Catching Fire: The New Story

Chapter 43

Katniss's POV

Prim comes back to me after a few minutes or so and applies an herbal concoction to my cheek, making it numb from the cold and the pulling the pain away. I don’t really notice the pain or chill anyway. My mind is focused on Gale and my mother. I watch my mother as she works on Gale's back. Hazzelle burst through the door seconds later and sat by Gale on a stool, holding his hand and crying softly. I'm not sure how my mother and Prim can work on patience’s without crying. It's too much for me, especially now.

I get confused when my mother lays a thin layer of a snow syrup to his back, a very thin layer, then give him some of the herbal medicine Prim gave to me. He's waking so she gives it to him by mouth. They need more don’t they?

"That won't help," I say. Everyone looks to me. "It won't. It's not enough."

"It's okay Katniss. We will mix it with sleeping syrup and that will-"my mother starts.

"No! It's won't help! I know how he feels!" I scream. Peeta tries to pull me down to sit again but I fling his arm away. I begin screaming at my mother to give him more, but she ignores me. Gale comes to more and is telling me to calm down. I don't. I get angrier, seeing him hurt doesn't feel good. My cheek doesn’t feel good.

"Take her away," my mother says. Peeta pulls me to a room downstairs and Haymitch pushes me to it. Haymitch covers my mouth but I still scream under his filthy hand.

Peeta's let me go and Haymitch is telling me to shut up. I kick and scream for him to let me go but he takes his stand. I punch is arms and try hard to pull his hand away from me. Peeta is now begging Haymitch to let me go, tears in his eyes. Haymitch hasn't let go of my arm and mouth. We were practically fighting to this point and Peeta has joined in on it.

I bite Haymitch's hand and he releases me. I fall to the ground with a thud and hit my head. I groan and hold onto the back of my head. My back aches from all the falls I have taken today.

"Katniss!" Peeta screams. He rushes over to me and helps me up.

"Thank you." I give Haymitch a dirty look and Peeta helps me lay down. Haymitch leaves, angry. I close my eyes and try to rest, but everything makes my head pound. Peeta pulled a blanket over me and I shivered as the warmth collided with the cold in me. Peeta lifted me up and laid me on top of him. His arms wiggled around my curled up body until his warmth was all I could feel and his heartbeat was all I could hear, all I wanted to hear.

I jump at everything little noise. When my mother came in to check on me, I jumped and scared Peeta from his sleep. He almost feel off the bed, again, but I calm down until the doorbell rang.

"Who's here? They can't take him!" I say exiting the extra room. My mother goes to open it.

"Maybe they're here to take you?" Haymitch states. Peeta gets angry.

"What about you?" I ask back.

"It's not my house." He smirks. I shake my head and my mother opens the door. It's Madge. She holds a box containing bottles and bottles of disgusting looking liquids.

"Here,” she says. Her gloved hands push the crate toward me as she enters my house. "Use them on your friend,” she nods to Gale. I look back to see him still unconscious, a thin sheet covering whatever is still left of his back. I turn back to say thank you but she's gone.

"Weird girl," Haymitch says closing the door. My mother takes the box with bottles from my hands. I look to Haymitch.

"Yeah, but she's my friend." Then I head upstairs to rest.

*

Author’s Note:

I like Madge’s character, who wants to see her more??

Keep reading guys!

~Jez xo