Finding a dandelion in the snow

Chapter 11: Nightmare

Chapter 11

Peeta's P.O.V.

Immediately when I see the snow start to fall outside the window, I get an icy feeling in my body. Something just doesn't feel right at all.

"Look Babygirl, the first snowfall", Kathy says softly to her baby daughter, stank get right beside me, looking out of the window.

"Yeah", I say. "The first snowfall".

I remember like ten years ago and Katniss and I were eight. The first snowfall. It was around 8 pm and it was a lot of snow coming down. Katniss and I didn't even have to call each other. We simply just put on our thickest clothes and went out to meet each other. Katniss threw a snowball in my face and after that we were outside for hours until our fathers literary carried us home because we refused to leave the snow.

I would be happy about the snow falling right now. I love snow, I really do. But now, I have this bad feeling in my body, like something isn't right, like something's happened. I just can't put my finger on what it is.

It's dark outside, but the light is shining strongly inside the kitchen, where I'm standing. I'm looking out the window and can see my reflection in the window glass. I look at my reflection, looking into my own eyes. Something's wrong. I can feel it. But what? What's wrong?

"Peeta, what's wrong?" Kathy asks, sounding worried.

"I don't know", I say. "I really don't know".

And during the night, a knot in my stomach only becomes tighter and tighter, giving me an extreme stomach ache. Which is why, that night, I can't sleep at all.

I lie awake in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. But when I know it's worthless, that I won't fall asleep, I instead sit by the window. Looking out. It's still snowing, and the street lamps are making the snow look yellow, or golden. Yeah golden. And glittery. It's beautiful.

I can see Katniss house from here. It's the last house on our street, right beside the forest.

I want to call Katniss but I don't. I don't want to wake her up just because I can't sleep, that wouldn't be fair at all to her. No I have to let her sleep.

I sit on the window sill for what feels like an hour, but what is really four hours. And I realize that when it's stopped snowing and the sun is on its way up. I love the sunrise and the sunset. It's equally beautiful.

After one more hour the sun is completely up. And my phone starts ringing. And that's weird since it's an early Sunday morning.

I jump down and walk up to my phone.

"Peeta Mellark", I answer.

"Hello Peeta this is Katniss father", I hear a tired voice at the other end of the phone.

"Oh mr Everdeen, hello, how are you?"

"Not very good, I'm sorry if I woke you up", mr Everdeen apologises.

"You didn't actually I were already awake", I say. "What's wrong did something happen?"

"Yes, actually could you come over? Katniss didn't come home last night".

My heart stops beating in my chest.

"I'll be right there", I say and hang up.

Katniss didn't come home last night? Where did she go?

I put on some clothes and run out of my room and start banging on all of the bedroom doors.

"Wake up!" I yell as I bang and bang on all the doors.