Tomorrow will be kinder.
Author's note : First English is not my native language and I have no beta ( if you want to volunteer Pm me.)
Reviews will be extremely appreciate, I didn't write ( especially in English since a long time.)
Summary: Katniss and Peeta weren't reaped at the 74th Hunger games. 2 years later, an unexpected event will force Katniss to talk to Peeta Mellark.
Chapter one
Katniss 's pov
I knew the boy was bad news at first sight. There was something about his attitude, the way he looked at me, the way he looked at Prim… I hated the boy the first minute she introduced me to him weeks ago : Khaled Hofferson, 16 years old, two years older than my precious little sister. Her new best friend. As soon as I noticed that Prim talked a lot about him, I asked her to bring him at home. At first I was happy that she made a new friend. I just didn't expect him to be 2 years older than my sister. I didn't expect him to have the " bad boy " 's vibe. My sister was sweet and innocent and that boy… wasn't.
When I talked about Khaled to Gale and how I didn't like him to be around my little sister. He laughed at me.
"I'm 2 years older than you Catnip, there is nothing wrong about that. And some girls think I'm a bad boy too… You are just too protective."
I frowned. He clearly didn't understand. Khaleb was nothing like him. There was something about him, I couldn't stand.
" Your sister is growning up and…" I interrupted him.
"She is only 14 years old! Gale. He is 16. She doesn't need a boyfriend yet…Or ever."
He laughed again.
"I think he was her best friend so far."
"I see the way she looks at him. She is smitten Gale. I don't like it." I was toying with the grass. I was upset to no end about Prim and her new obssession: Khaleb.
Gale sighed.
"Okay maybe she has a crush… There is nothing you can do about that. It's natural Catnip. One day or another, she'll have a boyfriend, will be engaged and marry… like everyone else"
"Not me" I said. "As for Prim, certainely not with Khaled. If he touches her , he is dead. She is only 14!"
Gale was annoyed.
"What will you do Catnip? One day or another, it won't be your job anymore to take care of Prim. A nice guy will marry her. You will be all alone. Did you ever think about that? Maybe it's time to you to change your mind about your " I'm not getting married mantra". It's getting old."
"We aren't talking about me now. But Prim and how to get ride of Khaled. He isn't good enough for her".
"Nobody will be good enough for her to you. Katniss. You dislike the idea of marriage. You don''t like the idea that your sister is growing up! Hell, she is even taller than you now. Things are bound to change. You should open your eyes and see a lot of people around you are waiting for you to accept some changes." He looked frustrated.
I got up.
"Time to go back" I said. I was upset with Gale. I wanted him to understand. This wasn't about me. But about Prim's safety.
Gale sighed again. He looked at me in the eyes before getting up. He looked torn. Like he was debating in his head about something that he wanted to say but didn't dare to say. I had enough. So I started to walk. Once we reached the fence. I looked at him and said:
"So see you next Sunday?"
"Of course" He smiled. I smiled back.
An half hour later, I entered our house and I heard some laughs. I entered the kitchen and I saw them : Kissing! My blood boiled.
"Prim!" I yelled. She looked shocked and she was blushing furiously. Khaled looked at me straight in the eyes with an arrogant smile.
"You!" I approached him . I was furious " Get out of my house!" I screamed.
"Katniss!" said Prim showing her protest.
"It's okay, Prim. I'll see you tomorrow at school" Khaled said with a fake sweet smile. He looked at me and smirk. I wanted to strangle him. " Get out " I repeated. He left without any hurry. Once he closed the door behind him. Prim yelled at me.
"How can you do that to me?"
" Prim, what the hell. Kissing? That boy…. You should stay away from him. I don't want to see him around you anymore".
Prim crossed her arms. " Don't tell me who I can be with. Katniss! I'm old enough now! Khaled is my boyfriend now. You should be happy for me."
"Prim, didn't you see how he looked at me? Without any respect? How arrogant he is?"
"If you were a bit more kind to him…"
"So it's my fault?"
"Yes" Prim told me. " I won't stop seeing him. It's not because you don't want a boyfriend for yourself, I should do the same. I like Khaled very much and I don't care what you think of him."
"Primrose" I warned.
"The second you knew, he was a community home boy, you disliked him".
"It has nothing to do with that" I yelled back. It was true, I didn't care where the boy came from. If it wasn't for the boy with the bread, we would probably have been forced to go there too. " It's his attitude. He is going to bring trouble"
She frowned. " You are not my mother Katniss. I do what I want. And Mama doesn't mind Khaled."
I rolled my eyes. " Our mother is such a good example… She is working all day long so she doesn't have time to think and when she is with us… Well , she isn't with us really."
"Mon said , she liked Khaled. It all what matters to me. You are not my mother! She is. So back off. You don't want to have an happy life. It's your problem. But I'm going to enjoy what happiness life can give me and khaled makes me happy."
She left the kitchen and went straight to our bedroom. I sighed. I was so worried for her.
She refused to talk to me for the rest of the day.
The next day, at lunch, I was sitting with Madge.
"I don't like him either " Magde told me. " I did some research. He had been reported for not appropriated behavior in the community home. I asked my father and told me, he was known for stealing from the new kids. But he was each time , smart enough to not get caught and they didn't have any evidence of the robbery. Then , the new kids said , they did a mistake… It wasn't him after all."
"He probably threatened them to shup up or he 'll do worse". I concluded.
"Maybe he really likes your sister?" Madge suggested.
" It's more like it he saw an innocent prey and he is ready for the kill".
Madge stayed silent. I turned my head toward the merchants section, I wanted to glance at the boy with the bread: Peeta. He wasn't there this morning at class. I wondered why. I still didn't thank him for the bread and I was still owning him for saving my life and my family. I felt shame. There wasn't a day when I didn't think about it. It was so hard for me. One day or another I'll have to thank him and pay my debt. But how can I pay a such debt? I sighed. I noticed that Peeta wasn't his usual happy self today. He didn't bring any lunch either. He didn't talk with his friends as usual. He looked upset, sad and torn. Suddenly he caught me staring at him and he turned his eyes away from mine before I had the time to do the same.
I looked at Madge and faked annoyance. It's not the first time she caught me staring briefly at Peeta but she never asked me about it. Madge was like that. I saw her staring at Gale sometimes and I never asked her too. I can't blame her, Gale is handsome. But I knew it was hopeless for her. Gale hated her, just because she was the mayor's daughter. He never truly accepted that I shared my lunch time with her either.
"Mellark's bakery had been robbed yesterday" Madge declared suddenly.
"What?" I was surprised.
"That's why Peeta wasn't here,this morning. His parents and him where at my dad office with the peacemakers. I heard Mrs Mellark. She screamed at Peeta , like she was possessed by the devil. He was alone when it happened."
I felt horrible. My heart was racing. " Did the robbers hurt him?"
"No. It wasn't like that… It seems Peeta was outside the bakery when it happened. He was outside for about 10 mins… His mother was furious. I've seen her beat him. She insulted him in every possible ways. Peeta said he heard some screams outside and went to check if someone was hurt… It looked like it had been a trap. He left the bakery without anybody to watch over it. They robbed all the money, pastries, cakes and bread while he was away"
This was so unfair. I felt miserable for Peeta. The boy with the bread didn't deserve that. I felt an hatred for the robbers, the people who trapped him deserved to be whipped in public place. I resisted to look back at him. I wanted to help him. I needed to help him. I wanted to talk to him and tell him he wasn't alone. That, I' ll be there for him, like he had been there for me when I was eleven. Maybe, it was the opportunity I needed to pay my debt.
Next Sunday, I thought, when I will trade with the baker,I'll ask to talk to Peeta. It was long past due anyway.
After school, I was angry again at Prim. She didn't wait for me. She was probably with Khaleb again. I felt powerless.
Of course, Prim wasn't at home yet and mother was probably with a patient somewhere else . I was alone and I went uptairs. I needed a nap. I laid on my bed when I saw something behind Prim's closet. I told myself, I didn't care. But I was annoyed by it. I got up and went to see what fell behind the it. I kneeled and it looked like a book. Probably from school. I took it but, it looked like a new fancy book. I opened it. It was a medicine book. A priceless and obviously new medicine book.
I frowned. Then I noticed there was something else hidden behind the closet. I reached for the bag and opened it. I gasped in shock. The small bag was full of cupcakes. Prim's favorite. The ones that sometimes, I brought from a trade with the baker.
"What the hell?" I declared out loud. My heart started to race again. A bad feeling was rising. A new medecine book, that nobody in this house could afford. A Dozen of cupcakes in a bag.
Madge words came back to my mind
"Mellark's bakery had been robbed yesterday"
I started to panic.
"No way." It wasn't possible. I was overreacting. It was not possible. Not Prim, but that Khaled boy was another history. But still I didn't want to believe it. My sister wasn't like that. It was insane to think that…
"Katniss" Prim yelled. "I can explain" my sister said. I didn't even noticed she had entered the room.
To be continued…