Peeta Mellark was having a very bad day. It started out bad and had gotten progressively worse as the hours wore on. The alarm clock had mysteriously died, making him late. His partner, Daniel Cato, failed to get him the information needed for a major revision to the report he was scheduled to hand in that morning. As a result, he had to explain to Albert Coin, the President of the group, why the client copies were not going to be available as promised. Coin had understandably been less than pleased. Peeta had until the end of the day to get something thrown together. If he missed this deadline, then an update to his resume might well be in order.
To add insult to injury, Prim had once again managed to dig herself into a hole and expected him to pull her out. He had Delly Cartwright, the firm's attorney, to look into the matter. He called juvenile hall and spoke to Prim, listening as she tearfully promised that this would be the last time. He assured her that the cavalry was on its way, then dived back into his tattered report. Cato finally graced Peeta with his presence, along with the data he so desperately needed. After a hasty round of number crunching and fact checking, a mock-up of the requested design was drafted, a production budget was assembled, and Peeta was able to breathe for the first time all day. He just wanted to get his things, slip quietly out the door, and collapse for the rest of the evening. This, of course, was dependent upon what time Prim would be released. He hoped that he could get home and settled in before midnight, as he would need to be sharp for tomorrow when the client came in for final approval.
He had done the unthinkable and called Governor Snow when it seemed like the prosecutor was dead set on punishing all involved with the hold-up. Peeta had been roommates with Snow's son in college. The Governor always had a soft spot for both Peeta and Prim, and told Peeta to call anytime if there was ever anything they needed. Peeta had squashed his reservations, curtailed his pride, and made the phone call this morning. He seriously considered strangling Prim once he got her home, but the last thing he needed was for them to have adjoining cells.
Peeta had just thrown his papers, laptop, and other personal items into his bag when the line beeped for his attention. His assistant Sadie, affectionately called Sae around the office, very seldom beeped him unless it was important. He sighed impatiently and keyed the line. "What is it, Sae? You know I was headed home."
"Sorry, Peeta," she said. "But you have a visitor by the name of Ms. Katniss Everdeen. She said it was urgent."
Peeta's brow furrowed. Katniss Everdeen? Who in the world was Katniss Everdeen? He keyed the line again, "Did she say what this is about? I don't see an appointment here. I was about to leave…"
Sae's impatience could have fried the line. "I know she doesn't have an appointment, but she said it's important that she see you today. It's about Prim."
Peeta leaped out of his chair and rushed to the door. Before he could get it open, Sae had entered, followed by his unexpected guest.
"Here he is now, Ms. Everdeen. Can I get you anything at all – tea? Coffee?" Peeta heard a voice respond negatively to the question and met his assistant's amused gaze with a frown of his own. He shut the door and turned to greet his guest. He stopped cold, mouth open as she came into view.
She was small, petite, with dark hair casually styled in an intricate braid and no make-up. Her attire consisted of jeans, boots, a collarless shirt, and a leather jacket slung over one shoulder. Her eyes gleamed like polished silver fringed with equally dark lashes. Her backpack looked a little worse for wear. In short, she was nothing like he expected. She said she was here about Prim? Peeta realized that he missed her entire greeting and flushed red as a result. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to tune out there. You told Sae you were here about my sister?" He took her proffered hand and nodded toward the seats in front of his desk. She gracefully dropped into one and watched with some amusement as he reclaimed his.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mellark. My name is Katniss Everdeen," she introduced herself again, since he hadn't heard her the first time. "I've just come from seeing your sister. I represent the Better Way Group. Judge Paylor referred your sister to us for possible diversion in regards to her current situation." She extracted some pamphlets and a file from her bag, passing him the copies as she flipped to the correct page. "This information is the same as what was given to Prim earlier today. She has been given the option to enroll in our ninety day program instead of having to face trial and sentencing for yesterday's incident. Are you familiar with our group?"
Peeta took the pamphlet, noting with some amusement that his company's logo was listed on the back. He eyed the graphics and couldn't help smiling a little. "You might say that I'm somewhat familiar with your group, Ms. Everdeen. My company designed the layout for your pamphlet. I personally designed the graphics for it, as well as this card." He laughed quietly as her face flushed. "I'm not familiar with the full details of your program, however, and how this affects my sister. Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me?"
She quickly recovered from her embarrassment and outlined the basics of the program, giving him a copy of the paperwork drafted by the court. He was slightly surprised to see Prim's name already signed at the bottom. He quickly read over the contents and then met her gaze. "It looks like someone has convinced Prim this is the way to go. I'm rather amazed; I didn't think that Prim could be convinced to do anything." Katniss' mouth quirked in amusement at his statement, but he continued, "So if she completes this program, her record will be completely clean?"
"Her record will be expunged of these charges," Katniss clarified. "That's how diversion works. She will have to complete some community service work in addition to the program, and will be on probation until that is done. Once all the requirements have been met, her record will be completely cleared." She cleared her throat hesitantly. "She asked me to tell you how sorry she is that this happened. She said she didn't mean for it to turn out like this, and seemed very sincere."
Peeta barked out a laugh. "Yes, she's always sincere after she gets caught. She never listens until something goes wrong. Then she expects me to wave my magic wand and make it all go away." He shook his head, his hands tiredly rubbing his forehead and eyes. "I kept telling her there would come a time when I wouldn't be able to protect her. I guess that time finally arrived, didn't it?" He was startled to feel small fingers grasping his own. Looking up, his blue eyes met shining gray, sympathy clear on her features and in her eyes.
"Prim knows that you love her. She practically threw me out of the interview room when I first showed up. She was waiting for a 'knight in shining armor' to rescue her, which I'm guessing means you, huh?" Her teasing was rewarded when a small smile quirked his lips. "I think she's a good kid, she just seems a little confused. If we can give her some direction, I think she'll surprise everyone with how quickly she turns it around."
He blew out a slow breath, feeling calm seep into him for the first time all day. He eyed her appreciatively. "I don't suppose you're going to be her counselor by any chance, are you? You come in here, carrying messages and giving me pep talks. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you're more familiar with my baby sister than I am. You certainly have a talent for getting people to open up, that's for sure."
Katniss eyed him briefly, wondering if he was insulting or complimenting her. Deciding on the latter, she retorted, "She did ask if she could be in my group. It's not the way we usually do things, but I do believe an exception can be made in this case. My boss, Haymitch Abernathy, is known for tailoring the solution to fit the problem. This is an easy one."
She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself rather than him, but Peeta chose to let it go for now. He flipped through the pamphlet again, reading the details of each class and session. "Better Way is part of a nationwide group, aren't they? I seem to remember it was covered in the material we received when designing the pamphlets."
She nodded in response, "Yes. Better Way is part of the Panem Behavior Studies Group. It is a nationwide continuum of doctors, volunteer groups, clinics and teachers who work within the system to provide an outlet for rehabilitation and reintegration to at risk youth. There is an overall supervisory committee that runs things on a national level. The rest of us are divided up into thirteen districts. Each distract has a manager who is responsible for coordinating and facilitating resources at the community level. It streamlines the process considerably. Mr. Abernathy is the manager for District 12, and is quite talented. He has set up many programs which are being tested in other districts across the country. The program your sister is slated for is one of those programs. We're very excited by the results we've achieved so far."
Peeta grinned at her enthusiasm. "You know, if you ever decide to change careers, we'd love to have you in our sales department. I think you could talk a penguin into buying an ice cube." She flushed red once more at his unintended compliment. "Please be honest, Ms. Everdeen… is this the best option for Prim? Is this the best that can be done?" Blue eyes just like his sister's demanded an honest response. She nodded mutely and he thoughtfully bit his lip before signing his name to the paperwork. "I trust that you will send me a meeting schedule as soon as possible. I also need to know what items she is allowed to have from home so I can get them together."
Katniss gaped at his sudden shift in direction. She eyed him briefly, then pulled out a sheet detailing the patient's needs for the duration of the program. "This will outline everything she needs. It also includes a list of items that she is not allowed to bring with her. I must ask that you abide by the list implicitly. There are reasons why specific items are allowed or prohibited. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me. My main line and cell are listed on the card." She gathered up her materials and shoved them into her backpack. She rose to her feet, her hand extended. He took it in his, meeting her eyes squarely.
"Ms. Everdeen, thank you so much. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am." She shook her head and tried to cut him off, but he continued. "Prim must have taken a liking to you; otherwise, we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation. You will be able to get her in your group, right?"
Katniss met his gaze, the warmth of his hand an unwelcome distraction. She eased her fingers away from his grasp. "I promised her that I would. I keep my promises, Mr. Mellark." She swung her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
"Peeta," he blurted out. She looked confused for a moment, so he repeated. "My name is Peeta. I wish you'd use it. Mr. Mellark makes me start looking for my Dad." She grinned at this unconscious echo of her earlier remark to his sister. "We will be seeing each other regularly for the next few months, so it would be easier if you call me Peeta."
She nodded again, gray eyes meeting his. "Well, Peeta, I guess that means you can call me Katniss." She smiled once more and silently slipped out the door.
"Katniss," he murmured. "Yes, I believe I will call you Katniss…" He grabbed his own bag and stopped briefly to pick up the card she had placed on his desk at the beginning of their meeting. "Maybe I'll just call you," he said to himself and grinned as he headed out the door. He had a long night ahead of him, but somehow the day didn't seem so bad anymore.