I wake up slowly, cradled in Peeta's arms, having slept better than I have since before the Games.
"Good morning," Peeta says sweetly, "ready for today?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I reply
Peeta nods and kisses me on the forehead before getting his tablet off the bedside table.
"Your prep team will be here in a couple of hours to get you ready for the opening, and I have a security briefing in… 45 minutes," Peeta says, reading from his tablet. "Ready for breakfast?" He asks.
"Of course," I say, finally getting out of bed.
We walk to the dining room; it's a different one than we ate in last night. Peeta explains that this is the informal dining room and that last night we were in the formal dining room.
We sit down to a rather simple, at least by Capitol standards, breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and fruit.
"After you finish eating, Portia can take you to meet the domestic staff so they can tailor things to your preferences."
"Okay," I say, not fully understanding what he means.
"Do you eat like this every day?" I ask Peeta.
"Yeah, why? Is it not enough?"
"No, no. It's great!" I say genuinely. "It's just not as fancy, I guess. I always imagined that people here had huge fancy meals all the time."
Peeta laughs. "Well, some do. Possibly even most. I just don't find it necessary. Do you want to have huge fancy meals all the time?"
Now it's my turn to laugh. "No! Simple is good. I mean, I like my fancy lamb stew, but not every day."
"Oh, thank goodness," Peeta says, sounding like he was worried for a minute. "But that would be something you'd want to tell the kitchen when you visit."
We finish eating in comfortable silence. Portia enters, telling Peeta it's time to go to his briefing; he quickly leaves but not before giving me a kiss on the cheek. I find myself blushing.
Portia and I go to the kitchen, and the staff quickly introduces themselves to me, asking me all about my preferences. I tell them that being from District 12; I'll eat just about anything. After a short back and forth, we agree that they can make Peeta and me a variety of different things, and I'll give them feedback as we go.
I'm somewhat surprised that none of them are Avoxes. Portia informs me that Peeta dislikes the concept of Avoxes and therefore doesn't partake, something that can't be said about his grandfather. I get the feeling that this is a point of contention between them. In fact, Portia says, Peeta has drafted an Executive Order abolishing the practice nationwide.
I'm not surprised; that sounds just like him.
I'm taken all around the house and the grounds and introduced to dozens of people, all of them gracious and welcoming. I'm told that they are only a fraction of the total number of people on staff, some of which are shared between the Blair House and the Presidential Mansion.
By the time Portia and I finish our tour, it's time for lunch, which Peeta and I share in his study off of his office. It's a well-appointed room adorned with dark wood, books, and lots of maps. Peeta says that this is technically considered the Map Room and that one in the Presidential Mansion is far more ornate.
After lunch, my prep team arrives to help me get ready for Cinna's boutique opening. While back to Beauty Base Zero, they go on and on about how much I'll 'love, love, love' the boutique.
What I'll 'love, love, love is seeing Cinna again, I think to myself.
—
As soon as Peeta and I step out of the car, I'm blinded by the flashes of the cameras. People are shouting questions.
"Katniss, what's it like to date the President-Elect?"
"Sir, yesterday you said you 'weren't sure' about the status of your relationship with Miss Everdeen. What changed?"
"I wanted Katniss to decide when to make that public, and I'm glad she did because now I can do this," Peeta says before leaning over and kissing me. I smile involuntarily, causing Peeta to laugh, which makes me laugh. We're giving Caesar Flickerman something to talk about. And my Mother. And Prim. And Gale
This thought has barely just sunk in before Cinna greets me with a hug and Peeta with a handshake before showing us inside. Cinna gives us a tour while Peeta and I nod along politely. Portia stops somewhere along the way to admire a chic dress.
The true highlight of the boutique, Cinna tells us, will be a line of clothing titled 'On Fire,' inspired by the outfits my District Partner, Bennett, and I wore during the Tribute Parade. All of the outfits feature some sort of Mockingjay motif and Cinna's signature synthetic flame effect.
"You know, Cinna, when we first met, I was certain you'd have me stark naked, covered in coal dust for the Tribute Parade." Cinna and Peeta laugh.
"That's right!" Peeta says while laughing, "they actually did that one year!"
"Multiple years," I say, "I remember covering Prim's eyes." The image of me covering Prim's eyes while being mortified myself causes Peeta to nearly double over with laughter. I look over and see that even Portia has joined in.
"I'd like to think I'm more original than that," Cinna says seriously.
Before I know it, it's time to go outside and mount a small stage for the opening. Once on the stage, I get my first view of the crowd that's gathered. It seems like everyone, from those operating the cameras to the fashionistas, has some sort of body modification. Some have overly puffy lips, others whiskers like a cat, and still more have dyed skin with gem implants.
It occurs to me that the only truly normal-looking people in sight are Portia, Peeta, Cinna, and I.
Does Peeta find these people attractive? I suddenly wonder, unsure of myself. He doesn't seem like he does, considering he himself is perfectly natural so far as I can tell.
Will he expect me to be modified? The thought terrorizes me.
I paste on a smile while Cinna speaks and gleefully cut the ribbon, opening the boutique for an exclusive late-night preview. All the while trying to push down the bile in my stomach.
We get back in the car after bidding Cinna farewell, and my walls begin to crack. Peeta immediately recognizes that something is wrong. "Katniss," he says sweetly, "are you all right." His voice is dripping with concern.
"I'm not going to have to look like them, am I?" I say, trying to hold back tears.
"Like who?" Peeta asks.
"Like those freaks with the whiskers and rainbow-colored skin? Please don't let them. Please!"
"No, no, no… I could never, Katniss. You know that. I love you just as you are. Why would you ever think such a thing?"
"It's just," I say, finally regaining control of my emotions. "After I won, my Prep Team was going on and on about how 'marvelous' I'd look with modifications and seeing all those people out there. I just started to worry that you'd expect that from me."
"Oh, Katniss," he says, undoing my seatbelt and pulling me in close. "No one's going to touch you with anything that you don't want them to, okay?"
I nod and agree, feeling much better.