Broken Wings

Chapter 32

He isn't that much taller than the last time I saw him, just more muscle mass. His hair is trimmed nicely, and his defined masculine features have matured more since I last saw him. One thing that has never changed are his eyes, steely and full of fire. Truly he looks good, but that doesn't stop the rage I feel. All I can see is the flames that engulfed my sister, the blood of the innocent children she spent her final moments helping. All I see is the pain that took me months to function with and accept that I may never fully get over it. So, when I slap him hard in the face and scream at him that worst names possible at him, I feel no remorse. I hit him a scream and cry, tears steaming down my face as I fists spread as much pain as they can across his torso. "Katniss, stop!" he roars restraining my arms as best he can as I struggle against him. "I don't have time for this." He says as be pushes me aside making him way into my house. Without another word he goes up stairs and by the sounds of it goes into my bedroom.

I can feel myself slipping back into the deep pit of depression as my ex best friends presence rips open my deepest wounds. I crumble to the floor and sob and weep of the second time in the last 24 hours and stay that way until he re-enters. I don't turn to him before letting out a broken sounding string of words. "she was everything to me, and you t-took her away. And now you're back." He sighs and tries to comfort me, but I flinch away from him like he is a form of poisonous fog. The movement causes him to ignite with the rage that was burning his eyes the seconded I opened the door, pushing him over the edge and causing any pretence of calm to leave. Against my will he grabs my shoulder and turns me to face him and his rage, but two can play at this and my fight kicks in as we rise and begin sizing each other up. after a short while he closes his eyes as he lets out an exasperated sigh. "We're going to be late for the train."

Train? Why would we be late for a train? I live here. I drop my gaze from the inferno of his face and take in what he has brought down from my room. On the floor near his feet is a black bag and judging by the slightly open zipper it is full of my clothes. All of a sudden, his sudden arrival makes sense. "Why, Gale? Why now?" I ask as I look back up ready to face him for the fight that is sure to come. "Why not now, my family misses you and so do I," he says through gritted teeth, "now hurry up and get what you need. we are leaving in ten minutes."

With this I start laughing, Peeta's cool head seems to be rubbing off on me. "I could care less if you miss me," I say scarcely and I register a little hurt behind his mask of rage. "this is my home and im not leaving, as for your family they could always phone." im trying to make it plainly obvious that he isn't welcome. He makes and approach towards me which I dodge by moving into the kitchen. He groans in frustration while I make myself ready to take the same approach of avoidance, I took with the mutt version of Peeta a couple of months ago. Once I'm behind the counter Gale enters and we begin the dance in a circle. "Katniss there is nothing left for you here." He says in frustration as he realizes the situation I have set up. "That's not true" I state, "I have a job, I have the woods, and most importantly I have the people I care for." Hopefully he gets the message that that isn't him, I search him for that realisation but all I see is amusement. "Oh yeah? and who's that? Because I thought that lover boy was in the Capital. His face has been all over the news for a week." he says with a smirk and coming to a standstill in our clockwise prance. But the patronising nickname for Peeta has me seeing red. "You leave him out of this!"

"Ah yes, what was the headline? 'Handsome celebrity meets attractive nurse.'" I wouldn't have cared earlier, but now the sing-song voice of the mystery woman last night is playing im my head and suddenly my rage is uncontrollable. I run around the counter swinging and screaming at him, but just smiles as he effortlessly catches the punch, he was no doubt expecting. I have been successfully caught in the snare he has set just for me. I should have known he was taunting me just get me around the corner. Gale has known me too well for too long and now he seems to just be rubbing it in as I flail around in his grasp on my wrists. "What was her name again? Oh, that's right, Elise." He drones on as I try and kick his shins and not let his ramblings affect me. "What a pretty little thing she is, such beautiful eyes." He drones on and on about her beauty and kindness until eventually I'm crying to hard to stop him from dragging me out the front door, into the snow weather, we're just long pants and a thin fabric shirt. My teeth chatter almost instantly while we leave my house with the little bag in tow.

I feel defenceless as im dragged out of my house and onto the road. How could someone so special to me end up like this? In a useless attempt for Gale to see reason I whimper "Stop please, I..." I can't finish as I crumple to me knees the seconded time today only this time in the fresh snow. I has all been too much from the refreshed wounds of my sister's death to the notion of Peeta's affection for someone else. I should be happy for him, but im not and as my former best friend and confidant tells me that it serves me right for being such a stuck-up cow, I go numb.

Haymitch must be in town for his presets isn't coming to help, and it seems the best I can do to save myself is run towards my house and hold onto the pillar of the front porch like stubborn child. Sure enough, as I manage to wrap my arms and legs around the pole, the melting snow seeping through my clothes, I feel gales grip around my waist pulling me as he shouts at me for making us late, for being unreasonable, and so many other things im to numb to care about as I hold on for dear life. Just as my grasp around my last hope of protection I feel an unnatural amount of strength yank, and I'm sent sprawling backwards and land on Gale. The second I and though, I'm straight back up and behind a very red, and very adrenalin pumped Peeta Mellark. He has truly come out of now where, considering he was only set to get back on Monday next week. Gale must have known this because his face is as perplexed as mine as I take in the sight of the man holding me behind him with his left hand and a tight grip. Giving gale a no doubt menacing glare Peeta slowly brings me to his side where he tries to assess and injury. Without losing the scowl ingrained in his face he raises his eyebrows slightly in question of my pain, I give a shake of my head. His eyes flood with relief for only a second before Gale speaks "Got tired of the nurse n..." but he gets cut off by something that I only understand when I look at Peeta. With his chest heaving from what was most likely a run from the train station, steam is coming from his nostrils and with a look that could kill Peeta gives off a look similar to that of a menacing bull ready to kill.

Slowly Gale rises and shakes himself off and tries, unsuccessfully, to make Peeta cower under the towering that isn't as successful as it once was. Little does Gale know how much Peeta has grown in the last year, or just under one anyway. Now, though he is taller, Gale is only that by 6 inches and with his lack of breath it seems much less menacing. However, without breaking eye contact Gale reaches for me once again, but Peeta gives me a reassuring squeeze of the hand and I choose to trust him and see how this plays out. When Gale is within an inch of my left wrist Peeta slugs him causing blood to come gushing out of his nose. While staggering backwards and trying the stem the blood flow Peeta smirks slightly and snarls "Touch her again I dare you."