The Trials of Neo City [WINWIN • YUTA]

🖤 2. Cornfield Chase 🖤

Sicheng entered the woods, grinning in nostalgia to the soothing sound of leaves underneath his dress shoes. The wind cooed a soft song as it blew through the trees and into his ears.

"Renjunnie?" Sicheng called out softly. It wasn't quite illegal to be in the woods alone, considering that the forest was simply everywhere. It was just that if a Peacekeeper found him here, the exchange wouldn't have been pleasant.

Renjun laughed softly, voice echoing and bouncing from the branches. Sicheng looked up, but hadn't seen anything. Renjun was a master at hiding, at jumping from place to place and hiding himself from any onlookers.

Renjun peeked from inside the thick tree, the evergreen concealing him nearly completely. Renjun was small and could definitely hide himself well. When he was about six years old, Sicheng remembers their mother calling for a search party along the north end of District Seven for Renjun, who hid within the trees and their lush and thick branches and only came out when Sicheng got the brilliant idea to yell out that Renjun had won the game, although not even Sicheng knew that he was playing.

It reminded him of just how young Renjun was. Always Renjun brought it upon himself to take care of their mother and even Sicheng at times. His face was hardened into a nearly permanent scowl, but whenever Sicheng managed to soften it his pretty round eyes really did look childish, full of mischief and innocence.

He really was a child, only fourteen years old. It was one of the only things that made Sicheng truly smile, a real feeling of happiness anymore. He was in fact, his little brother.

The wind whistled in the trees carrying Renjun's small noises, nearly giggled through the canopy. A figure dashed from one tree behind Sicheng to the next and he looked fondly at the child. It was only so often that Renjun was allowed to play like this.

"Come on out!

Sicheng ran to an area of the woods like slender, hard plants growing from the tall grasses. He smiled and plucked a few, walking back to where Renjun sat on the forest floor.

"Found it. You didn't eat breakfast, come eat." He peeled the wild corn away, unripened but edible. Renjun looked at him bewildered.

Wild corn sometimes grew on the northern edge of District Seven, where the border between them and Nine lay. It was pretty illegal to eat the wild corn, but of course Sicheng and Renjun did it anyways.

The cornfields met the woods, the tall pines overlooking the small straggling stalks of corn. Perhaps they could escape one day where the Districts met. Perhaps they could be safe, away from the grasp of Panem.

Sicheng knew better to think like that.

"It's hard as rocks and if they find shucks out here, they'd have questions." Renjun reminded. Sicheng shrugged and looked into the sky, the cloudy atmosphere foreboding the Reaping.

"Let's see them try and even find us here. No Peacekeepers even dare to step one of their precious, booted feet into the woods."

Renjun nodded and picked at the shucks. The words was quiet again and the pair said no words, just breathed as the wind whisked a low sound. "It's your birthday tomorrow, Sicheng." Renjun's voice was quiet as the birds overhead chirped quietly, adding to the wind's melody. "What are you gonna do?"

Sicheng's heart slowed at the thought of Renjun and the Tessarae. What if Renjun wasn't with him on his birthday. Others entered for more Tessarae than him, but his name was in for the drawing twenty one times.

He didn't want to think like that, though, pushing it out of his mind and grinning. "I'll ask mother to make a chocolate cake and me and you will invite all of the kids of Jilin square. And we'll spend the day together in luxury, worrying about nothing."

Renjun smiled at that and something icky pulled at Sicheng's stomach, like guilt.

"That'd be fun." Renjun's smile quivered, almost faltering, before being plastered back on his face. "What time is it?"

Sicheng looked to the sky and hummed. "Before noon, I promise. It's only been a few minutes out here. But we should head bac-"

"Race you!" Renjun giggled, and Sicheng was once again reminded just how young this kid was, just how much of a child his little brother was.

His dusty, worn shoes stepped on the empty and hardened corn shucks as he ran away from his brother and out of the woods. The sun peaked in from the dark clouds above and shed a midday light, reminiscent of a golden hour. Sicheng smiled and ran after him, letting out a song and a noise foreign to himself; Sicheng, still burdened by fear of the unknown, truly laughed for the first time in forever.

He wished he and Renjun could laugh like this again and again, forever until the end of time.

But the games are not so forgiving.