if you say so {Aza!Blitz}

[Tom]

Russell Matheson

There's silence in the woods. No siblings to keep in line. No siblings driving him crazy enough that he wants to tear his hair out. Only the gentle sway of leaves as fall is coming. The sound of the breeze crinkling along leaves that are beginning to get their crunch. The smell of early rain in the forest feels like a welcoming presence. There's a moment where he just wants to lean against a tree and take it in, but he wasn't going to stay for much longer. There's still the rest of his wandering to do. Someone would grow tired of his escape from reality, but for now, he'd breath in the fresh air like it was his lifeline. Some days, it was. That day it wasn't as his siblings had better things to do than be uncontrollable.

There's a sound of feet that follow in the woods, just like the reminder that others tend to move in and out of the forest just as much as he does. Lumbermen, dreamers, and the people who need the escape from it all. He's come across them all before with an uneasy gaze that they keep on him. Never up to any good, but they soon realize that he's just exploring what he could of the place they were in. He knew of the escape route out of the District, but never was brave enough to take it. There's so many reasons to remain at home still, but he still knew where it was. Always keeping his option open for the day when he loses his power. The day when everything breaks down and he needs to escape for himself, but for now, he'd just hide in the trees as his escape.

[D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza]]

stefani sinclair

Between the trees, there is peace. Away from the hustle and bustle of Seven, the streets that wind around between homes and companies that house the content. I am not content, not here, because Seven is stuck in its ways and I don't want to start walking down a path that isn't for me. I've never felt at home here, and I realise that I should because I was born and bred here--

--but I feel like I am destined for more. In the books I've read, people are always so much more than the daughter of a woodcutter, a log carrier. I want stars in my eyes, stars by my side and a world at my feet. Forget axes and chopping, I want the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The fame, I think, and I know that not everyone is cut out for it.

Leaves crunch beneath my feet, I look for the way out. A hole in the fence or a tree that is easy enough to climb so that I can jump over it. I've already tried digging under and it wasn't successful. I had to abandon the attempt because I caught a glimpse of a white soldier in the corner my eye and I don't want to go down for following my dreams.

That is when I get deja vu, I hear the same footsteps. I turn immediately, ready to run but I stay put. It's just a boy. Light in his eyes, I'm drawn to him. Maybe he knows something I don't.

"Looking for a way out too?" I huff. "I'm not having much luck." I sigh, pressing my lips together. I know that where there is a will, there is a way, but Ripred, I can't seem to find it.

[Tom]

Russell Matheson

"Looking for a way out too?"

Eyes glancing towards the girl out in the woods by herself. At first he expected it to be Charlie who had found him or Ian. Either would have tried to convince him to come home sooner, but instead a girl stands before him. An unknown girl who was looking for an escape route from the district. He's already almost jumped up in surprise from her, but he leans into the tree beside him instead. Bark crunching against his shoulder.

"I'm not having much luck."

He knew of an escape route. It was only a few feet away, but he's never had the bravery to go over. There was also a way back in down a bit from where they were if someone wanted to leave or get in, but no one would want to come to District Seven. If they were a fan of different types of wood, that'd be the only reason he could see them coming into the district, but even then why would anyone want to. All he could do was watch her for a second before speaking.

"Something like that." Hand gently moving to his face as he rubs the stubble upon his chin that was itching now. A nervous habit for no reason to be spurring up. He gives a friendly smile before looking behind him to the escape route that he knew of. He's calm as he watches her, shoulder on the tree. He could let her in on the secret, the worst that could happen is that the tree gets cut down. There were other ways to escape if someone really wanted to.

"I know a way out, if you really want to leave?"

[D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza]]

stefani sinclair

"Something like that." He says, voice smooth. He raises a hand to his chin and for some reason, I do the same. I don't think I'm good around people, especially when I'm in the middle of nowhere, lost between the trees in the forest that my father reigns over. But the boy smiles and it is a soft reassurance that I am in safe hands. If the Peacekeepers, it's almost like we will go down together and that is far better than going it alone.

His head turns, eyes flickering around the forest floor. The trees rustle above as the wind blows a gale, but our voices do not get lost in the noise. He says simple words that mean more than anything I have ever known.

"I know a way out, if you really want to leave?" My eyes light up at the thought. Leaving, leaving to a place that has so much more than Seven. Although, it wouldn't be easy. Leaving a life behind, two parents, three siblings, a few friends who rely on me to have their back. I'd leave a Stefani-sized hole in Seven that would never be filled in, not ever because there is only one Stefani Sinclair.

Quick thoughts, faster lips. I can't help myself but know the way out.

"Show me. I'll be nice to know, you know, just in case." I tell him. We walk for a few moments, midnight dew onto the toes of our shoes. I follow behind him, cautious of any other sounds that may come from a perpetrator who wants our bodies as trophies. Stars above, moonlight shining, we stop.

"Where is it then?" I ask.

[Tom]

Russell Matheson

"Show me. It'll be nice to know, you know, just in case."

It's nice to know that there's a way out. There's always a way out of anything and everything.
That's what he's learned over the last few years. There's always a way for anything. Power was always what they wanted, but there was power in knowing when to run. It's a weird dynamic for them. They all fight like crazy, but they're all family in the end. They all have a purpose to one another. He's taken care of them all when no one else could. He's watched them grow up like they were his own children and that's why he would never leave. No matter the situation. No matter the annoyance that they were, he would never ditch his siblings.

"Where is it then?"

She asks him. He can see himself in her eyes for a moment. The want to get away, but knowing that leaving would cause a hole in everyone's hearts. He only gives her a small smile as he he turns and walks in the direction of the tree that hangs just over the fence. He's made his way down this trail time and time again. It's always calming, but also dangerous. They couldn't get caught, or else they'd go down together. All he does is speak up.

"You sure you want to know where this is?"

He's already stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"If you leave, you can't come back you know. You'll be leaving everything you know behind."

[D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza]]

stefani sinclair

He stands by a tall tree, larger than the majority of the others that litter the forest floor. I look up, watching the branches as they sway with breeze. They curl and curve gently, hanging over the fence. I think I know where the escape route is, but I'm not too sure that I'm pretty to let go, fall and catch myself in an entirely different place.

Distance, my life could be a world apart from what I have now.

"You sure you want to know where this is?" I nod. Sometimes there is an ounce of satisfaction in just knowing that you can get up, get out and leave at any time you want. It throws things into perspective, and when things get really tough, it gives you that option you desire. In my case, it is a ticket to the life I think I was made for.

"If you leave, you can't come back you know. You'll be leaving everything you know behind." 

"I know, silly." I smile. Truth is: I've been having these thoughts for years; black hole in my stomach that absorbs everything good in Seven. Family are forgettable, in some ways, at least. I just don't find my place here, it isn't home. It is just a house; four walls, a bed and a box of memoirs from my childhood. It isn't replaceable, but it is forgettable.

"I've been thinking about this since I was twelve. I feel like I'm meant for more. More than Seven. More than trees." I wonder if the boy feels at home here.

"What brought you here then, really?"