After returning home three months ago, I started to go to the woods everyday to get away from everyone. I couldn't stand their need to watch me every second of every day just to make sure I didn't fall apart. Peeta's and mine relationship had started to crumble, piece by piece. Heck, all of my relationships have started to crumble. I was trying so hard to get better, I really was. I didn't want to lose everyone I loved. I heard a crunch come from behind me, spinning around I point my bow and arrow.
"Woah, easy." I slowly lower my bow as Gale talked softly. He's the only one that seems to be fighting to help me stay sane sometimes. "I saw some turkeys on the way here. Crossed right in front of me like I wasn't even there."
"How rude of them." I stated.
"That's what happens when you spend six days a week working in the mines and stupid birds start to think they own these woods." I nodded, then stared as Kat showed up behind him.
"Kat." I said in greeting, she simply gave a nod.
"When's the tour leave?" She asked. I hand her the bow and arrows.
"Couple hours." I told her then head back home. I couldn't hunt anymore without seeing Marvel's death happen over and over again. I scratch Buttercup under the chin as I walk past the water fountain and towards Haymitch's house. I knock on his door. "Haymitch?" I open it and hear bottles clinking. "Haymitch." I walk into the dinning room and found him asleep at the table. "Haymitch, wake up. Its tour day." I shook his shoulder with no results. "Haymitch." I pick up a pitcher and look inside of it to see what it had in it. I backed up a step then moved around to the other side of the table to miss getting attack by him. I tossed the water then jolted back as soon as he jumped from his chair, swinging a knife around yelling.
"What are you doing?" He asked me angrily.
"Cameras are going to be here in an hour." He slammed the knife down on the table and stalked towards me. I grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him back down in his chair. "If you wanted to be babied, you should've asked Peeta." I told him.
"Asked me what?" I heard Peeta ask as he entered Haymitch's house.
"Asked you to wake me without giving me pneumonia." Haymitch whined. "You are a strangely dislikable person." I pulled out two bottles of liquor and placed them on the table, face blank of emotions to show that what he said didn't affect me. "But you do have your virtues." I gave him a small rare smile.
"Would you like some bread, Callie." I looked over to Peeta, my smile fading. It was hard for me to eat these days but from the look on Peeta's face had me accept it anyway. We still loved each other but with all of the walls I was putting up it was getting harder and harder for us to be happy together.
"Thank you, Peeta." I said withdrawn even as I placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Brr. You two have a lot of warming up to do before show time." I rolled my eyes and began to leave.
"Take a bath, Haymitch!" I yelled to them before slamming the door behind me. I walked over to my house and entered.
"Did you have a good walk, dear." Mom said as she and Prim walked out of the kitchen.
"Walk?" I asked, something was off. Mom knew I was out in the woods.
"We have visitors." Prim stated. I look at her then to the two Peacekeepers that stepped out in front of them. I froze for a second in fear before following them to my study. They open the doors for me and then closed them behind me. Snow was standing behind my desk, watching the ending of my Games. He turns to me and sets down his tea cup.
"Such bravery." he places his arms behind his back. "Such spirit." He turns the video towards me. "Such contempt."
"President Snow." I greeted. "What an honor." I lied as I walked towards him.
"My dear, I think we can make this so much simpler if we agree not to lie to each other. What do you think?" I nodded.
"Yes, I think that would save time." I agreed.
"Sit down, please." I did as told. He turned the video off after he sat down. "I have a problem, Miss Everdeen. A problem that began the moment you revealed those poison berries in the arena." I stay silent, watching him. "If that Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, had had any brains at all, he would have blown you to bits then and there. But here you are. I expect you can guess where he is."
"Yes." Was the only thing I said.
"After that fiasco, there was nothing left to do but to let you play out your little scenario. And you were very good." I frown at him for a moment. "That whole love-crazed, besotted schoolgirl routine. Impressive. Truly." I had to keep my eyes from widening in shock. He didn't believe I truly loved Peeta, even though the berries was an act of defiance, I did love Peeta. "You convinced the people in the Capitol. Unfortunately, not everyone in the Districts fell for it. I mean, you can't know this, but in several of them, people viewed you little trick with the berries as an act of defiance. Not as an act of love. And if a girl from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to prevent them from doing the same? What is to prevent, say, an uprising?" I snapped my eyes at him at the word. An uprising, that's what we needed. "That can lead to revolution. And then, in a fraction of time, the whole system collapses."
"It's a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries." I mocked him.
"Yes, it is, indeed." He nodded. "But not in the way you imagine it."
"How should I imagine it?" I asked him.
"You should imagine thousands upon thousands of your people dead." I continued to look him straight in the eyes, face blank. "This town of yours reduced to ashes. Imagine it gone. Made radioactive. Buried under dirt as if it had never existed, like District Thirteen. You fought very hard in the Games, Miss Everdeen. But they were games. Would you like to be in a real war?"
"No." I lied knowing it was what he wanted to hear but in my head all I could hear was, 'Yes.'
"Good. Neither would I." I narrowed my eyes slightly as he took one of the biscuits that I made. "Did your mother make these?"
"No, I did." He gave me his snake grin. "Why don't you just kill me now?" He lent back, grin still on his face.
"I don't want to kill you. I want us to be friends. But if not friends, then allies." I kept quiet, "When you and Peeta are on tour, you need to smile. You need to be grateful. But, above all, you need to be madly, prepared-to-end-it-all in love. You think you can manage that?"
"Yes." I answered.
"Yes, what?" His voice raised.
"I'll convince you." A small smirk graced my lips at his few seconds of shock. He gets out a white rose, knowing how much I've started to hate them now.
"For you, Miss Everdeen." He placed it on the desk in front of me. "Do convince me." He stands up then leans down to my ear. "For the sake of your loved ones." My body went rigid at the threat and from the smell of blood on his breath. He leaves our house while I stare out the window. Once I know it safe enough, I jumped out my chair and ran down the hallway to the front door intending to tell Haymitch about what just happened. But just as I'm about to reach the door, mom opens it and Effie and my preparation team walks in.
"Oh. Hello!" I gritted my teeth before plastering on a fake smile. "There she is. My greatest triumph!" She brings me into a hug which I slowly return.
"Our little superstar." I heard Flavius say. Their all cooing, making me actually truly smile. "Sweetie, we've missed you." I hugged Flavius, Venia, and Octavia.
"What a cute little house. So quaint isn't it?" Effie placed her arms around my shoulders. "Of course, you've heard about Cinna?" I looked at her with fear.
"What happen to Cinna?" I asked her.
"Oh, dear, he's a fashion star. You're his muse. Everyone in the Capitol's wearing him. Everyone." She gushed, I slowly relaxed.
"Well, not everyone." I looked over to the door with shining eyes and a bright smile. I rushed over to him and he held me tight.
"Cinna!" I exclaimed with happiness.
"Calla?" I turned around at Prim's call. Prim was holding Buttercup in her arms while Kat was watching everyone with slightly narrow eyes.
"Calla Lily, are these your sisters?" Octavia asked. I nodded. "Oh, sweeties!" She went over to them, I turned back to Cinna.
"Are you okay, Allie?" He asked me.
"I'm fine." He nodded and let it drop.
"Ready to work?" I gave him a smile. "All right. Good." He took me to my room and began to get me ready for the cameras. My hair was down in slight curls, I was wearing jeans, boots, a dark shirt and a fur line coat.
"It's time!" Effie gasps. "She's done, she's lovely. We must feed the monster." She walked me over to the door. "You're excited. You're in love. Big smiles for the camera in three, two, one." She opens the door and I walk out, expecting to see a crew of people.
"There she is! Calla Lily Everdeen!" I stared at the robot thing as I walk down the stairs. "The Girl on Fire and the Capitol's sweetheart!" I could hear Caesar laugh and the audience cheer. Across the street, Peeta's door opens and he walks out. "And there he is! Peeta Mellark! The Baker's Boy." We walk towards each other to the center of the garden. We hug each other before slipping on the ice below us.
"Ooh." Peeta grunted as I landed on him. I let out a genuine giggle which caused him to smile brightly at me. We stared into each others eyes before I leaned down and kissed him.
"Um . . ." Caeser clears his throat. "Ahem." I pull back slightly then turn to the cameras. "Anyone at home?" He chuckles. "Should we come back later?"
"Sorry, Caesar." I let out a fake chuckle and helped Peeta back up.
"Oh, please. It's all right. It's your day." I brush some snow off of Peeta's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "It's your day. So how's it going?"
"We're good." Peeta told him which wasn't true.
"That's it? That's all we get? "We're good"?" Caesar repeated. "So taciturn all of a sudden. Peeta, give me some details!"
"Yeah, things are, uh . . . Things are great here in Twelve." I turned to the camera.
"Thanks to the generosity of the Capitol, we've never been closer." I lied through my teeth.
"25 yards, to be exact." I let out another fake chuckle at Peeta's joke.
"Fantastic. We'll be checking in with both of you throughout the Victory Tour." We waved at the cameras. "Thank you so much, Calla Lily Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!" The cameras powered down.
"Wonderful!" I stepped away from Peeta. "Everybody in motion. We are out of here in ten." Effie shouted.
"That was nice acting." I bit my lip as I stared at him, hurt by his words, "Almost thought that kiss was real." I glared at him.
"Screw you, Peeta." I hissed at him and stormed off, leaving a shock Peeta behind.
"Calla Lily!" Effie yelled at me but I ignored her and went straight to the car.