Holden Thatcher ☁ District 4 {fin}

Lux
Seam Resident

32 POSTS

last seen May 20, 2014 18:22:24 GMT -5

the most cuddly fish around

Holden Thatcher ☁ District 4 {fin} Apr 25, 2014 20:43:53 GMT -5

Post by Lux on Apr 25, 2014 20:43:53 GMT -5

Name: Holden Emery Thatcher
Age: Sixteen
Gender: Male
District/Area: Four
Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Codeword: odair
Faceclaim: Clément Chabernaud
Other: joie de vivre!

Last Edit: Apr 27, 2014 14:12:57 GMT -5 by Lux

Lux
Seam Resident

32 POSTS

last seen May 20, 2014 18:22:24 GMT -5

the most cuddly fish around

Holden Thatcher ☁ District 4 {fin} Apr 25, 2014 22:06:39 GMT -5

Post by Lux on Apr 25, 2014 22:06:39 GMT -5

I H O P E M Y H E A R T G O E S F I R S T.

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H O L D E N T H A T C H E R
DISTRICT4 | SIXTEEN | MALE

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The sea beckons as we roam hand-in-hand along the shoreline, skipping through tide pools and feeling the heat of the sun scorching our long, thin bodies. My sister, Isla, harvests a small, burnt-orange lion's paw from the beach, scrubbing the sand off with her shirt and holding it up to the glare of the sun to get a clearer look. Isla, who's two years younger than I, scrutinizes the shell in all directions with her critical eyes, noting every crevice and slight raise in the shell's texture. Moving her fingers down the ribbing to the knobs, she draws a multitude of beautiful ideas from the scallop. "Look Holden! This one's definitely a keeper!" she proclaimed, beaming a wide-eyed grin. I saw her ogling the shell long before she picked it up of course, and with a slight nod of my head, I validated her discovery.

The salty breath of the ocean is a siren's song to me, entrancing me to undress and dive into the roaring surf. I shudder at the tantalizing pull of the undercurrent, paddling my well-built legs to elude its threatening tug. I took every detail in—the push and pull of the crashing breakers on my body, the briny flavor of the seawater, and the life-giving inhale expanding the breadth of my lungs when I resurface, among others. Isla gathers my clothes strewn about the rocks with a sigh, shaking her head and a faint smile manifested upon her lips. She knew me as well as I knew her—I found immense pleasure in escaping into the world of my senses.

She means the world to me, this girl with her windswept, russet-colored hair and hazel, almond-shaped eyes. No matter what sort of trouble our good-for-nothing parents got into, we always had each other to depend on for support. Isla and I used to always joke about how she resembled Dad and acted like Mom, and how I looked like Mom but had Dad's mannerisms. Neither of us wanted to be like our useless parents though.

I may have my dad's defined and handsome cheekbones, but I primarily share the rest of my appearance with Mom. Thick, wavy hair that transitions from blonde to brown with the seasons, a pimple-prone, dewy complexion, and features far more petite than I'd like for them to be—all of these are inherited from my reserved mother who spends the majority of her time working herself into the ground as a net weaver and making just enough money to fuel Dad's drunken rages.

I'm a sailor, same as my father, which is why swimming in rough waters comes so natural to me. Unlike him, though, I like to think that I convey some semblance of self-awareness. Dad spends the majority of his time when he's not out at sea in the oceanside bars, ingesting copious amounts of alcohol and cheating on my Mom with the fille de joie barflies. He's a right old layabout, my old man.

Burned out and soaked, I emerged out of the turbulent water in a crawl to find my sister sat on a rock by herself with her head resting in her hands, onlooking the gregarious gulls catching fish. "Sure took you long enough...can we go home now?" she pursed her thin lips, obviously irritated. I flashed a cocky half-smile and sat adjacent to her on the rock, "Yeah, yeah. Sure. I just have one quick question for you before we leave." Rolling her eyes, Isla crossed her arms and turned away. I lowered my voice and depressed my expression to get across the serious tone of the oncoming conversation, "Remember when we were kids and you said I carried myself like Dad? What exactly made you think I was anything like him?"

Isla thought pensively, choosing her words with care, "Well, you have this certain joie de vivre about how you approach life. You want a lot out of life, and you aren't afraid to go out there and grab it." She crinkled her brow to point at a gull who had pilfered a meal from another. "But you don't always take full responsibility for your actions when you make the wrong decision."

Joie de vivre? If she would get her head out of a damn book for once, maybe she would stop using such outdated parlance. She may have been quite frank, but her words resonated with me. Even though I've never been all that much for introspection, I knew in my heart that Isla wasn't aware of the actual reason behind my seemingly careless behavior.

"Do you remember Lyra Knox?" My sister smirked sarcastically, "I thought you said earlier that you only had one question for me." I raised my eyes in disbelief of her flippancy, and noticing my bearing, she nodded her head apologetically, "I knew her. She used to come over to our house all the time when you were younger. I don't ever remember seeing her again though. Did she move to another District or something?" I let her die—I killed her. I wanted to confess the truth sorely, but the words were caught in the void of my mouth. I composed myself and let my candor flow freely, "She's...not with us anymore." My sister contorted her face and clearly was taken aback, "Wha-what happened to her?"

The wind moaned as it blew across the rocky beach and the evening sky bid farewell to the sun. I wrapped my jacket further around my body as I professed, "Lyra and I were the best of friends growing up; we did everything together. Our parents decided to drop us off at the beach unattended one day," taking a breath to delay the impending tears, "We were splashing and having a great time in the water when the undercurrent got ahold of her. She fought desperately with all of her limbs, and being only six, I didn't think to immediately reach out and grab her."

"Her delicate body twisted in the raging waves, pulling her under and away from my grasp." The glistening streams trailed down my face, "Her body was turned over like a flipped sailboat. I remember calling out 'Lyra...Lyra!' only to not get a response." Overcome by an onrush of tears, I let my head fall into my hands. "Mom and Lyra's parents came back to the beach, and I told them what happened. You should have seen the expressions on their face—it was awful. Mom swore to never speak of this again, she was too ashamed."

Yearning to ask more questions but aware of how inconsiderate that would be, Isla shifted uncomfortably and placed her tender hands on my back, "And you feel responsible, don't you? That's why you're so terrified of pain, you don't want to feel guilty." Trying her best to console me, she assured, "It wasn't your fault. A whole bunch of things were wrong in that situation, you have to remember that."

"This is why my worst fear is for you to get reaped, Isla. Because I can't protect you if you're out in the Arena on your own," I wipe the tears away in the most masculine way possible, lifting my shirt up to my face, "I don't ever want you to get hurt."

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template by chelsey

Last Edit: Apr 27, 2014 14:20:09 GMT -5 by Lux

Lux Seam Resident 32 POSTS last seen May 20, 2014 18:22:24 GMT -5 the most cuddly fish around	Holden Thatcher ☁ District 4 {fin} Apr 27, 2014 14:13:57 GMT -5 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Lux on Apr 27, 2014 14:13:57 GMT -5 I'm finished, I think. Thanks in advance! :)

cass Retired Staff 4,822 POSTS last seen Oct 24, 2021 18:11:43 GMT -5	Holden Thatcher ☁ District 4 {fin} Apr 27, 2014 23:34:11 GMT -5 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by cass on Apr 27, 2014 23:34:11 GMT -5