It wasn't the nicest day in district 2. Grauth Ashby sat in the dreary hospital the thoughts bouncing round in his mind drowned out the sound of the rain on the thin windows. Would it be a boy or girl? In one way he wanted a boy to do boy things with. Play football on the field. Teach him how to skip rocks. Then again he grew up with three younger brothers so that's the main reason he wanted a girl. So she could be daddy's little princess. He would buy her presents; pick on people that bullied her. However one thing he knew she, or he wouldn't be a career. The kids that train forever to compete in the hunger games. No his daughter or son wouldn't be like that. Just the other day he met a man at the market who was already planning to train is two year old son to volunteer. Apparently they were his first words.

His eyes scanned the room for any signs of his wife or a doctor coming out to call him in, but suddenly he wasn't thinking of that he was thinking of the young woman that had just burst in through the hospital doors. She was pale wrapped in a black coat. In a way she seemed to be covering her face. In one side a young boy clutched onto her hand for dear life. His tatty clothes defiantly said he was from the poorer part of district two. People who worked all day to earn a loaf of bread. The poor boy his red scruffy hair seemed so adorable as if it was from another person. They just put it on his head. The blue eyes peered through the dark circles around his eyes. That's when Grauth saw the bundle in the ladies hand. A beautiful thing sat in the ladies arm. Astonishing blue eyes almost identical to the boys. Such fair skin. No doubt a newborn baby. That's when the situation came to life the woman wasn't the children's mother. The mother of the children had been suffering a single pregnancy after her husband died in the mountain. During birth she got bad and died shortly after. Now this young woman who was supposedly their neighbour was looking for help to check if the baby was alright. This usually happened in district 2. People who couldn't afford professional doctors did home births the odds of the mother living were very slim. So it left many children motherless of worse orphans. Like these children. Grauth heard two names muffled under the young woman's breath, Mace and Kale. What beautiful names.

What happened next was all so fast two peace keepers burst in. Grabbed the baby and dragged out the young boy. Suddenly they began to hit the young woman. She fell to the floor in a heap screaming. People watched but did nothing. After the peacekeepers where gone the woman lay in a heap. Grauth slowly walked over to the huddled bundle on the floor. "Do you need help?" He asked the woman just gazed at him as if she couldn't speak.
"Yes I do. Those children they need me, they are weak." The woman was crying as she spoke chocking on the tears and she locked her vision on Grauth's eyes.
"Where are they going?"
"To the community home. They say I'm unstable to look after them!"
"Listen they will be fine" He failed to reassure the woman. That's when she smiled.
" you could adopt them take them in" Grauth found this request unbelievable he'd only just met the woman. However he still thought about it. Seeing the red head boy being ripped away made his heart sink. That's when it hit him..."There's a lady who lives down my street she can't have children but badly wants them. She would possibly take them in" Grauth couldn't promise it but it didn't matter the woman's face lit up.
"Thank you" the woman reassembled her and stood up. Now Grauth could see the wounds that the peacekeepers had previously made. He didn't agree with violence neither did his friends. But any sign of rebellion and this is what they would do to him! The woman stood there a she grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from her bag. She grabbed the pen a scratched down an address. Then she placed it back on the desk before anyone could miss it. Her hand reached out for Grauth's and he took the paper. She smiled at him a whispered "Thank You" as she left the room. On the paper read
Mace and Kale Nelson
district 2 community home
8 Oldham way

Grauth dragged himself back to his seat and sat staring blankly at the paper. He had almost forgotten why he was here. He crumpled the paper into his pocket and waited. Suddenly a stubby faced doctor walked in...
"Mr Ashby" Grauth stood quickly and quietly,
"Yes"
"It's a Girl!"