It was going to rain soon. I could tell from the sweet smell in the air and the gray clouds rolling in from the west. I picked up my pace as much as I could without unnecessary noise, hoping to make it home before the heavens opened, and also hoping to check all the snares before turning in. I always looked forward to rain, but I wasn't equipped this particular Sunday afternoon with my rubber boots, meaning my leather shoes and thin socks would be soaked through within minutes. The thought drifted through my mind to take Peeta out with me tomorrow, one of the many benefits of rain being that the soft ground makes it easier for him to help me hunt, instead of hindering me with his loud clumsy steps. A twig snapped and my mind returned to reality with a jolt:, we wouldn't be here tomorrow, we would be on the train to the capitol.
After a half hour of checking the mostly empty snares, I hit the thin road that leads to the center of District 12. I broke into a jog, knowing full well there was no need to be quiet anymore, the critters of the woods learned quickly enough not to come anywhere near this road. It has been consistently packed with travelers since it's opening six months ago. The opening of the road was a huge deal for the Districts, having been previously isolated from each other, and the Capitol threw a huge party for the occasion. President Paylor took the inaugural trip through all of the districts on the back of a beautiful white horse, stopping in each one for a feast to celebrate the finalized trade agreement with each District Mayor.
I jogged past the airstrip and the new education campus and finally hit town square just as the rain started to come down in a fine mist. I passed under the archway that held a beautiful brass sign with the words "The Hobb" engraved on them. It was my idea of course, to name the new open air street market in the center of town after the old illegal trading post. I am still considered a celebrity here in District 12, especially amongst the immigrants from the Capitol. This means both Peeta and I hold minor positions in the district's government, and that we are both paraded around for the cameras whenever anything important happens. It annoying and inconvenient most of the time, but other times, like with the naming of the new market, it has its perks.
I ducked into the bakery now, which still stands in the same place it did when Peeta's parents owned it, though it has doubled in size. The bakery is still owned by Peeta, but now has four employees. The newest is a young kid named Avery who is freckle- faced and has the brightest red hair I have ever seen on someone who hasn't dyed it with chemicals like they do in the Capitol. I knew I would find Peeta here even though it wasn't one of his regular working days, because he has been working with Avery every day this week, trying to get him ready to help out while Peeta and I are gone on tour.
Peeta looked up as I walked in and his face lit up. Our relationships baffles me to this day, how we managed to survive the Games and the War against all odds will always be something that confuses me. I never doubted that Peeta deserved a long and happy life, that was at times the only thing in the world I knew for certain, but me? Confusing. We have gone from strangers, to opponents, to allies, to fakely in love, to fakely engaged, to fakely married, to fake parents, and then Peeta was hijacked and we turned into enemies. You don't go through all of that without becoming close. He is truly the only person who knows what I have been through. He still struggles sometimes, unable to see the distinction between reality and the nightmares that haunt him, but I am always there to help clear things up. "Hey Katniss, how was hunting?" Peeta asks. "I got a decent haul today" I reply, "not enough to make up for being gone the next twelve days, but plenty for us to get by on." Peeta smiles and grabs his bag and umbrella then heads toward the door, "I will let Mabel close up the shop tonight, we should get home before the rain picks up." Just at that moment Mabel, the nice older woman that helps Peeta at the bakery and rents the room upstairs, walks in shaking her head. "Avery burnt another batch of rolls, third time today" she mumbles. "He will learn" Peeta smiles at me and winks, "I burnt a few loaves of bread in my day and I turned out just fine."
Peeta and I walk arm and arm under his bright orange umbrella up the cobbled path that leads to what used to be known as "Victor's Village", but is now just referred to as "The Village". The houses here are still the nicest in town, and now all twelve are full. After the war the houses in the village were given to war heroes and their families as a thank-you from the new government. Peeta and I walk into the house on the edge of the village that we share.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Peeta asks as he sets the table for dinner. I pause, trying to collect my thoughts about the tour Peeta and I would be departing on in the morning, "Yes and no" I reply, "I am excited to get to see my mom, and Gale," I take a deep breath, "but I can't help thinking about it as another victory tour." Peeta gives a weak smile, "Me too, but at least this time we will be coming back together for sure." I return his smile and busy myself at the stove.
Tomorrow Peeta and I will depart on what is being called the "Naming Tour". We will stop at each district for feasts celebrating the naming of each District. The government has decided that each district within Panem deserves to be named uniquely. They have even given the power to each district to choose a name for themselves. At each stop on the tour we will be attending an official naming ceremony where the most popular name, as voted by the people of each district, will be announced.
It seems silly to me, to make such a big deal about what to call the districts, but I know all of the extravagance isn't for my benefit. It is for the people in the capital, and the other districts, who can't easily see the vast improvements that have been made since the war. They are used to parties and celebrity, so that is what they will get. Unfortunately for me, this means Peeta and I will board the same train that took us to the games twice. We will be styled and prepped and filmed by the cameras. Although this time I need not fear death, the parallels will be hard to ignore and I am afraid of getting lost in old nightmares.
My fear must be apparent on my face because Peeta comes up behind me, snaking his arms around my waist, "It will be OK Katniss, this is a good thing. Everyone will be happy to see us, we still need to give them hope" he mutters with his face pressed against my hair. I turn in his arms and tilt my face up to look in his eyes, "Hope for what? The war is over. No one is dying of hunger. Everything is good now." He smiles down at me and plants a kiss on my forehead, "It easy for us to see how good things are, but not for everyone. Not for the people who lost loved ones in the war, or who had their homes destroyed and had to relocate, or for all of the people that lost their jobs and their way of life." I leaned into him and took a deep breath, he is right of course. I still think of Prim every day, and even though there has been huge improvements in District 12 we are far from rebuilt. The entire area known as the Seam when I grew up there is still uninhabitable, meaning our already small district has an even smaller population as it did before the war.
After dinner was cleaned up we headed to bed early, knowing tomorrow would require more energy than most days. Effie would be here bright and early to make sure we are ready for the cameras. I climbed into bed next to Peeta and curled up at his side. "At least we'll be together" I murmured while drawing lazy circles on the back of his hand, "at least we won't have to pretend this time." Peet looked down at me and smiled, "you are right, no more pretending."
Thank you so much for reading! This is my first ever fic. This story has been bouncing around in my head for a while, so I decided to give it a shot. PLEASE let me know what you think! If this gets a good response, I plan on writing 12 more chapters, one for each of Katniss and Peeta's adventures in the 12 Districts. Thanks again for reading! :)
