Crying in the Trees [open]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

It was obvious now,that he liked her.As he laughed,she laughed along with him in that joyous,exuberant way of hers that was so beautiful.It would make even the coldest of people..like him,for example,want to jump around the trees in pure joy.Even with the short time he'd been with her,had it only been a few hours?He had felt himself changing from a cold-hearted,hard-working person who felt a billion years old inside,to the happy,curious teenager,who had a whole life ahead of him,that he should have been all along.There was no other reason,either.

He could blame Lunaria,then.Everything about her had drawn him out of his shell and actually made him happy.The way she laughed was contagious,the way she smiled was stunning,and the way her face lit up when he smiled was enough to make him laugh.It didn't sound like much,but as she probably knew,when he laughed,it was a serious event.

Few times had he laughed in his entire life,and most of them had actually been today.Maybe,when he was younger and naive,he might have been happy and excited.That was so long ago,though,that he could hardly remember.Had he been happy?His parents couldn't have possibly been sick that long ago,so maybe he had been.

Turning his attention back to Lunaria,he waits to see what she was to say about his slightly embarassing words.Would she not like him?Was she just some girl that he talked to,one day while he was working?Was it going to be that way?

He looked over at her with a hopeful,curious expression,glancing at her face with a hope that he could detect a hint of satisfaction there,just something to calm his worried mind.There were many thoughts that seemed to pass over her face,and he could tell them easily enough,from the way her pretty eyes sparkled with the feelings that she had.

At first,she seemed surprised,then her expression turned to an extreme happiness that made his own face light up.The color of her cheeks changed from a light pink to the deepest of reds.Although he didn't think that she was embarassed.He doubted that she could even be embarassed.It was as if the embarassment just flowed off of her,away from her,and into his own mind.His own face was contorted into a warm half-smile,and his cheeks matched the color of her own,although his eyes were so bright with happiness that it seemed they could shine brighter then the sun,for a moment.

He kept his steadfast gaze on her as she sat there,speechless for a second,until she finally said a simple."Thanks."It seemed,now,that as she looked straight at his face,and then looked away,that she was overwhelmed.He doubted,though,that she that much.

She then continued in her voice that was so soft and sincere,any hint of hurt or worry immediately left his mind."That's such a sweet thing to say."The statement itself was imperfect,but spoken with the gentle,warm tones of her voice and mixed with the feelings that she had written across her face,he accepted it.

With that,she reached over and grabbed his hand,but he didn't move his hand away now.He twisted his fingers around hers and his crooked smile grew wider as he replied.

"Are you as surprised as I am?"

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[Aura]

Lunaria

What is it about him that's special? Maybe it's the way he laughs, the way he can make me light up and smile whenever he does. Perhaps it's the way he opened up to me. Or maybe it's the way that, after he opened up, he invited me to do the same, something that no one's ever done before. People are so wrapped up in themselves, sometimes, even if I love them. But he...he was different. Wrapped up in himself as he was, he pulled himself out of that and asked me how I was. And the thing is...I told him. That makes all the difference.

Confiding in someone for the first time is hard. It's scary, because you're afraid that they won't stand by you in the end. It's a little embarrassing, because you don't know what they'll say once they know your secrets. It's happy, because you're finally getting the weight of the secrets off your chest. Lastly, it's hopeful, because, even with all of the doubt, the terror, and the embarrassment of telling someone your secrets, there's still the hope that they'll end up being with you forever, and that your secrets and trust didn't go to waste. There's still hope that they'll stand by you forever, loving you and fulfilling your need for companionship. It's this hope I feel now, looking into his eyes, feeling happy and loved. It isn't the first time I've felt this way, and it probably won't be the last. It will always be the most special moment, though.

Looking at his eyes, now, I can see how they sparkle with happiness, his cheeks echoing the color of mine. We're just two teenagers, but today I actually feel like one. I don't feel like a mother or a good friend. I don't feel like the shoulder everyone can cry on for comfort. I don't feel like the one that bears the brunt of everything that goes on in my family. I feel...like a girl who just figured out how to really love someone for the first time. Not the regular type of love - you know, the love I have for everybody. It's a special kind of love that you can only give to one person at a time...unless, of course, you're seriously messed up, which I'm not.

Judson twists his fingers around mine, smiling his crooked smile, which I've already grown to love. As infrequent as it is, I want to see it more, and, honestly, I think I will. Returning his smile radiantly, I squeeze his hand gently. "Are you as surprised as I am?" His question raises questions in my own mind. And I realize - yes, I am surprised. Surprised anyone could like me; surprised that I was lucky enough to have mutual feelings. My eyes sparkle a little bit, joyful, as I reply, "Most definitely, albeit for different reasons." That doesn't matter, though, I remind myself. All that matters is that we're together now, and that, from now on, nothing is going to be the same.

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

He loved the way her eyes sparkled.They were a color of deep,chocolatey brown,and the way they always seemed to light up made them all the more beautiful.She really was beautiful.Not just by how she looked,but by how she acted.She was happy about this,and that erased all of the worry from his mind.

He wasn't scared,anymore,that she might think worse of him,for liking her.Had it only been a few hours?It felt like months,that he had known her.With all of the fear erased from his mind,he gazed at her with full attention as she replied."Most definitely,albeit for different reasons."

He highly doubted that.He had hardly expected,after this short amount of time,that he would love her.He didn't even know that that was what was happening,just until a few minutes ago.He seriously never could keep track of what was going on inside his own head.

Lifting up the right side of his mouth again in a crooked smile,he said in a voice that sounded so unlike him,"I don't think the reasons are any different."And that was hopefully true.He was surprised that she seemed to like him too,surprised that he himself liked her too,and surprised that he had been so lucky,or at least,lucky today.So many things in his life were rather unlucky,but now,with her,hopefully he would be luckier now.

He wasn't going to forget her,after this.Someone so bright and important as herself had to be remembered,and the feelings he had were too overwhelming to forget.Compared to his usual anger and hostility,this feeling of almost love was completely confusing his mind.He liked the feeling,though,and welcomed the confusion and happiness that came with it.

He looked ahead out onto the fields,the rows and rows of different crops.The sun was high in the sky now,and it sent down rays of brightness to the people in District 11.Spring was obviously here,bringing on,hope?More harvesting meant more work,and more work meant more money,and more money meant more food.And he had Lunaria now,and that hopefully wasn't going to change.

Turning his gaze back to her,his crooked smile grew wider and he gave her hand a squeeze.Curiously,he asked,"So what happens now?"

He didn't want to go back to work,he just wanted to sit here with her,holding her hand.But as he couldn't,and they would probably get in trouble by the District people eventually,if they weren't working,they probably had to.He didn't stand up though,he just kept peering around,understanding now what she had meant about this District being so beautiful.She was here,with him,and everything was peaceful.It was definitely beautiful.

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[Aura]

Lunaria

"I don't think the reasons are any different," he tells me, smiling again. I can't help returning it. Even if I know he doesn't smile often, it's contagious. He seems so...genuinely happy. In turn, I'm happy, knowing that I was able to contribute to making this guy smile more often. "Maybe," I reply obligingly. Maybe he's just as surprised as me that someone likes him. Who knew that others could feel that kind of insecurity? I sure didn't.

Springtime was, though, a time for change, so I accepted this new deviation of thought without much fight. I remember when I used to garden a little bit, back when my mom was better than she is now. I was always so excited for Springtime to come, because I knew that, with a little coaxing, these little bundles of life - these tiny little seeds - would grow into beautiful flowers or herbs. It was a time for new beginnings, for things to grow and be nurtured. Life could easily be changed in Springtime. Looking at Judson, I know my life has changed now, even in the course of a few hours. Hopefully, this is one thing that will only change for the better. Right now, I can already tell that my life is going on an uphill slant. For some reason, I feel happier than I have in a long time - and that's saying something, because I'm always happy. Judson must be good for me.

I wonder if he knows. Meeting his eyes (which are, by the way, gorgeous), I tell him cheerfully, "You know, you make me feel incredibly happy." With a warm laugh to show I'm sincere about it, I stop straddling the branch and swing my leg over so that we're sitting side-by-side, instead of me facing him while he has to turn his head to face me. Besides, we can hold hands better this way. Intertwining our fingers, I look out into the trees and see the figures of everyone else. Honestly, I'm glad that we came out so far away from everyone else. Otherwise, I doubt anything would have happened. Although I wouldn't have missed it, because it never would have happened, I still feel as though I would have known, someone within myself, that I was missing out on something great.

He squeezes my hand, and I turn to find him already looking at me, his crooked smile on his face again. My smile widens as well. "So what happens now?" I tilt my head, curls falling to one side, thinking. I didn't really want to work now, but it seemed we would have to, considering the fact that our families were fed based on how much food we brought in. I thought about it for a moment, wondering how this would affect us both. Finally, I speculated, "Why don't we sit here for a few minutes, enjoying the view..." I squeeze his hand encouragingly. "And then, after we're done with our break, I can climb up and grab my basket so that we can work on the same branch." It doesn't sound like much, but usually, when you're working on the same branch as someone else, it means you have great trust in them, because they're supposed to make sure that you don't fall. Meeting his eyes again, I tell him, "I trust you."

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

It was overjoying him,really,that whenever he smiled,she smiled.It gave him reason to do it more often,instead of always frowning.It wasn't that he meant to frown,it's just that he just never remembered to let himself smile,or he couldn't make himself come to doing it.

"Maybe."He heard her say,but he shrugged it off.Whatever the maybe had meant,he had no doubt that she liked him too.He could just...tell.From her expression and the smile on her face.

Just as he thought that,she looked at him,and seemed to be contemplating something,but the expression of happiness on her face was obvious.He wondered,silently,if his own face for once matched that expression.It probably did.He was happy.

Why was it that she was able to do that?Her words made him laugh,because they were matching his exact thoughts."You know,you make me feel incredibly happy."

He watched as she swung her leg around the branch and laughed,probably to reassure him that her words were serious.

As he asked his other question,she smiled and tilted her head,sending her pretty,no,beautiful,curls falling to one side.She seemed to be thinking about the question,but then she spoke.He didn't want to work again.Working would only bring back the common sense,and worry,and he didn't want that.He wanted to keep this moment of joy,

"Why don't we sit here for a few minutes,enjoying the view..."She said with a welcomed squeeze of his hand."And then,after we're done with out break,I can climb up and grab my basket so that we can work on the same branch."

His eyes widened at the thought,afraid that he would make her fall.Working on the same branch was actually rather dangerous.But,of course,this meant that she trusted him.

Again,anticipating what he was thinking,she said as she met his eyes,"I trust you."

This made him smile wider then he probably ever had before,and he nodded.

"You won't fall."

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