Peeta
My mother's manners towards my servants had always been atrocious. It had always bothered me. But something about the way she talked to Katniss made me especially angry. I watched Katniss bite her tongue, trying to hard not to attack my mother. In many ways I wish she had, my mother certainly deserved it. I always wonder if my father knew she was this awful before he met her, unfortunately for him their marriage was arranged and there was little her could do about it.
My mother and father had arrived earlier that morning, my brothers and their families were expected shortly after lunch. My mother had taken it upon herself to demand all sorts of ridiculous tasks from my servants in order to clean up the house since apparently I leave it in such an awful state. She, of course, is the only one who thinks so, everyone else thinks my house is immaculate. However nothing I do is every good in her eyes and she finds flaws that no one knew even existed. Sometimes I wonder if she brings disrepair along with her just so she has something to blame me for.
"Really Peeta, you must hire yourself a better groundskeeper. Your gardens are simply ghastly." Her nose is turned up as she surveys my front lawn. I thought Katniss was doing a wonderful job maintaining the flowerbeds. They were more beautiful, in my opinion, than they had been before her arrival. Then again everything is more beautiful when she is around.
My father leisurely rests against the porch railing sipping from a glass of brandy. My mother is picking at a nonexistent chip in the paint on the rail. The sound of horse becomes faint in the distance and my father's face lights up with happiness.
"Uncle Peeta!" A chorus of four little voices sings to me when the carriage finally pulls to a stop. I kneel closer to the ground as four little bodies collide with mine, nearly knocking me over.
"We missed you!" Amelia's little voice tinkles with the sweet innocence only children posses. Amelia and Alexander are my brother Rye and his wife Tess. George and Maria are my brother Tom's kids with his wife Maggie.
"I missed you as well." My nieces and nephews are dearer to me than anything I would, if the need arose; lay down my life to protect them. In similar fashion to the way I imagine that Katniss would for her younger sister.
"Georgie, Ria, please go give your grandparents a hug and allow your uncle room to breathe." Maggie's sweet voice commands from nearer to the carriage.
"You as well Amelia and Alex." Tess joins in.
The exchange between my mother and her grandchildren is stiff and awkward, but as usual my father is loving and warm. He adores his grandchildren and they adore him as well.
"Peet." My brother Rye greets me warmly, enveloping me in a strong embrace. Tom follows suit, his eyes only reveal the stress he is undoubtedly facing at the presence of my mother. She has always been horrid to us and us three bonded as brothers over our need to protect each other.
"So good to see you brother!" Tess is always enthusiastic and cheery; she is a good match to Rye's quiet nature. She places a kiss on my right cheek and smiles brightly at me.
Maggie makes her way over to me, her gait is slow and resembles the waddle of a duck, and she hugs me awkwardly as her protruding stomach is very much in the way. "Your glowing Maggie." I say in the most cliché way I can manage. She sends me a humorous glare before my brother helps her inside.
The rest of the evening is spent on the back lawn. My mother, father, brothers and sisters are enjoying pleasant conversation whereas four angelic faces command my time. They want to play tag, hide-and-go-seek, and they demand numerous piggy back rides. My energy is long depleted but I cannot bear to refuse them. And so I indulge them just to hear their sweet giggles and laughter until I find myself collapsed on the soft green grass. They all lay around me and I decide before they wish to run around again to distract them with the clouds.
"Do you see that cloud? Does it not resemble a rabbit Amelia?" I point to the sky and they all turn their face upwards. We lay there till dinner, all taking turns determining the many shapes in the clouds.
Dinner is a quiet affair; Sae has outdone herself with this meal. Even my mother seems unable to find fault in it. Katniss is not present to serve dinner and I find myself wondering where she could be.
After dinner my sisters take my nieces and nephews to ready for bed. My mother and father left to return home as soon as their plates were cleared. They will undoubtedly return first thing in the morning.
"So brother what news do you have for us?" Rye settles himself on the couch.
"News?" His tone had suggested he had heard something and I was curious as to what it could be.
"Word is that you had a visit from Miss. Cartwright very recently. Word is that an engagement is to be suspected." Tom interjects.
I laugh heartily. "My dear brothers you cannot be so foolish as to believe everything you hear."
"Is it not true then?" Rye narrows his gaze.
"No it is not true. Miss. Cartwright and I are nothing more than good friends, I enjoy her company but I find nothing romantic with her."
Rye looks at me seriously, always the most logical brother. "Peet you must think about settling down soon. Mother will have a fit if you don't. Surely there is a woman who could catch your eye."
I chuckle; the truth of his words weighs heavy on me. "I know Rye and there is one such woman. Unfortunately mother would sooner have a fit if I did settle down with her. But it is no matter, as it is she dislikes me."
"Dear brother I doubt there is a soul on earth who could possibly dislike you. You could not be unpleasant if you tried." Tom laughs at the sheer implication. "Well go on then, who is this mystery girl?"
Precisely at that moment comes a knock on the parlor door. "Come in." I call out. As if by some cruel twist of fate in walks the very woman I was about to admit to loving.
"Sae sent up some tea for you sir." Her voice was fluid and essentially bored. She looked as if she would rather be anywhere but in this room at this current moment.
"Thank you Miss. Everdeen. You may set it on the table." I gesture over to the table near where Rye is seated. Gracefully she crosses the room without so much as a sound. She places the tray with the tea and sets the cups and saucers in front of my brothers as well as one for myself. She pours the tea and sets down the cream and sugar. She asks my brothers how they like their tea before preparing it. She places the cream and sugar back on the tray and begins to leave the room.
"Miss. Everdeen you never asked me how I preferred my tea." I tease. She rewards me with an almost playful smirk.
"Mr. Mellark you drink your tea plain, you have for as long as I've been here." With that she soundlessly floats from the room.
After the door closes I turn back to my brothers who are both looking at me with their jaws nearly trailing on the floor. I furrow my eyebrows in their general direction; I need not voice my question because I have written it all over my face.
"Peeta please tell me that look on your face is merely because this tea brings you such happiness." Tom looks unbelieving and astonished.
I sigh, obviously my question wasn't the only this written all over my face.
"Peeta, you know we only wish for your happiness but have you considered the repercussions of falling for a girl so far below you. She is one of the servants in your home Peeta." Rye looks at me with pity, he already has written this off as a lost cause.
"Peeta we love you, but please take some time to think about how illogical this is. Please think on it." With that my brothers leave me to my thoughts.
Of course I have thought of it. Katniss Everdeen and everything about her have occupied my every waking thought. I have run through every scenario and I cannot find one where I would be all right without her in my life. I simply do not know if I can survive without her now that I have met her.