Chapter 4: The olde apothecary

[Summer in the year of the 75th Hunger Games]

Early on the next day, Mayor Undersee, Darius, and I followed Darius into the peacekeeper headquarters building; Purnia was still recovering. We entered a storeroom, and a shelf was moved aside to reveal a secret hidden door with a numerical keypad. Darius entered a pass code and the door opened, showing a passage and a set of stairs leading down. Eventually another door with a pass code was opened, and a huge cavern was revealed when Darius hit the light switch.

There were many aisles and shelves with many boxes and crates in each one, and there were labels indicating what could be fond in each aisle. About half of the aisles had food and food supplies like flour, some had water, other had tools, there were a few with weapons, and there were a few more aisles with clothes, blankets and such. A door lead on to an area which had beds, bathrooms, and a kitchen.

Darius explained: "Cray told me that this was not only supposed to be an emergency depot in case the train connection was down, but also to be used if a rebellion started here in the district. If the rebelling forces were going to be too strong to be quelled quickly, the remaining peacekeepers could have gone down here to wait until either the rebelling forces ran out of food or the surface had been bombed by Capitol hovercraft."

"So why did Thread and the others travel back to the Capitol rather than staying here?" I asked.

"I am not sure" Darius replied, "but I think that the were urgently needed in the Capitol. I assume that Snow planned to send a few new peacekeepers to get down here and secure the depot, but he must have been surprised by the speed to the rebellion spreading. Also, he most likely does not know that anybody around here knows about it – Cray showed me around and gave me the code just days before he was called back, and it had not yet been entered in the logs."

It appeared that we were lucky that at least one person was around who knew about this place and could get us in. None of us had a further comment to that, but it was obvious that the supplies stored here were more than sufficient to keep our district alive for the time being, and with some additional hunting it should last at least over the next winter.

"How do we get food out of here?" the major asked. "The passage and stairs we came in are quite narrow."

Darius smiled and lead us to a wall with another switch. He pushed, and the entire wall started to move, opening a section about five meters wide and three meters high. We found ourselves at a ramp behind the peacekeeper building, which had ended at something which looked like a wall from outside.

For now, the gate was closed again, and mayor looked happy. He nodded and said:

"Okay, this is good enough for now. Darius, please make sure that nobody gets in here without permission. We need to get everything organized first before we tap into the supplies here."

He turned around and ordered:

"Mellark, back to my office. We need to do some serious planning."

In the mayor's big meeting room, Marc and I started to plan for the next time together with him and his daughter Madge, and Mayor Undersee kicked off the round:

"So, we need to make plans for the next weeks and months and maybe years. We need to make sure that all citizens have homes, food, water, and hopefully work. Where do we start?"

"Basic needs first, so water and food" I suggested.

"Right, so what about water?"

"There are plenty of creeks and rivers close to the district, and the water line to provide fresh water from the mountains to the homes seems to be intact still" Marc knew.

"Okay, and what about food for the next few days?"

"My Dad is back working in the bakery, and we have enough flour for a few weeks. Some people may not have the money to buy bread, though."

"Let's discuss money later – any other food?"

"The butchery is open again" I replied. "Rooba should have some supplies left, but I do not know how long this may last. I guess that we will want to send out hunting parties soon."

"Can anybody hunt expect Gale?"

"I do not know; let's ask him later, he should know."

"Okay. Other food? Vegetables? Fruit?"

"We have some in Peeta՚s greenhouse, and many Seam houses had their own gardens."

"Yes, they had, before the bombs dropped."

"We might be able to salvage some plants, but we'd need some area to replant them."

"Okay, that's to be done soon, too – find a new area for fields and gardening."

While we talked about this, I thought about the Everdeen home and the effort Prim had invested in their garden; all wasted now. Prim would be sad to learn about it.

"Next – clothes?"

Madge knew about that: "The building with the tailor's shop in the Merchant area is fully intact. Mrs. Brown, who used to own it, has not survived, though, as she stayed and was killed by the gas. That reminds me, we need to form teams to get all of the corpses out, those killed by the gas and the bombs."

The mayor nodded: "Of course, yes, please get this organized as soon as you can. About the clothes shop: I guess that we need to find somebody else to run the shop. How hard can it be to sell clothes?"

Madge chuckled, but did not say anything.

"What about electricity?" I asked.

"Well, it is still on, although the fence is switched off."

"Yes, but where does it come from?"

"We have our own power plant, fueled with coal, close to the coal mines."

Right when this had been said, the lights went out in the mayor's office. We could still see, as daylight came in through the windows, but my point had been made.

"Right, the plant operators must have left the plant, and it probably shut down by itself now. We need to find people who can keep it running, at reduced output, as we will not need to power the fence again."

"Oh yes," Madge added, "should we also talk about healing and medicine?"

I should have thought of that as well, and I was glad that she mentioned it.

"Of course, yes, thank you" the mayor replied. "Well, who is our most experienced healer?"

I refused to take that, as my answer would have been prejudiced, but everybody knew that Mabel Everdeen fit that description. She was not only the best, but she was the only full time healer, and Marc said so.

"So," the mayor suggested, "I think that she should move into the old apothecary building which has been empty for some time. She can do healing and also sell medicine, but she needs help."

"Primrose and Lizzy will help for sure" I suggested. "They are both barely teenagers, but have helped for quite some time. Also, maybe Mrs. Everdeen can train other healers, too.

"Okay, good enough for now. Finally, last but not least, school is suspended for the time being. While all of the adults are needed for repairs and stuff, those kids who are old enough will be needed for chores. I hate it to ask this from children, but things will be tight for a few weeks. We will address the school reopening later when the more basic issues are covered."

Once we had covered that, the mayor assigned people to look after individual issues. As I was close to the Everdeens, my task was to get Mabel and the girls started in the olde apothecary building, which was only two houses down from the bakery.

I arrived back at the bakery around noon, and I was happy to see that there was a small lunch waiting for me. Prim came and joined us as well, as she had been hungry and her mother did not have time to prepare food, and I told her about the plans to get them moved into the apothecary building. She jumped and smiled and said:

"Rye, that's a great plan! I have dreamed a few times about the apothecary and selling medicine to all who need it; let's look there right after we have eaten!"

Half an hour later we stood in front the old apothecary building. We did not have to walk far, as the apothecary was separated from the bakery only by an unused parcel of land; left of the bakery there was the butcher's shop, and on the right there was this field with weeds growing on it and the apothecary building. When I saw the weeds growing, I though about clearing the land and starting a garden here, but that could be discussed later.

As far as I know, Mabel Everdeen՚s parents had once owned and operated the olde apothecary; running the shop used to be a respected Merchant occupation, and Mabel's parents had been proud of it. However, when Mabel had married a miner rather than a respected Townie, she was not allowed any longer to take over, and the building had been abandoned since her parents had died, before the time when I had met Prim for the first time.

As nobody had been living in there for about ten years, the door creaked when I forced it open, and a cloud of dust rose from the movement. Inside, the building layout was similar to the bakery, with a large shop and storage area on the ground floor and the living area on the floor above. When we looked at accommodations upstairs, there was a master bedroom with an own bathroom, two more bedrooms sharing a bathroom, and a big living room with adjacent kitchen.

Primrose looked happy like it was Christmas and her birthday on the same day.

"Can you imagine how many times I have walked past this building and dreamed about filling with life again?" she asked with a big smile on her face. "This really is like a dram come true, and I hope that we can really use it properly."

"First, I guess we need to so some cleaning, though."

That part was started by opening all of the windows, but Primrose and I found out quite soon that cleaning such a big building which had not been in use for more than ten years would take days at least, and Prim knew that she was needed to assist her mother.

She swiped her forehead and said:

"I guess we need help. Let me ask Lizzy!"

Lizzy, though, was busy as well, but when Mabel, Lizzy, Prim and I sat together for a quick lunch break, the former Everdeen neighbor mentioned that her parents were looking for proper housing. Same as other Seam houses, their former home had been utterly destroyed, and both girls shed a few tears when thinking about the garden they used to tend together.

"Dad is happy that he does not need to do coal mining any longer" Lizzy stated. "He always hated this job, but did not have any other choice."

"Does he know what he is going to do now?" Prim asked.

"The coal mining will continue, but on a smaller scale only" I responded. "I guess that the best coal miners will stay, and those who really like to do this, but the majority will have to find other occupations sooner or later."

I turned to Prim՚s best friend:

"Lizzy, what do your parents like to do?"

"My Dad always likes to meet people, and I I heard him fantasizing about being a Merchant and selling something. Mum has been busy helping other with cooking and household stuff for some time, similar to Mrs. Hawthorne who took over lots of laundry for others."

Prim looked at me and asked:

"Rye, why are you asking that?"

"Prim, Lizzy, I am just wondering. With you two girls and Mabel being busy with the healing, you may not have enough time to actually run the apothecary, as in selling medicine over the counter, and you also need somebody to mind the store and take messages when you are out, right?"

"Keep talking, Rye" Mabel cut in, and she looked quite interested.

"Also, if you really want to focus on healing, you need somebody to prepare meals for you and do the chores."

"Yes, that would certainly help and allow us to have to worry about the daily needs, indeed. So, do you have something in mind?"

"Yes, I do" I responded. "What if Lizzy and her parents moved in the apothecary with you? Lizzy's Dad can do the sales and take messages, her Mom can do the household chores? Not sure how this will work out with the bedrooms upstairs, but it should be doable."

Mabel smiled at me:

"Ryan Mellark, this is a really interesting idea. About the bedrooms, that will not be an issue. See, the apothecary is right next door to the bakery, and although your Dad and I wanted to announce that only later, I am about to officially move in with him."

Mabel actually looked a little bit embarrassed when she mentioned that, but both Prim and I beamed at her and indicated our full approval. Primrose in particular said:

"Mom, that's all right; you are supposed to have some fun as well, and I am all right with that. Just let me know if Jacob does not treat you right, and I will kick his ass!"

"Primrose Everdeen!" her mother scolded her.

We all laughed, and once we had calmed down, I suggested:

"So, this means that Lizzy's parents can take the master bedroom in there, I guess."

Mabel nodded and said:

"If I am needed during the night, I will be only next door, so this should be all right."

Prim looked at Lizzy, and Lizzy looked at her, and finally Prim said: "Lizzy, do you think what I think?"

Lizzy smiled and nodded, and Prim suggested:

"So, what about Lizzy and I taking the two smaller bedrooms? We can walk to school together, do our homework together, and we will be right where we are needed to assist with healing at any time!"

Mabel looked surprised, but seemed to like the idea, and Prim looked at me with a big smile on her face, while adding:

"Rye, this means I will be quite close to you, too, and of course I will continue to be with you for the weekends as before. I do need you in my bed at least once or twice a week, you know!"

Mabel coughed, and I smiled back at my girlfriend; then I told Lizzy: "Well, as this looks to be an interesting plan, would you please talk to your parents when you get a chance and ask them what they think?"

In mid afternoon Lizzy had found her parents. They had looked at the place where their old home had been to check if anything could be salvaged, but there was not much. Their daughter had told them about our idea, and they seemed to like it. Before they decided, though, they wanted to have a look at the building, and Prim, Lizzy, and I showed them around.

"Wow!" Lizzy's mother said when she seen the master bedroom and bathroom. "This is going to be so much nicer than what we had. I think that I would like to take the deal."

Her husband agreed, and they started to clean the master bedroom and bathroom right away together with their daughter.

Before I went home, I walked into the Justice Building to check the housing assignment sheets. We had printed a few large sheets of paper with a list of all intact houses and all citizens we knew to be alive, and however found a proper new home could be added and checked in there, so that everybody knew which houses were taken. An office clerk made sure that assignments were done properly and aligned with the mayor's intentions, and the apothecary was now marked to be occupied by the Anderson family, while the two remaining Everdeens would be split between the Bakery and the apothecary. I was going to stay above the bakery for the time being. Eventually, I would want to find a place to live together with Prim, but living with her full time would not only be not appropriate, but also too tempting, I thought.

Leevy, Wheat's girlfriend, had lost her parents during the attack. Both her mother and father had decided to stay, and they had been killed by the bombs and the gas. Wheat had grabbed Leevy when we had evacuated the district, and he had insisted that she go with us, and that had saved her life. For the time being, Leevy was going to stay with Wheat in his room, and even Dad seemed to be happy about that. We all knew that Leevy was devastated about the loss of her parents, and she did not have any other relatives; staying with her boyfriend for comfort seemed to be the best choice.

In the evening, in the bakery's living room after supper, when we sat together with Mabel and Prim, Wheat stood up, took his girlfriend's hand, and announced:

"Dad, family, and extended family, Leevy and I have decided to marry as soon as she is old enough. As you know, she is already 17 years old, so that we will not have to wait long. I had planned to propose to her anyway, and recent events have just accelerated this; she needs me now. We will look for proper housing with a big shed, and we assume that we will be allowed to do crafting as our main business, with a shop front, too."

Dad stood up, and he replied:

"Leevy, Wheat, I am happy for you two. I think that you are good for each other, and you have my blessings."

Mabel also commented:

"Although I do not have an official say on this, I also approve. Leevy, if you ever need to have a female adult to talk to, please feel free to consider me your surrogate mother."

Leevy was almost in tears now, apparently touched by the kindness, but Mabel needed to add:

"And, of course, being what I am, the three of us will have to talk quite soon."

"About what?" Wheat asked.

"Young man," Mabel told him sternly, "if you plan to have Leevy in your room and your bed while she is still a minor, you need to learn about certain things, and I may have something to help."

"What? Are you going to tell me about protection?"

"Not just you, but both of you, and yes, I am, among other things."

"And I thought I had this behind me!" Wheat complained, making a face. "But wait a second; you are not my mother – I do not need to listen to that!"

"Oh yes, my son, you will need to!" Dad cut in. "As long as you live under my roof, you better listen to what my fiancée has to say!"

Wheat found a chair and sat down, looking pale. Silence prevailed in the room for a few moments before almost everybody started to laugh. Mabel was not done yet, though, and she looked at me now:

"Ryan, I think that you should be part of this discussion. When you started to be close to my daughter, I may have been neglecting my duties, and you and my daughter also need to learn about protection and all. With my own daughter admitting that she needs you in her bed, I wonder if I should not have talked to you two earlier."

Now it was my turn to become pale, and Prim shouted: "Mom! You know me better than that!"

"Indeed I do, dear daughter" her mother replied. "However, with puberty and your changing body, how well do you know yourself?"

She had a point, I guessed. Prim giggled, but Mabel was still not done yet:

"Primrose, I really hope that you are not going to put that to use yet for quite some time, but we really need to talk about this topic, too."

Prim, though, had recovered and had a proper response to that: "Okay, Mom, no problem. Oh, and for you sharing a bedroom with Jacob, I also need to educate you about a few things. I do know a source for condoms, and are you sure that you know how to use them properly? I could teach you..."

I almost choked when I heard her talking like that, and now it was Mabel's turn to become pale. She looked at her daughter like she had just seen a ghost, and Dad seemed to be very interested in the pattern on the wall all of a sudden. Prim giggled and started to laugh:

"Got you, Mom!"

Now all of us laughed, and it appeared that we were all in the same boat. Despite the new situation in the district, not knowing if there might be another attack from the Capitol, and not knowing if my brother and Prim՚s sister were still alive and well, we were together and happy this evening at least, and it was really good that all of us had a partner to get comfort from.

[Author's Notes: I had quite some fun writing this chapter, specifically the last section! Some reviews would be nice to let me know if my kind of humor is appreciated.]