:| One Leap, One Fall |: {Frankel}

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Tamron Rhodes

It had been a long day. A long day of school, a long day of imagining what I could do once school was over. There was no question about it: I was going to help my community, just like Crusader and Harbinger. They had been the ones to who would patch up our community members, to give them first aid when no one else would. They had been our healers. But the Hunger Games had changed all of that and it felt like it was my responsibility to continue the healing. I wasn’t very smooth about it—there was still much for me to learn—but the fire inside me continued to burn.

A large difference from how I was before the Games, pain and suffering were now visible in my eyes. How could I possibly ignore it when I had gone through it myself? My intentions were not entirely pure however, as there was another who wanted to give back to my community. A classmate of mine, an intelligent girl, whom I had never noticed until the Games struck me full-force. Had she always been there? Had all of my classmates always been there?

But I was shy and as much as I wanted to just talk to her, everything about her was intimidating. She was smart, pretty, way out of my league. The only thing I had going for me was that her family had also been broken by the Games, but that was hardly a topic anyone wanted to talk about. Maybe if I had talked to one of my brothers about it, I would at least have something to go on, but there was always something going on, so it was up to me to either stand up or sit back down.

Should I have shaved? I rubbed my hand over my chin and felt the prickle from my stubble. Having a Victor for a brother didn’t change the fact that we had grown up dirt poor and that certain luxuries couldn’t be afforded such as shaving. It was pointless to worry about such small things when the truth was I was probably going to walk away emptyhanded. Might as well get it over with quickly. It’ll be easier once she says no.

My footsteps felt heavier than usual, my heartbeats louder than usual, as I finally approached her at her desk. “Elise?” I was already hitting myself over the head for such a weak start. “There’s, um, well, Ms. Freyer isn’t feeling well and I’d like to go over and help, but I thought it would be better if you were there too.” Get it over with, get it over with. “You’re way smarter than me, so you would probably be better at helping her than me,” I finished, my voice starting to trail off. I just have to hear her say no.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Elise Krane

Stabbing the pen with the paper, today’s class is excruciating, this isn’t the way of learning. Throughout, the teacher has had us copy down what she has put onto the board, not regarding any questions and raised hands for support. Thankfully, I know about the topic in some detail, there is a book about it hidden on my shelves somewhere although I feel sorry for the kids in here who have no clue about what is being talked about. Glancing up at the clock, slowly it waves good bye to time, soon it’ll be granting me time to leave this wasted hour of a class.

Glancing around the class, none of the faces pose as one of my friends, they aren’t…clever enough for this class. It’s one attribute that makes me cringe whenever I am around them, they seem so blind to the world and lack any common knowledge…and common sense for that matter. But as long as they wipe away the rumours and mild bullying from the others in the school and District, then they’ll do just fine. Since hanging around with them, more people have avoided me than drag my books from my grip and throw papers across the streets of the Districts when returning home from school. I don’t really see how they get a thrill out of it.

Today I am wearing my prized possession, the brown jacket that is lined with wool. For months I have been yearning to wear it while battling through the heat of summer. I have more of a wardrobe that is suited to the colder months; summer isn’t my friend when it comes to fashion but alas, the cold chill of autumn is dawning upon the District, wiping away the sticky lingering heat that has been making every worker sweat.

When the hands of the clock finally alert us all to leave, I gather up my belongings, shoving them into my satchel. Looking up, the presence of a male interrupts my clean up. A Rhodes. A family battered by the games, they may have gotten a victor but like the Miristiomas, they paid the price of having another family dragged away into the pit of hell. I can relate to that experience but my Cousin Levi’s past in the games is something that I wish to forget. Someone from my own family, taken away in such a manner. It dawns upon me a lot, that it could have been me; it could have been my little brother…

In a shy manner, the Rhodes, Tamron to be exact, asks me whether I will join him to attend a sick woman. Paying back to the community is something that I want to do freely, a full time occupation, I don’t care if I don’t get paid much…not at all for that matter. The florist makes up for that lack of income. ”Yeah sure, are we going now?” I’ve seen many of the Rhodes family ventures around the District with their helping hands and it’s something that I admire about the family. They could live the life of luxury with Harbinger’s winnings, yet they choose to place it all back into the world that surrounds them.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Tamron Rhodes

I had prepared myself to hear the “no” and yet a surprising yes—well, more like a “yeah, sure”—sprang from her lips, and whatever hope I had of squashing my silly crush away from my mind was disappearing. She had given me a new hope, a different type of hope. It was difficult to not feel fluttered, to try to remain cool—after all, her friends were right there—so I had to take a few minutes before I blurted out something stupid.

“Yes, I will be heading there now,” I said with something sembling confidence, but my palms started to sweat and my eyes flickered to outside of the door where the popular kids stood. As a child I had mostly avoided them, too lost in my own world to deal with them. It also helped having bigger brothers who, although were as gentle as could be, had the presence of boulders. I had seen Elise hang around them every now and then, the reason why I had been so reluctant to talk to her in the first place. The last thing I wanted was to have confrontations with them now. “But if you want to hang out with your friends first, you can come by later,” I offered her.

I had already prepared myself for going to my neighbor’s alone, so having her meet up with me later would have just been a bonus. I wasn’t sure what else to expect—everything had changed when she agreed—but I didn’t want to push her. After all, it was my silly crush to deal with. Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down directions to the neighbor’s house. Timidly, I handed it to Elise, my eyes unsure where to look. “When you have the chance. I’m sure Ms. Freyer would appreciate the extra hand.”

In all honesty, my neighbor could have used a little more than just a hand, but when my biggest strength was my inherited frame, the most I was able to do was help around her place so she could rest from the illness that plagued all who were poor. With Elise, there was a chance that Ms. Freyer could have more than just a helping hand. I gave her a small nod before turning around and taking one step.

Stupid Tam. Am I really just going to walk away with my tail between my legs? But she had her friends. Of course she was going to want to be with them, even though she had said yes to me. I turned around to look back at her and gave her a smile. “Hope to see you there soon.”