Smoothing down my rosemary-colored skirt over my knees, I wait at the kitchen table for Peeta. I'm resting my head in the palm of my head, thinking about yesterday's lunch with Gale. I don't know if Peeta saw the kiss, and it's killing me inside. I squint my eyes closed, trying to block out the memory.
"Dear Lord Katniss, are you having like, day-nightmares or something?" Peeta is shaking my shoulder lightly, and I can smell the ginger on him.
"No, I'm fine. Really. Just closing my eyes for a second before Analex comes over."
"Your eyes were sealed shut! Are you in pain?"
"It's nothing. Just trying to forget yesterday's lunch. I don't want to talk about it." My chair screeches the floor as I push myself out of it, and walk past Peeta. I'm fiddling with our fluorescent yellow tulips that were imported from the capitol when I hear the doorbell ring. Seven times. Peeta nearly jumps over me to get to the door, and I'm dazed by his uncharacteristic little excitement to meet Analex. I thought he hated strangers coming into his house. Not strangers, I think. Just wife-stealers.
Peeta's cooing voice in the background, I find myself shaking hands with a miniature Effie. Except for the fact that I can actually understand Effie. Analex's capitol accent is so heavy; I can't help but think of Gale's impressions. It's hard to believe Gale actually ever dated anyone from the capitol.
"Verrrry nice to meet you, Mrs. Minnark!" There's a crescendo throughout the entire sentence, and I'm almost tempted to cover my ears.
"It's a pleasure meeting you too, Analex. And it's Mellark, not Minnark." Peeta nudges in front of me, gives me some-what of an eye-roll and turns to Analex and practically sings, "Mellark, Minnark, it doesn't matter! You're family, now, so say and do as you care!"
"Peeta, dear, she's not family, now is she? Just the maid, right?" I try and spit out the sentence with an unsuspicious smile, and I'm grasping Peeta's arm much more than needed. Rubbing his poor little arm, Peeta takes Analex's matching mockingjay-imprinted handbag and scarf up to the front closet, where Gale's coat still hangs, like a dead squirrel.
"Mrs. Millark, would you be so kind in taking me on a tour? Oops! I said it again! Pardon my mishap, Mrs. mill- Mellark!" I'm a smidge away from slapping that stupid smile off of her crimson colored cheeks, and I can't even start to comprehend why she's twenty-four years old and talks like she's a senior citizen. I hope she saw my little eye twitch when she said Millark.
"Oh, I'd love to, but Peeta is such a good tour guide. I'd be he'd be elated to take you on a tour!" She continues to act like a sweet old lady, but I definitely caught her catty expression.
Peeta, jogging in from the closet, lights up when I tell him that he'll be taking Analex on a tour of our house.
"Why don't you start with the upper level, Peeta? You can show her everything, but no PR okay?"
"PR? Ooh, what's that?" Her curiosity is that of a toddler, and I dramatically roll my eyes as I walk away.
"It's nothing Analex, Katniss is just a little stressed. She lost a best friend yesterday. Ignore her attitude. She'll warm up to your perky little attitude in no time!" I turn the corner, but not before I see Peeta wrapping his arm around Analex's tiger-printed sweater. I walk into my room, put my head under my pillow, and squint my eyes closed yet again. Trying to drown out Analex's high-pitched laughter, Peeta's lame jokes, and the chemistry between them, I silently cry until I fall into a dreamless sleep.
Feeling long, artificial nails poke my back repeatedly; I roll out of my bed, only to face Analex.
"What? Analex? What are you doing here? Son of a Snow, this is my bedroom! And I was sleeping!" Analex's face looks like I just told her off, and she's already forming her little pouty-lip when Peeta walks in with sugar cookies with tiger stripes all along the sides. Great. Custom cookies just for the princess.
"Don't freak out, Katniss. Analex is really great!" Analex turns around to taste-test her self- inspired cookies, and Peeta comes down to sit with me. I feel reassured when he lightly wraps his fingers around my chin, and pulls me in for a gentle kiss.
"Oh, Katniss, I found out what PR meant! Prim's Room! It was so beautiful! I think that will be my favorite room to be in when I start working here." From instinct, I leap out of bed, my skirt flowing behind me like a cape, I race over towards her, my fists clenched into hard little balls. Cussing like a fiend, I turn to Peeta, my face the color my fire-lit dress, and grab the collar of his cream-colored shirt.
"What were you thinking? You idiot! You blasted, arrogant,.. Peeta!" I'm crying by now, because that was the only room that meant anything to me in this house. It was my rock. My private rock. I didn't want Peeta, let alone Analex setting foot in that room. Peeta wraps his arms around me and is stroking my hair, but I pull away instantly.
Prim's Room is where I have all the pictures, all the cards and drawings she made me. It's like a little museum. There's the tin bucket she would milk Lady with, the dress she wore the day of the reaping. The pin. The Mockingjay pin. One wall is covered with shelf after shelf, after shelf of Primroses. The walls are a light yellow, like how the sun is after barely making it through a sliver in the clouds. The carpet is a shaggy white, and I lie there for hours, sometimes. The only time Peeta's been aloud in it is when he helped bring up all the pots of Primroses.
I begin to cry again, because it hits me, right there in the bedroom, with Analex and Peeta watching me, that Peeta only brought that monster into my room is because he wanted and needed the approval from her, more than he wanted and needed me.