Katniss nodded at my suggestion, trailing after me to the other side of the roof, which was occupied by a makeshift garden made up of flower beds and potted trees. I led her to the small clearing Cinna had shown me, which was surrounded by a plethora of trees whose branches were positively dripping with wind chimes. On such a windy night, their metallic tinkling is enough to drown out whatever Katniss is about to tell me.

I waited expectantly for her to begin speaking, fiddling with a small leaf I plucked off a random bush. We sat together on a stone bench, which was so small our shoulders were almost touching. If I just- I straightened as Katniss began her story, shaken from my train of thought.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," she whispered, her eyes fixed on a violet bloom clutched in her pale hands. 

I continued spinning the small leaf between my fingers as Katniss recounted her haunting tale, the eyes that were previously full of stars now cast in the darkness that came only from fear- and guilt.

I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done if I was faced with the same choice Katniss had. Her life, or theirs. 

She paused, clearly lost in thought about the girl, if she could have been saved. Katniss shivered sharply, as if telling her story has sucked the warmth from her very bones, and I took off my suit coat without a second's thought.

"You're shivering," I said, wrapping the coat around her. She accepted the gesture with a small smile, causing a strange giddiness to rise in my chest. I was instantly reminded of Tessa, but I shoved that thought away instantly and asked Katniss a question about the pair from the woods. "They were from here?" She nodded, and I continued. "Where do you suppose they were going?" 

District 12 is pretty much the end of the line. Beyond us, there's only wilderness, nowhere for the pair to go even if they had made it.

She shrugged noncommitally. "I don't know that. Or why they would leave here." Katniss gestured widely to the luxury that could be found in every coner of the Capitol.

"I'd leave here," I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips unbidden, loud enough to hear above the wind chimes. I instantly realized my mistake, covering the potentially treasonous words with a follow up. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime."

Katniss widened her eyes at me, having noticed the slip up. I looked around furtively, my mind cast back to Cinna's fear of being watched. Could my statement be considered contemplating the unquestionable goodness of the capitol?

I shivered sharply and stood up. "It's getting chilly. We better go in." I offered Katniss my arm, leading her inside the stairwell. Even that slight touch sent my heart racing, and I mentally chided myself to keep it under control. To distract both her and myself, I started a new conversation. I adopted a conversational tone to put foward a cavalier front, though I had been wondering about this for quite some time.

"Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?" I asked.

"Yes. Do you know him?" Katniss replied as we continued down the stairs.

"Not really." I shrugged, curious about what she would reply. "I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other."

She continued walking, unreadable. "No, we're not related."

I nodded, though this line of questioning was not giving me any answers. "Did he come to say good-bye to you?"

"Yes," she said, peering at me carefully with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "So did your father. He brought me cookies."

I raises my eyebrows, pretending this was news to me. Instead of retelling the little I understood of the intricacites of my fathers relationship with Katniss' mother, I lied smoothly. "Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys."

She looked surprised, taken aback at the false idea that she was ever discussed. I corrected myself quickly.

"He knew your mother when they were kids," I clarified.

She looked even more surprised. "Oh, yes. She grew up in town," Katniss said nonchalantly. 

I was barely able to hold in my disbelieving snort. Sure, being neighbors was close enough to best friends and then her mother breaking my father's heart and him betraying her in return. 

We arrived at Katniss' door and she handed me my jacket. "See you in the morning then," she said awkwardly, rubbing her wrist. 

I was overcome with the sudden urge to kiss her, but instead I nodded and said, "See you," before walking away quickly.

I ducked into my room before I could act on that stupid impulse and make a fool of myself. I took a moment to compose myself, leaning against the door and breathing heavily.

Tonight was a mixed bag. I'd spoken more to Katniss in one night than I had in my entire life, but I'd failed to discover anything about her relationship with Gale. The thought of him instantly reminded my of Tessa, which frustrated me to no end. Her laugh, her sparkling eyes, her snarky words all seemed to be haunting my every moment no matter how hard I shoved them away from me.

Annoyed with my own thoughts, I angrily ripped my shirt over my head and stripped to my underwear before getting into bed so I could finally let go of the day.

*****

Omg I am so so so so sorry. That took forever! I hope you liked it! What do you guys think about why Peeta can't stop thinking about Tessa? I promise I'm not changing the ending, but it is important. Vote and comment!

-Siren Song