Downpour and Cobblestone (Open)

[Justicelane]

I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I've gotta prove them wrong
Me against the world
It's me against the world

Annabel liked weather when it was nice, but today it wasn't so great out. But even when it rained she could manage to have fun... somehow. She had the yellow hood of her small, tight raincoat over her head. The bad thing though was that the hood had many holes in it, but she didn't care for once. Annabel was jumping in a muddy rain puddle in the gravel road and got her outfit even more wet. If that was possible.

"Whee! Puddles are fun!" She yelled to no one in particular.

Today the main personality side was showing. The cheerful and happy side of a fifteen year old girl. Annabel continued jumping in the puddle until a person shouted at her. People are frustrating and mean. Some people like my step-family are nice. Sometimes her mind produced thoughts she didn't want to think, like that one.

There was another thing that bothered her besides the thoughts. Her multiple personalities. There were always the two main sides (Annabel and Fuean) that you saw almosst everyday. But then we had a short tempered personality and some people even claimed that this girl took over Annabel's mind. Jezebelle. Awhile ago, Jezebelle had died of lung cancer three days after she was diagnosed with it. A very old secret died with her older sister. The secret about how Jezebelle shoved a best friend down the stairs in rage. Annabel told no one. But it was the past and the fifteen year old liked focusing on the present.

She kept on walking down the cobblestone street in the rain. It had lightened up a little from the previous downpour. A few people ran around on the street and some kids played in their yard with friends. Friends was another thing she didn't have. People always think I am a freak. I'm not proud of who I am either guys! She though bitterly, kicking a loose rock. She never knew some people liked her. Or that she could meet someone new today.

I've got no place to go
I've got no where to run
They love to watch me fall
They think they know it all

[Red_Rose]

Feng Tawnla

I slipped through the wet streets , pulling my jacket tighter to my body. I curse and I accidentally slosh through another puddle. Or should I say pond. That's what it feels like anyway. I continue to walk through the dim streets and jerk my head up when I see a girl. She's jumping in the puddles , completely oblivious that she was getting soaked from head to toe.

"Whee! Puddles are fun!" She yells. This girl seems odd ... yet intriguing. I think I want to meet her. She begins to walk down the street , a dark look on her face. I wish I had a friend like her , I sigh. stop being such a dreamer , I tell myself. You don't have time to make friends and it's not like anyone would want to.

But I just can't see someone like that and forget about them. I begin to run after her. Thank god the rain is lightening up. Oops , spoke too soon. The wind picks up and whips rain drops into the sides of buildings. I run up to her and tuck my hands into my pockets. I slow down, hoping that she'll do the same. "I saw you jumping in the puddles back there. I wish I could have fun like that." I say. "Maybe you could teach me." I say with a smile.

I continue to walk down the street and gesture for her to follow. "Let's talk about it." I say , and this time I give her a full smile , teeth and all. I hope this girl wants to be friends. I realize I was supposed to pick up some fruit from the market. That's not gonna happen. I'm about to make a new friend. [/blockquote] [/color]

[Justicelane]

One more depending on a prayer
And we all look away
People pretending everywhere
It's just another day

Someone is walking behind me. There's crunching on gravel and footsteps make that sound. I tend to hear some things over loud noises, but that happens every so often. The person who was behind me happens to be a girl. I believe the brown haired girl is about fourteen or fifteen. Right around my age.
"I saw you jumping in the puddles back there. I wish I could have fun like that." The girl says to me. "Maybe you could teach me."

Then she smiles. I think she's nice, but I am worried about one thing. How do I teach someone to have fun? The girl continues down the street and gestures to me. Follow her Annabel! My thoughts shout at me.
"Let's talk about it."
A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. A person who might want to be my friend. It's a great thing for me, as I haven't had friends since I was twelve. But even they weren't true friends.
"Sure." I reply, hoping my voice isn't too shaky.

I fast walk to catch up with her. If this girl does in fact become my friend, Jezebelle might not show up. Both things would be amazing. I feel like I'm forgetting to tell her something, but I don't know what. Age? No. Family or a little bit of the past? My life might cause her to not want to be friends. Name? Yes. That's what it was. Might as well introduce myself if I am teaching her how to have fun.
"My name's Annabel Hopfrey. What your name?"
Names are always fun for me to remember. No matter how short or long.

The right thing to guide us
Is right here inside us
No one can divide us
When the Light is leading on
But just like a heartbeat
The drumbeat carries on...

[Red_Rose]

Feng Tawnla

[/center]

"Sure." She says. Thank god. I don't know what I would have done if she said no. She catches up to me and I smile. Maybe I really will have a new friend. I think. She must already be doing some good if she's bringing out the optimistic side of me. Almost no-one can do that."My name's Annabel Hopfrey. What your name?" She says. "My name is Feng Tawnla." I say proudly. My name is one of the few things that I truly love about myself. Now what do I ask her?

"So , what were you doing in that puddle back there? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" I ask her. I'm actually worried for her health. But maybe I'm just too up-tight. I smile at her , as I'm aware that the statement may have been a bit too harsh. I think this girl is exactly what I'm looking for in a friend. I hope that she feels the same way.

The rain begins to pick up again and I'm now completely soaked. "This way!" I say ducking into the market. I have to get the fruit anyways , and this was the closest place to escape the rain. " Hope you don't mind , but I promised my parents that I'd pick up some fruit." I say. I begin to weave through the stalls and stop once I see the produce stand. "2 bags of mixed fruit." I tell the young girl at the front."One minute please." She says.

[/justify]

[Justicelane]

Where the weak are finally strong
Where the righteous right the wrongs
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong

Her name is Feng Tawnla. It is a pretty cool sounding name. I think we could be pretty good friends if Jeze didn't butt in. Oh come on! Jezebelle wouldn't come in now. Or would she? My sister could be sly and devious when she was alive. Who says she couldn't do it as a spirit?

"So,what were you doing in that puddle back there? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Feng asks me.
"I guess I was being childish. I tend to be like that when it rains or snows. Oh and no, I'm not really afraid of catching colds. I've been pretty immune to colds for a few months. Ever since this weather started in District 9." I smile after I finsh speaking.

It's been forever since I smiled. About five months and one week since that crossed my face. I really wonder what Yvone would think of me finally making a friend. It's not like I haven't been trying to meet people. Then the rain starts pouring again and I feel it drip on to my hair through the holes in my hood.
"This way!"

I dash as fast as I can after Feng. We end up standing in the market. She tells me she promised to pick up fruit for her parents. I'm really starting to think she is a good-like person. After I tell her okay, I stand waiting for her to get back. A couple people glance at me and one twenty year old shoots a dirty look. Ignore them Anna. Just ignore them. A dirty look and awkward glances can't hurt me. I just hope that Feng gets back so we can talk some more. I really enjoy talking.

Feels like we're just waiting, waiting
While are hearts are just breaking, breaking
Feels like we're fighting against the tide

[Red_Rose]

I hand the girl the small coins and grasp the bag firmly in my hands. My hair is soaked and keeps dripping into the bag. A little kid slams into me with bang , causing me to lose my footing. "Sorry." The girl mumbles. If it was anyone else , I would have given them a piece of my mind , but this girl seems so broken and hungry. The next thing I know , I'm handing her a piece of my precious food.

"Go take this home and enjoy it." I say to the girl. My heart praises me , but my logical side tells me that I can't afford to be handing out food like that. I guess I'm more of a good person than I thought.

I walk through the crowd , muttering excuse me as I go. I wade through the crowd for a while before spotting Annabel again. I make my way over to her , knocking over some dude in the process. "Hey! What was that for?" He yells. I put my hands up in the universal backing down gesture.

"Sorry I took a while. There's a ton of people here." I say , nodding to the crowd. I kinda feel bad for making her wait for so long , so I offer her an apple. "Take this." I say , placing the shiny fruit in her hands.

[Justicelane]

Can you help me
Does anybody hear me
Can they even see me
This is my reality

I sway back and forth at the edge of the crowd, trying to find her. Maybe she fell or something? Or bumped into someone she knew if she had more friends. After a minute and a half of swaying, I finally see her emerging from the crowd. My hand waves back and forth as some sort of signal that I'm still standing there. Feng manages to get through the crowd and comes over to me.
"Sorry I took a while. There's a ton of people here." She nods towards the crowd.

I figured the market would be busy, but not like this. I start walking out of the market and find that it stopped raining. Dark gray clouds still hang in the sky with a couple white clouds here and there. That's a good start at least. Feng's voice behind me makes me turn around fast.
"Take this."
An apple. My step-brother loves to eat apples. But he isn't here to snack on it, so I may eat it when we walk. I turn again and start walking, hoping Feng will follow so I won't be alone. But then I feel like I forgot something again. I believe that is a 'thank-you'. I stop walking and turn my head to face her.
"Thanks for the apple." I reply with a little smile to myself.
I think today is some sort of turning point in my life. I made a friend and said thank you for once. Maybe she doesn't have to find out about Jeze or that my mother actually abandoned me. I go into my little thought land while I wait for her to come over. She'll find out soon enough. Yvone won't be able to hold that in. My step-mother could never hold anything in that seemed important. I feel some random warmth on my face and realize the sun is actually coming out. Well, coming out a little anyways. That's good, especially after a rain storm.
"I'm suprised at how the weather is changing like this lately. First it rained, then it was cloudy, and now it starts to sunshine. I think this is a pretty crazy day for the weather."
have no idea how I got the weather. But we're still talking and trying to become friends. I still want to know why I started talking about the weather.

Said I'll say it again, you're my only friend
(I protect you from the world, I basically protect you from yourself)
Though I can't go on, I'm not satisfied with this being the end
(this is just the beginning)

[Red_Rose]

"Thanks for the apple," She says , a faraway look washing over her features. She seems deep in thought , almost like how I assume I look when I think about how hateful my brother Rion is. Although , I do hope that she isn't thinking about anything as terrible as that. My own thoughts scare me sometimes , and judging by the look on her face it's not a stretch before she starts to get haunted by her thoughts.

I am quite relived when she starts to speak."I'm surprised at how the weather is changing like this lately. First it rained, then it was cloudy, and now it starts to sunshine. I think this is a pretty crazy day for the weather." She says , in an odd tone that totally says avoidance. Avoidance of what just happened. I smile at her and begin to speak in a happy tone. I hope she feels at ease now.

"Oh , yeah. Totally weird." I say. My voice drops to a whisper as I speak. "Do you think the capitol is messing with the weather?" I ask, my eyes instinctively darting around. Don't want a peacekeeper to catch me. In the past they've been pretty lenient , but I've been an offender several times now. They would probably shoot me. Maybe even in front of a crowd. Show me as an example.

[Justicelane]

And in my honest observation
To bring this operation
Found a complication in your heart so long,
Cause now you’ve gone

"Oh yeah. Totally weird." Feng's voice then drops to a low whisper. "Do you think the Capitol is messing with the weather?"

The Capitol, messing with the weather? I've never heard of them doing that other than in the Games. It's and interesting thing to mention, I must say that. Maybe the Capitol decided to pick on District 9 for a new weather changing experiment or something? I probably should tell Feng that, as she mentioned it.

"Maybe they are. I bet it's some sort of new experiment and they chose us to experiment on." I reply quietly with a little quiet giggle.

I hope Feng didn't notice the giggle I just did. Peacekeepers don't need to hear me laugh about Capitol stuff. She seems to be a little freaked out too and her face gets a worried look. Maybe the Peacekeepers caught her doing something bad. She doesn't seem like the type though. It's not like I'm going to ask her unless she wants to tell me. I don't like invading privacy like that unless, you know, Yvone forces me or something. My second mom likes to know people's histories.

"So, won't your parents be worried you aren't home yet? My mom and brother probably haven't even noticed yet, as they are so busy today."

Yeah, that was a little weird. Oh well, I hope she answers. But what if she doesn't have any parents? That'll just be an awkward question if her parents are missing or something. I know my real parents are okay, I just don't care for them. Hopefully one of her parents is still alive.

If life ain't just a joke,
Then why are we laughing?
If life ain't just a joke,
Then why are we laughing?

[Red_Rose]

"Maybe they are. I bet it's some sort of new experiment and they chose us to experiment on," She replies. It's an interesting thought. I always assumed that the capitol used us as puppets , even for trying out things like mutts. It's not that far fetched that they could be messing with the weather too. I'd be interested to find out if our speculations are correct. I nod subconsciously in response to my thoughts.


"So, won't your parents be worried you aren't home yet? My mom and brother probably haven't even noticed yet, as they are so busy today," She says. I never really thought about it , but my parents probably are wondering where I am. "My parents will probably be a bit worried , but they're used to me wandering around. Hopefully my brother Rion won't feed them any lies about where I am." I respond , flashing her a friendly smile.

"So , what part of the district do you live in ?" I say , hoping that isn't too prying. I honestly can't tell whether she is rich or poor. She doesn't look starved , but she doesn't really look like the wealthy class of people either. I don't really mind either way ; I tend to associate with both classes.

[/color]

[Justicelane]

Cause nobody wants to go it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone.
Somebody else that feels the same somewhere.
There's gotta be somebody for me out there.

"My parents will probably be a bit worried, but they're used to me wandering around. Hopefully my brother Rion won't feed them any lies about where I am." She replies with a friendly smile.

She has a brother too. He doesn't sound that nice from what I heard from that sentence. Maybe he was caught by the Peacekeepers or something and became a mean person. Everytime someone doesn't sound nice, I assume that about them. Even if it is or isn't true, I keep thinking it about them. Feng's brother might even be younger than her because most people who lie are probably young. By young, I mean eleven, twelve, or thirteen. I pick at one of the holes on my yellow raincoat, hoping she'll say something else.

"So, what part of the District do you live in?"

"I kind of live towards the richer part of our District. My family tends to become buddies with rich and poor people." I reply, relieved she said something else.

I bet she mingles with all the different types of people in District 9. Feng seems like the type to be friends, or enemies, with anyone. I just hope she doesn't have that many enemies, because that would just suck for her. The people around here hate you Annabel. That thought didn't sound like me. Not at all. Jezebelle can't choose now to show up, can she? Stop asking your brain questions! That thought was mine. I look at Feng and start saying something I never thought I would've said in a million years.

"Do you have any mental diseases? I have a mental disease. I was trying to hide it because I thought you would hate me for it, but I guess I should come clean. My problem is that I have multiple personalities and my dead sister has bothered me. That's how I lost all of my original friends. All 'cause of my damn sister."

And now I've put her in an awkward state. I know because everytime I tell someone that, it gets pretty awkward. Still, it feels good to get that off of my chest. I just need to see if she'll be my friend still.

You can't give up
Lookin for that diamond in the rough
Because you never know when it shows up
Make sure you're holdin on

[Red_Rose]

"I kind of live toward the richer part of our District. My family tends to become buddies with rich and poor people." She says. I'm kind of relived that I'm not the only one who makes friends who are of a different status. Although , it's the opposite situation for me. I'm the poor one. I glance over at Annabel and her face is scrunched up , like she's thinking hard. Her features smooth out and she begins to speak.

"Do you have any mental diseases? I have a mental disease. I was trying to hide it because I thought you would hate me for it, but I guess I should come clean. My problem is that I have multiple personalities and my dead sister has bothered me. That's how I lost all of my original friends. All 'cause of my damn sister," she says , with a horrified look on her face , like she's done something wrong.

"Well , I wouldn't call it a mental problem , but I have anger management issues." I say. I hope her opinion of me doesn't change because of what I just admitted. But somehow , i don't think she will. It's nice to know that we both have problems. I think this will only strengthen our friendship. I continue walking , but smiling this time , despite the gloomy weather out here.

[/blockquote]

[Justicelane]

Maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try

"Well, I wouldn't call it a mental problem, but I have anger management issues." Feng admits to me.

She is right about that. It isn't really a mental problem, but we both have things wrong with us. Maybe we aren't so different from each other than I thought. I really like that idea because it will bring us closer as friends. I start gnawing at the inside of right cheek until I taste something metallic. Nice job girl. You opened your cheek AND Feng is walking away. Might wanna catch up. I start jogging down towards my friend and end up right next to her again. I should probably start talking before there's more awkward silence.

"So, how bad are your issues? Sorry if I'm prying a little too much, I was just wondering."

I need to stop prying into people's lives. But now that I learned that she has anger managment issues, I just want to find out how serious it is. It makes me remember when I revealed that one hiding spot and the girl yelled at me, then Jeze shoved her down the stairs and killed her. No, you need to get that from your mind. It needs to be forgotten when you are around friends. I think my thoughts are right. Plus, I got so lost in my memories, I forgot Feng was walking right next to me.

"I think I missed your reply! Sorry, I was just thinking about something that happened a couple years ago." I answer quickly with a fake smile.

She'll realize that smile was fake. I can not believe I just got so into my thoughts, I missed her reply. Nice job slick. My eyes roll when I hear my thought say that to me. I am really stupid sometimes.

Yes, yes you are sister.

[/i] Oh great. My worst suspicions are confirmed now. Jezebelle's back and she's gonna make me switch personalities. It's always when I meet someone. Always.[/color]

Maybe I should just give up
What if I can't trust myself?
What if I just need some help?

OOC: Sorry for the late reply. My life has gotten a little crazy and such.

[Red_Rose]

"So, how bad are your issues? Sorry if I'm prying a little too much, I was just wondering," She says. I ponder this for a moment , debating how exactly I could answer that. Truth to be told , I'm not really sure of the answer. I guess that means it's not that bad. There is a couple more moments of silence before she speaks again."I think I missed your reply! Sorry, I was just thinking about something that happened a couple years ago." She answers with a fake looking smile. Maybe she is hiding something.

"No , you didn't miss it , I just hadn't spoke yet." I say , returning her fake smile. I don't know why I'm acting so guarded. I guess I just feel like there is something odd about this girl. "They're not that bad." I tell her softly. I worry that she doesn't hear me , but I remind myself that it would be an added bonus if she didn't.

I drag my feet in the mud , revealing a small , flat coin. I lean down to pick it up , glancing around me to make sure no peacekeepers are watching. Technically , this could be considered stealing. I don't really care ; our family can't afford not to pick up money that we see. "Sorry about that." I say. " Sometimes you can't control your impulses." Let her figure out what that means.

[/blockquote] [/color]