District 9
"Good morning!" Corda greeted cheerfully, bouncing into the dining cart over-excitedly, and nearly knocking a groggy twelve-year-old on her back. Kat leapt back, nearly spilling her cup of hot chocolate.
"Hey!" She cried indignantly.
But Corda wasn't paying her any mind, she was too caught up in her own excitement, chirping about how happy she was to be visiting District 9. Apparently Merelyn, the District 9 Hunger Games escort, said that the golden fields made it quite beautiful to visit, or at least that's what she was saying as she plopped a glob of strawberry jelly on a piece of toast and began spreading it with her butter knife.
Slader, who had been dozing into a bowl of cereal, groaned, and covered his ears, but Corda didn't notice him either.
Finally, Kat decided she couldn't take the woman's rambling, and she snapped, "Corda!" Corda stopped mid-sentence and Slader jumped in surprise. "It's winter, there isn't going to be any golden fields! Its all going to be dead." Then, so she didn't have to see the effects of words on the woman, the girl turned on her heels and stomped out.
Corda looked to Slader and said, "What's wrong with her?"
Slader only shrugged.
~District Nine~
Distric 9 Square was almost like the setting a corny western movie. There was one main road and lined up on either side of it were shops, restaurants, and other buildings, leading to a large open space in front of the large, off-white justice building.
Adults bustled up and down the street, some with small children not yet old enough for school. The school was on the outside of the square, just in front of one of the wheat fields.
"That walk was ridiculous," Slader yawned. "Why is the train station so far from town?"
"Would you rather them drive through the fields and loose space that could be growing more wheat?" Kat pointed out.
"I think having wheat fields all the way around the District for miles is a bit of a design flaw."
"I think they did it to keep the district dwellers in and besides, the more wheat the better."
Slader gave up his end of the argument, and instead asked, "So does the Mayor live here in the square, or out their?"
Out there, meant the small lodges that housed the wheat field workers, or those who didn't own a shop in the square. Kat thought about the question a moment, before saying, "Yeah, I think he lives somewhere out that way."
"What about the victor's village?"
"I think it's somewhere behind the Justice building."
"You think?"
"I'm not sure, okay! Is that so bad?"
"Okay! Calm down!"
Kat huffed. Slader leaned up against the wall of the bakery, and watched people go by in silence. After a few moments of this, he asked, "Where are all of the kids?"
"School," Kat told him.
"Oh... Hey look a person for you interrogate."
"Nice," Kat said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "And I don't interrogate people. I interview them."
"Same difference." The boy shrugged. "One just sounds better."
"Come on, lets go stop someone."
~District 9~
"District Nine has really good bread," Slader informed, offering one to the pink-haired girl, who was seated beside him on the Justice Building steps.
"Do you ever do anything besides eat?" Kat asked him disgustedly.
"Sure," Slader shrugged.
"And flirting with everything that moves," Kat added.
"Oh...I don't flirt with anything that moves!"
"Sure you do," Kat argued. "Look a group of girls."
"Really," Slader jerked his head in the direction Kat had nodded.
Kat snorted. "I didn't even have to say 'Pretty girls'."
"Well, they are cute. Here hold this." Slader shoved his half-eaten loaf of bread into Kat's hands, and began to make his way over to the small group of girls.
"Gross," Kat mumbled, dropping the bread and moving to follow her companion. Those girls would definitely need her help.
"Hello ladies," Slader called to the group. The girls turned to look curiously. One of the girls, a girl with straw colored hair, leaned over and whispered something to the dark-haired girl beside her, who giggled.
"Slader," Kat sighed coming up beside him.
"Decided to join me, huh?" Slader grinned. "Wanted to see the master at work?"
"You wish," Kat snapped.
"Hiya!" one of the girls, one with strawberry blond hair, called once they were in earshot. "Are they doing the reapings early this year, like before the Quarter Quell is even announced?"
"What makes you think that," Slader laughed.
"Well, you're clearly not a District Niner, and we don't get many Capitols here unless its the reaping," the girl explained.
"Clearly? What gave me away?"
"Uh..the fancy pants."
"The nice coat that actually looks warm."
"The perfect complexion."
"The hair."
"Oh yeah, definitely the hair," the first girl nodded in agreement.
"You're very observant," Slader said, teasingly.
The girl grinned at him and offered a hand, "I'm Falan, and this is Stella and Marlene." She gestured to the dark-haired girl and the red-haired girl with her.
"Slader," Slader introduced, shaking the girl's hand, "and this is Kat. Nice to meet you."
"Cool to meet you, too," Falan replied. "So if you're not here for reapings, then what does bring you here to District Nine?"
"School project," Kat replied, showing her recording device. Falan raised her eyebrows, making a, "You're totally going to have to explain." face. Kat sighed and did. "I'm performing interviews and then doing a report which I will be presenting in class."
"Interesting." Falan bobbed her head. Stella leaned over and whispered something in Marlene's ear, making her smirk.
"What?" Kat demanded.
Stella looked surprised. "Nothing," she answered with a shrug. Then, when Kat didn't look convinced, the girl sighed. "Alright fine. I was just pointing out to Marlene that it's got to be rather difficult to find someone willing to talk about the Capitol, to a Capitolite, who will be sharing that information with lots of other Capitolites." She gave a huff and shifted her weight to one side, and gave a fierce blow, sending her bright red locks flying.
Slader saw Kat's ears give an irritated twitched, and decided that if her tail was out, it would most definitely have been doing likewise, however she had stuffed it into her jeans, like she usually did, the next best thing to having it completely removed.
"You'd be surprised how many people are willing to talk to me," she told them, in a too-sweet voice.
The red-haired girl shrugged and said, "Alright, I believe you, but I'm not one of those people. I'll be leaving now." And then she was gone.
Marlene hesitated, before scurrying after her friend.
Falan sighed. "You'll have to excuse Stella, her brother died in the games a few years ago and she's been rather...er, bitter ever since."
"It's okay," Kat sighed. "I'm afraid I'm sort of used to it by now."
Falan offered a smile in return and said, "Well, I should go, I have to be home soon to help. Nice to meet you."
~District 9~
The butcher's shop smelled rotten.
That was the first thing Kat noticed when she entered the place.
The second was the girl behind the counter, counting out money. She was small, with snowy hair that hung breezily around her face. When she heard the door to the shop open she said, "One moment, please." without looking up. She finished with the money, scooped it up and placed it under the counter, then she looked up at Kat, and the recognition could not have been clearer on her face.
"Kat Snow?" Kat couldn't decide if it was meant to be a question or a statement, and, by the looks of it, the girl didn't know either.
"That's me," Kat informed, lingering by the door.
Slader waltzed right up to the counter, his goofy smile splitting his face. The girl frowned and looked uncertain, taking a step away from the counter. "I'm Slader," the boy introduced, holding out a hand.
She stared at it and cautiously said, "Fantasia. Nice to meet you. Are you looking for my father?"
Kat shrugged. "I'm just looking for anyone who wants to talk."
Fantasia nodded slightly and said, "I'll go get my father."
Slader turned to Kat and raised an eyebrow. "Sort of on the rude side, isn't she?"
"Maybe you scared her off with your bad attempt at flirting."
"Ouch, hey put away the kitty claws. I was just asking a question." He winced when Kat punched him in the arm and snapped at him to knock it off with the cat jokes. "Hey! I was just making a joke! Jeez, you need to chill."
Kat opened her mouth to respond, but was silenced when a broad man came from the back of the shop, wiping his hands on a bloodstained cloth. Kat almost emptied her stomach right there. "Hello, can I help you?"
"Um, we were just wondering if anyone here knew how to get to the Victor's Village, is all," Kat lied, averting her gaze.
The man didn't seem to notice as he gave a jovial laugh and proclaimed, "Well, then you should have kept talking to my daughter! Fantasy's best friend lives in the Victor's Village, in fact, I think she's head there now. Fantasy?"
Fantasia stuck her head back into the room and stared at him questioningly. "Are you going to Mercy's?" Fantasia gave a slow nod. "Perfect, meet Kat and Slader, why don't you show them to the Victor's Village?"
A pause passed, as Fantasia studied them and seemed to think about the question. Then she said, "Sure."
To say that the girl didn't talk much on the walk to the Village would have been an understatement, she didn't talk at all. That is, until Slader began a rather loud conversation about an imaginary project for Panem history. "I was thinking about doing a report of that District 9 victor...what was his name? Vince? Yeah! Vince Hulse. I heard the only reason he won his games was because his ally got him to the top three."
"That's a lie!" Fantasia exclaimed indignantly. "Vince Hulse had five kills in his games. He earned that victory!"
Slader grinned mischievously. "So she can talk to the Capitolites, huh?"
Fantasia looked shocked, realizing what had just happened. She gave a frustrated growl and said, "Don't do that!"
"Well, then talk a little," Slader countered.
"I don't want to," Fantasia shot back.
"Why not?"
"Because I have nothing to say!" Fantasia defended angrily. She turned back around, and walked in silence a little longer. "Here we are," she said at last, as they rounded the Justice building. Behind it stretched an entire neighborhood of large, white houses. "Have fun."
"Wait, where are you going?" Slader demanded as the girl turned and began to walk in the other direction.
"Away from you," Fantasia replied quite simply.
Slader pouted. "Well, aren't you at least going to tell us which house belongs to who?"
Fantasia turned and gave him an annoyed look. "Do I look like a stalker to you? Just because I have a friend who lives here doesn't mean I know where everyone lives!"
"Wow, she's really grouchy," Slader commented as she stormed away. Kat gave him a sharp punch in the arm and snapped,
"Would you quit irritating the locals!"
"Ow!" Slader whined, watching the girl storm away. "Jeez, what is wrong with all of the girls today!"
Kat approached one of the large houses, and knocked on the door. A moment of silence, then, "Coming!" The door opened and in it's place stood a tall, dark-haired girl, with big brown eyes. Kat recognized her immediately.
"Hey! You're Marlene!"
The girl gave an amused laugh. "Nope, I'm Massie, Marlene's twin sister, and you're a couple of Capitol kids. Very popular Capitol kids at that." Massie bobbed her head, examining Kat.
"You know who we are, I suppose."
Massie stared at the small girl. "You, yes. But your friend here."
"Slader," the boy introduced himself. "Slader Gorge, nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Massie replied. "Would you like to come in? I'll assume you wish to speak to my father."
"Wow, that must be a District 9 thing, huh?" Slader joked. Massie looked confused, so Slader said, "Um..inside joke."
"Oh," The girl sounded slightly disappointed. "Well, I'll go get him, you two can make yourselves comfortable."
Slader does as she says and makes himself comfortable on the dark red couch in the living room. Kat sighed. "Do you not have any self-respect?"
"That's such a stupid question," Slader snorted. "What do you think?"
"You're such a brat," Kat sighed, plopping down beside him. Massie comes back into the room then and takes a seat in a chair on the other side of the room.
"I would like to apologize," she said, taking the two by surprise, it was then that they noticed that this girl was in an entirely different outfit than Massie, which would make her Marlene. "For my friend's behavior earlier, I mean. Her manners are, admittedly a little rough around the edges."
Kat smiled. "Trust me, its fine. I practically live with him," she jerked her head towards Slader, who whined,
"Hey!"
"So I'm used to it," she finished, not acknowledging Slader's outburst.
Marlene giggles. "Are you two, like, brother and sister?"
"What? No!"
"Absolutely not!" Kat figured their simultaneous outburst probably didn't help their case.
Marlene giggled and said, "Alright, I was just curious. You're parents must be important, though, I've seen you on T.V a lot."
"Yeah, my dad is the Head Gamemaker," Slader informed her.
Marlene's face flashed, only for a moment, to a look of hatrid, but she recovered quickly and said, "Oh, that must be interesting. Having a father in control of the games, I mean."
Slader snorted. "My dad is in control of the arena, but he is far from being in control of the games."
Marlene looked confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
Slader just laughed it off. "Just forget it." He replied. "It's nothing really. Just me saying things I don't actually know anything about." But Kat knew he knew exactly what he was talking about, and she did too. Head Gamemaker Gorge may design the arena and the events that happen inside, but nothing he does is done without some sort of consent from her grandfather, or at least, serious consideration of what he would think of it, and, of course, if it didn't go the way he liked, the Head Gamemaker would find themselves without a job, or another breath.
She caught Slader's eye and gave a warning look, but he just shrugged as Marlene went on, "Oh...okay. Well, at any rate, its gt to be nice to have a little closer of a look at the arena."
Slader almost laughed. "I don't get to go anywhere near the control room. My father doesn't discuss work at home. In fact, he doesn't discuss much with me at all." Kat looked at her feet, it was true of course. Slader's father was hardly ever around, and his mother had died years before Kat even knew Slader existed. That was why he spent so much time around the mansion, her mother insisted. The place was his home almost as much as it was hers, and he was like her brother.
Except that her brother wouldn't flirt with her every chance he got.
Marlene seemed to be growing more and more disappointed by the minute. Slader was roving to be very dull. No inside information on the arena, no confidence in his father's control? He might as well be a bag of bricks for all he was good for.
"Hello!" A man came into the room, flanked by Massie and a girl that could only be another sister, with curly black hair, and big brown eyes. "I see you've met my daughter." He came into the room, smiling at the two. Kat smiled, glad for the familiar face. Haze was a victor that Kat thoroughly enjoyed seeing when the games rolled around. He was nice and funny, and made a light mood out of almost anything.
He took a seat and started a conversation that was revealingly free of mention of Head Gamemaker Gorge.
Kat was, admittedly, sad to say that they had to go and return to the train, otherwise Corda would grow worried.