CHAPTER 21

SEPTEMBER

Eleven years of waiting, and Peeta was lost hopelessly in the moment. He was so caught up in this one single kiss that he could hardly hear himself think. It might have taken eleven years, but it was completely worth the wait. This is everything I ever wanted. To be this close to the girl I love and to be kissing her...it just feels like a dream. I wonder if it really could be a dream.

I know it took a while to accept how I felt, thought Katniss, who was just as lost in the moment. But I love Peeta Mellark, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be and no one else I'd rather be with. Being here just feels so right.

When the two slowly separated, they were speechless for the longest time. Really, they were only silent for a moment or so but it felt like a lifetime for both of them. Neither Katniss nor Peeta could speak or even find the words; it was like they were still so numb from what had just happened that their mouths wouldn't let them speak. They didn't mind the silence – it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable – it was a calming kind of silence. Even when a few minutes had passed, still they found their mouths had gone dry and they weren't able to utter even a word.

Katniss let out a quiet laugh, causing Peeta to laugh as well. They weren't sure what was causing them to laugh or why they were laughing at all, but neither could help it. It was the first thing that escaped their mouths after having been locked in their dreamlike kiss and like with the silence, it felt not the least bit awkward.

"Our first kiss," remarked Peeta, staring out at the vast lake in front of them while losing himself in his thoughts. "Pretty special, don't you think?" The lake seemed even calmer and more tranquil than it had when he first arrived. On the surface of the glassy water he could see clear as day the reflection of the many pine trees surrounding them. It was then that he realized how truly beautiful of a place this was. It felt like a far more beautiful place than it had been when he'd first arrived there.

"Yeah," Katniss agreed, her eyes just as transfixed on the lake. "It was definitely special." Did that really just happen? Did Peeta and I really just kiss, or am I just thinking we did? No, it definitely happened. I didn't know what to expect from it but I...I kind of liked it.

Peeta noticed the transfixed expression on her face and he titled his head slightly to the left. He knew his own thoughts were running wild but he was all too curious as to what was racing through the mind of the girl who was now his girlfriend.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked, and his voice dropped to something of a whisper.

She looked to him, tried to organize her thoughts and with a shrug and a quick laugh, she answered, "I don't know."

Peeta watched her and asked, "Are you thinking about us having just kissed?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, definitely that."

He reached over, traced his fingers lightly along the top of her hand and still in a voice that was close to a whisper, he said, "Was it okay?"

When she finally responded, she said the one thing that made Peeta feel like he was once more sitting on cloud nine. Somewhere in his mind amidst all the excitement, shyness and wonder, he'd been struck with the worry of Katniss not enjoying the feeling of his lips on her own. He'd asked himself what he would do if she hated the feeling or just didn't think Peeta was a good kisser and instead, slobbered and drooled all over her face? He hadn't wanted to think of these questions but after having remained so hopelessly in love with this girl since he was five, it was pretty hard not to feel nervous about how she would feel about their first kiss.

But she relaxed and reassured him with a few simple, but amazing words.

With the tiniest smile, she told him bluntly and directly, "More than okay. It was...more amazing than I ever thought it would be."

"Really?" Without even having to see, Peeta knew upon hearing the word 'amazing', his eyes had grown twice their normal size.

Katniss confirmed this with a nod.

"So it wasn't too wet or...or slobbery or anything? Because I'd feel awful if I was too rough or there was too much saliva or—"

"No," she said, letting an amused laugh escape from under her breath. "No, it was perfect." She then asked him, "What are you thinking about?" She felt for sure she knew the answer already, but she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was feeling curious as to what was going inside Peeta's head, and what he was feeling about all of this.

Peeta chuckled lightly and said, "Same thing as you."

"And how would you describe it?" was the next obvious question.

He only had the think for the shortest of a second before coming up with the single, best and only way he could answer that question honestly. There were hundreds of words he could use to formulate what he thought of their first kiss, but only one of them could sum it up so easily.

"Kissing you," Peeta began, and the honesty in his voice couldn't have been more noticeable. "Made me feel like I was on top of the world. Like I was on a mountain or something."

"It couldn't have felt like that!" Katniss insisted. "How can someone feel like they're on top of the world?" Another laugh escaped her but it wasn't because she was laughing at him; she just wasn't aware of how truly incredible of an experience it had been for Peeta. It was like she'd forgotten how long he'd been in love with her, and how long he'd been dreaming of the day the two might actually share something as special and treasured as a kiss.

In a more quiet voice, she told him, "You're just saying that."

"No, it felt exactly like that," said Peeta, recalling just how much locking lips with Katniss had made him feel like he'd been standing on the world's tallest mountain. "I know it sounds weird but that's really how I felt, Katniss. I always heard kissing someone you love is like nothing else but I wouldn't have known how true that was if you and I didn't just kiss. It was like this warm feeling spread over me and...and I just didn't want it to stop."

Katniss met his eyes and the surprise of knowing he'd felt that same warmness spreading inside him made her think they really had shared the same connection.

"I felt that too."

"Butterflies in your stomach, a million thoughts racing through your head, your body goes numb and your heart's beating so much faster than it ever has and you're afraid it might actually burst out of your chest."

"You felt all that?" asked Katniss, and their eyes gazed only into the other's. "Just like me?"

"I did," said Peeta softly. "Everything you felt, Katniss...I felt." It was like that kiss brought us together and made our minds become one. I don't know if that's what really happened or if it's even possible but it was more incredible than I could have imagined.

After he spoke, it was like the two could see into each other's eyes because without giving it a second thought, they let their lips speak the words they didn't need to. Once more they leaned in, parted their lips just slightly and like before, their lips met and that same compelling force left them all but enthralled. Touching his soft, supple lips for a second time, Katniss found herself more at loss for how she could explain what was deepening both in her mind and heart. Had an explosion of passion gone off that was causing her to feel so wonderfully numb? Was that recognizable warmth the reason for her feeling as though her entire body was heating up? Had an electrical surge passed through his body to hers and now she felt more alive and awake then she had in years?

Halfway through the kiss, Katniss felt a pair of warm hands coming to rest on her cheeks and she now felt closer than ever to this boy. She hoped they'd remain holding her face because as with the kiss, it was bringing such a rush of energy through her and it was uncontrollably intoxicating. Much to her delight, he went on caressing her face and it only seemed to make her want to stay like that for as long as time would allow.

After what felt like a lifetime, they pulled apart and still the warmth and surge of electricity hadn't quite left them.

"It's not that hard, is it?" said Peeta, the moment still lingering on his lips. "Kissing, I mean."

"No," said Katniss, her body somewhat in a daze. "I didn't think it'd be so...easy."

"Almost natural, really," added Peeta. "Like you don't need to put any thought into it."

Katniss nodded in agreement and smiled, "I really like kissing you, Peeta."

He smiled back at her and said with a touch of coyness, "And I really like kissing you, Katniss. Everything about you I love and...and I just wish I could just freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever."

After this, they didn't say much and felt they really didn't need to since they were both still wrapping their heads around having kissed for a second time. So rather than engage in conversation and discuss what they already knew they were feeling, they just stared up at the sky while identifying whatever shapes they happened to come across.

The sky was filled with dozens of clouds that would slowly drift by and at times, they wondered if they were moving at all. Most of the clouds were large, thick and noticeably puffy while others were small, thin and looked more like random streaks of white. The longer Peeta went on watching, the more he saw these clouds as white, majestic beds of cotton. Thinking like this made the clouds themselves appear interesting when most thought of clouds as nothing particularly exciting. It wasn't until they started catching sight of some pretty unique and interesting shapes that they'd chuckle and let the other know.

"That one looks like a cat," said Katniss, pointing to their right. "See? Those are the ears, and then the face and—"

"Yeah, I see it!" Peeta exclaimed, then pointed a bit to their left and said, "That one looks like a cupcake. There's the bottom, and then the top and that little round part could be a cherry on top. Looks pretty tasty actually. Though I'm not sure how tasty a cloud would be unless you like soft, puffy and watery."

Katniss laughed, entertained both by the cloud Peeta was referring to and his joke about tasting it and said, "Anything else you see from the bakery?"

Peeta looked for a moment longer and then said excitedly, "Actually, yes!See that one there? That big long one? That looks like a loaf of bread. No way that one looks like a cupcake. It's definitely bread."

Katniss shook her head, still laughing and said, "Maybe the cloud that looks like Buttercup will go and eat the bread? I know he eats it all the time at home. Makes a pig of himself and then I have to clean up the hairball."

"And the cupcake," Peeta added with a goofy grin. "No way he'd pass down one that's got a cherry on top. I know I wouldn't."

"Knowing him, he probably wouldn't," said Katniss, and returned her attention to the multiple clouds.

"Who would have thought there'd be a bakery in the sky?" said Peeta pensively, shaking his head in wonder. "Here all this time there was a bakery in the sky and I never knew it."

"A bakery of clouds."

"A bakery of white, fluffy loafs of bread," said Peeta with a grin that soon turned into full on laughter. "A never-ending supply of goodness for all to embrace."

"I think I'll stick with eating the bread at your bakery, thanks," was all Katniss said.

"Speaking of bakeries," said Peeta and pointed far to their right. "See that triple-layered cake way over there? If we just had some chocolate frosting we'd be all set for dessert."

They spent the next twenty minutes cloud-watching until Peeta looked over and asked, "Katniss?"

"Yeah?"

"Before we leave, can I ask you for one more thing?"

"Another kiss?" she asked with a light chuckle.

"No," he said smiling and went on genuinely, "I was actually wondering if you might mind...singingfor me?"

She turned her head to look at him and asked while feeling somewhat confused, "What?"

"I haven't heard you sing in eleven years," he told her softly. "I was just hoping I might get the chance to hear you sing it again – the Valley Song. I'd love to hear it again and you're the only one I'd want to hear singing it. Kindergarten was so long ago and I'd give anything to hear you sing that song again."

"Well, I...I don't really like singing in front of people," she told him nervously. "I mean, it was different when we were kids and all. I was little then and I didn't care that much, but now I'd just feel embarrassed."

"Don't feel embarrassed," he said kindly. "I bet you sound even more beautiful than you did all those years ago. But if you'd really rather not sing, I understand. I wouldn't want to force you into doing something you'd rather not."

There was a short pause before Katniss told him, "Okay. I guess I'd be more embarrassed if it was in front of a group, but if it's just you..."

"It's just me," he said with a reassuring smile. He then added in hopes of making her feel more comfortable, "And you don't have to worry about anyone judging you because you already know how I feel, right? To me, you've got the most beautiful singing voice I've ever heard."

She chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's true. Alright then..."

She waited only a minute or two before starting, but once she began, Peeta was hit with a wave of such emotion that it felt like a huge weight was being pressed onto his shoulders, but in a good way. He was instantly brought back to when the two were five and he'd first heard her sing the Valley Song in music assembly. And here he was eleven years later listening to it again and it sounded just as beautiful as he remembered.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise

Peeta was absolutely mesmerized, and couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked even more graceful than she had so long ago when her hair had been in two braids and she'd been wearing that red plaid dress. Her voice made him go hopelessly weak in the knees and the only thing he could think as he watched and listened to her in awe was: I'll never stop loving you. Years from now, nothing will have changed. You'll still be the only girl that can make me feel like this.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you

By this point, Peeta was now feeling a sense of joy when he reflected on what Katniss had told him earlier and the fact that she and him were now together. He could now happily call the girl he'd loved for eleven years his girlfriend. He was now no longer living a life where he stood off to the sides adoring her in secret. She now knew just how deeply he cared for her and to make things even better, she'd revealed that she too had developed feelings for him. When he'd woken up that morning with the sun shining through his window, he hadn't anticipated what an incredible afternoon would be waiting for him.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again its morning, they'll wash away

It sounds even more beautiful than it did back when we were kids, thought Peeta who was wrapped up in each and every word of the song. In a way, each word itself was like its own separate song and when strung together, it produced a sound that he could have easily drifted off to if he was tired and ready for sleep. He was awake though and so long as she was singing that song, he wouldn't be heading to bed anytime soon.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you

When Katniss had finished, Peeta commented, "That was lovely."

"I wonder if any mockingjays are—" said Katniss but before she could finish, she was cut short by the familiar sound of rustling in the trees and the flapping of wings. When she and Peeta looked up they saw the unmistakable birds called mockingjays perched high up in the trees. It was impossible to miss the black-colored birds with the few white patches, soft feathers and long tails. Their beaks had opened widely and the gathered birds were now breaking out in full song while directing their attention to the girl below who'd presented them with a song. There wasn't a single bird that hadn't broken out in full song and as they went on chirping and trilling, all Peeta could do was stare wide-eyed at the gathered birds. It was tricky to count just how many were present but if they had to guess, they would have reckoned there were about ten in total.

"I've never seen one up close before," Peeta proclaimed while rising to his feet to get a better look.

"Really?" asked Katniss in surprise.

"Really," said Peeta who was now watching them eagerly. They were even more fascinating up close and listening to them sing in full chorus made Peeta question their nature even more. "The only time I've ever seen them was that first day at school when you sang. Other than that, I've never seen one up close like this. I've heard them once in a while outside in the yard but they don't hang out much where I live. Maybe two or three times I year I'll hear them but I never had the chance to actually see one up close."

The two stood there until the birds had finished their singing which went on for roughly five minutes. They recaptured the elegance that had been so visible in Katniss's voice and soon the entire woods were filled with their musical notes. If anyone else had been wandering along and happened to make their way deep enough into the forest, they would have been met with this enchanting sound. But since Katniss and Peeta were the only ones there, they were the only two that had the pleasure of hearing a performance from a flock of singing mockingjays.

Upon completing their song, the group of birds gave one last cry, opened their wings, gazed up towards the trees and then took to the sky. With one swift motion, they'd left the branches of the trees to sail up and into the air where they divided and flew off in separate directions. Some soared straight off into the distance towards the opposite side of the lake while others went either left or right. Less than a minute was all it took for the songbirds to vanish out of sight and Peeta and Katniss were left standing under the trees where they'd just been singing. In such a short amount of time the woods had gone from being a place overflowing with the voices of mockingjays to a place where all you could hear was the faint rustling of the wind in the trees.

"Never would have thought I'd see that many," said Peeta in an awestruck voice. "I've only ever heard maybe one or two but to hear that many...that was amazing."

"They are amazing," Katniss concurred. "No wonder they're District Twelve's favourite bird. No other bird around can do what they do."

Peeta smiled and said, "I didn't expect to see that many of them but there was one thing that didn't surprise me."

Katniss turned and looked to him, waiting for his reply.

"They're still just as in love with your voice as they were when they first heard you sing back in kindergarten," Peeta announced.

Katniss waved him off as if she didn't agree with him and said, "They'll sing for almost anyone."

"Really?" said Peeta. He chuckled under his breath and told her in disagreement, "No way they would have done that for me!"

"You never know," Katniss offered with a shrug. "Have you ever tried singing to one?"

"No!" Peeta exclaimed. By the tone of his voice, Katniss had the idea he actually thought her question was funny because another chuckle was attempting to escape from his lips. "No way they would have sung for me."

"Why not?"

"I can't sing," he said bluntly. "If there's one thing I can't do, it's sing."

"Have you ever tried?" she asked, giving him a crooked smile.

"No," he said quickly. "But that doesn't—"

"Then how do you know they wouldn't sing back to you?"

"Okay, I wouldn't," he admitted, putting his hands up in surrender. He gave a little smile and went on, "But I just can't sing, Katniss. Really."

"You say you can't," she cleverly corrected. "But you've never actually tried. You can't know unless you try."

"You're right, you're right," he said with a light sigh. He met her eyes and with a goofy grin, suggested, "But how about you be the one to sing to the mockingjays? I don't know if I'd like to try singing to those birds. I just have this image in my head of me starting a song, them not taking to it and poking me in the face with their beaks and chasing me out of the woods."

"I'm sure they wouldn't hate it that much."

"You never know," said Peeta. With an amusingly humorous expression, he whispered, "What if they turned into pokingbirds? You saw their beaks, Katniss. They could inflict some serious poking on me if they wanted."

"You are hilarious," she said chuckling. "The things you come up with are just...crazy. Crazy but hilarious."

"Thank you," said Peeta, beaming. "I'll take crazy and hilarious any day. Not a bad combination in my books."

"So you really don't want to sing to them then?" she asked.

Peeta gave it some final thought, came to the same conclusion and that was, "No."

"Fine with me," she said casually. Putting her hands on her hips, she questioned, "So if I'm going to be singing, what will you be doing?"

"Oh, that's easy," came the immediate answer. "I'll bake bread, draw, paint, listen to you sing, work on my math and hope I get better at it and—"

"Well, you're all set then," said Katniss and gave him a thumbs up.

He too gave a thumbs up and proclaimed with confidence, "Looks like we both are then. Now we just need someone to say ready, set go."

Katniss glimpsed over to her left, spotted something on one of the trees and looked harder while trying to guess at what it could be. She furrowed her brows in contemplation and Peeta could tell she was unquestionably mulling over what she was seeing. Consequently, this got him feeling equally intrigued.

"What are you staring at?"

"That over there," she said pointing to the specific tree she was observing. "See that tree over there?"

"What about it?"

"I think there's a carving on it," she replied, speaking half to herself and half to Peeta. "Like a word or a picture, but I can't tell from here."

"Let's take a look," said Peeta and began making his way over to the tree. Katniss followed behind and when they'd reached the tree, they inspected the image Katniss had pointed out.

Up close, they saw it was indeed a carving and appeared to have been cut with some kind of knife. It wasn't anything detailed and was rather a very simple drawing but it was one that held a remarkably long back-story. Drawn on the surface of the tree was a giant heart and engraved inside it was: T + C. There was no mistaking that these initials belonged to two individuals but as to who these two people could be, neither of them had a clue. All they could tell from what was inscribed on the bark of the tree was that two people – undoubtedly in love – had stumbled across this tree. When this had happened was beyond them but they presumed it must have been some while ago. The fact that the carving had an aged, faded look to it was a dead giveaway but aside from that, the story of these two lovebirds was a mystery for them. Who they were, where they'd come from and what their story was would forever remain unknown to them.

"Wonder who they were," said Peeta. He slowly ran his fingers along the rough outline of the heart, and then of the two letters as if trying to absorb any veiled information. After staring at the carved picture and thinking it over, he concluded, "Guess there's no way to find out though."

"It could have been anyone," added Katniss. She too was examining what had been carved into the tree but not until yet another image came floating into her peripheral vision. Inquisitive as to what it could be, she took a few steps forward and what she saw made absolute sense.

Firmly embedded into the back of the tree was a hunting knife. Its handle was thick, deep red in color and when she grasped it with one of her hands, its texture was unusually thick. When she took the blade's handle in the same hand she'd use to feel it, she tightened her hold and with one swift motion, yanked it right out of the tree. It came out fairly easy and when she held it up for Peeta to see, his only response was to let out a chuckle.

"Should have known there'd be a knife here somewhere."

"Wonder why they left it here," said Katniss with a touch of confusion. "You think they would have taken it with them."

"Who knows?" said Peeta, his eyes alternating between the knife and the inscription on the tree. "Maybe they wanted it left here."

"But...why?"

"Maybe they figured there'd be more lovebirds to come," he offered. "I bet they knew they wouldn't be the only ones to find this place, fall in love and want to write their story on one of these trees. For all we know there could be other carvings just like this one all over the place. If we went and looked around, we might find more hearts and things people had written."

"And I bet that would take hours to do," she noted and gave one look to the endless number of trees surrounding them.

"Hours and hours," Peeta threw in.

It was noticing Peeta holding the knife and remembering the engraved heart on the tree that she was struck with an idea.

"Peeta?"

"Mmm?" His attention was now solely on Katniss.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she said quietly. Her eyes remained on the knife only momentarily and were now focused on the large tree in front of them.

"I think so," he said and with an eager, shining sparkle in his eye, asked, "You want to take this knife, find a tree and—"

"And write our story in it," she declared, finishing his statement.

His entire face broke out in a keen smile and with palpable excitement, said, "Let's find ourselves a tree."

"I think we already have one," she reminded him.

When he reflected back on all that had unfolded while being there, he had to shake his head at how amazingly perfect it all was. Every piece of the puzzle was coming together and now with the last and final piece, he understood exactly what she meant.

"The tree we were sitting under," he murmured. Even with how quietly he was speaking, his hushed voice sounded noticeably loud in the air of silence that hung around them. "Of all the trees here, that's the only one that could be ours." That's where it all happened. We confessed our love and kissed for the first time. Now that I think of it, I think I fell in love with her all over again while sitting under that tree.

"Let's go then," she said and together, the two sauntered back over to the tree they'd been sitting under since they first arrived.

Peeta reached his hand out and sliding it down the length of the towering tree, it felt extremely smooth whereas most of the others had a rough and scratchy surface. The texture of this one, however, was unlike any they'd come across and Peeta figured they'd have no trouble engraving a heart and their first initials onto it. Considering they also had a sharp knife they could use, they were all set to write their love story and have it become part of the very woods themselves.

"Time to get writing," he pronounced and brought the blade of the knife onto the bark of the tree and began doing just that.

As he positioned it in the center of the tree, he made sure to have a firm, tight grasp on the handle before performing the first cut. After ensuring he had a fixed hold on the tool, he narrowed his focus and slowly and carefully, started scraping the tip along the bark. Just like when decorating the cakes at home or painting a work of art in Mr. Odair's class, his movements were steady, precise and controlled with no hint of shakiness. As with his work in the bakery and at school, this was yet another opportunity for a creative piece to be sketched. Only this time, he wasn't using a pencil, paintbrush or pastry bag – he was using a knife. With its pointed tip, there was the potential to carve on this tree a basic, yet meaningful heart that could be discovered by anyone and everyone.

The task proved much easier than he'd expected and within a few minutes a fully-drawn heart was now showing on the tree. It took even less time to add in the initials of their names but with how delicate Peeta was with his creations, he was in no rush. He was treating this no differently than he would to a cake or painting and Katniss could sense it in his body language alone. She'd seen him plenty of times in class and knew that when his mind was set on anything art-related, he entered another world. It was one that remained locked up inside him and came out only when his creative self resurfaced. The intense, thorough concentration that went into what he was doing was astounding and as she paid closer attention to his eyes, she saw they were heavily focused. The special look his face took on in times when he was deeply concentrated was one that couldn't be overlooked. Above all though, what Katniss commonly found herself fixating over were his lashes which at that moment, looked so much longer and more golden in color than she'd ever recalled. How he managed to blink without them getting tangled up in each other, she wasn't sure of but somehow he was able to do so.

When she spotted a sliver of light appearing from above, she lifted her head to see where it was coming from. Through a breach in the treetops a little to their right, a ray of shining light was now traveling down to fall upon Peeta's lashes and as a result, it made them appear that much brighter. For all sorts of reasons, she was becoming increasingly mesmerized standing there and she guessed odds were that Peeta was in just as mesmerized of a state. While she was engrossed with watching him work, he was absorbed in his own personal world of creative possibilities.

"There," he exhaled, letting the knife drop to the ground. With a sigh of contentment, he announced, "Our story's officially done."

Now carved meticulously on the tree under which they'd shared their first kiss was a heart and written inside it was: K + P. Their story of finding love at this peaceful lake when autumn was fresh was now part of whatever other stories were written on the trees. So far, they'd only discovered another tree that had been carved but as they'd mentioned earlier, there was bound to be an assortment of love stories if one searched hard enough. But because the day was coming to an end and the sun would soon be leaving the sky, they decided it was time to be heading back. It had been an afternoon full of pleasant surprises but as with all days, it was almost over and there was no reason for them to remain there any longer.

Before leaving entirely, Katniss had one final question.

"What should we do with the knife?"

"I say we leave it," replied Peeta, placing the knife directly under the tree so it was resting vertically against the large trunk. "You never know who else might come here and fall in love."

"Alright," she answered. She gave one final glance out at the calm, motionless lake and said, "Let's go."

So with a sense of contentment and relaxation, they left the tranquil surroundings of the lake where so much had happened in only a few hours and made their way back for home. In the strangest way, it felt a little odd leaving the place as if they'd been there for days on end. What had been a few simple hours was starting to feel like a lifetime and it struck them how fond they'd grown of these woods. Everything from the dancing leaves that had fluttered to the ground, the definite aroma of pine that lingered in the air, the tree they'd carved their story of love on, the softness of the grass, the singing mockingjays, the patch of colourful flowers and the stretch of water that appeared like a shimmering crystal had all begun to feel like home. Both had the feeling it wouldn't be long till they were sitting once again down on that cushiony grass, staring up at the various-shaped clouds that floated lazily by.

On the way home, the two walked hand-in-hand, enjoying the stillness of everything around them and neither had any desire to speak. The other's company was all they needed and even as they strolled along taking in their surroundings, others seemed to do the speaking for them. A young girl was laughing and chasing after a frisky Labrador puppy whose tail was wagging vigorously. A guy about their own age sat on a bench and as they listened, they became swept up in the sound of his guitar. He was rather talented and was a fairly decent singer and both took in the sounds of his instrument and vocals till they could no longer hear him. Farther along they came across a backyard where two sisters who were stretched out on the grass while pointing their fingers this way and that and pretty much everywhere.

"Wonder what they're doing," thought Katniss out loud.

"I Spy maybe?" was Peeta's guess.

Not five seconds after he'd said that did one of the girls exclaim, "I spy with my little eye, something that is...yellow!"

Peeta gave Katniss a smile and guffawed, "I think I know what she spotted."

"What?"

"Here, I'll give you a clue," said Peeta and was unable to keep from smiling. "Let's play our own game of I Spy. What do you see around us that's yellow?"

"Well...nothing, really," she said quickly. "Earlier I would have said the sun but you can hardly see that now or maybe flowers but I don't see any around."

"Look harder," Peeta went on. "What's yellow?"

"Nothing," she said with a slightly irritated shrug. "Unless she got her color mixed up with green or some other color, I don't know."

Peeta laughed at this and said with conviction, "No, I don't think she got her color wrong. Think, Katniss. Think hard because it's not that hard, really. It's right in—"

"Well, maybe it's not hard for you but it sure as heck is for me," she said stubbornly. "There's nothing yellow to see!"

"But there is."

"Is there?"

"Yes."

"Then I can't see it," she concluded, still in that stubborn tone.

"Okay, I'll tell you," said Peeta. With a widening grin, he reached up, grasped one of his strands of blond hair and waved it as if to say, 'This was what you were looking for.'

She shook her head and in hilarious frustration, grumbled, "Why didn't I see that?"

Peeta glanced over and called out to the girls, "Was my hair the yellow you saw?"

"Yes!" one of them chirped and at once she and her sister began giggling.

When Peeta turned back to face Katniss, he saw she was still busy shaking her head.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Of all the people in the world," she said with certainty. "No one's as bad at this game as I am."

"You're not that bad," said Peeta in disagreement. As if changing his mind, he told her, "Well, maybe you're not the best at finding—"

"Hey!" she chastised and shot him a steely glare. "That doesn't mean you can go and—"

"I'm teasing, Katniss," he interjected playfully while putting a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't think I mean that because I don't. You know what I'm like with jokes. I say things I don't mean but I hardly ever mean it. I just like doing it for a goof, that's all."

She stared at him for about a moment and then he heard her saying, "It's a good thing you and I are together now because if we weren't, I just might have given you a punch in the shoulder for saying that."

"Ouch," said Peeta, wincing slightly. His mood changed instantly though and with a knowing smile, he said, "But you wouldn't hit me, would you?"

Katniss gave him no answer.

"You wouldn't hit your art tutor, would you?" he went on, sliding his hand down her arm till he reached hers. Without hesitating, he slipped his fingers into hers and gave her a charming smile that she hadn't yet seen from this boy. "You wouldn't hit your boyfriend?" His voice trailed off into a distinct whisper and when he pressed his head lightly against hers, an explosive warmth erupted in both his body and hers.

She didn't have to give this question a second thought before telling him softly, "Never."

By the time they reached Katniss's house, the sun had disappeared for the evening and the sky was now cast in a deep, crimson orange. It felt like hardly an hour had passed since they'd wandered down to the lake but now the day was nearing its final hours.

"Well, that was a veryinteresting afternoon," Peeta chuckled with a smile. "Wouldn't you say?"

Katniss laughed at the remark and said, "Yeah, and I could think of a few other words too."

"Hey, I was thinking," said Peeta, an idea hitting him. "You know that math test we have coming up? The one we're supposed to be having the first week of October?"

Katniss nodded and said, "The one on algebra."

"I was thinking about that," he went on. "And I don't know about you, but I'm pretty nervous."

"Why?" she asked. "It's not gonna be hard."

"Do you know how many questions it's gonna be?" he stated, his eyes widening to the size of marbles.

"Yeah, fifty," she said casually as if they were discussing the weather. "What's wrong with that?"

"That's a lot of questions, Katniss," he pronounced and having to hear her remind him again of how big of a test it was going to be only worsened his nerves. "Maybe you're not worried but I guess you've got nothing to fret about because you're a genius when it comes to math. You fly through the hardest equations and when I try and tackle one, I just get a headache."

"That's how I feel in art most of the time," she said with a light chuckle.

"But Mr. Odair's not looking for perfection," he cleverly pointed out. "What he wants is effort, participation and a willingness to learn and try new techniques. With Ms. Coin and math in general, it's either right or wrong. Pass or fail. There's no right or wrong in art. It's all interpretation, discovery and how one expresses themself with colors. See where I'm going with this?"

She shrugged, understanding that he did have a point as to how the two classes differed. "Alright, that's true. You do kind of have to know what you're doing to pass."

"That's why I've been thinking and now that you just said that, I can't think of a better idea."

"So what's your idea?" she said inquiringly.

"I was wondering if you'd like to do some studying together," was the answer. "I'm kind of nervous about it and I could definitelyuse your help. I've been studying over the past few days but I just find when I work on my own, it doesn't do the trick. When you're there helping me and giving me tips on how to remember stuff, it's like everything clicks, and that's why I was really hoping you wouldn't mind studying together. We could maybe do it at my house on a day when my parents and brothers aren't home. Mom and Dad go out a lot to do errands to get supplies for the bakery and all, Luchi's out with his friends whenever he's not working and I don't know what Rye will do, but I'm guessing he'd be out doing something too."

"Alright," said Katniss with a nod. "Saturday works for me. I don't know if your parents or brothers will be home or not but you can always let me know if another day works better."

"Great!" said Peeta. He then threw in excitedly, "I'll even make us a cake or something. That way we can do something fun while obsessing over boring algebra. Sound good?"

"Mmm, that sounds good," said Katniss, the idea of cake sounding very appetizing and in her mind, it was like she could taste the mouth-watering treat already. "Okay. I'll see you then."

She was about to turn and leave when she gave him one last look and said, "Peeta are you...are you asking me out on a date?"

"Well, I...I don't really know how much fun studying on a date would be," he said and felt his cheeks flushing with red. "But I...I guess in a way, I am, even though it's not really a normal date. I guess it'd be more like a study date." He paused briefly and then added cheerily, "At least we can have some cake! Chocolate frosting, licking mix out of the batter, sprinkles and loads of other stuff. That'll be fun, right?"

She laughed at the image of her and Peeta licking a spoon covered in chocolate and agreed, "Definitely."

"So it's a date then?" he asked. There was an obvious, hopeful sparkle surfacing in his azure eyes.

"It's a date," she confirmed.

Peeta smiled, leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead while whispering, "See you then."

She was all set to leave and head back home when out of the blue she thought of...Gale. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly thinking about him now, but she was thinking about him all the same. Peeta could sense that something was on her mind and not wanting to leave too quickly, he spoke up.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I was just thinking about Gale," she told him openly. "You know he loves me, right?"

Peeta nodded and said softly, "What do you think he'll think of us being together?" Based on what he said to me yesterday at lunch, I doubt he's gonna be happy.

Katniss thought for a moment, and then said honestly, "He'll be mad and pretty jealous but I know Gale really well and he's not the kind of person that stays mad at things for that long. Yeah, he'll be really upset and all but he'll accept it. I know he won't like it and he'll still keep wishing that it was us together but he'll be okay with it. He won't be alright with it right away and it'll probably take him some time to wrap his around it, but he will. I know that. He told me himself he just wants me to be happy, so I'm pretty sure he'll accept us being together. It might take a while, but he won't stay mad about it forever. And even if he wasn't happy about it, we're too good of friends for him to not let us be together. I've known him since I was twelve and if there's one thing I know he cherishes, it's how good of friends we are. He's said that so many times and even if it hurts knowing I still don't feel that way about him, he won't let it control him. I've seen him in the worst mood where he yelled and put up a fuss but eventually he calmed down and realized there wasn't much reason to be angry in the first place."

I really hope so, was all Peeta could think. Because I'll never stop having these nightmares if he keeps being jealous. That's the only reason I can think of for why I'm having them. Then again, even if he stops being jealous, I wonder if I'd still be having nightmares about him and Katniss being together. I just hope that he'll be okay with it. Maybe then the nightmares can really stop and sleep can be good again.

"Well, he is your best friend," Peeta reminded her. "If I were in his shoes, I'd just want my friend to be happy and to be able to do what they want. Friendship's a powerful thing and I'm sure he'd hate to lose you as a friend. I know I would if I were him."I'm sure deep down he'll be happy for you."

"He will," she agreed after having thought it over. "And like I said, he's not one to stay mad at stuff for too long. He's gotten mad over stuff all the time and then not much later he's okay with it. He just needs time to cool down but give it a while, and he's fine again. He's been like that since we met. He'll definitely be okay with us being together even if he has to force himself to accept it. He won't like it, but I know him well enough to know that he'll find it in himself to accept it. Our friendship means too much to him for him not to."

After they'd said goodbye and Katniss was already inside getting greeted by a hissing Buttercup, Peeta turned and started heading home himself. He'd almost gotten home when the unpleasant familiar screeching of the hawk returned. He was completely oblivious to it as if the voice were invisible or if he had plugs in his ears but it was there all the same. If he would have been able to hear the deep, throaty voice that belonged in hell, it would have given him chills. It was an unnerving sound that proved just as intolerable as fingernails scraping a chalkboard that caused one's ears to ring, rattle and holler with pain.

Getting bold, aren't we? it shrieked in fury. Getting close to Katniss and thinking she'll fall for you and not for Hawthorne? Fine by me. If it's a battle you want, then it's a war you'll get, Bread Boy. Let me just warn you though, that if you keep this up, you'll have no way of escaping what Ican throw at you. You've no clue as to what I can do to you; the pain I can inflict upon you. Keep this up and I promise you whatever visions you have for your fairytale future will be shaken and rattled and turned so inside out...you won't even know how to cope.

When Peeta was stepping through the front doors to his house, it was no longer the voice of the hawk that was speaking to him. Gone was the harsh, guttural sound that would have disrupted anyone's mind and left it drowning in darkness. The voice now growling into his ear was Gale and just like with the hawk's voice, Peeta was entirely unaware of the voice lurking about in his head. He was oblivious to the fact that the guy that had just warned him the previous day was in no way about to accept what he felt was unbearable. He was watching their every move, wondering what he would be faced with next, scheming his next devious move and holding back till the time was right.

He was ready, waiting...and more sure of himself since the day he'd met Katniss.

There was no questioning that it was Gale's voice as it snarled enviously: you want to compete, Mellark? Fine. I've just got one thing to say to you then: may the odds be ever in your favour.