So what if that's life? It doesn't excuse anything if she still winds up hurting him. Katniss doesn't even have to try. It seems that all she has to do is exist in order to hurt the people in her life. She doesn't know how much more heartache she can actually survive. If she had stayed in Panem, would she have ever found her voice again? Finding herself in Alpha Complex forced her out of that depression. It wouldn't take her much to break again.

A little more happiness in her life might not be such a bad thing. She has Prim and that's certainly brought some joy back into her life. How dangerous would it be to to let a little more in?

She places her thumb on his chin, rubbing it curiously over the scruffy hair that covers his face. Her other fingers curl underneath his jaw and she tilts his head towards hers. Kissing a boy shouldn't be so terrifying, not after all the experience she had gotten kissing Peeta over the past two years. Yet if not for the Hunger Games, Katniss would never have been so free with her kisses. She'll never be that kind of girl. She doesn't have to be to recognize what Derek's offering her right now: a chance to step forward.

Her eyes close as she finally presses her lips against his and smiles again. Her kiss is gentle and tentative, but it's real.