BAM! CRASH!

I am awoken from my occasional evening nap by some loud noises downstairs.

"Happy Birthday!" I hear people shout when I come down from my room. I don't appreciate it.

"What the hell are you all doing here? How did you even get in?" There is Johanna, Haymitch, Effie, Annie and Fin (We all preferred to call him Fin instead of Finnick). And of course, my mother.

"Your mother let us in." Effie said. My mother had arrived yesterday and she had promised it'll be a 'quiet' birthday. I would have to ask her what her definition of quiet was because it didn't seem to match mine.

"We decided to surprise you." My mother says.

"Your mother did. Effie helped. I only came here for the refreshments." Haymitch adds.

"Was it really necessary?" I ask my mother.

"Of course, it was. It's not everyday one turns 28." I have a feeling my mother only did this to cheer me up as she thought I was still hung up on my separation from Peeta. But I was alright now (Okay, maybe I still was hung up a little). It had been 4 months now. Anyday our divorce was going to be finalized.

"And now stop being crabby. I hear the cake we brought you is really tasty." Johanna says.

…***…***…

After the cake is cut, food is served, the 'quiet' get together is over, Annie, Fin, Haymitch and Effie go back to their districts (or Capitol, in Effie's case) by the evening train. Johanna will leave tomorrow evening and my mother next week.

"So you excited to start your job tomorrow?" Johanna asks me as we're cleaning up my house.

"Can't wait." I say trying to sound enthusiastic.

"You sound like you can wait. In fact, you sound like it's the last thing you want to do."

"It is. I'm nervous. I'm scared. I'm afraid I'll mess up and the kids will hate me."

"A bit of advice. You'll be teaching kids who are 15 years and above. Don't refer to them as kids unless you really want them to hate you."

"Little people?"

"Definitely, not."

"Then what?"

"How about just, I don't know, PEOPLE?"

"I'll try to remember that."

A thought occurs to me.

"How do you know what do kids prefer to be called?"

"Have you ever tried to call Fin 'kid'? Guessing how he's hardly eleven, I'm sure kids older than him will hate it even more." I have a feeling she's hiding something but I let it slide. Pushing Johanna for answers don't get you answers. It just makes Johanna mad.

Just then the phone rings.

"I'll get it." I say.

"It's your house. Who else will get it?" Johanna says. I glare at her.

"Hello? Katniss Everdeen speaking." I say picking up the phone in the kitchen. My mother is there too washing the dishes.

"Hey, Katniss. It's Posy."

"Oh, hey Posy." I was a little surprised to her from her. I hadn't talked to her much since I saw her at the station. I had bumped into her quite a few times since she lived only about 20 minutes walk away. I had bumped into her usually while shopping for groceries, etc.

"Just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. And best of luck for tomorrow."

"Thank you, Posy." I was a little touched she remembered my birthday and that I was starting my job tomorrow.

"Rory wishes you too."

"Thank him from me."

"Will do. Don't worry, I won't keep you for long. Enjoy."

"It's no problem, Posy. I'm glad you called. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, maybe. I haven't taken up archery since I'm pretty sure I'll shoot an arrow into somebody's eye on my first day."

"I wouldn't have let you."

"Yeah, still no."

"Alright, then. Bye"

"Bye."

I put the phone back into the cradle and turn around to see my mother looking at me.

"What?" I ask her.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't stop myself from catching a certain name. Posy."

"Yeah, it was Posy and she just wanted me to wish me."

"Posy? Gale's sister Posy?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know you were on talking terms." She says a little surprised. Okay, I was understating it. She looked very surprised.

"Well, we weren't. It's actually, well-" I pause uncertain how to continue "-I ran into her the day I came here. It turns out she lives here with Rory."

"And?"

"And what? That's it. She lives here and sometimes we run into each other and oh yeah, she's going to be in the school where I teach."

"Katniss, how come you never mentioned it to me?"

"What's the big deal?" I ask a little defensively.

"Katniss, you tell me everything that's happening to you- little or small. I'm in 6 yet I know when you ran out of toilet paper, or how you destroyed your table mat because there was a knife in your hand, you fell and accidently murdered a mat, I hear all about how annoying that neighbour is because his kid is always making weird faces at you…."

"Alright, what's your point? Because if your point is I should stop telling you what's going on, you have made that point pretty clear."

"My point is I know every little thing that is going on and yet, you somehow failed to manage that Posy and Rory live here?"

"I didn't see the big deal about it."

"Katniss, they're Gale's brother and sister. It wouldn't have been a big deal if not for the fact that Peeta and you just got divorced and now you're in 5 with the siblings of a person you once obviously had a history with."

"Don't say it like that. Like I'm such a petty person. Like I've just got divorced and can't wait to start to find someone else as soon as possible."

"I'm not saying that. I know you're not a petty person. I'm trying to understand why you didn't mention it?"

"Like I said, I didn't understand the big deal about it."

"Katniss, my dear, it IS a big deal. I can understand it was a coincidence that you met them in a place where you were hoping for a fresh start. But you not telling anyone makes it seem like you were keeping it a secret because you were guilty of something. Were you?"

"I wasn't. I mean, I am not. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean there is anything right now or going to happen. I mean, I met Gale only once-"

"You met Gale?" I hear a voice behind me say. Johanna. "When were you going to mention that? In your next wedding's invitation?"

"Woah, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It was just a short brief meeting, didn't mean much and it went just the way a meeting of two old friends seeing each other after a long time will go."

"He was a little more than a friend, don't you think?" Johanna says.

"It's all in the past. No big deal."

"Stop saying, all this is not a big deal. It is a very big deal." My mother say, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"I don't know what else to say. The way you two are acting, just how low of an opinion do you have of me?" I say angrily, turn around and head back into my room.

…***…***…

"Katniss, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to act like that. I'm sorry." I hear my mother's voice say from behind my locked door.

I get up and unlock the door and then come back to the chair I had been sitting on.

"Katniss, you have to understand our viewpoint. I never meant to sound like I had a low opinion of you. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I can guess I can see how it looks from your side. But I will never do that. I might not love Peeta that way anymore, but I still respect what we had. And I know just how wrong, just how disrespectful it will be if I immediately start seeing someone else."

"Katniss, then why didn't you mention it to me?"

"Because I was scared. Not of what you think, but that you'll be….. I was scared that you will start thinking about Prim again. What it would have been like if she was alive?"

I still can't say Prim's name without feeling an ache deep in my bones. And judging from the look on my mother's face, she still can't listen to Prim's name without her eyes tearing up.

"You though if you mention Gale's siblings, I will start remembering your own sibling?"

"Yeah, but also how if hadn't been for Gale, Prim would have been alive and happy, just like his own siblings."

"Katniss, what are you talking about?"

"I know you know that Gale made that bomb that killed Prim. I know because I remember mentioning it to you. And if Gale hadn't made that bomb, she would still have been alive. And I didn't want you to be sad again that I was in the same district as the guy's sibling who killed my own."

"Katniss, that's the most stupid thing I have ever heard and mind you I was there when you said wanted to taste crickets raw."

…***…***…

Firstly, I'm sorry for not updating but as an apology I tried my best to make this chapter as big as possible. In fact, I didn't want to end here but it already seemed like it was too long so I had leave on this part.

Secondly,thank you for being patient with me and not giving up on this story.

And I know Katniss joining a school in March seems that she's joining too late but wait for the next chapter or so and it will be explained in them. I know many of you are waiting for Gale to properly come and for Katniss and Gale to finally be together but patience grasshoppers, that will happen when I consider it's now time which I don't think will happen anytime before Chapter 10 or so. I might have him make an appearance but you'll have to wait a little.

And now for a request from my side, suggest me some names, full names, just first names or last names, of any district or capitol. I need at least 3-4 names from every district and capitol so even if you only have one suggestion, I'll love you for it. I can't upload the next chapter till you give me some new names because I think it's time to introduce some new people. Pm me, if possible since once you review and later come up with a name, you won't be able to review again so pm if you later come up with a name.