It's Always Been You

Chapter Sixteen; Just Like You

"Can I get you something?" Peeta asks as he comes from the bathroom freshly showered. He smells of sweet lavender, and I can't help but want him in my arms. I shrug, sinking down into the silky sheets on the bed. I know that Peeta is worried about me, and he has a valid reason. I'm carrying his child. Peeta sits next to me, leaning close. I place my hand on his shoulder, pecking him softly on the lips. It feels as if since the honeymoon, I haven't been able to focus on Peeta at all. With the games and my pregnancy, I haven't really thought of anything else.

Acacia and Zane are one week into training. Acacia is excelling in throwing knives, and I've even tried to teach her some archery. She isn't bad. Peeta taught both of them how to camouflage, and we've been working on survival skills. I attempted to show them how to fight physically and climb trees, but as soon as Peeta saw me do anything physical, he made me sit down. He is blowing this pregnancy way out of proportion. He acts like I'm nine months pregnant trying to fist fight.

During training, I couldn't help but notice that Acacia and Taj Diaz have been speaking quite a lot. Maybe she knocked some sense into herself and decided to ally with him, but I doubt it. Though if she continues to focus on her training, I truly do believe that she has a chance.

Zane is definitely improving his strength. He has learned how to shoot a bow properly, and he isn't terrible at climbing trees. Peeta and Haymitch are focusing on him the most, and they left me to keep Acacia from killing anyone before she gets into the arena.

"Will you eat something, Katniss?" Peeta asks, kissing my cheek softly.

"Yeah, I will in a few minutes. I promise." I whisper, pulling him closer. He seems to believe me, giving me a nod of assent. I press my lips against his, kissing him forcefully. He seems surprised at first, but quickly returns the favor. I pull away for a moment, running over to the door, shutting it, and locking it. I walk back over to the bed, straddling my legs around Peeta and kissing his jawline.

Acacia and Zane are training all day, and later, they have their individual rankings. Peeta and I won't be needed at all until later.

"Katniss, are we-" Peeta's voice trails off, but I know exactly what he means. We hadn't made this much contact since our honeymoon, but it just feels right. I press my lips together, looking deep into his eyes.

"Do you not want to?" I ask vulnerably, bringing my hand up to his hair and running it from his head to his lower back. I reach up his shirt, rubbing his bare back.

"No- I-" he chuckles, shaking his head and bringing his face close to mine. "Of course I want to."

I smile, basically ripping my long nightgown off and taking Peeta's clothes off too. It's nice to have a distraction every once in a while, and I know Peeta enjoys it too.

+++

"Where were you guys all day?" Zane asks as Peeta and I go into the living area. I shrug, sitting down on the couch.

"We were just relaxing." I say, looking over to Peeta, attempting not to flush red.

"Well, you should've been here earlier, because the rankings already started, so shush." Acacia says, turning her head to the screen. They are already on district 5. I see a young female tribute on the screen. She is only ten, but I watch as an 8 flashes on the screen for her ranking. I shift uncomfortable, turning to Peeta, and remembering when he scored an 8.

"They must be judging easily this year." I say, sitting back on the couch. "I can't imagine what she could've done to earn an 8."

All of the rankings go by quickly, the highest being a 10 earned by Taj Diaz. The other fourteen year old received a 9. I hold my breath, waiting patiently for District 12 to finally appear on the screen.

"From District 12, Zane Stromont." Caesar says as Zane's picture appears on the screen. We all lean forward, eager to hear the score. "With the score of a 7."

I nod, patting Zane on the back. "That's not bad."

We are quickly distracted by Caesar announcing the final score. "Acacia Caverly, District 12, has received the score of a twelve." My jaw drops, and I turn to Acacia who looks astonished. Peeta smirks, looking towards Haymitch who has a sly smile on his face.

"Holy shit." Acacia whispers, stunned. "I don't know how that could've happened."

"What did you do?" I ask, my mouth gaped open. She shakes her head.

"I went in, through a few knives, and left. They weren't even good throws, I barely tried."

"You pissed them off." Haymitch chimes in. "Katniss shot an arrow at their pig last year and got an eleven. That made her a huge target for all of the other tributes. If you didn't do anything particularly special, they probably gave you a 12 to kill you off early."

I look down, shaking my head. "I think we should just go to bed and sleep this off."

"I don't care, Katniss!" Acacia says, standing up. "Like you said, nobody wins the games. Yeah, I'll try to win, but nothing's going to change the fact that the Capitol is a piece of shit. I don't care that they scored me a 12, and frankly, I wouldn't care if they scored me a 0. It's not going to change the fact that I'm going to be forced to kill people and potentially die myself." With that, she runs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Peeta looks at me, shaking his head. "She's just like you." He whispers, walking to our bedroom and slamming the door behind himself. I sink deeper into the couch, burying my head into the pillows.

I guess I'll sleep out here tonight.