The Day The Cloud Floated Away [Claude Standalone]

My grandpa said to me
Grandson sit down we need to talk
In life there may be times
When it gets hard to walk the walk

Claine sat beside me on the couch, the soft fabric pinched tightly between my fingers as I stared at nothing in particular. The shock of it still took all real thought from my mind and I had a hard time understanding anything of what was going on. I only knew one thing - my parents may love me, but they would not come to see me go. I was going to sit here alone until the Peacekeepers came and took me away. Though, I guess they already had. As soon as the ceremony had ended my district partner and I had been whisked away to this place. Another look around the room offered me visions of luxury beyond what many had here. The wood of the chairs was a rich brown colour, not the typical pine that most things were made of. They were even carved with delicate attention, each detail perfect in a way the quick craftsmanship of most things were not.

The fabric was something I had never felt before, soft like the silk that I had had described to me one but rough if I ran my hand the other way. It smelled of mothballs, a smell that choked me some and left me thinking about preserving things. I wanted to preserve my life, hold onto it in its own perfection as long as I could but no matter how many mothballs I packed into my clothes or chemicals I dumped over my skin I would never be able to manage that. Where I was going, preservation didn't mean saving myself, it meant stopping the preservation of others. It was the rudimentary idea of kill or be killed. I felt as though I was back in my grade eight science class, talking about survival of the fittest. The question I had to ask myself was, how fit am I?

It's easier to take the path
That most have traveled on
But then again to do what's right
You must walk alone

Not enough, not ever enough - I wouldn't even survive the bloodbath. I had no knowledge of any weapons, I could barely prepare food for myself, I had a horrible sense of direction. Without Shade to guide me I was worse off than a blind kid - even knowing one had become a victor didn't help, it only confirmed my thoughts. Maybe I would make a reputation for myself, I might be the most useless tribute out there. As if he could hear my thoughts, Claine turned to me and gave me a little grin. "I've got something for you." I looked at him, somewhat nonplussed that he thought a gift would be the right thing to cheer me up right now. "You can be really glum, you know that. You should be glad I'm here with you instead of being left by yourself for this whole time." I rolled my eyes, turning my head to look away as the sigh left me. I did't feel like listening to his berating commentary, he wasn't as helpful as he had insinuated.

That was when the black rock was shoved under my nose, close enough that it almost smashed against my teeth. I shifted backwards, hoping to move myself further from the hand in my face along side getting a better look at the stone Claine held. "What's this?" I went to reach for the stone but Claine plucked it from my grasp before I could. "If that's you gift why don't you just give it to me, why taunt." Claine's gray eyes flickered mischievously and he held out the rock to me once again. "I thought you didn't want my gift." I gave him a flat look, extending a hand to take the rock. He let me hold it this time, the weight somewhat more than I expected - but of everything it was the luster of the rock that grabbed my attention. It held me transfixed as I looked at it.

Some people are unkind
To those who see things different
We've all felt pain in ways
It hurts to even bring it up

The shining black of it held more than simply endless darkness in its depths. There were moving streaks of light just under the surface, flashes that were more than just reflections. I held my breath as I turned the rock over and over in my hands, gazing at it from all angles. "What is it?" Claine was silent for a moment and I wondered whether he had left but when I looked up he was still there, looking at me quietly, contemplative. "It's obsidian." Delicately he reached out a finger to stroke one of the many facets of the stone, a kind of careful tenderness in his eyes. I softened to him, seeing how much he loved gems and stones so passionately. Sometimes, I feel as though only the earth understands me and that gems and stones make up everything so we have to treat them with care. It seemed we shared a similar thinking.

But that don't mean that we
Should take this motion lying down
I'll stand and fight until the day
They put me in the ground

He withdrew his hand, eyes regaining their playful spark. "It was my token when I went into the arena, I thought it would suit you well too." I smiled at him. Closing my fingers around it, I gripped it tightly. "There's something special about obsidian, isn't there?" Claine nodded, but it looked like he wasn't going to tell me anything yet - he would stubbornly hold onto facts until I needed to know them, something I found left me guessing but not panicking. Realizing there was no point in asking anymore questions, I stuffed the piece of obsidian into a pants pocket. I returned to sitting and staring at nothing in particular, my mind tumbling the idea of how long was left. How many minutes until I was one the train, how many hours until I reached the Capitol, how many days until I entered the arena, how many breaths until I die.

The door opened shortly after, a young Peacekeeper sticking his head in too give me a stern look. "It's time." They never had much to say, if they even spoke, and now as no different. I stood, looking at Claine and squeezing the obsidian chunk in my hand before going over to the Peacekeeper. With a slight push on the spot between my shoulder blades, he sent me out of the room and into the long hallway. I didn't watch the door shut, too busy being urged onward in a march towards the train. "Don't dawdle." There wasn't anything to dawdle for - my parents didn't show up, I didn't have any friends. I had no reason to take longer than I had to to walk down this hallway, yet all I could feel was the sensation of walking through molasses. Each step I took was laboured, a strain because I knew that it was taking me further and further from home.

Now I've taught you all I know
So take this seed and let it grow
Though I'm here now soon I'll be gone
Did what I can to try and make you strong

Still, I was already past the point of no return. I had been since my name was drawn from the reaping bowl. Now I was going even farther into the unknown, far enough to never find a way back to the line. I would be lost in the blankness past the edge of my knowledge, left to take everything one strained step after another. The familiar streets of home, of my District, of my life, were growing more distant with each millimeter I moved forward until I was left with nothing to hold onto anymore. Well, not quite nothing. The feel of the obsidian against my palm strengthened me some and I made my way through the invisible molasses with less difficulty. I had to embrace the strength of the stone in my pocket, because without it I had nothing, I would be the last piece of District five that I could hold onto, and it's hard to cuddle yourself.

The exit at the far end of the hall came up faster than I thought it would, any labour to my movements gone now. A hard shove between the shoulder blades sent me stumbling forward until I nearly crashed into the doors. Claine gave me a smile and gestured to the door, telling me it was my step to take. I nodded, determination filling me as I pushed at the door. It opened easily, and I gazed out at my near future. The train sat before me, waiting patiently. I didn't even have to look behind me as I moved forward, leaving behind the last trace of District five to enter a world unknown.

And Lord, it's a lonely road
When this world burns down deep in your soul
You will find there's peace left in mind
You will find there's peace to find