Flashback...
"Go! They are surrounding us. They only way any of us are going to make it is if we take a risk and try attacking. We can't run away from them with time." Peeta stressed to his fellow men. He had been a natural leader from the day he enrolled in the United States army. Rightfully so, too. He worked is way up like the generals had before him. Hell, a year ago he was cleaning toilets and cooking for the five hundred men and women in his district. Now he was the one giving them orders.
"No. If we do that, they'll get us all. We have to find a way out before they capture us!" Finnick called out as their enemy only drew closer rapidly. Peeta Ignored his request even though Finnick was a brother to him. He had no other choice. He motioned towards his people and they began to shoot at the opposing force, the sound of gunshots like thunder that could make anyone death. Lead was fired into their enemy's body, but they only seemed to multiply. Some of Peeta's men and women where shot too, but the ones who could still function kept going.
He glanced behind him to she one fatal shot to a man he hardly knew but regardless, was one of them. Peeta never took it lightly when one of his own died. Even though being a solider is giving your life, many of them went way to soon. Finnick aimed toward one of them hiding behind a slowly decaying brick wall.
"Watch out!" Cried Peeta as he saw the bullet head straight for Finnick. Without another though, He roughly pushed him away, taking three bullets in his left leg.
That was the last thing Peeta Mellark remembered of that battle.
Peeta woke up to the same dream every morning. It felt like his consciousness and his sleep were two different worlds, both with different struggles. While he was awake, he was always thinking t his friends who were left out here in the cruel world while he was given honorable discharge. Truth is, he felt dishonorable. Yes, he lost his leg that day but at the same time, his plans caused the death of four men. But in his dream world, he had to relive that battle every single time he finally convinced himself that sleep was necessary and nightmares had to be there. Not just any battle, the same battle he had been dreaming about every single night for the last week and a half.
Returning to his home town was supposed to be a joyful thing, but now he just felt like an outcast. Like the place just moved on grew without him. It was alright though, New Smyrna Beach was his home. It was a simple beach town in west Florida that had everything it needed; a church, a grocery store, a couple of tourist shops, and little houses were natives and retired old couples lived.
It was sad that he had no one to return home to.
He got in his shower, feeling the hot water rinse away his inner demons. Overseas, they all got brief, lukewarm water as their shower. It was okay, resources were extremely limited. So, as one might imagine, the shower felt so incredible on is partially sunburned skin. He smiled to himself, "After this, I'm going to Flagler Avenue for a real meal."
He slipped his boots on over his prosthetic, the metal cold as he tied the laces. He really was happy to be home, even though his own family neglected to call him once. That was okay though, he wanted little to do with his mother. She was the one who pushed him to enroll on his eighteenth birthday. At least that way he wouldn't be forced to be a lawyer. He would hate making money because someone was facing a lawsuit. But to his family, law was the only respectable occupation.
He got in his old beat up pick up truck that he had bought himself when he was seventeen. He had a job by then. Well, the damn thing was four-hundred dollars, so why the hell not. It worked fine though it exterior was hideous. Besides, now that he was home, he could change the oil.
He walked into The Garlic ,an Italian place where he age all the spaghetti he could possibly eat. While at war, he had the same thing for dinner every day. One glass of milk, some kind of beef patty, a hard biscuit, one egg and some green beans. He was stationed in a particularly corrupt place in the world, so that's all they had. After he ate about three baskets of garlic bread, he paid the check and tipped the waitress.
After what seemed like a feast, he headed down to the small strip mall right next to Flagler beach. Inside was his favorite ice cream place called Sweet Treats, a shop where they sold magic color-changing tee shirts, and a knew place that he had never seen before. Moon path? What kind of pretentious name was that? Peeta laughed to himself, walking inside just to see what a shop called Moon Path would be like. As soon as he walked in, smoke floated through the air. Was the person who ran this place a stoner? Well, he though so until he saw an incense stick burning in a stone bow with leaf gold accents. The walls were painted a deep purplish-blue like the night sky, with little stars and symbols all over.
"Namaste! Welcome to Moon path. Is there anything I could help you with?" Said a voice, and Peeta's eyes trailed to the source. A girl around his age, putting away incense. She looked like a legitimate hippie. Not like one of those girls who makes a peace sign and tells everyone that they were a flower child. She had brown henna on her hands, with a strange symbol on her hand. Her dress was made of white linen, her hair black as coal. Her skin had been tanned from the Florida sun, giving her a tropical look. She had a flower chain around her head with little daisies as if she was a woodland queen.
"Is this a new place? I don't remember this at all." Peeta questioned as he still took the quaint shop in.
"Sure is. Only a few days old, but It's a nice location." She says, stacking records.
It used to be a Salty Dog, a place were tourist could buy a number of beach essentials. I suppose they sold the place or relocated. Besides, most people bought things in the town next to them opposed to shopping in this town.
The smell of smoke relaxed him easing the tension in his muscles, filling his nose with a contradicting smell. Sometimes sweet, other times just smoke. "Hey, what are you burning in here?" He interrogated.
"Nag Champa incense. The thing they use to purify Indian temples, very relaxing stuff." She says, her speaking calm and tranquil. He used to be calm once too. That was until post traumatic stress kicked in and then even the small things brought panic to him. He really needed something soothing.
"What else do you have that soothes the soul?" He chuckles. I mean hell, he would take what he could get. The girl came from behind the counter, revealing the rest of her body. She was quite short, maybe only 5'1". She had long legs though, completely barefoot.
"So, It's peace to crave? Here take this." She gave him a small transparent stone with a symbol inside of it. It was the same symbol that was on her delicate hand as a henna.
"What does that symbol mean? I see it on our hand, I see it on the walls...do you even know what it means?" He asks.
"It's a Shanti. It means that I respect your place in the universe. That we are all one race... the human race. Just a nice thing to have." She whispers. Something about this girl was so different than anyone he'd ever met. It's like she saw his pain, as if she saw the emptiness inside himself.
This place looked surprisingly busy. Though they were the only ones in there at the time, the incense already looked like it had been picked through several times. That was rare here in New Smyrna Beach, were stores were often vacant.
"Hey, are you alright Sir? I hate to invade, but I detect some inner sadness." She whispers.
Katniss had some sass, though it came out to the people that really knew her. She was also stubborn. God, she was so damn stubborn. But through all the hardheadedness, she loved the universe and spiritual cleansing.
"I'm alright," He began, but nothing could be farther from the truth. He rethought what he said, deciding to open up to the strange girl. He didn't even know the young woman's name, but he needed to let loose to someone before the sadness inside built up as a wall to block others out.
"I just got back from Afghanistan. I was stationed there and I guess you could say I'm having a difficult time adjusting." He blurts out, feeling like a blubbering idiot. Nothing was more embarrassing to him than making a stranger his therapist. Especially since he though she was... you know... kind of cute.
"How brave of you, friend. That you for making America a safe place to live." She whispered. Yes, she was a peaceful woman, but if someone hurt someone else who was innocent, she would mess them up verbally. She was a badass hippie if that made any since.
"Don't thank me, It was on my honor. I would have stayed their, but I was shot and I lost my leg. They insisted that I took honorable discharge-I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"My name is Katniss Everdeen. My Hippie name is Moon Path. To be honest, I think it's a ridiculous hippie name but I decided to name my store that." She laughs delicately, "I think you should respect that you got yourself hurt to save the country. You should take honorable discharge as your chance to truly enjoy the world. Oh, Goodness. I totally forgot to ask your name!"
"Peeta. Peeta Mellark. I don't have a hippie name, but I wish I did." He teases, listening to this girl speak. Katniss. What a lovely name. "How about Sunshine? It's probably the most manly hippie name their is." She teases back, a little of her own sass coming out.
"I like it." He gives a hardy chuckle.
"I'll tell you what, you stop by everyday and I'll help you relax. My door is always open. Besides, you are fun company."
That was the start to a friendship that no one saw coming.