PLEASE NOTE : this chapter has been changed and eddited and fixed by my amazing beta TheKamiWolf. if youve already read it please read it again because it has gone through a whole change and chapter two will be edited soon. So welcome to the world of
Burning Roses :]
I walk around my former friend Gale's home. My thoughts are torn.
My name is Katniss Everdeen. My sister is dead. She died in the Seventy- Fourth Hunger Games… I am a career in training ….. My boyfriend – No, ex-boyfriend killed my sister…. He comes home today.
"GET AWAY FROM ME GALE!" I scream loudly as the enemy enters the room.
"LOOK I DID WHAT I DID TO COME HOME TO YOU…! To be with you…" Gale tries to guilt me. I fume, after what he did?!
"Yeah, sure," I snip.
"You saw! I made her death quick." Made her death quick? Made her death QUICK?!
"Yeah, then you chopped her up even after she was dead!" I shout. How dare he try to weasel out of this!
"I did what I was trained for…! What we were trained for." Gale says, looking into my eyes.
"I… I was never trained for that." I leave because I'm not only about to break into tears from the thought of Gale holding Prim's dead body, but because I'm so fed up with the monster in front of me. As I exit Victor's Village and head for The Seam I can hear Gale following me. I finally arrive, and even though he tries to push his way through, I slam the door in his face.
After Prim died my mother went back to her state of depression. This time it's worse than when my father died in the mines. I sit in front of her trying to shake her out of the trance. After a while, I get up to leave. Suddenly, I hear her voice.
"Katniss, I don't want you to volunteer." My mother states, her voice hoarse from weeks of silence. She hasn't spoken since Prim's death.
"Mom, I need you to understand I need this… And you need this too." I say. We need the money. I need to go into the Games.
"I can't lose you too." I see a tear roll down her face. My heart constricts, but she needs to see what I see.
"Mother, we can't just sit here and starve to death." I firmly respond. I've made my decision. I made my decision weeks ago.
"No, we can't… but you can't volunteer!" My mother cries.
"Try to stop me." I spit, running through the door. I can't deal with this, she needs to see sense! If I don't volunteer we'll die. It's inevitable. After Gale won the Capital caught on that people in District 12 were hunting because of how well he was with a bow in the Games. Now the fence is electrified 24/7, and anyone found outside district borders faces strict punishments. We're starving. I'm thinner than I ever have been before in my life. Of course, even though Gale is rich now, I'll never ask him for help. His money is tainted. I'll never ask, because of what he did to her.
I smack the back of my hand to my eyes, wiping away the frustrating tears. As I storm through the town – avoiding Victor's Village – I pass the bakery. I see Peeta Mellark, the blond blue-eyed Victor of the Seventy-Second Hunger Games. His angle was likable, sweet even. Turns out he's better in hand-to-hand combat than anyone I know, except for maybe his brother. Luckily, I managed to convince Peeta to train me, becoming one of the few District 12 careers. The Reaping is tomorrow, and hopefully, I'm prepared.
I sit in the Meadow, trying to cool off before I return home. As I twirl a blade of grass, I think about the blue-eyed boy. I've noticed during training sessions that he's strange around me, distant and mute. This is even weirder because Peeta's known for his words, and it's one of the things that helped him survive. I stand up, shaking my head, and return home. I pass my mother without even acknowledging her, and go to bed.
I awake at noon. It's later than I usually woke up at in the past, but unable to hunt, I didn't have a reason to be an early bird anymore. I start getting ready for the event that will change my fate. My mother laid out a light blue dress, and while I don't really want to be helped by her, I put it on anyway. It's a fancy-looking dress that contrasts against my black hair, and it must be from my mother's merchant life. I sigh. It doesn't fit who I am, or who I will be, a vicious killer.
I leave for the square by 1:45, and get checked in for the Reaping. After all of the preparations, I make my way to the girls' section. My heart is beating a million miles a second, and all I can think is, "This is it." As the clock strikes two, the mayor drones on about how thankful we should be to the Capital, and so on. I barely register he's talking, I'm just so nervous.
After he's done talking, Effie Trinket, the overly-peppy escort bursts onto the stage, chattering about what an honor it is to be here. I stare at here, waiting for her to just reap someone and get it over with!
Finally, I see her reach into the gigantic glass Reaping Bowl, and draw out the name. "Delilah Cartwright!" She chirps.
"I volunteer!" I scream, stepping onto the stage. Delly Cartwright, who I recognize to be one of Peeta's friends, looks like she just had a mini heart attack. Though the relief is there, she looks guilty and grateful all in one.
Effie walks over to the boys' Reaping Bowl and calls out Rory Hawthorn. I look towards Gale and watch his face go from pleasure to sheer horror. As horrible as it is, I find joy in this.
"You smiled when the little Hawthorn boy's name was called. Don't do something you'll regret, Katniss." Peeta warns on the train.
"Why?" Gale deserves to feel the pain I feel every day!
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Peeta says, gazing at me with his deep blue eyes.
I falter. While he has a point, he doesn't know how it feels. I finally have a way to get back at Gale, and while it's immoral, it's the only way I can get revenge.
"He killed my baby sister." I grit my teeth, tearing away from his eyes, and looking at the space in front of me.
Peeta stays silent. There's really no reply possible for what I've just said.
"It's dinner time!" yells Effie, breaking the awkwardness.
We get up and go to the dining car. The food is amazing but I'm really tired after how long a day it was. I get up to go to bed only to find Peeta trying to lead me back to the table. "We have to stay for the other Reapings. It may not sound important but believe me, it helps a lot. I'm your mentor, I know these things."
I try to protest but Peeta cuts me off.
"Come on." Peeta coaxes. "I'll keep you away from Gale Hawthorn, okay?"
"No, I don't even want to be near him." Great, it sounds like I'm whining. I slide down against my door and pull my knees to my chest.
"I'll try to talk to Effie and then we'll watch the Reapings in the last car. Good compromise?" Peeta reasons.
"Is there even a TV in there?" I inquire.
"Yeah, I'll show you it, come on." he says and helps me up.
Peeta takes me back to the dining car and I hear Haymitch's drunken snarl, "Well lookie there, I never thought they'd come back."
You could see how uncomfortable Gale was with what the statement implies. Without realizing it, I smirk again. "Why are you smiling? Do you want to encourage Haymitch?" Peeta whispers.
I shrug, and we leave it at that.
"Effie, if it's okay with you, we would like to watch the reaping recaps in the last car." Peeta says
"Hey, wait a second-!" Effie then probably noticed the death looks I was firing at Gale, and reconsiders. "Well, I suppose if someone is there to make sure you watch it all the way through…"
Her eyes dart to the old man. "Haymitch…"
"Let's go." snaps the drunk.
As we start toward the end car, I turn to the blue-eyed Victor.
"Is he always like this?" I ask in a whisper.
"When he's sober he's worse." Peeta replies, and with this comment I lightly laugh.
When we reach the last car, the liquor Haymitch consumed finally takes its toll and he passes out on one of the plush couches. We ignore him, and during the recaps I literally fall asleep on Peeta's shoulder. The last thing I remember was the boy from Two. He was huge, six feet at least, and I think his name was Cato. Peeta's shakes me awake and I stare into his beautiful blue eyes. I realize it I'm smiling for the third time today.
I quickly excuse myself from the last car and rush to my sleeping compartment. How could I not realize it? I like Peeta. Plain and simple, and I've never accepted it. All those training sessions and how could I not notice how sweet, caring, and funny he is?
No, no, no! I can't be in love with Peeta! I can't, I just can't! I'm a career I can't show my feelings like that. For all I know I won't last a day! Whatever I'm feeling for him I have to hide it. Just as I think that I know I won't be able to. I've always been bad- terrible actually at hiding my feelings. That is my one weakness. I sign, and fall asleep.
I get up and walk through every car looking for Peeta and hoping I don't run into Gale. I see Peeta's sleeping car, and I speed up. The only door left to go past is Gale's. I walk as quietly as I by his door and when I reach for the last car's door a hand stops me. I hope it will be Rory, Effie, I'd even take Haymitch. No such luck, it's Gale.
I hear his voice from behind me but I don't turn around. "Katniss if you wanted to be on this train with me you should have volunteered last year." I turn the door knob but he grabs my hand and turns me around. "That's the problem Gale," I spit his name like poison. "I don't want to be anywhere near you!"
"WHY? You'd rather be around him." he gestures to Peeta's door. "What's wrong with me Catnip?"
That's when I snap.
"Are you seriously THAT MUCH of a moron?! I knew you were stupid, Gale, but it's common sense! YOU KILLED MY SISTER, AND CHOPPED UP HER CORPSE! And worst of all, you lied and promised you'd protect her! How dare you even speak to me?!"
"Katniss, I'm sorry, okay? I'm so, so, so sorry. If I could I would change what happened and you can trust me when I say that."
"I DON'T TRUST YOU ANY MORE!" I scream.
"AND YOU TRUST HIM!" Gale yells back.
"Yes, he's earned it, you never did! Excuse me." I walk passed Gale who is frozen in his tracks and open the door relived that he won't stop me.
"Hey." I say but Peeta doesn't look up. "Hey." I say a little bit louder, walking over to sit next to him. After a minute he asks, "What was all that yelling?"
"I was searching for you and when I found you Gale stopped me. We had a little argument…"
"Okay, sure, that was a little argument." Peeta says, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, it was. Can we go eat? I don't want to face Gale again alone." I firmly state.
"After you guys have an outburst like that, I think the best decision would be to avoid him completely." Peeta says.
"I don't care, I'm hungry." I say, crossing my arms.
"In a little bit, alright?" After a few minutes of silence I speak up again. "Peeta?"
"Yes?" He responds.
"What are you drawing?" I ask.
"Here, look." Peeta says as he hands me the sketch pad he was working with. I notice he has drawn a very realistic barn, but nothing else."Take a closer look." Peeta tells me.
I lean in to see Prim, my mother and me sketched into the barn's walls, smiling. When I realize what it's supposed to be Peeta kisses my cheek and asks, "Do you like it?"
"I really do." I hand it back to him and inquire, "Can we go eat yet?"
He sets the sketch book on a table and chuckles, "Sure." We start to head to the dining car.
"You're a really great artist." I tell him, smiling.
"So I've heard." Peeta replies, shrugging.
"How do you do it?" I question, genuinely interested.
"I don't really know how, I just get an image in my head and let my fingers do the work" Peeta explains.
We finish breakfast in comfortable silence when I notice the train is slowing down. We've arrived in the Capitol.
We're immediately bombarded by Capitol citizens fighting to be closer to the train, and get a better look at us. As we step off the train, we're shoved by Peacekeepers in the direction of a car. The Capitol citizens shove to get at us, but the Peacekeepers fend them off expertly. Wouldn't want a crowd-trampled tribute, would we? That's no fun.
We're pushed into the sleek car and driven to a place labeled "Remake" and a prepping crew painfully gives me a full body wax. Before I know it I meet Cinna, the new District 12 stylist who surprisingly doesn't have a Capitol accent. I think I've made a friend.
Until he said he's going to light me on fire.
And worst of all, when he does, he says, "It worked."
There was a possibility it wouldn't?!
Well, now I sit in my room. The Tribute Parade was uneventful, other than the fact that I was the hottest thing there… Ha…
I get up to leave my high-tech bedroom to once again see Peeta, but before I can I'm stopped in the hallway.
"No! I'm not letting you go again." I go to call Peeta's name but Gale covers my mouth. "Can you just listen to me?" he lets go of my mouth.
"Fine." I glare at him.
"I miss you Katniss! I miss us!" Gale pleads.
"Well, I don't. Good bye Gale."
"Katniss wait!" I arrive to my room and go to shut the door in his face. I notice he leans down and looks like he's going to kiss me.
He ends up kissing mahogany.