So I'm doing my first Character Interview today! I have, with me, Wheeler Hawkins, ex-Federation member and part if the rebellion against the Fed.
W: *smiles proudly* It's great to be here! I'm glad you asked me!
I'm very glad to have you! So tell me a little about yourself real quick, Wheeler!
W: Well, I'm Wheeler Hawkins, I'm 24 years old, I am an ex-Fed, I was raised in what used to be Kansas City, Missouri, and I moved here to what used to be Green Bay, Wisconsin, ten years ago, when I was fourteen.
Did your family come with you, or did you come by yourself?
W: *shifts nervously in his seat* I came with my parents, and my little sister, Charlene, and my best friend, TJ.
Do you happen to know where they are now?
W: Um, my mom and dad got taken by the Fed, TJ too. Charlene...*sighs* I wish I knew. Last I saw of her was four years ago. She was 15.
I'm terribly sorry, Wheeler. May I ask, what happened four years ago?
W: That's when I got the job with the Fed. I hated them them, I always have, so I've been waiting for the rebellion for four years. *chuckles* Took everyone long enough to work up the guts!
Yeah, it sure did! What role do you play in the rebellion?
W: I'm 2nd in command. After Larson Hanks.
Who's that?
W: He's the trainer of all the kids. Him and Damien Harris, an 18-year-old who isn't tracked, are the brains of the rebellion.
So, if you hate the Federation so much, why did you join them?
W: I joined, knowing that someday I could use my knowledge and authority against the Fed. I knew that if someone decided they were brave enough to try to stop the Fed, I could be there to help.
Did it ever occur to you that they wouldn't trust you?
W: *chuckles* About that...it never did occur to me, really, until it happened to me. When I tried to join the rebellion, I think half the people hated me and the other half didn't trust a word I said. And some of them were both. But I hope by the time the war is over...*clears throat*...everyone will know that I never meant harm. I only hoped to help them defeat the Fed.
I think, as tricky and sneaky as it was, your plan was brilliant. You seem like a very clever guy, to have come up with that! Tell me, is there a Mrs. Wheeler Hawkins?
W: *laughs out loud* No, no there is not.
What?! Come on, you're good-looking, smart, funny- there's no way could possibly sit there and honestly say there's not a girl waiting for you to come home. Not even a possible future Mrs. Wheeler Hawkins?
W: There, was one. When I was 17, I really liked this girl, her name was, uh, Sasha. I liked her a lot! *laughs* A lot. But she turned out to be a Fed-lover. Brainwashed by their idiocy.
That's terrible. I'm so sorry. You refer to it as 'brainwashed'. Do you think every person that doesn't hate the Fed is brainwashed?
W: Yes. The Fed is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. All they have ever done is make me miserable.
I'm sorry to hear that.
W: I am grateful for my job with them, though. This whole rebellion would be a whole lot hard without it.
You must have put on quite the act to have fooled them for four years!
W: I'll be honest, it was never easy. I had to do a lot of things that I didn't approve of. I'd rather not say what kinds of things, but, take my word for it, it was hard.
Who gives the orders in the Fed?
W: Dean O'Connor. He's in charge of every Fed member and everyone in the Compound and everyone in our province. No one tells him what do to. Nobody.
How high were you ranked, while in the Fed?
W: Third-level. There's Dean, first-level; three guys on second-level; five guys on third; ten on fourth; 26 other Fed members, guards and such. 45 in all.
So you're pretty high and mighty in the Fed!
W: *laughs* Yeah, I guess so. I can only take orders from about seven people. I can give orders to the rest. Makes me feel pretty powerful.
I can see why! Now, I want to change subjects and ask you about your life before you moved to Green Bay. How much do you remember?
W: Quite a lot, actually. One thing I need to make clear is that TJ was practically my brother. He lived with us from the time I was three. So we sorta just adopted him. So, when we lived in Kansas City, it was my family, including TJ, and another family with three kids. The fathers and the other family's 19-year-old son worked together to find food and water, then brought it back to our families. Charlene was so tough. She was always assuring us that everything was gonna be okay. *laughs* she was nine! She knew so much more than we did.
Do you think she was right?
W: Thus far, I'm not so sure. If the Fed is stopped, she was definitely right.
How close were you, Charlene, and TJ?
W: Charlene, TJ, and I were best friends. Charlene may have been our kid sister, but there was no one else for us to hang out with and we grew to love her above anyone else.
If the Federation has your parents and TJ, why haven't you gone after them?
W: I've always been afraid to find them dead. If they're dead, I don't wanna know about it. I'd be overjoyed if I found them alive, but I wouldn't be able to carry on if I found them dead.
I can understand that. I have one more question before you go: what's your favorite color?
W: *laughs* Um...red? Nah...probably...turquoise. Just because I love the turquoise skies, the ones we see in pictures.
Thank you so much for your time!
W: Thank you for having me! I love getting asked questions about myself! *winks*
Thanks for reading! I hope to finish up the next chapter by Saturday and will do my best to keep it up and continue posting every Saturday:)
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