Lazy Day [Zoe/Open]

Quartz wasn't a morning person. At all. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't surprised to find herself walking about the freezing airs of District 4 at some ungodly hour, hours before she normally rose from bed. The sun had barely peaked it's head over the distant horizon as her footsteps scraped along the pavement beneath her, shivering in the cold. Her house had seemed stuffy and claustrophobic from the minute she awoke from a silly nightmare, needing to get out for a while. Now she dragged her half-asleep body along with each small step, eyes bleary and tired from lack of peaceful sleep.

As a cold gust of wind snuck under her jacket, Quartz shivered as the freezing air rattled her body. Chills rolled down her spine like drops of rain on a windowpane, listening to the quiet chirps of the early-bird creatures that flew from tree to tree. Still, her mind continued to force her long limbs to trek on, subconsciously seeking out water. Mind still blurred with harsh images from her dreams that lingered in her memory - so similar to the ones of the games that she'd seen on her television, but in the tributes places, ones she loved and cared for - she attempted to shake them from her mind and slid down towards a nearby stream. Although Quartz was used to the ocean to clear her raging thoughts - the simplicity of the rivers drew her closer. Large rocks, perfect for sitting on, called her towards them with a hurried pace.

Finding herself no longer alone, Quartz spied two figures already in her spot. A sudden shyness overwhelmed Quartz, and she decided to perch a few metres away from them instead. She cursed her dreams and the Games that triggered them - still a bit shaken from her distorted dreams that poisoned her mind. Although Quartz knew that talking to someone would distract her from them, she just needed a moment to collect herself. Remind herself that you are home. You are safe. You are in no danger. Daddy is still here and Blake is still here and you. are. still. here.

Shivering, Quartz pulled up the sleeves of her jumper she wore around her hands in an attempt to warm her freezing fingers. She hadn't really out too much effort into thinking about what she had pulled on that morning, much unlike her usual self. She sat on the rock in her jumper and jeans, shoes adorning her feet, blonde hair messy and hanging around her face. Regretting not pulling on anything warmer in her hurry to get outside, she tried biting her lip to distract herself from the early morning chill.

Hearing a voice call out, the seventeen year old's head whipped around to locate it's caller. "Hey, I promise I don’t bite, and I’m pretty friendly, why don’t you come join us?" one of the boys in the rock had asked, and Quartz smiled with a slight laugh and ruffle of her hair with her hand to his invitation. You would think she'd get used to it, all the invites and attention from the opposite gender - but gradually it became harder to trust people. To Quartz, she spent a great deal of time trying to work out if they actually wanted to talk to her, or just use her as eye candy. Acting like she didn't care which, she secretly loathed being a new, shiny plaything in a store window - until she, or they, whichever came first, got bored.

Eventually deciding to take up the boy's offer, the blonde girl slid from her rock, landing swiftly on two feet, and walked across the grassy banks until she reached the rock. Hopping up onto the rocks, she slid into a space next to the boy who had invited her over and settled down, eyes staring at the small river. She felt a little lost for words, or perhaps she was just too tired, but was unsure of introducing herself just yet. Some people liked to come by the water and just think, nothing more, and waited for a reply.

Quartz felt the boy to her left glance at her, and almost laughed. She was doing a lot of that lately, laughing. Lately it was becoming a struggle for her to determine what was genuine and what really exited her mouth was merely a fake, easy way to decoy from talking. Even that was hard, too. Talking. The easiest thing to do, yet everything she said was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Fingers curling up underneath her blanket of jumper sleeves, Quartz listened as the boy introduced himself. "Quartz Stonewall. Seventeen" she replied simply with a whisper of a smile. She wondered what Blake would think of her, sitting with two guys she'd never met before this early in the morning - but today she was feeling selfish, and let him slip from her mind. Guilt could wait until later.

Micah slipped off his jacket beside her and held it out, offering it to the two. Quartz nodded at the offer, turning her blonde head to one side to look at the other boy and see his reaction. Feeling the warmth of the sun as it broke out over the horizon, grateful for it's warming presence. Birds began to sing in the distance, chirps harmonising with the slow stream of the river waters. Stretching out her tanned limbs, Quartz sighed inwardly - aware of Micah's eyes on her."Don't pity me, though. I'm not some chick that needs the utmost of care and comfort. I'm tougher than you'd think" she added, a bitter undertone to her words as her gaze fixed on the running water below the threesome.

Yeah. Blake'd probably be mad.