So It's Fairly Simple {Nervoux}

Thalia stared at the page before her, trying to find some way to remember the math that seemed to have drifted away through the many absences. Frustration seethed through her, winding through her veins like a snake. The motion glinted in her brown eyes, her hand clenching around the pencil that was held firmly in her grasp. She silently began to breathe calmly in an attempt to relax, the action slowly beginning to blow the anger and frustration away.

"Do you need any help?" The voice was quiet; almost barely audible among the loud laughter coming from the group of kids infront of her and the whining coming from the front of the room. Thalia's head turned to the direction the voice came from, finding that the girl she had looked at earlier had asked her the question. Her gaze traveled to the paper before the girl, seeing all of the words written on it, as if she had already finished her assignment.

Thalia hesitated for a few moments, her hands clasping before her in her small lap. After a few moments of contemplating how to answer, she nodded profusely, her brown waves of hair bobbing up and down. "Could you? Math isn't my best subject..." Her words were also quiet, though they came from emberassment more than anything. She couldn't bring herself to say that she only went to school when she had free time, which was usually about two times a month. In the back of her mind, there was always shame in the idea of living in such a poor family, for she knew it was cause people to look down upon her.

Thalia pulled her gaze away from the girl for a few seconds, her hand moving the notebook closer to the edge of the desk so she could see. Streaks of red flushed her cheeks as she barely glanced up, a slight smile of thanks tugging at the corner of her lips. "I'm Thalia, by the way," she said, her words spoken louder than the mumbles from earlier. Her emberassment was already beginning to fade into the back of her mind, hiding behind the other emotions that began to surface. Like always, she began to pull the positive thoughts out of the back of her mind, layering them over the many negative memories and thoughts that continued to try and break through. And they always did manage to break through the wall of positivity, causing her to collapse within herself and give into the many memories that haunted her dreams at night.

She opened her mouth to tell her the assignment she needed help on, though the sound of a door opening shattered her train of thought. Thalia's head turned to the door, her confused gaze landing on the large form of the mayor standing stiffly before the open door. A hush seemed to move over the room as all the surprised faces of the children turned to face the guest, their mouths falling open in awe. It was rare for the mayor to visit the school.

Thalia's eyes swept over him, taking in all of the features that were etched clearly across his face. Contained in his eyes was the usual melancholy look that usually appeared on the faces of District Eight citizens, a look that gave away the fact that he was not here on a happy note. Her weary eyes traveled down to the way he continued to sway back and forth on the heels of his feet, his sweaty palms clasped tightly behind his back. His gaze swept over the class a few times before he cleared his throat, his mouth opening to give the news that no one had been expecting.

"I came here to give you some uhm... bad news." His voice quivered slightly, though he quickly regained himself and continued. "I'm immensely sorry to tell you that District Eight will not have a victor this year..." The silence in the room after the words began to ring in her head, the sound of a pen dropping echoing against the walls and sounding in the enclosures of her mind. Glances were exchanged, murmurs finally beginning to be heard as the words finally processed in the children's minds.

Thalia glanced around the room, her gaze following the mayor as he and the teacher stepped out of the door to exchange a few words. A melancholy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she thought of the two tributes, wishing that their lives hadn't been ended so soon. What were their names? Oh yes, Anya and... Sebastian. Sebastian. Suddenly everything began to process in her slow mind, everything seemed to go silent and move in slow motion. He was dead. He promised to come back.

A strangled cry escaped her parted lips, her hands pulling up to ball up some of her hair in her sweaty fists. Thalia's eyes shut tightly, shutting out the gazes that were suddenly falling on her. Images of the boy flashed before her eyes. His silhouette against the night sky as he stood before his mother's grave, the feeling of his hand grasping around her arm as he told her not to leave him, his eyes lighting up as he took the small slice of bread from her hand, his haunted gaze as his name was called for the Reaping... the feeling of his lips brushing against hers for one mere second. The memories were beginning to flood through the thick layer, the wall of positive thoughts breaking as another cry escaped her.

Tears welled up in the corners of her brown eyes, the salty liquid streaming down her cheeks. "No. No no no" she whispered shakily, the murmur barely audible among the whispers of the children around her. Thalia's shoulders shook with sobs as she hunched over, the realization that the only two loved ones in her life had left her completely beginningt to settle within her. Her mother, who had risked her life for her, and the boy whom she suddenly realized she had fallen in love with. It was too much, and she was creating a scene. She needed to get out of there.

Thalia's eyes opened finally, her vision blurry as she shut her notebook. She attempted to get out of her seat, though her legs seemed to give in beneath her, forcing her to sit down back in the wooden chair. Suddenly the feeling of just giving up began to weave thrugh her, causing her to slump over in her chair and let the tears fall down her cheeks. Her sobs grew quiet, the ominous silence finally beginning to ring in her flooded mind. She knew that many gazes were staring at her, and she knew that the girl whom had suggested giving her help was probably taking notice of the breakdown before her. But quite frankly, she didn't care. All she cared about was the loved one that had once again been pulled from her grasp because of the Capitol. She had had enough.

[OOC: So sorry for the long wait, I promise I'll post faster this time...]