~Baked~[Cinder]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Something just wasn't exactly right.But then again,it never was for him.As he opened the door,it gave an annoying creaking sound,and then the heat of summer hit him.District 11 was unusually hot today.

Judson stepped out the door and after a few minutes of walking he immediately pulled off his tattered shirt,which made him a little cooler.As he looked around him,many people were doing the same.When the sun rose higher in the sky,it would surely get even hotter.It was just the morning.

This was really going to be a long day.He wondered silently why Lunaria had stopped talking to him,but then he shut that thought out.He would much rather worry about the day's work then painful stuff like that.It was easier.

He kicked a rock ahead of him as he walked,absentmindedly wiping some sweat off of his forehead as he reached the fields.He was usually much earlier then this,but today he couldn't quite will himself out of bed quick enough.His parents were sick.He was the only one to support them.That was the only reason he woke up this morning.

People were all around,silently working as others watched them,making sure they weren't stealing anything,or slacking off.It was like they were slaves or something.

He sighed and began his normal pattern of work.He couldn't climb anymore-he was too large.Not fat,he would have to have food to be fat.When he wasn't working,he was excersizing.Keeping himself in good shape so that he could work hard enough during the days to feed his parents,and sometimes himself.

His parents.Their health was becoming worse and worse every day,it seemed.What if they died? He was almost 18.He wouldn't have to be in the community home too long.

Before he even knew it,it was about noon-lunch time.His forehead was soaked with sweat,but he wasn't tired yet.He didn't have any lunch.He never did.He just took the break time to sit down and rest,drink water,and try to cool down a little.The summer sun was high in the sky now,baking District 11 like a potato.

His stomach growled,but he just sighed and ignored it.

Something just wasn't exactly right.It had all been so good,and now it was so bad again.

A normal day in District 11 then.

[/size][/color]

[cinder]

She had been watching from the trees. Dittany was one of four girls working on three trees on the border between the vast fields of food, and the trees. Staring down from her partially-shaded haven, Dittany felt horrible. One of the younger workers--one she thought she'd seen before, a skinny boy around her age with no lunch near collapsed, having a drink of water and relaxing as the sun finally reached its highest point. If its hot for me in a shaded, breezy tree--then how bad is it for a half-starved guy around my age with no lunch, baking in the sun? Her thoughts were like words, pouring out in a frantic, compassionate blur of thought.

One of her fellow workers called up to her. A signal to take a quick break while she could. Dittany looked at the small pack tied around her waist with todays leftover food. She remembered nibbling at it half-heartedly, and deciding to pack it for later, when she would be hungry. Glancing back over at the boy, she bit her lip--Dittany had enough food, she would help a fellow person out now.

The teen climbed expertly down the tree before reaching a point where she could safely jump to the ground. She walked at a hurried pace over to where he sat, fumbling with her pack as she went. Dittany cleared her throat not knowing what to tell the boy she'd taken pity on. "Excuse me?" she started, "Uh... would you like some? I noticed you... um," she held out the meager food in her cupped hands. Her previous sentence didn't seem to have a sufficient ending. Dittany wasn't going to go around saying, 'I noticed your skinnier than most girs are,' then offer some food!

She nervously stood over him.

ooc- its not my worst

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

He really didn't like lunch,really. Everyone else liked their break time,so why shouldn't he? But then again,every other person at least had a meager lunch,and they,unlike him,were social.He was the definition of unsocial.He kept his hazel gaze directed towards the ground at all times.Not that he was embarrassed,but unwilling to make eye contact with anyone in fear that they would start talking.He didn't like conversation anymore.Most of the things people said were pointless anyways.How hot the weather was,how they wished they could live in any other district..

As he stared blankly at the dirt in front of him,his thoughts were muddled from the work and all he could really focus on was the sound of footsteps as people walked away from the trees to sit down,relax,and enjoy whatever food that they had.Food.He hadn't eaten anything this morning,after realizing that he was much later then he usually was.Also,the fact that he didn't have food kind of ruined the idea.

He felt tired and weak,even though the day was only half over.Although whenever he wasn't working he was keeping himself fit,the lack of food for the past few weeks was keeping him in bad shape.He was even scrawny now,when not long ago,when his parents weren't sick and they were working,he was strong.He had muscles.He had a smile on his face.He had a stomach that was not always hungry.That boy that was him seemed a long way away now. All because he had the lives of his parents put onto his shoulders,and he pretty much lost the girl he loved.She never talked to him anymore.His parents were dying even though he didn't want to think so.And was it his fault? Most likely.

And this is why he didn't like lunch.It wasn't the fact that he didn't have food.It was the fact that his mind would wander,when he had nothing to do,nothing to focus on.When he was working,at least he could think about that.

When he heard a voice from in front of him,he almost didn't look up.He almost ignored whoever it was.It was safer,inside his head.All of his problems really related back to people.It wasn't that he didn't trust people.He didn't trust the problems that came along with them.His parents and their sickness.Lunaria and her love that wasn't actually love,because she didn't talk to him anymore.It really was the words that made him lift his head up.These words were harmless.

"Excuse me?" A girl asked.She had food in her hands,which confused him.Did she want him to stand up or something,so she could have the spot he was sitting in?That made sense,the place was crowded with people of District 11.But no,as she spoke,these words confused him even more.Harmless as they were."Uh... would you like some? I noticed you... um," the girl trailed off,obviously having no clue what to say.

Yes,these were harmless words.Something that he could brush away without a thought.He wasn't going to take this silly girl's lunch,and he didn't want to anyways.If he took it,she would probably feel the need to say something,and those words might not be harmless.For a moment,he wondered how long it had taken him to dig himself this deep of a hole,so that now he wouldn't even talk to people,in fear that they would put even more of a burden onto his shoulders.What the hell happened to him?

It didn't matter.All that really mattered right now was that she went away and ate her food like everyone else.

"No"He said strongly as he looked back at the spot on the ground that he had been looking at before.His voice sounded odd.He looked like a boy,with his bones too visible and his muscles nonexistent.But his voice was deep and strong,probably the only signal of his age.

[/size][/color]

[cinder]

She didnt even blink. Some people let this stupid thing called an ego get in the way of comon sense. Dittany was hard, she was fierce, calculating and if she owned a dictionary she was pretty sure part of the definition of common-sense would be, 'something Dittany grey has a lot of.' It irked her when people were stupid, as every day they ceased to amaze her with new ways of making themselves seem even well... more stupider. Sure, a few seconds it was a cheap thrill to watch somebody act dumb, but then the better side of Dittany would kick in and she would try to help them or whatever.

Standing before the guy, awkward and feeling very much rejected the common-sense took a hold of her. "Are you stupid? I just offered you, a boy who probablly weighs less than I did when I was eight some food and you say no?" She cocked her head to the side, trying to make sense of it, "Whoever it is you're trying to keep alive by giving them all your food isnt going to be okay much longer if you die of starvation," she added blandly.

Her sister, Ash had a few months after their mothers death been a skeleton much like the boy as she desperately tried to keep Dittany fed. Maybe thats why she had confronted him, he reminded her of a skinny little Ash at sixteen--dead eyes, hollow cheeks, and an overall depressing picture. It was something you could see when you looked at the people of District Eleven sometimes, and every year most of the Tributes ended up like that. Dittay had witnessed soem of the hardest, toughest people and the kindest, most beautiful people die of starvation. It wasnt like an illness, or a street-fight where you could beat it or the other person, starvation was different. You either got enough food, or you didnt, if you didnt you starved. And died. Period.

She glared at the boy, a desperate look to her. Dittany wasnt one for self-sacrifice, but if she could help somebody you betcha she would. This was something easy, and simple. Only a cruel, terrible, sadistic person wouldnt help if they could. Unless they want to survive Dittany, unless they want to get ahead in the game... that menacing, cold voice of hers taunted. Dittany pretty much ignored it.

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

It was obvious now,why he avoided talking to people.It was conversations like this one that drove him away.If people were not absolutely bland and talked about boring things,they were hurtful.Fact of life.Although he wasn't really hurt by her words.Either they didn't sink in,or he just didn't care anymore.Probably both.

"Are you stupid? I just offered you, a boy who probably weighs less than I did when I was eight some food and you say no?" Her voice was strong as well,just as his was.Maybe even stronger.This thought annoyed him,but she kept speaking."Whoever it is you're trying to keep alive by giving them all your food isn't going to be okay much longer if you die of starvation." He thought of his parents,of how they were dying anyways,of how his feeble attempts to feed them weren't working.It was true,if he died,they would die too.So the question really was-would he starve and die with his parents,or eat and watch them die anyways?

He brought himself back to reality for a moment,because he was in an argument here.If he was healthier,happier,and more defiant,maybe he would come up with a reasonable way to argue his side of things.Yeah,if. But as he wasn't,he wanted this conversation to end now.Although being called stupid wasn't exactly a smart insult,it still hurt nonetheless.He didn't want her food-at least he tried to tell himself that,while his stomach was growling-and he wanted her to go away and leave him alone just like everyone else did.

He stood up now,took a sip of water,wiped the sweat off his forehead,and then finally spoke."Let's just leave it at 'I'm stupid',okay?"It had been a while since he had said so much to someone that was outside of his family.People were probably starting to believe that he really was stupid,because of his silence.

Somehow though,he doubted she would walk away,give up on the fact that he was hungry-no,not hungry.Starving.Maybe she would think differently,if he was in her shoes.There was no way she knew what was going on right now,what kind of burden he had on his shoulders.So why did it matter?Couldn't she just leave him alone like a normal person?

[/size][/color]

[cinder]

"I'm sorry. I'm a little demanding, I was rude too," she paused, "But take a second to think about your answer. You cant live like this," she said and put her hand on her hip. Whenever teachers or her older sister did it, she always thought it made them look older, wiser--and tired of stupidity. Dittany was worried though, she had seen kids, adults, and elderly people sprawled out on the road, dead. Starvation was not a happy way to go, and the boys refusal to take her food was more like a suicide to Ditttany then anything else. If you could stop your death, but didn't, wasn't that suicide? School didn't teach things like this. School didn't teach much at all about famine, they just said when people didn't get enough food they died.

It was all the stinking Capitols fault in her opinion. The Capitol kept everything from the Districts. No matter how much they had, they still wanted to take more from the Distritcs, and they still did. It was vicious in Dittanys opinion.

It was so odd to think out of all the workers standing and sitting around with their lunches, none had offered the boy any. It didn't seem like he'd ever been offered food in his life, and it didn't seem like he much cared either. A tell-tale sign of over-working and depression, the wiser part of Dittany thought. She just had to help the poor soul, she would get on her knees and beg if need be.

Once again a twinge of sadness hit her. It was sad to think there would be a need to beg, it was sad to think people even died of hunger in the first place. Dittany knew the Capitol could share more food. Had the world been better before Panem? Had there been food for everybody? Dittany found herself wishing to know more about the time before the enslaving Capitol. Things had to have been better.

Oh Dittany, you just have too high hopes for humanity. Leave the boy to starve, leave everything behind and keep yourself fed--happy... a part of her screamed. Too high hopes, what a sad thing to think there was such a thing as too high hopes.

ooc- lol, Saint Dittany.

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

"I'm sorry. I'm a little demanding, I was rude too," there was a pause,and all he could think was 'what,you think an apology will make me change my mind?' "But take a second to think about your answer. You cant live like this." One millisecond,two milliseconds,three milliseconds.. It was true,he couldn't live like this.Four milliseconds,five milliseconds,six milliseconds. His parents were dying,and he would only die with them.. Seven milliseconds,eight milliseconds,nine milliseconds.. He didn't have a life. Ten milliseconds,eleven milliseconds.. He deserved to have a life.

He gave up.With a roll of his eyes and a shrug,he held out his hand for her to shake."Fine,I will take the food. My name's Judson." He knew he would regret this later-he always did when he talked to people.Look what happened when he talked to Lunaria.He trusted her,and then she left and didn't talk to him again.Story of his life.

Come on,how bad could it be?He asked himself.He saw the food,and with very bad timing,his stomach grumbled loudly.He looked away from the food,which was pointless,and then tried to look back at the girl who he still did not know the name of.After all this time of not looking at people,he found it very difficult to look her in the eye,like he was some shy little kid or something.Whatever,maybe he was.

[/size][/color]

[cinder]

Dittany tired to mask the smugness she was feeling inside. Finally! The teen smiled and passed the food to him, happy he wasn't as stupid as he said! She knew it wouldn't be enough to keep him alive, but maybe the taste of food would somehow make him want more, maybe even ask where he could find a bargain. Dittany herself knew many places to get good deals on food, and although she didn't look it, often the teen would buy food just to have more. She was like a taste-tester, telling people who had the best fruits, bread and what the costs were. Dittany could almost consider herself an expert on food, although in District Eleven that didn't mean much.

That's when the sixteen year old realized she had a name to put to the face. Judson. It was an okay name, didn't seem like one that was over-used, and Dittany sorta liked it. "I'm Dittany." she replied. Dittany usually would say her full name, but she wasn't too sure Judson would even want to know her name or care. It was all pride, and if he didn't have a name to put to her face, she would be so much more easily forgotten. It was simple, cruel, and pointless. As long as its helping him cope with whatever, why do I care? she then thought, because Dittany was just like that. She so often said she cared about people, but spent half her time thinking about why she cared. It was an odd quirk about the charitable teen. Dittany never seemed to lack in odd little things she would say or do. People never noticed because they never thought much about the kind girl, but Dittany could be weird.