Catching Fire: The New Story

Chapter 31

Katniss's POV

About a month has gone since the photo shoot for our wedding, all the dresses and suits have been shipped back to the Capitol and all the liquor and wine has been kept to Haymitch and only Haymitch. Peeta and I have grown closer than before, closer than I ever thought we would get. It is almost Peeta's birthday, too, it is getting really close. He hasn't said anything about it, but I know he doesn't want me to do anything for him. I won’t listen to that anyway.

I have some ideas, small and likeable for Peeta and I to do, but I can't decide what to do and what not to do. I am the only person who he wants to see on his birthday, and I am completely fine with that. I appreciate that actually.

I walk downstairs after another sleepless night alone in my room, feeling like I want to drop on the stairs in an instant.

"Good morning Katniss," Prim says.

"Good morning."

"Anything special happening this week?" she asks, obviously. I laugh.

"Yup. Peeta's birthday, but I have not one clue of what to do for him. I want to do something so perfect for him, if it isn’t then I’ll be disappointed in myself."

"What do you have planned?" Prim asks. Then I start to babble on and on about the different things I have my mind set on. We sit in the office and go over my ideas. She writes the basic things down and crosses out the difficult ones. She gives me more ideas. Which makes it even more challenging for myself to choose.

I really love Peeta. I want to do something special since by the means of his family, it doesn’t seem he had too many good birthdays.

Prim leaves the office, saying she's going to make lunch for the both of us. My mother, I haven’t seen her since last night. She maybe went to buy some items for lunch or dinner for another day. I'm not sure. Prim didn't say anything, maybe she’s just resting.

I study my notes, rewriting them on a separate paper to get rid of the ones I don’t like or want to do or find too difficult to do in the little time I have. Peeta's birthday is coming fast and I still don't know what to do.

I get up and decide to go to the woods to clear my mind and think with it. It's Sunday. Right? Gale might be out there already if it is Sunday.

"Going to the woods?" Prim asks.

"Yes. I'll be back later. Bye Prim."

"Bye Katniss. Wait! Grab your lunch!”

I turn back, groaning and grabbing the sandwich Prim made for me. “Thank you, mom.” Prim laughs and blows me a kiss as I leave.

I do my usual routine of going to my old home and changing into my hunting clothes, after eating my lunch of course, keeping my newer jacket on. It is too cold to only use my father’s thin, old jacket.

I enter the woods with ease, going under the loose piece of the fence. I grab my bow and arrows from the hollow tree. I start to walk deeper into the woods when I feel sick to my stomach.

It's nothing. I think. Just the flu.

I start on my hunting path and hear someone behind me. I aim my arrow in my bow and look around. Gale casually walks out of the dark woods. I smile and drop my bow. "Were you aiming at me?" he asks, pointing at himself.

"You scared me," I state.

He laughs. "Why you here?"

"Just trying to think," I mumble. My mind wonders back to Peeta's birthday, what I actually came to think about, not about Gale or anyone else. Now I wish he wasn’t here.

"About what?" he bugs, annoyingly. I shake my head. "Come on. Tell me."

"Okay," I sigh. "I'm having trouble with what I should do for Peeta's birthday."

He looks at me like I'm crazy, his face filling with anger. "Why would you care to do anything for Bread Boy?"

I push him, he stumbles back against a tree. Snow fell from the branches onto us. "Don't call him that! And I do care. God, Gale. I never knew you could be this much of an ass."

"Hey! Don't yell at me. You’re the one being stupid and always thinking of Bread Boy!"

"Shut up Gale! I have had enough of you hating Peeta! It's either you start liking him. Or you hate me too!" I say pointing my arrow at him. He steps back and sighs. I wait for him to speak, but I guess he was doing the same thing to me. After a while of silence, I got angry.

"So,” I say, “Which do you choose?"

Then, he leaves.

*

Author’s Note:

Ugh why. So conflict with Katniss and Gale. Yay. Okay. So yeah.

Keep reading guys!

~Jez xo