In this one, Katniss only had to do the 74th Hunger Games in this, and CF & MJ did not happen. The Capitol leaves her alone after a year and a half. (Katniss is 18 in this story)


KATNISS:

The cold air was harsh and bitter on my skin face, the only amount of skin visible as I made my way down to school, my book bag slung over my shoulder, my boots sinking into the white snow. Prim was straggling behind me, attempting to keep up with my long strides.

"Hurry up Prim! We're going to be late!" I grabbed her gloved hand, and we ran towards the school building.

When it was winter, picnic benches would be set up inside the gym for us to eat lunch, instead of sitting outside in the cold, and we would eat inside instead. I sat down with my only friend Madge, at a table in the corner. I didn't exactly have friends, but that's probably because I don't give off the most friendliest vibe. Sometimes, Gale would come sit with us, but Gale's long done with school now, and I will be too, soon. Not soon enough though. Madge and I pick silently at our food, and we both prefer it this way.

"Hey Katniss," a voice says, close to my ear. I turn to my left, and see Peeta Mellark sliding onto the bench. I turn around, and look at the table where he usually sits, his friends glaring at me.

"What are you doing here Peeta?" I ask, and Madge looks up from her plate.

"Sitting with my friend, of course!" He chirps happily, throwing an arm around my shoulder.

I flinch away from him, and Peeta's bright blue eyes cloud over with hurt. I sigh.

"Peeta, I think your friends are missing you," I say, glancing over at his table, where a few boys and girls are still glaring at me.

"Fine. Bye you two," he says, picks up his bagged lunch, and leaves our table.

"Are you... you know... dating him?" Madge asks, clearing her throat before she speaks.

I choke on my apple piece I've just bitten.

"Oh god no! It may have seemed like that on TV, but, we're... over?" I reply, not knowing if I should even try to explain to her why it looked like me and Peeta were in love in the Games.

"Oh, just wondering. It seems as if he likes you," Madge says uncertainly.

I wince. Peeta does like me. I don't know if he still loves me, but I don't think I feel the same way about him. And I'd feel extremely guilty if I was in a relationship with him, and in the end I'd just end up stomping all over his heart.

"That's nothing, Peeta's just like that. Friendly with everyone," I reply airily, hoping she doesn't read too much into it.

Madge nods, and I breathe a sigh of relief, as the topic is dropped.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur, as it regularly does during school. I pick up Prim from her class, and we both walk him together, Prim chattering excitedly about her day.

"Katniss, can we stop in town please?" She asks me, her wide blue eyes begging.

I smile at her, grab her hand, and lead her towards town.

"Can we get some cake Katniss? Pleeeasee?" she begs me, leading me towards the Bakery that Peeta's parents own.

"Nothing too fancy though, Prim," I warn, as she jumps with glee, and flings open the door. Peeta is behind the counter. Even though he also won the games- technically- his parents still own the bakery and make him work here.

"Hi Peeta! We're buying cake today!" she says gleefully, walking over to him, her blond pigtails bouncing with each step.

"Hello Prim, Katniss," he says, smiling at Prim. I glance briefly at home, and grab Prim's hand.

"Hurry up Prim, Mom's gonna get worried if we aren't home soon."

She leads me toward a small cake, the size of a bowl, decorated with vanilla icing, miniature strawberries decorating the cake in a circular ring, and four orange slices in the center. I examine the sides of the cake, which are also decorated in vanilla icing, but with intricate red, blue, and green icing art. I know this is Peeta's work. I always feel a bit weird eating pastries from the bakery now.

We take it up to the counter, where Peeta boxes and bags the cake for us.

"Bye Katniss," he says softly, looking at me with a penetrating stare.

Prim and I arrive home to our mother in the kitchen, anxiously tapping her foot while sitting on a bar stool, her face anxious. She's always nervous these days, right after I got taken away for The Hunger Games. She sighs with relief, and shoots us both a sunny smile as we take off our coats.

"Mom look what we got!" Prim says, pushing the brown paper bag over to my mother.

She peers in, and gives Prim a smile. People can't help but smile at Prim. The same can't be said for me.

"It'll go lovely with dinner tonight," she says, putting the paper bag in the fridge.

"Katniss, Gale came by. He said he can't come tomorrow, he has something to do," my mother informs me, slightly hesitant. We all known that my rounds are actually me and Gale hunting in the woods-which is illegal, and my mother is always nervous when mentioning something that could get me or Gale arrested- but if it wasn't for the woods, we wouldn't have survived after my father died. But why would Gale be busy on a Sunday? He never works Sundays. Well I guess thatsomething can easily be something else.

I usually went hunting every other day now, because I had nothing to do. Hunting used to be a tool I needed for survival, but now it was just another past time. Gale usually accompanies me, because I've been slipping Hazelle money each time I went to go drop off a haul at their place, and Gale wasn't around. At first she was adamant about not taking anything except the things I would bring from the forest, but after a few weeks, I started leaving money around the house, and I guess Hazelle gave up, because she knew if Gale found it, he'd be angry with me. Now Gale only works a few days a week. Hazelle told him that he didn't need to work much anymore because she needed help with the kids, and more people had started coming to her because of her small side laundry business, and of course, she cleaned up around Haymitch's place once every few days. I would easily give half my money to Gale's family, but Gale would be furious. I snort. Men and their pride. It'd be the death of them one day.

The next day I woke up at around noon, which was odd for me. I padded out of my room, and downstairs into the kitchen, where I saw Prim and my mother standing at the counter, both of them chopping up vegetables for dinner. Buttercup on the floor, by Prim's feet, and hissed when he saw me. I bared my teeth at him. Damn cat. I was about to walk over to him, when the phone rang.

The phone barely rings, because the only people who would call were people with phones in district 12. Madge, Peeta, Haymitch, or sometimes, someone from the Capitol.

I ran over, and picked it up, still uneasy with using it, because it was probably tapped.

"Hello?"

"Katniss! I have amazing news!" said a familiar voice.

"Cinna!" I can't help but feel excited. Cinna is probably the only decent person in the Capitol. My team of stylists are nice people too, but they exist in their own little bubble, living only for the parties.

"So the designs you've been 'designing' are getting extremely popular in the Capitol"

Cinna and I both know that I haven't been 'designing' anything. Each surviving tribute is to take up a 'hobby' after they win the games. I'm terrible at everything, so Cinna stepped it.

"Great," I say, somewhat unenthusiastically. Cinna's designs are fabulous though. His clothes are probably the only decent thing sold in the Capitol.

"I'll be coming over in a week or two to show you some of your designs," he said. I lit up

"Oh that'd be great! Life's so... boring now I guess."

"Wonderful, I'll call you back once everything is set up. Bye Girl-On-Fire," he says.

"Bye Cinna," and I put the phone down.

I walk into the kitchen, and tell my mom we'd be expecting Cinna in a few days. She smiles, and walks over to give me a hug, probably glad I'm now socializing. I remain stiff as she hugs me, but I do put effort, and hug her back.

I decide to go hunting anyways, even if Gale isn't coming. I come back with a pretty good haul, probably one of my best that I've had, without Gale. Five rabbits, two squirrels, three fish, two containers full of sweet red strawberries, and some healing herbs for my mother. I walk into with my bag bulging, and trade two rabbits, both squirrels and all the fish at The Hob with Greasy Sae. Greasy Sae gives me a large container full of her stew- some money, and a bag full of apples. I was surprised when she handed me those apples, and I asked her where she got them from. She just grunted at me.

I left The Hob, and walked around District 12, distributing some apples and money to the poorer families. I walk towards Gale's house, and drop off some money, three rabbits, and both containers full of strawberries, and the last five apples with Hazelle. As I'm walking back towards home- or what now is my home (I'll never consider something the Capitol made my home), I see Gale. As I'm just about to walk up to him, I see him with his head bent close, whispering with a girl. She has blond hair, and green eyes, and wearing a pale pink dress with delicate bows threaded into the seams, her hair coifed and perfect, marking her as a girl from the upper merchant class. My heart falls. So this is the "something" he had to do? I angrily wipe a tear that fell, and am angrier at myself for even shedding a tear at something so ridiculous. I turn around and stalk off. Why was I so angry? There's nothing wrong with Gale having a girlfriend. I've dated a few boys before, and even had that fake romance with Peeta. I suppose he'd want to get married, he's 20 now. In a few years, he'll be married, with kids. Maybe it wasn't too late to figure something out with Peeta. It would make President Snow and the Capitol happy.

Over dinner, I angrily stab at my chicken, my mother eyeing me with confusion. It's not like I want to marry Gale. I choke on my chicken piece, and Prim gets' up, and hits my back.

"Katniss, are you OK?" she asks, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Here, drink some water," my mother says, as she pushed a glass at me.

I gulp it down, still coughing. Why would I even think that.

My mother gets up, and feels my forehead.

"Not coming down with anything," she murmurs, her eyes looking worried.

"No, I'm OK, just a bit tired. And the chicken went down the wrong way," I say hastily.

"Can I be excused?" I ask politely, already pushing back my chair.

"Of course sweetie. Go to bed, I'll bring you up some tea to soothe your throat," my mother says.

"Can I be excused too?" chirps Prim, hoping to get out of finishing her vegetables.

"You, young lady, will finish those vegetables," my mother says firmly, picking up my plate.

Prim groans, and starts picking at her dinner again.

Over the next few days, I start avoiding Gale. I begin skipping our hunts together, and I'd hide in a tree for a while, staying completely still, not daring to breathe too much, in case I gave myself away. I climbed up the tree, to the top, and breathed in the piny smell, surveying the forest from my new height. I don't know why I was so jealous of his new girlfriend. Probably because I was in love with him. My foot slipped.

Did I really just think that? Am I in love with him? I guess I was. We've been friends for a long time, and I guess it was gradual.

"Catnip, are you there? Catnip! Come on, I know you're there. Katniss!" I heard Gale shouting from various points in the woods over and over.

I sighed, tears leaking out of the corner of my eyes, but I roughly brushed them away. No one sees me cry. Gale was right by the tree trunk.

"Katniss! I see your feet! I know you're up there!" he shouted, his grey eyes connecting with mine, and I felt a shock of heat run through my body.

"Go away, Gale!" I shout back at him, my voice breaking, and I scold myself for letting him see through my mask.

"What did I do?" he shouts back up.

I don't respond.

"Look, if you don't answer me, I am coming up there,"

A bitter laugh escapes me. Gale can't climb trees at all. When he does, it takes him forever. But he won't be able to climb this tree, or get up high like I am. I see him struggling, trying to grab at branches. After ten minutes, he sighs.

"We both know I can't climb a tree for my life. Please come down and talk to me," his voice seems so sincere and pleading, I almost do, my hands reaching towards the lower branches. But before I can, something inside of my snaps.

"Just go hang out with your girlfriend, Gale!" I shriek, before I know those words are coming out of my mouth.

His mouth drops. "What girlfriend?" Look at him, trying to deny it.

"I saw you the other day, when you couldn't come hunting on Sunday! With that blonde girl!" I shout scathingly.

His mouth forms a perfect O, his riveting grey eyes casting downwards, a faint pink tinge forming on his cheeks.

A tear slips down my cheek.

"Just go away," my voice cracks, and I don't even care anymore. I swing from tree to tree, silently, until I'm at the fence, and shimmy under it, and run towards home, dive under my blanket, breathing deeply. A few tears slip out, but I wipe them away. I wasn't going to be crying over him anymore.

The next morning I wake up to Prim shuffling around in my room. I turn around, and see her setting a cup of tea on my nightstand, her eyes brighter than usual, whereas mine were probably red and puffy. I pick up the cup of tea, and quickly drink it, the scalding hotness barely making a difference as it goes down my throat. As I drain the last bit, something catches my attention, and I choke.

"What the hell is this!" I shriek loud enough that I probably have woken up the entire district. My heart pounds, as I eye the ring on my finger. The fourth finger on my left hand, to be exact.

Prim grins, and my room door opens. I see Gale standing there, wearing black pants, and a white t-shirt, his dark hair falling into his eyes, his expression somber.

I see my mother peek out from behind him, and my mouth gapes open. I can just imagine myself right now. Sitting in bed, with my blanket rolled up on top of me, me staring at the ring and Gale dumbstruck, and of course, my eyes and face puffy from crying.

"So, Catnip, marry me?"

It's too much, I sputter out some incomprehensible words, and back up. My head hits the back of my headboard. I wince, and the whole idea of me marrying Gale, paired up with my head hitting the headboard, causes me to faint.

A few hours later, I wake up to someone gently putting a cool washcloth on my head. My eyes open lazily. I see Gale's face staring at me, him focused entirely on my forehead.

What in the world is he doing? And then everything comes back to me.

My eyes widen, and I see Gale slowly start smiling.

"What about the girl?" I ask, referring to the girl I saw him with the other day.

"She was the jeweller's daughter. She's been helping me with the ring, he says, enfolding my hands in his, and he started fingering my ring.

"Two years ago, I found this coal when I was mining, and it was kind of glinting, like a regular coal doesn't, and I thought I could do something with it. Turns out a diamond found it's way into the mines. I had to sneak it out of the mines, and I went to the jeweller. Him and Elyne helped me." I'm assuming Elyne's the girl.

"I payed them with whatever I could save from the mine. That day she was just giving me the ring," he whispers softly. "I wasn't going to give it to you until I knew if you, well, liked me back-" he laughed softly as he used the word like. "And then, that day in the woods when you were shouting at me, I figured you got the wrong idea, so then I talked to your mom. She's really happy about this by the way, if it helps my cause."

I then pull my hand from Gale's grasp, and see a flash of pain and hurt in his eyes. I eye the ring. It was a slim silver band, with a large circular diamond on it, rimmed with silver. Plain, simple. I got off my bed, forcing Gale to get up too. I pulled the ring off my finger, and put it in his palm, and saw his eyes glass over with pain.

"Put it on properly," I whisper, my voice cracking. His face lit up, and he got down on one knee.

"Katniss Everdeen, I love you. Will you marry me?" I nod, and before he can get the ring on my finger, I jump into his arms and kiss him on the mouth.