"What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams."

― Werner Herzog

Makani Allard, 18

District Four Female

"Stay still for just a moment longer," Kahlia murmured, her brush hovering over the canvas.

Makani twitched, longing to get up and move around, but she didn't dare move too much and risk shifting the flowers around her face. Kahlia liked to work on the small details like those last, so it would make things unnecessarily difficult for her. And Makani really didn't want that.

Truth be told, she could stay in this position for a while. Out by the ocean, the only things that needed to exist were herself and the waves crashing against the shore. Kahlia enjoyed the way she always looked so peaceful out here, in her element.

It's not necessarily that Makani loved the ocean, she just loved the environment in general. Anywhere peaceful, where she could relax and just let her mind drift… that would do. Sometimes she desperately wished she was from another District just so she could see the sights and sounds of other places, but she knew she was lucky to live so close to the ocean. Others envied the things it had brought her and so she tried to give back to the ocean what she could.

She focused on the sounds of the waves, listening to them crash against the shore behind her. It was her favorite sound, the one she used to fall asleep at night. Birds shrieked overhead, not a pleasant sound but a comforting one nonetheless. Maybe Makani just enjoyed the familiarity of stability, everything moving around her while her own little world stayed the same.

That's what it had been called from when she was young. Makani's little world, her mother would say with a laugh and a shake of her head. It was never anything bad, but Makani wouldn't have noticed anyway. It's not like she was listening.

Truth be told, there was no reason for her constant drifting away. She just… did. Her life was always happy, from her loving parents to her brother who was taken and then returned to her.

She didn't like thinking about that last part, though. She knew by now that the Games had the tendency to chew people up and spit them out and there was no telling how whole they would be in the end. Bastian seemed to fare pretty well, but she knew he had his fair share of secrets. They all did, after all.

"You're making a face again," Kahlia chided, frowning down at Makani. "You're usually more still than this, what's up?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

Makani squinted up at her friend's face, the light of the sun making her hair glow a brilliant yellow. She was ethereal in the dying light, her face appearing softer in the golden tones of the sky. She raised an expectant eyebrow at Makani, who didn't dare duck her head and risk moving too much.

"You know it's getting close," Makani said softly, only moving her mouth as much as she needed to. She couldn't stand it when Kahlia used this opportunity to drag her into conversations, it messed up the final product. "The reapings, they're in only a few days."

Kahlia stepped away from her canvas and squatted down in front of Makani, making her blink in confusion. At least every other time she pulled this, she never left her canvas. Was today just a special day or something?

Well, with the reaping getting closer every day, maybe they were all special days at this point.

Flicking her paintbrush once, Kahlia gave Makani a little grin as paint splattered across her cheek. "There ya go," she said cheerfully. "Now you're a work of art too, huh?"

Heat rushed into her face quickly, making Makani bite her lip hard. "Hey now wait a minute, what about your painting? Now there's paint on me and-"

Without looking away from Makani, Kahlia reached back and grabbed her canvas to show the finished product. It appeared to be done now, making Makani wonder what she was still in the same position for. Her delicate features had been mapped out and then bathed in a golden light, the white flowers framing her face giving her a pure and innocent look. It was… perfect, really. Kahlia was more than talented, she was suited for District One with a talent like this. Not District Four, where it would only be appreciated instead of worshipped like she deserved.

Tears threatened to sting Makani's eyes, but she pushed them back and gave her friend a smile. "It's beautiful," she managed. "Really Kahlia, I've never seen anything like it."

Kahlia gave her a smile brighter than the sun glinting off of the ocean behind them and reached out a hand for Makani to grab. Makani took it gratefully and brushed sand off of her clothes as best she could.

"It's all thanks to you, of course," she said teasingly. "Without a model as perfect and lovely as you, I couldn't possibly have made something this wonderful."

Makani resisted the urge to combat her comment, instead staring at the canvas again. "Is that for another project?"

The other girl headed back to her easel, placing the canvas on it to let it finish drying. "I like painting," she said easily. "It's a thing of beauty, something to keep my mind busy and active and it helps preserve memories. So in a way, yes. I like having keepsakes in a way, and these are my favorite kinds."

Memories… that made sense. And, in a way, it's what Makani was hoping for. She could see why Kahlia kept her memories like this, preserved on a canvas to remember over and over again. It wouldn't decay like a person would - it wouldn't decay like she would - and maybe Makani would be able to live on in it.

"So it's just for fun?" Makani asked casually, stretching her arms up over her head.

Kahlia shrugged a bit, glancing at Makani from over the canvas. "I suppose."

Turning her head to look at the ocean, Makani's eyes softened as she stared out at the seemingly endless sea. Some days, she wanted to leave it all behind for the chance to explore the world, but she also recognized that it was a great comfort to her. Once she left, would she even be able to fall asleep without the sound of the ocean to lull her to sleep at night?

And sure, she wanted to be able to explore without the District holding her back, but would it be the same when she saw it in an Arena? They changed every year, a faux landscape that would hopefully provide her with what she longed for. Would she be able to explore a large forest? Or see what a desert looked like? Would she feel the freezing snow under her feet or be able to watch the leaves change colors and fall to the ground?

She sighed softly and walked towards the water's edge, sitting down in the sand. The waves were inconsistent, some barely reaching her toes and others sweeping up to her hips. It didn't matter to her, even as her shorts got soaked all the way through. It was still a comfort to her, one that she greatly appreciated.

She wasn't surprised when Kahlia sat down next to her. The two had always been close, and it was still the same now. Even with what lay ahead of Makani, she couldn't bring herself to push Kahlia away. Not even as Kahlia's leg brushed Makani's, her arm moving behind Makani's back in a comforting gesture.

"I've always liked you," Kahlia said softly, making Makani freeze.

She didn't dare move her head, didn't dare look over at Kahlia. Not now, please not now, she begged silently, but it didn't seem like anyone was listening.

Kahlia didn't seem deterred by Makani's silence and instead kept going. "You remember in third grade, when you were tripped and nearly broke your arm? You were so insistent that it was just an accident, even though I know you'd never be that clumsy. You've always sought to protect others instead of yourself, even if they don't deserve it. I've always admired that about you. I wish I was strong enough to do the same."

Trembling, Makani slowly wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them tighter to her chest. She didn't dare say anything, unsure of what to do.

With a soft sigh, Kahlia moved just enough to face Makani. "You've always been beautiful both inside and out," she whispered. "You're a masterpiece, plain and simple."

Kahlia's hand brushed her cheek and Makani's heart nearly broke at the contact. Summoning all of her resolve, she took a step back before Kahlia could fully caress her cheek. "You can't do this now, Kahlia."

The pain on the other girl's face was nearly enough to make Makani take it all back. She wanted to apologize, to say she was sorry and wanted this just as much as she did. Friends? What a joke. There had always been more than that between them. Something that they had never been allowed to explore, and now certainly wasn't the time.

"I thought maybe… maybe this could give you another reason to come back," Kahlia whispered, her fingertips still lingering on Makani's arms and sending goosebumps down her spine. "I know it was foolish, but I just… I hoped I wouldn't have to lose you…"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Makani silently begged herself not to cry. She'd be going into the Games, where weakness wasn't an option and yet… and yet…

She leaned her head on Kahlia's shoulder, even though she knew it was foolish. "I'll do my best," she mumbled. "I can only promise to try."

Even though she knew Kahlia didn't buy it, the other girl drew her closer anyway. "Did something happen to you, Makani? You've been different ever since the evaluations- no, before then. Is it because you were going to try to become the chosen volunteer? Have you been purposefully distancing yourself from everyone? The rest of the group misses you, you know. Namir, Isabel, Fitz… they all miss you. We can see what you're doing. It's okay to pull away, but we're still here and we still care about you."

Every word was a knife into Makani's heart and she was just lucky that Kahlia was staring out into the ocean and not bothering to look at her face. She knew they cared, of course she knew. That's why she did this, why couldn't they see that? She hated thinking of them mourning her after she was gone; wouldn't it be best if they mourned her now?

Makani didn't know how long she had sat there, only that the sun had disappeared by the time she realized she had to leave. The stars were just beginning to glimmer above, but she ignored them. They were dull today, after all. Or maybe she was. Honestly, Makani didn't know anymore.

"I have to go," Makani finally said, pulling away from Kahlia. "Thank you… thank you for everything."

Kahlia didn't fight with her to stay, but then… she never did. Kahlia always knew exactly what she needed, and now Makani had to take a step back once again.

As she left the beach and headed home, Makani glanced back at Kahlia once more. A picture perfect scene, the girl's long blonde hair blowing in the breeze as she stared into the ocean. If Makani had any way to capture the moment, she would.

Something to come back to… what a joke, Makani thought to herself. I have everything to come back to.

The sandy path leading back to her house was as empty as it always was, the reeds lining it bending in the wind. Makani didn't let herself look back again, even though she knew Kahlia wouldn't have moved from that spot. Maybe after all this was done, she'd keep going back there.

She didn't let herself linger on that thought any longer, hurrying into her home and praying that she wouldn't run into anyone. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle it, her loving parents trying to drag her into a conversation or Bastian trying to brighten her spirits even if he didn't understand why they were dampened in the first place.

As she wandered around the corner, Makani nearly ran right into Bastian and cursed her luck. It was a beautiful day, such a beautiful day, and yet it had so quickly turned into a nightmare.

"Hey, Kani!" he said as he reached out to ruffle her hair. "Oh hey, you've got a spot of paint on your cheek."

Makani paled quickly, reaching her hand up to the spot once again. She mumbled an excuse that Bastian probably didn't catch and pushed past him, rushing up the stairs as fast as her feet would take her.

Shutting the door behind her, Makani let out a sob that she quickly muffled with her sleeve. She couldn't let anyone know that this wasn't what she wanted. Not Kahlia, not Mother or Father, and especially not Bastian. He'd worked so hard to protect her from this dark future but now it was the only path for her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before choking on another sob and whimpering softly. "I'm so, so sorry."

Kano Pacifica Arledge, 18

District Four Male

It was entirely too beautiful of a day for Kano to be stuck lifeguarding again. Sure, he loved the job - who wouldn't? - but he longed to be out in the waves himself instead of watching over those in the water.

He squinted up at the sun overhead, cursing the fact that he forgot his sunglasses again. As much as he loved sunny days, he wouldn't mind a rainy one today just to spare his poor eyes. Instead, the sky was an endless expanse of blue, with hardly a cloud in sight. With a day as nice as this, he just wanted to be able to get out there in the ocean himself. The kids around him were making a ton of noise too, distracting him even further from the task at hand.

What he would give to be out there in the ocean right now, swimming around like the rest of them… actually, he wouldn't mind just being on the beach. Sand was nice enough as long as it stayed on the outside of his clothes. Alec and Hayes were supposed to drop by later; maybe they'd all just hang out at the beach again.

"Hey, don't splash me!" Two of the kids were screeching at each other, their cries clear as day.

Fuck, he'd zoned out again. He clenched his hands, digging his nails into his palms as a way to force himself to stay alert. There was no way he'd be caught out of it on the job, no way at all. It was too important for him to get distracted like this. What if someone needed him? He couldn't let them down.

He glanced around, squinting as he found the two boys playing around in the ocean. Instinctively, he sat up a little straighter. They were out farther than they should be, the water beginning to lap at their faces as they continued to creep out without paying attention to what was happening around them. Their focus was on each other when it should have been on their real enemy: the water surrounding them.

No concerned parents had approached him yet, so while the danger stared the boys in the face it didn't seem to be immediate. Nevertheless, he started climbing down from his perch. There was no way he'd let anything happen to them. His feet had just made contact with the sandy beach when one of the boys let out a cry tinged with more genuine fear than before, making Kano immediately spring into action.

Sand sure had a way of getting on his nerves, and it was doing so right now. It was hard to run in, forcing Kano to push himself more than usual in order to reach the ocean as fast as he could. Instinct was the only thing keeping his head straight right now, something he realized as he finally registered the fact that he'd managed to grab the rescue buoy from the bottom of his stand.

It was easy enough once he hit the water, the ocean sweeping him into its embrace like it never wanted to give him back. But Kano would never be undone by something he cared about so much. Instead, he surged forward, easily slicing through the water with broad strokes that sent him towards the boys. One had since disappeared under the surface, the sand bar beneath their feet shifting enough to throw him off balance and relinquish him into the grip of the ocean below.

The water swirled beneath him as he reached the boys, wasting no time in shoving the rescue buoy at the one still holding his head above water before ducking his head underwater to look for the other. He hadn't drifted too far yet, though his eyes were wide as the current tried to suck him farther down. Poor kids hadn't even realized they'd been teetering on the edge of disaster.

Playing with fire could lead to destruction, but playing with water? Oh, that was a different kind of demon, one that never let you go.

Kano snatched the kid's arm and hauled him to the surface, barely suppressing a proud grin as the kid started breathing as soon as his face broke the surface of the water. It was an easy save today, no complications. He was a hero, and a damn good one at that.

"You have to be more careful next time," he chided them as he pushed the buoy back to shore. "The ocean is a whole lot bigger than you, so don't go wandering in it alone."

Kids had the tendency to get caught up in the moment without thinking ahead, and these two were no different. He really couldn't fault them for it; for them it had been fun for a while. They kept apologizing to him as he slowly brought them out of the ocean. He couldn't help but tremble slightly with the excitement that came out of another successful save, the kids giving him a grateful smile.

It sure was nice to be a hero.

He had only just managed to drag the kids out of the water when a fresh lifeguard came running up to him, her eyes sympathetic as she took in the sight of the two boys that were starting to squabble once again. "Looks like you're done for the day, Kano," she said softly.

Kano briefly felt bad that he couldn't summon her name to mind at the moment, but he was a little too distracted to focus on it at the moment. "Great," he mumbled appreciatively. "It's about time, I need a break."

Right, a break. Just some time to kick back and relax while he counted down the days until he stood up on that stage and volunteered in front of the District, in front of Panem. The hard part was over, he'd proven himself. Now all he had to do was prepare to be the perfect little golden boy for the Games, become his father's son again just to get through it all.

Damn, Kano really did need a break. At least he had this time, here and now, to finally just relax.

Luckily for Kano, he'd also arranged for his boyfriend and roommate to drop by as soon as his shift was up. With the reaping approaching, he was spending the vast majority of his time at the beach, dragging them both along on whatever adventure he decided they would go on.

"Looking for us?" a voice asked as a pair of arms slid around Kano's waist. "We made it just in time to watch your big rescue."

Kano grinned brightly, looking over his shoulder at his boyfriend, Alec. "My big rescue, huh?" Kano gave Alec a quick kiss before stepping back.

Giving Kano a good natured smile, Alec grabbed his hand and started leading him down the beach. "The hero once again," he said with a nod.

Unable to help himself, Kano flushed slightly at that. Alec's compliments always felt special to him, but a hero? Well, that was one of the things Kano longed for above everything else. He was a lifeguard so he could save lives and be seen as a hero. He was going into the Games so he could become a hero for the whole district. And to truly be seen as that?

It truly felt amazing.

Their third roommate, Hayes, was sitting in the sand several feet from the shore. He didn't appear to be paying much attention to what was happening around him, instead piling up sand into little sandcastles before letting them crumble and fall apart.

"You look like you're having fun," Kano said as he sat down on a towel next to Hayes. A cool wind made him shiver, reminding him that water was actively dripping down his chest. But before Kano could say anything, Alec had already grabbed a towel and thrown it over his shoulders before settling down in the sand as well.

Hayes grinned up at him, forgetting the sand entirely as he focused on Kano instead. "Hey, no issues with the rescue today?"

"Of course not," Kano said, rolling his eyes. "Just a couple kids getting in over their heads, literally."

He tried not to feel slighted by Hayes's comment - why would there be any issues? There had never been any issues before. Kano was capable of anything.

"Oh by the way, I heard Lyre moved into a new house again," Hayes said casually.

Kano's head snapped up at the name, his blood beginning to boil just at the sound of the bitch from hell's name. "I don't want to hear about it."

Alec tensed up beside him as Hayes opened his mouth again to say, "Come on, Kano, you can't be mad at her forever. Was she the one that kicked you out or something?"

"I'm the one that left," Kano snapped, trying not to linger on what happened the day he decided to leave his home, leaving behind everything he'd known and hated. "They didn't kick me out, I didn't do anything."

Hayes snickered despite Alec's clear distress at how the situation was going. "Yeah, you're the perfect little golden boy right? There's no way you could do anything wrong, I've always wondered what you up and left home for."

Kano's nails dug into his hand just enough to hurt, and he briefly wondered if he was drawing blood. He didn't let himself dwell on it though, instead remembering exactly how his own father had let his wife kick Kano out of the house and then… well, whatever. It didn't matter. It was in the past and it wouldn't hold Kano back any longer.

Besides, he'd always had mixed feelings about the word perfect. He discovered after leaving home that he really did thrive on being the golden boy, on being a savior, but perfection always seemed just out of reach. He was always enough, always had been. It's the reason why evaluations had gone so smoothly for him, the years of spite that had built up allowing him to knock his evaluation out of the park. But no matter how hard he tried and how many directions he pulled himself in as he tried to reach it, it never seemed to be perfect.

That's right, no one would be able to touch the golden boy, just as his father had intended. Even though Caspian was dead and gone, he was still getting his way. Too bad Kano didn't give a fuck about him anymore.

Kano opened his mouth to snap at Hayes, but Alec shifted closer to him. "Does it really matter what happened?" Alec asked, giving Hayes a soft smile that seemed to soothe the other boy. "Kano's living with us now and personally I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I guess you have a point," Hayes said slowly, shrugging off the conversation entirely. "It doesn't matter at home, none of it does unless Kano here can win it all. This is his chance as long as he can get it all done in the end."

Kano had half a mind to tear Hayes a new one right there, but a soft pressure on his arm made him focus on Alec instead. Alec just smiled and pressed his lips to Kano's temple, making him flush warmly. His boyfriend always seemed to know how to make things better.

Trying to push the exchange out of his mind, Kano leaned back and rested his arms behind his head. This is my chance to become the Victor, huh…? Just like Caspian always wanted for me. Too bad I'm not doing shit for my old man anymore.

Kano leaned back in the sand, surrounded by comforts that wouldn't last long once he left for the Games. Time was running out, but he didn't mind taking things just one day at a time.

But inside, a storm was beginning to brew. Kano was more aware of that than he wanted to admit. And when the storm broke?

Kano wasn't sure what would happen. But he hoped he wouldn't find out.

heyyy nice to see y'all again. here's d4, we're vibing we're vibing... until we're not vibing but it be like that sometimes. i hope y'all enjoyed the d4 kids! makani is the one pov that comes from me, and kano is timesphobic's kid! thank you mister phobic!

hm. i don't think i have much else to say? gimme your thoughts, i like hearing them. with this chapter, our careers are all officially introduced! next up is eleanor and nash in district five, i'm looking forward to getting in their heads!

see y'all in a week or so, an update on sunday is unlikely cus i'll be in the car all day. fuck bitches get money xx

~de laney is out