Embracing (A Hunger Games fanfiction)

Devil Child

After settling Haymitch into a spare room in our home, Katniss and I head down the road towards town to pick up Prudence. We could take the car, but neither of us says it. We also ignore the still smoking remains of Haymitch’s house.

“Do you think he’s okay?” Katniss asks as she walks in a funny way. “Haymitch I mean? He’s obviously upset and all, but I thought he’d be worse.”

“I think he’s accepted what happened,” I look up at the sky. “He understands that he can’t change what happened and now he’s beginning to move on.”

“It must be so hard,” Katniss whispers.

“I never said it wasn’t. But there’s no use stressing over something you have no control of.”

We’d both immediately agreed to help Haymitch with Effie’s funeral plans. He instantly told us that he wanted to bury her in the backyard and than plant a tree by the grave. I got a vision in my head of it and couldn’t shake it. It made me smile a sad smile, which made Haymitch squeeze my hand. He may not have said it, but that was his reassurance to me.

Maria Everdeen’s house was only a fifteen minutes walk from the victor’s village. After knocking once, Katniss walked straight in, pulling me behind her.

“Mum?” She called.

“Up here! Just bathing Prue now.”

It was, after all, 5:30pm.

“Hey sweety,” Maria greets Katniss when she enters the bathroom and gives her a hug. She hugs me too and tries her best not to let either of us see the redness in her eyes. We don’t bring up what happened.

“Hello my little flower,” Katniss kisses Prue’s cheek and collects some soap bubbles on her palm before painting them on her soft face.

Prudence giggles and begins to wave her tiny fists around and kick her legs.

“She’s such an angel,” Maria sighs with a smile. “Just like Prim actually. You however Katniss, were a little devil.”

 I snort and Katniss scowls.

“I’m not kidding, you were. You would scream if I tried to dress you, wash you or feed you. Your poor father had to do that and even then you complained.”

“She is the girl on fire,” I grin.

“Shut up,” Katniss’s face goes red and flicks bubbles at me. “What about you? You were probably the same.”

“I can actually appeal no to that. If there was one good thing my mother ever said about me was that I was one of the most obedient child she had ever seen, and that’s saying something.”

I scoop a squirming wet Prue out of the warm bath and wrap her in a towel.

“You two taking her home then?” Maria asks as she hands me Prudence’s bed outfit.

“We should,” Katniss says apologetically.

“No worries. I won’t keep you then. Have a safe walk.”