Stealing Light (open)

[Fading In and Out]

{Sorrows rule the night.}

Do I note a hint of sadness in his voice? Yes, I'm sure I do. But then, everyone has his or her story. There's no such thing as a perfect life in District Five. Maybe in the Capitol, people live their dreams, but this is reality. People fade in and out so quickly, you sometimes barely notice them. Death is common; sickness is inevitable. I've learned to just ride the waves and hope they don't crash down on top of you.

Six years ago, they did just that. I was home. I had to watch the farm. Father and Mother went into town. They were at the baker's when the fire started. No one made it out of that shop alive. No matter how much I hoped that they were alive, truth was apparent. They were dead. It only takes a moment to lose your balance and come crumbling to your feet. The phone in my house rung off the hook. I picked it up, so completely unaware. Then the scratchy voice came through the wire. "I'm sorry to inform you that Harold and Rainee Skye were killed in a fire in town. Please come to claim the bodies at the morgue on..."

I don't remember hearing the rest. I shook myself back to the present. All of us had our struggles, but we couldn't let them get in the way of our daily lives. Well, maybe all of us except Clove. She didn't look like she had a care in the world. But then, you shouldn't ever judge people.

I heard Dendro and said, "I mainly have dogs, cats, chickens, and rabbits." They were easy to care for, and surprisingly, fetched a high price. The dogs and cats she raised were very popular in the upper districts, or so she had heard. They kept them as pampered pets. The chickens and rabbits were less lucky.

[Free]

I watch Sundra and Clove quizzicly before Sundra ambles closer to Sunny and I. She seemed quiet and shy. Thats good, its safe to be that way. Sundra softly intoduced herself and I nod in acknowlegment, " I am Dendro. Pleased to meet you Sundra."

Sunny walks beside me, her kitten clinging to my shoulder. I never had a small pet. Couldnt take the time to care for one. But they are cute, and they make nice companions on cold nights. I find myself smiling to know this little girl has a friend. She is fortunate in this way. Sunny begins talking about all of her small animals. Im guessing this is her means of income. She has done well to take care of herself. I find my self saddened my the thought of her next six years. She will have to become a pawn of the games. Worried to death for nights on end that her name might end up in the drawings. I have been fortunate. But another games is approuching and I still have two more drawings to clench my teeth and bear before im home free.

" Sunny, where do you live? I just realized im headed toward my house. Are you on the East Side? What about you Sundra? Clove? Lets figure out where we are headed."

[Fading In and Out]

{Need some direction to this storm...}

I'm glad that Dendro doesn't mind the black cat on his shoulder. Some people hated cats, especially black cats. They're considered bad luck, and more bad luck is something no person wants, especially in district five. I think that's all a bunch of hogwash. Just because a cat was black didn't mean anything. They just had black fur. Nothing more to it. And my cat is pretty. So I don't care, and I'm glad Dendro doesn't either. He doesn't seem like the person to mind superstition anyway.

I hear his question and respond, "Oh, I live in the East Side too. You know the big farm at the far end?" Mr. Samuel's farm. No one could miss it. It's big, red silos, expansive fields, and towering barns screamed wealth and prosperity. "I live there." I pause, then continue nervously, "But I'm not related to Mr. Samuel. I'm just a laborer there, and my house is his property. And I don't have a lot of money." She didn't want to alienate her new friend the way Clove alienated him with her fancy clothes.

My house was decent enough, because my parents had saved a lot of money over the course of their lives. Unfortunately, I spent most of it helping out neighbors. I spent myself into poverty and don't care to claw my way back out. I'm fine at the bottom, even if I could make it to the top. I do get a lot of money from my business. Somehow though, I never seem to be able to hold on to it. I'm not greedy. I share too easily.

((Let's wait for Clove.))

[clovegoodshot]

"Lets take the young ones home first, Dendro, mmm."

Thats when I really start trying. UGH! I have never in my life had to try for a boy, which really annoys me, they usually just see my chest and start flirting. But no, this boy is different. I hold his hand in mine and wait for his reaction.

(((((((sorry for the shortness g2g!))))))))

[shrimp]

Clove is getting restless. I know that she's never felt like she had to try to do...well just about anything before. But she's trying. Dendro's now holding both girl's hands, attempting to lead us home, like sheep.

Dendro's looking at me now; he wants to know where I live.

"Oh, I live near Sunny. We're heading that way anyways."

So we continue walking. I truly feel like I'm a third..no...fourth wheel. Although Dendro's pretty much ignoring Clove even more than me. He's talking to Sunny, and he seems fascinated. But his eyes show pain.

I walk over to Dendro's shoulder, and start petting Sunny's cat. The cat definitely enjoys it. But then again, I know what cats like and don't like, so that's the only reason why it's letting me continue to pet it. I have a cat treat in my pocket, but I have tons more at home for Lume to eat, so I give one to this cat.

[Free]

Clove dances toward Sunny and I. Her manicured body tip-toeing lightly across the dirt. She seems so out of place. Her clothing is clean and primped. Her hair is gleaming with light perspiration but obviously scrubbed clean. Appearance means allot to her, that a blind man could see. But what isn't screaming from this girl, is why. Why is she trying so hard? How come she wants to stick out like a rose among sunflowers? That is dangerous. What is she trying to prove?

She grasps my hand, demanding attention, and states that we must take the "younger" kids home. Her hand is soft and pampered, jealousy arises within me. Life is easy for this girl, whereas the child on my other side works days in and out to care for herself, callouses stand guarding her palm from the turmoils of rough work. We all work for a decent life. Except, it seems, for Clove. I bet her life is handed to her on a silver platter. I bet she knows no sorrow. I bet she never had to watch those she most deeply loves slip from her grasp and die at the hand of a harsh, unforgiving trade.

I find myself only able to nod at her words, blaming a girl for something she probably has no say in changing. But I cant help it. The blame is still there. Sundra explains where she lives and softly strokes the kitten on my shoulder. I turn to ask her more about herself when I hear the crunching of another's footfalls coming down the trail.

I pull the girls to a halt and listen. This person is long-strided, confident, and heavy. From around the corner, comes a large man looming a few inches above me, and I am by no means small. His look is stern and serious. His white uniform gleams like some deadly dove the capitol would come up with. Peacekeeper.

He looks over our odd group, one hand on his hard, black whip, the other gripped by his side. " Where are you headed.", His voice rumbles. I step foreword dropping the girl's hands and stretching tall. " Home, sir." I say. My heart is thumping wildly but thankfully my voice portrays a strong, confident man.

He doesn't believe me. This is obvious. He raises an eyebrow quizzically,his lips pulling into a deceiving grin. He steps around me, moving toward my companions. He pulls is disgusting face down close to Sunny, staring at her, examining her like a cow. Then he moves to Clove, and then Sundra. Breathing in their faces. He stands tall, and his voice sounds loudly like a growl,

" Is this true, my dear ladies?"

[shrimp]

The four of us stop and stare out into the distance. Walking towards us is an extremely tall peacekeeper. Dendro is at least a few inches above 6 feet, so this man is definitely enormous.

Peacekeepers. They think that they're all that because they have the right to carry a whip, and to beat us all up. To an extent, they are viewed as superior. But only on the political hierarchy. To us, they're lowlifes.

" Where are you headed?"[/i]The peacekeeper demands. He puts a hand on his whip, as if he's expecting to have to use it soon.

He'd better not. We're not doing anything worth complaining about. Unless if you count Cloves obnoxious flirting as a criminal offense.

Dendro steps forward.

"Home, sir."

I'm expecting the man to nod and go away, but the Peacekeeper doesn't believe Dendro. His face, the raised eyebrow, the smirk on his face reveals that he thinks that something much more sinister is going on...

He walks around Dendro, towards us. He crouches down and looks at Sunny, his eyes studying every inch of her face.

He does the same to Clove, and then to me.

Disgusting. He's not only revolting to look at, but he could use a few......hundred breathmints.

"Is this true, my dear ladies?"

I look towards Clove, expecting her to answer in her obnoxiously boisterous way, but she's...occupied with something, which consists of choking on the peacekeeper's breath.

Sunny's petrified, so I guess I'll have to be the one to answer.

"...Y-yes sir. We're all walking home together..."

"Wha?" The peacekeeper leans forward, putting his greasy face right in front of mine.

"I...s-said.... That he's right -- we're all going home."[/blockquote][/color][/size]

[clovegoodshot]

A Peacekeeper blocks our way to the kids houses, interrupting my time with Dendro. Ugh. He demands that we all admit we are just going home. He sticks his nasty face right in Sundra's and then mine, then back to Suns'.

"Is this true?", he asks, spitting in Suns' face on the word true. That is it, I will NOT watch him bully a child like my step-dad did to me. Never. I take a step in between Sun and the nasty Peacekeeper, blocking him from the child.

"We ARE going home, okay sir? Me and my boy friend were taking our neighbors kids out for a walk, we treat them like our own children, I love em', so please let us pass by before their parents get mad that we have them home so late!", I beg to him. He has a *I sorta believe you* look before he slaps me across the face.

"YOU LYIN' BITCH! DO YA THINK YA CAN FOOL ME?! HUH?!", he screams in my face. He slaps me across the face again. It stings. . . . .a lot, but I don't let it show to much.

Then it happens.

I hear him gargling spit in his mouth, then he spits right in my face. That is it, not letting that by. No mercy. No forgiveness. I am goin to kill this man.

"AGGGH!", I scream as I charge him with my boot knife that I always have in my shoe. The silver of the blade flicks through the air, and in my hand. It collides with his neck, leaving a deep gash. He is to shocked to fight, so while I have the chance, I kick him to the ground, get on top of him, take his gun, and point it at his head.

"No, YOU listen BITCH! I will NOT put up with your crap like everyone else, I WILL take your butt down, and I WILL kill you. It's a shame that you won't live to apologize to that little girl over there", I say to him as I pull the trigger into his forehead. It's a silent barrel gun, so no one will have heard it. I smirk, and drag his body into the woods, where wolves will eat it in hours, and he will be gone.

I turn back to Dendro, Sundra, and Sunny. I hope they don't think I am a freak, I just saved them going to jail, I mean, they should owe me, right? I walk up and wait for them to speak.

[Fading In and Out]

{Tornadoes spin up in only minutes.}

A moment before, it had only been quiet, just the four of them talking about their lives, where they lived, what they did for a living. The deepening night sky had for once made her calm. Dendro was a nice guy, and so was Sundra. Even Clove didn't have malicious intentions.

Then, the Peacekeeper came walking down the road, smug look on his scary face. He didn't believe Dendro's honest words. Then, his horrendous face was staring into mine. I flinch, scared for my very life. I really wish he could disappear, like magic, like the sun at every dusk.

"Is this true, ladies?"

I hate his voice. I hate everything about him. I'm stunned speechless, so the other girls talk to him, but he doesn't look convinced.

That's when it happens. Clove goes beserk. I bury my face in Dendro's side to try and quench the screams, the muffled scuffling, and finally, the silenced shot. The dragging of a deadweight over gravel, sand, then grass. Howling wolves. I don't cry, but I find it hard to keep the tears from falling, from breaking down.

Sometimes, it only takes a feather to tip the wall of cards that blocks your feelings and emotions from bursting out. I intake breath quickly, shallowly. But I will not cry. I haven't cried since the day they told me my parents would never come back.[/blockquote]

[shrimp]

Oh my god.
That's all that I can think when I'm witnessing Clove maliciously kill the Peacekeeper. She finally ends his life with a gunshot to the head, and then drags the corpse into the nearby woods.

Oh my god. Clove Goodshot is a freaking murderer.

Those words ring out in my head as Clove is dragging the lifeless body away from the road.

I look at Dendro and Sunny. Poor Sunny. She's far too young to witness this massacre. Her face is buried into Dendro's body. His face is just...full of shock. None of us knew that we were walking with...a potential murderer.

Well, she's not a potential murderer any more. Now she's become the real thing.

wonderful.

And now, we're all criminals. We watched Clove do the horrible deed. And we did nothing.

Nothing.

It's as much our fault as it is hers.

Clove emerges from the woods. There's no sign of any blood on her at all. Even the gun's been properly disposed of.

She's waiting for us to say something. I can see it in her expression; the questioning eyes, the playful smirk.

She's proud with what she did, isn't she...

The three of us just stare at Clove.

Silence. In the distance, a bird screeches. Nobody moves.

I feel something coming, I know what it is, but I can't hold it in anymore.

And with a twelve-year old, a farmhand, and a murderer looking on, I vomit on the side of the road.

[puppypa13]

(OOC: Mind if I join? Sorry I'm new here.)

Ivy stepped out of her house and onto the street. It made no sense to anyone else as to why she would be walking her dog this late, but that was the excuse she would use. Lucky danced around Ivy's feet, waiting for her to start walking. Ivy pulled up the hood of her jacket so it covered her face and began walking along the road with Lucky trotting happily at her heels.

Halfway down the road Ivy stopped walking. She thought she heard yelling somewhere down the road. Pulling her hood down so she could hear better, Ivy stepped closer to the sound. Lucky heard it too, but he also smelled something Ivy couldn't. He smelled a cat.

Lucky took off at full speed straight for the cat. Ivy chased after Lucky, completely ignoring the yelling. Suddenly, Lucky stopped. A few yards away there was a group of kids just standing there. Across from them there was a Peacekeeper on the ground and a girl holding a gun to his head.

Ivy grabbed Lucky and held him tight. She watched as the girl pulled the trigger and killed the Peacekeeper. She stifled a small scream and hugged Lucky even tighter. Her heart racing, Ivy stood up and motioned for Lucky to follow her. She wanted nothing to do with this girl or any of the others for that matter. But Lucky was only interested in the cat. Regardless of what just happened, he went straight up to the boy the cat was perched on and barked at it repeatedly.

"This is the last time I walk you without your leash", Ivy mumbled.

[Free]

The air was tense, almost unbearably. Sunny shoved her face in my side and I reached down and picked her up. So light, and small. I held her shielded her, as the voices raised. It was Clove. She began calmly, seemingly fine. Then he spit. That awful peacekeeper shot a vile substance all over Clove's polished perfection. I could feel the temper raise, the steam rise to a point where, whatever it is that Clove had buried with in her screamed to get out. This wasn't good.

I shielded the child from view. Not saying a word. Sundra vomits of the side of the road. I give her a sorrowful look. None of us asked for this. We were just walking home. Clove just killed a capitol official. She walked out of the woods, all evidence disposed of. Clove gazed over the group. Smug. That was it. I set Sunny on her feet and silently handed her her kitten. Then stormed over to Clove.

" What were you thinking Clove?! My Goodness! Do you even comprehend how this can impact us. Thats right, its not just you and your perfect little world, anymore! They could kill all of us, and those we care about. So stupid!"

Words fly from my mouth like a torrent. Then I just stared at her, fuming. She possibly just killed me, Sundra, and....Sunny. But whats done is done. I look to my feet shaking me head.

" Just make sure he is gone, Clove. And for your sake, you better hope nobody heard....."

Then. A dog bark. I whip around as a dog bounds up to Sunny after her kitten. I sprint at them and yank The girl and her kitten to my shoulder in one swoop before the animal get too close. I frantically search the horizon. Making sure no people were watching. But there was.A girl, staring. A glare over at Clove. Someone saw us. Crap.

[shrimp]

" What were you thinking Clove?! My Goodness! Do you even comprehend how this can impact us. Thats right, its not just you and your perfect little world, anymore! They could kill all of us, and those we care about. So stupid!"

Dendro screams at Clove, something that I wouldn't have done to a murderer. But Clove doesn't look like she's going to kill him, and the yelling is definitely deserved.

" Just make sure he is gone, Clove. And for your sake, you better hope nobody heard....."

I hear a bark. Then another, and another. I've finished my....we'll call it business, so I look up to see a dog. It leaps in front of Sunny and her kitten, no doubt angered by the fact that a feline is in its territory.

And a few yards down the road, is a girl.

She's seen us. She has seen the murder. She's going to tell the other peacekeepers. I mean, who wouldn't? We're supposed to tell peacekeepers about psychotic murderers, right?

But I'm still hoping she won't say a word.

Clove Goodshot. This is her fault. HER FAULT. Now all of our lives are in jeopardy. I'm furious at her. This teenage girl; this crazy, violent murdering whore has ruined my life.

I don't know what else to say that already has been said. But I'm going to say something.

I walk up to her, scream my head off, and smack her in the face.

"WHY!? WHY WHY WHY!?"[/color]

I scream at her until my voice has gone hoarse. I break down, start sobbing, and collapse onto the floor in a feeble position.

[/blockquote][/color][/size][/size]

[Fading In and Out]

Sunny stared speechless as their once happy traveling party turned on Clove and began screaming. Of course, she was disappointed that Clove killed the man. After all, he was just doing his job. He was probably as scared of the Capitol as we were. Just because he had bad breath didn't mean he deserved to die. Maybe he had been in a bad mood. But, after all, those were all just maybes.

Sunny sighed and turned to see the new girl. Sunny's cat hissed and jumped to the ground, spitting at the dog. She picked up her cat and held the black ball of fury tight to her chest. "Be nice," she whispered to it through choked tears. This girl standing in front of her could be their downfall. Sunndy didn't want to die.

She looked back at her arguing friends and then at the girl again. She whispered, "I only wanted to go home."

[clovegoodshot]

Stupid. That is what they all are. I just saved them. I just saved all of them."SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!", I scream at them. They all stop their whining, all stop their WHY'S. So I take this as an opportunity to speak."Listen, if I hadn't just done that, he would have arrested us ALL! Yea, even you Sunny. Even if I HAD been polite the entire time, you saw him slap me, which means he NEVER DID BELIEVE US! Do you see this?", I say as I hold out his badge which I took off of him. I hold it up."This badge says he was just a Trainee Officer, which means his records aren't in the files yet, because he wasn't an official Peacekeeper yet. So as long as no one saw. . . . .

Just as I say that, a little girl steps up with her dog, looking horrified. Crap. She saw us. I have to do everything around here because no one else in this group will threaten this little girl."Honey, what you just saw was a misunderstanding, everything is going to be okay, tehe.", I giggle. I can tell she isn't believing me. Well then no more Miss Nice Clove.

Okay, listen kid, yea, that wasn't pretty, but some things have to happen in this world, honestly, I HATED doing that, it was the first time I have ever and the LAST time I WILL ever do that, and it IS going to be okay. Unless you tell someone. If you tell, I am going to have to be mean, and neither of us wants that, do we?"