imperfect fit ; an everlark au based off of 'the selection' series

f o r t y - s e v e n

I curtsy to the queen as I walk into the dining room, but she doesn't notice. I look over to Esim, who's the only one there, and she merely shrugs. I sit down as Nina and Glimmer walk in. The queen seems to be in her own world.

"Do you know what's going on?" I whisper, nodding to the head table.

Delly sighs and turns to me. "Esim called her family to get some insight on what's happening and to have her relatives meet Peeta and the king once they got to New Asia. But Esim's family says they never arrived."

"They never came?"

Delly nods. "The weird thing is, the king called when they landed, and he and Peeta both spoke with the queen. They're fine, and they told her they're in New Asia; but Esim's family keeps saying they never showed."

I scrunch my forehead, trying to understand. "What does that all mean?"

"I don't know," she confesses. "They say they're there, so how could they not be? It doesn't make sense?"

"Huh," I say, not sure what else to add. Why would Esim's family not know they are there? What if, maybe, they aren't actually in New Asia? Where could they be?

Delly leans closer to me. "There's something else I want to talk to you about," she whispers. "Could we go for a walk in the gardens after breakfast?"

"Of course," I answer, eager to know what she knows.

We both eat quickly. I'm not sure what she found out, but if she wants to talk outside, there's a clear need for secrecy. The queen is so distracted, she barely notices we leave.

Stepping into the sunlight gardens feels wonderful. "It's been awhile since I've been out here," I say, closing my eyes and lifting my face to the sun.

"You usually come with Peeta, right?"

"Mm-hmm." A second later, I wonder how she knows that. Is it common knowledge? I clear my throat. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

She stops under the shade of a tree and turns to face me "I think you and I should talk about Peeta."

"What about him?"

She fidgets. "Well, I had prepared myself to lose. I think we all had, except for maybe Glimmer. It was obvious, Katniss. He wanted you. And then everything with Clove happened, and it changed."

I'm not quite sure what to say, but I feel anger bubbling in me. "So, are you just telling me you're sorry for moving to the top or something?"

"No!" she says emphatically. "I can see he still cares about you. I'm not blind. I'm only saying, I think you and I might be neck and neck at this point. I like you. I think you're a really great person, and I don't want for things to get ugly, however it turns out."

"So this is . . . ?"

She clasps her hands in front of her, trying to think of the right words. "This is me offering to be completely honest about my relationship with Peeta. And I'm hoping you'll do the same."

I cross my arms and go for the one question I've been dying to ask. "When did you and Peeta get so close?"

Her eyes get a little dreamy, and she toys with a piece of her blonde hair. "I guess right after everything with Clove. It probably sounds stupid, but I made him a card. That's what I always did back home when my friends were sad. Anyway, he loved it. He said no one had given him a present yet." I feel a wave of guilt run over me. After everything he's done for me, have I really not given him anything in return? "He was so happy, he asked me to sit with him a while in his room and-"