It's been two days since we got back from the tour.
At first my mother wasn't very happy with the whole marriage thing, but yesterday Peeta had a long conversation with her and now she's on board. I don't know what Peeta told her, but she even wants to help with the preparations. Needless to say Prim was over the moon when we made the announcement. She got a little mad at us for not telling her first and now she's saying that we owe her i promised her that she could be a part of the wedding preparations and that she would be my made of honor. Who else was I going to invite…
Today is Sunday, almost midday and I'm still in bed. Peeta is not here, my mother doesn't like him spending the night with me, but she sees that it helps me dealing with the nightmares and allows it. She's been very supportive of us, I wasn't expecting it. Maybe there's a chance for our relationship after all.
Peeta's mother is the opposite, when she learned about our engagement she lost it. She doesn't like me and is doing everything she can to keep me and Peeta apart, that's why he isn't here; she makes him go to the bakery every day, even on Sundays, his day off. I just hope she doesn't make a scene at the wedding, Snow wouldn't be very happy.
Mr. Mellark, like Prim, is very happy with the news. The day we arrived, he came to the house and welcomed me into his family, said that he was very happy for us and that he's so happy for his son marrying the love of his life. I was a little embarrassed but is nice to know that at least one of his parents likes me and approves our marriage.
I'm about to get out of bed when I start hearing loud shouts from down stairs.
"Where is she?" he shouted running up the stairs. I get up and get into my robe. What the hell is going on? – I think.
"Please stop, I'll go wake her and let her know that you're here to talk to her" my mother said running after him up the stairs.
He doesn't listen and a second later my door almost gets ripped off when he bursts in.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gale asks moving forward to me. Looking at him I can see he's out of himself all sweaty and breathless. The veins in his neck protruding out. I don't know what his problem is, but he doesn't have the right to burst into my room and question me.
"Funny, I can ask you the same thing" I say. Which only gets him angrier.
"Do not play with me Katniss. I made you a question, I'm waiting" what? That was a question?
"What? What is it?"I ask.
"You're marrying him? Him? Why? Wasn't it all an act?" oh boy. I should have expected this, I didn't say anything to him since we got back and he had no idea about me and Peeta.
"So? What are you waiting for to answer me?" I know I should have told him, but he's getting on my nerves.
"I don't see how that could possibly be your business" One thing is for me to tell him, he is my best friend of course I would tell him about Peeta, but he has no right coming here and demand answers to me about my private life, he doesn't own me…
"The hell it isn't" "I don't owe you anything Gale, you're my friend not my mother, I don't have to explain myself to you" I'm starting to get really angry now.
"I'm your friend, I grew up with you, I help you put food in your family's mouths. You owe me an explanation" he's still shouting, Prim and my mother are probably listening to the entire conversation.
"look" I sigh "It's true, Peeta and I are getting married" I don't see the point in not confirming it. Maybe this way he cools off and goes away.
"I knew it! It was him, wasn't it? That weasel, that son of a bitch baker, who does he think he is?" I'm shocked I can't say anything, he thinks Peeta forced me to marry him?
"He can't do this, I'm going there and I'm going to teach him a lesson, he owes you his life, this is how he repays you?" he gets up and start going for the door, before he reaches it Haymitch gets through the door and stops him. I didn't know Haymitch was that strong.
"You are not going anywhere" Haymitch says, how did he get here? "I'm going to take you to your house and you're going to stay there till you cool off." Haymitch says and starts dragging him to his house.
Before they leave my room, I turn to Gale and say "And for your information it wasn't Peeta that made me marry him, it was Snow" his face changes, he looks at me with emptiness in his eyes, I don't know why I said it, I just don't want him hurting Peeta. He doesn't say anything and lets Haymitch drag him home.
I walk down stairs behind them and find Peeta at the end. He looks so worried.
"Katniss!" he says almost running to me to hug me. "Are you alright? I came as soon as Prim called, Haymitch made me stay here, he didn't hurt you did he?" Thank god for Haymitch, Gale would probably hurt him had he been there.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry if I scarred you" I say.
"I tried to stop him, but I couldn't" my mother said. "It's ok mum" I answer.
"What did he want" Peeta asks. "He wanted to know if it's true that we're getting married, he thought that you were making me marry you" I say a let out a small laugh, it's so ridiculous that he thinks Peeta would that.
"Well that's ridiculous, as if I would ever force you to do something" he lets out a laugh too "Like you would let me" and now they're all laughing.
"Why would he think that? It makes no sense…" It really doesn't.
"I don't know, maybe you should talk to him when he calms down"
"I don't think it's a good idea, at least for now" He looks at me trying to figure out what I'm thinking but doesn't say anything.
Much for his mother's dismay, Peeta ends up spending the rest of the day with me. Haymitch comes back and delivers Hazelle's apologies. We all have lunch together, Peeta helps my mother cooking lunch. Now that she has accepted our engagement they're closer, like a real family. Even Haymitch spends more time with us!
Peeta and I spend as much time as we are allowed every day. His mother still refuses to let me into the bakery, so Mr. Mellark has been delivering bread and other cakes to my house, every time he comes, he ends up spending some time with Prim and my mother. Once I even found them having tea and cookies in the Kitchen. Mr. Mellark really likes Prim and my mother; he says that now that we're a family we should get to know each other.
Effie calls, says she coming to the district with Cinna and my prep team, for me to pick my wedding dress. Unfortunately the whole picking of the dress will be televised and the dress I'll wear will be chosen by the capitol's voters.
They, my prep team, are expected to arrive next week in a train full of dresses, JOY!
Peeta and I have been laying low and staying mostly at one of our houses and I'm starting to miss the village, so when we go to sleep at night I tell him my plan to go to the village next morning and he agrees to come. Unfortunately, the next day we're awaken by my prep team. Venia, Octavia and Flavius, they're all right here in my bedroom.
"Surprise!" they squeal. "We're here early!" I wasn't expecting them for another three days.
They kick Peeta out of my bedroom; fill me up in all the news from the Capitol and how everybody is overly excited for my wedding. Without even having time to stretch, they get me out off the bed and into a ton of dresses.
While they get me ready they chat between them, and while I try my best to ignore them, I find myself paying attention to Octavia's comment. It's a passing remark, really, about how she couldn't get shrimp for a party, but it tugs at me.
"Why couldn't you get shrimp? Is it out of season?" I ask.
"Oh, Katniss, we haven't been able to get any seafood for weeks!" says Octavia. "You know, because the weather's been so bad in District Four."
My mind starts buzzing. No seafood. For weeks. From District 4. The barely concealed rage in the crowd during the Victory Tour. And suddenly I am absolutely sure that District 4 has revolted.
I begin to question them casually about what other hardships this winter has brought them. They are not used to want, so any little disruption in supply makes an impact on them. By the time I'm ready to be dressed, their complaints about the difficulty of getting different products — from crabmeat to music chips to ribbons — has given me a sense of which districts might actually be rebelling. Seafood from District 4. Electronic gadgets from District 3. And, of course, fabrics from District 8. The thought of such widespread rebellion has me quivering with fear and excitement.
I want to question them more, but Prim comes to help and by the end of the day I'm exhausted. Each dress has different shoes and different hair styles, for each dress they take almost fifty pictures, there's even a camera filming the entire process. The behind the scenes as Effie calls it, apparently seeing the pictures and voting for my wedding dress is not enough, the Capitol will air a special behind the scenes of today.
After trying what it felt like one hundred dresses, I fall on the couch exhausted. My prep team says good bye and leave, leaving all the dresses behind, not before making me promise not to show them to Peeta.
"It's bad luck" says Octavia, I'm thinking we had enough so I agree to keep them secret.
Mother and Prim come sit on the couch next to me. I can see a tear coming down mother's eye, she's clearly moved by what was going on.
"You looked so beautiful Katniss, in all of the dresses" She extends her arm to touch my face, but at the last second she lets her arm fall, probably thinking I wouldn't accept it. I would, I'm trying to change our relation.
"Thanks mom" I give her a shy smile. She nods "you are going to be a beautiful bride"
"Yes she will! I can't wait" Prim agrees.
Peeta, who was dying to come into the house, is finally allowed to come in. He brings with him a tray full of cakes and mugs of hot chocolate.
"After the day you three had, I thought you might want to eat something" he says. Mother and Prim smile and thank him. He seats next to me and I give him a kiss.
"Thanks, that's exactly what I needed" he smiles. "So, how was your day?"
"Tiring" I reply, "I must have tried 100 dresses, at least felt like it" he laughs. "Can I see them?"
"No, that's bad luck!" Prim answers before I can. "Really? I didn't know that" he looks disappointed.
"Yes, Octavia made me promise not to show them to you" I add.
"It's ok. That way I'll be totally surprised when you walk down the aisle" he says, and then adds "I know you'll be beautiful as always" And then gives me a kiss.
Peeta ends up joining us for dinner and so does Haymitch. He was curious to know how the fitting went and informed us that the special program the Capitol is making about the choosing of my wedding dress will air tomorrow.
The next day Prim comes home running in order not to miss the special program.
Peeta is locked up in my room to make sure he doesn't see me in the dresses, and the rest of us gather around the TV. The Capitol insignia appears and Caesar greets everybody.
Not long after that a slide show with photos of me in the different dresses begins.
Prim and my mother list their favorites and hope one of them wins. Haymitch mocks me but agrees I'm actually not that bad.
At the End of the show Caesar encourages everyone to vote. "Let's give Katniss Everdeen the Wedding of her dreams" he says and the show is over.
Effie calls the minute the show is over.
"What did you think of the show, didn't you love it? I Loved it!"She talks so fast I can barely understand.
"Oh yes, it was… something" I answer. "Katniss I can't wait, I have already voted twice, you are going to be such a beautiful bride".
"Thanks" is all I can say. "The results will be revealed tomorrow, I'm so excited." Tomorrow, why so soon?
"I have to go now, I have to continue voting, I only have until 9:00pm tonight" and she hangs up.
Prim comes to me and informs me that she already voted for her favorite gown. I would have liked that she wasn't so excited about this, but I can't really blame her.
The television gains life once again and informs us of a mandatory viewing program tomorrow afternoon, I immediately know it will be the revealing of my dress. I don't actually care which dress wins, they were all made by Cinna and they are all beautiful, I don't mind wearing any of them.
Once again, the next day Prim comes home running and lands on the couch before saying hello to anyone. Peeta arrives with popcorn and we all seat to watch the special.
We blindfold Peeta so he can't see the winning dress, but let him stay in the living room.
Caesar announces the winning dress and Prim almost puts a hole in the sofa from all the jumping.
"It is my favorite, did you see that, I knew that was the one! I'm so happy!" She says. The winning gown is one of my favorites as well, I have to confess. It is a strapless dress without cleavage. It is a corset covered in crystals and adorned with a bow that reminds me of my sister. Bellow the corset the dress falls into a voluminous skirt covered in feathers, right at the bottom, millions of pearls were placed around the dress. It's beautiful and fits me perfectly, like everything Cinna does.
Everybody is happy, even Peeta is smiling.
I'm about to shut off the Television, but Caesar is telling us to stay tuned for the other big event of the evening. "That's right, this year will be the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, and that means it's time for our third Quarter Quell!"
"What will they do?" Prim asks "It isn't for moths yet".
We turn to our mother, whose expression is solemn and distant, as if she's remembering something. "Must be the reading of the card"
The anthem plays and President Snow takes the stage. He is followed by a Capitol attendant holding a wooden box with the number 75th on it.
When the anthem ends the President begins to speak.
"Good evening to all. First I would like to thank everyone who voted both in the Capitol and the districts. Your participation is very important to me, the bride and groom. That being said I'm here to announce the date of the Wedding" He pauses for the words to sink in.
"The wedding will take place in district 12 and will be celebrated on the day before the reaping for the 75th Hunger games" Peeta looks at me apprehensive. Only three months until the wedding… "The bride and groom will have their honeymoon right here on the Capitol" a honeymoon mentoring how nice…
Snow pauses and changes subject.
"As you know this year we are celebrating 75 years since the defeating of the rebellion. When the laws for the games were laid out, they dictated that every twenty-five years the anniversary would be marked by a Quarter Quell. It would call for a glorified version of the games to make fresh the memory of those killed by the district's rebellion."
The words could not be more pointed, since I suspect several districts are rebelling right now.
President Snow goes on telling us what happened in the previous Quarter Quells. "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that the children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it"
I wonder how It felt voting for the kids who had to go. It is worse than to be reaped I thought, to be turned over by your neighbors.
On the filthiest anniversary", the presidents continues, "As a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes" We all look to Haymitch who buries himself more in the couch. "That was my year" is all that he says.
"I had a friend who went that year" says my mother quietly, Haymitch revolves in his place and looks at my mother, I can see pain in his eyes "Maysilee Donner. Her parents owned the sweetshop. They gave me her songbird after. A canary"
"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell" says Snow, the attendant moves forward, opens the box and places a shiny gold envelop on the Presidents hands. He runs his fingers under the flap and pulls out a small square of paper. Without hesitation he reads "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them, the ones who thought they were safe, cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the pool off people aged between 18 and 25 years old"
My mother lets out a sigh of relief, both her daughter's are safe for another year. I let myself feel relieved for a little while glad I won't have to mentor my little sister. But then I remember that Gale is 18 and therefore eligible for the Games.
And so are Peeta's brothers.