flying for too long [the darlings: day1.5]

Cracks across the sky echoed in his mind, and as much as he wanted to stop and see what all the commotion was about, he knew what it was.

Ping.

She died back there, and Stitch had almost witnessed another one of his friends fall at the hands of the alliance with Volkner Mienhardt.

He kept running, because at the end of the day, that was all he knew how to do.

Run.

From the people that were after him.

From the people that wanted him dead.

He needed to survive, because as much as he was ready to die, he wanted to live.

Live to be able to experience the freedom that he wanted.

He wanted to live for Jaime back home.

He wanted to show everyone that he was more than just the seamstresses son.

That while he had all of this talent, that he was not a one trick pony.

He lived his life in fear of his mother,

Because at the end of the day, she held control over it.

Her vice grip suffocating him in ways that he never thought was possible.

Each time something happened that she couldn’t control, she would tighten the reigns, and while she never physically harmed Stitch, she didn’t need to.

She was already wrapping him up in emotions that he never wanted to feel again.

---

That’s why he was eager to get into the games, because he finally had his chance to rid himself of the chains that bound him to his mother.

He had a chance to branch out and separate himself from the horrors that his mother put him through.

His name could stand on its own for once, and that was more than he could ask for.

Stitch Gabel. Victor of district eight.

It had a ring to it that inspired the boy to work hard while he was here, but at the moment, running was not going to help him.

No.

But he didn’t have a choice.

After losing Ping in the commotion of the bloodbath, he had to run. Just to gain a chance to breath in the air that he so desperately needed.

He hoped that Florence was okay, seeing as she ran out of the bloodbath right after him. However, she was nowhere to be found.

---

Lavina was here though, and from the looks of it, she looked pissed.

If there was one thing that Stitch liked about Lavina, it was her conviction. She was a career through and through, and while Stitch thought that she was crazy for not aligning with people who could keep up with her, he admired her guts.

The training center felt like it was long gone now, but that didn’t matter. This was the here and now, and right now, Lavina looked like she was in a lot of pain.

”Lets get you patched up a bit.” Stitch said to her, not giving her a choice in the matter because as much as he knew she probably wanted no one’s help, he knew that she would not get far.

His hands worked over some of the wounds that she had received in the bloodbath, and he wondered if any of these wounds would prove fatal.

He needed to know if he was going to lose another ally at the end of the story.

”They dinged you up pretty bad.” Stitch said, putting his first aid where he could.

He sighed, knowing well that Lavina probably didn’t want his help right now, but that didn’t stop him. She was going to get it because Stitch could not lose another ally so soon.

”I hope Ping is resting well, wherever she might have went.” He said, taking a moment and stepping away from spot where they have decided to rest.

---

and then a sound came from the sky, and before he knew it, Stitch saw a couple parachutes fall into his peripheral.

Some were marked with 8 and some were marked with 4. ”Lavina, theres some for you here too.” he said as he made his way to the spot where they dropped.

In the ones he had, he found armor, a medical kit and an empty canteen.

There was no note though, or anything attached.

Stitch didn’t think twice about it, simply picking up the armor and placing it on his body. He slipped the med-kit into his satchel and filled the canteen with water from the river that wasn’t too far from him.

He took a couple minutes to breath, looking at the night sky and seeing all of the beauty that it held.

Knowing soon that he would see a friend in the sky.

[dars]