In Search of Silver Linings {Lyndis}

"Our lives are stories,
waiting to be told."

When Industria Spark volunteered for the 82nd Hunger Games, she knew that she wasn't just saving another girl from pain and suffering. She'd be going through it instead, and her family, in a way, would be, too. Dusty never liked to cause other people pain, especially when they were here family members. She knew all too well what it was like to lose someone to the Games. She'd lost two of her siblings, after all. Now, her family might have to go through that feeling of loss once again, and Dusty felt bad for putting them through that. The act of volunteering, however, had felt like the right thing to do, so Dusty wouldn't let herself feel regret along with what she had done.

The Justice Building was very similar to how she had remembered it when saying goodbye to Florence, and, from what she could remember, when saying goodbye to Bolts, too. Upon entering the room, one could tell that it was meant to appear cozy and welcoming, at least a little bit, but it truly wasn't, due to what the room was always used for. Often, this was the last place families and friends ever saw those they cared about before they died. That had been the case for the Spark family when they'd said goodbye to Bolts and Florence, and it was likely that it would be the same for them with Dusty.

Even though the velvet couch and matching armchair were supposed to seem welcoming, Dusty ignored them both, treating the room more like a prison cell than anything else. She chose to stand in the center of the room, looking toward the door, awaiting the entry of someone she knew. Unsure of who would come in first, the young Spark girl was admittedly a bit anxious. Granted, she was already nervous about the whole situation she'd just voluntarily thrown herself into. She was going to be going into the Games, and she'd chosen to do so.

The creak of the door to the room Dusty was in opening caught her attention, dragging her out of the nervous daydream she'd dropped into for a few short moments. Her question as to who would visit her first was answered. Originally, Dusty had expected that it would be Joule, or perhaps the whole family at once, but instead, it was her brother Joseph by himself. This wasn't a disappointment, rather a slight surprise. Industria had expected for her brother to visit, but she didn't expect him to be by himself.

"Joseph!" Dusty exclaimed, running over to her brother as soon as he was in the room and enveloping him in a squeezing hug.

She expected that there would soon be questions to follow about why she had done what she'd chosen to do, but she wasn't going to bring that up unless Joseph did first. In this moment, Dusty just wanted to hug her brother and let him know she loved him, as this may be her last chance to ever do so again.

lyrics: "Sinners" by Lauren Aquilina