~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella)

Stare
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and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella) May 8, 2011 20:50:38 GMT -5

Post by Stare on May 8, 2011 20:50:38 GMT -5

Emenaria Levite

She Will Act: F5758E | | | | She Will Speak: 64D2B4 | | | | She Will Think: D9F876

I like to think that people who don't believe in magic
Aren't worth knowing.
<><><><><><><><>

You lean against the icy pole in front of your favorite store, resisting the strong urge to look at the clock for the millionth time that minute. You can't help it- your brother was supposed to be there twenty minutes ago. More than likely he got caught up in training again. Once more, you wonder why a person would ever train for the Games. It is, after all, a fight to the death. You've always been worried about him being sent into the Games and dying- or, even worse, him volunteering. You've warned him against doing something stupid like that a million times, but he rarely listens to you. Without really meaning to you, your eyes travel to the clock face. Now he's twenty one minutes late. The normal sisterly annoyance hits you once more, but carefully hidden underneath is worry. You hope nothing happened to him on his way here. Jaykub isn't usually late- in fact, more than often, he's far too early. It's something that has always bugged you, but you love your him anyway. He's sweet, understanding, and a better parent to you than your real mom and dad have ever been.

As always when you think of your parents, sorrow hits you with a bitter edge. They think you're a freak. Not normal. Well, they should be happy now. They have a little girl who's better than you are, because she's regular. But you don't exactly consider regular a good thing. After all, what would set you apart if you didn't have bright pink eyes and highlights? You'd look like every other person in District One, and that would be terrible. Anyone can be like everyone. It takes a truely unique person- such as yourself- to be like your own somebody, so you're not just anybody like everybody else. You lean forward, off of the pole, and tilt your head to the side, trying to figure out where such complicated thoughts came from.

At that moment, a child you recognize walks by holding hands with their mother. She's a sweet little six year old, just a few inches shorter than you are. She has golden locks and the most inviting brown eyes you've ever seen, with freckles sprinkled all over her cheekbones and her small, plump nose. She's one of the few little kids who continue to come back and listen to your stories. Seeing you, she uses her free hand to wave. Her mother immediately spots you as well, and she looks at you wierdly before towing her daughter away. Still, she turns back and calls out, "See you tomorrow Emi- Emem- Ememarnia!" Her mother breifly scolds her as a few people turn to stare, and you watch with a small smile as she is dragged out of your sight. Still, you cup your hands around your mouth and call, "You can just call me Em, Lily!"

There is no response, and after staring in the direction they left for a few moments, you pull your book necklace off of your neck, dig around in your pocket for the stubby pencil you keep there, and scribble down a few words, seeming facinated with the results. Brilliant. Using your fingers to gently close the book again, you slip the pencil back in your pocket and fumble with the necklace, trying to position it the right way so that it fastens correctly. A bit of hair gets caught during the process, but you carelessly yank it away, not even flinching. After a few moments of quietly staring into the distance, searching for fairies in the huge crowd that walks by, your eyes finally wander toward the store. Anyone who walked by could see that you shopped there- the style of your clothing matches what can be seen through the window. You got your favorite dress from that store, and you love the way the gloves have only some of the fingers ripped off.

By now, worry has overcome annoyance. He's almost half an hour late, you think, glancing up and down the street. Where could he be? Hopefully he hasn't been hurt in training again. You swear, if someone ever really hurts him, you will find them. Training for the Games is dangerous, and Jaykub has the scars to prove it. You still don't understand why your brother would do such a foolish thing. How many times have you had nightmares of him in training when suddenly someone accidentally lands a fatal blow? How many times have you heard his voice call out to volunteer in your deepest nightmares? What would life be like without your big brother? Horrible. You would become a freak with no confidence. That's what Jaykub gave you, after all. He loves the way you walk on your hands and do cartwheels on the street and tell wonderful stories about the creatures that live outside the fence.

And sometimes it's nice to know you're loved.

Last Edit: May 9, 2011 6:55:05 GMT -5 by Stare

ella
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last seen May 19, 2011 16:06:18 GMT -5

~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella) May 9, 2011 18:46:06 GMT -5

Post by ella on May 9, 2011 18:46:06 GMT -5

JaykubNathanielLevite

A single pearl of slightly translucent sweat dripped down his forehead, into his faux-purple eyes, moving the contact around slightly, but not enough to make his eye irritated. He let his left eye slip closed, and his right focused on the target, which was a cardboard cut out of a person, which was cleverly rigged to move like a person, its legs and arms swinging realistically. A small red target, no bigger than his pinkie fingernail, marked the lethal points on the left side of the target's chest (Jaykub's right) and on the side of the cut out's neck. A hit there would guarantee a 'kill'. As Jaykub's arm drew back, taking the bowstring with it. The flint tipped arrow that was strung expertly on the bowstring flew straight and true, towards the red mark as Jaykub released the bowstring. His muscles rippled underneath tan skin, his shirt long thrown to the slightly dusty ground.

Jaykub was not the best at remembering his engagements for the day, and any that had clustered his mind before his training had started to slip away the moment he had first hefted his sword. As soon as the male was setting up for another shot, though, he remembered. His bow clattered to the ground, his arrow with it, and he checked the silver watch that was ever present on his wrist. Damn it! He was late to meet his little sister, and God knows how worried she would be, especially after the first two incidents. Jaykub shuddered to remember the time when he had gotten slashed across the stomach - he still had a scar from that little incident. He had arranged to meet Em about one o'clock, and he could only imagine how worried she had been then.

He threw on his gray shirt, which was soon plastered to his body with his sweat. He wished that he had time to shower before meeting Emenaria, but he knew that would only eat another fifteen minutes of time - and that would mean that she would be too crazy with worry to bother waiting any longer. So, it was in everybody's best interest for him to just go into town, sweaty body and all. The good thing about being as fit as Jaykub was was that he was able to run at a fairly fast pace, even after his vigorous workout. It was about a half mile from the training center to the town square, and he knew Em would be waiting outside her favorite store, which was only about 40 feet from the center of the square. At his pace, it took Jaykub around four minutes to come to his screeching halt in front of his little sister.

Without hesitating, Jaykub swooped Em up in his arms; even if she had tried, she wouldn't have been able to get away from his bear hug; although, Jaykub didn't see why Em would want to stop hugging him. When he was done, Jaykub unwrapped his sweat soaked arms from around his little sister, smiling broadly at her. "Sorry I'm late, Em - got lost in training." he was sheepish about it, but got over it quickly; after all, here was here now!

Stare
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Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella) May 10, 2011 20:58:09 GMT -5

Post by Stare on May 10, 2011 20:58:09 GMT -5

Emenaria Levite

She Will Act: F5758E | | | | She Will Speak: 64D2B4 | | | | She Will Think: D9F876

My heart doesn't know how to feel.
You left me these scars that cannot heal.
<><><><><><><><>

You are flooded with relief when you see Jaykub jogging up to meet you. He seems unharmed, which satisfies you. Jaykub has always been very protective over you and your little sister, and you've found more and more often that you are reflecting these feelings. You figure that since you view Jaykub as almost perfect, you want to be like him when you grow up. You can't exactly look up to your parents, who seemed to have stopped supporting you. If you ever have kids (Jaykub would go crazy if he knew you were thinking about this already), you would never let them down like that. Your parents seem to love Jaykub and your little sister, but there's something about you that seems to almost scare them. According to them, you belong in a circus. You're a freak who walks on her hands and does cartwheels and is too flexible.

You used to look up to your parents. They had a good amount of money, good jobs, and were very smart. When you were younger, you wanted to grow up to be just like mommy and daddy. But mommy and daddy crushed your heart one night, and everything fell apart. They did nothing to clean up the mess they made, and pain and confusion radiated from behind your bright pink eyes every day. It was like they didn't even care. And then your brother was there for you, and you realized that he was the one who really cared about you, and loved you for who you were. And after he picked up the pieces with you, you decided that you would reflect the amount of love given to you. If someone gave you no love, you would give none back.

Your deep thoughts are shattered as Jaykub lifts all four feet of you up in a stinky, sweaty hug. You give a squeal of protest, stiffening as he squeezes the life out of you. You've never liked hugs (the idea of being trapped in another's arms has always made you rather uncomfortable), but Jaykub is different, and you do not struggle to escape him when he demonstrates his brotherly love for you in a brotherly way. When finally released you find yourself lacking your normally present balance and grace, and stumble back a few steps before holding up one hand to block out the sun, although the rays still reflect off the snow white sidewalk and into your eyes. You've always loved how neat and stylish District One is, with it's bright blue skies, uniform yet colorful houses, and lush vegitation that is hard to find in other districts. Even on rainy days the streets are alive and buzzing as people wearing the latest fashions rush around under colorful umbrellas. Now, however, it is not raining- the sun's rays are bright, burning, and welcome after another long winter. The sound of clicking heels and excited voices- laced with the district accent, of course- fills the air.

Your happy mood falters, however, when he mentions training. Jaykub is not obsessed with training to be in the Games, like so many others. It is not his priority. But still, he does it, and that confuses and scares you. You don't want to lose the only person who seems to care about you. Jaykub is your brother, and you love him. You can't stand the idea of him dying in the Games. Even worse is the fact that if he goes into the Games, you won't be able to go in with him. What sane girl in District One would give up her spot as a tribute? Fame and fortune is something admired greatly in District One- even you find yourself occasionally drifting into a daydream where you have just been crowned Victor. You aren't going to lie to yourself and try to steer yourself away from these thoughts by telling yourself you have no chance, because you do. Honestly, no one expects a filthy, poor, pathetic lower district tribute to win. The District One tributes have power and strength- even you, small and defenseless, know acrobatics that could come in handy.

As if to prove this fact, you bend over and push yourself up into a handstand, angling yourself so that you can still glimpse Jaykub's face and talk to him. Through a mess of brown and pink locks you see that a few people are staring, but ignore them. You always switch from feets to hands and back again when talking to Jaykub. It's natural for both of you. You tilt your head forward and smile, but you still can't get that feeling of annoyance and fear out of your system. When you speak, your voice has a slightly cold edge to it. "Yeah, I was kind of afraid of that."

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Last Edit: May 11, 2011 18:58:28 GMT -5 by Stare

ella
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last seen May 19, 2011 16:06:18 GMT -5

~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella) May 12, 2011 20:33:47 GMT -5

Post by ella on May 12, 2011 20:33:47 GMT -5

JaykubNathanielLevite

The District One male placed a single kiss on his sister's forehead as he put her back firmly on the ground. He loved Em, but was aware that she wasn't exactly a fan of hugs, and decided to take pity on her, even if he was her favorite (and only) brother. He watched as his sister stumbled backwards, and Jaykub reached out his hand instinctively, just in case she were to lose her balance and actually fall. It was his protective instinct, gained and honed through several years of being his sister's rock, and also training to fight for many years before that.

Jaykub looked deeply into his sister's frosted ruby eyes, a soft smile crossing his face as he looked at her, chapped pink lips twisting up wryly; she was something, Emenaria was. She was her own person, which was something that Jaykub longed to be; sure, he was himself, but he was a Career, just like about half (okay, a lot more than a half) of the District's male population; most of them didn't even bother learning how to do one of the many luxury jobs available to the youth to learn, instead relying on the fact that they'd win the games, or die trying. It was the idea of being so bland, so very vanilla that he wondered about being a Career. It wasn't the thought that he could die, which may have been strange to anyone outside of a Career District.

Maybe that was not the only reason that Jaykub doubted being a Career. He was worried what would happen if he did die in the Games? He knew that Em would shatter, possibly beyond repair, if he were to die. Jaykub knew that it would be the same way for him if the roles were reversed. And his younger sister...he wanted to protect her, he wanted to be closed to her, but honestly, Emenaria was the reason why he got up every morning; she was his heart, his soul, his very essence. The need to protect her rose up in Jaykub again, and he couldn't help but moving forward again to wrap his arm around his sister, speaking into her hair as he bent over. "I don't want to lose you.." he said, the sudden revelation making his voice crack, and also tugging at his heart strings, a single tear falling out of the eye of the older brother. The crust of dried, salty sweat that had formed over all of Jaykub's body was broken by that tear, cleaning a single streak, the difference barely noticeable, unless, of course, you were accustomed to the slightly-dirtied state, and knew what it looked like in comparison with the normal, well-cleaned skin of most, if not all, of the other District One inhabitants.

That was another thing Jaykub would miss if he were to die in the Games. His home. He and his sisters (and their parents - but Jaykub didn't like them, since they didn't like his favorite sister) lived in a huge stone mansion that looked almost like a castle, nestled in the rolling hills of the suburban area of District One. The houses of District One weren't usually the rustic sort of style that the Levite's was; they were much more colorful; there was actually a street in the middle of one of the main cities of District One that everyone had forgotten the name to, simply because everyone called it Rainbow Street. 'Rainbow Street' has houses that seemed to agree to be in the pattern of a rainbow; this wasn't just your kid's drawing, though; Rainbow Street had subtle color changes so that at the north side of the street, the houses would be red, but on the other side, the houses were a shade of violet.

Jaykub was shaken from his recollections when Emenaria responded to his first phrase he had relayed to her. Her voice had a frosty edge to it, and he could see instantaneously she wasn't all too happy at his lateness. Jaykub looked at Emenaria, his violet eyes a bit disappointed. "Listen, I know you're not happy I'm a Career. And I understand why you don't like it, but seriously, this is like my job. If you had a job, and had to stay behind a little to finish, or had to answer a phone call or something, then I would wait for you. So don't get pissy with me." Jaykub tried to be stern with her, not wanting Em to get pouty, though he thought maybe he was being a bit too aggressive with his sister, and his speech might have put her on edge.

[/color][/size][/blockquote]

Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

~ These ~ Fantasies ~ Burn ~ (Ella) May 15, 2011 9:49:43 GMT -5

Post by Stare on May 15, 2011 9:49:43 GMT -5

Emenaria Levite

Gotta hide this pain with plastic smiles,
Conceal these burning flames with love,
And feel reality melt away.
<><><><><><><><><><>

You're eyebrows rise in surprise as his tone becomes tense, for he rarely scolds you. That's your parents' job. But when it comes to Career training, you and Jaykub have different opinions, and it is one of the few things that you can argue about. Jaykub seems to think that being a Career is necessary, like many others in the district. Your father trained for the Games, so perhaps that is where Jaykub gets it from. You see training for the Games as possibly useful, but also dangerous. You've watched the Games, and seen those other Careers fail. It's a dangerous Game, with far too many variables for your taste. Not that you like things set in stone, but when the consequences of failure are as great as they are in the Games, you'd feel a lot safer with a few more things absolutely certain.

However, (you'd never tell Jaykub this) if you did get Reaped, you wouldn't turn down the position. The idea of fame and glory is just too tempting, and you would have a rather large chance of winning. You picture yourself, wearing the Victor crown, raising tiny fists above your head. Your parents wouldn't think you were a freak then, and you can just picture Jaykub smiling down at you. It would be a lovely moment. But you would never be Reaped your first year. You are, after all, only twelve. Maybe when your older, and you have (hopefully) grown another foot or two.

Still, to actually train for for the Games? To hope to be sent to your death? It seemed a little... ~~stupid, ridiculous, insane?~~ out there. Besides, the odds were that Jaykub wouldn't be Reaped, so why were you so upset about it. Maybe it was the actual idea of the whole thing. The fact that your brother wanted to be in the Games. Perhaps it made him seem a little to ready to kill. Of course, in a fight to the death for fame and fortune, who wouldn't be? But he wasn't even in the Games yet. He was just hoping to be. Which bothered you. A lot.

Maybe it was the idea that your brother would leave you behind like that. He was even getting ready to do so. You loved your brother, and you didn't want to lose him. If he died, everything would shatter in your life. You would fall into insanity, torn between being the shameful freak or the agonized normal. Neither seemed very appealing, and while Jaykub was in your life, you didn't have to make that decision. Besides, if he died, you would probably do something incredibly stupid out of depression, like lay in bed for a week straight or something like that. He was your rock. You loved and needed him. If Jaykub was gone... your heart would leave with him, and you'd be nothing but an empty shell.

And what was this, with him comparing training with work? What, was training like some sort of duty to him? He didn't have to train- he did it by choice. You know that he could stop any time he wanted to, but he chose to keep working, and keep pushing himself. Besides, there was very little chance of a person getting seriously injured or killed at work. There was a huge chance of that happening at training. It irritates you that he would compare the two, because they are completely different. How would Jaykub feel if you told him that you were going to start training for the Games, and put yourself in danger like that? He'd do whatever it takes to stop me, you think, and both of you know that's true. It hurts that he would treat you like less than his equal.

"At least if you were at work, I wouldn't have to worry about you having your stomach sliced open," you say angrily. "And you'd be irritated too, Jay, if I was late and you knew that I could be hurt badly. Why are you so into training, anyway? Is life here not good enough for you?"

Immediately you know what you've said is wrong. The way you said it, with an incredible attitude, is unacceptable. For a moment, you let the words hang in the air, and decide not to take them back. They are your thoughts, after all. Jaykub deserves to hear them. But you also feel guilty. Your older brother does everything he can to make up for the care your parents don't give you, and you treat him like this? You finger your necklace nervously, hating the dead silence that seems to haunt the air despite the fact that people are rushing and talking all around you.

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Last Edit: May 15, 2011 20:47:57 GMT -5 by Stare