Caught in the act [CLOSED]

[rumiel]

This was it. The moment had finally arrived.

The sky was pitch-black, clouds hiding the stars that would give away our hiding place; for once, things were in our favour.
We’d planned this attack for weeks, the gang and I, that is. This particular Peacekeeper had arrived in the District only a couple of months ago, and he was the definition of hell. He’d pick on random workers at the mines, laughing in their faces as he hit them with the golden cane he always carried. Dry blood stains could still be seen if you looked carefully.

I shivered. The memory of him beating one of my classmates up for sheer enjoyment went through me, the crushing of his bones only slightly muffled by the cackle that emanated from his throat, his black moustache quivering ever so slightly. We all knew that what he was doing was wrong, more than normal. The odd beating wasn’t unheard of in the District, but they were due to reasons: someone dropping a cargo of rocks, breaking a pickaxe that cost the government dearly, even looking funnily at one of the Peacekeepers. But this, this was impossible to evade; there was no way of hiding from him.

Run down the hills, break in through the stained-glass window and destroy everything in sight. A plan couldn’t be any simpler, yet we still took the upmost precaution; the consequences if we were caught would cost us our lives, literally.

There were half a dozen of us; we were part of a group called ‘Anti-Peace’; our leader found it very amusing to be called something so ironic, considering we tried to cause mayhem. But then again, ‘Peacekeepers’ weren’t exactly keen to do their duties either. I guess that in the long run, we did manage peace, but peace wasn’t achieved by standing still while holding some posters up… Not anymore at least.
‘Good luck guys; let this son of a b**ch learn that he doesn’t mess with District 2!’ – Our leader whispered to us, his face looking straight ahead towards the greatly-lit mansion of the Peacekeeper. He wasn’t the best at giving out speeches, but his actions were worth a thousand words.

That was the moment we jumped out of our hiding spots; the boulders on the hills opposite the villa were great for spying, but now they were our attacking spots. We ran down as fast as we could, I nearly face-planted the yellowing grass as I tripped over a stone, but I managed to balance myself before it was too late. Within a few seconds we were on smooth ground, the dirt street leading to different Peacekeeper villas, all of them looking exactly the same, it was amusing thinking about how even Peacekeepers were like us District citizens, part of a whole, the exact same, mere copies of each other.

A sudden ‘crash’ was heard from the Peacekeeper’s villa; our muscle-man Toro had thrown a rock towards the window, the coloured glass shattering into hundreds of pieces, leaving sharp edges all around as if it were a final plea of vengeance, cutting anyone who dared pass. Toro smiled cunningly, he was full of himself, I had to admit, but he got the job done which is what we needed these days. His name was very well suited to him, we got it from a text book a few months ago, and it used to mean ‘Bull’ in Spanish; though no-one had heard of such language anymore of course. Nothing was heard of from the outside world… There might not even be one. The name stuck, he was after all, like a bull: dominant, strong and he preferred to tackle rather than to think.
Nina, our stealth-specialist, jumped through the window, careful not to touch the sharp pieces of glass. A ‘beeping’ could be heard, certainly coming from the alarm box. Luckily, we had planned for this event, and in no time the beeping had stopped. It was amazing what the Peacekeeper’s servants would tell you for a few coins; she hadn’t lied when she told us the code to the box, thank God.

I and our leader then proceeded to enter the villa; leaving the other three members outside, to make sure that no-one heard the noise and came out investigating. The destruction began. With the baseball bat I had in my hand, I started to smash every object I came in contact with, thinking about the thousands of coins each priceless item must have cost, all the money that could have been used for a safer way of working, a better life for the citizens. My blank mask hid my crunched-up face. I was angry, very angry. I kept on swinging the baseball bat and jumped at the sudden hand placed on my shoulder, the bat stopping by mere inches from my leader’s face.
‘They know about it… Don’t ask me how I know, I can just tell. Now get the hell out of here!’

My face, thankfully hidden by the mask, was showing sheer terror. I couldn’t get caught, not like this! I still had too much to live for, I had to escape this forsaken District, I wasn’t ready to give myself in, not yet. I ran towards the window and jumped out, landing heavily on the dirt path. I looked up, expecting to see my friends stretching out a hand, but instead, I saw the face I dreaded the most: the Peacekeeper's.
‘Caught in the act, my friend’ – he said. In that moment, two other Peacekeepers, who seemed to be lower ranked than him, grabbed hold of my arms and lifted me up.
‘I bet you’re aghast. Why am I here? Wasn’t I meant to be on a business trip? Well, yes, I was. But it’s amazing what you find out if you give out a few coins out here and there… Isn’t that right?’
The Peacekeeper then turned his head, staring directly at one of my companions; Ron. His face turned red in mere seconds, it was the colour of guilt. I felt betrayed, I couldn’t believe this! Betrayed for just a few coins, and now we were all going to die… Maybe even him, after all, bribery was a crime, and the Peacekeeper would want any evidence of his treachery out of the picture.

‘So, let’s find out who this mask belongs to, huh?’ – The peacekeeper then proceeded to grab hold of my mask; it was over. I’d be discovered, and I’d be executed the next day. It had happened many times before, but I always thought that I’d be the lucky one: the rebel who always escaped. Rumiel the unstoppable…

I guess it was all a dream.

Attachments:

[angel4030]

Narration: normal
Speech: Blue and "Quoted"
Thoughts: White and italicized
****

Aurora sighed and took a deep breath of the cool night air. After an hour of dealing with her mother's constant fretting over this and that, she was ready for a break. I don't know how I can be related to that woman, Aurora grumbled silently as she slipped through the still night. Aurora never got along with her mother and anyone could see why. While Aurora's mother obsessed over hair, makeup, and so forth, Aurora preferred to carelessly leave her hair down or in a messy ponytail and the only makeup she wore was a rim of eyeliner. A satisfied smile lay peacefully on Aurora's face and she slowly relaxed to the blissful silence and emptiness of the District streets.

Making her way past the Peacekeeper's street, Aurora suddenly heard a loud crash. What the... she thought before carefully peering through the hedges to see a group of kids her age running into the newest Peacekeeper's house. Aurora had heard that a group was vandalizing Peacekeepers' property, but she never really payed any attention. They're suicidal, Aurora thought, shaking her head as she watched the group destroy furniture and more. Suddenly, a bit of movement caught Aurora's eye and she turned to see none other than the Peacekeeper. Aurora stiffened and hid lower in the bushes. Although the group in front of her was most likely the center of the Peacekeeper's attention, Aurora knew that if she was caught, she would be punished as well. The infamous golden cane caught the moonlight and Aurora felt a shiver run down her spine.

Suddenly, the group began to flee the house and Aurora thought they had all escaped when suddenly the Peacekeeper lashed out and caught one figure. Aurora was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she knew what the outcome would be. Such a crime would be punishable by death and she had no doubt this new and ruthless Peacekeeper would follow through. I need to get out of here before I'm caught out, Aurora thought and she slowly began to back up.

Snap.

Aurora whipped her head downward and saw the broken branch under her feet. Glancing up, she noticed all attention was turned towards her and the Peacekeeper's eyes seemed to be staring straight at her. Damn, Aurora thought in horror.

[rumiel]

(Everyone seems to be use colours for thoughts/etc so I'll do the same haha)

Narration: Normal
Thoughts [blue] Blue and cursive [/blue]
Speech: '' Quotation Marks ''
****
A sudden snap echoed through the street; the silence had been disturbed. All the attention focused onto the spot the noise had come from. [blue] Just an animal probably.. Gosh, I wish animals were more helpful around here [/blue] - but as I looked towards the place where the noise had come from, I didn't see some furry ears or some slanted cat-eyes peeping through a bush, but I saw bright blonde hair that belonged to a young face. Maybe it was my lucky day after all.

I didn't waste a moment's time. With a swift elbow hit, the Peacekeeper holding my left arm was suddenly pushed backwards, his hands reaching towards his face as he cursed out loud. Then, before the other Peacekeeper had time to react, I grabbed hold of the golden cane that the devil himself was in possession of, which he was leaning on, causing him to stumble forward. I leaped sideways, allowing him to fall onto the dusty floor, a groan appearing from his throat.

The other Peacekeeper was alert now; while still holding one of my arms, he went behind me and grabbed the wrist that was holding the cane. His thumb pressed into the front of my wrist, he was trying to make me let go of the weapon. Aware of this, I kicked with my left leg backwards, causing a successful hit in the Peacekeeper's left knee. The split second in which he momentarily stumbled was enough for me to let go of his grasp, turn around and hit him across the right side of his head with the end of the cane, making him fall to the ground.

I couldn't waste any time; I saw Nina jump out of the window and stand beside me, grasping a dagger with both hands. I looked around; the 'leader' Peacekeeper and one of his guards were starting regain their positions, and the other half dozen Peacekeepers watching the spectacle on the street were approaching us, hands reaching for their guns.
I felt Nina grabbing hold of my wrist and drag me to the side of the villa; she jumped over the fence leading to the next villa, which I just managed follow her over. Within an instant, the first shot could be heard hitting the fence, causing a small hole.

We passed the bush which contained my savior, who I then realised was in grave danger. A Peacekeeper was already approaching her; but with a surprise punch to the back of his head, he fell to the ground. Shots could still be heard from behind me, within seconds they'd be pointing at me once again. 'Rumiel, you idiot, come on!' - Nina said through clenched teeth. 'Hey, thanks for saving me and all.. Let me return the favour' - I said to the blonde haired girl with a smirk.
There was no time for pleasantries, so I grabbed hold of the girl's hand and hoped that she'd follow me without resistance. The last thing I needed was to be slowed down.. I was slow enough as it was.

[angel4030]

Aurora hesitated momentarily. She knew that if she followed them, she might be grouped and punished with them. Of course, if she didn't follow...A shot rang out right past Aurora's head and she quickly took off sprinting. If mom and dad find out I'm sooo dead, Aurora thought as she sprinted with the boy. A few more shots rang through the otherwise silent night and Aurora barely noticed the house lights flickering on as they passed. Whatever, I can deal with them once I survive this.

As they ran, Aurora slowly became one of the faster ones, practically dragging the boy she had apparently saved. I never thought I would say this, but I am so grateful for training, Aurora thought. She always despised training and only went to please her father, but she had improved her speed and agility which were essential on whether or not she survived this night. One glance at the boy's surprised face had Aurora laughing despite the serious situation they were in.Guess he expected to be the one dragging me, Aurora thought with a grin before she noticed what street they were on. The rest of the group she had seen had already split up, but Aurora could still here a few Peacekeepers in pursuit and she decided it was a safe bet one was the new Peacekeeper.

"Come on," she said, pulling the boy through a small crevice. Breaking through the entrance, Aurora let herself slow to a walk. They were now in a small space between her house and backyard. The only people who ever came in this cramped space filled with poking limbs and overgrown vines were the gardeners and Aurora. At least we can catch our breath here, Aurora sighed before she caught herself. Woah, wait, we? No, just me. Never trust anyone, Aurora firmly told herself with a slight shake of her head. Trusting makes you vulnerable and vulnerability will get you nothing but a severed head, limb, or other horrific injury, Aurora thought, quoting word for word what her father told her the first day she began training.

Sliding down the moss covered house side, Aurora tried to calm her racing heart before speaking,"Nobody knows of this place except me, so you can probably catch your breath here."

[rumiel]

As I lead on, my hand firmly grasping the girl's, I heard gunshots zooming past us; so many close calls.. Thank god it was dark, or else we'd be lying in a pool of our own blood in no time.
We kept on running, and I noticed how I started to slow down as the girl sped up; now she was taking the lead which was pretty ironic considering I was meant to be saving her.. It seemed that it was her turn once again to be my saviour. [blue]Where the hell is she taking me though? [/blue].

I looked around as we sped past the many villas in our surroundings, which were now like beacons of light, every inhabitant was probably awake now. Nina was nowhere to be seen, hopefully she'd found a hiding spot and was staying out of sight.. She never liked me latching onto strangers, she thought it was an unnecessary risk, especially in these kind of circumstances. Now it was only me and this 'guardian angel'; though she didn't seem all that mighty. She was pretty, I had to admit, and she had a hard look on her face, one of determination. But that wasn't unheard of in District 2, where Careers were all over the place.

It then hit me; I'd forgotten about the others. What had happened to our leader? To Toro, even Ben? Had he been shot on the spot in annoyance due to our escape? No. I couldn't think about them right now, there was nothing I could do and I had to put my safety first.. Well, mine and this girl's.

Before I could ask where she was taking me, she suddenly turned and crawled through a crevice; I had no idea where we were, but I was short on options so I followed. Once I crawled through the 'escape', I noticed we were in some kind of backyard. The girl calmly walked ahead and stopped against a house wall, she slid down it, hitting the floor with a 'thump', a mask of relief shown on her face.

'I-Erm..' - [blue] What am I meant to say to someone who just saved my life? ''Oh hey, thank you, but I gotta go now so yeah, see ya!''? [/blue] I just wanted to rest; for now anyway.

Running footsteps could be heard from nearby, shouting zoomed by as the Peacekeepers ran past the crevice, not suspecting a thing. 'Nobody knows of this place except me, so you can probably catch your breath here.' - the girl said. 'Right.. thank you.. really, I owe you. You saved my life not only once but twice! I think you could have handled yourself back there, but I sure couldn't have so I wanted to thank you'.

I walked towards her, looked down at her in the dark, her body slightly camouflaged by the moss and the darkness that engulfed us. 'I'm Rumiel, nice to meet you- sorry, what's your name?' I stretched my hand out to her, and gave a warm smile. I somehow felt safe around this girl, maybe she was my guardian angel..

[angel4030]

Aurora's thumping heart slowly returned to normal and she realized the boy was talking to her. "Thank you...really. I owe you. You saved my life not only once but twice! I think you could have handled yourself back there, but I sure couldn't have so I wanted to thank you," he started before introducing himself and holding out his hand. Don't do it Aurora, don't do it, a voice nagged in the back of her mind, but Aurora found herself stretching her hand out and shaking the boy's hand.

"Aurora," she said simply. Aurora paused to give him, Rumiel, a once over. He was attractive, Aurora had to admit, and there was something about him that made her feel more comfortable than she would with any of the Career boys in her training sessions. After a quick check, Aurora felt a bit more comfortable and relaxed some. Never let your guard down, that nagging voice in her head whispered, but this time Aurora decided it was best to listen. Rumiel didn't look like most of the boys she had seen. Of course she was normally around the hulking boys whose main goal in life was to enter the games and slice a helpless tribute to pieces. Such nice people we have here, Aurora thought to herself with a slight eye roll. Listening, Aurora didn't hear anymore Peacekeepers, but she knew they wouldn't have given up yet.

Glancing up, Aurora realized the boy was still standing. "You can sit down you know," Aurora finally said, indicating to the spot next to her. "I doubt that new Peacekeeper has given up yet," she continued and images of the golden cane as well as her cousin, Zander, after he had been caught out late flashed through her mind. Aurora wasn't one to be scared easily, but from the crevice they were in, there was no way out except through the street and it was probably infested with Peacekeepers. A shiver ran down Aurora's spine as she recalled many stories she had picked up about different punishments the new Peacekeeper enforced. Aurora was an observer and she picked up on many details. If something was happening in the District, there was a good chance she would be one of the first to know the most about it.

"Rotten luck," Aurora said more to herself, but she did something rare for her to do around a stranger: she smiled a bit and let her cold exterior waver slightly.

[rumiel]

''Aurora? Wow, that's a very nice name'' - I stood awkwardly after this. Was I being too friendly with her? I mean, she probably doesn't trust me after seeing what I'd done at the Peacekeeper's villa.. After all, she saved me by accident, so maybe she just wants me to leave before I get her into more trouble. [blue] Why do you involve people in your business Rumiel? Why can't you let them be?! [/blue]

My conscience was interrupted by Aurora's voice: "You can sit down you know, I doubt that new Peacekeeper has given up yet," - 'Yeah, you're right..' I said, scratching the back of my head as I went to sit down next to her. I made sure I wasn't sat too close, personal space was much needed these days..
''Rotten luck'' - she suddenly blurted out. Was I meant to answer? She was smiling to herself; maybe she was a bit 'cuckoo' after all. [blue]Who cares? Everyone needs a bit of madness to live in this hell-hole [/blue] 'Yeah, you can say that again.. I'm sorry I got you into this, I wish I could go back and stop everyone. Now they could all be dead, or captured, which is worse, considering that they have to go through public humiliation.'

It was silent for a few seconds, Peacekeepers could be heard still shouting in the horizon. She was right, that idiot wouldn't give up anytime soon..
'Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing walking around the Peacekeepers' villas at this time of the night? Not the safest thing to do, y'know? And how the hell do you run so fast? Most Careers would be jealous of your speed haha'

[angel4030]

Aurora paused for a moment as Rumiel asked questions. Falling back into her cool exterior, Aurora debated on whether or not to answer honestly. I must be loosing my mind, Aurora sighed to herself before turning back to the boy.

"It's fine, I mean it was certainly exciting," she said with a small smirk before letting it disappear as quickly as it had come. Pausing, Aurora listened as more boot steps rushed past and she knew they would be stuck there for a while. Should have never gone outside, she thought before quickly correcting herself. No, sitting outside with a stranger with Peacekeepers searching to painfully punish me if not worse is better than being stuck in that house, Aurora decided. Oh God, I am going nuts!

"I was just trying to get away from some of the insanity," Aurora finally admitted, laying her head back against the cool, moss covered brick behind her. "Two parents who I'll never please screaming for several hours tends to drive you a little crazy," she continued, realizing that probably sounded weird to him. Oh well, I could say the same for him. He was out basically committing suicide by breaking into that Peacekeeper's house, Aurora assured herself.

"Anyways, I could ask the same of you," she said, staring at the wall of greenery infront of her. "Of all the Peacekeepers to harrass, you picked the deadlist one. Now that isn't the safest thing," she said.

Glancing at Rumiel, Aurora knew she had made him uncomfortable by bringing up what he was doing. Right, I'm not supposed to know I guess about their little group, she told herself before moving on and changing the subject.

"Sorry. Anyways, as for how I run so fast, I guess you could say I'm a unwillingly a Career," Aurora began, feeling her fist clench in annoyance. "My father forces me to go to training because otherwise I'm a humiliation. After all, you have to be a Career to be worth anything in this hell," she continued sarcastically before quickly closing her mouth. Nice job, saying something that he could rat you out for, Aurora scolded herself. "So I guess I picked up my speed from training, although that's all I'm really good at," Aurora quickly finished.

A slight stinging sensation prickled at her hands and Aurora noticed she had been clenching them. Stupid bad habit, she huffed, uncurling her fists and unconsciously rubbing the small crescent cuts from her fingernails. Pushing back a piece of blonde hair that had fallen over her eyes, Aurora eyed Rumiel.

"I'm pretty sure I saw all of your friends run away from the house and they dissapeared down different streets," Aurora began awkwardly in an attempt to calm him. She could tell he was worried about his friends and Aurora respected him for that. Few in this District give a rip about others, she thought to herself. "They probably got away."

[rumiel]

Aurora described the occurrence as exciting. [blue]Well, that's definitely one way to put it[/blue] - I thought to myself. Every time she opened her mouth, I respected her more and more.
She told me about her parents, how they are always arguing, thus the reason why she was now sat here, against a wall, hiding from her death sentence. I felt like I needed to say something, I looked for words and was about to spill them out but she carried on talking- she obviously didn't want to talk about it.. for now anyway.

She diverted my question back to me, I guess I should have expected that she'd eventually wonder what on Earth I was doing. I shrugged my shoulders, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable; not because of what she'd asked, but of the answer I would probably give her. 'I was trying to rebel against the entire nation' - a great thing to say to a new acquaintance; if she didn't think you were mad by now, she certainly would after you said that. Idiot.

Noticing that I wasn't very comfortable, she carried on talking about how she was training as a Career, forced by her father so that one day she might become a tribute and 'bring pride to her family'. What an unlucky girl, so talented and compassionate and she ends up with a horrible father.. Of course, I wouldn't say that to her face. It was her father after all, and I guess that coming from troubled households is sometimes the only way we can develop to become the people we are today.

Furthermore, she tried to reassure me that my friends were alright; that they were safe and sounds. I wish I could agree; I just had to find out first, then I could sigh in relief.
''Thanks. I hope they got away too..'' I muttered, my lip showing a slight tremble. I composed myself quickly and carried on with the subject I was aiming for.

''I'm not surprised that you asked me about what I was doing back there; it must have looked a bit.. suspicious? Well, I think that 'suspicious' isn't even close hahaha'' - I took a deep breath and looked straight ahead, though I could see her in my peripheral vision, staring: ''I am willing to tell you what I was doing, and more importantly, why. But I want you to join us. Wait, just let me finish!'' - I said, in case she tried to tell me that I was being crazy and irrational - ''You've shown that you have what few people have these days; bravery, and a hatred for the world around us. Most of us despise this place, but we're too afraid to admit it even to our neighbours, in case word spreads out. But with your help, we can achieve our goal.. We can make this forsaken hell a better place, we can hate the Capitol and the Peacekeepers, together. We can stick that golden cane up his arse and send him off to boot-camp..''

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, the silence was unbearable, even the noise from outside the yard had disappeared momentarily. 'So, Aurora' - I said as I turned towards her, a slight grin on my face. 'Do you want to show those motherf*ckers that they can't force anyone, least of all you, to be someone who you don't want to be?'

[angel4030]

Aurora felt a pang of guilt as she watched Rumiel's lip tremble and his face wash over with sadness before he could compose himself. Most wouldn't have noticed since it was so quick, but she was used to spying these sort of things in people. I shouldn't have brought up his friends, Aurora scolded herself before she lightly shook her head. No, he needed reassurance, even if it was weak. Anyways, ignoring something doesn't make it any better, Aurora thought with frown. She had learned this from her mother's poor attempt at parenting. If Aurora came home from school when she was younger and was upset over a bully or other small trouble of a child, her mother would simply ignore the issue and act as if everything were alright. What a great role model she has been and her parenting just gets better and better Aurora internally muttered before focusing on Rumiel.

"I'm not surprised that you asked me about what I was doing back there; it must have looked a bit.. suspicious?" Aurora listened to Rumiel begin before he took a breath and continued. "I am willing to tell you what I was doing, and more importantly, why. But I want you to join us. Wait, just let me finish!" Aurora felt her mouth open and quickly shut as he instructed. Aurora felt frozen in shock at what he was saying.

"...But with your help, we can achieve our goal.. We can make this forsaken hell a better place, we can hate the Capitol and the Peacekeepers, together. We can stick that golden cane up his arse and send him off to boot-camp..'' he continued and Aurora couldn't help a small smile at Rumiel's words despite how disoriented her train of thought had become. "Do you want to show those motherf*ckers that they can't force anyone, least of all you, to be someone who you don't want to be?" he finally finished with a grin.

He wants me to join them? Aurora asked herself and she felt her mouth open and close twice. Aurora avoided getting close to people. She had been taught early on by her father, by her experience, and by her observations that people were cruel, especially in her District. After all, they trained most of their lives to become living, lethal weapons of the Capitol. The thought of rebelling against such things had Aurora torn. She despised the Career idea and since she had trained most of her life as well, she in a way hated herself. She wanted nothing more than to prove to her parents that she was worth something.

But what would be the consequences? Aurora wondered and the sound of Peacekeepers shouting at each other, one particular voice that sent shivers down her spine louder than the others, only served to confirm her worries. If she joined them, being hunted down would become almost a daily occurrence. Recalling the stories she had heard about what Rumiel's group did, Aurora knew it wasn't that she disapproved of what they were doing, but rather the possibility of death. Hah, he called me brave. Sure, I'm really brave by sitting here, doubting whether I should join this group and stand up for myself because I'm afraid. If only he knew I'm not as brave as I appear. But everything is only skin deep in this District full of fakes, Aurora thought angrily to herself as she stared intently at her clenched fists.

"I don't know," Aurora began, pleased with herself that her mask of indifference seemed to have stayed fairly solid during her internal battle. At least I've done something right. Taking a deep breath, Aurora tried to sort out her thoughts and decide.

"Ok, I'll join, but-" she began cautiously, since she was still not used to trusting someone, when suddenly the sound a nearby door slamming open cut her off before an all too familiar voice rang out.

"Aurora! Aurora where are you? You're going to be late for training! Aurora!" came her father's voice and Aurora could hear her mother muttering about something in the background. Oh yes, wouldn't want to miss that..Great, if the Peacekeeper comes by and asks him questions.. Aurora began to worry and suddenly a pair of shoes appeared in the small opening she and Rumiel had used. Grabbing him, Aurora pulled both of them back farther into the shadows. The sound of Peacekeeper boots nearing had Aurora's heart rocketing, but she kept her usual determined and hard expression in place but on the inside all she could think was Think Aurora, think! as she desperately tried to think of a plan.

[rumiel]

[blue] Maybe I shouldn't have asked her.. She seems to be- to be in doubt. [/blue] I looked down as I prepared myself for the inevitable 'sorry, but I can't' - that would come from her mouth. I mean, it wasn't everyday that someone asked you to join a 'suicide group'.. But she seemed different, like she wanted a challenge in her life, and unless you were in The Hunger Games, there wasn't a bigger challenge than this one.

'Ok, I'll join but-' - I was about to jump up and shout with delight, my face breaking into a grin, but my thoughts were interrupted:
"Aurora! Aurora where are you? You're going to be late for training! Aurora!" - And then, without warning, Aurora grabbed me and dragged me backwards, I didn't realise why she was doing this until I saw two feet poking from within the crevice.. A Peacekeeper without a doubt..

If he simply crouched and looked through the hole, he'd see us cowering against the wall, fearing for our lives. And that'd be it.. My mask was on top of my head, I could simply pull it down and stop from being recognised, but Aurora would be caught instantly.. This was her house, after all, from what that voice just said makes me think that anyway..
She'd be executed. Just because she was trying to save me, I couldn't let it happen; I rather die than let an innocent life be destroyed because of my recklessness. After what I was about to do, she'd have to join for sure.

I pushed the mask onto my face, gave one last look at Aurora and sprinted across the small courtyard. I released the dagger that was hidden on my belt; I didn't like using it, but as I said, I'd use if it I had to.
With a quick stabbing motion, I inserted the knife into the Peacekeeper's shoe, a sickening sound coming from the action. He shrieked in pain and lifted his foot, his eyes widening at the realisation that there was a knife in his foot.
I turned around to Aurora who was still against the wall, scared but with a hard look on her face, she was much braver than she thought. 'Go to your parents, tell them you were training in the yard when you saw a boy with a mask come in through the crevice.. We'll speak soon, don't you worry' - and with one last wink, which was pretty stupid from my part considering the mask covered my face, I went through the crevice and stood up-straight.

The Peacekeeper was trying to get the knife out of his shoe when he saw me, with an expression of agony shown on his face, he put his foot down and went to punch me in the stomach. I quickly moved sideways and grabbed hold of his arm, directing his punch towards the wall where the crevice was. His fist crunched under the force of the hit, but I didn't waste any time. I stepped onto the knife that still protruded his foot and heard his screams of pain. His friends would be here soon..
I performed one of the martial arts moves that we were taught during training at school; I put my left leg forward and locked his right leg with mine, by tucking it at the back of his knee; by grabbing both his arms, I simply let my right left fall into the back of his knee, causing him to fall backwards. As he fell backwards, I quickly moved my leg from under his knee in case I fell with him and made a run for it. 'Hey you!' could be heard from the background.

And then, gunshots. [blue] Gaaaaah dammit, where's Nina, where's Toro?! Guys c'mon I need your help.. [/blue] As if a superior power was hearing my pleas, a hand suddenly grabbed hold of my arm as I was turning around the corner of a District house and pulled me into a bush that was in the house's front garden. A hand was on my mouth so a sound wouldn't escape from my big mouth. I turned my neck and sighed with relief when I saw Nina's face, looking straight ahead as the Peacekeepers ran past us, some of them momentarily stopping to see where I could have gone off to.

It seemed like hours until Nina allowed me to breathe by removing her hand from my mouth. 'Seriously.. You're going to get yourself killed' - she said in an accusing tone. I sat down opposite her and saw a quiver of a smile that quickly disappeared from her face.

''Well, no point being an Anti-Peace gang if we don't risk it once in a while? Huh?'' - I said as I smirked, but her menacing eyes made my smile vanish in an instant.

I turned around to make sure all the Peacekeepers had gone, I didn't care what the leader would tell me about saving Aurora [blue] What are you on about Rumiel? She saved you! [/blue], all I could think was that we'd probably earned ourselves a brilliant addition to the team.
Hopefully Aurora would forgive me for getting her into so much trouble, but it'd be worth it one day.. That, I promise.

[angel4030]

Aurora could barely concentrate on anything other than the pounding of her heart and the fact that her death was basically only a stooping down away from her. Suddenly, she watched as Rumiel dashed forward and before she could make a sound of protest as he rushed forward to meet there doom as far as she could tell, he lunged and stabbed the Peacekeeper's foot with a knife. A knife?! Where did that come from? Aurora wondered, slightly angry at herself for not taking note of it early. She would normally have seen it immediately and been more cautious.

"Go to your parents, tell them you were training in the yard when you saw a boy with a mask come in through the crevice.. We'll speak soon, don't you worry" Rumiel instructed and Aurora didn't even get a chance to nod, much less answer aloud, before he was off and out of the crevice. Aurora stayed frozen, listening to the sound of fighting right outside the wall of greenery. Finally, a loud thump sounded and the Peacekeeper's body fell in front of the small crevice. Don't tell me he killed that Peacekeeper, Aurora thought as she cautiously peered out of the small opening. Farther down the street she could see Peacekeepers sprinting after Rumiel when suddenly, just as he turned a corner, Aurora watched an arm pull him into the safety of a bush.

Well at least I know he's not dead, Aurora assured herself as she watched the Peacekeepers look around dumfounded. Morons, she thought with an eye roll although few people noticed the small things she did. Standing upright, Aurora looked down at the fallen Peacekeeper to find him just unconscious with the knife in his hand that had once been lodged in his foot.

"Aurora!" came her mother's shrill and Aurora remembered what she had to do. Quickly grabbing the knife out of the Peacekeeper's hands, she made her way around the small bend to the front door where her furious parents stood.

"Where have you been?" her father demanded at the same time her mother cried out, "You're absolutely filthy! Why can't you keep yourself more put together?" Resisting the urge to laugh at how different her parents were, Aurora glanced down at the knife.

"I, uh, was practicing my knife throwing skills when someone in a mask ran past with a Peacekeeper chasing them," Aurora lamely said. By the looks on her parents faces, however, they bought it.

"You...You were practicing training?" her father stuttered. With a small nod, Aurora mentally began to plead that he bought it. "That's wonderful! Come on, you must have lost track of time, but if you head off now you shouldn't be too late for training!" he began to babble and Aurora felt a small pang of guilt at lying to him. I had no other choice. Besides, I really need to stop being so worried about how he feels. It's not like they care about what I want or don't want, she quickly reminded herself before nodding once and beginning her trek towards training.

Ignoring her mother's irritated mumbling about Aurora's messy hair, she glanced down at the knife and let a small smirk play at the edges of her lips. You're probably right, Rumiel. I'm probably going to see you soon, after all I have your knife. Aurora mused to herself. But not so sure I'm looking forward to another life risking event, Aurora let a small snicker escape her, but it died away just as quickly as it came.

Staring up at the looming building, Aurora felt her face harden and an internal groan bubble up inside of her. "Time for hell," she muttered while glaring at the training arena in front of her.