Zaffre Cerulean - D2 - FIN

I could have died back then.  I remember the day I tried to climb a tree that was near my house.   My parents told me that I was always a curious child, and I had to know how things worked.  From trying to take apart some of my toys piece by piece, or I would try to push something to the breaking point in order to see how far I could take it.  This experience though, I remember vividly because it was the first time something I tried pushing pushed back.  I began to climb the tree, embarking on an adventure that could only be categorized as treacherously brave.  The tree was rather large, extending all the way up to the roof of our house.  While I usually wouldn’t do such a stupid thing, I was feeling particularly risky.  I wanted to see if I could hop on the roof from the very tree I climbed.

I started from the bottom, gripping the trunk in a firm but tender way, almost like the tree had feelings.  I began to shimmy my then slender body up towards the branches, along the way taking long, deep breathes.  I had to steady myself because I noticed that my hands were shaking uncontrollably.  I felt like I was weightless as I shimmied up the tree, grabbing each part of the tree in a sensual way.  I didn’t realize how much I cared about something that I didn’t really know anything about.  Most of the kids in my district were rough, with everything, including themselves.  However, when I reached the first branch, I pulled myself up it and began to celebrate.  The first part of my journey was over, but I needed to complete the next hurdle.

I reached out to the edge, moving my then lanky body towards the end of the branch, keeping my ears open for any small creaks that could alarm me that I might fall from such height.  I touched the roof of the house, and let out a sigh, thinking that my journey was over, and everything was clear, until I heard a sudden snap of the branch, and I felt the wind below me push up violently.  All I remember was seeing a rush of blues and yellows, and then, nothing.  I saw nothing.  For exactly 2 hours, 22 minutes, 49 seconds.  I had been incapacitated, right on collision.  However, I was surprised that my trajectory didn’t kill me.  Instead, I woke up in a leg brace in a hospital that was close by.  All I could really remember was my mother looking at me worried, and the sudden urge to itch something that I could actually itch.  I broke my leg in two places, but the doctors told me that I would be fine within a couple of weeks.  They asked my parents if they wanted this to be taken care of right away, but they told them no.  It was probably good to make me suffer a bit.  I could learn about why the world was unforgiving to those who didn’t value knowledge.  They were cruel people.  Let me tell you.

And so I didn’t bother much with my family.  I had a brother and a sister, but we were all different in our own ways.  One was 14, the other was 16, and then there was me, who was now 18.  We were all taught different ideals by our parents however.  My brother took being a career seriously.  My sister, she cared more out of us, and so she decided that medicine was the best path for her.  Me?  I valued books, logic, and decision making.  Long story short, I valued the little details of whatever the subject may be.  Of course, we were all expected to keep up with physical endurance in this household, however, how we did it was another question.  While it took me quite a while to learn how to defend myself given the opportunity that I was reaped, I could recognize things in a battle that would give me the upper edge. Whether it be noticing someone was tired, or being able to anticipate a persons movements.  I wasn’t perfect, but I ended up getting particular good at this, sometimes even besting my little brother in the art of deception.  I paid attention to his attack habits and one time, when he lunged at me, I pushed him into the ground instead of him colliding with me head on.  He wasn’t expecting it, but I was.  However, I admired his tenacity.

When it came to my sister, she was smarter than me in some regards.  She had an infinite wealth of knowledge that I couldn’t quite put my finger on because she was never really seen outside of a library or school.  She just loved to read, and of course, who was I to stop her from doing something that she loved.  However, when it came to applying her brain to situations, she wasn’t very good at it.  Sometimes, she would freak out under the pressure and cave easily.  Sometimes, she would try to outwit her opponent but she wouldn’t take anything into consideration about them.  Whether it be their height and build outmatched hers, or how quick they were in other parts.  She didn’t think too much about it though, seeing as she was already trying to become established as a practioner of medicine, and not someone that vied to get into the games like many of our peers.

I got pretty good at sleuthing around the district, mostly because I didn’t spend a lot of time in the schools, and more time in nature and forestry.  I just didn’t enjoy the hostile environment that most did when it came to being in a career training facility.  I actually hated it to be quite honest.  I enjoyed time to just work on my own things, and try to figure out life’s greatest mysteries on my own.  Sometimes I wouldn’t come home for days because I might have been spending too much time on a little detail that may have meant nothing.  However, I think that was the tenacity that made me strong.  I wasn’t afraid of trying things.  I wasn’t afraid of being wrong.  Most people in our district had pride issues, but I didn’t.  I knew how far I could go, and I knew where I would be stopped.  I didn’t push boundaries because I knew what it was like to be on the other end of that fence.  In way too deep to bring yourself back.  Sometimes my leg hurt when a gust of air hit it in the wrong way.  It always reminded me that sometimes, going too far is just that.  Too far.

However, one day, I do remember getting roped into going with my brother to spar for a bit.  He wanted to test out some new things that he was learning.  Also, not many of the kids in his class could handle his ferocity.  I didn’t see the problem, seeing as I was bored, and I didn’t have much to do for the rest of the day.  However, there was a kid I knew well that decided to interrupt our match, telling me that I would never make it far in the games.  I simply looked at him and told him that he shouldn’t underestimate me because I didn’t train as hard as they did.  He laughed at me, and then incited the whole center to join him.  The multitude of laughs sounded like a gospel hymn, and then, I saw read.  I grabbed the pole from the stand where it laid and told him to come at me with all he got.  He smiled, and then licked his lips, like he was waiting for me to say that all along.  I winced, knowing that I might be going against someone that I didn’t know anything about.  It had been a good amount of time since I interacted with him, and so, I had no prior knowledge of him.  I would probably lose.

He lunged at me, knocking me on my back, and then straddling my hips so I couldn’t get out without taking a couple hits to the face.  He went in for a strike, and I met his staff with mine, and for a minute, we were at a standstill.  While focusing my strength, which didn’t compare to his, on the pole, I looked down to see that one of his feet wasn’t exactly planted, and so I used that to my advantage.  I looped my foot around his, and then used my leg to thrust him off me.  He wasn’t expecting that out of someone that didn’t train often, but I warned him not to underestimate me.  He came at me with various attacks, however, only a couple of them landed.  I was starting to get a feel for his fighting style, and while I tried not to get into this types of predicaments, I had to put an end to this.  When he finally left an opening I could exploit, I pushed my pole into his face, knocking him into confusion before coming in with another blow that knocked him out cold.  I simply dropped the staff, and walked away.   I hated this place after all.  I had nothing left to prove.

However, now I was met with a new challenge.  A mystery of sorts.   I met up with various people around the district who solved crimes here and there because why not right?  There was nothing better to do here in two.  I tried not to get involved for a long time in the whole detective thing, but I know it was something that interested me.  So why not do what interested me right?  After all, there wasn’t much to do other than prepare for the games here in two.  We celebrated it like it was something to be proud of.  I didn’t see it that way though.  I saw it as something that we should look down upon.  Something that I wished we could have abolished a long time ago.  Of course, I wasn’t in charge of such things.  All I could do was remain present in a world that left me in a constant state of fear and wonder.