The Next Generation: Chapter seventeen "Welcome Me?"

*~Digit's POV~*

I watch Sundew lazily cross her rock and slip into her cenitmeter of water. Her gold marking shine in the sunlight that beams through my window, creating a rainbow-like effect. Pretty. My eyes drift from my turtle to my wall. My old walls were covered in photographs, of nature, of me and mother, of my few friends. Now they are bare. I close my eyes, trying to forget that faitful day when I ripped each one down and threw them in the trash. Like a savage. I shiver.

Goosebumps.

I feel a brush of fur on my ankle. I smile. Snapdragon. I bend down from my desk chair and pick her up. She is gray tabby cat, with a white star on her snout, white "mittens" and belly. She's not that old, only a kitten. But gorgeous just the same. She purrs softly, nuzzling deep into my armpit. I grin.

I didn't really expect much when this Beetee dude showed up. He just pushed back his big glasses and said, "Digit, eh? Yes, perfect, perfect...I'd like to adopt him? Yes, thank you." I was quiet in the back of seat, my few bags in the trunk. Sundew in her aquariam sat up front, all buckled up. Hover, a silver-blue dragonfly in his honey-jar was nestled by my waist and the seat-buckle. He kept flying around, like he was confused. I couldn't blame him. The last time he was in a vehicle, it was all chaos.

After about 3 minutes, Beetee dude said, "So, How old are you?"

"I'm sure you know that already." I told him.

He smiles softly in the reveiw mirror. "I suppose I do."

I frown. I am not good at talking to men. Women, they are better, easier. No ego or anything. Just paitence. and they play.

I open my mouth, about to say, 'what do you want with me?' but again, he did take me away from that horrid home, so I suppose I should be somewhat grateful.

This dude notices. "you were going to say?"

"Nothing."

"ah, isn't that always the answer? See, Digit, if that was *indeed* what you were going to say, you would have quite literally said, 'nothing', but instead you quite literally decided *not* to. Tell me Digit, what was it you were were really going to say?"

Huh. Maybe he wasn't so bad. I answer, "If I quite literally said 'nothing', as you say, then I would've been silent. Which, I was. So tell me, what was it *I* was going to say?"

He stays silent for a minute, and my heart drops. Shoot.

Then, suddenly, he laughs! "Ah, yes, You are perfect, indeed."

I bite back a smile. Yes, maybe he really isn't that bad.

My room is like that of Harry Potter's. Well, in the movie. He doesn't really showcase what his looks like in the books. You know, after he got out of the cupboard under the stairs.

My bed with plain sheets against the right wall, Window, Sundew's Home underneath window, corner=nothing, then desk neatly organized with papers and filefolders, with Hover's honeyjar, well, newly christined fish bowl with mesh netting for the top. I am expentionally proud of that idea. The honeyjar was too small for him, anyway. It's hard to feed him sometimes, but books say that "house flies, mosquitos, tadpoles, and small fish are the best thing you can feed your pet dragonfly!" so Fly traps are the most helpful.

Closet sits infront of the bed, with the door by it's side. Nothing special of a room, of course, but what did I expect? A mansion? That would be absurd. Plus, it's comfy and I like it.  That night at dinner, It was silent. Well, at first. It wasn't much of a meal, just a simple meatloaf, potatoes, and greens. Oh, and tea. Yeah, tea. It wasn't bad, that tea.

Anyways, he said, "So how do you like your room?"

Me: "It's comfortable. Thank you."

"Oh, your welcome, my dear. And I see you like animals?"

"Yes, Hover is my dragonfly. I captured him a few weeks ago. Sundew, my turtle, I've had her for about 5 years."

He smiles softly. "I love the names. Sundew, now that's creative. Where did you get it?"

I straighten. "Well, she does have gold markings, which is where 'sun' came in. I also read *Wings Of Fire,* and Sundew is one of my particular favorite dragons in it."

"Ah, I read that one! Wonderful novels. I may be nintey-one years old, but I do like my books!"

I can't beleive it. I lean forward. "Your nintey one? I thought you were around seventy!"

He laughs. "Well, I had to shave the gray, now didn't I?"

I look down at my plate. How embarssing. "I am sorry."

He just smiles, and takes a sip. "For what? Curiosty is a most wonderful thing. I quite enjoy it. Don't you?"

"Sometimes it gets you in trouble."

*Flash. "GET OUT!"*

*"I'm just trying to protect him!"*

*"No!"*

*"Please!"*

*"thank you."*

*Flash-*

He nods. "Ah, but it also saves you in the most peculair of ways, now doesn't it?"

I focus on my tea. "Yes, I suppose."

"Now, I must ask. What do you think of..Cats?"

I refocus my attention back on his eyes. "Cats? What do you mean?"

"Well, I just might've gone a little indulging in the eximent of your rising prescence..."

I stare at him. "I have a cat?"

"Well, perhaps..."

Yep. He's cool.

I named her Snapdragon for her the flowers that grew all around the house, but also for that beauty can just as be fierce.

When Beetee first announced that I was to meet his "family" I was scared, but finding that his family consisted of Katniss Everdeen and her daughter, who was around my age, I decided that I can not wait. Me! An unforunate District 3 boy! Meeting the famous Panem Heroes and their Next Generation! And Everdeen's daughter, Willow, including her friends, all my age! I've never have much of friends, no one's ever completly liked me. Something about me being "odd". But maybe my new family will welcome me.