Chapter 2! So I just wanted to make it clear that although there are 12 people living in the house, I will mainly be focusing on K & P (obviously), Finnick, Gale, Madge, and Jo. The others will pop in here and there. And I know that the setting is kind of hard to wrap your head around...I have a very specific imagination :P But I''ll post a link to a blog with some pictures I had in mind. Maybe I'll even draw a map. XD ENJOY!

Thresh made a sharp right turn onto a wide, winding road that Katniss guessed was the beginning of their private beach development. Everyone was awake and alert now. Through the spaces between houses and buildings she could glimpse the great blue mass that was the ocean. With the windows rolled down, the salty breeze whipped everyone's hair into their faces. Katniss gave up on trying to contain the flyaways that kept hitting her cheek. The air felt too good to worry about it. Their eyes looked this way and that, trying to spot the house they'd be staying in for the next ten or so weeks.

That night at Gale's apartment a few months prior, they had all gathered around his 13-inch laptop as he brought up the image of their 'humble abode'. Katniss rested her hands on Finnick's bare shoulders, her chin nuzzled into the crook of his neck. She huffed impatiently as the webpage loaded.

"My GOD Gale. Get a new computer!" She whined, her nails digging into Finn's skin. He playfully swatted at her to cut it out, but it was half-hearted as he was too bored and tired to really care.

"Calm your tits, Kitty," Finnick cooed. It seemed as though Peeta's childhood nickname had amused their other friends. She was not very happy about that.

"As a matter of fact, I recall you telling me once that you bought that laptop for Gale for his 18th birthday." Damn. She'd almost forgotten. Peeta was on Finn's other side, his eyes watching the circling 'loading' symbol like he was mesmerized. The light from the computer screen reflected on his face, illuminating his features, especially his eyes. Delly was perched on Peeta's knee, Rue was sharing a chair with Tresh, and Jo held Madge around the waist as they tried to balance themselves on their own stool, creating quite the ruckus.

"Ew, Finnick," Katniss narrowed her eyes as she inhaled, loosening her grip on his arms.

"You smell like...sex." He shifted on his stool so that his back pressed blatantly into Katniss's chest. All the guys wore their sweatpants and a T-shirt. Most of them hadn't had time for a shower after they returned from their afternoon run. Finnick had 'accidentally' forgotten to cover his torso. It was probably because he took pleasure in making his friends uncomfortable with his open sexual humor. Finnick just smirked, Thresh snorted, and Peeta coughed knowingly. He said nothing for a moment, only waggled his eyebrows, enticing a giggle from Delly and an eye-roll from Annie.

"Gertrude McBride. Quite possibly the nicest ass on campus." His eyes grew wide and blank and Katniss guessed he was probably remembering the experience. Unlike most people, Finnick really mind discussing his sex life. It was the topic of many of their conversations, actually.

"Except for you, Annie-poo," he threw in for good measure. Annie ignored him. Katniss pretended to gag, loosening her grip on his shoulders. She turned her gaze towards the screen abruptly when she heard Madge gasp quietly.

"Oh my goodness. It's really big!"

Finnick laughed behind her. "Why thank you," He winked. Katniss elbowed him in the gut and looked at the image before them. Madge was right. It was a fairly large house, resting atop a sandy dune on the seashore. It was painted pale blue and yellow, and from what she could see there were three large tiers above an upper deck and a wrap around porch. What caught her attention immediately was the sheer amount of windows that decorated the exterior. A huge window in the center of the house was surrounded by ones of all different sizes. It was definitely unique.

They pulled up to a fork in the road, and in the center was a tiny shed-like building with a window on either side. Freshly planted flowers and too-green-to-be-real grass surrounded it. A tiny white-picket fence separated the grass from the asphalt. They couldn't move forward because of the gate that was blocking their path. Thresh casually rolled his window down so that his elbow leaned out of the van. They grew quiet when he called hesitantly in the direction of the building.

"…Hello?" There was a moment of silence before they heard someone stirring inside.

"…GOD DAMMIT. Can't get ONE minute of PEACE without some ASSHOLE disturbing…" They heard more clamoring and a few crashes and a 'click' as the blind was drawn and the window was slid open. A pair of red glazed-over eyes greeted them, flicking back and forth and adjusting to the light. Inch by inch a middle-aged man's face leaned toward the van, his expression sullen and perturbed. His shaggy blonde mop of hair was stuck to his skin in some places where he had been sleeping on it.

"Ahh," the man coughed, and Katniss was suddenly overwhelmed with the stench of vomit and alcohol. "Y'must be the young'uns in fer the summer, amiright?" His breath staggered as he pointed a finger in their direction, but to no one in particular. Thresh nodded swiftly, a bit frightened.

"Yeah…we're supposed to be in number 15...15 North Mockingjay Court? The…uhm…the blue and yellow one?"

The man sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with the base of his palms.

"I know which house it is, boy. It's MINE, godammit. Unappreciative little bast-"

"Hello, sir!" Gale interrupted his insult, leaning over the center console to wave at the man. "We're so sorry to disturb you, but we're very new to the area. If you could just point us in the right direction, we'll be on our way, and you can get back to…well, whatever you were doing."
That was Gale. He could smooth-talk his way out of anything. Katniss's heart sank, however, when she realized the man owned the house they were to be staying at. Judging by the condition of the tiny shed, she was afraid that their house would reek or be really dirty. Had anyone seen pictures of the inside?

"Thataway," he pointed to the left road, the row of houses that rested right on the beachfront. Gale nodded in thanks and Thresh stepped on the gas pedal, but a loud

"HEY!" from behind them caused their friend to brake once again. He shifted the van into reverse and drove backwards until he was parallel to the window. The shaggy man held up a yellowed notecard.

"M'supposed to read you this," he shrugged, licking his lips. "Name's Haymitch, by the way. Live in the house one down from yours." Katniss's heart dropped even lower in her chest.

"Ahem. Welcome," he read, squinting as he held the notecard close to his face. "To Mockingjay Court. We are a close-knit little development consisting of ten separate houses all within 100 yards of Capitol Beach. It is a family-like environment, and very kid friendly," he peered the young adults looking at him from inside the van. "In the center of the court is a small park we like to call 'the Cornucopia', for there is an abundance of things to do there, like a sports field complete with sports equipment, a shaded pavilion, a grill, and even a jungle gym. The beach, to your left, is welcome to anyone who has a Capitol Beach Tag. You'll find a few fire pits there, but they are to be used ONLY between the hours of 8:00pm to 1:30 am. There's a boardwalk that goes on for about a mile and a half, it's mostly used for running. We have a few rules for you. Number one. Please respect all property as if it was your own. Number two. No alcohol is allowed in the park or on the beach unless you are twenty-one years of age or older."

Hidden from Haymitch's view, they all shared a smile and a knowing look. The youngest person, Rue, was 21.

"Number four. Capitol Beach is NOT a nude beach. Please wear proper beach attire."

Finnick raised his hand tentatively. "Do speedos count as proper beach attire? I brought one with me just in case," he looked Haymitch straight in the eye, and Katniss couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. He gave Finnick possibly the dirtiest stare she'd ever seen, but Finn kept his cool until Haymitch continued.

Number five. Please keep down the noise past 1:30 am, and be conscious of the younger children that may live in the houses around you. Last but not least, number six. Have…fun." Haymitch sighed, slapping the notecard down and retreating back into the shed, only to return a few seconds later with a key ring that held four keys.

"The two blue ones are for the house. We're a fairly safe area, and I'm sure you won't be robbed…but just be careful anyways. I suggest you give these to the most responsible. Erm…the green one opens the equipment shed at the park, and the black one opens the bins for the fire pit equipment. PLEASE don't light the beach on fire."

He stared at them, and they stared back.

"Um...well like I said, I'm Haymitch, I live in 13. The…the pink one." He frowned. "My, uh…my g-my friend Effie and I live together, so if you ever need anything, you can just stop by. Okay? Now get the hell outta here already. OH! Wait. If you turn around and make a right, there's a grocery store down the street, and there's a few good restaurants in the area. Cross the bridge and you'll be downtown, where there's shopping and a movie theater and more places to eat." He stopped talking, and Katniss guessed that this was the end of his speech.

"You can go now."

"Thanks man!" Thresh called before taking the road to the left as Haymitch instructed. Katniss leaned forward, trying to take everything in; to their right and in the center of the circle-shaped development was what Haymitch had called The Cornucopia. A few lights illuminated a basketball court and a smallish soccer field. She was sure that the guys would spend a lot of time here, playing football or just chilling out. They passed a large brown house, a quaint pink one (Haymitch and Effie's), and finally Thresh pulled up to a big yellow and blue house. Number 15.

He pulled slowly up the driveway, making sure that he didn't drive into the sand, and put the car in park. Katniss's mood began to lift as soon as the ocean came into view. Waves lapped at the shore, and the only thing she felt like doing was stripping off her clothes and jumping in. Plus, if the view from their driveway was this spectacular, she couldn't wait to see what it would look like from her room.

"Everyone grab your shit and pick a room!" Gale shouted, hopping out of the van. "We'll have to double up, but one lucky person will get a room all to themselves."

He circled the van and popped the trunk, and soon everyone was out stretching their legs in the cool late-afternoon air.

Katniss didn't mind sharing a room. She actually preferred it, anyway. She and Johanna had already made a plan to share a room for the summer. The girls got along really well, and they both had so much in common. Picking up their bags, she leaned over to her friend.
"Jo, go grab a room, quick. The best one. Facing the beach, okay?" she all but demanded. Johanna made a face and lifted her hands; she didn't like to be bossed.

"Jeez, Kat. What's got your panties all in a twist?" She snorted and made her way up the driveway.

"That would be meeeee!" Finnick sang, practically sprinting passed them into the house, hoisting a duffel bag over his shoulders. Peeta followed behind him, grinning. "Finn, you set up the stuff. I'll stock the fridge." She could hear the cold beers clinking around inside one of the coolers he held over his shoulder. He winked clumsily in Katniss's direction before following the others, and the screen door slammed behind him.

My friends are so weird, she thought, shaking her head. Unlike her all-too-eager friends, she wanted to have a look around before going inside. It had been years since she'd been to a beach, and even then that one wasn't nearly as nice as this. When her mother had saved up some money some ten years ago, she took Katniss and Prim to the beach for the weekend. They spent the days splashing around in the water and the nights walking the boards, licking their dripping ice cream cones. In fact, that had been one of Katniss's most fond memories.

She put her backpack and her suitcase on the wooden stairs leading up to the door, and took off her flip-flops. She walked up the driveway until the faded black asphalt met the sandy beach. Katniss swirled her toe in the sand, liking the way it felt as it shifted under her feet. It was rather cool, she realized, because the sun was already setting, coating the beach in a beautiful orange color.

If I could stop the world and live in this moment for the rest of my life, I would.

It was moments like these where Katniss often caught herself slipping into more depressing thoughts, like her father's death and her mother's emotional withdrawal. Her childhood hadn't been a breeze. She matured a lot faster than the other kids her age, and slowly found herself replacing her mom's place as head of the household. Her mother's depression had been clinical for the most of three years, before Katniss demanded that she'd finally get some help. It took a great deal of patience and energy to be able to get her and her mom's relationship back to where it had been before. Mostly, she did it for Prim. Because she needed someone besides her sister to look up to.

She decided that being alone probably wasn't too good for her. It made her feel helpless and unwanted, and that was why she agreed to come on the trip. A summer surrounded by her closest friends who loved and cared deeply about her would bring out the best in her and allow her to just let go.

Katniss sighed and pulled her hair into a high ponytail and nearly jumped when she heard him clear his throat behind her.

"GOD, Peeta," she gasped, turning around sharply. He always made the same sound when he cleared his throat. "Don't scare me like that!" she mustered a smile and pushed his chest, but she could tell he wasn't buying it.

"You okay?" He stood a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets.

"You didn't come in, so I took your stuff up to your room. Johanna picked the one with the huge window," he smiled and turned to the huge orange globe setting over houses opposite from them. It was almost completely gone. He and Katniss watched for a while before it disappeared from their view, but the sky was still streaked with colors.

"That's your favorite color, right?" Katniss spoke, finally turning back towards her friend. "I think you told me that once. You said you loved how all the oranges and pinks and purples came together when the sun set."

"Right," he laughed, his cheeks flushing. "Come inside, Katniss." He offered her his hand, and she reluctantly took it. He gave it a squeeze.

"You're going to absolutely love this place." His voice was excited as they hopped up the steps. He held the door open for her as she walked in.

Katniss was surprised when she smelled vanilla and lemon. She had expected it to be moldy and dank, what with being so close to the ocean. It was actually quite clean and refreshing.

The inside of the house was mostly white and blue with a pretty chandelier that hung over their heads. Peeta lead them to the kitchen, where Finnick and Marvel had apparently taken over his job of stocking the fridge. The stuff from their coolers was spread out over an island in the middle of the kitchen.

"What the hell did you guys even bring?" she asked, leaning to sift through the piles of snacks and drinks. "Beef jerky, Twizzlers, and diet coke? Is there anything that isn't junk?"

"Hey. DON'T insult the food," Finnick growled, snatching up a piece of beef jerky and ripping at it with his teeth. Peeta took a Twizzler and smacked Finnick's arm with it before taking a bite off the top.

"I brought stuff," Peeta said between bites. "Like real stuff. I'm gonna cook dinner and breakfast sometimes. When we're not in the mood for this deliciousness," he gestured toward their pile of junk food.

Katniss nodded, reaching over to grab a few M&M's from a little bowl.

"Sounds good. Tomorrow morning we should go to the grocery store to buy some ingredients. Come with me?"

Peeta nodded. "Of course." All of their friends would be still be sleeping when they would leave. She and Peeta were early risers. At school they would sometimes run together in the mornings. They didn't say much, but they enjoyed each other's company, and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Sometimes they went to the library in the morning to study; he helped her out with biology and she helped him with his business notes.

Katniss smiled at him, and when he was least expecting it she grabbed the half-eaten Twizzler out of his hand and shoved it in her mouth.

"Show me the rest of the house, PeePee."

Katniss flopped onto the comfy double bed and moaned. "Do you think Haymitch would mind if I took this bed with me when we left?" She and Johanna had already changed their sheets. Katniss's plain navy blue comforter lay at the food at the bed, her favorite pillows already aligned at the top.

"I honestly don't think he would notice," Jo answered. She was just about finished unpacking, putting the last few things into a top drawer. Katniss had taken the bed on the left side of the room and Jo had taken the right. The room was mint-colored and was decorated with pictures of seashells. Katniss especially liked one painting of a mother holding her son's little hand as they jumped over the waves. A sliding glass door led to a second-floor balcony, only accessible from their room and the room next-door. Jo had really picked the best one. A sign above the door read "This way to the beach!" with an arrow pointing north.

"You should get changed, Kat. We all wanna go down to the beach. The boys are already trying to light a fire, I can smell it." Katniss could, too. She looked over at Johanna who was now sporting a sexy black triangle bikini. It hugged all her curves in all the right places, and Katniss was jealous of her petite and toned body.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Why are you so perfect?" She hoisted herself up off the bed and walked over to her own dresser, where she began to search for a bathing suit. "You even have abs."

After a minute she produced an olive green bandeau top with matching bottoms. She held it up for her friend to inspect. When Jo gave her the thumbs-up, she began to change.

"Katniss, anyone would be lucky to have your body. I mean the ass-to-tit ratio is pretty perfect, and you've got fucking gorgeous skin. Not to mention your hair. You could do anything with it and it would look good. I'm serious."

Katniss's eyebrows rose at her friend's crude language. "Okay, Jo."

She threw a pair of jean shorts over her bottoms and put on a light tank top. She wisped some mascara over her eyelashes and smeared on some clear lip-gloss. Johanna spritzed her with some floral-y body spray, and they looked at themselves in a floor-length mirror for a minute.

"Ready?" Johanna said.

"Let's go."

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