It's been a couple of months since I've been back in twelve, and the Victory tour was rapidly approaching. Katniss and I have fallen into a comfortable routine of baking, taking walks around the district, and making sure Haymitch is still alive every day, but I haven't kissed her since the time I first taught her how to make cheese bread. Her wrist was all healed up now, which was a huge relief for me and we haven't been back to visit my family since. Sometimes my Dad and brothers will come over but of course, Mom is never with them, not that I'd want her anywhere near Katniss.
Sometimes it's easy to forget our situation. Katniss may act overexcited and a bit ditsy but she's kind and enthusiastic about everything, big and small, that life has to offer. She's also stubborn and mischievous, and is always trying to cheer me up after I have particularly bad nightmares. It's only in her naive comments about the Capitol that I remember she's not like us, and that she never will be, and my residual anger surfaces, although it never seems to last long.
It was just starting to snow in District Twelve now, and Katniss and I were bundled up on our walk around the district. She asked to see the woods again, and I didn't think it would be safe, but I couldn't say no. I knew we couldn't be out there long, but I wanted to show her the lake Gale had taken me to once. It would be a bit of a trek and better to do in warmer weather, but I wasn't sure when we'd get the chance again.
Katniss would point out all the things she's never seen on our walk, all the different flowers and wildlife, her words abruptly cutting off when the lake comes into view. "I've never seen anything like this." She turns to me. "It's just surprise after surprise here."
"It's one of my favorite spots," I admit. "If it was warmer I'd have brought a picnic, but we shouldn't be out in the cold too long. We don't want you to get sick."
She's quiet for a moment and I have to strain to hear her next words. "I never knew."
"Never knew what?"
She turns, her eyes shining in amazement. "That the world was so vast." She smiles, turning back to the lake and mountains. "It's beautiful."
Something about the way she said it struck me wrong. It was only beautiful to her because she didn't have to go through the struggle of someone in the districts. Of course it's easy to see the beauty when it's devoid of the pain.
"Let's go back," I say, turning before she can see my souring mood. She doesn't seem to notice at all, clueless as ever, talking the entire way back. I'm usually the talker, especially when it's just me and Gale but all I can provide are sounds of agreement. When we finally reach the fence again after a couple of hours, I duck under, expecting her to be right behind me. When I don't hear her voice, I turn around to see her several feet away, crouched down to glance at the flowers.
"Katniss," I call out, wanting to get back to town. Snow was starting to fall heavier and there were still some things I wanted to get in the square.
"Sorry, Peeta!" She says, coming closer.
Something's off. There's an unfamiliar sound I'm not used to hearing in the quiet of the district outskirts. It's a faint buzzing, almost like-
"Stop!" I hold my hand out to warn Katniss right before she touches the fence. She freezes, her eyes wide.
"What? What's wrong?" She asks, her eyes completely trusting.
I put a hand to my chest, trying to calm my thundering heart. "The fence. They turned it on."
Her mouth forms an "o" and her lips turn down. "What do we do?"
That was the question, wasn't it? We couldn't get anyone, being out here was punishable by death in the district, not that most of the peacekeepers cared, but what would happen if President Snow's granddaughter was found breaking the law? It wouldn't be good, that's for sure.
"Maybe we can wait until the fence turns off?" I suggest, not really sure there was anything else we could do.
Katniss looks around, a steely expression in her eyes. "I have an idea." She takes off towards a tree further down the fence line and looks up, as if she's assessing it. Then, she grabs a hold of the branches and starts to hoist herself up.
"Katniss!" I hiss, feeling like this is a terrible idea. "Get down from there! You're going to hurt yourself!"
"I'll be fine, Peeta," she says, and I can't quite see her face, but I can hear the signature Katniss stubbornness in her voice.
I call out to her again but she either doesn't hear me or ignores me and continues to shimmy out onto the branch that hangs over the buzzing fence. She glances down, a slight trace of fear in her eyes, which finally gets me to step in.
"Here, I can at least try to catch you," I tell her, moving to stand behind the branch.
"No, I don't want you to get hurt," she says. She then swings her legs over the branch and dangles herself down."
"But you'll get-" a scream cuts me off. Her scream. "Kat!"
Her grip on the branch slips and she narrowly misses the fence , landing in the small pile of soft snow on the other side.
"Katniss?" I drop down next to her, ignoring the pain in my leg. Her eyes are closed. Does she look pale? "Katniss? Are you okay?"
She can't be hurt. She had to be okay. As I contemplate a way to get her to a doctor, her eyes pop open and she scrambles to stand.
"Oh, my goodness! That was exhilarating!" Katniss laughs, twirling with her arms out.
I'm torn between anger and relief. "You just about gave me a heart attack. That was really stupid of you, Katniss!"
"Well what else was I supposed to do?" She asks, still not understanding how bad it could have been.
"What if the branch broke? Or you touched the fence and got electrocuted? Or you twisted your ankle or broke your leg when you fell?"
She grabs my shoulders, stopping my ramblings. "But I didn't Peeta," she says, her expression soft. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I didn't mean to cause that much trouble," she frowns like she really blames herself.
"I'm going to worry about you Katniss," I tell her. And how true it was, but I wasn't sure anymore how much was for fear of what her grandfather would do and how much came from getting to know her over our time together, and I'm once again reminded that anything I feel can't be real. "We should go," I say, pulling away. I brush some of the snow off her coat, leading the way back to the town square.
Katniss is quiet on the walk back to the town square, which makes me a bit worried, but only a few minutes later, she says, "I wonder why they decided to fix the fence now?"
"Maybe they finally got around to it," I say, not wanting to analyze it too much. I wasn't sure I could talk about it without revealing the illegal things Gale and I would do out there.
Gale! What was he going to do now that he wouldn't be able to go to the other side of the fence. I had hoped it would be a temporary thing but something in my gut said otherwise.
The town square is oddly packed when we reach it, and everyone is gathering in one direction.
"What's going on?" Katniss asks, pushing herself ahead of me into the crowd. "Oh my god!" She gasps, disappearing among the people.
"Katniss!" I reach for her and end up running straight into her at the edge of the crowd where I finally catch what she's staring at.
Or should I say who.
It's my best friend, tied to a whipping post in the center of the square. And unfamiliar peacekeeper holds a whip across from Gale who looks unconscious, his back completely mangled.
"Stop!" A voice cries. Katniss, who was just in front of me a second ago has now run out into the square. The peacekeeper either doesn't notice or doesn't care as he cracks the whip down again towards Gale, but Katniss places herself between them and ends up the target. She falls to the ground, holding her eye, pushing up on her hands and knees to stand back up refusing to back down.
"No!" I place myself in between Katniss and the peacekeeper, holding my hands up. "Surely he's taken enough of a punishment."
"He broke the law!" The peacekeeper says, raising the whip to bring it down again. This time towards me.
I brace myself for the impact but it never comes.
"I command you to stop this instant!" Katniss says, shielding my body with hers.
"Oh yeah?" The peacekeeper crosses his arms. "By whose order?"
Katniss squares her shoulder and all I can do is watch. "President Snow."
The peacekeeper bursts out laughing. He had to be new. He certainly wasn't here when Katniss arrived, otherwise he would know all about her. "Like you have any way to reach our President. Step aside little girl."
"Hey now! What's going on?" I can feel the slight relief wash over my body at the voice of my mentor. Haymitch would know how to fix this.
"Get out of my way!" The peacekeeper says, not even bothering to look at him.
Haymitch grumbles, stepping in front of Katniss and examining her face. "Great. These two are supposed to start the Victory tour next week. How do you think the President's going to feel with his granddaughter's face swollen for all of Panem to see? Huh?"
It's only at the mention of the Victory tour that the peacekeeper's eyes widen and he finally lowers his whip. Even if he didn't recognize me or Katniss, Haymitch has been on television for years so he would certainly recognize our oldest Victor. I now realize he must be the new head peacekeeper. I wonder what happened to Cray?
"I can't just let him go unpunished because you say so. I have order to uphold," he says.
"Sir," another one of the peacekeepers Gale and I would often sell to steps up. "The punishment for a first offense is ten lashes. Which you have administered," he quickly adds, stepping back and ducking his head.
The new peacekeeper narrows his eyes. "Fine," he says, recoiling his whip and sticking it into his belt. "Get him down. But let him know that next time I won't be as lenient." Leaving us with that, he swiftly turns and marches out of the square, the other peacekeepers giving us sympathetic looks as they pass.
"All I asked is that you stay out of trouble," Haymitch scolds, but Katniss is already gone, racing to Gale, freezing just inches away.
"Oh, my god," she says, staring at his back in horror.
It's terrible, all bloody and mangled. How many lashes had he taken before we got here?"
I dig through my pocket for a coin and hand it to a couple of boys watching near the front of the crowd. "Get the healer to meet us at my house."
I try to untie the knots but they're too tight and my hands shake. A small hand rests on top of mine, gently pushing me away.
"Here, let me," Katniss says, a knife in hand. Where did she get that?
That's when I notice how bad her cheek is. I was so occupied with Gale that I hadn't bothered to ask if she was okay. "That looks bad," I manage to croak out.
She shakes her head. "Later." She swiftly cuts through the rope and Gale slumps to the ground. Only a few people are left, everyone else scattered so as not to look like they're associated with us. A woman in a nearby booth offers to sell us the board she used as a table to transport him and it takes me, Haymitch, Katniss, and a few other volunteers to carry Gale all the way back to the Victor Village. We place him on the kitchen counter just as the door knocks. Katniss comes back with Mrs. Everdeen, the town healer. She's the best in the District and a lot of us would even go as far as to say she's better than the official doctor, not to mention with her, there's no risk of her reporting back to the Capitol.
With her is her thirteen year old daughter, Prim. Mrs. Everdeen was often a topic of discussion, especially in my house. Apparently, she and my father used to be friends. I once heard mom and dad arguing about how he was in love with her but she ran off with a coal miner. As far as I knew, Mr. Everdeen had died in the same accident as Gale's dad, and Mrs. Everdeen and Prim moved back in with her parents who ran the apothecary.
"Thank you for coming, Mrs. Everdeen," I tell her. "Hi Prim," I wave at the little girl. She was an only child and from what I knew didn't have very many friends. Even though she had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as the rest of us merchants, they still considered her an outcast because of her father. But my dad would sneak her cookies sometimes when he catches her staring at the cakes in our display windows and she's always polite with a happy smile on her face.
"Hello," the girl smiles. She glances at Katniss and her wide eyes twinkle with admiration. "You're Katniss Snow."
Katniss, ever the diplomat, smiles and nods. "Yes. And you are?"
"Primrose Everdeen," she says, curtseying.
I hold back my laughter at her attempted extravagance, but Katniss doesn't laugh. No instead, she cursteyes back like she would greet anyone else in the Capitol. "Pleasure to meet you Primrose."
"Prim, can you take care of her cut? And bring me some snow?" Mrs. Everdeen asks. "Where's the boy?"
"Through here," I tell her, pointing to the kitchen. "Will you be okay?" I ask Katniss.
"I'll be fine," she says. Prim is already tugging on her hand. "Go be with Gale."
I want to stay with her and make sure her face is okay, but with the way Prim seems protective of her, I have a feeling I won't need to worry. Besides, Gale is in worse shape.
I hurry to the kitchen where Haymitch stands with a bottle of liquor in one hand and rubbing alcohol with the other. I raise a brow but he just shrugs. "I'm helping." He hands Mrs. Everdeen the rubbing alcohol.
"Is he going to be okay?" I ask.
"These kinds of things used to happen all the time before you kids," Haymitch says. "None of you know how easy we had it with Cray. But Florence Everdeen was the one who fixed them all up. Your friend will be fine. He'll feel like crap, but he'll be fine." He tips his bottle towards Mrs. Everdeen, takeing another sip.
Prim hurries back in with a bucket of snow and places it on the counter next to Gale. "Here you go, mom," she says.
Mrs. Everdeen attempts a smile, but it's sad, almost forced. "Thank you, Prim."
I stop her before she can run out of the room again. "How's Katniss?"
"She's fine," Prim calls over her shoulder, running off.
I'm about to go after her, but Gale groans, stealing my attention. "Gale? Gale? He's in pain. Can we give him anything?"
"I do have some old morphine but-"
"Well give it to him." I clench my jaw. Gale chooses that moment to gain some more consciousness and he lets out a weak cry of pain. "He's hurting! Give it to him! Do your job! Just give it to him!" I can't help the panic and yelling.
"Hey! That is no way to speak to an adult, boy," Haymitch scolds.
"I think you should wait outside," Mrs. Everdeen suggests.
"No! I think you should-"
"Peeta!" Haymitch slams his bottle down on the counter cutting me off. He's never really called me by my name so I know I must have messed up. "Take a walk," he hisses.
I storm out, not able to deal with any of this. Who were they to decide whether or not Gale was in pain. He's my best friend!
I don't stop until I'm outside in the cold winter air which helps to calm my rage. I've never been the kind of person to get angry very often but everything that had happened leading up to now, had reached a boiling point, and no Gale was hurt because of it. Haymitch says he'll be fine but if he wasn't the same afterwards, I'd never forgive myself.
I pull at my hair, frustrated at feeling so powerless. But as snowflakes fall around me, I feel the iciness setting in and eventually have to head back inside.
I'm in such a sour mood I almost miss the laughter coming from the living room. I follow the sound, stopping by the couch. I never in a million years would have guessed the sight before me.
Katniss and Prim face each other, Prim holding up some snow to Katniss' cheek while Katniss braids her hair. The girls are huddled close, giggling to each other as Prim talks animatedly to Katniss who seems equally engaged.
I can't help but watch them for a bit, the pure joy on both of their faces bringing a smile on my face.
"Oh, Peeta!" Prim says, finally noticing my presence. "Come join us! You can braid Katniss' hair."
Katniss gives her a funny look, her cheeks turning pink. "My hairs already in a braid."
Prim rolls her eyes and the expression on her face makes me laugh. "Then braid it again," she says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's messy."
Anyone else would have been insulted by that but Katniss just giggles, completely enamored by the little girl.
I decide to join them, giving myself a little more time before I have to face Mrs. Everdeen again, and settle right behind Katniss, my back against the couch and my legs on either side of her.
"Is this okay?" I ask her and she nods. I turn to the little blonde girl. "What's the diagnosis doc?"
Her eyes light up when I address her and Prim sits up a little straighter. "The whip missed her eyes, thank goodness, and the bleeding on her cheek has stopped. She just needs to keep icing it and the swelling should go down. Oh and mom has an ointment she can put on it but if you happen to have a Capital grade first aid kit, there might be some fast healing ointment in there," she says, trying to keep her voice as professional sounding as possible.
"Thank you, Doctor Prim," Katniss says, playing along. "Whatever would I do without you?"
Prim beams. Scooping up some more snow to place against Katniss' cheek as she continues to braid Prim's hair.
I get to work myself, unbraiding Katniss soft hair, running my fingers across her scalp. She lets out a soft moan, stiffening. I glance at Prim to see if she's noticed but shes still babbling on about some boy at school.
"Feel good?" I whisper in her ear. It's been a while since I've been this close to Katniss, and despite me being the one trying to keep the distance, I still missed it.
Katniss nods, refusing to look at me, so I continue braiding her hair while the girls talk.
"Nobody at school wants to be my friend," I overhear Prim telling Katniss.
"Why not?
"Because I'm different," she says. "Tell her Peeta!"
Katniss tilts her head back, questioning.
"I don't think you're different Prim," I tell her.
The little girl huffs in frustration. "You know what I mean! My mom is from a merchant family and my dad was from the seam. Most of the other kids treat me like an outcast. Or if they don't their parents won't let them play with me," she explains. "I hear the things they say about us."
I didn't realize that Prim had been privy to all the gossip going on around town, but I suppose she would have noticed it simply by how the other children might treat her.
"Have you tried talking to them? Not everyone is influenced by what everyone else thinks," Katniss suggests.
Prim frowns, looking down. "You wouldn't understand. You're so pretty and everyone must like you," she mumbles.
"You're pretty too," Katniss says, taking her hand. "I wish I had your eyes. They're so blue. They remind me of the ocean," she tells her.
Prim's eyes go wide. "You've seen the ocean?"
Katniss shakes her head. "Not yet. But I will. Someday. And so will you," she says, poking her in the stomach making her laugh. "And everyone does not like me. In fact, I'm like you too. Everyone at home treats me like an outcast because of my family. They think they have to impress me or they hate me because they don't agree with my grandfather's decision. I could never tell who's being real or not. But you know what? It took me a long time to realize that all of that has nothing to do with me, or who I am as a person."
Katniss ties off the end of Prim's hair and caresses her hair. "You, Primrose, are kind and sweet, and funny. And to hell with anyone who can't see that. I would love to be your friend."
Prim blinks back tears, staring at the older girl in front of her in awe. I can't help but do the same. "You would?"
"Absolutely," Katniss says, that stubborn edge in her voice.
Prim launches herself at Katniss who winces in pain. "Oh, sorry, sorry!" She says, pulling back, scooping some more snow and all but slapping it on Katniss' face in her haste. "The swelling's gone down but you should put ointment on it. I think it'll keep it from scarring."
Katniss' smiles fondly. "You're going to make an amazing healer."
"There you go," I say, wrapping Katniss' hair tie on her completed braid.
"How are you so good at braiding?" Katniss asks, examining my work.
"I'd have to braid dough at the bakery for some of the special loaves," I tell her. "It's all the same."
"You compared my hair to dough," Katniss deadpans and Prim giggles.
"And what about it?" Without even thinking I press a kiss to her cheek. "I'll go see if I can find one of those first aid kits. Don't get into too much trouble."
"No promises," Katniss calls out and the smile takes over before I can stop it. I've found that was the effect Katniss usually had on me.
What was happening? I was determined not to let myself like her, to get close to her. But she made it so hard. Was I falling for her? No, that was ridiculous! This was just a feeling of obligation since she didn't have anyone else here. It had to be.
I find the first aid kit in my downstairs bathroom and leave it with Prim who's busy asking Katniss about her life in the Capitol. She takes the kit without even looking at me and gets to work on Katniss without missing a beat.
There isn't anything left to do but go check on Gale. It takes me another minute to build up the courage to face Mrs. Everdeen and when I walk back in, she's quietly talking to Haymitch, packing up her things.
"I'm sorry about my outburst earlier," I say. "It had nothing to do with you and you didn't deserve it."
Mrs. Everdeen gives me a warm smile. "I understand, Peeta. People can react uncharacteristically when their loved ones are in pain. I've heard worse. Trust me," she squeezes my shoulder. "Now, make sure to change the dressing once a day and if he's in a lot of pain, you can give him one of these," she hands me a small bottle with some pills. "He can't sleep on his back for a while, but he should be healed enough to make the walk home in about a week. Any questions?" I shake my head. "Good. You can come get me if anything goes wrong. Mr. Abernathy knows all the details if you forget. I should check on Ms. Snow."
"Oh, Prim fixed her up. They seemed to get along well," I tell her, sparing a glance at Gale who's unconscious for now.
Mrs. Everdeen smiles. "Prim can get along with just about anyone. I'll check on her just in case."
"Haymitch, will you watch him?" I ask. "I'm going to follow her out."
"Where's he going to go?" Haymitch guffaws, taking another swig of his drink.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Everdeen," I thank her again.
"It's my job," she says.
"Oh, right," I dig out a handful of coins but Mrs. Everdeen stops me.
"Mr. Abernathy already paid me. Primrose!" She calls out.
Prim and Katniss walk hand and hand into the entryway. Mrs. Everdeen steps up, placing her hand under Katniss' chin to get a closer look at her cheek. Once she's satisfied, she lets go. "That's a really strong ointment," she comments.
"Capital grade," I say.
"You're lucky," she says. "Are you ready to go, Primrose?"
"Wait, Prim. For you," I hand her a couple coins. I see the look Mrs. Everdeen gives me but I shrug. "She has excellent bedside manner and she practically took care of Katniss all by herself."
"Oh! Maybe I can buy a goat!" She says, staring at the coins in her hand.
"We'll see," Mrs. Everdeen says. "Say your goodbyes. We have to go."
"Bye Katniss," Prim says, squeezing her waist tight. "I'm so happy we're friends. I'll watch for you during your tour. Oh yeah, and you too Peeta."
I roll my eyes. "I'm flattered."
"I have something for you too, Prim," Katniss says. She reaches around her neck and pulls out a gold necklace from under the collar of her shirt. She unclasps it and places around Prim's neck, securing the back.
The little girl looks down at her new necklace, a simple gold chain with a "P" pendant. "It's so pretty."
Mrs. Everdeen frowns. "Ms. Snow, we can't-"
"I told you. Katniss, please," Katniss says. "Nonsense," she says. "I insist." She turns back to Prim. "It was my mother's. P for Petunia. And now, P for Primrose. I don't have any siblings, but if I had a sister I'd hope she'd be like you."
"You won't miss it?" Prim asks, but I can already tell she loves the necklace.
Katniss shakes her head. "I have plenty of memories of my mother. She isn't here," Katniss says, tracing her finger on the pendant. She places her hand over her own heart. "She's here," she tells Prim with a soft smile on her face.