Welcome to "In A Faraway Place!" To understand this, you will have to read the first part of the story, "Once Upon A Time." Here's a link!
.net/s/8011736/1/Once_Upon_A_Time
Here's the first chapter! As always, enjoy and review!
When Peeta and I lay in bed that night, I think back on the past year. I can't believe how fast it's all happened.
It all began when Peeta and I were reaped for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Peeta kissed me on the carriage in the opening parade, and because of that kiss, Snow changed the rule so that two victors could be crowned if they were the last two alive and from the same district. Our relationship grew very physical (and very public) very fast. That's basically all Caesar could talk about in our interview, besides the fact that Peeta kind of sort of told Caesar that I was pregnant. Which I wasn't . . . yet. The night of the interview, on the roof of the Training Center, Peeta and I conceived our daughter, Audree, who's a little over two months old.
We went into the Games the next day, still believing that I wasn't really pregnant. We gathered our supplies, almost died of dehydration, and tried to cause a 'miscarriage' in any way possible. But obviously, it wasn't good enough, because Audree lived. We didn't kill anybody until the District 1 tributes attacked us. I killed the girl. The boy tried to attack us. Peeta fought back, got wounded badly, and I finished him off. Peeta was so close to death and I knew that Haymitch wanted us to do something affectionate, so we talked about the night on the Training Center. Thankfully, Haymitch sent us medicine, along with a note telling us, and I quote, to 'do it.' So we did. A lot.
We found the District 2 tributes. I killed Clove and made Cato very angry. So angry, in fact, that he sliced Peeta's leg, sat him against the tree, and began to violate me, for lack of a better word. Peeta impaled Cato with his own sword and he was dead in seconds. Peeta and I were named victors. We woke up weeks later in a hospital bed only to find that I was over a month pregnant with our daughter. Upon hearing this, the Capitol freaked, and so did my mother. We didn't speak until the day Audree was born. Now, our relationship is very different.
The Quell is upon us now. The spin this year is that tributes who are from the ages 7 to 10 will fight to death in the arena. Vick Hawthorne, Gale's nine year old brother, and Blye Aldjoy, Peeta's seven year old neighbor, are District 12's tributes. And we're determined to do anything we can to get them both out alive.
"Good morning, baby girl," I hear Peeta say the next morning. When I wake, the sun is shining right onto my face. "Oh, sorry," he says, pulling the curtain shut. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. "It just felt . . . dark in here."
"It's fine," I say, sitting up and running a hand through my hair.
"Feeling any better?" Peeta asks. The rooms on the train are monitored, so I know he's using a broad phrase to ask if I'm doing any better than last night, when I was sobbing about everything.
I shrug my shoulders. "A bit." I assume the Capitol's thinking I'm feeling under the weather. They're probably assuming I'm pregnant again. I can hear Claudius now. Those kids from District 12 just can't keep their hands off each other! They'll have ten kids by the time they're thirty! However true the first part of that statement was, the second's completely untrue. Peeta and I have decided to have no more children until this world is a safer place for kids. Peeta has stocked up on all sorts of protection, but it isn't like we've needed it. We've only gone as far as needing protection once since Audree was born, and that was one afternoon when Prim and my mother took Audree to see the garden they've been planting in their backyard.
"You know, they're going to discuss the wedding," Peeta says.
I nod. "I haven't even thought about it," I say. "With Audree, and mentoring."
"I know," Peeta says. "But after these Games, hopefully we'll have plenty of time to think about it. I mean, just until the Victory Tour."
"We only go on the tour if one of our tributes wins," I say.
"Exactly," Peeta says, winking to me. "Oh, shit, all her diapers are in the bathroom." He grabs Audree and walks into the bathroom. I know enough to follow. The bathroom's our secret place on the trains and in rooms in the Capitol. They have enough decency to keep that private.
"How're you really doing?" Peeta asks when the door closes. I shrug again.
"I'm an emotional teenage girl, Peeta," I say.
Peeta snorts. "That was funny," he laughs. "You, emotional. Good one."
I laugh. "I have emotions."
"Yeah, you have them, you just don't show them," Peeta says. "To anyone but me, of course."
"Well, yeah, you're one of, like, four people on this planet that I trust," I say.
"Is Audree one of those people?" Peeta asks. "Because, although she's the greatest little thing ever, I don't think she counts."
"She does too," I say, taking her from him. "Good morning, sweetie." I kiss her cheek. "See? Emotions."
He laughs and shakes his head. "Whatever."
"So, um . . ." I say. "I think we need to talk to Haymitch. About the whole . . . rebellion thing."
Peeta freezes at the word 'rebellion.' "Do you really think a Capitol train is a place to have this conversation?"
"I do," I say firmly. "I mean, we've got to stop these Games, preferably before they start. I can't sit and watch seven year olds kill each other."
"I completely agree, but we can't talk about this now," Peeta says. "We need to find Haymitch and do this completely off the train, okay?"
I nod. He's right. For all we know, they've bugged the bathrooms in the train since we were last on it. I mean, it's been six or so months since we were here.
I shower and get dressed and we go down to breakfast. Blye and Vick are eating with Haymitch, who's talking to them about some Capitol cartoon program that all three enjoy watching. I sometimes wonder how Haymitch got us out of the Games alive.
"Morning," I say, setting Audree in the high chair they've provided for her.
"Morning," Haymitch says. "How was your evening?"
"Good," Peeta says, pulling out a chair for me. "And yours?"
"Fantastic," Haymitch says. "I love the Capitol beds, they're just so comfortable."
"You have a Capitol bed in your home," Effie says incredulously. She's sitting at the couch, frowning at some magazine.
"Doesn't mean I sleep in it!" Haymitch snaps. "Normally I pass out on the couch." He turns to Blye and Vick. "Which are also incredibly comfortable."
They smile and continue eating. "You two," Haymitch says, turning to us. "When we get to the Capitol, be sure to show the baby off." He looks at Audree and frowns. "What the hell happened to her arm?"
"Peeta's psychopathic mother happened to her arm," I say.
"Lovely," Haymitch says. "Keep her in long sleeves until it heals."
"Duh," Peeta says.
"Caesar's going to interview you two once the Games begin. That's where I think we should get the ball rolling." By ball, I realize he means rebellion. "You know, about the wedding. Tell them all the plans you have."
"Of course," I say.
"Yeah, sure," Peeta says. "Makes sense."
"I think we should shoot for it to happen next summer," Haymitch says. "That's when all this stupid planning can be over." So he wants the rebellion over and won by next summer? Fat chance of that. Unless he's already started something, and we're just the mouthpieces. Unless we're just the representatives of this whole thing. That's when I realize that Peeta and I don't know anything that's going on.
"We still don't know what's going on with everything," I say. "Cinna said he was going to send me dresses, I mean. To try on."
Haymitch gives me a dirty look. "Well, I suppose you'll have to talk to him when we arrive in the Capitol." I smile smugly. He completely understood.