We're [never] truly {alone} [Ani]

Just when I'm about to get up and go home I suddenly hear the loud and rapid crunching of snow, at first I pay no attention to it but I notice it getting louder and louder, quicker and quicker and then I realize it's coming towards me. I turn to the direction of the noise only to spot what appears to be a very little leopard running towards me? At first my heart late quickens, why are there leopards in district seven? I think it might attack me but then I realize that it's much too small to be a leopard.

It's a cat, it has to be, the big wide eyes and the tiny little paws can only mean that it's a cat that has some kind of leopard printing on it? What kind of cat looks like a leopard? I back away slowly when I realize that it means me no harm but I'm still cautious because it appears to be sniffing me. Why would an animal like this take an interest to me? What is so interesting about me anyway? I slowly pat the cat on the head but then I hear a female voice that's not too far away calling out to the cat, probably it's owner. "Shiva, get back here. Leave him alone. Sorry about that, she's just curious" Naturally my head snaps to the direction of the source of the voice.

I chuckle slightly when I realize that this person means me no harm. "Oh erm it's okay. It wasn't really annoying me or anything." I respond. This girl, she looks older than me, maybe seventeen or so and it's clear from our clothes that she's probably wealthier than me but then again nearly everyone is wealthier than me. I slowly get up and stand on my feet, not wanting to keep sitting in the snow. The snow flakes hit me softly but my body heat instantly melts them as soon as they make contact with me. Snow huh? Well I certainly wasn't expecting that. Honestly I think snow is quite beautiful, although the cold is quite annoying it's simply how it can be so white and pure. "My name's Cyrus by the way." I say, introducing myself after all it's only polite. I then look around this forest, they stopped, any noise that was in my head seems to have stopped. "So what brings you to the forest on a day like this? I ask, simply as curious as her cat was.

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Azea, that's such a beautiful name. I've never heard of someone with a name like that but it seems like such an interesting name, the way it sounds when it rolls off your tongue and out of your mouth. I slowly sit back down, my back leaning against a hard, wooden tree , I have a light grin on my face, I'm actually smiling and for the first time in a while this smile feels genuine, for the first time in a long time someone is making me smile who is not Otis, I can't remember the last time I smiled and actually felt happy for real and it wasn't with my sister.

"I'm just enjoying nature at its best and escaping my house." Interesting, does she not like her house? She seems wealthy enough to me but that's only judging by her clothes, I remember hearing somewhere that you don't know what happens behind closed doors and I know that first hand. And the first example that springs to mind is him. I refuse to call him dad, people in the district must have thought he was some sort of normal person but in reality he was a psycho who locked his children up like animals and beat them to near death. But then again have no idea what everyone in District seven thought about him, but no one could have imagined he was like that.

I don't know what to say, after all I only just met Azea so it wouldn't make sense to tell her all about me. "What about you, what brings you to the forest on this fine day?" She asks me, a smile slightly and answer. "I guess you could say I'm here for the same reason as you." I explain with a smile. And then she shakes the snowflakes out of her hair and it falls on her back, probably making her skin cold and her flesh cold and basically making her back cold. "Wow, okay, that's cold." Well yea it's cold. I think to myself.

I see her looking at me and I'm looking at her back. Staring into her eyes and she's clearly interested, she's actually interesting in me? I find that in itself quite surprising, I don't think anyone other than my older sister has looked at me like that. I can't remember the last time someone has looked at me and actually been interested or actually cared. It only draws me into this conversation more and more. It only draws me to her more and more. "Yea this snow is quite cold, I'm actually a bit tempted to go inside to be perfectly honest," I say "but now that you're here I'll stay out for much longer."

"So what's so bad about your house that you feel like you need to escape it? If you don't mind me asking."

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I can see her cheeks flushing red at my words, blushing, that's what it's called. She's blushing at me. She then turns her head and tries to switch her attention to the cat, I guess trying to hide her blushing from my flattery. I honestly couldn't help myself, although she is older than me she's not older than me by quite that much but I have to admit she is very attractive. After I ask my question she looks back at me and stops stroking her cat to look at me, it doesn't matter if she doesn't want to answer, it was just a curious question that's all. I keep looking at her and then it appears she is actually going to answer. "It's alright, there's just a lot of grief in my house right now because of Sianas death."

Siana, Siana, I know I've heard that name somewhere before. Siana, Siana, I know I recognize that name from somewhere. Siana Felies, that's it. Siana was a tribute this year for District seven for the sixty-fifth. I know that District seven did very poorly this year, the male dying in the bloodbath and then Siana dying a little bit after that. But her death was certainly horrible and painful from what I can remember, although I didn't really know her so I can't exactly say I was saddened by it. The other kids were just trying to survive, if anything Siana just should've tried harder but a death is a death and they are always very deressing occassions. Although I can't say I was particularly devastated or that I even knew her really well it must suck that her death hit Azea's household so badly.

I feel a wave of sympathy rush over me, could it really be so bad that she feels she needs to escape her own house? From what I know houses are supposed to be safe places, surrounded my family and a place you never want a leave, not a place where you need to escape. But my experience with houses were alwys terrible, I had to escape my house, me and Otis that is. It's sad that even though we got away from that house I still don't feel completely safe. Will I ever feel completely safe again? I can't imagine my life without Otis, if she died a part of me would die with her, life without Otis would feel like a life noth worth living for me.

"I guess that's the main reason why I'm out here, to escape the sadness that's blanketing my house." She says as the cat jumps in her arms. I sigh, still sitting in the cold snow and looking at her. "I'm so sorry about that," I begin, I scoot over so I'm closer to her. "I really hope it gets better for you, because honestly you deserve so much more."i say softly.

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Silence.

That's all that hangs in my mouth and on my lips, silence is all that dares to roll off my tongue when she mentions that Siana was her sister. So her name is Azea Felies? I guess I'm quite lucky, neither me or Otis has been reaped as of yet and I hope it stays like that. A world were Otis is not with me is... it's a world I don't want to live in. I can't see myself being able to handle life, a life where Otis is dead, a life were I have to live by myself. That's not a life, that's torture. Is that what Azea is feeling? Is losing Siana to her what losing Otis would feel like to me? The silence is only broken when Azea decided to speak some more, holding in sobs it seems at the mention of the deceased tribute.

The cat doesn't really help with breaking the tension, it's just... there, occasionally rubbing against me or Azea. What are you trying to do?"So, what's your family like? Just out of curiosity." As soon as those words come out of her mouth I feel the urge to scream, but I stay my tongue, I don;t respond to the question at first. The memories of 'family' are too painful to even speak of. No, not again Cyrus, not ever again. I usually permit no one to even speak of my family, no one I know because there is only one family member who I would actually call family. And her name is Otis Castillo.

I shut my eyes tightly, temporarily hiding my blue eyes for a second and I feel an eerie chill roll down my spine, travelling down my body and touching every nerve it can, making my body give off a involuntary shiver. I open my eyes again, realizing I've kept her waiting I answer, "I have an older sister; that is all." I reply - and with that I dispel all the memories of my pained cries and his grunts of anger with that simple phrase. She is my only family."I've never really considered myself much of a family man you see." I say with a dry chuckle, but it's so obvious it's fake, nothing but a dirty and flat imitation of the real thing.

The cold is really starting to get to me, my hands must be turning red and numb by now, I wish I should really go somewhere warm. Making it clear that I would like to change the subject I say something else, still looking at her directly with a small grin that takes control of my lips. "Do you know some place warmer we could go?" I ask her, rubbing my hands together to keep them as warm as possible. While it's true I am quite cold I want to stay with her. Otis can wait, for now at least.

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