The Avox (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1- The New Beginning

After Snow’s death, things have been much calmer in Panem. Not calm, but calmer. I went back to my small house District 12. Not the one in Victor’s Village. The village was destroyed after the war was over. They wanted to get rid of any traces of the citizens of 13UDP being in the Hunger Games. 13UDP is what our union is called now. It stands for the Thirteen United Districts of Panem. Yes, thirteen. District 13 is now a big part of our lives. Although I am banned from it, it is the only place that I felt secure before Snow was killed. Since there is no Capitol, Paylor has taken over as the leader of 13UDP.

Haymitch is drinking less, but he still occasionally drinks, when he needs it. He is now currently living in one of the new homes that has been built in District 12. They are remaking our district. During the war, almost everything was turned to rubble. Only a few homes stood, mine being one of them, and the Justice Building also held it’s form, so the town square is being kept too.

Peeta lives with me, since he has no one, and either do I. My mother still works in District 4 in the hospital, being a well-known doctor. She calls me daily, sometimes sniffling. I know that when she does that, she is thinking about Prim. Prim died during the war when President Coin sent her to the Capitol to treat dying soldiers. But she did that on purpose. She knew Prim would die. She knew that if Prim died, that I would be weakened. She never believed that I was useful to her organization. She wanted to kill the mockingjay, from the inside. Poor Prim. Dying while doing something she loved. The last memory I have of her is when I saw the silver parachutes drop from the sky, like raindrops. Then, seeing my sister mouth my name while being blown off her feet. I don’t remember much of what happened after that, just that I was in deep depression for a long time. I still am, and Peeta is the only one who can take part of that away.

 My Peeta. He is back. He has let go of the mutated boy that the Capitol tried to take away from me. He is back to his baking and painting. His beautiful artwork colors the house, making each room unique. Our daily activities include taking long walks around the newly developing district, visiting Haymitch, and picnicking in the woods. There is no longer a fence there; they took it down after the Capitol was demolished.

The woods. That place reminds me of Gale. I miss him so much, but yet I still hurt inside thinking about how he left me. After Prim’s death, he didn’t even do so much as call me and say he’s sorry. He stayed in District 13, helping Beetee develop new technologies. I wonder if he has already found another girl that he has fallen in love with.

“Katniss,” Peeta calls me from the kitchen, “come see what I made!” I stumble out of bed and into the kitchen. The house is strangely dark, although it is sunny outside. I try to find my way to the countertop without tripping on things along the way. Since I can’t see him, I try calling out to him and following his voice. The second I find his hand, there is a sudden light in the room and all I hear is, “SURPRISE!” Standing in my kitchen is about a dozen people I know, along with Peeta and a towering cake. “Happy Birthday!” exclaims Peeta, as he gently hugs me. My birthday. I hadn’t celebrated any birthdays since the first Games. It feels nice to know that Peeta remembered when I told him when mine was.

At first, I am overcome with shock. I don’t know how to react until Peeta asks me, “Do you like it?” “It’s amazing, Peeta. Thank you.” I say. The cake is like a work of art. It is a 4-layered cake with green and orange speckles formed into abstract shapes all over the cake. Green and orange. Me and Peeta’s favorite colors.

I move my way through all the people in the kitchen, saying, “Thank you,” and “I have missed you too,” to as many people possible. Finally, I get back to Peeta. As I approach him, he hugs me and I whisper in his ear, “I love you.” “I love you, too,” he says. Then he does something so unexpected, that I have a hard time capturing it. He gets down on one knee, and says, “Katniss, I have a birthday present for you…besides the cake. I have known you ever since we were little, and I have had a crush on you ever since. Back in the arena, our fake love was more than that to me. It was a chance for me to be with you more than I ever had been. And even though it was fake, it was still amazing.” He takes out a small rectangular box. I know what he is about to do. “So, Katniss Everdeen…will you marry me?” He opens the box revealing a small, silver ring. With tears in my eyes, and everybody else’s in the room, I slowly manage to get out the word, “Absolutely.” The room erupts into cheers. Peeta slowly stands up and slips the ring onto my finger. Then he hugs me and kisses me and spins me around, until I stop him and say, “Wait, Peeta, how did you afford this ring? And where did you get it?” Rings were not custom to marriage in District 12, since no one could afford it. Plus, the only places they are made are in District 1, and our district is still not so friendly with it. “I have a friend of my mom’s that lives in District 1.” he says. “It’s so beautiful Peeta.” I say. “I’m glad you like it!” he says and takes my hand. The last thing I remember from that night is falling asleep and seeing the ring shining brilliantly in the moonlight.

 *MORE COMING SOON!*