Phoenix Ashes Chapter 1
The train screeched to a halt on the tracks outside District Twelve's train station. A little over six months ago I was on the same train, being taken away to the Capital to participate in the seventy fourth Hunger Games. Today, I was back from the Victory Tour in our honor. District Twelve, being our home, is our last stop. Peeta and I were home. But, this time, something was different about me. I left as Katniss Everdeen, victor of the seventy fourth Hunger Games and one of the star crossed lovers of District Twelve. I left with President Snow's thinly veiled threat over my head. I returned as the future Mrs. Peeta Mellark.
Although Snow shook his head indicating that we had not convinced him of our love story, I believed that once we were married, that would change. Married. I cringed at the word. I never wanted to be married, not just to Peeta. Not to anyone, ever. But, I couldn't worry about the fate of any of my future children now. It was too painful to start off with. Peeta and I's future children would probably be forced into the Hunger Games, forced to die. And we'd only be able to watch. Secondly, I had the safety of people I loved and cared about to protect. People who, unlike the children I may someday bear, were here now for Snow to hurt. People who were right outside the train car, on the platform, waiting for myself and my new fiancé's s return.
"Are you okay, Katniss?" Peeta said anxiously, turning to look into my eyes.
"Yes, I'm perfect." I gave him a grin, but he still looked anxious, his eyebrows were still furrowed.
"It's all going to be okay. I'm right here, and I promise everything's going to be okay." Peeta whispered in my ear.
I nodded, and he reached out for my hand. I grabbed his outstretched hand, and he squeezed it. Peeta was reassuring me. When Peeta acted like this, I wasn't sure if it was real. Was Peeta just acting for the cameras, or did he really want it to be real, like Haymitch suggested? Although we weren't in the public eye just yet, we were almost outside, where surely enough cameras would be waiting. And, I wasn't so sure that the Capital and Snow didn't have cameras everywhere, after Snow told me that he was aware of what Gale and I shared in the woods. If he saw that, what else did he know about Prim, Peeta, or the Hawthrones? That last thought seized me not only with fear for them, but anger at the Capital.
The door separating Peeta, our stylists, prep teams, Effie, Haymitch and I from the crowd on the platform opened. Suddenly, we were assaulted by reporters' questions and cameras flashing. Everyone in the Capital was enraptured with the star crossed lovers of District Twelve. And now that we weren't going to die at the hands of the Capital in the Hunger Games, they were even more interested. That interest had only increased tenfold since our engagement. Peeta squeezed my hand, and I squeezed his in return.
We stepped onto the platform, and my eyes zeroed in on Prim, my mother, and Gale. Gale, being my "cousin", was slightly behind them, but prim was standing in from of my mother, with her mother's hands on her shoulders. Prim smiled brighter than the sun when my eyes met hers, and she launched herself at me, and I let go of Peeta's hand to embrace her.
"Katniss, I missed you so much! I watched all the recaps of your speeches and you and Peeta were so amazing! I can't believe you two got engaged! I'm so excited! I can't wait for your toasting!" Prim gushed without taking a breath.
"I missed you too little duck." I whispered into her hair, and kissed her head.
My mother approached me, slowly, almost hesitant, while Gale hung back. Our relationship was improving, slowly, but nothing like what it was like before my father died. I just couldn't forgive her from withdrawing from Prim and I emotionally. But, after returning home from the Hunger Games, our relationship was mending. It was small things, yes, but slow was the only speed I could go at the moment. My mother put her hand on my forearm, touching it softly.
"I'm glad you're home." She said, so softly it was almost a whisper.
"I am too, mom." I replied, genuinely glad that I was back in Twelve.
I turned my head to the side, and saw Peeta and his father embracing. They released each other, and Peeta was immediately tackled to the ground by his two older brothers, Miche and Rye. I guess that even while he was a victor, he was still their little brother. He was lucky to have them, just like I was lucky to have Prim. Mr. Mellark looked on his sons with a mixture of pride and pure happiness. I could see it in his eyes. Whereas Peeta's mother, the woman that hit her own children for what seemed to be an accident, stood off to the side, nearer to the tracks, and on the edge of the circle that the Capital reporters had created around us. She had a look of unhappiness on her face, I decided, even though she wasn't smiling or frowning. She looked bored. Mr. Mellark caught my eye and smiled.
After untangling himself from Miche and Rye, Peeta stood up slowly. Although he had gotten much better walking with his prosthetic leg, sometimes he was still uneasy standing on it. I still feel very guilty about how he lost his leg. It was my makeshift tourniquet that cut off his blood flow that essentially killed his leg. He walked over to me, and wrapped his arm around my waist. I was surprised by this slightly, but I didn't show it. Around two dozen cameras and the eyes of Capital reporters were on us now. Peeta didn't even bat an eye. This was all probably because Peeta was such a naturally affectionate person. I was on the other end of the spectrum. I was only affectionate with Prim.
"We are so happy to be home. We are excited to celebrate both our victory in the Hunger Games and our recent engagement at the Harvest festival tonight." Peeta said, speaking to the reporters for us both in an even, measured tone.
"That will be all for now." Effie said and started to part the sea of reporters around us and our families.
I directed Prim towards my mother and Hazelle as we followed Haymitch off the platform and into an awaiting car. Our prep teams and stylists would meet us at the mayor's house, so that we could prepare for the harvest festival. We would have dinner at the mayor's house with our families and other public officials. This list, to my knowledge, just consisted of Cray and the mayor.
"You two were amazing back there!" Effie squealed.
"Yeah, just keep it up." Haymitch muttered.
"It was mainly Peeta." I said modestly.
It's true. It was mainly Peeta. At all our stops on the tour, Peeta had spoken for both of us. Peeta was the better speaker between us, and I was better at…hunting, I guess. I definitely had no personality, as Haymitch had pointed out to me last year. That was all Peeta's job. But now that he was speaking for both of us, as if we were a unit, it hit me. It hit me harder than it had when it happened. We were engaged. We were going to be married. He would be speaking for me forever in public. The car halted in front of Madge and the mayor's house, and we were let in the front door. I had always gone to the back door while selling strawberries to Madge or game to her father with Gale. Things were far from the same after the games for Peeta and me in District Twelve. No matter how hard we tried to make it normal, it would never be "normal" again.