"Let's start with something more basic. Isn't it strange that I know you'd risk your life to save mine... but I don't know what your favorite color is?" he says.

A smile creeps on to my lips. "Green. What's yours?"

"Orange," he says.

"Orange? Like Effie's hair?" I say.

"A bit more muted," he says. "More like...sunset." - Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (Chapter 4).

Chapter 2: Green is NOT my favorite color

The train stops abruptly on the platform and I peer over to look at the sea of faces that walk out of it. My eyes take a cursory glance at each – most of them are smiling as they get out. Imagine, smiling at arriving at District 12. The district that used to be the poorest of them all. Now we get visitors, not really tourists (not yet anyway), but people curious enough to see what we have to offer.

They chatter about how quaint our little district is, how cute our primitive wooden platform is. The "primitive" platform was thrown together by a bunch of volunteers shortly after the war ended to enable the arrival of goods - the train being the easiest way to get supplies to us.

Peeta was one of those volunteers. You could say he put his strength to good use. I remember the cameras that recorded them (with Peeta smack at the center) while they worked. I remember marveling at how effortlessly he lifted the wooden posts that they used as piles for the platform. The way he would smile widely whenever the camera did a close up on him. The way his eyes would light up every time he looks my way...

And the way my heart would skip every time he catches me watching him.

Peeta gently touches my arm and pointedly looks at a passenger who just disembarked. There are a lot of people on the platform but I know immediately who he's pointing at and a smile appears on my face.

Even Haymitch, who has "dressed up" for the occasion (and by dressed up I mean he wore clean clothes and ran a hand through his hair) can't help but grin at the sight of the new arrival.

"Effie!" I exclaim, my steps hurrying to catch the attention of my escort-turned-friend.

I've seen a lot of weirdly dressed Capitol people in my time there. Some were quite subtle, while others were way over the top. Effie, in my opinion, falls somewhere in between. Not quite normal, but… do I dare say, bearable?

Effie is back in her usual Capitol ensemble – this time sporting a bright blue hair elegantly coiffed at the top. It reminds me of a croissant, which Peeta recently introduced me to.

"Katniss! Peeta!" Her cheery voice greets us. Effie grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a quick cheek to cheek. She does the same to Peeta then takes a step back, tucks one hand under her chin and eyes us up and down.

"My, my, you guys have grown!" Her ardor is contagious, and Peeta and I exchange happy glances.

"It's only been two weeks, Effie," Peeta reasons, but he is smiling from ear to ear.

"Aherm." Haymitch clears his throat, and we all turn to face him. His left eyebrow is raised, and I'm about to ask him why he doesn't look pleased to see Effie, when I notice he isn't looking at Effie.

We all turn in the direction of Haymitch's stare and find a young girl standing straight as a post, quietly observing our little reunion. She looks younger than us, maybe around Prim's age, and her eyes remind me of Buttercup's - she must be wearing lenses. Her skin is covered in thousands of glitters that sparkle under the sun, and her hair... her chin-length hair is a deep shade of forest green. Her dress matches the color of her hair perfectly and looks identical to the wedding dress I wore during the Quell interviews, except hers comes up to her knees at the front and reaches past her ankles at the back. She looks stunning, in a way. Like the forest come alive.

How in the world did we not notice her? I must be losing my touch.

"Oh, there you are!" Effie is the only one who isn't surprised to see the girl. She ushers the girl forward and beams at all of us. "Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, this is my niece, Sparkle Trinket."

Haymitch snorts at the mention of her name, and whether Effie notices or not, she doesn't show it. Peeta bites his lower lip and I can see him trying to suppress a laugh.

Amateurs! I've heard worse names in the Capitol. I extend my hand and smile widely at the girl.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Katniss," I greet. Any relative of Effie's is a friend of mine, I decide.

She eyes my hand but doesn't shake it. I feel a little stung, but chalk it up to nervousness.

Effie leans over to whisper excitedly in my ear. "She's a huge fan."

A fan!

I've had a lot of fans, of course. Some of them were a little scary, to be honest, but most have kept their distance. A small surge of pride stirs inside me at the thought of having a fan like Sparkle. I instantly decide I will befriend this girl. I can make new friends, right? The problem is, I've been so used to just having Peeta, Haymitch and a goose we named Gus as my friends lately I might be a little rusty.

"Well, I need a drink," Haymitch says.

I glance at my watch and laugh. "Wow. That lasted what? Ten minutes? Weren't you just talking about quitting drinking before Effie arrived?"

"Must have been another Haymitch," Haymitch argues. "I don't remember saying anything like that."

Effie gives him a reproachful look but her lips turn upwards at the corners.

"We should go back anyway," I say to them. "The food's getting cold."

Peeta nods and grabs their suitcases, one in each hand. Sparkle is quiet through all this, but I notice her give Peeta a small nod. Then she lowers her eyes and starts following him towards Victor's Village.

Effie and Sparkle are going to be staying with me for two days. When Effie called to say she was coming over, I offered her my place to stay at. The house is too big for me anyway, so I have a few spare rooms for them to sleep in. Of course, I didn't know Effie would be bringing Sparkle along, but I didn't mind it either.

I spent two full days cleaning my mom's room so Effie could stay in it. My mom is busy at the Capitol so she rarely comes to visit.

As we're going up the stairs to my front door, Gus waddles by and honks at us a few times before settling himself comfortably on the mat beside the door. I give Gus a quick pat on the head, which elicits another round of honks from him before I step inside the house.

"Interesting pet you have there, Katniss," Effie remarks.

"Gus is actually Haymitch's," I say. "But they recently had an argument so he's been staying here a lot."

We go inside the house where Peeta and I have prepared a small feast. Earlier that day I managed to catch a wild chicken so Peeta and I roasted it with some herbs he grew in the garden. The house smelled delicious while it was in the oven. We eat mostly in silence, with Effie telling us about her Capitol ventures now and again. Sparkle keeps glancing my way, but every time I try to meet her eyes she looks away.

Peeta sits beside me and hands me a slice of his famous cheese bread. It's still warm and I finish it in two bites. I could eat this every day.

Actually, I have been eating it every day. I made the mistake of telling Peeta how much I love it so he's been making it daily.

"What do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Peeta asks Effie, as he hands her a piece of bread.

"Well, I'm hoping you can show Sparkle around town? I have to meet with a few Capitol delegates around."

Peeta just nods, and I swear I see a small gleam in Sparkle's eyes.

After dinner, Effie goes upstairs to unpack, but surprisingly, Sparkle stays seated on the couch. Peeta and I exchange questioning glances and he clears his throat.

"So, Sparkle," he says, trying to start a conversation, "you like green?"

Sparkle looks puzzled at first. Then she looks at her outfit and gives him a shy smile. "Yes."

"Katniss likes green too," Peeta says, grinning. "In fact, it's her favorite color."

Sparkle doesn't even look at me but keeps staring at Peeta. "Is it your favorite color too?" she asks.

Peeta shakes his head. "No. I like orange," he says, giving me a knowing look.

"Would you like us to show you around tomorrow?" I say. "We could go see the -"

But I never finish because Sparkle stands up right then and says, "I have to go." And then she disappears.

"Well, that was weird," I say, as Peeta sits beside me. He puts an arm around me and I burrow into his shoulder.

"You going to be okay tonight?" he asks.

I nod. The nightmares that have plagued me since the games started have been visiting me a lot lately. It had gotten so bad that Peeta started sleeping beside me at night again. Most nights I wake up screaming and drenched in sweat. Sometimes I would cry all night. Peeta's arms are always there to hold me.

I don't think it's appropriate to have Peeta sleep over when I have guests, though.

"I could sleep on the couch," he offers, but I shake my head.

"I'll be fine," I say.

Surprisingly, I manage to get a few hours of sleep before the nightmares come that night. I wake up to find Effie's worried face staring back at me. Sparkle is standing by the doorway.

"Oh Katniss," Effie pulls me in for a hug and I don't resist. I heave in and out, in and out, until my heartbeats slow to normal.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, as Effie wipes the sweat from my brow. My eyes automatically search for Peeta, but he is nowhere to be found. "I'm fine," I say to them. "Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

Effie hesitates for a minute before nodding. Sparkle has already disappeared back to her room. I wait a few minutes until Effie's room is quiet before I tiptoe down the stairs.

I need some air.

The morning air is cool and refreshing, and I take a long, deep, inhale. Gus is nowhere to be found. Maybe he and Haymitch made up.

The sky is pitch black, the sun still a few hours away from rising.

"You okay?"

The voice in the dark almost makes me scream out loud, but I manage to bite my tongue at the last second.

"What are you doing up?" I ask, as Peeta appears in front of me.

"I heard you screaming," Peeta says.

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

He pulls me into his arms and we sit on the front steps like that for however long before Gus wakes us up.

"I told him if he doesn't stop honking he'll be dinner," Peeta says, as I groggily open my eyes. "But he's as stubborn as Haymitch."

The sun is just starting to rise, and the sky is a beautiful mixture of yellow and orange.

"Did you sleep at all?" I ask him. There are no bags under his eyes so I'm hoping he at least got a few hours of sleep.

"Yes, I did."

My legs are stiff from sitting but I manage to stand up. "I better go back inside."

Peeta just nods and then heads back to his house.

An idea forms in my head as I enter my room. How can I get Sparkle to feel more comfortable around us? They're only staying for a few days, and I owe it to Effie to make sure Sparkle doesn't hate it here.

When I get down to make breakfast that day, I am dressed in a green tunic and dark green pants. My hair is tied into a braid and finished with a green scarf. I'm hoping since I'm wearing the color she loves, we'll have something to talk about.

"Hey," Peeta greets as I enter the kitchen. He's already cut slices of bread and is frying some eggs in a pan. He pauses to take in my appearance and gives a quick nod, and suddenly color rushes to my cheeks so I look away.

Just in time to see Sparkle going down the stairs. A small gasp escapes my throat as I watch her descend.

Her eyes are the one thing that tells me the girl in front of me is Sparkle. Everything else about her is different today. Instead of forest green, Sparkle's hair is long, straight, and now orange. Her short, poofy dress is also orange, and her ridiculously high heeled shoes are orange. Even her skin is full of orange glitter, making her look like she has a really bad sunburn.

Orange, I thought. Like Peeta's favorite color.

And then it hits me.

The looks she's been giving him.

The secret, shy smile she thinks I never notice.

Sparkle isn't a fan of mine.

She's a fan of Peeta's.

...

Throughout breakfast, I catch her sneaking looks at Peeta, who seems oblivious to it. Peeta is arguing with Haymitch over how much butter is acceptable to put on toast. Sometimes it still feels surreal to me that we can now talk about these types of things – trivial, unimportant things. Instead of, you know, how to stay alive. (Although one could argue that drenching everything in butter, as Haymitch wants to do, would not be a very good way to stay alive.)

"Well, my dears, I have to go. I've got things to do, people to see!" chirps Effie. She stands up and brushes her skirt. "You guys will take good care of Sparkle, won't you?"

Peeta nods on behalf of both of us. Effie smiles at this and pats Peeta's shoulder. "Have fun!"

"Will you show me around, Peeta?" Sparkle asks as soon as Effie leaves.

"Sure," Peeta says, smiling at her. He stands up and pauses, as if waiting for me to follow, but Sparkle is beside him in a flash. She hooks her arm around his and starts dragging him out the door.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. It's not like Peeta's my boyfriend. Since the games, I've seen many girls throw themselves at him. We were just together because of the games, right?

"What's with the Robin Hood get up?" Haymitch says, as he grabs the last slice of bread and spreads a generous amount of butter on it. "You planning on stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor? Well, I've got news for you, sweetheart. Here, we ARE the rich." He takes a huge bite out of the bread. "I've got nothing you could steal."

I don't answer.

Haymitch chuckles and looks out the door, where the silhouette of Peeta and Sparkle can be seen in the distance. "I think green looks good on you."

I narrow my eyes at him and only then do I realize I've been frowning this whole time.

"Peeta's quite the catch, don't you think?" Haymitch continues. He leans back on the chair and starts rubbing his belly. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad if he marries Sparkle. Effie would love that. Sparkle Mellark. It's got a nice ring to it."

By now I'm glaring at him, but Haymitch just laughs.

"Green is definitely your color," he says.

He's teasing me.

I have the sudden urge to chuck something at him, but he finished all the food and I don't have the heart to throw one of my plates at him.

"I'm going out," I huff.

"Going to spy on them?"

"Of course not," I lie. "I'm going to do some... basket weaving!" And with that I rush out the door.

Every Saturday, Mrs. Mal teaches basket weaving at the Seam (or what used to be the Seam). I've never actually gone to any of it, but today seems like a good day to go.

Mrs. Mal has just started handing out bundles of grass when I arrive. There are only a handful of people who showed up for the class. I plop down on the ground and put the bundle of grass on my lap. My eyes discreetly search for Peeta and Sparkle, and see them walking arm in arm in the distance. Peeta seems to be talking and Sparkle just keeps on giggling.

Trip, I think. Come on, trip!

But Peeta doesn't even falter, his steps are assured and confident.

I want him to trip so I could run to him and kiss him.

I know, I know.

I think I may be losing it.

All this free time is making me crazy. Maybe I should go find a small, harmless rebellion somewhere and join them.

Peeta sees me and waves, and I pretend to be listening intently in class. I start copying what Mrs. Mal is doing, all the while noting Peeta coming closer and closer through my peripheral vision. His voice is now audible and I catch bits and pieces of their conversation. They are standing several feet away, close to my old house.

"Oh Peeta, you're so adorable!" giggles Sparkle.

No, he's not.

Peeta is NOT adorable. He's adorkable.

"Katniss, go easy on the weave, my dear," Mrs. Mal calls out. "You're holding it too tight."

The blades of grass I'm holding are now crumpled and broken. I toss those and start a new one.

Soon enough they're standing in front of my old house, and I can hear their conversation clearly. Sparkle is talking about helping out with the medics at the Capitol while Peeta is quietly staring at her.

"What are you thinking of?" she says to him, a smile playing on her lips.

"You remind me of Prim," Peeta tells her, and my ears perk up at this.
Sparkle's smile disappears and is replaced with a frown. "Who's Prim?"
"Katniss' little sister," Peeta says. "She's about your age, I think."

Sparkle looks at me, then at Peeta. There is a huge question mark written all over her face. "How come? Are we both pretty?"

"Yes," he says.

Sparkle seems delighted at this and she pulls Peeta even closer. "I wore your favorite color for you. Do you like it?"

Peeta seems surprised by this question. "Um. It's very... orange."

"Do you like me?" she says.

"Of course I do," he says and my chest tightens a little. But then Peeta adds, "you're like a little sister to me." He's grinning at her, unaware that he just broke her heart.

Sparkle releases her grip on Peeta's arm and takes a step back.

My inside is doing a happy dance, but I keep my face blank. I pretend to be really focused on my basket weaving, which, by the way, looks really good. Maybe I'll start making baskets and sell them at the market.

"But..." Sparkle starts, then glances at me again. "What about Katniss?"

At the mention of my name, Peeta looks at me and our eyes meet.

Peeta gives me a smile enough to melt the basket I'm holding. "Katniss is... my Katniss."

If my inside was doing a happy dance before, now it's doing three somersaults and a parade. I'm trying to hide a smile but my face won't cooperate.

Oh Peeta, you're so adorkable is what I think, but thankfully I don't say it out loud.

Peeta walks towards me and sits beside me, Sparkle in tow. My basket is now half done, and I hold it out admiringly.

"Nice work, Katniss," he says, and I beam at him. Sparkle is standing in front of us, arms crossed in front of her chest.

This did not turn out the way she had hoped, I'm guessing.

...

The next day I let Peeta tour Sparkle around, not bothering to follow them this time. Peeta takes her all over District 12, which, considering how small our district is, doesn't take too long. Sparkle is not as cheery as she was yesterday, and I consider talking to Peeta about it. He's probably still clueless as to what happened. Today, she's wearing all blue, which makes me wonder how she was able to fit all of her outfits in the little suitcase she brought.

In the afternoon we take a walk around the forest close to the Seam, Effie and Haymitch included. Peeta is carrying a picnic basket he personally packed, and we find a flat spot to sit on. Haymitch keeps drinking something out of a metal bottle, and Effie is lecturing him on proper picnic etiquette. (In his defense, I didn't know about proper picnic etiquettes, either.)

"Katniss, when are you coming to visit me at the Capitol?" Effie asks.

Peeta is handing out ham and cheese sandwiches and I happily take one.

"Soon," is all I say.

The truth is, it's still hard for me to go to the Capitol. Every time I see the gates, I get severe panic attacks. It's like the scene plays over and over in my head with no relief in sight.

Effie purses her lips as if to say something else, but then she hesitates and cups one of my cheeks in her palm.

I guess in her own way, she understands.

...

We all stand on the platform again, this time to bid Effie and Sparkle off. Effie gives us a tight hug, as she wipes her misty eyes hurriedly. "You two will come and visit us, won't you?"

"We will Effie," I say.

"And tell Haymitch he's going to stop his heart if he keeps eating butter like that," Effie says.

Haymitch is nowhere to be found, although he did say goodbye to Effie this morning during breakfast.

Effie gets on the train, leaving Sparkle standing awkwardly in front of us. I could tell she wants to say something.

"I hope you had fun. We'd love to have you back," I say, and mean it.

"How did you guys meet?" Sparkle asks, looking at Peeta.

My mind goes back to that place, a long time ago, when I sat in the rain ready to die. Peeta appearing there, rescuing me...

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. "He threw bread at me."

Sparkle's eyes widen. "Really?"

Peeta rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to contradict, but I don't give him a chance to say something.

"Yes, he has horrible aim though so he missed," I finish, and Peeta shakes his head, chuckling as he did so.

Sparkle's mouth twists in disapproval. I bet she wishes Peeta threw bread at her, too.

If only she knew...

"Must have been some bread," she mutters, as she's getting on the train.

Peeta sighs and looks at me. He grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. I lay my head on his shoulder and squeeze his hand back.

"Yes, it was," I say, to no one in particular.

It really was.

...

*Author's note:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you thought of it. I do have more chapters written out – just have to get organized before I publish. 😊

Thank you very much to all those who have favorited, followed and reviewed me and my stories!