Drawing Under A Sycamore Tree `` Alicia

[Allison]

Soft gentle lines danced across the elegant white sheet of paper on a bulky sketch pad. A rather steady hand gripped an old wooden pencil littered with bite marks between a thumb and pointer finger. Jayden Eddington. The crazy seventeen year old who drew monstrous creatures without society knowing. Family. Friends. Nobody knew what really went through his mind. He was a rather silent boy after all and only spoke when he must. Silently he had settled down under a sycamore tree in the town square. It was a rather elegant old tree and something only nature could create.

Frustrated, Jay flipped his pencil between his fingers to keep himself from chewing on the wooden writing utensil. For some odd reason he was having a hard time getting any thoughts down on paper. He drew a circle and outlined the muzzle of a small cat. Then he sketched out the basic anatomy before erasing it in a bought of anger. He sighed and cradled his face in his hands. What was his problem today? Certainly there was nothing on his mind because his mind was no completely numb. Him and his brother had a huge argument just hours ago.

The argument was the actual reason Jay left the safety of his room which resided in his twenty two year old brothers house. Slowly he moved his hands away from his face and ran them through his short, freshly cut brown hair. Some people said his hair reminded them of a baby ducks soft fluffy down feathers. He had a hard time seeing the resemblance most of the time but often he knew what they were talking about. Once more he found himself sighing about the faint lines that lay upon his paper. He flipped through his sketch book to find another blank page. Sadly he was running out of space in his sketch book and certainly didn't have the money to buy himself a new one. Soon he might have to reside to sketching on anything he can get his hands on no matter what the texture of it would be.

Jay looked up from the paper just to 'get out' of his bubble and realize what was happening around him. Some people carelessly walked past him in a hurry to where ever their destination was. Others took their time to mock him as they walked past, mostly those were people he worked with or kids from school. That was why he didn't like coming out in public. Everyone knew him as the crazy kid. Never had he denied the word but it wasn't his fault for being crazy. Nobody but his older brother actually knew why but his brother would always refuse to admit their parents were indulged by drugs and the constant greed of power.

[aliciamusa]

I ran out of my adopted house as fast as I could. My adopted dad could get mad and abusive. So when he is like that I just run out of the house, with my bag. My bag holds my pad of paper and my pencils. I walk into the town square. With my hair being as blue as it is I stand out in the crowd.

I find a stand with supplies and feel my pocket. I have enough money to buy some supplies, for my invention my adopted sister is helping me with. I buy some stuff and put it in another bag that was inside my first. I look over at the old Sycamore tree. I see a boy sitting with a pad of paper and a pencil.

I look at him. My sister has talked about him before. She says he is crazy and weird. She also told me not to talk to him. Like I could anyway. I shake the thought off and keep standing there. I quickly take out my pad of paper and my pencil and pretend to look busy.

[Allison]

Jayden had let his steel blue gaze drop back to his paper until the sight of bright blue hair caught from just a simple angle. His eyes snapped up to see who out of all the district three members would have such an odd hair color. A girl. Someone who he hadn't really seen before much less interacted with. He sat there tapping his pencil on the paper. She too was someone with a pad of paper. From the looks of it she was trying to keep anyone from talking to her. Odd.

Jay set his pencil in the spirals of his sketch book. He kind of wanted to get up and go talk to her. Then again she might just slap him with her pad of paper. He didn't want that either. Now he was puzzled about what he could possible to. Slowly he let his gaze float to the cloudy sky. He dropped a hand to the side and twined his fingers in the grass. Certainly this stranger with the blue hair all ready knew he was weird. It would be his lucky day if she just ran off if he even got the courage to speak to her.

Disgruntled, disappointed and over all just numb minded, Jay decided to get up. He stretched out his legs which had started to fall asleep. They felt rather numb and with each little movement a sharp tingling feeling would shoot through his nerves. Good thing he decided to get up and walk now. Certainly if he waited another hour he would have gotten up and just fallen straight back to the ground. Then people would laugh at him. Not like they didn't all ready do that when he was out of the house. Slowly the tall six foot teenager walked over to a stand that was selling fruit. He studied a green apple before handing over the gold.

With a gentle but quick hand Jay tossed the apple back and forth. Each time the waxy fruit would hit his palm a rather subtle thawk would sound. He walked past the girl with blue hair but stopped in his tracks. Slowly he turned and looked at her. "You're new here huh?" He asked in a gentle, warm tone that he always spoke in despite how people would talk to him.

[aliciamusa]

why did I have a feeling somebody was going to talk to me today. Well might as well do something. So I nodded to the boy. Well he had a nice kind voice. Almost like a bunny, if they could talk. That would be cool talking bunny's. I let that spin in my head for a little bit before returning to draw lines on my paper to look busy.

I can't keep this up for long can I. I don''t think I can, But I have for about 3 years now so maybe I could for a little longer. I think my time has come to leave but I should stay for at least a few more weeks. Just to help out around my new house.

I look at the boy. He is cute. I don't know why people call him weird. He looks anything but weird. I sigh and look back down at my paper.

[Allison]

The blue haired girl nodded her head to answer his question. Jayden was certainly confused as to why. She might just simply be mute and that was the answer he was going to stick with. He looked at her note pad which she continued to scribble on. Yes. She was mute. That is why she caried around a note pad and pencil in a bad. Well that or she liked to draw like he did. He started to roll the green apple in his hands while his eyes scanned over her. She was different from the people in district three but he couldn't put a finger as to which district she was originally from. He shrugged away the thought.

Jay took a few steps back and manged to step on his own shoe lace. He looked down at his shoe which now was untied. Oh well. Shoe laces were always a pesky thing and for some odd reason he could never keep them tied. From time to time he would trip and people would laugh. Just a part of his life. "I'm Jayden Eddington." he stated while stretching out a hand for her to shake. A slight breeze combed through the stiffened air and he could fill a small chill go down his spine.

[aliciamusa]

He was the guy my adopted sister told me to not talk to. HA he seamed so nice to not talk to. I flipped the page in my note book and wrote my name. Alicia Knowing the capitol they probably already put signs up with my full name. I handed the paper to Jayden. But not before I shoke his hand.



((sorry i think my muse is gone >.<))

[Allison]

Mute. Yes she must be mute. Jayden was certain of this as she scribbled on a piece of paper from her note pad after shaking his hand. Though then again maybe she was making a note to herself. He placed his hands to his sides while waiting for her to finish scribbling what ever she was writing. He was rather shocked when she handed him the paper. Gently he wrapped his fingers around the parchment while letting his steel blue eyes glide across the bold letters that spelled out her name.

Unique. Beautiful. Different. Her name was one in which Jay had never heard before let alone read. He'd probably never hear it from her so he could only assume how to pronounce it and hopefully wouldn't butchered the unique name. Slowly after letting his eyes travel back over written letters he handed the paper back. "Nice to meet you Alicia." He spoke once again. Why didn't see write her last time? The question hit his mind as soon as he put his free hand in his pocket.

Well Jay had said his last name so that wasn't why she hadn't. He looked at her, slowly studying her face and trying to pick out anything that would be considered unusual. She looked pretty normal to him. Maybe she didn't like her last name. That was generally why people didn't introduce themselves with their last name. He knew people with all types of odd last names that he only found out through work. Silently he shuffled his foot on the ground at the awkward silence. A silence that would never be filled cause of the mute, blue haired girl.

[aliciamusa]

I took the paper back and wrote "Nice to meet you too. Why do people say you are weird you seem pretty normal to me. I hand it to him with my hand shaking. Once he has it in his hands I put my hood up and wait for him to reply.

[Allison]

Jayden took the paper from Alicia and read over the words. He took in a deep breath because of her question. Why was he weird? Or better yet. Why did everone label him as weird? To be honest he never really knew why, all he knew is that he didn't have any friends and even his brother didn't like him. Uneasily he handed the paper back. It was nice she added the compliment but the question shook him mentally. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Thanks." he replied to her complament of some sorts.

Jay gestured to the sycamore tree he had been sitting under. His bag still layed there as well as his sketch book which was blown open by the breeze. "I'm not one who talks alot most of the time." He stated, "I'd much rather sit in my room drawing pictures and writing. People don't seem to think that is normal. Everyone gets labeled though but my has seemed to make it to everyone in the district. They just don't understand." Lazily he shifted his weight from one foot to the other while studying the ground. Everyone was labeled. That was just human nature to judge and people generally did it without realizing it.

[aliciamusa]

Everybody was labeled. That thought stayed in my mind for a long time. What was I labeled as? The runaway, The Avox, or both combined? I let that sit in my mind. I would rather be labeled as the runaway instead of the other two. If I was labeled anything related to that I could be turned into the capitol and be killed. I may kick people's butts but against the capitol. I don't stand a chance. I look at the boy who's name I can't seam to remember. Why can't I remember people's names. Better yet why did I even have to get caught that one day. I think about how things would be different if me and my brother were never caught.

[Allison]

No movement or scribbles on the piece of paper. Jayden uneasily rubbed his arm and looked at the ground. Did he offend her in some way? He wouldn't know if she had because she couldn't talk and he was certain she wouldn't write down anything mean on a sheet of paper that could be traced down. Lazily he rolled the apple through his palms once more before taking a step away. Maybe he should just walk away so his odds of being slapped, if that was the case, were slim to none. He couldn't just leave though because that would be wrong. There had been many cases in which he would be talking to someone and they would just leave.

Jay raised his hand in an unformal good-bye before taking another step back. He turned around in a rather smooth two steps and walked back to his friendly, solitary sycamore tree. Silently he stood under the wooden skyscraper and its bare, skeleton like branches. The reaping was near and people were on edge as usual. Families would be torn apart and hearts would be broken. A young child from the age of twelve was always a possible canidant. It was sad because they really were just learning about the ways of life. The opposite sex. The harsh bullying that no longer was just funs again. More improtantly however, to survive. Softly he sighed and touched the bark of the sycamore.

The wooden chips were cold to the touch just like the hundreds of children that would die in a cruel way and un-natural way. Uneasily Jay sat down and picked up his sketch pad with one hand before shoving his apple roughly into his burlap backpack. Stupid games. Stupid Capitol. Stupid humanity. No body seemed to think about what the world could be like if they all just worked together. Tentativly he flipped through his sketch pad back to the page he was having troubles with. He ran one hand through his dark brown hair before looking back at the rough sketch.

[aliciamusa]

I saw him sit by the tree again. I slowly walked over to him. I took my paper and asked him on the paper "Do you hate what the capitol does to people if they talk bad or do something really bad?" I handed it to him. I keep thinking should I tell him I am an Avox or should I just get up and leave.

[Allison]

The sound of foot steps made Jayden look up from his sketch. It was Alicia, the blue haired girl who didn't speak. He watched as she scribbled something down on the piece of paper and handed it to him. Smoothly he read over the words, once, twice, three times before handing it back. He quickly looked around for any peace keepers or anyone for that matter. Should he supply a true, heart felt answer or just some sort of lie? He supposed he could be truthful with the mute girl. After all who was she going to tell? Then again. What if she was just pretending to be mute and was really a Capitol memeber. The outragous blue hair certainly fit.

He sat in silence twirling the pencil through his fingers. Then he looked up at her once more and out stretched a hand signaling she should sit. It was awkward with her hovering above him and to be honest rather threating. He didn't like when people towered over him. Reminded him to mother of the fight him and his brother had gotten into or all the times his father would hit him. "Please have a seat." He stated not sure if she had understood his hand gesture. Then he stopped twirling the pencil around and looked one last time for any people.

His gaze dropped to the ground as he prepaired to speak. "I hate the Capitol and everything they stand for. They ruin the lives of hundreds and force us to do all their work while they sit comfortable in houses that we couldn't even imagin buying." He said in a low hushed voice. A look of disgust had found a place on his face. "Their sick twisted people. I don't care if there are some that despise the games but I think they all just need to die. They're roaches that have gone to far." He could feel his blood pressure rise and he let his hands ball into fist. "Ontop of having us in a stupid game that they didn't even create but just copied from history, they abuse our people and any that creat a problem they torture. Either they beat people until they sell information or do what the Capitol wills. I think the worst I've seen done to anyone was when a ship carried people away. I heard rumors that those who do terrible things are turned into the speechless people that serve the pesky residents. It makes me sick."

A small light seemed to pop into his thoughts as he looked at Alicia. The blue hair. The inability to talk. He let his eyes flow over her face. She had scars but he wasn't sure what they are from. No. She couldn't be one of those people because they never escaped. Silently he let his thought go and looked back at his sketch.

[aliciamusa]

I could tell a light went on in his little cute head. I took the paper and wrote "I was originally from District 1 hence how I got away. I was trained to fight And I did just that." I slowly get up to my knees and sit on them. I look into his eyes. I think that's all I can tell him. I should feel like he might go run to a peacekeeper and turn me in. Only That's why I asked him if he hated what the capitol does to people. So that way I could know if I could trust him or not.

[Allison]

Once again Jayden took the paper and read the words that Alicia scribbled down on them. District one. The Capitols pet. How could anyone come all the way from district one and not be discovered? Again he found himself studying her blue hair. The idea kept popping into his mind. She had to be one of them. How did she get away though? He looked down at the paper again. How she got away. Got away from what? Confusion began to sink in and he handed her the paper back. She had to be.

Jay looked around for anyone once again. He needed to clear things up and that required asking questions, some of which he might not even get an answer. No one was around. Where was everyone anyways? Oh well didn't matter because now he could ask his questions. He closed his sketch pad and crossed his legs. "You're one of them aren't you?" He asked in a low whisper. Now he had to know. No had wasn't even close to the right word. He needed to know because if not he wouldn't be able to sleep and when he didn't sleep he went crazy. Although everyone all ready thought he was so he would fit their stereo-types of him. "Please." He said almost begging, "I won't tell anyone. I just need to know because if not I will truly go crazy."