Katniss and Peeta Mellark stood awkwardly in the corner of the library, which they had brought there vivacious young daughter too. Peeta had wanted her to have contact with other children her age, since she hadn't met anyone other than Haymich and Sae.
And that terrified Peeta for his daughter's sanity.
Katniss nervously wrung her fingers watching her young daughter interacting with other children.
"Peeta. I think, maybe we should leave now, please?" Katniss croaked out. Peeta sighed and looked lovingly at his nervous wife.
"Sweetheart," he murmured into his wife's ear, "Rues fine. She's having fun and even might make some friends," he enveloped Katniss in his arms. "please just relax, okay?"
Katniss sulked, but gave in to her husband.
"I'm Rue Primrose Mellark!" the exuberant young girl said cheerfully, while anxiously twisting her dark braid in her small fingers.
All of the small children with Rue gaped at her. A tan boy with short black curls poked his head out from under a chair and looked curiously at Rue. "You don't look like the baker" the seam looking boy said accusingly.
Rue glowered at him. "I look like my mommy" the young girl stated proudly. The boy gave her a confused look. Rue rolled her eyes and pointed at her mom across the library sitting with her father.
The boys dark eyebrows rose up, "oh," he murmured. He looked both ways before leaning close towards her. Rue blushed and reached for her dark braid to fiddle nervously with. "So your mom is really Katniss Everdeen?" he asked.
Rue bit her lip and was a bit too preoccupied looking into his big shiny grey eyes. "Um yea..." Rue managed to sputter out. The boy curled his lip and crossed his arms with a grunt. "What's wrong?" Rue demanded, mimicking the boy's stance.
"Your mom is a murderer" the boy grumbled under his breath. "No she's not!" Rue gasped, gripping her braid. The tan boy nodded sharply, "Yea she is, she's the reason district twelve was blown up before." the tan boy glared at Rue. "My dad died in that bombing" he hissed.
Rue tried giving the boy her best mean glare but the tears escaping her eyes showed her true feelings. When the boy realised she was crying he smirked proudly and walked back to where he had first been.
Rue sniffled and wiped her tears on her sleeve. She sat down by herself desperate not to show weakness by running to her mom and dad.
Across the room a blonde girl looked at Rue crying and frowned. "Blayde!" she grumbled angrily. The tan boy turned around surprised, "What is it blondie" he teased. She glared at him and rolled her eyes, "You know what, you made that nice girl cry for no reason, now go apologize!"
Blayde just looked at her with a blank stare before bursting out laughing. "Are you joking blondie! Why would I apologize to her." "Blayde" the blonde girl hissed. "Do it now."
Blayde rolled his eyes and turned back to his book. The blonde girl deviously smirked and whispered in his ear, "Do it or I'll tell Mrs. Jargon, the meanest librarian of them all" Blaydes eyes widened. "You wouldn't!" he groaned defeated.
The blonde girl smirked and skipped towards the woman's desk. Blayde grumbled under his breath and stiffly walked over to the crying girl slumped on the kiddie sofa.
The boy nervously wrung the worn out hem of his shirt, he had never had to apologize before. He clenched his jaw, "Rue," he muttered, the girl glanced at him but turned away desperately trying to cover up her tears.
"Just listen, ok?" Rue mumbled something the boy couldn't make out. So he continued.
"I'm sorry for saying stuff to make you cry" he stammered, "f-forgive me?"
Rue glanced up at him and pursed her pink lips. "Only if you tell me your name" she mumbled. Blayde raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "Um okay," he said still baffled. "it's Blayde" Rue giggled. Blayde scrunched up his eyebrows. "What's so funny about my name" he grumbled. At that Rue started bellowing with laughter. Blayde clenched his jaw in annoyance.
"Like- like a knife?" she asked between laughs. Blayde slapped his hand on his forehead. "Yes" he sighed. Once she got over her fit of giggles she hopped up off the couch and hugged Blayde as tight as her little nine year old frame could muster.
Blayde gaped at her in surprise but reluctantly hugged the strange girl back.
"Your weird, that's kinda cool" Blayde mumbled into her hair. "What did you say I couldn't hear you" Rue said with a smile still plastered on her face. Blayde glanced everywhere but at her face, "uh never mind"
"Do you want to come read my book with uh me?" Blayde mumbled still looking anywhere but at her. She beamed at him, "Okay! How about I read one page then you read one then w'ell.."Rue's voice cut off the farther she got and Blayde couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as he followed her.
"Katniss, Katniss look at our baby girl!" Peeta whispered merrily in his wife's ear. Katniss scanned the area the left their daughter in twenty something minutes ago in paranoid fear something had happened to her daughter.
But she was met with the sight of her girl laughing boomingly and playing with a boy. "oh" she breathed out. Peeta was beaming smugly at Katniss, "I told you she'd make friends hun." Katniss rolled her eyes and playfully slapped Peeta's shoulder.
Peeta wrinkled his nose, as he did whenever he was thinking of something unpleasant. "Of course it's a boy" he groaned. "Why do all the Everdeen women meet a boy as there first friend?" Peeta laid his forehead on his wife's shoulder in mock defeat.
Katniss smirked, "hmm" Peeta glanced up at his wife with one crystal blue eye, "that boy does kind of look like Gale" Kantiss teased.
"Oh cripes no" Peeta whined. Katniss chuckled and Peeta looked at her adoringly, "You haven't laughed in a while" he murmured kissing the top of her head. Katniss blushed, "Well, I guess change is good after all."