There's always one who gets away [Allison]

[red]

As Calvin neared the great, lengthy fence, he listened out for the usual angry hum of electricity, but he could hear nothing but a swift calling out in the distant, and things crunching invitingly in the woods.

His grey eyes flickered about him, scanning the clearing. There was no-one around, so in one swift motion, he dropped to the ground and dragged himself under with a kind of practiced grace.

Admittedly, he didn't feel very graceful when he stood up, his clothes damp with dirty snow. Glancing behind him, he broke into a jog, heading for the cover of the trees, where he couldn't be seen from anywhere in the district.

It felt good to be out of the Seam. He really wasn't sure he could handle one more girl coming up to him with one of those incessant giggles. He wasn't sure if he had become paranoid or their interest had increased drastically in the last few months.

Either way, out here was better. The icy air scalded his cheeks and turned his fingers pale, but he felt a sense of elation and freedom as he quickened his pace, now running headlong into the wind and relishing the cold. The exercise kept him from freezing, anyway.

Satisfied that he had put enough distance between himself and the miserable territory of District 12, he slowed and stopped.

Slipping into the coverage of denser trees and unsheathing his knife, he resolved to wait until some likely-looking prey wandered nearby.

Word count//248
OOC comments//n/a

[Allison]

Crunch!

Allison bit her lip as the snow fell under her weight after jumping out of a tree. Remember to keep an eye out for wolves. She made a mental not to herself before looking around. Rather lazily she adjusted her bow and quiver before carrying out her mission. Today was her turn to spy on district which was rather odd considering she was still fairly new to the waste land of district thirteen. Then she touched her hip to make sure her pocket knife was still fashioned where she wanted it. Afterward she continued moving on with the vivid instructions the base had given her.

Crunch. Crunch.

The annoying sound continued with each step she took and certainly they could be traced back to where the hover craft had dropped her off at. She bit her lip in frustration as her brown eyes fell over each boot mark that was imprinted in the snow. Before moving on the seventeen year old pulled her long brown hair out of its braid to restore some sort of warmth around her neck.

In a more slow and careful fashion Allison continued her trek through the woods with all senses focused out for any sign of trouble. She was so uncomfortable in the dense foliage because after all district four was nothing like this and most of the time she was inside at district thirteen. After about an hour of walking she stopped to sit on an exposed tree root. Not only was she somewhat cold despite the jacket and such district thirteen gave her but her legs were shaking. Man I'm such a wimp if I can't walk for miles non-stop. I bet my sea legs are much better though. Her mind was a never ending pit of thoughts and with such gentle hands she wove two vines into a braid that her mother had showed her when she was a little girl. Mom...

Although crying was not something Allison did often or even like to do, she realized a small, wet tear rolled down her face. Quickly she brushed it away and looked towards the sky which in all actuality hard to see because of the tree branches. Then when she was positive her eyes were done watering she looked back down. Instantly her heart started racing.

No more than ten yards away a boy with an unsheathed knife sat in wait for some idiotic creature to wander past. Silently she pulled her bow from over she shoulder and removed a arrow from her quiver bag. No idea what to do or even if he would attack her, she notched the arrow to the bow string just in case.

[red]

He remained motionless for several minutes. He did realise this endeavour was almost entirely doomed to fail; few animals would emerge in the snow, even fewer wouldn't notice him. The breeze was wild, and whipped his hair in every direction. He gritted his teeth angrily, knowing that if the wind continued with its seemingly arbitrary motions, his scent would be carried in every direction for several metres around him. Given that a great deal of his prey relied very much on scent to ensure its safety, this was a less than convenient fact.

He had to force himself not to sigh; noise, regardless of how quiet or insignificant, would do very little to help his cause.

Pessimistically, he told himself that it was probably a doomed cause anyway and he should just get back to the territory of District 12 before some pesky Peacekeeper noticed his absence.

He considered it briefly, then decided against it. He hadn't really come out here to hunt, anyway. His purpose was to get away from the District.

District twelve, with all it's regulations and oppression and patrolling Peacekeeper's, was stuffy. Not in the literal sense, of course. It was spacious enough. But when he was within its boundaries, Calvin felt suffocated. He felt like he couldn't breath. As though his own lack of freedom was cloying the air. The sense of being trapped was very nearly tangible; he hated it. Game or no game, it was worth the risk to be a little freer; to breath the fresh, cold air of the wilderness again. He'd take another broken nose for that any day.

Crunch.

Calvin stiffened. There was someone nearby. Not an animal. Was it a Peacekeeper? Although he knew he should find cover, he remained stationary. With snow this crisp, moving would surely betray his presence. He took a breath to calm his heart as it pounded in his ears. He needed to be calm; to have clear senses.

It couldn't be a Peacekeeper. If they'd seen him leave they wouldn't have followed him out. They would have waited until his return to inflict any form of punishment. What would be the point in abusing him out here, where no-one could see? That wouldn't help their reign of terror in any way whatsoever. Besides, he was sure he hadn't been seen.

So who was out here? Someone from district eleven, or six? Those were the only that bordered his home district.

The crunching stopped, not far behind him. Had they seen him? Where they about to run, or plan an attack?

The pounding started again, and this time he couldn't bear the suspense. In one fluid motion, he stood and turned to stand in a hostile position.

It was a girl. A girl not much older than him, whose expression mirrored what he felt. That didn't matter, however. What mattered was that she had her own, superior weapon trained on him, and if things turned nasty it was a battle he was going to lose.

"Who're you."

Word Count//504 approx
OOC comments: That's pretty long...I had lots of muse ^^

[Allison]

"Who're you."

Allison had nervously watched as the boy got up and had turned to face her. Firmly she held her bow as she listened to him speak. After her rough start with guys they certainly we not something she preferred to be around. "Drop your knife and then kick it towards me." The words were not firm like she wanted to but she had the advantage at this moment. Though at the moment the breeze was not helping her.

Dark brown hair flashed infront of her face blinding bits and pieces of her vision. Silently she listened to his knife to drop in the snow but still heard nothing. Misserably she tried to use her shoulder to push her hair away from her face. So stupid for taking my braid out. A frown cracked her fearful expression as the thought came to mind. "I really don't want to hurt you so please just put your knife down."

The sound of a bird filled the air but she was not exactly sure where it was coming from though the birds tune was rather beautiful. Then Allison realized something, she never did answer his question. Carefully she bit the inside of her lip trying to decide whether or not to introduce herself. Maybe later when he was not going to be a possible attacker.

{ Sorry this is short I could not think of anything to save my life. }

[red]

Calvin stood very still. She didn't seem to want to hurt him, but he remained very reluctant to relax from his offensive posture. He couldn't be sure that he was safe.

At least she's not a Peacekeeper. he thought to himself.

That was true, but she could be anyone else. She could still be dangerous. He looked her up and down, sizing her up. From the way she held her bow he could tell that she was far from incapable, and should he threaten her he would be at quite a disadvantage, considering that he had eaten little today and carried nothing but a hunting knife, whereas she didn't look anywhere near as starved as the people of the Seam and possessed a rather unfriendly-looking bow and arrow.

He shifted uneasily in the snow. She hadn't yet answered his question, nor had she relaxed the arm which gripped her bow. What was wrong with her? Couldn't she see that he was simply defending himself? Besides, she had nothing to worry about. He stood no chance in a fight; she very clearly had the superior weapon.

"Drop your knife and then kick it towards me."

He looked at her incredulously. Do what now? Surely she didn't expect him to give up his weapon and throw himself at her mercy?

She didn't sound too certain anyway. Calvin wondered what she'd do if he disobeyed. Surely she wouldn't kill him?

He stood still, his eyes locked on her as he pondered what to do. He noticed how her hair flickered into her face. She was short; not much over 5', he'd reckon. But she was also impressive; pretty and independent-looking. She seemed to have a kind of strength about her; something many of the girls in his own district did not possess.

Gingerly, he sheathed his knife.

"I'm not giving you my weapon." He told her, tentatively yet firmly. "Sorry. But I'm not going to hurt you."

He raised his arms in a gesture of submission, eyeing her bow warily. "I'd appreciate it if you could lower that."

Words//345
OOC comments//Don't worry about it ^^

[Allison]

Biting her lip, Allison listened to him speak. She had heard that before and last time everything ended badly. Though what was life without any chances or challenges? Just a boring task that nobody would want. She focused her brown eyes at a hare just a few yards passed him, raised her bow and pulled the bow string farther back before letting go. She pulled her hair behind her left ear very quickly so she could watch to make sure the arrow hits the mark.

A small hare fell to the ground as an arrow was place flawlessly through its scalp. Of course like any dead creature the hare started twitching and this was something she never had liked about killing a living creature. "You better figure out how to get that back into District 12 without getting caught. I'd feel awfully bad if the peacekeepers found out." She stated while slinging her bow back over her shoulder. For some odd reason she allowed herself to trust his word so returned to sitting on the exposed tree root.

He ruined my mission. She thought bitterly to herself, Now when I return I have to explain everything and just aragh! She did not realize that she was forming tight fist while she thought. Quickly she arose to her feet, fist still formed to her sides until she turned and took a swing at the tree she had been sitting by. The rough bark sliced across the skin on her knuckles and she moved away before she was stupid enough to swing again. "Nobody was suppose to be out here! She exclaimed before turning around to look at him. "Why are you out here in the middle of winter!? You just ruined everything!."

Frustrated Allison sank back to the ground and looked at her knuckle as small bubbles of crimson blood started to rise up. Once again she was biting her lip and thinking. Only if Alice was sent on this mission instead of me. I'm sure she still has her cloths from this district and could have gotten in for spying about. Okay so maybe she was over reacting a bit and gently she sighed. "I'm sorry." Softly she mumbled as she pressed a hand full of ice over her self inflicted tree wound.

[red]

He felt like a bit of an idiot, standing there with his hands raised. Especially when she didn't cease to lower her weapon.

He stiffened as her hand flicked to clear the hair from her face. She was going to shoot him! He tensed himself to leap out of the way...but the arrow merely whizzed past him in at a disconcertingly close proximity. His head whipped round. Skewered on the end of her arrow was a hare. He raised an eyebrow; he must have been wrong. This hare clearly was stupid enough to emerge in the cold weather, in clear view of two hungry humans.

Although, he thought bitterly, she didn't look particularly hungry. Not at all like the people in his district. And if this strange girl hadn't appeared, he would have taken it back to them.

"Good shot." He said, glaring. "But you nearly took my ear off."

"You better figure out how to get that back into District 12 without getting caught. I'd feel awfully bad if the peacekeepers found out."

He raised his eyebrows. Did she really think he'd have been able to get out he there was going to be some danger getting back in.

"I was here first. What if I want to stay a while?" he muttered quietly, gritting his teeth.

He watched her warily as she stood. He formed a guarded position, just in case, but left his knife sheathed. He watched, growing a little more concerned than fearful, as she swung her fist into the foliage.

"Nobody was suppose to be out here!" she said. He recognised the frustration in her voice- what had he interrupted that was quite so important? "Why are you out here in the middle of winter!? You just ruined everything!."

[/i]

Calvin remained silent, thinking he could say the same thing of her. In this cold, a family would have been glad of that hare. He imagined how it would have tasted; warm, tender and filling. Moreover he thought what he could have bartered for it. He couldn't suppress a little sigh.

He shook himself; it was her catch, he shouldn't begrudge her it. He probably wouldn't have managed it himself anyway; there was no way he could catch a hare on speed alone. He would have needed a bow, like hers. Grudgingly, he realised that it had been a pretty spectacular catch. He glanced back at the hare; the arrow protruded straight up from its skull. This girl had some skill. Pity she couldn't use it in some other part of the forest.

He continued to watch her a she slid back down onto her tree root, looking forlorn. Her fist was bleeding where she had punched the tree. He felt the frustration that had been nagging inside him all day mirrored in her expression, and felt a sudden wave of empathy for the girl. He couldn't help thinking that from the way she was acting, she was possibly a bit of a basket case, but from his experience people who were miserable usually came off that way.

"I'm sorry." The irrational sympathy swelled up in him again, and he took a few tentative steps towards her, unsure of what should be done here.

He stared at her. He didn't look as though she would hurt him.

Making up his mind, he walked purposefully over to her and crouched beside her.

"Hey. I'm Calvin. Let me see that." He reached out for her bleeding fingers.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

Word count//574
OOC comments//I'm not sure why this thread makes me so muse-y. I always seem to have a lot to write.

[Allison]

"Good shot. But you nearly took my ear off."

She rolled her eyes at his remark and the glare he had given her. If she had wanted to harm him she would have but scaring him was not something she had planned on doing that was just her best aim of sight. Her eyes dropped to the snow until she heard the consistent crunching of snow although the first few sets seemed a bit hesitant.

"Hey. I'm Calvin. Let me see that."

For a few seconds she sat in silence letting his name sink into her memory but then realized he had said something else. What did he want to see? My bow or my hand? The thought rushed through her mind like a swarm of angry bees. Slowly she looked up and felt rather stupid when she realized he was talking about her knuckle. Lazily she left the snow slosh back onto the ground and rubbed her unharmed hand on her pants legs. Although he did not seem like he was going to attack her now she still was unsure about just letting him examine her hand.

"Nice to meet you Calvin." She replied while standing up and casually placing her hands in her jacket pockets. "My hands fine but thanks for the offer I guess." There was a sense of discomfort standing next to someone who was so much taller than her. Well this is awkward and I should probably tell him my name. Casually she looked over her shoulder and took a step back onto the tree root but that did not help her gain any height. Slowly she took in a deep breath before looking up towards him. Awesome I have to look up to talk to this guy. This was something she certainly did not want to do but it was better than just staring randomly around.

With her left hand she brushed her side bangs out of her face again. "My names Alli." She stated finally answering his questions form minutes ago. "Well actually Allison but my friend calls me Alli. You might actually know her she used to live in District 12, her names Alice Smith." Silently she shift her weight from one foot to another. I probably said to much. Gently she bit the inside of her cheek while letting her brown gaze fall to the snow covered ground. Why was she opening up to some stranger.

Briefly she closed her eyes and leaned against the tree trunk. She found herself back in her bunk at district thirteen. It was rather cold in the dorm and Alice had been up studying so the candle light flickered across the room. She had been watching as the elongated shadows danced across the gray, slate colored walls as her room mate took down notes about medical terms. Allison felt a small smile creep onto her face but quickly diminish when she realized she was not alone and her eyes opened once more.

"Why are you out here any ways?" The question was obvious but at least it was something that would prevent from an awkward silence even if only for a few seconds.

[red]

"Nice to meet you Calvin. My hand's fine but thanks for the offer I guess."

Calvin raised an eyebrow. "Sure?" He couldn't tell if she was really not that badly hurt, or simply too proud or embarrassed to accept an offer of help. Such pretence was common enough; he'd met several people like that before. Too many felt that needing help was a weakness, when in fact the majority of the time it was a necessity. People were made to help each other, he thought. Society had gotten it all wrong; it wasn't right for a minority to be supported by the majority.

He realised he was gritting his teeth angrily; his thoughts had gone astray to much darker places. Mentally, he gave himself a shake, forcing himself to focus on the girl.

"My names Alli. Well actually Allison but my friend calls me Alli. You might actually know her she used to live in District 12, her names Alice Smith."

The tall, tan boy racked his brain. He remembered her brother. Of course he did. Calvin had been around seven when Dan had been chosen in the reaping. He'd done well for a month. Calvin remembered feeling a mixture of horror and admiration as he'd watched the boy progress through the games, right down to the final two. Then he'd been slaughtered like the rest. All that strength and skill and determination to stay alive had boiled down to a bloody death.

He furrowed his brow. A little, shy, brown-haired girl popped into his mind. Alice. His own age, although they hadn't mixed much. He was a little stunned at the extent of his own memory. However, that was the latest memory he had of her. His eyes became overcast with confusion; changing districts was unheard of. What had become of little, brown-eyed Alice after she'd disappeared?

"Why are you out here any ways?"

He shrugged. "Hunting. I wanted to get out for a while. Can't stand it back there." He looked at Allison with a touch of intensity in his stormy grey gaze. "Where's Alice now? In your district?" He eyed her. He rarely saw anyone from another district, but he'd seen enough of the Hunger Games and the consequent Victory Tour to vaguely recognise the distinct characteristics of each district. "If I'd have to make a guess, I'd say you were district four. She can't have gone all that way, though."

Words//398
OOC Comment//n/a

[Allison]

"Sure?

Yes she was sure but there was no point in answering any more of his questions or at least not any that would only answer in a boring reply. Allison leaned against the tree as she watched him try to recover anything from his memory about the name Alice. It was interesting to see someone else think and they faces they would make. She knew Alice always made weird faces but then again Alice was just strange at times. Good to know everyone makes some sort of face when they think. She thought as she noticed his brow furrow.

"Hunting. I wanted to get out for a while. Can't stand it back there."

Well that made sense from what she's heard and seen of district twelve from the games as well as Victory Tour, everything was hard. She knew if she could get out more she would certainly since district thirteen was so closed off from the world and everyone but the district thought they had been destroyed. Then she realized more words were poring out of Calvin's mouth so she looked up to listen.

"Where's Alice now? In your district? If I'd have to make a guess, I'd say you were district four. She can't have gone all that way, though."

Questions she certainly had not wanted to hear but most of them were her fault. Her brown eyes fell back towards the snow covered ground. Well I could tell him the truth, She thought while kicking a part of the snow, but that could start a lot of trouble. I could lie to him but he seems smart enough to figure out everything. Her hands formed another fist inside of her jacket pocked before she looked up at him. Tell him the truth.

"You can not tell anyone. If you do I personally will hunt you down and make sure you regret it." She stated in a cold tone after pulling her knife out of its protective sleeve and pointing it at him. "Just because I'm smaller don't think you can doubt my abilities. You'll keep this our little secret correct?" Gracefully she put the knife away as she glared slightly at the taller teenager who could probably do some real damage if anything went wrong.