Family Life (open)

[Harley Q]

The workers in the fields have been let off earlier than usual because the rain has destroyed most of the crops. "Are you up for some practice little brother? Or are you afraid I'm going to kick your ass like always?" Linnea gives her brother a look that gives his competitive demeanor a jump start. "Just keep talking, that's all your good for anyway," he retorts and then quickens his step to the dead spot in the electrical fence. Linnea snorts and breaks out in a run to beat her brother to the fence and get a head start, That slow troll still has to get his bow and arrows. Linnea is already under the fence and hidden in the forest before Connal can even get his bow and arrows out from his hiding spot - he had dug a hole under a bush right on the other side of the fence.

Linnea and Connal have been "practicing" self-defense in the forest ever since they were little. Their father would take them out there and teach them how to hunt, set up traps, and defend themselves against anything. Linnea surprisingly is much better with hand-to-hand combat than she is with a bow and arrow; and Connal is pretty good fighting with his hands, but is flat out deadly with a bow and arrow. Linnea calls out from the woods, "Give up while you still can Connaly! Just accept my superiority and we can go home!" She looks out from her hiding place amongst some bushes and sees her brother stepping silently through the wood, arrow - blunted, of course - strung and waiting in his steady hand.

She sneaks out from her spot and darts behind a tree, she knows from their hunting escapades that climbing into the trees is the stupidest thing you can do when dealing with Connal. She spots a rock a few feet and away and crawls to it, and quickly throws it away from her. It hits a tree and makes a soft thump. She hears Connal yell a few yards away from her, "Awww come on Lin, I know you can do better than this. I know you threw a rock, I saw it fly out from behind that tree. You're going to have to figure something else out." Crap, what now?. She hears his footsteps getting closer and her breathing slows. Sliding slowly around the tree, she tries to get to his side and out of view. If I can get behind him and get his bow, I've got him. She crawls along the ground, her body melting into the mud and leaves. Linnea makes her way away from the tree while Connal continues to walk up to it. She sees him creeping up to the tree, and spots her chance to snag his bow. From her spot among the dirt and dead leaves, she waits for his hand to ease on the arrow ever so slightly and then pounces.

She leaps from the ground and tackles him to the ground, knocking the arrow out of his hands. She quickly throws a few rapid punches to his ribs and jaw. He gets up, throws her off and turns to search for the arrow she had knocked away. Linnea charges and lands a powerful kick to his stomach, and another to his jaw. He then abandons his search and focuses on her. Bringing his arms up slowly to defend himself from his sister, he waits for her to throw the first punch. She starts to circle around him, looking for a spot to hit, a moment to strike, a weakness. His shoulders start to turn, and his foot begins to pivot; then a big fist is flying at her face. Quickly ducking out of the way, she throws more rapid punches to his rib cage and one strong upper-cut to his chin, followed by a final kick to the face. He lands on the ground and lays there a bit, slowly rebuilding his strength to get up. "I think I won," she said as she walks over and grabs the arrow. "See you at home," she says over her shoulder.

As she starts walking back home, she hears the whistle of an arrow pass her ear. What the hell was that? A few feet away from her is the second arrow that had been shot right past her ear - it was stuck in a tree trunk. She was expecting to see another one of Connal's arrows, but it wasn't. Linnea looks down at the arrow she had stolen from her brother and then back at the one in the tree - Connal makes his own arrows. His hunting arrows are painted all gray and the blunted ones for practice have a streak of red going down the length of the arrow. She walks up to the strange thing sticking out of the tree trunk until her nose was almost touching the tree. She was looking for the big red line going down the middle, but all she saw was plain black paint. Did he really just shoot one of his hunting arrows at me? Why on earth would he do that? But the paint is different, it can't be his. Then she saw it, it was small and unnoticeable in regular light, but at just the right angle she could see it plain as day. The Capitol insignia that was engraved at the end has been scratched over with something and right above it are her father's initials, A.J.S. A twig is snapped right behind her and she turns around, almost breaking her neck in the process. Hoping to see Connal standing there laughing at her stupidity for believing this was real and that it was really some stupid prank, she continues to look around but sees nothing. Then out of the corner of her eye something flits across the trees. She yanks the arrow out of the tree and starts to walk back to where she had left Connal when she sees something lying on the ground.

It's a small brown package tied together with some butcher's twine. She picks it up and notices the messy scrawled handwriting on the paper; it looked strangely familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen such writing before. It was her father's initials... In his own hand. He's alive?

[•Patches•]

"Mummy! Mum, can I touch this one-"
"Stop! Stop it Peyton. Hands off."

I bend to one knee and yank the plants out of Peyton's hands, shoving them under a rock as quickly as I can. My eyes drift from one part of the fence to the other. Had anyone seen? No. Ithought not. I turn, my dark brown hair curled up into a tight bun. Equally brown eyes look to the ground, as if I'm making sure nothing is noticeable. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you... Pey... you do not touch the plants. No eating, no touching, no smelling, nothing. Understood, darling?"

"Yes mum."
"Good girl, yes." I smile, kissing Peyton's forehead and ruffling my daughter's soft blond hair. "Alright then! How about we-"
"Mum! There's a girl! Can I play with her?"

Obviously not. Because that 'girl' Peyton had spotted was crawling out of the containment of District Eleven, along with another boy. It was a very distracting thing, and they didn't seem to see Peyton and I(which was probably because the two of us were partly hidden by a bush). "Um... dearie... run along and play with Joyce now. Go on, be a good girl and listen to mummy, yes?"
"But she doesn't play mum!"
"Shoo!" I force a short laugh and pick up Peyton, swinging her around in the air and then setting her on the ground once again. "Get on, then. Off you go."

The little blondie twirls like a dancer and skips down the fields toward where her grandmother will be working, while I turn and eye the spot in the fence curiously. Interesting... I'm intrigued. I really am. It isn't everyday you see something like that. Of course, we hear of it all the time, the gossip from the older ladies makes its way down. Still, no one mentions names of those who do it. We are all in the same boat, and everyone knows what happens if they tell.

These kids had to be escapees (very unlikely, since they'd be tracked down after a day of being missed) or just out for a little fun. I have no problem with this. In fact I'm fine with it. "What should you do Will... what should you do..." I mutter under my breath, eyes still staying locked on the fence. "Okay... time for a little... involvement..."

After all, these were kids. Just kids, really. I like kids. Wouldn't turn them in, if that's what you're thinking. After all, I'm a nice lady... usually. "M'kay... lets see what you're up to." I sigh and squat next to the loose place in the fence, shoving myself through it and getting many a scratch on my arms and legs. It hurts, but I'm soon outside. I wipe my thumb on my dirty shirt, since its now bleeding from a nick in the barbed wire. "Darn... it..."

I look around, suddenly aware that this is the first time I've ever been beyond my District, even in the smallese sense. My eyes travel back and forth, heart racing from fear and excitement. What's out here? I've never been in the woods before. They are a dangerous place. Everyone knows that. More because of the Peacekeepers catching you than anything. I'm suddenly very... afraid. But then, I realize that its nothing. That I've just come out here to check on some crazy kids. Everything will be okay. I'm convincing myself of this.

I hear scuffling, so I head toward the noise, my worn pair of work boots making crunching noises against the earth. Its terrible. I'm not trained in silence, thats for sure. I look up, and just as I do, an arrow whizzes out and almost slices my neck open. If I hadn't had my chin pointed upwards then I can darn well tell you it would have. "WHAT IN THE FRAK WAS THAT!?" I say, my voice coming out in more of a loud squeak. I jump back, a cluster of trees hiding me, and the girl appears. She saw the arrow fly past, I know, and comes to stare at it.

And I'm staring, and trying not to look weird and creepy hiding behind those bushes while I rub my neck, now paranoid that another arrow will appear and follow me like I'm its next victim. But then, she distracts me. Her hands encircle something. A box, maybe. "What are you doing out here?" I shout, and then lower my voice slightly, stomping over from behind the trees. "Please, explain, because I right about nearly got my neck shot up!"

[Harley Q]

(OCC: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to reply, I have been super busy.)

"What are you doing out here?" Linnea jumps a little, whirls around finding a woman storming around a tree saying, "Please, explain, because I right about nearly got my neck shot up!" Wait, she's yelling at me because someone else shot an arrow at me? Oh she has to be a mother, but not mine.
Linnea raises her left hand, while bringing her right and the package to rest on her lower back and says, "Look lady, I don't know who you are or what just happened. I'm just as clueless as you are, alright. So, please," she smiles charmingly, "don't come wagging your finger at me for something that isn't my fault." The woman gives her a look that could set fire to a glacier, and Linnea feels bad for insulting her elder. That is not how you talk to others, especially those older than you, a little voice said. She stands up straight and walks toward the woman; smiling apologetically she says, "Sorry ma'am, I wish I knew what was going on, but I just have no idea anymore." Linnea holds out her left hand, while shoving the package in the back of her pants with her right, "My name is Linnea Sloane. My brother and I like to get away from the house sometimes and this is where we come. Someone must be hunting out here, unless you have another explanation for that arrow?" Linnea cast a questioning eye at the woman, but all she got in return was a cold stare.
"You do know you are not supposed to be out here? You were lucky it was me that came out to have a look than some nutter," the lady says, her body relaxing. "But I suggest you get home, now, before someone gets hurt." Just then Connal stumbles out of some bushes and falls face first into some mud. Linnea swallows her laughter and sucks in her smirk; when he jumps up she thanks heaven the mud has covered his bruised face. She wisps over to him, grabs his arm and begins tugging him toward home.
"Thank you so much for your concern ma'am. We haven't had much motherly advice for a long time. We will just be going home now, thank you," Linnea says as Connal shakes her hand off his arm. They slip through the fence and rush home, Linnea looks over her shoulder once more at the woman standing in the wood. Then she sees Connal's bow lying in a pile of leaves not two feet away from the woman. That idiot! He's going to get us killed one day.

[Harley Q]

Linnea dragged her younger brother behind her as she darted for their house. “Lin, I left my bow back there. What’s that package thing you got? Where did that come from?” Connal asked question after question until Linnea had had enough. “Look dufus, it’s time you know the truth about Dad.”
“Dad? What does any of this have to do with that bastard?”
“Don’t call him that!” Linnea shouted and turned her stormy eyes on him. “Don’t ever say that about him again, or I will tear you apart piece by piece. Our father was a great man, and you are only saying what she has told you. You’re old enough to know what really happened to him.”
“Well then Ms. I-know-everything, what really happened? What has Mom been keeping from me?” Linnea sighed, let go of his wrist, and pulled the brown paper package out from her waistband. She stared at it for a second and brought her shaking hand to the twine wrapped around the parcel. She pulled back the paper and found a small silver locket inside. There was a flower engraved on the outside, and on the inside were a pair of initials A.J.S. and their mother's initials. On the other side of the locket were her own initials, Connal’s and William’s. A tear came down her cheek as she stared at the piece of jewelry in her hand. “It’s mom’s locket!” Connal said as he plucked it from her hand before she could move away. “Dad carried this with him whenever he went away, remember?”
Linnea looked up at him stunned that he could remember that, let alone notice it. They had stopped walking and were standing in the middle of their street. What does this mean Dad? What are you trying to tell me?
“Of course I remember Connie, how could I forget? Let’s go home, I’m freezing,” she pushed past her brother, snatching the locket out of his hand as she did so. She put it around her neck and shivered when the cold metal lay against her skin.
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Linnea went out for a walk. The locket was safely clasped around her neck and her mind drifted as her feet took her around the town. She walked all the way to the working fields and looked out over all the fields. It was then she decided that she has to find out what really happened to her father. As she turned around to head back to her house, a figure came out from one of the fields. He was headed straight for her, she didn’t know what else to do other than yell, “Who are you? What do you want?” He didn’t say a word; he just kept walking until he was only a few feet from her. “I’m right here, there’s no need to shout. If you want to know my name we’ll have to take this somewhere more private,” he said as he motioned to the cameras and microphones that were hidden all over the fields.
He walked over to the street that ran parallel to the fields and waited for her to catch up. “So, Linnea, how old are you now? Seventeen or eighteen, right?” She froze for a split-second, then her walls were up and she was on full alert. “How do you know my name?” she asked, “and how do you know how old I am? You never answered my question either; who are you?”
“How rude of me, my name is Adrien Poole. I was trained by your father when I was eighteen. He was like a father to me. I have continued your father’s arrangements and will not rest until I see that he is out of the Capitol and safe at home. I came here for your help. I need someone who will go with me to the different districts and help me make deals. Also I need someone who will help me figure out where he is and get him back. What do you say? Do you want to help me retrieve him from the belly of the beast?”

Linnea couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Finally a chance to find her father and bring him back home where he belongs. She could discover what her father really did for all of those years before he was arrested. She could learn the inner workings of his operation, and she could travel to the different districts. At last, a way to get out of District 11! But what about Connal and William? Who will take care of them? “Don’t worry about Connal and William. I’ve arranged for someone to look after them while we are out and about,” Adrien said over his shoulder as he started walking in the direction of her house. How does he know so much about my family? “I have a couple of questions for you Adrien. First, how do you know so much about my family? Two, exactly how did you meet my father? Three, how do you propose we get out of here and into other districts?”
“Jeez, anything else? Would you like to know my favorite color too? Or how many girlfriends I’ve had?” He glanced at her and saw that she was very serious. “You don’t have to be such a jerk about it,” she retorted as she turned her eyes away from his great smile and forward into the darkness.
He stopped abruptly and she turned to see what he was going to do, “I’m sorry, I can be an ass sometimes. I apologize. To answer your first question, I know so much about you because your father would not shut up about you all. He was always going on about how you and Connal are such quick learners and about how William is a genius in the making. Whenever we were training he would compare your movements to mine and Connal’s accuracy to my own. He knew that your mother was distancing herself from him, and he didn’t care. He never really loved her that much anyway.” He was staring at his feet the whole time he was talking, Linnea started laughing when she heard the bit about her mother. Adrien looked up at her laughing hysterically. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I hate that woman, and to know that he didn’t love her either is just too funny. I always felt bad for him because she doesn’t care about anything except herself and to know that he never cared for her makes everything so much easier,” she said after she finished giggling.
“You are really weird,” he said smiling, “but anyway to answer your second question, I met your father when he was in District 12. He saved my life. The night before I had been gambling and I got into a fight with some real nasty people. They beat me up and left me out in an alley by the electric fence. I crawled through the fence and into the forest before they came back to kill me. I went out to the lake, it’s a place I go to whenever I want to think and relax. Anyway, I guess I passed out there because next thing I see is your father standing over me asking me if I was dead or not. He fixed me up and we were friends ever since. I had been living on my own since I was 10. He was the father I never had.”