Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Suzanne Collins. It is not intended to infringe on any copyrights held by Suzanne Collins or Scholastic Press. Any original story directions and plot lines herein are the property of the author. This work is written solely for the enjoyment of exploring that world in new ways.
Author's blog: gkkstitch-gkkmouse(dot)blogspot(dot)com
Drabble Tickler: Cinna asked Katniss' mother to show the prep team how she styled Katniss' hair, so he must have talked to the family members...
#10. Katniss' Family
Flavius leans over the car seat and shoulder of our quiet Peacekeeper driver and begins honking the horn even before the car comes to a stop. The other car begins honking as well, even as everyone starts to pile out, shouting the names of our victors. When Peeta comes out of one house, I can easily assume the remaining one is Katniss' and my team immediately heads there with barely a knock before opening the door and heading in.
Peeta waves at me before disappearing under the arms of his own prep team. I'm watching him give Portia a kiss on the cheek when our Peacekeeper driver taps my shoulder.
"Want me to take these inside?" he asks me, motioning to our luggage still in the car.
"Yes, please. I seem to have been left holding the bag... or the boxes, as it were."
With a wry chuckle and a nod, he turns to open the trunk of the car.
"Thank you..." I prompt him, holding out my hand.
"Darius," he offers, taking my hand in a firm shake. "And you're the famous Cinna."
Laughing, I say, "You make me sound like a stage magician."
He laughs quietly in return. "And you are! I saw what you did to Katniss. It was nothing less than magic." Growing serious he adds, "And thanks, from everyone here, for not making a joke about our district and putting them in some crazy get-up. You made everyone recognize Katniss and Peeta as something to be taken seriously."
My first reaction is surprise that Darius, a Peacekeeper, associates himself with the people of the district, claiming as much a sense of community as the people he is meant to keep in line. My second reaction is pride from his compliment, making me feel like I'm warming from the inside, but I still try to put credit where it is due. "Anyone who offers her own life to protect her little sister should be taken seriously."
"Too true," Darius says quietly.
With this admission, I understand why the children do not bear the signs of beatings that their parents do. This Peacekeeper is not like the others I've heard about from Haymitch and some of the other rebels I've spoken with of late.
A woman comes to join us at the car and I can tell this is Katniss' mother. I introduce myself again and clasp her hand in both of mine. "Mrs. Everdeen."
She smiles shyly and takes several bags to help us bring things in. I hear my team upstairs loudly scolding Katniss over her state of disrepair, and apologize to Katniss' mother for their rude entrance, but she will not hear it.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done for Katniss, Mr. Cinna," she says as I follow her through the house leaving Darius to bring in the remaining boxes.
"Please, just Cinna, and I'm happy to do what I can. You have a remarkable daughter," I say quietly, looking around Katniss' home.
It's nothing like I imagined and it doesn't seem like her, like her family. The house feels old and new, warm and cold. There are no decorations on the walls. The furniture is not worn from use. Even the area rugs are not trampled by familiar foot traffic. I wonder how long they've been here. Of all the rooms I see, only the kitchen seems truly warm, inviting and used.
"I have two," she continues saying with pride, moving around the table to the sink. She fills a small jar with water and places dark orange chrysanthemums into it, motioning me to sit at the table.
"Ah, yes, Prim. Will I get to meet her?"
"She's at school, but will be home any moment. She's excited to meet you and begged to leave school early today." She puts the flowers next to me and glances around the kitchen. I follow her eyes, noting jars of herbs and liquids on the shelves, and I remember Katniss telling Peeta that her mother treated injured miners. There are a few rolls with what looks like cheese baked into them on the sideboard. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Oh, no. No, I'm fine." The thought of taking anything from these people who have so little bothers me.
"How about some tea?" she offers.
"No. Truly, I'm fine."
But she sees through me. "You know we have plenty now. It's one of the benefits of Katniss being a victor. It's no trouble at all," she presses.
I feel a sheepish smile on my face and nod. "That would be nice. Thank you."
"Of course." She smiles warmly at me and I realize that Katniss has her mother's smile, even though she uses it rarely. The fact that I've been privileged to see it means something to me.
As she's pouring water into a small iron kettle, the back door flies open and a miniature but fairer version of Katniss jumps through the door. Her hair is blonde, but it's the same texture as her sister's. Her eyes are blue, but they are the same shape as Katniss' as well. Even the smooth line of her jaw and curve of her ears mimics her sister.
She stops halfway to me with her eyes and mouth open wide. I feel like a rare holiday present.
"Hello, there. You must be Prim."
Her eyes get even more impossibly wide with delight as she turns and whispers to her mother. "He knows my name." She strides right up to me and holds out her hand.
I laugh softly at this charming child. "Everyone in Panem knows your name." I wink at her.
"Everyone in Panem knows your name, too," she says, winking back.
"I suppose they do," I say, laughing again. "At least I'm in good company."
"They all know Lady now, too," she tells me.
"That's right. Does she still give you little kisses?"
Prim's smile is captivating. "Only when no one is looking."
"And where is she now? In the yard?"
"I tied her in the Haymitch's yard. She helps keep his yard from overgrowing."
"Helps to keep his yard down and gets to nibble on some fine weeds," I point out.
"Yeah, a two-fer," Prim says, using the same phrase I've hear Katniss use in the past. Even some of her mannerisms are copied from Katniss. "You made my sister look like candles and fire," she says with admiration, "but why did you put her in those stupid clothes in the arena?"
I can't stop myself from laughing out loud at her immediate question when we've barely been introduced. "Oh, I don't get to choose those clothes, you see. Those are designed by the Gamemakers."
"Oh," she says, drawing out the sound as if every question in the world suddenly has an answer. "Well, I have to tell you, I did not think they were appealing at all."
I bite my lips to keep from laughing again. If I wasn't looking directly at this twelve year old girl, I would swear I was talking to a much older, and very opinionated, woman. "I take that as a high compliment then and will strive, always, to do what I can to make up for the uniforms any tribute of mine must wear in the arena."
And without intending it, I have let all the air out of our easy conversation when we each consider that Prim may yet still be one of those tributes. I feel the smile slide heavily off my face and I feel even more uncomfortable when Mrs. Everdeen places a crisp new teacup in front of me.
"You did a remarkable job styling Katniss' hair," I flounder, hoping to fill the silence between us as it thickens. "I wondered if you wouldn't mind teaching my team how to braid the way you did. It was the very first thing they all noted and admired about her." I glance meaningfully at Prim. "Well, the second thing." Truthfully, I don't know if the team even remembers Prim's critical role in the events that led to Katniss being the tribute for District 12, but I feel horrible about my earlier faux pas.
"I'd be happy to," Mrs. Everdeen answers.
"If you could do that, then I'll get busy pulling out the outfits Katniss has designed before the television crews get here."
Prim laughs now. "Does she show any promise?"
"She has potential she isn't even aware of," I answer in complete honesty.
A/N: You can find me on the Hunger Games Trilogy forum at http:/www(dot)hungergamestrilogy(dot)com/phpbb3/viewtopic(dot)php?f=9&t=6853 and on Twitter http:/twitter(dot)com/gkkstitch/