I do not own The Hunger Games.
(Takes place the winter before The 74th Hunger Games Reaping.)
Madge stamped her feet trying to keep warm while she watched her breath misting in the cold morning air. Where is she? Madge was waiting for her friend Katniss Everdeen to come into town to trade. It felt like she had been standing in the cold air for eternity. Nervous energy coursed through Madge – she knew she was taking a risk and there were a hundred things that could go wrong with her plan. She also knew that if it worked, it would be worth it. This was her chance to make someone happy. This was her chance to stop being a sheep and take control of something for once in her life.
Tomorrow was the day of the Solstice Celebration in District 12. The celebration day, held on the shortest day of the year, heralded the coming of hope and the return of sunlight. Most people in town exchanged gifts and had a feast. Madge was not sure what Seam folk did to celebrate, given that most of them never had enough to eat. Her plan was designed to kill two birds with one stone – she would make sure that Katniss's family had something for the celebration and she would force Katniss to face Peeta Mellark, the boy who had been in love with her forever.
There. There she is. Madge saw Katniss approach with her friend Gale Hawthorne. Madge's eyes skimmed uncomfortably over Gale; looking at him made her uncomfortable. Besides, she was not here for Gale. She was here for Katniss. She watched the two speak and then split up: Gale turned in the direction of the Seam, Katniss continued toward town. Madge felt something near her heart ache a little as she watched Gale walk away. She forced it out of her mind: focus on Katniss.
Madge waited until Katniss was closer to town to put her plan in place. She took several coins from her pocket . Really, what else am I to do with this my allowance money in District 12? Bending down, she used her championship lawn bowling skills to roll the coins to a stop in front of the bakery. Come on, Katniss. Take the bait.
Madge knew her friend would not take charity, but she was betting on her inability to pass up free money. Katniss was almost sure to do it for her family. If the money was found, she would not allow her damnable pride to get in the way. Madge was also counting on the power of suggestion to coerce Katniss into spending the money at the bakery. Peeta would have to take it from there. Madge was hoping he would not pass up on the chance to talk to the girl he had been watching since grade school.
Madge watched her friend approach the store and then stop at the glint of the coins against the sidewalk. Katniss cocked her head to one side, obviously confused. She looked around in an effort to find the owner of the money. Madge held her breath as Katniss bent down and picked up the money, staring like it was a figment of her imagination. Come on, Katniss! Come on! Madge bounced up and down in her excitement.
The coins seemed to sparkle in Katniss's hand as she looked from them to the warm light shed upon her by the storefront windows. Her expression changed from disbelief to wonder to something akin to greed. She quickly rose with the coins hidden in the fist and entered Mellark's bakery.
Madge hopped from foot to foot and pumped her fist in the air. Yes! She was sure her parents would not approve of her unladylike carrying on. For once she did not care; she was free. I am not a sheep! She threw her head back, disrupting her hood and freeing her blonde hair to the morning sunlight.
"Something stuck in your shoe, princess?"
Madge froze at the sound of the droll voice behind her. Oh no. She would know that low voice anywhere. Gale. She schooled her features into her most placid expression, hiding the thrill his voice sent down her spine and the havoc he might wreak on her plan.
"Hello, Gale." Her voice was smooth and quiet and displayed not one whit of her turbulent thoughts when she turned to face him.
He was leaning against the blue building with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His dark hair fell over his forehead and his gray eyes were serious. He assessed her quietly.
"You are hiding in the shadows and jumping up and down. That's not exactly your style."
"I had a pebble in my shoe. It must have worked itself loose." She made a show out of wiggling one foot from side to side and met his eyes calmly, daring him to call her bluff. She was proud that she only trembled slightly.
He scowled at her, eyebrows drawing together. He slowly leaned closer and Madge actually breathed in his scent. Her eyes grew wide when he continued to lean toward her; she could actually see black flecks in his gray eyes. He smiled at her grimly. "You're up to something, Miss Undersee."
Think, Madge. Think! You've got to keep him away from the bakery. What would distract Gale? She racked her brain for everything she knew of him, scanning his face. She had heard rumors – girls and Gale seemed to go hand in hand. It certainly would not be a hardship to flirt with the handsome older boy. She knew it was a long shot that it would distract him, and steeled her spine. Come on, Madge! You can do this.
In a move she had only ever seen performed by other girls, she used her hand to languidly toss her blonde hair away from her face. She looked up at him from under half closed eyelids and placed her bare hand on his arm. It was my far the most forward move she had ever made. She giggled and said, "What makes you say that, Mr. Hawthorne?"
She could feel the heat of him, the muscle and sinew underneath the denim of his work shirt. When he dropped his eyes to her hand, his brows further knitted together, Madge swallowed convulsively. Gale casually covered her hand with his. Madge froze.
-o-
Ring a ling…
Katniss Everdeen stepped slowly through the door of the bakery. She took in the cozy lighting, the pristine cases with their pretty cakes and delectable cookies, and the neat lines of breads behind the counter. She could not recall a time when she had been in the front of the bakery, except perhaps before her father had died. Katniss breathed in the remarkable scent of bread and closed her eyes.
She registered the chirpy "Welcome to Mellark's" and opened her eyes in time to see the boy behind the bakery case. He had his chin propped in one hand and a wadded up piece of paper in the other. His mouth gaped in obvious surprise. It was Peeta Mellark - the boy who had given her bread and hope when she most needed both. They boy she had neither repaid nor thanked.
She frowned.
When Peeta stared at her as if she was a ghost, she stared back at him. Finally she broke the silence. "I have money to spend."
A frown creased his brow. "What?"
"You don't need to look so surprised at me being here. I might be from the Seam, but I have money to spend." Katniss crossed her arms over her chest.
Peeta flushed and shook his head.
Katniss narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to throw me out?"
"What? No. No." His flush deepened.
"Then…what? Are you sick or something?" Katniss tapped her finger against her arm impatiently.
Peeta stared at it. "No, I am not sick. And I am not going to throw you out. I just…you just…surprised me. I must have been napping when you walked in. You startled me." There was no way he could admit that the wadded up piece of paper was a drawing of her. Nor could he admit that he had just been thinking that he would talk to her in the New Year, even if it killed him. Peeta cleared his throat. "What can I get for you?"
Katniss dropped her eyes from his the way she did at school when she found him looking her way. She didn't know why he watched her. She knew watched him because he was an enigma: why would he have helped her all of those years ago? Sure, he was polite to everyone, but he had endured a beating to help her, a girl he barely knew. Her eyes dropped to his arm, which rested on the counter. She saw welts on his right forearm, red against his pale skin. Did his Mother do that?
"I don't know what I want." Katniss said. "I traded with your Father earlier for bread. I thought I might get something special for the Solstice, but I don't know what." She was not going to add that she hadn't had much "special" before.
"Ah." Peeta said. "I am something of an expert, so let me give you a tour." He winked at her. "There is white bread. Tasty, but it goes stale quickly. We eat a lot of stale white bread." At her quick glance, he explains, "We can't sell it once it's stale, so we eat it ourselves. We're always trying to make just enough so it doesn't turn. Over there is the nut and raisin loaf. You've had that. There is egg bread. Better staying power than the white, but not as much as the nut and raisin loaf. We have cookies, scones, cupcakes. I do not recommend the scones unless you want to use them as weapons to throw at someone."
Katniss was rooted to the spot, hearing is words: You've had the raisin nut loaf. He remembered. Was he trying to remind her that she owed him? It was a mistake to come in here.
"…so what's your choice?" Peeta swept his arm to encompass all of the cases and counters.
Katniss backed toward the door. "I've got to go."
Peeta could feel his heart stop. Concern was written on his face."No. Wait! Please. What did I say?"
The tinkling of the front door rang out, stopping Katniss in her tracks. "Peet, thanks for covering for me. You're never going to believe who kissed me…"
Peeta smiled in relief at the sight of his brother. "Hi, Cason. I never said I would cover for you, by the way."
"Sure you did. You never say no. It was the post rush lull, anyway, and it's not like you had anywhere to be. The girls don't go for you like they do for me. You know you wish you had just a little bit of my charm. Or my muscles." Cason flexed a muscle.
Katniss laughed – she couldn't help it. Cason was ridiculous and watching how he acted with Peeta was just too funny. "Didn't Peeta almost beat you in wrestling a couple of months ago?" She challenged him.
Cason said cheekily. "That was blind luck. And you are…?"
Peeta decided then and there that he would cover for Cason any time, just because he had stopped Katniss from leaving. "You remember Katniss Everdeen from school? She came by to pick up something special for the Solstice."
Cason walked around Katniss, breezily waving at her. "Hey, Katniss Everdeen." He eyed her up and down the way one might assess a side of beef. "You should try the raisin loaf – Peet made it and his is the best. I think he even put some dried cranberries in it today."
Katniss found herself nodding at Peeta's questioning look. He quietly bagged a loaf, and also added several sugar cookies. Katniss was standing there like she was could care less, so he picked out his favorites. At least she wasn't edging toward the door, though. The thought that she had watched him wrestle made Peeta a little warm which was an impressive feat considering he was inside a bakery.
He slid the bag across the counter, not wanting to push his luck by actually touching her. She slid her coins across the counter toward him.
She stared at the change he slid back to her.
"Why don't you buy something nice…for Primrose? That's your sister's name, right?" Peeta said quietly. Peeta knew that she had a younger sister and everyone in 12 knew what lengths Katniss went to in order to keep them both alive. He snatched at a dangerous thought. "I could come with you. Since you don't know the merchants well, I could help you get a good deal."
Katniss stared again at the welts on his arm. She thought of the bruise on his face – it had stayed there for a week – after he had given her the bread. She felt herself nodding. Maybe I can say thank you and finally stop owing him.
Katniss breathed in the refreshing cold air. She heard Peeta come down the steps of the bakery. He was shrugging on a blue sweatshirt which made his eyes more blue and his hair more blonde; more merchant.
"So, what does Primrose like?" Peeta asked.
"Prim. I call her Prim." Katniss sighed. "Ribbons, Animals. The last gift I got her was a goat. Books. She's really smart." The last part came out defensively.
Peeta nodded thoughtfully. "Let's go to the Mercantile, they have lots of stuff and we can check it out." He moved nervously from foot to foot, then motioned to her bag. "I could… I could carry that for you?"
Katniss stared at him as if he had two heads and she might shoot him. Peeta's hand dropped to his side.
As they began walking, Katniss asked, "Is Cason always like that?"
Peeta laughed. "Pretty much."
"Does he actually get girls to like him?" Katniss said in disbelief.
Peeta snorted and said sourly. "Pretty much."
"He seems pretty confident. I bet he wasn't happy when you almost beat him."
Peet laughed. "No. Some days I wish I had just so I could have seen his face. "
They stopped at the door of the Mercantile. "Why didn't you? I saw the match. You could have won at least twice."
Peeta rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "He's my big brother."
"You're almost the same size or you would not have been wrestling." Katniss said.
Peeta shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Let's find Prim a gift."
Peeta thought about the question while they walked around, looking at wares. Katniss picked out a pink ribbon, some colored pencils and a drawing pad. Once the purchases were rung up and they were again outside, Peeta tried to put his thoughts into words.
"Do you think that Prim would beat you if given the chance? If she were a little older?" Peeta had taken her bag while she paid for her purchases. He was secretly thrilled that she had not asked for it back.
Katniss laughed. "Prim wouldn't hurt a fly."
"But she especially wouldn't hurt you because she loves you. Right? I love Cason. He needed to win more than I did." Peeta saw Katniss's blank look, so he continued to explain. "Cason wins at wrestling all the time. If he loses to me, what does that do? It makes him a loser. That will stick with him forever. He needs to win. I don't."
"Why don't you need to win? Everyone needs to win." Katniss thought about her hunting and struggling to feed her family. Winning felt good.
Peeta shrugged. "I'm used to losing. Besides, what kind of brother would I be if I didn't put him first?"
"You're always putting other people first. You should stand up for yourself more." Katniss said vehemently, looking at the welts on his arm.
Peeta's gut tightened at the ferocity in her voice. He responded quietly, "I only put people first who deserve it."…People I care about. People who matter. He wished he had the courage to say the words and to have her understand them.
They stopped at a street corner and stood face to face. Peeta tried to memorize her face in the sunlight: eyes shining, brows knitted in a frown, floating tendrils of hair in the wind. If he ever saved up enough money to buy painting supplies he thought he might paint her that way.
Katniss stared up at him. I should tell him now – clear the debt. "Peeta, I never said thank you." At his perplexed look, she added, "For the bread."
He looked at the bag but she shook her head. Oh, that bread. "You mean from when we were kids? You deserved it." Peeta blushed and shrugged, looking away.
"It cost you to do it." Katniss's voice was low and intense. He hadn't deserved that bruise, any more than Prim deserved to starve.
"It didn't cost me anything more than usual." The words were bitter and nonchalant, out of Peeta's mouth before he could stop them. It was the closest he had ever come to telling someone what his Mother did to him.
Time spun out. Katniss watched him with narrowed eyes, processing what he had just confirmed.
"Catnip! Where've you been?" Gale called from up the street. Next to him was a blushing and breathless Madge. "Mellark." Gale acknowledged when they were abreast.
"Hawthorne. Madge." Peeta nodded and frowned in the older boy's direction. He knew of Gale and his relationship with Katniss.
"I was buying some gifts for Solstice." Katniss looked from Gale to Madge's flushed face. "I didn't know you two knew each other?"
"We don't." Gale dismissed the pretty blonde. Madge blanched and her eyes dropped to the ground. Gale took the bags from Peeta without a glance in the younger boy's direction. "We should get going."
Katniss nodded.
He spared a glance at Madge's downcast eyes. "See you around, Undersee." Then he turned and began walking away, knowing that Katniss would catch up.
Katniss looked at the pretty blonde who would not quite meet her eyes and realization dawned: Madge likes Gale. Sadness edged her voice when she said, "Happy Solstice, Madge. Her voice was stronger when she turned to Peeta, "Peeta, thank you again."
Madge's frown cleared and she said sincerely, "Happy Solstice, Katniss."
Peeta and Madge silently watched as she walked away. Madge finally wished him a Happy Solstice and departed. All the while Peeta stood there watching Katniss's retreating figure.
Just at the edge of the Seam, Katniss turned and looked back and gave him a tentative wave.
Happy Solstice, Katniss, he thought with a smile. Next year is going to be a great year.
(A/N: I dared myself to write a One Shot that was Christmas related. I also needed a vehicle to practice writing Katniss. Finally, I wanted a short break from Building the Dream. Turns out that I am a longwinded and cannot write short fiction! I hope you didn't think it was a horrible as the Chewbacca Christmas special.)
Can someone give me feedback on the POV stuff in this story? I just edited a few things out so they aren't "thoughts, per se… Is it too distracting having both of them share POVs in the same scene? I really need some help here…