Catching Fire: The New Story

Chapter 36

Katniss's POV 

I finally went home after so many days staying with Peeta at his house. Peeta decided to work in the bakery today. I declined his invitation to go watch him and hang out. Although I love all the time spent with Peeta, I know we need this little bit of time apart and more in the future. He said his family was taking some sort of vacation out of the bakery today. He asked his father to take this lonely day to work there, he agreed. I let Peeta have this day off from his family, keeping me alive while I was sick and I. We have to consistently have little times alone, so as to later we won’t need each other every second of the day.

I was glum about being alone and away from Peeta, the feeling depressing from the colorful time I have had with him. I had grown so close to having him around at all times, there is this emptiness not even Prim or the woods could fill in need to have him and his sweetness surround me.

I stretch in bed and adjust myself under the plush covers. I wrap myself in them and tuck the hem under my chin, shivering at the new warmth. I look out the barley opened window, Prim had only let my open it slightly concluding that was the reason to why I had gotten sick in the first place, to see a white sky and more snow falling. I hope it slows, even stops, before Peeta's working hours are over and the time rolls around to his walk home. 

I hear the front door open and close and my mother beginning to speak to Prim. There muffed voices sooth me back to sleep. 


-


I open my eyes from a nightmare once again, the feeling to scream minimal. I feel extremely hot so I feel the need to kick the blankets off my body, I do. I look out the window again as I sit up and see it is dark out and the snowing has come to a stop. I will still call Peeta's house to check up on him, and if he doesn't answer, I'll call the bakery. Just to be safe. 

I have been a bit more worried about Peeta for a while. I'm not sure what it is. I just feel the need to have him always in safety. 

I lay in bed and look up. My ceiling is so boring and plain. My mind goes to wonder to what I could do to make it to my liking. I imagine Peeta, standing on my bed with paints in one hand and a brush in the other, painting something for me. Something soothing, something that I could stare at for hours until I fall asleep, something that could help reduce my stress levels when they are high up. 

Something in me moves and I run to the bathroom again. An image of Peeta bloody and dying in the Games comes back to me as I run, pushing up the vomit further. I lean over the toilet and puke out everything I have eaten today, or the past two days, whatever was left at least. I cough up a bit and hear my name being called. My mother and Prim come in and they hold my hair and rub my back while I gag.

Once I was finished, Prim lead me out of the bathroom and my mother covers my forehead with a wet towel as I lay down, just like Peeta did the other day.

"Are you okay?" asks Prim. I nod, although I do not feel that is true. She doesn't seem convinced, neither does my mother nor I. My mother leads Prim out of the room to talk, but what they don't know is I can still hear them when they go downstairs to talk privately.

"What's wrong with her? Peeta's told me she's been sick days! Weeks at the most!" exclaims Prim. 

"I'm not sure. Let's just watch her for a while. Maybe she's just got the flu," suggests my mother. I laugh, although I do think I have the flu, the truth this time. 

"No! It's not! She has never had the flu mom! She didn't like going down in the mines. You now know why she was always sick on that day and never any other. She has never been like this, ever! Mom, you need to take her to-" argues Prim.

"No! Absolutely not. Never. I'm never going over there!" says my mother in an unfamiliar loud tone. Where does Prim want to take me?

"Please mom," begs Prim. I know by now she is crying, trying desperately to convince my mother of what she wants. Something Prim does with me too many times that I should stop falling into her sweetness. Prim cares a lot about me. 

"No, Prim," my mother answers. 

"P-please mom. Please,” whimpers Prim like a child. I could see Prim’s face as she made her puppy eyes and pouted her lip that always got to me. I got falling for Prim’s adorableness from my father.

"Fine, but never again after this. Only this time, and I will never go back there. I swear on my life,” promises my mother. I could hear their footsteps after their talk, movement outside my door follows and I quickly position myself to look as if I was already asleep. They walk in quietly and cover me up with blankets. They leave once they kiss my forehead, I knock the new blankets off and think to myself: where are they taking me that my mother hates desperately?

*

Author’s Note:

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh updating is so difficult when you need to fix every other chapter. Ugh.

Keep reading guys!

~Jez xo