A/C: I really need to stop writing new fan-fictions while my other stories are still pending. I promise they'll be done soon, I just couldn't stop myself from writing this one.
I got the idea from watching an episode of Family Guy, and it sort of stuck. I also wanted to try out the suspense/mystery genre since most fanfics I've written are romances and/or tragedies. With that being said, there will still be a lot of Everlark (because I am Mrs. Peeta Mellark after all :D) and some Gadge, Odesta, and Clato.
So yeah, that's all! c: Enjoy!
All property belongs to its rightful owners.
"I don't think we should go," I mutter as I check the weather on my cellphone. "There's snow storm in the area, Madge. Shouldn't we postpone it for another day?" Written in bold, red letters is an extreme weather alert in Panem, which is where our cottage is located. Apparently, there will be over 50 inches of snow and a whopping wind speed of 40mph. We would practically be locked in the cottage the entire weekend if we decide to go. It would be a waste of energy, gas money, and also my precious time which could have been spent watching Netflix and eating Captain Crunch cereal. And to be honest, even if the weather conditions weren't so bad, I would still not want to go. I couldn't care less about skiing or roasting marshmallows over a bonfire with people I barely know. I could make s'mores just fine with my toaster oven in my dorm room without the social anxiety involved.
Madge glances up at me. "We've endured far worse weather here in Denver, Katniss. Besides, everyone else is on their way to the cottage," she says tiredly. She has been dealing with my complaining all day, and I can tell she is losing her patience.
"But Madge," I whine. I'm not much of a complainer, but my friends' insistence got me resorting to desperate measures. "If you want to go, that's fine. But I don't!"
The golden haired, crystal blue eyed girl lifts herself off the carpet. She eyes me as she throws her backpack over her shoulders. "You already accepted Finnick's invitation. You can't let him down now. And I know you're trying to make up excuses not to go." Madge then walks over to my bedside and picks up my suitcase. She rolls it across the floor, and sets it at the door. She takes a moment to wear her violet pea-coat before tossing my jacket to my face. "Let's go."
Scowling, I pull it over my shoulders. "You'll regret dragging me to this stupid thing, Madge." I huff as I take the suitcase in my hand, giving Madge an irritated look. She seems unfaltered.
"I might, but we won't know that for sure," she quips. She holds the door open for me as we leave our shared dorm room and enter the elevators.
After two weeks of nonstop studying for our exams, we are finally able to breathe. We've completed our final examinations with fairly decent marks, and it is about time we "celebrate". However, it is clear that their definition of celebration is quite different compared to mine. They are very persistent in forcing me to come for a weekend full of winter sports, bonfires, partying, and drinking. Apparently Finnick booked this massive, upscale, yet older cottage in the outskirts of Panem. We will be surrounded by forests and mountains. Although I do love nature, I declined the invitation almost immediately. Due to my very reserved and introverted nature, I can't stand being around outgoing individuals for more than a couple hours at a time. But then all my friends began hounding me to attend their little weekend getaway. After tolerating their pestering for over a week, I finally agreed only to shut them up. However, I then discovered there would be an additional 11 people coming. The only friends I know that are going are Madge, Gale, Finnick, Annie, Johanna, and Blight (whom I rarely ever speak to, only knowing him due to his relationship with Jo. The other 5 people will be complete strangers. Why should I suffer for 3 hell-bent days just to please a few acquaintances? But I already promised Finnick I would come, and he has already made all the living arrangements for us. It would be unfair to ask for a rain-check when it's the day of. Despite this, I still ended up calling Finnick this morning to convince him to postpone it for another weekend, but like Madge, he insisted I could handle a bit of snow.
We exit the elevator and walk to the main doors. The atrium is silent, not a single student found lounging in the open space. Near the benches, a small Chritsmas tree decorated with red and gold ornaments is set up. There are colourful light strewn on the walls, illuminating the atrium and offering a festive feel. The fireplace near the worn-out leather sofas is adorned with pine and ornaments. "Festive," I mumble as I scan the premises. In five days, I will be returning to my hometown to celebrate the holidays with my mother and my sister, Prim. In all honesty, I don't care much for Christmas and I treat it like any other day. However, I can't help the giddy feeling of meeting Prim again.
As soon as we pull the doorknob, we are met with an unwelcome blow of snow. The wind slams into our faces, and we have to squint to see the horror ahead of us. Bucketfuls of snow is piling onto the ground; it is a complete white-out. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to drive in these conditions. "You still wanna go?" I ask. Madge rolls her eyes and marches onto the street. I begrudgingly follow her in suit.
"Katniss, hurry. Jo and Annie are waiting for us to pick them up," she tells me as she waits for me to take a seat in her old Mazda.
It takes nearly 15 minutes for the car to warm up. We are rubbing our gloved hands vigorously, trying to retain the little heat the friction offers. Once we deem the car ready to drive, Madge starts up the car and we exit the parking lot. Madge has to set the windshield-wipers on full speed due to the rapid falling of snowflakes. Fortunately for us, the roads are vacant. Although we have to drive very slowly, we are comfortable knowing we won't be stuck in traffic. Eventually, we reach Johanna and Annie's apartment complex. I give Jo a quick call to come outside.
"Why is it so fucking dull in here?" Jo huffs as she slams the car-door shut. Annie comes from the other side of the car, and settles herself on the seat. She bids a hello as she wears her seat-belt."We're going on vacation, for god's sake. We're not going to a funeral."
"Tell Katniss that," Madge says with a chuckle. She turns the steering wheel, and we merge onto the highway. "She spent the entire day sulking and trying to convince me to let her stay at home."
I groan. "Why do you guys even want me to come?"
Annie laughs lightheartedly. "Because we want you to enjoy life for once, Katniss. You have no excuse not-"
"I actually have plenty," I interrupt.
"Anyway," she continues, "You're finished with college for three weeks. You can't spend three days just relaxing with us?"
"Hey, brainless," Jo says. "Maybe we can actually hook you up with a guy. Finn invited a bunch of his friends, and some of them might be hot."
Jo, Annie and Madge laugh as I sink into my chair. They know how much I despise dating. I haven't gone out with a boy since Gale asked me out for junior prom. Back then, Gale supposedly had a crush on me. However, I did not reciprocate his feelings, which strained our simple friendship greatly. I only agreed to go out with him because I felt guilty for breaking his heart numerous times. Eventually, Gale finally realised we just didn't work as a couple. Now, he and Madge are together like peas in a fucking pod. It is far more comfortable to be in the same room as Gale now, and we can finally be just friends. "I don't date," I mutter. In my opinion, dating is just a waste of time. There's no point in getting attached to someone who will eventually leave you with a broken heart. That's what happened to Mother. After Father died in a car accident, Mother fell into a deep depression. She left my little sister and I to fend for ourselves in the ripe ages of 7 and 11. I had to bring food to the table, clothe my sister and I, and make ourselves presentable so we can attend school. Over time, Mother came back to us. But things were never be the same again.
"I heard of a really cute blonde guy that might be coming," Jo says. "I think his name is Peter or something."
I turn my head to sneer at Johanna. Her dark eyes are lit up with amusement, waiting for me to respond. "I don't care," I spit.
"Katniss, we're not saying you to date the first guy you see. We're just encouraging you to open up more," Madge says. Her blue eyes are fixated at the long road ahead of us, but they flicker over once to look at me. I remain silent for the rest of the road-trip.
I am convinced that the GPS must be outdated as it seems we were in the middle of nowhere. The wind blows stronger than ever before, and I am paranoid that it might toss our car over. We are surrounded by trees, and the road we are driving has pot-holes. And there's no streetlights; the only thing giving off any light are those worthless reflective traffic signs. On top of that, we can't see anything beyond two metres even in hyper-beam. But luckily for us, we haven't seen a single car since an hour, so we have no worries of getting into a collision. "Jo, how far are we from our destination?" Annie asks before yawning. We have been taking turns driving, and now it's Johanna's turn.
"Only a kilometre left," Johanna grunts.
"No offence Madge, but I don't trust your GPS," I mutter. "Where the hell did Finnick book this cottage any way? It's so secluded from the rest of the city."
"I was telling him to book the one in Montana," Annie says, baring her annoyance. "Apparently it belongs to his friend's father."
It's more of a mansion than a cottage. It is two stories high and quite wide, surrounded by pine trees and hills covered in a blanket of snow. The windows emit a warm glow of orange, signifying that the cottage is occupied. However, there is a tall, extravagant gate that prevents our entrance into the residence. Jo drives up to the buzzer, and she rolls down her window to press the button. We hear a gruff 'hello' from the other side, to which Jo immediately screams 'let us the fuck in'. A few moments pass before the gates are automatically opened. My eye catches Finnick's truck parked in the long driveway, along with a few other sedans positioned behind it Fortunately, we're not the last to arrive. Jo drives along and takes her spot beside Finn's vehicle. "Let's get this party started," Jo says, putting the car into park. I turn off the heating and pull my coat over my shoulders, expecting a blast of cold as soon as I open the door. And as expected, once we step out of the car, we are crossing our arms over our chests and huddling together. We trek through the thick snow, and then climb the steps while holding onto the elegant metal rails. As I reach the final step, I am alarmed to find a grotesque looking gargoyle positioned in front of me. "What the fuck," she murmurs, pointing at the ugly looking statue.
Despite the very Victorian style appearance of the cottage, it seems to be equipped with advanced technology. My eyes train on the security cameras that are following every movement. "Let's go," I say, nodding to my friends. Annie presses the doorbell on the french doors, which is promptly addressed as Finn welcomes us inside with only seconds to spare. Wiping the snow off our boats, we enter. The atrium is lavish, pearly tiles wiped clean and multiple paintings hooked onto the cinnamon coloured walls. There are a few statues of odd looking, mystic creatures placed at the sides.
I have to admit that I am feeling quite restless. I try to convince myself that I'm simply homesick because we're so far away from Denver. However, I know that's not the only reason I'm so at unease. There's no denying this cottage is quite luxurious with all the amenities present and its general appearance, but there is this tension in the air that I cannot place. I just find how strange it is to be secluded from the rest of civilisation, miles away from the nearest urban area. We're completely, utterly alone in this forest. And I have a feeling that everyone else feels it too.
"Saul was pestering us not to break anything, because most of his valuables are well into their thousands. He also advised us not to go into the garden because his father will note every single defect," Finn explains as we take our shoes off. "But you guys are free to go anywhere else you'd like."
"Finn, how could you have afford this rental? I mean, look at this place!" Annie says, motioning her surroundings.
The red-haired boy gives her a lopsided grin, but there is a strange look in green eyes. Is it concern? Hesitance? "I didn't have to pay. I was discussing with Saul how I wanted to go for a vacation with a few friends, and he insisted that he will allow us to rent this place without any fee," he explains warily.
"That's really strange," I mutter. I mean, of course this place is jaw-dropping, but how could Saul trust us that his father's cottage won't be turned upside down with our shenanigans? And on top of that, we don't have to pay to stay for three nights. His generosity is clearly out of the ordinary.
Jo throws her arm over my shoulder. "Well, who cares? Brainless, we're in the most luxurious cottage in the vicinity. And we don't have to pay a dime!"
"It's almost too good to be true," Madge admits. She then turns her auburn head and says to Finn, "Can you show us our rooms?"
"Of course, ladies!" he says with a grin. He gestures us to follow him up the grand stairs, which splits to two halls. There is a large, crystal chandelier hanging overhead. "There are 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on this floor. Madge and Jo, you guys already know who you will be sharing your rooms with," he says with a wink, which causes Madge's cheeks to flush and Jo to cluck her tongue. "Annie, you will be sharing with Marvel -"
"Finn!" Annie huffs, crossing her arms. This causes us to erupt in laughter at the image of the lanky, awkward boy sharing a bed with a concerned Annie. "Not funny."
Jo slaps her back lightly. "Annie, we all know you will be banging Finn in his bed tonight. No need to worry about that little squirrel."
Finn leans over to kiss Annie on her cheek, and for some reason, I feel this strange sensation at the pit of my stomach. It completely catches me off-guard. I begin pondering reasons why I felt that way, because I'm certainly not jealous of either of them. Finn and Annie belong to each other. For a fleeting moment, the desire for a relationship with someone else crosses my mind. However, I quickly dismiss the thought. I force myself to remember the horrid days I dated Gale.
Finnick leads Annie, Jo and Madge to their respective rooms. "Blight, Clove, Cato and I will be in the basement. Feel free to join us once you guys freshen up," he advises. Then, he leads me to the other side of the second floor. As we walk through the lush, velvet carpets, Finn says, "I hope you don't mind sharing a room with a boy." There is a mischievous look in his eye as he waits for my response.
"I bet they put you up to this," I mutter. "They were pestering me to hook up with some guy, and it seems you're part of their wing-women team."
"I'm actually a wing-man, Kat," he says with a sly grin.
I cross my arms over my chest, focusing my gaze on my wet socks. "Why couldn't you get me to share a room with a girl?" It's not that I'm uncomfortable being around boys, it's just that I find it odd sleeping in the same room with a male stranger. Suddenly, a thought pops up in my mind and I am suddenly filled with anxiety. "I'm not sharing a bed with him!" I practically yell, tugging on Finn's sleeve.
He chuckles. "Katniss, chill out. In all honesty, I had no idea what to do for your room arrangements since all of our friends will be with their partners. There's not enough rooms for every person to have their own space, so we all need to be in pairs. The only person I could pair you up with is my friend. But he is actually really nice and polite, so you won't have to worry about him trying to get into your pants," Finn says, playfully punching me in the arm. I am silent as we walk up to my room, which is when Finn knocks erratically on the walnut coloured door. There is a deep voice calling from inside, so Finn pushes the door wide open. "Hey Peet!"
A broad-shouldered, medium height young man stands in the centre of the room. His blue eyes gaze at me as he runs his fingers along his wavy, dirty blond hair. "Hi Finn," he says with a boyish smile. This must the boy Jo was mentioning in the car. Although I wouldn't admit it aloud, I have to agree he is quite cute.
Finn darts his eyes between us. "Peet, meet Kitty Kat!" he introduces, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. I nudge him off, scowling in his direction. Turning to face the boy, who I assume is named Peet, I give him a small wave which he returns with a warm smile. He extends his arm for a handshake, so I awkwardly clasp his hand with mine. I'm not too fond of making new friends, but I don't want to seem impolite. Besides, I'll be his roommate for a few days so I'd like us to be on good terms. As we shake hands, I notice his hand is large and warm, completely contrasting my calloused and cold ones. He gives me a small squeeze before he lets go. I try to forget how I felt a spark of electricity run down my spine as our skin made contact.
"Alright, kids! No funny business in here. You know these walls are paper-thin," Finn says, tapping on the hollow walls. I feel my face burn, avoiding Peeta's eyes until the stupid man leaves.
I unzip my leather jacket, setting it on one of the double beds in the room. I push my handbag to the corner, right next to the window that extends to the entire width of the wall. There are violet coloured curtains covering them. Curiously, I gently push one of the curtains to the side so I can catch a glimpse of the view outside. And once I do, there it reveals a breath-taking landscape like something out of a fairy-tale. There are large snowflakes fluttering down to the packed ground, but I can still view the expanse of snow covered pine-trees surrounding the parameters. There are tall mountains out in the distance. Additionally, I see a small pond, which is surely iced over at this time of year, only meters away from us. It looks magical.
"So, uh, is your name really Kitty Kat?" I hear a timid voice call from behind me.
I turn around in start. I furrow my eyebrows and respond, "No."
"Oh," he says, his eyes fixating to his socked feet. Moments pass before he meets eyes with me again. "What is it then?"
"Katniss," I mutter as I twirl the end of my braid.
"That sounds very different. Nothing I've heard of before," he says thoughtfully. I'm not sure if his comment is supposed to be a compliment or an insult, but either way I don't like it. My first impression of him instantly crumbles and annoyance begins to seep in.
"Well, I've never heard of Peet before either," I spit.
He takes a few steps back and raises his hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa. I didn't mean to offend you. I think your name is quite nice," he says quickly. He cracks his knuckles before adding, "And by the way, my name is not Peet. It's Peeta."
Now it's my turn to say "oh". Moments pass before I finally muster an apology, to which Peeta replies, "It's fine."
There is an awkward silence, and I feel the need to say something to break it."So you're Finnick's friend?" I offer as a pathetic attempt at conversation.
He nods. "Yeah, we were friends since high-school. We go to Eastdale together," Peeta explains briefly.
"Yeah, uh, he's the boyfriend of my friend Annie. We just kinda wound up hanging out together because of their relationship," I say.
Peeta laughs warmly, his eyes immediately lighting up. "I feel you. Third-wheel?"
"Always," I mumble as I think about how all my close friends always seem to be in relationships except for me. Although I do consider myself as an introvert, I do like spending time with my friends on occasion. However, I'm constantly the third-wheel because their boyfriends always seem to tag along. In the end, I'm the one trailing behind Annie and Finn on the sidewalk because it's not wide enough to fit three people.
There is a pregnant pause. Then, Peeta asks timidly, "I take it you're single?" He doesn't meet my eyes, instead settling himself on his bed.
"Yeah," I reply. For a moment I wonder why he's asking me this question, but then I force myself to stop pondering about it. "I'm not interested in relationships."
"Oh," he says, almost as if he were disappointed. "I don't have a girlfriend. Well, I actually did...but then she cheated on me." He then laughs wryly, rubbing the back of his neck.
I don't know how to respond, so I don't.
Rummaging through my suitcase, I look for a suitable outfit to wear. My jeans are soaked from knee down due to the snow, and I find myself shivering despite the heater blasting on high. So, I take out a pair of purple, fuzzy socks, grey sweatpants and a long sleeved, forest green shirt. Excusing myself, I walk to the west wing where I assume the washroom must be. I rap on the door to see if it's occupied, and once I deem it's empty, I enter inside. Even the washroom is extravagant, I think to myself. The walls are a turquoise colour, with multiple paintings of flowers. There is a jacuzzi and walk-in shower with glass doors. There are scented candles placed on the counter, emitting a lavender fragrance.
I am braiding my hair when it happens. I am overcome with an intense anxiety that situates itself on my chest, gradually spreading to the tips of my very being. Clutching onto the marble counter, I struggle to breathe. I don't get anxious a lot; I'd like to consider myself as a calm, collected person who can compose herself quite easily. So in essence, I find it quite peculiar why I'm so frantic. Darting my eyes across the room, I try to figure out if there's simply poor ventilation or if there's something else in here that's causing my anxiety. Strangely, I am convinced it's the latter. I'm not one to believe in intuition, but I can sense someone watching me. I feel these eyes burning into he back of my head, watching my every move. And I'm so fucking afraid, I want nothing more than to leave this place. I want to be back with my friends, who somehow I believe can provide some security blanket against the invisible being that is stalking me. Accordingly, with only seconds to spare, I quickly change my clothes and dart out of the room.
There is loud rap music vibrating the entire basement. I immediately feel at ease knowing my friends are only a few steps away. I pass the wine cellar and television room, following the voices in the game room. "Brainless!" Jo exclaims, who comes over with a cue in her hand. "Come play pool with us." She nudges me over to Blight, who bids me a hello. His long dark hair hangs over his hazelnut eyes, and he constantly has to swipe it away.
I am about to respond with a no, but then two hands cover my eyes. "Finnick, I know it's you," I grumble. Swatting his hands, I turn to face him.
"Who else would it be, Kat?" he says with a wink. I bet I'm looking unimpressed because then he stops laughing like a maniac. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Cato and Clove." He motions to a tall, muscular blond young man and a petite, dark haired girl. They give me a small nod in greeting, but nothing else. Then, they turn their backs to play a game of darts. "Sorry about them," Finn says quietly, leaning over to my ear. "I invited Thresh to come join us at the cottage, but then Cato overheard and I thought it'd be rude to not invite him. And he, of course, invited Clove." I nod my head in understanding, but truthfully, I don't see how it's a problem just to say no.
"Has Gale come yet?" I ask.
Madge suddenly comes to my side and replies for Finnick. "No, not yet. He hasn't been picking up my calls or replying to my texts." Her face is etched in concern as she skims through her text messages.
"He'll be here soon. He's probably on the way," I tell her encouragingly. Finn nods in agreement, squeezing Madge's shoulder.
"Hopefully," Madge says quietly.
Finnick takes a seat on a leather recliner. "So now we're waiting on Gale, Thresh, and Glimmer." I peer over to the clock hanging on the burgundy wall. 8:30. "Then we can have dinner."
"I'm fucking starved, Finn!" Jo yells from across the room. "Let's just eat without them." Blight then whispers in her ear, to which Jo scowls.
I avoid mentioning what happened to me in the washroom. Instead, I take a seat between Finnick and Annie on the couch in silence. I find no point in bringing up my unexplainable anxiety, especially since it's probably due to homesickness or something of the like. There was nothing in the washroom, nobody was watching me. I saw it for myself; I was completely alone in there. So how could someone be stalking me? It's impossible. I'm likely nervous that I'm far away from home or tired because of the long road-trip.
My vision of a winter fairy-tale quickly turns into a horror film. Suddenly, I hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I'm not sure who I was expecting to come down the stairs, but I'm relieved to see two familiar faces. A concerned Peeta appears, along with an equally worried Annie trailing behind him. I glance over their appearance, noting that there is a paper crumpled in Peeta's tightened fist. His face is flushed and eyes wide with fear. "Peeta?" Finnick walks over to him, grabbing his shoulders. "You okay?" Peeta shakes his head vigorously, and opens his palm. Finnick takes it cautiously, weighing it in his hands. "What is this?"
"Read it," Peeta tells him vaguely. "Someone slipped it under the main door." The room falls silent, all the chattering to a halt. The music is still playing, but nobody bothers to turn it off because we're all crowding around Finnick and Peeta to see what's going on.
Finnick raises his eyebrows. He brings the paper to his face to read it. I try leaning over to find what it says, but Blight is blocking my view. "What the hell?" Finn murmurs, turning the page on the other side. His usual cheerful, playful persona is immediately switched into a very serious one. "Who put this here?"
Peeta shrugs. "I was walking down the stairs when I found this on the floor."
"I was with him," Annie pipes. "The door wasn't even open. Somebody probably came from the front and slipped it through."
"Did you see anyone?" Finnick asks. Annie shakes her head solemnly.
The paper is passing along the group. Everyone's faces are distorted in either fear, concern, anger, or simply indifference. Finally, I've had enough of the suspense and I snatch it out of Madge's hands.
It is wrinkled, most likely ripped out of a notebook. In neat, capitalised letters is written:
YOU WILL BE DEAD BY MONDAY.