AN this chapter will take place in third person, for various reasons.
"Katniss!" Peeta shouted, slamming his fist on the door repeatedly. She hadn't spoken to him after his name was called, sitting in silence through the car ride to the station, and immediately locking herself in the bedroom that was pointed out to her. It had been a hour.
"Katniss, please, speak to me," Peeta pleaded, he was switching through tactics, yelling, pleading, practically sobbing. The room remained silent.
"I honestly don't understand what all this chatter is about," Effie said, for nearly the tenth time. Haymitch had gone to the drinking car right after Katniss disappeared, leaving Effie with marks of confusion in her makeup.
Peeta fell to his knees, begging her, coaxing her, to come out.
"Peeta!" Effie called in her ridicules accent. "Come eat! We must have you at a presentable weight."
Peeta mustered every fiber of hatred he had in him, which quite honestly, wasn't much, to glare at her. He was always the first to calm down, to cool a situation. But, the impending arrival of his imminent death seemed to have flown that out the window.
He opened his mouth, fully prepared to take a page out of Katniss' book, when he was slammed onto his hands from the opening of Katniss' door.
"Katniss," he breathed. She had a look he had only seen a twice. Once at her mother, the other at Gale, from the last time they spoke.
She didn't say anything, instead, grabbing his arm, and pulling him in the compartment.
"That is highly improper!" Effie cried before the door closed behind him.
Her hair was sticking out of all over the place from the delicate braid her mother put in this morning, her dress rumpled. She moved over to the window, crossing her arms, watching the forest pass by at amazing speeds.
Peeta moved up behind her. She tensed when he put his hand on his shoulder, fingers curling into a fist, but she didn't shake him off.
"Katniss-"
"One of us has to win, Peeta." Her voice was hoarse, but to the point.
"I will get you out-"
She cut him off again, spinning to face him, eyes blazing. "No, whether I live or die is not up to you, not in there. You can't bring me a bread and fix everything like at Twelve. One of us has to get out," She swallowed harshly, moving to sit on the bed.
"Prim has her goat, she can sell its cheese, its kid, but I know my mother. It is one thing to know you are never seeing a loved one again, its another to see them murdered." Her eyes found his, "Promise me, promise you will take of Prim." She swallowed, shaking.
He clasped her hands in both of his, rubbing the back of her knuckles, "Katniss, you know what my mom said to me before we left? 'District Twelve might finally have a victor'. She wasn't talking about me, she was talking about you."
Her jaw clenched, but she let him hold her hands, the familiar scent of cinnamon and dill invading her. Even among the heavily perfumed room, he scent calmed her. Soothed her.
Ripping her hands away, and wiping the sweaty palms against her skirt, she whispered, "Just promise me, Peeta." Her voice cracked on his name, and she sniffed, trying to regain herself.
"I promise," Anything to give her piece of mind, anything to help her feel better about the future.
They sat there, the only noise being the swishing of the trees against the window. Minutes, hours passed, before they were called for supper.
Effie somehow managed to wrangle Haymitch to the table, though he didn't seem to be one for idle conversation. Effie started to chatter on about schedules, the capital, anything to fill the car with noise.
Peeta and Katniss held hands under the table, his thumb running over the small yellow stone in her ring. Back and forth. Back and forth.
It was a custom in 12 for the ring to be presented on the girls 16th birthday, to announce their engagement, though hardly ever did the girls get a stone. It was usually just band of iron, but Peeta had spent his life savings on making sure she had something special, different. Yes, the stone was set in iron, but getting the little stone had meant the world to him. She had fought him on it at first, only backing down when he promised to help her start a herb garden for her mother, something she had wanted to do, but never had the chance.
Peeta would be the first to admit he had never had anything as good as the food served on the train, eating mostly stale bread, and the game Katniss brought when she felt she could spare some.
The were both gorging themselves, Effie nearly screeching about manners. But all fell still around them, when Katniss slipped her hand out of his to reach for another lamb chop.
Haymitch whistled, coming out of stupor slightly, "Well, I'll be damned, if we don't have a little couple on board."
Effie's sentence was less organized, "What-What is that?" Pointing a shaking nails, though truly they were talons, at her hand.
Katniss snapped her back under the table, taking the meat with her, smearing her skirt. She jumped up, wiping her mouth with a napkin, before taking off toward her room again. Peeta wanted to go after her, but knew she could only take so much intrusion in a day.
Effie demanded answers, after all, it was practically unheard of to be engaged at 16, most marriages take place well into their thirties in the Capital, when people felt their looks were going out of style.
But as Peeta rose, heading to his own room, he did hear something curious.
"I might be able to work with this."
I am extremely unhappy with this chapter, but this is the first i've written in forever, seriously, my last work was posted in like 2013, so, i am rusty. But, slowly, the chapters will get longer, better written. Please bear with me, and read and review