life is just a mystery {geebs}

[Knuckles]

The colors of the world slowly vanish before his eyes. Nothing makes sense, yet Faux wanders aimlessly through the house unsure of where he's going. Sometimes a gentle breeze scoots an abandon piece of paper across the floor causing him to freeze in place - it's just a piece of paper. But it takes a moment for the world to keep going, and for the young man to calm his racing heart. Every little movement startles him. Even the dust climbing over his barefeet makes every hair stand on end.

Yet the walls of the house trap him, and it's hard to breathe. Every corner reminds him of the walls the gamemakers threw him in once he died inside the arena, and sometimes it still feels like it's just a dream.

Harbinger still hasn't spoken a word to him, and Faux is alone in this world where nobody even cares. He sees the envious glares families give him as he journeys through the district on a regular basis. Now he sits trapped within his little house never wanting to go out, but being invisible only works for so long.

His legs ache, and he needs a place to go. A place where he can find peace without a care in the world. Surviving was hard enough, and now that he's home, Faux can't make heads or tails of what's going on. Sleep doesn't come -

Most of the time he sits staring at the window watching the sky change colors as the sun rises above the horizon. People try joking around wondering when he'll get back to work, but his mind doesn't allow him to answer. Sometimes he walks into the kitchen after a glass of water, but after making it through the doors, the thoughts are gone.

I just need to get away.

Without another thought, Faux makes his way through the front door leaving his shoes and jacket behind.

The winter air brushes across his skin, and it doesn't take long for his teeth to start chattering. Winters aren't nearly as bad as some make it out to be, but living in a place where heat surrounds him year round makes the slightest chill freezing. It doesn't take long for every hair to stand on end, and he's rubbing his hands over his arms trying to make them warm.

But the building littered with people turn into dead trees with no people around, and the dead trees become scarce, yet Faux keeps wandering around until he's in a place where even the birds don't sing. Fruits used to grow on these trees, but the branches are barren, and it's painful to see. Dried out branches crack beneath his feet, but even that doesn't stop him from moving. He only stops when his eyes rest on an overgrown trail.

Turning around in every direction, he tries finding where he is. The world is so big, and right now he's just a tiny little creature lost without anyone to help him. Nothing is familiar. It's a giant maze. A puzzle, and the pieces aren't coming togeher.

Wide eyes dart around looking for any sign of where he is, but is feet denied leaving a trail. His heart races as he takes of running. A frantic heart claws at his chest as every beat echoes through his head. It's hard being lost in a place visited all the time, but so much has changed. His lungs ache, and Faux knows he can't keep going forever.

Yet when he turns the corner back to the same dead end, his reality turns grim.

How long will it be before someone notices the invisible boy who lived has gone missing? Maybe this is how his funeral will take place since his family thinks he's dead anyway. A heavy sigh leaves his chest as he lowers himself to the ground. Drawing his knees to his chese, Faux rocks back and forth hoping for another miracle.

credit to Tom <3

[sbeeg]

Amaryllis Ainsworth

Mom asked me to wash the dishes so, naturally, I left for the square. She'd asked early in the morning and as I resent getting yelled at, I decided to stay off property as long as physically possible. Maybe forever. Who knows? I could live off the land eating berries and stuff and have the Keepers drag me out of the bushes for the reaping every year. It would b quite a spectacle.

A chill had set into the district leaving the trees bare, the grass dead, and my favorite pair of shorts useless. An old pair of my father's overalls hung from my shoulders, the legs rolled up to keep from constantly tripping over them. A thin long sleeved shirt was the only thing beneath it, the elbows worn through and some sort of stain coating the back. Probably my doing, if I'm being honest but who can remember?

The soles of my feet hit the cold, hard ground and it feels like being alive. While I prefer summer heats, I thrive in chilly winds.

I kick a pebble down the dirt road, watching it tumble over itself until it runs into something.

A person.

A young man was sitting in the road, knees pressed to his chest slowly rocking himself back and forth. His feet were bare, but not calloused and thick from years of the practice. In fact I was worried I saw blood seeping into the dirt.

I took a step forward, cocking my head to the side trying to get a good read on this guy.

"Hey! You okay?" I shouted, creeping in closer. I caught a glimpse of his face and suddenly I knew exactly who he was. "Hey, you're that guy from the Games."

I kneeled down beside him, swiping curls out of my face.

"So, uh, how was coming back from the dead?"

[Knuckles]

It's hard being trapped in a place where nobody cares while living a life respected by the eyes of the law. Faux isn't one to give up, but right now his desire to live, and his desire to keep going is running small. Time is of the essence, yet he has no friends or nobody to talk to when the world comes crashing down.

The ground is hard, but it's not hard enough to push him away. It's such a lonely place, and his mind is spinning. The green grass isn't so pretty. The trees barely exist - they're like him caught in a world where they're completely ignored.

He sighs drawing his knees tighter. Home is so far away, and even the sun sitting in the sky has no way of bringing him home. Nobody understands the life he's living. The walls of a home aren't the only thing holding him back when his skull traps his brain from expanding. The weapon made a huge difference, and sometime the sound of his skull breaking apart rings through his ears. Sorry doesn't cut it anymore.

A voice reaches his ears asking if he's okay, and Faux doesn't move. Everything is a trap trying to draw him further away from home. He's lost with no way back, and nobody is around to save him. Nobody wants to watch a guy who should've died make his way through the district square. Nobody cares that he's a living, breathing human being. But someone acknowleged him.

As she grows closer, Faux raises his head allowing himself to look at the girl coming closer and closer, and when she recognizes who he is, his heart leaps into the back of his throat, but he doesn't say a word. Words are difficult to come by, and if anyone understood the pain it caused just trying to speak - it makes him tired, yet Faux can't sleep outside away from the rest of the world.

But when she asks what it's like to die and come back to life, he finds himself spiraling down a slope with no chance of turning back.

It was quick and painless. It didn't hurt. He woke up to machines keeping him alive. The beeping it all still rings so true. The headaches. The harsh sounds of doctors and nurses telling him to remain calm that everything is okay. Boy were they wrong. If they only knew the life he's living, maybe they would've just let him die.

"Pea...peaceful." A single word exits his lips as he relaxes a little bit more. His speech has gotten better since he was brought back to the vault hidden beneath the ground, but it's still not the best. "Quick. No pain. Bee...beeping. Mach...machines breathing f...f...for me. Al..al...most like sl..sleep, b...b...b...but no help kee...kee...keeping a...a...a...alive."

A silent sigh leaves his chest.

"It's not b...b...b...bad." Perhaps it's a lie, but it's better than nothing, and Faux just wants to go home.

credit to Tom <3

[sbeeg]

Amaryllis Ainsworth

His shoulders lowered, the tension released as he spoke. His speech was soft and full of stutters. Whatever they did to him the arena, I don't think the doctors fixed all the way. That happens a lot in District Eleven. Lots of farm equipment, lots of accidents, and not a lot of doctors.

He went on, despite how difficult it seemed to get the words out, pressing his thoughts into the air. I admired that. I do a lot of talking and if something happened and I couldn't talk anymore, I'd sure as hell try anyway.

Everything he said went against everything I knew about death, especially death in the Games. Dying in an arena is not peaceful, no quick, and rarely painless. Yet, even dying in a place like that he had found peace. Seemed cruel to rip him from it and send him back to the dirt hole of District Eleven.

I lean back falling onto my butt in the dirt. I look up at the gray sky for a moment, thinking. Mostly about death, but also about peace.

"Peace is hard to come by here," I said. It was true, there were a lot of people and lot of strict Peacekeepers. I can't imagine what it must be for a tribute who came back alive, who is also related to a victor, who lives closer to the square. Especially one who would have a hard time yelling at people to shut up. "Buuuut I do know a place this is pretty peaceful, probably not as peaceful as death but I bet it takes a close second."

I look over at him, a smirk painted across my lips.

"You wanna see?"

[Knuckles]

"Peace is hard to come by here."

The words catch him off guard, and Faux finds himself looking at her wondering what she's talking about. But in a way, he understands. It's hard finding a place to rest and finding a place just to really control the world. It's something he never understood, and now that he's been given a second chance, Faux wants to make the best of it. He wants to go out and make friends and maybe one day have a family. It's something that's lingered in the back of his mind for so long, and while it was once taken away, the chance is there.

When she says she knows a place that's peaceful, Faux feels numb. Every emotion flees his body, yet a goofy grin spreads from ear to ear. Peace is important even in the world he lives in now. Freedom is hard to find, and maybe getting lost in the midst of the district was what he needed. When she asks if he wants to see, Faux pushes himself into a standing position. It's been so long, and now he has a chance to find a wonderful place in the world.

"Y..y..yes."

He's like a kid as a small burst of laughter escapes past his lips while clapping his hands together.

"S...s...so...soun...sounds f...f..fun."

Words are going to take some getting used to, but Faux has an entire lifetime to figure it out. The reaping was just the beginning of his new life. Why he gets to live is beyond him, but all he can do now is make the best of it.

credit to Tom <3

[sbeeg]

Amaryllis Ainsworth

I can't help but copy the large smile that spreads across his face. The poor kid had been on television for years now, standing among the victor's large family as other relatives went off to die. Then he was plastered everywhere for the quell, but he always seemed stoic. Even now finding him in the dirt he looked... he looked like he was somewhere else. It was nice to see a smile, it proved that he could.

I pushed off the ground, dusting my hands off as we stood.

"It's not far from here!" I said taking one of his hands and starting off down the road.

I wasn't lying, we only had to pass a few houses on the road before turning down an acre that stretched the gap between two fenced properties. It was nice to have something soft beneath my feet after walking over gravel for the better part of the day. I glanced back at Faux's feet to make sure he wasn't leaving blood footprints across the grass. Maybe Kord had an old pair of shoes I could give him. With a last name like Rhodes I thought he'd be a little more taken care of post games, but I guessed wrong. I was gonna have some strong words to exchange when I walk him home if he knows where home is.

I bite my lip. Maybe I can bribe Asher and Nettle to keep their mouths shut and sneak him in the house.

I push the thought from my mind- that is a problem for future Amaryllis to handle.

The empty acre of grass is soon enveloped by the tree line. They're not organized in rows like the orchards but jumbled all together. We shimmied past some bushes, tip toeing across pine needles until finally it slid into view.

"See look there!" I tugged gently on Faux's hand, pointing to a small pool of water. A little stream fed into the pond, curving off further into the trees. It sat in a small opening between the trees, one half basking in the sun the other would have been shaded by thick green leaves if it were any other time of year.

"It's prettier in the spring time, but it's still quiet," I stepped forward, my toes on the bank of the pool, just barely out of the water's reach. "What d'ya think?"