiara finally was able to put two and two together. Of course, the little girl had stolen the water bottle out of a bag that did not belong to her.

The green-eyed teenager couldn't help but want to get in on the scene. She moved swiftly over to the little group, not pulling out her knife as the other girl had, but still keeping her hand around it. The carefully polished silver blade still glinted in the dim light of sunset. "You know, thievery is punishable by law," she informed slightly sarcastically, with a sly smirk. "Too bad there's no peacekeepers here, or you'd really get it."

The man cleans off a sheet of paper from his notepad, which Annalise realizes is caked in dirt and mud, and scrawls something in an untidy print. Showing it to her, she discovered his lack of speech. Avox. The word had a nice ring to it, she thought. It told her the person was deadly, maybe. They had done things to the Capitol to make them retaliate. And... that was bad? Honestly, Anna had no opinion on the topic. Hate along with fear coursed through her veins when she thought of President Snow, and the other surgically-altered, neon skin toned, overly-wealthy Capitolites.

Deciding she did not wish to have a conversation (um...) with this man, she gave a small half-wave and sauntered on over to the people gathered a few yards over. A girl had her knife drawn, and all her senses warned her of danger. But, of course, there was her own knife sheathed at her hip, and the sword on her back. No one could ever say she came unprepared.

The knife came up, and was pressed against another girl's throat. That... wasn't good. No, no, no. This was a rebellion! Rebels didn't kill each other, when they were working for the sam cause! Did they?
Annalise felt her face flush. What the hell? Not only was this girl stirring trouble, but she had also gotten her confused. Her thoughts were in a fuddle, and she felt completely out of place. And that wasn't right, because she had been told personally that she belonged here. For crying out loud, she deserved it! She was a Victor, after all.

Unsheathing her own knife, she strolled over to the armed girl (the one currently threatening the other?) and pressed it softly, but firmly, agaist her neck. "I would consider putting that pretty little blade away, if I were you." A small voice behind me said something about Peacekeepers and the law. Annalise began to think coming here at all was a mistake. Already she was ready to murder, and she had spent barely ten minutes with her said team mates. This new group was not turning out to be so bright after all.

Twisting her hips a little, so she could make out the speaker, Annalise scowled. "Little girl, you have no business in this. I see you haven't even had the brains to bring a decent weapon with you. What, did you think this little get-together was going to be all fun and games?" Tilting the blade a little so that the sharp edge wasn't exactly rubbing against the stranger's skin, Anna pressed a little harder. "I have experienced treachery first hand, my dear, and I swear it, I will not go down that road again."

OOC-Sorry for the crapiness of this short post, but I had little to no muse, but I wanted to get a post out for this thread. Btw, Anna is holding the knife to Myla's neck, and talking to Kiara. Although, the second time she is talking to Myla... I dunno. Confusing xD