ACT I, CHAPTER ONE ❛ bless all the petty thieves ❜ content: drug use (alcohol&morphling), poverty, mention of starvation.
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Suspended eighteen stories above concrete—legs dangling through the precarious iron bars that hold the balcony in place, the rain-scented wind pushing her torso further toward the edge—is the time when Madaket Rosales feels most alive. From such a high vantage point, she almost feels like part of the heavens above, staring down at little clay people living forgettable and unimportant lives. There's a rumble of a diesel engine as a cohort of Peacekeepers jostle down the cobblestone street, a wayward yell from some apartment building below, and a faraway chatter from the marketplace: all of it is like pure adrenaline in her veins.
At this moment, she's above everything for once. Instead of balancing on her tip-toes to see above the crowd, throwing her head back to look a Peacekeeper in the eye, she is bigger. It's a powerful feeling. Here, she can see the big picture instead of a small piece of the puzzle.
She glances at the pigeons resting on the iron bars a safe five feet away from her. In Smogborough, birds are omens of plague and death. In such close quarters, diseases spread like wildfire until only the lucky few remain. The last influenza outbreak was attributed to the pigeons. Yet, Madaket envies their freedom. It would be so liberating to stretch her hands skyward and feel wind catch her feathers. As she tests the edge, she imagines what it would be like to fly; she'd be able to escape any crook within the labyrinth of downtown District 6.
The birds are cautious of her, and she's cautious of them. There's mutual respect between them as they inhabit the same roof. Madaket doesn't impede on their territory, and they don't impede on hers.
She reminds herself that her focus should be mostly on the marketplace. It's often difficult to focus when she is up here. There is always a noise begging for her attention, or a commotion down on the street that she has to see. Setting her jaw, she trains her gaze on the stalls set up around the town square.
District 6 is the most populous district of Panem, so the main city has to be almost double the typical size to fit its overwhelming population. It is the only district that has seven blocks of commercial stalls branching off from the center. Everything from clothing to food to morphling can be bought there. Out of those seven blocks, Madaket is only concerned with one.
The food block is one of the least guarded. Foolish thieves go for the jewelry or fine clothing so that they can trade them for food later, once the Peacekeepers dim in numbers. The rare few know that Peacekeepers overwatch bartering and trading, and when they catch even a whiff of a stolen good, it means execution for the criminal. Smart thieves, thieves like Madaket, go straight for the food block. There is a guard stationed every twenty feet, much fewer than in the jewelry block. If you are conspicuous enough, or lucky enough, you can get a great bounty, even in the days preceding the Reaping Ceremony in which guards perform ten times the random body searches.
