Strange Faces, Strange Places.. (Python) {DONE !}

[Cait]

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[/i][/color] Running through the woods was a huge adrenlaine rush for me. It was the best possible way to spend a day, especially when you lived in a District with nothing more interesting to do than chop down trees all day. My bare feet were dancing across the cool lush grass, and my favourite oak tree came into view. As I had done so many times before, I sprang at it and gripped the old, soft bark in my small hands. Shimmying up the trunk, I climbed all the way to the top of the tree and sat amongst the highest branches, watching the world below me. I was grateful that I had remembered to bring some food with me this time; last time I had forgotten, and had only got to spend 2 hours in the woods before hunger gave in. That was about a quarter of how long I spent in the woods in one whole day.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small hunk of cheese. It was hardly substantial, but I had adapted to not having a full stomach. With 6 mouths to feed, you get used to it overtime. Even though I tried not to eat the hunk in one big mouthful, it only lasted about 15 minutes. As I sat back and basked in the small sunlight filtering through the top leaves, I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Being here was like a detoxification. It filled me with hope and happiness, and the strength to keep the demons from my past bottled up inside me, in a place so dark nobody could reach them. Nobody deserves to see that side of me, to experience what I've been though...

I slowly shook my head, coming out of my small daydream. I was not going to let this day be plagued by the horrors of the past. I had the whole day ahead of me; judging by the sun's position, it couldn't be no later than 10am. As soon as I had shut my eyes once again, they instantly flew open. There had been a rustle of leaves from far below her. Someone's here! They found my hiding spot![/color] A terrible rage filled up inside me, and I began to slowly sink to the bottom of the tree. It took all my energy to stop myself from jumping down and attacking the intruder. Calm yourself Cecilia, it's not even your tree! Nobody's meant to see this side of you!

That brought me up short. Of course no one could see the other side of me. I was right; I had to remain calm. I reached the third lowest branch of my special oak tree and settled there, peering curiously out through a break in the leaves. As I braced myself for the newcomer's face, I suddenly let out a small laugh of surpirse and embarrassment. Staring up at me from the grassy floor was the face of a small rabbit. If I had my axe here I would be able to slice off its head and take it home for dinner. That would have been a feast! But unfortunately I had left it at home; it wouldn't have done me any use today. Even if someone did manage to find me up here, I would be able to jump from tree to tree to escape them.

Still feeling stupid about being scared of a rabbit, I climbed back up to my little place at the top of the tree, a feeling of contentment flowing through my blood. It was a shame not many other 14 year olds liked coming this far into the woods; it could get quite lonely here at times. Of course, I loved being alone, and the thought of even telling anyone about my secret place was unthinkable. But there were too many other thoughts floating around my meddled brain to worry about being lonely. As I tried to re-arrange them in my mind, I thought I could hear a faint tred of footsteps underneath me. C'mon, don't be stupid Cecilia, just another rabbit.[/i] I shugged and went back to arranging my thoughts, before giving up not much later. Now that I thought of it, it was actually quite stupid to think that someone else had been here. After all, who else would foolish enough to come this far into the woods??



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[Python]

Dante Draques

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There is one notable advantage when living in District Seven, and that is the freedom to explore the vast extent of forestland that covered the area. During the daytime, clusters of laborers, primarily lumberjacks, were scattered about, chopping and harvesting trees. There are many areas, however, deeper into the forest, where tranquil silence lingers about. Only the occasional rustle from a forest creature could be heard in such areas. If anybody wanted to distance themselves from society to savor the peace and quiet, the thicker areas of the forest would be the ideal locations to venture to.

With an axe clenched tightly within his right hand, Dante Draques maneuvered through the forest, the soles of his shoes crunching the leaves below him. There was no way to predict how long he had been following this same path into the woods. He had lost track of time long ago, but this was not his concern. Anybody in District Seven could find their way back to civilization without dilemma. It was a natural instinct. A gift, one should call it. Dante, however, was not focused on time or location. Isolation was his goal. He was distressed and enraged by a recent event, and the best method of venting emotions involved him traveling through these forests. He knew if he wandered deep enough there would be no witnesses. He would be completely alone in a natural, soothing atmosphere.

Several more minutes passed before Dante finally halted. He cocked his head and turned in a full circle, scanning his surroundings. An endless sea of trees was all his ocean blue eyes could see. His grip upon the wooden handle grew painful as his gaze narrowed in on one of the smaller trees of the area. Small, like that insolent boy.

”How dare he.”

Dante imagined the boy standing in front of him with that stupid, pouting expression upon his freckled face. He closed his eyes, and suddenly the tree’s stiff structure morphed into a flexible, human body. Unable to bottle the anger any longer, his eyes snapped open and he hurled the axe with as much force as his rage could create. The blade lodged itself into the bark, shattering the silence of the forest with an echoing crack. In his mind, the axe had buried itself into the kid’s skull, resulting in a waterfall of blood flow that would stain that freckled complexion forever. The image was pleasing - but it was not enough.

Dante retrieved his weapon from the wood and brought his arm back for a swing. ”I will make you wish that you had never threatened me,” he growled. His arm brought the blade down and created a diagonal wound gash in the wood. He twisted the axe in his hand and sliced it again from the opposite side. The blade made contact with the wood several more times before he paused, allowing his imagination to wander. If only the mangled image of the little freckled boy would become his reality. If only he could accomplish such a task without consequence. ”I almost killed you before,” he began, ”I can surely try it a second time.”

The gentle rustle of a tree branch startled him to his senses. The image disappeared in a misty flash, banished into the depths of his filthy mind, and he whirled around, his eyes darting frantically for the source. A forest creature was most likely the cause of the noise, he realized, but then again, what creature would remain after witnessing his violent outbursts? He lifted his gaze to the skies, allowing a the metallic grey patches to gleam within his blue irises, and searched through the trees. That’s when he spotted the suspicious, human-shaped figure resting in one of the oak trees. Dante slowly approached the base of this tree, keeping his gaze locked upon the figure, and hoped that it was not a fellow human being.

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[Cait]

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[/color] What the hell?? Don't they know that they'll get killed out here? Wow, that was a rich thing to say, seeing so there was also a high chance I could get killed as well. But I'd been practically living in the woods ever since I was 3. It was a second home for me, and even in the deepest darkest places of the woods I knew I would always be safe.

My reminiscing was interrupted by a large crack! which had come from the ground. It was a sound I knew only too well. Someone was cutting down another tree. My fingers dug into the tree branch, and it took so much of my energy to stop from jumping out of the tree and lunginge at the newcomer for doing so. They're just doing their job; can you really blame them? It was only a matter of time before they reached this part of the woods.[/i] I took a deep breath and let it out again with a heavy sigh. Forcing myself to look down at the new person, I averted my eyes to the ground once again.

A boy. Of course it was a boy. Well he obviously knew what he was doing with that axe. I watched the way he carelessly swung the heavy weapon at the tree, a pang of envy filling me. He seemed to be saying something, but the words ere hard to make out from this far up. And once he had finished talking, he went back to taking another hack at the poor tree. I watched the way the tree's trunk gradually narrowed down, and knew I had to do something before the boy cut it down permanently. Slowly, without making a sound, I leaped down into the lower branches, my dark brown hair and small frame concealing me well with my surroundings. As I was about to leap down onto the ground, I felt my foot slip slightly, and knew that it would be enough for anyone beneath me to know I was here. Slowly regaining my posture, I dared not make a sound, and waited for the boy to see me, awaiting the dreaded confrontation, which was inevitably going to be awkward.

On the bright side, he's stopped cutting down that tree.[/i]

{Ooc ~ Your Face Claim kinda scares me }
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[Python]

Dante Draques

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Dante held his silence. A breeze rolled by, shifting the dry leaves by his feet, and slithered over his skin in a cool embrace. His eyes remained glued onto the figure resting above, twinkling with curiosity, and his eyebrows knitted together in concern. His facial expression could be analyzed like a novel - he was anxious. Details absorbed themselves into his brain, and soon enough, the ambiguous figure transformed into a girl. From this distance he spotted a small body frame, sun kissed skin, and a brown mane of hair. A pair of green eyes seemed to return his stare. As much as he enjoyed ogling females, this was no situation in which he wanted to meet one at all. Her presence both irritated and worried him. There was no doubt that she had witnessed his abnormal conduct. There would be no polite first impressions here.

Why she had ventured into the deep areas of the forest to climb a tree baffled him. Surely a better reasoning could be provided, but that could only happen if Dante actually acknowledged her. He could simply walk away and leave her there to bask in the lonesome forest by herself, pretending that this scene had never occurred. There was a minimal chance that he would ever encounter this girl again. Yet, here he remained, staring up at her as if overwhelmed by curiosity. Dante had very few reasons to wander off into the forest so compulsively - one of them was anger. The temptation of harming others was so great, it was in everybody’s best interest for him to abandon the situation as quickly as possible. Home had been his previous location, but keeping himself isolated in his room could only stay effective for so long. Nature was the best getaway.

Dante contemplated an introduction. What was he supposed to say to this girl? He knew at this point that he was not going to leave just yet, so his only morally correct alternative was to speak to her. However, saying something like “Hey, sorry I was hacking away at that tree,” or “How is the weather up there” sounded moronic. Making a fool of himself was not on his set list of goals.

”Erm…what are you doing up there?”

Great question, Dante. Not.

(Really? I always thought Brad Kavanagh was adorable xD)

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[Cait]

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[/color] This was meant to be my secret place.[/i] I sighed and watched as the boy's facial features became more prominent. His chocolate brown hair blended in well with the surrounding environment, and his eyes were a deep blue colour. She knew he could see her fully now by the way his eyes curiously searched over me. I felt uncomfortable; didn't he know it was rude to stare? But there he was, sizing me up, probably wondering what the hell a 14 year old girl is doing up a tree in the middle of the woods.

I wanted so badly to leap up into the safe sanctury of the top branches, but I knew that it was no use now that the boy knew I was here. I sighed sadly, and prepared to jump down to meet him. As I adjusted my footing, I heard him call out something to me. I had to strain my ears, as it was quite difficult to hear out of my right ear. Reflexively, I reache up to my ear, just to make sure it was still there, and couldn't help the small sob that escaped from my mouth. It was always a shock to remember you had half an ear, but I managed to lay my hand on my lap and tuned back in to hear what the boy was saying.

"What are you doing up there?" The faint voice hardly reached me, but I was close enough to the ground to be able to hear what he had said. Well what does it look like I'm doing, dumbo? I'm in a tree. Dahh. I held back the remark that was forming on my lips and remembered that if I said the wrong thing it could expose my other side. I didn't want that. So instead I managed to reply with a much nicer and more civilised response, managing to keep my voice calm and laid back. "You know, just hanging around. I usually come here on a daily basis. Though I haven't seen you around before." I gracefully leapt out of the tree, landing with a soft thud! on the leaf-scattered floor. Without thinking, I walked straight up to the boy, getting right in his face. I had to show him I wasn't afraid of him. I eyed his axe for a second before retunng my gaze up to his face. "So... what brings you to this part of the woods?"[/size][/ul]

[Python]

Dante Draques

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Unbearable silence lingered in the air for several moments. Within the time span between Dante’s question and the girl’s response, he wondered if she would even bother to respond. Naturally, any normal human being would summon some type of simple response, though there was the possibility of her maintaining silence as a direct result of his actions earlier. He tried to picture himself hacking viciously at tree through an objective mindset. How insane he must have appeared! While the two stared at one another, would she secretly question his mental competence? Was she analyzing him at this very moment, trying to determine whether he was a fiend or a friend, a monster or a human? There were many adjectives that could be used to describe Dante Draques, but psycho was not the most suitable. At least that’s how he viewed himself.

The temporary awkwardness shattered when his question was answered. The girl was merely hanging out, as she so casually described it. Dante occasionally visited the depths of the forest to clear his mind and soothe the raging fire within, but to return each day seemed unnecessary. Strange, even. He was tempted to ask her why she was so fond of the forest, but at the last moment decided against it. Her interests were none of his business. He did not want to appear nosy. He had already displayed a horrid first impression.

Dante took several steps back as the girl prepared to leap. She elegantly sprang from her perch and landed in front of him with a gentle thud upon the earth. Her careful and exact movements informed him of her tree climbing experience. He did not wish to admit it, but he was one of the clumsy climbers. One wrong move would drop him to the floor like a boulder.

After that brief display, Dante was prepared for anything. An accusation, a rude remark, an insult. Anything she spat out he knew he could handle. What he did not expect was for her to practically walk into him, leaving their faces only inches apart. The girl’s bravery, or should he say boldness, was impressive. She did not seem fazed by the axe he still grasped within his hand. He held his stance. ”Just chopping some wood. It helps me take my mind off of things,” he said. A stretch of the truth, but it would suffice for now.

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[Cait]

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[/color] Well, good luck with that. I don't trust you, and I'm definitely not about to just go explaining my motives to some random playing in the woods. It looked like the boy wanted to say something, possibly ask a question, but he decided against it at the last minute and instead decided to answer my question.

"Just chopping some wood. It helps me take my mind off of things."[/b]

As soon as the response had left his mouth, I felt my body stiffen. What business did he have to be here, chopping down wood just because he felt like it. This made my blood boil and I could feel anger rising up inside of me. About a million things ran through my mind of what I could say to him next. 'What the fuck is your problem? This is MY place!' 'There's plenty of trees in the other parts of the woods, so get the fuck out of here!' 'Grow up. There's no need to take it out on an innocent tree.'[/i] Of course, I stopped myself from saying any of these things to him. I realised that none of these things would help my situation at the moment. I needed to remain calm, and keep up my bold act.

Hmmm. I'd never felt the need to swear at anyone before. Strange.

It was obvious this boy had problems; no normal person comes prancing through the woods hacking at random trees, screaming at the top of his lungs like a loony person. Though it was probably fair to say that the boy thought I was quite crazy anyway. I'd even questioned my own saneness in the past. After a long silence had passed from when he had answered my question, I decided to speak again. My face was still inches away from his, but this didn't faze me. I knew he wouldnt attack me just yet, and I didn't get shy around boys."Yes, I can see you have a bit of a.. erm, problem. But tell me, why do you decided to come this far into the woods, when there are plenty of other trees around District 7? It's dangerous here, you know."

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[Python]

Dante Draques

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Dante was unable to analyze the girl. His eye scanned over her entire body, lingering especially upon her facial features. For some odd reason he could not fathom, she smiled at him. However, he did not receive any pleasant vibes from this smile. There was tension hanging in the little space between them, and Dante could absorb it like a sponge. Why this girl had suddenly mustered up the will to confront him was puzzling. He was forced to admit that his actions were indeed odd in the view of others, but to interrupt him and invade his personal space so suddenly? The idea seemed outrageous. Dante had no intentions of complaining, though. He was not afraid of the girl, nor was she painful to look at, especially from this distance.

The girl’s words struck him like a fierce wind. A bit of a problem? Dante was not fond of that word. Problem. As if he possessed some sort of mental illness. What did this girl wish to accomplish, taunting him in such a fashion? Was she asking for an axe to the neck? Was she one of those suicidal girls? Or was she just an impulsive child searching for a challenge? If a death was what she desired, then Dante would be more than delighted to oblige.

He felt himself stirring as he parted his lips to respond. The “danger” she mentioned was nonexistent in his mind. What danger had ever lied within the forests of District 7? Nothing but a sadist boy with an axe. ”Dangerous?” He quirked a brow and stifled a light chuckle. The girl’s statement was preposterous. ”What danger could possibly be here? I hope you are not referring to yourself.” He realized that he found the girl’s question to be moronic. It was obvious why he had chosen to enter the deep area of the woods, and that reason was isolation. Dante did not wish to make a public display of his outbursts of anger, so a quiet, lonesome location was the natural place to seek. Was the girl merely trying to toy with him? To provoke him?

If that was the case, then it was working. Her blood would make a fine addition to this sad little forest.

The urges were rising already.

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[Cait]

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[/i] From the way he retaliated when I said that, it looked like he didn't like beiing called a problem. For some strange reason, I wanted to comfort him.[/color] It's okay, I have a problem too. I spend more time talking to trees than normal people. I cry myself to sleep at night. I shut out everyone that tries to get close to me. And don't let me start on my past.. But I knew I couldn't say that. Well, not yet at least. The boy had to be 3 or 4 years older than me, and he could be as dangerous as these woods were at times. Shuddering, I once again thought of how foolish I must have looked and sounded. A 13 year old challenging a 16 year old? It was unheard of. But what I'd said was out in the open, and I just had to be prepared to run away.

But no, he didn't make any sudden lunges at me with the axe still locked securely in his hand. My words hurt him, of course - no one liked being told they had a problem, especially not by some strange, loud-mouth girl who seemed to be just asking for trouble. As he understood my words, his face became more and more irritated, and I realised tht maybe I hadn't done the smartest thing by approaching him so boldly. And there you go again, making stupid, impulsive decisions without thinking.[/color] Living in the moment, as my mother often called it. In spite of the danger present in the current situation, I coouldn't help my mind from drifting back to a slightly happier memory of the past..

It was Autumn, about 6 years ago, and nearing my 7th birthday. How I could remember that far back was a mystery, but the memory was so vivid in my mind even now. I'd spent most of the day with my mother, father and brothers, and even though it wasn't officially my birthday, they were spoiling me rotten. I didn't like it one bit. Don't fuss over me. You should all be worrying about yourselves.[/color] But I didn't say anything, I didn't want to disappoint them. Anyway, at the end of the day my father took me into the woods, just the two of us like back when I was little. Golden-brown leaves scattered the ground and I was only vaguely aware of where we were heading. My dad suddenly told me to stop and wait where I was. He said he had a surprise for me. As he disappeared into the trees I got excited. What could it be?![/i] I was too anxious to wait, so, being the immature child I was, I went into the woods in search of my father.

Of course I had never travelled this far into the woods on my own, and it wasn't long before I got lost. But I didn't worry, I just climbed up the nearest tree and searched for my dad. It was quite a while before I heard him faintly calling my name. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to come into view, and when he did I was so happy to see him I jumped striaight out of the tree. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of moment, and I hadn't thought before I'd acted, just like running off into the woods in search of my father. Of course, I was a long way off the ground, and once I hit the ground I felt the most unbearable pain go up my arm and spine. I immediately knew I'd broken something, but all I could do was smile. I ended up spending my birthday in bed with a broken arm and sprained collarbone, but it was worth it. To feel the adrenaline running through me as I mischeviously disobeyed my dad's orders. And ever since that day, I'd been quite an impulsive child. I still am. I smiled a big grin at the sudden recurrence of the memory.

I was brought back to my senses by the boy's soft words. Surprisingly, he was questioning me about the danger reference inmy response rather than the problem part. Then agan, it wasn't so surprising. Nobody likes talking about their problems. Of course, I wasn't relating to myself as danger, though he shouldn't underestimate me. There are many dangerous things in these parts of the woods, but lucky for me I had hardly ever come across anything. But I'd heard stories that were probably not even true and just made up to scare people away. And even though I sometimes get frightened, they don't stop me from coming here.

I gave a slight laugh as he finished his sentence. I knew that the worst idea would be to keep up this 'confused mysterious girl looking for trouble' act, but what other choice did i have now? To back down would show fear, and I couldn't do that. And he hasn't attacked me yet. No need to worry "Of course I'm not any danger," I replied smoothly. It wasn't exactly the truth, as I could be quite dangerous, and I felt my heart race at the thought of a fight. I had enough self-control to snap out of it, though, before continuing my reply. "It's just that if you don't know your way around, bad things can happen. We wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?" I was faintly aware I might have overdone this part, but I remembered to seem uninterested and unafraid throughout the rest of my response. As I said before, I haven't seen you around, and I just assumed that you were a newbie. But maybe not." I paused for a moment, and noticed he was looking at me in a funny way. Maybe he was deciding how he should kill me. Trying not to panic, I continued talking. "You still haven't told me why you're here, or why you would come into the woods so far."

Though I had a feeling why he had come here. The same reason that I had first discovered these woods 10 years ago.[/size][/ul]

[Python]

Dante Draques

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A soft laughed knocked him out of his trance-likestate. He had been contemplating, imagining. The girl in front of him was sprawled against the forest floor, resting in a pool of her own blood. His axe was bloodied and beautiful, still clenched within his right hand. He could hear the droplets of blood thudding gingerly against the fall leaves. Drip, drip..

And then she laughed. Laughed? The sound was irksome. A disruption to his thoughts. Of all the reactions, why would she laugh? Dante’s statement had been serious, his tone firm. He truly wanted to know if she considered herself an actual danger to him, because part of him desperately wanted to prove her wrong. Her follow up statement provided him with an answer to his previous question, however, and that was satisfactory enough. It was not the answer he expected, but who was he to judge a complete stranger? He was not psychic; he could not predict how she would react and what words would come spilling out of her mouth. She was a person, not a puppet. Unfortunately.

The stranger continued to speak. Females were always so talkative. She mentioned something about finding his way around. She had assumed he was a ‘newbie’. A newbie to what? The forests of District seven, where he worked each and every day, swinging an axe at any tree worth harvesting? Was there such a creature that could not find his way in the forests? Dante could not imagine it. If one lives in district seven, one must be exposed to the forest. He must be able to wander within and explore its territory. He must be allowed to seek isolation and peace inside of it. Too bad that was no longer the case for him. He sought out tranquility and release, and instead he had discovered this irksome girl who continued to talk to him. It felt as if she were taunting him, despite her words being relatively harmless at the moment. He briefly wondered what would happen if he suddenly decided to swing his axe at her face. Would she scream?

Dante resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The girl had repeated her question, the same question he had answered less than a minute ago. Why was he here? To kill trees, of course. ”I just came here to be alone,” he stated clearly. Hopefully this response would silence her questions. He had ventured into the forest to isolate himself and slice open trees to relieve his stress. If that wasn’t obvious enough, then the girl was either stupid or purposely trying to annoy him.

”My turn to ask the questions,” he suddenly added, keeping his gaze firmly narrowed upon the girl, who was thankfully shorter than him. ”You keep asking me why I’m here, but what about you? Why did you come all the way out here just to climb a tree?”

If the question was insolent or obnoxious, he didn’t care. She was nosing her way into his business, and now it was his turn to do the same.

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[Cait]

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[/color][/i]

Why did I continue to taunt this boy, who could quite easily kill me if it came to it? It was quite obvious he wouldn;t hsitate to kill a stupid, babbling 13 year old; I'd seen him cutting those trees earlier just as if they were a living person. Suddenly I became very scared of the boy, and the fearlessness I had felt earlier turned to fear. I could feel the negative vibes coming from him, radiating as brightly as the Sun's rays. No doubt it was all he could do to resist taking a swing at me. Heck, from the idiotic grin on his face, he was probably already fantisising about my death. I was pleased to have startled him when I had spoken, no doubt he was in his own little world of depression. I didn't think I'd said anything too offensive to him. Well, not yet at least.

My laugh seemed to be the thing that irritated him most. I'd laughed right in hs face twice already, and he must've been getting quite annoyed. I was about to smile again from force of habit over the last 10 minutes or so, but stopped myself, the only remaining hint of a smile being the slight upwards curve of the corners of my mouth, twitching slightly. I regained my composure and studied the boy's face. I'd been standing here all this time and neglected the thought of getting a better impression of him. Of course, I already knew that he liked cutting down trees to take his mind off things, and that he seemed unamused by me, and that he must be one of those depressed types of people, but surely there had to be some good inside of him, right?

Of course, I had already taken note of his brown hair and blue eyes, but as I tried to got a closer look at his face without making it obvious I was observing him so critically, I could see bags under his eyes, and he looked tired and lonely. I pulled back slightly, leaving more distance between our faces now. Maybe that's a good idea anyway. Give him some time to regain his composure or something like that. I couldn't even think straight anymore. After seeing the depression in his face it was hard to look at him the same way as I previously had. Sure, this guy was a nutcase and I hated him more than anyone I had ever met - except for maybe my three older brothers - but him and I shared something in common. Of course, being sad and having anger problems isn't really something that you could count on two people having in common. If taht was the case, almost everyone in District 7 would have something in common. And of course, I did my best to lock away my anger and sadness. But there was still something that I felt, something that made me understand how he felt. And suddenly, I knew what it was.

Pity.[/color]

What a stupid emotion. Honestly, how could I feel pity for this guy at the moment?! It was stupid and made no sense whatsoever. I sighd slightly, shaking my head, before remembering that the boy was still standing in front of me. I don't even know his name..[/color] Of course, i didn't really care whether I knew his name or not, but it didn't really feel right to be talking to him like this and to not know his name. As I focused once again on the boy, I realised he was speaking.

"I just came here to be alone." Well yeah, if you're looking for somewhere to be alone, this is the place.

But it's my place, I thought impulsively, shaking the thought away as the boy continued speaking. I guess it was only fair of him to ask me the same question; he must be incredibly curious as to why a girl like me randomly comes into the woods. Though it's not random, I come here all the time... Still, I didn't think I could trust him yet, so there was no way I was going to tell him. As I opened my mouth to speak, the boy asked the second part of his question.

"Why did you come all the way out here to climb a tree?"

How dare he. How dare he. HOW DARE HE. I could feel my blood boiling at the boy's question. "Just climbing a tree?" Is THAT what he thought I was doing out here?! Well, Cecilia, that's basically all you were doi- I stopped the thought, too infuriated at the boy for asking such a thing. It was just a question, he didn't know how much these woods meant to you. You shouldn't even care what he says. But the question had pissed me off too much to let it go. I opened my mouth to yell at him, to at least speak, to let him know how I really felt, but I couldn't. I couldn't say anything to him. Instead, I just stood there, defeated, trying hopelessly to contain my anger inside of me from spilling out and runing everything.

Too late for that,[/color] I thought, as I collapsed on the ground, hands clutching my head together to keep it from splitting open, trying to stop the anger from engulfing me yet again.[/ul][/size]

[Python]

Dante Draques

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Thoughts

Humans emotions are like tornadoes; they are sudden, unpredictable, strong, difficult to track, a struggle avoid, and in some cases, extremely violent. Rage, for instance, is a powerful vortex that, when given fuel, can strengthen to a devastation extent. Combine that with other emotions such as anxiety, fear, and despair, and one could find themselves stranded within the path of a malicious storm. Destruction is sometimes inevitable. Dante could not say much about tornadoes in reality, because they rarely struck areas like District seven, but he understood emotions. He was a living, breathing, human being, after all, and despite his issues, he could relate to other people when dealing with emotions. One of the steps to understanding emotions, he recalled, was recognizing the signs.

Dante felt as if he was watching a silent movie in slow motion. His statement created such a reaction, he could see every line upon her face in motion. Her expression dramatically transformed from neutrality to pure anger. He watched her lips part into the shape of a small “o”, as if prepared to say something to him. To shout would be a more appropriate term. Her fury was so apparent, he could almost feel it. It was like a raging heat radiating from the inside of an oven. But why? Why had his simple, casual response triggered such a strong reaction? What was he missing? Key words. Unless the girl was a complete psychopath, there was no reason to be so distressed. Something within his words had upset her. But what?

“Why did you come all the way out here just to climb a tree?”

To climb a tree.

Just to climb a tree?

[/i]

Maybe that was the trigger. That tiny word “just”. A word that could make somebody feel insignificant. At this point, Dante was convinced that this was the reasoning behind her emotional alteration. He could not, however, determine how. How on earth could such a word cause her to react like this? Was she some sort of overemotional lunatic? Women. Always the emotional type. Walking vortexes that tried to suck him in and tear him apart limb from limb. What a pleasant image.

As if matters could not grow worse, the girl suddenly collapsed. The movement was so quick and abrupt, Dante nearly launched his axe at her as a method of defense. He was in no immediate danger, though, so he lowered the weapon. What he did do was step away from her, because she began to scream. It was an ear-splitting noise so obnoxious and disturbing that Dante wanted to cover his ears. So disturbing that he actually enjoyed it.

Make her scream louder.

”Shut up!” Dante shouted, wincing from the volume of her screams. Her ignored the quick thumping of his heart. He fought the desire to slash her with his axe to give her a real reason to scream. Instead, he tried to silence her. “What are hell are you screaming about?!”[/blockquote][/size]

[Cait]

Doing
Thinking
Talking
Listening

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[/i] to be today. Standing in front of this stranger, I must appear so weak. No doubt the boy was certain that I have a problem.[/color] But I don't, I'd been so good...

Without even knowing it I had somehow began screaming in my own little world, curled up on the grass in a little boy. How easy it would be for the boy who's name I still didn't knowto kill me, right here, right now. Weak, defenseless, and pitiful. I could barely make out my screaming above the horrible thoughts that kept making their way towards the front of my mind. I wanted to leave this horrible, nightmareish state of living, but just couldn't find the strength anymore. I had thought I was over the worst of my depression, but of course I had been proven wrong, yet again. All I could do was sit there, while I was forced to watch memories resurfacing, refusing to go away.

Endless nights camping in the woods, just to escape the horrors of home. Just to escape the yelling, screaming, fighting that took place on a daily basis more than 10 years ago. Doing anything that you could to feel safe, even if it made you feel unwanted, unloved. The things you sacrifice for safety, for a life that is somewhat worth living. Then of course, there was the occassional happy memory. Discovering the woods for the first time with my father, feeling the rush of something new, something exciting, something exotic. Exotic. The very word that was so often used to describe me. An exotic flower. Nothing could be more suitable. As I felt like the worst had passed, that I would be okay, the flashbacks started up again. Suddenly, I wasn't the little, timid three-year-old girl anymore. I was a "grown-up" 8-year-old, and new responsibilities meant less time in the woods. I was forced to cut down trees each and every day, the very place where I had grown up in. My safe sanctuary. The days of chopping down trees were horrible for me, and all of a sudden the image dissolved to a very recent memory. I was 13. And I was standing in my woods, talking to a stranger. The same stranger who must be thinking I'm a crazy spaz. The same stranger who thought I came here "just to climb trees." Disgusting. The thought of such an understatement. And all of a sudden, that was it. Nothing more came. All was silent.

Of course, all these memories flashed through my head rather quickly - it couldn't have been more than 2 minutes. Still, even after the memories were long gone, I could not find the strength to stand up, not even enough strength to stop screaming, which was slowly becoming more of a soft whimper. Kind of like the whimper of a frightened rabbit right before you shoot it and rip out its intestines. As I lay on the ground, still continuing to scream my lungs out, I was only vaguely aware of the boy speaking. To me, of course. Who else? Though his words were barely audible above the high-pitched screams coming from my mouth. It was bizzare, dream-like, the whole situation, only much, much worse. The boy must have stopped speaking, and then the thought of the boy talking to me, in my woods, my special place, made me scream even more. I thought I was going to faint from the horror of it all. But no. Some unknown force refused to send me to sleep, instead forcing me to stay awake for the whole time. As time went by, I couldn't find enough strength to do anything anymore, other than scream and let out the occassional whimper. I was completely insane, and each passing second wasn't helping.

Maybe I am crazy...
[/size][/ul]

[Python]

Dante Draques

Narration
Speech
Thoughts

His voice was drowned by her screams. The sound of his own voice was ringing inside of his head, reminding him that it still functioning, but once the words slid past his lips they faded into mere mutters that stood as nothing in comparison to the girl’s high pitch. He felt helpless, standing motionlessly as he watched the girl suffer from what appeared to be a psychotic episode. His questions were meaningless and his demands pointless. He was suddenly losing control of the situation. This girl was unstoppable. The screaming seemed endless. He could only wince as his dark gaze swept over her once more, searching for something. He did not know what. A symptom of pain. A different reaction. It no longer mattered. Dante wanted to silence her, and fast.

Dante became faintly aware of the lethal weapon that remained grasped within his right hand. His fingers were tightly wrapped around the wooden handle, creating a red patch on his palm and various white spots on his knuckles. Upon realization of his forceful grip he loosened it and brought the weapon up to his chest to examine it. His gaze flickered back and forth between his brush and its canvas. The axe. The girl. The artistic wonders he could perform with this weapon were endless. He nearly shuddered at the thought of it.

The opportunity is perfect.

The girl’s screams gradually began to weaken into pathetic whimpers. Dante could once again gather his rational thoughts and listen to the irksome ringing that had developed in his ears. Still, the girl’s voice continued to piss him off. He wanted nothing more than to slice her open like a piece of raw meat, and the image continued to lure him into temptations. He pressed his lips together indecisively. His logic and desires were in a raging war. Kill or not to kill? Risk the ruining of his entire life, or steal the moment for pleasure? Decisions, decisions.

After a lingering moment of silence on his part, Dante finally took a single, bold step towards the girl. She seemed so frangible and vulnerable, sitting upon the forest floor only a foot away from his deadly blade. His form towered over her as he spoke, raising the axe back as if prepared to strike. ”If you don’t shut up I’ll give you a real reason to scream.”
He did not shout nor yell. His volume remained low and he maintained absolute composure. His tone, however, was as cold and solid as stone. Threatening. Serious. Dante had no intentions of fooling around. Whether she listened to him or not, the outcome would be in his favor.

[/size][/blockquote]

[Cait]

Doing
Thinking
Talking
Listening

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[/color] Maybe death isn't so bad after all. I hardly felt it.[/color] I don't know how I could have just accepted the fact that I was dead, but at the moment it seemed like the most reasonable thing I could do. I just lay there in the calming passage of nothingness. All was white, everything was silent, nothing moved and the only thing I could feel was a slight breeze upon my face that must have just been in my imagination. Your senses don't work when you're dead...[/color]

It seemed like forever until I began to finally regain sense of where I was. I was still lying on the ground of the forest, the soft green grass acting as a soft bed for my trembling body. I'm not dead. I didn't dare to open my eyes yet, as I was afraid that I was still in some bizarre in-between land separating reality and fantasy. Again, I lay on the ground, not moving, not talking, for what seemed like forever. I was faintly aware that the screams and whimpering had well and truly left my body now, and there was no need to worry about that anymore. You can't lie here like this forever, Cecilia, I thought to myself, and decided that I was getting nowhere just lying here. Just as I had mustered up the courage to open my eyes, I heard a voice. Of course. He was still here. What more could he possibly want? The last thing I wanted to do was hear his voice, no doubt mocking me, but something made me tune in anyway.

"If you don't shut up I'll give you a real reason to scream." Charming.

Oh come on, "a real reason to scream?" For some reason that made me agitated. Of course, to him my breakdown meant nothing, but to me, it was the most important thing that had happened to me in a long time. However, I put that thought out of my head, and focused on the current situation. He shouldn’t even be here anymore. If he was sane, he would have had the sense to leave me be, in my own little psychopathic world. But no, he had decided to stay for the show, and now he had inadvertently pulled himself into my business. No matter how much I wished that he would leave, there was no going back now. He had seen me, and there was no way that he would be able to forget what he had just seen. He's part of this now, and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless.. unless.... I ignored the thought before I began thinking it through too seriously. There was no way I could kill this boy. Still, there was a little voice nagging at me in my head. Why not? He looks about ready to kill you, and he sure as hell wouldn't hesitate to do it.[/color]

That pulled me up short. He was still here. Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes and noticed that he was indeed still here, watching me carefully, his axe gripped a little too tightly for my liking. I slowly began to stand up on wobbly feet, and was momentarily able to hold myself up before I crashed to the floor, feeling incredibly dizzy. Maybe it's best to stay on the floor for now, just until I regain my senses. After all, this wasn't much of an improvement on where I had been earlier, and I was still just as vulnerable here. If he hadn't killed me before, I doubted he would kill me just yet. And I needed some more time to calm down. If I had to make a run for it, I was in no proper condition at the moment to do so. So instead, I sat on the ground and lifted my head so that I was looking directly into the boy’s blue eyes. How do I still not know his name?[/i]

As I held the boy’s gaze, I could feel a little of my mischievousness coming back to me, but decided that now would probably not be the best time to say anything too cheeky. Especially when he was the one with the axe. I took a deep breath to calm myself before replying. "Okay, okay, calm down. I'm not looking for a fight. After all, it was you that caused me to break down like that." Almost immediately, my silent promise to not lose control again was broken. I could feel my anger boiling inside of me, so I quickly continued to talk before I had a relapse of the previous incident. "I never expected this to happen at all, today was just meant to be another normal day in the woods for me. I guess that's out the window now." I let out a small sigh before finishing my short speech. "I haven’t had a breakdown like that since I was 5, it’s your fault that it happened today; you triggered it.”[/color] Again, I struggled immensely to keep my voice level, but I knew my eyes were glinting dangerously. Maybe that would scare him off, even if only momentarily. ”Anyway, I would have expected you to have left by now. Not really any point in watching me have a mental breakdown. Unless you just couldn't pass up the opportunity to kill a poor, innocent, defenceless girl like me."

To be honest, I didn't even care how much I might have pissed him off right now. He'd sent me over the edge; farther than I'd been in ages. He had to pay.

{Ooc - This post sucks so much, I was just about to post and it wiped my whole post D: So yeah sorry, I was so pissed, but here's the best I got after I'd wasted all my muse on the previous post.}[/size][/ul]