𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐊 ... 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸

surprise ! bonus chapter !

everyone was there.

lights were gleaming at every turn, people worked as entertainers, and most important of all, all the districts were meeting one another. some talked and laughed, others cried and held one another, but they were all together. to celebrate the riddance of the hunger games.

something hattie made happen.

"i think i'm going to get a seizure from these flashing lights." cypress dramatically commented, and hattie rolled her eyes. "stop being a dramatic baby." "i will be when they stop flashing so fast !" "grow up." rue pouted. "yeah, cypress, grow up." peeta chuckled with a classic smirk, holding hattie's hand firmly with the other in his pocket.

"would you rather have people stuck in poverty and fighting one another to the death for the wealthy's pleasure?" katniss rhetorically asked. "...y'know what, the lights are so pretty tonight." cypress suddenly admired, scrunching up in girly joy with his hands clasped together and an amused look on his face.

everyone laughed. including someone behind them.

"you're so funny, hattie's best friend." hattie herself spun around to only see her other best friend : finnick odair.

"oh ! i can't seem to get enough of you lately !" she squealed, arms already around his neck by the end of her sentence. everyone cheered at the man's presence, and cypress grabbed a running rue's hoodie collar to pull her back to them and pick her up.

"can't remember my name, can you?" "just because the hunger games stopped doesn't mean my egos dropped." he winked. "where's the ol' ball and chain?" katniss asked with a smile. "since when are you a misogynistic?" hattie chuckled. "i don't know. can i unsay that?" katniss asked finnick, but he just laughed, "i've missed your dry humor, everdeen. she's at home with he baby, she wanted a night alone, and i wanted to get crazy." "say no more, magic man !"

hattie lead the group to a booth where dull arrows rested before water balloons pinned on a wall. "step right up, have the chance to drench your friends !" the manager of the game yelled out to the crowd. "one game, please." peeta said, pointing a finger to indicate his prescence.

"who's up?" hattie asked with a wicked grin on her lips, pointedly staring at her best friend. "you're evil." cypress deadpanned, putting down the child and slowly dragging himself to stand under a blue balloon. "i'll get under a balloon." katniss turned around to find the unknown voice, finding the mentors haymitch and effie, in their usual attire.

haymitch extremely underdressed, his girlfriend the other way around.

"haymitch, what took you so long?" peeta asked with an undertone of harshness that hattie could only seem to sense.

"don't asked me what; ask me who." everyone turned to look cypress' mother, and her bright pink blush hid the real one, "beauty takes time !" "i think only you think that." haymitch lightly pressed a kiss to her cheek, creating a funny ringing sound of 'awh's. "y'know what," cypress called, "i think haymitch should join me."

it was only now haymitch saw his 5th child, under a balloon against a wooden wall. everyone around the older man cheered in challenge, encouraging him to go stand beside the young adult. "fine, fine ! i'm goin', you see my legs movin' !" they clapped as he stood under the full water balloon, now looking tense.