Do We Have to Fight People?

I nervously walked into The White Room with my little brother. Today was the day I hated. The day I dreaded. Today was the day everyone in our District had to fight each other. Head-to-head, face-to-face.

“Cambria,” My younger brother Ian said. “Do we have to fight people?”

I breathed deeply and shook my head. “No, Ian. We will never fight people. It’s not who we are. No matter how much they might seem to deserve it, remember what God tells us.”



“Love your enemies,”

“That’s right. We will always love people no matter what.”



“So we’re not fighting people today?”



“No,” I knew that wasn’t the truth. Sometime today, Ian would have to see me fight someone.

I didn’t want to fight anyone, but I had to. If I didn’t, I would be killed. Even worse, Ian would die too. He’s only ten! But what if I found a way to shield him from that.

I could hide him. I could hide him in the house and tell him that I’m going out to buy food. No. That wouldn’t work for two reasons: 1) Ian is a small child. He would leave the house. 2) The guards would find him. They would find him and they would kill him. I’m running out of options.

My thoughts were interrupted when an alarm sounded. Ian jumped. He grabbed ahold of my shirt. I smoothed his hair. “Shh,” I whispered. “Everything’s okay.”

The alarm sounded again. Ian whimpered and held on to me tightly. A booming voice came from the loudspeaker.

“Attention all District members,” They said. “Everyone has been ordered to receive a scanning immediately.”

“Cambria, why do we have to get a scanning?” Ian asked.

“The leaders want to have a better understanding of us,”

“But, they already know us. Isn’t that enough?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. I decided I needed to hide him.

“Ian,” I whispered to him as the two of us were scanned. “I need you to listen to me very carefully.”

I explained to him what I needed to do. He tilted his head in confusion. Ian was a smart child. I knew that. However, he was still young. I explained once again using words and phrases only his young mind would understand. I wish I could’ve told him the truth, though. Everything I told him was a sugarcoated. A cover story.

I heard the voice from the loudspeaker again. “Everyone is excused and is allowed to return home. Later today, we look forward to seeing you all at your designated time for—”

I cancelled them out. I had already knew what was happening later that day. Nevertheless, I didn’t want Ian to know so I covered his ears.

After we left The White Room, I quickly stuffed most of Ian’s clothes and books in a loose, dusty bag.

“Cambria, what are you doing?” Ian asked.

“Ian,” I said. “You have to go.”

“Go where?” He asked.

“You’re finally going to see the outside world. Do you know about it?”

“In school, there are brief explanations about it, but I’ve never seen it. Have you been there, Cambria?”

I sighed. “No. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m…not allowed to,”

“Oh,”

I smiled a bit. “Don’t worry about me. You get to see the outside world now.”

“What’s out there that makes it so special?”

I gripped onto his shoulders. “Ian! Don’t you understand? The outside world is better than anything in the District! Anything! The outside world has everything you’ll ever want!”

“Will the outside world have you?”

I choked. I quickly ripped a sheet of paper from his tattered notebook and took a small writing tool from inside the bag. I wrote down multiple instructions. Instructions on what to do when he escapes.

“Ian, I need you to listen to me,” I said. He nodded in response. “Right now, you are going to leave. You’re going to follow me and escape.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“The District is a closed city, shielding all of us from the outside world. Every year, the people in our District have to fight each other.”

“I thought you to me that we’re supposed to love our enemies.”

“That’s right. We are supposed to love our enemies. But you have to understand. The people we’re fighting, aren’t our enemies. They’re our friends. ”

“Then why are we fighting these people if they don’t deserve it?”

“The leaders want to decrease our population. When we fight, we have to kill each other.”

“I don’t want to kill people! Don’t make me do it Cambria!”

“Ian, I’ll never make you do something you don’t want to do!”

“Do you have to do it? Do you have to kill people?”

“That’s the reason I want you to escape! I don’t want you to see me kill anyone! That’s why you have to go!”

“Cambria you have to come with me! I can’t live on my own!”

“Ian, I love you,”

“I love you too, Cambria,”

“If you love me, you have to trust me. Trust that I’m making the right decision.”

Ian nodded in response. “What do I have to do?”

I handed him the paper with the instructions written on it. As he read, his eyes widened. “Cambria,” He said. “You have to come with me.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t. I have to stay here.”

He shoved his head in my chest, making my shirt damp with his tears.

“I love you,” He said. “I don’t want to leave without you.”

“You have to. It’s the only way you’ll live the life you were born to live.”

After a few minutes of crying, we left the house. We got to the opening gate, but getting out was the hard part. Blocking the entryway, there was a small army of four guards dressed in fluorescent green and black clothing.

“Ian, I need you to listen,” I said. He nodded. “I’m going to create a distraction. As soon as I give you the signal, you need to climb the gate as fast as you can and leave.”