Play That Game

Attention:
'Book is currently being worked on, and may include gore, blood, abuse, fighting, death, and/or violent things. Although this has dating and things, it does not have anything adult-like or Rated R, so please enjoy and do not edit unless it's a spelling error. And, please look it up to see if it is so you're sure. Thank you!'

Chapter One: The Harness of Safety
I ducked behind the forest trees, racing away. Finally, I lost my breath and sat down at a tree. Nothing could comfort the feeling lurching inside me from what I'd just experienced.

Our pod was one of the many, tucked into the evergreen. The kids forced to work, the women forced to cook or treat wounds, and the men forced to beat anyone that didn't work hard enough.

All my life, I'd been fighting for myself. To keep my family alive. Nearly 5 times, I'd almost died- or had- from hunger. Or dehydration. You see, we had to work for our food.

I tucked my sheath and bow under my shirt, concealing them. But I kept them at the ready just in case.

They were specially my hunting arrows, when I had to shoot prey for food. Women never learned how to take care of themselves, because all they did was medical work and cooking. But my father, deep in the forest, had taught me.

I had learned.

That had probably gone against about 50 different rules. Resulting in a whipping in front of the whole crowd. Crimes like that were not to be forgiven unless told by the mayor, which only happened with his sons, who could break rules freely and not have a single hair harmed. The mayor's daughter, however... well, nobody ever really saw her anymore.

And my father's crimes had been revealed.

It was my fault, really. I'd insisted on trying in the daytime to get some better fat, and the Guiders had caught him. And they were now looking for me.

I tried to assure myself it would be alright, that it was minor. But it was hard to keep something like that inside, especially when the Guiders had killed my father with.. what? A stick? Pebbles? Spoons? Something like that. I didn't have time to find out.

I saw a pair of feet trudge through the undergrowth and trip. I saw a boy's face fall to the ground and get many different cuts. They bled horribly.

My first insinct, of course, was to help. I grabbed vines from a nearby tree and wrapped them around his severe wounds. He looked into my eyes.

"I'm