I open the front door and hold it for Kembrith and Kailey before following them out.
Kailey holds my hand. Kembrith walks energetically beside me. As we walk by our neighbors' house, Kembrith goes over to it. He reaches up and grabs the windowsill, then climbs up. Moving along the window sill, he grabs the one above it.
I groan. "Kembrith, please. Now isn't the time for roof jumping.
"Sorry." Kembrith climbs down.
He once made me try it. It was a few days after my tenth birthday. He had been running on roofs for a few months. I hated being so high. When Kembrith jumped to another roof and told me to follow him, I refused.
"No way." I said. "I'm not doing that."
"Come on! It's easy! And you're taller than I am." He added.
I jumped, and it left me scrabbling at the roof. Kembrith had to pull me up.
"I want to get down," I whimpered.
I never did it again.
Kembrith nudges me. "Stop daydreaming."
"I'm not daydreaming. I'm remembering how you forced me to run on the roofs."
Kembrith laughs.
"Look! It's Katniss Everdeen." Kailey interrupts us. "What's she doing out here? Shouldn't she be happily in her house at Victors' Village?" she adds bitterly.
"Calm down, Kailey. She's nice." I reassure her.
Katniss approaches us. She holds a dead squirrel upside-down. My stomach grumbles.
"Hungry?" she asks.
"Oh, yes." Kembrith says before I can stop him. "I hardly eat a thing."
Katniss nods sympathetically. "I was like that once. Here, take the squirrel."
My jaw drops. "Seriously?"
"Why do you think I hunt when I have all the food I need?"
"Um...thanks..." I stammer.
Katniss waves and walks away.
"You're right, Amber! She's so nice! I can't believe she gave us this whole squirrel!" Kailey squeals.
"It's not much, but it'll feed us tonight." Kembrith agrees.
I nod in agreement. "All right, let's get to the Justice Building."
"We'd get there faster by rooftop," Kembrith mumbles.
"Too risky. Come on."
We walk inside the Justice Building and go to the tesserae office.
Only two people are there, besides the peacekeeper sitting at her computer behind the desk.
It's Carson, my boyfriend, with his seventeen-year-old sister.
"I've got twenty slips," he groans. "Dillah's probably got more."
The peacekeeper slides a note across the desk and Dillah takes it.
"Thirty slips." She says.
Dillah groans. "Come on, Carson."
Carson flashes me a quick glance before following Dillah out the door.
I'm slightly embarrassed when the peacekeeper looks at me, holding the squirrel that Katniss gave us by the tail.
"Um...yes." I pass the squirrel to Kembrith.
"I don't want to hold it!" Kembrith complains.
I step up to the desk. "I'd like to take out tesserae."
No I wouldn't, but I don't have any other option.
"Name please."
"Amber Jones."
The peacekeeper types on her computer, studies the screen, and presses buttons on her calculator. She nods at it, then slides a tesserae note across the desk. I take it calmly.
"Twenty-four slips."
Could be worse.
"Next!"
Kembrith confidently steps forward. "Kembrith Jones."
The peacekeeper doesn't types on her calculator. "Twelve slips."
Kembrith comes over.
Kailey trembles slightly but keeps a calm face.
The peacekeeper smiles at her. They're always nice to twelve-year-olds taking out tesserae.
"Your name, sweetie?"
"Kailey Jones." Kailey tells her in a small voice.
The lady types out another calculation.
"Six slips."
Lucky.
We cross the hall and another peacekeeper gives us our monthly supply.
Kembrith gives me back the squirrel. "Your turn."
Dad opens the door for us. "Are the odds in your favor?"
"Not really."
"Too bad,"
We feast on the squirrel, each getting a fifth of it and a small piece of bread.
Then we go to the only bedroom in our house.
Twenty-four slips.
...
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