[dohtml]<center><link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Wire+One|Dorsa|Orbitron' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>

<div style="width:500px; background-color: #000; padding:10px;">
<div style="width:500px; font-family: 'Orbitron', sans-serif; font-size: 2px; line-height:45px; color: #888; text-align:center; text-transform:uppercase; font-size:55px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 5px;">

Government of Panem

</div>

<div style="background-color: #eeaa11; width: 480px; height: 4px;"></div><div style="height: 2px;"></div><div style="background-color: #eeaa11; width: 470px; height: 2px;"></div><div style="height: 7px;"></div><table><tr><td valign="top" align="center">
<div style="font-family: 'Wire One'; font-size: 60px; color: #888; line-height: 45px;"><b>

ARIELLE NICOLE
<br>MALLEN

</b></div><div style="height: 4px;"></div>
<div style="width: 220px; background-color: #fff; height: 5px;"></div><div style="width: 215px; font-family: georgia; font-size:10px; line-height:10px; color: #888; text-align: justify; text-transform:lowercase; padding-right: 10px;"><center>
eighteen ∙ district four ∙ career & helps with family business ∙ erin heatherton
<br>ambitious ∙ witty ∙ agile ∙ social ∙ confident ∙ passionate

</center></div><p><br><div style="width: 215px; height:139px; text-align:justify; overflow:auto; font-family:tahoma; font-size:8px; line-height:8px; text-transform:uppercase; color:black; padding-right: 10px; color: #888;">

Sometimes I get my head in a dilly, feeling so lost, ticking you off. Now boy, you know me well; Said, Im that kind of feeling, that kind of soft, that kind of silly. But when Im in doubt, I open my mouth and words come out, words come out like:
Baby, theres a shark in the water. Theres something underneath my bed. Oh, please believe I said, Baby, theres a shark in the water - I caught them barking at the moon. Better be soon. High in the sky, the song that Im singing. A sweet little lie, I cry wolf, cry. Rather have you lie yeah, so thats why Im bringing some tricks up my sleeve, for noticing me. I wouldnt cause you any harm, I just want you in my arms. I cant help, I cant help myself oh, cause baby theres a shark in the water
</div></div></td><td>

<div style="width:200px; height:300px; background-image:url(http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m623/smpxx1/nightlock/arielleapp.png);"></div>

</td></tr></table><div style="width:430px; background-color: #fff; height:10px;"></div><div style="height: 10px;"></div><br><div style="width:427px; height: 350px; overflow: auto; font-family: georgia; font-size:10px; line-height:10px; text-align:justify; padding: 0px 10px 0px 10px; color: #888;">
<p>
Every now and then in life, you find a person that interests you. Their story, their life, is so oddly compelling that you just can't bring yourself to look away. And if on the off chance your gaze casts elsewhere, it isn't for long. Some say that these are the markers to falling in love, or that this is the story one tells about falling in love, but I assure you that this is no such story. I am not in love with this girl, nor have I ever been. Over the years she has just been similar to the light that shines from the lighthouses at night for me. I do not love the light, but I cannot tear my eyes away from it when it shines and pierces through all of the darkness that surrounds it. Who I am is of no importance. A name is just a name, but to ease your mind I can tell you that I am no stalker. I don't peep in windows or take pictures of passersby on the street or anything ridiculously weird of that nature. No; I am just a traveler. I am just someone who has walked many different leagues of life and shied away from the spotlight. If you seek me I will be sitting in the shadows, watching the younger generations find their way just she has over the years. I would have never thought that the glimpses, the few moments of her life I watched would have been her most significant. But I guess it always happens that way, doesn't it?
<p><div style="font-family: garamond; font-size: 55px; color: ffffff; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px; text-shadow: #000 1px 1px 1px"></div><p>
<br>The first time I laid eyes on the young girl, it was clear she was different. Granted, my memory is quite hazy now as this happened when she must have been of only four to five years of age, but the feeling (like the memory) still remains.
<p>The summer sun had burned off and as the sun started to set I strolled on the beach. There was a family off in the distance, one of few that I spotted, and to this day I believe it was fate that made me observe them. The smallest, and whom I presumed to be the youngest, of the two children present was cautiously toeing the water and looked much less than amused by the body of water before him. Even from a distance I could see that this child, a young boy, hesitantly entering the water would be the more cautious of the chilren. Among the family was an older boy, and with such childlike features it was clear that his tall and lanky stature did not match his age. He looked as though he could have been at least ten, but I have doubts that he was that age. He, the older boy, had spotted me as I strolled along the shoreline—much further from where the family stood, and offered a kind smile in my direction. I returned the smile graciously before he looked away to survey the rest of the sand covered area and re-enter conversation with the youngest child. Even from my place on the beach I could feel the genuine kindness and innocence that radiated off of the older boy. He was pure of heart, and not even the wickedest of man could ever deny that throughout his lifetime when it came to this boy. At this time I thought that the family was comprised of the two sons and the parents, but I was very wrong. From the water’s clear glassy surface a head of blonde hair popped up catching the youngest son completely off gaurd, of whom had finally took a few steps into the water, and me. I wasn’t sure how I had missed seeing the figure in the water, but there was no way of ignoring the presence now. The eldest son stifled a laugh while the mother picked up the young boy who had ran out of the water and happily into her arms. The father, who had been poking around at the sand during this time, looked up and cracked a small smile at the child in the water and spoke gently but loudly enough for me to hear it from my place on the beach, “Arielle, you mustn’t scare your brother like that. At least not while he is learning to swim”.
<p>Arielle, I said under my breath. I played with the name in my head a few more times, acquiring a feel for the fluidity of it. He had pronounced it so swiftly, are-E-elle, unlike what I can only imagine would normally be air-E-el. The former had a much more feminine, fluid, and classical feel to it than the latter. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with the name Ariel, but the syntax was much blunter. There wasn’t the same flow that Arielle, the way it was pronounced aloud offered.
<p>In that moment I took her in for everything she was as she stood waist deep in the ocean. The name did more than suit her, it complimented her. For someone so young she had this vibrancy about her that commanded attention (a trait that I found still exists now). Her features were soft, delicate even, and you could feel her free spirit from miles away. To say the least I was captivated her. I had never come across someone so young with that much character.
<p>“S’ok River,” there was a small pause and then the voice of the elder boy sounded once more, “c’mon, we have a whole ‘nother day tomorrow to get you in the deep blue. Then you’ll be just like me and your sister”. He took the smaller boy, River, from the arms of their mother, setting him down gently on the sand. My eyes followed Arielle as she walked out of the water and took both boys hands. “Mhm, Cadence is right,” her voice was as soft and melodic as her older brother Cadence’s—there was no other sound that could command such attention yet be so delicate, “lets head home”. And that was the first time I saw her.
<p><div style="font-family: garamond; font-size: 55px; color: ffffff; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px; text-shadow: #000 1px 1px 1px"></div><p>
<p>I did not see Arielle for a few years after that first day on the beach; but I heard of her and her family often as she grew. The Mallen family was among those that trained their children to become careers and I imagined that the life Cadence, Arielle, and River had was no less than intense. While training children for the Hunger Games is strictly illegal, it never stops anyone from doing it. Some districts are known for producing strong careers rather than their overall trade and most years they bring home the glory. The training is tough, and something I have witnessed—not specifically with the Mallen’s but with other families in the District. Children are pushed to their absolute limits; swimming until they cannot manage to suck in one last breath, running miles upon miles a day, and spending endless days down at the docks hauling anchors from one end to the other. In some ways, training a child with such fervor is sick and twisted and no child should have to endure such physical tests of endurance. Yet, there is the strong point that by training your children, they have a better chance of coming home if they are reaped.
<p>I had never been truly aware of Arielle’s career status until the day I was simply picking up fish from the market. Tuesdays were the day I always frequented the marketplace and it just so happened that while I was picking up my trout and few small crabs behind me two of Arielle’s classmates of the time were discussing the past reaping. The first voice was shaky and from a young girl, “I can’t help but think we’re lucky to be safe this year”. The response was immediate and rough, “That’s because we are,” it was a young man speaking this time, “we’re only thirteen…I don’t know about you, but it’s too young for me to die”. I couldn’t help but think he had a valid point, thirteen was far too young to lose a life. The girl responded after a small pause, “I’m afraid of being reaped…m-m-maybe we should join Arielle, she’s our age, and her older brother. Y’know…to train”. My attention was immediately caught by the name. Most people would have had to think twice if the two children were talking about the same Arielle, but I knew. It was in the way she pronounced her voice, there was just no disputing it. Could she have been thirteen now? The years had passed so quickly, but I knew it was her. The young boy only went on to prove my thoughts to be true, “I….I dunno…I’m no career. I just make nets with my dad…”. I could have stayed to listen further, but I knew that lending my ear to the conversation for too long could become dangerous and up for suspicion.
<p>Not too much longer after that I spotted the golden tresses of hair that my eyes had seen so many years ago. Instead of being at the market I was getting ready to spend time on the water in my boat. I had come to the docks early that morning, as the sun was casting a peach colored glow into the sky marking sunrise, but soon after putting a few provisions inside I heard footsteps, and voices. I turned my attention to the rest of the dock behind me and that was when I saw her again. Her hair was up, some strands falling down and into her face, and her grey/green eyes were alert. It was as if she was searching for something that she could not find. She had certainly grown since the last time I saw her on the beach, puberty had a magical way of doing that to a person; she had grown taller and was very slender. Her arms and legs were just starting to become the kind of toned that you would expect from a young career. However she was not alone, she was following closely behind her brother. The resemblance between the two was remarkable. You could have confused them for fraternal twins but I knew that was not the case. His hair was a sandy blonde color and as he walked on the deck you could see small hints of a honey color shine in the light. Cadence was tall, thin, and muscular just like Arielle. And his eyes….Oh, they were the exact same as Arielle’s. Cadence had the same stunning gray/green eyes that could stop just about anyone in their tracks, and just like before they rested on me for but a second. I offered the small smile and nod this time, and it was graciously returned as he and Arielle passed. I pretended to be busy while they trained right there on the docks. Each would run back and forth doing laps, being timed, pushing each other to be faster, stronger, and better. They practiced diving and holding their breath and by the time the suns peach glow had began to turn into a soft pale blue I was running out of things to busy myself with. They had the most amazing bond I had ever seen between two siblings. Where Cadence was serious and dedicated to his training, Arielle was light and playful. Even as they threw anchors as far as they could into the water to measure their overall distance there was this air about her that made things so carefree and less focused on the seriousness of their training. And where Arielle sometimes lacked the ambition to achieve greater in her training, Cadence was there to motivate her. It was the kind of bond that you only saw once in a lifetime. There was something about watching them that was so magical and it probably had something to do with how much love they had for one another. Their love was so clear it was nearly tangible.
<p>I didn’t see Arielle much for the remainder of that year, and when I did she was with Cadence. They were constantly together training to be the best they could, even if Cadence was far more dedicated than Arielle to his life as a career. The same happened during the years she was fourteen and fifteen. They were together—discussing, plotting, planning, working. And the kind of relationship they had never changed.
<p><div style="font-family: garamond; font-size: 55px; color: ffffff; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px; text-shadow: #000 1px 1px 1px"></div><p>
The 23rd Hunger Games were devastating. It’s not that the other years the Hunger Games have been held haven’t been devastating—because they have, but I have never seen anyone grieve so desperately for a life lost than Arielle Mallen. This was the year that Cadence Mallen was killed, his life taken at just eighteen years of age during his time in the arena.
<p>Attendance to the reapings are mandatory, just like watching the Hunger Games themselves. The fear in an individuals eyes is so irreplaceable from ones memory that it is haunting. Truly and literally haunting. I watched that years Hunger Games from the shadows, this was never an occasion that I wanted to be in the front for. It is much too depressing watching young children stand and wait to hear who the tributes will be, and the 23rd Hunger Games was the last year the three Mallen children would be waiting to seal their fate. I heard the whispers in the crowd and some even about the Mallen’s. How River was only fifteen but he was much stronger than he looked, Arielle was incredibly promising even though she didn’t take her training as seriously as she should, and how Cadence was a force to be reckoned with. Each child had the potential to win if they were unfortunate enough to be reaped. However the names that were called were not any of the Mallens. Instead Marilla Stokes, a sixteen year old career (of whom was very pleased with this reaping) was called for females. Not Arielle Mallen. It was asked if anyone would volunteer for her, but Marilla made it very clear that entering the games was her honor as she had been training for so long. And then the name Christopher Knots was called. There was a gasp from a few people and his mother immediately began weeping for her son. As Christopher approached and climbed the stairs of the stage the silence was enough to signify that this young boy would not have the chance to return home. Christopher was incredibly small and had a thick pair of glasses on his face. He was ghostly white, and I could feel myself holding my breath. He was only twelve years old. It was times like these that I wished there was no such thing as the Hunger Games, a twelve year old had no place in the arena. No business there. He was only twelve. The silence lingered and the tension was so thick you could do more than cut it with a knife, but that was all before the voice in the crowd rang out before a volunteer was even asked for. The voice was so calm, so harmonious, and so captivating that I felt my heart literally stop beating for a moment, “I will take his place”.
<p>Cadence Mallen walked before his peers and his family and took his place on stage and saved Christopher Knot from what would be his inevitable death. There were too many mouths wide open in shock to count. Cadence had done the most honorable thing by taking the younger boys place. He had done the respectable thing. His sacrifice was much greater than any. My eyes went straight to the person that was the closest to him. Arielle did not cry, she did not gape, but their eyes were locked the whole time he was on stage. She was silent and I can assure you, it was a side of her that no one had ever seen before. I had heard that the visit the family had before Cadence left for the Games was very brief, but Arielle spent the longest amount of time out of any of them with her older brother. I wouldn’t be surprised if this rumor were to be true as they had been so inseparable for so long. From what I have heard they were very silent, but they spent their last moments stuck in an embrace. They had meant so much to each other it was beyond what anyone could have imagined, and while I may never know what happened before he departed, I can tell you that they spent it exactly how they had always wanted to. In the weeks that followed, when Cadence appeared on the large screens of the 23rd Hunger Games, he was wearing Arielle’s small silver chain around his neck as his token and in the crowd, she was wearing his matching one.
<p>To be frank, it was incredibly hard for even myself to watch the games. The tributes were entered into a lush forest with small random bodies of water, but surrounding that forest was desert. Nothing but endless amounts of sand and many children died due to a lack of hydration once they entered the desert and couldn’t find a way out. While the games went on I watched Arielle stare at the screen for hours, endlessly watching her brother. He was one of the stronger competitors. Maybe not the strongest, but he held his own by staying in the forest. From the small bodies of water he captured fish that weren’t edible unless properly cooked to kill off other tributes. There was only one time where it looked like he wouldn’t make it out alive. Just once during the whole duration of the games. The male tribute from District 2 spotted him and immediately they were fighting for their lives. Cadence had been stabbed, dangerously close to his heart, and I will never forget the kind of tears that sprang from Arielle’s face so quickly. She couldn’t help but sob and her mother tried to get her to look away to no avail. In the end, he drowned the tribute. Days passed and the games continued and more and more it looked like Cadence would return home. Towards the end I remember seeing the blonde head of hair in the town center, eyes glued to the screen just waiting to see her brother come back. I walked passed Arielle once, and her fingers were gripping his necklace so tightly that her knuckles had changed colors. She would not move from that spot. She didn’t go to school or work and at the end of the day she was sleeping in front of the screen.
<p>In the middle of the night I heard it. It was the cry I had wished to never hear from her matched with blood curdling screams of agony. The sounds and sobs that came from the sixteen year old girl broke my heart. They were the sobs of a girl who had lost her sibling and ultimately her best friend. I came out in the square and joined the rest of District Four to pay my respects for the boy that sacrificed his life not once, but twice. I am glad I didn’t see the boy die. He was much too pure of heart and genuine, and if I were to watch I probably would have been crying as hard as the girl I had observed for years. However, I did hear about his death in greater detail than I would have liked. Cadence had formed an alliance with a girl (a kind hearted girl of the same age) early on, but they had went their separate ways when the numbers dwindled down to four in order to save one another the sorrow of one killing the other. If it weren’t for the games I am convinced they would have fallen for one another, but given the circumstances there was no such case. After scoping out if the coast was clear enough to continue traveling Cadence emerged from the darkness. The girl, of whom I think was named Avery, crossed paths with him, but they turned a blind eye to one another, again avoiding an inevitable death. But Cadence heard something and moved in front of Avery where an arrow pierced him through the heart. I can never forget the sobs of Arielle Mallen. Never in my entire life. I will never forget the way she fought when her loved ones tried to bring her away from the screens or the way her body crumpled with defeat when her father finally carried her home.
<p><div style="font-family: garamond; font-size: 55px; color: ffffff; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -2px; text-shadow: #000 1px 1px 1px"></div><p>
My heart still breaks when I think of the way the girl who had once been so carefree and so nonchalant about death has changed so much. If I can say one thing about Arielle it is that since Cadence’s death there is not a day that goes by where she doesn’t push herself. I see her often training like her life depends on it here in the District. She is ambitious and shares the same dedication that her brother once did to her career training. She is as passionate as ever and watches over River as if he was her own. However, while she has grown I watch her remain the same. While her features may be more defined there is still this delicacy about her and soft attributes in her face. She may be more defensive and steely but she is just as outgoing, social, and willing to help as before. While her attitude may move more towards the standoffish side of things she still commands the same amount of unspoken attention when she enters a room. But one thing that has not changed about Arielle is her voice. It is the same voice as her brothers and when she looks at you with those gray/green eyes there is nowhere to run because you are so captivated it is as if leaving is no longer an option.
<p>This is still not a story of love. But of the girl who wears her brothers necklace.




</div><br><table><tr><td valign="top" align="center"><div style="font-size: 70px; text-transform: uppercase; padding-right: 30px;">“</div></td><td><div style="font-family: 'Dorsa'; font-size: 60px; letter-spacing: 2px; color: #888;">

this is for you

</div><td><div style="font-size: 70px; text-transform: uppercase; width: 50px; padding-left: 30px;">”</div></td></tr></table><div style="width:430px; background-color: #fff; height:10px;"></div><br><table><tr><td valign="top" align="center"><div style="width:160px; height: 150px; overflow: auto;"> <div style="font-family: 'Wire One'; font-size: 50px; color: #888: letter-spacing: 2px;">

sam

</div>
<div style="width: 140px; background-color: #fff; height: 5px;"></div>
<div style="font-family: georgia; font-size:10px; line-height:10px; color: #888; text-align: justify; text-transform:lowercase;">
<center> nineteen ∙ eastern ∙ pm/msn/aim

</center><p>

oh hey there boys and girls! i'm sam, im one of the super awesome admins here at nightlock! in my spare time i like going on long walks on the beach, being in cozy rooms with candles, and i swear im just joking--this is not an eharmony ad lmao. but for realllll, i like reading, writing, joking around with people (as you may have noticed), making graphics, the hunger games (duh, lol) uhmmm what else? i lovelovelove pll, modern family, 2 broke girls, food network, once upon a time, sytycd, harry potter, the maze runner trilogy, dancing around in the middle of stores, not going to class, being a goofball, anddddd so much more!!!! i love meeting everyone so say hey to me on msn (smp3137@live.com), aim (sillyysammiexo), follow me on tumblr (august-isover.tumblr.com), or just pm me or spot me in the cbox! xoxoxoooo<33333

</div></td>
<td valign="top" align="center"><div style="width: 250px; height: 150px; overflow: auto; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; color: #888; text-align: justify; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px">

oh ohkay roleplay sample, i see youu. here comes one of my more recent posts from a post potter site where my baby declan professes his love for his best friend meg who has just returned home.<p>
As a child, Declan didn’t bother learning stories about princesses. He had overheard the endings where girls were given their happily ever after with the man of their dreams, but he never thought to apply those things to real life. When he was a young boy he was reading team plays for quidditch rather than stories about love and spending his time on his broomstick guarding a goal rather than wondering what he would look like in shining armor. His mother would try to get her boys to sit with their sister as she recited stories of girls trapped in towers, stuck in endless slumbers, and even left with no voice, but it wasn’t for them. Even as a tiny tot Declan wasn’t sure that he could grow up to the expectations girls got from such stories. He was a wizard, but he wasn’t sure if he could make a pumpkin into a carriage or wait around for someone to leave a shoe behind so he could find a match. In his defense, most boys he knew at that age weren’t concerned with being prince’s so he wasn’t either, but he would never be a player like the guys he became acquainted with later in life. He had too much respect for other people’s and his own feelings to grow up and throw all of the morals his parents had instilled in him away. All he knew was that one day he was going to be in love with someone. The kind of love that was like his parents and when he told the girl of his dreams that he was in love with her, it would be spectacular. Not one of those crap stories his sister loved. He imagined at that young age that when he was older he would be with said girl, kiss her passionately, and confess his love in one of those moments that deserves a camera because its so damn perfect. But what Declan didn’t know, and couldn’t even have guessed as a child was how spot on he would be about the moment he would tell someone he loved them. How incredibly similar the moment he had in his head, and the moment that happened would be. Except he would never be convinced that the moment he confessed for real would deserve a camera.

<p>During his Hogwarts days Declan had simply been the go to guy, and he supposed that in college that didn’t really change. He had never had real luck with girls his age, or really just girls at all. Most just went to him when they had no idea what else to do, because to everyone he was just the harmless guy that lived down the hall, and essentially—he was. He had dated a whopping total of three girls during his time at Hogwarts and none of them were really ever actual relationships. If anything, it was just a title because whoever he liked had only liked him for the popularity that came with quidditch. There was never real substance to his relationships or strong emotions because he had never found someone he particularly wanted to stick around for. It wasn’t that Declan didn’t care about the few girls he dated, because he did, he just didn’t see something that would last with them. Even during his brief and summer fling with Valentine Belby he knew that summer would end and things would go back to normal. And when Meg was away and he found Olivia Zagne dragging him on crazy missions and occasionally kissing him, he knew that it wasn’t something that would last. Hadn’t felt like that with anyone else but Meg. At the time, when she was here, he was in denial. Denying himself that he saw a future with Meg because she was just his best friend. But when Declan sat and thought about it during the time she was away, it was painfully clear. With Meg he always just assumed she would be in his life. The memories and expectations that Declan had with Meg were always definite. He knew that every morning Meg would make her way into his room, jump up and down on his sleeping body until he rolled over and out of bed, and that while she was there she would throw a pillow at Finn’s face for Carly. He knew that Saturday mornings were the one day a week he would wake up crazy early to get coffees and show up at her room, waking her up with a surprise. There was never a day that didn’t get brightened by her, and he just assumed that things would go on this way forever.

<p>It was really unfortunate that it took Meg leaving for him to realize how much he liked her. And that was an understatement. As he watched Meg, held her in his arms for the first time in what felt like forever, he really knew that he loved her. He didn’t care that he was only twenty. He didn’t even know if she felt the same. He didn’t care if other people thought the love he had for her was premature, immature, or any other kind of word that ended in mature. All of those movies that ended up with two people in love, he felt like that. Declan felt it in his whole body that he wanted to be Meg’s knight in shining armor. Or whatever fairytale fantasy she had. He didn’t care if in her mind she wanted a knight, a dragon slaying underdog, or just a guy that had no idea what he was doing. He just knew that he wanted to be with Megan Kendall Leon, the girl from America that he commonly referred to as a loon and loved with everything he had. Even when Declan was just convincing himself that they were best friends and there was nothing more he would do anything for her. That would never change. Even if his head was just conveniently tilted forward hoping and praying that he didn’t look like a total loser and there was the smallest slightest chance that Meg would kiss him and he was denied, he would have lived his life knowing that at least he tried…and he’d still run out in the middle of the night for her. On that note, he was also deathly afraid that he was sending out a signal that Meg didn’t want to receive. He left himself wide open hoping things would work out in his favor, but was terrified of the alternative ending. What if Meg pushed him away in disgust? What if he scared her away from him and then he was left with nothing, and no one but Finn. No matter how much he loved Finn, he didn’t want that to happen. Granted, Dec and Finn were best mates and roommates, but Finn was a stubborn prat in the mornings and Declan knew he didn’t have the patience for that for the rest of his life.

<p>What Declan didn’t realize was that in just a moment, a blink of an eye in time, he would be left very very confused. Words would spill out of his mouth in a rush and in an instant, things would change drastically for the junior. But at this point in time, all Declan could think was that things made more sense when Meg was with him. It was plain and simple and he never wanted that to change. As she smiled at him he couldn’t help but widen his own smile back at her. And when she told him that she wouldn’t leave like that again and he was stuck with her, he believed it wholeheartedly. He was going to reply and tell her how he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving again. How if it did come to that he would go with her, but instead—in the moment chunk of time where he would have his life flipped—he felt Meg’s body closer to his, and just like magic they were kissing. It sounds corny, but for as little as Declan knew about fairytales and princesses, he knew he felt the earth stopping fireworks that came when you kissed the right person. He had no idea how long they actually kissed for, but he didn’t want it to end and when it did, this was where the confusion kicked in. He felt her tear away from his embrace and inside, his pounding heart felt like it just froze. He was so confused, why was she pulling away from him? And then she said it. I’m so sorry. By instinct he took the smallest step backwards in disbelief. A hand ran through his hair and he just stared blankly at her. To be frank, she didn’t look sorry, and that was what caused the poor boys head to spin. They had finally kissed after all these months and she was sorry?!. Declan simply didn’t understand. He was in love with her. Madly, crazy, head over heels, in love with her and Meg was just sorry she kissed him? And he still couldn’t help but remind himself over and over how not sorry she looked! He couldn’t recall this happening in any of those stupid stories his mom used to tell his sister and he couldn’t help but feel like an idiot.

<p>After all of this time…after all of this waiting, she was sorry. And Declan stood in front of her, his mind racing in shock. He felt his head shake in protest and he took two baby steps closer to her without even realizing he did so. He couldn’t believe that after everything, after all the feelings he had she was apologizing for kissing him because he certainly was not sorry. His head shook from side to side slowly still and he spoke quietly, “No.” he blurted out looking at his shoes. Looking back up at her he shook his head more and spoke louder, with a bit of roughness on the edge of his voice, “N-no!” Declan hardly realized his own voice because all he could think of was how in love with her he was. How he had waited to feel something like that in a kiss and he knew it would only happen with her. His hands were a bit shaky and he looked at her sincerely while his mouth spilled out the words that would change everything. The same words that came out in a nervous rush because he just couldn’t hold back any longer, “I…I’m not sorry Meg. he started quickly, “Im not sorry because..I- I’m in love with you. Like seriously in love with you and I have been for fuckin ages!” The boy looked down at the ground exhaling in a way that sounded a bit like a scoff, even though it wasn’t, rubbed his face ever so slightly and then looked back up at her. “I’m not sorry and I won’t be sorry for it.” he muttered with a head shake before continuing (even if he was repeating himself a bit from being in shock), “I love you Megan. And I love you and missed you so damn much that when you were gone it actually hurt! Can you believe that? A-and it took you fucking leaving for me to realize that I should have gone after you like anyone else would have, or sent you a letter that actually mattered…Or did something besides waiting around like a miserable jackass. A-and I may be sorry that I didn’t do something about it before now, but I will never be sorry about falling in love with you ” he finished, his voice shaky. <p>And that, right there in a split second, was how Declan professed his love.

</div></td></tr></table><br><div style="background-color: #eeaa11; width: 470px; height: 2px;"></div><div style="height:2px;"></div><div style="background-color: #eeaa11; width: 480px; height: 4px;"></div></div>
</center>[/dohtml]

[dohtml]<center><img src="http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m623/smpxx1/nightlock/appaccepted.png">
<div style="width: 300px; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 15px; text-align: justify;">I started reading Arielle's application before it was finished and I was disappointed there wasn't more to read! She's definately very well-written and awesome and stuff. Also, yay for District 4!
</div></center>[/dohtml]