Out on the Coast [Gemp]

The tangy smell of seawater immediatly hit my nostrils as I step out onto the coast. The distant cries of seagulls resonate to my ears, making my eyes wander to the gray sky where the birds were flying. But the sound of crashing waves made my gaze drift back to the vast ocean in front of me. It was a giant plain of water, stretching for miles and miles. All kinds of abundant animals lived in it's depths. The ocean is marvelous and at the same time mysterious.

I like it.

The wind makes my hair blow backwards as I breath in the thick aroma of the ocean. It always makes me feel at home, strangely, even though I was born in the luxurious District One. Some things you couldn't answer, and that fact was one of them.

I bend down and let my finger run through the soft sand, making a small crevice in the smooth surface. My finger hits a nice round stone, and I pick it up. It's blue, but not entirely one shade of the hue. It is both light and dark blue, a strange combination. I toss it around a bit in my hand before slipping it into my pocket. Something to remind me I was here.

The sand muffles the sound of my heavy boots, but you couldn't hear anything anyway with the screeching wind in your ear. I make my way to where the water hits the sand, and let the cool liquid slosh around my ankles. It feels good. I walk along the boundary between water and sand for a while, until I can see someone in my line of vision. A boy, no doubt. I can't make any features out of this figure, so I decide to walk farther.

My instinct tells me to reach my hand into my pocket, where my trusty throwing knife was. My voice of reasoning whispers in my ear; You better be prepared to throw the knife at a moment's notice.

Ugh. He's got us a bit of a stalemate here. If I drop my weapon, I'll be vulnerable to any attack. And he'll refuse to drop his weapon, knowing I could slice him with my knife.

I grimace, wanting to get rid of this boy. He's making my whole trip to the ocean sour. All I wanted to do was have a peaceful adventure walk, without any fights. I didn't want any dangers, just peace. The truth was, I want to be alone right now. I want to try to get rid of the horrible things that happened in the past and enjoy happy thought about the future without anyone disrupting. My intentions are clear; go to the ocean and think, relax.

My face is a mask of annoyance, which will probably tick off this stranger. But I don't care. It's his fault for being here, on the day when I was supposed to relieve all my stress. I bite my lip, looking into this person's eyes. I don't allow myself to figure out what was behind those colored orbs.

All thoughts about peace and relaxation going down the drain as I stare into the face of this tanned boy, allowing the laughing wind to blow my dark hair this way and that. A tremendous wave crashes onto the shore, sending a torrent of water at me that hits my ankles. I try to reassure myself by rubbing my strange stone, but it doesn't work. Nothing will.

I clutch my knife hard, making my knuckles white. All these thoughts and actions around me are making my mind wander. The ocean was a protective wall for me, blocking all the bad thoughts as my mind danced in euphoria. But this little encounter with the boy and the bow knocks the entire wall down like a wave crashing against the land. This stranger has no idea how sensitive I was, how one tiny little spark could produce an entire electrical storm in my mind

---

I'm not the one in the wrong direction. She is.

The stream leads through the District 13 ruins, yes. But that't not my destination. I would jump out of the stream when the time was right and make my way through the forest. I knew a place where I kept a hoard of matches, even stronger than my knife. Even though it was risky, I would light the forest on fire. It would bring me a lot of joy to see her being fried alive.

I'm turning mad, aren't I?

---

Can't you see that I'm don't care about you? Don't you see how my face turns, how my eyes glint? Did you just buy into my act, my faux happy attitude? Couldn't you see how I bit my lip every time you said 'I love you, Annabeth'? Oh, I know. I know your intentions, what you thought was right. You thought that just because you gave me all the glamor, all the money I needed, I would love you and be happy. You thought that spoiling your only child was the best bet. Well, I'll tell you right now. You were wrong. Dead wrong.

Money doesn't buy happiness. Or love.


---

The knife plummets from my hand, landing in the now wet sand. A naughty wave plucks it from the bed of rock and pulls it out to sea. The boy looks at the knife bobbing in the water, and then to me. I start to shake a bit, my eyes are glassy and staring into the distance. I look at my hand, and I see them covered in blood. A blink, and the blood is gone. I don't bother trying to wonder what's going on. Things like this happened all the time at home, and the image of my mother and father fretting over my shaking body makes me laugh.

That's right, darling! A little laugh or two will make you feel all the better!

Hehe, break that bow in half girl.

Stay nice and smile!

Punch him in the gut.

I sit there, shaking, when a wave hits me. I get engulfed in the frothy liquid, submerged under the sea for one panic moment. I don't try to get out of the ocean's reach. I just stay still, like a doll, sucumbing to the strength of the sea.

After a few seconds a gust of wind hits me, and I know I'm back on land. My breath escapes me in short, ragged gasps. My copper brown hair is hanging in thin strips. I lay my palms on the sand, letting the smooth substance balance my shaky body.

I hear the boy toss his weapons aside. Thankfully, he threw his weapons away from the reach of the wicked waves. They wouldn't end up like my poor knife.

The boy crouches down to the sand, and pokes me in the side. He shouts a 'hey' and asks me if I'm okay.

Foolish boy, this poor girl here just got beat up by a wave!

Rats are a delicacy.

My response to his question and the voices in my head is a shaky laugh. The action nearly makes me crumple to the ground. My legs feel weak, and the blue stone I found just a few minutes before tumbles out of my pocket; hitting the sand with a delicate plop!

"I'm fine, thanks," a hint of sarcasm obvious in my voice. I look into his eyes and am shocked for a moment.

He looks like Ranvier.

Ranvier, the boy from District Four. He was such a nice person, who treated me well. We had grown close to each other. My heart ached when I thought of one of my best friends. The thought of him also made my head become flooded with memories. Flooded with happiness.

---

"Hi, I'm Ranvier. I am doing well, and yourself?"

This boy's voice was rich, deep, and melodic. It gives me a slight buzzing feeling in my chest. I look into those hazel eyes, and my cheeks are flushed with color. I try to hide my blush, but I'm unsucessful.

---

For the first time, he looks into my eyes. And I look into his. We stay like this for a few seconds when his fishing pole is rattling in his hands. He chuckles, refusing the offer now that he has a catch.


---

What he said hits me painfully.He loved his family.

He would never leave them.

it just wouldn't be fair to throw away what they have given to me

Well, I threw away what my parents had given me by running away. I threw away everything. I can feel tears in my eyes. They run down my cheeks. The hurt is so strong, the memories so real. I can see them, my parents, crying for me at night; wondering why their wonderful daughter would run away from them. The tears flow, I release months of withheld sorrow. I'm in no control. I'm risking my life by doing this. But I somehow trust this boy. Ranvier.

---

I drift out of the numbness of nothing, and make my way back to the painful reality. The boy is still crouched beside me, still worried. I don't think I'll have enough energy to stand up, let alone talk. But my chapped lips and my stretched vocal chords allow me to say one single word.

"Ranvier."

Words - 562