Oct 7, 2013
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one is light, one is dark...
“Liam,” I hiss worriedly, already next to him.
“What?” His voice is muffled.
“You need to turn over. Breathing is kind of important.”
Liam groans and flops over. “Happy?”
“You are not exactly a ray of sunshine in my life at this moment.”
“I’ve been told I come across that way. Although girls usually find me to be all sunshine and light,” Liam mutters. I can hear the strain of laughter in his voice.
“Oh, shut up,” I say through my smile.
“Goodnight, Isla Denae. I’m fading away here.”
“Night, Liam.”
For the first time, I lay eyes on Ryan. He looks so much older, even though he’s just a year ahead of me. He’s tall and tough; I can see it in his stance. His brown hair has grown to shoulders.
His eyes meet mine for a second. Familiar brown eyes. Eyes that prove his District Twelve roots. They’re the eyes of a person from the Seam. Eyes that have witnessed terrible things.
Ryan says something to the eye-catching boy at his side and begins to walk my way.
Instinct compels me to walk toward him also.
“Ryan,” is all I can whisper.
He doesn’t reach for me. I don’t reach for him, either. We’re just strangers with memories.
Height Masterpost
Isla Cole: 5' 6"
Shane Thomas: 5' 8"
Ryan Calhoun: 6' 2"
Liam Jones: 6' 1"
Katelynn Dawson: 5' 8"
Macey Alcott: 5' 4"
Alexander Delaurentis: 5' 11"
Rhianne Odell: 5' 7"
Reese Monroe: 5' 9"
Mason Kessler: 5' 2"
Fletcher Cole: 6' 0"
Jem Cole: 5' 4"
Interruptions
Here's a quick excerpt from Pyrrhic! It's a few minutes before Isla's interview, when she's talking to Shane. Enjoy!
He spies me and swaggers up to me with a smirk, parting the gossamer curtain between us.
“I can’t even believe you’re here,” Shane murmurs quietly, his hand still on the curtain.
“The Epythymy?”
“Yeah. You were out last night. Do you even remember what happened?” I can hear the heartbreak he’s trying so hard to hide.
“I can remember everything before I drank it. Actually, the last thing I can remember is Ryan throwing up everywhere.”
That makes Shane laugh, which is good.
“Well, actually, Ryan sent me here for some last minute strategizing.”
“You, Rhianne, and Mason will be running for the Cornucopia. Make sure you all look at me. I’ll be pointing out which direction we’re heading. When you get there, get in and get out. If it doesn’t look like you have a chance, forget about grabbing something. One or two of us will be waiting in the woods to collect whoever’s left.”
His last two words echo in my head.
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll tell Rhianne and Mas.”
“Yeah, just remember that there’s no pressure to grab anything,” Shane repeats. “We’re all resourceful. Nothing is worth the risk, Isla. Not a knife or even a bow.”
I can see it in his tortured eyes that he hates this idea. He doesn’t want me to go.
A robotic voice announces that the District 10 tributes are to be ready to be interviewed in a minute.
“I won’t.” Shane’s eyes are still wary, so I smile and say, “I promise.”
He sighs. Before he can reply, I blurt out, “Thanks for taking me home last night. You didn’t have to do that.”
The lighting makes it impossible to tell for certain, but I think that I might be the first person to make Shane Thomas blush.
“Oh, it wasn’t a problem. Do you remember where we were?”
I stare at my silver heels for a moment. Nothing comes back to me. Shane sighs, looking wistfully at me.
“It was important, wasn’t it?” I say quietly, stepping closer to him.
His grip tightens on the curtain. “It obviously didn’t mean much to you, seeing as you can’t remember it.” His voice is frosty.
“It’s not like I don’t want to remember. I can’t.” I stare at him pleadingly.
A dent forms between Shane’s eyebrows and he replies, “It’s probably for the best that you can’t. The Games are too close for us to be messing around.”
Messing around?
“Jog my memory.” Someone else seems to be talking; it just slipped out.
Shane asks, “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive.”
Shane takes a step closer, letting the gossamer curtain go. He places a hand on my cheekbone, being gentle with me, just like Jeladriel had said about the way he treated me last night. Just before Shane gets the chance, the robotic voice calls for the District 12 tributes. I bite my lip and say, “To be continued?”
“To be continued,” Shane agrees.
I've been toying with storylines (I'm currently rewriting The Sacrifice) and I wrote up some Isla x Shane stuff. Not quite sure who she's going to end up with yet, but he's a quick excerpt.
I run outside after Shane, screaming, “You can’t just say something like that and leave me hanging! Come back in here!”
I step off of the porch and chase him down. The rain soaks through my white blouse and jeans in a heartbeat. I don’t care.
“Shane Daniel Thomas!” I screech.
Shane whips around and I stop pursuing him, suddenly afraid.
He storms up to me and shouts, “You wanna know how I’ve felt all this time, Isla? You want to know why I’ve been suffering ever since I saw you during that fucking Tribute Parade?”
I brace myself. His face is just inches from mine. He puts a hand on my cheek and I shiver, not just because of the relentless downpour.
Shane leans in closer and pauses before he leans in for a kiss. To my own surprise, I lean in and kiss him first.
This feels right. This is what I’ve been missing. In between breaths, I smile.
A lot of things cross my mind. Is Ryan watching me now? Is he cackling right now like a maniac? Or is he sitting, popping popcorn into his mouth as he watches? Is he cheering—his two best friends finally kissing? Did Shane tell Ryan while he was still alive?
I close my eyes, trying to block out my thoughts.
That doesn’t stop them.
I always knew what to expect from Liam. He was fire. Pure passion, our relationship relied entirely on this flame and protecting each other.
Adrian was cool. More of an ice. Best friends with some kissing added into the mix after a while. Ice just beginning to melt.
Shane is new. A cool breeze on a hot summer day. Utterly refreshing.
I kiss him and taste smoke and raindrops. Shane presses his lips against mine with an edge of anger and I fight back.
He allows me to taste these past few months. Watching Liam and I love each other. Being separated from him after the Games ended. The worry, the pain, the fear, the lust.
He runs his hands through my hair and I grip his broad shoulders. I realize that he’s grown a few inches taller than me and he is far more muscular than he ever was in the arena. These months have changed him.
I resurface for a air and plunge back in, wondering how I’ve been to stupid these past few months. Shane is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable.
Despite the pouring rain, I am completely content. Shane pulls away first and is still holding a hand on my cheek.
“That’s how I’ve felt these past few months, Isla.”
I nod slowly and reach out for him. I squeeze him and ask, “When did it really start?”
“What?”
“When did you start to love me?” I whisper.
“The first day in the arena. That was the first day I saw you as yourself. No fancy jewels, no ridiculous Capitol outfit. That’s when I fell in love with you.”
I won’t ever hurt him again. Ever.
Harlie and I are sharing a seat. She is actually the one who is taking up most of it.
Everyone is chit chatting. I can catch bits of their conversation.
“That was some party last night.” Finniss mutters to Ashton.
“We never went swimming!”
“Did you see Isla and Liam dancing?”
“Those cookies were delicious.”
“We need to do that again.”
“Heard that!”
“Mmm, pancakes.” Harlie murmurs and then stuffs a piece into her mouth.
“They’re good, aren’t they?” I ask her.
“Yeah,” Harlie agrees, looking up at me with her big brown eyes, “hey, this one looks like a giraffe!”
“Yeah, it does.” I agree listlessly, feeling empty. When I glance at the pancake, it looks nothing like a giraffe.