Tell Me I'm Not A Mess Up {Arc} {Callahan/Caitir}

"No!" Caitir yelled as she awoke abruptly from her deep slumber she had been experiencing. A rather pleasant dream had transformed into a terrifying nightmare as she slept, and it woke her up, screaming for it to stop. In her dream, she had been having a normal, carefree day that for once, lacked in much anxiety or other issues. In her nightmare, however, it had turned into reaping day. The escort had reached their hand into the ball and took out a name, reading it aloud. It was her name. This, however, did not happen. She had woken up with a shout, discovering that it had all been a mirage inside her mind. None of it was true. The reaping had happened yesterday, after all, and someone else was chosen. It wasn't her. It was someone else that would have to go in. It was someone she didn't know, who had to go fight to the death.

This person was innocent, the one who was chosen. Since that was the case, why did it make Caitir so glad they were going in instead of her? She was normally someone who didn't think other people should have to experience anything like that in their lifetime. Why was it any better for her to think that just because it wasn't her? It wasn't any better. She shamed herself for this. She was beginning to get selfish, and her father had always told her to care for others. Caitir realized she should take his advice. He was a doctor, after all.

That was when there was a knock at the sixteen year old's door. She got out of her bed and went over to the door, opening it to reveal her father. He was an average sized man, and he hadn't shaved his face recently, leaving some facial hair upon it. She smiled very softly, as she was glad to see him after having such a terrifying nightmare. He gave her a hug and spoke sweetly to her.

"Are you alright, Caitir? I heard you scream. Was it another nightmare?" he asked.

"Yes. It's okay now, though." she nodded. The father of the Bowman girl kissed her on the head, and told her that he was glad she was alright. He also told her that she was welcome to come down for breakfast at any time, as it was ready for her. She thanked him, and informed him that she would venture downstairs shortly.

After she changed out of her nightclothes and into her regular outfit for the day, she brushed out her hair and put on some of the small amount of makeup her family was able to afford. With her father in the medical profession, the Bowman was able to afford a bit more than some of the others in the district.

Stepping outside of her bedroom and heading downstairs to the kitchen, she saw her cat in the hallway, patting him on the head gently as she passed by.

"How're you doing, Tiger?" she asked the orange colored cat, not expecting a response. She continued down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she greeted her parents and sat with them at the table to eat breakfast. As they ate, they had very little conversation, but they enjoyed it all, nonetheless. After they finished, Caitir thanked her parents for the food and helped with picking up and washing the dishes they had used.

Caitir then asked her parents if she could go out for a walk, which they confirmed was okay, as long as she wore a coat, due to the cold weather and the snow. Thanking them, she headed over to her front door and put on her coat, as well as her winter boots, and went outside, shutting the door behind her when she exited. Walking for some time, the girl eventually found a bench, where she sat for a moment. She was tired, but figure that the walk would be well worth it in the end. At least by tiring herself out, she would have the chance of sleeping better.

After sitting for a while, she rose again and started heading back to her house. There was something that stopped her, however. There was someone that she spotted out of the corner of her eye. He looked familiar to her, almost like she had seen him at school before. His hair was a messy brown and the boy didn't look all too muscular. For sure, this boy was someone Caitir recognized. What was his name, though? For a moment, she couldn't remember his name, nor who he really was. She just knew she had seen him around school, and had heard him called on once or twice. His name was... Callahan! That's what it was! Normally, not knowing exactly who the person she was talking to was would make Caitir a nervous wreck. This time, however, she thought that as long as this person wasn't some rude loudmouth, she may be able to make friends with him. She decided to give it a shot.

"Hey, Callahan!" she said to him as she walked a bit nearer. Caitir's one hope at this moment was that she had gotten his name right. Well, that and that he would be polite about it, deciding not to haul and slug her in the nose.