An Archer in a Foreign Land {Open}
Apr 16, 2012 18:37:01 GMT -5
Post by Minerva on Apr 16, 2012 18:37:01 GMT -5
It seemed like every time Piper left the house it was because of her mother. This time she had found Piper under her bed, "wasting her time reading that useless bunch of nonsense written by who-knows what sort of idiot in a time long forgotten." That was what her mother had called it, but Piper had actually been reading the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, a book which her father's family had preserved carefully for years. Ernest Hemingway. The name always made Piper laugh. Did people really once give their children such silly names?
And of course, a "waste of time" is all very relative. Pearl, Piper's mother, believed that any time not spent training for the Hunger Games was wasted time, which is why Piper had been kicked out of the house and was now walking sullenly towards the Career center. "And don't come back until you've put in a good hour of practice!" Her mother had concluded in her usual flurry. But in Piper's opinion, her mother was dead wrong. She considered this particular book to be very relevant to the Games. It taught her determination and respect for life, even if that life must be taken. Passages like, "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends," it was like the author himself had known and understood the Games before they even existed. And it was all so relevant. To Piper, to District 4, to Panem.
So here she was walking the path to the career center. She didn't like the career center, and she wasn't especially good with most weapons, but whenever Piper tried to avoid it, her reason won out.
"Why don't you want to go train Piper?" She would ask herself.
"Because I'm not good at it," Piper would reply.
"That's no reason not to get better."
"Well then it's because I don't trust the Capitol and I'm horrified by the Games."
"Naturally. But you realize that whether or not you like the Games, you still have a chance of being in them, especially if your mother forces you to take tessera."
"Yeah..."
"So its better to be prepared for the worst."
"But I don't want to devote my life to this thing. That's my mother's job."
"Your life has been devoted to it simply by your being a citizen of Panem. If you don't train, you're squandering resources and advantages which most people don't have. There are starving children in District 12 you know."
And with that Piper would trudge off to the career center. Because the very large portion of her that loved reason knew that it was best to be prepared for the worst. So now she quietly opened the career center doors and walked past the buff teens who truly loved this place. She didn't bother to look around for a friendly face. Get in, get out. That's all Piper wanted to do. She walked past her brother Nereus; he purposely ignored her. It didn't matter, Piper was used to that sort of behaviour from him. She kept moving all the way to the archery station, the one thing she was good at. Not many people in her district used this station. They would rather develop the natural skills acquired in District 4. She picked up the bow and began to shoot.
Set your feet, relax, draw, hold your breath, release. Piper kept repeating the cycle, hitting consistently and accurately. Pretty good for an eleven year old. Maybe she'd even do a ropes course later...
And of course, a "waste of time" is all very relative. Pearl, Piper's mother, believed that any time not spent training for the Hunger Games was wasted time, which is why Piper had been kicked out of the house and was now walking sullenly towards the Career center. "And don't come back until you've put in a good hour of practice!" Her mother had concluded in her usual flurry. But in Piper's opinion, her mother was dead wrong. She considered this particular book to be very relevant to the Games. It taught her determination and respect for life, even if that life must be taken. Passages like, "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends," it was like the author himself had known and understood the Games before they even existed. And it was all so relevant. To Piper, to District 4, to Panem.
So here she was walking the path to the career center. She didn't like the career center, and she wasn't especially good with most weapons, but whenever Piper tried to avoid it, her reason won out.
"Why don't you want to go train Piper?" She would ask herself.
"Because I'm not good at it," Piper would reply.
"That's no reason not to get better."
"Well then it's because I don't trust the Capitol and I'm horrified by the Games."
"Naturally. But you realize that whether or not you like the Games, you still have a chance of being in them, especially if your mother forces you to take tessera."
"Yeah..."
"So its better to be prepared for the worst."
"But I don't want to devote my life to this thing. That's my mother's job."
"Your life has been devoted to it simply by your being a citizen of Panem. If you don't train, you're squandering resources and advantages which most people don't have. There are starving children in District 12 you know."
And with that Piper would trudge off to the career center. Because the very large portion of her that loved reason knew that it was best to be prepared for the worst. So now she quietly opened the career center doors and walked past the buff teens who truly loved this place. She didn't bother to look around for a friendly face. Get in, get out. That's all Piper wanted to do. She walked past her brother Nereus; he purposely ignored her. It didn't matter, Piper was used to that sort of behaviour from him. She kept moving all the way to the archery station, the one thing she was good at. Not many people in her district used this station. They would rather develop the natural skills acquired in District 4. She picked up the bow and began to shoot.
Set your feet, relax, draw, hold your breath, release. Piper kept repeating the cycle, hitting consistently and accurately. Pretty good for an eleven year old. Maybe she'd even do a ropes course later...
