Happy 40th chapter everybody! It's been so long… Huh. Not really, actually, but it feels like it, don't you think? I started this…January 27th if I'm correct (four days before my birthday, yay) and already 40 chapters, roughly 122000 words, and 227 in! Not bad, guys, not bad. And it wouldn't have been anywhere near that long without every single one of you! So thankyouthankyouthankyou and keep up the extremely morale-boosting reviews! I'm tickled pink every time I get two of them. Hehe. So, read and enjoy!

oOo

I wasn't quite sure exactly how to act with Caroline and Ivy over. It was half an hour before four, and I realized that they were under the impression that Peeta and I was a thoroughly happy couple that was getting married soon. We were getting married soon, however…we weren't necessarily a 'happy couple'. In fact, I made it clear that we weren't really a couple at all until I got my bearings and became saner. And I wouldn't count screaming my head off at him nearly every night "happy".

Dinner tonight was going to be spaghetti and garlic bread, so the preparing shouldn't take too long. Since I wasn't much of a cook, I left Peeta to that and walked about the house, tidying things up as I went. As I walked, I wondered exactly why we're choosing to let these two perfect strangers into our plans. It didn't make much sense at the time, but they seemed nice enough. Probably one of those families hovering on the line of the Seam people, but still lived in town, not enough money to exactly be a "town family" but having more than the Seam people. Caroline seemed weary and exhausted every time we saw her, giving us a fair reason to believe she's a single mother, working extremely hard just to afford food for her and Ivy. I had no idea about any of those guesses. They were just guesses, after all.

I was mopping up the bathroom when there was a knock on the door. Storing the mop back in the closet and wiping my bleach-smelling hand on my trousers, I went to answer. But Peeta beat me to it. Giving me an encouraging smile before he did it, he turned the knob and opened our house into the summer-smelling dusk. And standing on our porch, looking nervous and hesitant, was Caroline, holding the hand of Ivy.

Immediately, the sight of the little girl made the house seem a whole lot warmer. She was wearing a white-and-pink-checkered dress (with a small stain down the front) with her flaming hair in two braids. Her face was priceless, though. Ivy's mouth was a perfect "O" shape, celery green eyes as wide as dinner plates, staring at the enormity of Peeta's house. When the door opened, she made a noise of awe and giggled, grinning up at Peeta (they seemed better friends).

"Come on in." I ushered them inside, only because Peeta was too busy grinning back at Ivy.

As Caroline walked past, holding her daughters' hand, I could feel the waves of nervousness and uncertainty pouring out of her in waves.

"I-I'm sorry." She said awkwardly, glancing around for a clock. "It took us a bit to find your house. I-I think we're a few minutes late."

Peeta dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Only by five minutes. You're alright. How are you two doing?" He invited them to sit down, and they did.

"We're…ah…we're doing good, thank you." Caroline's tension seemed eased a bit, but only just. When Ivy reached for the ceramic vase sitting on the coffee table, it spiked again. "Ivy, honey, don't touch."

"It's alright." And as if to prove his point, Peeta picked us the vase and gave her a closer look. "It was here when we got here. It hasn't been full of flowers in ages."

The two guests nodded, but had lost interest fast.

I was feeling somewhat uncomfortable standing there a little ways from the nearest couch. "Would you like something to drink?" I offered.

Ivy was about to jump up and say something, but her mother stopped her.

"Water's fine, thank you." She bit her lip and gave me a timid smile.

"You sure?" I asked, thinking hard for anything else drinkable we have in the fridge. "We have…lemonade. And orange juice, if you want."

Both of their faces went into momentary shock. I'd forgotten fruit was a real delicacy here in 12, and before the Games I've only ever had a slice of an orange. Orange juice was practically unheard of.

Caroline stuttered, cheeks reddening, but Ivy jumped up and down excitedly.

"Orange juice, orange juice!" She squealed, her toddler language turning her "r"s into "w"s.

Her mother laughed a little but, then glanced up at me, embarrassed. "L-Lemonade, then. I guess. Please."

I nodded at them and smiled at Ivy, who looked like she was about to wet her trousers in excitement. Without saying anything else, I left the three sitting there in the living room.

In the kitchen, I took out four plastic cups (glass seemed intimidating for those who don't use them regularly) and poured the drinks. I brought Ivy's and Caroline's out to them first, and then sat by Peeta with ours. We watched in amusement as Ivy slurped hers down noisily, getting it all over her chin and nose. Caroline looked about ready to die out of mortification.

It was quiet and awkward for a few minutes until the ding of the oven saved us.

Peeta stood up. "That would be the garlic bread." He offered to take our cups and all three of us handed ours to him with thanks. Then he went off to the kitchen.

"Well… Dinner's ready." I stood up stiffly, trying a small smile at the other two.

Caroline put her hand on her daughter's back. "Come on, baby, let's go get you washed up."

It looked like a good idea, seeing as how 75% of Ivy's face was covered in sticky juice.

"The bathroom is just right over there." I pointed, and couldn't help but smiling slightly at the toddler.

I was thanked and they left to clean up. I went into the kitchen to see how Peeta was getting along.

The tray of sizzling garlic bread was cooling on the counter, and the table was being set. I got out some silverware and helped Peeta divvy it up among the table settings. He glanced up.

"Ivy's face was precious when you offered her orange juice."

I couldn't help but laugh, too. "I know. I keep forgetting District 12 is still the same District 12 to everyone else. Good fortune and wealth ad freedom did not come automatically. Juice isn't exactly common here."

He shrugged, but didn't say anything.

The table was set and the food was steaming, ready to be served up. Caroline and Ivy came back from just in time, freshly washed and looking somewhat more comfortable. Upon seeing the meal, Ivy made a noise of amazement. Peeta laughed and pulled the chair out for me to sit in. What a gentleman. Caroline was about to sit, too, when she frowned over at the chair her daughter was supposed to sit in. Except Ivy's eyes just barely went over the top of the table.

Peeta laughed again. "That is why we week a dictionary or two around." He vanished out of the door and came back a moment later with an armful of giant reference books I didn't even know we had. After Peeta set them on the chair, Ivy crawled up and giggled. The perfect height.

Everyone seated themselves and the food was dished out. Upon request, Peeta poured Ivy some more orange juice, then the rest o us some. We ate in silence for a while, the only conversation was between the clatter of our dishes. At a lull in the eating, Caroline unexpectedly set down her silverware and looked up.

"Why—i-if I can ask—Why did you…" She stumbled, looking unsure of herself. "Why are we doing this? Why us?" Caroline motioned to her daughter. "We're no one, really. And you two are…well…probably the most famous people in Panem."

Unfortunately, Peeta had just taken a bite of food, so he couldn't answer. But that was probably the best, because I was the one with the right answer.

I looked down at my hands and paused for a moment. Then, taking a breath, I glanced back up with instability weighing on my chest. "I think, well…"I grimaced. Was the absolute truth about how I felt about it right? Even though it was a bit…personal. I took another breath. "Well, I may or may not be able to have children, and Ivy…well, who couldn't love her?"

Ivy, who had accidentally spilled some spaghetti down her dress, was looking mournful at her lap, lips pouted slightly.

"It…" I dropped my gaze and swallowed. "It gets lonely out here sometimes."

Peeta's jaw was slack, eyes wide and slightly sorrowful. Obviously, he didn't expect me to say what I've been trying to admit for quite some time. The hand that was holding his fork was trembling, so he set the utensil down.

Caroline's eyes were closed. "I didn't realize…" She inhaled deeply and looked up at me. "I-I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have…thought…"

I waved it off, feeling a little sad on the inside. "We're adjusting. Most of the…friends we'd usually do…um…these types of things with…" I think it was time for Peeta to take over the talking. I was getting tongue-tied. And thankfully, he did.

"They didn't make the two years. Things happened, and we lost nearly everyone we knew here before." Peeta frowned then nodded, gaze dropped back to his food.

"Oh…Oh, I'm s-sorry…" Caroline made a sympathetic tutting sound. She seemed upset. "We're from District 4. We came when District 13 made it an open option. It was just us, and we were looking for a fresh start."

I wanted so badly to ask what happened to the father, but I refrained.

There was a pause between us four, in which our plates were scraped clean. Caroline had wiped the spaghetti off of Ivy's dress with a napkin, and then used another to get the sauce off her face. When all of that was done, there wasn't much else to do. After Peeta put our plates in the sink, there was really no choice but to go back to the living room. And funnily enough, when we did, Ivy ditched her mother to go sit in between me and Peeta. She grinned and giggled at her mother, teasingly waving her legs back and forth. Caroline just shook her head at her daughter.

"When exactly is your wedding?" She asked a second later, eyebrows furrowing.

"Eh… We don't' really know." I glanced down at Ivy, who was singing quietly to herself. "We haven't figured that out yet."

"Soon." Peeta said, giving me a small smile, that only I could tell the real meaning behind it. "Really soon."

I was feeling quite accomplished right now. So far, things were going pretty good, and it didn't even really matter that we weren't necessarily "together" right now.

Caroline seemed genuinely happy. "Oh, that'd great! Do you two have a guest list or… How far into planning are you?"

Not really at all. "Um…"

"We're not the best at planning weddings." Peeta made a matter-of-face face.

Aye-aye, Captain Obvious.

"All we know is that…" I racked my brains for the stuff we had talked about with Mother the other day. "Well, the guest list is small. Only eight people so far, including you two and my family."

"But we've been considering having the initial vows open. And open ceremony." Peeta looked thoughtful.

I scowled in annoyance. I still didn't like that idea, but Caroline seemed even more excited now.

"That's an excellent idea!" She nodded encouragingly. "Because now about every single person in the entire town knows, and people want to know details. They want to be included."

Gritting my teeth, I glared sideways at Peeta. He wasn't supposed to mention that. Peeta ignored me, but Caroline caught my dislike of the plan.

"You give people hope, Katniss."She looked down at her hands and back up at us. "You may not realize it, but things are going pretty terrible back in town. Normally, the Capitol supplies everything for the shops, but since they fell, people have been adjusting with fending for themselves completely. Things have gotten ten times worse. People all around are hungry, and even those who do have the occasional coin to spare, they often come home empty-handed." A flush of embarrassment crossed her face. Then it was gone, replaced by longing/encouragement. "When the rumor crossed District 12, it's something to grasp and be excited for. Something good in the midst of everything bad. We're anxious for the great wedding."

I could practically hear the capital letters in "great" and "wedding". But that isn't what made my head bow in defeat, and my throat get stopped with a sorrowing lump. I had no idea things were that bad. I had no idea people were starving when my family had enough to eat, enough money for…pretty much everything. We're sitting here, having the times of our lives while people died out there. I felt ashamed and tiny, against the world around me, which was fighting for their lives. I think it was about then I vowed to become closer to these two people sitting around me, and to help them out with any means possible.

I cleared my throat and opened my eyes again. And it was only then I found tears blurring my vision. I wasn't sure what to say to that, but I was saved by little Ivy, who had gotten bored. She made a noise in the back of her throat and tugged on the sleeve of my blouse. Without even thinking, I put my arm around her, feeling the tiny, warm body bouncing next to me with boredom.

Peeta let in a breath. "I…" He paused, and then stood up. "I'll be right back." And he made his way to the bathroom, and I could just barely see his hands shaking again.

Ivy tugged at my sleeve again.

"Hm?" I glanced down at her, feeling quite a bit warmer and more maternal.

"Where are your princess dresses?" She asked, glancing around for emphasis. Then she gasped a tiny, 4-year-old gasp. "Do you have a closet?"

I just adored how she couldn't say her "r"s right. "They're in the basement, actually." I blinked once, in thought. I hadn't gone down there in…a year? It had been ages, I had almost forgotten about the dresses that were probably collecting dust.

Ivy just wiggled some more, tucking her legs under her and bouncing on them, grinning up at me. "Dress up, dress up!"

"Ivy, dear," her mother scolded, looking hesitant. Her eyes flickered to me with uncertainty, whether she should discourage Ivy or not.

I wasn't even sure what made me agree, but instead of refusing, I nodded. "It's alright." I looked down at Ivy, who looked like she'd just won the lottery. "You want to…go see them?"

She just couldn't take it anymore. Letting out a high-pitched squeal of laughter, Ivy wiggled out of my arms and hopped down from the couch, then jumped around in front of me, laughing. There wasn't anything for me to do except laugh, too. She had the same effect on me that Prim did. No matter what, she could worm a smile or laugh from me.

I put my hands on my knees and stood up, seeing Caroline do the same. "Well, the basement is over h—" I paused, looking down at Ivy who seemed to want to say something.

Puckering those cherry lips of hers, she stretched out her arms up to me, hopping slightly in place. Furrowing my brows slightly, I glanced at Caroline. She just looked amused and a little tired, nodding her head a bit.

Carefully, unsure of what to do, I slid my arms under Ivy's and lifted her. She was heavier than I'd expected, maybe about the weight of a large dog. I let out an "oof" of surprise, frowning as I hefted her higher. She giggled and rolled with laughter, clutching my neck with her chubby toddler arms. My heart did a small somersault and I let in a sharp breath. What was this? Is this what it felt like to…have a kid? I could feel her breath on my neck, her hair tickling my shoulder as she laughed. She fit so perfectly into both my hands and her arms in a stronghold around my throat.

I realized I'd been standing there for a full minute, before snapping out of the reverie. I cleared my throat. "To the basement, then."

Caroline appeared at my side and a genuine smile stretched across her lips.

Carrying the small child in my arms, I cautiously walked across the living room and down the hall to the dusty basement door. When I slowly began stepping down—careful not to drop Ivy—I was aware of exactly how much she was wiggling. "Don't squirm like that, I'll drop you." I laughed slightly, and felt easier when she did as she was told, giggling all the while.

With each step I took, the harder the familiarity pounded on my chest. Our feet made prints in the dust that had gathered, and the rail was grayed with the stuff as well. When I finally got down to the floor, I flicked on the light switch and sucked in a breath. It had been forever ago… But it was just as I'd remembered. The three wooden chairs in the corner, the shapeless mat on the floor near the never-used basement bathroom. The giant closets' doors were closed, knobs also gray with dust.

I gently set Ivy down on the floor and gazed around, caught by the familiarity for a moment or two. Ivy danced around the floor, giggling and running her palms on the walls, where they left marks. Behind me, Caroline came in after us and sighed almost inaudibly. That made me snap out of it.

"I—I'm sorry. It's disgusting in here." I laughed weakly and swept off a large portion of dust off the wall. "It's awfully dusty."

Caroline shook her head, and I knew by the height of her raised eyebrows that she didn't really care.

I watched as Ivy glanced around a bit, then strode up to the closet doors and reached for the knobs. Caroline was about to stop her, but I shook my head.

"It's fine."

Ivy tugged open the door with a tiny grunt and then her mouth fell open as she gazed at the twenty-one dresses hanging up, wrapped in plastic and dust. She made a loud noise of excitement then began pulling at them, wiping off the dust to see the color through the plastic. I walked over to her to help. With a hand, I swept the majority of dirt off each dress, and then watched in amusement as Ivy partially pulled out one, gasped, then pulled out another. And another. And yet another.

Caroline walked up beside me and hugged her arms to her. "Thank you, Katniss, for doing this. She'll remember this for the rest of her life."

I shook my head, enjoying this as much as she was. "It's really, really nothing at all. I haven't gone down here in ages, and it isn't hurting anything. She really… She really warms me up." I laughed a little. "Eases the tension inside, I guess."

Caroline nodded. "She's really a gift."

Ivy, who had been studying one of my interview dresses, glanced up at me. "This one, this one!"

I frowned at her slightly, and then reached up to pull the dress from the rod. As requested (or so I'd thought) I held it out for Ivy to see the whole of it. It was the one with shards of something scattered all over it, and every time it moved, the spots glittered gold and yellow and red. Licks of flame shot up the dress and back down. Not only did Ivy gasp, but so did Caroline. She swallowed loudly and gaped at it, despite herself.

"Th—th…" She seemed at a loss for words, gaping. With a thin hand, she cupped her forehead and let out a weak laugh. "I-I can't believe I'm doing this right now…"

I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. I knew what she meant. Taking a breath, I smoothed a hand over the plastic and readied to put it back. Ivy stopped me, looking confused.

"Try it on?" she asked in a thoroughly puzzled voice, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Y-You want me to try it on?" Now it was my turn to be confused. Not about what she wanted me to do, but it took a few seconds to grasp it. "I-I don't…know…"

"Ivy, honey, it's all right." Caroline smoothed back her daughter's braids. "Katniss doesn't have to."

"B-But…" Ivy seemed ready to burst out into tears, but she didn't to my surprise. Instead, she paused just ran a longing hand along the plastic, sniffing her nose. "Pretty dress…"

I felt my heart melt at the sight of the little girl and I nearly threw my arms around her and succumbed to her pouty face. I swallowed and shook my head, putting my hand on her own. "It's…it's okay, Ivy. I-I can try it on you want me to."

"You don't have to—" Caroline began, but was interrupted by her daughter.

Ivy jumped up and down, happy once again. "Yes, yes!"

I must be mad. I must be completely off my rocker. I had sworn I'd never touch these again, let alone wear any of them. But here I was. I'd already touched it, held it out. And now I've promised this beaming four-year-old, a perfect stranger, that I'd try the 'pretty dress' on. I must be mad, but…it was worth the world, just to see that little girl grinning up at me, telling me I was a princess. I was becoming so soft… I guess that's what children do to you. Make you see outside yourself. Well, in any case, I took a breath and gently slid the jeweled dress from the plastic case. Though some of the bigger chunks of scarlet crystals seemed to have fallen off, it was still intact. I'd only worn this dress once, two years ago. I didn't even know if it would still fit…

Ivy watched as I ran a hand down the rough fabric. "Pretty dress…" she repeated. And to my surprise, she put her little hands on my stomach and pushed me towards the bathroom. "Try it on now, you go try it on."

The emotions of this moment made me burst out into brief laughter, and I fought the urge to sweep the little girl into my arms as I let her shove me into the bathroom. Feeling lighter than I had in a while, I closed the door after me. What the heck was I doing…

Quickly, before I could regret anything, I tugged off my trousers and shirt. Seeing as how the dress had extremely thin straps, I had to take off my undershirt, too. Feeling bare and not nearly as nervous as I was the day of the interview, I didn't even pause to look at myself in the dusty mirror. I just figured out where the top of the dress was, and wiggled into it. To my complete surprise, it fit just about as well as it did the day of the interview two years ago, as well. I was forced to remember the way the material felt, and the strap hung on my shoulders. Trembling slightly, I turned around to face the mirror. The Girl on Fire stared back. It was a major de-já-vu, hitting me square in the chest. The only thing that made me okay with this was that I was still Katniss. No makeup, my hair was looking awful, my numerous scars flaunted to the world. Shaking that away, I tentatively opened the door and peeked my head out.

Over in the corner of the room, Caroline was sitting in one of the chairs, attempting to give a squirming Ivy a spit-bath on her face, delicate eyebrows furrowed a bit. The chairs' back was partially towards me, so the only face I saw was Ivy's. And apparently she saw mine, too. Because the second our eyes met, her face split into the most awed, admiring, precious look. Her eyes were once again dinner plates and her mouth hung even wider open than the last time. And, without warning, she broke free of her mother's clutches and barreled towards me at the speed of an angry rhino. Except cuter, and smaller. And less angry.

I had no choice but to swing her up into my arms when she hit. The piercing shrieks of her laughter filled my ears as she clutched my neck, and this time, I doubted there was anything I could do to keep her still. She bounced up and down, laughing and giggling, and swerving back and forth with pleasure. It was odd behavior to me, but I had to tell myself it was normal for children to behave like this. I didn't care anyways, only because her joy brought me some as well, and I couldn't help but laugh, too.

Caroline, standing up as well and glancing in my direction, had about the same reaction as her daughter, except no barreling and jumping into my arms. She gaped at me, throat working to swallow.

I hoped she didn't want me to pay attention to her, because I was busy laughing with Ivy. She'd wrapped her chubby legs around my waist and was completely overjoyed. I had gotten used to her weight by then, having her comfortably on my hip, arms supporting the rest of her. I think Caroline was right. She'd remember this forever. But she wasn't the only one who had made a memory today. I doubted that, no matter how old I grew, I'd ever forget the feeling of holding this kid in my arms, laughing harder than I had in forever, wearing the dress I'd sworn never to wear again.

It was at that moment Peeta decided to find us.

He appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and his expression changed from curious to completely in shock. His eyes raked over the dress, then the child I was squeezing in my arms, absorbing the laughter coming uncontrollably from both the "child" and me. When my brain finally registered he was there, my laughter died, and I stared back at him, smiling and still laughing. My laughter turned into tears and I was crying and laughing and smiling at him all at the same time. Tears ran down my face and I reached up a hand to wipe it away, giving Ivy a chance to slide out of my arms and down onto the floor.

Of course, she hadn't stopped laughing, and she skipped over to Peeta. He hadn't unexpected it, but recovered when Ivy leapt into his arms as well.

She bounced some more, unable to stay still. "She's a princess, a princess! Princess, princess, princess…" Ivy let out a shrill laugh and hopped down, but she kept hold of Peeta's hand.

He was still in shock, but didn't resist when Ivy began pulling him closer to me. She skipped and hopped and did everything she could to get him to go faster across the basement to me. I swiped my hands across both cheeks, trying to stop the flow of tears. They wouldn't stop, though, so I gave up trying to rid my face of them. Peeta made it across the room to me, but his eyes were still latched on my face. I didn't know what to do, so I just rubbed my arm with the other, sniffing and trying to hold his gaze but kept looking at the floor.

A finger reached up to wipe away yet another drop of saltwater. "Are you okay?" Peeta's gentle voice made me turn my head back up at him.

"I-I'm fine." I insisted, scrubbing again at my eyes. "I'm fine. I was just…" I took a breath, shaking my head, glancing back down. Ivy was there again, stretching up her arms. Without even thinking, I reached down and picked her back up again.

Ivy had stopped laughing by then, and now was just beaming at the two of she'd finally gotten together. She giggled a little bit. "There."

Taking yet another breath, I set her back down and took a step back. "I'd better change back."

And without even waiting for the nods or anything else, I turned around and closed myself again in the bathroom, letting a wave of fresh tears sweep down my face. What had just happened? Why do I feel like this, this… I didn't know. My heart was feeling heavy, yet lighter than it had felt…maybe ever in my life. Ivy had given me hope, and I'll never forget the feeling of having her in my arms laughing my lungs out. The past half-hour just may have been one of the best I've ever had, for a reason I could put my finger on. I'd gotten my first taste of what it felt like to be released from the Game, not caring about the memories attached to a silly dress. I'd felt…I'd felt kind of like Ivy may have been my own child. Like I said, she had given me hope, hope that I'd previously thought would never come. Just by her laughter and smiles.

I didn't know what had just happened, but I knew I'd never forget it. Ivy and her tired-looking mother, growing closer in just two hours than anyone else would have in three weeks. But…but something about her mother seemed oddly familiar. I couldn't place it, but I'd thought I had seen her somewhere else… Maybe District 13. She'd said she was there before moving here.

Still befuddled by the unresolved recollection, I slid off the dress and hanged back into my normal clothes. I went back into the basement and put the plastic cover back on, and then hung it up. Ivy had settled in Peeta's arms, and Peeta was sitting in one of the chairs across from Caroline. She seemed like she was crying, too, but her face was happy. Crossing the room, I sat gingerly in the third chair.

Caroline, who I had only just then remembered she was in the room, glanced at me. She took a breath, looked at her daughter, then at me. "Thank you, Katniss. Thank you so much."

I smiled down at my hands. "Honestly?" I looked back up. "It really, honestly… The pleasure really is mine. Really." Really.

She nodded, tucking a stray lock of graying auburn hair behind her ear.

Things were silent, but the closer I looked at the lady, the more she seemed familiar. And at the end of five minutes of silence, I just had to ask.

"Y-You said you were in District 13 before you came here," I began.

Caroline nodded. "Yes."

"What did you… Did I ever…see you before? Did you do anything? Like, as a job or something?" Maybe she was a cook, one of the people who I saw every day who gave me my portions for every meal.

She looked thoughtful then smiled slightly. "Yes, actually. I ran a booth. And actually…" She laughed once, as if she could hardly believe it. "Actually I met you once, before. Just the once."

I strained my memory, trying to think of where, or who I'd ever met. "Um… I don't…"

"The baby clothes." She tried to help boost my memory, looking anxious for me to recall meeting her. "You met my…my son once."

She had a son?

"Wait, wait…" I stuttered, feeling the memory slowly coming back. And along with the memory, I felt a pressing sense of sadness. Who, who… It was on the tip of my tongue, if I could just—

My eye snapped open as it came back, nearly making me throw up. No.

Caroline looked mournful, too, but she licked her lips, looking anxiously at me again. "Do you remember?"

I tried to work my throat, but my entire body had gone numb.

"Aden?"

A tiny sob came out of my throat and I covered my mouth with my hand. Closing my eyes, I felt Peeta's hand light on my shoulder. And, burned into the backs of my eyelids, was the memory of the brown-haired boy, Aden. Yes, I remembered.

oOo

Do you guys remember the brown-haired boy? Do you? In Low and Behold, we met Caroline once already in Chapters 55 and 56. I thought it'd make a nice twist. I'll explain it all in the next chapter, questions aren't too necessary. Review, please!

Ugh I'm so annoyed. I put away my laptop for the night last night because I was finished typing the chapter, and I told myself I'd look at it in the morning and edit…something. But I just can't remember what I was going to change! So if you guys find anything fishy or not-cool about this chapter, let me know because Greg is at it again, if you know what I mean.

Special thanks to Mancpotter for being my partner in crim—I mean, writing.

But I need to ask you guys a favor. If you ever feel lonely or depressed or you haven't laughed in like three weeks, go to youtube and look up "Brittany Spears-I Wanna Go 'Hunger Games' (music video parody)". I haven't laughed that hard in maybe four months? It is exactly what made lie worth living. It's PG and probably the best thing I've ever watched and WILL ever watch. I have to go die now. XD