AN - Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series or 'Merlin'.


Chapter 3

Sunday had already been a busy day for Katniss. She started the day in the woods beyond the fence of District 12 to hunt and gather whatever Gale's snares had managed to catch during the night. Afterwards, she had been trading her haul, making her go from one end of the district to the other. At first she had been delighted that her trip to the woods had been so productive. Even though Gale had told her to leave behind all the game that she could not carry, her stubbornness had a whole different opinion. In the beginning she was certain, that she could carry it all, but her delight had vanished when she had to do the actual walking and carrying part. But it quickly reappeared when she traded the game for something else and usually something that did not weigh as much.

The trades reflect the traders. As a hunter she trades meat, furs, plants, berries - basically everything she can find in the woods - and she trades them for whatever means the buyer has. Greasy Sae usually trades for meals, Ripper trades the alcohol she produces – not entirely legal, but as it is in high in demand she can often sell it for a good price, and many of the other tables in the Hob sell whatever household items they can spare or trade for another. The merchants, however, usually pay her in their respective trade or coins.

Normally, Gale would be with her, but he had to stay at home today and take care of Posy, his youngest sibling, who had fallen ill the day before, and his mother, Hazelle, had to work. So today, Katniss is on her own, trading for the both of them. Although Katniss is going to give him his share of their haul, he still insisted that he would go to the woods later to pick up whatever she could not carry and perhaps add to their daily haul.

When Katniss had returned to the district, she went straight for the Hob, where she traded the wild dog with Greasy Sae, and a fox and the meat from two rabbits with Ripper, which had earned her a bottle of alcohol for her mother's work. Then she went to town. She did not have much for the merchants today, but she did manage to trade the first sign of spring berries with Mr Undersee, the Mayor of District 12, the rabbits' fur with the tailor, and now she only needs to trade the two squirrels with Mr Mellark at the bakery.

Before she knocks on the backdoor of the bakery, she prays that Mrs Mellark has not entered the back of the bakery. Through the large front windows of the bakery, Katniss saw her standing behind the counter, serving a woman from town. Hopefully, they will have a lot to talk about so she will stay out in the front. Mrs Mellark has the reputation of being quite a bitter woman who has no sympathy for her fellow district citizens from the Seam. She would rather see them all starve than to help them and she is always under the impression that the people from the Seam are thieves and beggars and not worth caring for. Needless to say, Katniss always tries to keep a good distance between Mrs Mellark and herself.

She straightens up and knocks three times on the door. Before she even has lowered her hand, the back door to the bakery springs open and the baker stands before her with his signature kind smile on his face while he wipes the flour of his hands in the towel that hangs from his belt. "Katniss! We were beginning to worry, that we might not see you today." He leans forward to look from side to side and notices that someone is missing, "I see Gale is not with you?" he asks.

As the baker moved forward to see if he could spot Gale, Katniss gets a glimpse of the inside. The fire in the ovens is roaring and she can see several loaves of bread baking in the upper part of the ovens. On the main table in the centre of the room stand multiple bowls that is probably containing all sorts of dough and delicious creams. On another table lies dough abandoned in a landscape of flour – probably the very thing Mr Mellark was working on before she interrupted him. Direct across from her stands her classmate and the baker's youngest son, Peeta, in front of a plate of muffins. Her eyes find his blue ones, but not a moment later, they flit away from hers to focus on the bowl to his left.

"No. He had to take care of his sister. She has fallen ill, you see." she slowly tells Mr Mellark as she tears her eyes away from the boy she owes so much and instead focuses on opening the sack where the squirrels lie.

"Poor lamb. What a shame." Mr Mellark reaches for something lying on the table beside the door and produces two cookies out of thin air, which he places in a little brown paper bag before he offers it to Katniss. "Here. Give her this from us. And if she cannot stomach it for the moment, then she'll at least has something to look forward to. And of course, there is one for your sister as well." Mr Mellark smiles at her.

Katniss just stares at the little paper bag in front of her. She cannot afford that, not if she wants to bring home a loaf of bread as well, "Mr Mellark. I couldn't - "

But the baker will not hear what she has to say. He gives her a small chuckle as he declines her protest. "Nonsense. I want you to have them and I will not take no for an answer." He takes a step forward and places the bag in her hands, "Here you go."

He then claps his hands to change the matter of subject and looks enthusiastically at the sack in front of her. "Now. What have you brought me today?"

She is slightly embarrassed to tell him that she has only brought two squirrels for him. Usually she is able to bring him three or four squirrels, but then she has Gale to carry some of their other game. "Ehm. I'm afraid I only have two squirrels today."

Mr Mellark seems not to mind that. "Two? But that is more than enough. We'll make soup out of them and between you and me, that is not a bad meal at all." He gives her another kind smile and it makes her wonder how the kindest person in all of District 12 could have ended up married to the wickedest woman of them all. Luckily, none of their three sons have inherited their mother's personality.

"Shall we say two loaves of bread?" he suggests.

Two loaves of bread? That is not a fair trade for him. She cannot allow him to make such a bad bargain, especially when she is certain that Mr Mellark knows that as well. "No!" The word flies out of her and to cover up for her outburst she adds, "I mean… that's too much. You have already given me the cookies. I couldn't possibly ask for more than one loaf for the squirrels."

"Katniss. The cookies are not included in the trade. But if you don't feel your marvellous squirrels are worth two loaves then let me at least give you one loaf and four buns."

One loaf and four buns are too much as well but their trading process ends abruptly when a slightly panicked voice calls from inside the bakery, "Dad?! I think I might need some help in here."

"Oh dear. Rye only asks for help if things are really falling apart. I'm terribly sorry Katniss, but I do believe that I'll have to stop my son from tearing down the pantry." Mr Mellark turns around to address his youngest son, "Peeta? Could you please wrap up the loaf and the buns for Katniss while I go and try to save what's left in there?"

Peeta looks a little perplexed at the request, but his voice does not waver, "Sure Dad."

He abandons the muffins he had been working on with the frosting bag and picks up a larger brown paper bag on his way to the back door. Katniss can feel her palms start to sweat. Talking to Mr Mellark is one thing, but talking to Peeta is another, despite the fact that he is in her class and she sees him almost every day but she has never talked with him. What is she going to say to him? What do you say to the person who saved your family's life but whom you never had the courage to thank?

Peeta is equally silent as he starts to pick out the correct loaf for her. She is so absorbed in her own thoughts, that she is almost shocked to hear his gentle voice. "I'm… I'm sorry about Gale's sister."

"It's nothing serious. She'll be up an about in no time." she manages to tell him. It is only polite to look at the person you are talking to, but for some reason she feels better if she looks anywhere but his face. Instead she ends up looking at his hands as they place the loaf and the four buns inside the paper bag.

"That's good to hear." he tells her as he hands her the bag. Their eyes make contact as she takes the bag from him, but she is very careful not to touch his fingers. For a moment they just stand there looking at each other before Katniss pulls herself together. But instead of saying something to him like 'thank you' or 'have a nice day', she gives him a slight nod of her head and turns to leave while her insides are tumbling over with guilt, hope, and memories.

The strange feelings diminish with each step she takes, but she has taken no more than eight steps before her name is called.

"Katniss! Wait!"

She looks behind her at the bakery and sees Peeta walking towards her. A part of her wants to stay and hear him out, while another is practically urging her to continue walking. She takes another step but then he is there beside her. "Wait, please. I need to speak with you." he tells her.

His blue eyes are frantic and she watches him swallow once. She wonders how she might look at the moment. Perplexed? Indifferent? Bewildered? He quickly looks around to see if anyone is near them, and the movement makes his golden hair rustle in the wind while the strands reflect the sunrays. He seems to come to a conclusion that whatever he has to tell her needs to be told away from prying eyes and ears. Ever so gently, Peeta takes hold of her arm and pulls her with him until they are standing behind the apple tree, giving them at least some coverage from the bakery.

Since Katniss has no idea what is going on, she does not protest. The whole thing is so surreal to her and she looks down at his hand, that is still resting on her arm and she imagines that she can feel the warmth radiating from his touch through her father's old hunting jacket. All too soon Peeta releases his hold on her arm and his hand quickly goes to the back of his neck and then runs through his golden waves. She finds herself mesmerized by the movement. His hair looks so soft up close. Nothing like her own scruffy coal-black hair and even nothing like Prim's blond hair. His hair has another softness to it.

She makes the mistake of letting her gaze wander to his eyes, those blue eyes that gave her hope on that miserable day in the rain years ago. The same blue eyes that stare at her today is still filled with hope, but there is something else. They are pleading for her to listen to him.

"Don't go back out there today."

That breaks her trance immediately. What gives him the right to say what she should or should not do? She can feel her features harden and he seems to have sensed it too as he quickly starts explaining, "I mean, I know it's none of my business but it's just… that is…". He rambles on before pulling himself together and actually makes a full sentence. "I heard some peacekeepers talk in the bakery earlier. Apparently, there is going to be a lockdown of the district today."

She looks at him in shock. A lockdown? That means the electricity will be turned on and the fence will be impenetrable. If it is true, Gale will be stuck out there. She searches his eyes for more information, but it seems like Peeta has shared with her all that he knows. His broad shoulders slump forward and his kind eyes plead for her to listen to him. "Just… don't go out there again today… please." he asks her, his voice just above a broken whisper.

She looks at him, still in shock. She manages to make a slight nod to acknowledge his words and it seems to please him. Peeta lets out a breath of what seems to be relief and gives her a small smile and a nod of his own. She slowly turns around as she lets her thoughts gather and she leaves him underneath the apple tree, the very place where he saved her years ago. One thought takes root. If Peeta is right about the lockdown, will she ever stop owing him?


Katniss sits on a tall stool by Greasy Sae's homemade counter. It used to be a door from one of the houses in the Seam. 20 years ago, during a cold winter night, the house caught on fire and the flames took the entire family with them before the flames had been put out. It had been a tragedy, but life went on in the Seam and Sae had been able to secure the door like others had tried to make the most of the terrible situation that winter.

Katniss is toying with a spoon and a stew made from the wild dog, she had brought Sae earlier that day. She watches people mill around the hob, trying to make profitable bargains at the tables. Most of them are from the Seam, but occasionally she spots a blond head here and there. Not even the merchants can afford to buy everything from the shops, and it is not everything that can be purchased in Town.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in today." a voice behind her calls. She whirls around on her stool and sees Darius grinning at her. Perfect! He is just the one she hoped to run into. If anybody knows if there indeed will be a lockdown, it will be a peacekeeper. But Darius' personality is as far from a peacekeeper as you can get. In fact, he is the only peacekeeper the people of District 12 actually like, because of his goodhearted and boyish nature.

He takes a seat beside her and tugs the end of her braid playfully, "What brings such a fine girl like yourself here to this location?" he chuckles.

Normally, she would never allow anyone to treat her like that, but she needs to get some information from him, and the better his mood is, the easier it will be. However, before she can answer him, Greasy Sae interrupts them. "She is here for my fine cooking, she is." She sends him a mischievous grin, "And what about you? What will you have?"

Greasy Sae is a lovely woman of no nonsense, but with a heart of gold. She has the special ability to scold a peacekeeper and still make him feel good about it.

"What do you have on the menu?" Darius asks her. She points to the deep plate in front of Katniss, "Wild dog stew, wild dog stew or perhaps I can tempt you with a plate of wild dog stew?"

"In that case, I think I will have the wild dog stew, please." he laughs.

"Excellent choice, dear." Sae exclaims and quickly brings him a deep plate identical to the one Katniss sits with.

Darius immediately begins to shovel the stew into his mouth like it is the most delicious course he has ever tasted. Katniss, however, stops eating as she tries to figure out how to best approach the subject. But she finds that she has no subtle way of asking, so she does what she does best. She jumps straight into the question, "I hear there will be a lockdown later today?" she asks him casually, like it was a completely normal thing to ask about.

"Yeah, I guess it will be some sort of…". he starts but then stops midsentence and lowers his spoon from his mouth. He looks at her with astonishment but also with a hint of hesitation. "Hang on. Where did you hear that?"

She shrugs and fiddles with her own spoon before taking a huge spoonful of the stew into her mouth. She cannot very well betray her source of knowledge. When Darius does not offer her anything else but lets the question hang in the air, she tells him, "Does it really matter?"

He sighs and scratches his flaming red hair right above his ear. "No, I suppose not." He turns in his seat to face her. Before scooting closer to her, he looks from side to side to make sure no one hears him before whispering, "I'm not sure I can be of much assistance. I don't know anymore than you do. All I know is that there will be a curfew later today, but I don't know when that will be or why. And honestly, I don't think even Cray knows what is going on."

He leans back again and gives her a smile, "Who knows? Perhaps it is just a drill."

She wonders about it for a moment. Darius could be right. It could be just that - a drill. But that would be the first one she has been witness to in her lifetime, so somehow it seems unlikely. Whatever it is, she will probably not know the reason for it, unless someone is being flogged in the square tomorrow. And thanks to Peeta, that someone is not going to be her or Gale.

She quickly gobbles up the rest of the stew and hands her plate to Greasy Sae. She needs to find Gale before he goes beyond the fence today. "Right, I'll have to go. Lots to do!" she says, perhaps with a little too much enthusiasm in her voice.

Darius, however, seems not to notice, "Of course. You have important homework to attend to… oh and next time you go out there, could you please bring Sae something else besides wild dog?" he winks at her.


She reaches the meadow in no time at all. As she stops for a moment under the big oak tree that stands magnificently in the centre of the meadow surrounded by the colourful spring flowers, she shields her eyes from the sunrays as she scans for Gale's tall build. As she stands there, her chest heaving from how fast she had run, she is slightly amazed by how fast a person can actually run, when they set their mind to the task.

For a moment she dreads that Gale has already passed the fence and is in the woods, meaning that she will have to go after him and make it back in time before the curfew starts, which could be in three hours, one hour, 30 minutes or even 5 minutes from now. Then they would both be stuck out there and she would have wasted Peeta's warning. But then she sees him walking along the fence heading for the point where they usually cross the fence. She lets out a breath of relief and stumbles towards him on shaky legs from running through the entire district a few seconds ago.

"Gale!" she shouts out to him. Well, it comes out as wheezing mixed with shouting, but he hears her. Thank god for the keen hearing sense that both he and herself had acquired over the years as part of their hunting skills.

He halts in his tracks and waits for her to reach him. When she does, she places her hands on her knees and tries to still her beating heart and fill her empty lungs. "Don't go out there today." she pants as she manages to snatch the game-sack out of his hands for good measure.

"What on earth are you on about?" he asks her bewildered.

She manages to stand up while clutching the sack firmly, "I don't think you should go hunting today." she tells him decisively.

She takes him in. Gale stands there, looking completely puzzled by her words as if he is not sure that she aware of what she is saying. Then he reaches out for the sack in her hands to try to take it back. She might be out of breath but her reflexes have not faltered and she yanks the sack out of his reach.

He crosses his arm over his chest and looks her straight in the eyes. "Why shouldn't I? I know you were out there this morning, but it is not as if our haul yesterday was that big. We need something to eat in the next days to come. You know that."

She hesitates for a moment, as she tries to think of what to say. She cannot lie to him. He knows her too well for that, so something else will have to do. She involuntarily makes a gesture of distress, "Then we'll ration. I got one loaf of bread and some buns from the bakery and I have kept a rabbit from my hunt. You can have 2/3 of it for your family… It's getting late and I just don't think it is a good idea to go out there now. We'll go tomorrow after school and make up for today." she tries to tell him as calmly as possible, although she is desperate for him to understand and to accept her words.

Unfortunately, Gale is not taking the bait. He eyes her up, and she tries to hold her ground and even gives him her signature scowl. They end up staring at each other and the only sound around them comes from the gust of wind that occasionally ripples through the trees on the other side of the fence. The last warm sunrays of the afternoon lick the left side of her face and bring warmth to not only her cheek, but her core as well. It gives her a false sense of peacefulness… what a traitor. Gale continues to look at her like she is hiding something, which she is, but he does not have to know that. As a result of his searching gaze, she deepens her scowl to make him back off. Only this time, it is not working.

"You know something. Something you're not telling me." he states. "Well, come on then. Spit it out." he demands.

Damn it! He will just not give up. She knows him too well, just like he knows that something is up. In the end she throws her hands into the air, making the sack fly through the crisp breeze. "Fine! I heard that there will a lockdown of the district today. If you go out there, you will be trapped for I don't know how long!" She almost knocks the air out of him, when she thrusts his game-sack back to him. "There! Satisfied?" she huffs.

Katniss knows, that she really does not have a proper reason to be angry with Gale. All he did was ask about her motives. But there is just something about him prying and questioning her reasons for trying to look out for him that sets her off. Gale holds the sack and looks utterly perplexed. With the upmost caution, he acknowledges her, "Okay. You could just have told me that. There's no need to bite my head off."

She groans lightly and almost presses her wrists into her eye sockets. She knows she came on to him too hard, but she has never been very good with words. "I know. I overreacted. I just didn't want you to go out there." she apologizes.

Immediately his eyes softens and she knows her apology is accepted. He motions for her to follow him back across the meadow towards the Seam and they walk side by side. It is only when they reach the outskirts of the Seam that Gale breaks the silence. "I'm glad you came running after me even though the lockdown might be just a rumour. One would actually believe that you cared for me." He teasingly bumps her shoulder and smiles at her.

She pushes him back and smiles, "Please! Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to be without a hunting partner." she fires back at him, glad that they left their bad mood behind.

He snorts at her cheeky remark as he continues their friendly banter, "Was that a smile I just saw? Be careful Katniss. You could break your face!"

"Ha ha. That is extremely clever and funny Gale. There really are no limits to your wit." she comments dryly.

"But seriously, who told you about the lockdown?"

Before Katniss can stop herself, the name fly out of her mouth, "Peeta."

Gale stops abruptly and looks at her. His entire body language screams mistrust and suspicion. "Peeta? Peeta Mellark? The baker's son? Why would he help you? And why would you believe him?"

Immediately, she wants to cut off her own tongue and make herself an avox right then and there. Why did she tell him that? She knew he would react this way, just because Peeta is a Merchant and they are Seam. Gale suffers lightly from the known 'Merchant-vs.-Seam-syndrome'. And although it is known that not all merchants are kind to their fellow district citizens and do not have to suffer a lifetime of working in the mine, not all of them are bad people. Look at Madge, Mr Mellark, Peeta, and even Delly Cartwright who usually has a bubbly personality, that sometimes can be a bit annoying, but they are all kind people. In any case, Gale did not have to know who it was that told her about the lockdown. She could just have said it was Darius who had told her in the first place. He would have believed that.

"I asked Darius about it afterwards. He said that something might happen tonight, although he did not know it for sure. I just didn't want to take the risk."

"That still doesn't explain why Mellark would warn you." Gale objects and he makes a face that clearly implies that he cannot believe he actually has to explain this when he sees her expression, "Katniss, he's a merchant. Everybody knows that merchants are far from chivalrous when it comes to Seam-girls!"

"It's nothing like that. You don't know anything about it!"

And he really does not. She, however, is certain that Peeta Mellark does not want anything like that from her. She may have caught him staring at her from time to time in class, but she is not delusional. She knows better. It is because of the bread-incident that he has been too polite to mention. Nothing else. Anyway, his friends always surround him and he is certainly in no short amount of potential partners if he wanted to. Yes, she is not afraid to admit that he is not bad looking with his sun-kissed golden hair, kind blue eyes and strong build. She has not lived under a rock… not that she would ever dream about him in that way. But that is all it will ever come to be for her. She is not looking for love, not after she saw how it reduced her mother to almost nothing. Not that he wants anything like that with her, and she is sure that neither Peeta nor her is looking for a fling. The only thing that will bring is trouble. Peeta just told her about the lockdown out of kindness, just like he saved her life four years ago.

She is about to tell Gale that Peeta's actions are fuelled by kindness and not scheming, but the loudspeaker system that has been set up throughout the entire district, anticipates her. The system is rarely used. It is only on special occasions like the announcement of mandatory viewings, the reaping, or the few messages from Head-peacekeeper Cray. Whatever the reason is, it is usually not something that brings happiness to the inhabitants of 12.

And sure enough, it's the 'melodious' voice of their Head-peacekeeper that sweeps across the district. "Attention. Attention all citizens. All citizens are to return to their homes immediately. No man, woman or child is allowed to be outside their houses during the curfew that will commence at sunset. The curfew will last throughout the night and peacekeepers will be patrolling the district to uphold the curfew. The punishment for breaking said curfew will be… severe. That will be all."

It takes a moment for the announcement to take hold of the district, but then people starts running in all directions, seeing as it is nearly sunset already. Katniss sees mothers rush out on the street to get to their children, who have been playing outside during the day, and she sees visitors head home to their respective houses. People even come running from town, no doubt from the Hob, to make it back home in time.

"Well, what do you know? Mellark was right." Gale states. He cannot quiet contain the surprise mixed with gratitude in his voice.

Wordlessly, they start to walk in the direction of their respective houses. Just before they part ways Gale turns to Katniss. "Just because he was right, it doesn't mean you owe him anything. I trust you know that."

He does not wait for her response but turns around to the follow the path to their left, leaving her staring at him as he walks away.

He is wrong.

She does owe Peeta and she will repay him. Just not in the currency Gale fears.


That night Katniss cannot sleep. She tosses and turns on her side of the bed. She tries to do it as quietly as possible in fear of waking Prim. She takes a moment to observe her sister's peaceful features. Certainly, her sister would not be sleeping at all if she and Gale still had not returned from the woods. Prim would have been sitting by the table in the soft light from the burning candle with Buttercup in her arms and a worn blanket thrown around her as she kept staring at the door.

Where could she and Gale have been at this very moment? Probably lying close to a fire to keep them warm during the cold spring night, while they took turns on guard duty. Not in fear of peacekeepers, but of the wolves that they know lure in the woods. They would not have known that the curfew would only last the night. They would have wondered if they would be able to pass the fence in the morning or they day after that? But one thing they would have known is that if they were not sitting in their respective classrooms tomorrow, they would be in serious trouble.

Katniss sighs and turns to lie on her back with her arms resting underneath her head. Peeta had done it again. He had once again saved her and it did not seem like he had wanted anything in return. The concern in his eyes had been sincere, she is sure of that. The way he had hold her arm with the upmost care and gentleness in the world had told its own story. She has to thank him… somehow. When he saved her entire family and brought them back to life four years ago, she did nothing to thank him. She had been a coward. Her guilty conscience reminds her that she still is a coward. To this day she has still not thanked him for the bread. Again, her conscience tells her that a simple "thank you for saving my life" will not suffice. She owes him everything and she still has to discover a way to repay him. To his credit, he never brought up the incidence even though they saw each other almost everyday. But it still frustrates her to the core that it can be so difficult to find a proper way to repay him so she can finally stop owing him and get on with her life.

But then an idea pops into her head. A small smile creeps onto her face that remains hidden from the world in the darkness of night. Just because she cannot repay him for the bread yet, it does not mean that she cannot thank him for what he did today. She does not have a lot to offer a merchant boy, but she will use her only talent. Forget about the squirrels she usually trades with Mr Mellark. No, this time she will trade with Peeta himself, and it will not be a trade, it will be a gift. And not just any gift. She is going to find the biggest, fattest turkey and present it to him. She imagines Peeta's astonishing expression when she passes the turkey into his arms. Her smile grows wider at the prospect of it without her knowing. That turkey is going to weigh so much that even Peeta with his strong arms will have a hard time carrying it.

Her smile falters for a bit. For her plan to work, she has to see Peeta himself. How can she ever explain to Mr Mellark about what Peeta did for her? Or even worse, what if she has to explain it to Peeta's brothers? Just the mere thought mortifies her because she is certain that they would never understand it. No, she has to make Peeta come outside the bakery. Perhaps tomorrow is her lucky day and he will be miraculously standing outside the bakery. Otherwise she figures that she will have to signal him through the windows to come outside. Oh well, she will have to cross that bridge when the times come.

Beside her, Prim gives a small sigh and clutches her pillow tightly. Katniss stifles a yawn as contentment settles within her. Now, with her new-formed plan in mind, she can finally allow herself to sleep.


A few hours later Katniss creeps out of the warm bed. Usually, she would do everything in her power to remain inside the warm cocoon, but this morning she springs out of bed. After all, she is on a mission. The rising sun has only just begun to peak through the windows when she leaves her house and heads towards the fence. It is better for Gale not to know of her plans since he clearly would never understand – especially after what he said yesterday. He would continue to question Peeta's motives and disapprove of her actions but frankly; she does not give a damn about his opinions of this particular subject. Besides, she is certain that Peeta will be awake as well. He is a baker's son, after all. Luckily for her, baker's and hunter's hours are very similar.

Fortunately the fence is already off and she slips underneath it effortlessly. Since the curfew must have been lifted during the night, her actions are only slightly illegal. Not that it had stopped her in the past. The morning sun's warm rays greet her and wrap around her like a gentle hand that affectionately caresses her skin and the morning dew bathes her and removes the worry she might had had during the night. The birds' morning hymn welcomes her to the woods and in no time at all she reaches the hollow tree in which she keeps her father's precious bow and she sets off into the woods to find a joyous dinner for Peeta. Why she wishes to bring him joy is somewhat of a mystery to her. They are not friends, but she respects him and that must be the reason why she hopes to impress him as well.


An hour goes by and Katniss has yet to find the perfect gift. It is not because she has not seen a single animal, no she has found many, but none of them were to her liking. Either they were too small and scrawny, or they were too big, like the deer she caught a glimpse of through the tree trunks. The sun creeps higher in the sky and she starts to panic a bit. What if she cannot find a proper gift? Then her morning will have been completely wasted and she doubts that Peeta will be as impressed as Prim if she hands him a bouquet of wild flowers as a consolation prize.

But then she sees it.

A flock of wild turkeys that gobble up their morning breakfast that lies underneath the leaves that cover the soil in the clearing. The flock constitutes of turkeys in all sizes, from small chicks to plumb full-grown turkeys. And there it is. The turkey, she had envisioned. She is mesmerized by it. It is… beautiful. Just like she had imagined it would be. It stands majestically in the sunbeam as it looks around the flock. She holds her breath when she notches an arrow and positions herself behind the bushes that display the first signs of the summer berries they will carry. As she waits for the perfect moment, the turkey looks in her direction, and then she releases the arrow. It flies swiftly and hits its target, making the flock scatter in every direction.

When she reaches the bird she kneels at its side and strokes its fantastic feather display tenderly, almost like she is thanking it for its sacrifice. It was a clean shot, right through the eye, and she could not have been happier for this particular kill and what it hopefully will represent.


Her timing is perfect. It is still so early in the morning that no one has left their houses. She will be able to get to the bakery, deliver the turkey and be home in time to walk with Prim and the Hawthornes to school. Her thoughts are light as the morning sun that greets her every step as she walks to the bakery with the turkey in a sack that hangs on her back. It weighs a ton, a lot more than she had imagined it would and it makes her regret her decision to choose such a majestic bird. Why could she not have chosen three rabbits instead? But no, she had to choose something impressive as a sufficient thank-you-gift.

She is nothing less but thrilled when the bakery comes into view. Finally, she is almost there and then she can get rid of this ridiculously heavy bird that threatens to crush her with its weight. But with each step she takes, her gladness is replaced by nervousness. She has not thought this through! The sight of her with a huge sack on her back which makes her bend forward must look absurd and she will not be surprised if Peeta laughs at her instead of being awestruck. 'Stupid Katniss, why do you never think these things through? This is what happens when impulsiveness takes over' she thinks.

She makes a stop underneath the apple tree and lets the sack slump to the ground with a dull thud. As she stretches her back, something odd catches her eyes. The bakery is completely still. There is no light in the windows and the curtains on the first floor where the family lives are shut. She had expected the bakery to be full of life at this time of day. In only half an hour the merchants will flock to the bakery for their morning loaves of bread and buns. The bakery should have been up and running for at least an hour by now. This morning, however, the bakery looks like any other house in town. As if its inhabitants are still sleeping.

Katniss walks to the back door and presses her ear to the wooden surface, but she cannot hear a thing. Then she peaks through the crack in the curtains that hang in window next to the back door. The backroom where the Mellarks usually work and create all sorts of beautiful cakes is dark and even the ovens are deserted. But then she sees another thing that disturbs her slightly. Materials, plates and glass lie shattered on the tables and on the floor. What on earth has happened here? Are things always this untidy in the morning? Of course, she has never been inside the actual bakery, so she would not know. But she has had a glimpse of the inside when she and Gale trade with Mr Mellark and it did not look like this mess.

She gets a grim thought. What if someone decided to use the curfew for their own profit? Stealing is not unheard of in the district. Stealing is severely punished by the peacekeepers if you are caught, but perhaps the bakery had been too much of a temptation with all its baked goods. It would certainly explain why the Mellarks did not have the energy to open up the bakery this morning. She curses slightly. Of course the bakery had been robbed the very day she was supposed to thank Peeta for his generosity. What is she to do now? She cannot wake him by throwing some pebbles at his window, since she does not know which one it is. If she hits Mrs Mellark's window it will be a catastrophe.

She looks at her prized turkey in the sack lying deserted on the ground. There is no way she can leave it here. Firstly, because Peeta would not know it is meant for him and secondly, because the Mellarks will be in serious trouble if the peacekeepers find it and what a way that would be for her to repay Peeta. And she certainly cannot dispose of it in the bin. That will just be wasteful, and if there is one thing she is not, it is wasteful. She sees no other choice but to carry the damn bird all the way back to the Seam.

Great… just great!


How she manages to make it back to the Seam without breaking her back is a mystery to her. She reaches her house just as Gale and his siblings come walking down the path. "What on earth are you dragging there, Catnip?" Gale calls to her.

When he reaches her, he takes the sack from her and relieves her of its burden and looks inside it, "Whoa. That is huge! That is enough to feed both our families." He tilts his head to the side and his shoulders slump for a moment. "Katniss, you should have told me you went out there this morning. I could have helped you with this monstrosity. It would only be fair, you know." he tells her sincerely.

'No it would not be fair for you to come with me since that turkey was not meant for us.' she thinks bitterly as she crosses her arms and huffs. Her disappointing thoughts must be visible on her face since Prim throws her arms around her. "Aww, Katniss. Don't look so sour. I think the bird is marvellous and I can't wait for tonight." Prim beams at her.

Katniss can feel her walls cracking. Oh well, the plan of giving the turkey to Peeta might have gone down the drain, but at least the turkey brings Prim joy and she will do anything for her sister to be happy. She looks at the Hawthornes. Rory and Vick are looking inside the sack and she can almost see their eyes pop out of their sockets and the drool that begins to form and trickles from the corner of their mouths. That is the final straw that melts her heart. No one has to know that the turkey was not meant for them.

She decides that both their families deserve something nice for once. She looks at Gale and motions to the sack, "Can you take it to the back of the house and hide it? Then we'll prepare it after school."

Gale gives her a swift nod and swings the sack effortlessly over his shoulder and walks to the back of the house while she collects her school items inside the house. When she returns, Gale is back as well and they set off towards town. As they pass the bakery on their way, she cranes her neck to see any sort of life sign. But the bakery is still as dark and silent as it had been when she was there a half hour ago. The sign on the front door has not been turned and still reads 'Closed'. It gives her an unsettling feeling in her stomach and she quickly turns away from the bakery before the others catch on.


In school, Peeta is nowhere to be seen. Without meaning it, she finds herself staring at his vacant seat in class and cannot help but wonder if he has been hurt during the night. What if they had discovered the unwanted guests in the bakery and tried to kick them out? She is sure they would have done that since the Mellark household contains three wrestlers of stocky built and a strength that is seldom seen elsewhere.

And she is not the only one who has noticed Peeta's absence. At lunchtime Katniss discovers that Rye, Peeta's older brother, is also not attending school today and the whole room is buzzing about how odd it is for both Rye and Peeta to be absent. She shakes her head to stop her thoughts from taking flight. Why should she care? They are not friends and if indeed there had been a brawl at the bakery, nothing would have happened to Peeta with his brothers having his back. The family is most likely at home and trying to clean up the mess from the robbery. And it really was a mess, so it makes sense that the two youngest Mellarks had to stay behind and help. The peacekeepers, who makes sure that no one misses a school day without a good reason, will understand that.

"Perhaps they are sick?"

Katniss is pulled from her thoughts and looks to her left where Madge is sitting. Madge Undersee is her only friend from Town… well, perhaps not a friend but more of an acquaintance. She is a nice girl even though she is the mayor's daughter. She fits her title well with her long blond hair and porcelain skin that just screams merchant from a far. They are an odd pair the two of them as they sit at their own table. The quiet mayor's daughter and the hostile Seam girl. But it does make sense to them. Over the years they have formed a friendship based on mutual respect and Katniss especially appreciates Madge's quiet nature that does not demand to know everything Katniss is not willing to share.

"Yeah… perhaps they are." she answers. There is no need to tell Madge about what she had seen this morning. It would only worry her and it certainly was an explanation. It is not unheard of that an entire family can fall ill at the same time. "Don't worry Madge. They will probably be back tomorrow."

She had said it to reassure Madge, but perhaps she had really said it to reassure herself in the process. But she forbids herself to think more about it and returns her attention to her scarce lunch; the mere, thin and now cold vegetable soup she had made for dinner yesterday.

She has taken a few spoonful's when Madge speaks again, "I hope so. It would be awful if they were all sick and with the Spring Festival coming up next week, they have a lot to do. There is no Spring Festival without the bakery's table. It is a part of the spirit of the festival."

The Spring Festival.

Katniss had completely forgotten about that. The Spring Festival is one of the only highlights in the district along with the Harvest Festival later in the year. It is a time of year where people can forget about the hardships they are facing, forget about the reaping that will take place in two months time that will rip two families apart and forget about the hunger that sweeps through the district. The merchants sell their products to a special prize so everybody can rejoice on this particularly evening. And above all, it is a time for the youth to be just that – young and carefree.

All the women and girls weave colourful flowers into their hair to mark the coming of Spring. When Katniss was younger, she had loved the Spring Festival for this particular tradition. For her mother to braid her hair and her father to adorn it with beautiful katniss flowers he had picked up by the lake in the woods. But that was a long time ago. To this day Katniss still keeps up the tradition even though it is a painful reminder of the loss of her father. But she does it to honour his memory. White katniss flowers for her, colourful primroses for Prim, and purple violets for their mother if they somehow manage to get their mother to come along.

Of course, no one forgets the gap there is between the people of the district, but somehow the Spring Festival manages to tear down the walls between them and more often than not, you can see Seam and Merchants dancing together in the grand folkdances to the ancient tunes from instruments such as the flutes, fiddles, and drums. The multiple partner changes are the reason why Katniss has always been reluctant to participate in the dances. But Prim loves them and she has more than once managed to drag Katniss along with her into the dance ring. Katniss has no problem dancing with Prim, or any of the Hawthornes, but that is as far as her comfort zone goes. She can dance with the people from the Seam and have a good time, but the Merchants are another matter. She does not have anything in common with them and usually she ends up dancing with men twice her own age or some of the idiots from school.

"Perhaps I should ask if they could use an extra hand when they are up and about again." Madge wonders aloud a moment later.

The bakery's table is the most popular by far with their beautiful cakes, pies, cookies and their other delicious baked goods that make your mouth water just by the mere sight of it. Needless to say, children and their parents surround the table the entire evening. Everyone wants to taste the sweet creations and on this particular night, even the people from the Seam can afford to have a slice or a cookie. Mr Mellark has always been more than generous and almost hands out their goods free of charge. The prize is only for show, which vexes Mrs Mellark immensely. Luckily for everyone, she usually chooses to display a silent form of protest by sitting with her sister far away from the bakery's table for the entire night.

The Mellarks are usually so busy that the family can only enjoy the Spring Festival one at the time, where they can finally dance and be with their friends. But whenever Katniss has looked towards the bakery's table the previous years, Mr Mellark and his three sons have always seemed to be in the best of spirits all evening. Well, perhaps not Rye, but as far as Gale has told her, Rye has always been a bit reckless. Peeta, on the other hand, had been one giant smile and eradiating happiness whenever he handed out the muffins, the cookies or the pie slices to the children.

Katniss looks up from her cold soup and sees that Madge is looking at her, waiting silently for a confirmation of her intention to help the Mellarks. "You can always ask them if you want to. Mr Mellark will probably not say no to an extra set of hands." she shrugs.

Madge gives her a small smile and nods her head. "Right. Of course you're right. I'll ask Peeta when he is well again."


As she had promised Gale the day before, Katniss finds herself in the woods along side him after school. They may have the turkey she shot this morning, but they still need some sort of side dish to make a proper feast. In addition to that, her mother had asked for some herbs that she uses for medical care. As the Seam's only healer there is often a need for her and her medical skills acquired from her time as the apothecary's daughter. Given the poverty in the Seam, its inhabitants cannot afford the expensive Capitol medication that can be purchased from the apothecary and is only available for the more wealthy merchant class. Mrs Everdeen's knowledge and help on the other hand is obtainable for most people. Usually, Katniss' mother is paid in fabrics, candles, some matches or other practical objects that can be used in the household.

Even though Katniss' mother spends most of her time in a land of depression after her husband's death, her job as a healer manages to bring her out of her lost world. But as the time went by, Mrs Everdeen is starting to function more and more like an actual human being again. Katniss is sure that her mother will never be the same again, but she has the tiniest hope that her mother one day will manage to pull herself together and be there for Prim. But even if that should happen in a few years from now, Katniss will never stop acting like Prim's guardian. Prim is her everything and she will make sure, that Prim will never want for anything, no matter if her mother comes around or not.

Not far from Katniss, Gale is laying out his snare lines for tomorrow in the hope that there will be some meat for them to sell to the butcher. Katniss, on the other hand, has let her bow remain inside the hollow trunk. Instead, she is carrying a basket filled with the herbs her mother had requested. As she is walking through the woods, she checks off her internal memo: barberries, chasteberries, foxgloves, feverfews, marigolds, rosemary...

Now she only needs to pick some dandelions. Her mother uses the dandelions for spleen, liver or kidney conditions but for Katniss, the dandelions makes her thoughts drift to the bakery, Peeta and the bread once again. She bends down to pluck a dandelion from the ground but before adding it to the basket, she takes a moment to study it. She twists it in her hand, making the bright yellow colour shine in the light. For most people dandelions are considered a weed, but for her, it is one of the most beautiful flowers there is. For her, dandelions will always represent the hope and life Peeta gave her along with that bread. She tears her eyes away from the flower and places it in the basket along with the other berries and herbs. Then she crutches down and sits in the sea of dandelions, places the basket on the ground and fills it to the brim with the flowers and their leaves.


When the sun is about to drop below the horizon, they head home. Their pockets and baskets are full of herbs and spring berries and their moods are high at the prospect of tonight's dinner, which they had planned on eating together.

"I have to say, I am looking forward to that turkey tonight. I can almost taste it already." Gale tells her as they are nearing the fence. He has a dreamy expression on his face as he starts to smack his lips to emphasize his excitement, which makes Katniss give him one of her rare smiles as she laughs at him.

"First we have to pluck it and stuff it and cook it." she reminds him. "You have to reap before you sow and all that."

He smirks at her for a moment, "Just give me a sign when it's done, then I'll be there in a blink of an eye."

The remark earns him a punch to the arm. He immediately fakes being hurt badly but he cannot contain his broad smile for long. "Have you ever heard of the word 'sorry'?" he asks her.

"No. Is that another one that you made up?" she laughs.

She is feeling uplifted by their silly banter and it strengthens her belief that perhaps it had not been a shame that the bird did not go to Peeta after all. She would find something else for him though. Maybe those three rabbits she had thought of this morning would be enough after all.

The road home takes them through town and as they pass the bakery, the very place Katniss' thoughts had gone to all day, she allows herself to take one glimpse at the house. What she sees brings a breath of relief from her lungs. On the first floor burns a soft light that is contained behind the curtains. Of course the boy with the bread is fine. Just as her more reasonable self had assured her of. She feels a strange mixture of gratefulness for the Mellarks wellbeing, well one of them in particular, but also a slight irritation that she was concerned in the first place. She keeps reminding herself that Peeta and her are not friends and that she should not care. But whom is she kidding? Deep inside she knows that she will always care as long as she has not found a proper way to repay him. And she will find a way.

But not today.

Today she will be happy.

And with that resolution, she walks on by towards the Seam to enjoy a delicious dinner with her family and friends.


AN: As you probably have noticed, I am jumping from POV to POV throughout the story since it gives me the opportunity to explore the different characters. I hope it is not too confusing.

I had a great time writing this chapter, but I'll admit it was more difficult than I expected to write in Katniss' POV, and I would not be surprised if she is slightly OOC, but I hope I just managed to pull it off.

Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed and marked the story as a favourite. I know I am not the fastest writer in history, but I hope the chapter was worth waiting for. Please let me know your thoughts, so I can make this story as good as possible.

Once again, all mistakes are mine.