Moral Barrier [Nichole/Fletcher]

[Harley]

Fletcher Montgomery

It wasn't one of my proudest moments, I give you that. Looking back, it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, but when you're in the heat of the moment like I was, you don't have much choice. It's like an instinct, a voice in your head that shouts "Do it, Do it now!". Anyone else would have ignored that voice, but anyone else wasn't starving hungry...

It's almost a taunt, the way merchants place food on display. It's like saying to us: "Here's what you'll never have". It was almost predictable what was going to happen sooner or later. With the hours I'm given, plowing the fields all day, my entire body an aching mess, I could only be starving hungry. Seeing a big juicy watermelon staring at me was just a slap in the face.

I could hear it talking to me almost. Call me insane, but working until my back aches under the boiling sun does tend to cause moments of sheer madness. It was staring at me. No one was around, the merchant was busy showing off some corn to some better-off passersby. No one was around me, I might have well as been invisible.

Part of me wanted to take it, part of me knew it was wrong. The consequences of being caught wouldn't be worth it... Would they? I had two brothers who were equally as hungry as me, I had a reason to steal it... Even though I knew deep inside I wasn't going to share it with my brothers. More likely take it into some alleyway and scoff it all myself. Selfish, I know, but my body needs it more than them - I work.

Besides, if either of my brothers did get some of the food, they'd only tell our parents, which in turn would lead to the speculation of where it came from. You guessed it, I would be in major trouble - Not for stealing, but for not sharing it with the entire family. It was much better to just keep it for myself. Don't judge me until you've been in my circumstances.

If I waited too long or pondered extensively on the subject of moral righteousness, I would be told to move along. My chance would be gone. It was do or die time. In a flash, I grabbed the watermelon.

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[Hayley]

If there was one thing I knew how to do in life, it was how to make Natey's life hell. Yep, that's right. I can manipulste my best friend as much as I want, and yet he still stays with me. Personally, I think its for the extremely slim possible chance that I'll do it with him, but I could really care less. I get an occasional discount on my weed, and I don't even have to do anything for him. The bastard's a little cheapskate, though. When I say occasional discounts, I mean my birthday and Christmas. That's about it. Hey, it's better than nothing. 

So why did I bring this up? Well, my friend, because I am in desperate need of some weed fast, and I can't seem to get a hold of my so-called best friend who is supposed to be there for me when I need him. I'm a simple girl. I don't ask for much. But when I request a little painkiller, I excpect him to damn well deliver! It's not even that difficult of a job. I come to him and I pay him up front usually. Right now I'm just wandering the district. I'm pretty sure there are other marijuana providers out here somewhere, but I don't trust them. Nate's the only person I really trust in this world, especially when it comes to my drugs. I don't know what kind of crap these other hobos are putting into that stuff! It's bad enough as it is. 

Somehow I end up near the marketplace. My hand reaches into the pocket of my shorts and comes out clean. I really need to stop spending all of my money on Nate. I'm about to be flat out broke. Who knows what it would come down to if I had no money to pay him? Stealing? A withdrawl? Both are equally horrible. With a sigh, I decide to just walk through without buying any food. 

I may live in the district that grows all the food, but there's hardly ever any left to feed us, the people who grow it. Sure, they feed us more when it's harvest time, but that's only because they want us to keep going longer. The majority of the time, moat of the families go partially hungry. My family isnt necissarily hungry, but we're not full either. It's kind of hard to provide for five kids when both parents are just farmers. I'm really not suprised when I see the boy take the watermelon. I'm only suprised that the shopkeeper didnt notice him. The execution was perfect, though. The boy had waited until the merchant had turned his back and become preoccupied. I think I may like this kid. He could be of use to me later. 

Why not go after him? I mean, I'm a witness to a crime. He could be beaten in the town square or taken to the Detention Cemter. We don't want that, now do we? I break into a jog for a moment but then speed up into a run because he's fast. "Hey, kid!" I yell. I start to run faster because that probably startled him. The tempo of my feet slapping against the cobblestone path increases with my speed. Finally, I catch up to him and lay a hand upon his shoulder. "You were planning on sharing that watermelon with me, weren't you?" I say with a sly grin. 

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[Harley]

Fletcher Montgomery

I didn't exactly get off to the best of starts with this girl. She had me by the balls right from the start. One minute I was running, a free lunch, the next? Blackmail. It was the perfect crime. I knew how this was going to pan out, and I didn't like it. Not. One. Bit.

All it took was a simple cry of 'Thief' from the girl and I'd be beaten in the town square, or worse. Her sly grin said it all. Give me some of the Watermelon, else you're dead. I bit my lower lip and looked down. I felt bad for taking the Watermelon, but not as bad as I was going to feel a few seconds later.

I smashed the Watermelon down on my left knee, it broke roughly in half. I gave half to the girl, the smaller half of course, turning to walk away. I wanted nothing more to do with her. She had gotten what she wanted, I hoped she would just walk away. Part of me knew she wouldn't. Part of me knew she could dig deeper.

My stomach complained, growling loudly. It reminds me how I can't just think about myself. That Watermelon was meant for my whole family, and I'd given half of it to some random girl. But what choice did I have? She'd cry out and have me beaten. It was just plain mean.

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