//brave new district//[ani]

Sarita Wolfe

Staring at the rain,
Maddened by the stars?

With her rough wool scarfcpulled over her red hair, Sarita had made it this far into the depths of Panem. Sneaking out of the cold house of her mother who had long lost her sense and signing up for the building effort was easy, it was the second step of her plan that was going to be the hardest. She was in line with the rest of the helpers from District Eight, some volunteers like herself and some forced, as they stumbled down to the docks. Everything in this district was slippery- the streets, the rocks, even the people. Whereas District Eight was cold, dry and covered in fluffs of cotton that made a worker's lungs give out, this district was the complete opposite. Gray clouds crowded the sky as they often did back home, but these let out drenching rains that halted the building efforts for hours. The District Eight people were slowly taking off their wool sweaters, finding them ruined by the rain or too warm for the humid climate. Sarita never once removed her shawl lest she risk some Peacekeeper from remembering her face. She had a very specific plan and if it failed it would mean more than a lifetime of boring needlework at home with mother.

Once the workers reached the docks, the Peacekeepers and overseers relaxed choosing to speak among themselves than to keep a watchful eye on the visiting citizens. Picking up a hammer and a little sack of nails, Sarita moved under the dock as if to help reinforce the posts beneath where tired men heaved the beams to rebuild what made District Four so valuable to Panem. Stepping into the chill water, the girl let her thin shoes soak through and the tips of her ragged skirt drag through the water as she waded over the sandy shore on the other side of the dock. She dropped her hammer and nails beside a working man who took no notice of her, and while keeping an eye on a Keeper, she ventured out onto the rocky beach. She walked briskly but did not run- just quick enough to convey confidence and purpose. No one asks busy people questions after all. She may have looked calm but instead her heart was beating as quickly as the train that brought her to this new district. She knew what she was risking just by thinking of hiding out here but she was willing to do it. There was nothing left at home- no Aria, no Bran just the hollowed out shell of what was once her mother. So strong and proud, and now a ghost of her former self. Sarita did not belong with ghosts, she wanted to be with the living.

Her wet feet hit the boards of the sidewalks that made up the streets of District Four, and as if she were a droplet of water in the massive ocean she stepped into the throng of citizens and vanished.

Stepping into an alleyway, Sarita tore back her scarf from her face letting the fabric fall to her shoulders. She couldn't seem to catch her breath from the fear in her chest and the thickness of the sea air. No matter how many lungfuls she took in it was never enough. Sliding against the damp brick wall behind her, she sat on the ground thinking of what to do now. She could disguise herself and try to find a place to stay, or she could lay low until the visiting districts left. Truth be told she didn't think she'd get this far and now that she had... well there was a lot to figure.

Despite the unsteadiness of her future, a smile touched her pink lips. She had finally broken out of her cage, and even if it was soaking wet and muddy she had flown from her mother's nest and landed in a new world.