This is another of my favorite chapters. Took an extra day to make sure it went with the book, so it could be perfect. Johanna is in it!
My mother does my hair in a loose braided up-do. It's the same one from the Reaping two years ago. I remember Cinna's compliments on how beautiful and classic it was. I, myself, don't really see myself as pretty, but he did make me feel beautiful.
"Oh Katniss, you look lovely," says Prim. I get up from the bed where my mother sits and did my hair. I look into the small mirror in the bathroom. It's really nice. The beauty of it almost blocks the memories.
"Thank you, Mother." I say.
"You do look lovely." She says, and then calls Prim over. She braids Prim's bangs and the braid is brought around her head. She looks so pretty. I have to say, that I'm sure Prim inherited all of that from my mother. My mother was supposed to be really beautiful when she was young. She still is, but she looks more matured. Prim walks into the bathroom to look in the mirror. She lightly flutters her fingers over the braid.
"Now, don't mess it up." My mother says. Prim giggles with delight. She's totally excited about the wedding. I am too, but Prim is the one almost jumping up and down.
We all head of the room. We're still wearing gray clothes, but they're the plain gray dresses that some women wear. My sister walks up beside me.
"Do you know where it is, Katniss?" she asks.
"Yeah, I was there before." I say, but I really don't quite remember where it is. When I was looking for Plutarch, I just kind of peeked into random rooms from the main hallway. After just a few minutes of searching, we do find it. The used-to-be empty room is fully decorated. My sister and I stand in place and look around the room. For things being so restricted here, Plutarch and Fulvia did a really nice job.
My mother pushes us along. We walk down an aisle and find some seats. I take the whole room in a glance. The decorations are made from autumn foliage. The music is provided by a choir of children and a single fiddler who made it out of 12 with his instrument. The most stunning are Annie and Finnick. Annie wears the dress we brought from 12, and Finnick wears a suit of Peeta's, but slightly altered.
The wedding begins. Dalton, the cattle guy from 10, conducts the ceremony, since it's similar to the one used in his district. There are going to be unique touches of District 4. A net woven from long grass that covers the couple during their vows, the touching of each other's lips with salt water, and the ancient wedding song, which describes marriage like a sea voyage.
Dalton begins speaking and then it's time for their vows. I see my mother and Prim tear up. I'm almost tearing too. Finnick and Annie are covered in the net and pronounce their vows. After it's sealed off with a kiss, everyone stands and applauses. The cheering ends and there's a toast with apple cider, which I can drink.
The reception part was great. The fiddler plays up a tune that turns every head from District 12. Guests are already starting to dance. Prim grabs my wrist and she leads me to the floor.
Back in Twelve, dancing was our thing. I mean, we didn't do it all of the time, but I think it's okay to say we were pretty good at it. It came naturally. Prim is smiling, twirling around while I hold her hand above our heads. I look to see Greasy Sae pull Gale by the hand to the center of the floor and she begins to face him off. Even more people, like from 13, begin to join in.
My mother comes up to join Prim and me. She's a little unsure at first, but my sister holds her hand and leads her into a natural movement. She sways her arms with Prim. It was nice to see her enjoying herself. I haven't seen her dance since before my father died.
I have to stop dancing, because I tire so quickly, now. I watch the dancers join hands and they begin to do some fancy foot work. I may not be able to dance, but I clap my hands along to the music. Haymitch sits in a chair beside me. He holds up a cup of apple cider and gives a fake disappointed look. I just roll my eyes at him and look toward the dancing again to hide my laugh.
After the finish of a song, they bring out the wedding cake. The crowd of people move out of the way and make a path. A man rolls out a multiple layer cake on a cart. The cake itself is beautiful. Each layer has blue waves that circle around it. Little boats, fish, starfish, and sea flowers are scatter all over the cake. Finnick and Annie are absolutely surprised how wonderful the cake looks. They almost don't want to cut it. Of course the cake is beautiful. Anything Peeta makes is beautiful.
I look to Haymitch for confirmation. Peeta was given the job to decorate Finnick and Annie's wedding cake. It was sort of like therapy. Haymitch tells me that he has been working on it for days. He seemed really normal when he worked on it. Haymitch was allowed to see him the day after they started him on some kind of new treatment. When he first talked to Peeta, he said Peeta was pretty angry at him, but you know, for not telling him about the rebel plot and stuff. Haymitch tells me he's forgotten some things, but he isn't emotionless and zombie-like anymore. Well that's good, I think.
Finnick cuts a thin slice from the cake. He feeds a bite to Annie. Annie then shoves a piece in his face, and Finnick is laughing through the frosting. He smooshes some in her face too, and Annie just laughs. It's absolutely wonderful to see these two people together have a day that was thought a virtual impossibility.
I share some cake with Prim. It's really good. I could eat two slices by myself, but being pregnant, I get really tired and just wanted to sleep. I tell my mother and Prim, and they understand. My mother offers to come with me, but I tell her I'm fine and that she should enjoy the last moments of the wedding.
So I was going to the boarding cell, but then I find myself walking to the hospital ward. I continue walking till I past Johanna's room. I wish she could have gone. I should have brought her some cake. Oh well, she's probably asleep.
I walk to Peeta's room. I get this urge to want to open the door and see him. I put my hand on the door knob. I'm about to turn it, then I think what am I doing? I step away from the door. The doctor told me not see him alone and I don't have the courage to go in there. I leave, feeling regret, and go to the boarding cell. I'll see him one of these days. Not today, because I'm tired. Yeah, that's why.
Who knew that the next day I would?
I have breakfast with Prim and my mother. I go to some pointless class, and then I go to training with Gale. It's almost the same as last time, but Gale makes me run beside him. He just doesn't want me to beat him. After training I go to another class. Right before dinner I go to Dr. Odessa's office. I'm supposed to have another ultrasound. I can tell I'm getting a little bigger. I'm still hiding it though. Most of the people I know already know I'm with child. They're keeping it a secret still, I guess. I'm 4 months and the jacket Dr. Odessa gave me is sort of hiding it. My secret is still somewhat safe. And Peeta still doesn't know.
"Good evening, how are you guys feeling today?" Dr. Odessa asks. I'm inferring we she says "you guys" that she means me and the baby.
"I'm okay." I say.
"Good to hear." She says. I sit on a low table and she begins to start the process of pushing goo with a device on my stomach. It's cold. I start to hear sounds. Wump wump wump. There's the heartbeat.
"Your baby is a little small for your term, but other than that it seems perfectly healthy." She says cheerfully. "Do you want to know the gender?"
I think about it. Do I? Maybe I should keep a mystery till then. "No," I say.
"Are you sure?" she asks.
"Yes, I'm sure." For some reason I feel like I shouldn't know. It would be harder to go on that mission. If I'm going.
Dr. Odessa wipes the goo off and I head out to dining hall. I grab a tray of my specially portioned stew and bread and sit next to Finnick, Annie, and Johanna. Oh look, she's out. When I sit down, Finnick greets me with a smile and so does Annie. Johanna doesn't do anything.
"Was the wedding the way you wanted it?" I ask Finnick.
"Yeah, it was great. It was really close to being in District Four." He says.
"It was lovely." says Annie.
"Yes it was." Finnick says looking dreamily at Annie. They just look at each other dreamily, and then Johanna coughs and tries to break the awkwardness, kind of.
"So this grub here, it's supposed to be portioned?" she asks me. She picks up some of the stew with her spoon, then she turns it upside down and watches it plop into the bowl.
"Yeah, it's specialized." I say trying to keep this empty conversation going. I feel my stomach growling. I haven't realized how hungry I am. I begin to dip a piece of bread into the stew.
"Yours is specialized for the two of you, huh?" she says casually.
I stop and look at her surprised. She definitely caught me off guard. Finnick and Annie are back from dreamy land, and had just listened to what she said.
"You know too?" I ask.
"Yup," She says pronouncing the "p" with a pop. "I kind of suspected it; that you were knocked-up, before they told me. You're getting a little huge."
"Who told you?" I ask.
"I did." Says Finnick says in a low tone.
"You told her? What was it? Just so happen to be talking about unexpected pregnant girls, then I came up?" I'm starting to sound a little angry. I'm not talking clearly, either.
"Katniss, you can't keep it a secret forever." Says Johanna. Finnick gives her a look for her forwardness. She catches it, "What?" He just dismisses her.
"I just thought she should know." Says Finnick. "I didn't mean to do it behind you back or anything." He says.
I see Annie is mentally somewhere else. Even if she is, she probably knows too. That doesn't actually make me mad. She is Finnick's wife, but for some reason I wanted less people to know. It would be less people to look down on me- thinking I'm always in need of special care. I don't want to be the one sitting safely in a corner so I won't get hurt. Now that Johanna knows, there will probably one more person to stop me, mentally, from doing what I think is right. Or she'll just pity me like the rest of them do.
"Sure, I get it." I say still offended. I still don't have to be happy. There's a moment of silence.
Annie comes back. "Katniss, how are you feeling?" she asks.
"I'm good." I say casually.
"The wedding cake, they say Peeta decorated it. It was absolutely beautiful. He has real talent. No wonder he paints. He's really good." Annie chimes.
"Yes, he's a good artist. He catches every detail." I say, trying to force a smile.
"Too bad, he's not catching too many details now."
I look behind me to see who spoke. Haymitch. "Speaking of the devil, he wants to see you. Finish up. We're going to the hospital ward."
Cliffhanger. Sort of. There's a chapter I'm working on that has a HUGE cliffhanger. You'll be hanging over the Grand Canyon! that's how big it is. Well, that's much later. Thanks for reading. Reviews would be awesome.