Dear Diary,
It has been a week since I've seen the mysterious girl, and since then, I have neither seen her nor put a possible name to her face. Our school in District 12 isn't big enough not to know everyone—or at least recognize everyone, but I could not recall anyone like her. I even went to the library to look at the photos in the student roster and came up empty.
I actually began my inquiries last Sunday night in the kitchen with my sister while we cleaned up after dinner. Standing with Katniss at the sink, I grabbed the next plate from her to dry. "Have you ever encountered a girl about my age at the edge of the Meadow?"
Katniss began scrubbing the next dinner plate in the lukewarm water. "There are a lot of girls your age that play in the Meadow."
"I took Lady there to graze, and I met a girl who was up in one of the shade trees at the edge of the Meadow, in the clump of trees about halfway down the dirt road on our side of the Seam. She was about my height, skinny with long dark hair, and she wore no shoes. Have you seen anyone like her, up in a tree perhaps?" I asked coolly.
My sister grinned suspiciously at me. "You just described most of the girls in the Seam."
I accepted the next plate to dry. "I know. I asked my friends at school, and no one knows about whom I'm talking. I've gone back to that tree a couple times and haven't seen her."
"Why didn't you ask for her name?"
"I did, but she didn't say anything. She just dropped effortlessly out of the tree, stared at me for a second, and then disappeared into the brush without a sound. I followed her, but she just disappeared."
"Maybe you saw a ghost," said Katniss with an ominous tone. When my sister looked at me, she waggled her brow and laughed.
I scolded her with a disapproving stare, "Not funny. You know I hate ghost stories."
Katniss lowered her voice to a whisper. "She could be standing outside our kitchen window at this very moment, waiting for you to go outside and check on Lady."
With pursed lips, I pretended to ignore my sister as I felt my face reddened.
"Maybe a zombie muttation has escaped from the Capitol and has wondered all the way to our district. You'd be a prime target with that big brain of yours."
Unable to control my anger, I stomped on Katniss's foot, knowing well enough that her hunting boots protected her toes.
My sister laughed again. "Sorry, little duck. I'm just teasing."
"Don't!" I exclaimed. "You know how much I hate scary stories."
"I'll stop." Katniss handed me the last dish to dry. "Maybe that girl didn't feel well and didn't feel like hanging around to talk. Tell you what; I'll keep an eye out for this girl the next time I pass by that section of the Meadow. I'll even scan the tops of the trees for you. I'm sure she was someone you knew but just didn't recognize at the time."
Angry still at being teased, I nodded my thanks as Katniss left me to finish the last bit of drying.
With our kitchen chores completed, I reached for a small container of leftovers, which always went to Lady as an award since she gives us such good goat milk in return. I opened the front door and thoroughly scanned the darkness outside. Resolved not to let my sister's teasing stop me, I brought Lady her after dinner treat—and promptly went back inside our home.
Diary, why do sisters always have to be such a pain?
Dear Diary,
I have exciting news! I've discovered a grand secret, but I need to be careful and only share this in my journal so not to reveal too much. I believe that if I reveal the secret to the wrong people that there could be consequences. I'll share what I can and start at the beginning.
Today, Saturday, I returned to the spot under the shade tree with Buttercup and Lady. Determined to wait it out, I even brought the same book from the school library along with a snack of goat cheese, all in the hope of remaining until sundown.
Several hours passed, and I was beginning to feel frustrated, for I had a strong need to see this girl again. I don't know why seeing her again became so important, but it had.
Buttercup and Lady did not mind lingering by the Meadow. Buttercup had plenty of sun and Lady enjoyed the fresh prairie grass. It was also breezy which kept the insects away as the pleasant scents of wild flowers drifted towards us from the Meadow. The sky was partly cloudy with small puffy clouds that I occasionally watched drift across the sky. All in all, it was a beautiful day.
However, the winds made hearing any other sounds difficult, so I found myself checking over my shoulders repeatedly—and scanning the tree above me. Losing hope, the urge to nap grew in me, and I began to read aloud in the hope of staying awake a bit longer.
I was beginning the next chapter in my book when I heard a groan from Buttercup. "Hush, you. Mom says that I have a nice reading voice," I chided wryly. Glancing at my cat, I discovered that I was not the one capturing Buttercup's attention.
I spun my head around to see the mysterious girl peeking at us from an opening in the brush. Not wanting to scare her away, I remained seated and smiled at her.
The girl just stood there in the shadows, eyeing each of us in turn.
Swallowing, I spoke in a cheerful tone, "Hello. I hope that I'm not intruding in your spot?"
The girl continued to stare.
"This is a great place to read books." Slowly, I lifted my book a couple inches before returning it to my lap.
The girl's eyes locked on my book. She swallowed hard and stepped from the shadows of the brush. Stopping at the base of the tree, she wore the same faded dress from before with no shoes on her feet. Her long hair appeared kept, free of knots, as it draped over her shoulders. Hints of red hair shone when touched by the random beams of sunlight that slipped through the swaying tree canopy.
"My name is Prim. I don't think that I've ever seen you before." I now knew that I hadn't!
The girl said nothing as she studied the three of us.
My cat returned her stare as she took a more defensive sitting posture. Thankfully, Buttercup wasn't rude and kept his back fur flat. Lady was oblivious as she continued grazing on prairie grass.
Well, she's no ghost, I thought. "What's your name?"
The girl did not reply as she slowly crouched at the base of the tree, her eyes fixated on my book.
"You're not a zombie are you?" I quickly studied her exposed finger and toe nails to find them reasonably groomed. Do zombies use nail clippers? I thought ridiculously to myself.
She kept eyeing my book.
"Do you want to look at the book?" I slowly closed the novel and held it out to her.
Her eyes widened, but she did not flee. With hesitant hands, she reached out and took the book. She seemed to relax as she sat back against the base of the tree and inspected the book. Opening to a random page, her eyes surveyed the pages.
"Um...I hope you don't mind me asking, but can you read?" I inquired mannerly.
The stranger did not look up.
Gnawing my lip, I pressed on with my discoveries. "You see; you're holding the book upside down." Using my hands, I gestured to her to turn the book right around.
The girl only glanced at me for a moment before passing the book to me.
"You're not the talkative type are you?" I queried. The silence putting me at unease, I nervously pointed at my cat. "This is Buttercup. He's cranky, but a good friend once you get past that." So not to startle the girl, I turned slowly and pointed to my goat tied to the small tree at the edge of the Meadow. "That's Lady. She'll eat anything you put in front of her, so don't let her get hold of your dress. She seems to have a peculiar taste for cotton."
The girl began pointing at my book.
"Do you want to see it again?" I held it out.
She shook her head and then pointed at me.
"You want me to read to you?"
The girl did not respond, but when I looked into her eyes, they appeared full of curiosity. I sat silently in the hope she would say something, but she remained quiet as her eyes inspect all of us in turn. She sat back and wrapped her arms around her knees.
"Do you speak English? I've never met anyone who didn't speak English before." Though her silence was frustrating, I myself began to relax.
The girl pointed to the book again.
Unsure of what else I could do, I opened my book and picked up where I had left off.
My guest immediately began to smile. She seemed to relax even more as she glanced about, occasionally peering over the book to look at the page. At one point, she even gave the tinniest wave to Buttercup.
Wouldn't you know it, Diary; my grumpy cat got up and sat next to the girl. Buttercup even began purring to invite some petting. He doesn't even allow Katniss to pet him.
The girl was hesitant at first. Perhaps she had never pet a cat before, but she quickly learned and made a friend for life.
After an hour of reading aloud, my throat began to feel too dry to continue. I laid the book across my lap and watched Buttercup lay on his side enjoying the attention from his new friend. "His name is Buttercup," I shared. "I'm not sure if you remember me telling you."
Fully relaxed, the girl smiled at me.
"I'm Prim," I said patting my chest. "What's your name?"
Not responding at the least to any of my questions, Buttercup's apparently new best friend kept stroking him without a care in the world.
I began to wonder if she was deaf—that the request for me to read from the book a ploy—when a woman's voice called out from behind the brush.
"Ruby?" said an adult female.
I did not recognize the voice, but my new friend most certainly did. Her eyes widen as she froze in place. Her reaction gave enough concern to Buttercup that he rose to his feet with ears flat and an arched back. Then in a flash, the girl began climbing the shade tree, not stopping until several feet up where she perched on a large branch.
"Ruby?" called out the woman, now sounding annoyed. Just then, the woman, my mom's age, burst through the brush and entered the clearing under our shade tree, sending Buttercup into hiding. The woman glared at me for a second before she asked distrustfully, "Who are you?"
"I'm Primrose Everdeen," I spurted out. Unsure if this girl need protection, my eyes unfortunately betrayed me when I glanced up at her.
The woman immediately looked up and spotted the girl. "Ruby, come down here. Come on." The woman pointed to the ground.
The girl dropped with ease to the ground, and woman placed an arm around her shoulder to escort her away.
I jumped to my feet. "She can't talk, can she?"
The woman paused. "No." Her eyes sharpened on me. "And I expect you to keep our personal affairs to yourself." They turned to leave.
"Is her name Ruby?" I asked with a sense of urgency. "I was reading with her, and she seemed to enjoy it."
The woman spun around, the girl peering from behind. "That's ridiculous. My daughter can't read."
My sweaty hands gripped the book. "I figured that, but she seemed to enjoy me reading to her."
The mother stared angrily at me.
I swallowed. "I don't ever recall seeing her at school."
"She's too stupid for school," chastised the woman. "They told me that I need not bother to send her."
Despite the girl being a stranger, I felt offended by her mother's comment. "She's not stupid. There's a curiosity behind those eyes."
"What do you know little girl. Are you some kind of genius?"
"No," I replied. "But I do volunteer occasionally in the class for special students. Ruby isn't like them. I can tell."
Smirking, the woman stepped aside and gestured towards Ruby. "Did my daughter tell you her name? Did she answer any question of any kind? Tell me, did she even nod her head to a simple yes or no?"
"No. We've only met a couple times."
"Ha," exclaimed the woman. "We've just met, and we've already said more than Ruby ever will. It would be easier to train a mosquito"
"That's not fair!" I burst. Realizing that I had just shouted at a stranger—and adult, I nervously took a step back. "Sorry, ma'am," I said apologetically. "I just don't think she's stupid, that's all."
"Well, you can go off now and ruin our lives by telling everyone about her. We can be the laughing stock of the Seam." The woman turned and began guiding Ruby through the brush.
Stepping forward, I tried to earn the mothers trust. "I won't tell anyone about Ruby," I said sincerely. "I promise"
The mother paused to stare at me for one last moment, but she said nothing before exiting the clearing beneath the shade tree.
I cautiously followed them through the brush and discovered that they lived in the squat Seam house directly across the road, a worn down home similar to my family's.
Diary, that afternoon under the shade tree, I learned nothing more that the girl's name was Ruby. Her mother seemed overly protective, but perhaps, she has good reason. Despite the little progress, I feel strongly that I have discovered a friend, and I must keep her secret until I learn more.
