Bigger Scars Make Better Stories // Geebs

Whether she was dressed in finery or dressed in rags, or not dressed at all, Sebastian found her company most endearing. While they still had their spats from time to time, his pure animal attraction to her quelled his temper and helped him explore a more reserved side that he hadn't even known had or could exist. Sleeping under the stars and scrounging for food was still a struggle, but it was just that much more bearable when there was someone to struggle alongside. There were equals, but they were not even. While Sebastian hated conversations unless he was mainly hearing himself talk, here was a girl whose fire very nearly matched his own. They were so similar and yet they were so different. Or were they? Sebastian wasn't sure about many of the things he thought he had known anymore. She asked if he was all right and fumed silently to himself that his mood was that noticeable to anyone other than himself.

But what was wrong?


He is twelve years old. His father is yelling at him outside of that very candle shop, only then, the proprietor of the store was an old man and not a young woman. The old man had accused Sebastian of pocketing a small chocolate scented candle, and now he was being berated for it. Had he actually taken the item in question? No. A few minutes later the old man came out and apologized for his error. The candle had rolled off of the counter and landed somewhere behind it. Did his father apologize? No. He simply slapped him and lamented being burdened with such a child. What's wrong with you? His father had screamed. You've made me look like a fool in front of other people again. Sebastian seethed in silence. He held no respect for the man who called him son, and fear was slowly giving way to to a new emotion. That bitterest of potions, a young child's fury.

And then he is fifteen, the peacekeeper announcing that he would now become a ward of the Capitol. Pack his bags, because his father was killed in a factory accident. He was given one hour to get his things in order. It was more than enough time to pack everything in the kitchen and escape into the night. But Sebastian was no wanderer. He cared little for the wide expanse between the districts. No, he would have to move around abandoned buildings, gutters and learn the perimeter of the district. Where to avoid the adults and where to get back through the fence. Keeping it running smoothly and efficiently did not appear to be among the most important details for the Capitol. There was a large mansion that he would find, held by other cast offs of society, the living refuse that would not let themselves be broken.

Some less so than others.

However, that was a line of thinking he dared not delve into at this time.



"I haven't been running the streets as long as you." He said matter of factly. "Only three years. And it would seem you've been at this for far longer."Tugging at her arm, he pulled them away from the storefront and farther down the street."Nice Dress, I wonder who you killed for it.He paid her a compliment. Girls liked that didn't they? They stepped past an alleyway about half a block away from the candle shop and he paused, staring at the dark passageway and shifting uncomfortably.

It is four months since he left rather than let them take him away. It is a cold night, but he tries not to feel it. He is huddled in the dark, gnawing on a gristly piece of chicken that he rescued from a trash heap. Someone seems to see him as they pause in front of the alley. He snarls and they hurry on, probably thinking that there was nothing more in the alley than a feral dog. It is the first food he has had in two days, but not for lack of trying. Street life is still new to him at this time, but he was nothing if not resourceful. He had been tracking the eating habits of a family that lived close by, and knew that tonight was the day that they would be eating out. The spare key would be hidden under a rock, and as soon as they left he'd be able to get inside and raid their kitchen for supplies. All he needed to do was wait. Soon he would be rewarded.

But then he is sixteen, and he finds himself staking out yet another house, wary of passerby but wanting what is rightfully his more than anything that they could do to him. He has told the other street children that he will bring something back for them; though he has left out the part where he keeps the choicest morsels for himself. He is joined on this mission by a girl he ran across a few days past. She too, is a child of the streets, but not like him. She belongs to a group home, one that she often sneaks away from. They are not together, though the girl has hinted several times that wants to be more. They find themselves caught up in a surge of hormones that night, a night that ends with Sebastian telling her that he'd prefer her to stay away from him; but this is after they despoiled the bushes behind this house. He is not sure what these burgeoning feelings are, but he does wish to feel them again. The girl refuses to leave, and after a loud argument, the pair are forced to flee from the yard as someone comes to investigate.

The girl begins to follow him around more after that day, and more than once over the next several weeks, a stolen kiss leads to so much more. But all good things must come to an end. One day, she simply stops coming to find him. He is unable to find her. Eventually he discovers that she has been adopted and is now a part of a family. He goes to visit her, but her new parents are not happy to see a scruffy boy such as he sniffing around their house. To make matters worse, when he is finally able to see her, she pretends not to know him. Laughing at his confusion and telling to get lost. She didn't need him anymore. Later on at the street children camp, he had beaten one boy blood in anger over a much smaller disagreement. The other boy had made fun of his scar.

And like then, the collective weight of many things was starting to overtake him. He would be blunt. Relentless. Unforgiving.


"Sometimes, I wonder if you had the easier life Zan. Families can be...far worse than the world. You want to know how I got this scar?"He said quietly.My...father did this to me. For daring to stand up to him. It appears to be the way of Panem. Attempt to silence those who simply think differently. Or throw them away."His grip on her hand tightened without him noticing as he moved away from the alley, his face darkening with anger. Clasping her to his chest, he spoke in a low tone as he searched her eyes for truth."I survived because of my wits, my strength and my refusal to lay down and die. I did not have anyone to take care of but myself. My responsibilities were few. I owed no one anything and took what I pleased. I still do."


I chose this life.

"I once promised myself that I would have my revenge on those who wronged me. The ones who even now relish in the fact that they have made me and everyone else in our camp outcasts for a second time. I'm a bad person Zanita. And I...want you to be sure this is what you want. Can you know what drives me and not turn away?"


Will you turn your back like all the rest?