The Star-Crossed Lovers from District 12 (Wattys Finalist 2013)

Chapter 27

I feel at home here. Although it’s has been fifteen years here I feel at home. It doesn’t feel the same here as it did in Twelve. I barely remember Twelve. It’s been too long. It has the huge Victor’s Village houses and then there are houses like there are in Twelve but Greenland feels much smaller even though it’s much larger than Twelve. I figured out that I was pregnant after years of Peeta begging and begging. I finally gave in. I’m starting to get a larger stomach also so Peeta isn’t letting me do as much as I like. So I basically just sit in the house all day waiting for the “okay” to go home. It never comes. Dawn Primrose Mellark was born on December 9th and she is perfect in every way. She has dark hair and blue eyes. I think she looked more like Peeta but he thought she looked more like me. We turned our one extra guest room into her nursery which is right across the hall. After the first three weeks she really never cried at night which helped Peeta and I a lot. A couple months after Dawn’s first birthday we figure out I’m pregnant again. That put us in a huge state of happiness. We thought that just raising one child was hard, now we are going to be faced with another. So one day when my dad comes over we tell him about number two and he seemed fine with it. He told us that we are both in our mid-thirties now and that we’ve been raising a child by ourselves for a year now and we’ve been married for almost sixteen years so he puts a lot of confidence in us and that he’s sure that by the time this one is born we would be back in Twelve. When he says that, Peeta and I look at each other. So after my dad leaves Peeta sits me down. He takes Dawn from me and kisses me on the cheek.

“I am so sorry I lied to you. I was sure we’d be home by now. This is the first time I realized how long we’ve been here,” says Peeta. I smile. Peeta tries so hard to make everything perfect, it is alright if he gets things wrong sometimes.

“Don’t be sorry, you didn’t know, you were just trying to make me feel better about living here,” I say.

“You’re not mad that we won’t be in Twelve for a little while?”

“Twelve is just a place, so why would I be mad about not being there? I have a loving husband and beautiful daughter and another on the way. What more could I ask for?” He kisses me.

“I love you.”

“I love you to.” I give him another kiss. While we’re kissing Dawn starts to cry. Peeta pulls away and starts to bounce her.

“What’s wrong?” he asks her. She keeps on crying. “Are you hungry?” He keeps bouncing her and brings her into the kitchen. Peeta was a natural father from the start, while I’m still learning how to be a mother. It’s like I have to study to change a diaper while Peeta knew how to do it right off the top of his head. Since Peeta was taking care of Dawn I decide to go out on a walk. While I’m walking Gale decides to join me. I give him a hug.

“I haven’t seen you in forever Catnip,” he says. Ever since I’ve been here I have either been in rebel meetings, with Peeta, or in actual combat with this new war that Peeta and I sparked. I haven’t had a lot of time. But since Dawn was born I gave up on doing extra things and became very family oriented.

“I know. Peeta and I have been so busy with Dawn that we only have time to ourselves at night. Dawn sleeps like Peeta. She can fall asleep anywhere and stay asleep until waken by the slightest motion or the quietest sound unless she is really tired,” I say.

“So where is Dawn right now?”

“She’s eating lunch at home with Peeta.”

“I haven’t seen her in at least two weeks. I miss her.”

“Well maybe you and Claudia should come over today,” I insist. All of us have been nest friends since this new war began. We let memories be memories and stared things off from scratch.