Round Midnight [Open]

Anna Fletcher

Being in a wheelchair often made people glance at Anna strangely when she made her way down the streets. After her father beat her quite a few years ago, she was paralyzed and could no longer walk on her own. Then, this past year, her younger brother Marcus volunteered for the 75th Hunger Games, resulting in him never making it home alive. The 20-year-old young woman was absolutely devastated. What's worse is that she didn't even feel comfortable talking to her father about Marcus's death, for the fear that he'd blame her for it.

Therefore, one night, when Anna was feeling upset with no one she truly loved left living to talk to, she decided she'd go to Marcus's grave. He'd been buried recently, and that was the one person she still felt capable of speaking to, even if there would never be a response. Sneaking out of the house that night, she made her way down the ramp out front of the home and down the street in the direction of the cemetery. It was the middle of the night, but she wasn't bothered by the darkness or eerieness of it all. As Anna arrived at Marcus's fresh grave, she looked at it longingly, and hoping he could hear her when she spoke to him.

"Marcus," she began. "Sorry it's so late. Dad's been in one of his moods again, and I couldn't stop thinking about how he's been acting. I've been too scared to sleep. I had to get away..." The young woman held back tears. "I miss you." She didn't say much more before breaking down in tears, and eventually wheeling her way away from the gravesite. Anna wasn't going to head home yet, but she headed down the sidewalk once more. When she was going along, she ran over a stick that cracked underneath one of the wheels of her wheelchair.

"Who is there?" came a voice. At first, Anna didn't realize that the voice was speaking to her. Though, when the voice repeated itself, she realized she was being spoken to.

"It's Anna," she stated. "Anna Fletcher."

Anna Fletcher

The boy that had called out to Anna seemed nervous, confused, or perhaps even startled by her presence. He'd spoken in a tone that told her that he was unsure of something. What it was, she wasn't sure. Perhaps it was something to do with not being able to see her clearly. After all, she could only see a silhouette of the boy, which certainly didn't help with identifying him. He seemed kind, but she wished it was easier to see him, and that she could see his face. Should she move under a streetlight? Perhaps that would help him see her, and then he would do the same.


“Umm… so what brings you here at this time of night? I didn’t expect to see anyone,” said the boy.

She thought for a moment as to what she should say. Anna hated to lie, but she also wasn't sure whether or not this was the time to tell a stranger what she'd been up to. No, it wasn't anything she wasn't supposed to be doing, but she didn't want it to seem like she was asking for pity. Eventually, however, she made her decision. Anna Fletcher was not a liar, and she wouldn't be changing that when she truly had no need to.

"I was visiting the cemetery," she said. "I needed to talk to my brother... even though he'll never hear me again."

She didn't feel that she should explain how her brother died unless she was asked. Although, it's likely that, if this boy was keeping up with the 75th Hunger Games, he'd know that her brother was Marcus Fletcher. He'd know that Marcus had gone down fighting, too. This also meant, however, that, if the boy was of reaping age, he likely saw Marcus volunteer at the reaping. Would he be judgmental of Marcus for doing so? Would he think that he asked for death?

Anna Fletcher

When Anna told the boy she'd spoken to why she was out so late, he spoke to her. His voice was kind, and she could hear the sympathy in it. He truly seemed apologetic, even though it wasn't his fault. “I’m sorry for your loss. I lost my sister a few years ago, it can be real tough. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to though,”

The boy then went quiet, and Anna did, too. She didn't really know what to say. At the same time as she wanted someone to vent to about Marcus's death, she didn't like remembering how it happened. Whenever she mentioned or thought about the fact that he was gone, it was hard not to think about the boy from District Two murdering him. Anna tried her best to shake the thought from his mind, when the boy spoke again. He seemed to be thinking about something completely different now, which was fine with Anna. The young woman liked having an opportunity to change the conversation.

“Do you ever just come out here to look around at what nature has to offer? That could just be something I do because I’m weird… but do you?” he asked. Anna thought about his question for a moment. It was surprisingly poetic for a boy who seemed to be of reaping age. Then again, perhaps he just thought about things a lot and was quite intelligent. That was definitely possible, as Marcus had been one of the smartest people Anna knew.

"Come to think of it, I do," Anna said with a smile. "Before... before I ended up in a wheelchair, I loved to walk around barefoot with the grass between my toes. Now I like to wheel myself around and look up at the sky and other things in nature. I know what you're talking about," she says.

She paused for a moment to look up at the stars in the sky, before bringing her gaze back to the boy.

"It makes me wonder if Marcus ever did that..." she told him. "Marcus was my brother." Unsure if she should go any further, she paused. Should she ask about his sister?