It rained all night and the next day before turning into freezing rain the following night. It was the sound of the freezing rain hitting her windows that woke Katniss after she had been asleep for a few hours. As she laid still and listened to the freezing rain and the wind blowing she heard it again, the crying. The sound must carry through the whole house.

Throwing the covers off her she swung her legs around and slipped her feet into her slippers.

Clutching her robe tightly around her she set off quietly down the hall. Twice, she had to duck back behind a statue as a figure went rushing past. She wandered around the labyrinth of hallways, trying to follow the cries. Occasionally they would stop and Katniss would have to pause, the cries would inevitably start back up again and she would continue following them.

She caught a glimpse of Mrs. Trinket pulling aside an old tapestry and rushing through a doorway that had been concealed. The light that shone from the doorway before the tapestry fell back into place and the cries and screams were obviously coming from that room.

Deciding to be patient and wait until Mrs. Trinket left the room, she crouched down in the shadows behind a solid table holding a large vase, leaning against the wall and waited. Several minutes later, Mrs. Trinket appeared again, she rushed past muttering to herself.

Katniss quietly rose from her hiding spot and moved towards the tapestry that was concealing the door and slipped in.

The room was quiet apart from the someone sniffling.

Katniss peered around the corner, looking into someone's bedroom. The thought that this was inappropriate, walking into someone's bedroom without knocking or announcing herself at the very least, never crossed Katniss's mind.

A large ornately carved bed stood on the other side of the room, there were a few candles lit around the room but the top of the bed was in a shadow.

The person in the bed sniffled again and gave a soft whimper sound before thrashing around a little.

"Who's there?" A voice called out to Katniss, a young girl's voice, making Katniss jump slightly at being caught. "Who's there?" The girl demanded again.

Katniss stepped forward out of the hall.

"Come closer," The girl demanded.

Katniss walked to the bottom of the bed and she looked up into the face of a small girl with pale hair and a scrawny sickly face that looked as white as the sheets on her bed.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The girl demanded.

"I live here," Katniss said, "I am Katniss Everdeen. Lord Crane is my Uncle."

The girl looked surprised, "I am Primrose Crane, Lord Crane is my Father…No one told me you lived here."

"No one said anything about you either."

The young girl, Primrose settled back into her pillows, "Of course not," She looked back up at her cousin, "They know that I don't like people to look at me."

"Why should you care if people look at you?"

"I don't like the way they look at me. They all know I'm going to die, I can see it in their faces," This was said with an air of finality that was disturbing in one so young. It was hard to tell but the girl seemed several years younger than her cousin.

"You're dying?" Katniss asked, without any concern of seeming rude as she raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "From what?"

Primrose shrugged her thin shoulders, "Everything. That's what the doctors say."

"That is ridiculous, no one can die from everything," Katniss said, slightly annoyed at the dramatics this girl was putting on.

"What do you know," Primrose snapped, as she angered red splotches flushed on her face, standing out against her pale and waxen looking skin, "I am going to die."

Katniss crossed her arms and looked around at all the bottles of medicine and strange instruments then back at Primrose, "Why do you keep crying? I can hear you clear on the other side of the house."

Primrose didn't answer her cousin as to what caused her to cry, instead she sat up slightly, "Plump my pillows for me."

"You want me to what?" Katniss asked, her expression turning sour.

"Plump my pillows… And fix my blankets, they're all twisted."

Katniss looked down at the girl's bed, "Well I don't know what to do about it. And who are you to boss me around so, I am not here to serve you."

"Everyone is to do as I say. While my Father is away I am in charge of this house."

The statement sounded practically pitiable coming from such an obviously young and weak thing, as if she could ever have run of a house let alone a grand manor such as this one.

"Mrs. Trinket seems to be the one in charge to me," Katniss said almost mockingly.

"Only because I allow it," Primrose said with force, glaring at her cousin, she looked over her face trying to guess her age, "How old are you?" She demanded.

"Eleven," Katniss answered, "How old are you?"

"Nine," Primrose said and then added with a sigh, "The doctors say that I probably won't make it to ten… They think I'm sleeping and I hear them talk about me. They say I'm too weak." The slight little girl gave another sigh, clearing wallowing in self-pity.

"If everyone was telling me I was going to die, I wouldn't do it, just to spite them," Katniss said, annoyed that the young girl kept talking about dying.

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps caused both cousins to start.

"Quick, hide. That'll be Mrs. Trinket. She won't want you in here," Primrose said.

Katniss ducked behind a large arm-chair in the corner just as Mrs. Trinket came into the room.

"Here, Mistress Primrose," Mrs. Trinket said, setting down a small tray with another bottle of medicine, "It'll be two spoonfuls of this now."

"I don't want it," Primrose snapped.

"Come now, it'll help calm the nerves," Mrs. Trinket said in as soothing a voice as she could manage.

The two argued back and forth for several more minutes. Katniss shifted slightly in her hiding place, feeling annoyed at Primrose for arguing with Mrs. Trinket.

'Just take the blasted stuff and she'll leave," Katniss thought angrily, annoyed that she had to continue hiding.

Finally Primrose relented and accepted the medicine. Mrs. Trinket fussed a bit more, fluffing pillows and straightening the girls blankets before leaving.

Katniss stood up, "Took you long enough," She said with a huff, "I was left to stay crouched down and uncomfortable while you put up a fit over nothing."

"It wasn't nothing," Primrose countered, "I don't like that medicine."

Primrose was a little shocked at how Katniss was speaking to her, no one ever snapped at her, the servants and doctors always spoke to her with hushed voices, as if she were on her deathbed.

Katniss rolled her eyes, still annoyed that Primrose had put up such a fight while she was forced to stay hidden.

"It makes me sleepy," Primrose said and gave a long yawn."

"Well if you are finally going to go to sleep then maybe you won't wake me with your awful crying again," Katniss said and turned to leave the room.

"I haven't dismissed you yet."

Katniss spun around, "Dismiss me?!"

"Yes," The young girl and then gave a small wave of her pale hand, "You may go."

Katniss stormed out of the room, flinging the tapestry aside.

'Who does she think she is?' Katniss thought angrily as she went back to her room, 'Dismissing me.'

One look out the window in the morning told Katniss that it would be another inside day. She stared out the window for a while longer, her window faced the gardens, she felt disappointed that she couldn't see the locked garden from her window but that only added to the mystery.

Katniss spent the morning in her room alone apart from when Leevy arrived to bring her food tray.

As the afternoon was slowly passing by, Katniss decided to try to sneak into Primrose's room again.

She managed to retrace her steps from the night before and quietly entered the room.

"Miss. Katniss!" Leevy gasped as Katniss peered around the corner.

Leevy had been sitting in a chair reading a book aloud to Primrose.

"What's thou doing here?" Leevy said quickly standing, "Thou's not to be here… Quick before Mrs. Trinket finds ye."

"No," Primrose said firmly from her place in bed, "She will stay. She is my cousin and I want her company."

Leevy's eyes went wide as she looked over at Primrose, "Mistress Primrose… you know about Miss. Katniss?"

"Yes, I do," Primrose said lifting her chin, "She will stay and keep me company."

"But-but Mrs. Trinket won't like it," Leevy said, biting her lip nervously.

"Then you need not tell her," Primrose said, "You may leave us and tell Mrs. Trinket that I am tired and resting, not to be disturbed."

Leevy hesitantly left the room. Primrose turned and looked at her cousin.

Katniss walked over and sat in the chair where Leevy had been sitting, she slouched down, "It's been raining forever."

"The rain always gives me a headache."

Katniss ignored her cousin's reference to her poor health, "It hardly ever rained in India."

"India?" Primrose asked, obviously curious, "Is that where you are from?"

"Yes. My Father was an officer stationed there. My Ayah told me that I was still a baby when my Father, Mother and I arrived there."

"What was it like?"

"Dry," Katniss said, looking towards the windows that were covered with boards, "And hot… Why do you have boards on your windows?"

"I can't stand the sunshine."

"The sun never shines here," Katniss said with a huff.

"And to stop them from being opened. My lungs can't take the spores."

"Spores? What are spores?"

"They are in the air outside," Primrose said knowledgably, "When you breathe the spores get into your lungs and stay there. My lungs can't take them… Tell me more about India. What did your Father do?"

"He was an officer and worked for the government… I don't know exactly what he did. He was always busy, meeting people and going to parties."

Her Father had been a high-ranking officer, raising in ranks due to lineage rather than work, and served more as an ambassador of sorts for the English Government, setting an example of how a proper English gentlemen should act. Her Mother had been well suited for the wife of such a man as all she had to do was smile and make herself agreeable. Katniss only heard about what her parents did by what her Ayah had told her, she would be brought to stand in front of them occasionally so they could get a look at her. Both her Mother and Father were so accustomed to being friendly with people that they used to give Katniss smiles and pretend to be interested in her for the short time she was with them. But as their daughter started throwing fits in an attempt to get their attention, they started ignoring her more and more. Before they died, her Ayah would bring her to them for their daily meeting as they were preparing for an evening out. Her Mother would sit at her dressing table fussing with her hair or jewelry and her Father would be fastening his cufflinks. They would offer her sometimes a kiss on the cheek before leaving but would ignore her otherwise.

"What did it look like?" Primrose asked, curious about the foreign land.

"Lots of sand… hardly anything grows. I was never allowed to be outside for too long because it was always so hot."

"I would like to see a picture of it… I'll bet that my Father has a book about it in the library. You should go find one for me."

Not liking being bossed around, Katniss answered sharply, "I've never seen the library. I'm only supposed to be in my bedroom, I wouldn't know where to find it."

"I've never been there either. I've never been out of this bed."

"Never?" Katniss asked with disbelief.

"No, never," Primrose said.

"Can't you walk?"

"No, my back is too weak."

The two cousins talked for a while, sometimes getting angry and snapping at one another but otherwise getting along reasonably well.

It was over an hour later that Leevy rushed back up, "Mrs. Trinket is on her way up now, Mistress… Miss. Katniss, you ought to hurry back to your room."

"You will come again tomorrow," Primrose said, not asking.

Leevy was able to hurry Katniss back to her room without being seen.

"I'll be back in a bit with your supper, Miss. Katniss."

Katniss was left alone again, she went to the window and peered out, the rains appeared to have stopped though everything was still clearly wet.

Overnight the wet ground froze making everything icy white.

"Mind you don't slip," Leevy said as she tied Katniss's scarf tight and secured her hat on her head.

The grass crunched under her feet as she walked along, she walked with a purpose, knowing exactly where she was going. She was going to search the walls of the locked garden, set on finding the door.

Haymitch watched the girl circling around the garden, searching. He shook his head, thinking that she had to give up eventually and even if she found the door she'd still be without the key. No one had been with or seen Master Crane when he had locked the garden a final time and buried the key, so none but him knew where it was buried.

He kept close, tending the nearby gardens for the full morning that she searched. Her search in the afternoon was cut short by Leevy calling out to her. The maid looked frantic, "Oh, Miss. Katniss. Please hurry," She took Katniss's arm and hurried her inside. Leevy lowered her voice, "It's Mistress Primrose, she's screaming and kicking up a right fit. Expecting you to visit her… Mrs. Trinket is out in the village for a moment, she'll be back in less than an hour. Oh, do please try to calm her."

Primrose's screeches could be heard as soon as they left the kitchen. Katniss stormed up the stairs and down the halls ways.

"You can't sit there and summon me!" Katniss said stomping her foot.

"I told you to visit me again today! You weren't coming, I had to summon you."

Katniss crossed her arms tightly in front of her body and scowled at the girl.

"This is my house and everyone in it has to do as I say," Primrose lifted her chin slightly and stared at her cousin.

"I don't do what anyone says," Katniss said and spun on her heel and started to walk out the door.

"If you leave I will scream and scream until I die!" Prim yelled after her. Katniss looked back over at her and saw the red flush splotching on her face and her whole body heaving as she started preparing to throw a tantrum.

"Fine," Katniss said and stalked back to a chair, "I will stay, but I won't look at you or talk to you. I will keep my eyes on the floor and clench my teeth together."

She said down and turned her eyes to the floor, the sour expression resembled that which she wore for the whole boat ride from India.

"You will talk to me!" Primrose shouted.

Katniss didn't answer, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"You will! You must!" Primrose started thrashing about throwing pillows and blankets everywhere.

Leevy came rushing to her bedside, "Mistress Primrose, what is it?! What's thou need?"

Primrose kept screaming and kicking her legs and flailing her arms about, actually smacking Leevy across the face when the poor maid got in the way.

Katniss stood up and screamed at her younger cousin, "You are so spoiled! I hate you!"

Primrose was shocked into silence for a moment, no one had ever yelled at her before, she soon found her voice, "You can't talk to me like that? You have to do what I say! I'm sick!"

"Anyone who can make such a fuss over nothing is not sick or dying, so stop talking about it!" Katniss snapped then stormed to the door. She took a slow breath the turned, "I will come and visit you after supper but if you cry or throw a fit, I promise that I won't come back for weeks."

Leevy stood still, shocked, not only that someone had dared to talk that way to Mistress Primrose but also that Primrose was still sitting in bed quietly several minutes after Katniss left. Timidly, she began to move again, she sat in the chair as asked if she wanted her to continue with the story she'd been reading.

Primrose gave a small nod and leaned back against her pillows.

The two cousin developed a routine, after supper Katniss would sneak into visit with Primrose for about an hour before returning to her room. It was during time that Mrs. Trinket would take her supper and Leevy acted as a look out of sorts to prevent the housekeeper from finding out.

Mrs. Trinket definitely noticed that something was different, most noticeable was with Primrose, she would still throw fits, yell and cry, but they didn't happen as often and they seemed much less hysteric. Her fits that used to last for well over an hour, now only seemed to take twenty minutes or so before the child was calm. Instead of thinking that the change in the young girl was a positive sign in her health and overall person, Mrs. Trinket thought that she was getting weaker and physically unable to shout and cry for so long. When Mrs. Trinket made mention of this new development to poor Primrose's failing health to Leevy, "She has no energy at all anymore," She had said with a sigh.

Leevy, who had also noticed the change in Primrose's tantrums and fits but unlike Mrs. Trinket she knew the real reason for this change, but she held her tongue about the secret visits from her cousin and instead said, "Perhaps tis a phase the Mistress is growin' out of."

"A phase that's lasted all these nine years?" Mrs. Trinket asked with a tone of obvious disbelief, "No, she's getting weaker. No doubt the Master will find her much altered when he returns… I've almost a mind to write to alert him, incase her condition worsens."

"I'd hold off for a bit," Leevy urged, "See how things turn out."


So... I promise that Peeta will be in this story... Promise.