A/N: Just a little Hawthorne fun. Thanks for reading!
It's really the lack of control that irks Hazelle. She can't even take food from the dining hall here when Posy won't finish her dinner. Hazelle truly is grateful to be here, safe in district 13, but everything is so different. It's a lot to adjust to. And she wants Posy's birthday to be special.
From what she has learned from the other women in the laundry, District 13 doesn't have much in the way of celebrations. Even birthdays are barely recognized. Not that they ever had elaborate celebrations in the Seam back home, but at least they tried.
As she cleans up the mess her children have made of their sparsely furnished unit, Gale turns up with a roll of yellow plastic ribbon. "To decorate," he says.
"Yellow?" she asks him, though she knows they're lucky to have even that.
"It's her favorite color!" he argues.
"Not anymore," Hazelle sighs. "Now it's pink. Apparently every other little girl in her class loves pink."
Gale makes a face. "Well, I can't get pink. It's yellow or nothing."
"It'll have to do. Go ahead then," she tells him.
He strings the yellow ribbon up around the room, adding at least a touch of color to their dreary unit.
"We've been here a week," he says, exasperated.
"Posy is just trying to make new friends," Hazelle tells her son, "so let's try to make this fun for her okay? I don't think anyone from 13 is going to come."
"Well it is 'reflection time' Ma. What do you expect?" he comments. They both smile wryly. Hazelle and Gale have always cherished what limited freedoms they've had, but District 13 dictates their schedules down to the minute. District 13 seems safe, yes. But at what cost?
"How are the Everdeens?" Hazelle asks.
"They're visiting Katniss. In the hospital. Prim said she'd come though."
Smiling she tells him, "Oh that's great. Posy will love that."
They decorate with the yellow ribbon, as much as they can, and Hazelle picks up Posy from her school room while Gale fetches Vick and Rory. They're still learning their way around the underground district, and Hazelle doesn't trust them to find their way on their own yet.
The party is small - none of Posy's classmates from district 13 show, but Prim and another family from the Seam join the party. They didn't really know each other in district 12, but the shared experiences over the last week and a half have connected them. Besides, their unit is just down the hall. Everyone joins in to sing the birthday song and play some of Posy's favorite games. Duck Duck Goose is the crowd favorite. The party is over too soon, but reflection time is short, and they don't have much choice if they want to eat dinner tonight.
They go straight from the party to the dining hall. On the way, Posy tugs on Gale's arm. "Gale I want a horsey ride!" she demands. Obligingly he lifts her onto his shoulders and bounces her around as they navigate the confusing sameness of the District 13 halls. Hazelle laughs, delighted to see her children so carefree. "Giddyup!" Posy giggles as Gale trots her into the dining hall. As he lifts her carefully from his shoulders and sets her back on her feet, Gale realizes wistfully that Posy is going to adjust better than anyone to their new surroundings. He's glad it's so simple for her. If he were honest with himself, he'd know he's more than a little jealous.
"What do you say?" he asks her gently.
"Thank you Gale!" Posy exclaims.
With a smile he answers, "happy birthday Pose."
Posy gets a little birthday muffin with her dinner. Maybe District 13 isn't entirely heartless after all, though Hazelle suspects that it's just part of their transition plan, helping the new arrivals adjust to the district.
After dinner the Hawthornes continue the celebration, letting Posy dictate their activities for the rest of the night even though it means being bossed about how to play the games. Even Vick and Rory cooperate. Before bedtime Hazelle tells Posy's favorite story about her dad. Hazelle smiles as she recounts the memory - a Sunday soon after they were married when he had taken Hazelle to the meadow for a picnic. It had started pouring rain and they made a run through the Seam to get home, getting soaked to the skin and covered in coal dust on their way.
Hazelle loves telling the children stories about their father, though she never tells them the ending to this story, when she and her new husband had stripped out of their filthy wet clothing, climbed into bed under the blanket her mother had given them on their wedding day, and made love. A little more than nine months later, their son Gale was born.