There's always one who gets away [cont'd]

[red]

Allison looked rather unhappy about his queries regarding her friend, the little former District 12 girl, but Calvin was determined to find out the truth. People didn't just disappear like that. Especially not those who were seven years of age. Especially not to re-emerge in another district nearly ten years later. Such things were unheard of. Calvin would've been less surprised had she reappeared in District 12; surviving in the wild would have been astonishing, but nowhere near as astonishing than having been accepted into another district. No. The Peacekeepers would never allow it.

Calvin continued to stare at the girl with intensity. He had to hear this story. Of course, none of the Smiths were left to pass on any news to, but he himself needed to know. He couldn't just let a mystery like this lie.

"You can not tell anyone. If you do I personally will hunt you down and make sure you regret it."

He eyed the knife she pulled out with a wary eye and a raised eyebrow. He was torn between the option of standing his ground or backing away, lamented the fact that the conversation seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. He decided on the former, as he didn't believe she actually had that much intention of hurting him. Not in this instance anyway.

"Just because I'm smaller don't think you can doubt my abilities. You'll keep this our little secret correct?"

He nodded curtly. "I don't have any intention of telling anybody. None of her family are left to tell, anyway. I'd just like to know for myself. I'm sure you understand. People don't usually just disappear from districts, as I'm sure you know. Well..." He paused. "They do on occaision, but they don't turn up again later on. If you get my drift."

He eyed her as she slid away her little weapon. He had to admit to being ever so slightly, although reluctantly, impressed by her. Knife or no knife, he probably stood a fair chance in a fight now that she wasn't pointing her bow at him anymore. And she was surely very aware of this fact. Although grudgingly, he had to admit she was pretty impressive. She was clearly bursting with courage, and he could tell even from the way he handled her weapons that she possessed a great deal of skill. She was the kind of girl he often wished he could spot in District 12. Perhaps if there was, he'd show a little more interest in girls. He couldn't deal with the ones in District 12; they seemed to hero-worship him. On occaision it was a little terrifying. It made a nice change to be threatened instead of simpered at, he thought.

Word Count//453
OOC Comments//My computer hates me D: apologies for any inconvenience.

[Allison]

"I don't have any intention of telling anybody. None of her family are left to tell, anyway. I'd just like to know for myself. I'm sure you understand. People don't usually just disappear from districts, as I'm sure you know. Well... They do on occasion, but they don't turn up again later on. If you get my drift."

Yeah she had caught his drift after a second or two and he was correct in all ways. After all the Capitol probably had her mother killed when she was younger because in district four everyone had loved her but her ways toyed with every single would the Capitol had ever said. Though Allison had never heard Alice speak of her family much so she had no idea they all had passed away in on way or the other. For several seconds she studied her feet before tucking another loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well I'm going to sound extremely crazy possibly but every word after this will be the truth." She stated with a slight sigh because she knew when she got back how much trouble she possibly would be in.

"Although the Capitol has told every district that District 13 has been destroyed and they show footage every year of the ruins, its not true. If you watch the video the same mockingjay flies across and they just use a green screen to add a new reporter with a new report yearly." Slowly she drew to a pause so this small bit of shocking news could sink into Calvin's brain.

"Life is hard there and everyone lives underground, we all wear the same style of cloths and have marked times in which we have to be in certain areas but its not bad there. Some how they managed to grow crops underground and sometimes a few of us can go out hunting. Alice is there and she's safe, she's been there ever since her departure from here. Currently she's working on becoming a full time medic and she'll be in the field as much as possible during any type of battle to help the wounded." Once more she paused but this time left a longer empty space.

Slowly she slid away from the tree with a rather ungraceful side step. At first she stumbled and put her hands out to catch herself but manged to find her balance before getting a face full of snow. She could feel herself blushing while she stood up once more. After all the hard work trying to make herself look strong was just destroyed because of her klutzy stumble. Once more she bit her lip and now she was starting to realize how often she did that. Quickly she forced herself to stop this terrible habit which probably was only going to start up again when she was frustrated. So very lazily she started to pace while thinking what else to say to this rather charming guy. "I wish we could help you all more but we're not allowed to and honestly I probably shouldn't have even stopped to talk to you. I've been in the district for three months now and this is the first mission, as a soldier that they trusted me on alone. Look Calvin we're planning a rebellion on the Capitol but we need to find someone that will get the peoples attention and after that I promise you things will get better but only after they get worse." She spoke in a rather soft voice as she stopped in her tracks. Her brown eyes slowly drifted to the sky as questions danced around but quickly she pushed everything away. A dizzy spell flushed through her head and gentle she touched her temple with her hand.

[red]

"Well I'm going to sound extremely crazy possibly but every word after this will be the truth." She sighed. Calvin raised his eyebrows at her melodrama.

It wasn't going to sound crazy. He was pretty sure he already knew what she was going to say. Clearly what had happened was that both these girls had escaped from their districts. They must have somehow found a way to survive in the wilderness.

That solution was improbable, but far more likely that the explanation that came tumbling out of this girl's mouth.

"Although the Capitol has told every district that District 13 has been destroyed and they show footage every year of the ruins, its not true. If you watch the video the same mockingjay flies across and they just use a green screen to add a new reporter with a new report yearly."

Calvin stared at her. What was she even talking about? Of course District 13 was gone. The same Mockingjay? What?

"Life is hard there and everyone lives underground, we all wear the same style of clothes and have marked times in which we have to be in certain areas but its not bad there. Some how they managed to grow crops underground and sometimes a few of us can go out hunting. Alice is there and she's safe, she's been there ever since her departure from here. Currently she's working on becoming a full time medic and she'll be in the field as much as possible during any type of battle to help the wounded."

Calvin was shaking his head. It couldn't be true. The Capitol wouldn't allow something like that to continue. They just wouldn't. He shut his eyes for a moment. This was far too much to take in. He wished he couldn't believe her, it would simplify things so much. But...why would she lie? To sound impressive? You'd have to be stupid to make up something so outrageous. The fact that it was completely unbelievable meant it must be true.

He was distracted as she began to move, stumbling a little. Instinctively, he reached out to help her, and his hand touched her arm as she righted herself again. He drew back, embarrassed. "Sorry..."

"I wish we could help you all more but we're not allowed to and honestly I probably shouldn't have even stopped to talk to you. I've been in the district for three months now and this is the first mission, as a soldier that they trusted me on alone. Look Calvin we're planning a rebellion on the Capitol but we need to find someone that will get the peoples attention and after that I promise you things will get better but only after they get worse."

A rebellion...?

He wasn't sure if he could take all this in. a rebellion. He whispered the word to himself, and something glowed inside him. Rebellion.

How long had he dreamed of this? He had fantasised about rebellion ever since he had been old enough to understand the repression the people of the districts were experiencing. He'd dreamed of taking up arms and diving into a rage-fueled battle, to emerge victorious or to die as a martyr, glorified as a symbol for all to see. Even death in a rebellion would be fulfilling.

"A rebellion..." his eyes shone with excitement. "Allison...I...I've dreamed of this my whole life. This is...it's wonderful." He stared at her, seeing her with whole new eyes. He wanted to run to her and put his arms around her for bringing him this news. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me this. I..." he trailed off as she brought a hand to her head. She looked as though she might start swaying on her feet. He took a step towards her and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are...you alright?"

Words//631
OOC Comments//Why is this so long? D: I have so much muse O.o

[Allison]

"Sorry..."

Allison felt herself flinch at Calvin's hand when she was righting herself from her stumble. Ever since she was fourteen and her rocky, abusive relationship with a teenager in her home district her life just hadn't been the same. Flinching at ever touch, cowering at the raise of a hand and crying herself to sleep on most nights. Though this touch was different even if it was brief. It was gentle and kind. All he wanted to do was help her up but her sense of pride would never allow that. "Its okay." She mumbled still holding onto her head. Her mind seemed to go blank as she watched Calvin's lips move but no words touched her ears.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling me this. I... Are...you alright?"

Her sudden onset of deafness faded and she managed to catch his last few sentences. Though it took several seconds for his question to sink in. Slowly she looked at his hand that was keeping her from just falling backwards into the snow covered ground. There was this odd feeling that bubbled inside her stomach but she could not put a name to it. Then she let her brown eyes travel back to looking at Calvin's face. "Yeah I'm fine." She replied in a gentle tone and removed her hand from her temple. Once again her pride prevented her from speaking of the throbbing pain and dizziness. But now came the real question. Why is he thanking me? In a well thought way she went back over the last words she had said.

...District 13 has been destroyed and they show footage every year of the ruins, its not true. Alice is there and she's safe... wish we could help you all more... planning a rebellion on the Capitol...

Well she didn't see why he would thank her for reveling the truth about district thirteen so she quickly ruled that out. He could be thanking her for the fact Alice is safe but that would only be if he was close with here. Though that did not seem possible either since Alice never spoke of friends from district twelve mostly because she did not have any. Maybe he was thankful for the thought of help from the rebelling district thirteen but she knew she would never be happy if someone was just planning help. That meant there was only one thing left and over all was pretty logical.The rebellion. Those who supported the Capitol would be made at the thought of a rebellion but those who despised the Capitol would be thrilled at the possibility of a rebellion. Now it was crystal clear which side Calvin was on although him sneaking into the forest helped give a general idea.

For seconds Allison stood there studying the strong but starved young man in front of her. One day she could possibly fight side by side with him but as off now he was still support her from falling. She felt weak and still had no idea what to say. "You're welcome Calvin." Finally she spoke again although the words were nothing special. A small smile spread across her face but quickly went away. "Please you can't tell anyone because my head will be on the chopping block if word gets out. We have people in there that report back to us from time to time so the commander will find out if word leaks." There was a sense of fear the over whelmed her and shown through her eyes. Quickly she let her gaze drop to the ground.

[red]

Calvin raised his hands defensively as she flinched a little. He frowned. She was jumpy...afraid? He wanted to tell her that fear wasn't necessary; he only wanted to help. He tilted his head, confused. Did he really seem that threatening?

"Its okay."

He stared at her for a moment. She looked strangely fragile, holding her head like that. He had a sudden urge to put an arm around her, comfort her. He felt that such a motion wouldn't really be welcomed, so he stood, awkwardly edging a little closer to her.

"...Allison?" He said her name tentatively; her full name, not the nickname by which she had introduced herself. He didn't feel that they were on good enough terms to be addressing one another by nicknames. It would be impolite, and Calvin was nothing if not courteous.

"Yeah I'm fine." she looked at him for a few moments before she spoke again. He looked back at her evenly.

"You're welcome Calvin." She smiled, before another emotion crept into her eyes. Apprehension? Fear? "Please you can't tell anyone because my head will be on the chopping block if word gets out. We have people in there that report back to us from time to time so the commander will find out if word leaks." He watched her, lips parted, as her gaze fell to the snow-covered leaves of the hard-packed forest floor.

He nodded slowly, thinking to himself. "Yeah...I understand. I wish...I wish..." he swallowed, suddenly seized by a powerful, angry emotion. "I wish I could help. I hate the Capitol." He spat, somewhat bitterly. "I really do. There's nothing in the world I'm more passionate about. Isn't there...isn't there anything I can do?"

He swallowed again, realising that he sounded far too impassioned. Although, he thought, were she part of a rebellion, she must understand the choking passion he felt. She, of all people, would know what it was to feel the need to break free of repression. The need to just do something already. He stared at her, suddenly feeling strangely close to her. She was like some kind of saviour, he thought. He realised how lucky he had been, to run into a girl who could bring him this kind of information.

He felt a horrible sense of despair as he realised she would leave again soon, and his little burst of hope would vanish. He wanted to hold on to her, make her stay nearby, but realised that she would probably have an aversion to being so trapped. She was a fearful little thing. There was probably a reason for that, he mused. Impulsively, he decided to ask her.

"Um...Allison? He looked at her, head tilted. "Why are you so...jumpy? Like...when I do this..." He reached out to touch her shoulder, knowing she would jerk away.

Words//461 approx
OOC Comments//I'm sorry this took forever. Things are super busy :L Also, this is really not my best work 3: my brain isn't really working D:

[Allison]

Allison listened to each word the left Calvin’s mouth. All of them were so crisp and filled with a bitterness she had not heard from anyone in a long time. She kicked at a chunk of snow covered leaves as he spoke of hate. Certainly she knew what hate was because she too hated the Capitol and a few select people she refused to mention.

”I really do. There’s nothing in the world I’m more passionate about. Isn’t there…isn’t there anything I can do?”

Regret tore at her heart as he asked if there was anything he could possibly do. She should never have told him about the rebellion nor should she had stopped to talk. The worst part was she was allowing herself to get close to this person at heart and the fact that she may never be sent back to district twelve weighed heavily on her thoughts. Certainly she could lie to him and tell the tall, strong, passionate teenager who stood before her that there was nothing he could do. Though then she would feel bad. I hate myself for telling you any of this. I should have known a boy would be so willing to fight against the capitol specially since he is from one of the poorest districts. She thought bitterly to herself and slowly put her hands in her jacket pockets so she could clench them into tight fist. Then she started to chew on the inside of her lip.

Briefly she looked up at Calvin and shook her head. “Your time to help in this rebellion will come but until then there is nothing. She stated in a dry tone. This was a lie because she knew there was plenty he could do but if he got caught for any of it the consequence could be death. Rather quickly she pushed the thought away until she head her name again. She lifted her gaze again to see him outstretching an arm. Quickly she pulled away as the question sank into her all ready frazzled mind.

Why are you so…jumpy? Like…when I do this…”

A personal question that was like a slap to the face. Quickly she backed away from Calvin just so she was out of arms reach. She narrowed her eyes to determine how serious this question was to him. Though she found herself looking past him as memories of the pain, the heartbreak and the never ending fear the followed her like a shadow. Only one person knew why she would shy away from being touched and that was her room mate Alice. Not even her father had known what had happened to his little girl and why she had fallen into a dead silence for months. He died before he ever got the chance to know. Slowly she took a deep breath and shifted her weight onto her right foot. With a slow hand she pushed her side bangs out of her face. She could feel her legs tremble as she argued silently with her self whether to tell him or not. She found herself leaning against the trunk of a tree.

“There is a lot of reasons why I jerk and jump when someone tries to touch me.” She spoke softly and with her eyes towards the sky as she fought of any sense of sorrow that would surly bring a tear. “Certainly not having a mother didn’t help when this all happened.” A brief pause as she recalled her mother’s gentle nature, the bed time stories and the times she spent with her deceased mother.

“I started dating when I was 15 and at first this guy seemed really nice. Weeks passed and his true colors started to show. He was really only interested in one thing and I refused to let him have that one thing. So force was his option of trying to scare me into obliging to his wishes. His abuse scared me into this never ending fear but I couldn‘t stop him. I wasn‘t brave enough to end the relationship” She could fill her eyes water so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“He came over when my dad was out on a fishing trip and his friends had come with him. They pushed him on and supported him with everything. I was out numbered…” She trailed off into silence hoping that he had caught on just so she would not have to say the words she was raped out loud. A tear managed to break over her bottom eye lid but quickly she pushed it off her face with a shaky hand.

[red]

“Your time to help in this rebellion will come but until then you there is nothing."

Calvin nodded slowly, a little forlorn. He had expected as much anyway. It was less than convenient, though. He felt an aching feeling growing inside him, which threw him for a moment until he realised that it was longing. He gritted his teeth, and lashed out at a snow-laden pine cone with his foot. It went flying, bouncing off a tree-trunk. Half of it shattered as it did so, sending it splinters scattering over muddy snow.

"I expected you to say that..." he looked at the remnants of the broken piece of foliage, which had landed about a metre away from its original position. "I just wish...." He trailed off. There was no point in dwelling on something that would never be.

Didn't make it any less frustrating. He thought about what it would be like had he no attachments within District 12. He could go with her, join the fight. Heaven knows, he'd be overjoyed to be free of the unhappy, cloying feeling that he experienced within those austere, buzzing fences.

But of course, it was impossible. He had ties, responsibilities which his conscience could never allow him to escape. He could not leave his family. They depended on him. Even if there was anything he could do...would he really have the nerve to do it?

Having thought about that for a moment, he realised that yes, he would. It wasn't a question of nerve; his determination and passion would always be stronger than any fear he felt. It was another kind of fear altogether that would prevent him from taking any action; how could he put himself at risk when other depended on him? The truth was, he knew that whilst his conscience would suffer for not leaving everything behind and demand this girl take him with her, back to District 13, it would suffer more from knowing that he had left behind those who relied on him.

He huffed a little sigh. No, of course he could never leave them.

After he had queried about Allison's aversion to being touched, he immediately regretted it. Of course it would be the result of something traumatic; he could tell from her body language, her expression and the little tremors that shook her. The fear in her eyes was undeniable, and he was sorely tempted to put an arm around her. Realising that this would be very inappropriate, given the nature of her fear, he stood, awkwardly where he was, watching unhappily as she allowed a sturdy looking tree-trunk to take her weight.

“There is a lot of reasons why I jerk and jump when someone tries to touch me.”

Calvin felt pained to see the way sorrow crept across the girl's face as she angled her head towards the sky. Even in the midst of his regret, he couldn't help but notice that she had a kind of stray beauty about her. He would have assumed that once upon a time, she might have been popular and well-loved. She appealed to him, anyway. She wasn't churlish and giggly like the girls who lurked outside his workplace, only to compliment him and then back away, giggling furiously. She seemed independent and had experience of life. She was beautiful and could handle a weapon. Most importantly, she was honest, and she was passionate about the same causes as he. Wy aren't they all like this? He thought to himself, half-jokingly.

“Certainly not having a mother didn’t help when this all happened.”

His face twisted in sympathy. Yes, losing a parent was always difficult. If she had been through some other horror in addition to that, she would of course be repercussions, psychologically.

He listened to her tale in silence. He felt a little jolt of pain for her, and again an urge to reach out in a gesture of comfort.

Yes, he saw her with new eyes now. She was, of course, beautiful. Not only that, she was strong. Such an experience would have broken most; having one's will taken away was a hideous notion. Yet here she was, talking about it....not with ease, perhaps. But she was able to put a voice to her experience. That in itself was an amazing thing.

"I'm...sorry I asked you." He murmured, unhappily noticing the tear that trailed down her face. "I mean...you shouldn't have to relive that..."

He suddenly felt a little surge of anger. How dare that boy hurt her.

The passionate little burt of fury unnerved him. He wondered why he suddenly felt rage on her behalf. It wasn't fair that a girl like her should have to be put through that, be humiliated and traumatised the way she had. He gritted his teeth.

"You should know that I think there's no shame in it. Alright?" The passion that he felt made his voice seem a little angry, and he did a figurative double take. "Sorry. I just mean...don't ever feel ashamed...of what happened to you. And I think..." He swallowed, suddenly feeling a little bashful. "I think you're really strong. To be able to talk about that. And you deserve better. I think...I hope you find better."

His gaze dropped to his shoes, embarrassed. Then he looked up again, and the sudden urge he felt to offer her some physical comfort was unbearable.

In a very slow, tentative motion, he reached forwards to gently, gingerly take her hand.

Word Count//902
OOC Comments//Good lord! It's so LONG. I have so much muse when I'm supposed to be studying, it's great XD sorry for word-vomiting on you. Oh look, I very nearly reached the 1000 mark. It's tempting to add another hundred words just to get there....

[Allison]

”I expected you to say that… I just wish…”

If he had known she would say that why had he asked. This was one of the issues Allison had with some people. She watched as the different emotions seemed to fall over him and felt bad for him. Oh if only she could bring him and who ever he needed back with her to district thirteen. Her eyes had followed the pine cone he had kicked. She watched in a daze as the harmless seed splintered a crossed the snow. Either way she had answered one question after another for him.

The hardest question was the personal one. Once again she had gotten rather emotional over what happened two years ago. She hated it! The way she got when she was around people or when she recalled terrible instances. Silently she sat there biting her lip trying to keep it from trembling as she pushed away any more tears that wanted to break loose.

Then she lowered her gaze as Calvin mumbled something. He was sorry for asking and making her relive that instances. She shook her head at his because she relived the event whether someone asked or not. “You didn’t make me relive the whole event by asking Calvin.” She whispered in a rather shaky voice. “I relive it every time I close my eyes at night… Or when I’m practicing with a bow and arrow… I picture their faces…”

It was a horrible thing to admit but she was alone with someone who didn’t even know the faces of which she targeted her arrows at. That was one of the reasons she had learned quickly because her bottled up hatred for the men forced her to better herself. She knew they would oppose the rebellion and one day she would be able to get her revenge. She also targeted the faces of those in the capitol and specially the ones in charge because she was almost certain her mother died for that reason.

”You should know that I think there’s no shame in it. Alright?”

The faint anger shocked her. Rather slowly she studied his expressions but she could not find out what was causing any of the emotions that shown through his voice.

”Sorry. I just mean…don’t ever feel ashamed…or what happened to you. And I think…”

No matter what he said she would feel ashamed because certainly there had to have been something she could have done. She could have broken up with him earlier or tried to fight back harder. Though the “I think” caught her off guard. What was he thinking and now the brief pause felt like it was dragging out.

”I think you’re really strong. To be able to talk about that. And you deserve better. I think…I hope you find better.”

A faint smile made its way on her face and her cheeks flushed with red in embarrassment. There was an odd feeling that tapped into her brain as he called her strong. For once she felt like she could trust someone other than her room mate with anything she had to say. “Thank you Clavin. I…I don’t think anyone has said that before.” She replied following his gaze until his hand moved.

After everything she had said he still found the courage or what ever wielded him to comfort her. She took in a deep, slow breath just seconds before his hand met her own. The urge to pull away was there but reluctantly enough she ignored it. Today has been a weird day. She thought to herself as she recalled everything that has happened since they had met. Yep certainly odd...but a good type of odd.

[red]

“I relive it every time I close my eyes at night… Or when I’m practicing with a bow and arrow… I picture their faces…”

He nodded, burning with unhappiness for her sake. Of course, an experience like that would be hard to forget. He felt a little pang of anger at the thought that what must have been a forgettable experience for the ones who had committed the hateful crime in the first place, was something which would probably haunt Allison for the rest of her life.

He wondered why it bothered him so much. Of course, his sense of humanity would always render him feeling unhappy at the thought of another decent human being, particularly one who fought for his own beliefs, being hurt in such a horrendous way, but this was something different. He couldn't feel empathy for her, of course, having never experience such a horror, but his sympathy burned hot, infused with anger and pity. Yes, it was natural to feel unhappiness at the pain of another, but not like this. He mused on this for a moment, wondering why the pain of this particular girl provoked such feelings in him.

He searched her face, hoping to find answers there. The pain in her eyes was, admittedly, heartbreaking. That wasn't any reason to feel so indignant, so furious on her behalf. Calvin had seen a great deal of pain. He'd seen children lose their families and he'd seen mothers lose their children. He'd even seen entire families gripped by a haunting look of despair as they wasted away from hunger or exposure or just pure misery. Yes, that had always provoked something in him; a rage not dissimilar to this. There was the rage that left him feeling so bitter, that gave him his rebellious nature and the longing to break free of repression and do something productive to pick the twisted society apart, thread by thread, as Allison was helping to do in District 13.

Despite the strength of that passion, it had little capacity to match what he felt now, for this girl and her pain. Although very different, there were similarities between his rage for the boys who had hurt her and his endless wall of fury against the Capitol. Where did that come from, he mused? Oh, of course. They both took peoples' will away. They both felt it necessary to show their subjects 'who's boss', as such, and have a reign of fury. It was exactly the same, and he wished the more naive, who were happy to tolerate the Capitol and blindly believe their lies, would appreciate this a great deal more. What those blatant criminals had done to Allison was similar to what the similarly blatant criminals in the Capitol were doing, when you looked at it that way. Taking advantage and spreading fear and asserting control and taking away rights. The crimes of both were wrong on so many levels.

However, that still didn't explain why he felt angrier about Allison's ordeal than he did about the millions of people murdered and repressed by the Capitol.

“Thank you Calvin. I…I don’t think anyone has said that before.”

He nodded, unable to find the words to express what was going through his mind. Having taken her hand, he held on to it, unwilling to let go now that she was not flinching away. It was not a gesture of romance, or even friendship. He just felt compelled to offer some hind of comfort to someone who had lived through something so terrible.

"I need to go soon." He murmured with a touch of regret. He held onto her hand loosely before letting go before the gesture became more awkward than comforting. He felt a touch of regret as he did so, and his gaze dropped to the floor. "I don't want to leave, Allison. What if I don't see you again? I've found out something amazing. I can't just go back to the District knowing that this might be the last I'll hear of it." He swallowed back a passionate emotion which forced a constricting feeling up his throat. "Will I see you again?"

Words//688
OOC Comments//na

[Allison]

"I need to go soon."

Allison's hand fell back to her side as Calvin let go. There was a tugging at her heart when she thought about him leaving. She probably would never see him again and that hurt even more. Slowly she tucked her hand back into her jacket pocket. Her brown gaze dropped to the ground as she fought off a frown of any sort. She would regret everything if Calvin was beaten by the peacekeepers or even worse. The copper taste of blood made her realize she was biting the inside of her lip.

She had a terrible habit of biting either her lip or the inside of her mouth when she was troubled or frustrated. A giant sigh was building up in her chest but she was determined to hold it off. After all why would she feel like sighing at the fact he had to go. There was only one reason why she could think of but she didn't want to admit it.

"I don't want to leave, Allison. What if I don't see you again? I've found out something amazing. I can't just go back to the District knowing that this might be the last I'll hear of it."

She looked up from the ground for a brief second as he spoke before looking down at her feet. If she hadn't told him about the rebellion maybe leaving wouldn't be so hard on him. Though their departure would still be hard on her. After all she had told him a secret many had not known. She lazily moved her hands and placed them behind her back. "Well just don't lose faith I suppose. This rebellion will set into motion soon even if we don't have someone to lead the districts along." She replied although she knew her words were rather useless.

"Will I see you again?"

His question caught her off guard. Silently she stood there trying to figure out what to say. In all honesty she wanted to say yes but then would probably be lying.

"Allison! Come in Allison.

The sound of someone talking hit her and her first instinct was to look up at Calvin. He was still standing there nothing had been said. Now she was confused and quickly glanced around to see if anyone was around. Only Calvin and herself resided in this part of the woods from as far as her eyes could see.

"Allison. What is going on Allison?"

It took some time to click but she remembered she was out to meet sneak into the district to speak to someone. She fought off a few curses as she realized she failed to do so. Now it was to late to sneak in because obviously getting in or out would be harder. In frustration she kicked at the tree root she was standing on. Gently she touched her ear piece and pressed down a button. "Sorry..." She muttered and let go of the button.

Now she knew she needed to answer Calvin's question. There was no point in keeping him out here any longer. No point in risking his safety another second. "I wish I could say yes..." She started to reply but stopped herself from saying anymore. Painfully she moved away from the tree and Calvin. "You should really go back now." She said slowly backing away from him. Oh how she was in so much trouble with the commander of district thirteen. She would probably never be allowed to leave the base again but she'd probably even loose her position of soldier. Without saying anymore she turned and ran away from Calvin. She had to get away.

"Allison what is going on? I need an answer now and not just sorry!"

The voice behind her ear piece was clearly mad at her. She kept running with out looking back. After some time she slowed down and let herself collapse to her knees in the cold snow. She sucked in several deep breaths before placing her hand to her ear piece again. "I'm sorry I ran into someone and I'm so sorry. I...I failed this mission." She stated before removing her finger from the small button. In anger she ripped the ear piece out and threw it away from her just so she would be able to think without hearing any ones voice.

[red]

When Calvin looked at Allison's eyes, he saw a similar unhappiness to his own reflected in them. He wondered at this; for she couldn't of course, be feeling anything even similar to what he felt. To her, he was simply a desperate, starving teenager from District 12. To her, he was not the hope and saviour she was to him. She couldn't appreciate how loathe he was to leave, and for her to leave him. It felt as though when she left, so would his hope, and all he would be left with was the repressive, cloying atmosphere of District 12, save for his temporary excursions into the wilderness.

"Well just don't lose faith I suppose. This rebellion will set into motion soon even if we don't have someone to lead the districts along."

He stared at her incredulously. How could she expect him to sit back and wait, when he had this knowledge? She must have realised the passion that he felt in regards to the idea of overthrowing the Capitol, and hence the despair that coursed through him at the idea of the parting of the one person who had given him reason to feel something more than weary submission and heavy repression when he returned to the District. He now had reason to feel hope; something he had been sorely missing for an extremely long time. But what if that hope vanished once Allison had left? After all, there would be nothing left to prove that she had even existed, save for whatever traces she might leave in the snow.

He watched with a mixture of intrigue and misery as she pressed a little button on an earpiece which he had previously failed to notice. "Sorry..." she murmured into it, before speaking once again to Calvin, who stood before her, looking forlorn and desperate. "I wish I could say yes..."

He was tempted to snap an irritated retort at her. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Yet, he knew it wasn't her fault. Her District was as much in control of her as the Capitol was of him. At least she was fighting, though. Calvin felt that he would give anything to be able to do the same. Well...anything but his family.

"You should really go back now." Horrified, he realised she was gradually backing away from him. He took a step to close the distance between them, desperation welling up to bursting point inside him. She could not leave. He couldn't cope if she did.

"Allison-" He reached out as if to grab her wrist, but pulled away, realising she may not take kindly to such contact. "You have to come back. Please. You have to." He looked at her with pleading eyes. He wasn't sure if he could cope with the concept of his bringer of hope leaving for good. "I'm out here almost every day. Please. Come back. Find a way.

He gazed after her with eyes full of misery as she broke into a run, before stumbling against the very tree she had leant against and half-sliding, half-falling into a broken little crouch on the snow-covered floor.

"No..."

She was gone.

Words//518
OOC Comments//Yay, my first finished thread.