Haymitch Abernathy didn’t know much about Lenore Dove. He’d seen her around a handful of times,mostly because she was Burdock’s cousin, and Burdock seemed to know everybody in town. He’d noticed her more than once, though he’d never say it out loud. She had a way of catching his attention without even trying. They weren’t friends. Not really. Acquaintances at best. But something about her lingered in the back of his mind, like the faint memory of a song you couldn’t place. If he was honest, there was a small part of him that wondered what it might be like to actually talk to her. Still, he never spoke to her. Not once. His eyes might have flicked toward her now and then, curiosity simmering just under his calm exterior, but words never left his mouth.

Not until—

It was a smoky afternoon when it finally happened. Burdock, Haymitch’s loud-mouthed best friend, had dragged him to the Donners’ candy shop. Haymitch had scraped together enough coins for a small bag of rainbow gumdrops; he clutched them like a secret, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket.

That’s when Lenore Dove strolled by. Her boots scuffed gravel. Her skirt swayed just enough. She’d spotted the two boys the moment they stepped out, and though she didn’t look at them right away, busy humming a covey tune under her breath and daydreaming.

Then Burdock, all volume and no sense, shouted, “Lenore Dove! Come say hi!” Haymitch flinched. “Shut up,” he hissed, but it was too late—her name had already sung through the street.

She stopped and looked at them, her expression softening as she hesitated for a moment.

“Hi,” she said quietly, a small, unsure smile tugging at her lips. “I… I didn’t think I’d run into you here.”

Haymitch froze, caught somewhere between embarrassment and curiosity. Burdock wheezed out a laugh and took a step back, clearly amused but careful not to interrupt.

For a heartbeat, both Lenore Dove and Haymitch just stood there, each pretending to be casual while secretly studying the other, the quiet tension between them humming like a string pulled taut.

Lenore Dove stepped closer, her gaze flicking to the bag in Haymitch’s hands. “Are those gumdrops?” she asked softly. “I like the red ones… can I have one?”