rowan springer [d7] [resub - fin] | Hunger Games: The RPG

lyss Tribute [M:1300] 414 POSTS Pronouns: she/her last seen Nov 16, 2021 0:07:26 GMT -5	rowan springer [d7] [resub - fin] Jul 8, 2021 11:57:21 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lyss on Jul 8, 2021 11:57:21 GMT -5 rowan springer district seven seventeen original bio
	Last Edit: Jul 12, 2021 18:36:20 GMT -5 by lyss

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rowan springer [d7] [resub - fin] Jul 8, 2021 17:59:00 GMT -5

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Post by lyss on Jul 8, 2021 17:59:00 GMT -5

r o w a n
s p r i n g e r

one heart b r o k e, four hands b l o o d y

I unstick my cheek from the warm window as the trees lining the tracks become more and more familiar. Squinting, I can almost pinpoint the train station at the edge of the horizon. My chest tightens and my fingers ball into fists. I spent most of the ride agonizing over this moment, and it was finally here.

I’m not the same person that sat on this train many months ago. I rub my thumb and forefinger over my left wrist, mimicking the feeling of the cuffs that cut into my wrists on the way to the detention center. Now that I was returning home, I was free to move my limbs about as I pleased. This time around, there were just two Peacekeepers riding with me, one on each end of the car. My crimes were non-violent, so their only worry was if I bolted again. It didn’t matter that I had no intention of running again. I had done it for love- or at least what I thought was love.

I hadn’t seen Nee since that night we got caught in the forest. She had promised that she’d gone in and out of those woods more times than she could count without getting caught. We didn't even make it to sunrise before getting caught.

And now I was here, on my way home, and she was still in the detention center, for all I knew. I had been cooperative during my stay, giving the Peacekeepers the information they wanted and keeping to myself. When the Peacekeeper in charge of my case came to inform me of my release, I asked if Nee would be coming home with me.

“Listen, kid, that girl is trouble. Do what’s best for you and your family and move on.”

Those words became permanently etched into my brain in the days that followed. I had no idea how long I had spent in the detention center, but I imagined it nearly equaled the amount of time I had spent with Nee back home. I drove myself mad picking apart every little detail of our relationship. I was 17. I was almost out of reach of being reaped. Just a couple more years, and I could actually have a life that meant something. I had no idea what I had risked by chasing a fairytale.

Mom had written constantly while I was gone. Dad had turned to the bottle more than ever after I left. He was so ashamed of what had happened. He spent late nights at the pub, stumbling home with shallow cuts littering his face and bruises blooming across his sunken eyes. Mom was both too afraid to leave and too afraid to stay. Oliver was only 11 and Cherrie 7. She couldn’t raise them on her own. She tried confronting dad, but that only caused him to stay out later and come home angrier. One night when the pub closed early, he had his nightly brawl at home. He hit mom once before catching himself, and he begged on his knees for her to forgive him.

I begged her to leave him after that. He’s not the man he used to be, I wrote.

Of course, soon after the incident, word reached my family that I would be released within the month. Dad started to clean up his act just enough to fool mom. He still spent his evenings at the pub, but he would come home with fewer bruises and scrapes, and he made sure to sneak in an apology for missing dinner before passing out.

He’s just desperate to keep you in his good graces now that he knows I’ll be home soon. Please don’t be fooled by his redemption tour.

I told mom I’d be on the straight and narrow when I got back, but I could tell she didn’t believe I meant it. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I could convince myself I did. I knew that I should want nothing more than to age out of the reaping, work at the lumberyard full time, and take care of Oliver and Cherrie until they age out as well. Now that I was racing toward the reality of returning to District Seven, I couldn’t shake the thoughts festering just below the surface, those of deep regret for fucking everything up and seething resentment toward myself.

I didn’t mean to grow up this fast. I didn’t want to grow up this fast. A year ago, I was as carefree and oblivious as every other sixteen-year-old boy in Seven. But I changed everything. I chose to change it. And now we all had to deal with the fallout.

it's bittersweet to think about the d a m a g e that we do

A high-pitched squeal pierces through my thoughts as metal grinds against metal. The trees that moments ago passed by in a blur of green and brown now firmly root themselves in my line of vision. Blobs appear on the platform just ahead. I go to rake my fingers through my hair, stopping just above my scalp before remembering it was still cropped short from the last mandatory buzz cut. I stretch out my wiry limbs, thin from lack of exercise and nutrients. I take in my scraggly appearance with a sigh, trying to shove my self-loathing down as my family comes into focus just ahead.

The Peacekeeper sitting a few rows back slowly peels himself off his seat, each joint cracking as it stretches from such a long ride. He closes the distance between us and rests a hand on my shoulder.

“Alright Springer, try to stay out of trouble now.”

My eyes cut across to Oliver and Cherrie just outside the window, grinning and waving up at me. I nod curtly and begin to make my way down the aisle toward the exit. Out of habit, I clasp my hands in front of me, not realizing I’ve done so until I catch the odd glance of the Peacekeeper waiting for me at the front of the train. I shake my hands loose and give an awkward laugh as I wait for the train door to open.

Warmth floods my skin as the doors fold back. I take a step down the stairs and breathe in the sharp smell of pine. The familiarity of a warm summer day in Seven grounds me. I’ll be okay.

I take the remaining steps down to the platform. Before I can even glance over to where I saw my family, my younger siblings rush at me, full of hugs and grins. Mom follows a few beats behind them. I almost ask where dad is, but the look on her face tells me the answer. We exchange hugs and hair ruffles and nervous laughter, all of us full of questions to ask and stories to tell.

Cherrie ventures first, asking the question I’m sure is on all of their minds. “Where’s Nee?”

I involuntarily twitch at the mention of her name. “I… don’t really know.”

With the curiosity and tease of a seven-year-old, she follows up with, “Why not? I thought you were in lo-ove.”

Mom steps in, gently grabbing both of our hands. She looks at me with a sad smile and replies softly, “Love isn’t always enough.”

i hope i was your favorite c r i m e

Last Edit: Jul 12, 2021 18:29:11 GMT -5 by lyss

lyss Tribute [M:1300] 414 POSTS Pronouns: she/her last seen Nov 16, 2021 0:07:26 GMT -5	rowan springer [d7] [resub - fin] Jul 12, 2021 18:36:05 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lyss on Jul 12, 2021 18:36:05 GMT -5 ripred_bot Hopefully this isn't too all over the place! I had this idea and just ran with it haha

sbeeg Retired Staff 3,503 POSTS Pronouns: she/they last seen Nov 1, 2023 5:54:37 GMT -5	rowan springer [d7] [resub - fin] Jul 18, 2021 12:56:44 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by sbeeg on Jul 18, 2021 12:56:44 GMT -5