One last hope {Rade}

knuckles
Librarian

4,866 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Apr 15, 2024 16:10:40 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

One last hope {Rade} Feb 1, 2016 22:52:46 GMT -5

Quote

Post by knuckles on Feb 1, 2016 22:52:46 GMT -5

Iain Miristioma
Fourteen | Male | District Eleven | 72nd Hunger Games

Many thoughts swim through my mind as a storm rages inside my body. Sleep hasn't been easy for me despite my efforts to sleep. I don't know what it is - maybe it's being in a new environment, or maybe it's because I'm about to go into a living hell; whatever it is, I wish it would go away. I've done everything in my power to not make enemies, and to find a group of people I trust, but the one person I trust more than anyone else here is the fourteen year old from district eight: Cecilia Brontz. She's like a sister to me because I've never had a sister, and I don't want to think about losing her since everyone I'm holding onto has the broken reality sitting inside their mind of a slim chance of walking out of the arena alive. Cecilia stood up for me when the guy from six shoved me down. She stood by my side, and for the first time I was treated as an equal. Yeah, my family treated me as an equal, but this is the first time someone has gone out of their way to protect me. But even thinking of her friendship doesn't ease my mind.

Flipping the bedside lamp on, I find a sheet of paper resting gracefully on the table beside the bed. I have so much I want Kirito to know. So much I need to tell him, yet the words just won't come. I'm terrified of dying. I'm terrified of fighting someone. I'm terrified of what the Capitol is going to turn me into despite my efforts to remain the same. Swinging my feet over the bed, I open one of the drawers praying for a pencil or a pen to be inside, and my heart leaps with joy as one rolls quietly into view. Many tears have fell down my face since my departure from district eleven, but for the first time I don't feel like crying. A sense of hope and joy plunge through my bones filling my body with life as I scribble word after word onto the sheet of paper. Hopefully Kirito doesn't have to read this. Hopefully I can return from the arena to stand by his side, but I know him. I know Snow has set out to destroy him, and hopefully a letter is enough to set it all free.

In a moment, my bare feet hit the floor and I drag myself out of bed with one thought in mind. I need to talk to Katelyn, but I'm not sure what to say. Drawing a blanket around my shoulders, I carefully fold the sheet of paper into a square, and the weight of the sorrow and regret written inside is a rock in my hand weighing it down. Right now is the calm before the storm, and I don't know what to even think as the world ends around me. Hobbling out into the hall, I make my way down the district eleven floor. A grim grin twists across my face, and the thundering of my heart prancing behind my chest echoes throughout my ears because this is my last wish. My last hope. My last will.

Time freezes as my eyes lock on her door. An incredible amount of fear fills my body as I raise a hand to knock on the door. Not once, not twice, but three times hoping it's loud enough for her to hear but nobody else. "Katelyn, it's Iain." I exhale softly as my gaze drops towards the floor. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment if you don't mind."

OOC notes go here

[googlefont="Geo:400"]

Last Edit: Feb 3, 2016 20:54:21 GMT -5 by knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen Jan 6, 2024 4:36:58 GMT -5

Thinking

One last hope {Rade} Feb 1, 2016 23:31:14 GMT -5

Quote

Post by charade on Feb 1, 2016 23:31:14 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Sleep eluded her as it had during the quell, and the reason was once again a Miristioma. Katelyn had sat cross-legged on her bed for hours, watching scene upon scene from past games and taking down notes, reviewing everything from the number of tributes left late game that usually resulted in a feast, to how often mutts were used to spice things up. Anything that could give her charges an edge. She had impressed upon them the necessity of spending time with the survival skill coaches, stating that combat stations were hit and miss; there was no guarantee that the weapon a tribute trained with would be found in the cornucopia, neither was there any guarantee that said weapon could get sponsored to them.

But there was always a use for basic first aid, to identify edible plants when nothing else was available, how to make a fire, the stations that had kept her alive. Whether or not they took her advice was up to them, but she hoped that something, anything would make a difference. They were both so young. Thirteen and fourteen. Carrita was so small, and Iain had a limp. Not to mention that they both had a target on their backs the size of the president’s mansion. It was driving her insane. Harbinger and Annora had both been big, tough tributes. Losing a leg hadn’t stopped the former from coming home, but he was already a young man when he was reaped. Even Kirito had been older than them. That had helped.

Katelyn rubbed at her eyes. She was twenty this year, and it physically pained her to realize that neither of them had had even been of reaping age when she’d been fighting her life in the snow almost four years ago. That they’d both been babies when Mace had done the same. With an exhausted yawn, she clicked the vid of the sixty-third games off and checked the time. Based on a person’s perception, it was either way too late or way too damn early to be awake. She shook her head slowly and stood up to stretch, ambling over to the window and looking at the lights in the Capitol. She had to try, even if it broke her. It’d be better than watching Kirito break.

A few taps on her bedroom door turned her head curiously, wondering who what it was before a plaintive voice asked her if she had a minute. It was Iain. Katelyn grabbed a green robe and slipped it on, tying the belt around her waist and opening the door. Iain looked like a tad more chipper than she would have expected, and she raised an eyebrow quizzically. Had he found something to be happy about? “I’ve always got a moment for my tributes.” She said with a small, sad, smile gracing her lips. “Come on in. Take a seat. What did you want to talk about?”

"And I don't wanna live like this again
I thought you said it would be so simple"

table coding (c) ghosty

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

knuckles
Librarian

4,866 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Apr 15, 2024 16:10:40 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

One last hope {Rade} Feb 2, 2016 13:38:57 GMT -5

Quote

Post by knuckles on Feb 2, 2016 13:38:57 GMT -5

Iain Miristioma
Fourteen | Male | District Eleven | 72nd Hunger Games

The weight of my body shifts uneasily from one leg to another. From the moment my hand fell from the door, I realise that I probably shouldn't have came with a letter bearing the weight of the world. On the outside I'm showing joy and excitement, yet on the inside my mind is eating away at my soul devouring myself from the inside out. But I take a deep breath, and hold on with all my might the door opens in front of me. I shift my gaze towards her hoping she doesn't send me away to go back to sleep. Something inside of my shifts. Guilt radiates from my body, and everything inside of my becomes a black hole suffocating the life out of me as she tells me to come in and take a seat.

My eyes rest on the folded sheet of paper in my hand, and with each step I take I feel my confidence slipping away - no matter what I do, I can't grasp it. A drum pounds inside my chest over and over. My head drops towards the floor as I slowly lean myself against the wall. I have so much I want to talk about. So much worth telling her, but the reason why I'm here is because of the letter folded neatly in the palm of my hand. I'm here because I want her to watch after Kirito for me. To make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid, but how can I tell her?

"Before you say anything, I want you to hear me out." A lump forms in the back of my throat, and I'm unable to breathe. Every single word catches on the tip of my tongue, but somehow I manage to break free. A new found confidence flows through me as I do everything I can to keep myself from crying. "I know the odds of the game especially when it comes to relatives of victors." Rubbing my hands against my face, I look at her hoping she understands. Hoping that she doesn't try to tell me I'm talking nonsense. Perhaps I am, but to me this has to be said. "And I'm not going to give up. I'm going to fight, I promise, I just..." My words trail off, and my voice cracks, and in that split second the tears start rolling down my face.

"Watch after Kirito for me. Please? Don't let him do anything stupid. I can't go into the games worrying about him. Once I'm in there, I'm going to have to worry about me. It hurts me to see him this way." Sobs start shaking through my body, but I refuse to allow the demonic sounds ripping through my soul to burst from my lips. "You should've known him before he was reaped. Him and Ikaia were inseperable. Everywhere you saw one of them, the other was with them. So much has changed since he returned home." So much has changed over this short period of time, and it's about to change again for either the better or the worse. But the better comes with dire consequences.

My eyes shift to the floor once more as I raise my free hand to wipe the tears away.

OOC notes go here

[googlefont="Geo:400"]

Last Edit: Feb 3, 2016 21:17:13 GMT -5 by knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen Jan 6, 2024 4:36:58 GMT -5

Thinking

One last hope {Rade} Feb 3, 2016 23:13:06 GMT -5

Quote

Post by charade on Feb 3, 2016 23:13:06 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

There was a paper in his hand, and Katelyn found it odd, wondering what it was that he’d been writing. Her gut clenched when she realized it was probably a goodbye or something similar; it wasn’t like he had any reason to write a thank you note. He started talking, and it sounded almost rehearsed, as if he’d been thinking the words for hours and only now was able to get them out. Iain’s voice was shaky, dripping with unspent tears and Katelyn felt her heart break anew, splintering into even smaller fragments than it already had been. Fourteen years old and he knew, he knew what happened to the relatives of victors in the arena, knew that his odds were slimmer than it had been for all three of the victors sleeping on the same floor, slimmer than even his district partner’s.

And yet he promised, swore that he wasn’t going to give up, that he was going to try no matter how hard it got. She was about to interject when he kept going, requesting, no begging her to watch out for his cousin, to keep an eye on him and keep him safe because seeing Kirito in anguish over his situation was killing him. He started to lose it then, but tried to keep himself from breaking down in front of her, and she could feel the tears starting to pool in her eyes over this poor, brave, little boy. Iain went on to say that their family had never been the same after Kirito was reaped, that relationships had suffered because of it and Katelyn felt overwhelmed with pity, sorrow and empathy.

She waited a moment to see if he had anything else to say, but he stopped, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as he stood in the front of her room. “Hey. Hey, chin up kid. I’ve got you.” Katelyn said as she awkwardly wrapped him in a warm embrace. “I’ve been looking after Kirito since he got reaped and I’m not about to stop now.” She wanted to add something about how she’d look after him in the arena too, but she felt as though the all the platitudes in the world would be hollow, amounting to empty air billowing out of her mouth. “No matter what.” She decided to say. “That’s what family does, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re all my family okay?”

"And I don't wanna live like this again
I thought you said it would be so simple"

table coding (c) ghosty

Last Edit: Feb 3, 2016 23:16:20 GMT -5 by charade

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

knuckles
Librarian

4,866 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Apr 15, 2024 16:10:40 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

One last hope {Rade} Feb 4, 2016 15:00:34 GMT -5

Quote

Post by knuckles on Feb 4, 2016 15:00:34 GMT -5

Iain Miristioma
Fourteen | Male | District Eleven | 72nd Hunger Games

Fear crawls across my skin. Every hair stands on end as tears continue streaming down my face. I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of her because I want to be brave, but I'm just a child standing in line for murder. I keep my gaze fixed on the note in my hand wondering when I should hand it to her along with the message to go along with it. Even in this moment I'm still expecting her to tell me to go to sleep, but she doesn't. Katelyn tells me to put my chin up, and that she's always been watching out for Kirito. Making sure he's strong and alright, but in this moment he's not okay. He's falling apart around me, and deep inside its killing me. I wish there was something I could do for him. I wish I could change the outcome of the games. I wish I could turn back time to before his reaping - even at the age of twelve I would've volunteered for him so he wouldn't experience this. His victory shouldn't be punished like this.

Her arms wrap around me catching me off guard. At first I feel unsure of what to do, yet I finally wrap my arms around her and allow the demonic howls to fill the air around me. "I'm so afraid, Katelyn. I'm so afraid." I mumble under my breath not wanting anyone to hear me. And I don't want to cry, I don't want to cry in front of her, but my eyes have deceived me. I can feel my entire body crashing around me. I'm going to die. I want to be brave like Kirito was in his games. I want to be strong like Katelyn and Harbinger, but I'm not. I'm just a scrawny kid trapped in the Capitol. I'm a lamb being led to slaughter. An innocent child left behind.

"Katelyn, I don't know what I can do. I'm not good at anything. I'm not able to fight, and I can't imagine myself ever trying to kill someone." I slowly separate myself from her allowing myself the chance to look into her eyes. I've spent so much time talking to Kirito trying to figure out what to do. "But none of that is why I'm here." I exhale sharply before shifting my gaze to the letter on my hand. The weight of the world crashes around me as I can feel myself becoming smaller and smaller.

Opening the palm of my hand, I allow the folded up note to become more visible. "Will you make me a promise? I ask as I find myself wavering once more. Honestly, I don't want her to seem like I'm giving up because I'm not; I just want to be prepared. "If I die, will you give this letter to Kirito?" My heart breaks wide open. He means the world to me. "I hope he doesn't have to get it. I hope you can hand it back to me so I can shred it. But if I die, please make sure he gets this."

OOC notes go here

[googlefont="Geo:400"]

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen Jan 6, 2024 4:36:58 GMT -5

Thinking

One last hope {Rade} Feb 9, 2016 0:24:31 GMT -5

Quote

Post by charade on Feb 9, 2016 0:24:31 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Not too long ago, Katelyn had resigned herself to dying in the games. She hadn’t thought she’d survive; that she’d get picked off somewhere in the middle, by someone stronger as whoever was left of her allies ran, leaving her body behind in the snow. It hadn’t been until the feast, when the last of the careers had perished that she started to think that maybe, just maybe she’d make it home. It had been what she told Chaske. She didn’t want the glory or the riches; she just wanted to go home. Kirito had gone into the games a pacifist. Harbinger had felt that his district partner deserved to live more than he did. None of them had wanted to kill anyone. But you can’t always get what you want. And the games were no respecter of persons. For most tributes, killing in the arena was a necessity, not a desire.

“I’m so afraid, Katelyn, I’m so afraid.” Me too, kid, me too.“I don’t know what I can do.” He whispered into her shoulder. That makes two of us. “I’m not able to fight and I can’t imagine myself ever trying to kill someone.” Neither did I, until I did. Your cousin and Harbinger didn’t either. It’s not what the farmers in our district do. He broke the hug before saying that he had another reason for coming to call on her and asked her to promise him something. She wanted to cry, but she held it together. Right now, she had to be Katelyn the mentor, the victor, the lioness. She couldn’t be Katelyn the baker, Katelyn the girl on a pedestal to district eleven, one that she had never asked for. She couldn’t let herself be weak around the tributes, or in public for that matter.

“Sure, anything.” She said with a wan smile. He handed her a letter, saying that it was for his cousin; that he hoped he could hand it to him one day, but that if he couldn’t that she needed to. Katelyn felt her eyes water. This…this wasn’t right, and it pained her to think about how Kirito was just the latest in a long line of victors to watch a family member get pulled into the arena. “I-yes.” She ground out. “I’ll get it to him if you can’t.” she said listlessly as she took the paper from him.“Look, Iain, you should get some sleep, if you can. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow. “While she meant the words, she knew she wouldn’t be taking her own advice; she wouldn’t be able to rest tonight, not with Kirito’s world crashing down around all of them. “If you can't though, your welcome to stay as long as you need to.”

"And I don't wanna live like this again
I thought you said it would be so simple"

table coding (c) ghosty

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

knuckles
Librarian

4,866 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Apr 15, 2024 16:10:40 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

One last hope {Rade} Feb 9, 2016 21:36:22 GMT -5

Quote

Post by knuckles on Feb 9, 2016 21:36:22 GMT -5

Iain Miristioma
Fourteen | Male | District Eleven | 72nd Hunger Games

A broken world crashed on top him shattering the world around. Pieces fell in every direction as the glass shards drove straight through a broken heart. Several storms brewed above his head. Violent winds howled through his ears speaking haunting words to him leaving the young man lost without any sight or direction. Iain had never asked for this to happen, and never in his entire life did he imagine his life would pay a price to punish one he loved. No victor ever deserved to witness a loved one travel through the games, yet this one hit much closer to home. The thundering of his heart blared through his mind.

At first Iain thought Katelyn wouldn't take the letter from him, and that he would be forced to hand it to Kirito himself, but soon she spoke saying the words the fourteen year old needed to hear. A genuine smile crept across his face spreading from ear to ear as tears continued falling freely down his face. A raging sea brewed inside him tossing his emotions around. Anger and pain crept through him, yet in a split second happiness and relief flooded his veins. Hearing that she would give it to him meant the world. It was far better than anyone Katelyn would ever know, but deep inside Iain never wanted Kirito to read the words scribbled across the tiny sheet of paper.

"Thank you, Katelyn. This means more to me than you'll ever know." With a slight nod of the head, his hands fell at his side. His job was done, and Iain knew he'd have to leave soon, yet he wasn't sure how to say goodbye knowing that he may not have a chance to talk to her ever again. Luckily for him, Katelyn brought the meeting to an end so he didn't have to. "Look, Iain, you should get some sleep, if you can. It's going to be another long day tomorrow." Every day in the Capitol was long and horrendous; however, he knew it was nothing compared to the world him and the other tributes would be tossed in. Just a few short days of being pampered before hell broke lose. Iain wasn't ready for it, and truthfully he wouldn't ever be ready for the games, but he made a promise. One he planned on keeping.

"Take care of him, Katelyn. I know you will. But also take care of yourself." Turning around he slowly began heading back to his room before stopping in his tracks. Before moving any further, he turned back to face her once more allowing a simple phrase to fall past his lips. "Goodnight." And with that he was gone. All he could do now was hope Katelyn kept her promise because Iain knew he wouldn't make it back alive.

OOC notes go here

[googlefont="Geo:400"]

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe