Clink!
Clink!
Clink!
Slowly, I am brought out of my subconscious state and i blink, gathering my surroundings. The moonlight seeps through my curtains, those hideous feminine curtains my Aunt loves, and I roll over to check the clock. The green numbers illuminate my face as I squint to read the numbers, 3:47.
Clink!
I groan in confusion, attempting to locate where the irritating noise is coming from.
Clink!
I swing my legs from under the blankets onto the floor and walk towards the window. The floor boards creek beneath my feet , and I stop momentarily to pull the curtains fully to the side.
Clink!
I flinch and jump back, as a rock hits my window and flies back towards the ground. Peering through the window, I can make out a person standing with a pile of rocks in his hands. The boy appears to be 5'7, and wears dark jeans with a baggy blue hoodie, which covers his head. He tilts his head up and makes eye contact with me, and I instantly get chills throughout my body. Frowning, I wait for him to make the next move. He does.
"Katniss!" He yells up towards me. Quickly, I open my window.
"Be quite, Mellark! My family is sleeping you idiot!" I say in a hushed tone. He shakes his head and tucks his hands into his pockets.
"Come down, Kat." He whispers, quiet enough that I can barely make out his words over the wind. I sigh, and nod my head slowly, slightly contemplating an escape route. Reluctantly, I turn on my heel, and make my way silently through the house, passing Prim's room as quiet as I can, as she rarely has enough sleep on account of her occasional night terrors. I then proceed to make my way down the stairs, passing by all of the family photos that have been collected throughout the generations. Once i make it to the front door, I cautiously open in, and am immediately faced with his deep blue eyes.
A smirk grows on his face, and he releases a low chuckle, and I realize i have been staring for multiple minutes. I can instantly feel my cheeks start to burn. "How do you know where I live?" I say harshly.
"Come on Kat, I know everything about you…"
"Prove it, stalker."
"Fine. Your name is Katniss Hope Everdeen. Your favorite color is forest green. Your dad is dead from a factory explosion, you live with your Uncle Haymitch and your Aunt Effie. I know you love to surf, that you love me, and that you cheated on the last math exam."
His words sink into my skull, and after several monets I finally finish processing everything he said. Pure anger boils within my soul, and I have to physically restrain myself from murdering the unsuspecting boy in front of me. "How. Dare. You." I growl to him. He smirks, which pushes me over the edge. "I never cheated on any god damn test! Don't go saying lies about me! And I could never love you!"
He takes a step towards me as I cross my arms. "Go on date with me." He says with a bored tone. Instinctively, my hand flies out to slap him, but he catches it millimetres from his face, and holds it against his chest.
"No, Peeta. Never." I growl. He continues to stare at me, and increase his pressure on my wrist, causing me to yelp.
"I wouldn't say never so quickly, Kat. Wouldn't want the school finding out about you cheating on that test. And what about your family? I know you've kept it a secret about your dad and why you moved here. I know about your mother too, Kat." He replies smugly. I shiver once he mentions my mother.
Flashback- 3 months after Mr. Everdeens death
"Katniss, where is mom?" Prim asks me. I glance around the parking lot for the tenth time since school got out. Still no mother here to pick us up. I sigh heavily, and turn to my younger sister.
"I don't know Prim. Lets start walking home." She nods her head and we make our way home in complete silence, the only sound to be heard was the occasional mocking jay that flew through the clear blue sky.
After 20 minutes we arrive home, and find our mothers car still in the driveway. A sense of foreboding hits me, and I instantly shiver. "See, she is home, everything is fine" I say wearily.
We walk up the crumbling steps with Prim clutching my hand, and I reach to put my key in the door, but find the door already partially open. Slowly I push the door open fully and take a few steps into the threshold. "Mom?" I call out several times, but never receive a reply. "Prim, wait out on the steps, okay?" She nods her head with a mix of fear and confusion in her eyes, and turns back to the steps. I make my way further into the house, slowly being filled more and more with an eerie feeling the further I go in. I inspect the living room and then the kitchenbut find nothing out of the ordinary. Once i make it to the dining room, I find a crinkled note. Quickly, I scan over it.
It reads: "Dear Katniss and Prim,
I can't pretend to be alright anymore. The darkness has overcome my soul, and I cannot fight it any longer. I lied when I said I was okay. I lied when I said it didn't hurt anymore. I love him, and I long to be with him. His death has ripped me into pieces so small, I am not sure that I still even exist anymore. I cannot be repaired, and the time has come for me to join him. I know you'll be fine without me. So don't cry for me, as I leave this universe happy, and will greet death with a friendly smile and open arms. Goodbye.
Mother"
My tears blur her words and i drop the piece of paper as I frantically search the rest of the house for her. Rounding the corner into my mothers bedroom, I find the light on in her bathroom, and quickly open the door. Her figure is slumped againstthe bathtub, and she has large cuts on her wrists. I reach for the phone and shakily dail 911.
"911, Whats your emergency?"
"My mother, please come quick she's dying!" I cry into the phone. I reach for the towels to wrap around her wrists as I give the operator our address, and within minutes the emergency responders come barrelling into the house. Prims screams fill the house as she sees our mother being rushed off on the stretcher and into the emergency vehicle. Slowly, my gaze falls on my hands, which are now covered with a mixture of my tears and her blood.
*Two days later*
"Katniss, Prim, your mother is in a stable condition, but she won't be coming home anytime soon." Haymitch says to us in a calming voice. Immeditately, Prim bursts into tears for the fifth time that day, while I continue to stare at him.
"Where is she going to be?" I whisper.
At the Haymitch looks down into his lap, and twists his hands together. "She is going to a mental rehabilitation centre."
*Present*
"Please. You can't tell anyone." I whisper on the verge of tears.
"I won't tell anyone Kat, as long as you go on a date with me."