After leaving the immigration office, Gale puts a diamond ring on my finger to mark our engagement and we get into the car.

The ride to the Hawthornes' house renews our sadness. They had no idea about who was dead or alive in our group, and had only been able to confirm my name among the survivors, so they brought enough cars to take me, Johanna and all the Mellarks to their house for the night. The result is a lot of empty seats.

There are three cars in total. Rory drives one; Darius, Gale's chauffeur, drives another, and the last one is driven by Gale. Johanna, Peeta and I join him in this last car. I sit at the front while Johanna and Peeta sit on the back.

"I hope you didn't mind travelling in second class," says Gale. "I wanted you to travel in first class with Miss Mason as a companion, but she thought you would feel better if you could benefit from the company of other people from our city."

"She was right," I say. I can't imagine a life where I had never got to be acquainted with the Mellarks. But now I know why Johanna is so upset about my proximity with Peeta: she feels responsible for it.

Gale smiles. "You look different from what I remembered," he says.

"Not particularly pretty now that you see me closer?" I snort, unable to resist taking the jab at Peeta. I may have agreed to hear his explanation, but I'm not done being angry with him. I can almost feel him flinch.

"Much prettier," Gale replies, forgetting the passengers on the back seat. "I almost can't believe I'll have a wife like you."

I look at him, incredulous. Gale is very handsome. He looks much better than I do.

"Thank you. You look good yourself. I didn't remember you had all that… muscle," I blush for the lack of a better word to describe his appearance.

Gale grins. "It's the gymnasium, I must take you there one day."

I nod awkwardly.

"Do you like this car?" Gale asks me. "It's a Model 66 Pierce Arrow. Isn't it a funny coincidence?"

It's an amazing car, very comfortable and good-looking. There's nothing to dislike. "I love it. And it's forest green, my favorite color."

"I bought it especially for you. You'll learn how to drive."

I gasp.

"I'll drive a car?"

"Of course, this car is yours," Gale chuckles. "Darius is driving mine and Rory is driving his. If you don't like it, I'll exchange it for another."

"No, this is good," I reply. "It just seems difficult to maneuver."

"It's complex at first," he smiles. "But you're clever."

He starts talking about our houses. We're heading to the one he has in the heart of the city, but he has a bigger one at the countryside, on the outskirts of New York.

"I bought that estate for you to go hunting. It has a lot of forest. My family will start living there once we get married, but for now my mother insists she wants to chaperone us," Gale explains.

I nod, even though I don't think he can see it.

"We'll have the New York City house just for ourselves in a few weeks, but we can go to the other whenever you want. Everything belongs to you, Catnip."

"Thank you. It's… much more than I thought."

"We need a place just for us, don't you think?" he insists. "I want to be selfish and have you all for myself for a while. Before the children come."

"Yes."

Seeing that he won't obtain much of an answer, he rubs my hand and speaks to Johanna:

"You'll be at the estate with Posy and my mother, Miss Mason. I'm sorry you won't always get to see much of us."

"Of course, sir. Do the boys live there too?" Johanna asks, polite and composed.

"Rory is in the army and Vick is in boarding school," Gale explains. "They're only here to welcome Catnip."

Having apparently remembered the other occupants of the vehicle, Gale makes polite conversation with both of them, avoiding the hard subject of the sinking and the loss of the Mellark family.

Arriving the house, a lovely maid named Lavinia serves us tea and toasted bread with butter. The Hawthornes try to make us comfortable, but the three of us barely speak.

We're all looking around in awe, perhaps because of the luxury, or possibly because we have never seen a house with electricity before the Titanic. Everything looks expensive. The walls are decorated with wood trim, the floor is hardwood. The sitting room has a fireplace, a piano, a large card table, plush sofas, chairs and a dining table with a luxurious rug underneath. Photos of all the Hawthornes surround us. The clock on the wall marks 10.30pm.

"I made the decision to postpone our wedding," says Gale, sheepish. "You lived through one of the most heinous experiences someone can go through, so perhaps Saturday is still early to celebrate."

"All right. When, then?"

"One month from now," he says.

"You did well," I reply.

I don't look at Peeta, but I wonder what he's thinking.

"The same to you, Miss Mason," says Hazelle. "We've postponed the start of your service for a week, to give you time to recover from your experiences on the Titanic."

"There's no need, Mrs. Hawthorne," Johanna replies in a perfect enunciation and a straight body posture. "I'm a woman of duty and I want to start my service tomorrow in the morning, as long as you'll allow it. Besides, I think it will be a joy. From what I can see, Miss Posy is very intelligent and shows remarkable manners."

Gale and Hazelle are won over by her statement, but I'm surprised. I've never heard Johanna use this voice or a correct posture. The Johanna Mason I've come to know curses worse than a sailor. I look at Peeta and he smiles at me, showing me he's thinking the same thing.

Later, we all go see the rooms. Gale and Hazelle insist in showing them to us instead of asking the help to do it. Johanna's room is next to Posy's and they are connected by an adjacent door. Peeta's is close to the rooms of Gale's brothers. Both are comfortable and relatively modest. Finally, Gale opens a door to the most luxurious room I've ever seen in my life.

"This is for me?" I ask shyly. It's too much.

My bedroom contains a dressing table, a sofa, carpeting on the floor, two bedside tables, a sideboard, a writing desk and a bed that could fit a family of four. It has three adjoining doors and everything is decorated lavishly.

"This is your room," Gale says. "It's connected to mine and we share a bathroom."

It explains two of the three doors, but there's still another.

"I'll still stay here after the wedding?" I ask.

"I'll move to this room then," Gale beams. "The other one will become a nursery very soon."

"Oh, I long to be a grandmother," Hazelle sighs.

My face heats up at the implication of children, especially because the others heard it too. I glance at Johanna and Peeta, and they both have neutral expressions. I wonder what they really think.

"Open that door," Hazelle suggests, pointing to one of the doors.

I open it hesitantly and the others follow me inside. It's a wardrobe room, full of dresses, hats, shoes, sleeping clothes and undergarments. It has a sofa in the middle.

"I had all these clothes made for you," Gale says. "I hope you like what I chose. I'll have the dressmaker come to check that they are a good fit and make the necessary amends."

My hand goes through the soft, expensive fabrics. The dresses are gorgeous and the shoes seem to belong to the dolls no one in Twelve City had money to buy. The sleeping clothes and undergarments are all too beautiful and seductive. I blush when I reckon they are meant to entice Gale.

But one thing makes me laugh.

"Trousers?"

Gale chuckles. "You don't expect to ride your horse and climb our trees in a dress, do you?"

I'm ecstatic by the idea of wearing my own trousers for the first time.

After a while, everyone leaves me alone in the room. I go to the shared toilet and have a bath, which Lavinia has prepared for me, letting myself relax in the warm water. Afterward, I look at the door that connects my room to Gale's and wonder if he's there, looking at it too. I'm suddenly afraid that he'll show up during the night to demand his rights, even if we're not married yet.

Lavinia comes to comb my hair, pick a night dress for me and help me into bed.

"You don't have to do that," I tell her.

She smiles.

"It's my job, Miss Katniss."

Finally alone in the dark, I fall asleep.

I never thought I would come to see Rye again. But it's true, he's alive and well. He invites me to dance the same waltz we were dancing on that dreadful night. I'm so happy I can't believe it.

"You thought you had gotten rid of me, little sister?" he chuckles.

"Yes," I say, but I don't tell him I thought he was dead. I can't wait to tell Peeta that he's here, but I don't know where Peeta is.

We dance at the rhythm of the music for hours. At some point, suddenly, a rocket whooshes and explodes, lighting Rye's blue eyes. His expression goes from happiness to fear in a second. "I have to go now."He tries to let go of my hand and I grab him tightly.

"No, Rye."

Graham, Peeta and their parents smile and wave. Then the whole family starts to walk away. No, Peeta can't go. He can't die. I hold Rye's hand, but it dissolves like sand in the wind.

"Rye! Don't go! Don't let them go!" I scream.

They don't seem to listen, so I chase after them. But then I hear an explosion and people crying for help. We're in the mines. Getting closer, Rye, Graham, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark are already dead. Next to them is my father, dead too. The vision is gruesome.

"Father!" I yell. "Father!"

Someone shakes me and I wake up. I sit and see Gale sitting on my bed too.

"It was just a nightmare, Catnip."

"What are you doing here?"

"You were yelling for your father and for Rye. I came to help."

"It was the sinking. In the end, when we thought it was almost over… there was an explosion. It had the sound of an explosion, or a demolition, I don't know. It reminded me of our fathers' accident."

I don't make sense. I'm mixing dreams and real life incidents.

I sob and Gale hugs me.

"Don't cry. Our fathers would be so happy to see us now."

Something tells me that my father wouldn't be happy at all with Gale sitting on my bed.

"What time is it, Gale?"

"Almost 5am."

"You should go back to sleep," I say. "You must have to work early."

Gale chuckles.

"I'm the boss, Catnip, I can do whatever I want. Do you want me to stay with you until morning?"

All of a sudden I'm frightened that he'll try something, like touching me, if we share the bed.

"No. I don't think I can sleep, actually."

"I have an idea," he says. "Get dressed at meet me at the corridor in twenty minutes. I'll take you somewhere. You'll need trousers and boots."

Gale takes me by car to his beautiful country house, where I meet the staff and we are served breakfast: cow milk, orange juice, coffee, bread, butter, cheese and rolls. The house is even bigger than the New York City one, but isn't as far as luxurious.

After the meal, Gale takes me to the forest, which looks eerily similar to the woods back at home. There's nothing to be heard except the susurration of the trees, the chirps of birds and whirrs of insects. He goes into a shed and emerges with green bottles and a small weapon in his hands.

"This is my gun," he says. "I'll teach you to shoot."

He puts the green bottles in different locations and degrees of proximity and proceeds to teach me how to make a shot. He's too close, covering my whole back with his body, his lips tickling my cheek as he explains the mechanism with his hand on mine.

I can't focus, my mind is lost in his touch. Will he try something? Can I refuse if he does? Gale talks and explains, but I can't hear much of it. Then, I'm suddenly distracted by a flower. I can't believe it at first, so I get away from Gale and close enough to see what it is.

It's a dandelion.

"Those damn weeds," Gale mutters through gritted teeth. "I'll have the gardener cut them off."

"You're hardly a city man, Gale," I say, rather surprised.

It is a lone dandelion, fragile, defenseless. Something annoys me in the way Gale talks about having it chopped off so, as if I'm the only one who can protect it, I pick it.

And now I know everything will be all right.

I try to make the best of Gale's explanation and shoot the bottles, because I don't want him to get close again. I'm mediocre at first, but my shooting improves after a few tries and we have a lot of fun. When the buzz in our ears becomes intolerable, Gale takes me to the stables to show me my horse, Thunderbolt. I fall in love with her instantly. She's calm and adorable as she accepts sugar cubes and gentle rubs from me. Gale says I can't ride her before my instructor comes, next Tuesday, because he's afraid I might fall.

We go hunting next. Gale shows me how to use his rifle and lets me look for game. He doesn't have the time to set snares, so he's mainly watching me.

"Katniss!" he whispers after a while. "A deer."

He points to the place where a big deer eats placidly and I smile; the Hawthorne house will have food for days. As I point the rifle to it, I hear an almost inaudible sound in a tree nearby. Taking a quick glance at it, I see a squirrel. I remember the baker telling me that Peeta liked my squirrels. If I shoot the deer, the squirrel will run away.

I shift the muzzle upward and to the left. I press the trigger and the squirrel plunges to the ground. The deer is nowhere to be seen after this.

"Why did you shoot the squirrel instead of the deer?" Gale asks, incredulous.

"It will make Peeta happy," I say.

Gale laughs it off and the staff prepares us both baths before we go back home for lunch.

Later, already dressed in one of my new gorgeous dresses and back at the Hawthorne residence, Gale and I join the others for lunch.

"Where have you two been?" Vick asks. "You didn't show up for breakfast."

"I took Katniss to our country house," Gale beams. "To meet Thunderbolt."

"Oh! Katniss, did you see my pony?" Posy squeals.

"Of course," I say. "Miss Blossom is a very kind lady. Have you noticed she's friends with Thunderbolt?"

"Yes!" Posy replies. "Like you and me, right?"

The Hawthornes laugh at that.

"We'll ride together," Gale promises his sister. "The three of us and Lightning, Thunderbolt and Blossom."

"Miss Posy, you didn't tell me you knew how to ride a pony," Johanna says with a kind smile.

"I forgot, Miss Mason. You must come to see her as soon as we can."

"What else have you done all this time?" Hazelle asks me.

"Gale taught me to shoot his gun," I chuckle.

"And she's exceptionally good at it. Shot all the bottles and decided to use my rifle to shoot a squirrel for Mellark."

I look at Peeta, who seems surprised to hear his name in this story.

"Your father said you liked squirrels," I explain timidly.

He gives me a shy smile. "Yes."

Johanna intervenes quickly:

"Mr. Mellark was the one who offered to guide us to our lifeboat, even though it put his life at risk. He was a true gentleman and therefore he has earned Miss Katniss' admiration and gratitude. After that, she convinced the crew to spare his life even though it was very hard for men to get into lifeboats."

She sends me a death glare.

"How did you do it, Katniss?" Vick asks, astonished.

"Katniss showed my leg to the crew," Peeta says playfully. "They pitied me and let me in."

He doesn't mention that I called him my husband, or that I would have stayed with him if he hadn't been allowed into the lifeboat.

Hazelle smiles and sighs.

"The Lord takes care of everything in his mysterious ways. Who would say, all those years ago, that your amputation would make you survive that dreadful sinking? God was already putting his plan in practice when he claimed your leg."

Peeta smiles tightly and nods. He would be sarcastic about this if I had said these words, but he's nothing but polite to Hazelle.

"It's very kind of you to hunt for him, Katniss," Hazelle continues. "Poor Peeta has suffered too much. I've been thinking we should buy new clothes for you, boy. You lost everything in the sinking."

"That's very kind, ma'am," says Peeta. "But it won't be necessary, I don't want to abuse your hospitality. In fact, I'm thinking about leaving this afternoon."

"You're leaving?" I gasp before I can stop myself.

He glances at me from the other side of the table and shrugs sheepishly.

"We're going to see the factory after lunch. Don't leave before we come back," I plead, embarrassed for sounding so desperate. "We'll be here for dinner."

"Don't scare my Catnip, Mellark," says Gale. "I'm sure you'll accept to stay with us for a while longer."

"I don't want to be a burden."

"You were a support to Katniss, as Miss Mason was, and we must repay you for that. You can stay as long as you want," Gale says. "I can give you a job, if you like."

Peeta purses his lips.

"Miss Mason was very brave too," I interrupt. "I was too afraid to board a lifeboat and she refused to get into one without me. We got in one of the last ones."

"God Almighty," exclaims Hazelle, making the sign of the cross.

"You were very lucky to have them with you, Catnip," Gale says. "In fact, we should have hunted something for Miss Mason too. Maybe tomorrow we can go again."

"The weather will be good, we could have a picnic," says Hazelle.

"So it's settled," says Gale. "We're hunting tomorrow."

I'm looking at Peeta, but he doesn't look at me. He was the one who asked for a chance to explain the things he had said, so why did he change his mind?

"You must give her the gift today, Gale!" Vick giggles.

"Yes, do it!" Posy shouts.

"But it's a wedding gift."

"Give it to her already!" Rory exclaims. "You can get her another wedding gift."

Gale grins at me.

"Do you want to see what I've got for you?"

"Another present?" I ask, astonished.

"Of course. Just wait."

Gale leaves the dining room and runs to his office. He returns with a fashionable box; I remove the ribbon tied around it and take the lid away. I can't avoid a smile when I see what it is.

It's a rifle.

"We started producing this rifle recently in our factories," Gale explains. "It's a model made for women, to compensate shorter hands with a shorter trigger reach. It's a special edition, made for the occasion of our marriage. We've nicknamed it Catnip in your honor."

He turns to Johanna and Peeta before I can thank him.

"She's the best shoot I've ever seen, better than any man," he grins. "Best hunter I know. I'm good with snares and traps, but Catnip pierces everything at the first shot."

"Right through the eye," Peeta adds, looking at me with a warm smile.

I blush and smile, pleased that he has taken notice that all my game is shot through the eye, but at the same time disappointed that he's planning to go away without talking to me first.

After lunch, Gale drives me to his main factory.

All workers wait for me to meet them. I don't know what's more interesting about me: that I'm Gale's fiancée or a Titanic survivor, but everyone looks at me like I'm made of gold. The production stops and they all wait in a line each time we visit a new section. After I shake their hands and learn their names, they go back to production and the chief of each station shows me what's done there.

I meet the financial team and Gale's personal secretary, a man named Gloss. After that he opens a door to reveal a blue-eyed blond man, young and very tall, working in a piece of paper.

"How is the project going, Cato?"

"Good," the blond man says in a slurred voice, his eyes weirdly dead on my face. Gale closes the door.

"Cato's our junior engineer. Don't mind him, he doesn't like people visiting him too much."

Something's wrong with that man. So far, he has been the only employee who didn't present himself to me. He seems to be drunk or something. But no one seems to care. Gale doesn't wait and is already opening the door to the next office.

"You already know this person," he chuckles.

I see a perfect combination of tanned skin, bronze hair and sea-green eyes staring back at me. The view is foreign; to me, this man belongs to the Carpathia, to a past I don't want to dwell on.

"What are you doing here, Finnick?" I ask in shock.

Finnick laughs.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me, Katniss."

"Finnick is our main investor," Gale explains. "He's the one who made this dream possible."

"How?" I ask. I'm definitely interested.

"We shared a cabin on the ship that brought me to America. Finnick was eccentric enough to travel in steerage," says Gale, patting Finnick on the back.

"I just don't spend money in vain," Finnick says.

"But steerage is horrible, Finnick!"

"My father was an immigrant from Panem and he came to America in steerage too," Finnick reminds him. "He built his empire because someone helped him."

"Your father was from Panem, like us?" I ask.

"Yes. He always lived like a poor man," Finnick says. "My mother didn't even know we were wealthy until he passed away. He always told me that I could travel in first class if I wanted, but the honorable thing to do was to save that money and to give the difference to those in need."

He chuckles wistfully. "Before I met Annie I liked to travel the world, so I ended up meeting this fellow here and I liked his life story. Especially because he came from Panem."

An older man comes to call for Gale with urgency. He removes his helmet respectfully and smiles to me before disappearing with Gale. I stay alone with Finnick.

"Something changed, though," I smile. "Now you travel in second class."

"I won't ever make Annie or Charlie travel in steerage," Finnick grimaces. "We don't need luxury but I want to give them the minimum comfort."

"You have an interesting story," I tell Finnick. "So you invested in Gale's idea?"

"Yes. Well, I made a bad deal. I have a small percentage of this company and now Gale is richer than I am," Finnick says.

"But you must be getting a large sum too."

"Of course," he says, and his expression turns serious. "How are things at home?"

"All good. Johanna is already working with Posy."

Finnick is silent for a while. "And Peeta?"

"He's there too. He says he's leaving tomorrow."

"Good," Finnick says. "You can't have them both in the same house."

I have a flashback of Graham and Rye laughing at the breakfast table when I suggested something of the sort. My eyes turn glassy at the memory of them. I must look distraught, because Finnick says:

"Why don't you tell Gale you're confused? That man loves you a lot and he deserves to have a chance with you."

"I'm marrying him. What better chance can he get?"

"The chance of being wanted by you. Your heart isn't open to him, Katniss. Gale won't have a fair chance unless he knows what he's dealing with. The way it is now, you'll marry him out of duty or need and you'll end up taking Peeta as your lover because you can't stay away from him."

"You don't know me," I say. "I would never do that."

"All right. I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you to be with Gale, you still have a choice," Finnick concludes. "You can choose Peeta, just do something. You can always count with me, whatever you choose."

He doesn't say it, but we both know the right choice is Gale.

Leaving Finnick, I find Gale in one of the research rooms with the older man who greeted me minutes ago, Cato and others.

They're immersed, heads bent over a drawing, taking a measurement. Versions of the picture litter the table and floor. Tacked on the corkboard walls are other designs of the same sort. In the rough lines of one, I recognize Gale's twitch-up snare, and the same idea vastly improved in further pictures.

"You've found us out, Miss," the older man says cheerfully.

I feel uneasy. "Is this a secret?" I ask.

"Not to you," says Gale. "Let me introduce you to our chief engineer, Beetee Latier."

This is what they've been doing. Taking the fundamental ideas behind Gale's traps and adapting them into weapons against humans. I feel my heart falling down to my feet. "So this is what you do? You build bombs, Gale?"

"We build all kinds of weapons, bombs included."

"What for?"

"For protection."

"Bombs don't protect anyone," I say. "Who buys them?"

"We are still beginning their production," says Beetee.

I go ballistic. "Our fathers died in a stupid explosion. These bombs will make more children grow without their fathers. Why are you doing this, Gale?"

"Bombs is not all we do. We sell simple guns and rifles too," he replies.

"But you sell other war weapons, don't you? What kind?"

"Grenades, mortars, several types of machine-guns," he says with a sigh. "You can't see everything in black and white, Catnip. War is good and necessary."

I can't believe what he's saying.

"Necessary for what? For who?"

"Let's go to my office," says Gale. "These people don't want to hear this."

He takes me to his office, holding my softly by the wrist, with everyone looking at us in shock. I feel embarrassed for being reprimanded in front of the others. Once Gale closes the door behind us, I see how disappointed he looks.

"As my wife, I expect you to remain dignified at all times. You humiliated me in front of my employees."

"I'm not your wife yet."

"You already are in the eyes of everyone."

I choose to ignore him.

"You never told me what you did," I say. "I thought you sold weapons for hunting and self defense."

"Isn't it almost the same?" Gale asks.

I'm outraged. "No. I kill because I need to eat."

"And these weapons kill to bring a better life to people as well. There's been an arms race lately. They say war is about to burst sooner or later, whether we like it or not."

"How can you justify it? You're gaining your money by promoting war, Gale! Your hands will be covered in blood!" I yell.

"You didn't complain about that money when you saw the comfort it could bring you," Gale yells back.

I look into his face, unable to understand.

"So I'm just something you buy?" I ask.

"No, Catnip. I'm sorry," he sighs. "I want you to understand. The war in Europe will happen and there's nothing we can do to stop it. The enemies of Panem are increasingly armed and more and more dangerous. We must prevent our country from being attacked."

"Panem is a neutral country," I reply.

"It is in the middle of Europe, it won't pass unscathed by a war. I'm not a monster as you seem to think. We just sell to the countries that are allies of Panem, so that our homeland is safe."

"It's not that much of a good deed; you still earn money from it."

"And I don't regret it. Do you remember how hunger feels, Catnip? I do, and I'll do everything in my power to prevent my mother and siblings from feeling it ever again. You'll be safe and our children won't know misery like we did."

I sigh.

"Can you try to understand this?" he asks.

I nod slowly. "I understand."

We leave the office and keep walking through the factory, talking to the workers and learning about their families. We do it to show the employees that our fight hasn't been serious. Gale wants to preserve their respect.

At Finnick's invitation, we go to dinner at the Odairs' house. There I find Annie and baby Charlie again, and meet Finnick's lovely mother, Mags. The dinner, venison stew, is light, and the evening is free of difficult topics. But I'm restless. I need to go home and see if Peeta has left; I had promised to be there for dinner.

Gale and I are silent on the car ride home. The tension didn't dissipate when our fight at the factory ended, it still lingers.

"Gale," I start. "Maybe we shouldn't get married."

His head snaps.

"What? Why?"

"We've been apart for so long, we don't know who each other is anymore."

"I'm still the same person, and so are you."

I purse my lips.

"In essence we are. But you live this new life, which I know nothing about. And I've been through the worst things."

"And now you'll be fine. You'll adjust."

"Gale, we can't get married like this."

My fiancé pulls off to the side and stops the car.

"Are you breaking off our engagement?"

"Gale…"

"Is it because of the weapons?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"My parents married for love -"

"I love you, Catnip, and I promise I'll respect you. I've been faithful to you and I'll always be. You're free to do whatever you want and makes you happy. What else do you want?"

I stay quiet for a long time.

"I just think you should have the chance to meet someone who loves you back," I say at last.

The dark of the night doesn't hide the tears on Gale's face. The tears turn into sobs and I feel repulsive for breaking two men in the space of twenty four hours. My fiancé spends a lot of time with his face hidden in his hands before he finally resumes driving in silence.

By the time we reach the Hawthorne house, everyone is in bed except Hazelle. Gale guides me inside and plasters a smile on his face to hide our problems.

"Has Mellark given up on that idea of leaving?" he asks his mother after I say goodbye and head to my room.

"The Mellark boy says he's departing tomorrow in the morning," Hazelle replies. "He wanted to go today, but he was expecting you to come earlier to say goodbye. He didn't even have dinner and refuses to shave."

I'm instantly upset. We still haven't had time to talk and he's leaving anyway.

"I'll talk to him in the morning," Gale replies.

Lavinia is waiting for me. Like last night, she combs my hair, picks a night gown for me and puts me in bed.

Finally alone, I remove the diamond ring from my finger and put it on the bedside table. I'll give it back to Gale tomorrow.

I wonder why Peeta has decided to leave me behind before we had a chance to speak. I would definitely have time for that in a couple of days; the novelty of my arrival would be over by then.

I understand that, if Peeta is leaving tomorrow, there won't be a chance for us to speak in private. I know I must talk to him now and find out what he's thinking.

I get out of bed and into the corridor, until the room where Peeta sleeps. I knock discreetly, open the door and slide into the bedroom.

"Who is this?" Peeta's voice asks.

"It's me," I whisper.

"Katniss, what are you doing here?" he asks.

"We need to talk."

He sits in bed and lights the bedside lamp. I'm taken aback by the fact that he's bare chested, but he doesn't seem to notice it.

"You shouldn't be here," he says.

I ignore him. "Have I upset you?" I ask.

"No, I'm just a little bit sad," he admits.

I get into the bed, tuck myself under the covers and sit next to him, so that we can speak lower.

"Katniss, what are you doing? You can't be here -"

"Hazelle says you're leaving tomorrow. Why didn't you wait for us to talk?"

Peeta refuses to look into my eyes.

"Gale is great, Katniss. He'll be a good husband to you," he says. "You two were so happy when you came from hunting this morning. I could never give you that," he sighs. "He knew everything you wanted, from the trousers to the rifle... His family is wonderful and they all adore you. I feel humiliated that I ever asked you to leave this life for me. I'm a nobody."

I press a quick peck on his lips to shut him up. He blinks and looks at me in doubt. I know what he's thinking. As far as he knew at this point, this was to be the end of everything we had lived. But now it can be the beginning of something new.

Having caught his attention, I'm finally able to speak.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

His eyes get wide open.

"We?"

"Yes, Peeta, I'm going with you."

He gasps.

"And Gale?"

"I told him there won't be a wedding."

"How did he react?"

"It was bad," I say. "But he was calm in the end."

He nods slowly and bites his lower lip.

"You need to think about all the things you'll be losing if you leave -"

"My decision is made, Peeta. I'm going with you."

"Are you doing this because of a debt or pity or something of the sort? Because if you are -"

"No, Peeta. I told you we're even. This marriage won't happen and I'm leaving one way or another, but I'd rather go with you."

His face lights up in a smile. Looking at me with new eyes, Peeta asks:

"Where do you think we should go?"

"What do you think about New Panem?" I ask. "Perhaps my uncle Haymitch Abernathy will help us find jobs."

I see Peeta's dazzling grin for the first time in a long while.

"I love that. Can we go now? The longer we stay here, the more we owe the Hawthornes for their hospitality."

He's beginning to think in terms of debt the same way we do. It explains why he hasn't wanted to shave, accept clothes or attend dinner: he's trying to keep his debt here to a minimum.

"Tomorrow in the morning," I whisper. "I need to tell Gale I'm leaving."

Peeta nods thoughtfully. He brings his hands, and then his arms, to softly envelop my waist and pull my body closer to his. He joins our lips again and this time I can fully feel the warmth and plumpness of his lips for a long time.

His kiss demands nothing of me. Like before, it's just Peeta giving me everything that he has in him. It's a declaration of love. This is the moment I understand that he may not find me particularly pretty, but the feeling is real.

That's why I try to give back as much as I'm getting. I pour everything I am into this kiss in the hope that he understands the answer. I feel a thrill running through my body when I touch his bare arm for the first time. I long to touch his blonde chest hair too, but I don't dare to do it.

We don't say much after, we just look at each other in awe for a long time.

Then comes the realization that, even if there's love between us, this is not proper. I just kissed a man in his bed. I have to go back to my room before someone finds out.

Property be damned, he'll have to send me away if I am to go back to my room.

"Now I don't want to let you go," he says, as if he can read my mind but feels unable to stop me from leaving.

"I don't want you to let me go either," I confess.

Peeta turns off the light. We lay in bed and try to find a comfortable position to sleep. And, although I don't know how in the world I will explain this to Gale, I spend the whole night sleeping soundly, having happy dreams, because I am in Peeta's arms.