Mrs Everdeen
My name is Lily Grace Everdeen. You probably don't know who I am, as I am always forgotten. I'm the Girl On Fire's Mother. Katniss Everdeen's my eldest daughter. Everyone knows Katniss' story, and some of you even know Gale and Prim's, but no one knows my story. And I am here to tell it.
"Lily, Maysilee and Madeline are here." my Mother called as I was sorting some herbs in the back room.
I carefully put the last herb in it's designated jar and placed it carefully on the shelf and stepped out to the shop area to see my two best friends grinning at me with a stupid grin. This could only mean one thing. The Mayor's son had been round again.
I quickly untied my apron and passed it to Mother.
"Can I go?" I begged her, making my bright blue eyes go wide in a puppy dog fashion, one I'd inherited from Father.
"Fine, off you go. Be back in an hour though, we need to go shopping, remember?"
I groaned inwardly, but plastered a big grin on my face so not to hurt her feelings.
"Of course, Mother."
I took my earnings off the counter and left the shop with Maysilee and Madeline. We walk along the road to the sweet shop, which Maysilee and Madeline's parents own. We go in and their parents give us each a small bag of sweets and tell us to be careful, as we never know who's listening.
I suppose their right. The Capitol have spies everywhere, you never know who might be listening to your conversation. Especially with the reaping tomorrow. District Twelve is practically flooded with them. Officials listening in case someone slips up and says something against the Capitol and their precious Hunger Games. If you do, you get carted off to the jail until it I arranged for you to be either hanged or transported to the Capitol to have your tongue cut off and forced to become a slave to the Capitol freaks. To be honest, neither option sounds good to me.
We clutch our bag of sweets closely to our chests, in case some poor, hungry soul from the Seam tries to steal them. I wouldn't be angry if they did, they probably need it more than me, being from the poorer part of town. But the thing is, just because I'm from the slightly richer part of district twelve, doesn't exactly make us as rich as the Capitol. District twelve is the poorest district of all twelve, one being the richest. District twelve is split into two parts, the Seam and the Merchant. The Seam is all sooty and covered in coal dust because that's where the miners and their families live. The Merchants part of town is slightly nicer, and the people who inhabit it are the lucky people who managed to escape the mines and set up a slightly nicer life for their families working in a shop catering for the officials, and the occasional other merchant. There isn't much difference ,money wise, though, as most of our money goes on fresh stock.
We head to the meadow, crawling through the hole in the barbed wire surrounding it. Strictly speaking, we're not allowed in the meadow, but it's the only place we honestly feel free and safe. Plus, nobody bothers guarding it usually, as a couple of boys our age come here hunting, and they sell their game to some of the officials. I know this because one of the boys, John Everdeen his name is, come's to the shop sometimes to give us some herbs he's picked for our remedies in exchange for a little bit of money.
Once we are settled comfortably under a large willow tree, I turn to Madeline for the gossip.
"So, when did he come round?" I ask, a cheeky grin on my face.
"How do you do that?" she shrieked in surprise.
"It's a gift, I shrug modestly.
"He came round first thing this morning with flowers. He brought her breakfast as well. Strawberries and croissants." Maysilee adds, winding her twin sister up.
"Strawberries are the best thing I've ever tasted." Madeline states.
I chuckle.
"So, how are things going with John Everdeen? Has he kissed you yet? Have you declared your undenying love for each other yet?" Maysilee teases me as Madeline leans forward.
I blush and open my mouth to answer when I hear a deep voice from behind me.
"I wouldn't call it undenying love."