we didn't come from money [skyler]
Jan 26, 2017 16:38:38 GMT -5
Post by solo on Jan 26, 2017 16:38:38 GMT -5
Valentine Wolfe
Cool air nipped at my cheeks as I headed down the empty road. Snow crunched beneath my black boots. I buried my nose into the thick grey scarf wrapped around my neck, and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I felt the hard, glass surface of my watch in the palm of my left hand, but I didn't pull it out. I left the house at two. It takes about twenty minutes to walk to the District Square. I've already covered about a three quarters of that distance, so it's probably 2:15 in the afternoon.
Our house was a fair distance from the Square, so it always took a while to get there on foot. I didn't mind. I liked the quiet, I liked the way the wind numbed the tips of my ears and made my nose tingle. My tongue slid out to lick my dry lips. I probably should've had some water before I left.
I turned a sharp corner, on to a street lined with big red and grey brick houses. They were large, all two stories tall. That's what the homes were always like closer to the District Square. Bigger, newer, better. Also more expensive. I didn't mind living on the edge of town, and in fact, I enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with it. Now, as I approached the Square, the somewhat unfamiliar sounds of a bustling market reached my frozen ears. I pressed my lips together. I never liked crowds, to be perfectly honest.
A few minutes later, the Square came into view. It was a large, crowded space, right in the middle of District One. Where we usually stood in groups to watch the Games on large television screens, temporary stalls now took up the space, buyers and sellers bustling back and forth. In the center, there were stalls full of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and the like, but around the edges, inside the buildings that held permanent shops, were the things we were known for: gaudy jewelry, bright, precious stones, windows full of dress displays, and so on. These ones stay up all year, even when the Games are on. I think that's when they get the most customers.
For a quick moment, I stood still and scanned the shops around me. There were several jewelry stores, perhaps two or three, to pick from. Mom had sent me there with a bit of cash in my pocket. She wanted a nice necklace for some party she was going to tonight, and she didn't want to go out in the cold herself. So of course, I was handed the task.
It only took me a few seconds to decide on a store. It was the closest one, a sweet-looking place with a brightly lit display in the window. I caught a small glance of myself in the glass as I walked past, and realized I still had a bit of dried, navy blue paint smeared on my cheek. I opted to ignore it.
I grasped the handle of the door, swung it open and stepped inside. A tiny bell tinkled merrily above my head as I entered, and warm air immediately rushed around me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at how friendly it all was.
I glanced around the store for a moment, and quite suddenly, I realized I was frozen to the spot. The place was bigger than I'd assumed. Not huge, but neither was it a simple little space with a few necklaces to choose from. There were earrings, bracelets, a display of rings with various baubles adorning them, and even some precious stones sitting on the counter by themselves. I had never entered a jewelry store in my life. And that's when I realized, I had no idea where to go from there.
Our house was a fair distance from the Square, so it always took a while to get there on foot. I didn't mind. I liked the quiet, I liked the way the wind numbed the tips of my ears and made my nose tingle. My tongue slid out to lick my dry lips. I probably should've had some water before I left.
I turned a sharp corner, on to a street lined with big red and grey brick houses. They were large, all two stories tall. That's what the homes were always like closer to the District Square. Bigger, newer, better. Also more expensive. I didn't mind living on the edge of town, and in fact, I enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with it. Now, as I approached the Square, the somewhat unfamiliar sounds of a bustling market reached my frozen ears. I pressed my lips together. I never liked crowds, to be perfectly honest.
A few minutes later, the Square came into view. It was a large, crowded space, right in the middle of District One. Where we usually stood in groups to watch the Games on large television screens, temporary stalls now took up the space, buyers and sellers bustling back and forth. In the center, there were stalls full of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and the like, but around the edges, inside the buildings that held permanent shops, were the things we were known for: gaudy jewelry, bright, precious stones, windows full of dress displays, and so on. These ones stay up all year, even when the Games are on. I think that's when they get the most customers.
For a quick moment, I stood still and scanned the shops around me. There were several jewelry stores, perhaps two or three, to pick from. Mom had sent me there with a bit of cash in my pocket. She wanted a nice necklace for some party she was going to tonight, and she didn't want to go out in the cold herself. So of course, I was handed the task.
It only took me a few seconds to decide on a store. It was the closest one, a sweet-looking place with a brightly lit display in the window. I caught a small glance of myself in the glass as I walked past, and realized I still had a bit of dried, navy blue paint smeared on my cheek. I opted to ignore it.
I grasped the handle of the door, swung it open and stepped inside. A tiny bell tinkled merrily above my head as I entered, and warm air immediately rushed around me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at how friendly it all was.
I glanced around the store for a moment, and quite suddenly, I realized I was frozen to the spot. The place was bigger than I'd assumed. Not huge, but neither was it a simple little space with a few necklaces to choose from. There were earrings, bracelets, a display of rings with various baubles adorning them, and even some precious stones sitting on the counter by themselves. I had never entered a jewelry store in my life. And that's when I realized, I had no idea where to go from there.
