stained hearts | blitz | [clover]

Warmth. As of late I could tell it was disappearing from the world, icy venom taking it's place. I didn't mind, though, not really. I loved autumn, when the trees turned red and orange and yellow, and the crisp winds that smelled of pumpkin danced through the air. When it was cool enough outside that I didn't sweat, but warm enough that I didn't shiver. Perfect, actually. Emerald eyes were fixed on leaves as they danced on the ground in piles of brown as I walked through the park I played in as a child. One of my hands were stuffed inside the pockets of my trench coat, a dark brown in color. The other held a cup of coffee that burned with life, and a plastic bag that swayed with each step I took. The cotton of the red scarf around my neck was itchy, but after years of wearing them, I had grown used to it.

Children played with dead leaves, and their parents sat on benches happily conversing with one another. I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling as memories of my mother and I playing here flashed through my mind, her smile, the one they said mine matched perfectly, and those pretty blue eyes of her's, (It seemed so rare to see them happy these days.) made me feel like the safest person in the world. Maybe I was. Now, however, I was nowhere near safe. I guessed it was my own fault, building and selling those traps when I knew it the penalty was harsh. Still, I wouldn't let my family sink, I refused to let it happen. If that meant taking some risks, I was going to take them.

A frail girl with pretty eyes and skinny fingers sat alone at a bench, and I decided she was far too young to have a child, especially one old enough to run around and play in a playground. I took a seat next to her, and I thought I saw her before, maybe in school. She was pretty, dark strands of blonde contained in a simple braid that was barely long enough to fall over her right shoulder. Brown doe eyes were transfixed with the book she had in her lap, and her legs were crossed in order to hold it in a proper position. I sat the cup down on a thin metal arm rest that curved under in a swirl, and opened the bag. I pulled out a smaller, paper bag and then pulled out a doughnut.

Coated in chocolate and topped with sprinkles, the thing was still warm in my hand. I was glad I had sold the extra trap last night, so that I could afford more than only one, because I was exceptionally hungry that day. I sank my teeth into it and noticed the girl trying not to look over. There were a lot of people in my district that often went to bed without enough to eat, my parents had always made sure that didn't happen to me, but their good will didn't stop the rest of the district from starving. I looked inside the bag, staring at the remaining candy decorated circle, and slid the bag over to her. "Can you eat this? I don't think I can eat anymore." I lied through my teeth, but only to spare her embarrassment.