mirror bodies |ems| blitz

What was happening? Life turned upside year after year. It was a constant reminder of the bad, but Alwyn wanted to see the good. Frail hands wrapped around a bundle of flowers, and he waved goodbye to his family before heading outside. Ma and Pa learned to never ask questions. All he wanted to do was make sure Esme and Bailey had an amazing resting place. He wanted to keep it clean and nice. It broke his heart when he saw the graves not taken care of. These people were somebody at one point in time. Why not care for them now?

His first stop was at Esme's grave. The words haunted him. She was so young, yet her fate was chosen on the dreaded reaping day. Almost seven years since her passing, and not a day went by without him thinking of her.

Alwyn leaned forward wiping the dust away before placing a single flower on the grave.

"For you, Esme. I hope you're resting well."

He wiped a single tear away before moving down the row of graves. Every name had a meaning, they had a family, but it wasn't until he saw the male leaning against a grave and drinking something did he realize just how important these people were.

"Sir?" His voice was quiet unsure of what to say. Nothing would make up for a loss. Nothing would fix it. "Would you like a flower?"

He watched the male wondering what he would do. While he didn't have the words of sorrow, he could offer a chance, something to make this moment a little easier. Something that would make a difference. That was the most important part of life. Helping someone in need. Getting people back on their feet in time of need.

A grim grin twisted across his face as the male went from crouching to standing. The pain was there, and Alwyn felt the heartbreak. Not once, but twice, and he understood that people needed to stand together to rebuild what was lost. But a lost life was impossible to replace.

"Do you have any red?"

Alwyn looked into the bundle of plants staring into them trying to find the perfect one. He had a few red, some pink, but this man wanted red. The small boy turned towards the grave and saw the name etched in stone. It was a familiar sight. Esme and Bailey. Rodrick. Red was a great color, and purple was too, yet red had a bit more meaning. It matched the color of oxygenated blood, and it led to a bond that runs much deeper than anyone could see.

He held back a sigh as he pulled out the red flower. It was for Bailey, but nobody had to know, and if it made this man's day, then nothing else mattered.

"I do have a red." He said with a toothy grin, and he held out the flower for the man to take. "This one's for you."

Life was short, and each individual only lived once, so making enemies didn't feel right especially for Alwyn. All he wanted was to make a difference. To prove to the world that he was more than a scrawny kid. He didn't have a family like most had, and being adopted into the Truus family only made him feel like his life wasn't worth living. Where had he gone wrong? Why did his parents hate him so much that they gave him up? Those questions bombard his mind through the darkest hours, but there he was trying to help a guy in need. Giving to him without asking for anything in return.

This was how unlikely friendships formed. Never once did Alwyn imagine himself talking to a drunk. They were dangerous, at least that was what Ma and Pa told him.

But this man didn't feel dangerous.

It was like he needed a friend, and Alwyn didn't have much to offer, yet he was going to try.

He watched as the man took the flower and placed it ever so gently on the grave. Knowing that someone this man cared for rested beneath the ground pulled at Alwyn's heartstrings slowly tearing them apart. But he had to remain strong. He had to keep himself going despite all feeling lost.

"Thank you."

Alwyn lifted his gaze, and he offered a polite nod, "You're welcome, sir." But before he could carry on, the man asked his name. A face without a name meant nothing, but perhaps this was the time to stop being strangers and move forward in the world together.

"I'm Alwyn, sir." His eyes shifted from the man, to the flowers, and then to the ground. "Alwyn Truus, sir."

Being a Truus wasn't easy. Living up to the expectations. Esme surviving so long in the games, killing people, trying to overcome it all, yet she couldn't overcome the spear piercing her eye. It was something Alwyn would never forget. Then watching Bailey try to fight off a group that wanted her dead for no reason. Neither deserved to die. Rodrick didn't deserve to die.

Nobody deserved to die.

The games was a terrible fate, yet they brought him out here as he tried to make amends to those who've left the world far too soon. Names that he had never heard of. People he had never seen.

But Alwyn was a Truus. Strong and brave.

"Nice to meet you." In a given circumstance it wasn't nice, but to know tha the wasn't alone made a huge difference. It meant the world. Everyone hurt. Everyone felt the pain. The loss. The sorrow. Yet Alwyn pride himself in trying to survive the harsh world of district ten. "It's nice to meet you too, sir." He said with a nod. And then he learned his name. A family taken away in the blink of an eye. Harbinger Rhodes won that game. Rodney held out his hand, and Alwyn took it offering a firm shake.

"And you don't have to call me sir."

His weight shifted for his good foot to his bad foot, and he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Okay, sir - I mean Rodney."

He felt embarrassed. Cheeks blushing red beneath the dark tone of his skin, yet he kept the smile on his face trying to hide the fear away. Living and learning that was his meaning of life, yet Alwyn wasn't sure where his story began. Once he was a lonely boy, and now he was out taking care of graves of people he didn't know. He had a future, a career, but planning too far ahead was dangerous. Nobody knew when the Capitol would send them away towards the depths and pits of the hunger games, or when nature itself called a body back to the depths of the earth. He had seen it before.

Alwyn found himself lost for words hearing he reminded Rodney of his brother. Always saying yes ma'am yes sir. It was part of his life, and he understood that. He was raised this way, but his brothers and sisters didn't take after it. Kraygon strayed, and nobody else truly cared.

"Everyone is different. Nothing wrong with being rude." He said with a shrug, and an ungraceful shift of his weight.

And he wanted a story. A funny story.

The fourteen year old thought for a moment, scratching his hands through his shaggy hair. Until he had the perfect idea. Something that may bring a laugh. His face lit up knowing someone cared. Someone other than himself.

"Esme always fed the cows every morning. One day she accidentally gave the cows her food, and herself the cows food." It probably wasn't the funniest thing in the world, but it had a meaning. A joyful note. Something for Alwyn to remember her by.

When Rodney chuckled, Alwyn felt relief. Just by first glance nobody could guess he was a broken child living with broken dreams and a crushed reality. He had a life, a future, yet, for the moment anyway, they were put on pause. Mourning brought balance to the world, it was essential to life for everyone to feel sorrow and grief. Everyone just dealt with it differently.

"Rowdy, the reason he always seemed a little bit off was because the dumby tried to be a gymnast, and he injured his head. After that, he thought he was dreaming until the day he died." It could make sense. Nobody was perfect, and everyone had to live and learn.

Alwyn had learned a lot, and hearing these stories only drew him to a locked away place lingering heavily inside his mind. It didn't matter, and he didn't care, but he was alive.

He laughed trying to figure it all out. Learning was important. Yet he turned his gaze towards his own leg trying to put it all together. "I sometimes feel that if I look at the stars at night, I'll see them staring down at me, guiding me." He became quiet for a moment. Watching, waiting, wondering what would happen. "I bring them flowers just to let them know I'll never forget them. It's a promise I made, and one I'm going to keep."

Normally Alwyn wouldn't associate with complete strangers, yet he believed that the fates put them together. Sometimes friendships form in unlikely places, and it drew him from one reality to another. He never thought his flowers would plant the seed. Seeing him smile, made Alwyn smile even more. It made the crippled feeling go away. He didn't want anything to hold him back, but sometimes it did. He yearned for the chance to climb a tree, and he yearned for the ability to mend broken relationships. But he wasn't sure where to begin.

His cheeks burned bright once more as Rodney said his ideas were nice - it was the first time anyone had said anything like it. He expected him to laugh and walk away like many had done before. And he asked where the flowers bloomed.

Alwyn had a secret stash that he only shared with himself, but maybe he could show his new friend. Maybe the seed would bloom into a beautiful flower.

A boy could only hope.

"I have a place near home. It's not on the property, though. I plant a garden for this." He stated shyly. "I could plant some for you." He began before realizing they both could share the moment together. "Or we could plant some together."