Walking down the streets of the market brought back so many memories of my younger years. I remembered how my father would bring my younger brother and I to the bakery with him early in the morning, and he'd let us help run the shop with him. When it was sunny outside, Col and I would grab a ball that my parents kept in the back, before we'd convince a few more kids to come and play with us. I knew that Col loved the bakery most of all, baking all the different kinds of bread and delicacies, helping my father decorate extravagant cakes that would be showcased to passerbies who couldn't help but be drawn to the delicious temptation. My father taught us how to make pictures in the icing, which Col always takes much joy to taking part in.
That sun was well up in the sky by this time, beating down on everyone who was outside. I wiped the sweat from my brow before continuing on through the market until my family's bakery came into view. Just as I was about to open the door and walk in like I've done since I could take my first steps, something stopped me. I heard the commotion and turn my head to see a large rowdy crowd forming a circle in the middle of the market square. Abandoning the bakery, I head over to the crowd before nudging my way through the sea of spectators. In the very heart of the circle, the head Enforcer who was known as Keats was kicking a boy mercilessly in the abdomen, and the boy lets out a cry of pain. I couldn't help but cringe when the boy spit out a mouthful of blood on the ground. Though I was a hunter, I did not believe in the use of violence. As strange as that sounds, it was a rather complicated but true notion. Keats laughs darkly as the boy sturggles to get to his hands and knees before Keats gives him another sharp kick to his side, sending the boy tumbling to the ground.
"Maybe that should teach you a thing or two about stealing, rat."
"I didn't steal." The boy choked out with an injured breath.
"Liar," Keats says. He then motions for the other two present Enforcers.
"Take him to the Justice Building, maybe a few nights in a jail cell will do him some good."
The other two Law Enforcers grab handfuls of the boy's dirty shirt before hauling him to his feet and leading him out of the marketplace.
"Please, don't do this. I didn't do anything, I swear! You have to believe me! Let me go now, I need to see Katniss Everdeen!"
This suddenly picked at my attention and my head whipped up to see the boy struggling against his captors.
"Nice try kid, maybe you could do better with Haymitch Abernathy." Keats bellowed out a loud howl of laughter, which the rest of the Enforcers didn't hesitate to join in on.
"It's the truth, I swear it! She's the only one who can--"
"Lou!"
The Enforcers suddenly stopped walking when they saw me start running towards them. But I ignored both of them, my eyes refusing to waver from this stranger of a boy.
"What happened?"
"We caught this little rat trying to break into the bakery and steal some bread."
I only glanced at Keats before I glared at the boy who was now looking at me like I had a third eye.
"Let him go, he didn't do anything."
"But he--" Before Keats could finish his sentence, I spoke once again.
"Is the new boy that my father hired to help carry all the flour sacks to the market. He said that Lou could have some bread to feed his family in return for his help. He wasn't trying to break in, he was just bringing some food back home. Now, release him." The two Enforcers looked at Keats who had a quizzical expression on his face.
"Is that true?" He turned to the boy who ends up nodding his head in response.
"Yes sir, everything she's just said was correct." It was good to know this boy at least had some semblance of a brain.
Keats only hesitates for a moment before he openly curses and addresses the two guards.
"Release him."
The Law Enforcers obeyed their given orders and let go of the boy before formally apologizing to the both of us for the unfortunate inconvenience.
The boy turns towards me and opens his mouth to say something, but before his tongue has the chance to form the words that he was about to mutter, I gripped a fistful of his dirty dark grey shirt before pulling him closer to me.
"Do as I tell you, and keep your mouth shut."
Before he can protest, I'm half dragging him to the healer's center that had been built shortly after the medicine factory began production.
"Where are we--"
"What did I just say?"
"But-- Ow!"
I grabbed the boy's arm and let my nails dig into his skin which made him audibly yelp before he finally decided to listen to me and keep quiet. Once we reached the health centre, the volunteer had helped clean the boy up and care for his wounds. After washing away most of the blood and dirt from his body and bandaging up the cut on his face, I couldn't help but take in certain details that I didn't even bother noticing before. Like how good-looking he was. It was clear that he may not have been naturally gorgeous, but very few people would certainly say he was ugly either.
He had dark hair that was cropped short, and grey eyes that were piercing and yet gentle at the same time. Aside from the cut on the side of his face that was currently covered with gauze, he had a small remnants of an old scar near the edge of his eyebrow that I found attractive for some strange reason. He had good bone structure, yet still able to maintain certain boyish features. But what struck me the most were his hands. He had slim fingers, but I could easily tell that they held a layer of callous and thick skin, also he had both old and fresh bruises line his knuckles which made me wonder if he had been through a series of fights throughout his life. I already knew that he received the callous hands from either hard labour or combat training, I could at least deduce that much.
"Why did you lie for me?"
I was suddenly brought out of my trance when the boy whose name I didn't know yet spoke to me. I looked up to see that his piercing grey eyes were begging me for an answer. In that moment, I wasn't sure if I should tell him the truth, or instead only certain bits and pieces. I couldn't just admit that his desire to see Katniss Everdeen was the whole cause behind my heroic save. I needed to dig for more information about his motives. So I swallowed the lump in my throat and shrugged my shoulders casually.
"I heard that stealing was once punishable by death. Would you rather have found out on your own if that's still true?"
The boy shakes his head, but I knew that he wasn't satisfied with my answer so I tried again. I was never good when it came to lying.
"Maybe because I didn't think you deserved it. I don't really support the use of violence."
His eyes went to my bow that was leaning up against the concrete wall of the health center. The boy smirked as his eyes returned to my face.
"I can see that."
I simply rolled my eyes before he held out his hand in front of me.
"I'm Asher."
I stared at Asher for a moment before taking his hand in mine and shook it, trying the feeling of his calloused skin against my own.
"I'm . . . Piper."
"Nice to meet you Piper." Asher grinned at me, which made me give him a half-smile.
"You too Asher."
We separated our hands then before Asher spoke once again.
"Please call me Ash."
I nodded to Ash before I got up from my seat and grabbed my gear. Ash gave me a questioning look as his eyes followed me.
"What are you doing?"
I slung my quiver of arrows across my body and looked up at him.
"Leaving. Do you plan on coming or would you rather stay here?"
Ash hesitated before he stands up himself and follows me out of the health center and into the streets. As we walked, I heard a growling sound and looked at Ash questioningly who just shrugged his shoulders.
"What? I'm hungry."
I opened my bag then and took out a roll that I was saving for my breakfast and handed it to Ash. He takes it in his hands before he gazes back at me.
"What? Are you going to have it or are you going to just stand there like an idiot?"
Ash didn't hesitate to take a bite from the roll and began to chew with his mouth open, which just made me roll my eyes and continue on.
"Does your father really own the local bakery here?"
"Yes." I answer inquisitively.
"I would've thought that Peeta Mellark would still own the only bakery in town."
Knowing that I couldn't tell Ash the truth just yet, I was quick to come up with a lie.
"He did, for a while. Then he sold it to my father some time ago, when I was still a kid."
"Oh." Was the only response Ash gave me before we both fell into a comfortable silence, which I was grateful for. It gave me time to myself to come up with a proper story in case my new friend decided to ask anymore questions. After almost ten minutes of no talking, Ash finally spoke up.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere that the Enforcers won't try to look for you just in case they find out that I lied. But the chance of them acutally learning the real truth is pretty slim, so there's no need to worry."
"What if they do find out that you lied to them?" I just roll my eyes at this.
"They won't."
"But what if they do?" Ash asked. I decided against answering him and instead just kept leading him father away from the outskirts of town.
"Piper, what would they do if they found out?"
"If they found out that I lied, they'd pretty much do . . . nothing."
"But usually in the districts if someone lies to the Enforcers, they would'nt get in a lot of trouble but they'd still be punished."
"Really, I had no idea?" I didn't bother hiding the sarcasm in my tone when I spoke.
"Very funny, Piper."
While continuing on with walking, I turned to glance at Ash who had an uneasy look on his face.
"Look, who cares if I lied anyway it's not that big a deal unless you make it out to be, which by the way you are doing right now."
"I'm just saying that you didn't have to do it."
"Well would you prefer if I did nothing to help the little thief who tried to steal from my family's bakery?"
The words were dripping with my irritated mood, and I could see the annoyance glinting in Ash's face.
"I didn't lie when I said that I wasn't trying to steal. I was telling the truth."
"Even the part about Katniss Everdeen?" I quizzed him.
"Yes."
I studied Ash intently as he muttered his answer in a clear and strong voice. His eyes held a determination and strength that refused to surrender or compromise, and in that moment, I knew he was telling the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, but still the truth nonetheless. Which summoned up my next words.
"Do you really need to see her, Katniss?" Ash doesn't hesitate to answer my question.
"More than anything else in the world." I couldn't deny that I was curious about his motives for the desire to meet, but I didn't have time to ask those kinds of questions at the moment like I hoped I could.
"Fine, I'll take you to her?" Ash's grey eyes lit up with surprise when I said this.
"Really?" He asked in excitement, but I held up my hand to stop his sudden enthusiasm.
"But if I do this, you have to promise that you'll do everything I tell you to with no questions asked. Got it?" Ash nodded his head in agreeing with the terms I had just layed out for him, though I highly doubt that he even processed the majority of what I just told him.
"Good. Now, first thing's first."
I took out an empty cottong bag and handed it to him. Ash eyed the bag before he gave me a confused look.
"What's this?" I just galred and handed it to him.
"Put it over your head?"
"What? Why?"
"What did I say about asking questions? Just do it."
Ash rolls his eyes before complying with my command and pulling the bag down over his head to cover his face.
"Hold out your hand." I instruct him, and he does so. I take his hand in mine and start leading him down the path, heading back home. Ash is quiet for most of the way there, until he lets out a sigh of boredom.
"I sense that you're not going to tell me the purpose making me temporarily blnd."
"Just because I'm taking you to Katniss Everdeen, doesn't mean that I trust you completely. The bag is just a precaution." I informed him.
Though I couldn't see it happening, I could already imagine Ash rolling his eyes under the protection of the bag. The thought made me grin a little, before I pushed it away and continued on. When we finally reached our destination, I helped Ash in climbing up a tree that lead to the part of the roof that was right in front of the window before I opened and climbed in. I held myself out and guided Ash with my hands and voice into the room that we had just entered. When I told him that it okay for him to look, Ash took a look before he wore an uneven look on his face.
"What?" I asked in confusion. "Is there something wrong?" Ash just looked at me for a moment before he replied to my question.
"Um, Piper . . . please don't tell me that we just broke into someone's house."
His words made me chuckle briefly, and shaking my head.
"No," I said before gesturing with my hands to the space around us. "this is my room. We're in my house right now."
Ash's brow furrowed, and this only made him look more confused.
"What are we doing in your house? You said that you would take me to see Katniss Everdeen."
"And I will. It's just that . . ."
"Don't mess with me Piper." Ash cut me off. "This isn't something that I can't joke about. Now tell me, do you or do you not know where Katniss Everdeen is at the moment?"
"Why is it so important for you to see her anyways?" Ash didn't lower his gaze, but I saw something flicker in his eyes.
"That's none of your business." He snapped.
"If I'm supposed to take you to her, then yes it is my business. Now why do you have to see her so bad?"
"I can't." He said, which only made me frustrated.
"And why not?" I demanded.
"Because . . . I just can't."
"That's not a good enough reason, Ash." I spat at him.
"Well I guess you'll just have to live with it, because I'm not telling you anything else."
Just as I was about to throw my own answer back at him, the door to my room swung open and I turned to see my parents standing there with wide eyes.
"What's going on in here?"
I held my hands up in surrender and made my way over to my father.
"Dad, I can explain . . ."
"Who is this?" My mother exclaimed.
"He's a friend," I tried to respond but my mother was quick to interrupt me.
"What is he doing with you in your bedroom?" My mother was sure to put the emphasis on the word bedroom, which made me lower my gaze a little in embarrassment.
"It's like I said before Mom, I can explain . . ."
"Oh really? Well go on then, explain." My parents glared at me in an attempt to make me feel more nevous than I already was, which I hated to admit was working.
"Yes, please do because I'm very confused right now." Ash said in an unusual tone, and I just turned to give him a sympathetic look, hoping he would understand.
"Piper, what's going on?"
"Who's Piper?" My fahter asked.
"I thought you said that you were taking me to see Katniss Everdeen." Ash said in a puzzled voice, as I just shut my eyes praying that I this was all just a dream and that I would wake up at any moment. But of course, that didn't happen. So instead of pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I swallowed the lump in my throat and opened my mouth to speak. I began feeling even more uncomfortable, knowing that all of their eyes were focused right on me. Oh god, how the hell was I supposed to explain the situation to all three of them?
"I'm sorry to say Ash that I lied to you before, except about taking you to see Katniss Everdeen, which I did. But my name's not Piper, it's Nova. Nova Mellark, and this here is Katniss Everdeen. My mother."