"I don't know Finnick, why am I doing this again?"

"Because it's a shitload of money and all you have to do is get to know a chick." I looked at his bright green eyes, his smirk was especially twisted after reviewing our latest case with me.

"But you're the one who usually does this, not me. Plus, you typically don't have to 'friend' the target, you just get to stand back and take pictures and report back to the client. This particular client not only wants me to trail her, but get to know her as well…make her talk about her past. I don't know…I don't even really work here! I just do the books and behind the scenes research to get a little extra cash." I flopped down in one of his empty chairs in his tiny office, my blonde hair sweeping into my eyes-I'll have to get it cut before I meet her.

"Yeah, but you heard him, she would see right through me." He wiggled his eyebrows in a flirty way and I just laughed knowing how devious my best friend could be towards the opposite sex. "They wanted someone genuine, apparently they believe she'll be a hard nut to crack. But if that's the case they should have chosen me for this assignment, I can crack the hardest nuts!" I looked at him before shaking my head.

"That. Right there. That's what they were talking about." He let out a boisterous laugh. "Let me see the file on her again." It would have been the 100th time I'd looked at it, but I was so nervous. Finn slid the manila folder across his desk and I picked it up and opened it slowly. There wasn't much. An outdated pictured of a gap tooth girl who was smiling brightly. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and they were the clearest set of gray eyes I'd ever seen. Two braids fell on each side of her shoulder and I couldn't tell from the picture if her hair color was a dark brown or black. She appeared to be about eleven years old but we were informed she would now be almost twenty-five. Other than her name being Katniss Everdeen we didn't have much to go on. Finnick was the best private eye in town, but he ran a small operation and there wasn't a lot of technology to our disposal. When I Googled her name, it appeared she wasn't married and working for the large Botanical Research Facility nestled in the much larger city next door to our town of Panem. I was planning on starting at the research facility. "How do you think I can get into her place of employment?"

"Bring a classroom to tour the facility. Places love to bring in young minds to get them excited about shit that isn't exciting so these young minds will grow up and do the boring shit they trained them to love." Finnick was knotting his piece of rope he kept at his desk as he spoke.

"Bitter much?"

"I don't understand how people can do those 9 to 5 jobs inside all day. I remember I went to a 'research facility' when I was a kid with my class. It had the opposite effect on me. Instead of being wide-eyed and impressed at all the shiny surroundings I was horrified at the zombies walking around holding paperwork and a cup of coffee." I had to shake my head again, Finnick was definitely his own man.

"Well I guess that's why you do what you do and I like to do what I do." I closed the file and began to think about how I can scrounge up a classroom of kids to take to her work.

"How is the bakery-thing going?" He set the rope down and folded his hands on top of his desk. I knew that meant he wanted a serious answer.

"Oh it's going. Actually, with this latest job I'll have saved enough to buy out my brother's shares of the bakery and it will finally be all mine to do as I please. After saving for almost ten years of working part time there and here I finally get to see my dream come true." I smiled to myself as I thought about all the changes I'd make once it was unequivocally mine.

"I still think it's fucked up that you have to buy them out when they don't do shit with that place. You're the only one in your family that even cares about it, besides your dad I guess, and you put the work in-not them."

"It's all for legal purposes, and when my mom died and dad retired, it was left to all three of us so it's only fair I buy out their portion. It is a part of their history too." I shrugged my shoulders, there was nothing I could about it and I had the money now-or at least I would when I befriended this Katniss girl-and the bakery would be all mine.

"You're one of a kind Peeta. One of a kind." He chuckled quietly and picked his rope back up.

I walked up the steps of the school and looked around. It hadn't changed much in the 20 years or so it had been since I last attended Panem Elementary. The halls were still littered with punchy posters of upcoming events and the lockers looked dingy and oppressing. I knew Delly's classroom would be towards the front of the hall since she taught 5th graders when suddenly I heard her singsongy voice echo from nearby.

"And then if we replace this verb with this…" She spotted me through the narrow window in the door and clapped her hands together and squealed as she dragged me into the classroom. "Oh kids! What a treat! This is my good friend Mr. Mellark! He owns the bakery downtown, Mellark Bakery. I'm sure many of you have had a cupcake or cookie from there at some point." Her enthusiasm was overwhelming and I could see the shell-shocked look on all the children's faces. It must be intense to be in a classroom with Delly for hours at a time. I nodded nervously at the class and I saw a few of the girls wave back smiling at me, I quickly turned my head back to Delly.

"Um, sorry for interrupting, but I wanted to see if you wanted to take your class to the Botanical Research Facility in The Capital? I have to go for, a…uh job…and yeah it would be fun to take the kids don't you think?" I tried saying this quietly so if she thought the idea was terrible I wouldn't have the kids chiding me as well, but she smacked her desk and I took a step back.

"Excellent idea Mr. Mellark! I'll have the school secretary set it up with the research center and I'll get permission slips out. What do you think class? Who wants to see how a botanical research center operates?" I turned to see them nod their heads slowly, looking bored. "It's in The Capital!" With that last part I saw a more eager response. Panem wasn't a dirty small town by any means, but The Capital had the hustle and bustle of a large city complete with all the new trends in fashion and food. I never wanted to live there myself, but I can understand the draw for some people.

"Ok, well I have to head out Del, uh I mean Ms. Cartwright. But just text me when you get the details and I'll join you."

Her smile seemed to spread to her ears and she nodded so furiously that I wanted to steady her with my hands. I tilted my head as a good-bye to the kids and waved sympathetically, imagining they must go home and take a nap after being around her all day.

As soon as I was out of the elementary building I called Finnick. "Ok man, I have Delly working on getting a classroom tour of the facility. She'll text me when she gets the dates and everything."

"Excellent my padawan. I have taught you well."

"Here goes nothing." I hang up and sigh. I wish I didn't have so much riding on getting this Katniss Everdeen to trust me.