Learning to live

Learning to live: help

Me, peeta, Effie, haymitch, Annie, Johanna, delly, thom, Pollux and gale made our way to the capitol. Everyone else was lucky enough to be going home. Annie stayed in her room sleeping. Peeta had Luca while he talked to gale, haymitch an Effie were talking about what caesar may ask considering we hadn't spoke since after the rebellion ended. Johanna hadn't shown her face in the living cart. I sat on my own thinking about all the painful questions Caesar might ask. It will send Annie over the edge if he wants to talk about finnick, hopefully Effie will tell his production team that finnick is a no go area. I knew he would most probably ask me about prim an Pollux about castor an how they were a big part of the rebellion. The stabbing pain was back. The pain I get whenever I think of prim, or finnick or rue, or anybody else who I loved an lost their lives because of me. Hopefully he will just broadcast the 'star crossed lovers' an the faces of the rebellion.
"That was Plutarch, president paylor got that drunk last night she ended up in 8 wasted with greasy sae's grandson" I heard Effie laugh.
"Paylor?" Peeta asked confused.
"Yeah apparently a hovercraft had to pick them up from a hotel at 8 this morning" she shook her head laughing.
"That explains where she was last night and this morning then" Johanna said walking into the cart making her way to where I was sitting.
"I just didn't think president paylor had it in her" peeta laughed.
"Oh she does, you should of seen her at my hen party I think daisy and her were the drunkest"
"Oh god yeah! Paylor fell asleep in the bath tub an daisy couldn't stop throwing up" Johanna smiled.
"Yep an Melissa ended up with someone Annie knew from district 5" I added.
"Yeah that doesn't surprise me" gale joked.
"I'm just surprised she's stayed with this one" peeta joked too.
"Hey don't be tight to mel when she isn't here to defend herself" delly said. "But to be honest I'm surprised too" she giggled.
I was happy we were all talking. A food cart made it's way past us with an array of food on it.
"Wow I'm hungry, I'm actually hungry" delly said in shock.
"Finally" thom joked rubbing delly's shoulders.
The cart stopped delivering all of us food.
"You know I don't feel that hungover to be honest" I said to nobody in particular.
"Well good because I'm sure Caesar will be asking a millions questions, expecting detailed answers" Effie replied.
"Fun" Johanna said sarcastically.
"Yep fun" gale agreed.
A wave of awkward tension filled the cart, maybe I was the only one feeling it but it was definitely there.
"Do you think someone should check on Annie?" Peeta asked juggling Luca in one hand an placing food on his fork in the other.
"Yeah I'll go" Johanna said leaving her untouched food.
Peeta put Luca down, holding on to his hand guiding him over to where I was sitting. His toddler legs wobbling as he tried to get balance. I looked from Luca to peeta, if you didn't know who Peeta was an you saw him in the street with Luca you would think they were father and son. They both had blonde hair an blue eyes an rather pale skin, probably from living in 12 all their lives. Although finnick an Peeta didn't resemble each other at all Luca an Peeta really did look alike.
"How you doing little man?" I asked Luca has he climbed on to my lap.
He didn't reply, not like I expected one from an 18month old. He just carried on eating the bread stick he was eating smiling his toddler head off.
"You okay?" Peeta asked kissing my lips.
"Ummhmmmm are you?"
"Yeah, I'm just really worried about Annie, she asked me to look after Luca an of course I said yes, an she started acting really weird. Saying things like she's thankful she has me an you in her life to look after Luca and she's sorry. I didn't think anything of it at the time I just thought she meant in general you know? But the longer I've though about it it's like she wants us to look after him, permanently" Peeta told me.
"I knew something was wrong an she told me she couldn't do it anymore. I thought I talked her out of it you know? I though I got threw to her" I could feel a lump forming in the back of my throat again thinking back to the conversation we had this morning.
"What do we do? If she's feeling like this we can't leave Luca with her she can barely look after herself?. I mean I love Annie I really do but we have to think about Luca too" peeta said rubbing his head.
"I know but we can't give up on her Peeta"
"I know I'm not saying that, I'm saying maybe we need to get her some help" he paused before adding "real help"
I didn't even have the strength to argue I knew peeta was right Annie did need help an we couldn't give it to her.