Dean Karafanda, 18.
District 4 Male.
Dean stepped through the door of the Academy, turning back to look for his friend as he moved out of the way of the stream of trainees. It was a beautiful night, one where the heat and humidity of the day had toned itself down to being nearly pleasant. The sky was beginning to turn a myriad of colours, the setting sun painting it a variety of pink and purple tones which Dean couldn't even attempt to describe.
"Cliff, you comin' or what?" Dean called, fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he adjusted his grip on the bag over his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, don't get your panties twisted," Cliff responded from somewhere inside the doorway. Cliff himself soon emerged, cursing under his breath as he tried to stuff all of his things into his bag. Once he finally managed to zip his bag up, he caught up quickly to Dean, and the pair began their usual walk home. The two boys had been friends for years, having always lived on the same street, and so they would always walk home together from basketball practice or from the Academy. It was a more than familiar routine for the eighteen-year-olds, one that Dean did not intend on breaking.
"Did you end up hearing from the kid?" Cliff asked as they walked. The boy Dean had taken on mentoring at the Academy hadn't shown up for almost a week at that point, and Dean was more than a little worried. He had hoped Lucien would show up, or call in that he was sick, but he hadn't heard anything, and it was beginning to feel like he never would.
"Nope, he's still gone. I was thinking about swinging by his place and checking up on him; would you mind that?" Dean responded, twirling a piece of his curly hair between his fingers.
"Yeah, I don't mind. It's not that much of a detour anyways," Cliff responded gruffly, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. Cliff had always been the type to pretend to be tougher, less remorseful than he actually was, and Dean saw right through him every time.
"You care about him too, I know you do," Dean said, nudging Cliff in the ribs with his elbow. Cliff rolled his eyes in mock annoyance as Dean gestured, pointing to the street they needed to take. "Lucien's place is that way."
"Alright, let's hurry this up, I've got things to do," Cliff spoke as they crossed the street, turning down a new, less familiar path. It was slightly jarring, breaking the routine of their daily walk home with such a detour, but Dean knew it was for a good cause. He worried about all of the kids he'd helped train, especially when they did things so out of character like this. Routine was all Dean knew. It was how he kept his life on track, and there was nothing more that he hated than those routines being broken.
"You don't have anything to do, we both know it. You just wanna see your new gal,"
"Maybe I do, what of it?"
"There's nothing wrong with that, you just gotta be careful,"
"Yeah, I know. At least I'll learn something from your mistakes," Cliff said, patting Dean on the shoulder lightly. Dean certainly hoped Cliff would learn from his mistakes, as Dean had broken up with his incredibly toxic ex just a few months prior. He would never wish such a relationship or situation on anybody else. If he could help his friends not get into that situation in the first place, then it somewhat made up for the hell he'd been through. At the very least it was all behind him now, and not something he'd have to worry about extensively again.
"I'm glad somebody can, at least," Dean responded, returning the pat on the shoulder. The two continued walking, chatting idly, mindlessly about basketball. The two were on the same team, and they had an upcoming tournament, the biggest one of the year. Dean ran a tight ship as team captain, so he was confident their team would win.
The pair soon found themselves on the unfamiliar street where Lucien's home was, and Dean eventually spotted the home which he recognized to be Lucien's itself. Cliff stayed at the end of the walkway as Dean made his way up the path to the front door. The District 4 boy knocked on the door sharply, three times in succession, and then stepped back, waiting for the door to open. It soon did, revealing a tall, blonde woman who much resembled her son.
"Oh, good evening. Who are you?" The woman asked, squinting down her nose at the unfamiliar teenager before her.
"I'm Dean, I've been helping to train your son at the Academy. He hasn't shown up in almost a week so I figured I'd come to check on him," Dean replied.
"Oh, I see. I'll go get him," the woman said, her eyes widening with realization as to who exactly it was that was standing on her doorstep. She closed the door partially, disappearing into the depths of the house, and Dean took this time to flash a thumbs up to Cliff who was still standing at the end of the walkway. She returned a few moments later with Lucien himself trudging along behind her. The younger boy looked quite confused as his mother pushed him out the door to talk to Dean.
"What are you doing here?" Lucien managed to get out as he looked up at Dean.
"Just here to check up on you. I was getting worried," Dean replied, patting the younger boy on the head affectionately. Lucien reminded Dean greatly of himself, and because of it, he'd taken him on as a sort of younger brother. Dean certainly didn't mind this, as it seemed Lucien had equally adopted him as an older brother figure, and Dean was very fond of the kid.
"Oh- er. Yeah," Lucien said, casting his gaze towards the ground. He appeared to be nervous, although Dean couldn't quite figure out why.
"What's wrong bud? How about you walk with me, tell me what's troublin' ya," Dean said.
"That sounds good, lemme just tell my mom," Lucien replied, nodding. He spun on his heel, opening the door behind him and sticking his head through. Dean could vaguely hear him talking to his mom before he reappeared with a grin plastered on his face, flashing Dean a thumbs up.
"Alright, let's get going then," Dean said, guiding the boy down the steps towards where Cliff was standing. As the trio began walking down the road once again, Cliff shot Dean a look over Lucien's head, looking displeased at the sudden turn of events. Dean reached over, smacking him gently on the shoulder. Cliff rolled his eyes, seeming unamused by the whole situation, but still following Dean's lead anyways.
"How about we swing by that ice cream place, grab some ice cream, yeah? Cliff, you can head home if you want," Dean said as they neared a side street which Dean knew would take Cliff back to their area of the neighbourhood.
"Sounds good to me. I'll see you tomorrow, man," Cliff responded, quickly turning off and heading on his way home. Dean wasn't surprised, as he was very aware that Cliff didn't want to be there. There was a reason Dean was picked to help train the kids and Cliff wasn't.
The two boys continued idly chatting as they kept walking in the direction of the ice cream place. Dean didn't mind this idle chatter. Though he would very much like to get to the bottom of why Lucien had stopped showing up to training, he wasn't averse to simply talking to the kid. Dean didn't mind providing company or lending an ear to listen if that was what was needed.
Eventually, the two found themselves in front of the ice cream place. Dean let Lucien order first, before ordering his own ice cream cone, pulling his wallet out of his gym bag to pay for the pair of them. Once the ice cream was scooped and paid for, they took their seats opposite each other at a nearby picnic table. It was just about perfect ice cream weather, warm, but not too warm, a typical late spring day in the balmy climate of District 4.
"So you wanna tell me what's wrong?" Dean asked, as the two peacefully sat, eating their ice cream. Lucien looked up, slightly surprised at the seemingly sudden inquiry.
"Well, I didn't think I was really cut out to train, y'know?"
"That makes sense. Is there anything in particular that's making you feel that way?"
"Yeah, I guess the other kids think I'm weird."
"Just cause they think you're weird doesn't mean that you are. Maybe they're the weird ones for not seeing how much talent you've got."
"You think so?" Lucien asked, his eyes lighting up over the top of his quickly shrinking ice cream cone.
"Yessir, you're one of the most promising trainees I've seen," Dean replied with a smile of his own.
As the two continued to eat their ice cream, another group of kids, who looked to be about Dean's age, arrived. As they clustered around the shop, ordering what they wanted, Dean could suddenly pick out a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in months. Turning to look over his shoulder only confirmed his worst fears. Standing amongst the group was a familiar face, his ex-girlfriend Brooke, on the arm of some rich kid who trained at one of the coastal academies. It was surprising seeing her here of all places. Dean turned back to Lucien who was shoving the last of his ice cream cone in his mouth, melted ice cream smeared all over his face.
"You ready to go?" Dean asked, handing a napkin from the box on the table to Lucien. The boy nodded his head, and Dean pulled himself to his feet, grabbing the bag which he'd put down next to him. The pair walked away quickly, heading back the way they came. Dean breathed a sigh of relief at escaping her, as he didn't exactly want to confront her, especially not with Lucien there.
Dean soon dropped the boy off at his house with a wave and a promise to see him at training soon. He was glad that nothing was seriously wrong, and Dean knew that Lucien would be okay in the end. If Dean could keep him protected from some of the things he'd seen in life, that was a win in his mind. The last thing he wanted was for Lucien to end up with a Brooke of his own.
As Dean walked home alone, nothing but empty streets to keep him company, he couldn't help but be relieved. Maybe he would make a difference in the world, even if that was one person at a time.
It was still a difference in the end, right?
Tarni Villemont, 18.
District 4 Female.
Tarni Villemont loved nothing more than the sea, its gentle roar filling her ears as she paddled further and further away from the beach and from people. Her muscles ached, throbbing dully, but she didn't mind. Tarni had certainly felt worse in her eighteen years of life, and besides that the waves were beautiful that morning, perfect for surfing.
Perched on the wide surfboard, Tarni looked out across the water. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, streaking the sky with orange and yellows before fading out to a bright clear blue. A light breeze blew through her hair and across her face; it was a perfect morning on the beach.
And yet, nothing about Tarni was perfect. Nothing was whole, not anymore.
The waves grew larger and rougher the further out she went, but Tarni didn't look back. She couldn't afford to. This was the same beach where Tarni had met her - Iluka. Just the thought of the name left a bad taste in her mouth; how could somebody she loved do such a thing? How could she go behind Tarni's back and say things like that? Tarni knew her reputation wasn't the best, but who cared about such a thing? She knew she'd slept around before meeting Iluka, but that was no excuse to call their relationship a fling. Tarni hit one of the turbulent waves, her board threatening to tip over, but she righted herself, managing to pop up to her feet.
Tarni wouldn't let the thoughts of Iluka consume her any longer.
Riding the wave carefully, Tarni soon found herself deposited back on the shore. The bottom of her board scraped against the sand as she carefully hopped off, her feet hitting the water before sinking into the soft sand of the ocean floor. Tarni had been out on the water for a few hours already, trying to squeeze in as much surfing as she could before the rapidly approaching Reaping. She knew she was going to make it back home no matter what; Tarni was more than capable of winning the Games - she was chosen for a reason, after all. But there was always a chance of something going wrong. She was not guaranteed Victory; in fact, nothing in life was a guarantee. She had to make it happen herself if she wanted it.
And so she would.
Tarni bent down to pick up her board, ready to go again, when a voice called to her.
"Tarni?"
Tarni turned to face the figure. It was one of the Academy trainers, Kano. He looked impossibly tired, hair sticking up more than usual and large bags beneath his eyes. He'd joined as a trainer around the time Tarni had started training, so in a way, they'd risen through the ranks of the Academy together.
"Yeah, whats up?" Tarni asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't often that people came down to the bay behind the Academy unless it was for swimming training. But the small beach was a well known haunt of Tarni's, so he was probably looking for her.
"Are you coming in for training tomorrow?" Kano said, combing his hands through his hair as he stood, looking at her.
"I was planning on it. I can come in today if you want as well."
"No, no, it's okay, I'm busy enough as it is."
"Yeah, I can tell. You look like shit," Tarni snickered, placing a hand on his shoulder. They'd always been something akin to siblings, Kano mentoring Tarni for years to help her land the coveted volunteer slot. She probably would've been able to manage to do it without him, but it would've certainly been harder.
"I know, I'm tired as fuck. Leave me alone," Kano sighed, waving her hand away, "Oh, and you might want to tone it back on those pranks, you know. Word about them is getting back to the higher ups, and there's only so much I can do."
"Oh, okay, I see," Tarni shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yeah, fuck, okay, I gotta run. I've got a class in fifteen minutes!" Kano yelped, checking the watch at his wrist before turning on his heel and scurrying off back up the beach towards the looming academy building in the distance.
Tone back the pranks? What she did was for her own amusement, at the expense of those who deserved such things. Not everyone in the world was good, and in Tarni's opinion, those who chose to hurt others deserved to be hurt back. It certainly wasn't a popular opinion to have, but if she was the one who had to do the hurting then so be it. More than that, she got a kick out of it, so it was a win-win situation for her.
Tarni reached down and picked up the board, gripping it tightly between her hands as she made her way up the beach. She eventually found herself at the small shack where they kept such things as surfboards. She could take it home with her, but that was a whole lot more effort, dragging it back and forth every time she wanted to go out into the water. Thankfully, Kano pulled some strings, and managed to get her permission to leave it here.
Tarni pushed the door of the shack open and placed the surfboard on the rack where it stayed when she wasn't using it. She picked up her bag and headed out of the small wooden building, up the stone path which was covered in a thin layer of sand that led around the side of the Academy. She could see the imprints of her own footsteps leading down to the beach, as well as what she assumed to be Kano's, the only evidence that anybody had ever been there. It was comforting, having a place all to herself, where the rest of the world couldn't see her. The little bay was like Tarni's own pocket of District Four.
As Tarni rounded the corner towards the front of the Academy, she realized just how many people were congregated outside, groups of kids of all ages clustered on the stairs and the front landing and path. Usually it wasn't like this - people would usually collect in the front hall of the building - but due to the fact that it was testing season everyone was forced to collect outside to socialize. Tarni, of course, was exempt from the tests, as the eighteen year olds went through theirs earlier, so the trainers could determine who their designated volunteer would be.
Tarni held her head high as she walked past the crowds. They all knew who she was for one reason or another, whether it be because of the reputation that she knew preceded her or because of her status as the designated volunteer. Whatever the case, Tarni could care less about what others thought of her. After all, rumors about her had been flying behind her back for years, passed around in hushed tones in the corners of hallways. People always called her the same names: Tarni the whore, Tarni the slut that did nothing but sleep around. But those rumors didn't mean anything, not anymore.
They'd already ruined one part of her life. Tarni wouldn't let them ruin any more of it.
"Hey, you!" A voice called, followed by a hand on her shoulder. Tarni turned to face a younger boy, no older than fourteen or fifteen. She didn't recognize him, but then again, she didn't recognize many of the younger kids who trained at the academy. Tarni tended to mostly associate with the older kids, and now that she was among the oldest in the Academy, she was mainly left to her own devices.
"Yeah what's up?" Tarni replied, quirking an eyebrow at the kid.
"You're the girl who gives out dating advice, right?" The kid asked, smiling widely up at her.
"Yup, thats me! Would you like some?"
"Yeah! There's this girl I really like and I wanna ask her out but… I don't know how." The kid said nervously. The boy had obviously not heard what Tarni's true business dealings were, and besides that she should probably heed Kano's warning, but what could they really do to her anymore? They couldn't punish her, she had been chosen as their volunteer, and they couldn't double back now.
"Is that so, kid? What's your name, anyways?" Tarni asked, crouching down further to hear the boy's quiet words better.
"My name is uh.. Lucien," The boy stuttered out.
"I'm Tarni, it's nice to meet you," Tarni replied with a grin, sticking her hand out for him to shake. He took it, his grip feeling like nothing more than a feather. He didn't seem like a trainee, being so small and quiet, but it was the most unexpected ones that would end up being the best Careers in the end, or at least that's how she found it.
"So you have a girl you like, huh?" Tarni asked, taking a seat on the ground and patting the pathway next to her.
"Uh, yeah. And I wanna ask her to the after exam party but-" Lucien began to reply before he was cut off by an approaching figure.
"Yo, Lucien, we've got places to be, little buddy," the figure said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Tarni recognized him as her District partner, Dean. They'd never interacted much; even though they'd trained at the same academy,they preferred to stay in their own lane most of the time. But Tarni still knew of Dean, and as they were both chosen, he must have some sort of talent.
"Oh but-"
"It's fine, we can talk later. I'll be here tomorrow," Tarni said, sending a smile and a wink at the boy.
"Alright, I'm coming, Dean," Lucien said, somewhat dejectedly, turning to walk away with his friend. As they departed, Dean shot a harsh look over his shoulder, keeping a hand on the boy's shoulder. Tarni internally groaned. She had never liked uptight people. Tarni had always thought they needed to cut loose and have a good time for once, and to stop getting in the way of other people who just wanted to have a good time. And nobody, not even Dean, was an exception. Tarni never had and never would let anybody stand between her and her goals.
One way or another, Tarni would get her fun.
