Chapter One - Going Home
The sun was beaming in the sky. I was walking in a green meadow far away from the bakery. It was both exciting and scary wandering into a place unknown to me. I had never wandered too far from town. District 12 was destroyed but the surrounding areas remained untouched by the bombs. The town was now being rebuilt. I understood why Katniss felt the need to seek safety alone in the woods. It was peaceful.
'I can do this,' I mentally chided to myself for the apprehension I felt walking alone. A knife was sheathed in my belt just in case I met up with some wild life that still lived in the woods. I felt uneasy with the thought of killing again even if it was an animal that was out hunting for food. I was done with killing and death. I heard some twigs break to my left. I jumped startling myself then I laughed to ease my anxiety. I took a deep breath and continued on my trek. If Katniss can roam into the woods with bow in hand, I encouraged myself to do the same.
With a bag of cheese buns in my hand, I continued to walk further. I wanted to surprise her. Then, from the corner of my eye I see her, seated on a large rock at the edge of a meadow. She hadn't noticed me so I watched her for a moment.
'Beautiful and deadly,' the words formed in my head and I shook it off just as fast. She was gazing into nothing particular in front of her. I called out to her. She turned to me with a scowl on her face. I waved my hand. Climbing off the rock she turned to me. I walked towards her when my left leg sank into the soft ground, reminding me of my prosthetic leg. One of the many souvenirs I had acquired from two Hunger Games and the Rebellion. As I approached Katniss, she lifted her arm and pointed her bow, an arrow ready to fire at me.
"Katniss, it's me, Peeta," my voice hitched. My eyes bulged as she continued to point her bow at me. Sweat dripped from my brow whether it was from the sun beating down on me or from confusion and fear. "What's wrong?" I asked her.
She didn't acknowledge me but pulled her arrow back. Her hands were steady. "Katniss?"
I felt my throat tighten and my eyes started to blur. 'Not real, not real,' I chanted in my head. I extended my hand with the bag in front of me, showing that I was unarmed. I looked into her gray eyes. They were blank and unreadable. Seconds later, I heard a thump and a crunching sound. I felt pressure building on my chest. I looked down realizing that an arrow and the brown bag was lodged in front of my shirt dripping with blood. I couldn't feels my legs as I fell onto my knees. 'Not real, not real,' I screamed in my head as if it was about to explode. The world turned dark.
I woke up gasping hard. I looked down my bare chest feeling my heart racing fast; my heartbeat drumming my in ears and my vision blurred. Sweat beaded my chest and face. I looked beside me to reach for Katniss and realized she wasn't there. I reminded myself that I was in train, alone in my compartment. I waited a few minutes for my heart and breathe to calm down. I pulled myself up into a sitting position. It is night. I turned to my left at a window and gazed up at the moon above me. 'I'm going home' the thought popped in my head. After months of taking test after test to clear the venom in my body, Dr. Aurelius declared me stable enough to be released from the capital hospital.
"I'm going home," I whispered, repeating the words as if I'm trying convince myself that it was real and not a dream. Then I remembered the dream that interrupted my sleep. As many thoughts crowded my head, there's only one word that stuck out. Home. The thought weighed heavy in my mind. The reality struck me like lightning. After months of anticipating this moment, I couldn't figure out what I was feeling. Not of joy or happiness. I never felt so alone in my entire life. "I am Peeta Mellark, I am a Victor and a survivor." I say to myself as the train lead me back to District 12.