waiting game [open]

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The ground on which I'm lying is cool and damp. I stretch out my fingers, feel the smooth edge of my knife among the soft earth. It must have come loose from my belt when I fell. I force my eyes open, try to clear my muddled thoughts. The trees swirl dangerously above my head. In a daze, I move as if to sit up, but a dull pain shoots through my body. I inhale sharply, but force myself to shift position. Cautiously I flex my limbs, wiggle my toes and fingers. Nothing seems to be broken, but my entire form seems to ache and I'm in no condition to travel as I'd like. With shaky hands, I reach out again and grasp my knife, my hand closing around the blade. I feel warm liquid trickle across my palm as I fumble to place it back in my belt. I lift my hand and stare at it numbly, my brain too foggy to work on bandaging. I let it fall limply to my side. I sit there in a daze for what seems like hours before I summon the will to move again. I scoot backward and lean, wincing slightly, against the rough tree trunk. My head throbs with each beat of my heart, and I let my eyes drift shut once again.

Another several hours must have passed, for when I return to conciousness the light has gone from a gray haze to a dark and dreary pewter. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that my vision has cleared, but my muscles are still stiff and sore. I make to rise to my feet, but quickly abondon the attempt when the world begins to tip. I sink painfully back to the ground, and shut my eyes again, listening to the peaceful sounds of the woods. A chilly breeze rustles my hair, bringing with it the faint but sweet smell of spring. water drips steadily from the tree branches, and a lone bird sings from somewhere above me. I'm hardly able to move in such a state, let alone travel. Or defend myself. Nearly anyone who wanted to could take me now, and I would have little means of escaping or resisting. I'll just have to hope that, if someone comes along, they're friendly. Just a waiting game.

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[Sage]

You had never been this far from the others before. Into the woods. It was scary out here and you wanted to go home, back to the bird. You can't though because if she knew you were here, you'd be in a lot of trouble. You listen as the wind rustles the newly budding leaves and feel a chill against your skin. Normally one of the other children would have come with you but you'd decided to wander away on your own. Mockingjays sing in the trees above your head and you look up to see the black and white birds looking down on your seven year old body. You smile, whistling to them. Ms. Peregrine had taught you how to whistle.

Night begins to fall as you wander the forest and realize that you are utterly lost. You feel scared like you did when you escaped the lab but realize that you can do it. you did it before you can do it again you tell yourself, not entirely sure of whether thats actually true or not. You look around for somewhere to shelter before you hear a soft thump of a body hitting the ground and flinch back. Fear runs through you as you carefully approach where the sound came from. You pear through some bushes and see an older girl lying against a tree trunk. She seems to be in pain and you wonder why. I hope she doesn't hurt me you think as you make your presence known. "Are you alright, Miss" you ask in a small voice

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Mockingjays sing their sweet melodies high above my head, fluttering through the trees in breif flashes of black and white. everything is so still, so quiet. Peaceful. In all my life, I have never known true happiness or peace. And I probably never will. Not in Panem. A soft whistle rings through the forest, but this wasn't the cheery cry of a mockingjay, though they happily take up the tune whistled by another person. The gentle tune is closely followed by soft foot steps. My eyes snap open. Sixteen years old, and one fall from a tree has made me feel several times my age. I should be back to normal in a few days time. I struggle to my feet, yanking out my knife. I sway dangerously on my feet and the forest swims before my eyes. I place my opposite hand on the trunk, and raise my blade.

"Are you alright, Miss?" My vision clears, and I find myself looking upon a small, blond haired girl. She can be no more than seven or eight years old.

Cautiously, I lower my knife. The girl appears nervous. Now standing, I not only tower over her, but wield a blade. If she had been frightened at just seeing me curled against the tree, chances are I'll only scare her more if I keep this up. I let my hand fall the rest of the way to my side. "Fine." I answer gruffly. My eyes graze over the woods. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but I keep a firm hold on my knife. "What're you dong out here on your own?" I ask, a bit suspiciously. There's no way a child as young as this is wandering the forest on her own. My gaze shifts uneasily, but this little girl is the only other sign of intelligent life I can make out.

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[Sage]

The girl stands but raises a knife. You cower down, hoping she won't hurt you and feel very afraid. She looks at you for a few moments, studying you, before cautiously lowering her blade. "Fine" The girls reply is gruff to your ears as she lets her hand fall to her side and looks out over the forest. You notice that she keeps a firm hold on the knife and don't quite understand why. It's not like you're a threat being less than four and a half feet tall, you're not very threatening. "What are you doing out here on your own?" The girl seems suspicious of you being on your own. "I was just going for a walk and I guess I got lost. I live with Miss Peregrine in a big house near the ocean" You say, coming out of your cower. The other girl is still very imposing but now that you're talking, you feel a little braver. "Whats your name?" you ask in a small voice. The mockingjays are singing in the trees above your head and you feel a small smile tug at the corners of your mouth. You loved the mockingjays. One day, maybe I'll be able to be like the mockingjays you think.

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ooc:hello, this is my wanderer Claire, just a heads up, anything not italicized is her thoughts just thought I'd throw that out there.

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The girl cowers under my gaze, looking nothing less than terrified. Feeling a bit guilty for frightening her so, I reluctantly slide the knife back into my belt. I'm feeling a bit steadier on my feet, so I remove the hand I braced against the trunk and fold my arms loosely across my chest. The girl begins to speak again, and though I can tell she's edgy, presently she doesn't seem so fearful. "I was just going for a walk and I guess I got lost. I live with Miss Peregrine in a big house near the ocean." A house? That was just about the last thing I expected to hear. Never once, in all my years out here, have a come across any sort of house, nor any sign of one for that matter. "Oh. Is Miss Peregrine your mother?" Peregrine. Like a falcon. And why the 'Miss'? Perhaps the woman she speaks of isn't her mother at all. "I'm Riley," I add quickly. "What's your name?" I ask, trying to more sound friendly.

ooc: Okay, thanks :]

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[Sage]

You look up at the girl who seems a little more steady on her feet now as she slides the knife back into her belt and relax a little bit. The girls question makes you slightly sad. "Oh, Is Miss Peregrine your mother?" she asks. You look down and feel sadness well up inside you. You had no memory of your parents and that made you sad. "No, she's a very nice lady who took me in after I escaped from the lab in district six" you said softly. You felt tears spring to your eyes and wiped them away. "I'm Riley" the girl said. "What's your name?" she asked. "Claire" You reply softly. "I've never met my parents, at least not that I can remember anyways, until last year, I was a lab rat" you said, somewhat bitterly. "So, what happened to you,why were you lying on the ground earlier? It seems like it's too cold outside to sleep on the ground." You were jabbering you knew but you were seven, what else could you be good at? You pushed back the tears threatening behind your eyes and looked up at the darkening sky. "It's scary here at night" You said quietly

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The tiny girl gazes rather sadly at the ground. "No, she's a very nice lady who took me in after I escaped from the lab in district six." District Six. My District. Rather poor and scruffy, but filled with people working with science and just about anything in that category. Medicine included. I can still remember my mother's little apothecary shop, how I'd always hurry out when a new patient arrived. And the rumors, of course. We all heard the stories, but I always believed them to be myths, tales made up for entertainment. I never dreamed the rumors claiming children were being used as lab rats were true. I can only stare at this little girl, a living peice from what I knew to be only fairytales. "I'm from District Six too." I say quietly.

Claire. And she never knew her parents? "I'm sorry." I say, and I speak both for the fact that she does not have any idea who her parents might be, and that this girl was, as she called it, a lab rat. "So, what happened to you,why were you lying on the ground earlier? It seems like it's too cold outside to sleep on the ground." One corner of my mouth pulls up slightly at the mention of my previous predicament. "Yeah, it's still too cold to sleep on the ground. I fell from the tree, must've been a bit of ice on the branches." I say. "Guess I hit my head pretty good too." I add, running my hand over the back over my head, where it is indeed rather sore. Again, Claire averts her eyes, this time to glance at the sky. "It's scary here at night." I shift my gaze upward as well, and sure enough, the first stars are begining to appear amongnst the black sky. I nod slowly. "Don't worry," I say. "We can stay together until we can get you back home."

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[Sage]

You caught the girls I'm sorry, and looked down. It hadn't been your fault that you'd been taken, it had just been that way. She was from your district too, District six although, you didn't really consider district six your home anyways. Your home was now with the bird, Miss Peregrine. The girls reply to what happened to her before was "Yeah, it's still too cold to sleep on the ground. I fell from the tree, must've been a bit of ice on the branches. Guess I hit my head pretty good too" That explains why she had been on the ground. You remembered falling out of a tree while you were on the run, before you came across Miss Peregrine.

You watch as Riley shifts her gaze upwards at the stars which are just starting to appear and she nods slowly. "Don't worry," she says. "We can stay together until we can get you back home" She says. You smiled a small smile at her, you liked Riley, she seemed like a nice girl. "Where can we stay though?" you asked, looking around and not really seeing anywhere that would be a good place to rest

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I feel rather guilty, seeing her reaction, however subtle, to my words. It seems as though I have triggered an unpleasant memory from her past. Undoubtedly, they are still fresh in her mind. Had it been me, well, I know I would never forget. To my mild surprise, Claire offers me a small, rather timid, smile. I hesitate only a moment before returning it. I'm not usually so friendly, my past has changed me, but no matter how bad life got, I've always had a 'soft spot' for children. "Where can we stay though?" She asks, and I lower my gaze from the sky. I have to think this over for a moment. I'm not at all accustomed to traveling with another, never had to worry about someone else. Normally, I would spend the night high in a tree, my own safety the only thing I needed to keep on my mind. But now I've got Claire to look after as well, and her safety is my responsibility. The forest is potentially a dangerous place, especially for a seven year old, and even more after sun down. Mutts, wild animals. They all roam the forest, and I've run into them more than I'd care for. Part of the reason I prefer the tree tops at night. Harder those beasts to reach you. My brow furrows slightly in thought. "Well," I begin slowly. "We could walk a little ways and see if there's somewhere suitable nearby, if you're not too tired?" I say.

ooc: sorry for the delay

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