``` Melting Stars } [kaylin]

[brad bradford ★ d5b [arx]]

It was time to pack up and leave again. After getting back from helping in District 1 with the huge mine collapse and all, it was time to head to District 7 with another job. My dad said he wanted to expand his abilities to others but I didn't quite grasp what he meant at the time. I'm starting to understand now that he means traveling - constantly. It wasn't more than a week when he told me that we were leaving again, going to District 7. He didn't have a specific reason, but I know that my aunt lives there so I'm assuming that we are staying with her, and that the stay will be longer than just a regular vacation. Not that I mind. District 8 has nothing but memories - sad memories to be exact. But as much as I am okay with leaving, I'm still worried about how Ember would feel about that. I visited her the day before I left, telling he that I was sorry that I had to go again. But who am I to say that she needs me? Wants me there? Just an ex-boyfriend.

Now I lay in my aunt Marla's house, sharing a room with my cousin Elizabeth. She seems to be quite terrified of me, and I can understand why she might be. We can't talk to each other. I can't hear her. And the way I examine everything in her room and watch her like some sort of stalker only makes the awkwardness worse. I try not to look at her and everything else, but it's all out of habit that I do - I can't understand anybody who talks to me unless I watch their lips. I can't tell how anybody feels unless I watch them. Only my father, the girl I met in District 1, and Ember know how to speak sign language - I only have access to my father now. One is far away in District 5 and the other is buried back in District 8. And I'm here - in District 7.

I walk from the room, leaving Elizabeth to herself, deciding that I should sleep on the couch the rest of our visit. Aunt Marla is out working her job, as well as my father, and I find myself alone in the kitchen and nearly die of a heart attack when their dog jumps on the back of my knees. His mouth opens in shuts in what I assume to be yaps of joy, but I can't know for sure. For all I know he could be growling at me. For all I know he could hate me. For all I know, the whole world could be spitting hateful words at me and I might not know. I pour food into the little dogs bowl and head out the door. There is nothing for me here. There is nothing for me anywhere. I am a nobody, never useful, never where I am supposed to be, unable to help out in any kind of situation. Only Ember ever saw past my ears. Only she can understand.

As I usually do, I find myself wandering to the middle of no where. Up a few hills, down into a few valleys, finally ending up in a field of tall grass overlooking a beautiful view. I lay down, wishing for Ember to come back and trip over my midsection again. I want her back - I want her here again. Just her smile for a split second, or the touch of her hand on my face, or the look in her eyes that said she loved me. I gaze at the sky, looking for her in the stars that begin to appear in the sky. But I see nothing, no signs of her in the stars. She isn't here and never will be. The stars melt as I let tears enter my eyes before brushing them away.

[kaylin]

I'm huddled in the corner, crying. He's coming, I can hear him. Nononononoooo... I sob harder and curl up tighter, trying to disappear into a dot before he gets to me. But my efforts are to no avail because he spots me almost instantly, even in the corner of a small, pitch black room. He stomps towards me. I try to stop my crying, but I just cry harder and louder. He shouts something but I can't hear it over my sobbing. I feel the blow, hard against my jaw. The pain rings in my jaw and I scream and keep crying. He hits me again and again. I taste blood in my mouth and I feel it trickling from my nose. I'm sure I have a new black eye, maybe even two, and I hurt so much.

He kicks me again and again. It hurts too much, I can't stop crying. The world is spinning around me and my head hurts just as much as everything else. Suddenly he kicks me in the face so hard that it feels like he's broken my jaw. I scream as loud as I can and yell, "I can't take it anymore!" It seems to faze him a little bit and I take the opportunity. Pain throbbing everywhere in my body, I duck past him. It's not too hard, he's already as drunk as a man can get. I run to the door, tripping and falling when I'm almost there. He's coming right behind me and I scream as I push myself up as quickly as I can and get to the door. I throw it open and dash out of it, running away and still sobbing. It hurts so much, I can't even comprehend the pain. I hear him scream something after me but I don't care, I just keep running.

My father came home drunk that night, so drunk. I knew it when he came home, so I ran into my sister's room and told her to slip out her window and run to her friend Kayla's house. I told her to stay there for the night and then tomorrow I would slip out and get her. She said she knew what was happening and that we had to make it stop. She didn't know what she was talking about though, nothing can stop him when he's drunk and angry like he was then. She's my younger sister. Even though she's only a year younger, I'm thirteen and she's twelve, I'm still responsible for her, so I made her leave. After I knew she was safe, I hid in my closet. But he found me there, he always finds me. Before he could really cause me some pain, I ran downstairs and hid in the corner. And then he found me again.

In a way, it's good that he found me. If he hadn't he might have gone looking for my little sister Claire, and I never want him to find her. He always uses me as his punching bag and ignores her, but I'd rather Claire be ignored than have the same pain as I do. I stumble through the woods surrounding our house and up hills and valleys. The stars are so bright. Everything's swirling around me and the world's starting to fade. Suddenly I slam into something. I fall down along with whatever I crashed into and when I look to see what it was, I see a boy. Still sobbing I say, "I'm sorry..." And then I pass out.

[brad bradford ★ d5b [arx]]

I close my eyes, wanting to forget. But I only find that closing my eyes makes the memories come to life a bit better - with more definition and color. I force my eyes open again, leaving the memory of Ember behind. She is gone now. The stars speak to me. I can see there twinkling mouths moving, but I hear nothing. I always hear nothing. All that I can see is that they are happy. Stars always seem to be happy, at least from what I have observed. Is Ember happy? Is she anywhere besides my memories? All I can do is hope. Hope is a strong thing, but can hurt. Just like I hoped to marry Ember one day. Just like I hope to see her again. Just like I hope for my mother to come home someday. Just like I hope I can hear the sounds of Earth one day.

I guess hope is pointless because no matter how much hope you put into an idea or a memory, it never comes true.

And as of right now, Panem itself was a hopeless place. Everyone was dying of illness, or trapped in a mine collapse, or working themselves to death each day. And children were being drafted like soldiers to fight a war against each other. It was the perfect strategy to keep the youth of the nation away from each other. A united place was something Panem was not. And it was all because of the entertainment that the Capitol wanted - craved. How could any one being want to watch so much death? It is as if tributes aren't real people. Animals. We are all animals fighting to survive.

And suddenly my thoughts are wracked as I body falls over me. I stand quickly, noting that I really need to not lay down in fields anymore. This time was a bit different than all the other incidences though. This girl - she was crying. She was saying something but I couldn't understand. Her face was too distorted with blood and the beginning of bruises. And then, without warning she fell still. Like the darkness of the night stills the Earth. Like the winter stills the bears. Like death stills a human body ... I get down on my knees, finding myself terrified. If she is dead I will blame myself - she cannot be dead. I am gasping for air as I get closer to the girl, her beaten face making me feel sick. The only time you ever really see things like this is during the Hunger Games and that's through a television screen. I lean in close to her face, trying to forget about the blood and trying harder to ignore the smell of it. Shallow breath hits my ear and I know that she isn't dead - she is alive. But for how long?

The calm moment that passed over me has passed on and a new panic rises in me. What the hell am I supposed to do? The moon is starting to show itself in the sky, a bright orange bulb illuminating the Earth. The stars continue to sparkle and the black sky is no longer completely black. It almost calms me how bright it is. Almost. I don't know what to do, and in a frantic panic, I grasp her shoulders and shake her - but nothing happens. Her body is still limp. I give a sigh and compose myself before picking her up, cradling her in my arms. Normally, I wouldn't be able to carry anything, even a small girl, for very long, but she is so frail she feels as if she weren't there - almost like a feather. I look around, knowing there is no way I can go back to my aunts house, not with a girl that s bleeding and passed out. So I walk towards the woods nearby, seeing a cabin not to far away. It is small, and no lights are on inside, but that is quite common. I can only hope that when I knock on the door that someone will answer and help me, or it will be abandoned.

I reach the door, and give a knock. No answer. I knock again, a bit more insistently this time, trying hard not to drop the girl in my arms. Her face is at my chest and I feel the blood from her face seeping into my shirt. It is cool and damp against my skin. the door remains shut. I walk around the cabin, peering in the windows, seeing nothing. I return to the door and slam my shoulder into it as hard as I can. It bursts open, dust flying everywhere, filling my chest, causing me to splutter. My eyes adjust to the light, but I see nothing. I take a step inside, scared of what might be hidden in the corners of the cramped place. I stop, standing there, wondering what to do next. My feet won't carry me further and my fear of darkness is taking over. Without sight I am nothing. I look down at the girl, wishing with all my might that she will wake. I get to my knees and set her down on the dusty floor. All I can do is hold her head in my lap and hope. Hope for a miracle.

Hope.