A/N: ALWAYS, THANKS TO ALL REVIEWERS! :))) Happy (late) Thanksgiving of 2011! (It is Thanksgiving here, anyways!) My birthday's today! :)
Ellenka - Thanks for the review on "Skinny Love" & the warm wishes. I am feeling better :)
Chapter 7
To Gale, it seemed like yesterday it was warm and sunny. But today's weather begged to differ. Today was windy and rainy. The brittle orange yellow leaves were crackling everywhere. It was a frigid day.
At school, everyone was excitedly chattering about Cornucopia Day. Technically, it was "Thanksgiving" Day. But what was there to give thanks for? This day was invented by the Capitol for the people of Panem to honor the Capitol. It was a mock and a slap in their faces, to show them they all must bow to the Capitol. It was called Cornucopia Day because it was a day when every family received a cornucopia filled with food and treats. It was one day where everyone could go to sleep with a full stomach. It was a day of celebration and joy, other than the Capitol worshipping part of it.
Gale headed to class, and sat in the back corner where he and Flynn usually sat. To his surprise, he found Katniss. "Hey, Catnip."
Katniss lifted her head. "Hi Gale. And don't call me that."
Gale just stifled a chuckle and sat down. "Why are you sitting here?"
Katniss gave him a look. "Why can't I sit here?"
"'Cause you usually don't?" Gale retorted.
"Yeah, well, I am now. Don't take it the wrong way. I'm just here 'cause we're hunting partners and stuff." Katniss tried to downplay her actions.
Gale didn't know why she was there, but he enjoyed it. "Okay, I got it. Chill." He smiled at her. No response. He thought he had finally gotten through to her when she hung out with his family, but it was two months later and no progress since then.
Katniss just gave him an irritated look. "Great. Now pay attention to the lesson about coal."
They just watched the teacher drone on for a bit, when Gale asked, "Want to bring your family to my place later? My mom invited you guys."
He saw her face soften just a fraction. "That sounds okay."
Gale smiled. "Okay."
And it stayed plastered on his face all day, much to the dismay of Flynn, who thought he was just a weird ass guy.
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After school, Katniss ran home to tell her mother that they were invited to the Hawthorne residence. She burst through the doorway of her house. "Mom-"
She found her mother crying, her shoulders shaking with emotion. "Mom?"
Her mother whirled around and spotted her. She stood up quickly and dabbed her eyes. "It's nothing. I was just thinking of your father. He always made this day special."
Katniss nodded slowly, unsure of how to handle her mother. "Okay, Mom. I just wanted to tell you that Gale invited us over to his place for tonight."
Her mother nodded. "Yes, well, that sounds good. I'll pack some food to bring along."
"Great. Where's Prim?" Katniss surveyed her home. Her precious little sister was nowhere to be found.
Her mother replied, "She is with a friend. A nice boy named Rory."
Katniss' eyes widened. "Rory? Rory Hawthorne?"
Her mom shrugged. "I think so."
Katniss smiled. "That's Gale's little brother."
Her mom turned around to look at her. "Is that so? Then she is already over there. Come on, let's go."
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The walk to Gale's was awkward, to put it nicely. Katniss had kept at a cautious distance from her mom since the accident. She never opened up to her mother the way she had before. They drifted, and eventually barely spoke at all.
Her mother's voice broke the loud silence. "How is everything, Katniss?"
Katniss answered uncomfortably. "Fine. School is okay, hunting is good."
Katniss looked over at her mom. "How about you?"
"Great. Healing patients, with the help of Prim. She really has a talent for it." Her mom smiled, and Katniss was reminded of her old mom, the one was alive, the one she had known.
Katniss nodded. "Of course. Prim, always the savior."
They approached Gale's house, and that was the end of their exchange.
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Hazelle warmly greeted the two. "Katniss, it's nice to see you again!" She hugged Katniss. "And Mrs. Everdeen, it's great to meet you!"
Mrs. Everdeen returned the smile. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too."
The two older ladies started chattering, topics ranging from the kids to the town gossip.
Katniss ventured deeper into the house, looking for a sign of Gale or Prim.
"Boo." A voice sounded out of nowhere.
Katniss jumped. "What the hell?"
"Ha, got you good Catnip," Gale choked out in between his laughing fit.
Katniss smacked his arm. "Well, where's Prim?"
Gale straightened up. "Who?"
She rolled her eyes. "My little sister, playing with your little brother?"
"Oh. That's your sister? I never even knew." Gale walked towards the living room.
Katniss followed suit, and found Prim giggling with Rory.
Prim turned and spotted Katniss. "Katniss!" She ran over to her older sister and hugged her.
Katniss kneeled down. "Hey, Prim."
Gale quietly observed her. She had a gentle and tender look on her face. She was a completely different person around Prim.
"Food's ready, kids!" Hazelle shouted from the kitchen.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" The young ones ran around wildly.
"Come on, guys." Gale and Katniss herded the kids to the kitchen.
On the table was a turkey thanks to Gale and Katniss, and mashed potatoes, corns, and peas a la Capitol.
The children hopped right into their seats and dug in without hesitation.
The two mothers scolded them about the mess they were making.
Gale and Katniss simply smiled at the sight of a happy family and eat their food, savoring the flavor.
Most of the time, they were poor Seam families struggling to survive. Tonight, they were one big happy family.
Katniss and Gale simultaneously turned and looked at each other. And when Gale gave her a small smile, Katniss gave him one too.
"Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered.
"Yes, Happy Thanksgiving," Gale agreed, half mind blown.
A/N: Not my best work, but I don't have any time to update and I wanted to do a Thanksgiving chapter real quick. Happy (late) Thanksgiving again! :) I hope you enjoyed this & please review! Oh yeah go to (www . thecaptiol . pn ) to get put into a district of Panem! I'm in District 12 :DD It's random though, and you must connect using a Twitter or Facebook account. You can even run for mayor! #HEADFORTHESQUARE
