"Mama!" The four of them are jumping on our bad, waking both Peeta and I.
There is no way in hell it's five thirty. I groan loudly. "Wake me at six." I steal Peeta's pillow and shove it over my head. Kilee doesn't hesitate to sit down right on my back and pull the pillow off me.
"You agree to take us to get lights at five thirty! It's five forty! We waited ten minutes! Get up Mama!" Kilee says. I sigh loudly and roll over, careful not to throw her off the bed. Shhe stays seated on my stomach.
"Fine. Let me go take a shower." I say.
"What! No Mama!" Hallie whines.
"I'll be out in five minutes." I grumble. "Get off me Kilee." She slides off of me and I get up, throwing Peeta's pillow at him face. "Get dressed. If I'm going, so are you." I say.
"Fine." He grumbles.
…a….
They don't get le get just enough lights to string the house.
Oh no, my darling children make me get almost seven light up trees, candy canes to go in the dirt up the driveway, a string of lights to come off the house and to the floor, lights for all the trees in the front year, a Santa and his sleigh, all life sizes in mid-flight, all light up, snowmen and a village set.
Oh and lets not forget the seventeen arches start from the fucking road all the way top the garage door.
"You guys are so lucky that I love you." I grumble as I pay the seven hundred dollars. "These better last till all of us are dead." I say. Peeta laughs and slings his arm around my shoulder.
We get to the car, and the Christmas music starts to piss me off so I put in my Christina Perri album.
I live for her voice.
"Wait…is…this is Christina Perri! Mama, you like her?" Kilee demands.
"I love her. I live for her music." I prop my feet on the dashboard and flick through the numbers till I hit Bluebird.
I start to sing along, and after a wave of shyness, Kilee sings with me.
…..a…..
"You will not believe what I just found!" Mama exclaims the second we walk in the door.
"And what's that?" I ask.
"The family videos! They're of you two when you were Hallie's age on Christmas!"
"Of Mom and Dad?" Kilee asks.
"Yeah!"
"No way!" Johanna exclaims. "Well plug that shit into the TV!"
With help of Finnick, they manage to get the video on the TV.
"I already don't like this." I say quietly.
"Why? You can't even see anything!" Mama exclaims. "Katniss, you were seven, Johanna too, Prim was two, Peeta you were eight." She presses play. "Opal, you were…I think you were seven too."
"Oh god, what am I wearing?" I ask.
"A sheet. You were obsessed with sheets." Aunt Kari answers.
"Do I even have underwear on?" I ask.
"No," Haymitch says.
Peeta snickers.
"Turn this way." Mama says. Peeta, Opal, Johanna and Prim all turn towards the camera, but I ignore, my back still turned. "Katniss, turn this way honey." Mama says.
"Why? I wanna count the presents Mama!" I exclaim.
"Come on Katniss! We have to wait for you!" Peeta exclaims.
"Yeah Brainless!" Johanna exclaims.
I continue to ignore them. "twenty four, twenty five…" I keep counting. Cinna eventually walks over and turns me around. "Now I lost count Cinna!" I whine.
"Don't you want to open your stocking, Katniss?" Daddy asks in the background.
"Yes." I turn around and grab my stocking, dumping it on the floor in front of me.
"I got chocolate!" I squeal.
We are all laughing at me.
"Hey, me too!" Peeta grins.
"Can I have it, Peeta?" I ask with a sweet grin.
"No." he says. "Well…okay." He hands me all his chocolate.
"Katniss, that's Peeta's, you don't need all that."
"Why not?" I ask.
"Look Katniss, this one is yours." Mrs. Mellark speaks up. She hands me a present.
We all rip stuff open and there's squeals and paper flying everywhere.
The video ends and another starts up.
It begins with "I gave my kids a terrible present"
"Oh god, I remember this." Mama says. "This does not end well on Katniss's part."
"Okay guys, ready? This is the only present you get today." Haymitch warns. It's me, Johanna, Peeta and Opal sitting on the couch. We have boxes in our hands. I'm probably nine. "Okay, open."
We starts ripping our gifts open, and the look on my face is of pure joy and excitement. I rip the box off the top of the box and pull out the tissue paper.
My face falls and I stare inside the box. Peeta, Johanna and Opal stop when they see the look on my face.
"Am I crying?" I ask my Mom.
"Just wait…" she pats my hands.
I look into the camera. "What…what the heck is this?" I grab a box of tampons and hold it up. Peeta bursts into hysterics. "Shut up Peeta!" I scream at him, standing up. "This is terrible! This is child abuse!" I shriek.
"Don't you like it honey? You're nine now. You'll start your period in a few years." Mama says. Peeta laughs harder. I open the box, pull out two tampons and shove them up him nose.
Then I burst into tears and start running around the living room, screaming and throwing a fit. Peeta pulls the tampons out of his nose and finishes opening his present.
He too, starts crying and running around the living room. "I don't wear bras! I'm a boy!"
Opal opens her gift and pulls out socks.
"Socks!" she shrieks.
She joins our screaming and crying.
Johanna shrugs and opens her gift and pulls out a rubber band.
She shoots it to her father and joins us.
We keeps screaming and running and crying.
"Hey! Calm down!" Haymitch screams.
We stop running, the four of us turn right to Haymitch, and then, I scream, "FUCK YOU AND THIS FUCKING FAMILY YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES!"
Then I turn around and bolt for the door.
My father and Haymitch, who looks furious, bolt after me. Johanna, Opal and Peeta run ouot the front door.
"I can't believe my nine year old daughter just said that!" Mama gasps.
"I thought they would cry, but I wasn't expecting that." Mrs. Mellark agrees. They go outside, Mama with the camera. I can see me running down the street with Peeta, Johanna and Opal at my side. I almost get hit by a car, and I keep running. I get so far that Dad has to call the police.
When they get there, the camera goes dark.
"Fuck!" Hallie says happily. I look up at her, my eyes dark with fury.
"Don't say that word." I say. "Do as I say, not as I do."
"Can I say asshole?" Hallie asks.
"No. If I ever hear the word leave your lips again, I'll wash your mouth out with hot sauce. That goes for all of you." I warn.
"What does asshole mean though, Mama?" Hallie asks. I whip around.
"Katniss, come here," Peeta pulls me out front.
"Don't you dare-"
"Wait. She just learnt the word from you. You can't punish her for saying something she learned from you." he says. "And it's considered child abuse."
"Did you actually think I was going to do it? I'm just trying to scare her. I'm not going to…god Peeta, I can't believe you think I would do that!" I hiss.
He's silent for a moment. "Well you seemed pretty serious."
"Well I wasn't." I go back in the house.
"Mama please tell me what asshole means!" Hallie begs.
"It's a very nasty, inappropriate, rude and disrespectful word for bottom. Don't say it. Ever, do you understand?"
"I understand Mama. I'm sorry for saying it. I didn't know Mama. I'm sorry." She hugs me, since I'm kneeling in front of her.
"It's okay," I kiss her cheek. "Now let's go decorate a house."