Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites. So happy that people seem interested in this story. Secret Garden has been a long time favorite of mine. I should have put an OOC warning on the first chapter, the characters are in vastly different situation than they were in the Hunger Games so it was kind of inevitable, I think. I'll try to be careful with my meddling with both the changes in character and the changes I'll be making to the storyline. Hope you all enjoy!
The next morning Leevy came in, stirred the fire and opened the thick curtains.
"Who was crying last night?" Katniss demanded as she sat up in bed.
Leevy became noticeably agitated, "Cryin' twant nobody crying."
"There was," Katniss insisted.
"Must've been the wind, Miss," Leevy said hurriedly, "Makes such an awful noise a comin' ov' the moors."
Katniss held her gaze steady on Leevy, looking very intimidating for one so small, "It was not the wind. It was someone crying."
"I brought thou's breakfast," She said setting down the breakfast tray next to the one she had brought the night before, she looked over the food that remained on her supper tray, most of it untouched, "Did't thou like your supper? Mrs. Trinket said ye didn't eat on the ride over."
"I will eat when I please," Katniss said sharply.
When Katniss made it obvious that she was wanting to be dressed for the day, Leevy sighed, "I shan't be able to dress ye everyday, Miss. Mrs. Trinket won't allow it."
"Than who will?" Katniss asked sharply.
"Thou's to do it thee self."
Katniss's black dress was buttoned and the black stash tied to her waist.
"You're to play outside today, Miss. Katniss, once done with breakfast."
"Am I to have no one to play with me?"
"Goodness, child. You don't need someone with ye to play. My brother, Gale can spend hours outside with none but himself, well, and the animals."
"Animals?" Katniss asked, curious.
"Aye, he's friends with them."
"That's ridiculous," Katniss said, annoyed with the maid's silliness. She had only seen people interact with animals when they intended to put them to some sort of use. To make friends with them sounded absolutely absurd, as if the animals had feelings or ability to show affection for a person. Her Ayah had told her of animal charmers that would cast a spell on the animals, but that was different, even the charmers weren't trying to be 'friends' with the animals.
Leevy gave her a small smile and her eyes twinkled a little, "You're likely as not to meet him, he's often around."
"Does he work here as well."
"No, Miss. He's just a lad yet, not much older than thee self."
Katniss went over to her breakfast tray and looked down her nose at her porridge. She ate a few bites of it then stood, signalling that she was finish. Leevy was still in the room, making the bed and she looked over at the small girl then walked over to the table.
"Thou art a strange child," She mussed, "I've seven brothers and sisters, anyone of 'em would've had this cleared in a trice."
"Seven?" Katniss asked.
"Aye, quite a houseful we are."
Leevy lead Katniss quickly through the hall. Even with the light of day now shed on the halls and rooms, everything still seemed dark, the daylight seemed to cast more shadows than light. Katniss took in her surroundings as she walked past large paintings and sculptures that lined the hall. Then down the large sweeping staircase that went to the front hall. Leevy then directed her down a small hall and into the kitchens. The cook and kitchen girl looked up from their work and eyed her curiously. Katniss's coat and wrappings were laid out on a small table near the back door.
Leevy helped her buddle up, "The winds a might chilly today but if thou keeps moving you'll be warm enough. Come back mid-day."
Katniss looked up at the sky, clouds, "Can't tell mid-day from any other time," She said with a huff and started walking away.
"Head down this path and then follow it to the right and you'll find the gardens," Leevy called to her.
Katniss followed Leevy's directions and soon came to the first of the gardens, nothing was growing, only trimmed hedges and ivy that sprawled across the walls and fences of the gardens. She came across several fountains, none of which were working, shut down for the winter.
She heard a scraping noise and paused, listening to it. Following the sound she wound her way around the gardens until she came across the source, a man hunched over the garden, using a small shovel to break up the dirt.
Katniss stood and stared at the man, who was unaware of her presence, until she broke the silence.
"What are you doing?" Katniss asked bluntly.
The man turned to better look at her, he had heard that the Master's niece was coming to stay but he had in mind that she would resemble the late Lady of the house, being the daughter of her twin and all, but this girl looked nothing like the bright and smiling Lady Crane.
"Readyin' the garden fer spring, Miss. Katniss."
Katniss took it as no surprise that the man knew her name, it was part of a servants job to be informed on such things.
"What is your name?" She asked, or rather demanded.
The man looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, "Haymitch, Miss. Katniss."
"Are you the only gardener here, Haymitch?" Katniss asked.
"Aye," Haymitch said then turned back to his work, "Plenty to do."
She stayed and watched him for a few minutes longer, not minding that he was ignoring her, she was just curious. In India there had been so much sand everywhere, she would go outside with a servant holding a parasol over her head as she would dig in the sand with a stick.
A robin landed on a piece of ivy and gave a little song.
Katniss didn't know it but her eyes brightened at the sight of the bird with the bright breast and sweet song.
Haymitch whistled back to the robin who then tweeted in response.
"He's curious about thee," Haymitch said.
The robin cocked his head to the side a bit as it looked at the girl.
"You can't know that he is," Katniss said sharply, "You couldn't have possibly understood him."
Haymitch gave her a shrug of his shoulders and returned to his work.
Katniss focused on the bird again, he sang his little song again and it seemed to Katniss as if he was singing to her.
When his song ended he stayed silent.
Katniss gave a quiet little whistle in response, which caused Haymitch to smile to himself as he kept his head down. The robin twittered back to her and then flew away.
Katniss scoffed when the bird flew away, she turned her attention back to Haymitch but she soon left, taking another path that led to more gardens.
When she felt that a good portion of the day had passed she returned to pick at her food up in her room before being ushered back outside again.
That evening after eating a bit of supper in her room, Katniss heard the crying again. She opened the door a crack and peered out. She caught a glimpse of someone hurrying down the hall, she waited for a moment longer before slowly stepping out and closing her door. The cries seemed to stop for a moment but then they began again. Katniss turned and tried to follow the sound as best she could but the hallways seemed almost a maze with the dim lighting.
All the sudden someone bumped into Katniss.
Mrs. Trinket sputtered as she steadied herself, she had been walking the dark halls with confidence having traveled them so often and had not seen the girl.
"Good gracious!" She roared when she realized Katniss was out of her room, "What is this child doing out?!"
"I heard crying," Katniss answered.
"Don't be ridiculous. Get back to bed at once!" She roughly grabbed Katniss's arm and dragged her back to her room, a high pitched screech followed by obvious sobbing filled the air.
Mrs. Trinket opened the door and gave her a nudge to hurry in before closing the door firmly.
She went to bed determined to get an answer, a proper answer, from Leevy in the morning.
As Leevy was opening the curtains, Katniss approached her, "I heard the crying again."
"It must've been the wind-"
"It wasn't the wind, it was crying. I know it was. Who was it?"
"Must've been the cook."
"The cook?" Katniss asked disbelievingly.
"Aye, the cook, Sae, she's 'ad a terrible toothache."
Katniss's mouth was drawn in a thin scowl, she was being lied to.
"Go on an' eat thee breakfast," Leevy said and turned her attention back to tying back the curtains.
Mrs. Trinket burst into the room, "Leevy, there you are, girl." She then took in Katniss still seated and only a couple of spoonfuls into her porridge. "What is she still doing in here? Get this child out at once."
Katniss was pulled up from her chair and hustled down the stairs and to the kitchen door where Leevy made quick work of getting her bundled up, she gave her a small roll from a plate on the counter, "Case ye get hungry." Then helped her wrap it up in a handkerchief and tuck it in her pocket. Then hurried her out the door.
'This house is so strange' Katniss thought as she made her way back through the gardens.
She looked for the robins again, but didn't see him though she did come across Haymitch the gardener again. He gave her a small nod in acknowledgement before she continued on. The paths around the garden were starting to seem familiar but it was hard to tell because there were so many of them and some looked similar to one another, all filled with bare trees, hedges and ivy, nothing more. Having spent her whole life in the Thar Desert of India, Katniss couldn't believe that there would ever be more to the gardens than this.
Before she went inside for mid-day, Katniss broke a piece off her roll and crumbled it up on top of a large stone, hoping the robin would like it.
As she made her way back to the house she heard the sound of someone coming up the drive, horse hooves clopped on the hard ground and carriage wheels creaked as they rolled closer to the house.
As Leevy was showing her back up to her room, Katniss caught a glance of a strange carriage resting outside the front door.
"Who is that?" She asked.
"No one, Miss," Leevy said quickly.
"It is clearly someone."
"Just business for Mrs. Trinket, Miss."
Katniss dawdled a little as she walked up to her room, trying to catch a glimpse of the visitor, but Leevy hurried her along.
"Eat up quickly now. I'll be back in a bit."
She closed the door as she left Katniss alone.
There definitely was something strange about this house.
Katniss had a bit more interest in her food than she had previously, the smells made her feel hungry, the exertion of walking and the hours spent in the fresh air was already sparking her appetite.
In the afternoon the clouds seemed to be hanging even lower and darker, when Leevy put her out she had called after her to hurry inside if it started raining.
Katniss wound her way through the gardens until she came to the stone she had put the bread on. She smiled when she saw that it was gone, then she looked up, searching for a sign of the robin but found none.
Katniss silently wandered the gardens alone for a while when she suddenly heard the familiar twittering of Robin. She immediately looked towards the sound and saw him perched near the top of a tree growing behind a tall garden wall.
"Hello there," Katniss said aloud. The tone in her voice was light, not the harsh cold tone she had usually used, if any of the servants had been near they might not have recognized her voice at all.
Robin twittered some more and pranced a little on the branch.
"Did you like the bread I left you?" She asked timidly. She had never done anything to help another, even something as little and seemingly insignificant as feeding the birds. Her servants in India always done everything for her, so she didn't even have to do anything for herself, let alone for others.
Robin continued to prance around on the tree branch before he flew down to a lower branch, hidden behind the wall.
When he didn't fly back up again, Katniss started walking along the wall, searching for a doorway or passage to get into the garden that held the Robin's tree. She followed the path around the garden, winding through the different passageways trying to find a door. After she circled around the garden, ending right back where she had started. She let out a huff in annoyance, from what she could tell the walls of the garden contained nothing but the ivy that covered them, no sign of any opening or doorway at all.
"Well how do you expect me to get in there?" She snapped when she saw Robin fly back to a high branch of his tree, looking at her expectantly. She stalked away, muttering, "Stupid, Robin."
She sought and found Haymitch near one of the back gardens.
"There is a garden I cannot get into," Katniss said, not bothering with announcing herself.
Haymitch looked over his shoulder for a second before looking back down, he knew right away which garden she was referring to, "No one goes in there."
"But I want to."
He shrugged his shoulders but didn't look back at her, "Doesn't have a door."
"Of course it has a door. It has to have a door somewhere."
"Don't you go bothering that garden."
"And why shouldn't I? It's just a garden."
"It was her garden."
Katniss was silent as she thought for a moment, "My Aunt?"
"Aye. The Master locked it up after she died… He hates that garden."
"Hates a garden?" She asked in near disbelief, how could anyone hate a garden. Then she picked up on the words that Haymitch had used, "He locked it up? If there's a lock than must be a door."
Haymitch twisted his body around to look at her as she walked away, "Silly little busybody." Then he looked up at the clouds still gathering low. Robin landed on the branch of the bush he'd been trimming. Haymitch looked over at the Robin. "Might get a bit of a freeze with this storm," He spoke to Robin, "Should be one of the last of the season."
He started gathering up his tools and was able to get to his small cottage behind the gardens before the cold rain started falling. Striking the flint to get the coals lit before settling down in a chair near the stove, he opened up his bottle of whiskey to relax for the evening. The weather often caused his arthritis to up and a good drink at the end of the day helped calm his bones.
Katniss, not able to read the weather as well as Haymitch, was a good distance from the house when the rains started, she ran all the way to the kitchen door where Leevy was standing waiting.
The maid helped Katniss out of her wrappings and coat and gave them to cook to hang by the fire.
The run to the house had brought a flush to Katniss's cheeks, she moved to the stove to warm her hands. The cook looked her over once, noticing the healthy color to her cheeks, but said nothing.
Leevy showed her to her room and stroked the fire and then returned to help in the kitchen.
"That fresh air is doing that child a world of good," The cook, Sae said as Leevy re-entered the kitchen, "Hardly imagine she got much good air in such a wild place as India."
"It be excitin' to be in such a place, I'd imagine," Leevy said helping to arrange the two trays before they're brought up.
"Imagining such things will do you no good, Leevy," Mrs. Trinket said sharply, "You're not likely to go to London, never mind India."
"Judgin' by Miss. Katniss, it can't be a place that'd be good for one," Sae added, "Seems to be such a sour little thing."
"Yes, well," Mrs. Trinket said, never one to mind gossip, "Obviously the Mothers' charm didn't get passed down to either."
She then took the first tray and went to deliver it, cotton mask draped over her shoulder ready to put on before she entered the room.
"I do feel sorry for the poor things, loosing their Mothers."
"Aye," Sae agreed.
Leevy picked up the second tray and brought it up to Katniss.
"Here ye are, Miss. Katniss," She said setting the tray on the table. She noticed that the girl had changed dresses, the damp dress was laying on the floor, the wet stockings lay a few feet away from them in another pile.
She moved to pick those up while Katniss sat in her seat started eating almost right away.
Leevy observed the girl's increase appetite with a smile as she added to the fire, ensuring a warm blaze to help warm her after being in the cold rain.
"Leevy," Katniss said, putting down her fork, "Tell me about my Aunt's garden."
Hesitantly Leevy shared a bit of her knowledge, "She died long before I started here, but I heard it twas her favorite place in the world. The Master closed it up after she died. I heard he couldn't stand the thought of her garden living on without her."
"I couldn't find a door."
"Thou shadn't go lookin' for it now, Miss. Katniss. Master Craven locked it up and buried the key."
Katniss turned back to her food, she had no plans to take Leevy and Haymitch's advice to leave the garden alone, she was feeling almost a pull towards the garden, like it wanted to be found.
