safe and sound // catoniss

Chapter 13

Katniss P.O.V

It has been several weeks. My family has moved into Victors Village right next to Haymich's house. I am thrilled to be back home, but the Games still creep into my dreams and sometimes even into the silence that fills our home. I will suddenly see the blood, and hear the innocent children become slaughtered. I try to hide it, and I have become quite successful at it, expect for Prim. She notices everything. Prim is different now, something changed while I was away. She became stronger and more confident. But if you look closely, you can see that the little girl I volunteered for before the Games, is gone. She ran away a long time ago. And I miss her. Because this new Prim is like a lion within a lamb. She is not the innocent girl I left behind, no, she is the strong spirited young woman I wanted to win for. And I did. I see Gale frequently, but he is timid around me now. As if I am a nuceular bomb just waiting to explode and obliterate the people around me. But the other day I went to see Peetas father. And when I saw him, I began to feel the tears threatening to overflow my tired eyes.

I go around the back of the bakery and knock on the tall wooden back door and wait for an answer. The door slowly opens to reveal Mr. Mellark in a apron holding a piece of fresh baked bread.

"Katniss..." He says and tries to smile, but only manages to draw a tight, thin line across his face. I look up at him and can feel the tears stinging behind my eyeballs. I push them away for another time and manage a weak smile.

"Mr. Mellark, it's good to see you. I came to thank you for taking care of my family while I was... away." I say, but hesitate on the last word, not wanting to spark unwanted memories. But by the slight grimace on his face I can tell I did.

"It was not a problem. Would you like this loaf of bread?" He asks me and thrusts the bread he was holding in his hands, into mine. 

"Why, um... Yes. Thank you. That's very generous." I say and tuck the bread safely under my arm.

"I will see you around then?" I ask as I step away, intending to leave.

"Uh, yes, yes... I should be around the village." He says and quickly shuts the door. As I walk to the front of the bakery and onto the street I see something that catches my eye. A dandelion. Bright and full of life, just a Peeta was. I look away from it to stop the aching of my heart but the memory of his smile shall never fade from my mind, or the way his voice became soft when others needed consoling, or the way his laugh would float through the air. I feel the tears begin to drip down my face one by one. I take a deep breath and wipe them away. I was beginning to fall in love with him, even though I didn't know it. But he is gone now. I should have not come to the bakery, to much of him surrounds this place. So I shall not go to the bakery again.