Catching Fire: The New Story

Chapter 26

Katniss's POV

Madge's room isn't far from where I am, I get there in minutes. I always go to her house to talk or she to mine. Talking over the phone seems too, Capitol. And we are both busy with pointless things we each hate to do. She still does schooling, while I stay home doing nothing until the quiet gets to me and I rush out on my lark in the woods.

I knock on her white, wooden door and open it. She would not care if I hadn't even made an acknowledgement to my presence, neither I if her in my home.

"Hello Katniss," Madge says, the light sound from her mouth echoing through her quiet room. The walls were painted pink, showing she actually is indeed a girl. While mine are hues of green painted by Peeta earlier in the year, when we rarely talked. He volunteered to paint over the ugly brick red that had been set before hand, and I agreed. He then did Prim's room a dull white, rosy yellow. By rosy I mean with tints of pink. Much lighter than Madge's deep pink walls. Madge's closet to my right was stuffed with dresses and clothes like mine. On the left is the door to her baby blue bathroom. Against the wall of the door I just entered is her light pink bed. Opposite of I, sits two dressers and a desk with a mirror, where she sits. One of the two windows on the wall is open, allowing fresh air into the room. She wasn't looking at the door but the reflection of me and the door in the mirror, brushing her long blonde hair.

"Hi," I say, she was always more formal than me. I enter her pink room. My silver dress drags behind me in a small heap. If I wasn't wearing the heels I was wearing, I wouldn't be able to walk in this dress for the dress was far too long for my short height.

"You look lovely today," she complements. I smile, blushing again. She and Gale always knew I took complements too far.

"You do, too," I say. Her white and red striped dress falls to her knees while mine falls past my feet. Her bright blue eyes land on me and we watch each other. We are both quiet, silent while the talking of people downstairs echoes through the halls into her room.

She places her brush down, standing up. She brings her arms around my body and hugs me. I am taken by surprise again. Like when she gave me a kiss on the cheek before I left to the Capitol or when she have me her aunt's pin, which I wear now every other time I remember to grab it and slip it on.

I return her hug immediately. I've missed her during my lonely days away from everything, trying desperately to escape my nightmares myself, only finding comfort in Peeta's arms. We can barely speak now. Her mother is always resting and complaining of a headache that never seems to go away. I'm hunting to get my mind off the Games. Her school and school work has her bundled up along with piano lessons. Or what other instruments she plays. She continues on trying to teach me, but I achieved nothing successful the many times she tries.

Our friendship is a difficult one, yet one of the most comforting, and only, one I could get.

"You should be going," she says, removing her arms from me dropping them to her side. "Everyone's probably looking for you."

I nod, "Yeah, I know."

I hug her once more and leave with a wave. She continues back to her hair at her mirror.

I start walking down the hall once more to the stairs leading to the dining room and stop at Mayor Underseen's office. I place my ear to the door, hoping he or anyone else did not see or heard me eavesdropping, technically, again. I can hear the TV replaying what I watched minutes ago about Eight. Could all of that be happening in other districts? Did I miss more of that program after leaving the room? I wait a few minutes and find nothing new.

"Katniss!"

I start to walk off and away from the brown door of Mayor Underseen's office. I start down one of the two flights of stairs I must trek to get to the dining hall, and end up bumping into Peeta once I reach the bottom step. He catches me in his arms safely.

"Oh, sorry," I say. He chuckles, dimples showing in his cheeks.

"It's alright. I've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" Peeta asks, propping me up with his arms.

"Talking to Madge. I'm ready now," I lie. I must talk to him about the uprisings later, but I'll tell Haymitch first. No, I should tell Peeta. No, Haymitch. Oh, Katniss, just tell them both together.

"Good. You look beautiful," he says. I smile and blush looking down. He kisses the top of my head, stopping to smell my hair.

"Thank you," I whisper, silently blushing again behind the wall of makeup my prep team applied on me earlier. Peeta nods and we walk to the dining room, his arm wrapped around my waist. His scent of light roses and honey bread sooth me. It washes away the video of Eight from my mind and allows me to be a bit more cheerful. We greet everyone waiting at the dining room: my family, friends, which are only Madge and some of Peeta's old pals I have never met but seen around school who seem happy to meet me and see Peeta and I together, the mayor, Head Peacekeeper Cray and some of his crew, Haymitch, Effie, our prep teams, and many others.

I invited Gale, yet he didn't show, just his family. Hazzelle told me how he was sick with flu, but I knew he was angered at me for what I, I mean we including Peeta, did in the Capitol. He can't pass a saying of the flu, I taught him the tricks he knows about it, he can not hide from me with that excuse. I don't know what to do about Gale; he knew this was happening eventually. The Capitol, and I mean Snow, would demand we marry and later have children. Gale does not understand how much I am protecting. How many people will die if I make one wrong move, if I step in the wrong direction. How many people's lives are in my hand as I smile to everyone and show how much I love Peeta.

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Author's Note:

God, these chapters are getting more difficult and frusterating.

You know, the only reason I remembered how to spell together was to remember that is was a compound of three words to-get-her.

Keep reading guys!

~Jez xo