Fancy

Chapter 3

Katniss

I can't believe this. It had to be Peeta Mellark. How on earth could I forget him? After all he'd done for me, I didn't recognize him. It hasn't even been a year since I last saw him. But we've both changed quite a bit. I'm definitely not who I was in high school and neither is he. We've both grown up drastically.

His face is no longer that of a boy, but a man. The babyish face he carried around all of his life has disappeared, replaced by a strong jawline and cheek bones. His ashy blonde curls are shorter and he himself is an inch or two taller. His voice has gotten a little deeper too. But still, I have no idea how I could have let myself fade away from reality so far as to forget him.

After my shift ended at eleven, I drove to the little known park on the edge of town. It's really quiet, half a moon lighting up the shadowy trees, making it look mysterious and frightening. Yet this is my sanctuary. This is where I feel at home.

I follow the hidden trail down to the huge willow that everyone calls the Hanging Tree. Supposedly, it is the place where a man and his lover were executed after they murdered the three people conspiring to kill their families. The male was killed first after he was caught and after he died, his girlfriend was kept getting nightmares of him coming to her and asking her to come to the tree where he died, to turn herself in so they could be together again. Which she did. But not before writing down the song he supposedly sang to her in her dreams.

Since then, it has become a meeting place for those few that know about it. Peeta and I happen to be two of them, being at each of us came from the same family trees as the two lovers, I from the man and Peeta from his lover. The song is sacred to both of our families. My mother was not entirely happy about it, but my father had been singing me that song since I knew what a lullaby was.

I walk through the branches of the ancient willow and count the minutes to midnight. I try do decide how I will say it, how I'll explain to him how I ended up getting paid in singles. He deserves to know. I've known about his crush on me since we were kids. Evidentially, nothing has changed in the last year. But I can't say that haven't thought about him that way a time or two. Although I would never go as far as to call what I've felt and maybe still feel for him as love. I'm interrupted from my thoughts by the rustle of leaves and turn to see Peeta entering the shelter of the tree's long, vine like branches.

"You're early," I say.

"So are you," he comments.

"How much do you know?" I ask.

"That your mother kicked you out and that you've been working at that hell hole for nine months now. But I didn't believe it until last night. The girl I knew would never do what you're doing," he says.

"You're right," I say. "If I had any self respect left, I would never have even walked into those doors. But I had been starving for about a month and a half. My mother barely had enough money to feed the three of us. So once I turned eighteen, I left so my baby sister wouldn't starve to death. My mother let me go, didn't even put up a fight. I think she was glad I went away."

"But Prim wasn't," he says. "She misses you a lot."

"And I miss her too," I say. "I send money to her every month. To try to show her I still care about her."

"I know," he says. "But money isn't her sister."

"Can I just finish my story?" I ask.

"Yes," he says. "Why there? There must have been other jobs."

"Not for a homeless eighteen year old," I say. "Cashmere found me sleeping in an ally. She took me in and gave me a home. She even gave me a job waitressing at first. She didn't want to put me through it, but I refused to dance. I wasn't that desperate yet. But when I saw the girls who did what I do now, up on that pedestal where they were untouchable, walking away with enough money to pay month's rent after one week and I was bare scraping by getting fondled by those pigs that come in there, I finally asked to dance. So now I'm saving up for a decent place to live and enough of a cushion to get a real job. And if I want out, if I want to walk away saying that the shame I've gone through was worth it, I need to get out on my own. You can't help me. Not if I want to have any dignity after all this."

"But, there has to be another way," he says.

"There isn't," I say. "I've tried, but there's no way out. Not until I get enough money. My own money."

"There is always another way," he says. "Haven't I proven that before?"I look up at him from where I stand and into his blue eyes.

"Yes," I reply. "But not this time."

"Katniss," he pleads and I feel tears well up in my eyes. "It doesn't make you weak to ask for help."

"You saved me from killing someone once," I say. "And I will never forget that. But I can't let you take my burden."

"It's not a burden," he says. "You'll never be a burden to me." He reaches out and gently cups my cheek. "You know how I feel about you. What you've done this past year doesn't change anything."

"But everything has changed Peeta!" I say. "We've both grown up so much. We aren't kids anymore. I'm not me anymore so how can you still say you care for me if you don't even know me?" He steps towards me and smiles from where he towers over me.

"Yeah, we've both grown up quite a bit and something's have changed. But not everything," He places his hand on my chest, over my heart. "The same hearts still beat in our chests." he then gently cups my cheek gently. "You still have that same smile and those beautiful stormy eyes. So yeah, maybe you are a little different and so am I, but we are still the same people standing here that we were a year ago when you said goodbye. So why would I stop loving you because you are down on your luck?"

"You wouldn't," I say. "The boy I grew up with never saw the bad in people. Only the good."

"That's right," he says laughing. "And I know you might not feel the same, but I do want to help you, whenever you're ready."

"One day I will be," I say. "And when that day comes, I hope to be able to finally let myself feel something again."

"Something?" Peeta asks looking puzzled.

"Yes," I say. "Although I hid it much better than you, I always had a bit of a crush on you. And this growing up you've done hasn't made it very easy to hide."

"Why wait?" he says.

"Because one of the requirements of my job is no relationships," I say. "That way we don't have some jealous boyfriend hanging around and punching out a customer who gets a little grabby."

"Since when have you been one to follow the rules?" he asks. "Weren't you the girl that got in trouble for sneaking your pet raccoon into the school?" I laugh at that.

"Yeah, that was me," I chuckle. "But if we do this, it has to be a secret. No one can know, not even our friends and families." He wraps his arms around me gently and smiles.

"I can keep a secret," he whispers.