Katniss said Yes! I am ecstatic. I am almost bouncing when we reach the Hob. "Katniss is back! We have squirrels, fish, rabbits, and greens!" I call. Immediately all heads snap up.

Some of the girls from the Seam that hang around and gossip run over and hug her. "Katniss! Katniss! Katniss!" they chant. I put a hand on her back and I steer her over to Greasy Sae.

"Katniss! There's something that a boy left for you." Sae said, reaching into a pocket of her apron. She pulls out a small wrapped package. Katniss grabs it and unties the small twine knot. I look angrily over her shoulder.

Who has the nerve to give her something! She's mine! I made that clear to the others at school after she won. I still remember that day…

"Hey! I bet you 5 loaves of baker bread that Katniss will pick me!" sneered Lachlan, a boy who had gone out with almost every girl in school. The only two he hadn't gone out with were the smartest. Katniss and Madge.

"Nu-uh. She's already married. I forget his name… Gabe?" said a small girl named Daisy. Now I was gripping my desk with all my strength so that I wouldn't punch them all. When we all spilled out of the building at the end of the day, I found Daisy and Lachlan still arguing.

"She's already-" Daisy whined. I cut her off.

"She is already taken. She is married yet but she will be soon. Lachlan," his name left a bad taste in my mouth. "If you go near her…"

"What. What will happen if I go near her?" Lachlan said, walking into my personal space. I took advantage of that and grabbed his collar.

"Leave, Daisy." I growled. She immediately scurried toward her home near the edge of the Seam. "Lachlan, if you so much as talk to her before the ring is on her finger, you will be sorry." I dropped him and showed him the insides of my game-bag. There was an arrangement of knifes and arrows in there. He scurried backwards and crashed into a fence.

"Just so we understand each other." I mutter and flip the cover back over the bag.

Inside the package was an envelope. Katniss sliced it open and read,
"Dearest Katniss:

I hope this gets to you. My brothers are not very reliable. I'm probably dead right now, but I want you to know. I love you more than anything. Please accept my gift. Even though I know that you are with Gale, I am glad as long as you are.

Forever Yours,

Peeta Mellark" Katniss dumped the envelope and I saw the first tear fall. She held out the necklace for everyone to see. It was gold with these words inscripted on it: If you put pressure on coal, it turns to pearls. There was a pendant hanging from it and it had two pearls on it. One was black, one was white. Underneath the black one, there was Peeta's name. Underneath the white one, Katniss's name was etched.

I now know how she feels. She feels that she is responsible for Peeta's death, even though she couldn't have saved him. I hug her tightly and help her put the necklace on. Once it's on, she calms down a bit. Now she's simply having tears run down her cheeks.

"Katniss, do you want to go home and I'll do the trading?" I ask gently, pulling her hands from my t-shirt and carefully lifting her bag off her shoulders. "I'll hold the ring for now. I want to be there when your mom finds out. Dinner? Tonight?"

She nods quickly and runs off towards Victors Village, tucking the necklace into her shirt as she goes.