❝I'd rather die kind and forgotten than be remembered for being brutal.❞
( *undergoing slight formatting tweaks & adjustments -- the story itself will otherwise remain readable and unchanged! )
⠀⠀⠀⠀ Had Bellamy not volunteered, he wouldn't be sent o...
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( ミ☆ ) TWENTY birds of a feather
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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ days in the arena... ⠀⠀⠀ II ⠀ ⠀ ⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀The first sign of change blows in with the wind. It's subtle at first, even soft; a kiss of breath against his skin. There comes a rustling like fallen leaves and the crunching of earth underfoot, and as Bellamy opens his eyes and meets an orange-blue sky, he wonders if, for a moment, he is dreaming. Dreaming of home. Dreaming of a feeling like summer wonder. Dreaming that he has fallen asleep under the willow tree on the hill behind the home he shares with seven others.
⠀⠀⠀⠀But he does not see home or the leaves of the willow tree. He does not hear his family's voices. Instead he sees through misty eyes the towering shape of a girl; sees her give a gentle kick to the body laying beside him and say, "Rise and shine, Fer," before the sleeping body gives a muffled grunt of protest in response.
⠀⠀⠀⠀She gives up trying. Turns instead toward Bellamy laying on his side. Lifts a booted foot.
⠀⠀⠀⠀"Don't even think about it," he warns. He finds his throat is very dry.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Pria lowers that boot. "So you were just up this whole time, were you?"
⠀⠀⠀⠀She says that as if he hadn't just contributed several hours into standing guard throughout the night, which is kind of annoying — he'd made a point of waking Pria and changing shifts with her, and only because she'd asked him to.
⠀⠀⠀⠀"No," he says, giving her an unimpressed look she misses entirely as she moves out of the way and exposes his face to the sun. He has to shield his eyes with a hand just to comfortably rise. "What time is it?" His backpack has made for an uncomfortable pillow, and his neck makes damn sure to let him know about it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀Pria chuffs like he's the one being ill-mannered here. "Early," is her only answer. She takes a step back as he and Ferric sit up side by side and gather their bearings for a moment. "Sun's only just come up."
