two of hearts // [kay]

Althea Perch

It would be the hardest thing she would ever say. After years of letting her regret and bitterness consume her this was an entirely different feeling. Althea quietly shut the door to the family room where Verne, Perle, and Fantom were playing a game. Something to keep their minds occupied while the mandatory television broadcast blared in the background. Usually, she'd chide them for ignoring it, insisting that they watch and learn as much as they can from previous tributes' mistakes.

Usually.

She started down the hall, her heels clicking against the polished wood that never seemed to end. The hall only took a few large steps to cross, yet it felt like she'd been trekking across it for a year. Their current home was no Mayor's mansion, but it was respectable enough. They had enough set away that Fabian wouldn't have to return to the fish market, at least not yet.

The door to their back porch was slightly cracked, light spilling into the dim hallway from the setting sun.

She took a deep breath before pushing it open, letting the cool evening air hit her skin.

"Fabian, I was wrong," she said, her voice hoarse. She stared out at the ocean stretching below their little hill. She swallowed hard, collecting the words swirling around in her thoughts. "I can't lose them."

Her voice caught at the end of the phrase. She took a moment, clearing her throat and tying down her emotions like rigging on a ship. Finally, she looked at him.

"We have to do something."