To my surprise Haymitch woke us.
"Jesus, maybe I should throw cold water on you!"
Confused, I slowly began to regain my bearings. There we were curled up naked on the sofa. Peeta blushed. I was pissed.
"Maybe you should knock every once and a while you damn hobo!"
Then came the realization that I was naked, I quickly grabbed a blanket off the sofa wrapped it around me and ran up the stairs abandoning Peeta to the silver tongue of Haymitch.
Once again clothed I trotted down the stairs. What did it matter really my prep team has seen me naked a million times. Peeta had found pants that were strewn upon the floor by the doorway and was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. I slipped behind him and wrapped my arms around him. Not good with words I express my love for him through touch placing gentle kisses along his bare back. He turns to greet me whispering I love yous in my ear. I giggle and tossle his golden curls around. His blue eyes laughing. Not at all the boy who could kill. The boy resigned to death before we had even entered the arena, or the boy who was hijacked. He was Peeta the dandelion in the spring. My hope. The kitchen smelled divine of blueberry muffins and coffee. I grabbed one and took a bite. Buttercup hopped upon the counter pleading Peeta for scraps, he snuck in a quick hiss at me before continuing his quest for a muffin. I rolled my eyes and went to face another creature maybe more annoying than that cat. Haymitch.
I walk into the dining room Haymitch with his boots upon the table.
"You're awfully smug this morning… and sober. Excited to see Effie? You know the ladies love it when you don't puke on them."
He throws his head back and laughs sarcastically.
"Sweetheart what I just saw this morning makes it waaaay too easy for me to get in a war of words with you. Besides I think I'm going to have to drink to get rid of the memory of what I saw, seeing another man's balls is never pleasing."
"Ha!"
I plopped down and finished my muffin.
"Bet you're hungry after all that exercise huh?" Haymitch quipped
"What exercise?" A familiar voice rang out laden with a Capitol accent.
"Oh hi Effie, I just walked in on our star crossed lovers recovering from enjoying each other…"
Effie's face looked horrified and without all the make-up I'm sure would have been white. The ever proper Effie horrified by such visceral things. Part of me wanted to keep poking at her scruples but out of respect I chose not to.
Effie no longer looked vacant, at least not as much. Perhaps she's been seeing a doctor in the Capitol. Today she's wearing a powder blue wig fashioned into a pompadour, her face heavily powdered as per the usual, a white button up tuxedo shirt with a mockingjay pin and matching powder blue pencil skirt, stiletto heels, and lipstick.
"Schedules are all here. Katniss and Peeta will have an interview together, then Haymitch. We will the tour twelve. All in all cameras will be here for about two hours. Then we are off to the Capitol. Which is our day, very simple easy, so there are no excuses for those who are not prompt! I'm eyeing you Haymitch!"
Haymitch smiles looks at me and mock whispering so anyone can hear:
"Talk about someone who needs to be fucked!"
Effie stomps out. We finish breakfast and Haymitch leaves to apologize to Effie and take a shower. I sit on the sofa and wait for my prep team to show while Peeta works in the kitchen. I think about how he was right. The war, accomplished nothing. Death, Finnick, Boggs, those children. Prim looking at me before she was murdered by Gales trap. As though knowing I needed someone to stop me from thinking my prep team shows.
"Katniss!... Katniss…" Octavia rings out
"You made sure we were going to have to work today. Your hair! Your eyebrows! No time to chit-chat… Let's make you look pretty." Flavius says and shoos me into the next room which will be the makeshift green room for the day. I strip and they shower me. Venia begins her work waxing and buffing. Octavia beings to trim my nails and tisks-tisks at all the dirt.
"Effie is so mad that she's still an escort." Flavius tells me as he brushes my hair "Split ends!" he exclaims
He goes on and continues to tell me about how Effie thought she would get a better job after the war since she did such great work as our escort. Instead she remained an escort because she suffered mental health issues post war. He goes on about how she takes pills now, that they all do after what they went through and the pills really help. I quite enjoyed hearing their cheerful voices. They mussed over my makeup.
"Beautiful" Octavia says "Cinna left so much clothes for you, Flavius and I thought you should wear this for your interview."
Hanging against the closet door is a lovely green tunic, the sleeves run into a racerback, and a black bandeau covers the area the shirt exposes with it's low cut sleeves, to go with it is a beautiful pair of cotton high waist wide legged pants they are black and simple with deep pockets and a gold belt around the waist. For shoes the picked a pair of green mary-janes.
"We thought you should wear something simple, something green that spoke of spring! To look cheerful, and to look like Katniss who herself is simply elegant. Cinna would have loved seeing you in it." Octavia choked up on the last part.
My make up was simple, mascara, cat eyed liner on my eyelids and mauve lipstick. Flavius braided my hair into the crown my mother created for me the day of the reaping. I was pleased. I looked like Katniss, a more glamorous version but I looked like me. I smiled and hugged them each individually. Effie bursts through the door.
"Big, big day she rings! The monster is hungry!"
I step out and Flavius quickly steps in front of me.
"Your pin".
He pins my Mockingjay pin on my right shoulder strap. Peeta stops when he sees me. He stares lovingly.
"You are so… lovely…"
I stop him
"I swear to God I'll shoot you in the eye if you get mushy."
Although Peeta and I are close and love each other these grandiose verbal displays make me uncomfortable. Effie stands me in front of the mirror. I notice they left my scars only slightly powdered...exposed. To expose me for who I am. This made me feel strong. Like Peeta said we are victors. The scars are momentos.
"Perfect." I say
The interview with Caesar is as expected his banter with Peeta is always comical. I answered a few superficial questions. Buttercup made an appearance. We toured twelve pointed discussing plans for the future Peeta reopening the bakery. Then it was over, we had a few hours before it was time to board the train to the Capitol.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Effie sang "Now time to retrieve Haymitch!"
If anyone can handle Haymitch it's Effie. Years have enabled her to effectively wake him, and shame him into at least moderately minding his manners. I took off my shoes although very lovely heels are not exactly my forte. Peeta walks behind me and wraps his arms around me his facial scruff tickling the back of my neck.
"We should pack huh?"
"Yes" I reply.
"That means I have to go home. I'll see you in a little bit?"
I nodded. He kisses the crook of my neck squeezes my hand and leaves. I head upstairs to pack some necessities. On the positive I'll get to see Johanna soon. My unlikely friend, I've learned through correspondence that she's been allowed to return to seven, she still struggles with the rain but is otherwise well. I hope Beetee is in good shape as well. I wandered across the village to Peeta's. When I opened the door and walked through the threshold what I saw was startling.
Chairs and vases were thrown askew, a hole was pounded into the wall and there was Peeta knuckles bleeding sitting on the floor hugging his knees, eyes wide with terror. I rushed to him. At first I just sat in front of him looking him in the eyes. Then I reached my hand out and stroked his curls.
"Not real Peeta."
"Not real, Not real." He whispered.
Then I said it. I haven't said it before just confirmed it.
"You're Peeta Mellark, you live in district twelve, we survived the Hunger Games, and war together, you double knot your shoes, you don't take sugar in your tea… and I love you."
When I said I love you his eyes flickered a bit, as though processing what I said. I extended my arms to him and he leaned into them. I held him tight until his body relaxed.
"Now, let's clean you up."
We went to my house into the dining room where there were still remedies left from my mothers time healing men on the table. I cleaned his knuckles applied ointment and wrapped his hands in bandages.
"Thank you" He said
"No problem" and I kissed his forehead. "You stay here and relax. I'll finish packing for you."
"I love you Katniss" He said almost child like.
"You know how I feel." I replied.
I went to his house into his room and opened his chest of drawers. I packed him underwear, shirts pants. We don't need much our prep teams will dress us. Then I saw it. On an easel near the window. A painting of Prim sleeping in a field of green underneath a willow tree. He had painted the Valley Song. I dropped to my knees in awe. It was beautiful, like Peeta. His soul, beautiful. And I love him. I closed up his bag and walked back home. Effie in a huff over Haymitch who was sitting on his steps laughing. I heard Effie shouting at him.
"I don't know what makes you think you can just touch me or kiss me however and whenever you want! What happened was just one time and maybe if you had some sort of coothe within your bones you'd have another shot!"
When she saw me standing there her mouth was agape. I apparently was not supposed to hear that exchange.
"Well, we had better eat! Busy days ahead!" and she huffed up the stairs and slammed the door.
Inside Peeta had recovered and was feeding Buttercup leftover muffins. The creature gave me an indignant look. Peeta smiled at me.
"Excited for the train ride?"
I rolled my eyes at him.
"Don't encourage that beast. Apparently Effie and Haymitch had a little something going on."
"Oooh?" He said inquisitively. "Do tell."
I told him about what I had seen and we laughed until Effie arrived for lunch. I must make a page for Effie in our book. "The woman who succombed to Haymitch Abernathy." I must have said this last part out loud because all I heard next was the clickety clack of heels upon the floor and the slam of a door.