#kingopenpara

[reesewhitney]

spiral - open

Reese hadn’t been here in- well.. Since before. Even the smell though, got under her skin. Stroked her soul as a man might stroke her thighs to get her to open up- to give in. Everything within her was at war with something else. She wanted to turn around, run, and not look back. Yet, she wanted to be able to say it was fine, that she didn’t need help because it wasn’t a problem. If she wasn’t an alcoholic she’d be able to walk into a bar and not feel a thing, right? Besides, she needed a job, and this was the only place she could even get an interview. Besides the offer Rhett had made her, but she had her doubts on how serious that was. Whatever. Point was. This should be fine. She didn’t have a problem, and she needed this job. 

Stepping over the threshold, she addressed the first staff member she saw- wanting to avoid the actual bar if she could. Ha. The universe was a bitch- the staff member told her to take a seat at the bar and the manager would be out soon. Breathing out, Reese took a seat, tentative. This was fine. No big deal. The smell of stale bear wasn’t having a visceral effect on her scenes, and she couldn’t feel her body screaming at her from all angles. Reese! Long time no see! A bartender she knew she’d slept with a few times was greeting her, and all she could do was nod vaguely in greeting, her expression tight. The usual? And before she could answer, there it was. Jack on ice. Right in front of her. The condensation on the glass collecting seductively, dripping down the glass and drawing her attention to the rich, welcoming, color of the liquid. 

The hair on her arms was standing up, and she could actually feel her hands itching. Jesus Christ. She wanted it. Needed it. There was so much at stake though. More than she was even willing to admit- but most importantly a bed to sleep in. She hadn’t been accepted on a scholarship yet, and as her father had frozen tuition payments, she couldn’t live in the dorms. She needed to not get kicked out. But Lord, did she want that drink. Her throat was so dry, she could barely swallow. Her hand, without her consent, was moving to close around the glass. Fingers shaking, she stopped her hand, letting it hang in mid air. Eyes unable to look away from her vice. “Fuck..” 

[rubymaelovely-blog]

A frown tugged on her lips. It wasn’t right. She needed it to be right. Inspecting herself in the full-length mirror of the dance studio as she moved, she noted her long limbs, and the way her foot was slightly sickled, and that she had fallen out of her turn a little. Why was she making such silly mistakes? Wit a sigh, she ceased her movements and walked over to the ipod dock, pausing the song. She was putting too much pressure on herself. She’d come back to this important dance later, for now, maybe she needed some fun. Skipping to a new song, Taylor Swift filled the dance studio. Grinning, she shook her muscles out, then started to move to the upbeat music. Dancing to enjoy herself, not to create perfection. 

[poppyhanning-blog]

breathing room - open

Poppy had never been a fan of small, enclosed spaces, nor had she ever been a fan of any space that was crowded. She had been that way since she was a small child, and wasn’t sure what had triggered it, or if she’d always had the predisposition to feel that way. Whatever it was though, small enclosed places made her anxious, and often bought on panic attacks. So when a friend of hers had text her, and asked her a favor that involved going into the small editing suite used by film students, Poppy had regretted saying yes. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. They’d already left campus and merely wanted to know if they’d left a memory stick in the editing suite, and that if they did could Poppy collect it for them. It was a simple request she shouldn’t have an issue with. 

Biting her lip, Poppy stepped into the small room, propping the door open. This wasn’t a big deal, she kept repeating to herself. Trying to keep her breathing even. She could already feel her throat start to tighten, though. Even with the door open, she felt as though she couldn’t breath. It’s not real, you can breath. She knew the strategies she should be using to calm herself, but today they weren’t helping. Today, she was starting to gasp for air. Today she felt her hands shaking, then her legs, and she had to grasp the back of the chair in order to keep herself standing. 

[jessica-beaulieu-blog]

Bumper Cars || Open

Jess sighed as she rounded the corner of yet another ivy-covered building, only to be met with the sight of “SCIENCE WING” spelled out in obnoxiously large letters across the front entrance. She pulled out her map again, feeling entirely silly doing so, and located the Science Wing. It didn’t seem like she was very far from the library, but she obviously had missed it. Walking with the map held to her face, tracking her path with her finger, she was startled when she ran into someone. She hadn’t been looking where she was going, had bumped into them, and the textbooks in her backpack weighed her down as she landed on the ground. Jess let out a frustrated noise of pain, before dusting her pants off. She looked up to see who she’d bumped into, squinting in the sunlight to make out their facial features so she could read their lips, while she mumbled, “Sorry.”

[reesewhitney]

heatless - open

How she had been talked into this, she’d never know. She usually spent most of the holiday season drunk off her ass trying to ignore the feeling that next year would be just as worthless as it’s predecessor. Yet somehow, here she was, actually sober, surrounded by overly excited children hyped up on sugar. A situation she would normally hate. In fact, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be there, and had been scanning the place for an out since she’d gotten there. A promise was a promise though, and there was a nagging feeling in her stomach telling her that skipping out on a bunch of sick kids was low, even for her. So there she stayed. 

Spotting a lone child, sitting in a corner, Reese frowned. Unsure what compelled her, she moved over to the child, bending down, Reese smiled at the child. “Hi there buddy- not enjoying the party?” The child shook their head with a sigh. “Aw, why not?” The child explained that they wished they could go on the bouncy castle, but couldn’t. Reese looked confused for a brief moment, before realizing they were in a wheelchair. After a moment of thought, she smiled, then scooped up the child in her arms. “You and I, we are going to bounce.” 

Twenty minutes of bouncing with the child in her arms, and on her back, she was returning the child to their chair, and leaving them to the craft table. As she moved off to get her own drink, she felt a pair of eyes on her. In fact, she had felt like she had been watched the whole time she was with the kid. Turning, she frowned at whomever it was. “This means nothing. I’m a heartless drunk. Now stop watching me.” 

[poppyhanning-blog]

We Need a Little Christmas - open

Poppy had gone overboard. She knew as much, but still, it hadn’t stopped her from going overboard. It was Christmas, and one of her favorite times of the year, and a time of the year Poppy really felt the need to show compassion and kindness to others. Which was why the backseat of her car was loaded with boxes of groceries for the food hamper drive. Truthfully, she’d never gone this overboard in past years, but now that she wasn’t on the committee, she felt like she had to make up for it somehow. She couldn’t donate as much of her time as she used to, but she still could do something. 

Parking her car in the closest spot to the library she could find, Poppy got out of the car, and moved to the back door. However, as she opened the door, she paused. “O-oh..” It had taken her a few loads to get all the boxes to the car, and she hadn’t actually thought about how she was going to get them all to the library at this end. Which, to be fair, she did that often- didn’t think things through like this. 

Clicking her tongue a few times, she scanned her eyes randomly in desperation for a solution. “A-ha!” Spying the stroller in her trunk, Poppy opened the hatch-back and pulled out the folded up stroller. Unfolding it with ease. She was an old pro at unfolding prams these days. After loading the first few boxes though, the pram was looking a little over-loaded, and Poppy was finding herself struggling with balancing her boxes. 

[aislinivers-blog]

instinct: open

        She’d never wanted to kill anyone, but it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. As soon as that cannon went off, it was kill or be killed. Her trip to the Cornucopia for supplies had brought her face to face with two readied killers. Naturally, she’d done what she had to do, and then she’d fled. The trees were her safe haven. They reminded her of home, offered a sense of stability in an otherwise chaotic environment. She was an experienced climber and had no problems settling herself in the uppermost branches as a perch. Not only would it keep her out of sight from the other tributes, but it gave her a perfect view from which to make any fatal shots -- if she had to. 

Ash had claimed a bow and arrows and a hatchet from the start of the Games. She would have gotten a supply pack too, if she hadn’t nearly taken a javelin through the chest. When it came to combat, everything was a blur. It was like she detached herself from feeling to cope with the reality of her actions. How the careers could do it for pride and enjoyment, she’d never understand. Hunting, though... she could live with that. 

As darkness fell over the arena, the redhead finally descended from her perch. It would have been easier to hunt in the light, but with the risk of being spotted by other tributes, she’d rather take her chances with sneaking around in the dark. She wandered for awhile, searching for animal tracks, water sources to follow; there wasn’t much. And then, off to her left, she heard a rustle of the brush. Immediately, she turned and crouched, nocking an arrow to her bow. She saw a shadow, another instant of movement, and drew back her bowstring, prepared to strike. There was no telling who or what she was facing in the lack of light -- or if that who or what had yet seen her. 

[poppyhanning-blog]

breathing room - open

It was late. and honestly, Poppy was more than ready to be at home. She’d spent too much time this week away from her baby girl, and she was glad that mid-terms were almost over, and she could just spend a week without any school work to do. She planned on spending most of the week hanging out with her daughter, as well as helping her mother cooking. With her stuff backed up, and her study done for the night, Poppy moved to the lifts, pressing the down button. 

It was getting kind of hairy outside, and Poppy was not looking foward to the drive home. When the lift doors opened, she mild politely at the person already inside. “It’s really getting bad outside, isn’t it?” She was making idle conversation as she pressed the down button. 

The doors had barely closed and the lift started to move when it shuttered, and came to a stop. Oh Goodness.. Popppy took a deep breath, working hard to keep herself in check. It was fine. It would be fine. Going to press the down button again, Poppy was stopped by the lights flicking out too. Oh god. She could feel her chest tighten, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. She didn’t like closed spaces...