So we had a dance "camp" thing before school starts for the fall musical Grease. 2 days, 6 hours total. My legs hurt and I've heard Hand Jive about 37957498 times. Fun though, I 'm actually excited for school :D lol

Half Life

Luna Night – District 9 Victor

The waterfall crashes behind us and fills the air around us with a light steam. In the distance I can hear Eplis and Marzipan laughing near the water's edge. I hear water splash and Eplis squeals slightly while Marzipan breaks the serenity by laughing loudly. The small pond that holds the waterfall's water is completely fogged over with steam; I can't see them.

Zia sits across from me on the jungle floor. It's not like any jungle I've seen in the games before either. The trees are hundreds of feet tall, the trunks stretch on in and endless circle. Most of the branches don't even start growing until one hundred feet up. The jungle floor is bare; no vines, no cushioning moss.

"Is it weird to be seeing us so much?" Zia questions casually. Odd, blunt questions aren't new to us. It's just easier to be blunt with each other.

"It's almost every night now… I guess I'm getting used to it." Like Eplis said a while ago; the dreams have gotten stronger. And more frequent. I can only imagine what will happen next.

Eplis and Marzipan come running back to us barefoot. I can see Eplis's jeans are wet from her knees down; she must have dipped her feet in the water. Zia rolls her eyes but starts laughing anyway.

"So did you fall?" Zia says looking at Eplis. "Oh that doesn't seem likely. The real question is 'Why did Marzipan push you?'" Marzipan laughs and Eplis gives her a glare and crosses her arms across her chest.

"I don't know. ASK HER." She says pointing her words at Marzipan.

"How could I not?" Marzipan says between laughs. "She was leaning over so, I just pushed." She breaks into another fit of laughter and I join in just because Eplis's face is priceless.

"Happy family…" Zia says with sarcastic content. Eplis sits down next to me and glares again up at Marzipan. "So… I can't believe it's almost December. It's been almost half a year since the games." She adds sadly.

"It has not. Maybe, 4 and half months." I can tell Marzipan is just trying to change the subject. We all know 6 months means: the Victory Tour. The Victory Tour means: my dead friends families.

"Yea, that's a better estimate…" I add glumly. Marzipan sits cross legged on my other side.

For a moment we all sit in silence. I'll see their families eventually but they never will. They'll never return home to hugs and kisses from family members like Aric and I. They'll never grow old, never watch anybody but me grow old, either. I feel sorrow fill my body, but it can't even come close to how they feel every moment of their half lives.

Not living, but existing. Now, it hardly even feels like they're dead. I've come to think of their appearances as some sort of second chance: for them, and me. For us. Simply as friends. They'll never exist outside our alternate world, but it's better than nothing.

I start to reach my hand out to hold Eplis's when our silence is ended. The waterfall gushes water twice as heavy as before, and it's still quickening. Eplis shoots up, with Zia and Marzipan right behind. So this is how our reunion will end tonight.

The water starts to pool around our feet as the small pond overflows. The water is warm, and almost calming – if it wasn't rising so quickly. Eplis is the first to start running, but the water is rushing too. The flashbacks come back as I remember Aric and I scrambling to the highest tree and nearly falling on the wet wood.

We chase after Eplis and we catch up in no time – she's just so short. We reach some sort of cliff and we're cut off. I know it's a dream, but somehow it feels like we're going to die. Zia and Marzipan never experienced the flood in the arena, but Eplis knows it all too well. Seeing her bloodied, twisted body during the highlights show was terrifying. I don't think she understood the extent of her injuries; the commentators said she was already so far gone.

Unlike many of the other dramatic endings to our dreams I can see the fear in everyone's eyes. Maybe this is another element that makes the dreams stronger. For me this is just a dream, but this is their real lives now, which means they can lose their lives. I can't imagine dying over and over again. I hope it's less painful than the first time.

Zia takes off to climb a tree as the water reaches our knees. It takes a while to get Marzipan up the tree after Zia and then it's just Eplis and I. We look at each other waiting for the other to go first. I stand my ground. The water rises and I can hear Marzipan and Zia yelling to us. I push Eplis up the tree as the water reaches my chest. She already died this way, it's my turn.

When I wake up in my bed I'm drowning. Not really, but I'm covered in enough sweat to consider it drowning. I'm alone this time, and I wonder how I woke up on my own. Oh right, I died. I climb out of bed and see the sun is just starting to rise. I slept in today.

In the shower I scrub my skin clean and massage shampoo into my scalp, hoping to rid myself of the stench of sweat. When I'm dressed I make my way downstairs and find May is gone, like usual. On the kitchen counter sits a simple note:

Luna,

I'm out with friends. See you later tonight.

May.

It's simple and to the point, it's the new norm between us. We used to be close and now… now I just don't know what we are. We're more like roommates than sisters. I continuously have to tell her to clean her room and do her homework; I never had to do that before. She comes home late while I'm lying in bed, trying to sleep. She's lucky I'm not mom.

May Night – Luna Night's sister

I spent all day with Lee and his gang, but they don't really matter, just Lee. We went to one of the games down at the clearing and watched as kids tackled and kicked each other. Typically the game is reserved for the older kids but today they organized a special younger game. Lee and I ended up on the same team and we helped each other score the most points out of the entire game. We're a great team; I just hope he sees it too.

My sister has been such a loner the past month. She just hangs out in the house; sometimes with Aric, sometimes not. She's just being so dramatic about all of this; it's not all about her.

Now as the sun sets we head to our usual hang out. An abandoned hunting shack sits near the far end of the fence. With most of the houses nearby being owned by drunks, and trash bags, we have nothing to worry about. The small two room shack used to store extra supplies for the hunting parties but since the lock broke the peacekeepers decided it's not the best place to store weapons.

We open the door with a familiar creak and someone sets the lantern on one of the crates we use as a table. I quickly picked up the routine after only hanging out with Lee's crew a few times. One kid is in charge of bringing "the load" from wherever he can find it and the rest of us enjoy enthusiastically.

Tonight Lee sets the liquor next to the lantern. Lee always brings the best stuff, with his dad being a heavy drinker and all. The first night I hesitated before drinking but I knew Lee would be disappointed so I drank.

But tonight I don't hesitate to grab a bottle – I even seem a bit too eager. Lee sits in his usual run-down kitchen chair and I sit obediently next to him. As long as I have Lee around I belong, and as long as I'm drinking I'm accepted. The combination makes me feel like I'm not an outcast like my sister; I have a life.

"So sugar," Lee says takes a swig of the thick brown liquid in his hand and looks down at me. My body fills with warmth; wither it's from the nickname or the alcohol I don't know. "You starting to like these get-to-gethers?"

"Please Lee," and now it's my turn to take a sip of my drink. My throat burns slightly but I've gotten more used to it now. "These are the highlight of my day." Lee laughs and I look up at him.

"Me too sugar… me too." I catch a hint of sadness in his voice but I'm not sure. The liquor makes my head foggy so it's harder to understand what people mean.

Around us the other boys drink and laugh but I don't join in on their inside jokes. Half of what they say I don't understand. I play hard to get as I sit silently next to Lee. Sometimes he looks down at me to see if I'm laughing too but I just stare straight ahead.

"Hey Sugar, I want to show you something," Lee says as most of the boys start to pass out. Some just sit silently, drooling, but some talk quietly to each other. Lee leads me to the one door at the back of the shack and takes the lantern as he moves crates and chairs to reach the door. I follow behind when he opens the door and steps inside.

With my body weak from drinking I stumble forward and into one of the dying shelves. Lee laughs and takes my hand to pull me up as he uses his foot to close the door. The room is small and I don't see anything special about it, it's really plain actually.

"Uh… Lee what is it you wanted to show me?" Lee's hands appear at the side of my face and I'm reminded of the way I catch Aric and Luna holding each other sometimes. I bring my hands to his forearms, following what Luna usually does.

"Nothing, I just wanted you alone." Lee brings his face close to mine and I let my eyelids droop. I've seen Aric and Luna kiss but I've never kissed somebody.

When Lee's lips crash into mine I lose my footing and he pins me up against the wall. His lips force against mine and crush my lips. I feel a bruise starting to form at the back of my head and I can smell the liquor on his breath.

His hands fly down to my hips and he drags me closer to him. I place my hands on his shoulders and let him force up against me, I let his hands roam my hardly formed body. I try to soften our kiss but Lee is hungry and drunk. I pause to take a breath but soon Lee is there again.

I've never been so close to a boy – let alone with a boy with his tongue down my throat. Somebody bangs on the door and Lee removes one of his hands to bang back, but he doesn't move his lips. With every kiss I feel him get more angry or anxious, I can't decide. I slide my hands down to his chest and apply slight pressure, signaling him that I'm done. I didn't want to kiss Lee like this.

The door pounds again but Lee ignores it, and my attempt to get him off of me. "Lee-" I start but he pushes off of me. I bang against the wall again as he steps back.

"Jeez May. What? What is so important right now? You could at least try not to sit there! Your acting like a dead person!" His words sting me but it's nothing compared to the slap that lands across my face. "You're such a tease!"

I cup my cheek and the door bangs harder. "Open up! Official peacekeeper business!" A muffled voice yells. Lee's eyes flash to the door then back to me, filled with renewed rage. He grips my arms and shakes me; hard.

"Did you turn us in! Is that why you're here! You little bitch!" I brace myself for the next hit but the door flies open and hits Lee hard on his back as it opens. He grunts a turns around to face the peacekeeper. His red hair flashes like a beacon of hope as I pull away from Lee and to his side.

I cower behind him as he takes Lee by the collar and leads him outside. When we pass through the main room I see it's totally empty. Where is everyone? Outside the cold wind hits me and I shiver. My feet drag with shame and the effects of drinking and I make tracks in the lightly snowed dirt.

I'm guessing it's about 11 o'clock but I can never tell when I've been drinking. I brace myself for a yelling as the red haired peacekeeper approaches me but he just puts his hand on my shoulder and leads me away. He doesn't say anything – he doesn't even ask where I live – but I'd rather be yelled at right now. Slowly my feet start to drag more and more and sleep takes over.

Luna Night – District 9 Victor

Aric and I are sitting on the couch eating a late night snack when I hear a knock on the door. I move from my place at Aric's side and pause the cheesy capitol show we were making fun of. I open the door and I gasp at the sight.

Lieutenant Taylor holds my unconscious sister in his arms. Lieutenant Taylor. My sister.

Aric joins me and his eyes narrow at the sight while I stand with my hand over my mouth in shock. "What happened?" Aric asks with his voice accusing.

Instead of addressing Aric, Lieutenant Taylor turns to me. "We found her and some other boy's in an abandoned shack near the fence. They had alcohol and when I found your sister she was being pushed around by Lee Amberson." I look at my sister with her eyes closed and a bruise forming on her cheek.

"What do you mean pushed around?" My voice sounds weak and quiet.

"Well, it sounded that way. He's known to be aggressive and I could hear yelling and crashing. Her face and arms prove our suspicions." I look at my sister but her arms are safely tucked away. "I told you I would look out for your sister," Taylor says quietly but when I look up I see his face stretched into his usual sneer.

"Well thank you. You've been a great help but we'll take it from here." Aric walks up and Taylor places the unmoving May in his arms. Lieutenant Taylor turns and leaves and I quickly close the door behind him. When I turn back Aric is already making his way up the stairs.

Aric walks into May's filthy room and sidesteps around old clothes and papers. I turn on the lamp near her bed while Aric sets her ever so gently on her overstuffed comforter. In the low yellow light I can see the bruise turning blue and red against my sister's lightly tanned face.

I rush forward and cup my little sisters motionless, damaged face. "Oh May, what have you done?" And my voice cracks as the tears start to come down my face. My independent, obnoxious, firry sister, you've really gotten yourself into trouble. I move a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and the tears land on the bed heavily. "What have you gotten yourself into?" I ask her weakly. "I should have taken better care of you. I'm no real parent-" I abruptly stand up and wipe my tears from my cheeks. Aric wraps his arms around me but I hardly feel him press his lips against my temple because I'm already halfway out the door.

I sprint down the stairs and rip my coat from the closet near the door. "Luna where are you going?" Aric asks quickly as I pull on my wool mittens and button the last of my jacket's buttons. "It's almost 1 in the morning Luna." When I don't answer he walks over and takes my hand. "Loon?" My nickname only propels me farther out the door.

"I'm going to go see my dad."

"you know you'll never be lonely
you know you'll always be loved
and maybe you'll never need more than that
of the sad place that love, is whats to become of us
does it even register on your conscious"

OOO i didn't even warn you guys! and next chapter will be even more... interesting? ;) MWAHAHA so i'll start writing RIGHT NOW! haha ok! Review for real or i won't be motivated to hurry :D