Here's chapter 3 my loves, it's about 2,500 words and it's where the story picks up. Enjoy!
Little ghost, you are listening,
Unlike most you don't miss a thing,
You see the truth,
I walk the halls invisibly,
I climb the walls, no one sees me,
No one but you.
~Strange Birds, Birdy
Two days after, when I finally do go to order the cake it is dreary and rainy. Black water sloshes up on my boots and the ankles of my nicest trousers which don't stand a chance against the coal dust. Then again, everything I own has stains created by the hand prints of coal dust, it is just the way we live. There's those voices in my head again clashing and running in circles. One is eager to return to the bakery and the other is saying to pay him back for the cupcakes and to return home and dissuade Gale from wanting a cake. They both agree on one thing though; getting Prim sample cupcakes wasn't a terrible thing.
Squirrels are in my bag this time. Five; they were so starved I think striking them through the eye was a favor done unto them. On my way there I pass a few prying eyes, there's the girl's cleaning themselves up to go stand in line on Cray's doorstep. It saddens me in the worst way, like anyone with empathy I feel for them, if they weren't so afraid of the woods they'd probably be like me. The capital wants fear labeled as a synonym of the woods, and with success, it is what have been instilled in their minds over time. They don't realize that the capital and all connected to it are the only thing they should be weary of.
As I approach the bakery I cross to the back door away from the eyes of the curious and give a steady knock, a familiar face appears, Mr. Mellark, a man I know how to converse easily with. "I have 5 squirrels, they're very frail," I unzip my bag and pull out the meat wrapped in parchment paper from the hob.
"Thank you," he says after I place them in his hands, "I will go get you some bread, they're fresh." He smiles and gives a wink before spinning on his heel. Before he can get away I call out to him and he looks at me befuddled.
"Actually, your son already paid me for those." I zip my bag up and he protests seemingly questioning the whole matter. "Really, he did, don't worry about it." Grasping my bag I shake the strap a little further up my shoulder.
"Okay," he speaks slowly, finally accepting freely. "Well, thank you for coming by, have a good evening."
"No problem. Enjoy your night and your squirrels as well." I nod to him before I turn to leave, the sky is pearly grey now, clouds roll in like dark shadows, soon, I know, the rain will begin again and everyone in its path will be drenched.
Suddenly I hear his voice again. "Oh and Katniss." I shift my body to face the back door of the building. "Congratulations on getting through your last reaping, I'm glad you didn't get picked."
For just a moment I stand there a few steps from the bakery contemplating how to reply, secret-like silence consumes the air. Finally I land on a polite set of word that simply cannot fail me. "Thank you, I'm glad to have finished." I choose to say no more in case he is loyal to the capital, although I seriously doubt he is. I take a solid step away and continue to the front to tell Peeta of the choice I had made.
To my dismay, his words awaken my worry about Prim and the soon to come reaping of the following year.
I enter the bakery to find a merchant woman selecting pastries from the display, she looks about my mother's age but much healthier. I shuffle in line and watch, Peeta fills the air with chatter as he swiftly moves to adorn the box with golden baked goods and bright sweets. I press my heel into the floor as I listen to the warmth of his voice carry on, outside of Gale, there are no other men I hear speak besides the ones I trade with. "These are usually more popular than the cheese buns but I think I prefer the latter-" I decide I like his tone. It wouldn't scare game away if he stepped into the woods but judging by the strange gait he has, however, I think his feet would make an awful lot of noise.
Eventually, maybe a minute later, she pays and moves aside. Peeta's eyes trail behind her and finally land on me, and he beams. "Hi Katniss, could you decide?"
I shift forward and keep my palms firmly at my thighs. "I think I'm going with the vanilla." I made the decision based on my uncertainty, personally liked the nibble of red velvet cake I had. It's not about me our even Prim, this is Gale's cake and I have no idea what he wants.
Peeta seems slightly surprised by conclusion I've come to, his eyebrows lift a little and knit together in something like interest but deeper. "Swell choice. Common but still just as good."
"Yeah, I guess that's why I picked it." The words are escaping past my lips before I can second think them. "Everyone will like it."
He leans forward as if to tell a secret, and his eyes blue like a clear sky connect to mine. The posture of his body is loose, like an untouched bow-string, upright but not too tense. I've always been awful at reading body language, sure I catch every little detail but I mistake one sign for another often so I can really depend on it too much. He just seems happy. Always.
"Now what did you think of the vanilla?"
Prim and Posy split it, I insisted they did. I hadn't even smelled it. My mind conjures a quick lie, briefly I feel guilty for giving a false answer to a question spun of simple curiosity. The feeling vanishes seemingly as soon as it appears, everyone lies from time to time.
"It was great," I utter the words in seconds, I hate how my voice loses its cool composure and adopts a suspiciously cheery tone.
He gives me a disbelieving look but says no more. "I'm glad, what was Prim's favorite?" he leans back slightly, still leaning over the counter.
When he brings up the topic of my baby sister I feel the fists at my side slacken and my features relax. "Prim was a fan of the chocolate."
I had considered getting it, just so she could have some more, my intention of course I'd leave hidden. Gale wouldn't approve.
Even though I did not choose it I kept my little sister tucked in the back of my mind. She, of course, will greedily gobble up the vanilla like anyone else who takes said day off from the mines to show up. Most likely many will. The seam aren't choosy, we survive on bones stripped of meat and mint leaves, we are immune to the fist of hunger punching and twisting our insides. Extravagance, like this, is so seldom, and when it comes by the taste of real rich food crafted from fresh ingredients well, it's so heavenly it makes you want to cry.
"And your favorite?"
"Red velvet." I state simply as it was the only one I tried, and only because Prim insisted. Truth is, although I have nothing to compare it to I loved it, especially the thick cream cheese icing that topped it, I found myself eating around the frosting and saving it for last.
His lips twist up. "Quite a few girls around here favor that one," his smile fall a little, "you could order one for your wedding, I'm sure everyone would like it."
"No," I shake my head, "I'll stick with the vanilla."
"Okay, which kind of flower would you like on it?" he asks glancing up at me as he pens down 'vanilla.'
I only hesitate for a moment before I grasp a flower that sounds right. "Primroses."
"Alright," he smiles softly yet again, probably because it makes the bakery look more superior to customers. "I'll see you in two week Katniss."
I feel his eyes on transfixed on my back as I walk out.
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When I get walk by the hob there's an unwanted sight, soot covered Gale sitting beside a half-pretty girl, Leevy on a busted picnic. I stalk away as quiet as a bird before he can spot me, and I desperately hope that my attempt to get away unspotted was successful. Strangely, seeing them feels like catching Prim with Rory, you want to watch but you know you shouldn't. He shouldn't do anything though, I trust him not to.
That night he tries to kiss me but I refuse, I scowl at him and shake my head. "What I can't even kiss my fiancée? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet again, Katniss."
Gale has a right to claim I'm doing it again, backing out. We've dated for six months now and he's asked my hand for marriage twice before, he thought third time was the charm, and in our case it was. I push back the urge to bring up what I saw today, I do not want to seem crazy and have him accuse of stalking him. I let my head fall into my hands. "No," I sigh, "we're getting married this time, I promised."
"Catnip," his voice lower considerably, "we can push it back if you want a few more weeks."
I know that if we were to push it back I'd forget about it, besides the sooner the better, we'll be able to merge our incomes and support all our siblings and family. That plus, the what Hazel makes from laundering and the small income from my mother makes from her job as a healer will be little more than enough for our families. Not marrying Gale would be selfish, and besides, there's worse men to marry. I just hope I won't have to take up a job in the suffocating mines with him.
Grabbing Gale by the shoulders I lean up and peck him on the lips. "No, everything is perfect."
Now if only I could soothe the worry thoughts swirling in my mind.
As I leave the next morning to go hunting just after sunrise, I am shocked to find an envelope on our ragged doorstep. We don't receive letters around here unless it's from the capital, however seldom that may be. Although this doesn't have a huge capital stamp on the seal, it's just plain and white and the front says 'Katniss' extremely neat, with an elegant curve in the 'K.' There's katniss tubers, my name sake, across the expanse filling the blank space and twirling around my name. Carefully I open it, I am careful not to rip it. My hands nearly vibrate with this nervous anticipation, oh, what could such a thing contain, it can't be some silly letter for Prim sent from Rory because it has my name on it.
I'm more than surprised when I open it to find money, I count it one by one, and it adds up to a whopping amount, quite a bit more than what Gale makes at the mines. I gape at it, very dumbly, I don't want to believe that in my hands I hold a sufficent amount of money to give Prim all that she longs for and fill my mother's apothecary cabinet which has begun to run low. I want to think that this these pieces of paper are products of my imagination and that I'm out of it. I just can't be because I know that I woke up this morning and kissed Prim's head before I dressed in the clothes I pressed and hung to dry the night before. This isn't just a dream, this is money on my doorstep and I don't know where it came from, or who the original owner was. I look back in the paper pouch for anything, and I realize that I was so caught up in the money that my eyes bypassed the slip of plain line-paper in there. When I open it I find words written delicately just like my name was. A letter. It is no longer than a paragraph, and straight to the point. It doesn't state who it was from either.
Katniss,
Everything in this package belongs to you, the money is yours and you may use it however you please. You'll receive this envelope once every week until your wedding. After your wedding they will cease, however if you cancel your wedding it will not. I know you are marrying for money and I wanted to give you an alternative.
Warm wishes,
Anonymous.
My wedding is in two weeks. One more letter will come. I feel frustrated and conflicted, someone saw right through my plan to marry and saw my true intentions, I can't even begin to fathom how or who. I know right away, that I can't show this to Gale or Prim or any family for that matter, it states what no one can see, my thoughts and how I made my decision.
If only I knew who did this, I'd return this to them in an instant. I don't many people with money to throw around, I feel my mouth dry, could it be Madge? Maybe she has a thing for Gale and wants him enough to do this. She and I are one of the last unmarried women from our class, it seems everyone wanted to settle down right away.
I head for the woods and decide to see her about it afterwards, it may be awkward since I haven't seen her since the end of school but it certainly is necessary.
My thoughts are at bay as I hunt for the an hour but I refuse to let the get in the way of sister's next meal. I move swiftly and pick off a turkey from a pack of three, the other's run off after it falls to the ground and I let them get away. I try to restrain myself I can't kill all in the woods or they won't reproduce. To my pleasure one of the snares has snapped shut around a rabbit, I collect it and push it into my game bag. I will share it with Gale's family even though I have mixed feelings about him at the moment.
Finally, I leave. After putting my bow in the tree I slip through the hole in the fence and return back to district 12. The fabric stretched across my stomach snags on the fence, it only takes a few seconds but I pull it free. As soon as I do, the normally still fence something that is very seldom and unexpected.
My heart pounds in my ears. The electric fence buzzes to life.
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So it is beginning, I'll try to be back soon, I'm getting in the habit of writing everyday and I'm trying to frequently update all my books. Also, if you read Hold Onto Me I have continued it so updates will come there as well as in my original story The Weeping Lover.
Thank you for all the compliments and advice on this so far, you're all definitely some very encouraging people.
That all, stay fabulous my people!
~Fly_on22