Reed Montego - Wanderer [done]

Freedom. It's all I desire. Panem is such a cruel place, but I can't escape it. Life is a constant battle, and I'm used to doing what I'm told. My family is my life, yet we're captives to the dictatorship that doesn't matter. Sometimes the idea of crossing the line sounds fun, but I don't say a word as I must protect my family forever. All I want is what's best for them. To give them a chance. I've had my chance of growing up. Of making my own name. It doesn't matter though because I'm locked away in my own little world. But I don't know how. I've never known how because it's such a hard life of figuring things out from one point to another. I found my first chance when I was eighteen years old, and I was free of fighting to death in the hunger games. All the fear was gone, and I journeyed from place to place wondering if others felt the same. It's a hard task to accomplish, but I'm on the road to ultimate freedom, and I won't stop until I find it.

It started slowly by creeping my way from door to door looking for like minded people willing to take a stand. Willing to rise against the power the president has on us, but it wasn't an easy task. I had to tread lightly knowing that peacekeepers can stand on any corner listening to what I say, and I never knew if someone would run and tell. It's such a fearful moment, and yet I always had my words planned. If I had the slightest feeling something would go wrong, I asked if they found my lost cat. I never had a cat, though. I'm allergic to them, and just being around them makes me sneeze, and my throat starts swelling. I learned the hard way, but nobody in the district knows that, but my efforts were futile, and I knew I would have to plan more and more and work on finding a way to bring the idea of freedom to others maybe in the poorest districts.

I've always been strong, and I've always wanted to win, but escaping into the wild wasn't an easy task. It took a lot of planning and sneaking around, and doing anything I could do in order to survive. I spent months, years watching the times the trains came, and I looked at the cargo calculating how long it took to unload it and reload a new load into the train. It's the easiest way to escape. The easiest way to get out of the fence holding me captive. I said goodbye to my family with the promise of returning back to them. I promise to see them again when life is better, and they're safe from the harshest punishments they can get. Saying goodbye to my father was one of the hardest things ever.

I look up to him. I followed in his footsteps, and he taught me how to lead with authority. He taught me how to give people the answers they're looking for. He taught me everything that I know, and my goal in life is to make him proud. I look like him after all. I have his dark hair, his dark beard, his dark eyes. I once heard we looked like twins except he's much older than me. I'm a few inches taller than him, and I've worked harder to gain the muscles I have, but that's besides the point right now. I just know that pleasing him is important. It's one of the most important things I ever could do, and I will make him proud no matter what.

When the time was right, I crammed my body into one of the crates, placed a black blanket over top of me, and I waited patiently as they loaded the precious cargo into the train, and I listened as the doors closed around. I don't know where this train is heading, but I hope it's going to a place where the people need help. Where they need someone to rise above and teach them the strict rules are wrong. Even then, I don't know if it's entirely possible. I have to lead. I have to stand my ground. I have to speak loudly and clearly, but the only problem with that is I have trouble pronouncing certain sounds. I know that actions speak louder than words, and I can show them that I am a man of my word. That I am more than capable of proving my worth to them if they're willing to have me.

Each breath felt like an eternity, but as the train came to a stop, I wasn't sure what to do or where to turn. My heart was racing, and my eyes are closed tightly as I force myself to sit silently as they unload the crates from the train. I had no clue where I was or what I was even doing. I listened as they tallied the order making sure everything was there, but most importantly, I waited until the time was right. I had no way of knowing if peacekeepers were lurking around, but when it was silent, and I heard nobody walking around, I quietly jumped out of the crate before sliding the lid back into place, and I slowly walked away. But the walk became a sprint, and soon I was staring back at the train. I had reached district eleven.

A small grin slowly spread across my face as I walked through the district. Crops stood for miles. People were climbing up the fruit trees gathering the fruit. I have never seen anything like this before in my entire life. It's a breath of fresh air. I keep walking, and when I find the tiny houses that these people live in, my heart shatters into pieces. I left my home with a nice house to come here to bring people a sense of hope that they need. I am here on a mission, and I feel good about finding people that may seem like me. I spent time knocking on doors spreading the word that I am here, and that I want to lead them for the greater good.

Meetings started out with only one other person, but soon more and more joined in, and it meant the world to me. I still tread lightly changing the location every time. I have to keep the peacekeepers on their toes because I know they're waltzing around. I've been here long enough to realize how strict they are, and I don't want one of them placing a bullet in my head. The people I talk to speak praise of me, and they are willing to come to the meetings knowing how much trouble they can get in. I don't think they care. District eleven is my first stop of many, and I hope to eventually have an army to rise against the Capitol so I can finally make my family proud of the man I became.