Catching Fire: The New Story

Chapter 35

Peeta's POV

A few days have passed since my birthday, the surprise little party and the memories I wish to relive. Katniss and I have been good on spending time together, maybe too much time. Her mother and Prim see something more going on. Katniss is always at my house. Or I am always at hers. She blushed when we walk inside her house and her family gives her looks. Once I heard Katniss and Prim talking about and Prim asked what their father would think. Katniss gasped, Prim laughed. Katniss told me this later, how her father would be both surprised and angry at her. I knew not to ask anything more than what she told me. That night, she had the worst nightmares yet.

I could not sleep. I just couldn't. I knew something would happen if I did, or tried, something horrible came to mind every time I tried to close my eyes to sleep. A bad dream. Nightmares. Screaming. Crying. I didn't want to disturb Katniss while she tried herself to rest.

She shivered under my arm as she slept. I always forget to close the window a bit more than I leave it open, Katniss gets cold easily. I wrap my arms tighter around her and quickly grab one more blanket. I tug it around her little body and she curls up on my lap. I chuckle as she hugs me tight.

She looks so beautiful asleep.

Especially in the moon light.

I close my eyes for what felt like a second, promising myself I would open them in a second after, and when I indeed did open them, I saw the sun had risen and heard the birds chirping.

"Good morning," I hear a groggy voice say beneath me. I smile at Katniss, her hair was a bit messy. Like it always was in the morning. Her eyes sparkled and she looked perfect.

"Good morning," I say quietly. I kiss the top of her forehead. I'm glad she had no nightmares, I guess neither did I.

What if she did when I was asleep and she didn’t wake me up? Why didn't see wake me? Why didn't I wake up to help her?

Wait Peeta. You don't even know if she had a nightmare. Calm down, I tell myself.

As my mind wonders to what happened when I was asleep I feel the warmth of Katniss away from me in an instant and see her running to the bathroom. I quickly get up out of bed, almost tripping on the fallen blankets, and hear her vomiting. "Katniss..." I ask. She doesn't answer. I knock a few times on the locked bathroom door. I hear the water run and she comes out a bit dazed.

"Are you okay?" I ask calmly. I don't want to scare her, or annoy her, or anger her. She just nods. How could she be okay? Wasn't she just sick a few minutes ago?
She bumped past me and started downstairs. I followed, still worried about my love.

"Katniss," I called. She stopped in her traces in the middle of the stairs. She seemed pretty annoyed.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're okay? Are you feeling ho-" I say placing my hand to her forehead. She brushed my hand away but not before I could feel her head was hot, no, very hot.

"Katniss. You're burning up! Come lay down," I said.

"No,” she whined. I made her lay down on the couch. I'd call her mother in a few minutes, ask what I could do to help. She slowly started to fall asleep as I keep her quiet on the couch. Now I could call her mother.

"Hello?" Mrs. Everdeen asked over the phone. I would just walk over there but I don't want to leave Katniss alone, and it started pouring rain. I explained that Katniss had a fever and she told me what to do. I grabbed a little towel and wet it lightly with ice cold water. I walked back to Katniss and draped it over her burning forehead. I've noticed she's gotten more ill over the past few days. Ever since my birthday, she's complained about headaches and stomach pains, today was the first she vomited, but I took notice of everything else, not just this.

I call Katniss's mother once again and tell her that information. She says it could just be the flu. I start to worry.

"R-really?" I ask shaking.

"Don't worry Peeta,” Mrs. Everdeen laughs. "She gets sick around this time of year. Don't worry."

I hang up after asking a few more questions and go back to Katniss. She still sleeps on the couch. I bring a few blankets and wrap her up. She moves around and I light a small fire in the fireplace. The bright oranges and reds and yellows reflect off her sleeping face, make her olive skin glow.

I head to the kitchen and make soup for later. I know she'll be hungry when she wakes up.

I'm about finished with it when I hear a groan from the living room. I put down everything and check on Katniss. Her eyes flutter open and she squints more when I open the curtain concealing the bright morning sun.

"Good morning, sleepy head," I say. She smiles and starts to sit up. I quickly bring two bowls of soup and she wraps her fingers around the bowl.

"Thank you,” she whispers.

"You’re welcome," I say. I sit right by her and kiss her cheek. We eat quietly as the flickering of the flames take away the awkward silence. Later I tell her she possible has the flu, and she doesn’t laugh at the suggestion. She just nods and finishes her soup.

*

Author’s Note:

Ughhhh ugh. I love old taylor swift so much, like ugh. now taylor swift is like I’m country no I’m pop now. Its sort of annoying. Like seriously make up your mind woman. Her red album wasn’t that good honestly. I love 1989 and every other album she’s made woops. Country isn’t my favorite genre.

Keep reading guys!

~Jez xo