Chapter 4 - the mentor

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For a few seconds, all Peeta and I can do is to take in the scene of our mentor trying to rise up from the slippery vomit. We exchange a quick glance and decide to take one of haymitch's arms to help him up to his feet.

"I tripped?" Haymitch asks. "Smells bad." He wipes his hand on his nose, smearing his face with more of the vomit.

"Let's get you back to your room," I say as gently as possible without letting my disgust show.

We half lead, half carry haymitch to his room. We haul him into the bathtub and switch the shower on him, which he hardly notices.

"I'll get some water for him" I insist without waiting for his response and I make my way into the dining room. I take some water, a couple of biscuits and a bag of ice to haymitchs room.

As I creak open the door I see a dressed haymitch being hauled over from the bathroom to the bed. I quietly set the food and drink on the side table as Peeta convinces haymitch to lay down and rest.

"Hey," I whisper as I hand him a bag of ice. "Put this on haymitchs head."

"Thanks prim". We stand there in awkward silence before he asks "should we get any any of the capitol people to check on him?"

"No, I'm sure he'll be fine."

A couple moments have passed before I feel the need to speak up again "soo, are you going to sleep? It is getting a bit dark outside."

"Yeah, you should go to your room" Peeta responds. "I'll stay here, make sure he's sober enough to even wake up."

I laugh quietly and wish Peeta a good night as I walk back to my room. When I get back I realise that I still haven't eaten the bakers cookies. I try to cross the massive room without running, but it takes to long anyways. I perch next to the window and I eat my cookies, one by one, as I watch district by district pass by.

As I finish the last of my cookies, I catch sight of a patch of dandelions by the tracks. Even if I caught a glimpse of it for a second, but it's enough to remind me of my family.
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Katniss hurried home, grabbed a bucket, my hand and led me to the meadow. We scrounged along the fence until we filled the bucket with enough Dandelions for the whole district and for the first time in months we were finally full. That night, we gorged ourselves on dandelion salad and the rest of the bakery bread.

"What else?" I asked Katniss. "What other food can we find?"

"All sorts of things," Katniss promised me. "I just have to remember them"

So, that's how we ended up poring over the pages of our mothers old apothecary shop. The pages were made with old parchment and decorated with ink drawing of plants. Neat handwriting told us their names, where to gather them and their medical uses. But our father added other entries to the book. Plants for eating, not healing.

We hadn't seen meat in months, but my sister had gathered up enough courage to go into the meadow and to shoot a bunny. The sight of the animal seemed to stir something in our mother as she made some stew with the rabbit and the greens I had gathered.

Slowly, our mother retuned to us. She began to cook and clean and preserve some of the food Katniss had hunted for. I was thrilled to have our mother back, but Katniss wasn't. I don't think they could ever have a normal relationship again, so I try to give her twice the amount of love that anyone else only could hope to do.
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For a while I sit staring out at the lights of another district. Seven? Ten? My mind wanders to all of the people in their houses, settling down for the night while the unlucky 24 families have their shutters drawn tight, not having an appetite for the meal they prepared for their children.

I don't feel like watching the window anymore and I would much rather collapse onto the soft, velvety bed and bury all my problems away.

As I curl up on the bed, I keep imagining my home. I hope my mother stayed strong for Katniss. I hope she hasn't started to slip away, leaving the weight of the world on my sisters shoulders yet again.

The only thing I can manage to feel is the desire to be somewhere else. Somewhere like home. So I let the train rock my shivering body into a restless sleep.
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Aaaaaaaa sorry that this chapter is so short 😭😭

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