A Parade for the World to See | Axel, please!

A Parade for the World to See | Axel, please! Jan 8, 2013 22:54:02 GMT -5

Post by carnistea on Jan 8, 2013 22:54:02 GMT -5

"Reever!"

I know that yell, the brunette thought with a wrinkled nose as she sat up from her bed - which she had been hiding in for most of the days because her foot had just been a little twisted and she wasn't about to brave even an only slight injury on the sharp, wave-beaten rocks that usually served as her hunting grounds this close to the Reaping. Fourteen years of age. That was all she was. She wasn't ready to die just yet; so there. Right now she was more determined to stay alive than ever, and even though apprehension haunted her mind every passing day...she was not paralyzed by it. That was her strength. Her only strength, one might say.

Hopping out of bed, Reever immediately reached for and pulled out the pair of boots from under said piece of furniture before shoving her feet into them, ignoring the twinge of pain in her left ankle. Her hair was in its usual braid, but it was messy and she could not care less. She'd grabbed a jacket lying on top of her bed and was in the process of pulling it on when the door to her room swung open and there was her wide-set, scowling mother standing in its way.

Mella Song did not look happy. Then again, she never did. "Going somewhere?" she asked triumphantly.

"Out for the markets, Mother." Reever's response was respectful and immediate. She got up from her bed, tested her weight on both legs, before turning to Mella. "Sheld mentioned we didn't have enough spices."

Her mother's frown deepened, but she did not contest her youngest child's words. Good thing I checked the pantries just now, Reever thought to herself. "Fine," Mella said sharply and tossed her daughter a bag of gold, which Reever snatched out of the air with the help of sheer instinct. "Go quick! Be back here as soon as possible; I have dinner to make. Your father and brothers had been working hard today."

There was an emphasis behind her words, as though to remind Reever that she on the other hand did not work at all. Reever bowed her head and murmured a "Yes, Mother" before pushing past the stout woman and heading for the front door of their residence. Sheld and Callen were no longer eligible for the Reaping, the girl thought furiously as she tried not to slam it behind her and hobbled her way to the market. Sheld and Callen were nineteen. She was fourteen. Did that make no difference to her mother?

Apparently not. Reever paused for a moment in the street and closed her eyes. And breathed. Then she smiled just a little before picking up the pace again, the expression a little rueful. It's always been this way, Reever told herself in defeat. It wouldn't change. Not just 'cos she was fourteen now and not five or nine or ten.

Still, the thoughts that shrouded her head as she continued to make her way to the market were dark. And so absorbed was she in it, too, that Reever suddenly found her nose hitting the solidness of something less than a wall and more than air, and with a cry the slim girl stumbled back. She landed on her backside in an ungraceful heap, and fingers worked furiously to pull her skirt back down over her legs - not that it was necessary; they reached past her knees - while at the same time Reever looked up at the...man she had bumped into.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted out, struggling to her feet. "I'm so sorry. I didn't watch where I was going are you okay did I spill something?"

[Permission to play out bumping into Zhe Panama is obtained from Axel!

]

A Parade for the World to See | Axel, please! Jan 9, 2013 20:32:45 GMT -5

Post by Anna Banana on Jan 9, 2013 20:32:45 GMT -5

Panama sat on the rocky shore that surrounded the district. Another days work filed away with absolutely no change whatsoever in anything. He could probably wake up in the morning and write down exactly what would happen every day of his life. There was no variety to it at all, nothing but work, he had no time for anything or anyone. In the morning he would wake up eat a hastily prepared breakfast and report to the docks. The Peacekeeper currently in charge would ask for his name and occupation and he would reply with Panama Tomlinson, crew member aboard a fishing boat. Than he would sail out and sit on the boat for hours, working tirelessly to get a good haul, and no matter how he tried he couldn't keep up with the demands of the district.

He was only sixteen and yet he had more debts than some of the adults of the district. The Peacekeepers would knock on the door and demand payment from him, but it was impossible for him to pay. His family wasn't supporting him, and he had no friends to speak of, he was all alone in this world, left to fend for himself. Of course this may have something to do with the fact that he escaped the district once with a friend, but was quickly apprehended. He never saw that friend again, and sense than anyone else was hesistant to befriend him. The only real friend he had was the water, its gentle sounds the only peace he found in his hectic life. Looking one more time out across the water he sighed as one much older than he would. It was time to return home, if you could call the shack he lived in a home.

Pushing himself off the rocks he began to walk along them towards the beech. With the skill of one adept at doing so he skidded along the rocks and jumped off of them. Okay, perhaps not all of his life was boring and repetitive, there were some bright moments in it all. Several of the older fisherman lined the beaches and looked out across the water just as he had been doing only a few minutes before. Similar to him they found it to be peaceful also, to just relax and listen to the waves. With a smile he turned around and walked up a sand dune. When he reached the top District 4 came into full view, the land of fisherman and sailors. There was no mistaking the look of it, anybody anywhere would know that it was a fishing city. It was more of a port than anything, a port with houses in it....and he hated every bit of it. Walking down the hill he slipped into an alleyway that branched off of one of the main streets, and decided he would take a short cut through the marketplace. At this point there shouldn't be to many people there, didn't they have homes to be preparing for their families return from the days work?

So caught up in these thoughts was he that he didn't realize until to late that he had left the alley he had been traveling through. He felt someone or something bump into him and he immediately felt the urge to run away as fast as possible. Looking down he saw it was only a girl, a rather frail looking thing actually. Couldn't have been much younger than him, but she was very short. For some odd reason she was pulling her skirt down over her as if there was something revealed. That was a first, a District 4 girl afraid to show off some skin. Several hands offered to help her up, but either she ignored them or didn't want help because she pushed herself off the ground. For some odd reason she began apologizing as if the incident was all of her doing, than she asked if she had spilled anything.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, settle down there kid, it's okay, you didn't spill anything and it wasn't all your fault okay. I should have been paying more attention. If anything I should be the one to apologize for getting in your way. Where are you off to in such a hurry, and what's on your mind to the point that you aren't paying attention to the world around you. You're lucky you didn't walk straight into one of the harpoons that litter the streets or walk all over the hooks."

He looked at the girl quizically trying to decide who she was and why she was in a hurry. By the expression on her face she was deep in thought about something, and whatever it was it wasn't making her happy. Frown lines creased her forehead even after this whole incident. "Care to share your name kid? I always like to get the name of the people who bump into me for future referance.