James Mccoy | ten. | FIN

He was told from a young age that his parents loved each other very much. A weird sentiment now, seeing as his parents barely spent any time with each other. Sedimentary hearts that were lost after years of throwing new things on the pile of loneliness created. James had never really boughten into it if he was being honest. The loneliness, or the fact that his parents weren’t in love. A hopeless romantic bloomed forward in him, and blossomed into a boy that would wear his heart on his sleeve.

It pained him to think about just how different his life was from other children. His family was successful in a sense, own house, own business, food always on the table. He was lucky, considered to be one of the more affluent families. The Mccoys had a reputation around the city square that could stand any test. Lauded for their good practices, complimented for their quick services, and thanked for their quality. Sure, only the people that weren’t struggling to make it by could partake, but its not like the Mccoys weren’t known for giving back to the district just as much as they gave back to the capitol. 

But at home? James had never seen two people more in love. James was not an only child, a sister by the name of Marjorie.  His parents though? Spent a lot of time after all the work was all done just lounging around various areas of the house. They spent a lot of time with their children, and what James thought was rare, his parents each spent time with them separately. From his father he learned how to fix things that would commonly break around the house, and his mother had taught him how to sew in his free time. He was never amazing at anything, but he felt like his parents tutelage had set him up to become more then what he was. 

Some nights his family would go out in the backyard to the fire pit that his father had made a couple years back and sit out and look amongst the stars. None of them knew what any of it meant, but it was nice to know that in ten, you could actually see them. Those nights were ones that James would always cherish, because they were simple, humbling even. His parents never wanted anything more than their children to lead lives they felt happy in. James had a perfect example right in his face, watching his parents hold hands as they stared up into emptiness that they had been oblivious about. 

Maybe that is what staring into oblivion is.

And even now as he tried to piece together what his life was going to be, his parents had made it very clear. Take over the farm when he was old enough. The livestock had been somewhat plentiful, but mostly everything they made had been sent to the capitol. They got to keep enough to keep them afloat, their parents doing side projects in order to make ends meet. 

It had never been the most lucrative, but learning a craft had been the key to success in the Mccoy household. James had learned from his father how to be sort of a handy man. Anytime something had broken around the farm, his father had made it a point to make sure that James had been present to learn. Learning was always the key to them, and being able to adapt and change would be the bread and butter. It was probably the greatest gift that they could give them, him and his sister. His sister had learned how to sew, cook, and even butcher thanks to their mother.

They spent long days trying to instill some sort of passion into their children, both of them eventually learning all the tricks and trades that they had picked up over the years. After all, they survived their reapings, so it was important for them to make the most of their life. They both told stories about how they promised themselves that they would never have kids. 

This was before they met, and then life threw them to the wolves. They never regretted their choice to have children. They always talked about how James and Marjorie had been their lives, and even though they had other plans, they had always been flexible.

Disappointment was not something he was used too, so he did his best to avoid it. Even as he worked at home next to his parents. They had made it a point now to enjoy the quiet life. They had never did much anymore. Going into town had been a chore, and they always did have enough to get them by. James on the other hand still found his way into town often. However, he had changed his ways a little bit. He went from the peacock to eagle. Confident in himself enough to trust that everything was going to work out. Of course, that was mostly for show, curtains raised high enough so people couldn’t just tear them down. That confidence would be the death of him.

His parents had him taking care of sheep most of the time when he was home, which he was fine with. They didn’t make too much of a fuss, and the wool he could harvest from them would make him a good trade in town. Of course, he had to be smart with which one he shaved in order to get the most yield. He knew that he couldn’t keep too much otherwise someone would get suspicious. The last thing that he wanted was to face the wrath of the capitol, or worse, his parents.

Going into town one day, he walked into a shop where he had been a little foreign too. He saw the clothes hanging in the window and he figured that this would be a good place to trade the wool for something to wear. After all, bartering was fair game enough in the district. He took one look at the shopkeeper and flashed a smile that he knew would get him places.

He wasn’t expecting a laugh to erupt from the other.

He told him to clear out, that the Mccoy boy had no business being in a Hatfield shop. He hadn’t even hear about the Hatfields before today, but apparent they knew all about the Mccoy’s. James had been confused to say the least, but it was clear that he was not welcomed. He moved out quickly, the wool still tucked in his bag as he moved around town, finding tasks that he could do to help out others.

However, he was trying to gather information.

There had been talks of something coming to the districts, and James had done a good job of trying to keep himself out of it. Maybe it was because his parents would have wanted him to keep his head down. However, there had been people who talked.

It had been some sort of show that had been produced by the capitol. They were looking for people in the district who would want to spend some time in the capitol to change their lives. James had no clue what to expect, and honestly, he wasn’t sure if he was up to the task, even though he had been told by many that he was a charismatic and endearing boy that could take on anything that was placed before him.

So he was surprised to be approached by someone with an invitation in hand. He had not even thought about this outcome. He wondered who had applied him to the show, seeing as he had not submitted anything himself. His sister had come out of the farm house and had a grin plastered on her face.

“Oh good.” she said quite loudly, realizing that she had some part in this. However, James didn’t turn it down. He thought this would be a chance for him to do something different. Something to mix it up a little bit. He had no clue what was waiting for him in the capitol, but a new life could be waiting for him at the end of a very long journey.

Maybe he could make the Mccoy name shine.