A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews/alerts/favorites they mean the world! It's going a bit slow right now I feel, but I promise after this chapter it will pick up and the chapter will get progressively longer. Please continue to tell me what I did wrong/right so I can make this a good as possible for you all :D
I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to take a hot shower. The jets of warm water seemed to loosen the ties that bound me to my bed with every minute. Once I felt clean I hopped out dried off and braid my hair. I threw on whatever I saw first in my dresser and went downstairs to meet Haymitch.
"About time, sweetheart. I thought I was going to have to come give you another wake up call."
"Funny…where's Greasy Sae? Shouldn't she be here right now?" I saw breakfast ready on the table and I knew Haymitch hadn't cooked for sure.
"No I sent here away you and I have business to tend to today."
"What business? You didn't say anything about business! I'm not leaving this house." I may have finally woken up a bit to realize I can't lie in bed for the rest of my life, but I wasn't ready to leave yet. What if I bumped into him? I wouldn't know what to say, or what to do.
"Haymitch I can't what if I bump into Peeta…I can't ...I don't know how to deal with him."
"Sweetheart it's going to happen sooner or later, you can hide from him forever, he would never do this to you; shut you out from his life. He trying and you're just judging him. You don't even know Peeta anymore. You need to give him a chance. Now let's go and get started with the day."
He doesn't give me a chance to answer him. Haymitch grabs my upper arm and drags me out the house. The sunlight is blinding and it's warm. There's so much air outside, I feel a bit light headed. Haymitch leads me away from my house towards the forest surrounding the Victor's Village. We stop right at fence.
"Go." He didn't need to further explain what he meant. Haymitch was very clear. I needed to get back to the old me as best as I could and the best way to start was to reunion with the forest and hunting.
I slowly walk through the woods feeling like a shadow of my previous life. A life where I almost starved to death. A life where I risked everything just for food. Continuing along the path I found my father's bow and arrows carefully concealed exactly where I left them as if the war had never happened. In fact the entire forest was exactly the same. Nothing changed, except for me. I changed. I'm different.
Haymitch was right; life has gone on and there's nothing I can do about it. Naturally I fall into my pattern of hunting. By the end of my trek I've got two rabbits from snares, four squirrels, and a goose. I felt so exhilarated, better than I've felt in ages. I realize then that it's starting to get dark and wonder how long I've been out here. It was so easy to just loose myself to the forest. So easy to be the old me for a few hours, but I knew I had to return to reality sometime.
I made my way back to the village to find Haymitch had gone. He knew me so well. He knew how to break me out of the cage of guilt and pity I had built. I will owe him for the rest of my life.
I walk towards my home when I see the blond hair of my neighbor bent over on the ground. Next to him was a wheelbarrow with beautiful flowers; Primroses.
"What are you doing?"
His piercing blue eyes look up into my dull gray. "I wanted to plant them, for her."
"Oh." With that I ran into the house. I found the roses that Snow had left as a warning so long ago and threw them into a fire and began to cry. I cried for Prim, and for the boy I thought I lost.
When I finally picked myself up I went to the kitchen to clean the meat. Greasy Sae was happy with all the meat and made a nice stew.
Her granddaughter and Haymitch were supposed to join us for dinner so I went up to my room to change into cleaner clothes. As I came down the stairs the doorbell rang which was odd, Greasy Sae's daughter and Haymitch knew to just walk in.
I opened the door to find myself staring into the eyes of Peeta Mellark, and in his hands were two loaves of freshly baked bread.
"Peeta"
