#43starter

Passing out by the trunk in daylight?  Well, that wasn’t the plan.

The only reason Amity awoke when the sun fell was that their clothes were still wet enough to send him into a fit of shivers-- chills blanketing him in his sleep until his eyes were fluttering open, a dazed look of confusion etched across tired features.

“Axel?”  The lighter croaked, turning to his side to find the other boy, reaching out to nudge him from where they rested.

“God,” Axel breathed as he ran his hand over his face, his breath making a small fog before blowing away. “I am so tired of being tired.” He admitted as he rubbed a hand over his face, while his eyes scanned over the ground below them.

Of course he couldn’t sleep-- he didn’t know who could at that point, and the roof of tributes in front of him only proved that point further.  "Can you imagine,” He began, with an almost amused smile on his face that could be blamed on his lack of decent sleep.  “If when the games started tomorrow, all of us just crawled off of our platforms and went to bed?”

“Gamemakers watching would be so confused, and our escorts would have to explain that they lost track of us the night before-- leaving us to stay up the entire time?”

Stomping to his feet, he put on some shirt he had tossed on the floor prior to that night, smoothing the wrinkles from the lack of disposition it had gotten. Blinking of his eyes, he put on slippers, then headed to the top of the building where he believed he could find quietude, the wind blowing being his only companion. He had been at fault, seeing how many other tributes sat on the floor, scattered here and there. 

What had previously been a state of bliss, though intertwined with nervousness, had morphed into being annoyed with the amount of sounds, those louder than white noise, thus hard to be ignored. As he felt a pair of eyes landing on him, he turned his gaze towards them, his mouth’s corners pulled down in a scowl.

“What?” 

He had gone longer than usual without seeing the boy, and it was beginning to worry him to say the least.  Was Axel sick?  Upset with him?  Finally having enough of their situation-- instead hiding out from it all in his room?  

Amity didn’t really know, but the idea of Axel actually being sick made him feel as though he should be doing something to help the other-- just as the idea of Axel being displeased with him made Amity sick himself.  “Are you in there?”  He repeated louder for the other, dropping his hands back to his sides uncertainly.  

“I was kind of hoping to see you more before the games than this....”

Axel rubbed his forehead. “Goddamn it,” He started looking down at the other. “I didn’t mean that. I mean we are going to die whether we are ready or not so there’s no use in just sitting around and balling your eyes out about.”