- Chapter Fourteen -

I walk in the store and am almost blinded by the sparkle of thousands of rings all precisely placed in glass cabinets. I have to squint to block out all of the bright glare. I'm so glad that I'm shopping for a ring for a male. Poor Peeta. Going through all of this obnoxious bling for me. Such a sweet boy.

"Hello," I hear a soft voice say. I look up at the front desk and see a petite woman smiling at me. Her thin black hair goes well with her navy blue button up blouse. Her small figure is hidden by the large cash register in front of her. I didn't even notice her when I walked in.

"Good morning," I say, walking closer to the woman, examining her more closely. I'm shocked at how clear and flawless her skin is. It doesn't even seem like she's wearing any makeup. The shine and color of her hair is so beautiful, it doesn't even look natural.

"Are you here to buy a ring?" She asks, placing her hands on the desk. They're so small and delicate. As if a single touch could break her fingers in an instant. I'm also surprised that the woman doesn't know about the wedding. It doesn't even seem like she knows who I am.

"Yes. For my fiancé." I reply.

"Congratulations," she says, walking over to one of the glass cabinets lined up against the wall. I follow her and am amazed at how quiet her steps are. She's almost as silent as me.

"Most women in 12 don't have enough money to buy their husband a ring," she says, opening the cabinet to the far left.

"I've got a couple extra dollars," I say, "And Peeta and I have been through a lot. He deserved a ring."

"Peeta?" She says. "Blonde, strong boy? He bought your ring here too. I made that." She says, pointing to my finger. And then I realize that she really doesn't know who I am. How is that possible?

"It's beautiful," I say. "Thank you,"

"My pleasure," she says quietly. "Here's all the rings I have for you to choose from."

A display case with about 20 rings is placed in my hands. She was right. A lot of women don't buy their fiancés rings. It's kind of surprising. I wonder if my mother bought my father a ring. Doubt it. Him being a coal miner and all probably just covered one ring, let alone two.

"Not many options," I laugh, examining each and every one. The woman says nothing.

Each ring looks the same. Most of them made of silver. No color. No creativity at all. These would bore Peeta.

"These are all you have?" I ask the woman.

"There is one more," she says, walking into the back room. I just have to pray that this last ring is perfect for Peeta. There's no way I'm buying him one of those other ones. When she comes back into the main room, I am definitely not disappointed.

The color of the ring immediately intrigues me. It's gold. And beautiful. For a quick moment, the ring catches a ray of light and the exact color of a dandelion in full bloom appears. It's absolutely perfect for Peeta. After all, he is my dandelion in the spring.

"This is the only other one that we have," the woman says.

"I love it," I say immediately. She nods and brings the small leather box to her desk.

"What is your name," I ask her suddenly. I expect her to jump at how unexpectedly loud I was, but she doesn't move a muscle.

"Sapphire," she mutters, as if she's embarrassed. That's definitely a Capitol name. She must be from there, but she doesn't dress like it at all. That would explain her flawless skin and perfect hair, though. But nothing else about her screams "Capitol."

"And yours?" She asks, referring to my name.

"Katniss. Katniss Everdeen."

"I think I've heard of you before," she says, closing the box and tying it with a colorful ribbon.

"Who hasn't," I mutter. She takes a moment to stare at me. She's clueless as to what I'm talking about.

"I was in the Hunger Games," I blurt out. And I realize that I must sound so stupid. I'm just amazed that she's from the Capitol, of all places, and doesn't know who Katniss Everdeen is.

"The Hunger Games?" She asks, "Never watched them. They were cruel and unnecessary."

"You're from the Capitol?" I ask, just to confirm. She sighs.

"Unfortunately. I know I don't look like it, but it's the sad truth."

"You're beautiful. Prettier than all the other Capitol citizens I've ever seen."

"Thank you," she says, handing me the ring.

"How did you... Never hear about the war? And the mockingjay."

"Trust be I heard all about the war," she mutters. "I went into hiding. With my little brother. To try to block it all out."

"How did you avoid getting caught?" I ask. She shrugs.

"We just stayed underground. Only left for food and water. Not many people were worried about us... So we were pretty safe."

"I can't imagine how rough that must have been," I say, trying to comfort her. But I'm lying. I've been through a lot worse, no doubt.

"It was alright, actually. Staying away from all the explosions. Spending time with my 14 year old brother. Before he died."

"I'm sorry." I whisper. And I'm shocked. I don't know what else to say.

"He went to go receive shelter and food from President Snow. I thought it would be safe. But he was bombed. Along with hundreds of other children. Pretty sad day for a lot of families."

"I know." And I do know. Prim and Sapphire's brother must have been killed on the same day. At the same place. There's no doubt. It's just crazy how so many lives were changed due to those parachutes. For both the living and the dead.

"You mentioned a mockingjay?" she says, obviously trying to change the subject. "Beautiful birds. They love to sing."

"I know. I was one." And I laugh. She doesn't. She just frowns at me with confusion. It's very strange talking to someone who doesn't know my name. Or my past. Someone who doesn't know every bit of information about me before I know it myself. But I kind of like it.

What a smart woman- to avoid it all. I would have done the same if it wasn't my responsibility to lead the entire rebellion.

"I... Killed Snow. And Coin. Ended the Hunger Games."

She smiles.

"Good job. When I was younger that was my goal. To end the games. Dismiss the idea of children killing children. No one listened to the young Capitol girl that didn't fit in."

"Yeah." I don't know what else to say to her. It's quiet for a long time, but not awkward at all. It's like when I'm talking to Peeta. There can be hours of complete silence and neither of us one seems to mind.

I realize, during this period of absolute quiet, that I'm so thankful for Peeta voting no. When Coin wanted a hunger games for the Capitol kids. What an awful suggestion. And what an awful person I was for liking the idea. I still don't know what was going through my mind. Not all people from the Capitol are as snobby and self centered as they may seem. Sapphire, for example, is one of my new friends, and we've only met today. And to think innocent kids like Sapphire's brother could have been reaped and sent to kill other children. After all we had been fighting for.

"Well I hope you and Peeta have a great wedding." She says, breaking the silence.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon," I say, acknowledging that I want to see her again. She nods and waves goodbye.

I walk out of the shop and I already miss her presence. She's just so calm. And understanding. She's the first Capitol citizen that didn't let out a high pitched squeal at the mere mention of my name. It's a breath of fresh air. Making a friend that I'm on a level playing field with. I don't know about her and she doesn't know about me. It's great, actually.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be spending a lot more time in this part of town.

I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Thank you!

-Melanie 🦁