Chapter 2 - Bread disaster

I spent two or three days just on my bed, doing nothing, but thinking about the future. What's next for all of us? After those reflective days, I decided to start doing something. I woke up early, searched for food everywhere in the kitchen and found out that Greasy Sae brought a lot of stuff, including a small sack of flour. I grabbed some ingredients and started to bake. I hadn't realized that I missed baking until that moment: it's relaxing.

After a couple hours I had a big loaf of bread. It was not smelling that good since I hadn't got any herbs nor cheese. Cheese! Another memory: Katniss' favorite. Was it? There was only one way to find out. The next minute I was getting ready to buy cheese. I left home and there she was, 25 yards from me, wearing her hunting outfit. There again, my heart was beating fast, like when I was hijacked, only this time, I don't want to kill Katniss, I have an urge, a curiosity, to be around her and know what she's really feeling. But I didn't come any closer. Not now.

These long months I spent in the capitol after the war made great things for 12, especially at the square, it was starting to look like the one we once had. The old men from the grocery shop was quite happy to know I was better and back to district 12, I felt home again.

It took me about half an hour to get everything I needed and after that I went to the bakery where I lived before the games. It was all destroyed, the only thing I managed to find at one piece was the shop sign my brothers, my dad and me spent a hole day doing. I could feel a warm tear coming out of my eyes while I smiled remembering this moment: My mother was furious when she saw our clothes; the four of us had an insane paint war and ended up having green paint even inside our ears. I missed them.

When I got back to the Victor's village it was something about noon, and my stomach was asking for food, so I went over to Haymitch's to make sure he had something to eat and maybe we would have lunch together.

I knocked the door and no reply, but got in anyway... He was probably too drunk to open the door. Turned out, I was right; He was still asleep in the sofa, with a knife in his hand.

After an hour I had stewed a beef he had in the fridge, baked small loaves of bread and some potatoes, and the smell of it probably woke his stomach and himself up.

"Isn't it Peeta Mellark, the baker boy!"

"Morning Haymitch, why so early?"

He just smiled and joined me by the table. We didn't talk much about anything, just some comments about everything I bought from the groceries shop and how he needed to do the same. It was only after I started to wash the dishes he mentioned her.

"Have you seen the girl, already?"

"I saw her today... In front of her house... I guess she was going to hunt. Why?"

"How did you feel? Is the hijacking influencing you yet?"

"No, I don't think so." I answered in a rude tone. Is he really worried I was going to try to kill her again?

"Sorry kid, we all have to know."

"We? Is sh.."

"No!" He interrupted me. "Of course not! She was barely getting out of bed these last couple months. It was a relief when she went to the woods. I said we as in me, the doctors and even you! Be smart, kid. Don't let it get into you."

"I won't. I didn't. I'm better now Haymitch, otherwise the doctors wouldn't let me come back, would they?"

"I don't know, boy, you do have persuasive talk, an..." He stopped, shook his head and looked at me. I didn't understand what it meant. "But, no, the doctors wouldn't let you out without knowing you're ok. Either way, be careful."

I finished the dishes and went back home, frustrated. I'm doubting, myself, that I'm ok, now. Would I try to attack Katniss? What if the mutt inside me suddenly wakes up and I happen to be at Katniss' or even try to enter her house? I guess the bread topped with cheese will be baked another day. Or won't be baked at all.