Chapter Text
Peeta’s POV
“Wait up, Katniss!” Peeta chased after Katniss as fast as his skinny twelve-year-old legs could carry him.
But Katniss Everdeen was like a bird, free-spirited and not to be caged, and when she set her mind to something, more than likely, she was going to do it.
Peeta loved that about her.
Today, Katniss had gotten it into her pretty head to climb to the top of the apple tree in his backyard. When she’d found out his mother wouldn’t be home, she’d thought it’d be the best time.
They played in secret, for Peeta’s mother had clearly expressed her dislike and distrust of Seam kids, plenty of times. Merchant Circle kids and Seam kids didn’t usually interact, but Peeta had no problem with those from the Seam, and he especially loved being around Katniss. He didn’t see the big deal, honestly. So what if they lived on the outskirts of town? So what if they didn’t have as much money‒Peeta was used to eating stale bread and leftovers, anyway. Not to mention, Katniss and her father’s squirrels had made many a dinner for his family. He wondered if his mother knew where they came from, for it was always his father or him who did the trading.
Peeta didn’t get to see Katniss as often as he would like‒he was almost always stuck at the bakery, and rarely unsupervised‒but times with her were his favorite times. Sometimes they were alone, which he preferred, but other times, they hung out with her small group, consisting of Thom, Gale, and occasionally, her sister, Primrose.
As if his life (or hers) depended on it, Peeta raced to catch up to Katniss. She was already three or four branches up when he made it to the tree. Unfortunately, he was running so fast that he didn’t stop quick enough, and…Thwap! He smacked his head against a low branch.
“Peeta!” gasped Katniss from her perch. “You okay?!”
“Fine!” he called up. He rubbed his forehead, feeling like a complete idiot. It smarted a bit, but his pride was far more wounded.
As if preparing her, Peeta shouted, “I’m coming up!” And then he reached out for the lowest, sturdiest-looking branch he could find. He wasn’t quite sure how this would work. He’d never climbed a tree before, and it looked tough. Katniss was small and nimble, but he was bulkier. He wasn’t completely uncoordinated, but he was much better at lifting things than doing anything requiring agility or balance. Even so, he had to try. And so, he found his footing and pushed himself up.
Turned out, his upper body strength (from lifting sacks of flour) came in handy in getting him up the tree. But there were two problems: One, his footing. And two, the relatively young apple tree wasn’t quite liking his size, and some of the thinner branches were bending under his weight.
“You’re almost there, Peeta,” urged Katniss, and all he could see was her encouraging smile. He reached out to take her hand for a boost but felt his shoe slipping against the bark. And then, his body weight and that thing called gravity were pulling him downward…
“Peeta!” shrieked Katniss as she reached out desperately for his hand.
But in those few seconds, Peeta knew he couldn’t grab hold. Katniss may be strong for her size, but she was tiny, definitely not strong enough to hold him up. If he did grasp her hand, he would surely drag her down with him, and he would never put her in danger.
Peeta dropped to the ground, left foot first, a sharp, white-hot pain shooting up his leg on impact. He groaned and fell flat on his back, his head smacking hard against the ground.
Katniss was down the tree in a heartbeat, kneeling beside him. A bright light silhouetted her; she looked like an angel. Was he dead? Or dying maybe? If so, hers was the last face he wanted to see…
“Peeta! Peeta! Peeta, are you okay?” cried Katniss. She was touching his shoulder and chest only as if she was afraid to go near his leg.
He murmured something and reached out to try and touch her, but his head was spinning and his vision was blurring.
Amidst the excruciating pain and confusion, he heard her muttering, “Oh no, oh no, what do I do?!” And then, she started to cry.
No, no, no. This was no good, at all. He couldn’t deal with Katniss crying. He probably had a broken leg; he didn’t need a broken heart, also.
“Don’t…” He attempted to reach for her again, and this time, he felt her take his hand in both of hers and rest it against her face, her tears wetting it. There was a persistent ringing in his ears, and then he passed out.
While he was unconscious, Peeta dreamed of Katniss‒of the first time they met. They were five years old...
Katniss’s father brought her by the bakery to trade, and while their dads were talking, he played with her. At first, she was shy, only peering out at him from behind her father’s legs, but he managed to convince her to come out.
She wore a red plaid dress, and her hair was in two braids. He’d seen her earlier that day in school‒his father had pointed her out to him and told him how he’d wanted to marry her mother but she’d run off with a coal miner (this coal miner, with the singing voice that made bird’s stop to listen)‒and he’d heard her sing. Her voice was every bit as lovely as they said her father’s was.
Once he got her to come out, they talked a little and ended up chasing one another around the bakery. Of course, his mother wasn’t home that day.
In retrospect, Peeta had been a goner for Katniss from the start, completely mesmerized by her singing voice and her beautiful gray eyes, which he got a closer look at in the bakery. Then there was her smile, which she didn’t give freely, but when she did, it was so worth the wait. She didn’t talk much, but he’d been able to get her to laugh that day in the bakery, and the noise, much like her singing, was music to his ears. Oh, and her braids‒he’d always been really fascinated by her braids.
Before she left the bakery, Peeta couldn’t help leaning forward and smacking his lips against Katniss’s, just to see what it would be like. He’d seen people kiss before, even his parents, though not often. It was weird when his mom and dad did it, but he liked it better than when they yelled at each other.
To his surprise, kissing Katniss wasn’t bad or weird. He liked it. And he wanted to try it again, someday.
After the kiss, Katniss’s cheeks were reddened, and she turned away from him, dashing back behind her father. He was so afraid he’d done the wrong thing and that she’d hate him forever, but when they went to leave, she smiled and waved at him.
Peeta came to with a start, jerking around and whimpering as he clutched at his throbbing leg. He realized he was in his bed, though he didn’t know how he’d gotten there. Also, he wasn’t alone‒Mrs. Everdeen was at his side.
“Peeta, honey, lie still. I have to set your leg,” Katniss’s mother spoke in her soft, doctor-like voice. She was a healer. He assumed Katniss must have gotten a couple of boys or a man, maybe her dad or his, to carry him to his room after his fall.
But where was Katniss? And was his dad here?
Before he could look around for them, Mrs. Everdeen told him she was going to give him some medicine to take away his pain. She injected him with something, morphling, he heard her say, and instantly, he felt his entire body relaxing. He looked over, then, to see Katniss entering his room and approaching his bedside, followed by her father. Her arms were folded, and her forehead was all scrunched up like how it got when she was really worried. Her eyes were puffy, too, and her cheeks were stained with tears; she’d definitely been crying.
Peeta raised his head and tried to smile and say something reassuring. “Kat…it’s…o-” But his words trailed off as a strange, dizzy feeling overtook him, and his head dropped back onto his pillow. Katniss came over and took a seat next to him, slipping her small hand into his.
This is nice, he thought.
But the euphoric feeling was quickly broken by his mother’s loud voice as she barged into his room. Uh oh.
His mother discovering the Everdeens in their home was bad news. She basically hated all the rest of them as much or more than Katniss, especially Katniss’s mother. Maybe it was because his dad used to love her?
“What’s this?! What have you done, you stupid creature?!” his mother screeched at Katniss.
Peeta’s eyes shot to his best friend who immediately dropped his hand. He saw the look on her face; her cheeks had gone reddish, and her eyes were filling with tears, which she was clearly fighting back. She looked scared, upset, and angry.
Just another reason for him to hate his mother.
“Katni…” Peeta tried to say her name, to comfort her, but his words caught in his scratchy throat.
He tried again, but he was cut off.
“Listen here,” Mr. Everdeen’s voice boomed, loud and clear, “you will not speak of my daughter that way! I won’t allow it. My wife has been kind enough to help your son, so show some respect to my family.”
That should shut his mother up, Peeta imagined. Mr. Everdeen might be a friendly, quiet man most of the time, but he could be intimidating. So, Peeta didn’t expect his mother would say another word.
Mr. Everdeen placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Honey, fix up Peeta, then we’ll be on our way,” he said softly.
Peeta’s mother was silent after that; in fact, he thought she might have left the room. But he was in and out of consciousness, and next thing he knew, it was dark, and he was waking up in his bed with only his father beside him.
Groggily, Peeta asked, “Where’s Katniss?”
“She’s at her house, son,” his father replied, tucking his covers nearly up to his chin. “You should get some rest.” And with that, he was left alone in the darkness.
Peeta recalled his brothers stopping in briefly, and then his mother. He imagined she only cared about him being injured because it might hinder his work at the bakery. He was sure she’d still give him plenty to do, though. What did she care if he was in pain doing it?
His mother was mainly condescending, railing on him for being so stupid, which he expected and accepted, but what really made his blood boil was when she set in on Katniss.
“That’s why you don’t play with Seam children,” she chided, casting him a dark look. “They’re wild heathens with no regard for rules or safety.”
They’re kids, Mother‒just like me. They just want to play and have fun. They don’t want anyone to get hurt.
What his mother said next lanced his heart. “I forbid you to see that girl anymore.”
Peeta squeezed his fists beneath the covers. She really cared nothing for him, did she? Of course, if his mother didn’t care that he had a broken leg, why would she care if forbidding him from seeing Katniss ripped his heart out?
But it didn’t matter. There was no way he was going to stop seeing Katniss; nothing his mother, or anyone, could say or do would ever stop him.
Katniss snuck into his room later that night. She must have climbed the tree next to his window and crawled through. She was next to his bed rousing him before he even realized what was happening.
At her touch, Peeta woke. “Katniss, what are you doing here?” he hissed, trying to sit up.
She held out her hand as if to stop him. “I brought these for you, from my mother,” said she, handing him a small package. “Medicine for the pain and a salve for the inflammation. Instructions are inside.”
“Thanks.”
It sounded like the delivery came from her mother, and he didn’t think Katniss would have taken the items on her own without permission‒mainly because she probably wouldn’t have known what to take or what to do‒but he doubted she had permission to be here this late. He glanced at the clock. It was nearly 11 PM.
“Are you okay?” she asked, fidgeting with her fingers.
“Yes.”
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“I’m so sorry.” He could see her eyes glistening in the moonlight. Was she going to cry again?
“It’s not your fault, and hey, it probably earned me some time off at the bakery. So, thanks.”
Most likely, he wouldn’t get any time off, though. Or, if he did, it wouldn’t be much. His mother would probably have him back to work as soon as he could move, but Katniss didn’t need to know that. He tapped her playfully on the nose, and she laughed a little.
“Katniss, thanks for bringing the medicine, but you better go. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Peeta sighed. He didn’t actually want to send her away; he wanted her to stay with him, forever.
Rather than listening to him, though, she did the exact opposite‒she pulled back the covers and climbed into bed with him.
Wow. Were wishes being fulfilled tonight?
Okay, so, Peeta had just discovered the absolute best medicine for any of his ailments‒having Katniss Everdeen in his arms.
“Am I hurting your leg?” she asked as she tentatively snuggled in closer.
“Not a bit.” He smiled. “That’s my good leg.”
“You sure? I could move.”
“Don’t you dare move,” he said, wrapping his arms completely around her and holding her in place. He kissed the top of her head. For a moment, he wondered if he shouldn’t have done that. They had only shared that one kiss when they were 5, and it had never been brought up since. She probably didn’t think anything about kissing him, anyway.
“Okay, good,” she said, shutting her eyes and resting her head and a hand on his chest.
He looked down at her. She looked so peaceful and seemed close to falling asleep, but he shouldn’t let that happen. If his mother found Katniss here in the morning, in his bed, they were both toast!
But it was too nice having her here, and he wanted to enjoy it for a little while longer. He took the chance to play with her braid, like he’d always wanted to, and she let him. It had just become his new favorite thing to do. Katniss always wore her hair this way, except for a couple of times when she had it down, and Peeta loved her braid. But he was also kind of curious to run his fingers through her hair while it was down. He imagined it would be so soft and silky.
“Peeta,” he heard her murmur just when he thought she was asleep.
“Yeah?”
“Your mother…she hates me.”
“No.”
“Don’t lie, Peeta.”
“Okay, maybe she does. But, remember, she’s not too fond of me, either.”
Peeta felt Katniss shake her head against him, and he gave a small chuckle. It was so sad, it was funny, in a way.
He looked down into her face; she wore a sad expression. “Heyy,” he soothed, stroking her back lightly. “Hey, Katniss, listen. I don’t care. Don’t give another thought to what my mother said, because it’s not true. Nothing she says means anything to me or matters, at all. You’re wonderful and amazing, and it wasn’t your fault I got hurt, and nothing anyone says or does will ever change the way I fee-think about you.”
How did he feel about her? He didn’t quite know the exact word for it, but whatever it was, it was pretty strong. Like right now, he could feel his heart beating wildly like it was trying to escape his chest. She always made him feel this way, as if his heart might run away or explode into tiny pieces.
Katniss softly sighed. “Okay, Peeta. If you don’t care, I don’t care, either.”
“Good.” He stroked her hair once, twice, three times.
They remained curled up together until just before dawn, and then Katniss slipped away. Right away, he felt the loss. Despite the discomfort in his leg and the fact that he barely slept, for he was either watching Katniss or the clock (in fear they might sleep too long and be discovered), Peeta had never known such a peaceful, wonderful night.
It took nearly two months for the leg to heal, and it did earn him some time off bakery duty, but as expected, his mother had him back to work soon, doing what he could while hobbling around on crutches.
On the bright side, Katniss visited him almost every night, sneaking into his room and into his bed, saying she was checking to make sure he was okay. Peeta got used to having her there, and he enjoyed it, yet he was surprised they were never caught.
Once he was healed, much to Peeta’s disappointment, Katniss stopped coming by; although, it might have had something to do with him suggesting she should stop. He hadn’t wanted her to stop, and he hoped it hadn’t hurt her feelings; he was simply worried they’d be caught and his mother would say more terrible things to her. He didn’t care if she said terrible things to him, but he never wanted Katniss to be called a name again or be made to feel bad, by anyone.
After that, Peeta had to be sneakier about seeing Katniss, and he did see her less. Seemed like, after he healed, his mother gave him extra work at the bakery, in theory, to make up for the time he’d missed. But no matter how much work she gave him or how often she warned him against having anything to do with the ‘little dirtbags’ (one of the kinder nicknames she attributed to the Seam children), nothing‒not even President Snow, himself‒could keep him from Katniss.
He did worry, though, about his mother trying to cause harm to Katniss and her family. She was surely spreading the incident around, making it sound like it was Katniss’s fault‒as if she’d bullied him up that tree then pushed him out or something. She was probably trying to gain sympathy from the townsfolk and hurt the Everdeens’ business, but Peeta assumed everyone would continue to buy Katniss and her father’s game. It was too good. And if not, they would be fine because her dad had his job in the mines.
Even so, Peeta sometimes hated the way things were. Sometimes, he even considered running away from home, off to the Seam or even beyond the fence and into the woods, with Katniss. On the other side of the fence, they could be together every day and live happily without anyone’s interference.
It was a nice dream.
The next summer, Katniss announced to Peeta that she was going to teach him to swim, and she showed him her father’s lake for the very first time.
“You ready?” she asked excitedly. She was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, he in just shorts.
He stared deep into her eyes, then nodded. “Yes.”
They waded out further into the lake until it was up past his shoulders and came to her chin. She went behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and forget drowning, Peeta thought he would die right then and there, over this.
See, he’d been having…different sorts of feelings about Katniss lately, in the last couple of months… He cared so much for her, as always, but he’d also been thinking more and more about things like: kissing her, touching her, and feeling her pressed against him. He wished she’d sneak into his bed again, but he was also kind of afraid he wouldn’t keep his hands to himself if she did. He knew he would never hurt or mistreat Katniss, but sometimes, it was tough to think straight around her, and sometimes his body seemed to have a mind of its own.
It was frustrating.
Right now, Katniss was hugging him, and it felt nice. No, not hugging–supporting him in the water. But it felt like a hug, and he didn’t get them often, his father being so busy, and his mother, well, not being the hugging type.
Katniss’s hands briefly ran up his stomach, to his chest, and back down. It made Peeta shiver, and his breath hitched. And he had to wonder, did she get the kind of feelings he did, too?
“You okay?” she asked. He could feel her bangs brushing his bare back, tickling his skin a little, but in a way he really liked.
He tried to answer coolly, but it came out as a choked “Y-yes.”
“Okay.” Katniss shifted a little, instructing him to dunk his head and practice holding his breath. “I’ll hold onto you.”
“You won’t let go?” he asked. More so, he wanted the reassurance of having her there, because she emboldened him and made him feel safe, even if she was much smaller than him.
“Never, Peeta,” she assured. He smiled and rested his hands atop hers.
“Okay, I’m ready.” And with that, he dipped his head under the water.
Katniss was a good teacher, even if he was kind of a bumbling idiot when it came to the water. He’d never survive in D4. Not like he’d ever have any reason to go there. But they had fun, swimming around and splashing one another. Peeta even picked her up and tossed her in a couple of times, and she came right back at him, latching onto his shoulders and dunking him or wrapping her legs around his waist and climbing his back.
Peeta got better at staying underwater, and he took to swimming around her and tickling her beneath the waves‒in innocent places, of course, like her feet or her sides. One time, though, the water caused her shirt to billow up and he accidentally slid his hand across the bare skin of her stomach. It was so flat and smooth; it felt nice. For a split second, his hand took over before his mind could have any say in the manner, and he squeezed her side a little. Katniss sucked in a sharp breath and reared back. And instantly, she was throwing out her arms and kicking her legs to put some distance between them.
“Katniss, I’m sorry! Di-did I hurt you?”
She shook her head rapidly, but she could barely look at him.
Again, Peeta apologized while slowly moving toward her.
“It’s okay.” She swallowed. “I’m just…ticklish there.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Things were a little weird after that, and Katniss kind of kept her distance from him, despite Peeta apologizing quite a few more times. She finally told him to just forget about it.
But Peeta didn’t want to forget. He wished he could touch her anytime he felt like it, and that she would want that, too.
After their swimming lesson at the lake, Peeta started having dreams about Katniss, embarrassing ones. More embarrassing, still, was the way his body reacted to the dreams, even in his sleep. It was a bit upsetting, and she would be mortified if she knew. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. And it occurred almost every night. Peeta considered talking to his father about it, but that would be weird, and talking to his older brothers would be even weirder. But they were actually helpful in a way. Hearing them talk, he came to understand that it was normal to feel what he was feeling.
Those feelings continued‒oh, did they continue!‒and Peeta started to notice other girls, too, but none of them left any kind of lasting impression on him as Katniss did.
Was it normal for a boy to be so obsessed with a single girl his entire life?
Eventually, Peeta decided he needed a distraction from Katniss, and so, he joined the wrestling team at 15. His older brother wrestled, and he’d always thought that was pretty neat.
Turned out, he was really good at it, even came in second in the school, only to his brother.
The wrestling built up Peeta’s body and his popularity. Although he’d always been stronger than most boys his age, due to working in the bakery, he developed, growing broader and stronger but remaining lean in the waist. He made more friends, and girls were starting to pay attention to him. Save for one‒the girl he’d noticed all along. Unfortunately, Katniss still treated him like her pal, and even worse, she was spending less time with him and more time with Gale Hawthorne…
Peeta didn’t like it.
But he supposed he couldn’t blame her; between wrestling and the bakery, he’d had next to no time for her.
Or, maybe Katniss was finally figuring out that he didn’t belong in her world. Not because she was a Seam girl and he was from town, but because, he didn’t seem to fit in with her and her friends. For instance, he wasn’t good at the same kinds of things as they were. It didn’t matter to Peeta, but maybe it mattered to her.
Regardless, if she would allow it, he would remain by her side, for always. Whether they were doing something he was good at or not, whether they were going someplace dangerous or unpleasant, no matter what, wherever she went, he wanted to go, too.
But over the next year, things began to shift between them. Peeta’s popularity in school only seemed to push Katniss away, and whenever he tried to remedy the situation, she either ignored him or flat-out made up an excuse. It was a crushing blow each time she did.
One day, a girl asked Peeta to go to the slag heap with her. He knew what that meant, of course, and he actually considered it, if only to give himself the chance to feel something for someone other than Katniss. But in the end, he just couldn’t go through with it, and he told her no. She was pretty, but if her name wasn’t Katniss Everdeen, then Peeta Mellark simply wasn’t interested.
That was the day it hit him‒he loved Katniss Everdeen. No, not just loved her; he was in love with her.
Maybe he should tell her how he felt.
But how could he? She would never reciprocate‒she didn’t think of him that way‒and he didn’t think he could take the rejection. Best to leave things the way they were because having Katniss as his friend was much better than not having her at all…
Katniss’s POV
(Age 16)
Several days later…
“So, where’ve you been lately, Peeta?” asked Gale. “Been wondering where the other half of Peetnip’s been.”
“Actually, we prefer Everlark,” said Peeta with a grin.
Katniss hugged her legs to her chest, blushing over the combining of hers and Peeta’s names, even though she knew it didn’t mean anything. Gale was just fooling around, and Peeta was playing along.
“Yeah, so what gives?” barked Gale. “You too good to hang out with us all of a sudden?”
“No, not at all, I-” Peeta glanced over at her. “I’ve just been really busy with wrestling.”
And his new friends…
And that girl…
Katniss was sure she wasn’t coming close to hiding the disdain on her face. Of course, she’d heard about that pretty girl asking Peeta to the slag heap. And it had hurt way more than it should have; she’d actually felt like a part of her died inside that day.
Katniss wasn’t sure why, but lately, she’d been thinking about Peeta a lot. About old times. When he fell out of the tree; when they slept in the same bed; that summer at the lake…
How had things changed so much between them, and somehow, not at all? Part of Katniss wanted so badly for things to always stay the same, but another part of her kind of wished that things could be…different between Peeta and her.
She shook off her thoughts and turned her attention back on Gale.
He was looking as skeptical as her over Peeta’s excuse. Not for the same reason, probably. It was because Peeta was a merchant’s son. And that meant Gale was always paranoid that Peeta was only pretending to be their friend for some ulterior motive not yet revealed, or that he’d ditch them all at the first opportunity. Honestly, Katniss was surprised Gale had even accepted Peeta into their circle in the first place. But, as with her (and everyone), it had taken him some time.
“Seriously, man, it takes up almost all of my free time. And then there’s my…” Peeta stopped short.
“Your mother,” Gale finished for him.
“Yeah.” Peeta looked to Katniss then, probably because he knew it was a sore subject for her. Katniss glanced away.
Peeta’s mother. As much as Katniss disliked her, Peeta still seemed to care about what she thought, even if he said he didn’t.
Not that she could blame him. Angering his mother was dangerous, and she wanted him to be safe. Simply associating with her, as Peeta was doing now, could earn him a beating. And Katniss felt constant guilt over it. He shouldn’t be here now; she should tell him to stop coming, once and for all. But she just…
“Katniss, who’s that man leering at you?” Gale’s voice broke Katniss’s train of thought.
“Leering?” She blinked several times in succession. No guys ‘leered’ at her. Guys barely even knew she existed, aside from her small group‒and they didn’t exactly think of her as a ‘girl.’ She was just one of the guys; she’d never even been asked on a date. Not that she’d want to go on one…except maybe with…
Shaking off the ridiculous notion, Katniss shielded her eyes from the sun and looked over. Gale was right; the man was actually staring at her. He was an older man, wearing dark, fancy clothing and gold eyeshadow. He definitely wasn’t from around here.
“I don’t know.” Katniss shrugged. “Never seen him before in my life. And he’s not leering.”
“Nah, I think he is,” Gale smirked. “He’s looking pretty hard at you, Catnip.”
Katniss’s cheeks flushed. It felt so strange and uncomfortable having a man, any man, look at her that way as if he was evaluating her…
“Well, all I know is, he can’t be from District 12,” remarked Gale. “Look at those fancy clothes.”
Her old hunting partner had read her mind, and instinctively, Katniss looked back at Peeta for his take on the matter. Peeta didn’t even seem to notice her; he was focused on the man, and he seemed none too happy about the situation.
The man with the gold eyeshadow came over then, and he introduced himself to Katniss. His name was Cinna, and he was from the Capitol.
The Capitol. What could a man from the Capitol possibly want with her?
“I’m sorry to stare, but let me explain,” said Cinna. “I’m a stylist in the Capitol, and I’ve been searching for the perfect girl to model a new line of clothing I’m designing.”
Yeah? And what does that have to do with me?
He was going to have to spell this one out for her.
“I think you’re it.” At his words, Katniss’s eyes widened. She glanced back at her group, the entire lot seeming as thunderstruck as her. “Miss…?” He extended his hand.
“Katniss Everdeen.” She accepted his hand and shook it.
“Katniss, what a lovely name. May I call you Katniss?”
Numbly, she nodded.
“Well, Katniss, you’re just what I’ve been looking for. That skin, those eyes…I could do wonders with your unique look.”
Katniss blinked several times, opening her mouth and closing it like a fish out of water.
“No offense,” she finally managed to say, “but I think you have the wrong girl. As you can see,” she motioned in presentation of her dirty clothing and disheveled hair, “I’m no model.”
Cinna grinned. “Not yet, you aren’t, but that’s where I come in.”
Katniss couldn’t understand it. What was this man thinking? People from the Capitol were known for their exotic tastes, but this was a bit much. So what if he thought she had nice skin and eyes? Couldn’t he find plenty of other girls with far better skin (that wasn’t caked in dirt and the faintest hint of coal dust) and with much more alluring eyes? A unique look? Well, the Capitol was full of people like that, wasn’t it?
“There must be better choices than me in the Capitol,” she spoke her thoughts aloud.
“Yes, well, I want a girl who’s real,” explained Cinna. “An ordinary girl. One of the people. From the districts, not some fashion icon from the Capitol. I’ve worked with plenty of those, and they’ve left me…wanting.”
Katniss stared blankly at the man before her.
“Just think about, Katniss,” he said, taking her hand and patting it gently. “It would only be for about three months, and it would pay a lot of money.”
Money? Her eyes lit up at the magic word. Now that the mine was temporarily shut down after that accident, her family could certainly use the money, but a model?! She couldn’t be a model. And the thought of leaving behind her family and Peeta…well, she didn’t like it one bit.
Katniss glanced back at her blue-eyed boy with the bread, who seemed perturbed and maybe a little sad. Their eyes met, and pleadingly, she stared into his, hoping for a silent answer.
What do I do?