In The Blowing Ashes

Chapter 14

Katniss

I wake up to sunshine in my eye and shake my head as I sit up. A little body stirs next to me and I look down to see Finn sleeping peacefully in Peeta's place. He came in last night when he heard me scream and decided that since "Uncle Peeta" wasn't there to protect me, he would. I thought it was very sweet.

I carefully get up so I don't wake him and go into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I look in the mirror and roll my eyes. My hair is an absolute disaster and my eyes are bloodshot. The scars on my neck and face are faded, but I know they're there and I know Peeta knows they're there. He'll say he doesn't care, but today, I can't help but care enough for both of us.

"Do you want me to help you into your dress?" a small voice asks and I turn to see Annie standing in the doorway. I shake my head.

"Not yet," I say. "We need to get the stew for tonight ready first and I need to get my hair in some sort of order."

"Peeta already came and did that," she says. "He took it to Haymitch's." I just shake my head.

"That boy is gonna be the death of me," I say. Annie smiles and leads me out of the bathroom and over to my bed. She makes me sit down and hands me a glass with a pale liquid in it. I smell it and it smells a little like alcohol. "What is this?"

"Corn whiskey mixed with apple cider," she says. "It'll help calm those nerves of yours a little."

"I don't drink alcohol," I say trying to hand it back to her.

"Just take a drink, calm down, and let me help you," she says. I give her another uneasy glance and then defeatedly take a sip of the concoction. It actually isn't too bad. It doesn't even burn going down like all the other alcohol I've ever had and its quite sweet, as though I were just drinking normal cider. Annie goes over to Finn and gently shakes his arm. He wakes up and blinks at her. "I need you to go out to Aunt Kitty's yard and pick her lots of pretty flowers for her hair and bouquet." He nods and gets up, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he walks out of the room. Annie then gets my brush and gets to work brushing the knots and tangles out of my hair. I haven cut it in a very long time and it easily reaches my waist.

"He reminds me of his father," I say eventually. Annie nods.

"He acts like him too," she says.

"Finnick would have been so proud of him," I say, feeling a tear well up in my eyes. Annie nods and gets up, going to her bag and pulling something out. She walks over and hands it to me. I notice its a package with little white pills and a prescription for more of them. "What are these?"

"A gift from your mother," she says. "Since she knows you don't want kids, at least, not yet, she wanted to give you and Peeta a normal marriage without the fear of you getting pregnant." I turn them over in my hands and then open one and take it with my drink that admittedly, has calmed my nerves a little.

"Thank her for me when you see her," I say and she nods.

"She would have come but being here, its not good for her," she says and I nod.

"I know," I say. "If I wasn't confined here by law, I'd visit her, but after I did what I did, this is home. This is the only place I'm free." Annie nods and I hear tiny feet pounding on the floor and look over to see Finn running in with a basket full of dandelions and primroses from my flower bed beneath my living room window.

"I got the flowers Aunt Kitty!" he says happily and I smile as he hands his mother the basket. She pulls out one of the dandelions and shakes her head.

"Finn, most of these are weeds," she says and I shake my head, standing up to face her.

"Not to me," I say. "These are really pretty flowers. Dandelions are some of my favorite. Did you know that Finn?" He shakes his head and I kiss his cheek before Annie forces me to sit back down on the bed. Finn sits next to me and occasionally hands his mother the flowers so she can weave them into the intricate bun made off half my hair. She then sets herself to work putting a light dusting of makeup on my eyes and then paints my lips a pinkish color. She sends Finn outside while she helps me dress.

My wedding dress is relatively simple. It ties up the back with the same green ribbon that edges the hems of my veil and my three skirts that progressively get shorter, making it ruffle like flower petals. It stops at my chest in a strait line and I added a ribbon that ties around my neck so I feel a little more secure about the fact that I don't have sleeves on it. After I'm in it, Annie curls my hair that still falls down my back and puts a wave in my bangs. She picks up my veil off my bed and sticks more pins in my hair as she secures it in above my flowered bun. Together we wrap a ribbon around the primroses and the rest of the dandelions to make a decent bouquet and then she grabs the train of my dress and helps me into the bathroom so I can see my reflection.

"Wow," I say and she laughs.

"What did you expect?" she says. "You're beautiful. I didn't do much really."

"Not to sound vain," I say. "But I think I'm finally seeing what he sees." She laughs and carefully pins my mockingjay to my dress and puts the necklace Peeta made out of my pearl for my 21st birthday around my neck. There is a knock on the bedroom door. I walk over to it and open it to see Finn standing there.

"Uncle Peeta's here," he says and I nod.

"Tell him I'll be right down," I say and as he leaves I feel my heart racing again. I turn to Annie and she smiles at me. "I'm so not ready." She hands me my bouquet and lays my veil over my face.

"Yes you are," she says. "You're perfect and in reality, it's just a piece of paper. " She pins up my train and hugs me. "Go to him. Go live your life with him." I look over at her and take her hand.

"Will you stand with me?" I ask her and a see a tear run down her cheek.

"I'd be honored Katniss," She says and follows me down the stairs to the door where Peeta waits for me. He looks amazing and I feel my nerves leave as I see his face. He takes my hand gently and together, we walk towards the rebuilt Justice Building.