#mega-aulover

“I’ll be right back,” Prim promised.

Katniss couldn't be alone, so she got up from her bed and walked out to the living room. She sat down on the chair, tucking her legs underneath her.

“Everdeen household, Prim speaking.” Prim made eye contact with her before saying, “Hello, Mr. Mellark.”

At the sound of his last name, Katniss's hand flew to her mouth. Fresh tears came to her eyes and fell freely on her face.

The wound from that fateful night opened up once more. But it wasn’t just her who was suffering. The whole of Panem was wounded.

 Katniss looked around at the unforgivable sight of Seam and Merchant intermingling. The Canary party, as it was called, was a tradition in District Twelve, held as a survival celebration. No one knew who began the tradition or why it was named the canary party. All she knew was that her father told her about it when she was a child. 

There was once a time she wanted to experience it, back then, when the world was filled with wonder, and her Pa was alive. Now it was useless and careless. They could be caught by the Peacekeepers, though she doubted Darius would do anything. If anything, he’d join them.

Either way, Katniss had refused to come, but Madge somehow convinced her. She felt guilty for celebrating when two poor kids were heading to their deaths. Not to mention, she had to worry about her sister for another four years without the ability to volunteer in her place.

“It’s a rite of passage, besides,” Madge said, looking at a point behind Katniss. “When are we going to get a chance to INTER-MINGLE!”

Madge turned her around and pointed to the one boy with whom Katniss had an unshakable bond. Her eyes popped out of their sockets when she caught Peeta Mellark staring at her. Quickly turning around, Katniss made a choking sound.

“Don’t worry, he’s not coming this way.”

Katniss was mortified that HE was here. “Madge…” she said, in a strangled voice. There weren’t too many people in the district that could turn her innards into mush.

“Oh, please, Katniss, it’s not a secret.”

“How?” Katniss asked, incredulously. She’d never spoken about Peeta.  She had never spoken to him or approached him. Hell, she never really spoke to anyone other than Madge.

“I’ve been sitting with you at lunch since we were kids.” Madge grinned and discreetly pulled out her flask and drank deeply. Encouraged by the alcohol in her system, Madge decided to do something about Katniss’s secret obsession. “I’ve seen you watch him.”

Madge was not wrong; she did keep track of Peeta, but only occasionally. Truth be told, Katniss could never forget the person who was her hope. She was eleven when the unthinkable happened: her Pa died in a mining accident. She and her family were left bereft. Everything in her world collapsed. The light in her mother's eyes had dimmed. Katniss tried to keep it together; she had sold everything to put food on the table.

Then, one night, when she thought she was going to become another statistic in District Twelve, Peeta tossed her those precious loaves of burned bread. It was the tether that she needed to hang on to this world. He was her boy with the bread, and he had sated more than just her hunger. He fed a flame within her; her faith and hope had been restored. His kindness reminded Katniss that there was good in the world. That she couldn’t give up. From then on, her life changed.

Later on, she found out his mother hurt Peeta for his rebellious actions. And it led her to keep tabs on Peeta Mellark throughout the years. Until this moment, Katniss thought she’d been clever about keeping her small obsession with him secret. She could feel the heat climbing her neck and reaching her face. 

“You’ve made cow eyes at Peeta since the age of twelve.” 

“I have not,” Katniss hissed. She researched her memories for any instances where she could have possibly made a fool of herself by letting her careful mask of indifference fall and allowing Madge to see her keeping track of Peeta. 

“Yes, you have,” Madge giggled. “Why don’t you go speak to him?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Liar,” Madge said before taking another sip from her flask.

Katniss was a horrid liar.

“Katniss, tonight is your night to go say something to him. You might not get another chance…” Madge's voice drifted off. “Oh, damn, too late,” she whispered.

Katniss turned around and saw Athena Marsden talking to him. She leaned in and put her hand on his shoulder. Katniss’s lips thinned at the sight of the slender blonde girl with the heart-shaped face. Athena hated anything and anyone from the Seam. Last year, she maliciously spread a rumor that Arlean Chance would sleep with anyone for a coin. Arlean was in her last year; the poor girl was tortured by Athena's vicious lies and name-calling.

Athena was a bully, and it didn’t matter if you were male or female. If you were from the Seam, you were an automatic target. She monikered Lester Wren, Bird-face boy. She had no sympathy for any of the reaped kids. When Abe Knute died in the Hunger Games, she walked up to his mother and said she was tired of seeing a good-for-nothing Seam brat in the games. According to Athena, Abe’s death was boring and a waste of airtime. Abe came to a horrid end; he was sliced in two by a weapon that was parachuted to a career. Katniss had put her hand over Prim’s eyes and had closed her own when she realized what was about to happen.   

Katniss disliked Athena immensely, but stayed clear because her focus was on feeding her family. Survival was predominant in her mind. It was why she never frequented fruitless events such as these. But Madge and Gale got together and harassed her to go, as this party was some beloved rite of passage. Gale, who never wanted to speak to anyone from town, crossed lines just to harass her into going into town.

“Sorry, Katniss,” Madge whispered.

“It’s okay,” Katniss shrugged, hardening her face. “She can have him. If I were interested in marriage,” she made a point of folding her arms and trying not to notice how handsome Peeta looked. “…Which I’m not. I wouldn’t be into anyone who is into Athena Marsden.”

“What?” Madge paused mid-drink.

“Don’t you know, I’m never getting married?”

“No, not that. That I knew. Why don’t you like Athena? She's totally sweet. She’s one of the nicest girls in school.”

Katniss rolled her eyes at Madge’s description. Athena showed a sweet, defenseless girl to the Merchants and a ruthless side to the Seam. She reminded Katniss of Victor Johanna Mason, who fooled everyone into thinking she was a weak, sniveling girl and incapable of harming a fly, but turned out to be a vicious killer during her Hunger Games.

“I’ve never seen you react so viscerally to anyone.” Madge drank from her flask. “Normally, you have a mask of indifference or your scowl. Are you jealous of her? Is that why you don’t like her?”

Katniss sighed and shifted her hands to her hips. Why was it that anytime women disagreed, someone brought in the jealousy thing?  “I’m not jealous of Athena. There is a real reason I don’t like her.”

“And,” Madge prompted.

It was clear Madge wasn’t going to let go. Madge could be single-minded when she had a goal in mind. “She doesn’t like kids or people from the Seam. And it’s deeper than the entire Merchant-Seam rift. Athena goes out of her way to be mean to us.” Madge frowned as if in disbelief. “She bullies the kids from the Seam. Do you remember when Arlean Chance passed out in the girls’ bathroom?”

“Yeah, I remember. She stayed out of school for two weeks. I thought she had the flu?”

“It wasn’t the flu, it was Athena. She spread a rumor that Arlean had sold herself to Cray and liked it so much that she was selling herself for only one coin. Some kids followed Arlean into the girls’ bathroom, flashing her coins. When they saw I was in there with Leevy, they backed out and left. Leevy knew her parents and convinced my mom to say she had the flu, so that Arlean could get the break she needed.”

Madge was quiet.

“Athena even tried some crap with Leevy. But since Leevy has a few cousins that wouldn’t mind slapping the silly out of her, she dropped it.” Katniss turned back to look at Peeta, and her lips thinned.  Peeta was good and was most likely like Madge, who didn’t know the viper that was in his midst. “To you guys, she’s all lightness and sugary sweet, but to us in the Seam, she’s a bully.”

“Okay, enough said,” Madge said, looking in the direction of Athena. Not totally convinced, but at the same time, Katniss kept to herself and never gossiped. “So if you’re not going to talk to Mellark, you’re going to have to drink.” Madge pointedly looked at the shot glass in Katniss's hands. “Gale said I was to show you a good time.” 

Katniss spilled the drink on the ground, “Oopsie.” 

Madge rolled her eyes. “Do you think that’s going to stop me?” She handed Katniss her flask. “Here, drink from this.” 

Katniss brought the foul-smelling liquor to her lips and drank. She was determined to erase Peeta and Athena Marsden from her memory. Taking Madge’s flask, Katniss drank the liquorish-tasting liquid. It burned as it slipped down through her throat and warmed her belly. She grimaced, “What’s in this?’

Madge laughed, “Absinthe, be careful, too much, and you’ll fly. My mom loves this stuff.”

Flying is what Katniss wanted, handing the flask back to Madge.

“Canary!” Delly Cartwright shouted.

Those gathered roared and took shots as they heard the drinking salute. From across the way, Peeta was searching the crowd. He’d lost her again. Peeta himself drank from his cup. His friends were all in high spirits with youthful exuberance. He watched one of his friends kiss a girl from the Seam. She was beautiful, but not as beautiful as the girl he liked.

Normally, such intermixing was frowned upon, but tonight everyone in the district turned a blind eye. Tonight, Peeta had one goal: to talk to the girl whom he was crazy about. The crowds parted, and she appeared wearing her light blue reaping dress, and her hair was braided in an updo. She looked lovely. Then all at once she was gone, disappeared in the crowd.

“Hey Peet, we did it,” his friend James said.

“Yeah,” Peeta nodded, though he found the celebration odd. He aged out, but tonight on a train headed to the Capitol were two unlucky souls.

“Canary,” James said in salute.

“Canary,” Peeta said back, taking a gulp from his cup. He was trying to pace himself; he wasn’t much of a drinker. He stayed away from parties and refrained from drinking alcohol. Tonight, he came hoping he could find the courage to speak to Katniss.

“Hey Peeta,” Athena said, sliding up to him. She handed him another drink. “I thought you could use a refill.”

Peeta took the drink and smiled tightly when Athena’s hand crept up his arm. He caught sight of Katniss as she spoke to Madge. He nodded politely at Athena as he watched Perry Langston ask Madge to dance, leaving Katniss on the fringes of the party. A boy from the Seam that he didn’t know asked her to dance. Katniss shook her head no, but she accepted the drink the boy offered her.

“Canary!” Someone else shouted.

Peeta took a drink from the cup Athena gave him. He frowned because the brew was strong and he was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. He watched Katniss walk to the drinks table and slam back shot after shot of the white liquor Ripper made. Katniss was small in stature, and Ripper’s alcohol was stronger than the tesserae grain stuff he was drinking.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Peeta said. He wasn’t really listening to Athena.

“I am going to wake up tomorrow with a headache,” Peeta said, drinking the contents of his cup in one long slurp.

“Wow,” Athena said.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to,” Peeta could feel his words slurring as he spoke. He left Athena and headed toward Katniss.

She was swaying to the music; he could hear her humming softly as she swayed. The moonlight fell over her shoulders, making her dress look like a bridal dress, and it created a halo over her dark tresses, and she looked ethereal to Peeta.

“You wanna dance with me?” He asked, not sure if it sounded correct.

Katniss turned around, her silvery eyes as big as the moon, and her head bobbed up and down slowly before shyly stepping up to him. She sighed the moment Peeta held her. There wasn’t any music momentarily, but it didn’t matter; their bodies moved as if their souls were cast from the same celestial mold. Somewhere in the distance, the music began, and a lone fiddle played a woeful song.

“Want a sip?” She offered the flask to Peeta.

“Yeah,” he said. He took a long swig, and it tasted funny to him, but it was warm going all the way down.

He handed back the flask. As they continued dancing to the music, their world shrank to only include them. A girl began singing, her voice carried by the wind, which brought the festivities to a stop.

“It’s the Valley Song,” Peeta muttered.

Katniss nodded. It was an appropriate song to commiserate all the lost children and the ones that had been shipped to their death. She buried her face in his neck, holding on. His hands gripped her closer. Anchored by the rich scent of cinnamon and dill, Katniss felt safe and secure. His arms became a safe haven against the train that today took two unlucky souls to the Capitol. Peeta held tightly to her as memories whirled around them of the past, of the loved ones they had lost. The Capitol was their jailers. Both knew they weren’t free; none of them were. They were pieces used by the Capitol.

The music changed once more to a quicker-paced song, but Katniss' small hands gripped him tighter. The music got louder, they drank and danced, until the dancing space became crowded. Katniss and Peeta stepped to the side.

He grinned at her, feeling hazy.

“I can’t believe I got the first date, let alone a year.” Katniss slurred.

“You are so beautiful.” He handed her the bottle.

Katniss laughed and brushed up against his body, “No, you’re beautiful.”

Peeta watched her drink, his mind fuzzy at this point.

“I want to put you somewhere safe, never go from me.”  Her eyes opened wide. “Come on.”

“Where?’ Her hand tugged his, and he followed her.

“I have an idea,” she laughed joyfully.

Peeta grabbed a bottle from the table as they passed and drank from it. Smiling, they drank together as they walked away. It was a night of celebration and of new beginnings. Hand in hand, they strolled away.

The moon and the night sky were the witnesses to the revelry that occurred that night. The dawn came quietly. All over the district, hungover former reaping candidates woke up to a new world without worry of their name being called. They also woke up to the consequences of their actions.

Katniss slowly opened her eyes. She groaned as her entire body hurt. Her mouth tasted sour, and the light entering through her eyes felt like that time she was running from a bear and ran right into a low-lying branch.

“Lil brother, do you really think the Rixians are going to put a man on the moon before us?” Graham, the eldest amongst the Mellark brothers, asked.

“I heard the Rixians' rockets are stronger than ours,” Rye, Peeta’s other brother, said.

The biggest news in the country was the Space Race. Panem was competing with Rixa, a former district. Rixa was once formally known as District Thirteen. It was the largest district of Panem until they decided to separate. After they won the War of Secession, District Thirteen separated and began its own country in the 1800’s. They became Panem’s biggest rival as they were always competing to have the upper hand on the world stage.

“They also have a satellite, too,” Glenn, Peeta’s father, said. “No, telling what type of pictures they’re taking of us.”

“Now, now, you must calm down,” Adena Mellark patted her husband's leg. “Remember what the doctor said, Glenn, no excitement for you.”

“It sucks that they’re ahead of us,” James, Graham’s oldest son, exclaimed from the floor.

“James, language,” Adena admonished.

Graham’s wife, who was pregnant, ducked her head before giving Graham a look. Graham addressed his son. “James, that is not an appropriate language for a Mellark.”

James mumbled, “Sorry, grandmother.”

It caused nervous laughter in the small group of celebrants.

Katniss found it strange to think of the Rixans as the enemy. When the world became engaged in a world war, Panem and Rixa became allies for an instant. As soon as it was over, Rixa and Panem went back to being rivals. Panem considered itself a democracy, and Rixa was a military state-run government. They were progressive about women. They allowed their women to fight in the war, and even had a woman leader.

Women in Panem didn’t have the same opportunities. Katniss was part of a small group that wanted to make a change. The women’s movement was gaining popularity as women continued working even after the men came home from the war. They had managed to get a few women elected as senators. Things in Panem were changing. Katniss had been involved in the latest election. Christine Paylor, a Senator from District Eight, was running for President. No one thought she would win, but it was exciting.

However, Katniss couldn’t talk about what she was doing with Peeta’s family. It wasn’t appropriate to speak about politics during dinner. Or any other time while on the Mellark compound.

In Peeta’s home, from what she had observed and from what little Peeta told her, Adena Mellark wore the pants in the family. The boys, as she called them, never dared to step out of line.

“It is unpleasant that those Rixians are ahead of us. But our scientists, no doubt, are working around the clock to get ahead,” Adena said while sipping her cocktail. Her cold blue eyes observed the family.

“They did send a dog into space,” his brother Bannock said.

“Sputnik,” James snorted. “What kind of name is that?”

“FIDO IN SPACE!!” Rye said, tickling his nephews.

Adena looked annoyed but said nothing. She held out her glass, and Rye’s new wife, Misty, immediately refilled her glass.

Katniss would never serve that woman hand and foot. She would rather get shot in the foot.

“I heard the men in the space program can’t be around their wives or girlfriends,” Rye said, getting up.

“The program didn’t allow Blight, Felix, or Sejanus to see their families. The last time I saw those guys was a couple of months ago.” Peeta put his arm around Katniss's shoulder.

“I don’t think Katniss would make it without Peeta,” Rye joked, winking at Katniss.

Katniss blushed.

“Let’s leave Katniss alone. I know if you were involved in the space program, I’d be a nervous wreck every time you were chosen to go up there,” Misty said.

“Peet’s never going up there, he doesn’t have the right stuff,” Graham joked.

Peeta didn’t reply.

Katniss focused on television. They were showing a long shot of the all-new rocket for Orion 1 to launch. The three men inside the new space capsule were Sejanus Plinth, Blight Jones, and Felix Ravinstill. Claudius Templesmith’s voice was narrating the events. The three astronauts entered the transportation vehicle with their pristine white space suits.

“These new space suits that our astronauts are wearing are easier to maneuver in than the suits used in the Nova project and comparable to the ones used in the Spartan program. They are now the white color that our beloved president favors. And they have a new compression system that will keep our astronauts safe as they make a space walk.”

The entire nation was glued to their televisions right now. The tension and excitement filled the air as Peeta’s parents celebrated their anniversary.

Katniss turned her head away from the television set. The Mellarks were a well-to-do family. They owned several bakeries in District Four. Katniss grew up without the monetary security that Peeta had. Katniss had lost her father as a young girl to another dangerous job; her dad tested airplanes after the Second World War. They lived in the middle of nowhere, in ramshackle houses, so that her father could continue to fly as a test pilot for Panem Air Command. He was involved in the development of jet engines. He died while testing an airplane. The last thing she wanted was to fall for a man with a dangerous job. Why couldn’t he be a baker like the rest of his family?

The camera switched back to Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman. They were smartly dressed in heathered sport coats.

“This is an exciting day in the history of Panem. We will be trying out the new propulsion and capsule named Orion.”

“Yes, this is indeed an exciting day in Panem history. Right now, our three brave astronauts are being transported to the CSM, Caesar.”

“Claudius, explain to our home audience what a CSM is.” Caesar smiled at the camera.

“Well, Caesar, the CSM, is the command service module; the new CSM is larger than the spacecraft made for the Spartan. It holds three astronauts.”

“It must be a mansion compared to the Nova capsule, which only held one astronaut."

“As I understand it, Caesar, the mission is named after Captain Burdock Orion Everdeen.”

“Hey, Uncle Peeta, isn't that Katniss' father's name?” Bannock asked.

Mrs. Mellark gave her a funny look. No one in the family knew of her pedigree. They all thought she was a backward girl from a coal mining town. A picture of her father appeared on the television screen. There was no doubt that Katniss took after her father.

“Her father was a pioneer in the jet age.” Peeta winked at her as he spoke to his nephew, “He nearly broke the speed of sound. They teach us his pilot maneuvers at the academy. Without his sacrifice, they wouldn’t have found out about the fuselage leak in that jet plane.”

Bannock looked at her with awe in his eyes. “I didn’t know your father was a pilot.”

All of the attention was on Katniss. She loathed it; she wanted to squirm, but she knew the best way to avoid more questions was to be polite and deferential. “My daddy did his duty. Those men on that screen. They’re the real heroes.”

“Who do you think will go up on the next Orion missions?” Mr. Mellark asked. Although the Panem’s Space Program had announced a new set of projects with the goal of landing a man on the moon. They had yet to announce which pilots were going to be reaped for the missions.

“Dad, you know that’s classified,” Peeta said.

“Come on, Peet,” Rye said, grinning. “You can give us a clue, can’t you?”

Katniss saw the glint in Peeta’s eyes, and she knew there was more he wasn’t telling her. Peeta was good at hiding things. He had to be given his profession of choice.

Peeta was a hotshot navy pilot who was recommended for the space program because of his instinctive combat skills in the air and his good looks and charm in front of the camera. He was the youngest amongst the astronauts, and he was called the ‘Rookie,’ because of it.

She met him when her car broke down on the side of the road. He and his friends were drinking at a local bar when she walked in, soaked, looking like a ragamuffin. Peeta said he’d taken one good look at her and swore he was a goner.

“Sorry, Dad, I can’t say anything.” He stretched and stood. “I think I need a walk, Katniss?”

When they stood, his mother gave her a disapproving look. Katniss didn't avert her eyes. If Adena sensed a weakness in you, she would exploit it. She’d seen Peeta’s mother reduce people to tears with her words. Peeta told her he didn’t get along with his mother, and Katniss, having met the woman, understood why.

Peeta escorted her outside. Their backyard was huge and included a gated swimming pool.

“So I hope we didn’t scare you too much this weekend.”

“Huh,” Katniss said.

“Where are you?”

“I was thinking of my sister.”

“Oh,” Peeta said next to her.

Katniss nodded. “She would love the pool.”

“Next time we can bring her,” Peeta stopped walking.

Katniss looked up at the sky, rubbing her arms absentmindedly.

“You’re thinking about your dad, aren’t you?” Peeta put his arms around her.

Katniss leaned back into Peeta’s arms and closed her eyes. “How’d you know?”

“Because it’s my job,” he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “By the way, did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”

Katniss looked down at her modest shift dress. She’d forgotten she’d worn the dress for him. She could feel the sting of a blush on her cheeks. “I wanted to look special.”

Peeta turned her around in his arms. She leaned up on tiptoe to press a kiss on his lips. She had to be careful because her lipstick would get all over him. To be honest, this wasn’t the path Katniss had expected for her life. She was part of the women's movement. She’d sworn off men and dating. She’d burned her brassière. How her path became off target was her chance meeting with Peeta Mellark. Love was funny; it had a way of creeping up on you. Here she was dressing up in his favorite color, a muted orange.

His forehead pressed against hers, “Katniss, I have to tell you something.”

Her lashes fluttered open, looking up into his azure eyes. “What is it, Peeta?”

“Back there when I said that it was classified-” Peeta drifted off.

Katniss' heart sank; her observation was correct. Peeta was hiding something. “You were chosen.”

Peeta let go of her, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“When?”

“Your birthday.”

“My birthday,” Katniss whispered.

“Yeah,” Peeta lifted her chin. “Finnick, and Gale too. It’s us or another group. One of us will make ten loops around the Earth in the new rocket. Haymitch told me that they were leaning toward us. If all goes well, then it’s only a mission or two before we land on the moon.”

She turned her face away. She did the math and calculated by the launch dates which one of the missions he was going to be a part of, and the President boasted about the missions on national television. “Orion 7.”

“Kat,” Peeta let his hand drop.

“Peeta, can’t they choose someone else?” Katniss choked on the words. The fear of losing him was real. Of all of the men in Panem, her heart had to fall on a man whose job, by definition, was crazy. Left off here.

“Kat, baby,” Peeta said. “It’s my job.”

“Don’t you dare call me baby,” she spat angrily. She was incensed at herself for falling irrevocably in love with him. But she understood what he said. Astronauts were basically test pilots strapped into what was essentially a large TNT stick.

He looked into her silver eyes before leaning down and pressing a kiss on her cheek. “You’re even prettier when you're angry with me.”

His small peck diffused the situation between them.

“Ugh,” Katniss said, allowing him to loosely hold her. She instinctively stepped closer to him. Her hands slid up his chest. “What if something goes wrong, what if they don’t have the right calculations and you’re shot into outer space, or if something goes wrong with that metal hunk of junk?”

“It’s been twelve years, Katniss, since your dad passed away. Science has come a long way. I tell you, do you know they’ve got women mathematicians working at the space program? They call them computers.”

“Computers.”

“I swear they make the lot of us look like kindergartners with sticks and mud.”

Katniss was scared to lose him. She’d lived through the devastation that came with losing a loved one. “Just promise me you’ll be alright, and listen to Finnick. Gale’s a hot head.”

Peeta laughed.

“He’ll get you in trouble.”

“Like Finnick wouldn’t.”

“Finnick’s married to Annie, and Annie would skin him alive if he did.”

“True,” he grinned. “I can’t wait to get you alone tonight.”

Katniss felt the heat blossom and expand to the tips of her being. She’d been daring enough to allow herself to be with Peeta outside the bond of marriage. “Peeta, your parents.”

“Fine, just let me hold you.” One hand slipped her face, his hand touched her lip, while his lips kissed her exposed neck

Katniss breathed, “You have to promise to behave.”

“Scouts honor,” he growled before pressing a kiss on her chin.

“Peeta, you told me you were never a scout.” Katniss pulled away, giving him a pointed look.

He gave her a rakish look. “Okay, fine, I promise not to get frisky with you tonight.”

“Good.”

Peeta leaned his head down, his nose bumped hers playfully, before he gazed at her, seeking permission to kiss her. Katniss nodded, and her lashes fluttered, and a high-pitched squeak escaped her lips when his lips settled on hers.

“Hey, are you guys going to come back inside? Or are you going to stand outside necking?”

Startled by Peeta’s brother’s voice, Katniss stepped away.

“Rye!” Peeta groaned.

“Come on, you're going to miss them blasting off.”

He grinned at Katniss, “We'd better get in there.”

Together they walked inside. Everyone, by now, was sitting watching the television set. Katniss stood, Peeta next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled into him.

Mission control could be heard counting down. Katniss put her hand on Peeta’s chest. The boys counted down silently, their lips moving.