Hunger Games 2

Mackenzie smiled, and she followed them both inside quickly. She was glad that they were seeming to get along. She walked inside, and she grabbed her wallet. "Are you guys ready?" she asked before she looked at they money she had. "Maybe we can even play a bit in the arcade," she said with a smile.

Josh looked down at her, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know that you feel this way, but you are going to have to deal with it," he paused a moment before he hugged her. "I want you to be okay," he said, and he looked back at the door that was to the room. "If there is anything I can do, tell me. I can't kick her out though," he said, and he gave her a small smile. "He's not choosing."

Tyson put Willow down once they were inside. He instantly placed a hand on Mackenzie's shoulder. "Don't even start," he said with a chuckle before he pulled out some money. "Three," he said before he continued on to ask for his and Willow's size. Willow half smiled and murmured, "Yeah, that would be fun."

--

Peyton didn't like the sound of that at all. Noah was her brother, and not only that, he was her twin. They were supposed to stick together through thick and thin. She returned the hug, but she didn't feel very great about the whole thing. "I am...I will be. Noah is the one you should be worried about," she whispered in response. With a nod, she whispered, "I will keep that in mind."

Mackenzie let out a small giggle at his words, and she kissed his cheek. "This is going to be good," she told him, and she found an open lane before going to one. "Maybe we can even get out lunch here," she said, and she looked over at Willow. "What kind of ball do you want?" she asked her.

Josh just nodded, and he sighed. "Just please, talk to me if anything happens. Now, are you cool to go in there and not talk bad about Astrid. I know you don't like her, but just humor Noah for a little bit," he said before he walked back into the room. He looked over at Noah who was staring at the wall with wide eyes and mumbling. "Hey buddy," he said, and he knelt down so he was eye level with him.

Tyson moved to their lane and pulled on his bowling shoes before kneeling down in front of Willow to help her out with her shoes. "That sounds nice, what do you think, Wills?" he asked his sister as he stood upright. Willow hopped down from the chair and tested her shoes before she shrugged. "Sure," she agreed before stepping over to the bowling balls. She looked through them before picking a light purple one. "I like this one."

--

Peyton closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, okay," she muttered even though she wasn't looking forward to it. She stepped back into the room and avoided looking at Astrid, or anyone really. She sat down a bit of ways away from Noah and stared down at the floor. She couldn't help but place all the blame on the one person Noah just seemed to refuse to give up. "Hey," she mumbled.

Mackenzie looked over at Willow, and followed her as she looked through all of the bowling balls. "Okay, make sure that you can lift this one before you take it," she said, and she handed the ball to her. Everything seemed to be going great so far. Maybe they could keep that up.

Noah looked up when he heard his sister's voice, and he bit his lip. "Hey," he said quietly, and Josh looked over at his friend. It hurt him too much to see him like that. He looked up as the television automatically turned on. The one person who he never wanted to see on there appeared. Felix sat tied up in a chair, his head hanging down. A voice came on. "Would you like to see what happens why you try to defy fate, President Sherwood?"

Willow tested it and attempted to lift it. She waited a few seconds before she nodded and half smiled. "Yeah, I think it will work," she agreed. Tyson smiled slightly at that and put their names up on the board. "You can go first," he suggested. Willow nodded and went up to the bowling aisle. She rolled the ball down the aisle. Everything was going fine; actually, he thought Willow was actually enjoying herself, and Tyson couldn't help himself. He was having a good time as well. Suddenly, the power shut off, and they were submerged in darkness. "Mack? Wills?" he asked, reaching for them. A bloodcurdling scream sounded through the bowling alley before the lights flickered on once more. But Willow was nowhere to be seen.

--

Peyton suddenly felt bad for being so snippy with her brother. She wasn't mad at him. She was mad at Astrid. Her attention turned to the television screen; her breath caught. She grabbed Noah's hand without thinking. "Dad, what is this about?" she whispered nervously. Astrid perked up and only one word slipped through her lips. "Fe," she whispered. She reached out and tried to get up but only stumbled back down to the ground. She was shaking too much to function. It was all her fault her friend was there. It was all her fault that all of her friends were going to ruins.

Mackenzie was having a good time, and she was more than happy to see Willow and Tyson getting along. Everything seemed to be perfect. That was until the lights went out and she heard the scream. When they turned back on, Willow wasn't there. How could that be? She was right beside her! She looked around frantically, hoping it was all some sick joke. "Willow!" she called.

Noah looked down when his sister grabbed his hand, and he gripped her on instinct. He looked up at the television and then at his father who was in complete shock. The camera zoomed in on Felix's face. His eyes were wide and wild, and his face gave off a horrifying smirk. "This isn't the end Sherwood. I will destroy everything you love," Felix said, and then someone placed a knife over him. "Starting with me."

Tyson looked around frantically for his little sister. "No, no, no, no," he whispered under his breath. Why did this have to happen now? Why did it have to ruin everything he was trying so hard to work with? He went to Mackenzie and grabbed her hand. "I would suggest we split up, but this was Caroline written all over it," he said in barely above a whisper. He looked around for his sister once more, but she really wasn't around.

--

Peyton sat there in complete horror. Her heartbeat picked up, and she had to do the best she could to stay calm. It was no surprise when Ann was the one to snap. "No!" Ann screamed and grabbed her father by the collar of his shirt. "You found Noah. Find Felix," she snapped. Drake carefully pulled Ann's hands away. "Aspen, come with me," Drake said calmly. Ann glared at her father then. "No, dad. I am coming too."

Mackenzie was more than frantic. If they didn't find Willow, she would have no idea what they do. She looked over at Tyson when he spoke, and she nodded in agreement. "Tell me if you find anything," she said, and she raced off. She looked anywhere that she could think of, looking for Willow. "Willow!" she called in panic. She was getting more and more terrified by the moment.

Dimitri was too shocked to do anything. He was finally able to snap out of it, and he stood up. "Ann, stay here. I'll go," he said, and he pulled out the needles sticking into him. "I'm fine. This was all caused because of me anyway," he said. He looked down at the ground, and he looked at Noah who seemed more terrified that ever, but Josh was comforting him. He looked down at his daughter and hugged her tightly. "I love you so much," he said. Aspen looked up at Drake, and he just gave a nod. He needed to find his son! On the television, the person behind Felix smirked. "You have ten minutes. Good luck!" he said before the TV shut off.

Tyson scoured the bowling alley in search for his sister, but she seemed to be gone. He was almost breathless when he heard a gun fire. It was somewhere outside. He barreled out the door and called out, "Willow!" It was a long moment before there was an answer. "Ty!" Another gunfire sounded. He quickly sent a text to Mackenzie, telling her he thought he found her. He sprinted off after the sound and came to a screeching halt. It wasn't Caroline. It was a man he had never seen before.

--

Ann shook her head quickly. "I don't care what you say, D. I am going. That's my son we are talking about," she said. Drake was leaned against the door; Ann had never noticed it so much before, but her father really was getting old. The age was wearing on him. He had always been so strong and healthy. But he wasn't the man he used to be. Peyton returned the hug, but didn't speak. She tensed when the person spoke once more before the television shut off.

Mackenzie was getting more and more terrified, but then she heard her phone go off. She looked down, and sure enough there was a text from Tyson. She quickly went to find him. When she did, she came to a halt when she saw the person. It wasn't Caroline this time. Who was it?

Aspen bit his lip, and he looked down at Ann. "Guys, there isn't any time to argue. We have ten minutes to find my son. I have a feeling something else is going on. Peyton, call Maria right now. I'll send you coordinate in a little bit. We are going to need her," he said. Dimitri looked over at his father, and he bit his lip. He looked tired and he looked like this was too much for him. "Dad, we just need you to track them. I don't want you to do any of the action," he said.

Tyson tensed and would have reached for a gun, but he didn't have one. He moved to stand in front of Mackenzie. There was no way that this man was hurting her too. "Who are you?" he snapped, glaring at him. The man didn't answer; instead, he pointed the gun at him. "Your friend, you better get it out of his head. Tell him to stop on this little mission. He won't find his sister. He isn't taking her away. Fail to stop him? This will happen again," he said, glaring at him. His eyes dropped down to Willow; if it hadn't been the tiniest rise and fall of her chest, he would have thought she was already gone.

--

Ann was about to argue -- the usual Ann way-- but then just clamped her mouth shut and nodded. Sometimes, it was just better to shut up and listen. Peyton tugged out her phone and dialed Maria's number. She knew her well enough, and she had always been willing to help the family out, especially now that it regarded her grandson. Drake shook his head and took a seat. "I will be fine. I am not as bad as I look," he lied. He knew he would be risking his life if he did get involved. But this was his family. His grandson was in trouble. He was already getting to work to track them. "The tracker is still in him. They want us to find him."

Mackenzie was more than fed up with these people. They had hurt her friends for far too long, and she was going to stop them. She stepped in front of Tyson and narrowed her eyes. "You shut up and tell us who you are. I am tired of you people pushing us around," she said bitterly.

Dimitri looked down at his father. "You are staying out of the action and that is final," he said with a hard glare to his father. He knew that he wasn't in the position to give orders, but his father was not going to die. "Alright, now track him," he said, and he started to pace around. It was clear that he wasn't in his right mind at all.

The man slipped an evil smirk on his face. "Xander Matthews. And be sure to pass that on to your friend. He needs to know that he will never find his sister. It is a lost cause," he said, pointing a gun at Mackenzie then. "I would shut her up. She may look like her mother, but she has a mouth like her Aunt," he said with a frustrated frown. Tyson glared and clenched his fists. "Who are you talking about? What friend?" he snapped. Xander smirked then. "Dayton Young. I know everything. You may not, but I do."

--

Drake frowned at that. He knew he was old and slow, but he was going to do what he wanted. When people said Ann was like him...well it worked both ways. He was like Ann as well. "All right," he said in a tight voice before he got to work. He had learned a lot, especially after the wars. Within seconds, he found where they were.

Mackenzie didn't like this guy at all. There was something up with him, and she was going to find out what it was. She narrowed her eyes when he commented on her. She was growing a bit defensive. "How do you know my family?" she asked him bitterly, getting a step closer. What did this guy want with Dayton. "And Dayton is an only child!" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Dimitri was a bit shocked at how is father just agreed. No, that wasn't Drake. Drake didn't give in to any whim except his now. There was something up about this picture. He watched him for a moment before he asked,"Where is he?" He was going to have to keep a sharp eye on his father. He just didn't trust him right then.

Xander smirked ever so slightly at that. "I know all of them. The Sherwoods, the Crawfords, and even the Walkers. I know you all," he said as he took a step closer towards her. "So I wouldn't cross me. It doesn't take much to take everything you have ever loved," he said in a menacing voice. "And, oh, that is where you are wrong, dear. Maybe you don't know Dayton as well as you think you do." Tyson quickly reached out and grabbed Mackenzie's arm to pull her back. "Stop, Mackenzie, please," he whispered quietly. There was no way he was letting her get hurt too.

--

Drake stared at the map he had pulled up before he handed off the coordinates to Dimitri. "Maybe it is best that you don't go, Dimitri. You aren't well enough," he said with a slow frown. This was one of the worst times for any of this to happen. His family was supposed to be able to escape the turmoil of all the problems. They were supposed to leave a normal and happy life.

Mackenzie narrowed her eyes at his guy. Who did he think he was? He couldn't just waltz in and take Willow like that. She stumbled as Tyson pulled her back, and she looked up at him. How could she stop! This guy was insane! "You are just lying! You work for Caroline, and she's just putting you up to this!" she said, pointing her finger. She was done with him. "And you can't stop Dayton. No matter how hard you try."

Dimitri looked over at his father when he heard him, and he shook his head. "They did this because of me. This is my fault and I am going to fix it," he said, and he looked down at Peyton. "The send coordinates to Maria please," he said, and he was about to walk out of the room, but Aspen grabbed his arm. "Stop Dimitri. This is suicide! You are too weak. I can see it in your eyes," he said. Dimitri couldn't go on the mission. He would die for sure. "We didn't work so hard to get Noah out just so he can lose his father."

"Caroline?" Xander repeated, narrowing his eyes. "I haven't had contact with Caroline. I heard word going around that Dayton was looking for my daughter, and there is no way I was going to let him find her," he snapped, glaring at her then. "You may think that, but I can try. By taking the few people he actually cares about. Starting with this little girl right here."

--

Drake frowned and stepped up so he was in front of his son then. "If I can't go, then neither can you, Dimitri," he said in the best forceful voice he could manage. He was in no condition to go running out the door and being the savior. Not only did his family need him, but also Panem. Peyton did as her father asked, but didn't say a word. She just didn't know how to feel. Someone had to save Felix.

Mackenzie narrowed her eyes at him when he spoke. She just didn't believe him, but she wasn't going to speak out this time. He seemed really serious about everything. As the said the last words, she narrowed her eyes. "Don't touch her!" she yelled. She needed to stop being so scared of everything and be like Aimée. Aimée was the one who Willow looked up at anyway. She ran at him and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands.

Dimitri looked down at his father, and he sighed. He knew that he was right, but he felt like he had to go. He was the reason why everyone was taken. He was the reason why Felix could die. "Fine," he said with a quiet sigh. He was going to have to give in this time. No matter how much he hated to. He sat back down in his hospital bed, and he did start to feel better. Standing made him dizzy enough. He didn't even want to think what running would do to him.

Xander scowled and muttered, "Why shouldn't I?" When she ran at him, his scowl deepened, and he elbowed her to try to get her away. "Don't do something you regret, kid," he snapped at her. Tyson reached out to pull Mackenzie away. "Please, stop!" he pleaded. He threw a glance to his sister. They didn't have time for this. She would die if they fought him, and she would die if they didn't. There didn't seem to be a solution.

--

Drake nodded once and was about to protest when Ann snatched the directions. "Ann, it's probably a better idea for you to-" he began, but Ann fixed him with a hard look. "Dad, I love you, but this is my son. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same if it were D or I," she said. "I am not your daughter for no reason," she added on quickly before she quickly headed out the door.

Mackenzie narrowed her eyes at Xander, and she winced as he elbowed her. Okay, maybe she needed to learn how to fight first. When Tyson pulled her back again, she sighed and looked at the ground. She had a lot to learn. "Tyson, we can't just wait," she said, and she looked at him pleadingly.

Aspen was about to object, but Ann was out the door before he could say anything. "Why do you have to be so stubborn," he muttered before he rushed out of the room with her. He ran as quickly as he could to catch up with her. "Okay, Maria should be there soon. I want you to stay right beside me the entire time. I can't lose you," he said, and he looked down at her. "They didn't get Felix out of there so he could be an orphan."

Tyson gave her a worried look. "But we can't just fight him. We are defenseless, and he has a gun," he whispered to her. "What do you w-" he began, about to direct Xander. But he had already left, and to his dismay, he had run off with Willow. He clenched his fists and cursed under his breath, which he rarely did. It was all his fault. Why couldn't he simply have a good time with his sister?

--

"Because I am a Sherwood still at heart, and the Sherwoods are stubborn. Or did you forget?" Ann asked, forcing a small smile. But it slipped instantly from her face as she continued down the hall. This was a serious matter. This was about her son. "I'm not going to die, Aspen. And neither are you. I can take care of myself," she replied. She was trying more to reassure herself than him. She climbed onto the hovercraft and started it up.

Mackenzie looked back at Tyson when he was talking, but then as he stopped talking, she saw that Xander had ran off. "Come on, he couldn't have gone far," she said, and she started sprinting off, trying to find him or Willow. She wouldn't be able to sleep if they didn't find her.

Aspen rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know how you Sherwoods are," he said, and he followed her into the hovercraft. He grabbed two of the guns, and he started to get everything ready. "Do you have the coordinates in?" he asked her, and he glanced at the time. The wasted three minutes talking. There was only seven minutes left to save his son. "I hope it isn't far. We don't have time."

Tyson sprinted alongside Mackenzie and tried to remain calm, but it was difficult. This was his baby sister they were talking about. He picked up the pace, suddenly glad for his awkward height. His long legs covered a great deal of distance. He didn't know when, but police sirens were going off. Moments later, he saw them blocking off the streets. Xander was nowhere to be found, but a limp body lied in the streets. He cut off on a run, and lo and behold, it was Willow.

--

Ann put in the coordinates and let out a shaky breath as the route pulled up. "Four minutes is four minutes too long," she said as the hovercraft lifted up in the air. "We are going to push it," she muttered under her breath before she shot forward through the sky. "Maybe Maria will make it there before us," she whispered hopefully. Yet, she knew that hope was a lost cause.

Mackenzie was running as fast as she could, trying to find Xander and Willow. She has to find them before anything bad happened. She stopped when she saw the sight on the street, and her eyes widened. She dropped to her knees and began crying. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, completely shocked.

Aspen cursed as he wars the flight time. That meant only three minutes to save his son. "Go as fast as you can," he said, and he rushed to get the guns fixed. Once he finally had them ready, he looked over at Ann and handed her one. "Come on, we need to hurry," he said, and looked down at his hands that were shaking. He was more than terrified.