The Brilliant Luxury [open]

I let out a small sigh as I walk around my store. Today has been eerily silent and there has been little to do except serve the few customers and replace display items after they were brought. Although I love the job I do it can get boring when the place is quietAlthough many would probably be happy at this as it would give them an easy excuse to be lazy an not do much, I am different. My natural instinct is not to rest easily but to find something to do with my time instead of wasting too much of it. At least now it is getting towards the end of my shift and I will be able to lock up soon. There is a person, obviously from the Capitol with the outfit she is wearing, near the window and my body instantly springs to life at the anticipation of a new customer but these hopes are soon crushed as they move on down the street. The clock ticks slowly as if it is teasing me and I look around to see if there is anything that needs cleaning, even if I know there will be nothing as I only cleaned 30 minutes ago and dust doesn't gather that quickly. Darn this boredom, I think to myself as I see the clock is in the last minutes of my countdown. Unfortunately this makes me look at the clock even more, making time seem much slower than before. Not a moment too soon the device lets out a loud chime to signal the new hour and my lips curl into a small smile. My feet take me into the back are of the store to pick up my belongings and put on my small jacket. I pick up my small bag and the keys beside it and walk back into the main shop. After checking the final takings for the day I proceed out of the door into the late afternoon air, locking the main door behind me. I now place the keys securely in a small zip pocket of my bag to keep them safe before turning around to face my surroundings, the familiar shopping area of district 1.

To me the shopping area of the district is far better than the rest of it. Maybe it is because it has been kept in immaculate condition to make it 'suitable' for the posh people of the Capitol but there is something more about it which gives it a sense of home. Everything luxurious you could ever need can be found in this area. There are shops which sell all kinds of goods. There is furniture of all shapes and sizes in several places and quite a few music stores. There are many fashion outlets but the best one of all is a skyscraper near the end of the shopping district which is home to the business of my best friend, Layla Vasquez. Most important to me however is the two jewellery stores in the area. One run by myself and the other run by a man I have met only on a few occasions. I know little about him except that he has a daughter who hopes to take over his business someday. My feet absent mindedly make their way down the street, having taken this route so many times it is natural instinct to me. The area is still buzzing with Capitolites who have their pockets full of money to spend on all kinds of luxuries even us in the richest district cannot afford to buy. Not that I can blame my fellow store owners as the only way to make enough money to cover the cost of the business is to have ridiculously high price tags on your goods. Luckily this does nothing to deter people with lots of money and the profits can be good. I remember telling Layla once about how much profit I was making on the busier days. My mind doesn't focus on what I am doing as I pass Layla's building and come right near the exit of the shopping area towards the houses. What I don't see is that there is someone coming towards me at great speed. When I come to my senses it is too late and I feel a tremendous force knocking me to the ground.

It is a moment before I realise what has happened and I lay there slightly groggily. When I am fully alert again I sit myself up and swivel to look at the culprit. I see a teenager with blonde hair and green eyes. She is wearing a lovely looking dress that even Layla would probably appreciate. However on closer inspection I see that the hem of the dress has been turned dirty brown. No doubt this was the result of an incident with mud. It is strange but I feel like I have seen this girl somewhere before but I can't quite place her. There is something familiar about that face. I dismiss this thought lightly as it is probably just someone I have seen around the district on my travel to and from work. Now my attention is pulled to my position and I pull myself up to a standing position, searching around for my bag as I do so. Luckily the strap has held it on but it looks quite dirty now and will definitely need cleaning later. My eyes are now surveying my clothes to monitor the damage this situation has caused. Apart from some dirt on the back of my clothing there is nothing new which relieves me. It is only now I reflect of the situation. Why hadn't I gotten out of the way quick enough when I realised there was someone coming at me with that speed. I had been so lost in my own thoughts I wasn't paying attention to anything else. Again I look at the blonde teenager. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention". I aim to speak in a soft voice that will reassure her. Now I am able to observe her better I make the link I had been searching for. This was the daughter of the other jeweller. This is an awkward situation indeed. "Hang on. Aren't you... The words tail off my lips subconsciously and come to a natural end in the middle of the sentence.