~If You Help Me Escape~

[mcmarti99]

Stomp, curse, stomp, curse, oh wait, he’s puking. That’s new. I feel good that he feels pain, but then I realize I’ll have to clean it up. Wait for the door slam.. BAM! Okay, time to get up. I throw my long and limber legs off the side of my scrawny and uncomfortable bed. Though, I was too tired last night to care. I step into my ratted jeans and slip on one of Dad’s old tee-shirts. I carefully, making sure not to wake him up, I make my way down the rotted stairs into the disgusting kitchen. Flies are everywhere, all over the counters and cabinets. Good thing I put all the food away last night, I didn’t bother with Dad’s whiskey bottles. He wouldn’t notice a couple flies in them, and quite frankly, I would enjoy seeing him drink flies mixed with the sickening poison. I look on the supposedly white fridge that has now turned a moldy shade of yellow for the note. He usually leaves me a note telling me where I’ll go that day. I looked all over the fridge; I even looked inside the thing, just in case he was drunk when he wrote it. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I started to search the floor and found a note in the living room, half written, reading: Forest, in scraggly letters. He was drunk. That means I might actually be going to the forest, or I might be due somewhere else and his drunken mind forgot all that. I looked in the fridge for some breakfast, and wasn’t successful besides a jug of rotten milk and a moldy muffin from last week. Not the entire muffin was moldy, and I was starving. So, I cut out the moldy parts and chowed down, or as much as you can with a moldy muffin. I then took a drink of the rotten milk, but spit it out as soon as it touched my tongue. It came out looking more like cottage cheese than anything. OH DUH! I was supposed to go to the store last night! This was a problem, because I knew what was coming if Dad didn’t have his breakfast.

I decided to walk to the store and skip my first shift of the day. This was almost a deadly move. If Dad found out I snuck out, there would be consequences. I figured I would just hide the note in my pocket and tell him it said to go to the store first today. If he was drunk enough, he won’t remember and he’ll go along with it. I walked out onto the stoop as I always did every morning and out on my boots. I couldn’t spot a single soul in the street. I questioned whether the store was open this early; I decided to find out when I get there. I stepped off the stoop and started to walk down the street. I saw the forest looming over me. My first shift was a four hour one. Maybe I could slip in there today, after I went to the store.

I walked heel-toe just for the entertainment. I pretended we were the richest people in the entire District and that I didn’t have to work every day. This is sort of a childish dream now, considering it will never happen, but the idea made me tingle. The square was just a mile away from our house, not a far walk. And the store was about three blocks down from the square. Even in the usually busy square, only a few were up and about, mostly store owners. The baker, the store clerks, the seamstresses, they all came to open up their stores. I was the first costumer of the day in the store. I grabbed some bread and butter to make toast. I grabbed some spices and herbs that should settle Dad’s upset stomach. I then walked over to the dairy section, and grabbed some cheese and milk. If I was just buying this, it would be a fortune, but I have worked over here before, so I got employee discount. Plus, Jamie, the clerk loved me. I ended up paying $13.49 for all of it. This was still a reach for me, money wise, but I had grabbed some from Dad’s secret stash before I left. I walked down the street carrying two brown paper bags. If anyone was up, they’d think I was rich, but my raggedy appearance would often tell them otherwise. My jeans were cut into gaping holes at the knees, and my tee-shirt had a bunch of holes in the bottom of it. I did have a pretty nice windbreaker my mother gave me before she passed away that I had just grown into recently. It fit pretty nice, and it did a lot better than my jean jacket. I started to walk out of the square and back to my house.

I still planned to skip my first shift today, even though I got back just in time for it. To kill time, I took a while to put the groceries in just the right place. I heard Dad stirring upstairs and quickly ran to the woods; it was just a short run away. My leather boots were noiseless against the uneven mix of dirt, gravel, and cement. I supposed I would find a tree, far back in the woods, where the workers wouldn’t go, and sit there for a while. I slipped through the fence easily, there was just one section of it that wasn’t lit up with electricity, and it was just a short walk from where the street met the fence. I slipped through the barbed wire and ran into the cover of the trees. My brown hair and green eyes blended well with my surroundings. Dew fell from the trees and fog covered the sky. As I was gazing up at the sky, trying to make out the forecast I kept walking, and eventually ran into a tree. I bounced off of it and landed on the ground. Laughing, I got up and realized it was an apple tree. I picked the best apple off the top branch and climbed for it. I had almost fallen out of the tree when I finally got it. I lowered myself down with one hand and ate the apple with the other. I had eaten the whole thing before reaching the bottom branch of the tree. I jumped down and thought I heard some rustling somewhere. Whether it was an animal, or a person, the danger of them finding me could be all the same. I ran away from the noise. Finally I got far enough away I couldn’t hear it. I relaxed and found a tall tree to climb. Once I was up in it’s branches, I took deep breaths of the morning air. I’m glad I did this.

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[Raseri]

Trey Cooper never needed an alarm to wake him up –no loud noises, no bright lights, no nudges in the side from his parents, and he didn’t need a dog like his friend Luis had to come in and rouse him with sloppy dog kisses. It wasn’t the sound of the birds in the morning, or the light shining in through his bedroom window, or even the crackle of the bacon his mother always began frying right before he woke up. The smell of the morning was what dragged him out of his drowsy state and back into consciousness, pulling off the blankets of sleep and coaxing him out of his dreams. The quiet, cool morning air crept in silently through the window, and Trey, smelling it, lifted his heavy lids and yawned, stretching out his arms to his sides.

His feet slid into an old pair of brown hiking boots that his father had given him a few years ago– “Morning boots, Trey,” the man had said with a smile. ”Put these on and your feet won’t get tired no matter where you go.” Trey had worn them almost every morning since then; mostly because he didn’t have many other pairs of shoes, but also because they were extremely comfortable despite what they lacked in style.

Not bothering to stop in the bathroom to brush his teeth, he pulled a wrinkly old flannel shirt out of his dresser drawer and slipped it on over the white T-shirt he had slept in. Even though Trey cared more about his appearance than some of the other guys he knew, he never cared what he looked like when it came to one of his morning walks. He never saw anyone anyway; he usually woke up earlier than most of the other teenagers he knew, and the only people he met along his route were the men that cut down the trees on the morning shift. They didn’t care what he looked like; they were usually grubby and dirty themselves from all the dirt and sawdust. Besides, he would brush his teeth and stuff when he got back.

Choosing a penknife from his drawer –and yes, he had an entire drawer dedicated just to knives- and grabbing an unfinished carving off his nightstand, he walked downstairs into the kitchen to grab a handful of the bacon he knew his mom had just finished making. It might seem selfish to grab a crap ton of bacon off the plate when there were still two other people in the family, but Trey knew his mom and Dad wouldn’t care; they knew he loved the stuff about ten times more than they did. He had once traded three of his best carvings to a butcher for two pounds of bacon, even though it had taken him weeks to finish all of their details, and even though the butcher probably hadn’t fully appreciated their craftsmanship.

He stepped out onto the sidewalk and headed down the street as usual, whistling whatever notes came into his mind. Usually he’d just go in a loop around the neighborhood, just enough walking to wake him up, occasionally climbing a tree if it looked particularly climbable or sitting on a bench and working on his carvings. For some reason, though, he felt like taking a detour from his usual morning routine. Maybe he was just feeling spontaneous today.

He felt his legs drawing him closer to the fence at the edge of the district. Even though it was against the law to go past the border, no one seemed to care in District 7. The Peacekeepers hardly ever caught anyone –well, that is, they hardly ever caught the ones who knew where the best places were to get past the fence. Some spots were a lot more private and inconspicuous than others; and therefore the best if you didn’t want to get arrested. Fortunately, Drew had shown Trey exactly where the best place was –a weak spot in the fence that the Peacekeepers hadn’t fixed, where the electricity didn’t work. Someone had dug a hole under the spot so you could easily crawl under it if you weren’t a fatty. Thankfully, Trey was not at all chubby and he slid under the fence effortlessly, quickly dropping to his stomach and slithering along the ground. Once he was on the other side, he brushed off his clothes and headed back into the woods towards a familiar tree.

Even though he could remember clearly where it was, it seemed like years since Drew had last brought him to the spot where he was headed. It felt like it had been in a different time entirely, a different world even. Then again, perhaps it had been a different world; things had changed so much for Trey since his best friend had been killed in the Hunger Games that District 7 didn’t seem like the same place.

I’m not even mad at the girl that did it… No, it wasn’t her fault; all she was doing was surviving. That’s what everyone had been trying to do. The capitol had killed him, and eventually they had killed the girl, too. I can go past the border all I want, I don’t care that it’s illegal. The president killed my best friend and the Capitol can suck it.

He tried to push the thoughts about Amadeus out of his head, but when the apple tree came into view, he couldn’t help but remember the first time he had been brought there. When he was about fifteen, he and Drew had been walking through the woods, looking for pieces of good wood to carve, when they had come across this tree. The branches had been heavy with apples that day, so the two had decided to stop and pick a few of them.

”Hey Coop,” Drew had called, chucking one of the green fruits at Trey’s head. ”Look what I found.” Trey had thrown one back, taunting, ”Ha! Looks like you’ve found your brain, Drew!” Being excellent climbers, they’d hoisted themselves into the tree and climbed to pick the best apples off the high branches, putting them in the basket they’d brought for wood. They hadn’t returned home with any good carving materials that day, but there were enough apples to last both of them a week. Ever since then, he and Drew had come back each summer to pick the apples.

His heart jumped a bit when he saw a foot dangling from a branch, but then he realized –it wasn’t Drew, he was dead. So who else would it be? His eyebrows furrowed as a pang of anger spouted somewhere inside him; no one else was supposed to know about this place. It was supposed to be special, only for him and Drew.

When the person dropped down from the tree, he saw it was a girl about his age. The spark of anger was extinguished as he realized she was a pretty girl, with brown hair and blue eyes and long legs. She didn’t seem to notice him, though; he was well concealed by the shrubbery around him. It felt kind of weird just sitting there, and he didn’t want to feel like a stalker, so Trey decided to say something to her. He started forward…

A twig snapped under his foot, and the girl seemed to tense up at the sound. He hadn’t meant to startle her; maybe he should have made his steps louder in the first place, so she would have heard him coming. He had a naturally quiet tread; his mother always told him he should have been a dancer rather than a carver. Then the girl ran, and he followed. Why, he didn’t exactly know, but it wouldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to. It would certainly take his mind off Drew.

After picking an apple, he walked after her quietly so as not to scare her again. The girl was running, but it wasn’t so fast that he couldn’t see where she was going. When she climbed into a tall oak tree, he walked out into the open just as she reached its uppermost branches. He squinted up at her and thought about yelling to get her attention, but then decided against it; it wasn’t a good idea to make a lot of noise in a place that was off-limits. His thoughts flashed back to the apple that Drew had thrown at his head, and he looked at the fruit in his hand. Nah, he wouldn’t throw the apple; that would be stupid, it was a nice apple. But he could throw something else…

Picking up a rock off the ground, he aimed at the branch the girl was sitting on and threw it. The stone hit the branch dangerously close to the girl, and he winced, thinking it might hit her. But it didn’t; instead, it make a loud knocking sound against the wood, and Trey hoped he had grabbed her attention.

”Hey,” he said casually up at her with one of his trademarked smirks that women seemed to love. ”How’s the weather up there?”

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[mcmarti99]

Thinking and acting like no one was around can get you into trouble sometimes. This was one of those times.

After retrieving my apple from it's dangling branch. I let my leg hang down from the next sturdy limb. It swung back and forth in a tune that I myself had never heard before, but it sounded so familiar. The air was still fresh and crisp. I lay my head against the center of the tree and stuck my teeth into the juicy apple. Wild apples tasted so much better than the store bought ones, that were rotten form the core. I let a hazy mist lay over me, concealing me from the rest of the world. It was only here, in the forest that I felt truly at home. I looked around, having a pretty good view of my surroundings. I saw a blackberry bush just a few paces away and thought I would grab some to take back home. I hopped down from my perch in the tree and silently landed on the ground. Though I didn't here my own feet, I heard someone else's. No one was supposed to be up this early, let alone in the woods. My body froze in mid step. Looking around, the coast was clear, I was just about to keep walking when I heard a twig snap. It snapped under a human foot I was sure. As animals wouldn't make such a careless mistake. I tensed all my muscles at the same time, and took one more look around.

In front of a mix of different shrubbery was a boy, about my age. He had black hair, and he was slim, that was all I took the time to notice before running. He seemed safe, so my pace wasn't too fast. I thought he would just walk in the other direction, but instead he followed me. My pace quickened at the sight of him behind me. He was just walking, but even the fact that he was following me was a little creepy. I realized now that I was running, that when I jumped down from the tree I had landed on my ankle slightly wrong. It throbbed and caused me to slow down. He would catch up with me easily if I were to keep running at this pace. I just prayed he wasn't a climber.

A few steps ahead was a tall oak he would have to scale to get to the top limb, which was one of my best skills. I was hoping maybe he wouldn't see me climb into the tree, but he did. I pressed my forehead into the center of the tree and groaned at my ankle. The way that my luck was going, he probably was a good tree climber, but for now I was safe up here. Looking down on him, he looked small, but he was probably taller than me. I kept my head pressed into the tree repeating one word in my mind. Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit. He seemed to crave my attention, as I wanted nothing more than for him to go away. He looked at the apple in his hand and moved it around with his fingers. He shook his head slightly and looked around on the ground. Finding a.. A ROCK?! Yeah, that's a good way to get someones attention! He threw it up at me, almost hitting me. This angered me. I was sick of being treated like a little girl that needed to be watched all the time, yet was forced to work. I wasn't making sense. I just didn't like him following me.

The rock made a loud sound against the wood making me flinch and cover my ears. He had my undivided attention now! He looked up at me with this look. I don't even know how to describe it. He looked.. was he flirting with me? Does he even know who I am? A work girl? Does he really want to waist his time with me? All these questions rang in my mind. I realized he was speaking and toned my ears into his words. Hey. How's the weather up there? I couldn't help it, he looked safe enough, and, I don't know. I kinda liked someone paying attention to me.. Even if it was a random boy in the woods. Well, right now there seems to be a chances of rain showers. Some consisting of ROCKS, and some include confused girls who are not at all flattered by your smirks. I lied. I was very flattered by him.I noticed all his features. He had a pretty face, and huge gorgeous lips. He looked different. I don't think I had seen him, though I had worked pretty much everywhere. I shrugged the thought of it off and watched him. He looked safe enough, but I wasn;t coming down just yet.

Looking down on him was a weird feeling for me, as metaphorically, I have always been told I am smaller than everybody. And I do feel that way sometimes. This was just too awkward for me. Who are you anyway, do you want something? Did my dad send you? This hasn't crossed my mind until now, and now that it did, I definitely was not coming down until I was sure he was gone. If Dad had sent him then I'm in huge trouble. I felt my arms and legs start to shake. It took all I had to cling to the tree, trying to slow my heart rate down, and catch my breath.

Hey! I'm Mockingjay Swagger! SOOO glad you're finally back! I'm really looking forward to threading with you!

[Raseri]

”Well, right now there seems to be a chance of rain showers. Some consisting of ROCKS, and some include confused girls who are not at all flattered by your smirks,” the girl retorted. Trey laughed heartily at her feistiness and his smirk turned into a full-on smile as he lifted his hands to put them behind his head in a “hey-I’m-just-messing-with-you” gesture. She didn’t seem to be enjoying his company… yet. That was okay; he knew all women warmed up to him in the end. Partially because he was good-looking and partially because he was just a downright nice guy. Well, to girls at least.

”Hey, I was just trying to be friendly,” he teased defensively, ”And what, are you afraid of a little rock rain?” He laughed again and brought his hand up to the level of his eyes to shade his eyes from the sun as he craned his neck and looked up at her again. The light seeping in through the canopy of the oak tree’s leaves outlined her features nicely, and Trey noticed once again her long dark hair, her blue eyes, and her full lips. His expression went back into a smirk without him trying; maybe that was just his normal facial expression when he was in a good mood.

”Who are you anyway, do you want something? Did my dad send you?”

This question stumped him, which was saying something; Trey was the type of guy who could usually come up with a smart retort at the snap of his fingers. Man, was this girl defensive. He didn’t know what was up with her dad that would make her think he had sent him, but then again maybe he didn’t want to. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and his head titled to the side questioningly.

”Trey Cooper, local District Seven yokel at your service. No thanks, I don’t need anything, and I don’t know who the heck your father is, I came here by myself on behalf of my own free will. Any more questions?”

He tensed as he saw her arms and legs starting to tremble; if there was one thing that bothered Trey, it was when people fell out of trees. You shouldn’t even climb a tree if you don’t know how to get out of it properly. He had seen his friends fall out of trees and break their arms and dislocate their shoulders, and it always made him angry afterwards that he hadn’t been on the ground to catch them. I hope she knows how to climb. A pretty girl falling out of a tree is exactly what I need to brighten up my morning.

”Are you okay?” he asked, genuine concern on his face. ”Hang on, I’m coming up there.” he told her without waiting for an answer.

He grabbed the lowest branch and hoisted himself into the tall oak. Pulling himself up into the branches above his head, he soon became level with the girl and he sat down on the branch across from her. Steadying himself with his left arm, he reached his right hand out towards the girl slowly.

”Need a hand?”

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I seemed to be amusing him, which kind of made me upset because I really didn't want him to be here. I had edged this in my mind after he showed me a flirty smirk and the idea that Dad might have sent him set in. He let out a hearty laugh that was almost too hearty. It made me feel even more uncomfortable. Okay, he was cute, but he didn't and shouldn't be here, though I shouldn't either.

[/size]Hey, I was just trying to be friendly, And what, are you afraid of a little rock rain?" No matter how hard I tried I couldn't encase my smile at his comment. It was funny. Yeah, rock rain pretty scaring when the mother nature that's causing it is a stranger.[/b] I teased him. I slapped my hand over my mouth as I had just told myself I wasn't his entertainment. I must have looked silly. Not that I cared what I looked like to him right? Right? No. Maybe? Yes? I don't know. I realized that my eyebrows were moving up and down and I was flirtingly biting my upper lip.

He continued, though I wondered if he took notice of all my strange facial expressions. "Trey Cooper, local District Seven yokel at your service. No thanks, I don't need anything, and I don't know who the heck your father is, I came here by myself on behalf of my own free will. Any more questions? Okay. So if he's not a liar, and he's either really good, or he's not lying. I let myself relax a little, but I was still on edge. Talking to strangers hadn't always gotten me into the best of situations before. Pfft.. Okay, Trey Cooper, local District seven yokel, who is apparently at my service, has no idea who my father is, and by the way you don't need to know.. Why did your free will make you follow me in the first place? I babbled. My limbs were quite noticeably shaking by now. I was frozen though, I wasn't going anywhere. "Are you okay?" He gave me a concerned look. "Hang on, I'm coming up there." My eyes widened as Trey started to scale the tree. I kinda figured he wasn't harmful since he hadn't done that in the first place, but then again, he might have been waiting until I came down that way he could catch me easier. He had proved he was a runner.

I would have climbed higher, but something made me stay, whether it was my frozen limbs or the fact that he had climbed all the way up here, I don't know. Or was it something else? I don't know, but whatever it was I stayed. I attempted to move my ankle, but then realized it hurt. Bad. I couldn't climb if I even wanted to, so I guessed I would stay up here and wait for Trey. He climbed surprisingly fast. Once he was level with me, he stretched his right arm out to me.

"Need a hand?" He asked. Okay. It's official. He wasn't cute. He was adorable. I paused for a minute, getting lost in his big eyes. His hair was brushed just the right way.... Shut up Rosy! He asked a question! Uhhh.. I was still kinda gazing. Yeahh. I kind of slipped out of that tree and landed on my ankle wrong... And running form you didn't help much either... I can't move it. I might need some help.. I didn't want to admit this to him, because in what ever way he decided to get me down, if we got down at all, would be awkward. I could see myself accidentally kissing him.. I awaited his reply, secretly hoping to just spend the whole day with him in the tree. That would be the easiest thing to do today.


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[Raseri]

"Yeah. I kind of slipped out of that tree and landed on my ankle wrong... And running from you didn't help much either... I can't move it. I might need some help."

Genuine concern flashed over Trey's face for a moment, and he felt really sorry for the girl. But then he became a bit irritated that she had been so careless. If she's alone in the wilderness like this, you'd think she'd be more careful about how she got down from a tree. If she'd have fallen and hurt more than her ankle... He quickly pushed that thought out of his head; Trey didn't like to think about people falling out of trees. But still, she should have been more careful. There were bears and cougars and foxes- and pretty much everything else in these woods. If one of those would have found her when her ankle was hurt, there was no way she would have been able to get away fast enough.

His thoughts went to the knife in his pocket. Maybe she should carry one of these. Just in case he needed to use it, he never left the house without one. You could call him paranoid, but these were dark times. Besides, it was good to have in case he found some good carving wood.

He could carry her out of the tree when she needed it. After all, she didn't look that heavy, and though he didn't look it, Trey was pretty strong for his age. He had carried people out of trees before, even if they were usually his younger cousins. He had great balance, too, a trait that he'd developed after years of climbing trees. In fact, his balance was so good he could stand on a thin branch on one foot with his eyes closed. Besides, why would he pass up the opportunity to help out a pretty girl with an injured foot? The only problem was that she didn't seem too fond of him; even now she seemed suspicious of something, and she didn't seem to be warming up to him as fast as most girls did. Would she even let him help her?

"I can help you down, if you want," he offered, meeting her gaze. He helped lower her down to sit on the branch so that she wasn't standing and clinging to the trunk. "But you don't want to get down yet, do you? I mean, you came all the way up here... " It seemed like a waste of a good climb to return to the ground so soon. They were sitting in a really good climbing tree, too, on a really nice morning. It would be a shame not to enjoy it. Later, he would help her down, but for now he decided to just enjoy the scenery.

Turning sideways so that he could lean his back against the trunk of the oak, Trey craned his neck to gaze through the canopy of leaves. He loved being in trees; the green-tinted light shining through the treetops always had a calming effect towards him. It was a good place to think, and very private because it seemed like no one ever looked up. Even the few people that happened to pass right by the trees that he climbed always seemed too caught up in their own business to look up into its branches. It was almost like being invisible...

Trey wondered if the girl ever felt like becoming invisible too. She probably did. Maybe that had been why she had come out here in the first place.

"Anyways... I followed you because you looked lost," he lied. In reality, he had just wanted to talk to her for some reason. "You never did tell me your name," he observed thoughtfully before pulling the wood block out of his pocket. He flipped open his knife and began to carve it slowly and carefully.

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He looked at me, seemingly concerned. It felt strange that I was actually going to accept his sympathy. I mean, I do get sympathy from other people, but I never feel the need to accept it. Now.. well if Trey didn't help me I was going to be stuck up in this tree for a while. I rolled my eyes at myself. Why was I being so stupid. I came into the woods all by myself, and if someone or something else besides Trey was chasing me, who knows what would've happened.

He seemed to be thinking of a way to get me down without it being strange. Trey didn't look all that strong, but I was just a bundle of skin and bones, so even a guy younger than me could easily pick me up. Trey also seemed to be a good climber, which shouldn't make carrying me down all that rough on him. Though, it did make me feel uncomfortable to ask him of this.. I continued to bite on my lip, wondering if he would just leave me here.

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"I can help you down, if you want," he offered, but something else was on his mind. He helped me sit down on the same branch he was on. We locked gazes and he continued. "But you don't want to get down yet, do you? I mean, you came all the way up here... " I guess I didn't, I mean I knew it would be painful, and plus, I wasn't really in a working mood today. I did think about how much trouble I would be in when I got home. Never leaving his gaze I thought about what might happen. I was completely torn, but, I guess Dad would never have to know.. But, would he figure out somehow?

Trey turned sideways and turned his neck to look through the canopy. I almost felt lonely because he was so focused on it. Continuing to think about this, I watched him. He finally tore his gaze from the canopy looking back at me.

"Anyways... I followed you because you looked lost," The thought of him being around me was starting to set in my mind. I was warming up to him, and this whole thought of spending the day up in the tree with him wasn't so appalling to me anymore. Did I really look lost, because to me it seemed pretty obvious I was running from you..?[/b] I asked. It was pretty true. And you never did tell me your name. Roselyn. Call me what you want. I've been called Rosy, Rose, Lynn. I don't have any preference really. [/b] I babbled, now that we were so close, and I was actually okay with it, I was becoming nervous. He grabbed a block of wood out of his pocket, and a knife. I jumped back and almost fell off the limb. Is that really necessary? I then noticed he was carving the piece of wood. I let out a sigh and laughed a little. I scooted over closer to him to see what he was carving. Oh. Okay.[/b] I looked down at what he was carving. Where did you learn how to do that?[/b] I asked him. His hands were so steadily holding the knife close to the block of wood. I was pretty memorized by his art.[/size]

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[Raseri]

"Roselyn. Call me what you want. I've been called Rosy, Rose, Lynn. I don't have any preference really," she said. Trey grinned at her. Now that was better. She was giving him the option of nicknames, so it seemed like she was finally opening up. He would have to think of a good nickname for her, one that hadn't yet been given to her...

When he pulled out his knife, she jumped, and he stopped. What now? Then he realized that she was probably freaked out by knives or something, so he pulled out his block of wood to show her he wasn't going to murder her. Rosie's sigh and nervous laugh told him she'd gotten the message. Geez, girl, you live in District Seven and you've never seen a guy pull a carving knife out of his pocket?

He laughed as her nickname came to him. "So I can call you anything, huh?" he asked with another smirk, pausing his carving for a moment. "How about 'Jumpy?' I think it's fitting," he finished matter-of-factly.

Jumpy scooted over closer to him to observe what he was carving. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

Trey froze, the question taking him by surprise. To anyone else, that might not have been such a personal question. But for him... Well, he didn't want to think about the answer. He could remember the day clearly, though... He and Drew had been about twelve when Drew had taught him how to carve things.

"Teach me how to do that, Drew," he'd said after watching his friend turn a boring old block of wood into a goose. The other boy had run back into his house and brought out a bar of soap. "Here, Coop, you'd better start with this," Drew replied. The soap was really easy to shape once Trey had been taught how to hold the knife correctly. Then Drew taught him how to shape a block of wood into a boat. "No, you've gotta go with the grain," he'd corrected many times. When finally Trey had made a passable boat, Drew had smiled. "Someday we'll sell these, and they'll be the best wood carvings in the world. You and me, Coop."

Drew had never gotten to open up the little wood shop he'd wanted. But even now, Trey kept carving. He could never quite master the art the way Drew had, but he kept trying nonetheless. There was no way he would let his best friend's dream rot away with his body.

"I... learned it from a friend," he said gruffly, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He didn't want to give Rosie the whole sob story; the last thing he wanted was for her to feel sorry for him. He would've offered to teach her, but for some reason that would've felt wrong. Maybe it was because it was kind of a private thing between him and Drew. He continued his carving, her question putting him at a loss for words.

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Okay, I have to admit, I've never been called 'Jumpy' before.

[/b] I joked at him. I laughed and watched his delicate hands carve the wood block. I had probably known him for an hour, but I felt like I had known him forever. Though, by the way he was acting he didn't feel the same way. He seemed distant, deep in thought. I wished he would tell me what he was thinking, but I can't ask that much of him. It seemed to soon. "I... learned it from a friend," he said, not revealing much about what seemed to be a painful past. I let my head fall onto his shoulder and swung my legs back and forth. If only we would never have to leave. If only we were up in this tree, stuck in this moment forever.

The birds chirped all around us, seemingly not afraid. The wind rustled the trees and blew my hair behind my back. The air smelled fresh and new, this was new to me. I was happy. I was with a friend. I'm suddenly glad he followed me. I watched him carve, trying to make out what it was that he was making. His expression remained focused, I'm sure he didn't even notice I was laying on him. He bit his lip and trained his eyes on the wood in front of him. I moved my head around on his shoulder, trying to get him to notice me. When that didn't phase him, I interconnected my arm with his. That way his hands were free to work, but he would know I was there. I played with the bark at my fingertips and watched Trey. A hair fell from his head into his face, I reached up and pushed it away. His breathing steadied my own. I was close enough I could feel his breath. It chilled my skin, even though it was warm.

You know what? This is the first time I've actually been in the woods with anyone besides my mom.[/b] I said, trying to make conversation. It felt strange just to sit up here and not talk. Above me I spotted a lone flower. It was in arm's reach sitting down. I stretched my arm up to it, breaking it's fragile stem. I smelt it. The sweet aroma filled my lungs with sweet air. My eyes fluttered close and my body relaxed. I was too relaxed to notice, but our interlocking arms were the only things holding me on the tree.

OOC: Sorry, I didn't know what to write and this somehow felt right... LOL

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When Rosie laid her head on Trey's shoulder, he was too engrossed in his carving to notice. Not only that, his mind kept dwelling on Drew and how everything used to be. Each stroke of his knife against the wood sent a new chorus of 'with the grain, Coop'-s echoing through his head, and images of the two boys' times together flashed through his mind. Any other time, he would be paying a lot more attention to the girl beside him, but Rosie's question had unearthed too many memories. Now it barely seemed like he knew she was there, even when she wrapped her arm around his.

"You know what? This is the first time I've actually been in the woods with anyone besides my mom." The sound of Rosie's voice cut through the silence like the knife in his hand, snapping him out of his trance and bringing him back to the present. Trey remembered where he was; in a tree with a pretty girl (who had her head resting on his shoulder, by the way) who he should probably have been paying more attention to. If Drew were here, he wouldn't have ignored her. No, his friend would have kissed her right on the spot, and she would get all googly-eyed at him, just like all girls used to.

He realized she had her arm interlaced with his, too. When did that happen? He must not have been paying attention. Now he felt a little awkward. Nice going, you jerk. She started paying a whole lot of attention to you right when you subconsciously decided to ignore her. Not really knowing what to say, he just stared at his carving... Which was now finished. What was once a little block of wood was now a tiny fox, crouched and ready to pounce on its unsuspecting invisible prey. He blew on it to remove the excess wood shavings and slid it into the pocket of his old hoodie. When he got home, he'd add it to his overflowing box of things that he'd made.

Jumpy's whole body seemed to completely relax, and Trey wondered if she had fallen asleep. Her breath was warm on his neck, and for a moment it seemed like the world was standing still. The rustling sound of the wind in the leaves mingled with the rythmic chirping of the birds, creating a natural hum that was almost like an electric buzz. It was almost like you could feel all the life around you, like everything in the forest -including Rosie and Trey- was breathing as one.

Wait... what was that rustling sound? Trey's trained ears perked up, alert. He'd been in these woods enough times to know that you had to constantly be on your guard for predatory animals. Especially bears, because they had no problem climbing trees. Something big was moving on the ground, he could hear it, and it didn't sound like a deer. Whether it was a bear or a lynx or a Peacekeeper, he didn't know, but he had a feeling that they shouldn't stick around to find out.

He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Well, um... Yeah. Maybe we should get you home," Trey said awkwardly. Whoever this girl's parents were, they probably wouldn't want her to be gone so long anyway. "I'm done carving."

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Trey finally finished his delicate handy work. He blew the dust off of it, now that the dust was cleared I could see it was a tiny fox. I smiled at it, so small and pure. I wished I was this way. I decided to make it sound like I was to Trey. I never wanted him to know about my father. Hiding all these feelings behind my smile, I continued to gaze at the tiny fox. He slipped it into his pocket and looked around. He seemed so content in the woods, it seemed he was deep in though too. Continuing to smile, I moved my gaze to his face.

Trey's ears perked up. He seemed alert. I straightened up and removed my arm from his, listening hard. There was a rustling sound coming from beneath us, and though I didn't dare to look down and see what it was, out of the corner of my eye I did see movement. My world stopped, it started to spin and tumble. I felt like the ground was shaking beneath me, what if it was my Dad, or a Peacekeeper? I looked up at Trey, knowing he had heard it too. "Well, um... Yeah. Maybe we should get you home, I'm done carving." But I didn't want to go home. I wanted to stay right here. I grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. Don't you have something else you can carve?

[/b] I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. If it was a Peacekeeper or Dad, I wouldn't want them to think I knew they were there.

I had heard about the Detention center. Only rumors of course, but Dad has told a few stories of his friends being whisked off there. I couldn't imagine what it was like to be an Avox, dying seemed to be the best choice in this situation. As least my last day would be happy. Just before Trey was going to reply, I heard a low growl. I squeezed his hand tighter and buried my face in his shoulder. Tears fell from my eyes onto his shirt. I thought about this one time when I was working in the woods and a bear killed one of the men. They dragged his body out like it was slop and threw it in the Peacekeeper's truck. I remember cringing and letting a tear fall for the man. Would people shed tears for me? Trey? What was that?[/b] I asked in a whisper. The growl grew louder. I made myself look down, and standing at the base of the tree was a bear. A big black bear.

I stood up faster than I thought I could with my ankle. My mind swirled, do I go up, or down. My instincts said up, but my brain was telling me neither. Bears can climb and bears can run. So what were we supposed to do now? I reached down to Trey, he had moved from his spot just a second ago and when I reached down to him my foot slipped. My fingers caught onto the limb we were sitting on. Holding on for dear life I looked down at my dangling legs, just below them, the bears eyes lit up. I just hoped I would die fast.

OOC: Sorry this isn't that good.. [/size]

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"Don't you have something else you can carve?" Rosie asked. Her desperate tone made him cock an eyebrow; she seemed a little too interested in his carving abilities, and it was almost as if she had something else on her mind. Was she seriously asking him to stay in that tree when he still didn't know what was rustling in the undergrowth? Whatever it was, he didn't want to be there to find out; he had to get himself- and Rosie- out of the tree, and fast.

The bushes below them emitted a low growl that made the hairs on Trey's arms stand up, and his blood ran cold. A snarl like that didn't come from the mouth of a deer; it was something much bigger, and definitely with much sharper teeth. Roselyn buried her face in his shoulder and something told him she was crying, but right now he wasn't paying attention to her. He started to climb down, but what he saw approaching the tree made him stop. Well, at least it wasn't a Peacekeeper.

But then, Peacekeepers would probably be a lot less likely to maul your face off and eat your guts.

Roselyn stood up surprisingly fast when she saw the bear at the foot of the tree. She was definitely freaking out, and to be honest, Trey was too. Even though he was normally a very composed person, right now his face clearly showed his fear. His heart thudded in his ears, blocking out everything else. No matter how hard he tried to say something to Rosie, the words caught in his throat and wouldn't come out. Only when she reached down to him and slipped was he able to squeak out, "Rose!" His arms shot out quickly, trying to catch her, but it was too late; luckily, her fingers had caught the branch just in time. But her legs still hung down from the tree, dangling tantalizingly just above the bear's face.

Trey froze for a moment. His insides were in a panic; he had been in the woods tons of times before, so why did fate chose today to send a bear attack at him? There were hundreds of bears in these woods, he knew, but he'd never seen one up close until today. What was he supposed to do?

For starters, Trey thought, I should help Jumpy. He climbed further up the tree to put distance between his body and the bear and planted his feet. Grabbing Rosie's arm, he hoisted her up and stood her beside him, pulling her arm over his shoulder and a wrapping a hand around her side so that he could hold her up. He didn't want her ankle to give out again; she'd surely be bear food if that happened. "Don't. Move. A muscle," his lips whispered urgently against her ear. Maybe if they stayed still enough the bear would leave. Not bloody likely at this point, but it was worth a shot.

Speaking of the bear, the big black monster was starting to paw at the tree... But why wasn't it climbing? Surely, it was trying, but the result was sort of a weird limpy clawing motion. Then Trey saw its left front paw- or, more accurately, its left stump. It looked like the end had been bitten off by something. He didn't know if the bear could climb the tree, but Trey didn't want to take any chances. He had to think of something fast. Even if it couldn't climb the tree, they had to get down sometime, and the bear wasn't going leave until it got its food. Which, in this case, was them.

Racking his brains, Trey tried to think... But the pounding in his ears made it difficult to hear even his own thoughts, and the panicky butterflies raging in his stomach made it hard to concentrate. He was really beginning to regret all those days he'd skipped school; maybe he would have learned something about bears. And yet, there was one thing he thought he remembered someone, maybe Drew or his dad, saying...

"The only way to distract a bear from its food is to kill it... or give it different food."

Considering his options quickly, Trey decided that the latter was more likely. He had never killed anything so big with a knife that small in fact, it would be surprising if anyone had ever done that in District 7. If he'd have brought his hatchet as well, they'd have been better off- Trey wasn't bad at throwing hatchets- but then again, he hadn't expected to meet an eight foot black bear. They hadn't brought any food with them, either... except... Trey's thoughts went to the uneaten apple in his hoodie pocket. Did bears even eat apples? Well, there was one way to check.

Here goes nothing. I can either do it or get eaten. Trey slowly let go of Rose when she had regained her footing and climbed down a branch so the bear could get a good look at the apple in his hand. He drew in a deep breath and pitched it as far as he could in the opposite direction, where it flew out of sight and knocked against a far off tree. The bear's ears seemed to perk up, and it turned towards the sound as if it would follow the apple. It looked like it would go for it...

But it didn't.

Instead, it continued to stare up at the pair of teenagers in the tree as if nothing had happened. Frustration welled up inside of Trey. Why wouldn't the stupid bear move? Why wouldn't it just leave them alone? He was about to scream his head off at the animal, but he decided against it. Instead, he did the next stupid thing that came to mind.

He chucked his shoe at the bastard.

The worn-out sneaker hit the black bear right between the eyes with a thud before falling to the ground, and the beast looked up at its assailant before snorting and turning around haughtily. It picked up the shoe and sauntered away slowly, leaving Trey with a shoeless foot and a "You-have-got-to-be-effing-kidding-me" expression glued to his face. So an apple isn't good enough for you, Mr.Bear? You just had to take my left shoe.

"Stupid bear," he muttered. Climbing back up to Roselyn's branch, he waited a moment for his nerves to turn back to normal, breathing in and out slowly. Looking at his thankfully uneaten companion, he asked annoyedly,

"Can we leave now?"

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OOC: Let it be known that I don't think bears actually act this way, but I didn't research it XD So no offense to any bears who might be reading this.

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Why are my fingers so effing sweaty?! Trey! Help me!!

[/i] I wanted to scream at him, but my mouth wouldn't move. Even screaming was impossible! Trey seemed to be frozen in time, could he not see I was dangling with a bear at my feet?! In my mind I was screaming and shouting at him, trying to break him from whatever gaze he was in, but I don't think my body was even fully aware of what was happening. He finally looked at me. I looked at my fingers and then back at him, trying to make him put two and two together.

Finally he came over to me and glued his feet to the large branch. He grabbed my arms, pulling me up. Once I was standing on the branch he wrapped one of my arms around his shoulder and supported me on my back. If I wasn't about to be bear food I would have enjoyed this moment and not let him let me go, but I didn't want that bear here anymore than he did. I felt weak, and though it was better than having to be strong I didn't want Trey to think I was just a weary little girl. Trying to push him away I tried to assure him that I was okay, even though I knew it was going to hurt like hell when I put weight on my ankle. He didn't even notice, and instead his grip just tightened on me, pulling me in so there was no gap in between us. Don't. Move. A Muscle. He said. Keeping perfectly still I let him support me. I pushed all my feelings about Trey to the side and focused on the task at hand.

Trey slowly let go of me, after helping me regain my footing. I leaned against the middle of the tree, desperately watching him. He slowly made his way farther down the tree. He grabbed an apple out of his pocket showing it to the bear. With a deep breath he threw the apple as far as he could. The bear watched it fly across the forest, bouncing off a far off tree. The bear didn't go for it.

Then, he threw his shoe at him. Yes, you heard me, his shoe. It hit the bear square in between the eyes. Then, the bear just walked away. Like it was nothing. I let out a little laugh as he climbed back up to me. Stupid bear. Can we go now? He muttered. I nodded. Sure. color=e9cb8f] I started to climb down. Hanging off a branch I dropped down onto the next one.

A searing pain ran up my leg. Acid boiled up in my stomach and my small breakfast was trying to make a second appearance. I let out a shriek of pain.[/color] Ouch! Trey, I'm sorry, I cannot get down by myself.[/b] I hated to trouble him, but I needed help.

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Trey breathed a mental sigh of relief when Rosie finally said they could go home. The sooner they could get out of this hell-hole of a forest, the better. Hopefully, the bear wouldn’t come back; one close encounter had been enough for one day and besides- Trey only had one shoe left. Yeah, that was going to be fun to explain to Mom and Dad later. It looked like he was going to have to go barefoot for a while; the pair he had been wearing today was his only pair of shoes.

When Rosie tried to climb down, she slipped and let out a shriek that made Trey jump. Man, this girl was the noisiest person he had ever been in the woods with. No wonder they'd attracted a bear. When she told him that she couldn't get down by herself, he looked at her reassuringly. "That's okay, Rosie. I can help you down."

Looking the girl over for a moment, he wondered what would be the best way to get her down. He could try to hold her with one arm, but climbing with one hand was dangerous and he'd never done it while holding another person. Letting her hold on to his neck was another possibility... but she might hold too tight and choke him. No, Trey knew that they were going to have to resort to the piggy-back technique.

"You're gonna have to jump on my back," he told her, grabbing a nearby branch for support. The feel of Rosie's arms wrapping around his neck sent a shiver down his spine. Instead of thinking about it, Trey swallowed and readied himself to climb. "Now the trick to this is to hold on really tight with your legs so that you don't choke the guy carrying you." When her legs tightened around his waist, another chill surfaced, and for a second an image of them staying up in that tree for a bit longer flashed through his head. But Trey shook it aside; they had to get home.

As he climbed carefully to the ground, time seemed to slow down a little. It was a bit of an awkward climb since he was only wearing one shoe, but he didn't mind. Trey became aware of Rosie's soft breath in his ear, and the warmth of her body pressed against his. Every second of it made him happier that he'd pulled her up from where she had been dangling in front of that bear's face- he had saved her, and all in all, it had been worth the loss of his old left sneaker. If only this moment could last just a little longer.

When they reached the ground, he stooped down so she could get off, but he had another thought. How was she going to walk home when her ankle was all jacked up? It would be downright ungentlemanly to make her walk home by herself when she was injured. "Hang on," he said as he ran a hand through his mop of black hair. "There's no way I'm letting you walk home by yourself with a sprained ankle. Maybe I should carry you home, too." As he waited for her answer, Trey hoped she didn't think his offer was too weird. He was just being chivalrous, he wasn't using it as an excuse because he liked being this close to her or anything. Psh.



OOC: Sorry, I powerplayed a bit, but I thought it would help the story along. Hope it's okay.

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Judging by the look on his face I had lived up to my nickname. Jumpy. Every time I made a noise he looked around like someone would hear us. It's possible, but not likely, so I didn't really worry about it. Trey swung down next to me and looked at me reassuringly. To heck with the idea of being strong. He would never believe me if I ever told him I work. Like I was ever going to tell him anyway. "That's okay, Rosie. I can help you down." I so wanted to get down myself, but Trey was going to carry me down whether I liked it or not. So I went along. That's Jumpy to you. I joked at him.

Trey examined me, which I found amusing, like he was trying to think of all the ways he could carry me out. I wasn't asking him of that. I just needed a hand to get down onto the ground. After carefully marking out every option he finally came up with one. Piggy-back style. He told me to hop up on his back. Awkward. But if it worked... I wrapped my arms around his neck, sending shivers up and down my spine and electricity through my veins. Pushing myself up from his shoulders I wrapped my legs around his waist. Again, awkward. I shrugged off thoughts in her head. As if that would happen. Trey climbed down, slowly, but hey, he was carrying a person. I would rather he be slow and careful than drop me.

Once we reached the bottom he stopped. I was about to hop off when he grabbed me. "Hang on," he said. He ran his hand through his hair and thought for a moment. "There's no way I'm letting you walk home by yourself with a sprained ankle. Maybe I should carry you home, too." Trey, no, you can't do that. No, Trey. Just no. I can't ask that of you. I protested, but I knew Trey wouldn't let me off. I didn't think it was weird, I just didn't want him to see my drunken father and suckish life. Besides that, he just saved me from a bear and helped me down from a tree. No way could he do anything else for me today. I though about the bear. What if it did come back? There would be no way I would ever get away from it. We might have a chance if Trey was carrying me. Trey, that's really sweet, but no. I almost begged. But he had already started walking. I just hoped Dad wasn't home. I was already in enough trouble with my ankle and missing work, yeah, can't wait until he sees Trey.

[/size] Do you even know how mad my Dad will be? I'm already in enough trouble for the sprained ankle.[/b] I tried to convince him. Most guys would give into that right?

OOC:LOL! That's okay. Your turn:P

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