Title: The Symbols of Our Love
Characters: Katniss, Cato, Thresh, Rue, Clove
Pairings: Katniss/Thresh, eventually Katniss/Cato
Summary: Desperate for a way to save her family from further destitution, Katniss joins the Capitol's Work Referral Agency and is assigned to District 2.
Author Notes: AU in which there are no Hunger Games, but the people are still miserable. Please be advised, this story has several mature themes, and as such, most of the characters in this story are adults (I just can't bring myself to write sex scenes about teenagers).
Disclaimer: Just borrowing. I'm looking for a good Beta, so until then, bear with me.
It had been a long day, and it was only mid-afternoon.
The Twilight Garden was a tiny café situated a few blocks away from the Stoneville Military Academy, home of the Peacekeepers' training grounds. Yet despite its elegant name, the café tended to cater to those of more limited means. As a result, most of the diners Katniss served were not the affluent citizens of District 12 or the elite cadre of officers, but quarrymen and other temporary workers like herself.
Her shift was supposed to have ended several hours ago, but Veenox had promised her overtime pay, and she needed the money. This job was all that stood between hope and despair for her family. The fence surrounding District 12 was now electrified 24 hours a day, which had prevented Katniss from hunting to keep her family fed. Though her mother had recently shown signs of improvement, she was too frail to return to full time work. Katniss had tried to get a job within her own district, but with so many people out of work, nothing was to be found. She had even gone to the coal mines looking for something – anything – that would allow her to put food on the table, but they had taken one look at her skinny frame and declared her unsuitable for the rigors of mining.
Things had seemed hopeless until two months ago, when she had walked by a sign outside City Hall on her way to the employment office. It was an advert for young, healthy workers that were needed for a worker shortage affecting Districts 2, 4, and 5. The positions were menial and the jobs temporary, but the pay was better than anything Katniss could hope for at home, so she had squared her shoulders and walked in.
It was hard being away from her family, especially her sister and Gale. Prim was the center of Katniss's world, and as much as it had pained her to leave, the thought of Prim starving was even worse. And Gale…dear Gale, who had tried to help Katniss as best he could, but he had his own family to take care of.
Right now, she was counting down the minutes until her shift was over. She willed the grizzled old man that she had been waiting on to finish his soup. She could have given him to another waitress, but she wanted his tip, however meager it would be.
"Hey Katniss, would you mind wiping down the bar?" It was Veenox, who sat at his own table finishing up a late lunch.
"Sure." She made her way behind the bar and grabbed some disinfectant and a cleaning rag. The nice thing about working the lunch shift was that there were no drinkers. But as much as she hated waiting on drunken quarrymen, she would be the first to admit that this job was better than many others. It was mindless, but she had wanted mindless. Her upbringing had left her little in the way of skills, and though she could hunt, that was not something she could admit to on her employment application. As bosses went, Veenox was tough but fair. He didn't treat her as badly as other employers often treated workers brought in from the outlying districts. He often let her take some of the leftovers home, he never talked down to her, and most importantly, he did not expect sexual favors from her.
Her roommate, Yara, was not so lucky.
Mechanically, she began to wipe down the smooth counter top as she blew her hair out of her eyes. Back home, her mother had trimmed her hair, but in the two months since she had moved here, her hair had grown longer. She had also put on a bit more weight, thanks to having two meals a day.
Looking up, she saw that the old man was finally finished eating. With a small sigh of relief, she headed over and took his empty plates, knowing that Veenox would see to his bill. She put the dirty dishes into the plate sanitizer, and when it started, she quickly the swept the kitchen floor and put away the items that had been left out. Her duties complete, she made her way into the small backroom where the employees kept their personal belongings and shrugged into her thin coat and boots. Though it was only autumn, Stoneville was a mountain town, so it always got chilly in the evenings. "Veenox, I'm taking off. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Take care, Katniss," came Veenox's voice.
She left through the back door, her boots clicking softly against the brick walkway. There was a brisk wind, and snow flurries danced in the air. "I need to get a coat," she muttered to herself. She hunched her shoulders and clenched her hands in her pockets. "Some gloves too."
Who am I kidding? I can't afford a new coat. Most of her meager pay was deposited into an account for her mother and sister, and only a bare minimum was kept for Katniss's own personal use. Part of that amount was automatically deducted for her room and board, so on most days, she was hardly left with anything at all.
Oh well. There was always the Depot. The quarrymen often sold and traded used goods there, so perhaps she'd be able to find something that was in decent condition.
The walk to her apartment wasn't very long, but it took her through the heart of Stoneville, District 2's largest town. Bluntly put, it was an unimaginative name for an unimaginative town populated by unimaginative people. District 2 might be the Capitol's pet, but the town didn't look like it. While the buildings were in better condition and the people better fed – all citizens were provided with at least two meals a day – Katniss had been surprised to see parallels between here and District 12.
Stoneville was dusty, though from the rocks, not coal. The air smelled of sweat, metal, and the rusty tang of blood. And while the townspeople were well dressed, they were in stark contrast to those who worked in the quarries. Her apartment was located near a downtrodden outside of town that reminded her of the Seam back home. Many families hovered near the brink of destitution, and most had no choice but to work in the quarries, where the work was often times as dangerous as the mines in District 12. Those lucky few who had escaped the life of a mason were driven to the military academy to train as Peacekeepers.
Katniss was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the man coming around the corner. When she slammed into him, the contents of her purse went flying out while she fell over backwards.
"What's your problem?" snarled the man. "Are you blind?"
"No, I – " She looked up then and fell silent. Standing in front of her was the biggest, most monstrous man she had ever seen. He was well over six feet tall and built like an ox. Blond haired and blue-eyed, he would have been handsome if not for the ugly scowl blanketing his chiseled features. He was dressed in the black uniform that declared he was from the military academy. "I wasn't paying attention," she mumbled as she gathered her scattered belongings. "I'm sorry," she added.
Stoneville was a town of blond haired, blue-eyed beauties, and this man was obviously no exception. Feeling self-conscious, Katniss didn't need a mirror to know what she must look like. Her boots were scuffed, her coat threadbare, and her dress patched and faded from repeated washings. Her hair was no doubt falling out of its braid, and her skin was unfashionably tanned.
The man snorted. "I swear, every year the agency brings in a worse batch of workers from the year before." He looked down at her, his expression disdainful. "Looks like they've officially hit rock bottom." He carelessly stepped over her fallen items as he moved past, not even bothering to help her up.
It wasn't a new feeling for Katniss. She was used to people looking down at her; anytime she had ventured into the merchant's section back home, people had made it clear that nothing good came out of the Seam. And though the people of Stoneville didn't know anything about where she came from, it didn't seem to matter. They knew what she was worth anyway.
Nothing.
With a sigh, she finished collecting her belongings. It wasn't much, just lotion for her hands, some cream for her lips, anti-bacterial cleanser, and her identification cards.
A shadow fell over her.
If the rude man that had knocked her over was the biggest man she had ever seen, this was surely the second biggest. Except the first man had been light skinned and golden haired, while this one had skin as dark as teak and eyes the color of amber. But unlike the first, his expression was sympathetic, not cruel.
"You okay?" His voice was deep, and he spoke in a drawl that indicated he was from the south. Like her, his clothes were worn and faded.
"Yes, thank you," she said shyly. "I should have been more careful."
"You should be. They don't like us here. Think we're polluting their town. They need us, but they sure as shit don't want us." He offered her a hand. "If you cross them, they'll force the agency to let you go."
Katniss rose unsteadily. Her left elbow was throbbing from landing on it. "I know," she said. "It's not the first time I've had a run in with the people here, nor was it the worst." She released his hand, already missing the warmth of it.
"Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"No, just embarrassed."
He smiled slightly, but it transformed his serious features into something brighter. "My name's Thresh. I'm from 11."
At ease now, she smiled back. "Katniss. From 12."
"You work at the Twilight Garden. I've seen you before."
Katniss wracked her brain, trying to remember if she'd ever served Thresh. Surely she would have remembered a man his size and coloring in a town otherwise populated by pale blonds. He must have been able to read her expression because he added, "I've never been inside, but I go to the convenience store across the street sometimes."
"Trust me, you aren't missing anything."
Thresh looked at her, his eyes sweeping over her intently. "Maybe I am."
Her cheeks tinged with color, but this man's appraisal didn't bother her the way some other men's did. "I work there in the mornings and afternoons," she blurted.
His smile widened slightly. "I'll stop by sometime. But now I better get going, or else I'll be late for my shift. I'll see you around, Katniss from 12." With a wave, Thresh was off, moving with a surprising amount of speed and agility for a man his size.
Her footsteps much lighter, Katniss resumed her journey to her apartment. Thresh had given her the first genuine smile she had received since she'd left home. It felt…nice. Especially after her humiliating encounter with the man from the academy. At the very least, it proved that there were some decent men left in the world.
By the time she got home, it was well after dark. Stoneville wasn't very strict about curfews, but Peacekeepers did occasionally harass agency workers who were out on the streets late at night. And while Katniss did have all the proper documentation, she had no wish to find herself under the scrutiny of the Peacekeepers.
Her building was near the edge of town, a rundown ten story tower that crammed in close to 200 workers. She lived on the second floor, for which she was grateful. The elevators frequently failed, so residents often had to take the stairs. Her small room was shared with Yara, a young woman from District 10. Yara worked the night shift as a cleaning lady at a nearby hospital, so Katniss usually had the room to herself. The room itself was square, with two twin beds, two narrow wardrobes, and a single desk and chair. Tenants were required to keep their rooms clean, but for most, this did not pose a problem. Many came from homes where they had to share even smaller spaces with their siblings, and very few had more than a handful of possessions, so clutter was rarely an issue.
Once in her room, she changed out of her work clothes and plopped down on her bed. She knew they were serving dinner in the cafeteria, but she was exhausted from her double shift, and her feet ached. While it went against her very nature to miss a meal – she knew better than anyone how it felt to go without food – she didn't think she could move another inch. And she would have to be at the café for the early morning shift tomorrow, which meant waking up at dawn.
Hopefully, Veenox would let her sample some of the breakfast biscuits tomorrow. He was usually generous about things like that. If not, Katniss was no stranger to going without food. She'd become spoiled these last two months since the agency fed workers twice a day. And anyway, it wouldn't hurt to remind herself where she came from and what she would eventually have to go back to.
Katniss drifted off to sleep soon after, dreaming of forests, Prim, and the man from District 11.
It was a good dream.