Wiress waited until her parents were asleep to tiptoe down to the fridge. Opening the freezer, she grinned as she held the frozen solid ball of snow and soot in her mittened hands. She suppressed her giggles as she hurried back to her room and opened the window. Looking carefully at the mop of dark hair above the windowsill in the neighboring house, she took her aim. Even though she was thirteen, she still enjoyed pranking her twenty-one year old best friend and fellow Victor.
"WIRESS! SERIOUSLY?" To her satisfaction, Beetee stood up brushing the snow off his hair before poking his head out his window to playfully scowl at her. Beetee shook his head looking at Wiress who was unashamedly giggling while hanging her head out her window. Ever since he had met her after her fifth-grade science fair, he found himself on the receiving end of her many antics. He smiled knowing the horror of enduring her Games hadn't diminished her fun-loving spirit.
"I have to have some fun before we leave tomorrow!" Wiress protested as Beetee rolled his eyes. "Psst!" She raised her eyebrows.
"Ok." Beetee said knowing what the fledgling inventor of District Three wanted. He closed the window and went downstairs to the kitchen. The layout was identical to the kitchen in Wiress' house, however, boxes of mac and cheese, crackers, and easy to cook items littered the counters. Beetee put a pot of hot water on the stove to boil and filled two mugs with hot chocolate mixture. The door opened and small feet pattered into the house. "Hey, squirt!" Beetee chuckled as Wiress wrapped her arms around his middle. He held her close and kissed her forehead. They broke apart and she handed him a thick notebook with drawings filling the graphed paper.
"Hey." Wiress said grinning. Beetee took the book and looked at her designs. She had completed a machine to press paper in the mills of District Seven.
"Someone couldn't wait until after the victory tour to build the model?" Beetee asked winking. Wiress drained her hot cocoa and grabbed Beetee's hand practically dragging him into his workroom. They were soon building a model of her machine.
"There." Wiress said testing it and taking a few pictures. "Now I can submit the design in the Capitol." She winked at him. "BEETTEE, THIS IS MY FIRST INVENTION EVER!" She squealed in excitement as she twirled around the workroom. He picked her up and twirled with her in his arms.
"First official invention." Beetee said nuzzling his face into her hair. "I have your first invention." He smiled as Wiress raised her eyebrows in curiosity. He grasped her hand and led her upstairs. "Here." He gestured to his bedside table. A switch on the table was connected to a cord that ran to the ceiling light. "I use it a lot." Wiress hugged him and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"We should get some sleep. They get us up early." Wiress nodded. Beetee walked her to her house and stood under her window until she waved to him inside. She lay in bed and finally allowed herself to think about the impending victory tour. However, with Beetee by her side, she knew she would manage.
"Wiress!" Wiress opened one large eye and peered out from her comforter. "Wiress! Those Capitol people are here!" Mrs. Carpenter called before climbing the stairs. "Come on, honey, they want you up early." Wiress yawned. "Were you over at Beetee's place again?" Wiress blushed. "He left his notes for you on the coffee table." Her mother wrapped her in a hug. "Now, I'll see you in two weeks."
"Ok, Mom." Wiress said hugging her.
"Is my wire headed to the Capitol again?" Mr. Carpenter asked joining his wife and daughter on Wiress' bed. He wrapped his arms around both of them. "This time, we know she's coming back."
"I can talk to the patent office there, Dad." Wiress said, her eyes sparkling.
"And when you visit the other districts, I'm sure you will think of plenty to invent." Her mother said smiling. "We're so proud of you, honey."
"Thanks mom and dad." Wiress said smiling. A tear trickled down her cheek. "I don't want to leave you again."
"Yes, but you know you're coming back, my wire. And you know, a certain young engineer will be with you all the way." Mr. Carpenter said smiling.
"Henry." Mrs. Carpenter said with a hint of warning. "Don't give our daughter any ideas."
"He'll help me a lot. He's been on these tours before." Wiress interjected. Her mother smiled.
"I know, honey. And I know he'll take care of you." Wiress waved goodbye to her parents as they left for work. Only then did she allow her prep team to lead her back up to her bathroom and begin scrubbing and primping her for the tour. She knew with Beetee by her side, she would be fine.