Margo held the device in her hand. It felt heavy. She had speanf weeks crafting and working on it but today it felt like a foreign object. She was nervous. She could not fail.

She had spent the last two years waiting and preparing for this moment. Since she was a little girl, all the District had done was take from her. They took her family first. They were all killed years ago in one of the raids of the city. Her mom, dad, and sister were all killed while she was at home watching cartoons.

Next, they took her home. Margo was displaced and became a ward of the district. She remembered them taking her away and watching as the District set her childhood home on fire.

Children who became wards of the District did not always get as lucky as she. Margo was a beautiful child so she did not get sent to a labor camp. Instead, she was sent to a different kind of hell.

She was sent to Miss Maxine’s Home for Girls. She quickly learned this was not a normal home. At the age of 12, they started training her to be an Escort. She learned what to say, how to talk, think, and act to please the rich. At the age of 18, she was introduced to society. They introduced her as Scarlett deeming it sexier and more mature. The District had stolen her name.

Margo had made her way up to being the most popular escort in the District. She was known for her ability to do anything and get along with anyone. She was quite expensive. Not that she saw any of it. 75% of her earnings went to the District. She was still considered the most successful and rich escort of any of her peers. The District had formed her into the perfect woman. They had stolen her identity.

They all thought she was perfect. Scarlett worked hard. She never spoke out of turn. She always said the right thing. She did this while she waited. She allowed the rage to burn inside her. She thought about it while she serviced different men and women. She thought about it as she smiled and nodded pretending to care about what her client said. She allowed it to grow and eat her alive until all that was left was a burning desire for revenge.

The day had finally come. She had the bomb in her hand and walked inside the capital building. She knew there was nothing left for her here. She wanted out. She placed the bomb in the center of the building and set the timer for 5 seconds. She stood there watching as she heard confusion and panic when the device started to beep. She counted backwards.

5, 4…

People started screaming.

3, 2...

“My name is Margo,” she said. Tears filled her eyes. “And you will remember the real me”

…1

Scarlett felt her body fly into the air. She felt immense pain. Her body burned. She knew she could not bear the pain much longer. The District had now taken another thing. She could hear herself screaming as the whole world went black.