I sigh as I take my seat on the bus, still in my barely there work uniform. Its 3am in the morning and I haven't eaten a thing all day, the place I've been working at lately is a rundown 24-hour diner. My friend, Johanna sits down next to me and mutters a few obscurities under her breath about our creepy ass boss cray. Its dark outside and only an old man and the driver occupy the bus, the city is eerily quiet as we drive pass supermarkets and apartments.
Johanna and I are of the bus before the old man and we make the walk to our apartment briskly in the cool night air. I budge open the old door, with a shove from my shoulder.
The apartment, if you can call it that, only has a bathroom and a living area Johanna and I each have a single bed set up side by side as well as a small couch facing an even smaller tv that only has about 4 channels. We've got a second-hand fridge against the other wall as well as a microwave and a virtually empty pantry, Johanna and I barely scrape by with what money we earn at the diner, paying rent, electricity and food take up most of what we earn and whatever is left over goes into a savings account that when needed is split in half between us. Although I'm hoping to one day be able to go to college with it.
Johanna and I virtually crawl into bed, forgetting completely about food and succumbing to sleep deprivation of a 12-hour shift.
The next time I show up to work a small lady with a head of bright pink curls sits at a table in my section, looking completely out of place. She looks around the diner with disgust picks at an invisible piece of lint on her matching dress.
I walk over to her somewhat tentatively and start to ask her If I can get her a coffee, a fake smile plastered on my face, she looks up at me as if only just noticing that I'm there
I'll have a black coffee with two sugars" she says bluntly glancing back at the menu, "and could you also tell me where I can find Katniss Everdeen?" I reply automatically without really thinking about what I'm saying.
"That would be me miss, how can I help you?" she looks up at me again and gives me a small smile that could really be called a grimace.
"Hello Miss Everdeen, My name is Effie Trinket I'm Panem Nyotaimori we recently received an application to be one of our human platters and this diner was the address given for us to find you, we have a business meeting tonight we'd love for you to come in and have a trial although we'd need you to come in as soon as possible to make sure your body is ready and give you a debrief on how the system works, can I ask when your shift finishes"
My mind whirls as a faint memory appears in my mind.
"Johanna" I laugh in a playfully condescending tone as she cracks open our second bottle of cheap tequila, she sits my laptop, which was originally my mother's before she died, on her lap and types in the email address on the flyer she held in her hand.
To:
My name is Katniss Everdeen and I'd like to be one of your human platters, please find me at no.12 mocking jay road in apartment A5 or at crays diner on hob street. Id be happy to start straight away if the pay is as said on your flyer.
Johanna giggles at the email as she hits send I giggle again imagining the idea of me working at a place like that, I punch Johann in the arm and start to reprimand her for sending the stupid email saying something how I don't even get undressed in front of her so how am I expected to do it in front of a bunch of strangers, but she just shoves a shot down my throat and the email is quickly forgotten.
I'm brought back to reality by the lady coughing as I start to sputter,
"Umm… I get of in an hour actually, but I'm not interested in the…" she quickly interrupts before I can say much more "wonderful ill see you then" she says getting up "and don't worry about changing out of uniform … you won't be in it very long" she places a business card with the address on the table and briskly walks out the door. I head out the back and pinch Johannes ear she turns around and pushes my hand away
"THAT WAS EFFIE TRINKET FROM THE NYOTAIMORI PLACE" I practically yell at her later thankful that the kitchen is sound proof she winces under my glair and fires back
" so are you working there now, because the pay is really good and wed be able to save faster, plus I could pick up your shifts here, we'd be practically rich" Johanna sounds excited at the prospect of me practically becoming a look no touch prostitute.