True Grit {A_Million_Arrows}

It had been so long since he'd lost everything he knew to the Earthquake that had shaken District One to the ground over night, leaving many with so little than they did not think they'd be the same again; even now Thade wondered how he had gotten here. He was in a good place in life- despite having the chance to be a career had been whisked away from him when he'd lost the ability to walk- and truthfully, would not have it any other way; he had a place of his own, he was taking some extra classes at school so that when he left he could become a teacher or open up a shop of some sort; he was trying so hard now to keep up the grades he failed to achieve when all his mind selfishly thought about was becoming a career.

He'd woken up to the sound of his alarm and as he rolled over to switch off the noise that kept him awake, he found himself tumbling from his bed. Cussing and swearing through his teeth, Thadeus tried to hoist himself back onto the bed but with little avail and eventually he fell asleep on the rug; leaving him with a pattern of unusual indents on his cheek. Waking again, an hour and a half later than he had wanted to be up and getting ready, he managed to hoist himself back onto the bed and then into his wheelchair. He did not struggle as much as he used to, but without anyone to help him he had to learn how to dress himself and take care of himself without the use of his legs; on days like this he wished it was like it used to be.

Despite the bad beginning to his day, Thadeus would not let that get to him and so after noon he found himself sat in his wheelchair in the park which sat across the road from the Career training center. Though he could not join his former comrades in sparring against one another with dull edged swords and spears and fists, he wanted to keep close to his roots in case some of his old friends wanted to come say hello but none never did. It was as if they'd forgotten him the moment he'd left because of his disability- in the last two years not one had come to visit him, not even when he was in the hospital; for that, he hated them all. He often wondered why he still found himself parked beneath the tree waiting for the training session to end. Deep down he probably hoped someone would come say hello.

He'd woken up to the sound of his alarm and as he rolled over to switch off the noise that kept him awake, he found himself tumbling from his bed. Cussing and swearing through his teeth, Thadeus tried to hoist himself back onto the bed but with little avail and eventually he fell asleep on the rug; leaving him with a pattern of unusual indents on his cheek. Waking again, an hour and a half later than he had wanted to be up and getting ready, he managed to hoist himself back onto the bed and then into his wheelchair. He did not struggle as much as he used to, but without anyone to help him he had to learn how to dress himself and take care of himself without the use of his legs; on days like this he wished it was like it used to be.

The bell chimed, signalling the end of training at the center. Thadeus looked up from his book, looking towards the end of the gravel path and towards the large glass building at the end of it; the doors opened and wannabe tributes flushed out chattering and smiling with bags slung over their shoulders. Like every other day, all the recruits disappeared in ways other than the park. Some got into taxi's, parents cars, onto the bus while others walked in different directions; they all seemed to be avoiding the park. Thadeus wondered if that was because they knew he was there, that they didn't want to ...set him off on one because they hadn't come to visit because they were so far up their own behinds they didn't want to see the truth the earthquake had left them with. Soon no bodies left the training center and Thadeus was about to turn around and go home when he saw a familiar face heading down the pathway towards him.

"Lapas!" he yelled, waving vigorously with one hand while the other reached down to let go of his break "Hey!!"