A Fresh Start-After Mockingjay (Before the Epilogue)

Chapter Nineteen

Katniss POV- (A few days later)

"Effie? What are you doing here?" I hear Peeta asks as he answers the door, rousing me from my nap. I open my heavy eyes to the bright sunshine.

"Oh, Peeta. You look so handsome again." She says in her thick accent that hasn't changed a bit. I look up, expecting to see our normal Effie Trinket back to her old Capitol self. Instead, I find that District Thirteen Effie and Capitol Effie have made a compromise and it's not at all horrible. She's wearing classy high heels, a pink flowery dress and a blonde wig, which may not be a wig at all but her natural hair color. Her makeup isn't over the top but soft with pops of color here and there. "Katniss! My dear girl." Effie says, rushing over to the couch where I'm lying. I sit up as she takes my hands in hers. "My girl, you look so...you look better." She decides.

I smile, just happy to see her for the first time since I left the Capitol all those months ago. "Effie, what are you doing in District Twelve?"

"I've just missed my two Victors so much. I needed to see your darling little faces again."

"You mean you didn't come to see Haymitch?" Peeta smirks, giving me a wink.

I smile to myself as Effie snaps her head around, "What in the world are you smirking about, Peeta?" She asks, acting as if the moment between she and Haymitch ceases to exist.

"Oh, nothing, Effie. I just know you and Haymitch don't get along. I was only making a joke." Peeta saves.

Effie shakes her head, letting it slide. "No worries, Peeta. Haymitch and I are actually closer than you think." She says.

"A lot closer." I mumble under my breath and Effie shoots me a glare.

"Anyways, let's get to it as I came to both visit and do business as usual. President Paylor asked me to pay you a visit to see if you'd be willing to broadcast the status of your recoveries thus far and read a remembrance for all of the fallen Tributes and Victors as we are hearing our first anniversary of the final Hunger Games." She explains.

Peeta and I exchange glances. "I think I speak for us both when I say we need to think it over but we will let you know by the end of the day."

"Very well then. I must get back to Haymitch. He was preparing us dinner before I left if you'd like to join us at 6 o'clock."

"We'll be there." Peeta says, although I'm not sure I want to consume anything that Haymitch's hands prepared in his filthy kitchen. Effie leaves and Peeta sits down next to me. "What are the statuses of our recoveries?" He asks me.

I shrug my shoulders, "I don't know. I just know mine can't be good."

"You've got to admit you're doing better than you were when you left the Capitol. We both are."

"I agree with that. Wait, what if people find out we are living together?"

Peeta shrugs his broad shoulders, "I guess we just tell them the truth. We reconnected after I came home and we've been helping each other recover ever since. It's as simple as that. Nothing romantic or complicated about it." I give him a look, knowing  I would be the one to mess that up. "I can do the talking if you want."

"Thank you." I tell him.

He takes a deep breath staring at the ground for a minute. "Katniss? I just don't think this is a good idea."

I look up, "You don't?" I ask him, relieved that he feels that way too. I feel like Peeta and I being in the public eye this soon could be disastrous and honestly, I didn't want to ever have to speak in front of Panem ever again. I thought all of our stardom ended when we came home.