~Chapter 4~
A/N: Hey, guys! What's up? Sorry I'm uploading like, half the story today, but I'm just so bored I can't stand it! I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters, though I do own Jabberjay (but not the actual birds) and Come Morning Light (but not that line in the lyrics of Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift.) I have had a friend of mine ask why I named this story what I did, and why I named Jabberjay what I did. Well, you'll find out later in both of the stories why I do what I do. Anyway, so as usual and always, enjoy!
We go off to let the little kids, including Posy, who has arrived with Greasy Sae and is now ten years old, play games while the adults talk. No one questions me about Gale, and I don't talk about it. They won't be able to make anymore sense of it than I can.
After a while, the endless boring conversation gets exhausting. I give up on it and walk silently to the kitchen. I grab a piece of cake and begin to eat it with my fingers as I stare out the window into the front yard absentmindedly. The sun has come out now, and the pink sky and bright orange sunset plays across Maysi's face as she runs from Posy, who is apparently acting as 'it' in their game of tag. Her dress flies around her as she runs, her curly golden brown ringlets dancing and bouncing with the wind her movements create. Her blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight like the ocean.
Watching the kids play is entertaining enough. It takes my mind off the troubles at hand, though only temporarily. It isn't long before the second most antisocial person here besides me decides she's bored, too, and comes out to join me.
Don't get me wrong, I like Johanna, no, love her. She's like an older sister, always fighting with me, always ratting me out to anyone that cares. But when I'm not in the mood, she knows when to back off. Just my luck, she doesn't today.
"Party boring you?" she asks, shoving a large piece of cake down her throat happily.
"Sort of," I admit, not looking away from the yard.
She licks the pink frosting from her fingers. "Well what's the other half? One half boredom, one half... what?"
"It's nothing," I answer glumly.
"Well, you don't seem too enthusiastic about anything. It's your kid's birthday, you know. Have some fun. Be happy for her."
"I would if I could."
Johanna starts to say something, then pauses. She raises an eyebrow, but I just shake my head, wanting nothing more than to be left alone in my depressed state.
"You're not exactly in the party mood, are you?" she asks.
"Not at all, really," I answer.
"Well, I'll go get some drinks from Haymitch. I'm sure he can spare a bottle or two."
"No thanks," I say.
"Your loss," Johanna replies before heading back to the party.
Five minutes later, Tommy runs in, squealing on about how he got his shirt dirty. Since I am the only one in the kitchen, no one else hears his commotion.
Maysilee comes running in soon after, which I had expected, and says, "Mommy, what's wrong with Tommy?"
"Nothing, baby, go back outside and play, okay? He'll be back in a minute," I respond calmly.
"Okay," she says, skipping back out to play.
"Come on, let's get your mom," I say, lifting the five-year-old boy onto my hip and walking out into the living room.
"Annie!" I call over the loud chattering. She immediately walks over, seeing Tommy fighting around my arms to wipe is shirt clean.
"Tommy! That's a brand new shirt!" Annie scolds, taking him from me. "What happened?"
"I think he fell in the sprinkler," I explain.
"Well, just take off your shirt and you'll be fine," she says. Her son removes his shirt and I'm shocked to see how large-muscled and fit the little kindergartener is. We all know who he got that from. Certainly not Annie, who wouldn't have any physical strength at all of it weren't for the Games.
I laugh, seeing this small child with such a huge body, and Annie immediately guesses what I'm laughing at. She joins in and says, "He didn't get those from me."
"Maysi didn't get those blue eyes from me, either. The bedazzlers," I say. We start into another fit of motherly laughter, but we're interrupted by Posy leading Maysilee by the hand and to us.
"Katniss, Maysi wants to know if she can play with Tommy now," Posy explains.
Maysi smiles and says, "Momma, you PROMISED."
I smile at her, and Annie says, "Tommy, you ready to play?"
He nods enthusiastically and jumps down from his mother's arms. The two youngest kids run as fast as their chubby child legs can carry them out the door, Posy walking behind them, bent over with her hands positioned supportively behind their backs in case they slip.
Annie and I carry on a good conversation, talking about how we take care of our kids, what rules they are forced to follow, where we shop for their clothes, and so on. Before long, my mother, Delly, Hazelle, and Greasy Sae have joined in the conversation, wanting so badly to avoid Haymitch and Johanna's slurred conversation. Effie is there talking with them, trying to carry on a pleasant conversation with the drunks, but even she has to give up when they start singing some kind of a drinking song.
Beetee arrives a few minutes later. I haven't seen Beetee in so long that it's almost a reflex reaction when I literally run over to greet him. He has the good sense to follow me instead of getting wrapped up with Johanna, who, when she catches sight of him, immediately yells, "Hey Volts!"
Sooner rather than later, people begin to leave. Some of the people that live out of district, such as my mother, Annie and Tommy, Johanna, and Beetee, are offered the empty homes around ours in the Victors Village.
These homes remain empty as they did before the war, perfect and undamaged. Since there are no more victors to live in them, they stand as the official guest houses for the visitors that constantly come to see me and Peeta.
It's 11:00 before I can finally get the three kids wound down. Annie and Tommy head out around eleven. Beetee heads out with them. Effie leaves at 10:30, claiming that if she stays any longer, her schedule for the rest of her life will be permanently altered. We get Johanna and Haymitch out of the house around 2:30 in the morning, and that's only because Peeta literally shoves the both of them out the door.
It's a relief when Peeta and I finally lay down in our bed and relax after our long day of excitement. Maysilee is fast asleep, somehow not woken by the sound of Haymitch very loudly protesting against leaving.
"Well, how was your day?" Peeta asks me. I know he's referring to my hour with Gale.
"It was fine," I reply.
"That's good..." he murmurs before falling asleep.
A/N: Alright, that was pretty good, right? I will admit, I got bored writing it around the end of the chapter, when I was explaining at what time everyone left and all that. That's never fun XD. But as always, it gets better! Yay! XD! Review as soon as you can, and you always have the option of constructive criticism if you don't like my stories! And if you do, well, you know what your duty is. And if you don't, then it's to review! Duh! Hope y'all like it! I can't believe I got this many chapters up in one day, but I guess I was just asking for it since I was so bored and I had those beautiful, vulnerable chapters just laying in front of me. Lol, I'm bad about procrastinating, but I can already tell that you most likely won't have to worry about that with this story! Lol. Anyway, so as usual thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! There's more to come! And don't forget: May the odds be ever in your favor! Love y'all!