CHAPTER 21 - THE ARROWS

PART I

"What?" I sit bolt upright, twisting my head frantically from side to side, straining my eyes and ears to see or hear what alarmed Katniss. I suddenly remember that I - we're - stark naked and I suddenly feel very vulnerable. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as I grope for the edge of the blanket to pull over me, over us, only to realize that Katniss is no longer laying next to me, but is in a crouch a couple of meters away.

"Katniss, what's -" I never finish my question as her hand firmly clamps over my mouth and I hear her hiss, "Peeta, shut up!"

I comply (I really have no choice with her hand over my mouth), and for the first time realize just how wild and dangerous she looks, in her hunter's crouch, still naked, her hair tousled and hanging around her tanned shoulders. She looks like she's meant to be out here. I gaze at my own pinkish-white skin and realize that, no matter how hard I try, I will always be a town boy.

I finally notice that Katniss has a weapon clenched in her right hand - my bread knife, held in a knife fighters grip - clutching the hilt in such a way that the blade is parallel with her forearm, the dull part of the blade resting lightly against her skin. Perfect for slashing and difficult, if not impossible, to indirectly knock out of her hand.

Absently I wonder where she learned that little trick - training for one of our Games, perhaps - but more likely when she underwent military training in District Thirteen. I knew that she was adept with knives - she had demonstrated her skill at knife throwing on the Tribute train before our first Games - but this move was more than that. It was almost instinctual.

As I watch Katniss, I see her straighten up slowly, removing her hand from my mouth, but before I could say anything she looks at me, her finger over her lips. I nod and quietly reach for my pants as I see swiveling her head from side to side slowly, then see her visibly relax as she drops back down to the blanket next to me and reaches for her own clothes.

"Whoever it was, they're gone now," Katniss says quietly. "But we need to get the hell outta here. No telling if they'll be back."

"'They?'" I ask. "How do you know it was people, Katniss? Maybe it was wild dogs, or a wolf, even."

Katniss shoots me a look as she pulls her pants up. Her shirt is already on. The look she gives me is a definite I know the woods, you don't type of look, but she's very patient as she replies, "Peeta, forest animals don't walk on two legs. Whatever was out there was walking on two legs."

I shiver in spite of myself, feeling a cold knot of fear in my belly. Fear - and anger, that someone was spying on a very intimate moment between me and this girl that I love so deeply. I finish knotting my boots and pull myself to my feet. Katniss is dressed and is finishing loading up our packs. Wordlessly, she grabs mine and holds it out for me. I wiggle into it, adjust the straps, and help her do the same with her own pack. Once our packs are on we turn to go. I see that Katniss is still clutching the bread knife.

"Ready?" she asks. I nod. Katniss turns to go, then hesitates, looking down at the bread knife. She sighs in disgust then motions for me to turn around. I feel her fumbling with my pack for a moment. When I see her again the knife is gone.

"I should have known better than to come out here without a proper weapon," she says in disgust. Without another word she turns and starts hiking back toward District Twelve.

I fall in beside her. "Could you tell how many there were?" I ask.

"Not many. Two. Three at the most." she replies. "Next time we come out here we come armed."

We skirt around the edge of the lake and quickly pick up the trail leading back to the district. It's what Katniss calls a "game trail." We're on it for no more than fifty meters when Katniss stops short, giving a half gasp, half cry. I was walking slightly behind her and I almost run into her back.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" I ask. I see her staring at something in the trail, a mixture of fear and something else - amazement? - in her eyes. She has one hand clapped to her mouth, her eyes wide as she wordlessly points with her free hand.

At first I don't recognize what she's pointing at. My first glance simply registered a bundle of sticks lying on the trail. I walk slowly forward and, as I do, I realize what this bundle actually is. I reach the bundle and slowly bend down, picking it up and examining it more closely.

It's a neatly tied bundle - of arrows.

I frown, puzzled. Arrows? I turn back to Katniss. She's standing there as if frozen, one hand still pressed to her mouth, staring in shock and horror at the bundle in my hand.

"Katniss?" I ask, walking towards her with the bundle. She's staring at it as if I was holding an armful of venomous snakes.

"It can't be," she says, almost in a whisper. I move to hand her the bundle but she shies away.

"No! Peeta, please. I...can't. Can you - carry it?" I look at Katniss carefully and decide that she's not looking at it like it was snakes after all, but rather - a ghost. Like she's seen a ghost, I say to myself.

"Sure, Katniss. No problem." A look of relief washes over her face and, without another word, she continues quickly down the trail - almost at a trot, in fact. I find myself hard pressed to keep up with her as she half walks, half runs toward District Twelve.

Katniss and I keep up this pace seemingly forever, finally slowing as the forest starts to thin and familiar landmarks start to crop up. Finally, Katniss slows, the stops, panting for breath, both of us thoroughly sweat-soaked. She motions for me to turn around, and I feel her fumbling at my pack.

Wordlessly she hands me a water bottle. Both of us drink deeply, and I notice that she seems to have calmed down a little more.

"Almost home," I say between sips from my bottle.

Katniss nods. "The fence is right over there," she says, pointing. "I don't think we were followed."

"Katniss, what's this all about?" I ask.

"Not now, Peeta. Please. This whole thing is just too...crazy. Trust me. Okay?" she says, looking at me pleadingly.

I slip my almost-empty water bottle into a cargo pocket in my pants, put the bundle of arrows down, and place my hands on her shoulders gently - slowly moving them around to her back. Katniss doesn't hesitate - she wraps her arms tightly around my waist.

We hold each other for a few seconds, then I give her a gentle kiss and say, "Of course I trust you. I love you."

Katniss gives me a small smile and says, "I love you too, Peeta." She gently disengages from me and turns back to the trail.

"Come on," she says, then sets off without a backward glance. I just shake my head, and, with a small chuckle, pick up the arrow bundle and set off after her.

A few minutes later we're at, then through, the remains of the fence. The effect on being back on familiar ground has an instant calming effect on Katniss. We proceed back to the house at a much slower pace.

We spy Haymitch out with his geese as we enter Victor's Village. Thankfully he doesn't seem interested in talking, so we just exchange waves and shouted greetings before we disappear into the house.

In the house, we drop our packs in the kitchen. I place the arrows on the kitchen table and move to open my pack and start putting things away, but Katniss stops me.

"Peeta, I'll take care of that in a bit. I just need to sit for a minute first." But Katniss doesn't sit - not right away. As I go into the living room and plop wearily onto the couch, I hear Katniss rummaging around in the dining room. I hear the sound of the sideboard open, then close, followed by the unmistakable sound of a glass bottle clinking against a drinking glass. My eyes widen as I realize what Katniss is doing.

"Oh, hell no!" I say, struggling to my feet. "Oh, this is not happening! Katniss!" I shout, starting to walk out of the living room, only to be met by Katniss in the hall. She's clutching a small glass containing a small amount of a pale amber liquid. Before I can say or do anything, she looks me in the eye, brings the glass to her lips and tosses the drink back. As she swallows she coughs once, twice, her eyes widening, then watering as she clumsily sets the glass down on an end table.

Katniss wordlessly brushes past me and sinks onto the couch. I regard her angrily for a moment before joining her. We sit for a few moments in silence before she speaks.

"That was something called 'brandy,' in case you wanted to know," she says wearily.

"Katniss, you don't drink. Now what the hell is this all about?" I ask, an edge to my voice.

"Peeta, please - no lectures. And you're right - I don't drink. Honestly, I don't see how Haymitch manages to choke that shit down." Katniss replies.

"I don't think Haymitch - or his drinking habits - are the subject of this conversation, Katniss. But you have me worried. What happened today, and the way you reacted -" I left the rest unsaid.

Katniss doesn't reply, but instead leans into me for a moment, her arms going around me and squeezing tightly. She then lets me go and sits up, looking at the bundle of arrows sitting on the table.

With hands that tremble ever so slightly, Katniss reaches for the bundle, untying the piece of string that held it together. She picks up an arrow at random, examining it closely, then sets it down.

I watch her in silence as she carefully inspects each arrow (there's over twenty in all), and placing them into one of four piles. Finally she sits back, and I notice tears quivering on her eyelashes.

I take her hand in mine, and feel her squeeze my hand gently. With my free hand I stroke her cheek gently. She looks over at me, smiles, and says, "I can't believe it - but it's right here in front of me."

"What is?" I ask gently. Katniss leans over and picks up an arrow from one of the piles. I notice that all the arrows in this pile are smaller than the rest.

"Peeta, all these arrows are hand made from birch," she begins. "This one, and the others from that pile, are ones that I've made over the years. Made - and lost. Lost when I missed and couldn't find the arrow. It killed me to lose an arrow - they aren't easy to make."

I take the arrow from her and examine it. The shaft was birch, like she said. One end fletched with wild turkey feathers, the broad head fashioned from a discarded scrap of metal, but with a needle point and edges that are razor sharp. Katniss reaches over and turns the arrow to the nock and points. "There's my mark. Down by the nock."

She picks up one from another pile and says, "I don't recognize this mark," and puts the arrow back down. She takes an arrow from another pile and says, "This was one of Gales." She puts the arrow back onto its pile and turns to the last pile.

Almost reverently, she extracts an arrow from the pile and holds it up. "This," she says, her voice cracking a little, "This was made by - my father."

I take the arrow from her carefully. It was large and well made. "You're sure?" I ask.

Katniss nods, blinking back tears. "Yeah. I'm sure. I helped him make some and watched him make his mark. I remember shooting some of his arrows. When I was eleven - just a few weeks before...he died. We went out one Sunday. It was cold and there was snow on the ground. He was teaching me things - how to tell if the fence was on, the best places to put snares, where to hide bows and arrows. I begged him to teach me how to shoot." Katniss pauses for a moment and squeezes her eyes shut, a solitary tear escaping as her memory of that day floods her mind.

"He - he found a rotten apple and set it on a tree stump. I practiced for what seemed like hours. I was shooting his bow and it was really much too big for me. He knew it and so did I - but he never suggested that we stop. I missed that stupid apple so many times, and when I finally hit it, Peeta, I felt so - accomplished. Afterwards, we wandered around, looking for his arrows, but we ended up losing three." I squeeze her hand again as I see two solitary tear tracks roll down her face.

Katniss looks at me and smiles gratefully, then takes a deep breath before continuing. "I was so upset at losing his arrows, but he just laughed and said that just meant I would have to help him make some more - as well as a bow and arrows for me - so I would know how. Peeta, my Dad hardly ever missed. I'm sure that some of these arrows are from that day."

"If they are, that would be, well - amazing, Katniss," I say. "But that raises other questions."

"Yeah," Katniss says. "Who had these arrows - and why are they returning them to me now?"

PART II

Rory stops by later that day, and the first thing Katniss did was show him the arrows. Rory was able to identify the mystery arrows almost immediately.

"That's my Dad's mark," he said with confidence. "I was pretty young then - six or seven - but I remember it. That's Dad's mark for sure."

I can tell that this whole episode has Katniss bothered. For that matter, it has me bothered. Someone had been watching us at the lake today. Watching us being very - intimate - with each other. And that had me angry.

Haymitch stops by, no doubt as a result of Rory telling him about what had happened to us earlier that day. I half expected him to make some crude comment about Katniss and I putting on a show for our unseen observers, but instead he was uncharacteristically thoughtful. He picked up a couple of arrows, examining them carefully, before he says anything.

"How do you know these weren't taken from one of your caches?" He asks finally.

"No," Katniss says emphatically. "I've recovered all of the bows and arrows in the caches...except for your fathers bow, Rory. You'd have to ask Gale where his Dad hid his bow. But I've got all of mine, and my fathers, and even Gales. I never noticed any arrows missing at any time. Besides, if they were raiding the caches, why only take the arrows and not the bows?"

"Good point," Haymitch mutters. "So now the mystery is - who? And, more importantly...why?"

The word of our mysterious encounter spreads quickly throughout the district - not a difficult task, given that there are still only a few hundred people living here. Thom sends word with Leevy that he'd like to stop by that evening to discuss what this means for the security of the district, and that he would appreciate the input of both Haymitch and Galen.

After Leevy leaves to return to town, I can see Katniss muttering to herself, then she goes into the kitchen. I hear her rummaging around and follow her into the kitchen, to find her staring at the open refrigerator.

"Looking for something?" I ask in amusement.

Katniss begins removing containers from the refrigerator. "Very funny," she says crossly, "But there's gonna be at least eight of us here tonight, and I need to feed them something!"

I walk up behind her and slip my arms around her waist, feeling her relax and lean back against me. "I'm sure we'll be able to find something to feed everyone with," I say as I nuzzle the back of her neck.

Katniss was just turning her head for a kiss when both of us jumped at the sound of a loud, insistent knocking at the front door. With a frustrated sigh, I let go of Katniss to answer the door, hearing her voice her own frustration as she resumes digging for leftovers.

I open the door to see Delly Cartwright standing on the front porch. "Peeta!" she exclaims. "I just heard! How frightening! Are you okay? And Katniss?" I step aside, ushering Delly into the house as she continues her rapid-fire questions. In spite of the interruption and her impeccable timing, there's no way I could stay upset with Delly. She's my oldest, closest friend - and I love her dearly.

"Where's Katniss?" Delly asks insistently, and I usher her into the kitchen. As Delly continues to talk, Katniss manages to catch my eye and give me a look that seems to say, You're gonna pay for this later! All I do in return is give her a grin.

"Delly, are you doing anything right now?" Katniss suddenly asks.

"Not right at the moment. Galen's busy talking to one of the contractors about the clinic, and I was ordering some furnishings earlier, and he suggested that I -"

"Would you like to take a walk into town with me? I need a few things at the grocers." Katniss says.

"Oh, of course, Katniss! I'd love too!" Delly almost gushes. I smile. Delly still hasn't completely gotten over the hero worship that she feels for Katniss, and I think she's still inwardly thrilled that she and Katniss have become friends.

"Great!" Katniss says, forcing a smile. "Are you ready now?"

"Of course! Anytime!" Delly says enthusiastically.

"Peeta, we'll be back in a bit," Katniss says, giving me a quick kiss. As they walk out the door, I hear Katniss say, "I'll tell you all about what happened to Peeta and I earlier!"

Chuckling, I put away the food containers that Katniss had pulled from the refrigerator, and I'm just heading into the living room when the front door opens. I glance up to see Haymitch - no surprise there, he has a habit of walking in unannounced - and he has Galen with him.

"Galen! I thought you were in town." I say.

"I was, Peeta, but I finished up my business earlier than I expected, and...well, the story of your strange encounter has been spreading like wildfire, so I thought I'd see for myself just what all the fuss was about." Galen says with a smile.

I usher Galen and Haymitch into the living room and show him the arrows. I quickly recount the story to him. For the most part, Galen listens attentively, asking a question every now and then. Finally, as I finish, he nods thoughtfully.

Galen puts the arrow he was examining down carefully and leans back in his chair. "Peeta, Haymitch and I were talking, and we have a theory." Galen pauses for a moment and glances at Haymitch, who nods once.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Out-district people," Galen says solemnly.

PART III

As long as I can remember, there were stories about out-district people - groups that lived in the woods, unconstrained by the heavy hand of the Capitol. Sometimes parents would use tales of out-district people to frighten naughty children into behaving. Some of us that had been brave enough to slip through the fence sometimes would come back with stories of strangely dressed people that they would see. And of course, I saw their effect first-hand - in the fueling stations set up and operated by District Six between the districts and the Capitol. Trains would pull into these fortress-like stations - guarded by heavily armed Peacekeepers - in the middle of nowhere to refuel.

I had grown up half-believing the stories but never expected to ever encounter anyone living in the out districts - until I heard the story of Elizabeth O'Sullivan. Beth was my age - her father owned a popular miner's tavern - but it was obvious that she was different in some way. She didn't have the Merchant look of blonde hair and light colored eyes, and she certainly didn't have the dark haired, olive skinned, gray eyed look of those born in the Seam. That, plus her mysterious mother, gave her the air of someone that just didn't quite belong here. I didn't learn her real story until that terrible Typhoid epidemic that we had almost two years ago.

It was revealed then that her mother was originally an out-district girl that had been injured somehow. A District Twelve hunting party, consisting of Katniss's father and Beth O'Sullivan's father, had come across the injured, unconscious girl and had carried her back to District Twelve, where Beth's father, the only unmarried man in the group, had nursed the girl back to health. The girl - who came to be called Eve - surprised everyone by electing to stay in District Twelve, and Mr. O'Sullivan had managed to obtain (for a forgiven debt) some false identity papers. They were married shortly thereafter and in less than a year their daughter, Elizabeth, was born.

Some years later Eve died during one of the regular flu epidemics to sweep through District Twelve, and the secret may have died with her - if not for the Typhoid outbreak. Beth's father had wanted her to learn of the other part of her heritage, and had been taking her outside the fence for years to meet and get to know her people. After her mother died, Beth continued to meet with her "other" relatives - and that's where Valentine entered the picture.

Valentine was a relative of Mr. O'Sullivan - a Hob trader with an unsavory reputation. Like Greasy Sae, she made her living peddling food, and Sae was always the more popular of the two - until she found out what Beth had been doing and realized that the out-district people had access to game that even experienced hunters like Katniss and Gale were hard-pressed to get. Soon, she had convinced Beth to allow her to accompany her to trade with the out-district people. It had proven to be beneficial to both sides - until Valentine had traded for a wild pig - and had been exposed to Typhoid at the same time.

Valentine had died during that epidemic - and Beth, along with her father, had perished when District Twelve was firebombed by the Capitol right at the very start of the Rebellion. There had been no talk of the out-districts or of out-district people - until now.

"Out-district people," I repeat.

"Peeta, Haymitch and I have discussed it. It seems the only logical explanation. No one else lives in the forest. And we think that the arrows are a sign." Galen says.

"A sign?" I ask. "What kind of sign?"

"We think that perhaps they want to make contact with us," Galen replies.

"I can think of better ways to do it than to scare us half to death," I mutter.

"Peeta, the Capitol has been trying, long before he Dark Days even, to subjugate and bring the Out-Districts under control. And they always failed. Out-district people would either fight back savagely, like they did in Districts Ten and Eleven, or they became masters at staying hidden, like here. But, I'm sure they kept an eye on things. For example, they probably know about the district being fire-bombed." Galen pauses for a moment before continuing.

"And, they can probably see that things have changed here - for the better. So they decided that it's time to contact the people on the inside of the fence."

"And the arrows?" I ask.

"They've probably seen Katniss - and Gale - hunting in the forest for years. She's known to them." Haymitch says reasonably. "Hell, they probably identify with her in some way. So, they see you two in the forest today and do something to show that they want contact...by returning something that Katniss has lost over the years."

"So, assuming that was the reason that they left those arrows - what's our next move?" I ask.

"Simple - we give them something. The only question is - what?" Haymitch says.

"Good question," I say. "We should discuss this tonight. Katniss and I would like both of you to come to dinner tonight. Rory and Delly too, of course."

Haymitch and Galen both readily agree, and soon thereafter Katniss and Delly return from the grocers. They both call out greetings as they enter the house, carrying armloads of groceries.

I excuse myself from Galen and Haymitch, leaving them to examine the arrows more closely, and enter the kitchen. Katniss and Delly busy themselves with the food that Katniss had purchased. I was set to gently tease Katniss about buying vegetables at the store - I knew how much she preferred gathering wild edible plants - but the look on Delly's face stopped me.

Delly was wearing the largest smile I had seen on her face in a long time - and for Delly, that's saying something. Delly's trademark was her expressive smile - it genuinely transformed her face - but this - this was different. While making small talk I catch Katniss's eye and shoot her an inquisitive look. Katniss smiles knowingly back at me.

"Delly, would you excuse us for just a moment?" Katniss asks, taking me by the arm and steering me towards the back door.

"Oh! Of course!" Delly says, never losing her smile. Katniss quickly propels me towards the door, and together we step out into the yard behind the house. I can hear Haymitch's geese honking off to one side as Katniss closes the door.

As soon as the door is shut I turn to Katniss. "What's with Delly?" I ask without preamble.

"One word," Katniss says with a grin. "Lars." Suddenly it made sense. Delly and Katniss must have run into Lars on their trip to the grocers. And I remember the picture of his girlfriend, Birgitta Cross - and how she resembled Delly in so many ways.

"I don't think her feet have touched the floor once," I say, looking back at her through the kitchen window.

"I - we - invited him over tonight for dinner," Katniss says, nestling up against me. I slip my arm around her. "Honestly, Peeta, you should have seen it! I didn't think anyone could render Delly speechless!"

I laugh at the picture. "Are you sure having him over for dinner is a good idea?" I ask.

"Peeta, I think Lars was just as smitten with Delly as she was with him," Katniss replies. "Dinner will go just fine. Speaking of which, I'll need your help soon. You know how I am around the kitchen."

I open the back door and usher Katniss through with a flourish. "Always ready to lend a hand, my love!" I say gallantly as Katniss quickly kisses me on her way back into the house. I follow her inside and together (with Delly's help) we finish making preparations for dinner.

PART IV

Dinner was delicious, considering that we literally threw it together at the last minute. We avoided talk of the mystery arrows - I could see that Katniss was still disturbed and shaken by them - until after dinner.

Everyone - Galen and Haymitch included - pitched in to help clean up after dinner, and in no time dishes were done, food packaged up and stored, and everything put away. Only then did we all head into the living room to discuss what was on everyone's mind - the arrows...and the theory behind them.

Galen and Haymitch led the discussion, after first laying out their out-district people theory for everyone. I could see that Haymitch had discovered the bottle that Katniss had opened earlier - brandy, she had said it was - and both Haymitch and Galen had poured themselves a generous helping into bulbous, oddly shaped glasses that Galen referred to as "snifters." Haymitch jokingly offered a glass to Katniss, who, to my relief, turned him down politely. I think I'm the only one that noticed her shudder slightly.

Galen swirls his glass around, sticking his nose inside the glass and inhaling appreciatively before taking a sip, then he continues to speak about the out-district theory.

"Technically, these people could be classified as District Twelve residents," he says. "The district itself is much larger than what we are used to. Everyone thinks of Twelve as consisting of The Seam, Town, The Hob, and the mine entrances between The Seam and Town. Oh, and the river. Before trains made it more cost-effective to move coal out of the district, coal was moved by barges on the river. But actually, Twelve extends for many kilometers in every direction once you leave the settled part."

"But what about the signs on the old fence?" Katniss asks. "You know, the ones that said "District Boundary?"

"The Capitol fenced in what they considered the 'useful' part of Twelve," Haymitch says bitterly. "Twelve existed for one reason - the mines. The tunnels of which ran for a good distance outside the fences, by the way. There was simply no need to extend the fencing. The Capitol had everyone right where they wanted them."

"Haymitch is right." Galen says. "Other districts such as Nine, Ten and Eleven actually had boundary fencing along their actual district boundaries. But these were agricultural districts - they needed the space to grow grain or crops - or raise livestock. Twelve didn't."

"So your theory is that these people want contact with us?" Thom asks.

"That's correct," Galen replies.

"I need to know if we should consider them a threat." Thom says. "I have to think about what's best for Twelve."

"I don't think they're a threat, Thom," Galen says reasonably. "If they were looking for trouble, they could have easily killed Katniss and Peeta earlier today. They didn't."

"'Easily' killed?" Katniss whispers to me. "Not without a fight!"

"Shhh," I shush Katniss, earning me a look from her that's far from loving.

"Okay. We'll assume that they are not threatening." Thom says. "So, what do we give them to respond to the arrows?"

A lively conversation ensued with everyone shouting out ideas. During the conversation I notice that Lars and Delly are sitting quite close to each other on the couch. I nudge Katniss with my elbow, inclining my head at the two. Katniss smiles warmly.

We finally decide on a large pot containing various kitchen implements and some raw vegetables.

"That should do nicely," Galen says enthusiastically. "Non-threatening. We'll do it first thing tomorrow."

Haymitch contributes the pot. Everyone chips in utensils. Katniss throws in vegetables - ears of corn, potatoes, and the like. Soon, our meager gift is ready.

"We'll place it tomorrow at first light," Haymitch says tiredly. "Goodnight. Peeta, Katniss, Galen - I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning." The remainder of the party breaks up quickly after that, and soon, Katniss and I are alone in the house.

As we get ready for bed, Katniss says, "I'm really curious about these people. I hope that this gift idea works."

"It will," I say, climbing into bed. Katniss soon joins me. She snuggles in next to me as I turn out the light.

"Peeta?" Katniss says quietly.

"Hmmm?" I respond sleepily.

"Tell me the truth. Today, at the lake - did you like seeing me - like that?"

"I didn't just 'like' it," I say, drawing her closer to me. "I loved it!"

"Good," Katniss says, kissing me gently. I feel her shift around on the bed, and when she settles down next to me again I discover that she's now naked. I smile broadly in the darkness.

"I think you're overdressed," she whispers, before running her tongue around my ear. I shiver at the sensation as I quickly get rid of my shorts.

"Better?" I ask, running my hands down her back while kissing her neck.

"Much better," she moans. "Now shut up!" Her mouth on mine effectively seals my lips. I don't fight it - or her.

We awaken at the crack of dawn, our sleep interrupted just once by nightmares. We dress quickly and attend to our morning bathroom rituals, then head downstairs. Katniss puts the last of the vegetables into the pot. I grab it up by the handles and we head outside.

We're met by Galen, Haymitch, Thom and Leevy, Delly, and Rory. Together we set off for the Meadow. We had decided that, if these people had been watching Katniss for that long, they would know where her traditional spot was for crossing the fence and entering the forest. That spot was our destination.

We all head off briskly. Conversation is at a minimum as we walk the short distance to the Meadow. The mound of earth is the first thing that we see - now starting to sprout green. Even covering death, life takes hold, I say to myself. Another moment or two and we'll be able to see Katniss's favorite crossing spot.

Katniss is in the lead and suddenly she pulls up and stops abruptly. I almost run into her back. I see everyone else stop and a small sound escapes Katniss as I fumble with the pot, trying not to spill the contents. As I regain control of the clumsy pot I hear Haymitch give a long, low whistle.

"Looks like someone beat us here this morning," Haymitch says dryly. I glance off in the direction that he indicated with a nod of his head and almost drop the heavy pot again when I see what he's looking at.

No, we are definitely not alone in the Meadow this morning.

Sorry for the delay in updating! I alternate my time between this story and another that's in progress. So, thanks for waiting and I hope it was worth the wait! Please read and review! Thanks again!