" 𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔳𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔰 𝔞𝔱 𝔞 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔢 "
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
With a mind burdened by her own actions,
Rowan Everdeen must return to her home
district, and face her loved ones. But around
her, a...
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" look me in the eyes when you lie "
rowan'sview
𝔐ornings started early for the miners of District 12, long before the sun rose. When I was younger, I would do everything imaginable to wake up in time to see my father leave for the day, and join the assembly of men and women leaving the Seam for work. Though I wanted to watch him leave, I remember dreading the possibility of working in the dark, always afraid. Now that fear seemed like that of a child, unaware that there are much worse things to be afraid of.
There was something about the air that morning that made me anxious. As I walked to my old neck of the woods, hands shoved in the pockets of my sweater in a desperate attempt to keep warm, I found myself on edge, looking over my shoulder every few seconds. I couldn't shake a feeling of anticipation, an unpleasant side effect of constantly looking over your shoulder.
The Hawthornes lived in a home near the river, held together by rusted nails and hope. Our old home was visible from the porch, tucked around the corner, abandoned since the turn of the season. Somehow, it looked better than when we lived there; there was an appeal to the life I used to have.
The front door creaked when Gale opened it, the sound making him wince visibly. His gaze landed on me a moment later, a brief smile pulling at his lips. "Hey," he called quietly, moving down the steps and over towards me.
"Looking sharp, Hawthorne," I called, noting the metal helmet balanced atop Gale's head. "Love the headgear."
Glaring at me, Gale promptly removed the helmet and shoved it on my head. "Looks better on you."
"Unsurprising," I remarked, adjusting the helmet but keeping it on. "How was your mom last night?"
Gale glanced down at me as we walked out of the Seam, grimacing. "I've never seen her that sick. Almost as bad as Posy last flu season."
I could faintly recall Posy getting very ill along with most of her classmates last winter, and Gale skipping school frequently to care for her while Hazelle was working. A surge of empathy rushed through me, and I locked my arm through his, swinging it as we walked. He looked faintly amused, at the very least he didn't pull his arm away.
He glanced back at his house briefly. "She's still asleep."
"To be fair, I wish I was still asleep."
"Ah, but then you wouldn't be here to irritate me before work," Gale mused. I gasped dramatically, elbowing him in the gut.
"So mean," I muttered, shaking my head with disappointment. "You know I'm the best part of your morning." Gale laughed under his breath, but said nothing, which I accepted as silent confirmation.
