a lover of the lights | teegan & hallie | [anna]

[ミSailor彡]

Teegan Sage 15 | District 4 Daring | fearless | craves attention | mama's girl | short | sarcastic | brave | organized | clean | loud | athlete | talkative | dry sense of Humor | spontaneous | "same book but never the same Page" SHIN OF ADOX

It's been two days since she's disappeared. I remember that night. I never saw what happened, I was too busy cowering in the closet. But I heard it. I heard my fathers fist collide with my sisters face. I heard her fall to the ground. I heard my mother's cries, even heard my fathers guilty silence. By the time I ran out to try to save her, she was already gone. Front door still wide open, swaying and creaking in the wind. When I started after her, my father held me back. "Let her go," he said. I yelled and cursed every word I could think of, fighting his arms away from me. All the fear I held had dissipated. He drove my sister away and who knows if she'll ever come back. I wouldn't if I were her. Hell, I'd run right now if it didn't mean leaving my mother behind. Leaving her to die in the clutches of my father gone mad.      It's the morning of the second day and there still hasn't been one sign of her. Part of me is happy for her for getting out and getting away from this shithole of a home. The other part of me is so, so angry with her that she didn't take me and mom with her. I would've gone willingly if she just called for me. Mom would take some convincing but with mine and my sisters strength combined, we'd be able to drag her out. What I really want is to go find her. Find out where she's been hiding. Ask if I could join her. But I'm almost afraid of what she'd say. Almost.     I'm not even sure where to start. Our district is so big and after two days, she could be anywhere. I decide it'd be smart to start with her favorite places. The first place that comes to my mind is the beach. The place we always frequented, just watching the water and braiding each others hair. We'd sit there and dread going home, wishing we could just stay forever. That seems like a good place to start. As I make my way, my legs seems to have to work harder while I walk as the dirt transitions to sand. The smell of the saltwater grows stronger and the wind tosses my hair back and forth. I take my shoes off and feel my toes sink into the sand. I look up and down the shoreline and there's no one to be seen. I sigh as I begin trekking across the sand, searching for her.     My legs are ready to give up on me. I'm not even sure how I'll make it back home, I'm so tired. I'm about to just run and throw myself into the water. I'm so frustrated, I can't stand it. It's then that something to my left catches my eye. It's the silhouette of someone, a girl, sitting down the beach, maybe a hundred feet away. I can't see her face but I see her long brown hair dancing in the wind. She's tall and skinny, legs for days. It's her, I know it is. I take off. My heart is beating so fast as I'm sprinting towards her, my feet burn as it's pounding against the sand. I inch closer and closer, and a smile spreads across my face. I've finally found her.     "AVVVIIIIEEEEE!"     Closer and closer, I keep yelling her name. Then she turns her head and gives me a strange look. My heart drops as I come to a screeching halt right in front of her. I want to cry. It's not her. It's not Averie. It's not my sister. I really thought it'd be her, from far away, I was certain it was her. I sigh, trying to catch my breath, I put my hands on my hips.     "I-I'm sorry. I-I-I thought you were someone else."

[Anna Banana]

[presto]

Hallie Croft

I was used to days like this, days spend far away from my home in an attempt to separate myself rom them and pretend that I wasn't with them. Of course everyone in this district knew that I was part of the Croft family, I was the laughing stock of school, and I was the laughing stock of the training facilities. Time and again I had brought dishonor upon my family, so by this point they probably didn't want anything to do with me as much as I didn't with them. I had failed at two potential romances now, blowing both chances by sinking deeper into a world that didn't exist. I wasn't meant to be with people, I didn't like people and they didn't like me. Though for me to say I didn't like people was a little bit of a lie, but still...why should I like them if they weren't going to respect me.

I stared out across the expanse of ocean that surrounded my district, wondering how long it would take me to run out of air if I were to run out into the water and let it drape over me like a curtain, cutting off my air supply until I drifted into unconsciousness and eventually death. It was too easy though, no one would respect me if I did that, everyone would have their last memory of me being a weak girl who couldn't make it in life, who let the words of others condemn her to a watery grave. No, now wasn't the time to do it, if there ever would be a time, I had to continue on and prove that I was worth something to them. Reaching down I picked up a small shell and threw it into the water with as much strength as possible. I heard the small splash as it fell into the water, and I imagined it sinking down into the depths eventually finding it's way back onto the beach where someone else would probably throw it into the crashing surf.

With my mind preoccupied with dark thoughts, it took a while for a voice yelling a name to penetrate my senses, putting me on high alert. I had believed I was alone on this beach, and would be for at least a few hours more. It wasn't to be so though, I heard shouting, a name, someone was shouting for a person by the name of Avie. I could hear footsteps pounding along the hard packed, wet sand, and it sounded as if they were coming towards me. I turned my head to see another girl, probably about my age, charging towards me as she shouted my name, and I felt my face crinkle in confusion. Finally she came to a stop in front of me, and a look of disappointment crossed her face as her hands came down to her hips and her chest heaved while she tried to catch her breath. She explained that she thought I was someone else, but I wondered how I, as thin and featureless as I was, could have anyone that looked like me in this district. Not even my own siblings looked like me.

Never the less I gave her a shy smile and shook me head, trying to find the right words to say. "It's okay, everyone makes mistakes, though I find it difficult to believe that anyone is as thin or...equally as un-endowed as I am." I could feel my cheeks heat up as I drew sand up around my thin frame, embarrassed that someone had caught me in my bathing suit. So much for my time alone and today being like any other, almost no one ever came to this part of the beach right now, and yet here was this rather small girl standing in front of me searching for someone. In order to stop myself from scrutinizing her more closely I stared down at the sand, curling my toes around a small pile and watching it come up between them. "So you're looking for someone named Avie? Who is she to you, your girlfriend or something, because if she ran down towards here I wouldn't count on seeing her again. This particular part of the beach isn't called Lost Cove for a reason, people who come here generally don't come back."

[/presto]

[ミSailor彡]

Teegan Sage 15 | District 4 Daring | fearless | craves attention | mama's girl | short | sarcastic | brave | organized | clean | loud | athlete | talkative | dry sense of Humor | spontaneous | "same book but never the same Page" SHIN OF ADOX

"It's okay, everyone makes mistakes, though I find it difficult to believe that anyone is as thin or...equally as un-endowed as I am."     To be honest, this girl looked more like my sister than I do. They're both thin, meek and tall. Brown flowing hair. Light colored eyes. Mousy facial structures. Me and Averie look like cousins at the most. But this girl, her beauty took my breath away. She was even more beautiful than my sister, who I've envied my whole life. I catch myself staring as she's shuffling around the sand around her. It looks inviting and comfortable. I think about plopping down next to her but I don't want to weird her out even more than I'm pretty sure I already have.     "So you're looking for someone named Avie? Who is she to you, your girlfriend or something, because if she ran down towards here I wouldn't count on seeing her again. This particular part of the beach isn't called Lost Cove for a reason, people who come here generally don't come back."     I feel myself blush when she asks me if Avie is my girlfriend. I've never told anyone how I feel about girls. My family has always assumed I was as generic as they come. I always flirt with the boys at school, but no feelings ever came from it. Could she tell just by looking at me? Am I that obvious? I wonder if everyone has been able to see through me as easily as this girl has. I awkwardly clear my throat to speak.     "She uh, she's my sister. She ran off a few days ago. I figured she might have come out here but obviously, no luck."     I squint my eyes as the sun suddenly grows brighter. My eyes can't help my run up and down her legs. I quickly look away, terrified she'll catch my gaze.      "Well then, what're you doing out on Lost Cove? Trying to disappear?"

[Anna Banana]

[presto]

Hallie Croft

I watched as a faint blush crept over the girl's cheeks, giving her face a light crimson glow, which of course in turn made my own face heat up. That was one of my biggest downfalls, the fact that when someone else blushed I always had to blush too, it was mostly out of embarrassment because I was afraid something I had said caused it. This time it seemed pretty obvious that I had caused it, and I tried to back track over everything I had said, Avie being her girlfriend, this being the Lost Cove, none of it seemed so bad to me, but her next statement led me to believe it was the girlfriend comment. Her voice had a slight waver to it as she explained that Avie was her sister, and her cheeks grew a deeper red as she said it, in turn it made me feel like a complete idiot. I had a tendency to not realize that every girl wasn't like me, but with this girl...well it seemed to hit a nerve.

The last straw for me came when I saw her eyes traveling up and down my legs, and my face turned a deep red as I stood up and made a halfhearted attempt to find my clothes to cover up. Of course I had left them at home though, considering I had thought this place would be somewhere I could be alone. With a shaky sigh I sat back down in the sand and drew my knees up to my chest, drawing my arms around them, hoping to cover myself up a little more. Naturally it was impossible with a bikini on, but part of me felt a little better by at least making the attempt. Finally the subject seemed to take a turn for the better, or at least a little better than before, and she asked me what I was doing down here if it was Lost Cove. Unfortunately there was no really good answer to it, but I figured I would at least try to explain it. "Well to be honest...yes I'm trying to disappear, it's better than living in this world, suffering through endless torment."

I looked up at her guiltily, realizing that maybe saying that wasn't helping her situation, and I tried to think of a way to make it up to her. I wondered if inviting this strange girl to sit by me would make her feel any better about things, but I could feel a blush creeping over my face as I thought about it. She was pretty to look at, short in height, but definitely built like the Careers around here. Of course that had to be the type of girl I really loved, the ones that could take care of themselves in a fight. With a small groan I uncurled my arms from around my legs, patting the sand beside me in an invitation to sit down. "I didn't mean it like that you know, I just get frustrated with my family and with life, and...love, love seems to be a department I always seem to strike out on. It's not that I really WANT to die, but I'd be lying if the prospect of dying didn't seem so inviting to me."

I looked over at her guiltily and clenched my fist around the sand, annoyed that I was explaining this to someone. I had wanted to be alone, and now I had another girl to share my pain with me. She was probably worried about her sister and all I could do was sit here and wallow in my own grief. Just something else to add to my list of failures, I wasn't compassionate enough to take someone else's troubles seriously. Or was it that...maybe I did take it seriously, maybe it was just that her sister running away over here reminded me of myself and my own failures. Without thinking I began tracing my fingers lightly across the top of her hand, losing myself in my own mind, and when I realized what I was doing I let out a small squeak and quickly withdrew my hand. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean anything by it I swear, it's just a habit of mine to do stuff like that, and with you sitting beside me so close...it was just...I was like...nevermind."

I closed my eyes and felt my face tingle as it turned a deeper red then I thought was even possible. I knew that I had to look ridiculous right now, but I couldn't help it. I had just made a boneheaded move with this girl I barely knew, who was looking for her lost sister, and who probably thought I was a complete weirdo. I stammered out more apologies and finally just shut myself up, staring down at the sand between my legs, feeling like a total fool. Oh Hallie I thought you really are a piece of work aren't you, you never know when to quit.

[/presto]

[ミSailor彡]

Teegan Sage 15 | District 4 Daring | fearless | craves attention | mama's girl | short | sarcastic | brave | organized | clean | loud | athlete | talkative | dry sense of Humor | spontaneous | "same book but never the same page" SHIN OF ADOX

I watch as the girl curls up, hugging her knees up to her chest. I must have made her feel uncomfortable. At this point, I try to look anywhere but at her. Afraid she'll ask me to leave. I must be disturbing her alone time. She seems to need it when she tells me about how she really was trying to disappear. I want to tell her to not disappear. That she's too pretty. There's so much more she could get out of life. But instead, I consider leaving. But she pats the sand next to her, motioning for me to come sit. I feel a bit relieved knowing that I didn't freak her out too much.     "I didn't mean it like that you know, I just get frustrated with my family and with life, and...love, love seems to be a department I always seem to strike out on. It's not that I really WANT to die, but I'd be lying if the prospect of dying didn't seem so inviting to me."     Honestly, I want to tell her I could relate. But I've learned not to share my weaknesses with anyone. But I've felt that exact same way, a lot lately. With mom and dad fighting so much, sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. Now especially with Averie gone, what good am I? What the point? These thoughts start spiraling me into a deep sadness but it's then that I feel a cool, smooth hand graze over mine. At first I'm surprised, but mostly relieved. Could she have seen in my face how I was feeling? Because that was exactly what I needed. But she withdraws her hand quickly and starts repeatedly apologizing. I start to talk but every time I'm cut off with another apology. I can tell she embarrassed so I decide, maybe I should go for it. I laugh and shake my head as I grab her hand back into mine.      "It's okay. This makes me feel a lot better actually."     Her hand is smooth, cool and comfortable. Just the feel of it is inviting and I hope she doesn't pull away because just this little action has brought me up out of my pitiful sadness. I hardly know her, but I feel something. Who knows what it could be, but something is there.