Sunset Delight {lance}

[Knuckles]

Rolf Parks

I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break

A soft sigh escaped from his lips while his dark eyes stared into the sky. Clouds slowly changed colors as the sun said goodnight, and the moon said hello. Bright streaks of orange flew through the air followed by red and purple. It wasn’t his favorite time of day, yet Rolf managed to pull himself from bed stretching his arms high above his head. His stomach growled begging for something to eat, but his mind was elsewhere. Ever since his brother died in the games, Rolf spiraled downhill changing from the perfect child his parents wanted into a teenager filled with agony and despair. Negative thoughts invaded his once positive mind until it became impossible to smile. But every time he looked around, Rolf was reminded of how lucky he was. Not everyone wakes up from sleep. Not everyone gets to spend the day with a beating heart and expanding lungs. However, none of this mattered to him because his life was ruined. All he worked for was gone, and now he was left with nothing except a stone heart filled with rage.

Pherick, his younger brother, hadn’t come around since the terrible day. Rolf didn’t blame him, but in all honesty the teenaged male needed a friend. Someone who wasn’t afraid of offering him a shoulder to lean on, someone who cared for him, and someone who wouldn’t push him away. So many people came into his life, yet many left faster than the blink of an eye when they figured out the man living inside. Rolf Parks wasn’t a bad person, but his past wasn’t clean. Day after day he watched his family tear apart the bond holding them together. He watched as his precious mother and father destroyed Chaske and Pherick. Even Citadel disappeared.

Rolf shook his head as he pulled on his white t-shirt her wore everywhere followed by a ragged pair of jeans. He was in dire need of a distraction. Rolf needed something positive to invade the negativity swimming easily through his mind. Yet the moment his hands reached for his sneakers, he realized it was pointless to find the happiness he deserved. Not many people in the world understood the pain of losing every single loved one. People died every single day. Brothers, sisters, cousins died in the hunger games every single year, but nothing compared to the feeling of having nobody.

Do something fun, Rolf. Explore the world. He told himself over and over trying to block out the pain, and for the first time his mind was set on an idea - hopefully someone would join. Hopefully someone cared enough to experience the excitement of living the life instead of living in fear of the unknown for all eternity. With a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair before grabbing his black bandana from the shelf. This bandana went with him everywhere he went - it was his comfort blanket given to him by his brother before he departed for the games. His death felt like yesterday, and at the same time it felt like it had been an entire lifetime. Rolf struggled with it knowing time changed everyday. Stop living in the past. You need a future. Something to hold onto. Happiness. Hope.

And he waltzed through the door without looking back.

One step after another he marched towards the district square wanting to visit the shops. All Rolf wanted to do was find a store to buy and sell in order to start over, yet his mind couldn’t focus on the idea of selling everything Chaske owned. But it was part of the healing process, at least that was what he told himself. "You have to move on. Just live your life. Not his. Give it all up. It’s part of the healing process." His aunt told him more times than he could count, yet it never felt that simple.

But today wasn’t about living in the past. Rolf wanted a new future. He wanted to do something, and when he reached the shops in the district square, he felt his heart leap inside his chest. His eyes darted across the square taking in all the people out shopping, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the peacekeepers making sure the citizens didn’t cross the fine line of right and wrong.

A lightbulb flickered inside his head as he continued looking around moving from shop to shop in order not to bring attention on himself. Within a matter of seconds, his eyes fixated on the ground talking in every single step he made before resting on the famous shop he went to with his brother all the time. I’m sorry, Chaske, but I have to live my life now. I can’t keep living yours.

He sighed as he walked inside taking in the entire building before quickly returning outside. Every muscle inside his chest tightened, and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. A drummer frantically pound against his chest, and Rolf thought his heart was going to burst through his sternum at any given second. His hands shook at his side. Just do it, Rolf.

I can’t. I’m not ready. I’m not ready.

Defeat crawled across his skin eating through his entire body. His head hung heavily at his shoulders as he decided to return home because it wasn't worth his time anymore. You're a failure, Rolf. Just like your brother. Ghosts mocked him forcing him into the harsh reality. He knew living his life would only cause him to crash and burn, but his heart was stuck, trapped on the idea that he'll never have the chance to apologize. All the harsh words he said while Chaske was still alive burned through his mind every single night when he closed his eyes.

Stretching his arms above his head, Rolf allowed air to fill every inch of his lungs, but the pain continued radiating through his body until he decided to turn around and head home - but he took the road less traveled into the furthest corner of the district. Rolf had heard stories of citizens entering into the forest to hunt before the dark days happened, and for the longest time all he ever wanted was a chance to explore what lurked inside. It made him suspicious, and he wanted to learn more about the district's past. A small grin twisted cross his face while his pace quickened, but there was no denying the pain lingering inside his knee from the massive injury he received many years ago.

And that was when he saw it. His eyes widen with joy as he slowly approached the forest protected by a giant fence. His heart dropped deep into the pits of his stomach. What's the point of trying? Rolf was about to turn around and leave when he saw someone perched against a tree holding a book of some sort. Carefully, Rolf made his way over towards him trying to remain as quiet as possible because he learned the hard way about accidentally disturbing someone - it ended with him receiving a broken nose and a black eye. Once he was near him, he crouched down beside him. "Hey, man, wanna hang? I know something we can do."

[googlefont="Rock Salt:400"]

[lance]

Lucas O'Hara

We're never done with killing time 

Can I kill it with you 

'Til the veins run red and blue? 

A light breeze blew through the treetops, rustling through the green leaves of early spring. Far away, the faint sounds of the district factories closing up for the night were heard as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The soft scrtch of a pencil dragging on paper was audible in the waning sunlight, as beneath the mighty branches of a solitary tree, a tall, lanky boy sat, book on lap and pencil in hand. 

It was one of his favorite places to go in the evenings. He had first found the place during one of his many walks around the outskirts of the district, and had quickly taken to its out-of-the-way location.

It was quiet. Tranquil. A perfect place to sketch in peace, and a location rarely frequented by visitors to boot

Lucas had spent many an evening lying beneath the tree, both with nothing but his sketchbook and with friends and lovers alike. Though it wasn't his go-to place for such events, it offered a fantastic view for blazing sunsets that painted the sky with fantastic hues of purples and reds and for the twinkling lights of a starry night in its raw, unpolluted beauty, a rarity in the District nowadays. 

It was why he was up there on this particular evening in the first place, pencil in hand and eyes focused intently on the sketchbook on his lap. Lucas had always enjoyed the raw beauty of a setting sun for as long as he could remember, and with the recent acquisition of a new sketchbook, he had figured that the early summer evening was as  good a time to start filling it as any. 

The dark haired boy paused, tapping his pencil absently against the paper. He glanced up for a brief second, focusing on the rapidly darkening sky, before returning his focus to his artwork. 

Sketching was all well and good for him, but the real fun with sunsets was coloring them in after the fact. He enjoyed bringing the blank black-and-white drawings to life, filling them with painstakingly drawn bursts of color that emulated the real thing itself. 

Maybe I'll make my next tattoo a setting sun, he thought absently. Though it was virtually impossible to find a real live tattoo artist in the District, Lucas often gave himself temporary tattoos from time to time, using a mixture of coloring supplies from his stores. The results were distinctly different from the real thing, but were close enough that he didn't care all that much. Today, a faded, dark green snake adorns his right arm, taking up a good chunk of the forearm before stopping just before the elbow. 

A rustling sound, far louder than normal, broke his concentration, causing the dark haired boy to look up curiously. 

Another boy, about his own age, was carefully making his way over to him, a faint grin plastered on his face. A name - Rolf  - flashed across his mind as the boy dropped into a crouch next to him. Lucas had talked to him a handful of times in the past, but their relationship hadn't really developed beyond the casual acquaintance phase. 

Looked like that was about to change.

"Hey, man, wanna hang? I know something we can do."

Rolf's voice is quiet, yet filled with a subtle excitement that intrigued Lucas. He contemplates the question for a few seconds, mentally weighing the odds of what this something really was.

Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Yeah, sure, I don't see why not." He closed his sketchbook, sticking the pencil in the spiral spine for safekeeping before looking the other boy in the eyes. "What have you got in mind?"

[Knuckles]

Rolf Parks

I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost
No longer the same
And I can see you starting to break

Fun lingered around the corner calling for him to follow, yet his eyes weren't focused on the forest behind him - his eyes glared into the sky watching the clouds turn from white to red, orange, purple as the sun slowly descended past the horizon. Leaves rustled in the trees, and his hair blew in every direction. It was a wonderful night, and Rolf wanted to make the best of it as he needed a distraction from the real world for only a moment. Three years had gone by since his life changed forever, and it was time for him to find something worth living for. But in the back of his mind the pain radiated forward the moment he realized Chaske would never see another sunset.

His words lingered in the air for only a moment as the male lifted his gaze from his sketchbook pondering the offer. For a moment it felt like he would turn it down forcing Rolf to retreat to the comforts of his home away from the rest of society while downing a pint of beer. Time froze and seconds became minutes and minutes became hours eventually leading him to feel like an entire lifetime had gone by. Dark, downcast eyes surveyed the scene hoping and praying nobody would come. Rolf knew the peacekeepers made rounds every minute of the day, and it had been a while since he last saw them. Part of him wondered where they were, yet his mind wandered away knowing happiness was just a few centimeters away.

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the eighteen year old stood in place listening to the inaudible sound of crickets chirping in the background as an awkward silence filled the air. His gaze shot towards the ground preparing for his grand exit until the other male seated on the ground finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, sure, I don't see why not."

His goofy grin turned into a genuine smile as the words repeated through his mind over and over, and it took every ounce of self control he had to keep himself from jumping with joy. Rolf was on top of the world for the first time in a long time, and he felt like his mother dropped him off in a candy shop telling him to pick out every candy he wanted. Yes! His entire face lit up with excitement as he slowly turned towards the forest behind him. Stories of hunters entering the woods flew through his mind, and now he stared at the fence wondering what actually existed inside. What was the Capitol trying to hide from them?

"What have you got in mind?"

Rolf pondered the question for only a moment allowing himself to find the words to say while glaring at the fence behind him wondering how he could possibly get over it without anyone seeing them. His gaze lifted from the ground and bounced around as he listened for the sound of the peacekeepers to come marching by. It was getting late, yet it was still light enough to see what was happening. Rolf wasn't one to break rules before his brother died, but now he doesn't care what happens to him because death would be the ultimate answer for him. The idea of never waking up, never having to follow the stupid rules the Capitol created, never having to listen to the people around praise the victors when none of them deserve the praise - they won a game. Nothing was special about winning a game except they were still alive.

He took a deep breath allowing the air to fill his entire body before finally speaking.

"Well, I've heard stories about the woods and how people used to be able to hunt in them. I was wanting to go inside and explore them. Figure out what the Capitol could possibly be hiding."

[googlefont="Rock Salt:400"]