Every Day Is Exactly The Same {Hedrick/Kai}

I don't know why I continue to put up with my parents' abuse. I could just turn them in to the Peacekeepers for what they do. After all, with my wounds as evidence and my brother as a witness, it would be hard for mother and father to deny it. Although, I don't think I could ever actually do it. Perhaps it's that I just don't have enough confidence yet at my age, but I'm too nervous to even look a Peacekeeper in the eyes at this point, much less talk to one. I'd probably make a fool of myself if I tried to ask one for help.

Standing out in the cold that morning really made me think about my life and how much it was really worth. It made me think that maybe I should just volunteer for the Hunger Games some day so I can die and not have to come back to my parents. If I were to do that, though, I have no way of knowing how much they'd harm my brother. It's possible they might even decide to punish him for me volunteering, if I were to do that. I don't want him to get hurt, especially not for something that was my fault. I'd much rather be the one to take the beatings. At least, I think I would. It makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, I'm doing the right thing by protecting him from my parents' wrath.

"Sorry about that." I hear someone speaking to me, but I don't turn around quite yet. More blood is dribbling down my chin, and I wipe it away again. My hand now has my own blood on it. My father's hands probably have my blood on them, too, come to think of it. I wonder how much blood I've lost and how many bruises I've gotten over the years due to all of this. Then, my thoughts are interrupted. The voice I'd heard before speaks again.

"I know you don't know who I am, but is there anything I can do to help?" I recognize the voice as that of a male at this point, and he sounds kind. His words are well-meaning, too. Maybe, just maybe, he could actually be of some help. Even though I know he can't stop it all from happening again, maybe he can get me away from my house, out of the cold, and help me feel a bit better before I wander back into the hell hole that is my 'home'. I turn to look at the boy.

He's an attractive boy who looks to be around my age, although I can't be entirely sure. His eyes are almost sparkling and his brown hair is a bit messy like mine often is. He, however, is in much better condition than I am. He's not littered in bruises. He doesn't have a red hand print on his face, and he doesn't appear to be coughing up blood. Then again, I could be wrong about that last part. I suppose you never really know.

"I'm not sure what you'd really be able to do," I say to the boy who'd asked if he could help me in any way. "Is there any chance you could just help me get away from here?" He probably wondered why. "I don't want him to come and find me... I don't want him to hit me again..." I said this while looking nervously back in the direction where I'd come from. You couldn't see my house from where we were, but it still felt just all too close. I didn't feel safe. I just wanted to get away, at least for a little while.

This boy who'd approached me was... oddly kind. He truly insisted on helping me, and although I really appreciated it, it was somewhat strange. No one had every really seemed all that open to assisting me prior to now. In a way, it felt different, yet quite nice. I wondered if he had an ulterior motive when it came to helping me. There weren't a lot of people with just genuinely good hearts left, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

"Of course I'll help you," the boy tells me. Then, he proceeds to shoot out multiple questions and statements in my direction, which I suppose doesn't bother me too much, as they appear to be friendly and well-meaning ones. "Can you walk on your own? Do you need any help? My house is nearby." He's so kind that I don't even quite understand it. He wants to help me, but he doesn't even know me. I haven't even said that I'd do anything in return. Of course, I'd be perfectly willing to do so, but he doesn't know that. At this point, I suppose the least I can do is answer his questions. Before I get the chance, however, he's removed one of his layers of coats and offers it to me.

"Put this on before you freeze to death," the boy insists. It takes me a moment to put the coat on and zip it up, as I'm in a lot of pain, but I do so gratefully. I give him a weak smile in response. I don't believe that he truly understands how appreciative I am of his generosity. It's all quite new to me, generosity. I wish I had it in my life more often, but I suppose that may be too much to ask.

"Thank you," I tell him. "I really-" before I can finish my sentence, another cough surfaces and I turn my head away for a moment as another small amount of blood emerges. Then, I look back at the boy. "I really appreciate it," I continue. I then decide that it's probably best that I answer his questions, as well.

"I think I can walk on my own," I tell him. After all, I'd walked this far already. Hopefully I could keep going. "I've got a bit of a limp, but I think I've got it covered. Thank you," I tell him. He had told me that his house was nearby, after all. That meant that it was less of a walking distance than it would take to get back to my house, which wasn't so nearby. Perhaps I could do it without his assistance. At the very least, though, he was there if I absolutely needed it.

It was already so nice of him to offer for me to come back to his house and to let me use his coat. I didn't want to take too much of him by using him as a crutch just because my father may have broken my foot. It was partially my own fault that that had happened. I was taking my brother's beating, after all. Then again, if I hadn't, my brother may have been the one with the broken foot, and I'd feel much too guilty if that had been the case.

I didn't think it was possible to thank this boy enough for what he was doing for me. Perhaps that was why I'd already thanked him at least twice, and I was sure that I'd end up doing it again. Why had he decided to be nice to me? Did I seem that helpless, or would he have helped me even if I weren't coughing up blood? Would he have helped if I asked him, instead of him just coming up to me and offering? There were all questions I wanted to ask, but I knew that I never would. At least, I didn't think that I would. Although, only time would tell.

It was hard to give reassurance to myself that I'd be okay, even with all of the assistance I was receiving from this boy. Clearly, he cared a lot about my well-being, even though he didn't know me. For me, however, the kindness that people showed me generally didn't end up lasting very long. I just had to hope that this time it would be different. Maybe, just this once, the help would be genuine. I didn't want it to be something he was doing just because he felt obligated to do so.

"Don't worry about it," he told me when I thanked him. It seemed as if this were something that he was trying to pass off as being no trouble, but I still felt like a nuisance, regardless of what I was told. I often felt that way around other people. It wasn't uncommon for me to think I was just in the way of how everyone else in the entirety of District Twelve was trying to live their life.

"I know you're okay now, but don't hesitate to ask for any assistance if anything changes." The boy had told me that he wanted to know if I needed help on the chance that anything changes. Of course, I was still in a significant amount of pain at this point, but it just didn't seem right to ask him for help when I could still walk, even if it was with a limp.

"Alright, I'll let you know if I need any help walking, but I should be okay for now," I told the boy, giving him a weak smile. He was such a kind soul. I could tell that that was definitely the case. I just wished, in that moment, that there was something I could do to thank him for his concern about me. Unfortunately, not a single idea of what I may be capable of surfaced in my mind.

"Which way is it to your house?" I asked him, ready to follow wherever he may lead me. In the back of my mind, I was hoping he wasn't just tricking me by leading me somewhere I didn't know and taking advantage of me to mug me or something while I was weak. I didn't think this was how he would be, but for some reason, that was still a lingering fear that my mind wouldn't allow me to release from my thoughts. I gave the other boy a smile and waited for him to lead the way. I just had to hope he was truly going to help me. Surely I was just being unreasonably paranoid, right?