Early in The Mornin' //Opal

District twelve had not been a pleasant experience. The daunting sight of the lonely, poverty crippled place had left her looking with sympathy at the people that had come to see her. It was disheartening to see the shocking state of the lower district, yet it should not have surprised her. She had grown up believing that that world was as shocking and ill-fortuned as it had turned out to be. Some part of her had hoped that those tales had been lies. Seeing the people was just another example of how utterly depressing and merciless the world could be. It hurt to no end seeing Erik’s family, speaking with his sister and knowing fully well that Erik had been one of a kind. Opal Shore knew she would never forget him; after all she had stood with him in the training centre, hands wrapped around a knife, a cheeky glint in her eyes as she instructed him on how to use it. They had spoken and she had learned that he had been a boy with only the dream to not be forgotten. And so she would grant him that wish, she would never forget him. The district soon slipped past her, as they set off once more. The comforting rumble of the train setting her spinning mind to ease. Surprisingly the cheerful victor had been rather silent from the beginning. She had yet to find an excuse to ramble on with joy. Of late she had not even been greeted with a single nightmare about her ordeal and the pain she had suffered. For that she was grateful, and instead she slept soundless nights as though the nightmare of fighting for her life had never occurred.

They were heading towards the large land of district eleven. Opal was to say that least slightly more excited about this district. She had not known either of the tributes that had come from the district, which meant that her speech could be short and formal. She would be able to leave Caramel to deal with everything, basically. All she had to do was stand there, look pretty and say a few words. Not too difficult. And then afterwards she could take a look, as little as it was. Still, she was bubbling with a new type of excitement, she had heard that this was the district with all the plants. From orchards to farms to all sorts of things. The idea of seeing an entire district dedicated to the things she loved most was astounding and she could hardly wait to set eyes on it. Hopping forwards she dragged her fake leg over to her body, before slipping it into place. The train was only a few minutes away from the district station and she wanted to be ready as soon as they stopped. Opal threw her clothes onto herself awkwardly grasping the clothes she was going to wear. The dress that she was meant to wear lay on her floor where she had dumped it, she was not wearing a dress to this district, no way in hell. She wanted to be able to roam and not worry about tearing the rich fabric.

Grasping her choice of clothing she awkwardly struggled into the loose pants, before tugging the shirt over her head. She finished it all off by wrapping a thin cardigan around her arms. She turned to her mirror before tying her hair up into a loose ponytail, letting a few bits slide free to frame her face. Pleased she went to her carriage door. She knew that there would be a few heated words directed at herself, but she didn’t care. Sliding out she stepped forwards just as the train stopped. Grinning she stepped closer to the doors, edging there with every skip of her feet. Peridot had been accompanying her everywhere these last few days and they had spoken a lot. She had come to like and respect the older victor. He was sweet, quiet and seemed rather out of place beside the loud, out-there Topaz Ross. Opal really liked Topaz, she was friendly, cheerful and she loved to laugh, and Opal loved to laugh and it was great seeing someone so happy. The two had spoken quite a few times and Opal was sure there was a friendship in there somewhere. Unwilling to wait for everyone else she tapped her good leg impatiently against the train, the doors were still closed, but as Caramel approached they slide open. With a whoop of joy she leapt out, underestimating the capabilities of her fake leg she hit the ground hard, the leg slipping from underneath her. Yelping in surprise as she fell to the ground she couldn’t help, but laugh. It was hard getting the hang of this stupid leg.

Unfazed she stumbled to her feet; Caramel gave her a disapproving look, but did not snap or even argue with her. That left Opal smirking, but it quickly faded, to be replaced by a look of wonderment and joy. Her eyes flickered from left to right taking in the sights before her. Just the size of the district was enough to make her eyes widen considerably. This place was massive; everywhere she looked all she saw was field upon field, some with trees, others with plants of all sorts. It was incredible in every way and she soon found herself eagerly stepping forwards eyes glued to a range of brightly coloured flowers and herbs. She knew half of them by sight and the rest she was anxious to touch and feel them and to discover what the new ones were. But her duties as a victor took precedence.

Before long the speeches were over, the crowd that had gathered could not have been even a quarter of what the population could possibly be. Every time she took her eyes away from the hunger-ridden faces before her she was finding a new thing to look at. This place held an endless amount of joy, an endless amount of surprises and numerous adventures awaited her. It wasn’t until Caramel dismissed her from the stage that she was allowed to move. Walking quickly she took two steps forwards, eyes widening ever so slightly further and further at each new thing she saw. The blue sky stretched before her without a single tree or building to hinder its view. Old houses lined the streets, scattered in what looked to be a town. Further out houses dotted the countryside, rides zig-zagged this way and that way in a maze that she knew was endless. Everywhere was a new secret to be discovered and she was-

Her train of thought was destroyed. Gasping she looked to her left at the big open field. The sweet sound of one of the most delicate voices she had ever had the pleasure of hearing filling her ears. Before she could stop herself she was stepping into the field and towards the figure that sat on the dirt. In less than a minute she was beside him, breathless she turned her brown eyes downwards to where he sat. He was very dirty. It covered his skin, hands and bare feet. She could see it poking around the edges of his face and crawling up his cheeks. Dark stains littered his skin, and hands that seemed to know work were gently patting the soil around a potato. The sight struck a familiar cord within her. There had been a time not so long ago when she had been exactly the same, content in every manner of the world to waste her day in the presence of plants. In less than a glance she could tell this boy was no less than an expert. The earth around her was in perfect condition, the plants lines out before her held the touch of love and in this boy’s face was the gentleness of a mother gazing at her children. So Opal did not think or even hesitate before sitting down beside him. The movement was an awkward one thanks to her screwed up leg, but nonetheless she stayed beside him, eyes gazing wonderingly at the face of a boy that held such care for the plants under his hands.

”Your amazing.” She breathed, before clasping a hand over her mouth. “I mean – er, I love potatoes.” The words tumbled from her lips in a rush. Blinking rapidly she looked away from him, her fingers twirling in the soil, the feel of the cool earth as comforting to her skin as a mother’s kiss.

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground

The dirt on her hands was relieving. She grasped it tighter in her fist and then let it slip through her fingers. Traces of brown stained her skin and she smiled warmly at them, the comforting touch of the sand enough to make her relax even more n this strange boy’s presence. As she spoke that beautiful tone of his voice cut off abruptly and she looked up, upset that she had startled him enough to make him stop talking. His hair was cropped and sat around his face. It looked as though he never brushed it, but then when had she ever brushed her hair? Never when she lived back in district one as a normal girl. She had let the sticks cling to it; the leaves climb up and nestle there. She had never worried whether it was dirty or not, only ever tidying it up maybe once a fortnight. Other than that she felt no need to clean it. It was perfect the way it had been. Now it flowed around her face, almost reaching the middle of her back. It was soft as anything she had ever touched and it smelled incredible. But it did not smell like her home; it did not smell like the earth, or the flowers of the careers of the morning due. It smelled like fake products, the shampoos and conditioners she had been using it giving it a nice scent, but not comforting.

Swirling the dirt in her hands she focused her attention on it for a moment. The healthiness of it was beautiful and the way it was moist to touch, but not so we tit drowned the roots left her feel awed by the care and the skills this boy must have. The few potatoes in front of her were immaculate, the care they had been treated with obviously showing in the way the leaves showed no hint of brown or yellow, all of them a strong, vibrant shade of green. Wiping some dirt off of her hands she looked at her nails, smiling at the way it clung to her clean skin, this was how she used to always look back when she just spent her days gardening and it was nice to see it again. More so it was impressive to say a boy as dedicated to this large land mass as she had been. She loved it, she loved his voice, she loved his face and she loved the ground around her. She hadn’t met anyone as interested in gardening as her and now she was facing someone with the exact same skill and talent she had, maybe he even had more than her. Back home my gardens had had a few potatoes, but I had preferred the large range of plants that came with only having a small area. If I had a farm as big as this there would be plants upon plants covering every inch. There wouldn’t be a free patch, everywhere filled with healthy trees, fruits and vegetables. Other areas crawling with herbs of all sorts.

This was home. Being here, sitting on the damp dirt, fingers encrusted in sand was the most joyful thing she could possibly think of. Looking over at the odd boy Opal find that he is looking at her, his eyes wide. Offering him her warmest smile she watched as his own features softened into one of the nicest smiles she had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Locust’s smile had made her heart race, Xanthus had made her body tingle with delight, knowing both of them and feeling how she had when she smiled was a joy. Both of those two had seemed almost reluctant to share a real smile and when she had found herself in the situation of being greeted with something as rare as that she had allowed herself to relish in the pleasure it gave her, .but this one just made her feel warm and safe as though she was protected. It was a sweet thing to see and it made her like him even more then she already did. Not even a minute had passed since she had flopped onto the ground, and yet she was utterly loving this kid. He was everything she wanted everyone to be like. All of it in one person.

Well that was a broad assumption for a person that hadn’t even spoken to her yet. Regardless he looked just as she expected he would act. He had that sweet smile, those kind and gentle eyes and sang so well and perfectly that she was surprised it had come from him. Besides he had that appearance and you could tell a lot from a person from the way they act around plant. Her sister was horrid, her sister stomped on them and mistreated them to the point that they died within days. That said a lot about who she was, careless, useless and unreliable, also very aggressive. Whereas the boy in front of her was kind-hearted and dedicated, passion was written across his face, his arms and his legs as he finished pushing the potato back into the ground. He offers Opal his hand and she clasps it, shaking it without even hesitating, the dirt on his fingers didn’t even make her flinch, in fact it pleased her more than if his hands had of held not a single trace of dirt. "Thank-you kindly, Ma'am, that is mighty kind of you to say about.." he trailed off and Opal started it him a quizzical expression on her face, but smile warm and friendly. "You talk real nice, Ma'am, I reckon you ain't from around here," he said. Shrugging under his gaze Opal looked back out towards the large expanse of soil and potatoes before her.

To her surprise the boy stands up and Opal looks right at him, a small flush had crept along his cheeks and that only made her laugh. Again he offered her his hand and she took it without bothering to dust her hands off on her pants, part of her unwilling to dirty them more than they already are, for fear of the scolding she’d get from Kaiser. That man could be snappy when he wanted to be and he knew that Opal fancied getting dirty, that never worked out well for him though, the clothes needing more care then she ever gave them. "Do you gotta name, Ma'am?" Opal liked the way he said ma’am, just the formal ring to it reminded her of Xanthus, she missed him dearly and she knew she always would. Xanthus had been her first friend and that wasn’t something you could forget easily. ”No, I’m not from around her. I’m from district One, I’m here because of the victory tour?” She pitched the last part as a question; from talking to him and hearing him speak she could tell that he might not be familiar with how it all worked. However she instantly regretted it, knowing fully well that some people take offence to things like that and she did not want to offend him at all. Biting her lip she tried to think of some way to take back what she had said, but that wasn’t going to happen, so she just sighed heavily.

”I’m Opal Shore. And you know you have an amazing voice, like you sing so wonderfully. And honestly I am so impressed by the plants you have here. You have taken such good care of them; I can see the care evident in every leaf. I’m awed by it.” Laughing again Opal looks down, realising with a small amount of shock that she still hadn’t let go of his hand. Carefully she draws her hand away from his, not wanting to creep him out. “What’s your name?”

You held me down, but I got up
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

Opal would swear on the sun and the stars and even on the moon that she was falling in love. The boy in front of her was honestly perfect. Bright eyed, sweet, kind and talented. With hands stained with dirt and fingers caked in mud there was something so appealing about the way he spoke, how the words danced on his lips, how he smiled and looked at her. She loved the way he smelled, he smelled like home, like the earth and the world around her. He reminded her of everything she had lost when she had been reaped, he reminded her of her garden and of what she used to be. He was perfect. There was no other way to describe it except for perfect. His eyes brightened when she spoke and when she said how much she appreciated his plants they seemed to glow with the praise. She liked that. She liked the way they twinkled and danced as though the comment was so unexpected he could only imagine that it had been spoken. She liked the way he looked in those overalls. The dirt that clung to his clothes was nice, the hair that glistened with early sweat was refreshing.

He wasn’t super-duper clean, he wasn’t a mess of makeup and fake things. He was the way nature intended the world to be, slightly dirty, but cleaner and more free then she was. Suddenly she had the urge to flop onto the ground and roll in the dirt. To grab a hose and spray her face to remove the paint that masked her natural skin. To wash her hair and comb it with her fingers and let the earth settle into it once more. She wanted the bite of the pine in her hair, the way dirt made it smell so earthy and real. She hated her fingers, and the way they were so clean. The old cuts and stained skin that had once been there was so far gone she wondered if she’d ever see it again. She missed looking at her fingers and seeing brown smudges. In a way they had comforted her and reminded Opal that this was her and that was her life. Safe. Protected. Peaceful.

Opal’s lips twitched into a giddy smile, she watched the boy and she watched the way his lips twitched as though testing out her name. She liked it. She liked his face, she liked him. She loved the way he seemed to taste her name, before accepting it. Opal’s eyes swivelled to the land before her and once more she was struck by the astonishing land in front of her. She wanted to leap down and analyse each plant and look at how well the veins showed. She wanted to feel the earth and get a taste of how moist it was. She could see it all, she could see the plants and that perfect glow that sprung from them. Not a touch of brown seemed to have graced a single leaf and she knew that the boy in front of her had talent. Skill and talent that she had never had and she wanted to learn from him. She had plants, she had everything at home, but there was an edge to these potatoes that just seemed so natural that little light that glistened on each leaf that no one ever seemed to catch. She never thought she’d see it. Not till now.

When he spoke Opal listened, eyes instantly flashing to his face. He spoke in an odd way – no not odd, it wasn’t odd it was different, it was unusual, but there was something delightful and warm about the way he shaped the words that he spoke. Opal listened to him, her smile broadening until she was sure it couldn’t get much bigger. She laughed as he pointed out her hair. She giggled and stepped backwards as he clamped a hand over his mouth, but she couldn’t help it. She loved it. He was so honest and the way he said it and the way he made it all seem like one big compliment. It was so sweet. “Is a victory tour for good gardening, Miss Shore? Is that why you’re commentating so much on my fields?” Opal blinks, but doesn’t have enough time to gather her thoughts before he has grabbed her arm. He starts off tugging her towards another place and she gladly follows. Suddenly she had no intention of telling him what the games were for. She did not want to tell him. She did not want this sweet, amazing boy to know all the things she had done.

So she kept her mouth shut.

He tugged her forwards and soon they were moving through the dirt and he keeps speaking and she listened, hanging onto every word he said. Oh how desperately she wanted to see his garden. If it was anything like the Potatoes out in the field she knew she was going to fall in love. Pulling herself forwards she moved beside him, her heart skipping in excitement. Her steps seemed to twist and stumble as she moved, her body not so sure about the fake leg, but she held on, unwilling to trip this time. Determinedly she pushed forwards, her steps soon turning even.

”Oh call me Opal, please! No need to call me Miss Shore.” She grinned at him. “I’d love to see them! Oh my Ripred I’d love to so much. If they are anything like your ‘taters—“ she tested the word out on her tongue, and she was pleased to find that it sounded amazing, she liked that word, ”—They are going to be absolutely amazing and just magical. He tugged her around another building and they stopped in front of a small garden. It was the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. Opal squealed in delight before stepping forwards. She raced forwards, her feet shifting from one foot to the other hopping from left to right. Her gaze danced joyously between every plant in front of her and she couldn't seem to settle on one. After a few more moments of hopping and dancing and jumping she finally stepped forwards her mind swirling. ”Oh, oh, oh, this is so perfect. Look at them, look they are perfect. That colouring, the leaves, the soil. And the strawberries look at them oh you have so many and not a single insect, and look at these flowers they are blooming so well, I’ve never seen one sit like that and look at that one it is just beautiful, see the way the petals expand, it is almost like they are trying to catch each drop of sunlight that touches them.” Everything squeezed past her lips in one breath and she paused her heart racing, her breathing heavy. She turned and faced the boy. ”You are honestly the most perfect person I have ever meet. This is all so magical. Can you teach me how you do it? How you make them so perfect?”

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground