[Here's the first story based on reader suggestions. Thanks to "0Aud0" for this idea. I will be doing some of the suggestions of other readers too. For Dead by Morning readers: I have NOT abandoned that story. It's just a little dark b/c it's about MJ, and I needed a little break from it. I should have a new chapter of Dead by Morning up within about 24 hours]
Effie says Katniss and I desperately need dance lessons. We avoid them for a day or two, but soon Effie corners Katniss and me after breakfast. She refuses to take "no" for an answer. After an hour long lecture on the history of dance world-wide, Effie directs us to stand up.
Alright, Peeta, take Katniss' left hand in your right hand," Effie instructs in a melodious tone. She stands just to the side of Katniss and me as we face each other in a sparsely furnished train car.
I look into Katniss' eyes, asking permission. Not sure that I have it, I hesitate. Since I fail to follow her instructions Effie takes our hands and joins them herself. The corners of Katniss' mouth turn up ever so slightly in defeat. Effie wins again. The Capitol wins again.
Katniss looks down as soon as my hand makes contact with hers.
This isn't about me. I tell myself. Katniss simply doesn't want to be controlled.
"Katniss, look up, up, up!" Effie says as she places her hand on Katniss' chin.
Oh, Effie. I think. You don't know what peril you are in!
Katniss looks up, scowling and shaking her head to loosen Effie's hold.
"Maybe Katniss can look down until we have it right, Effie," I offer. "Maybe she'll feel more comfortable that way." I squeeze Katniss' hand, hoping to calm her.
"I just don't see why you are so embarrassed, but if Katniss looking down for now helps then so be it," Effie replies. "Now, Peeta, put your left hand on Katniss' lower back."
I do it, touching Katniss as lightly as I can.
Effie's continues. "A little lower, Peeta." I move my hand down Katniss' back slowly, but Effie still isn't pleased.
Effie picks up my hand and uses her fingers to massage it. My hand relaxes.
"Keep your hand flat against her so your whole hand touches her," Effie says as she pulls my fingers apart. "Right here." Effie she says popping my hand against Katniss' lower back. Katniss jumps a little in my arms.
"Since Katniss is petite your hand will be pretty close to the center of the lowest part of her back if it's in the right place," She continues. "Peeta, you have to get this right. It has to look perfect for the cameras."
I nod.
"Katniss," Effie's voice has a scolding tone now. "Move your right arm over Peeta's shoulder and around his neck."
Complying with Effie's instructions requires that Katniss look up at me. I feel the heat on my face and wonder if Katniss can see me blushing. As she puts her arm around me, I try to maintain my composure. We haven't been this close to each other since the games.
"Now, you have to get closer," Effie chirps.
I inch towards Katniss, finding all this awkward in front of Effie. And it isn't dancing! Not our kind of dancing anyway.
"A little more," Effie encourages putting her hands on our shoulders and pushing us together abruptly.
Katniss gasps.
The hand that rests on Katniss' back starts to tremble.
"…So there's very little space between you," Effie says, explaining her actions.
"Effie!" I say, releasing Katniss.
Effie's brow furrows. "I don't understand why you are so uncomfortable with this? You love her, don't you?"
"I'm uncomfortable with this because she's uncomfortable," I answer.
"This isn't dancing. Dancing is supposed to be exercise, it gets your heart pumping," Katniss adds. "This is glorified hugging!"
"Well, I never heard such disrespect from a victor, Katniss. I'll have you know…"
"Effie, calm down. We just aren't used to dancing like this. Something like this would be kind of private back home." I explain. "When we dance it's in a group, and sometimes we switch partners as we dance. Nobody is as close to each other as we just were."
"Yes, I've seen the folk dancing you do in District 12. You'll be expected to be more sophisticated on this tour." Effie counters condescendingly.
"I don't consider pressing up against Peeta like that in front of you sophisticated!" Katniss contends.
Katniss doesn't win the argument though, and I don't make headway in helping Effie understand Katniss' reservations.
Soon we are dancing Effie's way again, but Katniss does negotiate that we be allowed to stand further apart while practicing. We sway gently back and forth to the music.
"Better," Effie proclaims. "More natural, although it would be better if you were closer. We're about the remedy that though. Now, Katniss, turn your head to the left and lean in to rest it on Peeta's shoulder. Move your left arm behind Peeta's shoulder so both of your arms are around Peeta's neck."
Katniss looks up at me, but she doesn't change anything.
Effie takes it upon herself to move Katniss' arm but stops short of turning her head for her!
"…Now pull Peeta slightly closer to you so he knows it's all right to…"
"Closer! How much closer can we get?" Katniss says too loudly.
I hear a low snickering and look over to see Haymitch in the doorway.
"Oh, Katniss. If Peeta can handle it then I'm sure you can." Haymitch says.
Katniss rolls her eyes.
"You're almost finished!" Effie reassures us. "You'll look so sweet on the dance floor. Peeta, put your other hand on Katniss' lower back so both hands are there. You do this in response to Katniss pulling you so close. It's like she's giving you permission to hold her this way."
"Except I'm not giving him permission." Katniss mutters.
I sigh.
Should I just put my arms down and give up? I wonder. If I do, Effie will just make us start all over.
"Peeta, you should lead," Effie points out.
Haymitch laughs out loud. "I hate to tell you this, Effie, but Peeta 'leading' is not exactly how that relationship works."
"Shut up, Haymitch," Katniss retorts.
"Haymitch, you are ruining our dance lesson!" Effie cries.
"Maybe if you'd let them be themselves and show you a few things the lesson would be going better. I've seen Peeta twirl a few girls around the dance floor at the Harvest Festival. He's not bad." Haymitch argues, tipping a liquor bottle up to take a swig.
I'm blushing all over again. "My mother thought it was important to learn to dance. She taught my brothers and me when we were young," I explain.
"Fine. Show me District 12's most sophisticated dance then." Effie says, sitting down on the sofa beside Haymitch. Her contempt for Haymitch seethes.
"Okay. Effie," I begin, "you know how you told us to sway to the beat of the music. To dance the way we do you have to make the rhythm with your feet, not just follow it."
"That sounds very uncivilized!" Effie claims.
"It's not uncivilized; it's just different." Haymitch argues.
"So…" I interject, "You don't have to do the exact same steps as others dancing with you as long as you keep the same rhythm, sometimes it's fun to do the same steps though. Most of the steps in this kind of dancing involve what looks like a hop."
I demonstrate a few for her.
"You highlight the down-beat of the music. Do you know what I mean, Effie?"
"Yes, Peeta I know a great deal about music and dance. I was brought up in high-society after all."
Just then Haymitch manages to find some appropriate music on the music player. The fiddle makes me feel a little homesick. Then Effie starts arguing with Haymitch about how the instrument is really a "violin," and it's backward to call it a "fiddle."
I walk over to Katniss and offer my hand.
"Let's dance," I say smiling. I'm no longer afraid of offending her with strange and intrusive Capitol dances. This dance will bring back home even on this high speed train.
Katniss smiles back and takes my hand.
While beating the music out with lively steps of our feet, we turn in circles, cross the dance floor, criss-cross our arms over our heads, and dance around one another. Then I twirl Katniss, making her giggle. Finally we back away from each other with a very slight bow.
Effie looks at us rather wide-eyed.
"Now," Haymitch says, "Effie needs to experience it!"
"Oh, no thank you," Effie replies.
"Effie. You can't refuse a dance with a gentleman. That would be poor manners," Haymitch says sarcastically.
Katniss stifles a snicker.
Haymitch leads Effie to the middle of the room. He smiles as he quickly starts tapping his feet to the beat with the music. Soon he's dancing with enthusiasm. Effie looks perplexed but tries to follow what he is doing. Katniss and I clap with the rhythm to urge Effie on. She masters a basic step or two before Haymitch twirls her around.
We keep dancing for some time. Katniss and I dance by ourselves for a while, and then Haymitch dances alone. It's a side of Haymitch rarely seen. He always seems drunk, even at the Harvest Festival. In light of what we now know about his dancing, it's surprising that being drunk doesn't cause him to dance. It doesn't though.
"So what do you think?" I ask Effie when we all sit down, out of breath from dancing.
"I think…it's very quaint."
"Quaint? I guess I'll take quaint over uncivilized," Katniss points out.
"So, Effie. Do you want to do it again?" Haymitch asks, sounding like he doesn't believe her description of "quaint" captures her true feelings.
"Yes, let's try it again. An escort should understand her assigned district, no matter how primitive it might be."
Katniss and I give each other knowing glances.
It's too bad that Effie doesn't have the courage to say that her dance lesson was fun.
/
That night Katniss shows me her book of dress designs that's supposed to represent her "talent."
"Oh, you are right. Cinna did a great job on your talent, Katniss!"
"Well, I enjoyed seeing your paintings. You have a real talent. You have two: baking and painting. No, maybe you have three…dancing too."
"Katniss. Don't be silly." I say quietly. "You have talents too; you just don't want to share them with all of Panem. I understand."
Katniss nods.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask after a brief pause. "Did you like the kind of dancing Effie was teaching us today?"
Her eyes dart away.
"I don't know. I didn't like Effie being there with us. If we want to be that close to each other, it should be our choice. She shouldn't make us do it as some kind of show."
"I agree."
"So…maybe we could practice by ourselves," she suggests. "Maybe if we do that then we won't have to practice Effie's kind of dancing in front of her again."
I cut my eyes over at her, surprised.
Standing up, I take her hand.
Katniss' gray eyes glisten
She wraps her free arm around my shoulder. This time every movement is full of feeling, not embarrassment.
My arms feel heavy. Does she really want to do this? She's certainly acting like she does.
I place my hand on her lower back but not quite as far down as Effie had required.
"Oh, music!" I say as I pick up the remote controller for the music player and quickly find a slow and soothing love song.
We sway to the music, just like Effie taught us. We shuffle our feet slightly too…but mostly we just get closer together. Then Katniss leans in to rest her head on my shoulder and wraps a second arm around my neck. I pause for only a moment before placing my other hand on her lower back. Katniss lets out a very soft breath against my neck. I feel a shiver go down my spine. Maybe we'd learn to like Capitol dancing after all!
AN: I based the dancing Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch were teaching Effie on clogging (a traditional form of southern Appalachian dancing). I don't know how to clog, so I hope I described it well enough. Here's a video of people clogging, and it is pretty interesting – though it's an older video. Watch it. You might also be surprised how much the house they're dancing in looks like the houses in District 12 in the film (this clogging film was made in the North Carolina Mountains according to the explanation - which is exactly where the movie The Hunger Games was filmed).
watch?v=cs2j8f7H2WY
(the video is on youtube)
In this story, Effie is basically teaching Peeta and Katniss how to slow dance.
Please review! I'd love to know what you think!