By The Water's Edge {Kiah}

Fabian squeezed every last drop out of the fabric and unfolded it. It was now a wrinkled mess, but on the bright side it no longer carried that repulsive odor, nor was it covered with loose stains of mud. Instead, it was mildly filthy. This he considered presentable in district ten. As soon as he shifted his feet to turn around and walk to the oak tree, the sound of approaching footsteps thumping upon the grass halted him in his tracks. He cocked his head in time to witness an unfamiliar girl sprinting into the pond. Her expression implied absolute panic and terror. She fled into the water as if a form was chasing her. Heart suddenly thumping wildly, Fabian whirled around and scanned the thin area of woods for the possible cause of distress. There were no disturbances or unusual sounds. No signs of a pursuer were present. Only he and this girl occupied the lake, and this fact perplexed him. Why was she so frightened? Had one of the woodland creatures startled her into this state? A snake, perhaps?

His train of thought was broken when her screams pierced the tranquil atmosphere. The sound nearly shocked him into losing his balance. He staggered in the water, his abrupt movements causing water to splash the upper areas of his jeans, and he turned to face the girl, whose screams were too emotionally intense to be fabricated. The wails of his younger sisters during nights of terrifying nightmares were insignificant compared to this girl’s screeching. Only one word came into mind as he stared in disbelief at the hysteric stranger - pain. Such intensity was placed in screams of pain that the emotions involved were indescribable. Squeals of fear could not compare to the effects of pure agony. The girl’s screams began to frighten him - not like a child suffering from a nightmare, but like a simple farm boy who feared for the girl’s well-being. He could not pinpoint the source of her agony, therefore he became deeply concerned.

More than anything he wanted the girl to stop. He could not bear to listen to her suffering for a moment longer. Tossing the shirt into the grass, Fabian’s eyebrows knitted together, and he approached her at a reasonably high speed, acting somewhat cautious as their distance closed. He did not want to scare her further, if that was even a possibility. As soon as he was within a foot away from her, he knelt beside her and placed a gentle hand upon her back. The screams were as loud and blood-curdling as ever. He tried to move past it. “It’s okay!” he exclaimed, trying desperately to be heard over her shouts. “There is no reason to scream! Nobody is hurting you! You’re safe here.”

The screaming was unbearable, piercing his eardrums as if threatening them to burst. He grimaced and attempted to concentrate on the matter at hand. The girl seemed to be so preoccupied with her fear that his words did not reach her. He parted his lips once more, pondering on what he should say to her next, this time with a higher and louder pitch to his voice, but before he could utter a single sound the girl’s screaming faded into shouts. She was yelling at somebody. Was it him? He followed her gaze. She was staring into empty space; nobody inhabited the area in front of her. She was neither speaking to him or anybody else. Whatever figment of her imagination she was yelling at, though, had clearly decided to leave, because her fits abruptly ceased. Silence lingered between them for a moment, and Fabian’s gentle hand did not leave her back.

The two exchanged glances for a brief moment. Fabian’s bronzed face, distorted in concern, turned towards her. Forest green irises stared into her own, searching for answers to the plethora of questions that filled his brain to the brink. She seemed lost and confused. Surely, there was no simple explanation for her actions, and he could not appear to be normal to the girl who was having visions. Visions only she could witness. At least, that was his prediction. What other phenomenon could explain her behavior?

Fabian spotted it before it happened. The way her body lurched, the way her face changed - with seven younger siblings, he could easily recognize the signs of nausea and the approach of vomit. He shifted away for a moment, allowing her to relieve herself of her stomach contents. The sight did not faze him - it was the putrid odor that always forced a gag out of him. He swallowed a lump in his throat, watching as the substance drifted away in the water, and returned to her side. As soon as he looked at her, a stammer escaped her. The question was enough to stall him for a moment. How could he respond with both honesty and sensitivity?

”I..I didn’t see anybody.” he admitted hesitantly. Now he would be forced to endure whatever reaction she presented. He predicted that it would not be pleasant. ”I’m sorry.”

The relief sweeping over the girl’s face brought him a sense of guilt. Moments before he revealed the truth she seemed thankful - thankful that maybe he had witnessed the man also. He was crushed to see her react so suddenly. He tried to imagine the frustration that the girl was experiencing. How would he feel if he was escaping from a hallucination, believing that the pain and the terrifying visions were true, only to be confronted by a complete stranger and discover that the experience was only a figment of his own imagination? Come to think of it, such a thing could happen if he continued to stay awake every night. People who refuse to sleep are rumored to experience hallucinations after a specific period of time. Fabian made a mental note to take a nice, long nap once the day’s work was finished. The thought of having visions made him anxious.

Fabian chewed on his bottom lip and avoided her gaze. He had spotted hot tears forming in her eyes. No, she could not cry. He could not bear to watch people cry; it was heartbreaking. Whenever is siblings shed tears he was the first to comfort them, and also the one who was most concerned. Crying was never a positive sign. People have mentioned tears of joy, but Fabian believes such a thing to be a myth. Tears, in his opinion, are the physical forms of human emotion: sadness, anger, pain, rejection. The list continues. He could hardly begin to imagine the emotions that were swirling within this girl’s head. He felt his sympathy rising.

Crazy. The word was so harsh. It was a cruel label, just as insulting as psychopath, freak, and lunatic. Fabian was never one to label people. He gently shook his head at her and narrowed his forest green eyes upon her own. ”I don’t think you are.” he said, massaging the area between her shoulder blades as a method of soothing her. ”Anyway, I have no right to judge you. I’ve only just met you.” The corner of his lips curled ever so slightly - a small attempt to form a faint, comforting smile. His goal was to calm her and return to land. Their bodies were still submerged nearly half-way in the pond’s cold water. ”Are you going to be alright?”

Fabian’s moral duty was to help. In sticky situations he was the first to pause and rationalize. When things grew difficult he was the first to prevent panic and formulate a solution. When his siblings cried he was the first person at their side to comfort them. Dealing with people in general was his thing. It was like a natural talent; his demeanor somehow soothed those who were in distress or pain. It was a gift he was blessed with at birth, though it seems only to work on other people. He, on the other hand, is a workaholic who cannot comfort himself.

He stifled a sigh of relief. The girl was smiling. No screaming, no crying, no chaos. The serenity that had once enveloped the area gradually returned. He flashed her a smile, thankful that she was able to regain composure and smile like a real human being. She wasn’t crazy at all; there was just something puzzling about her. It was no big deal. Fabian could befriend her in a heartbeat. In fact, there was hardly a reason not to. As much as he denied it he desperately needed something to distract himself. He needed a break from working himself into exhaustion. A friendly girl was bound to do it.

Shocks of cold touched his face as the girl splashed water at him. He laughed and decided he would put the previous situation behind him; there had been no strange outbursts or questionable episodes. They were just two teenagers goofing around in the pond. They were just enjoying the simplest aspects of their lives - of their youth. He felt the droplets of water run down the sides of his face and felt relieved. Did the girl’s mental status even matter? Why dwell upon such subjects when one can simply enjoy himself?

He could be very optimistic.

”Yeah, me too,” he replied in a small chuckle. After a gentle pat on the back he lifted his arm and stood up, immediately noticing the drenched condition of his jeans. Instead of a sigh, he released a light-hearted chuckle. The situation was quite amusing, after all. ”Let’s go.” He waded through the shallow water and gestured her to follow. The second he reached land he retrieved his shirt and carefully hung it upon a low tree branch. ”I’m Fabian, by the way,” he suddenly said, turning to face her once more. He figured it was an appropriate time for introductions.

The girl introduced herself as Lunar. The first image that appeared in his mind took shape of the moon. A lunar eclipse, one of his siblings had labeled it, when the moon - absent of it’s usual bright, silver coloring - lingered in the night sky, no longer basking them with it’s ghostly glow. Instead it was tinged with the red hue, similar to red clay he had stumbled upon previously in District Eleven. The sight had fascinated him and his siblings; together they had laid in the grass, creating imprints of their bodies within the blades, and rested with their hands behind their heads as their curious eyes scanned the black skies. Fabian recalled that night vividly - the air had been cool, crisp, but comforting after a day’s worth of labor in the hot sun. He could’ve fallen asleep if his siblings hadn’t engaged him with millions of questions regarding the moon’s altered state. Fabian, of course, had no answers; it was merely nature at work. And that’s what he had told them.

If Fabian was oblivious to anything, it was flirting. He was observant enough to recognize it, but too distracted and stubborn to acknowledge it. He constantly second guessed himself; girls could be puzzling, after all, and what seemed like flirtatious behavior could merely be friendly conversation or innocent gestures. So, the hidden meaning in the girl’s behavior soared over his head. It was an odd thing to compliment him on his voice, and he knew this, but he gave it no second thoughts. The entire situation was odd, so why pay any attention to this small detail?

”So…you doing anything?”

He blinked. Was he doing anything? Surely he was. But what had he been doing? He mentally backtracked to the events preceding the girl’s arrival. He had been sitting under a tree - no, he had been washing his shirt. Before his trip to the pond, however, he had been working. Bickering with his siblings about taking a break. They had insisted even after his persistent refusals. Being the compliant, submissive boy he was, though, he eventually took a break to appease them. And now, instead of completing his work, he was fooling around by the pond. His favorite place.

Was it really a waste of time, though? Fabian had not counted the minutes since his departure. He could’ve been gone only for ten minutes for all he knew. Perhaps he should stay longer. He had not bothered to form friendships, after all - not with his work load. Would it kill him to have just one friend?

Hardly.

”Not really,” he replied with small hint of reluctance. His inner conscience was warning him to return home and finish his duties. The rest of him was insisting that he stay. He couldn’t just abandon Lunar here - not after what he had witnessed. It could hurt her feelings, and Fabian was not the type who could live while carrying a guilty conscience.