A Little Alone Time [Open]

Elaine sighed quietly as she walked.

She did not mind the long, grueling hours of work. She did not mind the arduous time spent in school that she'd much rather use for quality time with her family. She did not mind, at all, the stares at her ivory complexion and the daggers shot at her whenever she decided not to indulge herself in their dialogue. But she did mind the times other people would look so awkward being alone, so out of place, that she felt compelled to approach them and make an effort to have a conversation with them.

Like that small girl who was ambling along the same path Elaine was taking.

It was not as if she thought it was annoying, no. People are social creatures - something that Elaine observed to be absolutely true - and seeing that girl alone, well... It just did not feel right to leave her that way. With a deep breathe, Elaine walked faster, enough to alert the girl to her footsteps, but not give the impression that she was hostile.

Her throat felt like she hadn't used it for days, which was probably true. Elaine was reluctant to make a fool of herself by croaking, so she cleared her throat. "Hey there," she said, her eyes fixated on the road in front of them both.

Her reply was immediate; simple and sweet. Elaine thanked whatever God there was for the lack of chatter. She has had the experience of speaking a single word to a girl, and she retaliated with over fifty words. That made her uneasy, and besides, she couldn’t understand half of what the other girl was saying. It was hard and rather rare for her to meet a girl who can keep her mouth shut – at least, until she has a relationship with the person she’s conversing with. So in Elaine’s world, the small girl was sent from heaven.

And she is… rather small, isn’t she? Elaine noticed that she towered over her, but it didn’t make her feel awkward. There were a lot of tall teenagers in District 11, and a fairly equal number of teenagers were small. Elaine ran a hand through her light red hair as she walked. She was in a slight dilemma; what the heck was she supposed to say now?

“Um…” Elaine pursed her lips in thought. There’s not much to talk about the district, except the Peacekeepers always seem to have a stick up their asses. If she was the type of girl who can talk about anything, this would have been easy. But she isn’t. Suddenly she despised her random urges to talk to people who are alone.

“Where are you heading?” Elaine finally asked, abruptly inspired.

Elaine was a bit taken aback. The sudden onslaught of words had surprised her – and had proven her wrong. She should never have taken that first impression she got for granted. Elaine stifled a sigh. Oh wow, she thought. Guess people being social creatures was a very appropriate remark. She looked at the bag her companion carried, and was not the least bit surprised that the girl commented that she has not seen Elaine in school.

“You probably just don’t notice me, is all,” Elaine said matter-of-factly. She kicked a stray pebble in her way to the side of the road, thinking of the students mingling in school, some of them living in their own world. She raised both of her arms behind her head, making the action appear as some sort of stretch, before she bent her upper extremities inward, so that her hands would seem as if it were supporting her head.

“Most people don’t,” Elaine admitted with a bit of chagrin, “but I prefer it that way.” It was an easier way of saying she wasn’t really the social type; that she’d rather spend a week locked up in some isolated cell than be forced to talk to people for a day. Elaine took notice of the comment that she looked tall enough to be a graduate, and it took her a split second to decide it wasn't going to be an issue if she decided to answer that.

“And actually, I'm just fourteen.”