Bartholomew Swallow-Birch || D2 ||

BARTHOLOMEW

countdown
countdown
countdown to the disappointment
i'm yours tonight

We took off all our clothes and ran naked into the sea. It was a moment of sheer madness, but it stuck inside my head. That wild feeling imprinted in my personality, making me the instinctive animal I am today. The raw feeling of being struck by the intense, bleak waves was like nothing I had ever experienced, or ever will again. We were lost in something bigger than us, and for a moment, I was fulfilled.

I was young and naive, and I got hurt because of it. Love is such a commonly used phrase. I thought I was in love with a girl once, but what's a teenage crush if not volatile and short-lived? I fell further than I ever imagined. I learned to hate. I learned that love is nothing more than a fairy tale. You could call it maturing, or coming to terms with the real world, or whatever. The point is, I don't put my trust in people easily. Not any more.

I am one of two, a twin. Non fraternal. We look different, act different, think different. Truth be told, there are no similarity between Eliot and myself, except maybe the fact that we are both Careers. Even in that lone common interest, we are different. Eliot's big. He's built like a bodybuilder and can throw twice his own weight. He's headstrong and violent, confrontational in every way. I'm not muscular in the slightest. I'm bone thin, but agile. I'm fast and my reactions are like a feline's. Eliot has dark brown hair, whilst mine is a much lighter caramel blonde. His features are full and defined, but mine are much more babyfaced. We are ying and yang, twins born the opposite of each other. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Give Eliot a sword and he'll take your head off, but give me a knife and I'll take you down before you even realize you're in danger. We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses. I could take Eliot down quickly by using his own momentum against him, but he could knock me out with one hit. He's a lot better with words than me, too. He's good at mind games, whereas I like to do the talking through actions. He's got a dark streak that I admire, but can never match. We disagree on a lot. I wouldn't say we dislike each other, but we have a rivalry, for sure. It's not aggressive, or nasty. It's a friendly rivalry, if such a thing actually exists.

When we were younger we got into arguments a lot, and I mean a lot. Eliot was such a moron back then, and I hated him. I guess things changed when we both agreed to become Careers together. It was the first thing we agreed on, at least that's how it felt. We knew how different we were, but we were still brothers - twins - and we were going to do this as a team. I trust Eliot. I told you that I don't trust easily, but him I trust. We disagree on a lot and we're complete opposites, but he is my twin. We are bound by more than blood. Just because we're different, doesn't mean that Eliot isn't a good guy. I trust him to the death.

A lot of people in my Career Academy are interested in knives. Throwing knives, handling knives. It's probably because they're so easy to use, and yet so effective too. Why lump a massive sword around when you can strike fast with a knife? I wouldn't say that the knife is my weapon of choice, because I am a man of stealth. That itself is it's own weapon. I use the shadows to my advantage. Paranoia and fear are much more effective than brute force or vicious aggression. I'm clever in that aspect, I suppose. But then I am lacking in other areas. I am not the smartest survivor, nor the quickest thinker. I make poor decisions often, and that's how I get beaten in duels and spars. I've recently taken an interest in the Spear. It's a handy weapon that allows me to be agile and forceful at the same time. Perhaps I will develop on this in the coming months.

Our family is big. The Birch's are well known in District Two - We're one of the bigger, richer families around. With two of our name dying in the Games, we're known all around Panem. I can't help but feel that the cameras will forever be on our faces during Reaping Days, the media will be waiting for one of our names to be called and will be poised to capture our reactions. We can never go back to being unknown. Not any more.

this is not a movie
things just ain't the same as your favourite video
try standing back and move me
next to you's a very nice place to go


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