new s o u l (pika)

[Danny]

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You have to get up, Alaska. Your dad being gone is not an excuse anymore, it's been months since he moved to his own apartment. And you being in a bad mood won't help Cygnus, either. So come out of your cave, Alaska, you have breakfast to make and the mail to get, hoping your dad sent you some money. At least he stills pays the bills for you. But every time you see him, he's lecturing you on how you need to get a job. Not that you need one, according to your stubborn-as-a-mule self. The truth is, Alaska, he's right, and you aren't. But today, you don't feel like getting a job. It's okay, Alaska, be useless and lazy and no help at all. Just tell yourself you'll do it tomorrow, like you always do. Not that you actually follow up on that promise. Or else you'd have fifty-something jobs by now.

So stretch your legs, and change from that long gown of yours into something more formal for walking around with on the streets. You have some errands to run. But first make Cygnus some breakfast. Eggs and bacon sounds good, doesn't it, Alaska? You know what to do, open the small fridge and pull out the egg carton. And then search for the bacon, and get that out to. Now, heat up your skillet, "It's like a stove but portable," your dad explained to you when he first bought it for you. It's useful, well at least for breakfast. Now, crack six eggs, and make sure they're sunny-side up, just how you and Cygnus like them.

"Cygnus!" you yell to your sister, probably waking her up. Her eggs and bacon are placed on a plate, as are yours. A few moments later a girl in short-shorts and a tank-top was coming down the steps. She has changed, Alaska, she's lost. She's probably more deep in the labyrinth than you'll ever be. Be a good sister, Alaska, she needs it. She looks at her plate and shoves it away. You stare at her with eyes that hopefully make her feel like she's being given a death stare. "What?" she asks, acting dumb. "What do you mean, 'What?'" you reply. She shrugs her shoulders and walks to the fridge pouring herself a glass of orange juice and grabbing a small granola bar that isn't enough for a hamster.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to lose weight."

What's wrong, Alaska? Is it the fact that your sister doesn't need to lose weight that's making you so upset? Are you jealous of how skinny she is, and how she's acting like she's fat? No, of course not, you're worried about why she's doing this. "Why?" you ask. "Stop asking questions," she backfires. You yell. You scream. "What has gotten into you? You used to be smart and intelligent and fun and my little sister-" "I still am all those things, Alaska, I'm just changing," When you were thirteen, Alaska, you did not change this much, in this way. So you eat her breakfast, because you don't want it to go to waste and you might need the energy. You leave two eggs and three pieces of bacon.

When you get outside, it's a lot quieter than your house was a few moments ago. With a shopping list in your hand, you're wondering where the cheapest place is to go.

I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit
'Bout how to give and take

[pika]

Dallas slipped out of the house that morning, hoping that his mother wouldn't hear him. Again. Lately his mother's incessant nagging had become even more frequent, and he just wished that for once he could get away without the fear of discovery looming over his head like a malicious rain storm on a day when you have big plans. The door clicked quietly into the lock, and he breathed silently. The morning was still bitter, but not as cold as the winter mornings; even still, Dallas snuggled his neck deep into the warmth of his jacket. He fingered the loose change in his pockets, feeling the different metals of the different coins, reveling in the fact that he had a few to even spend. Along with his mom, he had also noticed that his family had been somewhat short on cash lately. Nobody really ever had a lot of money, but they always had enough to get by and then some. Now they barely had enough to get by. He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to go to the market and buy something for himself. So that's where he was going today.

Ever since the departure of his brothers, Dallas was left to deal with everything his family had to offer. Time after time Dallas would be lectured on how much of a waste he was, how he didn't match up to the beauty and successes of his brothers. Each insult stung, but his heart had begun to create its own shield, its own wall of defense. And pretty soon, it would feel nothing at all.

Dallas was looking forward to that day.

He made his way to the market, the sun beginning to peak over the tips of the clouds now, and for once Dallas felt strangely at ease. Nothing to worry about, really, and nothing to keep his mind preoccupied. As a habit, he found himself testing his hearing, snapping and making noises next to his left ear. As hard as he tried, he could never hear anything. He tried not to let himself go back to those months of pain when his ear was infected; that was when things began to go downhill. Shortly after that his brothers had left, and he had nobody to help him cope with his new loss of hearing.

Standing in front of a fruit vendor's stand, he looked at the glistening apples and pears. Nothing was ever really fresh any more in District Seven, but you could always find the best fruit at the markets. At least you could ensure that they were fresh that way. He bought a bright red apple, and then sank his teeth into it. He meandered around, apple in one hand and extra change in the other. He didn't really know what else he wanted; he knew that everything would go to waste eventually. He smiled the occasional grin to a familiar face, and even said hello a couple of times. But he wished that for once, someone would genuinely want to talk to him.

He smacked into a girl, then.

A shopping list fluttered to the dusty ground as they collided, and Dallas bent down to snatch it up. Looking up, he smiled at her. He ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly preoccupied with how it looked in the morning sunlight. "Well hello there. Sorry to disturb you," he said. But his smile said more than just a simple apology. He cocked his head to one side, his eyes brightening as he took in her beauty. A long soft, face, curvy hips, and flowing hair. He looked down at his hands, and saw the apple in the dust. Too late to pick up now, way beyond saving. The money he'd spent had gone to waste, then. But then, had it really? He was staring at this girl, after all. "Can I buy you something to eat?"

[Danny]

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Life is either decided by chance or choice.

Chance is fate. You ended up where you are for any and every reason. Because you were two minutes late to school once, because you had an argument, because you drank too much beer without realizing it. Choice is your decisions. Meaning it's your actions that you choose to do - unlike chance where it just happens - that change where you end up. It's like choosing to eat healthy instead of fat foods, like smoking instead of cutting, like saying yes or saying no. So, Alaska, what do you think your life is impacted by? Oh, I know. Chance. Of course, because you didn't choose for you mom to pass, or for your dad to work so much. You didn't choose for your sister to stop eating? It just happens.... But did you ever think about how you do choose to drink, or how you like to smoke, or how you love to argue? So Alaska, what's your decision?

Life is decided by chance and choice, you decide.

You look down at your shopping list, eggs, milk, bread, fruit, flour, female necessities, ham, and ice-cream. You know you're not supposed to get ice-cream, Alaska, because it's expensive, but you deserve a treat once a while. Plus, your dad has been making more money ever since he got that knew job. So go ahead, Alaska, get the mint ice-cream. Just don't tell Cygnus you got yourself something for yourself. Not that she'd eat it anyways, you tell yourself. You look both ways, and you can't tell which way to go. The left is less crowded, but the right has better stores... it's a win-lose situation. But right seems like the best choice. So one after another, you drag your feet across the dirty street towards the market, and the closer you get, the more you realize how crowded it is. One second, your walking, and another second you bump into some kid. You drop your shopping list, and he drops his apple. He picks up the shopping list, but I don't think the five-second rule applies on a dusty floor like this, his apple long gone. The boy hands me the shopping list and the female necessities lingers awkwardly, half of you praying to some God that he didn't see it, and half of you knowing he probably did. Alaska, stop worrying, he probably has a mom. Stop worrying.

"Well hello there. Sorry to disturb you," You bite your cheek to stop yourself from cracking up. Admit it, Alaska, that's one of the dorkiest things you've ever heard someone close to your age say. But, Alaska, you can't deny that it's kind of cute in a quirky way. "Can I buy you something to eat?" He asks. The boy doesn't seem mad at you for ruining your apple, Alaska, his smile tells you that. And so does his offer. The change in your pocket will feel abandoned for a while if you take up his offer, but why not? It's not like you talk to strangers a lot anymore. You nod. "Yeah," you start to say "That'd be cool." It was chance that you bumped into him, and choice to let him buy you food.