Fresh air (Dorian/Penguin)

If you ever feel like I did when you slip between the cracks,

maybe then you'll see how nothing stays intact.

Once again, my fate has not been ruined completely.


Once again, my luck in the Reapings endures; I've managed to avoid the Games for six years now.


Once again, two adolescents have a death sentence, and fortunately for me, the names of those two are foreign to me. Intriguingly to me, two people decided to sacrifice their own lives for a chance at glory. Personally, I'd rather die than be famous, there's way too much pressure in being prominent. I'm crazy, I know- arguably insane, but, the spotlight was never a place for me. Never something I wanted, nor a place I will ever foresee myself going to. It's just a place I have (and always will) avoid. I've always hid in the dark corners overlooked like a spectator... and that's exactly what I did today, the day of the Reapings. Hidden amongst the crowds, in plain sight.


Once again, my black, leather boots get to trudge away from the crowds of people, without the threat of dying.


Once again, my empty, yet charming abode beckons to me, and I'm drawn to it. There's nothing left for me to do anyways, I might as well be unproductive the way I like it, in my own solitude. Hours upon hours seem to tick by, despite only two passing by.  The time flies by as I enjoy a romantic book in the afternoon sunlight. However, sitting outside with a fresh paperback can be entertaining, but only for so long.


Once again, boredom has found me.


Once again, my adventurous side implores me to explore the beautiful evergreen forests of District 7. At least I'll feel as if I've done something by doing so. Choosing to satisfy the needs of my mind, in one deft motion, I close my book shut and rise from the wooden patio steps, and begin to journey through the woods that I can call a second home. Since almost everyone (except my parents) has the day free, the woods are filled with rowdy banter. My place of tranquility has been intruded, but I know a way to fix this. Although it requires additional effort, deeper in the woods, nearing the border of the District, I can hide in peace and contemplate life further. By hiking further into thick wildlife, the social butterflies are left behind, and I am can be left to my own devices. Alas, after breaking a sweat in the humid woodlands, I arrived to the place I intended to be at, an overlooking view of an untouched valley. The approaching twilight creates a myriad of picturesque shades of color reflecting over the body of water. The image is no ordinary one, or at least in Panem it isn't. There aren't many natural beauties left in the world anymore, but this certainly is one of the last. While admiring the gorge, I can be at peace... Once again. Laying my back against a boulder, a pocket of dirt falls straight onto my head. Trying to get the sediment out of my hair, I feel a third hand brush some off of my shoulder. Taken aback, I hesitate, it's a warm hand, but unexpected one. Turning my body around, and my eyes upward, toward the source of the touch, I see a figure sitting atop the very boulder I was leaning against. How could I not see it? Was I really that engaged? After a few seconds of silence as I hold my gaze with my new acquaintance, I realize how awkward I've made this situation. I swear that I am an expert in this subject. I need to make some sort of remark. "Uh, hi..." I slowly stammer, "If you'd like, I can find somewhere else." I really don't want to go anywhere else since the scene is so comforting to me, but I've already made the situation embarrassingly uncomfortable as it is...


...once again.

banner credit: google & d10f ekta ram // [earthling]

lyrics: SayWeCanFly

If you ever feel like I did when you slip between the cracks,

maybe then you'll see how nothing stays intact.

Admiring nature has been a passion of mine since I was young.  It's one of the only things that can keep my peace of mind.  Nature's tranquility keeps my thoughts from going dark.  However, once I step foot inside I return to anxiety.  My mental stability is a real roller coaster ride. I'm not talking about one of those rides that last a minute and your hair isn't even messed up at all (which would be quite a statement coming from me).  I'm talking one of those rides with loopty-loops and you can hear the screams from a mile away.  But, I really wouldn't know what that would be like.  I've never ridden a roller coaster in my life before, I've never actually seen one in real life, only ever seen pictures of them in books at school.  One day I would like to ride one, just so I could really know the extent of what that analogy means.  I get the picture of what it means, but experience is the true teacher.  

Coming out here to the outlook of the valley is one of the best places I can just calmly ignore everything, alone.  But there's a problem with that right now.  I'm not alone.  Overly obsessing the extraordinary image, I missed the person practically in plain sight.  I'll find a grains of dirt later tonight in between strands of my hair.  Knowing how much I'd be bothered by someone else's presence, I'm surprised when I am invited to stay.

"Nah, there's enough view to go around. Good spot, huh? For getting away from town, I mean... Um, I'm Cherry. But we don't need to talk if you don't want to. That's fine too."

Well, that's relieving, because I honestly didn't want to go too much further.  The sun has started to set and the sky has an orange aura.  I've thought it to myself so many times, but I don't care, it's beautiful.  It's beauty is beyond expressible with words.  Even better, this dark-haired boy just wants to get out of town too.  At least we've got something in common.

I break my eye contact with him, and turn my head toward the landscape once again, and reply, "It's more than just a good spot, it's the spot."  Distracted, I hesitate a moment to give my name, "I go by Dorian."  

With the warm welcoming, I lift myself up next to Cherry on the boulder, and listen to him whistle to a bird, and once he stops, I take my turn at it, and create music.  Or at least what sounds like it to me in my head, even though I know the piercing high pitches are more obnoxious to others than entertaining.  But hopefully Cherry doesn't mind...

banner credit: google & d10f ekta ram // [earthling]
lyrics: SayWeCanFly

If you ever feel like I do when you slip between the cracks,

maybe then you'll see how nothing stays intact.

There's never a dull moment in nature for me.  The bird continues echoing Cherry and my's whistles as we alternate taking turns at it for our own entertainment.  Then all of a sudden, Cherry makes some god-awful sound that makes the hair on my neck stand up, and I even jump a little.  If I hadn't been looking at the side of his face, I wouldn't have believed the sound even came from a human.  The bird must have had similar thoughts as it hesitated before blurting out various chirps and squawks.  

Obviously a bit disappointed, Cherry apologized, "I'm sorry, I think I ruined the sweet symphony of Nature..."

Even though I obsess over the beauty of nature and tinkering around with it, humans are pretty entertaining at times, usually it's hard for me to get comfortable around most people, but the carefree, yet careful attitude of Cherry is an exception, and I scoot over on the boulder closer towards him, and bump into his shoulders a bit.

"Honestly, the sound you just made almost sounds like it could belong in nature!"  I manage to exclaim before laughing to the point that I am wheezing.

The breeze picks up a bit making the atmosphere a bit cooler, and I shiver, and my eyes are attracted back to the horizon.  Twilight is approaching; fireflies fill the sky with irregular yellow-orange twinkles, and the crescent moon's white light begins to reveal itself from behind the dark clouds.  It's probably almost the time for me to start heading home, but I think I'll wait just a little bit longer with my new found friend.

 

banner credit: google & d10f ekta ram // [earthling]
lyrics: SayWeCanFly