I sit up in my bed, stretching to relieve all of the tight muscles in my arms from a long, night's sleep. I'd successfully survived my first day here, not that I'd had any classes. I'd basically just been dragged around all day by Miss Trinket, who didn't approve of my new uniform, thanks to Johanna and Annie I didn't look so much of an idiot. Aside from the shoes- I was happy. I was shown every inch on the school grounds and clearly notified which parts were out of bounds and 'strictly forbidden'.
I reach over and grab my phone, scrolling though anything I'd missed throughout the night, before getting my borrowed clothes and slipping into the shower. I'd woken early so I could shower in peace without the sound of all the other girls in the wash room- I hated the thought of seeing anyone's bare bodies, it made me squirm with awkwardness. Of course I'd seen people naked before, I used to bathe my sister when she was younger and I'd watched numerous films where people were nude- it's just all of these people were strangers and I despised the thought of them somehow being able to see through the steamed up glass showers.
I rinse all over my body, lathering up the soap and sighing as the smell infused my nostrils, reminding me of home. Back there, it must only be three in the morning, meaning all of my old friends weren't even up yet- I hated the time differences already and I hadn't even talked to Madge, let alone Gale who'd been my best friend since I was eleven. I wrap the towel around myself as I come out of the shower and quickly dress, practically running back to the dormitory to the two girls who were still half asleep. ''Why are you up so early?'' Johanna moans, looking up from her phone, still cagouled in her bed sheets.
''I wanted to shower,'' I shrug, sitting down on my bed and opening up my MacBook to, again, check Facebook. ''I've been gone not even a day and I've been replaced,'' I scowl, looking at a picture of Gale, Madge and Marie all together, it wasn't even last week they were slagging her off, though secretly I thought she must have been nice since her grandmother, Sae, often helped my family a lot. I snidely laughed, shutting the screen as Annie pulls open the blinds, letting the light seep into the room.
''Come on Jo, time to get up,'' she says, throwing a pillow at Johanna, resulting in us both giggling at the scowl painted prominently on her face. ''Oh cheer up grumpy,'' Annie giggles, walking out of the room to go and shower.
''Urgh,'' Johanna moans again. ''I hate mornings, how are you so awake?''
''I'm used to getting up early to help my mother open up the apothecary,'' I laugh, sitting down at my mirror and pulling a comb through my hair, letting it fluff up naturally. I grab the straighteners, straightening it out, adding small waves as I go, for a natural look. Afterwards, I apply minimal makeup, with a subtle silver eye and nude lip.
I finish getting ready whilst the girls are still doing their hair, and so I decide to quickly call my sister before we go to assembly. ''Hi Primmy,'' I smile down the phone, walking out of the building for some privacy. ''I'm alright thank you, are you? That's good.'' As we talk, I walk around a little bit, not noticing where I'm going, until I realise I'm on a pathway, leading to the gardens. ''Prim, I've only been gone a day- you can't miss me that much,'' I laugh finding a seat on one of the benches. ''I know, but I'll see you soon. Christmas isn't that far away, and I think there's visiting days too. Yes it's basically a prison,'' I giggle. ''I'll talk to you later, we've got an assembly round about now. I love you too, bye Prim.'' I sigh, raking my hands through my hair thinking of how I'm going to survive without her here.
Suddenly, I hear a voice, making me jump from my seat all startled. ''Shouldn't you be singing one of your solos round about now?'' I recognise him as the boy from yesterday who was play-wrestling with Peeta, but I just can't remember his name. I frown, suddenly feeling awkward under his smirk- his emerald eyes watching me intently, and the sun bouncing from his bronzed hair. ''Finnick,'' he says, holding his hand out of me to shake.
''Katniss,'' I tell him. ''And I don't do handshakes,'' I say, raising my eyebrows at his outstretched hand.
''Well then the pleasure's mine,'' he winks. ''Anyway you never answered my question, shouldn't you be doing your solo right about now?''
''You're a funny one aren't you?'' I purse my lips, trying to keep a grin from appearing on my face. There was something about Finnick which made you not be able to be mad at him, maybe it was his beauty, or his pure charm- I didn't know. ''By the way, I was just about to go now.''
''There's no point, you'll have missed it. You should get back though for breakfast, before anyone notices you've been missing,'' he says, tilting his head and keeping his gaze on mine, as if waiting for an answer.
''You seem to forget you're missing too,'' I scowl.
''You seem to forget you're in the boy's garden, all I have to do is go around the corner and act as if I was the first out of Madame Coin's boring lectures,'' he snaps back at me, smirking once again. I suddenly look around, noticing I'd strolled a lot further than I'd thought. ''You should get going, don't want to be caught lurking around here, someone might think you're a pervert,'' he winks, turning around and walking back down the path.
''Finnick,'' I call, watching as he turns around. I hold my hand out for him to shake, deciding that he probably wasn't too bad and I should probably make some friends sooner, rather than later.
''I thought you didn't do handshakes?'' He questions, cocking his head to one side.
''I thought the pleasure was yours,'' I challenge him, this time giving him my own signature smirk.
''Touché,'' he nods, laughing to himself. ''Nice voice by the way,'' he winks, turning around and leaving my hand still waiting to be shook as he walks down the path. I watch him, trying to figure out who he really is, until he disappears into the greenery and I turn to speedily walk back to the girls' hall. I'm just in time for the breakfast bell, and find myself a seat beside Annie and Johanna, who question me as to where I've been as we eat mounds of toast and fruit.
After breakfast, we head back to our dormitory, giving us half an hour to get everything ready for the rest of the day. I look at my timetable, noticing I have double geography first- great. ''Are any of you in my geography class?'' I question. They both shake their head, saying they both have history, before walking me down to my classroom. ''You didn't have to walk me,'' I laugh. ''But thanks.''
''Well we never know with you, you might go to the boy's building again,'' Annie jokes.
''You definitely are brainless,'' Johanna laughs. ''Well good luck, we'll see you later,'' she says, as they both flounce off through the crowds, which part as they both approach them. I take a deep breath, pushing open the door and into my first lesson for the day.
''Miss Everdeen, I'm Mr Crane and I will be your teacher on this course. To you, I'm Sir and Sir only, understand?'' He asks.
''I understand,'' I say, narrowing my eyes a fraction- the day hadn't properly started and I was already tired of it.
''Take a seat over on that desk at the end,'' he says pointing towards the back row, where four girls are all sat on tall, grey stools. I slam my pencil case and notepad down, as I get handed a ring binder and paper.
''Don't worry, he acts strict, but soon enough he'll go soft,'' the girl beside me whispers as he goes through registration. ''I'm Glimmer,'' she grins, bearing her pearly white teeth, which were just too aligned and perfect. Ringlets of blonde fall down her back, and you can tell she probably has all of the boys going after her.
''I'm Katniss,'' I smile back, writing the date on the top of the page.
''Cute name,'' she smiles sweetly at me. ''This is Clove,'' she introduces the girl beside her who has long, ebony hair, which is tied up in a ponytail. Clove smiles at me, it not quite reaching her eyes, before she almost obnoxiously turns away from me. ''She's just been dumped by her boyfriend s-''
''You're the girl that was singing in assembly yesterday, right?'' Clove interrupts, probably turning the conversation away from herself. I nod my head embarrassedly, trying to forget that everyone had heard me sing. ''Oh, well you should sit with us today at lunch.''
''Sure,'' I smiled, not passing down the opportunity to make more friends. We spend the next two hours listening to Mr Crane drone on and on about rivers, rocks and erosion, before we're finally allowed out for break, which I spend most of queuing up for a skinny latte. I'm late back to my next lesson, but the teacher didn't really pay much notice, just telling me to sit next to a girl at the back, who sat alone and had two ginger braids folded over the top of her head- she didn't talk to me all lesson. Frowning, I make my way to maths, where I'm sat next to Glimmer again, meaning we could get to know each other just that little bit more.
Finally, it's time for lunch and so I walk out of class, where we wait for Clove by her locker, before walking into the hall for food. ''Normally, there's the three of us, including Delly, but she's in the infirmary today. So, anway, have you talked to any of the boys yet?'' Glimmer asks. ''I don't suppose you have, seeing as it's only been a day.''
''I talked to one this morning, I'd walked into the boy's garden this morning by mistake and bumped into one of them,'' I tell them, taking a sip from my water.
''It wasn't my Finn by any chance was it?'' She laughs, raising her eyebrows. Her Finn? For a moment it takes a moment to register, before I realise who she's talking about.
''Oh Finnick? It was actually, how'd you know?''
''He skipped assembly this morning to come meet me there,'' she tells me.
''Oh you're together?'' I ask, I'd just assumed by the way Annie was looking at him, they were an item, but I suppose not.
''Seven months,'' she smiles proudly.
''It's a wonder though, with her sniffing about all the time,'' Clove says, scowling towards where Annie was queued up.
''She's so clingy it's ridiculous,'' Glimmer laughs snidely. ''She's kidding herself thinking she has a chance, I mean have you seen her? Finnick likes blondes, not scrawny, little-''
''Do you mind?'' I ask, frowning at the both of them. ''I share a dormitory with her.''
''Urgh, we can get that changed, you don't want to be with those two weirdos.''
''Actually, I do,'' I snap, standing up and grabbing my tray. I'd only been here a day, but both Johanna and Annie had made me feel more welcome than I had in my own home, and I wasn't letting them badmouth them- especially if they weren't here to defend themselves. ''Thanks for the invite, but I think I'd rather not sit with you again.''
''That's a big mistake Katniss,'' Glimmer hisses. ''You leave and you'll have no normal friends.''
''Well then I'd rather have someone who isn't as bitchy as you two,'' I frown, starting to walk away. As I walk away, I hear Clove mutter to Glimmer something about her having competition, but I ignore whatever it is and walk towards Johanna, who'd just sat down.
''Oh look who's come to join us,'' she laughs. ''Finally.''
''We thought you'd betrayed us or something, why were you sat with them?'' Annie asks, sitting beside Johanna and popping a chip into her mouth.
''I thought they'd be good friends to have, obviously I was wrong. What's the deal with them anyway?'' I ask, wanting to hear everything. Johanna starts telling me about how they both just want attention- good or bad, and so every 'newbie' who threatens that, they try and befriend- just in case they lose their status. ''I don't get it though, how do I threaten Glimmer?''
''Because you're naturally pretty, goodness knows how hot you'll look once you're all made up,'' Annie laughs. I frown, dismissing the idea- I'd never been the 'pretty' one at school, I was always the ugly friend, the friend who boys came to, to tell them they thought their best friend was pretty, and never the other way around. ''Seriously Kat, you're a threat.''
''But anyway, before her head pops from us blowing it up,'' Johanna interrupts. ''What happened is that they tried to get in with Finnick, Cato, Peeta and all of the lads, who we 're friends with and somehow Finnick fell for that bimbo.''
''Even with our history,'' Annie frowns, looking down at her food. I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes for her to explain more, but all she tells me is that they used to have something going on. After we've finished dinner, we have one last lesson until they're all over for the day. Luckily, Annie is in my English literature class, so I'm allowed to sit with her, whilst I feel Glimmer's eyes burning through my skull from the back of the room. We sit through Miss Talin's class, who I actually like so far, she's laidback and lets us call her Seeder, but firm with the rules and making sure we get sixty minutes learning- which I don't mind too much.
**
''So are you coming out with us?'' Annie asks, redoing her makeup more dramatically.
''Are we allowed out?'' I question, remembering Miss Trinket telling me how we weren't allowed out past dark.
''No, but they won't see us, we've got a little spot a few metres down the road from here,'' she says, applying a dark red lip. I bite my lip, contemplating whether or not to go, before deciding to just do it- despite the rules. I quickly dress in black leggings, a green checked shirt-dress and brown, leather ankle boots, before taming my curls and putting on a little more makeup.
''Will I be too cold in just this?'' I ask, picking up my phone.
''No, you'll be fine,'' Johanna shouts from the tiny sink room in the corner.
''Are you ready?'' Annie shouts through to her, grabbing her bag.
''One minute!'' We wait for Johanna to finish getting ready, until she returns wearing a black, long-sleeved crop top, with a denim dress over the top. We quietly creep out of the fire exit and out of the gates, then onto the road, where we walk for about ten minutes until we get to a field.
''It best not be muddy,'' I complain, hitching myself over the wall and following them both.
''Live a little Katniss,'' Johanna laughs, leading over to where there's a campfire and figures are sat around it. ''Oh I forgot to say, the boys are here too,'' she mentions. Suddenly, my heart drops and I start to panic- more new people. I wish someone would have told me, but instead I take a deep breath preparing myself to meet everyone- the only thing nagging in my mind was that they all knew one another and I was the outsider.
We walk over to the boys, who're all sat on blanket covered tree stumps beside the fire, thank God- I wouldn't be able to stand all the dirt on them otherwise. ''Girls are here!'' Somebody shouts, jumping up and walking towards us. He immediately takes Johanna in a hug, before she shoves him away, playfully. ''Be nice, you,'' he winks, smiling at her before saying hello to Annie. ''And who's your friend?'' He asks, nodding to me as his face fills with humour. ''You're the chick that decided to carry on singing right?'' He laughs.
''Is that all I'll ever be remembered for?'' I ask, rolling my eyes, growing slightly tired of the jokes. ''Sorry, bad day you know?''
''Well tonight's probably what you need. I'm Cato,'' he grins, holding out his hand for me to shake.
''Man, she doesn't do handshakes,'' I hear an ever so familiar voice say. ''Hello Katniss, you want a drink?''
''Finnick, and no thanks let me warm up first,'' I tell him, as he unexpectedly takes me into a hug, before he then wraps an arm around Annie's shoulders, making me question what really was going on between them as he murmurs something in her ear, walking to sit down beside her.
''Come and meet the other lads,'' Cato offers, putting his hand down and walking me over to where the fire was in full blaze, burning dazzling shades of amber. ''Over there is Marvel, Thom and Peeta,'' he says, pointing to each of the boys.
''Hi, I'm Kat-''
''Katniss!'' Thom suddenly says jumping up. ''That's why you looked so familiar, you're from twelve right?''
''Right,'' I confirm, frowning in confusion. ''Do I know you?''
''I doubt it, I'm like two years older than you- but we used to play together, you must have only been around three when we moved away?''
''I don't know, I think I may do,'' I say, trying to rake my mind. He did look familiar, particularly the dark wash of hair, but apart from that, nothing much.
''Well it's nice to see you again,'' he nods over to me, before continuing his conversation with Marvel. Cato walks over to Johanna, nudging her as he sits down beside her, making her roll her eyes at him, whilst a flicker of a smile overcame her face. Suddenly, I realise I'm the only one still stood up, and so I walk over to the one spare space- next to Peeta.
He sits there, his elbows on his knees, watching the flames flicker intently. ''Hi,'' I say, sitting beside him, the nerves from earlier resurfacing.
''Hey,'' he says, glancing up to smile at me. Even in the dark, his eyes shine sapphire, making it hard for me not to stare. Unlike everyone else, he doesn't smile to be polite, but it feels a real, genuine one as the corners of his lips rise. ''Orange is such an amazing colour, don't you think?'' He asks, his voice soft and grounded.
''I suppose, your favourite?'' I ask, watching how relaxed his posture is staring at the flames.
''Yes, once the sunset's gone down all I have is the fire until dawn,'' he explains, his voice still gentle. ''What's your favourite colour?''
''Green,'' I tell him. ''Though I'd love to see a sunset up here, it's so open,'' I say, thinking of how the only good place to watch a sunset back home would be the forests, everywhere else has a subtle grey mist from all the coal and factory work.
''You should come sometime,'' he says, the passion in his voice clear. Did he mean come with him? Or simply come alone?
''I bet it's beautiful.''
''It is,'' he confirms, glancing up again, but this time keeping his eyes locked on mine. ''I'm Peeta by the way,'' he introduces himself, holding out his hand.
''Katniss,'' I remind him, looking down at his awaiting hand. But, this time, instead of overlooking it, I reach out my own, putting it in his and surprised to see they fit perfectly together. My fingers brush against his, the warmth from his body radiating through my blood, as the contact sends shivers up my body. Peeta Mellark. The boy with the piercing azure eyes, and deep affinity with sunsets.