riptide continues.— [alex + fly letters]

[Deleted]

Hey Fly,
I wanted to start out by saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not writing to you sooner. I know I should have. I had a really fun time with you at the fair and I meant to write sooner, but I guess with everything going on, it slipped my mind. I'll have to figure out how to make it up to you sometime! Just let me know if you think of anything, alright?

Now it's time to address the elephant in the room, huh? The guy who got reaped, Prop O'Malley, he's probably a brother of yours, right? He looks a lot like Six did. And so I'm guessing the one who volunteered, Able (?)/Abel (?)/Abelle (?) however you spell his name must be a sibling too, or at least some sort of family. Well either way, I'm sorry. I know from losing Thad last year you don't need pity. I know from meeting you and seeing what a strong person you are you don't want pity. So I won't give you any.

Tell me if you need anything at all, no matter how small, and I'll do whatever I can to make it happen. My family doesn't have a lot of money, but I'll find a way to make it work. I know how hard things were with Thad. I can't imagine having two siblings reaped so close together. Feel free to write me about anything at all. I would have called you, but I don't know if you have a phone and I can't afford to right now. I'm sorry again, Fly.

A little bit of updates on my end. As you can probably tell, none of my brothers got reaped. I've been doing pretty well with the horse I got at the auction! It's a really good worker. Have you ever ridden a horse before? Oh and I don't really know the tributes who got reaped either. Did you know the girl from your district? I included a few stamps in the envelope so you don't have to worry about buying any. When you start running low let me know and I'll send some more.

Things around here are pretty normal for the most part. I still miss Thad like crazy and I wonder if it'll ever get any easier. I just love him so much. He was such a good brother, he didn't deserve it. Six didn't deserve it either. And I'm sure Aebel (?) doesn't either. One thing the guidance counsellor at school suggested was to start writing him letters, to get my thoughts out. That just seems like it would hurt more knowing he'd never read them. Besides, I can write cute girls like you letters and you'll actually read them! (I hope)

With the envelope and stamps I included some flowers too, yellow ones that grow around the district. They'll probably get a little smushed mailing, but people like pressed flowers, right? What's really the difference? I just thought you might like them! I just want to brighten your day however I can because I know this shit fucking sucks and me talking about it probably isn't helping. Whoops. Regardless, I hope it helps. And I hope your brother or whatever comes back safe.

I miss you Fly,
Alex Pepperwood!

[ 540 words]

[kap]

F L Y
O ' M A L L E Y

.

Hey there, Alex!

It's so good to hear from you! Oh, and you have no reason to apologize— I could've written you first but I didn't either. I've been a little distracted with life after the fair, to be totally honest, but that's not really an excuse. My sister Hook says I should try not to blame myself so much, so I'm trying not to, but it's really hard sometimes. I do feel bad for not writing to you until now.

Since you said you want to make it up to me (even though you didn't do anything wrong, so you really don't need to do anything if you don't want to), maybe you can send me some pictures of you with that cute smile of yours! I'd love to be able to see your face again! I miss you, and you're such an awesome guy!

So, yeah, about the reaping— yes, Prop's my brother, and I was really scared when he got reaped. I mean, he's strong, but so was Six, and he still didn't manage to make it home. It really scares me to think about anyone in my family going into the Hunger Games. Plus, Prop's leg is broken right now, so I'm sure that would have gotten in the way of things and made it really tough.

The one who volunteered— Abel— is my cousin. He's strong too, but still, I'm just as scared about him going in as I would have been about Prop. I'll be totally honest with you, because you're cool, and I believe you won't tell anyone without my permission, but I cried when Abel went up to the stage. I cried a lot, because I really didn't know what else to do. I promised Six that I'd protect my family, but I wasn't able to. Abel is going into the Hunger Games, and I couldn't stop it.

Does it count as not protecting them if there was nothing I could do? I just feel guilty, and it makes me want to cry even more.

Thank you for being so nice to me all the time. It means a lot, and it makes me feel like I'm special, if that makes sense. With so many siblings, sometimes it's hard to feel special, if I'm being totally honest with you. It's not like my parents and siblings don't care about me. I know they care. It's just that it's hard for them to pay as much attention to me when there are so many of us around the house all the time, day in and day out. I don't know how many siblings you have, but I'd imagine even with just a few that you'd probably get what I mean a little bit, right? Your parents and siblings can't focus all of their attention on you because they've got other stuff to do and to focus on.

I mean, I don't blame them, and I'm not asking to be the center of attention. It's just tough when it feels like no one notices you.

I don't need anything right now, really, but I do appreciate you sending me some stamps. That'll help me get the next few letters out to you, and I really like being able to write with someone as totally cool (and cute) as you!

I'm so glad your horse that you got is such a good fit for you! I've never ridden a horse before but it sounds awesome! You said your horse is a good worker, but I bet it's a good friend, too! Everyone can use a good friend. I've got a puppy now, and I'd say that a puppy makes for a pretty good friend.

I didn't know the girl from my District who got reaped. Did you know either of the tributes from your District? Oh, and I totally understand how you feel, about missing your brother. I miss Six more and more every day. I hope it starts to get easier eventually, but I'm not sure if it ever really will. It's so weird walking by his bedroom, knowing he'll never be in there again— that he'll never be home again.

Sorry for getting all sentimental or whatever you want to call it. I just really miss him, and it's making me emotional. I don't mean to pour out all of my emotions on you.

I wonder how I'd feel about writing letters to Six, like you mentioned about possibly writing to Thad. It might help, like you said, but you also have a good point when you say that it'd be hard since he'd never be able to read them. I'll always read your letters, though, and I think you'll read mine, so that's pretty awesome, and it makes me feel a little better!

Thank you so much for being so kind and thoughtful and just really really awesome and nice to me! It means a lot, and the flowers you put in the envelope are so pretty! I think my sister Hook knows how to preserve flowers, so I might ask her to help me dry them or whatever it is she does so that I can keep them forever!

You're so sweet, Alex! You're the best!

Do you spend a lot of time in the outside? District Ten is beautiful! If I lived there, I'd be outside all the time. I mean, District Eleven is beautiful too, so I still spend a lot of time outside, but it's a different type of beautiful, if you get what I'm saying. Like, it's pretty, but it's got different stuff from District Ten. We've got lots of wheat fields and stuff, but not as many of those pretty types of flowers that you guys get. Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. I hope that's okay!

I know I mentioned my sister Hook a few times, so I was thinking that maybe I should ask you about your family! My family's so huge, I won't bore you with all the details, but how many siblings do you have? Are they awesome like you? Do you spend a lot of time with them? What are your favorite things to do together? Sorry for asking so many questions, I'm just so curious! I think it's cool to learn about other people's lives, especially awesome people like you who are so open and honest with me.

I decided to send you a few things, too! I made you a little woven bracelet out of some twine that I had, and I tried my best to guess the size it needed to be for your wrist from what I could remember. I hope it fits! I also threw in a few pumpkin seeds that I got from my family's farm. You can plant them if you want, or just keep them, but I thought it would be a cool reminder of our pumpkin carving date! I can call it a date, right? It felt like a date, because I was with a cute guy— that's you— and I had a lot of fun!

Hopefully you like what I sent you, and I can't wait to hear back from you soon! I hope you're having an awesome day and that I didn't write more than you were willing to read in this letter!

I miss you too,
Fly O'Malley

[1211 words]
~


"And though I'm told I'll never fly
That doesn't mean that I won't try"

lyrics: "Superhero" by Tim McMorris

[Deleted]

Hey Fly,

Your sister Hook sounds wise, you shouldn't blame yourself for this stuff! Especially with how hectic things have been. The 88th Games, the fair, and the reaping that recently happened. You've been having a lot going on. But, I'm glad you've been thinking of me. Obviously I'm not surprised, I'm a cool dude and lots of people think of me.

I got those pictures you asked for. Though when Harmon asked me why I needed the pictures, I think my lie didn't sound very convincing. He said my face got red (it didn't) and laughed. But he eventually agree to take them for me thankfully. I feel like my hair is growing thicker and thicker every day. Which with my curls, is making it harder and harder to manage. I don't mind it, but my mom keeps telling me to brush it. Brushes get stuck in it half the time, but I do brush it. Your hair is a little curly too, does it ever look messy despite how much you comb it?

I didn't realise Props leg was broken when Abel volunteered, that's probably why he did it, huh? Do you know how he broke his leg? I wonder if the Capitol would have a way to fix that for him before the games. They do weird medical stuff there all of the time. Like the 80th when all the tributes came back to life. Or how victors will be on deaths doorstep but come out looking like they were never hurt to begin with. It's weird how all of that works.

And Six not making it home didn't mean he wasn't strong. I know in my heart Thad was the strongest person in that Arena. And he didn't last much longer than Six did. And I'm sure Six was really strong like Thad too. I hate the idea that Thad was weak. That Six was weak. We know our brothers better than those gossip magazines ever could. I wish people just got the chance to see the real Thad. The real Six. You know what I mean?

It's okay if you cried over your cousin, it doesn't make you uncool or weak. To even it out, I'll tell you a secret too. When I said goodbye to Thad in the Justice Building, I didn't just cry, I sobbed. I stood there and cried, and I cried so much I forgot to ask him for a hug. It's my biggest regret, not hugging him one last time.

Please don't tell anyone, Fly. Not even my brothers or parents know about that. I normally don't cry, but I was scared. I didn't want to lose him. It's okay to be scared though. I know you're probably scared right now. But if we're never scared, how can we be brave? You can't be brave if there's nothing to fear, right? I hope this makes sense, maybe I've been hanging out too close to Harmons room.

I don't think you broke your promise to Six. Abel chose to volunteer, so if he dies it's his own fault, no one elses. That's what I have to say at least. He dug his own grave, if it gets to that point. Maybe that's a little cold, but it's how I feel. Thad was forced in, I blame the Capitol for him dying. Abel chose to go in. I know he's your cousin, but I just don't get it, Fly.

No need to thank me for being nice either. You're easy to be nice to. You're sweet and funny and cute. Not just cute like pretty, you have a cute personality. When I read your writing, it reminds me of you speaking. Sometimes you get all excited and talk real fast. I can hear you saying some of this fast. I kind of like it in a weird way. I hope this makes you feel even a tiny bit better.

You deserve to feel special, you are special. You sort of remind me of my best friend Quinn Emberstatt. She has red hair like you too. And she's fun to hang out with and she's really funny and can be a little bit of a smart ass. She's just the best. And you're the best too, of course. I hope you two get to meet some day. I was hoping we might see her at pumpkin carving, but she probably got disqualified from events after she cheated trying to beat me during the corn maze.

I sort of get what you mean. My little brother Sammy gets all of the attention around the house. He's only a year younger than him, but everyone thinks he's sooo adorable and sooo funny. Like I love him, but geez that kid has a mouth. And he doesn't realise not everyone wants to hang out with him all of the time. We have our own lives too, you know? You definitely deserve a Sammy-level of attention.

And if it helps, I'll always notice you Fly. You're pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. And that means a lot  coming from a cool guy like myself. My word means a lot, after all. Which is kind of ironic considering we met because I didn't notice you. I was too busy focus on the chickens and bumped into you. I think your family needs to stop focusing on the chickens and look at the girl in front of them. Just my two cents.

What kind of puppy is it? Sammy got a puppy too, he named it Biscuit. What's your puppy named? What does it look like? Can you send me a picture of it, if it's not too much trouble? I wouldn't mind a picture or two of you either in all honesty, Fly. But it's up to you, I know you might not have a camera handy.

I'm glad you like the flowers, and I hope one day I get to meet your sister Hook, she seems nice.

I do go outside a lot, mainly with my brothers. We play sports together a lot, but our favourite is definitely football. One time though, the ball hit me pretty hard in the face and broke my nose. That was fun trying to explain to my parents. I think to this day it was a cover story and they think one of my brother punched me. And I also go outside with Quinn a lot, she's kind of like one of the guys.

But, speaking of my brothers, I might as well tell you more about them. There's five of us in total, including Thad and I. I'm the second youngest, my brother Sammy is a year younger than me. It's just the five of us boys, no sisters or anything. Sometimes I wonder what having a little sister would be like, but I don't think my parents want any kids. And I have a feeling most guys would be too scared to approach a girl with a bunch of older brothers.

Thad was the oldest of us, and he's pretty cool. He's probably one of the smartest out of us. And after watching him in the Games making the pickaxe out of some knives, I think he might be the most creative. He was pretty close to Harmon. They used to go out to parties and stuff together and never let me go with, I wish they had. Just so I could have spent a little more time with him.

Harmon is the second oldest. And in my opinion he's also the second coolest, right after me! I really look up to him a lot. He's helped me through some stuff and he's helping a lot with Thad being gone. Whenever I start to miss Thad too much and don't think I can handle it, he talks me through it. He's quiet, but a good listener. Also, he gives the best birthday presents because of all the money he makes selling weed.

Larry is the middle of us. He's a little quiet, a little awkward. But I love him all the same. Larry wouldn't be Larry without a little bit of awkwardness. Remember how I said Thad was one of the smartest? Well Larry is the smartest out of all of us. Sometimes I feel bad he's stuck here instead of Six or Three. Maybe he could become a vet some day, but he's smart enough to do so much more than farming.

And then there's me!

Finally there's my little brother Sammy. I love him, even if he annoys me sometimes. He just always has to be the center of attention. He's loud and he talks way too much. He's way too hyper a lot of the time too and doesn't understand that sometimes people just need a quiet time to relax. But, I can always count on him when I want to do something. He's always up for playing games or walking around Ten.

I really like the bracelet you sent me! I put it on right away. I don't think any of my brothers noticed it yet, but I might show Harmon eventually. I don't know if I'm going to show Quinn right away. It just feels weird. And I don't want her to think she's being replaced as my best friend. You two are just like different kinds of friends.

As for the pumpkin seeds, my parents and I are trying to find a safe place to plant them. Somewhere they have room to grow without worrying about livestock stepping on them. We might put them near our front porch with a little fence nearby so we don't accidentally step on the soil they're growing in before they start sprouting. My parents think it's nice I'm writing you letters. They probably are just glad I have something to distract me from Thad. Speaking of, I think the post office is closing soon so I should probably get going!

I hope everything works out,
Alex Pepperwood!

PS. It was definitely a date! - Alex

[ 1,656 words]

[kap]

F L Y
O ' M A L L E Y

.

Hey there, Alex!

I suppose you're right about things being hectic recently. I'm hoping everything starts to calm down soon, though. I could really use a break from things being so chaotic. You're definitely helping me feel better, though! It's great being able to talk to you like this, even if it takes a few days before I get to know what you think about what I say in these letters.

Also, how could I not be thinking of you? You're right, you're a really cool guy! I think you're awesome, but I think I've told you that before. I guess there's nothing bad about repeating something like that, though! It's always nice to be reminded of the good things that people think about you, if you ask me. Like when you say that I'm cute! I really like hearing that, because it makes me feel pretty good about myself. I hope that doesn't sound too self-centered, it's just nice to get compliments!

Thank you so much for the pictures! You look great as always, and your smile is the best! Also, don't worry about Harmon laughing about the pictures. Big brothers can be like that sometimes, and he probably just thinks you're embarrassed to tell him about why you want the pictures, which is okay!

Oh, and yeah, I have a really hard time trying to brush my hair, too! It just doesn't like to cooperate! I still really like the way your hair looks, though, by the way. Even if you think it's messy, that doesn't bother me at all. I think you look really good!

I didn't pry to ask Prop how he broke his leg. I'm always curious about things like that, especially because it could either mean that someone hurt him on purpose, or that he did something by accident and I'd never know if I didn't ask. I think the reason I didn't ask, though, was because he's seemed kinda distant since Six died, and I don't want to bother him too much or start to seem like I'm being annoying or whatever. Maybe I'll ask him about it later, once things have calmed down.

You're totally right, too. It's crazy what the Capitol does to patch up victors after they get out of the arena. Maybe they could've done something for Prop's leg, but I'm still glad he doesn't have to go in. I'm just worried about Abel, now. I don't really know if Abel would want me to worry about him, but I think that's okay anyway. Everyone has things that they get nervous about and they can't help it, if you ask me.

What kinds of things scare you or make you worried, if you don't mind me asking? I'm really scared of the reaping. I'm also really scared of spiders. They're creepy and they make me pretty uncomfortable, but maybe I'm just a wimp. I've had people tell me that I'm a wimp for being scared of spiders before. I don't think that's a very nice thing to say to people, but I guess it could be true, even if I don't believe it.

I really appreciate you saying that Thad and Six were strong, because I agree with you. They wouldn't have done as well as they did if they weren't. They were both definitely stronger in that arena than I ever would be. I'd be so scared and wouldn't know what to do. If I'm being totally honest, I probably wouldn't make it very far. I just hope you and I never have to go into the arena at any point in our lives. I want us both to stay safe.

I wish people got to see the real version of our brothers, too. The Capitol and other people like to make them seem weak because they didn't win, but that's not true. To the Capitol, they were just like, some sort of piece in a board game, but they were real people with real lives and real meaning! I wish all of Panem knew that.

I won't tell anyone about what you said happened in the Justice Building with Thad, but I appreciate you telling me. It makes me feel better about crying over both Six and Abel. It also makes me feel like being scared is more okay than I thought, because I'm really, really scared about what might happen to Abel. I don't want him to die like Six did. I don't want anyone else to die, especially the people that I care about.

Even though Abel volunteered, I don't feel like I can get mad at him for it or blame him for the position he put himself in. I think he was trying to save Prop, and that was really strong and kind of him to do. He's going in there so that my brother doesn't have to. I think that really, he did the protecting that I was supposed to do, maybe. I could look at it that way, I guess. Does that make sense?

I really appreciate you noticing me and spending the time writing these letters to keep on talking to me. It means a lot, really.

Wow! Thank you for telling me about your brothers. They sound pretty cool, but I still think that you're the coolest. If you ask me, I think you and your brothers should throw your own party sometime, maybe in honor of Thad, since you said that he and Harmon used to go to parties all the time. Don't forget to ask your parents first, though. You wouldn't want them to get mad. I don't like upsetting my parents, at least.

If I'm being completely honest, I don't actually know what kind of dog my puppy is, but he's got long reddish fur and he's totally adorable! His ears are floppy and cute and his fur is so soft! I named him Pepper, and he's super sweet. I can totally send you some pictures! I'll send you one of Pepper, one of me, and one of me with Pepper! I hope that's okay! I'll ask one of my siblings to take some pictures and then I'll put them in the envelope with this letter!

I'm glad you spend a lot of time playing sports with your brothers! That sounds fun, even though I don't really understand most sports! I should try to find some more things to do together with my siblings. Breaking your nose does not sound fun at all, though. I'm sorry that happened. Also, it sounds to me like your brothers wouldn't be the type to punch you and break your nose, so I'm not sure why your parents didn't seem like they believed you.

There was a time when I was playing outside in the rain with one of my brothers and I slipped and fell in a puddle. I got all covered in mud and twisted my ankle. My brother didn't want me to feel embarrassed, so he tried to claim that he pushed me so that it didn't seem like I was just clumsy, but my parents didn't believe him. They knew he would never hurt me on purpose. I suppose that story is kind of like the opposite of what happened to you with the football.

I'm so glad you like the bracelet! I was really hoping that you would! Harmon sounds like he'd be happy if you showed it to him, so I think you should! I totally understand having different types of friends, so don't worry! I'm glad Quinn is such a good friend for you!

I think it's awesome that you are going to plant the pumpkin seeds! I can't want to hear how big they end up growing to be! I'm sure you'll take really good care of them because you seem like the type of person who would know all about taking care of plants and crops and stuff. I do some of that stuff, too, and I think it's really fun!

I've actually been learning a lot about plants and stuff recently because I thought it was pretty cool how much your brother Thad seemed to know about them in the arena. I hope that doesn't seem strange. I just thought that he was a really cool guy, like you!

It seems like my pen is running out of ink, so I should probably wrap up this letter. Hopefully you can still read it!

I really hope to hear from you soon,
Fly O'Malley

[1401 words]
~


"And though I'm told I'll never fly
That doesn't mean that I won't try"

lyrics: "Superhero" by Tim McMorris