Angels deliver Fate to our doorstep - and anywhere else it is needed. ~Jessi Lane Adams
Two weeks passed since the fire and time moved at a glacial pace. Katniss was discharged from the hospital and sent home with a packet of aftercare directives and instructions to return if her symptoms worsened. She snorted under her breath as the nurse pertly informed her that she was free to go. Go where exactly? Home was gone. Soaked and smoke stained remnants were all that remained.
A young girl at the desk looked up and smiled timidly as Katniss shoved the sheaf of papers roughly through the window slot. As she turned away, the girl cleared her throat and said quietly, "There's a place close by that offers temporary housing for folks that need it. Maybe you should try there. They've taken in a few of your neighbors. I think there might still be rooms available if you want to check it out."
Katniss gnawed on her bottom lip as she considered her options. Clearly, she couldn't go back to the apartment. An investigator visited on her first day in the hospital and informed her that she wouldn't be able to return home for the foreseeable future. Without offering any further help, he dropped a card on the bedside table, smiled tightly, and left as quickly as he came. Katniss studied the desk clerk, taking careful note of her understanding gaze and earnest manner. "That sounds like as good a plan as any." A swift glance at her name tag revealed her name. "Thank you for your help, Rue. Do you have the address or a phone number?"
Rue's pleased smile lit up the dingy waiting room. She nodded enthusiastically and bent to do a hasty search of a stuffed cabinet. A triumphant grin wreathed her face as she spun around with a tattered flyer in her hand. Help Our Brethren Mission was embossed on the front page along with an angel drawing. It was pretty despite its simple lines. Katniss couldn't help but be captivated by it. "If you like, I can get you a taxi voucher. We send people to Sae every now and then."
Katniss took the flyer and gave the eager girl an uncomfortable look. "I don't want to cause you any trouble," she muttered. "You've done too much already."
Rue shrugged and withdrew another slip of paper from the overflowing drawer. She handed it to Katniss, picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. A murmured conversation followed that Katniss could barely hear much less follow. Rue scribbled an illegible note on the pad in front of her, gave a quiet thank you to the person on the line and hung up. "I have a friend who works the desk over at the Hob," she announced. "She said that they still have a few beds so you're in luck. They are sending somebody over to pick you up since it's so late. You can hang out with me until they get her if you want."
Katniss's mouth opened and closed a few times before she gave up and sank into a nearby chair. Rue gave her a sideways glance accompanied by a bashful smile before she greeted the next person in line. Kantiss watched as the girl studiously initialed the forms, made change, and wished the woman a good night. She folded the flyer into a neat square before unraveling it to examine the drawing more closely. The fine lines of the drawing appealed to her. She unwittingly traced them with her finger, lost in thought until Rue quietly cleared her throat. "Your ride's here, Miss Everdeen. You can go right through those doors. You'll see the van parked right outside. It will have the same logo as the flyer so you should recognize it."
Katniss gathered up her meager belongings and climbed to her feet. She looked over her shoulder and met an inquisitive doe brown gaze. She held out her hand and waited until Rue's came up to meet it before whispering, "Thank you. I don't know how I can repay you for all your help."
Rue gave her fingers a quick squeeze before letting go. "You're welcome," she answered. "I'm glad that I could help. If you need anything, here is my extension and what days I work. Call me anytime, okay?"
Katniss took the proffered slip and put it in her pocket. Her fingers found their way to the locket hanging around her neck and curled around the chain. She felt a sense of calm envelop her. Somehow, some way everything was going to be all right. She nodded again and headed for the indicated door. Once through, her gaze swept the few cars parked close by. They honed in on a white Jeep parked beneath a security light just a few feet away. Her breath came out in a long, low sigh at the sight of the stylized angel on the door. Beneath the picture, the word HOB and a phone number was visible. Katniss walked toward the Jeep with slow, measured steps. She berated herself for allowing her nerves to get the better of her. She had no reason whatsoever to be ashamed.
The door swung open and a lithe form slid gracefully to the curb. The woman was on the small side with a willowy figure and wide-set deep brown eyes. She didn't smile as she caught sight of Katniss frozen on the sidewalk. Instead, a wave of annoyance crested on her features before she schooled them to a polite mask. She gestured furiously and yanked the passenger door open as the bewildered girl drew near. "Sae's already got your room ready. Dinner was over hours ago but she fixed up a plate for you. Do you have anything else that I need to get loaded before we take off?" Katniss silently shook her head and climbed inside, the door clipping her heels as the strange woman slammed it shut.
A few moments later, the driver's side door opened and the woman deftly slid in. She buckled the seat belt, flipped on the blinker and scrubbed a hand through her cropped brown hair, leaving it standing on end. She slammed the Jeep in gear and bounded out of the parking space with a screech of rubber on pavement. Katniss grabbed the handle before she could stop herself, only letting go when those brandy colored eyes darted an amused look at her white knuckled grip. "Relax, brainless, I'm not going to get you killed. I may drive a little faster than necessary but I never take risks." A cocky smirk wormed its way onto her face. "Besides, I'm a professional. You can trust me."
Katniss tossed her a skeptical look but released her death grip on the door and folded her hands in her lap. "What exactly do you mean by professional?" she questioned sourly. "And don't call me brainless."
An amused snort escaped the woman, her eyes flicking from the road ahead to Katniss and back again. "I mean that I drag race on the weekends in case you're interested. It's a lot harder to stay alive doing that than it is playing chauffer for little girls like you." She chuckled softly at the disbelieving looks being sent her way. "Besides, Gale says I'm one of the best drivers that he's ever seen. I might even get a sponsor before the Quell."
"Gale?" Katniss asked hesitantly. "Who's that and what is a Quell? I don't know what you're talking about and I don't know you."
She laughed again and gave an exasperated head shake. "Of course you don't know me. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Johanna, part time driver and full time second in command at the HOB. Gale is my part time crew chief and full time significant other." She stopped at a red light and tapped her fingers impatiently against the wheel. She didn't look at Katniss but casually continued, "The Quell is the biggest event of the racing season. Drag racing is usually done in quarter mile increments, thus the name. I don't know why they call it a quarter quell. It's been called that as long as I can remember."
Katniss's reply was a dubious nod. She turned her attention to the landscape and breathed a sigh of relief as the light changed. Johanna didn't make any further comments which allowed Katniss to look out the window in relative peace. The quiet ride allowed her to calm her roiling emotions. She decided that tomorrow was soon enough to worry. Tonight, she just wanted a place to curl up and lick her wounds.
They pulled into a graveled drive edged with thick leafed trees. The house was dark except for a low light burning in the front window. The clapboard house seemed massive, sprawling over a large part of the wooded lot. Deep, shady porches surrounded the house on three sides with massive pillars guarding the main entrance. Katniss's jaw dropped as she took it all in. Large ferns hung from cunningly placed hooks between the colonnades. Johanna's lips quirked up but she motioned for Katniss to follow rather than offering a comment.
The door swung open at their approach, and a shadowed form peered into the night. She caught sight of them and stood aside for them to enter. "Took you long enough, girl." Her rough voice had texture. It grated like sand in Katniss's ears. Her gray eyes were still sharp despite the lines surrounding them. They were just a few shades lighter than the tightly coiled bun nestled in the nape of her neck. Despite the hour, she was neatly dressed in shabby but immaculately clean denims and a button up. Steel-rimmed glasses secured by a filigreed chain, dangled at her neck.
She gave Johanna a brief look before turning her searching gaze in Katniss's direction. "You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? Delly told me that you were in the fire over on Twelfth Street. Bad business, that. I hope they put the idiots that started that fire under the jail when they catch them." Sae's firm tones softened as she took in the girl's wan expression and hollow eyes. "You look like you're about to fall over, child. Come on and eat then we'll find you a warm bed. Johanna, you head on home. Thanks for picking her up. Tell Gale that I'll need him to come by tomorrow. I got a message from the boy that he'll be by then to clean out the gutters and paint the shutters upstairs. He'll need somebody to help him."
Johanna nodded and then headed for the door. "I'll let him know. Don't let this one cause you any trouble, Sae. She nearly talked my ear off on the way over." Laughing to herself, she darted out into the night, slamming the door closed behind her.
"That girl," Sae grumbled. She went upstairs instead of toward the back of the house where Katniss assumed the kitchen would be. The hallway was dimly lit by what resembled aisle lighting in a theater. Sae must have sensed her confusion because she commented over her shoulder, "The boy suggested putting them in. I'm not as young as I used to be and, sometimes, we have kids staying here. Kids are always afraid of what they can't see. This old house creaks and groans especially when the wind's up. This seemed like a good fix to both problems. The kids ain't scared and I don't fall on my head going to the necessary." She came to a stop before one of the rooms and eased the door open. "I put you in here, girl. It's not fancy but it's warm and the bed is soft. It was my oldest girl's room." She swung the door wide open and gestured for Katniss to enter.
The room was tucked into the eaves with odd angles and nooks. Katniss's eyes went immediately to a lushly padded window seat inset in the dormer window. A small wicker table sat before it holding a covered tray. A glass and folded napkin sat close by. "I don't know what to say," she whispered.
"Don't say anything then," the woman said kindly. "Eat your dinner and go to bed. There's a bathroom just through there if you want to take a bath before lying down." She indicated another door ingeniously situated in another of the alcoves that dotted the room. "It's not much of a meal, just a sandwich with fruit and cheese but it will tide you over. Breakfast starts at 6am. You come down when you're ready." She sidled to the door and paused with her hand on the knob. "I knew your mama. Lily was a fine woman. She married a good man in Elijah Everdeen. He thought the sun rose just to make her smile. I'm sorry about your family. You're welcome here as long as you like, okay?"
Katniss couldn't speak past the lump in her throat so she nodded mutely and watched as the door slid shut. She forced herself to eat, tears occasionally misting her eyes at memories dredged up by Sae's caring words. Prim's beaming smile and cornflower eyes. Her mother's soft voice and gentle hands. Her father's quiet strength and booming laugh. She missed them tonight more than she thought possible. Her fingers found the locket and twisted the hidden latch. They smiled back at her, beloved and precious despite being faded and worn. She had come so close to losing them all over again. If not for chance and Peeta Mellark, this last bit of them would be gone. He hadn't come by the hospital like he promised so she never got to thank him properly. In the morning, she would remedy that. Tonight, she burrowed into lavender scented blankets, closed her eyes, and dreamed that she was home.
Xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The sun shone brightly, buttery golden light pooling on the floor with a few errant rays sprawling over the bed. She rose up on one elbow and looked blearily around the room. Judging by the dull ache in her limbs and the angle of light through the window, it was much later than she usually awoke. She eased her legs over the side of the bed and climbed shakily to her feet. Twenty minutes later, she made her way downstairs and paused in the entryway unsure where to go or what to do. Rather than waffle in indecision, she chose a door at random and hoped that it was the right one.
The tempting smell of warm bread wafted in from the back of the house. Katniss entered and gave Sae a timid smile as the woman turned toward the sound of the door opening. Sae didn't speak but gestured toward the sideboard containing a few pans on warming trays along with a bowl of fresh fruit and a pitcher of orange juice still frosted from the fridge.
Katniss grinned at the back of the woman's head, appreciating her no nonsense attitude. She picked up a plate and cutlery. She then filled it with fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, and home fries. She rounded off the plate with a couple of biscuits still warm from the oven. Sae opened the refrigerator and pulled out a jar of homemade strawberry jam. "Try this. I made it with berries from the garden. The view is pretty from the porch this time of day. Why don't you give it a look and I'll bring you some juice."
Katniss sat her plate down and opened the jar, then spread the jam generously over her biscuits. She retraced her steps to the front door and elbowed her way through the screen and out into the spring scented air. The porch was dotted with rockers and wicker furniture. There was a small bistro table tucked neatly into the curve of the porch with four chairs flanking it. She laid her plate on the table and pulled out the chair that gave an unimpeded view of the rolling lawn and forest beyond. Sae came out a few moments later with a tall glass of juice and plunked it down beside the plate. She patted Katniss's shoulder and went back inside without a word.
Breakfast was eaten in fits and starts as new details of the view caught her eye. The tale-tale flash of sunlight on water hinted at the presence of a lake or pond near the tree line. She made a mental note to walk down a little while later. An old rock fence marked the yard's boundaries. Moss and lichen softened the harshness of the limestone. It gave a rustic feel to the simple elegance of the house. She polished off the last few bites of her breakfast and settle back in her chair, letting her gaze run lazily over the yard. It was lovely here. As much as she wanted to go home, this place was a balm to the battered pieces of her soul. It wrapped around her like a warm blanket. The feeling was almost perfect…almost. A persistent banging just out of sight kept it from reaching nirvana.
At first, she was able to tune it out. After a few minutes, she couldn't help but hear it. Before long, annoyance set in. She plunked the glass heavily on the table and rose to her feet. Rather than carry the dishes inside, she followed the porch around the sweep of the house. As she rounded the bend, the noise grew louder. The porch ended abruptly in a cul-de-sac that was normally filled with a wicker loveseat and a pair of glass-topped tables. Those had been pushed aside. A ladder was propped against the outer railing, using it as a brace and an anchor. An immaculate pair of sneakers occupied the step a few inches below the balustrade. She froze at the sight of them, and then gaped as her eyes traced a pair of legs encased in tattered yet well-fitting jeans. The banging abruptly ceased as a hiss of pain followed by an audible curse was heard. She winced sympathetically.
"Must have hurt," an unexpected voice murmured near her ear. "He usually doesn't cuss where Sae might hear him. She's death on bad manners, especially cussing."
Katniss jumped as she wheeled to face the voice. A pair of amused brown eyes met her gaze expectantly. "Shit," she breathed. "Do you always sneak up on people?"
Johanna shrugged and laughed again. "Not usually. I figured you'd make it worth the effort." She gestured toward the ladder. "Aren't you going to say hi? Rumor has it that you two are old friends."
Katniss 's brow furrowed as her eyes darted from the half-hidden form to grinning Johanna and back again. "Old friends? What do you mean?"
Her smile widened and instead of answering directly, Johanna called playfully, "Hey, Blondie, quit trying to nail your thumb to the side of the house and come say hello. From what Gale tells me, you two are long overdue." A tousled head of damp blond waves dropped into view as he crouched down. His blue eyes immediately found her and latched on. She felt a wave of pink-tinged heat suffuse her cheeks at his unblinking look. Johanna, however, appeared pleased as punch with his reaction. She snorted under her breath as they continued to stare at each other. Shoving her hands into her pockets, Johanna murmured, "I have to go make a few calls. You two have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That's not saying much," Peeta returned, his eyes never leaving Katniss. Johanna snorted again and walked away leaving the two of them uncomfortably eying the other. "When did you get here?" he asked softly. "I had no idea."
Katniss shifted from foot-to-foot as she avoided his bright-eyed gaze. She found it difficult to look at him without remembering their spontaneous kiss and the promise he had so earnestly given then tossed aside. She couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't come to see her. She didn't know him but something made her trust him, believe him when he told her that everything was going to be okay. The silence stretched out between them, unblemished and untouched. Peeta eased a leg over the railing and dropped lightly onto the porch. He slid a bare arm over his forehead, pushing damp locks away from his face.
"I did stop by," he murmured, watching her closely. "I came to the hospital twice. The first time, you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you because the nurse on your floor said that you hadn't been sleeping well. The second time, your room was empty. They said that you had been taken down for lab work. I was going to wait but got sent out to a fire. I called but you'd been discharged and nobody knew where you'd gone. How'd you hear about Sae's?"
She worried her bottom lip as her eyes wandered over him, taking in messy blond curls, cornflower blue eyes, and a firmly muscled chest. She realized that she was staring and hurriedly dropped her gaze to the worn boards of the porch. "They didn't tell me about the visits," she muttered. "I wanted to thank you for what you did, for getting me out of there. " She fidgeted with the necklace hanging loosely around her neck. "I went back for this," she confided. "When I couldn't find it right away, I didn't know what to do. It was like losing them all over again." She cradled the locket lovingly. "This was my sister's. I gave it to her for her birthday a few months before the crash happened." An uncomfortable lull in the conversation followed as both of them searched for something to say. Desperately, she reached for the first topic that came to mind. "You asked how I heard about this place. There was a girl at the hospital that called and arranged for me to come. I had no idea this place even existed. What are you doing here?"
Peeta shrugged as he pulled a ragged t-shirt over his head and then settled back against the railing. "Sae's my aunt by marriage. She's been a volunteer for as long as I can remember. This place has been in her family since forever. When she got the idea of taking in boarders, Gale and I got recruited as ad-hoc maintenance men and gardeners. You'll see him around eventually. He's here on his days off almost as much as I am." He offered her a crooked grin as he climbed to his feet. "I'd better get back to those shutters. Sae will have my head if they're not done."
Katniss nodded and reluctantly retraced her steps so that she could gather up the dishes from her abandoned breakfast. An ideas struck her, the very thought sending a shiver dancing its way up her spine. Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned over the railing and craned her neck until she could see his face. "Peeta," she called hesitantly. He turned toward her with a ready grin and a brow lifted inquiringly. "I was wondering if you could show me around after you're done. If you're busy, I can wander around on my own. I just thought it would be nice to have company."
The smile he sent her was blinding in its intensity, almost like staring into the sun. She ignored the galloping lurch her heart gave in response, choosing instead to stare at the flecks of peeling paint gracing the shabby railing. "I'd like that," he said warmly. "I should be done by no later than 2pm. We can meet out here and decide where we're going. Does that sound okay?"
A small smile touched her lips as she gave a self-conscious nod, "It sounds great. I'll see you then."
"See you," he echoed, giving a small wave when she flicked a glance at him over her shoulder as she made her way into the house.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
That walk led to another, which led to lunch on the porch and a fishing trip to the lake. Sae adopted her after a fashion and Katniss soon found herself assigned chores and to do lists much like Peeta, Gale and Johanna. She didn't have the heart to tell the woman no since Sae had taken her in with little notice and welcomed her with open arms.
A floppy hat in an appalling shade of orange shaded her from the summer sun as she used a long handled fork to loosen clumps of dirt and dig out the more stubborn weeds that found their way into Sae's herb patch. Across the yard, Gale and Peeta were bent over Sae's ancient mower with the hood up in a futile attempt to coax the beleaguered motor to life. Peeta caught her eye and tossed her an amused grin. She smiled back and shook her head at their stubborn refusal to admit defeat. The mower was on its last legs but none of them would admit it.
The mower gave a coughing gasp as it whined to life. It stuttered and stammered for an instant before dying in a haze of gasoline and smoke. Fiery Gale's curses could be heard the length and breadth of the lawn. Peeta, however, only waved a hand in front of his face before kneeling down to finger a line skirting the edge of the mower. He bent closer, then laughed and nudged Gale with his elbow. The dark-haired man scoffed but bent to get a closer look. His stunned expression was priceless even from where Katniss sat. She couldn't tell what they'd found but within moments, the low drone of a perfectly working engine could be heard. Katniss chuckled softly as she watched them exchange bemused looks before dropping the hood. They were clearly dubious of the mower's reliability but it appeared that they'd decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Katniss shook her head and turned back to her weeding. It wasn't a matter of if when it came to the mower breaking down again; more like when.
She finished weeding the last row of thyme and sat down in the grass, lifting a lukewarm bottle of water to her lips. She leaned back on her palms, the bottle resting in the cool green grass beside her and stared unseeing at the blue expanse of sky. The whispering rasp of grass rustling was her only hint that she was no longer alone. She straightened as Sae appeared, holding a tall glass of lemonade weeping with beads of condensation.
"I thought you might be needing this," The old woman growled. "You make sure to keep your head covered with that hat too, little girl. Sunburn is nothing to play around with. You've been lucky before now."
Rather than argue, Katniss pulled the brim down until it shadowed most of her face. Satisfied, Sae covered her eyes with her free hand and peered toward the pair still grappling with the mower. "Looks like that's about ready for the scrap heap," she observed, her hand falling limply to her side. "I'll have Gale haul it away. No point in trying to fix it. I've practically rebuilt the damned thing over the years. It's just a matter of time before it quits for good."
Katniss's jaw dropped at the blunt pronouncement. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Why did you let them waste all that time and effort if you knew it wouldn't do any good?"
Sae shrugged noncommittally. "For the same reason I let you use that fork instead of using the tiller in the storage shed. Sometimes, you just have to let folks go about things in their own way and at their own pace. So long as the work gets done and the person is happy, that's all that matters." She didn't seem to expect an answer so Katniss didn't give her one. After a few minutes, Sae's probing gaze fell back to the girl still reclined in the dirt. "He's a good boy. You could do much worse, you know."
Katniss's startled look was met and stalled by a curious pair of pewter gray eyes. "I don't understand," she mumbled. "What do you mean I could do worse?'
Sae huffed in annoyance and rapped Katniss on the top of the head with a folded fist. "Don't be dense, girl. It doesn't suit you. He likes you. Any fool can see that. If I was you, I'd snap him up right quick. Peeta deserves somebody that will appreciate him. If you're anything like your mama, you're smart enough not to let a good thing pass you by."
Katniss's gaze followed Sae's to where the two men were still absorbed in the mower's inner workings. She was immediately caught up in the way his disheveled curls fell over his forehead making him look younger than his twenty-five years. His hands made graceful arcs as he talked, using his gestures as much as his words to get his point across. If the considering expression on Gale's face was anything to go by, Peeta had the right idea. It was how to put it into action that seemed to be causing the trouble. "I owe him," she muttered. "I owe him more than I can ever repay, Sae. He deserves somebody who can make him happy, not a broken shell of a girl that he saved once upon a time."
Sae mumbled under her breath and rapped the girl sharply on the head once more with a rough hand. "I won't hear that kind of talk, girl. You stop that right now, you hear. I've known that boy his whole life. There's not a bigger heart to be found anywhere. Sometimes, I worry that his heart is too big and has too much goodness in it. The world isn't kind to people like that. It wrings them out, uses them up if it can. He's had his fair share of trouble but it didn't break him. He still smiles despite everything." Noting Katniss's curious look, Sae let out a sigh. "I've said too much as usual. It's a failing of mine. It's not my place to tell you about the boy. I'll leave that up to him. I'll just say that his mama was a selfish woman who took her disappointment out on everyone around her, Peeta most of all. Getting a divorce was the smartest thing my brother, Pryce, ever did." The old woman's hand pushed the vile orange hat back and gently straightened the fraying braid. "You have a missing piece, girl. I can see it and so can the boy. You lost the people you love most in the world. It's a hard thing to keep living when they're gone and you miss them. The thing to remember is that there are others to love. You just have to be strong enough to let them in."
Katniss bit back tears as she met the woman's gentle gaze. She let out a shaky breath before nodding silently. Sae patted her shoulder affectionately and then stepped back. "Get along with you then. Weeding won't finish itself." With that, she strolled toward the house without a backwards glance.
Katniss turned the words over in her mind, her hand unconsciously toying with the locket hanging around her neck. She could feel the truth in those words. Others to love. Maybe Sae was right. Maybe it was time to start living again. The wind flipped her braid, feeling for all the world like her mother's fingers moving softly through her hair. The sun beat down, its warmth surrounding her like her father's arms had as a child. Her eyes met Peeta's across the expanse of lawn separating them and he smiled. She smiled back before she could help herself, feeling foolish at the giddy pleasure sending tendrils of heat swirling through her belly. As he turned back to the mower, a pensive frown creased her brow. Prim could pull a smile from her without even trying. She could make Katniss believe that things could always be good again no matter what. According to Sae, Peeta had the the same hopeful view.
Katniss laughed softly under her breath. Hope. She barely knew the meaning of the word. Survive. That was something she understood, something she excelled at. She was good at surviving. Prim had been good at living. She supposed that Peeta was too. Could she trust him enough to let him in? Would he stay? She didn't know but suddenly she decided she wanted to find out. Climbing to her feet, she dusted her hands off on the legs of her jeans before striding purposefully toward him.
The breeze kicked up as she crossed the yard, causing the wind chimes to clink together. Their music filled the up the late afternoon. Sae paused to listen, an appreciative smile worming its way onto her face. The simple tune waxed and waned with the shifting wind...it sounded like joy. It sounded like laughter. It sounded like home.