Summary: every victor is supposed to have a talent. Something the Capitol can interview you about. Katniss, however, has no talent, so she enlists the help of her mother, Prim and Effie to help her come up with a suitable talent.
Katniss pov. 1st person. Multi chapter.
Got this idea after reading the books for the nth time. I love those books so much. Really enjoyed writing this.
Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins so I own nothing.
Hope you enjoy reading.
"Katniss," Prim asks me as I set about clearing the dinner plates from the table. "Have you started working on your talent yet?"
I groan audibly. My talent. The activity that a victor takes up since they don't have to work either in school or their district industry.
"I'll take that as a no, then." Prim smiles. I can't help but to smile back. Prim is one of the few people in the world that can make me genuinely smile.
"You know me too well." I tell her.
She gives me a little giggle. "Of course." She beams at me, picking up one of the wet dishes and drying it. "I'm your sister, silly."
I smile and shake my head at her, washing another dish in the sink. This is something I'm still not used to, having running hot water on tap. But it came with the house when we moved to the Victors Village.
"Howcome you ask, anyway? About my talent?"
Prim shrugs. "Effie called and left a mesage for you. She went on at some length about perfecting it now so you'll be ready when the cameras arrive to interview you about it. So you will be on schedule." Prim pauses and looks at me, "is she always like that, Katniss?"
"Yes, unfortunately." I can just imagine Effie now, trilling on about the importance of staying on schedule and about how I am expected to have a talent and if I havent then I am a very boring person indeed.
"But the interview is six weeks away, though." I say.
"That's not very long." Prim states. "Don't you have anything you could do as a talent? "
I have to think about this. Do I have any talents? Any real talents?
No.
None.
"Not really." I answer. "Unless they count hunting. But that's illegal so they probably don't. "
And the last thing I want to do is to go flaunting my illegal activities in the the Capitol's face, I add mentally. I'm in enough trouble as it is with President Snow for my stunt with the poison berries in the arena. I can't add any more oil to the fire. Haymitch was very clear in his instructions: 'now with this talent thing. Just pick something simple, keep out of trouble, and for gods sakes dont do anything stupid. Can you do that, sweetheart?'
I shake my head and sigh. "I don't really have any talents."
Prim looks at me as we finish cleaning the dishes and putting them away between us. "You can sing." She says, hopefully. "That's a talent. Not everyone can sing. And when you sing even the birds stop to listen to you."
Her voice dies off slowy as she finishes her thought. Her voice becoming no more than a quiet whisper, "…just like when dad used to sing."
"Yes." I sigh heavily. It's true, I can sing. I inherited that from father. But the Capitol has already taken every aspect of my life and exploited it. I won't let them have my one last connection to my father. I can't.
"But I really don't want to sing for the Capitol." I say to her.
She just nods, I dont even need to explain myself to her, such is the bond we have.
"Because of dad?" She asks. I nod.
"They're already taking my future. They can't have the things that mattered to me in the past. They can't..."
My voice begins to break up and then all I can feel is my little sister's warm arms around me.
She just nods at me and smiles softly. "It's okay Katniss, we'll help you come up with a talent so you dont have to sing for them."
"Thankyou." I whisper. Holding her close to me. Because I am truly thankful she understands. Even if I am being selfish and hoarding my singing voice, the one thing in the world I am just a little bit good at besides hunting, away from the world.
She releases me and we put the rest of the dishes away.
"So have you got any ideas on what I could do as a talent?" I ask, "I mean, now that singing is out."
"We could ask mother." She muses, "she may have some ideas."
"Alright."
We trudge back into the living room where we find our mother sitting in one of the comfortable chairs. She looks a little like Alice in Wonderland, in the large, padded armchair.
"Mother," I start, "can you help me? With my talent?"
She turns to look at me. It has been so long since I have asked her for any help with anything.
"Of course, Katniss." She answers softly. "What do you need?"
"She needs ideas." Prim adds, settling down on the other chair and cuddling her scraggy cat, Buttercup, when he jumps up to sit with her.
"Oh." Mother exclaims, "Well, I guess you could do anything. We just have to find something you like to do."
She smiles gently at me then, and I can tell she has been waiting for this. This chance to have some mother-daughter time with me.
I smile, "As long as its not singing. "
"Wonderful." She smiles back at me, her face lighting up.
"So, what do you think you'd like to do?"
I think. What would I like to do?
"Well," I pause, "I would like to make clothes the way Cinna does. He makes such amazing things, maybe I can learn to do that. "
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea." She smiles. "I used to make dresses when I was younger, working in the apocethary. I can teach you the basics, like how to sew, and how to make some dress patterns. And if you get the hang of it, then you can go ahead and call Cinna for help with the designing aspects."
"Sounds like a great idea." I smile. Hopeful that finally, finally, I may actually have a talent. Something I am good at.
"I'll start teaching you tomorrow, after breakfast. Bright and early. And Prim too, if she would like to join us."
"Bright and early." I nod, still smiling. Because if I am good at this, then I will have a talent, and one less thing to worry about.
I hope this idea works out and that I actually am good at this, because I really don't want to look stupid in front of the cameras and have the entire Capitol laugh at me. I have enough problems to sort out.