Carter Feldman, 18.
District 10 Male.
Carter looked up, pulling the brim of his hat down lower over his face to block the sun's bright rays from his eyes. It was beautiful, the newness of spring stamping out the cold of winter a final time. He missed spring and everything it came with: the sun, the green of trees and grass, even the dirt under his nails which never seemed to leave once it reappeared come each winter's end.
Turning his gaze lower, Carter could barely make out the small silhouette slowly meandering back towards him. "Be careful, Buck," Carter called, leaning over the wooden fence to watch his younger brother, who was struggling through the field, a large bucket of water clutched between his hands. With every step he took, some of the water would slosh over the side, leaving a trail of wet dirt behind him.
"It's okay, Carter, I can do it!" Buck strained, sending Carter a toothy grin, revealing the large gap between the younger boy's front teeth.
"You sure? I can help you if you need it," Carter replied, raising an eyebrow. Buck had never been particularly big or strong, not like Carter, but he'd always wanted to be. Carter knew that his little brother looked up to him, and because of this, he always tried to be a good role model for his siblings.
"No, no, I can do it, I'm strong, see?" Buck laughed, holding the bucket up for Carter to see. Carter nodded, chuckling to himself as he moved towards the gate nearby and pushed it open. As Buck stepped through, he tripped over a rock that was half-buried in the dirt. Carter lunged for his brother, grabbing him under the armpits before he could fall to the ground entirely and pulling him up. The bucket full of water clattered to the ground, sending a pool of liquid washing over the toes of his boots.
Carter gently set the small boy on his feet. "You alright?" Carter asked, water soaking through the knees of his pants as he crouched down to his brother's level.
"Y-yeah I'm fine. I'm sorry I dropped it cuz... we have to go back and get more now right?" Buck sniffled, rubbing his eyes, "I should'a just let you hold it."
"It's okay, bud, it won't take long, and waitin' a little longer won't kill the cows," Carter replied, patting his brother on the head. Tears welled in Bucks eyes, as he looked up at him. "Really, it's okay," Carter insisted, brushing the tears away.
"Okay, if you say so," Buck muttered as Carter took the boy's hand.
"I do say so! Let's go fill this thing then, how 'bout it?" Carter grinned, picking up the bucket from the ground. Buck quickly righted himself, shedding his shaky demeanor quickly as Carter offered him the bucket to carry, the pair setting off through the field once again
The sun grew higher in the sky, the cool early morning beginning to give way to the relentless afternoon heat. Carter watched as Buck ran ahead on the narrow dirt road, occasionally yelling when he found a lizard or a bug of interest. Eventually they rounded a corner, passing through another gate and climbing the small hill that their home sat on. Buck scurried over to the water pump, taking the empty bucket from Carter to fill it.
"What're you two doing here?" Their mother called from the doorway, holding their youngest brother, Kip, on her hip.
"Just refillin' the water," Carter replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "I tripped and dropped it on the way."
"Oh, I see," Mom paused for a moment, "Lunch'll be ready in a bit, make sure you're back in time, alrighty?"
"Yes, ma," Carter replied, turning back to Buck who'd finished filling the bucket.
"Wait, wait, I wanna come too," the voice of their sister, Juniper, called from just inside the doorway. She bound down the stairs and past their mother, shoes slapping against the tightly packed dirt.
"Did you finish all your chores, Juni?"
"Yes, Ma, I did," Juniper replied. "I wanna go help water the cows."
"Okay, but only if Carter says you can," Ma replied, looking to Carter. He nodded once, gesturing for his younger siblings to come along.
Carter hefted the bucket of water, carrying it with ease as Buck ran ahead on the path once again. Juniper skipped along near Carter, looking out at the fields around them as they walked, paying no attention to the world around her. They soon arrived at the gate, Buck rushing ahead to push it open for Carter and Juniper.
"So what are we doing?" Juniper asked, brushing past Carter through the gate.
"Well we're gonna go water the cows," Carter said, stepping around the pool of recently-spilled water which was quickly drying, disappearing into the cool ground to escape from the sun which beat down above.
"Can we go see the bull?"
"That ol' thing? Why would you want to go see him?"
"I like him..." Juniper replied, Carter shooting her a strange look. "What?"
"Nothin', it's fine," Carter shrugged. He'd seen what the bull could do to people when it was in a bad mood; Carter could almost feel the large scar on his side aching as he thought back to that summer when he'd nearly gotten himself killed. He thought he could deal with the thing on his own, so his parents and siblings wouldn't have to risk themselves, but he'd gotten himself turned into a kebab instead. Luckily it hadn't hurt him too badly, just leaving a large scar across his side.
"I know, I know, he's dangerous, but he likes me, I swear!" Juniper insisted.
"That's cause you bring him treats you shouldn't," Carter replied. "It's okay, I won't tell anybody."
"Maybe I will next time Juni messes with my stuff!" Buck called from ahead on the pathway, sticking his tongue out at his older sister.
"Don't you dare!" Juniper yelped, scrambling off down the path after Buck. Carter watched the two run ahead, yelling at each other. Though Carter couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, as long as his siblings were happy, Carter was happy. All he wanted was for his family to be content and stable, to watch his siblings grow up, and everything was on track to be that way. Carter was just glad his parents never put many expectations on him; he could be whoever and whatever he wanted, and that was the way he liked it.
"You coming, Carter?!" Juniper shouted from far down the path, snapping Carter out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm comin'!" Carter yelled back, readjusting his nearly slipping grip on the bucket of water. He quickened his pace, soon catching up to Juniper and Buck who were perched on the fence, looking into the pen. He could hear the distant mooing of cows as he trotted up to his siblings.
"You two move too fast for me, you know that?" Carter said as he set the water down, shaking his head in mock disappointment at the two on the fence.
"You just gotta get a move on old man!" Juniper replied, snickering to herself.
"You know, I'm not that much older than you are," Carter grumbled, stretching his hands out before picking the bucket up again and pouring the water carefully over the top of the fence and into the trough. Sometimes his great height came in handy, and this was certainly one of those instances.
"I know, but still," Juniper shrugged. "Can we go see the bull now?"
"Yeah, you two go on ahead. I'll be there in just a minute," Carter replied, watching as Juniper grabbed Buck by the wrist, dragging him off over the crest of a nearby hill at a rapid pace, "And you better hope you can still run that fast when you're old 'n grey like me!" he called at their receding backs, eliciting giggles from the pair. He lingered just long enough to watch the cows make their way up to the water trough before turning to follow after his siblings. Reaching the top of the hill, Carter ducked under the branches of a tree to rest in the shade, content to watch his siblings run down the other side of the hill. Carter could hear faint shrieks of laughter from them, bringing a smile to his face.
It may not have been much compared to some other Districts, but this was Carter's home and he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Bo Peep Durlech, 18.
District 10 Female.
Bo Peep's hands ran through the soft curly wool attached to the sheep in front of her. She hummed to herself, a tune she'd learned sitting around the fire with her family. She carefully positioned the shears, squinting her eyes slightly as she let them glide through the hair. It easily came away from the animal, Bo Peep setting it to the side as she stood and stretched.
"You all done?" Her brother, Bleu, asked from his spot nearby.
"Course I am, do you want some help?" Bo asked, cracking her knuckles. Her hands were stiff and sore from all the shearing, but if her brother needed help, of course she'd lend a hand.
"No no, I'm good. You should head home. The rest of 'em already think I'm useless enough." Bleu shrugged and turned back to the sheep he was shearing. Bo nodded, sighing as she made her way to the side door nearby, pushing it open. The cool air of the late spring evening washed over her like a tide, the hairs on the back of her neck and her arms prickling from the sudden shift in temperature. There were lightning bugs flashing distantly, twinkling like stars across the fields surrounding her. Bo took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet night air.
It was far more peaceful than her home would ever be.
At home, there was only a horrible kind of tension; nobody ever outright said anything, but it was still there. It wasn't Bo or Bleu's fault that their father took on a second wife- or that his first was jealous of their birth mother. And yet, they were still blamed for it. At least their other siblings were more open to them, but their second mother was so quietly hostile. Bo was used to it, sort of, but she much preferred being… anywhere else.
"Hey Bo!" The pattering of footsteps, followed by a familiar voice, snapped Bo out of her mind. She turned looking over her shoulder to find one of her cousins, Eve, running up the path after her.
"Hey, Eve, what're you doin' out here?" Bo asked, slowing to a stop to let Eve catch up to her. She came to a stop next to Bo, slim and short, only coming up to Bo's shoulder.
"I... I need help with my homework, it's due tomorrow and I can't figure it out. Can you please help?" Eve asked, panting between her rapid-fire words, "Dollie said you were out here with Bleu, so I went to the barn to look for you but you weren't there and Bleu-"
"Okay, okay slow down here, you're talking a mile a minute!" Bo chuckled, placing a hand on Eve's shoulder, "Tell me 'bout it on the way, alright?"
"Oh, yeah, good idea," Eve nodded, her eyes widening with realization. Eve had never been the smartest, especially not with school, but Bo didn't mind, as she was still a great friend. The family mostly stuck to themselves, limiting interactions with anyone outside of the family, so Bo had to make friends within the family as well. It was their insular nature that made other people apprehensive of the Durletches. Bo had heard the whispers as she walked through the streets of Ten; evidently, her family was seen as a cult of some kind. But Bo didn't pay them much heed; after all, she knew nothing different.
Linking her arm through Eve's, Bo continued up the path towards the houses. Each branch of the family all lived on the farm, one house for each of her grandparents' children. It meant that they'd all grown up in very close proximity with each other, every branch of their family closely entwined. Bo could only assume that, as the next generation grew, they too would be gifted homes on this same plot of land - or, at least she figured she would get one. Bo had always been her grandparents' favorite, as evidenced by the gifts she received every time her grandfather would return from the Capitol from his business trips. In fact, it was only a matter of time before she, too, would journey there. She was already one of the best at sweet-talking clients in Ten to convince them to buy the Durletches' wool, and someone had to step into the shoes that her grandfather had left behind when he passed.
The girls made their way up the hard packed dirt path, up the side of the final hill, the distant lights of the homes casting a hazy halo over the ridge, lighting their path, if only faintly. Eve and Bo made their way into the lit central courtyard, the quiet chattering of the adults and the older kids echoing from the open doors and windows of the farmhouses.
"Your room, or mine?" Bo asked as they began nearing Bo's home. Eve looked to Bo's home, then to her family's home just a little further down the line, scratching her head.
"Uhh, yours works, my sister's probably sleeping by now."
"Sounds good," Bo replied with a nod. The pair made their way up the wooden steps of the porch, creaking beneath their feet as they ascended. Bo pushed the screen door open quietly, carefully ushering Eve inside, as she didn't wish to wake up anyone who was currently asleep. For one thing, many of the Durletches were on completely different schedules from one another, barely seeing each other as they all went about their busy days maintaining the Durlech's family empire; she might just be getting home, but her brother Woolson would be waking up in just a few hours for the morning shift, Billy and Gruff soon to follow. For another, she had no interest in facing the ire of her step-mother.
Bo held a finger to her lips as they stepped into the kitchen, Eve responding with a silent nod. Bo could hear the distinct, loud snoring of her father as they passed his room, moving swiftly up the stairs and into Bo's room. "So, what do you need help with?" Bo asked, softly shutting the door behind them, turning to her cousin who'd already taken a spot up in the nearby window.
"Well, math, I guess... but there's also this boy I've been seeing..."
"Of course, which one is it now?" Bo asked, cutting Eve off. This conversation was far from uncommon; it seemed as though Eve had a new boy on her arm every week.
"Oh, one of those ones from the neighboring farms," Eve said, gesturing out past their pastures.
"You know Grandmother wouldn't approve unless he brought land or wealth to us, right?" Bo warned, sitting on one of the large pillows she often used as a seat. She wrapped one of the shawls her mother knitted around her shoulders, bringing a cherished relief from the cool night air.
"I know, but still, he's sweet," Eve sighed dramatically. "He treats me right!"
"That's what you say about all of them," Bo replied, raising an eyebrow.
"But it's true this time!"
"Well if you think Grandmother will accept him, then you can certainly try," Bo shrugged. "It won't work though, and we both know it."
"Yeah, I suppose, I guess I'll end it with this one too." Eve rolled her eyes, leaning back against the window frame, "At least my love life is better than yours."
"It is not, I'm just not interested in that stuff after Rachel," Bo replied. "Marrying a woman would just be counterproductive."
"I know, I know, you don't have to tell me that."
"Besides that, I'm more focused on work right now."
"I know, these days all you do is work."
A soft knock sounded at the door. "Yes?" Bo responded, standing and pulling the door open to reveal her father's first wife, Dahlia.
"What are you two doing?" Dahlia asked, her voice low as she looked under Bo's arm at the other girl.
"Just talking, why?" Bo replied, raising an eyebrow as she looked down at the meek woman before her.
"It's late. You need to be quiet, or she needs to go home," Dahlia said, gesturing towards Eve.
"Okay, sounds good, Dahlia," Bo said, closing the door in Dahlia's face and turning to her cousin. "You should get going; I don't think she's very happy about you being here."
"Uh, yeah, what is that all about?"
"Well I guess they don't trust me after I snuck Rachel in here, but that's whatever."
"That doesn't really seem like whatever but okay. I'll see you tomorrow?" Eve asked, picking up her discarded jacket.
"See you tomorrow," Bo confirmed, giving Eve a hug as the other girl opened the door, slipping into the now empty hallway. Bo stripped off her work clothes, discarding them in the laundry hamper nearby, pulling on her pyjamas, climbing into bed.
Bo Peep sighed as she closed her eyes, glad to have largely escaped her step-mother's ire for now. She'd never be able to escape it forever, but the woman's mistrust for her couldn't grate on Bo for too long. Dahlia couldn't change what had already been decided, as Bo Peep was chosen to keep her family's business alive by her grandmother, and she knew there was no better person for the job. She was sure of it.
