I do not own any of these characters
The curtain scratches my arm as I stand in the wings, waiting for my cue. I hear the orchestra begin to play and I glide over to the centre of the stage and begin to dance. My tutu sparkles in the spotlight, my Pointe shoes knock against the floor with every step, and suddenly I'm flying, off into the air with the strong hands around my waist keeping me in place until I'm set down on the stage once more. I turn around to thank my partner but all I see is fire. Everything's on fire, the heat of the fire causing the sequins on my costume to melt into my skin. I stare at my surroundings unsure of what to do until the set crashes down in front of me causing me to jump out of my trance. Then comes the screaming "KATNISS. HELP, KATNISS." I recognise the voice, Prim. No. Not Prim. I run off the stage and into the network of corridors that lead to the dressing rooms. The heat is overwhelming; I can feel the flames licking at my calves as I run down the corridors; the smoke penetrates my lungs causing me to cough and wretch as I run. The screaming continues. I follow the sound through the maze of corridors until I come to the door, my door. I reach for the door handle but once my hand touches the burning metal I know I'm too late. But still the screaming continues. I bang my hands against the door, willing it to open, the flames surround me. My tutu catches fire and as the corset begins to burn everything collapses into darkness.
"Katniss! Katniss you have to wake up!"
I open my eyes and take in my surroundings; I'm in my room, the bed sheets crumpled at the foot of the bed, my ballet bag thrown in the corner and my worried flat mate looking down on me with his piercing grey eyes.
"Gale." His name comes out of my mouth in a strangled whisper as he pulls me into a hug.
"Shh. It's ok, you're safe. Everything's ok it was just a dream." He whispers gently into my matted hair. Gale's gotten used to my nightmares over the past four years of us sharing a flat. At first it scared him, but now he understands and knows how to get me out of the world I'm trapped in. "Listen I have to go to rehearsals now, you'll be ok won't you?"
I nod my head, still replaying the dream over in my head. He gets up to leave, grabbing the bag off the floor I hadn't noticed.
"I left some food in the fridge for you, heat it up before you join us at rehearsals this afternoon." He calls over his shoulder as he leaves the apartment. As soon as the door closes behind Gale I slump back onto my bed, the nightmares have been getting worse recently, they're more vivid and realistic. I look over at the clock on my desk and see that it's already 9 o'clock so I decide to go for a run, covering every inch of my body in warm clothing for the December weather.
I set off on my run, my breath freezing in the cold weather. I pass the market where I used to work when Gale and I first moved here, I hear my name being called and I turn to wave at Greasy Sae, the woman who manned the stall opposite the butchers, and continue running.
When I return to the apartment I heat up the food Gale left for me as well as eating some left over bread from the weekend. Gale and I have been flat mates for 4 years now, we used to live in a bigger apartment on the outskirts of the city when we were students but since we both got jobs with the English National Ballet we had to move closer to the theatre.
Gale's a dancer, one of the best in the company. We used to be partners; we just had a way of knowing how the other person was going to perform and what their next move would be. But then came the accident that left me with more scars on my body than hairs on my head. It was a fire in my family's house when I was home during a break between rehearsals. No-one quite knows how the fire started, some suspect arson but others think it was just a live wire. Either way it left me scarred and family less. My sister and my mother died from severe burns after the roof collapsed in on them. I was the only one who survived and that was because my room is a converted outhouse in the garden. I woke to screaming and sirens. The firemen tried to keep me out of the house after their colleagues had entered but nothing could keep me from trying to save my sister, I couldn't just do nothing. So when the fireman trying to keep me away turned to talk to a neighbour I ran. I ran as fast as I could into the house. As soon as I entered I could feel time ticking away, the hallway was barely visible through the smoke and I could feel the heat of the fire through the walls. I ran toward the stairs only to find another fireman stopping me, telling me it was too late and that the roof was going to collapse any second, but I couldn't just leave her! So I ran past him again and made it half way up the stairs when there was a loud crack and the roof collapsed inwards. The only thing I remember was waking up in the ambulance with Haymitch, one of our neighbours, sat on one of the seats. That's when I knew they were gone and they were never coming back.
Please review so I can improve this! Hopefully another instalment soon!