The Mockingjay Project

I Want to Help You

Peeta told me to run, but it was too late. I couldn't exactly hurry away from the cameras when they were pointed right at me. The cheery green-skinned women toddled over, her scarf lifted to cover her mouth and nose to prevent even the semblance of the smell of poverty. 

"Katniss! Peeta! What a wonderful surprise!" This woman randomly shows up in my district, and she's the one surprised to find us? "We rarely ever get you two together, with your busy schedules and all," She continued, chattering away in that clicky accent of hers. 

"Maurilla, I didn't realize you were coming today." Peeta's voice echoed my frustration, which was strange because Peeta is the last person I know to ever lose his cool, especially in front of the cameras. His arm reached behind me to wrap around my waist and tuck me into his side. The gesture was comforting, but didn't allow me much room to run away. 

"I wanted to surprise you! Isn't this exciting! I even got the timings down to the inchworm so I could make it to that painting class of yours." She looks over at the children and purses her lips at the way they're shoving handfuls of food into their mouths and rubbing their hands on coal-covered clothes. 

"Well, they are children, Maurilla. They're used to us but a stranger might frighten them. You understand, don't you?" Peeta asks softly, his voice echoing concern that must come from a real place. 

"Oh I'm sure they won't mind if I just--" Maurilla continues, but my voice cuts her off. 

"Why don't you come back tomorrow for the interview? Peeta and I are busy today," I say callously and Peeta tightens his arm around me in warning. Maurilla looks even more upset and the cameraman has had the decency to angle his camera towards the ground and adjust the settings while we speak. 

"I promise I won't get in your way. We'll just watch the class and we can have our private interview tomorrow!" Peeta was right. I've made things worse. Instead of just filming us or just having an interview, Maurilla will have both. I look up at Peeta, not realizing how my head was leaning against his arm until my cheek brushed against his shirt. Peeta smiles tightly down at me and takes my hand. 

"Wait here," He tells Maurilla and calls out to the group of kids, telling them that Maurilla will be watching the class. They all seem reproachful and hesitant, as Seam kids are, but they have no choice but to nod along, casting hostile glances towards the crew. 

I find myself glued to Peeta's side, almost as if we are back in the Games and need to see each other in order to know we're alive. Peeta kisses me with no hesitation, on my forehead, the tip of my nose, my cheek. He avoids my lips but will kiss me then too if he feels the cameras on us. The cameras are always on us. 

While he spent the last hour with the children, he spends the next hour with me. I look up to see the sky getting darker and the sun getting lower in the sky and tug on Peeta's hand. He nods and walks back to Maurilla, telling her the class is ending and he'll walk them home. Maurilla insists to follow us, but when Peeta tells her we'll be going through the Seam, her green skin turns a sickly color and she sends us on our way. We assemble the kids into a group and walk behind them, watching as each runs off into their homes, a loaf of bread or muffin tucked into their pockets. 

"You're not worried that Snow will find out about this? The peacekeepers?" I ask, running my hands over my bare arms. I left my hunting jacket at Peeta's house after a few hours outside in the sweltering afternoon heat. Now, the nights are bringing a chilly wind that's rocking me to my core. 

"Sure, I'm worried," Peeta remarked, kicking a piece of coal in the dirt. "But there are more important things than that. At least to me." 

Even though he didn't mean to be hurtful, I couldn't help but take the comment personally. I had a family to protect. Prim. Mom. Gale. There was nothing more important than them.