Flashback

This is a one-shot written by HawkWD. It centers around the male from the 3rd district of Panem. It's rated 12+ for scenes involving killing and bullying.

Flashback
I was just a kid, running through the field alongside Meredith, my hand desperately reaching out to tag her. She glanced back, seeing me through those round glasses of her's and ran faster under the bright yellow sun. I let out a giggle and picked up my pace until my small palm tagged the center of her back. She let out a high-pitched scream of surprise and turns around to pursue me through the grass and wild-flowers. The adrenalin rushed through my veins in excitement as I ran as if my life depended on it. The sensation was new, fun, marvelous as back in 3, not much time was centered around play, but learning.

Meredith suddenly tackles me behind, her glasses and blond hair flying through the wind. We lay there, laughing our heads off until I get up and retrieve her glasses. She places them carefully on her nose and smiles.

"Best-friends forever, Vick?" she asked, holding out her pinkie-finger so I could lock it in mine.

"Best-friends forever, Meredith," I confirmed in glee, entwining my pinkie-finger in hers.

It may sound stupid, but little kids, it was a promise.

But it was a promise we wouldn't keep.

I slowly shuffle down the metal hallway as the overhead light flickers on and off rapidly. Adjusting the quiver on my back, I clutch my bow tighter as I pass the doorway where the burnt bodies of the tributes from 1 lay, as if their corpses will burst through the front door seeking revenge.

Over the pounding in my head, I hear the faint sound of footsteps echoing down the otherwise quiet hall, save the never ending flicker of the light bulbs above. Examining the ground, I still see the small trail of crimson blood drops across the floor, heading the same direction the footsteps are coming from. I keep going down the hallway from hell, intent on reaching the owner of the blood.

Intent on killing them.

When I was 12 years old, things went South.

Circled in bright-red ink, was a large B+, colored the same as the shape that surrounded it. Meredith held the test with the B+ high above the boy's desk, waving in slightly before his face beside her own paper, with a red A inscribed on it.

"A B+. You have got to be kidding me," Meredith scoffed, pushing her glasses over the arc of her freckle dotted nose. "Only an idiot could manage to get a B+ on a math test as easy as this one!"

My mouth became dry as I sat one desk to the left of the boy Meredith teased. I carefully pushed my test under a stack of papers, concealing the B+ written on my own exam. Meredith stood before the boy for a good 5 minutes, laughing and making snide remarks about his test scores. In a district where everything is centered around academics, you don't get bullied for weakness or bad co-ordination, but rather for poor testing skills and inncorect answers. My face became so red, the pounding of embarrassment in my ears became so loud as I hoped and prayed Meredith wouldn't discover I got the same test score as the supposed idiot. And because of this I had to ask her to repeat the question.

"I said: what did you get on the test?" she restated.

"A... A A-," I lied, my eyes refusing to meet hers.

"Not bad, but a few points away from getting the same grade as the bozo sitting next to you," she giggled.

"Yeah. He certainly isn't very smart," I muttered, hoping she wouldn't see through my lies and demand to see my paper.

As I round the corner, a metal door with a small glass window slides shut before me. I go up to the wall, ignoring the blood that slowly trickles down the side of my head as peek through. Sure enough, the only other tribute left in this arena limps down the narrow hall, unarmed and injured in their right leg, they stand no chance against me. They take a right and disappear from view, but I am not worried. I still have my trail of blood.

I tossed the red, rubber ball to Meredith on the playground, and her arms grappled for it. She missed and it hit her in the face.

"Vick! Not so hard next time," Meredith's 8 year old self giggled as she re-adjusted her glasses.

"Sorry," I laughed as she flipped her blonde pony-tail over her shoulder. She ran to retrieve the old ball and I plopped down on the concrete, soaking in every last drop of sunlight. District 3 was indoor-oriented district, and therefore my days of play in the sun were very limited. That made me want to make every moment in the sun's glory count.

Meredith returned, clutching the rubber ball and she threw it to me. I reached forward, jumping up from my sitting position and barely catching it with the tips of my fingers.

"Nice try Mere, but you're gonna have to try harder then that if you want me to miss it," I taunted jokingly.

My blood coated fingers grip the rusty door handle, and slide the door open with a loud creak. I continue down the hall, used to the eerie presence of flickering lights. After fifteen days in this dark, forbidding arena, I doubt anything will scare me after this. The headless mutants that lurked the halls, the fire that wouldn't go out, the doors that lock shut without reason, trapping tributes in a room, each with its own horror inside. Following the drips of crimson on the otherwise clean silver floor, I round the corner that the other tribute is slowly making their way down. I reach into my quiver, pulling out my last arrow, the others all used up against the other tributes.

The girl from 2. The boy from 5. The boy from 10. All dead from my lethal accuracy.

When I was fourteen I was finally confident enough in my archery skills that I invited Meredith to watch, eager to impress my friend.

So that day we were in the forests just outside District 3, I holding my wooden bow, firing arrow after arrow into the makeshift target before me, Meredith leaning up against a large oak tree, munching on a juicy, red apple. I was on my A-game that day, each arrow slamming in, or near the dead center of the target. Finally, after sending all twelve arrows into my target, I turned to Meredith expectedly. She took another bite of her rapidly diminishing apple, and looked at me over the rim over her glasses with a cold expression on her face.

"It was cool... But, why?" she said simply. "Why practice a skill you don't need? Your family certainly has enough food to give you. It's illegal to even own that bow. It's trivial, that's what it is."

The wind rustled through the clearing, the only noise in the otherwise quiet area. I stared at Meredith in shock for a moment as she took another loud, crunchy bite. She swallowed the bite and looked at me again.

"What? You wanted to see what I thought about it, so I showed you. Let's go," she said rolling her eyes. She got up and walked back towards the district, not even realizing I didn't follow.

I go around another corner and see the other tribute limp over to a dead end. They press their hands against the wall, turn, see me, and scream. Their face turns into one of horror, realizing their time on Earth is down to its last few minutes.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!" they scream in rage and terror. They begin slamming their hands against the sleek, metal surface, as if that would let them through. I get closer, slowly making my way towards them, knowing I have all the time I need.

I sat on the bed next to Meredith in her room as she pinned another perfect test score on her wall. She sat down next to me with a smug smile on her face, going on and on about how she might even be able to travel to the Capitol, to become a scientist that would develop new medicines if she kept her grades at the level they were. I smiled and faked my way through it, used to Meredith's drawn out bragging sessions. But then the conversation took a darker turn.

"Hey, did you hear what that kid... What's his name? Janek? Got on his report card? A B, that's right, a B. What a embarrassment! If I was his mom he would be living on the streets!" she laughed. I tuned her out after that, not wanting to hear any more of it.

Terrified she would discover my own grades.

The tribute sees how close I'm getting and slides to the ground, crying. I notch my arrow into place and slowly aim my bow to target their face.

"Please. Vick, please," Meredith begs as tears stream down her cheeks. Her blonde hair is in a pony-tail but frayed, the right lens of her glasses is cracked beyond repair, a long cut goes down the side of her calve,  oozing blood. Her eyes are locked onto mine, trying to pry emotion out of them. Desperately searching for a way to survive.

"Vick... I... I.. Don't do this. Please. I can figure it out... We can both live. Just don't kill me," she whimpers in fear. My bow doesn't lower and she begins to panic even more. "Remember all the fun times we had as kids."

"A B?! A B!!! You seriously got a B in math?! Seriously?!" Meredith hooted, holding my newly discovered report card above the cafeteria table. Her loud laughter caused the cafeteria to fall silent as everyone turned to watch. " Vick, I thought you were smarter then this. Only a idiot could get a B in math! Jez, you are so stupid," she continued to laugh, her glasses lighting up in excitement. My face grew red in embarrassment as the entire cafeteria burst into laughter, all mocking me. I turned and ran out of the cafeteria, trying to ignore the jeers directed at me.

Meredith continues to stare into my eyes, begging for me to spare her life. I gaze into her eyes for a turn, and I see the life she would lead if she lives. She would graduate college with straight As, move to the Capitol and become a leading doctor in creating new, life-saving medicines. She would marry, have children of her own and grow old, happy and wealthy.

But that doesn't stop me from sending the arrow, one filled with my hate, sorrow and vengeance into Meredith's skull.

A cannon sounds through out the arena. My hollow victory is announced. I am the victor of The Hunger Games. I drop the bow to the ground and look at Meredith's already cold body with no remorse. The ladder drops through a newly formed hole int he ceiling, and I latch onto it. As I'm risen up, I look one last time into Meredith's eyes, this time seeing the life of hate and vanity she held. The hovercraft takes me away from the hell-hole known as a arena, and away from my past I've been trying to escape for what seems like an eternity.

A/N 

I hoped you enjoyed this. I have a addition to the ending but I'm not going to post it, I'd prefer to leave it as it is. I'd love any feedback in the comments. Were the flashbacks effective or confusing?