Eleven years earlier:
"Once again, we return to the scene of the horrible accident that has claimed the lives of five people. The two car accident turned deadly this afternoon when the gas tank ruptured on one of the vehicles consuming most of the car instantly. The two occupants have been identified as Finnick and Annie Odair. It's unclear at this time what caused the couple to lose control of their car and veer into oncoming traffic. They collided with a van carrying the Everdeen family of Hunter's Bluff. The parents were killed on impact. The youngest, Primrose, died of her injuries on route to the hospital. The eldest, Katniss, is listed in critical condition at Panem General. We've been informed that she has some severe burns and suffers from smoke inhalation. We'll pass along further details as they become available."
Present day:
The alarm beeped just at the edge of awareness. Katniss didn't register the noise at first. She tuned it out, reaching to hit the snooze button on her clock, hoping for just a few minutes more. Her finger connected with the button but the insistent summons persisted. She cracked an eye open and peered blearily at the offending object. It gleamed in the darkened depths of her bedroom, suspiciously silent.
Her head lifted from the pillow as she looked around warily, searching for the source of the annoying whine. Her eyes gradually focused, senses alert for the slightest hint that something was amiss. The acrid scent of smoke was her first clue. The second was unaccustomed warmth in the room despite the faint drone of the air conditioner. Her braid clung damply to the back of her neck and she could feel rivulets of sweat trickling down the valley between her breasts. Her body seemed to grasp the situation before her mind put it together because she was moving even as realization set in. She knew what she would find before she got there but prayed that she was wrong. The door was just this side of hot and smoke curled its thin, gray fingers under the edges as if seeking her out.
She cursed softly, backing away from the door on all fours. Dammit, she hated fire. Despised it with a passion. She felt panic set in, freezing her mind and leaching strength from her quaking limbs. She tried to push it aside but the memories fought back with a vengeance. Screaming for her parents, watching Prim's cornflower blue eyes haze over with pain and tears. Even now, she could still hear her sister's moans and smell the sharp tang of gasoline mixed with hot oil and burning rubber. She refused to let it end like this. Not this time.
The smoke eddied in, thickening the air around her. She went to the bathroom, dampened a few towels and stuffed them into the gap beneath the door. She then went to her dresser and pulled out a clean t-shirt and sweatpants and hurriedly slipped them on. Her eyes surveyed the room, looking for a way out. The window was her first thought but she quickly dismissed it. She was on the twelfth floor and there wasn't a ladder or fire escape. The only one was off the living room window. She knew from the amount of heat emanating through the door and the smoke that the fire was close. There might not be a clear path. She had to find another way.
A low roar and the crackling of flames reached her ears. "Dammit," she breathed. "I won't die here. I won't." She looked frantically around the small room, illuminated only by the faint gleam of a nightlight burning in an outlet close to the floor. "There has to be a way."
She made one last hasty trip around the room, her mind working frantically as she came again to the door separating her from the rest of the apartment. That was it then, her only hope. She grabbed up the soaked towels and draped them around her shoulders and over her head. She stopped only to grab a thin chain from which hung a dull, dented locket. It was the last part she had of her family and she refused to leave it behind. She stuffed it in her pocket and carefully swung the door open. Sinking to her haunches, she crab-walked down the hall and into the smoke-shrouded living room.
The heat multiplied by tenfold, the smoke thick and heavy as it billowed in. She could make out a faint orange glow flickering and dancing in the distance. Muffled shouts and thumps could be heard but she dismissed them. They were too far away to help her now. She pulled the damp cloth over her mouth and nose and dropped to her stomach, slithering like a snake as she crossed the room. Her fingers found the wall before her burning, tear-filled eyes registered that she had reached her goal. A sob escaped her as she clamored to her knees and reached for the thumb latch. It slid aside but the window stubbornly refused to budge. She felt precious breath escape her in a rush. She would not die here. Wrapping the towel around her hand, she put both fists through the glass. It shattered, falling about her in glittering shards. Some bit into the skin of her forearms, others slicing her forehead, sending a warm, wet gush into her eyes. Katniss blotted her face with the remaining towel and used the other to knock out the rest of the glass.
Blessedly cool air, sweet and pure, flowed in from the broken window. She took a moment to breathe deeply, filling her lungs and letting it soothe her flushed face. Keeping one hand pressed firmly against the cut, she draped the towel over the window sill to shield her legs from the few remaining shards. She clattered out on the fire escape and blinked at the cacophony of lights and sirens below. Forms scurried like ants through the chaos as figures stumbled from the building. She let out another sign, realization that help was just a brief climb away steadying her heaving nerves. Just one rung at a time, one floor at a time, she told herself. It will be okay.
Her foot found the first step and then the second. She went slowly, feeling her way from one to the other. The smoke swirled from a few cracked and broken windows but no tongues of flame followed. If she hurried, she could make it as long as the path stayed clear. She curled one hand around a rung and dropped the other to her side, feeling for the comforting bump of the locket in her pocket. Nothing. It wasn't there. She cursed under her breath and searched her pockets again. Still nothing. She looked briefly at the red and blue lights stropping in the distance before climbing back up. She couldn't and wouldn't leave that locket behind. It was the last bits of her family that she had.
She rolled through the window and landed in a sprawling crouch. The haze was thicker and heat clamped down like a vise. She swiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and crawled on hands and knees toward the bedroom. She pressed her face close to the floor, trying to keep beneath the smoke. There was no telltale golden gleam, no sign that the locket was nearby. She began to cough as the acrid odor became more obvious. Blinking rapidly, she covered her mouth with the hem of her shirt. Pushing the door open, she eased inside and looked hastily around but still there was no sign of the locket. No trace. Her heart became a knot that closed off her throat and pushed a trickle of tears from dry, reddened eyes. That was it then. They were gone. She sank down beside the bed and buried her head in her hands. They were gone.
The distant sound of wood breaking registered but she didn't look up. A voice called out, "Is anyone in here?"
She opened her mouth to answer but closed it again just as quickly. Maybe it was time to let go. She had been without them for eleven years. Long enough to forget their faces. Long enough for small details to become hazy and indistinct. Her vision clouded and lost focus as her breathing faded to a raspy wheeze. A black form filled the doorway and she raised a hand to beckon it forward, half thinking that it was her father come to take her home. The form peered through the murk and started as he caught sight of her slumped on the floor. He pushed back his hat and tore the mask from his face as he hurriedly crossed the room and knelt at her side. Unruly, sweat dampened curls plastered themselves to his forehead. Blue eyes narrowed in concern as he covered her face with the mask.
She fought against it at first but then held it to her face as she greedily breathed in cool, dry air. "I'm taking you out of here," he rasped as he lifted her easily and cradled her close. "Hang on to me," he ordered as he made his way swiftly across the living room and out into the mist laden hallway. She sucked in mouthfuls of air as she closed her eyes and sank further into his comforting embrace. The thump-thud of his heart beneath her ear soothed her. She couldn't think anymore, couldn't make herself care. Her family was gone. She mourned them all over again. Darkness beckoned and she fell into it gratefully.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxo
Her eyes blinked open and blinked again as she came slowly back to consciousness. The dull rumble of a motor vibrated somewhere close by. Red and blue lights flickered across the dull white ceiling above her. She lifted a hand to her face only to find it swathed in bandages. She could feel another wound tightly around her forehead just above her brow. An IV was taped to the back of her hand and an oxygen mask rested on the pillow nearby.
Memory rolled like distant thunder. Smoke and heat, flames dancing. A blond savior with eyes the color of a clear morning sky. Strong and steady arms that held her close while a gentle voice murmured that she was going to be okay. He would see to that. Nothing could hurt her now.
Katniss pushed herself up and rested her head in her hands. She should find him and thank him for pulling her out. She owed him that much. It had been a long time since she had let a debt go unpaid. She felt a flush burn its way up the back of her neck. She had given up. Had almost thrown everything away because of the locket. Her throat tightened. The locket was gone. The last reminder of them, the last thing she had to remember them by. A soft tap on the ambulance door brought her head around.
He stood, peering up at her in the misty gray light. His pale blond hair still hung in unruly waves over his ears and neck with curls stopping just short of those mesmerizing eyes. A tentative smile pulled up the edges of his mouth as he looked her over. "I wanted to check on you before I headed home," he said softly. "They told me that you were okay but I wanted to see for myself."
"I'm fine," she answered. "Thanks to you. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for what you did."
He waved her words aside and reached into his coat. The light caught on the object in his hand, giving a dull golden gleam. He followed her gaze and extended his arm, fingers unwinding to show a slender chain and locket nestled inside. "I found this by the door as we were leaving. It looked important so I grabbed it. I wanted to make sure you got it back before they took you to the hospital." He reached for her hand and placed the necklace in her upturned palm.
She lowered her eyes to the locket and felt tears gather and fall as she raised it to her lips. She couldn't stop the sob that escaped in a soft exhale as she clutched the locket to her chest. A blurry form swam into view as he knelt before her. "Hey," he asked quietly. "Are you okay?"
She couldn't speak, couldn't move. The comforting weight of the locket in her hand buoyed her courage. That was the only reasonable explanation for what happened next. Her hands found his face and tilted up his chin. His eyes widened as she bent her head and brushed his mouth with hers. She pulled back to gauge his reaction then leaned in again. His lips were warm and alive. They tasted of smoke, ash, and something uniquely him. Her hands slid to his shoulders to pull him closer. His hands found their way around her waist and gathered her in. It wasn't passion or love that fueled their embrace. Gratitude, need, and something warm and giving and right brought them together. His fingers tangled in her hair just as hers found their way into the curls flopping over the collar of his shirt. He pulled away from her mouth to press one last kiss to her forehead. "You have to go," he murmured. "But I'll see you soon. My name's Peeta, by the way. Peeta Mellark."
"Katniss Everdeen," she replied. "Thank you, Peeta. I can't…."
"You don't have to," he said. "I'm just glad that I could be there. You get better and I'll see you soon."
"You promise," she asked softly.
"You'll see me again," he returned. "You're not going to get away from me that easily."
She settled back against the pillows and gave him a tired smile. "Will you come back tomorrow? Stay longer?"
"If that's what you want," he answered. "You get some rest and I'll see you soon."
"See you soon," she repeated and closed her eyes.
Peeta eased the ambulance door closed, and knocked twice. He watched as it rolled away, lights gleaming brightly in the fog. A heavy hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to catch Haymitch's eye. The grizzled captain gave him a knowing look as his shrewd gray eyes darted from the boy to the ambulance passing quickly out of sight. "She was the last one out," Haymitch muttered. "We had stopped looking. She's lucky that you were sent to clear that floor otherwise she might have been left."
Peeta shivered at the thought. "I almost didn't hear her. I don't know what made me go in there. It was almost like something guided me right to her. I can't explain it."
"Don't try to," Haymitch grunted. "Just be thankful that you did. She's alive and that's all that matters. Go on home, kid. You did good."
"Thanks," Peeta murmured and watched as the Captain ambled toward the pod of reporters clamoring for a statement. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool morning air. He caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and turned toward it.
A blonde girl in a pink dress stood there smiling as she met his gaze. He smiled back and watched as she turned on her heel and disappeared into the fog.
Peeta felt a shiver go up his spine that had nothing to do with the cold or spent adrenaline. The girl had vanished as if she'd never been. He couldn't explain it nor could he say why she'd made him think of dark-haired Katniss. It was one more oddity in a night filled with them. Something had led him to that apartment. Something told him to go in. He couldn't explain it any more than he could say what made him pick up that locket.
Maybe she would be able to shed some light on it the next time he saw her? He smiled, thinking of the way her lips had felt pressed against his own. He would keep his promise. He would see her again. As he headed toward his car, a girlish laugh echoed in the darkness.