Chapter 6: Christmas and fireworks

[Fall/Winter in the year of the 75th Hunger Games]

After a nice weekend school started again on a Monday in mid October, later than usual, but with changed priorities. History was skipped for the time being, as we needed to find out what the real history had been, as opposed to the view which had been forced on us. Coal mining was optional now rather than mandatory, and with the help of some teachers from other districts, there was going to be more focus on basic skills like gardening, crafting, and construction, and related sciences like biology and physics. Foreign languages had not been taught for a long time, but with our allies in Europe, who might develop into our most important international trade partners, this might change in future.

Primrose was in eighth grade now, and while she had taken advantage of the extended holidays, she was also looking forward to getting back to school, in particular as the previously most boring lesson, history, was now gone. She and Lizzy had moved into their new rooms above the apothecary recently, and the two girls spent a lot of study time together. I visited them sometimes in the evenings, when I was done with working, and I was always ready to answer any additional question the two might have. As the kitchen over there was only partially finished, the Anderson family were frequent guests in the bakery, too.

The area between the bakery and the apothecary had been fully cleaned, and the girls had been busy planting some winter vegetables already. Field salad and cabbage would be available during the winter months, and there was also a little supply coming in from the greenhouse, too.

With all of the effort we spent on housing improvements, agriculture, gardening, infrastructure and more, time passed in a hurry, and before we realized, Christmas was close once more. Something was different, of course, and it took me some time to realize it – there was not going to be a victory tour, for the first time since many years ago!

However, my assumption turned out to be wrong; there was actually a victory tour, but of a totally different kind. At about the time it had always happened, in late November, a train came in, and it had been announced as a special one before. Part of the population had assembled at the station to welcome it, and when the doors opened – we saw – Katniss and Peeta!

Katniss and Peeta? Really? I barely trusted my own eyes, but there they were. Primrose was on my shoulders once again and enjoyed the best viewpoint, and she started to squirm when she noticed her sister. I put her down to the ground and she started to run, until she could jump into her sister's arms.

"Primrose!" I could hear from a distance when Katniss realized who had come, and for a few minutes the two hugged and smiled at each other. I waited to see what else happened, and I saw Finnick Odair coming out of the train as well, with a beautiful young lady at his side. The lady had a baby on her arm, and I assumed that this must be Annie Cresta. I had seen her on the screens years before when she had won her own games, but that had been long time ago. Beetee Latier was the next one to come out, and Johanna joined them on the platform. So yes, this was kind of a victory tour, just a very different one. While I pondered if this was a good time to welcome my brother, Peeta stepped to a microphone and started to talk:

"My dear fellow citizens of District Twelve, it is so good to be home again. I have found a good place in Thirteen, yes, but this is still my home here. I have heard about the problems you have had and about your losses, but I have also heard about the great plans you have for the future. I promise that I will move back here to District Twelve as soon as I can, but for the time being Katniss and I are still needed. The fight goes on, and today I am proud to let you know that we have started to take District Two away from Capitol control. We have a lot of friends there, and we have been able to convince most of the population that they need to severe their links with the Capitol. Since yesterday, most of Two has been in our hands, and as we also fully control District Nine now, President Snow will not be able to take it back. The fight is not yet over, but we are certain that we will win and eventually have a united and fair Panem again!"

There was a lot of applause, and Katniss took over, with Primrose still clinging to her side:

"There is not much more I can add here. I left home to be in the arena for the second time, and I now come back knowing that there won't be an arena in future years. As soon as the rebellion has succeeded, all of us in the districts and the Capitol will be really equal, and this is something to fight for and to look forward to!"

Both tributes stepped down from the platform, and I finally got a chance to greet my brother.

"Ryan!" Peeta beamed. "It is good to see you again, and you look real good!"

"I also feel real good, mostly thanks to my wonderful girlfriend and fiancée."

"Yes, I understand why that makes a difference."

"But you also look well and happy, Peeta. I take it that you are fully recovered?"

"Yes, I am. In addition to that, Katniss has changed a lot. When I was rescued from the Capitol prison and was hospitalized for a few weeks, she barely left my side. I mean, she's my wife and all, but for the first time she actually behaved like that. Once I was released, we celebrated, and since then we have spent all nights together, with everything included. I am so happy that she came around, since we had this very rough start with the recorded wedding night."

Indeed, when I had seen Katniss before, I had missed her trademark scowl, and she seemed to radiate happiness as well. Wow, that was something, and I was happy for the two of them. Meanwhile Katniss and Primrose joined us, and I asked:

"How long are you two going to stay?"

"We will stay one night and then travel to other friendly districts, before getting back to Thirteen again. Johanna will come with us, of course."

Johanna had heard her name and also came close. She clapped Peeta on the shoulder and told him:

"Peeta, your brother is a real good man. He even refused to get seduced by me."

Katniss stared at her and shouted: "What? You tried to seduce my sister's fiancé? Are you out of your mind?"

"Calm down, brainless. I did say that he refused, right? Also, I did not know that he was with your sister, before he told me so. Once I learned that, I told him that I wish somebody loved me like that."

Johanna now looked at Primrose:

"So, you are the happy young lady who's got his heart and his love?"

"Yes, I am – Rye is mine!"

Johanna laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, and then she replied: "Yes, I see the way you look at each other. Don't worry, young lady, I will hunt somewhere else. I hope that you are not furious or angry with me?"

"Oh no, I am not. I know that Rye is the best looking man in the district, and it would be odd if women were not interested in him; I am proud of that, actually."

"You are, really? You are not afraid that he might fall for one of them?"

"No, not at all; he is mine and he knows that. Another woman would only have a chance if he was drunk or drugged or so. As he does not drink anything with alcohol in it, somebody would have to apply force, and if a woman did that, she'd find out real quick that my knowledge of healing and herbs also includes very negative effects."

"Wow – okay, I get it. By the way, you don't have an older brother, right?"

"No, I do not" Prim laughed now as well. "But, there is a young man, two years older than Katniss, who has quite a reputation for dragging girls to the slap heap. He is very skilled in laying snares, and I wonder if he'd like if you tried to snare him. As fasr as I know he is currently unattached; why don't you go for him?"

I looked at Primrose; I was not used to her speaking like that, and maybe I should talk to her about that later on, but on the other hand I was real proud to have a fiancée who thought about me like she did. I did not have a chance to dwell on those thoughts more, as Johanna wanted to know:

"What is the slag heap?"

I tried to explain, and she chuckled: "Hm, sounds interesting – what's his name and where can I find him?"

Prim stretched out her arm and said: "He is right over there, and his name is Gale Hawthorne."

Indeed, Gale was talking to Marc and a few other young men not far from us. Johanna licked her lips and said:

"Now, there's a group of men to tap into for sure. Please excuse me, I have a task waiting for me."

A minute later she interrupted the conversation Gale had with his friends, and in no time she was integrated in the group.

I looked at Primrose and asked: "Did you really just try to let Johanna loose on Gale? Using terms like 'snare'?"

"Of course I did! He deserves that for not being nice to my sister! And don't worry, nobody but you is going to snare me. I just could not resist the temptation to mention that, and somehow I believe that Gale and Johanna might be worthy adversaries."

Katniss blushed a little bit, but Peeta seemed to be happy about that development.

In the next morning the train was about to leave, and the victors boarded. We hugged our friends and relatives, and Johanna quickly got close to Primrose and me, saying: "Thank you for the hint yesterday – it was really worthwhile!"

Looking at her, I found that she looked ruffled and like she did not have enough sleep, and when I saw Gale in the distance, he also looked similar. While Johanna hurried into the train, I looked at Prim and said:

"It sure looks like you have succeeded, but I am not quite sure who snared whom!"

Over the next days we watched short broadcasts from the 'victory train' visiting other friendly districts, and we could not fail to notice that the mood in those was so much different from previous years. Instead of many peacekeepers patrolling and watching people, we had only a few soldiers, and they mostly checked for potential external threats. Instead of sad or at best neutral facial expressions, most people looked happy, and citizens did not have to pretend any longer. Some of them shouted, sang, and danced, and nobody stopped them. We all knew that the war was not over yet, but at least there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and everybody could see it.

District Eleven in particular was a sight to behold. Eleven had mostly people with darker skin, like Rue and Thresh had been, and they radiated joy in a really nice way. Some citizens had set up a comparison between the area before and after. A section of the fence was still intact, with guard towers and all, and next to that we saw big breeches in the fence, allowing access to areas outside. The total area which had been enclosed had been much larger than here, but a fence was a fence. They had already started to scout the areas outside, and a camera showed some scenes from areas where plots for more and larger homes were prepared. Now, as most of their food stayed and did not have to be sent to other districts and to the Capitol, people also looked healthier and better fed. As we had learned before, though, they'd be willing to ship some more food to us in exchange for coal, which was needed for their power plants.

District Six looked much more modern. A lot of the above ground structures looked broken, and an announcer told us that there had been heavy bombing at the start of the rebellion, as soon as the Capitol had noticed that Six was suddenly not with them any longer. However, some factories were still intact, and at least basic maintenance on maglev trains and hovercraft had resumed. At the very least, no new hovercraft and other vehicles are delivered to the Capitol any longer. This district was, according to some rumors I had heard, the one with the largest population, something like almost one million. I could not even imagine that many people together, but they obviously had a significant number of towns and, overall, a larger land mass to cover.

District Eight was a poorer one again, but the citizens had started to rebel very early, and they had managed to overcome most of the peacekeeper force very quickly. Similar to Six, a few factories and homes had been bombed and destroyed, but work had partially been resumed in other factories. Besides normal clothes and work clothes they also manufactured peacekeeper uniforms and armors, and the Capitol would not get any of those any longer. Bonnie and Twill, who were now with us, had come from Eight, and they cheered when the saw the images from their home area.

Christmas time reflected this changed mood. People started to decorate their homes, and the bakery worked overtimes as usual. This year, we were technically three families – the Everdeens, the Mellarks, and the Andersons – but we felt like one big family. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had really dived into their new responsibilities, and since a month ago or so the apothecary had been open for business. During the day, Mabel visited sick people, and depending on school and homework, Prim or Lizzy sometimes joined her. In the morning and evening, Mabel and the girls mixed medicine, and Mr. Anderson manned the counter during the day, while his wife took care or the household chores. In addition, she also came over to the bakery once or twice a week to do the laundry here as well, so that she effectively ran two homes. The Andersons got paid from the bakery income for now, but soon it would be shared income between the apothecary and the bakery.

The apothecary shop floor was quite large, so that Wheat and Leevy could claim a corner to display their crafts. They were already looking for a home for them with a big shed, and they were confident that could get a nice home early next year. For now, though, they would have to do with the small bakery shed and the display shelves in the apothecary and the bakery.

Regarding the bakery, I mused that Peeta would eventually come back and talked to Dad about it:

"Dad, with the rebellion and all, I guess that Peeta will eventually come back and take over the bakery, right? I mean, he will no longer be bound to the old law where he was not allowed to work, with being a victor."

"Indeed, my son, and he and I briefly talked about that yesterday" my father replied. "Baking and decorating is very important to him, and he is very glad that he will be able to get back to that. Katniss will also love to be here again, and she sure can help with hunting and teaching future hunters to use a bow and to walk quietly. Nobody here even comes close to her with the bow, as far as I know."

On a sunny day in mid December a second zeppelin arrived, and it had a small crew pod and a larger cargo pod attached. I knew that we expected a team from Greater Bavaria with the tunnel boring machine, and I guess that this was it. They first landed close to the core district to pick up a few guides, and the engineer from the other zeppelin was going to guide them to the proper place. From there, the main crew would start to drill into the hills with the big machine, while the smaller team was going to connect the end of our maglev line here. I had been told that the machines were semi-automatic and operated with minimal human supervision, so that only small teams were required to be around.

The line connection above ground need to be interrupted a few times due to snow and adverse weather, but the other team could of course continue work once they worked below ground. For the holidays, the teams rested, and they were invited to stay in the district.

Our first free Christmas! It was so different from previous years, and it was obvious that Mayor Undersee had listened to reports from our European allies. He had made plans to adopt some customs, and for once a big fir tree was cut and mounted in the center of the big main square. A few lights and decorations were draped on it, and we had our town Christmas tree.

On December 23rd, there was a small market area around that tree on the square, and a lot of things were for sale we did not know about. Vendors had arrived from other districts, and they offered some of their food and some of their own clothes and decorations, in small quantities. A small stand showed wares from Europe, but very little was offered for sale, since the shipping connection had not yet been opened and air transport was expensive. Nonetheless lots of citizens enjoyed just walking around on that day and looking. The market was open until early afternoon on December 24th, and when it closed, the mayor had a short speech prepared:

"My dear citizens, this is a speech like I want to talk and not like I have to talk. I am happy that we can celebrate Christmas together in a changed world and a changed Panem. I cherish the knowledge that we have thrown off the oppression, and my thoughts and prayers are with the people in the districts where they are still fighting. I dearly hope that next Christmas will be celebrated together in a free united Panem, with all districts and maybe even beyond. Enjoy the holidays, and spend time with your families!"

Just when he had finished a siren went off, and soldiers started to run to their posts. We all looked at each other, and Oberstleutnant Klein, who stood next to the mayor, talked into his radio. A few minutes later he grabbed the microphone and said:

"One of our RADAR sites has detected a group of three unidentified hovercraft heading towards us. They will be here in about half an hour. I am quite positive that we can stop them, but I suggest that you leave your homes and hide in the forest just for safety. We will sound the siren again when it is safe to return."

Was it really possible that President Snow had selected this day – Holy Eve, start of the Christmas holidays – to retaliate? I did not have time to dwell on this thought, because Prim pulled me away from the square. We were all already dressed warm, so that all we had to do is quickly entering the homes and make sure the stoves and candles were out, and twenty minutes later most of the population was about to pass the gates – there were a few more of those nowadays – and hide between the trees outside. We barely managed to get everybody under cover – it was already dark, which made things more difficult – when we could see the three hovercraft approaching. The first one dropped something which was probably a bomb, and some people started to mutter, but immediately a beam of light was seen, hit the bomb and made it go off with a huge explosion in the air. As it had just been dropped, the hovercraft was still too close to evade and was caught in the explosion as well. The other two hovercraft were warned by that and turned around in different directions, but rather than leaving, they circled around the district and apparently tried to approach from different directions. They could not have known that our allies had more than one air defense site set up, and a couple of minutes later both remaining hovercraft were hit by two more light beams. One of them exploded in mid air, while the other one was only damaged and managed to get down just outside of the fence. A couple of armored cars rushed out, and Klein's soldiers and some of our peacekeepers had the crew come out with raised hands. This got us an intact hovercraft, I thought. A couple of minutes later the siren went off again and told us that we could go back to our homes.

The mayor was on the square again and only said a few more words to those who were around and listened:

"Well, thank you to our allies from Europe and District Thirteen for reacting quickly and properly. Thank you to President Snow for giving us a nice fireworks display to watch, too. Happy Christmas, everyone!"

[Author's Notes: A very special Christmas, indeed. With Europe being impacted less by the war and having a productive democracy there for a long time, they made some progress in weaponry, and ground based lasers for air defense seem to make sense.]