Guys, I can't make many promises. You all just gotta hold on with me until school is out. Which is very soon. I messed up some grades so guess who's scrambling to cover up her tracks. THIS GIRL Here is chapter three, sorry for the ultra late update. I love those of you who are still reading and putting up with my pathetic self.
**Hi, I messed up a date in Ch. 1, the tour was supposed to start a week after the announcement.**
Peeta's hand swings mine back and forth between us as we walk down the smooth cobblestone path. Prim is talking happily with Madge ahead of us, leading the way to the hidden meadow she found in Victor's Village with Rory. Tons of houses are in the area, more than I thought there were. Prim squeals, signaling that we are close. She skips ahead, turning right. Peeta looks at me with a smile, and we follow suit. Turning the corner, a decent sized meadow sits. It's hidden between two large, but empty homes. The meadow is at least twice the size the meadow in the Seam is. I look at Peeta, to see him looking at me.
"It's perfect." He whispers, and I nod. I stretch on my toes to kiss him lightly, and Prim beams at us.
"I knew you'd love it. It's quaint, quiet, and still in a walk able distance." Prim walks a few paces, and flops down in the middle of a patch of daisies. I look around the Meadow again, taking in the beauty. White daisies, pink tulips, and purple dahlias sway in the light breeze. Peeta's arm wraps around my waist, so I lean into his side.
"We're going to live here." I say quietly, and feel him nod.
"I can get people to have the home built within the month, and ready by your wedding day."Madge pipes in, and Prim grins. "Gale said he wanted to help you out in any way, so he'll cover the costs of building." I know he is mainly doing this because it's technically his fault that we will be pulled for the Quell. I decide to just let him do this. It totally isn't me to let someone do something so big for me, but I want to spend the last bit of my time with Peeta for every possible second. "Let's head to Gale's. Hazelle wanted to have tea with all of us. We can discuss the details of your home design too." Madge smiles, and turns towards the walkway. I turn around, and Peeta kisses me deeply.
"I can't wait for May 18th." He whispers in my ear. I grin, and kiss him again.
"Katniss, come on!" Prim shouts.
.0.0.0
"So what are we looking at for designs?" Mr. Payne asks. He's the owner of the carpenter shop, which also builds home when you can afford it.
Peeta speaks up, "We wanted to have a one floor stone cottage. Smaller and cozy. Maybe three bedrooms and two bathrooms? A bigger kitchen where I can bake and the living room can be smaller." I smile, rubbing my thumb in circles on his hand. Mr. Payne smiles at us then writes the notes down. We explain the details for design, and just like that the notes are done.
"I'll have some sketches and floor plans ready for you tomorrow. That alright?" He asks.
"Perfect." Peeta and I say in unison. We laugh a bit.
"Alright then. See you kids tomorrow." He gathers his things and leaves Peeta's kitchen quietly.
"Well, future Mrs. Mellark, that's that." Peeta says with a smile. "You excited?"
"Yes. I'm glad to move in with you, but I wish it wasn't so rushed. Same with our marriage." I whisper back, looking at him. His cerulean blue eyes soften a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"I know. I do too Kat. Not a day goes by that I don't want to slow down and enjoy life more."
I hear a cough behind us by the doorway. "And it's my fault that this is all happening." Gale. We turn to see him standing there, and a tear escapes down his cheek. The games have ruined all of us. Gale, my once strong, confident best friend is now a shell of his old self. He tries to be that person, but we all know the truth. For others, they surely believe the act. But we know.
"It's not your fault Gale. You were just trying to save her too." That's another thing we do. We never mention her name. Rue's. He looks at us teary-eyed. I walk over and pull him into a hug. His shoulders shake slightly, and I rub his back in soothing circles. After several minutes, he calms and wipes his face.
"I came to invite you both and your families over to dinner at my home tomorrow night. For dinner, if that's alright. Madge will be there with her mother if she is feeling well. I'm going to propose to her tomorrow evening. In private with family, without an audience." Gale smiles slightly, and I grin widely.
"That's great news Gale!" I hug him again, and step back to let Peeta in. They shake hands and grin widely. He's in just as much of a pressured situation as we are. Snow threatened all of our lives if he and Madge didn't throw a great 'show.' "Usual six o'clock?" I ask while leaning into Peeta's side.
"Yup! I have to go; Madge and I have a date." He wiggles his eyebrows in excitement, earning chuckles from Peeta and I. "See you later." He heads out to the front of the shop at the same time Mr. Mellark enters with Rye.
"Ready for your shifts?" Mr. Mellark says with a grin. We nod and tie aprons on.
.0.0.0. Peeta POV .0.0.0.
"KATNISS!" Prim's feet scuffle across the front of the shop. I'm sitting on the stool sketching our future home.
"Hey Primmy." I smile at her lightly, earning a grin.
"Hey Peets," she jokes, "do you know where Katniss is?"
I nod in return, "she headed over to Madge's. Muttering something about the wedding." We laugh at the sight. Whoever would have thought of Katniss muttering about a wedding?
"Good. Madge and I wanted to discuss the cake with you. Since we figured you would make it." Her dainty hands tug a notebook out of her school bag and slide it onto the counter. A rough sketch takes up half the page with ideas, and the bottom specifies flavors and colors. "Think you can do something like this?" I look at the ideas again. Simple white fondant, with blue and green sashes draping tastefully across the cake. Little dandelions and katniss flowers clustered in the bunches of fondant. I grin, and give a quick nod.
"I think it is a great idea. Mind if I add something?" She gives a confirming look, so I sketch the word Always across the middle tier.
"What's important about the word Always?" Prim asks with a confused facial expression. The same one Katniss gets, down to the scrunched nose.
"It's our little thing." I reply with a smile.
"Alright. Well, I will head home now. See you tomorrow night Peets!" She skips to the front, and throws back a grin. It's hard to think that in a few months she'll be 14. Her birthday falls just days after the Reaping. For the first year, she'll celebrate without Katniss around. I decide then and there that if I ever get the chance to, I will kill Snow.
.0.0.0. Katniss POV .0.0.0.
Prim zips my dress up quietly, already standing in hers. I sit in yet another one of Mother's old dresses. This time it is a slightly faded jade green. My eyes stand out a lot in their shining grey color. Prim stands in a light blue frock from Madge. Her hair is fish-tailed nicely down her back. My hair rolls down in waves produced from wearing a constant braid. "Perfect. Peeta will love this!" She gives a grin, and I smile back. Prim is my height now, and looking more like a young lady every day. In a few years time, she'll be married and have children, securing the District's Best Healer position. I wish so badly I could be right there with her. I give another small smile, and straighten up.
"Mother ready?" I ask, and she grins.
She leans in dramatically to whisper, "I think she likes Mr. Mellark. While you've been working, she has been talking non-stop about their high school years and being high school sweet hearts." She lets out a laugh, and I smile along pretending to enjoy this. Really, it annoys me. How could she just forget about Dad? Prim drags me down stairs to reveal Mother in a nice purple dress and a low pair of heels. She grins at us, and I manage a weak smile. Regardless if she's been nicer lately, I still can't forgive her for what she did to us almost six years ago. When she and Prim aren't looking, I pull off the flats Prim forced on me and change into my leather hunting boots. They don't match at all, but I grin triumphantly to myself. Prim drags us out the door before noticing my shoe change.
When we arrive at Gale's Rory flings the door open, and kisses Prim on the cheek. "You look beautiful Primmy." He says, earning a dark blush to decorate her cheeks. Mom clears her throat. "Oh, hello Mrs. Everdeen." She gives a nod in return, and heads inside of the home quietly. I give Rory a pat, as I start to pass. "Nice shoes Kat." He calls out, and I grin.
"Thanks." Prim looks down, and her eyebrows clench in slight annoyance.
"I gave you flats! You were supposed to wear those Katniss!" Prim looks at me, trying to look angry. Her eyes reveal a bit of humor though.
I shrug in a nonchalant way. "Oops." Peeta comes around the corner and snickers.
"Nice boots. Great touch to the dress baby." I lean up to kiss him quickly, and hear Prim mutter a 'ew.' I glare back at her, but see Rory lean down to silence her with a small kiss.
"Remember my arrows Hawthorne." I threaten, and turn right after I earn a look a sheer worry from him. Peeta laughs again while twining my fingers in his.
"You clean up well." I comment, taking in his worn clothes. Of course they are the reaping clothes, but he found a green tie. Prim must have told him what I was wearing.
"You look way better, Miss Beautiful." I return the compliment with a shy smile and take in the kiss he gives me. "I love you."
"Love you too." He kisses my nose and then leads me to the living room which is filled with the others. Mrs. Undersee stands next to my Mother, Mr. Mellark and Hazelle. In all of their hands rests a glass of wine. Vick sits with Rye and Posy. Rye is animatedly describing a story which is entrancing the two children. Gale and Madge are sitting on a love seat that pairs with another one next to it. They're laughing quietly to themselves. Peeta leads me over to them, and we sit down across from them. "Hey guys." They look up and grin.
"Glad you could make it. You've been taking forever." Gale exaggerates with a wink.
"Your dress is lovely Katniss! Oh! Your shoes…" She trails off, looking at her shoes.
Gale lets out a loud laugh. "Only Catnip!"
Later that evening, when we are all sitting down at the table eating a great meal, Gale clinks his knife to his glass.
"I have an announcement to make." Madge looks at him with curiosity, and Mrs. Undersee gives a small smile. "Madge, we've known each other for many years. Although I hadn't known how much you liked me up until last year's reaping. If it weren't for you, I don't know if we'd all be here today." He pauses and gives a sad smile. "You made the impossible possible for me. I fought twice as hard to come home to a girl I knew little about, except that she has an incredible taste for strawberries. Since then, I have cherished every moment with you. You're it for me, and I love that. So," he gets down on one knee and presents a simple silver band, "will you marry me Magdalene Rae Undersee?" She gasps, and tears form in her eyes.
"Yes." She whispers, and cries out again. He grins widely, and slides the band onto her finger nicely. He finishes with a sweet kiss, and we all clap. They smile at each other, and Peeta takes the moment to bring out a small cake.
The rest of the week flies by, and Gale is off with Madge for his tour. It is the middle of January with a blizzard that shows no sign of letting up. Our training is canceled until Gale and Haymitch are back. We watch the tour every night, and Rory often comes to visit. One night about two weeks in, the weather is so bad he can't leave. Prim comes down with a horrible flu. Mom sits on a chair by the television under a thick blanket, leaving the couch for the kids to share. Prim sits squished between Rory and I, who have a fluffy comforter lying over us. Gale and Madge are currently interviewing in District Four. Of course, its marvelous warm weather and booming with tan people. Madge dons a light blue sundress, hanging to her knees lightly. Gale wears a matching blue shirt and khaki shorts. Madge's ring is tucked on a long chain under her dress, since they aren't publicly proposing until they reach the Capitol. The required programming shuts off, and we all loosen up. Mom announces that it is bedtime, and helps Prim upstairs. Rory waves good night, and I grab the blankets for sleeping out here. Since Prim is sick, I always take the couch. We got an extra cot a while back, which Rory sleeps on. As we settle, Rory looks up.
"You don't plan to return home, do you?" He whispers while looking me straight in the eye. I cringe but look back.
"Peeta has to survive." I whisper back. We both fall asleep shortly after that.
Guys are douche bags so often for me. Like pure prick status. ._. Oh well. I wish I had my own Peeta. Don't you? Well, review for me! I'm glad I picked up more readers, so much happier now. (:
*** By the way, do me a favor and check out DesireSpark's new story, I Couldn't Watch You Die! It's her first one, and she is by far the biggest supporter I have! Check it out, and review for her!***