Just a Couple of Footlongs [Gilly/Vesper]

new

« Prev
1
Next »

Deleted

0 POSTS
last seen Sept 22, 2024 7:25:03 GMT -5

Just a Couple of Footlongs [Gilly/Vesper] Jan 30, 2018 14:11:00 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2018 14:11:00 GMT -5

Gillian Imberline

“Hot dogs, hot dogs, hot dogs!” Your little legs didn’t quite reach the ground while you sat on the bench in the mess hall. This was your favorite part of the training center, not only because there were all different dishes you’d never heard of, but the long tables and fluorescent lights reminded you of school lunches at home. You sang out a tune your own making—because that was what you did at home, and why should things be different? Still too young to care about the stares other boys and girls would give you (even after being told you should be wary, you’re headstrong), you took a bite and continue with your mouth full. How had you lived twelve long years without knowing such a scrumptious pleasure? “I love hot dogssss.”

After rubbing away the ketchup on your cheek the back of your hand, you set about leafing through your journal. Slowly, you turned pages over that held flattened wildflowers and scribbled notes in curly cursive. Names dotted corners—Amelina (a skull drawn next to it), C’rizz (circled with a heart), Dymas (you had written ‘mrs.’ next to it, but scribbled that out)—these were your accumulation of notes about each of the tributes. Not that you’d gone out of your way to meet so many. They were bigger kids, and didn’t seem to have much time for a fumbling child such as yourself.

Not that you were the only little one headed toward this arena. The red head—Vesper? She was just as young as you, but she’d gone and volunteered herself for this madness. You knew that automatically made her cooler than you, to be brave enough to face death (C’rizz must have been proud). What did she think about you? Not that it mattered, you were from different districts, different walks of life, born to different circumstances. But you liked the idea or her knowing who you were. And so you pondered, chewing away at your hot dogs and tater tots, until—

“Hey!” You say, mouth full, spotting the red head in the distance. “Hey—Vesper, hey!” You’re so concerned calling her, you hadn’t thought about what would come next.

“Um. You want to come and sit with me?!”

Smooth.

⚜

Last Edit: Jan 30, 2018 14:12:00 GMT -5 by Deleted

D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza]
Advertiser

2,132 POSTS

last seen Sept 16, 2024 14:51:10 GMT -5

Just a Couple of Footlongs [Gilly/Vesper] Jan 31, 2018 12:44:09 GMT -5

Post by D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza] on Jan 31, 2018 12:44:09 GMT -5

VESPER DAISY

Time is the ultimate truth teller. I'm convinced it's the truth because lies don't last long before guilt kicks in - you start feeling bad, you go pink the face and spit out the truth for your own good. That is time's doing; kicking you in the stomach and throwing sticks and stones until you give in and do the right thing.

I guess that time will let me know if I'm cut out for this. I want to be, I hope I can be because I need to get back home and see my new little sibling be born and be the big sister I know I can be. Imagination running wild - what if I'm still standing in two weeks time? We'll have a proper roof over our heads and we won't have to eat the same old same old for dinner night after night. Victory means variety, being a victor means getting better, and there's nothing wrong with wanting that.

But as always, time is the ultimate truth teller. I dust the thought off pointing to one of the meals set out for us to eat from. Delicious - well, it looks it - it actually is composed of more than one sludge browny-green colour. Decent, I nod my head in approval. There's orange and pink, yellow and green, golden brown and I only add to the rainbow by squirting a string of tomato flavoured sauce all over it. Now that's a meal.

"Hey!" I hear from behind me. I assume the call is for someone else. I don't think many people would want to talk to me, I'm not that interesting, though I do plan on making history sooner rather than later.

"Hey, Vesper, hey!" Turning holding my tray, I quickly scan for the voice's source. Who is it, and what do they want from me? My pockets are empty, and lunch is free so I don't even have any lunch money to offer. I narrow my eyes before resting them on a small, blonde girl - my age? My age.

Decent. I didn't think there would be any people my age here, so it's a nice surprise. Nice surprise? It sounds wrong given the circumstances, but oh well, it's the little things that mean a lot.

Gillian Imberline and I - we're little things.

"Um. You want to come and sit with me?"

"Sure!" I raise my voice a little from across the room, before pacing over to the table to sit opposite.

"Hi."

"I'm Vesper--wait, you already know that."

What else am I? Dad used to call me his champion but that was then and this is now.

"We're both tributes. That is both cool.. and scary."

Deleted

0 POSTS
last seen Sept 22, 2024 7:25:03 GMT -5

Just a Couple of Footlongs [Gilly/Vesper] Feb 2, 2018 0:15:45 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 0:15:45 GMT -5

Gillian Imberline

Was she coming to sit at your table? Oh my ripred! She was coming to sit at your table! You had to pretend like everything was fine, even though in your tiny little puttering heart you felt it flutter. There wasn't anyone there close to your age and despite all the attention that the world seemed to be giving you, if there was one thing you missed more than anything, it was having another girl to talk to. Not that you had a whole pack of friends back in district eight to rely on-it was more a matter of convenience that you could braid hair and stitch up clothes. But they had started to leave you out, talking about big kid things, saying that all the playing with dolls and imaginary games wasn't what they wanted to do (even if they still all marveled at the wooden carved horse you got for your twelfth birthday).

"It is cool!" Your voice carried out over the din of the mess hall, and you don't even realize you've put both your hands on the table and leaned forward-perhaps a bit too close. "I'm Gilly!" You wiped at your mouth with a napkin and gave another grin. "All the stuff they have up in our rooms like I've never even seen before. Do you know that you can ask for cake at any time in the middle of the night, and they'll run and get it for you?" You had woken up last night from a scary dream-one you didn't want to think about, or couldn't quite remember-and after rolling over and making lots of noises, found an avox in your doorway making sure you hadn't gone and hurt yourself. And so you said the only thing you could think of wanting, a big slice of chocolate pie, with iced cream.

"I bet we could ask for whatever we wanted and they'd give it to us." Of course-in the pause that followed, even with all the magic and wonder the capitol brought-you knew that this was impermanent. And scary too. Not that you ever let yourself feel much for very long. You leaned back in your seat and looked back at Vesper. What kind of name was that? Was she already thinking about all the nasty things she'd have to do if she wanted to see the sun rise after the first day?

But she sat down next to you, so she wasn't all bad.

"It is scary." You said, and you tried to whisper-shout it to her, which certainly didn't make it a secret. "But I feel like the less we think about how bad things are gonna be the easier we'll have it." You shoved another bite of hot dog into your mouth.

"What's it like in District six?" You'd never really thought about what anywhere else was like-your whole world had been within a series of boxes (district eight, a factory, your school, your home). You rolled onward again, however, not stopping to think it through. "Is Teddy cute? I think Teddy's the cutest. He and Shelby should get married, don't you think?"

⚜