Everthorne

My Fault

Katniss's POV
   Over the past few months, Gale and I have grown apart. Rory gave us the house and I thought for sure we'd be married after that but Gale hasn't even brought it up. I'm stating to feel like he doesn't care anymore. Our mornings in the woods used to be special, now he doesn't even hunt with me everyday. Some mornings he's already left to work on the school by the time I go to meet him. It's frustrating to feel like you're loosing the only person who's really been there for you. Maybe I'm too much of a burden for him. He doesn't want my scars, my nightmares, and my flashbacks. He wants someone whole, unbroken. I can't keep this going with him if he doesn't actually want to be with me. He's probably just settling for me because that's what's expected, but I don't want that. I want someone who loves me, and I thought that was him but I guess not.
     I'm sitting on the back steps of the Hawthornes' house while our mothers prepare our evening meal. While it smells heavenly, I don't think I can stay. I need to get away before Gale and the kids get back from school. I just can't see him right now and I don't want anyone to know I've been crying. I'm supposed to be strong. Just as I stand up, I hear Posy and Prim's voices coming from down the road. I dart off into the thin tree line behind the victors village and run until I get to the place we usually skip through the fence. Once I reach the fence, I slip under and keep going. I know that if I hurry I can reach the house by the lake before dark.

Rory's POV
I know what's going on, my brother however, is a different story. He doesn't realize it but he's kind of been putting this whole "proposal" thing off and it's upsetting Katniss. I saw her crying on the porch and run off as soon as Gale got back. Since the games, I've become a lot more observant. I'm able to see things in people other guys usually miss. Katniss comes by our house every morning to meet Gale to go hunting.m, most days he's already gone to work at the school. She looks so disappointed every time I tell her he's already gone. I know it's because he's working extra hours to save up for the wedding, unfortunately she doesn't and I can't tell her that. She just thinks he's forgotten about her or doesn't care anymore. My brother is so dumb he's about to ruin his relationship in the prices of trying to plan the perfect wedding. At some point, I'm going to have to tell him and it's going to have to be sooner than later.

Gale's POV
Prim hugs me and the two of us almost collide with Rory on the way into the house. "I told him," Prim says to Rory before going in the house to join Katniss and our mothers. "Where is she?" I ask him glancing around and noticing she's not there to greet me. "She ran off into the woods crying when she heard y'all coming up the road," he says in an aggravated tone, "you've got to go fix this." I turn on the spot and head to the fence line. After running to "our spot" calling for her for what seems like forever, it begins to rain. I'm at a complete loss at what to do now. She's no where to be found and it's pouring down rain. Even though it's not winter yet, it's going to be way too cold tonight for us to be spending the night out here so I'm going to have to find her quick. It dawned on me that she might be heading for the house by the lake, heading that way I scan the tree tops and continue to call her name.
Finally, I reach the house after over an hour's hike see her huddled up inside. She's soaking wet and shivering with her eyes closed. I run to her and kneel beside her asking, "Katnip what the hell are you doing here?" She doesn't reply but moans a bit when I shake her trying to wake her. I decide to let her sleep and carry her back home. She's staying with me tonight, where she belongs.
The rain keeps getting harder and I have no idea how far I've made it because it's so hard to see. I'm also moving slower than normal because I'm trying not to slip. I think I see a house in the distance so I head that direction only to realize that in the dense rain, I've only circled back around to the house by the lake. I take her back into the house and design to waiting out the rain there. Try once again to wake Katniss up only to realize that something's wrong. She's really really cold and she's not coming to. I take off her wet clothes and wrap her in my drier shirt and jacket. I start a fire inside the house by the nonexistent door and hang up her clothes to dry. I pull her close and try to warm her up.
After a while, her shivering stops and I can feel that she's beginning to spike a fever. I don't know how she could get that sick from just being wet and cold but this is bad. I keep her close, kissing the top of her head and trying to keep her as comfortable as possible until I can get her out of the woods and to help. I can't believe this is all my fault. She only got sick because she ran away and she only ran away because I hurt her. I just hope that when she comes out of this we can talk things out.

Sorry I havent posted much but senior year hit me like a bus and it's finally over. I still have school but I've finished all the assignment parts of my classes and I already know what college I'm going to and who I'm rooming with. Thank y'all for 5k reads!! I hope to get to update more this summer!