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Ch. 9 - It's On Me

I stood over the silver sink, warm water filling the metal bin halfway with soap bubbled at the surface. The last of the small plastic plates were stacked to my left with bits of food left over from the lunch shift that had just concluded. I brought my hands to the base of the stack and placed the plates in the water-filled sink, beginning to scrub away. 

"I hope you're excited about dinner," Harry called out as he cleaned our prepping surfaces.

"I'd be more excited if I knew what we were having," I responded, chuckling slightly.

"You'll find out soon, calm down," he said, a smile apparent in his voice. I continued scrubbing the plates one by one, resting them on a drying rack once they were leftover-free. 

"I'm excited, but I've got to run over to the commissary once I finish these dishes," I said. "I'm not sure my usual attire will fit the dress code for the evening." Once I finish scrubbing the final bowl clean, I place it on the drying rack and dry my hands with a towel. I turn to face Harry, only to find him propped against a countertop. He grinned before quickly scanning over my outfit.

"Yeah, I suggest you do that," his grin grew into a wide smile and he let out a friendly chuckle. I balled up the towel I had dried my hands with and threw it at him. The towel softly hit his chest before cascading over his folded arms. I reached around to my lower back and untied my apron, then swiftly lifted it from around my neck and placed it on the counter. I made my way toward the exit.

"See you at dinner!"

"See you then," he responded.

I pushed my way through the door and followed the dingy hallways to the commissary. I kept my eyes down to the ground the entire way, watching the tips of my boots alternate beneath me. I could see boots pass by me a time or two, but most of the people of The Sanctuary were at work, not wandering the halls. I followed the growing sound of voices to an open pair of doors, I looked up from the ground and found myself at the commissary. There were a few tables set up in the larger room, people were selling clothes, art, snacks, games, and anything a person could want in an apocalypse. 

I closely examined each table I passed, taking note of the products on display and their point values. I noticed a few items that I hoped wouldn't be purchased anytime soon, so I could buy them myself when I saved up. For now, I had enough points for a decent dress to wear tonight. I shuffled my feet across the concrete and over to the women's clothing table. There was a selection of dresses hung from a line behind the older woman who was selling the clothes. 

"Hi," I greeted her.

"Hello," she said in a cheerful voice. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a dress," I said vaguely. I didn't know exactly what Harry was planning, but I saw it as an excuse to look nice, which I hadn't had much opportunity to do until I got here. 

"Well we have a variety of choices," she said as she turned to face the dresses. I studied each dress, there were a few red dresses, one baby blue dress, one yellow dress, and one black dress. I pointed to the black dress.

"How much is that one?" I asked her. She turned away from me and faced the dress I singled out.

"Oh, it's fifty points, but-" I cut the woman off, earning a quick glance from her.

"I'll take it," I said.

She turned back to the dress and unclipped it from the line. She gently folded it before handing it to me.

"Name?" She asked.

"Jade Thatcher," I said. She gave me a nod as she wrote my name down on a sheet of paper along with the number of points the dress was worth.