Camera bulbs flash in our faces as we exited the train. The cameramen started to ask us questions but I was too busy to answer them. All I was trying to do was see my family and Gale. The only people around us were cameramen, no citizens of District 12. The train station was empty except for the reporters and us.
"We are absolutely delighted to be back in District 12. Aren't we sweetie?" he asks. I snapped back into attention.
"Oh! Yes, we're so happy to be home; to see our family and friends," I say flashing them a smile. Effie stepped in front of us.
"Now I'm sure you'd love to ask them questions but they must be go get ready for the festivities," she says shooing them away. Wait what?
"What about our families?" I whisper into Effie's ear.
"You'll see them after you're all dolled up," she says. Octavia, Flauvia, and Venia come over and Peeta and I are whisked off to get ready. I can tell he is just as disappointed as I that we're not going see our families right away. We'd have to wait a few hours. After I'm all done, Cinna comes in; with him is a black bag. He pulls out a comfortable outfit.
"Thank you," I state as I slip on the dark jeans. My top, not surprisingly, has the design of flames rising from the bottom of it.
"May I?" He asks holding my pin. I nod and he pins it just under my left shoulder.
"You truly are the Girl on Fire Katniss," he says.
"You're the reason that I am Cinna," I say. He smiles and I look in the mirror. My dark hair is pulled back in a simple braid. My cheeks have a light blush on them and my eyelashes had mascara on them. Hunting boot encase my feet. Cinna had my mother bring them. How I missed her, Prim, and Gale. From what I was told by Haymitch that all of Panem thought that Gale and I were cousins; we looked like it anyway. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Are we ready?" Effie asks. She was dressed in a fuchsia suit that matched her hair.
"Let's go," I say. I stepped out of the room I was in and Peeta held his elbow out.
"Let's go see our families," he says. I placed my hand in the inside of his elbow and we stepped out of the building. All of District 12 was in the square; in the front of the crowd stood our families. Holding Prim up high was Gale. I wasn't waiting anymore and I ran down the stairs of the stage grabbing hold of Prim. She squeezes me tight as we both cry.
"You came back," she says.
"Of course I did my little duck," I say as I tuck in her white blouse. I place her back on the ground and my mother hugs me next.
"Your father would be proud," she says. Mother doesn't talk much about him and it doesn't help that our relationship became strained after his death.
"Thank you," I said. I look over and see Peeta and his family. Both his parents are crying as they hug Peeta. I'm tapped on the shoulder and I turn around. Gale develops me in a big hug. I smell the scent of animals on his shirt and I know he's been out hunting. I also catch another scent; smoke. He's been down to the mines.
"You took care of them," I say instead of asking him about the mines. I wanted to wait till the cameras were gone. Would we have a private moment soon? Would our families have a private moment?
"Just like I said I would," he says.
"I hate to break up the family reunions but we have to get a move on," Effie says into the microphone. Peeta and I break away from our families and we hold each others' hands as we walk back up stage. Effie talks about Peeta and me going on the Victory Tour. The Tour was not to take place for several months though. This week we'd celebrate and have fun with friends and family. I scanned the crowd as she continued to talk. I didn't see Madge. I heard her father's voice as Effie stepped away from the microphone.
"Welcome home, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark," Mayor Undersee says shaking our hands. Madge, I now see, is near the front corner of the crowd. She is dressed in a pale yellow dress and her hair is down. She waves to me and smiles. I give her a small smile and Peeta and I are pulled backstage, away from the crowd. The cameras are on Effie outside and Peeta lets go of my hand.
"Now the cameras will be following you around for several weeks. Then you'll have some privacy for a while but once the preparations for the Victory Tour starts, they'll return," Haymitch tells us quietly.
"There you go Katniss, you just have to act for few weeks," Peeta says.
"You both better keep up the lovey- dovey act! Need I remind you the Snow is less than pleased about what happened at the end of the Games?" Haymitch asks.
"No we don't need reminding!" I snap at him. Of course I didn't need a reminder. What Snow could do frightened me and I certainly didn't want to make him angrier. Before Haymitch could say anything Effie entered.
"Now, who is ready to celebrate?" she asks. Peeta and I return to our families. Madge comes over and gives me a hug.
"You and Peeta are so adorable together!" She squeals.
"Thanks," I say and I take the pin off, "You can have this back."
"No! It's yours. You deserve it," she says and she gives me another hug, "I'm so glad you're alive." Next to Gale, Madge was my closest friend.
"Me too," I say. Prim clings to me and she starts talking about what happened while I was gone. She talks about how after I left more people bought Lady's milk; about how Gale brought in food as often as he could.
"Mom also let me help out more with her patients," she says, "You did the right thing Katniss back in the cave and at the end with Peeta's leg," she says.
"I learned all that from you," I say picking her up. She smiles, showing all her teeth and I see my mom give a small smile out of the corner of my eye.
"I apologize for breaking up the reunion but I have a special outfit for Katniss to wear. For the festivities later tonight," Cinna says.
"You can come too, I have several outfits. You can pick out which one she should wear," he says to Prim.
"Really?" she asks.
"Really," he says. I mouth 'Thank you' to Cinna.
"I'll go finish up packing up our stuff," my mother says, "We're moving to Victors' Village soon." She heads on in the opposite direction.
My first outfit was a dress the same shade of the dress I wore on reaping day. The dress itself though was much different. It was longer than my mother's and it was a halter style. Even though in the past few weeks I had worn several dresses I still felt uncomfortable in them. Prim shook her head no. Then I was put in a simple cream dress. Cinna put me in clothes I noticed that were unlike the ones I wore in the Capitol.
"I like this one," Prim says, "But something is missing." She whispers something into Cinna's ear and he smiles.
"Of course, how could I forget?" he asks. Prim pins the Mockingjay pin to my dress and smiles.
"You look beautiful," she says.
"Thank you, little duck," I say. We say our goodbyes and thanks to Cinna and we head out to the square. People are dancing all around, laughing, and children are playing games. The festivities I knew would go on for a while but all I was really interested in was finding Gale and talking to him. Peeta comes up to us.
'The cameras' he mouths to me. He took a hold of my hand. It was just another reminder that I hurt him, that our relationship would be forced from now on.
"Shall we go to our new homes?" he asks. I nod, hoping the cameras won't follow. They do though as we head to Victors' Village. Prim talks all the way back to the Village and I zone out. I know that our relationship won't be the same. I want to explain what happened, about how I really felt for him. The question was; would he ever give me the opportunity to do so?
A/N: So what'd y'all think? Please Review! If you want a bit more please say so in your review!