The Evening is Young [Lyss; Blitz]

Valentine walked alongside his clumsy twin, who had been rambling on and on about how there was no point of him going to training if he would always lose. Today, Valentine had been antsy, ready for the reaping to come, and landed the blows hard and heavy on his weaker twin. He had apologized to his twin, confiding in him that he was actually quite nervous about the reaping, and that he had even bought tessera. Bravo had nodded along, claiming he understood, and confessed he had even bought one too. Valentine was enraged; he couldn't believe that his brother would jeopardize himself like that. He had been ignoring his starry-eyed brother on the walk home, for he knew if he spoke to his brother, he would end up beating him once more.

Valentine was ready to blow off steam. He wanted to do something he hadn't ever done. Perhaps he could go to a bar and pile on the drinks. He had had a few drinks before, but nothing that would black him out and bring him into a deadly hangover the next day. He let his eyes wander around the busy street, fixating them on a beautiful girl resting on the corner. Her outfit clung to her skin and revealed much skin. A devilish smile formed on his face; he knew what he would be doing instead of getting wasted. He turned to his brother and told him to go home without him, and that he would be home later.

The curly-haired boy crossed the street, making his way over to a girl whose hair had been kissed by the sun. He approached the girl and ran his hand through his mop of hair, smiling like a goofball.

"Hey there," he spoke in a light, soft voice.

Valentine let his eyes travel down the female that stood before her. He took note of how tall she was. He was still taller than her, though. He towered over most people, but with this girl, he was only an inch or two taller. His goofy grin faded into a more subtle smile. The female had such striking beauty, it was almost intimidating.

"Hey there," she purred.

She batted her eyelashes at him, and her eyes traveled down his body as his did to her body.

“Have any plans tonight?”

She flashed him a smile, one that wasn't silly and childish like his had been. Valentine looked up to the multi-colored evening sky, thinking about his answers. He had no actual plans. Of course, his mother probably panned on having dinner with her two sons tonight, but that could always wait. He looked back down and grinned a grin that wasn't foolish.

"I'm free tonight, actually," he replied.

He didn't bother asking her if she was free tonight as well. He knew the answer would be a yes. He could joke about how it was a coincidence when it really wasn't. While it didn't matter if he returned home before the next day or not, he did not want to waste time. His eyes made their way back to the tight dress, ready for his night to begin.

"Then it looks like I'm yours for the night."

Valentine watched as the beauty in front of him twisted her hair on her fingers. Her eyes kept trying to grasp the attention of his, but his mind seemed like it had been turned off, leaving him in a daze. Finally, he pulled back into reality, soon enough to hear the quiet words. She stepped close to him and lowered her voice.

“Do you have a location selected already, or do I get the luxury of choosing?”

Valentine thought about it. The only place that came to his mind was his house, and that wouldn't work. Maybe Bravo wouldn't go home until late that night, but there was always his mom. She rarely ever left the house except when she was out with her fiance. The thought of that terrible man almost made him grimace, but he remembered he needed to give her an answer. If she already has a place picked out, then why not let her use it? he thought.

His voice dropped low as well and he answered, "You have the luxury of choosing."

He wondered where she would be taking him. He knew it would be private, of course, most likely comfortable as well. Perhaps she had her own place, a big, fancy house with a large bed. She looked to be about his age, though, so that was doubtful. Either way, he flashed another grin and dropped his voice once more.

"Lead the way," he added cheerfully.

He quietly followed the girl to a building that ended up being two blocks away. It was a small house, but it would definitely work. In the man-made light of the porch bulbs above him, the house looked deserted. There was no furniture on the porch, nor were they any potted plants or any signs of life. Empty or not, she bent down and plucked a key from under the standard doormat every house on the street had.

The small silver key was placed in the small slit in the doorknob. When the door was pushed open, Valentine found that the house was indeed, empty. It seemed odd, but he followed her to a bedroom. Laying on the floor was a mattress adorned with sheets and pillows. It had a cozy feeling to it, even though the mattress was the only thing in the room. She placed her handbag on the floor and turned to him.

"Here we are."

"It's cute."

He chuckled, unsure of what to do next. He took the few steps towards the girl, and then he pressed his lips against hers.

Laying on the mattress, silently snoring, was a tangled, sleeping, shirtless, Valentine. He slept heavily, not waking even as the blinding rays of sun filtered into the room. In his dreams, the events from the previous night played over and over again in his head. He was satisfied for once in his life. None of the girls he had ever dated let him go as far as he and this girl had last night. This girl. What was this girl's name? He doubted he would ever know, she was just in this for the money.

He was woken by the tossing and turning of his partner. He squinted, the sun shining directly in his eyes. A pair of green eyes were staring at him, as if they thought he had escaped. He chuckled and murmured softly, "Don't worry, I'm still here."

Valentine turned his head away from the blinding light. It burnt his eyes, which made him wonder what time it was. Noon? Either way, why were the blinds being so defective? He turned on his side, facing away from the girl and the window, and let the sun warm his bare back. He wasn't ready to leave yet. He wanted to get to know who this beautiful girl was. Maybe if he didn't pay right away, he could stay.

The word 'pay' snapped him to his senses. He had no money in his pocket at all. What was he to do now?

He turned to watch as the girl got up to get her dress from yesterday. His eyes were stuck on her as she tugged the tight dress on. He smiled, knowing that the previous night would never be erased from his memory. He would never admit it to anybody, but that had been his first time. Most of his peers had assumed he had been robbing girls of their purity many, many years ago.

“Do you have a name, mystery boy?” she asked with a smirk.

A genuine laugh spilled from his mouth. He was as much as a mystery as she was.

"Valentine. What about you, sweetheart?"

He smirked as well. He was glad he wasn't the only curious one. He looked over at his clothes strewn across the room. He tossed the covers off, revealing his plaid boxers. He got up and walked over to his pants on the opposite side of the room. He slipped his feet through the pant legs, yanking them up to his waist.

She took a while to respond, as if she had somehow forgotten her own name. She finally responded saying her name was Demeter.

"Demeter, huh? What a beautiful name."

He smiled as he bent down to pick up his wrinkled navy shirt. He tugged the tight cotton over his head, buttoning the few clear plastic buttons at the top. He smoothed the creases out of his shirt and began to pat down the unruly strands of curly hair at the top of his head. After hearing the zip of Demeter's dress, the atmosphere turned quite awkward. He pretended to fix his hair, and then went to go look for his shoes before she spoke.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you."

He nodded and smiled as he slipped his shoes on, adding, "You too."

He knew this wasn't her first time, and that she had probably said this to tons of other men. Valentine went back over to her anyways, and by her tone and position, he knew it was time to go. She had a look that said, "just give me your money, and I'll be on my way." He shifted uncomfortably and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, um, about the money... I don't have any... with me..."