Hey everybody. I wrote this before the last chapter even got published, so therefore I have nothing to say except enjoy this chapter!
After I took a shower and changed into fresh clothes, I said to Peeta, "You can go do whatever you want. I just might be gone all day."
"Where are you going?" Peeta, as always, looked concerned. I wish he would stop doing the whole pouting-thing. He is making me feel guilty.
"Preparing." I braided my hair back while walking out the door, but Peeta stopped me.
"Be careful, all right? Don't overdo it." He said.
After grabbing my shoulder bag from the corner, I reached up on my tip-toes and kissed Peeta. "Of course. "
As I left the room I called back to Peeta, "Good luck!"
My first stop was my mother's room. I gently knocked on her door and waited. No answer. Concluding she was indeed asleep, I opened the door quietly and treaded softly across the room. The sleeping figure of my mother was huddled under the light-blue covers and was moving up and down slowly with each breath she took.
Next to her bed was a shelf with five small compartments on the bottom. I crept over and quietly opened the first one. Inside was a leather drawstring pouch, which I opened just to make sure what I wanted was inside.
About three handfuls of silver coins filled the bag, making it slightly heavy to carry. I knew that my mother had escaped district 12 with all of this in her pockets, but the rest of my enormous fortune was back in our house in the Victors Village.
I put the leather pouch in my pocket, careful not to rattle the coin, and crept out of the room. It wasn't like stealing or anything, because technically it was my money. Mother was just holding onto it for me.
My next goal was to find some sort of official person who can give me information. The residents of district 13 never saw their president, so I knew I wouldn't go to him for my questions. Maybe the judge would know the location of what I am looking for.
I went passed the cafeteria doors (even though the thought of food lured me) and headed to Judge Hinnant's office. When I got there, I found it was open, so I cautiously walked in.
The man sitting at the long desk was a short man, balding, maybe in his 60's. He was wearing a neat black suit and recognized me at sight.
"Miss Everdeen! How are we today?" he asked in his deep, soothing voice.
"I am fine, thank you, but I have some questions." I took a seat on one of the many chairs offered in this office.
"Ask away." The judge leaned forward on his elbows and stared kindly at me over his small eyeglasses.
"I would like to know where the vendors are here in district 13."
"Vendors?" Judge Hinnant looked politely puzzled.
"Where people sell things here." I said. "I am sure there is a place here that people get new clothes and… supplies and such."
"Ah, yes." He smiled and stood up. "May I escort you personally?"
I nodded and followed the judge from the room.
Once we were out, Judge Hinnant began telling me helpful information about this district.
"District Thirteen is divided into four sections, or Quarters, as we call them. Each Quarter is equally spaced, and each connected only by one hallway. The first Quarter is the Refuge Quarter, which is where we are. In this Quarter, there are many extra rooms, and everything is just simplified. A cafeteria where food is obtained easily and the people living in the Refuge Quarter are supplied with you basic needs."
I nodded as we turned a corner.
"The next Quarter is the Livestock and Plantation Quarter. Half of it is underground, half of it is halfway above ground. The part underground is where District 13's farmers grow livestock. Chickens that are for both meat and eggs, goats for meat and milk, and pigs for meat and fertilizer. We use to have cows but that was unbelievably messy." He smiled at me. "The other half of the Quarter is where District 13 grows food. That part is half-aboveground to get sunlight and water, but it is fenced in by high-security fence.
"The third Quarter is the Main Quarter. The regular residents of 13 are housed there, along with the more permanent offices of the president, judges, and other official people. Inside the Main Quarter is where Hunting and such things are arranged, although we have an office here in this Quarter. There is also a school in the Main Quarter that educates children from age five to twelve.
"The last Quarter is called the Market. Just the Market. In the very center of the Quarter, there is a big auditorium where the vendors sell clothing, toys, art, candy, liquor, and pretty much everything else on the planet. Along the edges of the Quarter, in between the auditorium and the walls, is where you sell stuff. Meat, hand-sewn clothing, blankets, and used stuff you don't need. From there it is taken and distributed in the auditorium according to what it is."
"Wow…" that was a lot of information I had gathered in just a short amount of time.
The judge and I rounded a second corner and came upon a hallway, sided by cement and dimly lit. Personally it creeped me out, but I didn't say that. Above the hallway entrance was a big sign that read: RQ—M
"That means 'Refuge Quarter to Market'." The judge looked at me over his shoulder and smiled again. "We are almost there."
The hallway was very long, maybe half a mile at the most. It took about fifteen minutes, although by the time we were out of the hallway and into a less depressing corridor, I was exhausted. My stomach felt twice as heavy.
Judge Hinnant led me to a tall door in between two corners of the area and opened it for me.
"Here is the main market area, Ms. Everdeen!" he said. "Will you have any trouble getting back?"
"No, but thank you." I said politely. "Have a nice day!"
"You too, Katniss." And the judge all but vanishes into thin air.
I turned back towards the auditorium and surveyed the very large room around me. No telling how big it was, but at about every three feet was stalls selling everything from pink yarn, to rubber snakes, to leather shoes, to tall bottles of white wine. I walked around the place, studying each stall as I went. After about four stalls, I came across one that sells multi-colored ribbons. I stopped and bought a dark blue one for Prim.
Seven more stalls over, I stopped at one that was about twice as big as the average stall that sold every bit of clothing imaginable. I scanned the rows as the articles of clothing got smaller and smaller until they turned into baby clothes.
"Looking for something in particular, Miss?" asked a voice from behind me.
I turned to see a young boy that looked about a year older than Prim, who had dark brown hair that fell almost to his shoulders. His eyes were a mysterious shade of hazel, but I didn't dwell on his looks for too long. He must manage the stall.
"Just some baby clothes." I smiled a little at him and turned back to the clothes.
"Boy or girl?"
I looked again at the boy with brown hair and said, "I don't know yet, but I think it is a boy."
"When are you due?" He was a little too nosy for his own good, but I didn't mind all that much. I tried to compare him to Primrose and found I was much more tolerable when I did that.
"Er… two days." I wasn't due then, but I knew that is when I get him. Or her. Whichever one.
The boy looked alarmed. "That soon? You had better be careful. I will give you half off for any clothes you want, since you need them that soon." He smiled, showing one little dimple on his chin.
"Oh, no, I couldn't." I insisted. "I have a lot of money." It sounded weird to my own ears, but the boy understood.
"I know." Is all he said.
I picked up a pair of soft blue cotton pajamas that had tiny imprints of sailboats, and I thought it was just the cutest thing, so I hung onto it. Right next to that was a suit of cotton that had little footies and a hood. The rounded buttons were in the shape of clouds, so I got that one too.
In the end, I had two pairs of pajamas, three sets of day clothes, a few pairs of hand-sew socks, and a pair of booties that looked comfortable.
I brought all of that up to the counter where the young boy sat and gave him the coins to pay for all of that. He kept his hazel eyes on me the whole time he counted it and put it in a drawer. By the time it was all done and I had the neatly folded clothes in my shoulder bag, I turned once more to the boy and asked, "Do you know of any other stalls that have more child stuff?"
The boy pointed somewhere behind me. "Fourteen over on the south end."
"Thank you." I left the stall, with only a glance behind me at the mysterious brown-haired boy.
Okay, I liked the length of that chapter. I am going to keep chapters roughly that length if that is okay with you people. I'm not sure where I am going with the mysterious brown-haired boy. Maybe he just shows up once in the story and you forget about him. I don't know. WE HAVE TO HURRY SO FAST! I only have two or three chapters more to come up with a name for the baby! We haven't even agreed if it is a boy or girl. I am going to go all stern on you people and I'm going to expect twice as many reviews with suggestions and whether you want it to be a boy or girl. I am going to wait to publish the next chapter until I have ten names to choose from. Then I will post everybody's suggestions for names and whether it will be a boy or girl. I hope you all aren't too upset about everything not being a total surprise. You guys are helping me come up with the exciting parts, so I don't think you will mind too much. Anyways… Yeah… See you next chapter I suppose. TheSoggyBug