A/N: Thanks for reading!
I've got the kids settled down for lunch at our table in the dining hall. I'm keeping an eye out for Gale, hoping he'll join us, when Katniss appears with her prep team. Gale is not with them. Katniss is clean and polished for her new role in the rebellion, so changed from the girl we knew in 12, though her team looks like worn out and pale versions of their old selves. They attract everyone's attention, as people from 13 gape openly, pointing rude fingers at the group from the Capitol. I catch Vick's expression of embarrassment as the group heads our way with food trays, and quickly remind him to mind his manners. I will not allow my children to show such boorish behavior.
I haven't seen much of my oldest son recently - it seems he is always busy with Katniss and Special Defense. Gale was recruited into Special Defense as soon as Haymitch realized he was the only one who could get through to Katniss, back when we all arrived here in 13. If he's not in training or working in the Defense Department, he's with Katniss. At least we see him at mealtimes and during reflection before dinner, so he gets a little time with his siblings. It's not much considering he officially lives in our unit; he often disappears after dinner and doesn't come home until so late that everyone else is asleep.
Yesterday before the public announcement of Katniss' agreement to being the Mockingjay & symbol of the rebellion, Gale told me about the deal she made with Coin. The way his jaw locked I could tell he resented some of her conditions … for immunity for the other victors … there's no doubt it was Peeta in particular bothering him. The hormones of adolescence, the pangs of first loves – those are hard enough without shouldering the expectations of a rebellion. How I wish I could shield him from this madness.
They found her prep team imprisoned in a lower level of the district – I ran into Mrs. Everdeen who told me about their poor condition, their visit to her in the hospital area, Katniss' ire over their abuse. It's a sad reminder that even if we are supposed to be free of the Capitol, the same abuses can happen here. Gale wouldn't understand Katniss' attachment to her prep team, since he has such little patience and perspective for anything connected to the Capitol. He sees everything in the rebellion as black or white, good or bad, with no room for anything in between. He was in a terrible mood when he came back to the unit last night; I knew he and Katniss must have fought. They didn't sit together or talk at breakfast, so I expect he'll be in just as foul a mood when I see him next.
On a positive note, Gale will get to go hunting with Katniss now - it was another of her conditions for being the Mockingjay. Maybe that will be a respite for him. I hope that their time hunting in the woods does him some good - he was always more relaxed, more himself after being out in the woods outside district 12.
When Katniss and her prep team sit down to join us, there's a strain at the table but at least nobody is outright rude. Leevy, one of Katniss' old neighbors, cautiously says hello to the newcomers. Hoping to help ease the tension, I take a spoonful of the okra stew and tell them, "Don't worry - tastes better than it looks." They don't look reassured. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what they were used to in the Capitol but it's food, anyway.
Before I can stop her, Posy slides down the bench to the closest of the three - the one with the green skin, which looks terrible in the fluorescent light of the dining hall. What's her name again?
Posy pokes the woman's skin tentatively. "You're green," she says. "Are you sick?"
I hold back a chuckle at my daughter's outspokenness. Katniss explains, "It's a fashion thing, Posy. Like wearing lipstick."
Tears well in the woman's eyes. I wish I could remember her name. Octiana? Ortavia? She whispers, "it's mean to be pretty."
My sympathetic Posy considers this a minute before answering, "I think you'd be pretty in any color."
The woman smiles, ever so slightly, and the group relaxes just a bit. Just then Gale plops his tray down next to Katniss and declares, "If you really want to impress Posy, you'll have to dye yourself bright pink. That's her favorite color."
I chuckle quietly as Posy giggles at her brothers' interjection, and scoots back down the bench to me. While I encourage her into another bite of the overcooked fish, Gale warns the man with orange ringlets about the consistency of the stew as it cools. Okra isn't his favorite. I won't even try it with Posy.
Gale makes an obvious effort to keep the conversation going with the prep team. Perhaps it's a concession to Katniss, a way to mend fences. He even asks about the make-over, which I know he isn't actually interested in. He doesn't even like the idea of what they do to Katniss, though at least this time he'll approve of the cause. Perhaps it helps, because Katniss and Gale leave together for their session in Special Defense. I watch them go, wishing it wasn't into the middle of a war. Then Posy tugs on my sleeve, and it's time to get the kids to their scheduled activities for the afternoon.
FYI If you catch any inconsistencies with Canon (in any chapter) let me know :)