Out of the Darkness, Into the Light

Hello, I am new to writing fanfiction, but I am currently writing a fic on Asterid March from The Hunger Games. The full fic is on ao3, but I'll be posting excerpts from each chapter on here. I hope you enjoy!

[rocioduval]

WIP NWIE

I'm still focusing mostly on finishing Asterid's POV, but every now and then I need a POV change to keep myself engaged. Anyway, here's Burdock's POV to the latest chapter of OOTDITL:

"Sir, I promise nothing happened," I say.

"I know, Burd! That's not the point!" He pauses, collecting his thoughts before continuing, "She hasn't been doing well lately. I'm worried about her."

"Theo, I found her in the woods this morning," I confess.

"What?"

"She was just outside the fence. She had this… weird look on her face. I don't even think she realized where she was until I found her. She was barely wearing any clothes, so I took her to my place and borrowed some clothes from Mom."

"What was she doing in the woods?"

"I don't know. I took her out to collect some weeds," I say handing him the bag of herbs we spent the day picking.

"I don't like that she was out there," he finally says while examining the content of the weeds.

"I don't either," I say. Finally, he looks up at me, and the man looks ten years older. I notice his eyes have dark purple circles around his fair skin. His blue eyes, usually so bright and full, are now dulled over. They look more grey than blue. Almost like Seam eyes. And his face is contorted into a painful expression of concern and exhaustion. Maybe things at home have been even worse than Asterid has let on. Maybe his evil wife is giving him hell. Perhaps he's doing more to defend Asterid than she thinks.

"We didn't do anything, sir," I say for the final time.

He puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a sad smile, "I know, son. Thank you for taking care of her."

[rocioduval]

Chapter 3: the life of a healer

Here's a small excerpt of Chapter 3. This chapter introduces Otho Mellark, but mostly focuses on Asterid and her dad's struggles with depression. The full story is on ao3. I plan to update twice a week, but it really depends on how ambitious I'm feeling.

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The walk home is nice. With the summer approaching, the weather is finally pleasant again and the rainstorms that have passed left a beautiful showering of dandelions and white clovers. Before leaving the courtyard Merrilee and Maysilee caught sight of me and Otho. Merrilee flashed me a dashing smile and a big thumbs up while Maysilee rolled her eyes.

Lily stands between us while we each take hold of one of her hands. We spend the whole walk listening to her talk about her day and the things that she learned and the people she spoke to. After a while she goes quiet and asks, “Can I swing?”

Otho and I laugh but we indulge her in this pleasantry. We each hold her weight while she swings between us. It isn’t really easy since she is a bit too old for this game and admittedly I am not that strong. But her roaring laugh is worth the struggle and soon enough the three of us are doubled over in laughter.

After it becomes apparent that I can no longer support her weight, Otho makes a move to lift her onto his shoulders for the remainder of our walk. Lily giggles contagiously, and Otho goes to hold my hand. I take his hand and for a brief moment I entertain the idea of a future with Otho. A future where we can freely laugh and hold hands, where our child can giggle with delight as his strong arms wrap around them. But then I remember what that future would mean. I would have to give up the apothecary to go work with him in the bakery, and that child would be put into the reaping year after year, and there would be nothing either of us could do to protect them from harm. And as I’m reminded of this reality I realize, this is not something I ever want to do, not even for a guy like Otho.

As this truth hits me, I am overcome with a heaviness in my chest. It’s like a giant is sitting on me and I have the overwhelming urge to lay in bed and stare at an empty wall. It is not a feeling that I am unfamiliar with, but everytime it comes it scares me. It’s as if my body is not my own. I want to tell Otho as much. I want him to know that I am not what everyone makes me out to be. That I am not perfect, that I am actually broken in ways even I don’t understand. I want to tell him that he deserves to be with someone that could give him the child he wants, that he should be with someone who isn’t a coward, who isn’t a fake, who isn’t insecure, someone who isn’t heartless.

But I could never even begin to put these feelings into words, so instead I let go of his hand and enter the apothecary where my father is waiting. Otho deposits Lily on the ground and promises her that he’ll let her ride him again soon.

“Bye Lily,” he says with a giant smile on his face before turning to me. “Goodbye Asterid.”

[rocioduval]

out of the darkness, into the light by bienChingona

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65721136/chapters/169249651#workskin

Relationships: Asterid March/Maysilee Donner

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Excerpt from Chapter 2:

The Saxe’s were among the poorest in the Seam and it was clear that he was largely growing out of his clothing. But there was nothing his family could do. Most of us just looked away. If we said anything to anyone Dean’s familial conditions would likely be exposed, and that would end up with him and his brothers being sent to the community home where they would inevitably be put through worse conditions. No one wanted to stand against Caesar either. He did not discriminate between merchant and Seam kids.

As he got older, he started getting more aggressive, and Dean Saxe stayed at the top of his hitlist. One day Dean got tired of the name calling and the incessant bullying and without hesitation fired back his own insult. Caesar did not appreciate his bravery though, and he punched Dean as hard as he could in the face.

Dean immediately fell to the ground, his eye swelling more and more by the minute. Maysilee and I both rushed through the crowd to help. I ran to Dean’s side and hurriedly created a snow pack for his face. Thank god it was the middle of Winter. Maysilee rushed to Caesar and punched him with equal force in the face.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, asshole!” she yelled. “Or at the very least someone who can take your bullshit!”

I had never heard someone use such colorful language before, much less a 7 year old. My parents tended not to swear around me, and when they did they always apologized for it. But not Maysilee Donner. No, she seemed to revel in the fact that she could say these words and no one would reprimand her for it. She was always mean, maybe even just as mean as Caesar himself, but she never punched down unless she really had to.

I will never forget the look on Caesar’s face. This big 10 year old boy who never had to wonder where his next meal was coming from, who could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted because everyone was just that afraid of him. He had finally met his match and it wasn’t an equally large guy who he could fight in a wrestling match. No, it was a little girl. And he couldn’t really punch her back because even for bullies like Caesar Strangelove, girls were off limits. Especially girls that were younger than you.

Maysilee made her way to me and Dean, who was now sitting up holding the ice pack to his eye. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah I think so,” he replied.

“Good,” she muttered. Then without missing a beat she smacked him on the back of his head.

“Hey! What was that for!”

“You need to learn how to stand up for yourself! Bullies like Strangelove only have power because we let them. If you want I can teach you how to punch, so that at the very least you have a fighting chance the next time you decide to defend yourself.”

He paused to examine her face. “You would do that for me?”

“Of course. Also you need to learn better insults because ‘You look like a frog’ is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said with a laugh.

Dean laughed alongside her, and for the first time since I met her, I looked at Maysilee Donner with more than just indifference, but respect and maybe even some admiration.

“Dean, you should come with me,” I started. “We have a balm that should reduce the swelling in your eye at the apothecary.”

“Oh no, thank you though,” he said.

“But Dean, you'll need it. There’s a large cut on your eyelid and it will be very painful without it.”

“It’s ok Asterid! Really I’m fine!”

“Oh my god,” muttered Maysilee. “Just take it!”

“I can’t afford it!” he yelled.

The three of us looked at each other. Of course he can’t. Isn’t that the whole reason he’s in this situation? Because his family doesn’t have the resources to alleviate his pain?

“Just come with me,” I whispered. “My parents don’t have to know.”

Maysilee looked at me with a strange look in her eyes. Maybe she too was just then looking at me for the first time with a sense of respect and admiration. We’ve been friends ever since. Sometimes I think we might be even better friends than me and Merrilee.