Could Be Worse (kale)

A cold breeze rustled strands of her auburn hair as she stood, quietly, her misty green eyes sizing up this stranger. Certainly she'd seen him around, but in all honesty she had no idea who he was, and she wasn't so sure she should trust him. But that was her way, she trusted next to nobody - not nice her family was slaughtered in the mines. She looked back down at the flower and thought of picking it, knowing it might be a nice surprise for Ross, but he was in the grips of his fever. Maybe somebody in the hob will have something that could help him, she couldn't help the thought form crossing her mind. She wanted to help him, needed to help her brother. A deep sigh escaped her lips in mild frustration as she dug her hands deeper into the pockets of the worn old coat. She hated thinking of the games, hated thinking that there was still a chance for them to pull her name, still a chance for her to be thrown in to the wolves.

"The Games make everything harder,"she said with a shrug, trying ot let it roll off her back as she thought of how their tributes had died...like they always did, "I don't see how a stoll down there could hurt. I needed to get out of my house anyway..."

I couldn't stand seeing him suffer anymore, she admitted to herself, but there was no way she was going to say anything to a stranger, because that's how she was. She hid from the world inside her head, and carried the weight of it all on her own shoulders. If only to make it easier for Ross, "Oh, I'm Maija by the way. Figured you could at least know who I was."

"Nice to meet you Ryan," she said quietly as she turned in the direction of the hob, the chill having seeped into her legs, making the joints stiffer than usual. How is he holding up in this? She wondered absently. She needed to make this trip quickly and get back home, she couldn't leave him alone. So what if he was a grown man? He was all she had left, the only person left standing between her and the community home. The very thought sent fear seeping into her expression, she quickly wiped it off her face, rubbing her white hands on her cheeks to give her a chance to hid her face. As the winter had raged on her self control had slowly begun to slip away, and even though they were almost in the clear, Ross wasn't. He was sicker than he'd been all winter, and it terrified her. You can't fail him, you have to do anything and everything you can to save him. He's all you have left.


"I was looking forward to buying some new gloves or something down there. A lot cheaper then in the merchant area." She couldn't help the slight frown that found her lips, "They're only so expensive because the tailor is running low on material to make glove and mittens and such, as well as the employee who makes the best glove in the entire district has been ill pretty much the whole winter."

Why are you running your mouth?

She nodded at Ken, but watched the boy carefully. His voice was lack luster, as if he had no personality of his own. Perhaps that was how he survived, by appearing to be nothing and then morphing himself into whatever the situation required. He would have been a social chameleon then. Clever boy. She couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face. Ryan survived by throwing his weight around, appearing intimidating even though he was trembling inside, just like everyone else. If nothing else, District Twelve taught you how to survive. Maija took her eyes away from the two boys and looked down the road towards the city square. People were beginning to head home as the sun was beginning it's slow decent in the west and the temperature was steadily beginning to decline. It had plummeted at least two or three degrees since they'd been standing them.

"Hey Maija ready to head to the hob. We can't be out here much longer specially when it is suppose to get colder."

"It already is," She said flatly as she dug her fingers deeper into her coat pockets, as her pale green eyes passed between the two boys. Her velveteen voice passed through the frosted air, soft as new fallen snow, "I also suggest we move on before we attract any attention. We've lingered too long."