This is NOT Luxury

Chapter One

Chapter One-

You would imagine, being apart of District One, my whole life would be luxury. Perfection. But everything isn't just a sparkling happy princess castle. Not everything. Even though you may think of all of the training schools, I think of the horrors that happen too.

I was only eight I had to take upon the role of the parent of the house, after my mother ran off with some richer man in the Capitol. My father went crazy, and hated everything in life. He would lock himself in his room and not come out for days. Occasionally, creepy old men would come, and ask for money in change for these big bags of white powder we weren't aloud to touch. Which I now know is cocaine.

I took over the role, raising myself and my sister, Tiki. Keeping the entire Icewald family in a whole. Keeping our image as the nice little family with perfect hair and teeth that sold emeralds.

But, when I was nine, I met Connor Crane, the mayor's son. I was off, as usual, selling jewels at the market place, when my red-eyed dad came and handed me a few coins to go get a new pipe for him, and not to come back until I had it. I well knew that $10.00 can't buy a new pipe. But I had to go anyways.

I stayed outside, hours upon hours, trying to trade, to get enough money to buy a pipe. Around six o'clock I was ready to give up, but I then found a golden bracelet on the ground. Diamonds were studded on the sides with other jewels. It could easily be worth $10,000. Easy. As I reached down to snatch it, another hand stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice snaps. I look up to see a pair of silver eyes staring at me. I recognize them immediately. Connor Crane. The mayor's richer than rich son.

"Grabbing something I found for myself." I proudly reply, trying to grab the bracelet.

"No. This was my grandmother's." he simply replied with solemn eyes. Attempting to have me melt like putty, he flips his golden hair that flopped in his eyes a little. He fails.

"Yeah, my dad won't let me back home without enough money." I reply with a tug. "I am going to sell this."

"No, you aren't." He tugs in response. "This is MINE. I was going to sell it."

"Because your family needs SO much more money, being the mayor's son." I snarl.

"Who do you think you are, trying to steal from me?" He retorts.

"Me. That's who I think I am." I sarcastically reply, pushing him to the ground. "And this is mine now."

He has a look of anger go through him. "Listen. You're going to give me back my bracelet." He snaps.

"Why should I?" I ask, twirling the bracelet between my fingers.

"Because I can sick my guards on you." Connor snarls.

"And...?"

"And I can get you arrested." A bit if fear rolls through me. I wouldn't want to leave Tiki alone with that crackhead of a 'father' we have.

I pull Connor up, straight to my face, our noses inches apart. "Fine. Just because I don't want to be in prison away." I shove the bracelet into his chest and storm off in anger, knowing my dad would beat me for not having a pipe.

"What's your name?" He calls at me. I hear his feet pick up, and he joins my side.

I stop and turn at him. A look of ecstasy comes from him as my blonde hair flips in his face. "Morgana. Morgana Icewald." I reply, and continue walking.

He grabs my shoulder and stops me. "How much money do you need?" He asks me.

"About a hundred dollars." I reply. Pipes ain't cheep!

A simplistic smile comes across his face, based purely off of happiness. "I can get that for you." He smiles. He offers out his hand to me. "What are you going to buy?"

"My dad sent me to get a pipe." I simply reply.

"I understand." He says sympathetically. "When my grandmother passed away, my father smoked a lot too, to pass the pain."

And then, I knew it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Finally, someone understood me.