Close your Eyes, Sometimes it Helps // Aria
Mar 30, 2011 15:53:14 GMT -5
Post by Vulnerable on Mar 30, 2011 15:53:14 GMT -5
Should I give up
Or should I just keep chasing pavements?
The forest in District Seven was different from the open forest that connected many of the districts. At least, in the sense that it wasn't open ended. People logged here, but that was about it when it came down to it. It had a lot of trees though, and it was perfect for hiding and finding a place to rest. Of course, if you weren't a logger of some sort, you obviously weren't supposed to be there. Luckily for Naji, he didn't break the rules. Carrying an ax in his right hand, he tumbled through the forest at a slow pace. He had been chopping at wood all day. Every second counted for more money for him and his brother, along with the rest of the people that he lived with if he had any leftovers. Most likely, he would not, though. He still tried, even with the small amount of lumber he had gathered today. It looked like he was going to go hungry. Quietly, he went deeper into the mess of trees and looked for a quiet place with no loggers around. At this point, it was hard to find an area where no one was chopping down a tree. He didn't want to talk to anyone else while he lumbered, most of the time, as it had gotten him away from his work and prevented him from getting the money he needed. But, he usually did end up in situations where he had fallen into a trap to talk to someone; lumberers and their many conversations. In his boots, he finally had reached a place where there was a silence in the area. No surrounding lumberers appeared to be in this part of the 'forest', a small smile arising from the edges of his lips. Good. Now he could work in silence. But, there was a slight problem. He was a bit tired from the walk from the entrance to the forest to somewhere in the middle. Usually, he would know this forest like the back of his hand and be able to find places easier than just searching around. But today, he didn't have the will to remember those places. Alas, here he was, now propping himself up against a tree he had found and taking a quick break.
In moments like these, he questioned his own sanity. 'I wonder if what I'm doing is right,' He would ask himself, talking about his job of lumbering. Lumbering wasn't a sophisticated job to say the least and not his dream at all, but still, he had lumbered for his brother. But, what if this wasn't what he was supposed to do at all? What if the Capitol was a deceiver like some said? Naji had never believed this. They had their way of living and he had his. But, the Hunger Games came as a contradiction to his idea that the Capitol really isn't evil at all. They were cruel, violent, bloody. Things he would never wish upon anyone else in the world happened in those places, and there was nothing anyone else could do to stop it from happening besides just sit and watch as the contenders dropped like flies in the arena either in bloody battles, dehydration, or maybe even worse. Even though he did make some money from this lumbering, was it right to chop down these trees only to give most of the lumber to the Capitol? They had everything they ever needed and always had. They were living a good life, never getting hungry and they were usually always able to afford anything that they wanted to. Maybe his optimism was, surely, out of touch with the rest of the world. Maybe he should have just dragged and complained about the Capitol, how they took away most of everyone's sense of pride and didn't seem to care. But, because he was a good person, his current train of thought would not cease to exist in times like these. He had sense. He knew what would happen if he had started to believe things like this. He might as well just run off and get killed by a peace keeper, it would be practically the same thing. And getting slaughtered, now, with his brother on the line as well? There was no way he could do that. A sigh exited from his mouth, all of the thoughts vanishing like a ghost. Both of his eyes had opened. How long had it been? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes that he had laid there? Maybe it was longer, as it had started to become dark. His break had turned into a little bit more than a break at this point, didn't it? But, there was a sound that lured him.
Click! Click! He could hear a tree being chopped at. In this area, where there was no one around before? Odd. He'd wondered who could have come and began to lumber here. He had been here before, even if he had only accidentally come here this time. There was only one stump in the part of the forest that he was in, and now he suddenly knew he had a visitor. Someone was around. Click! Click! He could hear that sound again. Silently, he rose to his feet. He had slumped down before, without noticing it. He began to walk towards the noise and his eyes peered over, watching her chop a tree with precision for a few minutes. Curiosity took him over, his voice very quietly letting out a couple of sounds, which formed words, "Who are you? Have I seen you before?" He'd hoped that the girl could hear him over the loud sound of the chopping, but he wasn't sure. Either way, he wasn't going to get too close in risk that she might swing that ax at him. Either on accident, or on purpose.
{Hopefully, this post is alright with you. If not, I'll change it.}
Word Count: 983
