Our Love is Real

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

My hands flew to my mouth. "Oh my gosh," I whispered to myself.

"Bonnie," I say.

Bonnie smiles. "Hi, Katniss."

I reach over the aisle and hug her. "How are you?" I whisper into her hair.

She lets go. "I'm fine," she says, "As you can see, I made it to 13 fine."

My expression tells her more.

"However," she continues. Her eyes water, "Twill..."

"It's okay," I say, "You don't need to say any more."

Bonnie nods and hugs me again. Scarlett stares at us. "Mommy," she askes, "Do you know Katniss?"

Bonnie nods, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yes, honey," she says, "I've met her once."

One look from Peeta tells me that he wants to know what's going on.

It just so happens that the next stop was Bonnie and Scarlett's.

They get up and we hug them both.

"It was so nice to see you again," Bonnie says.

"Same to you," I reply.

After a hug and a kiss from Scarlett, they get off the train. We wave to them as we pull away.

As soon as they're out of sight, Peeta turns on me.

"What was that all about?" he asks calmly.

I hesitate.

"A while ago..." I start, "Before the Quell, I was out in the woods. I was at the lake and it was freezing. There was snow and I saw smoke coming from the house. Then there was a click from behind me and they were standing there."

"They?" Peeta asks, "Obviously Scarlett wasn't born yet."

"Bonnie and...Twill. Bonnie was small, probably 13 or 14. She was Twill's student. There was an uprising there and they were going to District 13. Then, I didn't know it existed. But they were sure to get there. After the Quell, when I was there, I asked the government. I asked them if they were there. They said they weren't. I thought they died in the woods. I guess Twill did, but Bonnie survived but got lost and..."

My eyes are started to well up. Peeta wraps me in a hug. "Shh," he whispers into my ear.

I nod. "Okay," I reply softly.

This is how we stay until we pull into District 4.

--

It's a short walk from the train station to Annie's house, probably 10 minutes. People stare at us as we walk by. Mainly older people. The kids don't even glance at us as they play their street games and hide and seek in their yards. I think of tiny Prim, always playing those games with the neighborhood kids. She would come in sweating and sooty from falling in the dust so many times. My mother would scold her and say we couldn't afford buying more clothes and washing her off. She apologized and never went out again.

When we get to Annie's house, I could smell the ocean. It was sweet and salty at the same time. Her driveway was a boardwalk, and a little bit of sand covered every inch of it. I grab Peeta's hand and we stroll up to the front door.

When Peeta rings the bell, it takes about five seconds for a small boy to answer.

I'm taken aback by how much he looks like Finnick. Huge green eyes, tan skin, and thick brown hair, just a tint lighter than his father's. I realize this must be Sawyer.

His eyes light up when he sees us.

"Mommy!" he hollers to the inside of the house, "Your friends are here!"

I hear Annie bound to the door.

"Hello! Hello!" she says cheerfully, "Come on in! Happy birthday!"

I say thank you and she takes our coats and hangs them on a coat rack that looks like a fish. She leads us into the kitchen, where it smells wonderful. She opens the oven and ushers me over.

"Do these look okay?" she asks me.

I peer into the oven. Scallops are sizzling on a pan.

"Perfect," I reply.

She smiles bright and takes them out.

"They have to cool a while, but when they're done, they'll taste great."

I nod, and she leads us into the living room. Peeta and I sit on the love seat and Annie picks up Sawyer.

"Sawyer," she says to him, "These are my friends Katniss and Peeta. Katniss and Peeta..." she trails off and tickles Sawyer. "This is Sawyer."

Sawyer smiles at Peeta and extends his arms to him. Peeta's eyes light up and he takes Sawyer. He immediately wraps his arms around Peeta's neck. There must be something about him that kids trust. I don't know what, but, from Scarlett to Sawyer, it's got to be something that I can't notice. Or maybe I do.

Sawyer would not let go of Peeta the whole time. Even during dinner (which was delicious, by the way), Peeta sat next to him and held his hand. It wasn't until we went to bed that Annie had to drag him away to his bedroom. We say goodnight and are settled into a second bedroom that has a huge window that faces the ocean and the sunset.

I change into a pair of sleep shorts and a old t-shirt of Peeta's. He comes out of the bathroom and jumps onto the bed, almost flipping the mattress off the bed, taking me with it. I laugh, and he leans down and kisses me, teeth and all. I grab his shoulders and wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls back and settles himself under the covers with me. We watch the sunset through the window, accompanied by the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. We sit there in silence for a while, until Peeta breaks the silence.

"You love me. Real or not real?"

I respond immediately, "Real."

Peeta beams and clutches my waist and pulls me toward him. He touches my cheek and takes in just about ever inch of my face. I snuggle up into his chest and warmth confronts me instantaneously. I close my eyes and he starts humming. I don know what song, and I don't care.

"Happy birthday," he whispers, just before I'm pulled into the deep, dark hands of sleep.

I'm walking through the woods at night, the moon bright and unmistakeable. Owls hoot spontaneously and wild dogs howl in the distance. I don't know why I'm here. I should be at home, safe in Peeta's arms. Suddenly, there's a howl right next to my ear. A tiny mutt with blonde fur and blue eyes is gnawing at my ear. Prim. I scream, but no one hears me. There's another howl. Another tiny mutt with dark, silky fur and huge brown eyes is biting my foot. Rue. More mutts come. My father. Thresh. Boggs. Cato. Finnick. Gale. Glimmer. I'm trapped on the ground, covered in pine needles and rough, crackling leaves. I'm screaming, screaming until my throat is burning. Searing pain is everywhere. I'm screaming. Screaming until I feel the warm arms around me again.

"Katniss!" Peeta whispers loudly, "Katniss! It's okay! It was just a dream."

He eases me back down from my tense, upright position. I start crying.

"It was them...i-it was a-all of them and I-I..." I sniffle, trying to spit the words out, "They were all mutts and it was dark and...and...I-"

"Shh," he says calmly, "It's okay. You're safe. You're with me. It's okay."

I wipe away the tears and I nod my head.

"Okay," I sniffle.

He smiles weakly and kisses me on the forehead. "Now try and sleep, okay?" he hushed. In seconds, I drift off again.