The first few classes were challenging, but Eliza managed, because for every single thing that seemed impossible to understand at first, a wave of excitement went through her.

It was curiosity. Even if their classes were mostly focused on things that would eventually be related to being useful to the District itself, they were fascinating. Eliza would never have had access to all that information back in 12, even if she had stayed in school until she was eighteen.

She remembered the day she decided to abandon it. How she'd cried alone in her bed that night, hungry, desperate and exhausted. Her mom was gone, her father was as good as gone, and it had happened a few months before already, but she couldn't put the memories of that to rest.

There had been no other way around it. She'd have to leave school, or there wouldn't be enough time in her day to work as much as she needed.

Eliza thought about it as she stopped in the middle of the hallway, right below her favorite lamp light, the one that was slightly more spent, and that was easier on the eyes. She wasn't hungry anymore, because, for two weeks straight, she had been given three meals a day. And she was not as desperate, because she didn't have to work ten hours a day to survive.

But she was tired. Even though a slow pace of work wasn't the norm when she cleaned houses in District 12, everything there was already familiar. In District 13 though, the schedules were defined by the millisecond, and you could even count on a general inspector whose job was to evaluate the staff's efficiency in randomly selected areas. Since the tasks were all clearly defined on a time board, it made it easy to find the culprit when something was not done properly.

It was tough, to say the least.

Even so, Eliza didn't want to fall behind in class. Due to the energy saving policies, most citizens didn't have a light in their room after ten, so she took every opportunity she had to study a bit more. Like standing in the common hallway after hours, where there was constant light and barely any distractions, other than the people walking by from time to time.

It happened very rarely, but it only took once. A security guard stumbled on her all of a sudden. She had been leaning on the wall for half an hour already, focused on the chapter about the third industrial revolution, when he came up behind her:

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

Eliza jumped and could barely contain a squeak, turning to him instantly.

"I'm sorry." She hid the book behind her back the best she could, "I–I was just...I was just going to the bathroom."

That was the excuse she had rehearsed in her head, but just as it came out of her mouth, she could hear how pathetic it sounded.

He lifted his brows, with a slight hint to the book she was holding. "Does that have written instructions on how to get there?"

Eliza felt herself blushing, with no clue how she was supposed to respond. He got slightly closer to her and took the book out of her hands, going through its pages.

She managed to take a better look at him then. He couldn't be that much older than her. His hair was honey brown and lightly waved, but what struck her the most were his eyes. They were in a beautiful green that she didn't remember seeing in anyone before.

Noticing it only made her blush even harder.

After a few seconds of trying to cope with fear and embarrassment, he returned the book to her hands, "I can't believe they still teach that; it has a long history of boring people to death."

"It's not that bad." Eliza retorted, feeling the urge to defend the history manual with all her strength.

He remained very close, which felt very unusual for a guard's behavior. But just when she was thinking about it, he took a small step back saying, "You shouldn't let yourself get caught after hours like this. If I find you again, I'll have to report you. Actually, I should be reporting you now."

She nodded affirmatively, only able to let out a whispered "Thank you."

"I'll take you to your room, make sure you don't get lost again. Where is it?" She led him just a few feet down the hall, to the door marked with the 309. Once they got there, she turned her back to the door and said in a low voice, "Thank you. It won't happen again."

He gave no answer other than a nod and then turned to leave as Eliza rushed into her room, as silently as her nervousness allowed her to. She put the book down on the table beside her bed, and stopped for a second, to check if Sabrina was sleeping. When she caught a profound breath from her, she ditched her clothes for her pajamas, and got into her bed quickly.

What if he lied? What if he just reported her right away after leaving? What if the next day she had an horrendous punishment waiting for her? And why had he gotten so close to her?

She didn't dare give herself an answer to that question.

The next day, when she was just getting back from her daily shower, Eliza crossed paths with Mindy on her way to her room.

"I haven't seen you in a while!" She said, and Eliza smiled back, realizing she was glad to see her, even if they barely knew each other. In her seemingly usual upbeat mood, Mindy wove her arm on Eliza's and started to walk along with her, "I'm gonna join a few friends at the lounge, don't you want to come?"

She didn't. She'd much rather stay in her room making the best out of the last thirty minutes of light she still had. "Well I ah–" As she was about to say it, it occurred to her that she could use a break. And Mindy was being nice, after all. "Yeah, for a bit. Why not?"

"Cool! Let's go, before there are no seats."

It was still only half full when both of them got there. Mindy waved at her group of friends, pulling Eliza with her, "Hey! This is Eliza, the orphan I told you about."

Eliza winced at the word orphan, and was not the only one. Mindy's friends smiled back at her, with a side-eye in her direction. One even went far enough to mutter, "Did you actually just say that?"

"This is Anna," Mindy said, completely ignoring him, and pointing at the short but bulky girl, "Zecha," a man Eliza had seen in a few trainings completely destroy a dummy with a few punches, "and Ty," a tall and slender guy with a hair color similar to Mindy's. "You'll notice a resemblance to me. He's my favorite cousin."

"I'm still mad at you." Ty grumbled, not sparing a glance in Mindy's direction.

"C'mon, it was a one time thing!"

"Tell that to my shoulder. It's been a week and I'm still bruised."

"Nice to meet you!" Anna said, ignoring the discussion and moving a little bit on the sofa to make room for Eliza. "How are you adjusting here?"

"Mindy said you actually liked the food." Zecha added. "We've been curious to know if that holds up after a month."

Eliza let out a short chuckle, taking the seat. "Yeah, well, It hasn't gotten old yet. But I don't inhale it as fast as in the beginning."

"Just wait for winter time. You'll love the Christmas special."

"You also have Christmas here?" She asked surprised, "I thought you wouldn't waste resources on such a thing."

Zecha laughed but Anna just looked sad about it. "We basically don't. They call it the Christmas Special, but the only difference is the potatoes come starshaped."

"That's..." Eliza couldn't find anything nice to say about it.

"Yeah, we know, 13 isn't that glamorous, is it?" Ty said, finally joining the conversation with Mindy sitting by his side.

"Even District 12 sounds more interesting than this old compound." She grumbled. At least that time she had the decency to look apologetic, once noticing Eliza's expression. "I mean...maybe it was great, I never visited but...it's just that from what people told me, and even you...well, it sounded..."

Eliza would have laughed at her discomfort, but was also lost in thoughts about what she'd just said. The first few days in 13 were bliss compared to most recent ones, and what exactly was there about District 12 that was not a mere tale of misery? There had to be something, or she would not be missing it so much.

And there was. Eliza realized how much she missed the simplest things, now that she knew she would never see them again. The cozy feel of her old woody classroom was replaced by a modern one, all its details in the same shade of gray. The spent paving stones on the way home from school or work, that kept sliding off their place in months of heavy rain, were now completely obsolete in a district where sunny and rainy days didn't make much of a difference. And the smell of freshly baked bread Eliza would buy once a month, after weeks of saving for it. As far as she knew, most bread they ate on 13 was made out of genetically altered grain. And tasted like it.

Mindy and her friends resumed their conversation, but Eliza struggled to keep up with it, feeling her mind drift constantly in between memories. It was difficult to stop thinking about the past once she started. Even the trees that towered over the sidewalk to the Mayor's house she realized she missed. She would walk there from school a few times a month, to meet her mother once her work was finished. Then they'd leave together and stop at the square market or the hob, before returning home.

She liked those days because Mrs. Undersee would often let her have a snack in their kitchen, usually the most delicious thing she would eat the whole week.

When her mother passed though, the big house became just another den for memories. Eliza took her mother's place at work when she got ill, and kept it after she was gone. More often than not, confined in the mansion's laundry room, she would find herself imagining her there, missing her gracious moves and the swift way her fingers sewed a difficult piece in no time.

Sometimes, Madge Undersee would come to meet her. The first time was a few weeks after she started working there alone for the first time. They'd rarely spoken at school, since they were from different classes, but especially because Eliza could not help a natural dislike for her.

However, at home, whether Eliza wanted to or not, Madge started to come closer, especially after she saw her sewing. They would chat about random things, usually related to school or the clothes Madge wanted to alter. Once she realized Eliza also had somewhat of an interest in music, she started to let the house's stereo play while she was working, or would even practice the piano or the guitar. The ironing of the Mayor's trousers would certainly turn into an unexpected poetic moment, and with time, Eliza had started to think of Madge with a certain fondness.

"Do you have music here?" The conversation subject had clearly changed, but Eliza hadn't been listening and asked before she could stop herself.

"Well we... Sometimes we play the revolution march." Anna said, her face in a slight frown, "But it's not very upbeat."

"And the kids sing a song every year on Christmas Eve." Zecha added.

"Oh, on holidays then? What other holidays do you have?"

"None." Ty answered plainly.

"Oh, wow, that's..." Eliza didn't know what part was more surprising, "Unfortunate."

They all laughed as if she meant it as a joke. Mindy frowned, noticing Eliza's confusion "Why'd you ask about music though? Do you play anything? Isn't it more of a kids thing?"

"Music? A kids thing?" She smiled despite her perplexity. "No, it's a people thing. An art thing."

It felt wrong saying things that sounded completely normal in her head but that people around her perceived as either quirkiness or madness. Either way, they resumed their conversation on the plans for the visit to District 8, not paying much attention to her anymore. Eliza's mind wandered off again before she could help it, one of Madge's favorite songs playing in the back of her head, as it would when she worked at her house.

In one of those afternoons, a long time after Eliza's mother had passed, while the same exact song was playing, Madge sat on the stool of the laundry room, just like she used to most days. Eliza kept herself busy, mending the clothes the family had set aside that week.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Madge started, staring at Eliza's hands. She had been stuck on the same piece for half an hour, and part of her stirred in resentment for the distraction.

"What?"

"You…You do walk home with Gale Hawthorne from time to time, don't you?"

Eliza's ears perked up with interest, that she tried to hide, rushing to explain.

"I do sometimes, when he comes to sell the berries to your father and I'm leaving as well. But not so much anymore."

Once Gale started to hunt further out the District's fence, he hadn't been around as much, to Eliza's disappointment.

"Does he…I mean, has he ever asked…You know, about me? Like anything at all?"

Eliza stared at the red on her cheeks, and eyes looking down at their feet.

Then she blushed as well, hit with the realization. A part of her wanted to laugh, because how could it be that another girl was smitten by Gale even if he had no eyes for anyone other than Katniss.

"Well, he..." She was not going to tell her about that one time she heard him say she was a spoiled brat. "I don't really think so, you know? We just talk about random stuff."

Madge seemed disappointed with the answer, not asking further questions and leaving Eliza a few minutes later, turning off the stereo to play the piano. Eliza knew the song, one on the medley that she played the most. They had listened to those so many times together, she would sing along to them, gladly.

She and her mother used to sing often, when her brother was still alive. While at work, while going home, while cooking and cleaning the house. Eliza's father would complain that they never shut up, so they were usually quiet when he was around.

However, after Jonah was gone, her mom almost didn't speak, let alone sing. Eliza missed it so much though, she couldn't help herself. She used to sing Jonah to sleep, sing while they played or even while they walked to school. Stopping it all at once was like forgetting.

And she did not want to.

Her eyes welled with tears in the background of Mindy and her friend's chat. She tried her best to hold them in, settling for a quick wave of goodbye, and leaving the lounge. She rushed to her room, as if there was no way to get there fast enough. Her mind twisted in a spiral of memories, and for the first time since she'd gotten to 13, Eliza cried herself to sleep.