Chapter 1:
Katherine POV
We sit in the meadow, in comfortable silence. Henry's buried in the black leather book with slightly yellowed pages. It was from the apothecary shop, but I usually let him use it to record information as he has a lot more knowledge for this kind of thing. I play with a blade of lovegrass, then finally lean over to take a look at what he's doing. I see a bunch of blank ink drawings, different flowers & plants, with words printed neatly underneath. Henry shades lightly, working on a new drawing. I trace a faded flower on the book with my finger, than read aloud, "Primrose."
I look up to see him smiling down at me."It's a flower, he says, then flushes slightly. "No,really?" We laugh, then I look back down to the book of plants.
"Primrose," I repeat, savouring the word. "Pretty name for a kid, yeah?" Henry nods. "Yeah, a delicate flower. I like this one too..." He flips the pages and stops on a page, pointing at another beautiful flower. "Katniss. A pond plant, often supplying-" I read, squinting when a familiar voice speaks.
"Well, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Maysilee POV
My eyelids flutter and I yawn, stretching. Rays of sunlight from the early morning sun stretch across the bedsheets and blankets. I glance at the alarm clock- it's barely seven in the morning. I can hear the vague sound of a bell tinkling, and my mother's voice sounding out a cheery greeting. Someone must have just entered the sweet shop my family- the Donners- owned.
I leap out of bed, take a bath, then change into a thin black shirt, brown jacket, pants and boots. Pulling my blonde hair into a high swinging ponytail, I snatch a glance in the mirror when something glistening catches my sight. It's my mockingjay pin, it's been in the family for generations. A mockingjay, songbirds, the result of a a mockingbird and a jabberjay. It flies in a circle of gold, and it's breathtakingly beautiful. I grab it from the dressing table. In the mirror, I see my twin sister stir in bed before sitting up slowly.
"Mornin', lazy bones," I say, fastening my pin, grabbing my blowpipe and heading for the door of our bedroom. Marianne scowls at the pipe, and I shift it from my left hand to my right. It's a real beauty, my blowpipe. It was fashioned and given to me by Henry Everdeen, one of my closest friends from the Seam for my fourteenth birthday last year.
"It's not late, it's not even half past seven. And I hate than you're going hunting again. We don't need it." Marianne shook her beautiful blonde hair back as she climped out of bead slowly. The sunlight reflected off her wavy hair, flowing past her shoulders.
"It's just for fun, Marie. Henry says I'm getting better with my aim, that I'm a natural," I grin, " And of course we don't need it, I pass whatever we catch to Henry or anyone else in the Seam. I'm not staying here to sell sweets, no thank you, you do that." I walk down the hallway of our house as I speak, whistling to my songbird as I walk by. Marianne trails after me, continuing to go on about how I flout the rules, and so on.
I nod absently, then swing the front door open to see my seventeen year old neighbour Boyce Undersee, right at my door, fist poised up to knock. Marianne lets out a squeak and dashes back into our room, no doubt to fix her hair. I grin knowlingly, then smile at the rosy cheeked, plump and short boy. He returns the smile, then tuts at my attire, knowing that I'm going hunting. I roll my eyes. "Nobody gives a damn about the rules, Boyce. Relax. Marie's up in her room, just knock. Sorry, gotta run." I pat his shoulder and duck past him, rushing down the porch stairs/ he shrugs, waving, before entering the house and closing the door behind him.
I dart in and out of the morning crowd, nodding at the many familiar faces. I stop at the Mellark's Bakery. " Three loaves, fresh." I place a note on the counter. Frances Mellark appears. I don't know him well cause he's a year older than me, but just about everyone in school knows he's got a major crush on Katherine tavern, my best friend. Of course, it's no wonder, Kate's the beauty of our town. She lives two doors away from me and Frances blushes everytime she drops by the bakery for pastries.
"Say hi to Kate for me." He says shyly, and blushes an even deeper red. "Oh and good luck to her...and you too, of course. May the odds be ever in your favour!" He smiles, and I laugh lightly. It would have been a lot funnier, but the way Frances says stuff... somehow it's so quiet it kind of kills the joke.
I run a bit more, heading for the rolling hills, taking short cuts through the woods. By the time I reach the meeting place, Kate and Henry are already there. Henry's staring over Kate with a fascinated look on his face, as she, totally oblivious, bends over a black leather book. I choke back a snigger and step out from behind a tree, smirking.
"Well, I hope I'm not interrupting anything,"
Yayy! New fanfic;) To any of the TUQOCHB readers, SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING in like... forever. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS:) Sorry, I just have major exams and all... so yeah, I hope you enjoyed it, comment!