A cold, long walk home. {open - Bella}

Bella had woken up that morning and gone down to the shop to see if there was anything her father needed her to do before the store opened and the day got busy. Her father told her that he hadn’t gotten the nets they had set out the day before yet. She wrapped up tightly in her winter things with a towel and blanket to go get the nets. She knew it was going to be somewhat warm when she was there because the sun was rising making the sky pink, but it was still a little chilly. As she got there she walked past the docks to where they put the nets there was a boy sitting on the end of one and she didn’t stop to say hello, she had something to do.

She reached the spot and took off her winter jacket and was just in her shorts and tanktop. She waded into the cold water and felt around for the nets. She pulled out the heavy thick knotted nets and dragged them up on the beach before she dried herself off and pulled back on her warmer clothes. She took the few fish out of the net and put them in her bucket before folding the net and putting it in the bucket as well. She then picked up her blanket and towel and once more headed back towards her father’s shop. As she was passing the docks she saw the boy she had seen earlier sitting on the end, he was walking towards the end of the dock funnily. She wasn’t at all sure what was wrong; it was like he was dragging his leg. She slowly started walking towards him. She saw that he was dripping wet from head to foot and hurried forward to him. “Are you okay?!” She knew it was a very stupid question because he was probably freezing, the water was really cold and not to mention the air and wind was probably chilling him more. She held the towel and blanket out to him. “What happened?”

Bella watched him wrap the towel around himself and smiled some when he said thank you. She didn’t have a chance to say you’re welcome because he just continued to talk, explaining what he had been doing and why he had gone into the water. She nodded some. His net had been pulled into the water by the wind—that is why she always tied it somewhere first so that it wasn’t pulled in and she wouldn’t have had to do what he did. She nodded some and smiled at him. He seemed nice for the most part, but that might just be because he was cold. She held the bucket in her hands as he introduced himself to her. She smiled a bit more. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Bella. I hope your net didn’t get cut by something in the ocean” She told him with a small smile. She hoped he would warm up some the water was freezing. She waited for a moment before continuing to speak “How far away is your house? If it is all the way across town my dad’s shop is right over the hill?” She said not sure if it would be good for him to walk all the way home while dripping wet.

Bella smiled some when he mentioned his house was a little ways down the way. She figured he was lying to her, at least a little. It probably wasn’t too far away. She started walking towards her father’s shop with him. She hoped they would get there before he got to cold. When he asked to carry the bucket she hesitated. She didn’t think he should be carrying it when he was so cold and it was so cold out. He insisted though and she finally handed the bucket off with large hesitation as they walked. She felt bad having him carry it when she was more than capable. She looked at him some and smiled “Thank You” She said even though she figured she should still be carrying it. “My father’s shop is just up here.” She added after a moment as they left the beach and started walking down the street.

Bella smiled at him as they walked down the road to her father’s shop. They weren’t talking much but it was more fun to have someone just to walk with then to be walking by herself. She didn’t like being alone but a lot of people she just couldn’t really stand to be around. She didn’t mind him though. His kindness might be kind of annoying in the long run but she didn’t mind it right now. She smiled at him and she opened her father’s shop door for him to walk into the heat. Her father’s shop was mostly known as the fishing net shop, because it had probably the best handmade fishing nets in the district, but anything could be bought there really. The fire was going in the fireplace and her father was taking inventory. “Dad, I’m back!” She called into the store. “And I brought a friend that I met down at the docks!”

Bella smiled as she watched her father wipe his hands and shake Damien’s out stretched one. She liked it when her father was in the shop just him, then she didn’t have to deal with introducing people to her mother which never went over well. Her father was a different story though; he loved meeting people that she brought into the store, because it made him feel as if she was having a life outside of helping him in that store every day after school. She let them shake hands for a moment before looking at Damien. ”I can take the bucket back” She held out her hand so she could go put it away and rinse out the bucket while him and her father talked. She figured they might exchange some fishing tips or something. She wasn’t sure.

Bella let them talk about whatever they wanted to talk about while she put everything away that she had brought with her to the docks. She wasn’t ever really part of the conversations about this kind of stuff, as her mother believed that a young lady shouldn’t be. She would much rather talk about fishing and slow days then new capitol trends though. Things that her family couldn’t afford to get her, so why should she follow it like her mother and sister? It didn’t make sense to her. The only time she would need to learn about Capitol trends is when she was actually in the Capitol and that would only happen if she was reaped. She wouldn’t even think like that so far. They were lucky, none of them had ever been reaped, and she didn’t mind it, she just hoped that it could stay that way another year and that everything would be fine.

She came back from the kitchen drying her hands on a dish towel just as her father asked Damien if he wanted a part-time job at the store. She was shocked, her dad had never offered anyone a place at the store before that moment, at least not that she had heard. She waited to hear his response. Her father must’ve really liked him to offer him a job at the store.