"Tris?" she spat, standing up and shoving the boy off of her. "What the hell"
"Britlea…" he pleaded, looking up at her from the sand. She glared and tossed his clothes at him, grabbing her own and stalking off down the beach feeling used. He didn't follow, a fact that hurt more than him saying another woman's name. What kind of name is 'Tris' anyways? she thought to herself, frustrated.
Four watched his mystery girl go, still on his knees, naked in the sand. He hadn't meant to say her name; he had tried to put her out of his mind so many times. After shehad died he had travelled for years, leaving the city and travelling across the continent until he had reached the coast. He'd wandered the coast for months before stumbling upon what he soon discovered was known as District 4, part of a nation called Panem that he had not known existed.
As he pulled his clothes back on he thought back to the days when he had first arrived. It hadn't been too hard to assimilate himself into the local culture and he had soon found himself a job as a guard, given his skill as a fighter. Of course he hadn't shown them the extent of his skill because that would raise too many questions. He had to blend in and to do so he pretended to be no more than a slightly above average fighter.
He hadn't been around long before meeting the girl for the first time. After that night he had watched for her, certain that she must live in the same city but he had not been able to locate her. Finally he decided to return to the beach, hoping that she would be there. He hadn't expected the rush of emotion when sure enough she showed up.
Mentally he kicked himself for calling her by the name of his long ago love and set off down the beach after her, refusing to let this mysterious and beautiful girl out of his sight again. The two weeks looking for her had been hard enough, and he didn't want to face days of regret before he found her again to apologize properly.
"Britlea, wait" he caught up to her quickly.
Britlea heard the boy chasing after her and for some reason a smile tried to force its way onto her face but she was still too angry to allow it to stay.
"Britlea. Yeah that's my name." she snarled, turning towards him. He winced slightly and she allowed herself to feel satisfied that she had made her point.
"Look… I'm sorry okay? I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to say Tr..." he trailed off, not saying the name again. Britlea was immediately curious, and started to wonder who she was. She didn't know anyone named Tris who lived in the same place as her so she assumed this other person was from wherever the boy had come from.
"Sorry doesn't cut it." She glared, unable to let the issue drop.
"I know…" he scratched the back of his neck, a gesture that she found strangely adorable but she quickly pushed that thought away and reminded herself that she was supposed to be mad at him right now.
"Who was she?" she demanded, needing to know in case he was by chance cheating on someone with her, or in love with another and just using her for his enjoyment. The very thought made her bristle with anger.
He looks away, staring at the waves. "It doesn't matter now." He finally answers and drops his voice to a whisper. "She's dead."
Immediately Britlea's anger dissolved and her heart went out to the boy beside her. She stepped close to him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugs and shakes his head, looking at the sand. "Nothing you can do about it," he mutters, hating the fact that his voice is croaky.
Britlea suddenly began to fear that all this time she was just a distraction for him, so she went ahead and asked him that. She knew that right now probably wasn't the right moment to approach such a sensitive topic but she couldn't help it, she was never one to beat around the bush and if she didn't ask him now then she'd wonder about it forever. Thankfully he immediately denied it, insisting that she was different.
"Britlea I'm serious, look at me," gently he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, "You aren't just a rebound or a distraction okay? You're… different. It's been so long since a girl even remotely interested me. But something about you woke something in me that hasn't been awake for a long time…"
She smiled a little as the light from a nearby lighthouse revealed a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. "okay… if you say so." Taking his hand she led him to a dock a few meters down the beach, "Can you tell me about her?"
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Of course I'm sure."
For a long time he didn't reply, he just sat there staring at the water and rubbing the back of her hand with his calloused thumb.
(too be continued mwahahahaha)
