The Reasons for Laws {Auto & Larceny // Arrows // JB}

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Often silence is a desired preference, an almost-guarantee that unwanted company doesn’t linger upon the upcoming corners during a moon heist. But the current stillness is as uneasy as the uncertainty of any crime, quiet or not. The mayhem of confusion invades upon my thoughts, without my other half’s presence to assure all will be okay. There’s a dire gratitude for his unexpected, yet entirely predicted, intrusion upon joining me to this oncoming nightmare. While there’s also this nausea to what he has cursed upon of us - at least one of us will meet their demise… unless we somehow managed to prevent such. Thoughts are cut by the jingle of the doorknob breaching a furious disturbance.

Eyes widen in distaste for the expression Father’s unfavorable greeting towards me. To most his emotions may be forever the same, while to his children it’s beyond obvious. A gleam glistens from him when possessed with pride, the subtlest smirk curls the corners of his lips just slightly upward, his angered wrinkles not protruding as much as they often do. But his displease features? His brow furrows just so, his face darkening in a manner solely his kin could notice, his eyes radiate in darkness with his disapproval… This is the expression presented currently. Fear scarcely consumes me, aside from times like now.

Sternness straightens the length of my short spine, my own face growing as cold as his own, while my muscles tighten in preparation for the battle to ignite. Back when his expectation were first set upon me over a decade ago, innocence would tempt from my round cheeks in hopes of deceiving his disappointment - it didn’t take long to realize such a strategy purely irritated him more. A gulp slithers down my throat with difficulty, as if it were completely dry and a cotton ball was seeking passage through. What had I done this time to disturb the beast? Truly he should understand none of this is within the reach of my control…

“How fucken dare you.” His voice is a near growl, hushed as if craving to avoid other’s from overhearing. Fingers curl into his palm, like that may restrain his hatred. “What kind of damn deal did you two make?! You know he’s in training to be my second! To take over my family business in the future!” Every word of his gains in volumes, while simultaneously he takes a gentle step closer with each beat - just as he had done years ago when Larceny and I had failed him. Panic shutters my bones internally, while outside I refute to visualize the dismay he’s causing. The entirety of my body stresses in expectancy of what’s to come. “The only deal you should have been making was for one of your older failure brothers to take his place if he were reaped! Hell for one of them to even join you if you’re so scared to go to a Game alone!” Skin whitens across his knuckles.

Despite a desire not to, my chin raises in determination to not cave beneath his will. “What are you going to do? Huh? I dare you to leave a mark on me, let the Panem see who you truly are.” As the sole Theft Child who seeks Daddy’s approval, the words to breach my mouth is surprising to even myself. “You don’t have control over us anymore, is that why you’re pouting?” Daringness sprinkles across my vocals in an ability I never pertained before. “It’s surely not over Larceny. You’ll find another heir, just as you did when Vandal and Arson rejected you.” Concludes the first chapter of my unexpected resistance.

Eyes roll across his features in disgust. “You’ve disgraced me even more so then the older twins of failure have. Make sure you don’t make it back, or you’ll regret it.” Warns in a harshness that carves a blade far deeper into my core then any physical one ever could. My vision stares blankly at him in disbelief, wobbling in determination that this is a mere dream. But a response doesn’t rekindle my chance of being his favorite, and swiftly the door clicks behind him without leaving a single tattoo of his brutality across my skin.

An ache overcomes my heart like never felt before. Even during the most brutal of his punishments for failure, it had never been as gruesome as this is. My bottom lips quivers in uncertainty of what to do. Fingers tremble in desperation to fix this. Eyes sting with a layer of salty liquid that touches an area which hasn’t embraced such weakness since I was a small. But not a single tear collapses, rather they’re sucked back entirely. And rejecting the forbidden as I’m used to doing, the room dissolves of my presence - having a sudden urgency to be by my other half’s side.

Keepers yelling with disapproval are passed without concern, waved off by my unthreatened demeanor. It’s not as though I were escaping…aside from doing so to my Twin. A wobbly grin greets him, sorrow still gleaming from my eyes though a wetness no longer intrudes within them. He wouldn’t understand, he despises Father as much as the others do. “Figured there’s no point in listening to authority now.” Jokes sarcastically from my fenced emotions, the smirk enhancing across my cheeks. And without another word, I sit beside him and take his hands as we both have done so many times before.

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