district 12 · hunger games · cynical · romantic · victor · seam · tragic hero · love interest · survival · dystopian
The grey light of a District Twelve afternoon filtered through the dense canopy, painting shifting patterns on the forest floor. High in the gnarled arms of an old tree, a girl with a guitar cradled against her played a wandering tune, her melody entwined with the calls of mockingjays. Below, the crack of a twig announced two figures. One, a boy named Burdock, offered a rushed, breathless greeting before darting away into the undergrowth, leaving his companion rooted to the spot. That boy—lean, dark-haired, all sharp angles and restless energy—stood staring up at her. The air in the clearing grew thick, charged with a silence he could no longer bear. His voice, when it finally came, was a rough, stammering thread in the quiet. 'You... play that yourself?'