Rose on Fire

Chapter 43

(Katniss  POV)
I see Peeta, Johanna, Haymich, and 2 others coming, I want to run and hug Peeta, after all the worrying he has caused me, but decide against it not knowing if the people with them are traitors from district 2. As they get closer I notice the familiar faces of Gale and Cressida. I then hug Peeta relieved all is fine, I kiss him roughly in happiness. I hug him for a long time not wanting to let go, his warmth comforting me in the cooling night air. The rest of the group talks and greets each other, Peeta and I stay silent. "How's Haymich," I ask trying to break the silence, but I already know the answer. "He's fine, but I don't know if he'll truly be ok until be see's Effie and Emily again," Peeta answers. "Okay let's start moving," Cressida announces," the closest shelter is district 12, but district 13 is secure, the traitors I found out are not just from 2, but a few from district 1 as well, there's only one way of distinguishing a traitor vs. ally, which is the by the red band on their right arm they use a type of code to signal when they've found a group of ten people or more to kill." "So do you know why their doing this, because all the reasons I've thought of make them look totally insane," Johanna says. "They are insane, they want the hunger games back so they can enjoy their favorite tv show, and they want things to go back they way they were, these people hate change, so we have to make them get used to it or kill them," Cressida says. "Ok I'm done with this madness lets go to Victor's Village, and have a good night of sleep and then head to district 13 in the morning," Peeta says angrily. Everyone agrees and starts heading to 12. "We leave at 6 tomorrow morning, they just got thermal imaging in the hovercrafts, so they'll find us if we stay to long," Cressida says. We finally make it to victors village, Gale and Johanna go to Peeta's old house, Annie and Finn go to one of the empty houses, Cressida leaves the half unconscious Haymich in his old house before going to one of the other empty houses. Peeta and I go to our house, it feels like forever since we were last here. In the living room I see the broken coffee table with dried blood on the floor. I go in the kitchen, and see most of the food has expired, and decide to have some peanut butter and crackers. I look in the fridge, to see that the powers out, which doesn't surprise me. I start looking around the house for a flashlight, or a candle, I then find something I haven't seen in a longtime one the tables a white rose, and next to it a coin. I can hear my heart start to speed up in fear, I run upstairs, and crash onto the bed, Peeta races to my side to make sure everything's ok, he gets into bed with me, and I just hug him and he hugs me back. I fall asleep knowing I'm safe in his arms.