PEETA:
"Peeta!" I hear Katniss squeal as she comes into the kitchen. I smile up at her from my dough on the counter
"Yes dear?" I answer her.
She waves a paper in the air and prances around with a huge smile on her face. It is good to see her so happy for once.
"What is that?" I finally have to ask her.
"It's from district 11 – Rue's family!" She quits dancing around and jumps on the counter across from me to read the letter.
"Mr. & Mrs. Mellark,
Your bravery and kindness has touched all of us here in district eleven and we feel grateful for you. Thanks to your valiant efforts, Panem is free from its plague of the games and our children no longer fear for their lives. As you know, the war took a toll on us all. District 11 has decided to hold a fundraiser for the districts in order to help rebuild our great nations of Panem. We will be holding a Halloween carnival as they did in the old days. It will feature a haunted corn maze, games, a haunted house, pie auction, hayrides and a pumpkin patch. It will be open every day in October to everyone who would like to enjoy this festival. I am writing to you on behalf of the board to ask you if you would be our guests of honor at its grand opening this weekend. Nothing would honor us more if you would be there to cut the ribbon opening the Carnival. Please RSVP with your response, and we look forward to hearing from you."
Katniss looks up from the letter and grins ear to ear. I was never a fan of scary things, but this is for a good cause. Katniss could benefit from a night out. She has been so miserable lately.
"Of course we will be there" I lean across the counter to kiss Katniss, but she has already jumped down and is running from the room.
"Where are you going?" I shout after her. She announces from around the corner in our office that she is calling Rue's family to confirm our plans. I laugh and continue kneading my dough.
JOHANNA:
"Mail time!" I hear jack out on my porch, but I do not bother to get up. He bangs on my door until I am forced to open it from annoyance. I know he will not have my letter and I am not sure I could handle the disappointment if that is true.
"Now, if you would put up a mail box, I wouldn't have to do this everyday" he tells me in an accusing tone. I roll my eyes and shift through the mail. I grin as I find a letter from Katniss.
"That the letter you've been waiting on? Took it long enough to get here don't cha think?" I know Katniss has been busy, and things have been confusing for her since our night in thirteen together, but I expected her to write me more often. I close the door in jack's face and return to my couch. A bright orange letter catches my eye and I open it first. The letter is from district 11, inviting everyone to a Halloween Carnival. At first, it sounds boring, but the guests of honor catch my eye. Katniss cannot blame me for showing up there.
PEETA:
"Katniss, we really have to go now if we are going to make it in time," I yell up the stairs, but I am sure Katniss is not moving any faster. Katniss finally comes down the stairs and looks gorgeous in a short black skirt and realistic looking spider web stockings.
"Wow" is all I manage to get out. She smiles from under her witch hat and twirls for me. "Cinna would be proud right?" She beams with pride.
Truth is he would. She looks great.
"I did some research and this was a popular costume they used to wear back when they celebrated Halloween." She tells me as we head out the door. I feel bad for not doing research on this topic as well.
We arrive in district eleven and I immediately see familiar faces. Effie is wearing her old pink hair, but has wings attached to a matching pink dress. She runs up and hugs us both.
"It's so good to see you guys here! When I read you were the guest of honor, I knew I had to make it out on opening night!"
Effie is her cheerful old self. Her and Katniss gush over each other costumes has we make our way through the crowd. It seems like that everyone knows us and either stops to stare, or wave and say hi. They mostly recognize Katniss, but a few stop me as well. I feel out of place, being one of the few who is not wearing some sort of costume.
JOHANNA
I did all the research I could for this event. I wanted to show Katniss that I was here to support a good cause, not that I just desperately wanted to see her. However, that was true, ever since she said she needed time to think, I have done nothing but want her. A phone call or a letter just was not enough.
I was surprised when people actually noticed me in District 11. I roamed through the crowds talking to strangers until I saw a familiar face.
"Hey Johanna!" her voice chimes threw the air. It catches me off guard at how good she looks. She is wearing a tight white dress that ends mid thigh. Her white go-go boots come up to her knees and the Red Cross stretches tightly over her left breast.
"Hey Cressida, I'm pretty sick right now…" I say with a grin on my face, "I may need CPR." She laughs and hits me on the arm.
"Nice Pirate costume." She compliments me. I have to say, if all the girls dress likes this, we should celebrate Halloween more often.
We walk together through the crowd when I spot a bright pink hair bob through the crowd near the stage.
"Effie looks hot!" Cressida mentions and she is right. That short tight pink dress is hugging all the right curves. "I'd hit that." Cressida laughs as she pops a lollipop in her mouth. God I love Halloween. Just as we begin to walk toward her, I spot Katniss and stop in my tracks. She and Peeta are stepping onto a stage about to cut the ribbon and open the carnival. I do not even pay attention to Peeta as he talks. I can only focus on Katniss. Her black witch's hat sits crooked over her dark brown hair. Her black lacey tunic has a v-neck on it and shows off just enough cleavage. Her skirt is small and torn here and there. In addition, those stockings are driving me crazy. Peeta finishes making his speech and Katniss cuts the ribbon. I turn to Cressida to excuse myself, but she is already making her way toward Effie. Effie has no idea what's headed her way.
PEETA:
Katniss cannot wait to enter the carnival. After we cut the ribbon and take a few pictures, she prances off the stage. I have never seen her so happy. I try to follow her through the crowd but suddenly she stops dead in her tracks. I finally reach her and her face is a mix of shock and awe. I look up to see Johanna coming towards her. She is dressed as a pirate. She has a Pirate hat on, and a black half shirt that exposes her stomach. Her pants are black and white striped, with a red sash belt. She walks up to Katniss and hugs her.
"Hey Katniss," she says softly as if she is trying to be gentle with her.
"I didn't realize you were going to be here." She finishes. Katniss laughs and hugs her back.
"It's good to see you Johanna." The girls smile and catch up.
"Hey gang" I hear a familiar voice from behind me. Johanna sees him first and smiles. "Gale!" she runs up to him and gives him a hug. Johanna and Gale spent some time together when she was recovering and Katniss needed space. Our relationship was awkward, but working in a weird friendly way. I nod to him but I do not say anything. I am worried about Katniss. She felt so bad for not choosing him. She felt bad for the pain she felt when she saw him. She smiled politely and hugged him, but you could tell she was fighting feelings. I wrapped an arm around her to give her support. She smiles at me and recovers her previous happy mood.
JOHANNA:
I needed a way to get Katniss alone. It helped now that Gale was here to distract Peeta. "Well let's do the maze!" I suggest. Everyone agrees and we walk toward the entrance. Peeta and Gale lead off so Katniss and I trail slightly behind. She does not say a word. I decide not to push her. I walk a little ahead of her to leave her alone. I begin to think that coming to see her was a mistake. She must know that I came to see her, not to have fun at this festival. I turn back and see she has stopped to bend down to tie her shoes. I see the guys fork left and I know Katniss will never find us if they go too far. I stop just ahead and wait around the corner for her to catch up. When she comes around the corner, her face is worried. She smiles when she sees me.
"I thought I was lost." She laughs a bit when she thinks about it.
"The boys went on." I tell her and look down. I am not sure if she wants to be alone with me.
"Good." She smiles at me. "I'm glad to be alone with you. Well, unless we are lost." She giggles a bit and hugs me.
"Baby, I work in a forest, I don't get lost." I pull her tighter against me. Her hair smells just as I imagined it would, fresh apples. She pulls away and grins at me.
"I missed you" she admits "and I didn't like it when you left twelve. When I said I needed time, I didn't mean space." She looks at her feet and waits for me to answer.
"Come on" I take her hand and lead her down the right fork.
"Where are we going?" she ask confused. I walk a little further until I find a niche in the corn. I pull Katniss into it and kiss her cheek. I move down to her neck and her collarbone. I have missed her so much that I cannot help myself. I take in the feel of her body against mine, the way she smells and tastes. Coming here was not a mistake.
"I'm choosing you." She whispers into my ear.
"What?" I pull away from her to see her face.
"I'm leaving Peeta." She says firmly, but still manages to falter in her stare. I know this has to be killing her.
"Are you sure baby?" I take her face in my hands. I am shocked. This is what I wanted, but I am still shocked. She looks toward the ground and back at me. Tears well up in her eyes. She is not sure. Now I have scared her.
"Katniss" I flick a hair out of her face and remove her witch's hat "I have something to tell you, and I want you to take it as you will, but also I do not want you to decide tonight." She bites her lips and closes her eyes. I hold her face in my hands again, and gently press my forehead against hers. "Katniss, I love you. You make me so happy. I want you to be with me, because I will protect you, provide for you and love you forever. Whatever it takes to make you happy, I will do it baby, even if that means leaving you alone, to enjoy your marriage with Peeta."
She lets out a loud sobs as she slings to me and buries her face beneath my neck. I hold her close and stroke her hair. I knew she want sure. She looks up at me and pulls my in for a kiss. The kiss is salty from her tears, but is hot and pulls me in deeper. Her hands find my hair, and she grabs a hand full. I wrap my arms around her thin waist and hold her hips against mine. Her kisses become harder and her breath comes faster. I told myself I would not confuse her or let anything happen, but she lets out a slight moan when my lips find her neck and I cannot take it anymore. I pull her out of the maze and into the corn of field. I guide her down into the dirt and she reaches for the zipper on my pants. I do not worry about anyone hearing us, since the younger kids are screaming somewhere down the trail.
PEETA
"So, you and Johanna huh?" I finally break the silence. I have been trying to take the lead, so Katniss does not feel like he is trying to be in charge. However, since Gale's legs are longer, he easily keeps up. I know that we will get to the haunted part soon and it make me uneasy. I am easily scared. Maybe talking to gale will distract me.
"No." Gale says and continues walking. He does not attempt to carry the conversation.
"Oh, sorry" I try to think of other things to talk about, but I am coming up short.
"She's a good friend, besides, I don't think I'm her…. Type" He says with a smile. I am not sure what the pause was for, but all girls are complicated, so I do not bother asking. I look back to look at how Katniss is doing, but I realize they are not there.
"Shit! The girls!" I shout and start to panic. Katniss must be afraid without me next to her. I look at gale, but he just shrugs.
"It's a maze; they'll find the exit just fine. Probably sooner than we will." He says and keeps walking.
"No, we have to go back and see if we can catch them." I grab her arm and pull him in the direction we came from.
"Peeta, I really do not think this is that big of a deal." He tries to reassure me.
"They can't be too far back; we've only taken two turns since starting." I tell him. We come to the fork after a few minutes and Gale points to the right.
"Well, if they haven't found us, they had to have gone this way" he explains. I rush down the path, but its slick and I fall to the ground. Things get dizzy as I try to stand and Gale gives me a hand. As soon as I am vertical, my head starts to protests. I grab the back of it in hopes of easing the pain.
"Are you okay?" Gale asks when he sees me holding my head.
"Just a bump" I take a few steps, but the world seems to have taken on a glossy look. Gale puts his hand under my elbow and helps me along the path. After a while, we come to a niche in the corn. Gale points to some footprints in the dirt, but my head spins when I bend down to look. Gale pulls me back to my feet.
"Probably just some kids who stepped in to make out, let's move on" Gale tries to pull me away, but I cannot move my feet. The neck on my hair stands up, and can here Cato yelling. I pain shoots through where my leg used to be. My breathing becomes labored. A hand grabs my shoulder and I spin around to fight of Cato. I throw one punch, and another, but he blocks both of them.
"I WONT LET YOU KILL HER!" I scream at him. His lips move but I cannot hear him. I tackle him to the ground but he is strong and throws me off him. He stands over me and I can only assume he will now kill me and then take Clove with him to hunt down Katniss, where they will kill her and then snow will turn her into a mutt. Instead of killing me, he offers me a hand. I blink and Cato morphs into Gale somehow. I let him help me up and I realize from the glossy glow fading away that my memories are acting up. I start to apologize to gale but he holds up a hand..
"You didn't hurt me, for a two time Games survivor you would think you would have better fighting skills," he laughs at me. I chuckle along with him. Suddenly there is a rustling in the corn. It is close, loud and accompanied by a moan. I jump and fall into Gale. He catches his balance and me in the process.
"Sorry," I tell him, embarrassed that I have gotten scared already. Another moan comes through the grass. Gale grabs my arm and we start walking further down the path.
JOHANNA
I trace my fingers over the most gorgeous body I have ever seen. Katniss smiles up at me as my finger tips lightly slide up her thighs, across her middle, and up her stomach. She stops my hand as it reaches her breasts. I look at her face, worried she has changed her mind.
"Johanna, we have to go, the guys will know we are gone by know." She leans up and kisses me. I help her get dressed, but I steal her black and orange underwear she was wearing. She reaches out for them, but I hold them further out of her reach.
"I think I will hang on to these." I cannot help but smile at her shocked face. She pulls up her stockings and watches as I tuck the underwear into my pocket. When we are dressed, we sneak out of the corn and back into the maze.
"How do you know if we are going the right way?" she asks me as we walk a ways further down the path.
"Johanna does not get lost baby." I tell her seriously, as I smack her on the butt and walk ahead of her. She burst out with a loud laugh as she ties to catch up. When she does, her face is rosy, her eyes are bright and her face is glowing. She is so happy, and there is nothing more important as her happiness in the world. I lift her chin with my fingers and kiss her on last time before we come up on any more people. The kiss is sweet, soft and quick. She grabs my hand and intertwines her fingers in mine. I slow down to make this moment last. She sighs heavily when she sees the exit of the maze.
"You should have let us get lost." She tells me sadly. She smiles up at me and squeezes my hand.
"There you are!" I here Peeta yell. I look up and see him and gale coming at us. I look at gale and he shrugs. I guess he can only distract Peeta for so long. Katniss quickly releases my hand. A cold gnawing feeling enters my gut. The cool air on my sweaty hand makes me realize how completely empty my life is without Katniss filling it.