Well, in tribute to my 11th Story, which is also my favorite number, I've decided to write an Everlark fanfiction.
This is kind of my first one for The Hunger Games, and I absolutely love this trilogy and movie.
Disclaimer: OCs are mine unless stated, I do not own the Hunger Games.
Special Thanks to Yuu, my Beta for this story, she has a FF account but doesn't want to reveal it since she's kind of scared of the internet and its Fandom.
Enjoy!
Infinity
Prologue
The first ray of sunlight dips into the thatched hut I'm living.
It's broken and pieces of it is still falling out even though I've only fixed it a few days ago with the debris I traded with Al, the new resident in the Hob.
Still, I like it this way, broken and all; it kind of represents my life.
I shift a little and rise from the bed, the hinges groaning under my weight. Prim sleeps, snuggling with that broken kitten of hers -Buttercup.
Everyone seems to be sleeping and I decide not to wake Prim up. It's the reaping day, might as well sleep in.
But even though the bed beckons me, I slip on my hunting jacket and rush to the bakery.
Peeta is waiting for me.
The hearty smell of bread wafts from the bakery and I allow myself a small smile. It's evident that Peeta is up.
I venture into the back and knock on the door three times. Stop. Two times, and three times again-it's our secret code-. The door flings open and Peeta, with his cerulean blue eyes and flour-dusted hair, grins at me.
"Hey Katniss," He greets.
"Hey yourself." I say.
He pats my hair and brings me in, "Your Mother's not here?" I ask.
"She's still sleeping,"
I silently nod and sit on one of the countertop, absent-mindedly taking a cheesebun and start tearing it into pieces, popping bits into my mouth. The cheesy taste mixed with the fluffy white flour tastes so good.
"You want to go to the woods today?" I ask.
Peeta wriggles a brow at me, "I can't. After the reaping today, I need to patch some bread to the seam kids."
Peeta is always a kind boy-well, he's 18 but to me he's so innocent-and that one time when he went to the Hob with me-and still is- with me, he saw those starving seam kids who huddled close to one another for warmth. The merchants in the Hob try to fatten them up whenever it's the reaping so the Capitol won't assign them to the orphanage.
Since then, Peeta has been working out baking loaves of sunflower seeds, raisins-typically, any kind of dried fruits or nuts-bread and rationing it to the kids. That was how the people in the Hob came to accept him and Sae even gives a bowl of her famous-or should I say infamous- Rat Stew to him for free.
His Mother knows, but she just grits her teeth and smacks Peeta in the face. That's how his Mother works, no lashing of the tongue, Just violence.
I've learned that the bad way when I came to visit Peeta one morning and she had screamed at me to go away.
And the next day, Peeta had a blue bruise on his face that lasted for two weeks.
"Just go with Katniss," A coarse voice says from the front door.
Peeta spins around, "Dad,"
I jump off the countertop in surprise and land with a loud thud, "Mr Mellark."
"It's reaping day, just go." He grunts.
I look at Peeta hopefully. This is the last day we're going to spend together, that is if either of us was drawn.
He bares his teeth into a full grin, and it's one of those particular smiles that make my whole body tingle and fill with unbearable warmth.
Peeta gets rid of his apron and dusts the flour out of hair. He puts on a black jacket and takes a basket, "It's prepared for tomorrow after we finish the reaping."He explains when I scowl at him.
"You know what I say about the goods being taken from the bakery." I sigh.
Whenever Peeta takes fresh bread from the bakery, I highly object since he doesn't even get to eat it. It makes me feel weak. How unfair it must be for him but he's making concessions for me.
"It's a special treat," He says, "Mother allowed it."
I stuck a tongue out at him playfully and he chuckles.
"See you at two!" Peeta's dad shouts when we left the bakery.
We rush for the fence when I stop Peeta to hear the tell-tale sign of buzzing from the electric fence and when I confirm its dead silent, Peeta climbs in first to the other side of the fence and lifts it up for me.
"Thanks," I whisper, crouching down and climbing over.
Peeta grunts softly and takes my hand leading me into the north-side of the woods to the Cave.
The Cave is our hide-out, our secret meeting place. It's not much, only a cave and it can only both of us to in, we've haven't decorated it yet, but I'm planning to as a surprise for Peeta.
Peeta found the Cave when I was up in a tree hunting for squirrels and he was at a newly discovered Berry Patch-He wanted to bake a jam tart later on- and when a squirrel dashed by, he chased after it and ended up at the entrance of the Cave.
It was covered with thick vines and stocky plants that twined in odd angles and circles. He had called my name when he started hacking the plants away.
I helped him by grabbing and pulling at the vines and we cleared most of the entrance together.
"Katniss," Peeta says softly, and I turn to see him already in the Cave and spreading out a table cloth in the middle of it. There's a dish of smoked ham, delectable cheeses with crackers and a loaf of pine seed bread.
Peeta brings out a thermal filled with Hot Chocolate and two cinnamon roll along to dip it with.
I scoot over to his side, leaning against him hip to hip. Taking a cinnamon roll and dipping it into the cup of Hot Cocoa.
A peaceful takes over and I'm almost content when Peeta urges me into his lap and makes lazy circle on the small of my back.
"Katniss," He sighs, "I'm really happy you're still here with me."
I look up at him, his eyes closed but his brows twisting together. It means he has something to say, something important to tell.
I squirm, whatever he's going to say, I know. We've been through this conversation a lot of times, every time he says it before the Games. Before the horror starts,
Every time I'd managed to escape from him, from this conversation, but he seems determined to tell me what's going on in his mind today.
"Katniss," He repeats again, "I love you." Peeta murmurs into my hair, "I love you ever since the day you talked to me. I want you to be strong today, no, forever, at the reaping. You'll promise me you'll be strong, I'll be there for you, Always."
The words strikes me like an arrow to my heart. How does Peeta know I cry myself to sleep every single reaping?
Was it out of relieve or selflessness? Seeing Prim not being reaped or knowing the fact that two children are sent to the Games?
Maybe it was someone I knew that was reaped. I know I can't bear the fact if either Madge or her boyfriend Gale was going to be reaped.
Every year, I see two new faces up on stage, shaking hands and seeing the world for one last time.
They can't deny fate, they're going to die, whether they like it or not.
Before I know it, everyone in this district has held a place in my heart.
Till this day, I can't find a way to relieve my sorrow. It hits me like a wave, relentless.
No one is there to comfort me.
"How did you-?"
"Shh…" Peeta stills, stroking my braid and tugging at the band that holds it together and it falls into a chocolate waterfall, "Let me be there for you," He lays me down and lean in, our lips inches apart that I think he wants to kiss me until he kisses my cheek, right above my eye.
Only then did I know I was crying.
No one has ever cared for me, My Father died, Mum shut down and our relationship soured, Prim is too small to be relied on. Only Peeta, Sweet Peeta.
"Okay?" He chokes out, his own tears threatening to fall.
"Okay." I lift my hand up to wipe his tears.
For a moment, shock registers in his face, then pleasure and pure joy.
He seems to be doing a little jig in his head, so I lean in and brush my lips against his.
He stares at me, stunned, and a weird expression that I deem is Lust and Need takes over his face.
He crashes his mouth to mine, lip against lip, teeth against teeth. The sudden action makes me lie back down, wrapping my arms around his neck in a attempt to pull him closer.
He tastes just like bread and vanilla, like summer with a hint of salt from his tears.
Peeta grins into the smile and shifts so that my thigh is on his back.
His tongue caresses my lower lip gently and I open my mouth. He thrust his tongue in and explores my whole mouth, stroking every part and our tongue tangles in a fiery dance.
He pulls back his tongue and my own follow and slips inside him. I involuntarily give a small moan.
That sets something in him and his erection is evident when he presses against my belly.
For what seems like hours, we finally break apart and Peeta trails kisses down my jaw line and neck, I sigh happily and slip a hand under his clothes and make patterns on his abs.
He groans and sucks on a sensitive spot on my tongue that I'm sure is going leave a hickey.
"Mine," He breathes against my neck.
"Yours," I say back to him.
He leans onto a rock to settle his crotch and I squeeze my thighs together to ease the tension between it.
He presses a gentle kiss on my forehead and smiles, "Perfect."
I smile back, "Let's go?" I pull him up, "We've got a reaping to attend."
I collect Prim and my Mother at our house and lead Prim to the stand where they take your attendance and register your name.
"Prim, I'll go to the other group,' I clasp her hand, "Follow Riley, Okay?"
Prim nods slowly, her face pale. I give her a reassuring squeeze and smiles tightly.
Riley is Prim's best friend, and I'm pretty sure I can trust her with Riley.
"Good Luck, Katniss." She swallows tentatively.
Peeta decided to go back to the bakery to unload his basket, and now my eyes roam around the crowd to find him.
I spot him now, his blonde hair flouncing lightly in the air, his eyes flitting back and forth between the girl's and boy's name slip bowl with a worried expression.
That's when I notice there are four bowls placed at the table.
Before I know it, Effie Trinket is on the stage welcoming us with her silly Capitol accent.
They show us the footage of District 13 and the brief history of the Dark Days until President Snow's face blasts into the screen.
His Snake-Like eyes and Puffy Lips are enough to make me tremble.
"I'm happy to be here in this time of the year to address our citizens," He says, "I am even more delighted to tell you there's a slight rule change to the Games. Following the two tributes being drawn, two more will be reaped again to act as Shadows." He pauses to cough into his white handkerchief. "As I was saying, two Shadows will be drawn to escort the tributes from the three days at the Capitol to the arena. More information will be given at the Capitol during training."
With that, his venomous disguised face is gone, leaving the district confused as ever.
"Let us continue," Effie pips, "Ladies first!"
She exhales and reaches into the bowl and pulls out a slip, I barely have time to pray for Prim's and my Safety when she's reading out the name.
"Cassidy Keller."
An ashen-black hair girl makes her way up confidently to the stage.
She has the gray eyes and olive skin from the Seam but the way she looks so build despite her skinny figure and how she is so clean doubts it.
"This, I like!" Effie giggles, beckoning to Cassidy. "Now for the boys,"
She stomps around in her skinny pine heels shoes and crosses over to the bowl-It shocks me on how she could have wore those silly things- and plucks out a slip from the many.
I look at Peeta, his face peacefully-serene and just for a moment; I had a selfish though that he was relieved because I wasn't drawn.
"Peeta Mellark."
The name bounces around my head, swirling every nerves, blocking every thought.
How can Peeta be drawn? The person I'm sure I rely, trust and love-I might as well admit that-the most.
Before I know it, my feet is moving on its own accord and my mouth is gaping.
"I volunteer!" I scream, "I volunteer as a Shadow for Peeta Mellark."