A/N:
Life getting busier, guys. Daily updates might not be the norm anymore. But I appreciate your interest and love to hear your feedback :)

Chapter 16:

After Cinna leaves, I knock on Peeta's door, but with no answer. Sneaking a peek into his bedroom, identical in size, furniture mirrored, and 'boy' colors- blue and black, I smile at the strangeness of it all. Peeta is passed out on the bed, sprawled out over the whole thing, sleeping peacefully. Drat, I think- he has beaten me to it. Not wanting to nap alone, I think I can sneak in the bed next to him without waking him up. But by the way that he is positioned, this ends up being impossible, as I find out entirely too late. I overestimate how much space there is- there isn't even enough room for me to lay down- and I feel myself starting to roll off of the bed. To compensate, I roll towards him instead, but with a little too much force, and I find myself lying flush on top of him.

Peeta grins before he even opens his eyes. And before I have time to react, he reaches his hand up to the back of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss.

This kiss has a feel unlike any other. Again, it is natural, not for show, so that in and of itself is enough to distinguish it from so many others before it. But unlike the kiss we shared on the roof a month ago, it isn't delicate and hesitant- it is stronger, more confident, more passionate. The stirrings inside my chest in the arena pale in comparison to what I am feeling now. But it is a double-edged sword, because with the spike in pleasure comes the associated pain and guilt that I could be feeling any pleasure at all. We are on the brink of an event so destructive that both of our siblings, plus numerous others, could be brutally murdered on TV. Just the thought is enough to curb the stirrings.

I pull away and roll off of him onto my side. "I'm sorry, I can't," I whisper. I cough a couple of times. "It's just, um-" I search for a way to describe it, "-not right, right now." It's the best I can do.

Peeta rolls over and spoons me, putting his arm around my waist. "It's okay," he whispers, "I understand. But it was still a pretty great way of being woken up, so thank you." I roll over so that we are face-to-face, and I can see that grin again. I can't help it, it's infectious- I grin back.

"I didn't mean to wake you. In fact, I came in here to get some sleep myself," I say. Peeta nods, gently kisses the tip of my nose for a moment. He then closes his eyes again. I follow suit, and within minutes, I am out like a light.

Peeta wakes me late in the afternoon, saying that the ceremonies are going to start within a couple of hours, and this was as late as I was allowed to sleep according to Effie. He had gone to see her, where she told him that Prim and Paavo both did well in their initial meetings with their prep teams and were currently meeting with Cinna and Portia. Peeta and I were to report to our prep teams in the Remake Center immediately for a once-over, followed by hair and makeup.

The first thing my prep team does is chew me out for letting my hair get so frazzled and not grooming myself regularly. Flavius actually calls Cinna and informs him that I have an 'eyebrow emergency' and insists on waxing them, along with my legs, which adds a significant amount of time. My hair must be cut before it is styled, as I am plagued by 'ragged split-ends that appeared out of nowhere' in the past month. By the time I'm finished with hair and makeup, there's less than a half hour before the ceremonies start, and I am in full-fledged panic mode.

"Listen, guys, I need to go now! I have to find my sister!" I exclaim, anxious. Octavia swats my hand away as I go to chew on my nails. But they refuse to listen to reason.

Peeta knocks on the door a little while later, ready to go and looking for me, wondering what is taking so long. I am still stark naked, surrounded by my prep team, so they won't let him in.

"Please, one of you," I beg of them, "Tell Peeta to check on Prim, if you're not going to let me do it. Please!" I know how desperate I sound. "And have him check back."

Flavius cracks the door, and I can hear him speaking to Peeta. A moment later, he starts to shut it, but it before it can close all the way, it swings open again. I shriek, thinking it's Peeta, because I am no less naked than I was a minute ago. But it is only Cinna.

"Katniss, I am so sorry that things worked out like this," he apologizes smoothly. "Portia is with Paavo and Prim on the bottom level, and Peeta is headed down there now. They're fine, don't worry. They both look great. Peeta will be back up here in a couple of minutes to take you guys to your special seats. I'm going to head down to City Circle now. I'll hopefully see you down there soon- if not, though, definitely later tonight." He strides out of the room with the utmost confidence.

Cinna's appearance calms my frayed nerves. I am just about ready. My prep team slips me into a yellow dress with more flame detailing, but this time there is no smoke-and-mirrors, no actual flames. It's just a beautiful dress with beautiful beadwork and stitching. They also slip some low yellow heels on my feet; I sigh in relief that I will be able to walk at a somewhat regular pace.

A few minutes later, Peeta returns; this time, I am fully dressed and significantly less freaked out. The prep team wishes us luck and Peeta begins to escort me from the Remake Center back towards City Circle. The opening ceremonies are only minutes away, but he assures me that we'll make it on time. We can hear the screams from the Capitol audience as we quickly walk towards the crowd.

"You do know where we're going, right?" I ask nervously.

"It's kind of hard to miss, Katniss," he replies. "You'll see."

"And…you wished my sister luck for me?" My mouth twists painfully. "I feel awful that I couldn't do it myself." I am sick with guilt, hope that she isn't mad.

"Yes, she was fine, she understood," he reassures me. "It wasn't your fault; she knew that."

"How did she look?"

Peeta smiles. "She looked great. I think you'll like what Cinna did."

I smile back. "I have no doubt." I don't pester him for details. I'm anxious to see it for myself.

As we make our way towards the circle, Peeta guides me in a direction as to avoid the throngs of spectators nearby, working our way towards the far end. But rather than staying outside, we duck inside a building and begin ascending the steps inside of it.

"We're in here?" I ask skeptically.

"Trust me," he replies. We continue to climb the stairs, floor after floor- for some ungodly reason, there's no elevator. But when we get to the top, and step out on the veranda- we can see everything. What a wonderful view.

What a wonderful view until I turn to my left and see President Snow, clear as day, glaring back at us from his balcony. We are in the building immediately adjacent to his mansion. I let out a soft groan.

We arrive not a moment too soon; the Capitol music has already started, indicating that the Tributes have already left the Remake Center and are on their way towards us. But it isn't for another twenty minutes or so that the tributes from District 1, glittery as ever, appear on their chariot pulled once again with snow-white horses.

Knowing that I will be watching this event again later this evening, I tune out the tributes from the other districts for now, thinking only of Prim- since I haven't even seen her yet. It is an agonizing wait, but after another ten minutes I hear the shouts of "District 12!" and I look down to see our tributes on the chariot of black horses. Peeta grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

Paavo comes out looking like several of the past tributes from District 12- he is definitely a coal miner. He wears a simple pair of black pants and a matching black shirt- and his face and arms are covered with a black powder, like coal dust- except that Cinna seemed to add a bit of sparkle to it. With his substantial frame, his weight gain from training, and his dark eyes- nothing like Peeta's sparkly blue ones- Paavo looks absolutely terrifying, like Thresh from District 11 last year. However, I don't take much time to look at him because of who is sharing his chariot.

Prim is wearing a vibrant yellow long-sleeved dress, her already blond hair brightened and in beautiful ringlets. Like last year, Cinna makes an effort to play with light to capture the audience's attention- Prim's dress is comprised entirely of feathers, which glow subtly yet almost fluorescently in the approaching darkness. Her makeup is heavier than I would prefer, but her darkened and smoky eyes portray that of a doe-eyed animal. When she reaches up timidly to address the audience, her sleeves pull a substantial amount of dress and feather with it; her arms appear to transform into wings, flapping as she waves. Prim is a canary. A canary in a coal mine. The color in an otherwise gray day. Prim looks perfect; bright, vulnerable, unforgettable- the outfit is totally her. Cinna is a master.

But that isn't all. A haunting little melody, a canary birdsong, escapes from the District 12 chariot, somehow rises above the crowd noise- Cinna must have added it for effect. It is not Prim's look but the melody which makes me think of my father, and even Gale now, down in the mines. And for the second time in as many Capitol appearances, I break down and cry.