"Do you remember when we first met? I sure do. It was sometime in early September." - Jack Johnson Do You Remember

I look up from my book, hearing the sound of finger tips strumming against the table. This someone has disrupted my reading and I was at the character introduction; if I don't get attached to these characters than what's the point of reading it. Whoever it is, they better have a good reason. There's a boy; his blond hair in disarray, sticking up from tugging at it anxiously. He mumbled 'who is the Greek goddess of tragedy?'

We we're the only two people amongst the rarely used reference books of the library. I tend to isolate myself from most of my peers. I really don't see the point, I don't have much in common with them. I am also afraid that I would let something slip.

I close the book getting one last waft of that old book smell then I walk up to him. The carpeting absorbing the sound of my footsteps. The only sound in the room the rustling of paper, the frantic scribbling and erasing of pencil against said paper, and the flickering of the florescent lights.

"The answer is Melpomene." I whisper. We might be the only two in here but it's still the school library, being quite is just common courtesy. Still does it apply when there is no one else to bother?

He look up quickly, clearly startled. "I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that." A crooked smile gracing his lips.

I raise my voice a tad. "I said the answer is Melpomene. She's the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Titan of memory you know..."

His glaucous blue eyes glimmered with mirth at my shy response. "Thanks I needed that. If it weren't for you I probably would have spent the rest of the lunch period trying to figure it out and then just pick the last answers randomly right before I turn it in. I can't afford another low grade in there. I honestly picked the wrong day to get sick; mythology every one of them has weird names." Then with a mildly self-deprecating smirk he said "Well who am I to talk the majority of Panem has a weird name."

"Well that's true. Most of us are named after some type of plant, food, spice, or just a random word." I couldn't help the slip of a smile forming on my face.

"You forgot animals."

"Oh, of course how silly of me." I agree while fake hitting my head with the base of my palm. In an even more out of character move for myself I reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Iris, Iris Carver."

"I'm Cedar Rose, do you mind helping me with the rest of this?" He whispers with a smile causing his dimples to come out.

"No problem, we don't have to whisper the librarian is out to a lunch meeting."

"She just let you in here?"

"She's fine with it. It's usually just her and I. She trusts me enough to not burn the place down. I'm surprised that she let you in here if she was leaving though…"

"I guess she went to the restroom or something." He say as he pushes the chair next to him out, waving his hand, gesturing me to sit down next to him.

"Must have." I say as I slowly take the seat in the uncomfortable chair, grateful that I no longer have to stand there awkwardly.

"So what else do you know about Greek mythology?" A new problem arises. I have no clue what to do with my hands. After fidgeting for a moment or two I firmly place my hands in my lap.

"Enough hopefully." I had a conversation with a peer and I did a good portion of the talking, I might have hit my socializing quota for the year. I was friendly it was weird. I spoke to another human without any obligation, I can just imagine my mother cheering if she knew.


That's how the first few weeks of our friendship, no more like a commensal relationship, go. He gets help with his homework whenever he decides to stop by the library and I get a companion though I'm not quite sure if that's what I want. I help him and he helps me kill time. I find out that he is the florist son and I laugh hard enough that the librarian actually shushes me. It's still funny that the florists would have the surname Rose. I'm sure I would have known this if I spent more time with my mother.

"Really you're one to talk. You're last name is Carver and you're the carpenters daughter. That pretty much the same thing." He whispers. For a moment I worry that I am offending him, but he has that ever present twinkle in his eyes and he is clearly trying to hold back his own grin. I am right, it is funny.

Slowly whatever the nature of our relationship is it turns into an actual friendship. It happens slowly enough that I didn't notice it happening, I didn't notice that I made my first actual friend. I'm sure if I had I would have been scared and nervous enough to screw it up. Luckily if I was uncomfortable with the attention he would deflect the attention to himself.

I learn quite a bit about his family before I even met them. His father had married into the florist shop, odd considering as the only son he had claim on the bakery but he got bought out when his older sister married. He can't bake anyway according to Cedar and it left him open to take over the florist shop. Cedar has another aunt his mom's younger sister who's 19 and is in training to take over as the librarian at the justice building. He says that his aunt Willow was a late in life child, it makes sense since there is a rather significant age difference between his mom and aunt.

I also learn about him. Cedar is 2 years older than me. He is allergic to cats and that makes him want one all the more. He has a good hearty laugh and oddly enough he finds my wit funny as proven by him spewing milk out of his nose on more than one occasion. He's funny too but in a goofy manner, not to say he isn't clever, it's just that it always has a goofy undertone to it. There's a lightness about his presents, maybe it's normal with kids but then again I don't spend time with kids that often.

More than anything Cedar seemed loyal. If he cared about you he would find a way to stand by you when it was needed and more often than not it got him in trouble. He took the blame for a rouge spitball that accidently hit the teacher in the back of the head. Cedar has detention for the rest of the month. He is kind too. He gave his lunch to a crying first grader who must have left his at home. Part of me wants to hit him for being so… good? I don't know what it is but it intrigues me. While our friendship just makes me realize my own faults I am starting to believe it also starting to help me evolve as a person.

Authors Notes: First thank you for reading, this has become my brain child, it has driven me crazy pushed me to the edge, and I've completely fallen in love with some of the characters. Secondly this is more like a teaser than an actual chapter. Chapters will gradually get longer the more immersed in District 12 we get.

While this fic is currently rated T it will be bumped up to M, when the time calls for it. Now its Mrs. Mellark's story so there will be child abuse as well as whole plethora of things; basically everything under the sun. Hopefully I manage to balance the darkness of the story with the light of life. I don't want this to come off as angst while there will be angsty moments I hope it comes off as complex, funny, dramatic, romantic, and even tragic at times.

My goal is not only to explain, not justify Mrs. Mellark, but to create a culture of the Merchant class which I haven't really found in any fics. Most fics focus on the social differences or life in the Seam, I like the idea of seeing 'how the other half lives' in District 12.

I would like to thank my dear friend WafflePup who has read and re-read my work giving me critics as well as putting up with my incessant emails and text messages. Jessa who although is no longer online, I hope your reading this, gave me a challenge to write a fic from an unliked characters POV. And a special thanks to my sister who put up with my blabbering and listened to me talk through plot points, and convinced me to keep a what is bound to be a more controversial part of this fic.

I have the next few chapters written and the plot line completely out lined so updates should be up semi-frequently. I would like to keep at least five chapters ahead of updates in order to have a better idea of what is up ahead and make any necessary changes (I've already had a few surprise me, and had characters pop up when they felt like it).

Please review, as it helps me become a better writer, and I hope you come back for the next chapter.