Chapter 2: Eyes Like the Sea Before a Storm

I see Darius every day for the next two weeks coming into the Hob. This time, I bear gifts of dead animal flesh instead of fabric, shot cleaner and cleaner each time. They are still small for now - rabbits and squirrels and opossum - because you never know when you see a Peacekeeper how much they are committed to the rules or not. I don't even know how deep Darius's loyalties run, until a week after we meet, he sees me trading hare with the Goat Man. He just laughs at my frozen expression and says, "My lips are sealed. But better tighten them with a kiss just to be sure, yeah, Katniss?"

He has asked me for a peck every day since he bought me soup at Sae's. And though I decline, as I have every day, I grant him with a smile instead.

Near the end of the second week, he asks to walk me home. I am too speechless to say No, so I just nod my head. I don't know what else to say.

But while I have been improving my hunting and even more improbably making friends, Mother's condition has been getting worse and worse. She's finally admitted me into her room to take meals, but they are sparse repasts; she eats only a little at a time. Sometimes, she'll skip a meal entirely. Her Merchant curves, once so voluptuous and envied by me, have become gaunt and thin. Dangerously thin. And she has yet to move from her bed. I'm beginning to worry about her circulation. How could I reasonably get her up and exercising? Better yet, how can I convince her to work again? Most widows in Twelve are allowed a month-long mourning period, but that month is already halfway up. And the reparations from the mining company - funded by the Capitol government - for Daddy's death are meager. I'll run out of that coin soon, maybe in the next three days or four. I have no clue where I can get coin after that... and I don't want to think of the options left available to me.

These thoughts are driven from my head when I hear a knock at the door. Prim is on the floor playing with Aven, so I go to answer it.

I see Peacekeeper white standing in the doorway and the world shifts. My heart pounds. My chest feels tight. My vision blurs. I need to get out of here!

"Katniss, it's okay," a warm, familiar voice says. "It's me. Darius."

I stop searching for an escape and blink, shifting the world back into focus. The voice was right, it is Darius. He's dressed in his Peacekeeper's uniform, his white gloved hands outstretched as if to calm me.

"Peacekeeper Freeman." I try to keep my voice even but I'm not entirely successful. "What can I do for you?"

The man takes a step back to give me more space. "No need to be so formal," he says, an easy smile crossing his lips. "It's Darius. I start to shake in terror any time I hear Peacekeeper Freeman. Makes me think my boss is about to chew me out." The smile becomes warmer, more hopeful. "Can I come in?"

I step to one side, noticing Prim, with Aven in her arms, hovering in the background.

Darius turns his head, taking in the main room. "You've got a lovely home, Katniss."

No one's ever said that before. Probably because it's not true. Our home is just like any other Seam home: small, dark, and full of things we made ourselves. "Thank you?" I say, uncertain.

"No, really, I mean it." He shifts, his eyes lingering on the few family pictures we have displayed. "It's nice. Homey. Nothing like the quarters we Peacekeepers get."

"What are your quarters like?" Prim's voice is curious.

"Well, imagine a room about this size," he motions to the main room, "but with gray and white flecked tile floors and all white walls. Everything's white. The ceiling, the floor, and everything in between. White dresser, white bed, white chair, white table. Even the toilet's white."

My sister makes a face. "You mean there's no color?"

"Yup!"

"Sounds…" I struggle for a word. Boring would be unkind. "...clean?"

Darius laughs. "I think the word you're looking for is boring." His voice shifts, becomes warmer. "I could put in for a house, I've got enough seniority, but I don't really see a point without someone to go home to."

I wonder why he's telling me this.

My confusion must show on my face, because he waves it away. "Oh, don't mind me, Katniss. That's not why I'm here anyway."

"Why are you here?" Prim speaks up before I can.

"I wanted to see how your sister's doing."

Aven fusses to be put down and Prim complies. My brother quickly toddles to one of his few toys and starts playing with it.

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine. Thank you for escorting me home the other day after I got sick on the way to the Hob. I'm guessing that flu just came on me out of nowhere."

Darius's gaze flicks to Prim and Aven, then back to me, understanding and respect dawning in his eyes. "I'm just glad I found you before anything bad happened."

Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he continues, "In fact, I got something for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah." From the pouch on his back, he pulls out a soft package wrapped in brown paper and string. "For you. I saw it yesterday and I thought of you."

I take it hesitantly. With Prim here, there's no way I can turn it down. Not without prompting a slew of questions I'm unable and unwilling to answer. I open it to reveal a soft gray knitted shawl. It's pretty, but it's also useful. Darius must have noticed my coat doesn't fit correctly and got this as a substitute. It doesn't really matter. I can't refuse his gift even if I want to, which part of me, to my surprise, doesn't. We need winter clothing. I need winter clothing. Most of what I have is too small, threadbare, or both. I look up at him, gratitude in my eyes. "Thank you. This was kind of you."

"It's nothing, Katniss. I'm happy you like it." His sea green eyes twinkle with pleasure. He turns to Prim. "If it's okay with you, do you mind if I steal your sister for a little while?"

"Um… Sure?" Prim regards him in confusion. "Don't know why you're asking me, but okay."

"Thanks. If it's alright with you, Katniss?"

There's something in his stance. Like he's nervous. Grabbing my coat and new shawl, I instruct Prim, "Make sure Aven eats. And try to leave me some bread."

"But it's good!" she protests.

"I know. That's why I want some of it."

She pouts a little before saying, "Fine."

He motions me through the door. The air outside is still bitterly cold and I'm grateful for Darius's gift. Even though it's just one more thing that I owe him for.

"So… what'd you want to talk about?" I ask once I'm sure we're out of earshot.

"I wanted to ask you how your family is doing. Specifically, your mother."

I freeze. Here we go. I knew that the period of mourning story would only work for so long. I've already had to turn Panem knows how many patients away from our door with the explanation that she has taken ill. Which is the truth. But how long will that last? If what I think Darius is about to tell me is right, not much longer. The Capitol needs her Healing expertise. They need her to go back to work – even if a majority of her workload is cleaning up the messes they make. Most cases my Mother treats involve beatings at the hands of Cray's more rabid men. Whippings at the whipping post. Scarred wrists from days in the stocks.

I gulp. I decide to play on our burgeoning friendliness and tell him the truth. "She's been really sick lately. Prim and I are hoping to get her back on her feet soon. I know she is eager, too." That last little bit is a lie – Mother doesn't seem eager to do much of anything. "She'll get back to work, I promise…."

"Katniss." I feel Darius's soft finger press into my lips. The motion silences me, strikes me dumb. "You don't have to apologize. I'm not demanding that your mother return to work to meet her quota. Not all Peacekeepers are like that." His voice becomes soft, vulnerable. "In fact, most of us aren't. We're just doing a job, like anyone else. Trying to save up money to have a family."

I look at him in confusion. "I thought-" I stop, not willing to complete the sentence.

Darius finishes it for me. "You thought Peacekeepers don't have families. I'm not surprised." He lets out a deep breath and rubs his arms. "We're not allowed to get married until after our tour of duty is over and we're sent back to Two."

I tilt my head. "Why Two?"

"Because most of us are from Two... or the Capitol," he answers, "but not all of us. The Capitol likes to fill up the ranks with orphans from other districts. Kids under the age of eight are tested, and if they pass, they get sent to Two for further training. They pretty much remove all traces of who we were, even our names get changed. All the orphans end up with the last name Freeman."

I'm not sure why he's telling me this, but there's only one reason that makes any sense. "Did that happen to you?"

Darius nods, blowing into his hands again. "I'm from Four, originally. It's why I hate the cold." He flashes a quick grin at me. "It's a lot warmer down there."

I nod even though all I know about Four is what I've seen on the Games or learned about in school. Which is to say, not much.

"My parents were killed when their boat sank during a storm," Darius continues. "Me and my brother and sisters all got sent to the Community Home. The older ones ended up in the Career Camp, but I was the youngest. So I got sent to Two to become a Peacekeeper." He sighs. "I do my best to keep track of them."

"How?" I would think the Capitol wouldn't allow that.

He blushes a little. "I'm not supposed to admit it, but my brother might have won one of the Hunger Games."

The only male Victor from Four I can think of is Finnick Odair. But that can't be right. I stare at Darius, looking for similarities. The resemblance starts to solidify. They have the same sea green eyes.

Those eyes crinkle in amusement. "I see you've figured it out. I promise I'm not the playboy my brother is."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know. I thought you could use a friend." He looks down. "I could." Darius looks over at me. "So, I was wondering if a friend could share a bowl of soup with you? No pressure."

I don't know what to say. He looks so hopeful. So open.

But he's a Peacekeeper. The enemy.

I take in his expression again and think back on what he just revealed to me. Maybe he's not the enemy. Maybe I need to figure out who the real enemy is. And if I'm going to do that, I need to give this man standing so earnestly in front of me a chance.

"Sure. I'd like that."

His answering smile could outshine the sun.

Food's tight over the next few days. Even with the addition of what Prim's been able to hunt and gather, we're still having to find creative ways to fill our stomachs.

The weather's turned cold. Bitterly cold. With the thick layer of snow, that means there's even less to forage. Everyone's got a cold now, and while Bristel's sister has made a full recovery, the rest of the Seam has come down with the sniffles. My mother's clients are happy to pay me in yarn, coal chits, old clothes, and even a few household supplies like pots, pans, and glasses. But no one gives us food or coin.

Another problem has surfaced. Aven's starting to turn up his nose at the thin broth and tesserae mush. We need money. We need supplies. I look at my last five coins nervously. Because of the cold, we've had to buy more fuel. Even the coal chits aren't enough. But Aven needs to eat.

Maybe if I go into town I can find something. Or the Hob. I might get lucky at the Hob.

But not today. The weather's too cold today. I'll go tomorrow.

Tomorrow isn't any warmer.

I'm struggling with Aven to put on his winter clothes so I can take him to Hazelle's when there's a knock at the door.

"Katniss?" Prim calls back. "It's for you!"

I manage to get one of my brother's arms into his coat and wrestle with the other.

I stop what I'm doing and whirl to see Darius standing there, a cloth-covered package held in one white-gloved hand. Aven takes the opportunity to wriggle out of his coat and dart over to Prim, lifting his arms to be picked up. I should be more annoyed but my heart's racing at the sight of the Peacekeeper's uniform. I have to remind myself the red-haired man is not going to hurt me. "D-darius!" I try not to flinch at my stammer.

The red-haired man shuffles his feet and says, "Sorry to bother you so early, but I got something for you."

I'm not sure what to say, so I just tilt my head.

He sets the package on the kitchen table and removes the protective cloth to reveal a gray and white speckled chicken.

My eyes widen. "Darius, this is too much!" Chickens are valuable here in Twelve. Only merchants and a few well-to-do Seam families own them.

"No no no, it's not anything at all! The mess hall had too many of 'em, and with this cold, we were having trouble feeding them all. Shipments are running late, trains are getting stuck. It's hard to keep the tracks clear, with all this snow. It's too much work for us and we're not a high priority district. The cold doesn't help either."

I'm sure he's not supposed to tell me all this, but it's clear he's nervous. "But… why bring the bird to me?" It doesn't make any sense.

"They were just gonna kill it, and frankly that seemed to be a waste of a good laying hen. I convinced the mess hall captain to let me take it."

All of a sudden, the bird's value skyrockets. A chicken will feed us for a meal. A laying hen will give us eggs for at least a few years. It's an amazing gift, one I can't accept. "No, really, Darius it's too much. I can't pay you-"

"Call me Dar," he interrupts.

"Dar, it's too much."

"It's a gift, Katniss. I wanted to give it to you." He blushes. "Please. Just take it."

I play with the end of my braid. "But why?"

He blushes even more. "We're friends, right? That's what friends do. It's okay for friends to give each other gifts."

"But I don't have anything to give to you."

"How about a walk? And a conversation?" He sounds almost eager. "I could do a walk and a conversation. That's worth a chicken or two, right?"

Not to me it isn't, but if that's what Darius wants, who am I to say no? I'm definitely getting the better part of the deal. There's one problem, though. "Um, I need to get to school," I remind him.

"Great! I'll walk you there." His smile is both expectant and hopeful.

"Um… okay. Prim, can you stay here and take Aven to the Hawthornes'?"

My sister nods, a little crease forming between her eyebrows.

I grab the shawl Darius gave me and wrap it around my shoulders. "So, I guess I should say thank you."

Darius flushes and rubs the back of his neck. "It was my pleasure."