God help the outcasts {OPEN}

Kolton woke up suddenly, his sheets drenched with sweat and his breathing sharp and fast. The dreams of losing his little sister in the peat marshes had become ever more frequent since summer began- it was like a plague that was brought on by stress and the neverending lull of hunger that rocked his body. Even now that he was awake, when he closed her eyes he saw her little body slip beneath the marsh with such grace that it frightened him more than the fact he was seeing his sister die over and over again. Guilt racked over him like the waves on a beach; it was his fault she was dead and his mind never let him forget it. He had always been taught mistakes would be forgiven by God but Kolton believed that this one was unforgivable even by the man he had spent his childhood praying too. 

Turning his head to the little square window on the far side of the single mattress he slept on, he saw the sky was a dusk orange with little wisps of pink painted across it. Of all the nights where he was awoken by the dreams he rarely was woken at a reasonable time; let alone at sunrise. It was a beautiful moment in his life, the sunrise, but also a harsh reminder of the world he lived in; behind the warm veil that the Capitol painted about life in the lower Districts hid the harsh cold reality that many citizens were living on the verge of hunger. The Capitol couldn't fool him, he saw the children with pot bellies and ribs protruding through their delicate pale skin scavenging through the rubbish that littered the streets, their skeleton faces hungry for anything to eat.

Even he, a fully grown adult who had job, could barely afford to feed himself. Summer brought warmth to District 12 and that meant the sale of the peat he sold on the market everyday was low; people didn't need to heat their homes to keep alive so they didn't buy his produce. This was a time he always dreaded, because he had to be so careful with the money he had; and at the moment, he had barely any to buy more food and his cupboards were already bare and dust filled. At times like this, he thanked God he was still young enough to take part in the Reapings and receive terresae because without it he was sure he would starve over the summer. 

Kolton managed to heave himself out of bed and walk into the other room which served as the kitchen, living and bathing area. His house was small but it was home. As he made his way over to the stove, there was a little rattling at the door; he paused for a moment believing he had imagined it but then it happened again.