Everybody Talks (Hunger Game Fanfiction) #Watty's2014

Chapter Twenty: Christmas

This school year is already halfway done. It's crazy to think that it's already Christmas Eve, and even crazier to think I'm spending this day with Peeta and the other Careers. Well, apart from Cato. He's just being an ass. Clove, on the other hand, has been hanging out with us more and I gotta say, she is pretty cool. Though I wouldn't tell her that because she hasn't fully accepted the invitation to join our group. Which we are just trying to make just one instead of two, but Cato seems bound on making that impossible. Clove doesn't feel right about leaving Cato, which is understandable. But over time, maybe he will loosen up.
"Katniss!" Finnick says standing right next to me.
"No need to yell, I'm right here."
"But you didn't answer me."
"Sorry, I was thinking." I apologize.
"It's okay, but we were just wondering when we were going to start decorating your tree for tonight." him and Annie sit on the love seat, Marvel and Glimmer sit across from me on the couch, and I rock in the chair.
"Finn, it's only 4 pm, everyone won't get here until 5. Then we will decorate the tree." I say.
"That's so far away." He complains.
"It's an hour."
"My point."
"Will you stop complaining."
"Only if you let me put the star on top!" He says like an excited child.
"Fine." I sigh.
"YES!" He jumps up in the air, a giant grin spreading across his face. You would think I just gave him a lifetime supply of sugar cubes.
"Finnick chill out!" Glimmer shouts, Marvel laughing beside her.
"Come back down here." Annie grabs his arm and pulls him back to the couch, where they share a kiss.
"Barf!" Marvel sighs, shielding his eyes.
"Seriously, get a room." I say.
"Maybe we will." Finnick snaps, picking Annie up bridal style and spinning her.
"Now set her down before she gets sick." Glimmer says. We sit there a while longer, watching a Christmas movie on TV. I've seen Elf a million times. It's the first time for the others though. I'm getting bored of it. And then suddenly, I remember. The two places I go every year and I forgot! I guess things just got kind of crazy around here lately that it slipped me mind. So I stand, heading for the door, and am immediately flushed with questions.
"Katniss? Where are you going? Won't the other be here soon?" Are all asked at the same time.
"Guys calm down. There is a few things I need to do. I'll probably be late, just start without me okay?" I don't wait for an answer. I just leave. They don't need to know where I am going. I get in my car and start for the store first. Luckily, I'm there in enough time to buy what I need. Then I start for the lake. I stopped coming here after while and I regret it. I was happy there wasn't I? I drive the way we used to when we took the long way to school. A light snow has began to fall, the trees are bare but covered. The evergreens along the roads on the way there have been decorated. I pass a house, with a family outside playing. There are two girls, one about 10 and the other about 6. They are building a snowman with there parents. Didn't Prim and I use to do the same thing? Before the accident. I look away from the family and focus on the road, seeing I'm only a turn away. I put on my blinker to go right, turning down the drive to the lake house. It looks untouched, the same as the last time I was here. I get out of my car, pulling my gloves on. It's freezing. I go to the pond and look in. At the bottom, by the edge, I see Katniss roots. Smiling, I remove a glove and reach my hand in, taking them from the mud.
"As long as you find yourself, you'll never starve." I hear my dads voice in my head. That wasn't long before he died. I keep the roots, walking them back to my car. I put them in the back seat then get in the front. I'll cook them when I get home. I just have one more place to go. The cemetery. I look at the primrose flowers in the passenger seat. I do this every year. I speed there quickly, it's only a few miles away from the lake. I have memorized where they are buried, so I'm there and out of my car quickly. We buried them right next to each other, of course. Each with a picture of their faces on each. My fathers work picture because it was the only one we could find at the time, and Prim's school picture. Her hair was in her normal two braids. I feel a tear slip down my cheek.
"Merry Christmas." I say. I pick the two dozen flowers, laying them on there graves. I always give Prim one more, because the she was named after the flower.
"Hey." I hear a man's voice say. I look at the graves with confusion.
"Dad?" I ask. Then laughing. But it came from behind me.
"No, not your dad. Just me." I turn around to see Peeta. He has on a black coat, black gloves, blue jeans and a black scarf. The snow that has fallen in his hair add to his look. I like it.
"How did you know I was here?" I ask. He walks up to stand next to me.
"Well," He sighs "When I got to your house they said you left. Had some places to go. I figured you'd be here."
"You figured right." I say. I lean my head on his shoulder. He knows how I was weeks after the crash. Though at that time we were fighting, he still noticed me gone from school and when I did show up how depressed I was.
"Katniss, you are crying." He says.
"Sorry, I was only thinking about..."
"I see. I understand that. But tonight is supposed to be happy. It's Christmas Eve." He takes my hand and pulls me over to my car, sitting in the passenger seat. I turn it on.
"You know it has been three years." I say turning the heat on high. It is freezing.
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about all of this. I wish I could do something to make you feel better."
"You already did! You let me explain things to you and now you are my friend again. That's something." I smile.
"Glad to be of service." He salutes me and winks. There is a short silence, not awkward but peaceful, before he speaks again. "I come here a lot."
"You do?"
"Yes. I visit my grandmothers grave at least once a month. And I visit their graves, make sure things stay clean." I know who he means by "their" Prim and dad.
"How long have you been doing that?"
"Since the crash. I almost expected to see you living out here after that. I know what it's like."
"Oh?"
"Yes, my grandma. She is a few plots away. I was very close to her. She is the one who taught my dad everything about baking, which he taught me. But when I would go to her house, we always made cookies." He smiles. I can just imagine Peeta icing sugar cookies for his family before Christmas Eve dinner. His hands stained with green and red from the food coloring. Sprinkles sticking to his fingers and a few finding his hair. I can see the proud look on his face when he offers his grandmother one, flower on his shirt and pants.
"Well, I never got sprinkles in my hair." Peeta laughs.
"Did I say that out loud? Oops." I blush a little embarrassed.
"Yes, and you were close. I always gave one to my parents first. My dad admiring my work my mother, not so much." Then he changes the subject. "I think we should get going. The others are waiting for us." He says. I nod, driving him to his car at the front entrance. He follows me back home, passing me and beeping his horn, smiling through the window, when we are almost there. I shake my head. I pull into my driveway shortly after him, and we both walk inside. It smells like cinnamon, something is baking in the oven which I'm guessing is gingerbread men. There is food set out on the table and lights. Lights everywhere. The others were only going to do the tree, but it seems as though the entire house has been switched into a Christmas Wonderland.
"There they are!" I hear someone yell around the corner. All of my friends, and my mother, come out of the kitchen. They all hold more food. My mother first, then Finnick following. Annie, Glimmer, Gale, Madge, Delly, Marvel, Clove, Johanna, and to my surprise, Cato. He doesn't wear a happy face, but he is here. "We can eat!" Finnick yells. I laugh. We all sit around the table, Peeta sits next to Cato and I'm next to Gale.
"Everyone bow your head." My mother says. She says the same thing my father used to say at Christmas dinner. She has for the passed few years, when she wasn't working that is.
"Thank you for a night of good laughs and much love with family and friends. Bless this food, in Jesus I pray, amen." Everyone looks up after, a few of us mumbling "amen." And we all dig in. Lamb stew on wild rice is the main dish. I have to keep myself from eating all of it. There are dinner rolls, fruit tray, veggies, potatoes, salad, a pie, and gingerbread men. Then it hits me.
"Shoot." I say, rushing outside to the backseat of my car. The roots should be cooked tonight, but looks like that will be something for tomorrow. I run inside and everyone looks at me. I hand them to my mom.
"We'll eat them tomorrow." I say, taking my seat. Everyone knows they are Katniss roots. We finish our dinner, Cato sitting across from me actual smiles at something Peeta says now and then. Gale and Delly aren't talking much because Gale is talking to me, but Delly finds a conversation with Johanna. When we are all finished, we move to the living room. There is Christmas music playing through the speakers on the side of the TV, and everyone starts opening up gifts. Basically, to make things fair, a girl buys a girl gift and a guy buys a guy gift, then they are given out randomly. I'm glad there are enough gifts so Cato gets one. I know he is a jerk but that would be horrible if he was left out for Christmas. Most of the girl gifts are lotions and perfume, and the guys some footballs and new bats. My mother though, comes to me with a small box in her hand.
"Here you are. I hope you like it." She smiles. I open it to see a locket. I look closer on the front of it, and it has words written on it.
Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place, where I love you.
It's part of a lullaby my dad used to sing to me, and that I would sing to Prim. I open the locket to a picture of Prim on the left side and my Dad on the right side. I smile, tears forming in my eyes but they won't spill.
"Thank you mom." I pull her in to a hug.
"You are welcome. Look Katniss, I know I didn't act fairly to you after the accident. I'm really sorry and I hope you can forgive me." She says.
"Of course." I pull away from the hug. I sit on the couch, next to Glimmer and Madge. Cato is talking with Finnick and Marvel, no doubt talking at all because Marvel is there too, but he is talking. After a while, people start to go home. Merry Christmas is said so many times that I'm sick of hearing it. It's finally only me, mom, and Peeta left.
"I'm going to go to bed. Love you two," My mom smiles and heads for the stairs.
"Love you too." Peeta and I say at the same time. We all laugh. Peeta waits for my mom to get upstairs before pulling my off the couch.
"Yessss?" I ask.
"Come on. I have a Christmas gift for you." He says. He takes my hand, leading me outside. The snow is still falling, the moon is shining through the clouds. He takes me to the backyard, into the coverage of some trees.
"Are you planning to kill me?" I ask. He stops.
"No. But I wanted to give you something."
"Outside?" I ask.
"Well, you are going to have to find it. It's hidden in or around one of these trees." He smirks.
"That's not fair." I complain.
"I'll play the hot cold game with you."
"Fine." I sigh. I move to the first tree in the middle.
"Cold." Peeta says. I move to the left tree and get a warm. I move to the left again and get a could, so I move back to the other tree. I take a step back, get a cold. A step past the tree and get a cold.
"Do I have to climb?"
"I don't know... Maybe..." Peeta lies. I start to scale the tree.
"Hotter." He yells from below as I make my way up. Once I get to a certain branch, I stop.
"Girl you are on fire!" He yells. I reach across the branch, feeling for something; anything. My hand wraps around something that isn't bark. Feels like paper. I grab it, shoving it in my pocket, and making my way down the tree.
"Good job." He smiles.
"yeah yeah." I reach in my pocket to reveal the envelope. I open them, pulling out two small slips of paper. Peeta shines the light from his phone on them, and I see concert tickets. Not any concert, but Tich concert tickets.
"Peeta."
"Merry Christmas."
"Peeta, are you serious?"
"Of course, and I have these." He pulls out VIP passes, handing one to me.
"I'm... I don't.... What...." A huge smile breaks out on my face.
"You are going to be able to meet Tich." He says.
"I don't, I'm not sure what to say. Peeta this is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me. Thank you so much." I am speechless right now. What am I supposed to say to him? This isn't something I can thank him for with words. Because I have none! I have tears in my eyes, but I wrap my arms around him. He isn't used to his leg yet, so we end up falling into the snow. I land on top of him, he is laughing under me. With more snow fallen on both of our heads, the moon shining so I can see the bright blue of his eyes, I lean in and kiss his lips. Not long, just a two second kiss. I roll myself over, laying on my back beside him. And I spot it.
"I had to do that. There was a mistletoe." I point up and he sees it.
"Ah there is. Tell me, how did you see that with your head turned the other way?" He smirks again.
"I have eyes on the back of my head." We both laugh a little before I sit up.
"Really Peeta, thank you. And, I want to take you with me."
"Really? You can take anyone Kat." He is using my old nicknames again. I like when he does that.
"I'm sure. I want you there when I finally meet my hero." I smile once more, before stand, helping him up as well. We walk back to my house together.
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Soooooo how was that? I hope you enjoyed it!

It is almost midnight here but I stayed up to update for you all! Because I love you all so much! lol

I would love your opinions! Thanks everyone!

Clarifying, they are not together. Just saying!

~Hannah