Chapter 3
"We're just going to put this away," Peeta tells them, grabbing my hand and pulling me to his house. I shoot Johanna and Annie a look, and they give me the same one. Willow keeps up with us.
"Where did you get that, Mom?" she asks me. Then she looks to Peeta, "Dad? Where's it from?" she isn't giving up. She keeps on asking the same question all the way to Peeta's house. Then, I can't help it, I start bawling my eyes out, right on the doorstep to Peeta's old house. Now, she probably thinks that bracelet is what I am today, because of how I've been acting.
"Willow, you're not allowed to come in," Peeta says, gently pushing her towards the pool.
"I'm not moving until you tell me what's going on!" she declares, crossing her arms defiantly. She's like me in that way, not letting anyone push her around, or tell her what to do. Right now I wish she wasn't like me, though.
"Please, Willow, go back to the pool," Peeta pleads. But she just stands.
"There's nothing going on, we're all going to talk to you tomorrow. I just need you to not tell anyone about what you saw, do you understand?" I tell her, tears streaming down my face.
"What is there to tell? Why can't you just tell me? Gosh, I'm seventeen, when are you guys going to stop treating me like a child?!" she shouts at us. Peeta and I look at each other. I know if we say 'tomorrow' she'll be even more upset.
"Go get Johanna, maybe she can talk some sense into her," I whisper to Peeta. He nods his head and runs off to get Joahanna.
"What's Aunt Johanna gonna do?"
"She'll give you a reason to leave this alone until tomorrow."
"What is so great about tomorrow?!" she screams at me.
"We're going to tell you something. I know, you don't understand now, but once we tell you you're going to wish we didn't. We wanted you to have one day to just hang out with everyone before we dropped the bomb!" I shout louder.
"Why were you wearing a bracelet that said, 'Mentally Disoriented'?" she asks me quietly.
"Willow, go back to the pool, right now," I firmly state. I'm not letting her find out until tomorrow, she can't, she just can't. Finally, Johanna comes running from the pool.
"Willow, I think you should go back, you don't want to know anything. We'll explain it all tomorrow. Just don't tell anybody what was on that bracelet, let them enjoy the rest of the day," Johanna says.
"Whatever," she huffs, walking back to the pool slowly. Once she's out of earshot Johanna speaks.
"Now, Brainless, are you wearing any more evidence of the games?" she asks sarcastically.
"No. I don't think I'm going back to the pool, can you tell Peeta I'm back at the house?" I ask her. She nods. I don't want to go back, I know Rowan will ask me questions, and I'll keep getting a cold stare from Willow. I think it's best if I let everybody cool down first. Johanna nods and jogs back to the pool. I let silent tears stream freely down my face as I slowly walk to the pool.
"You okay, Katniss?" Annie asks me, looking up from her daze. I guess telling the kids has gotten to all of us. I haven't seen her stare off like that in awhile.
"Yeah, but I almost told her," I huff, exhaling and stretching out on a lounge chair.
"Told me what?" Willow asks, turning from a few chairs away from Annie.
"Nothing, Willow," Annie assures her, staring off into the distance for a moment. She doesn't swim either, she just wears her suit to relax. She's been terrified of water since her games when a tsunami wiped out everyone but her. If I had been in the same situation I'd be just as scared. Oddly, Peeta isn't phased by the water. In fact, once I was able to go in again and taught him to swim, he's gotten really good. It took Willow awhile to learn how to swim, but Rowan was a natural when Peeta first carried him into the pool. Soon enough, the kids are done with swimming and we all go inside our house to watch a movie. Once it's over the kids light a fire outside, and we go back to Peeta's old house to finish the planning.
"Annie, are you watching Finnick's tape with Finn?" I ask her from across the table.
"Yeah, he needs to see his father. He's never seen photos because the only ones taken were from the games," she whispers.
"Alright, so it's settled. We'll watch our tapes with our kids, wait for Annie to finish, then come together to watch the Quell," Peeta says.
"Then, we're going to explain about Peeta," Johanna says, looking at her notes. I take Peeta's hand, "Then, everything that happened to him and me in the Capital, and you guys will explain about Thirteen," she says, looking to Annie and me. We nod.
"Then we can have them take stuff from the boxes and tell them about it," I say, looking at our box on the floor.
"Maybe we should split up for that, too. It's already going to be hard enough," Leo suggests. We all agree. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through our box. With our things together it's quite big, and I'm bringing my dresses, and Peeta's suits for the kids tomorrow. So they can see in person some of the things remaining of the games. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through it all. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing Peeta will be with me every step of the way. Johanna goes through the rest of the list quick enough, and we all move our things to the office. The kids don't go there, so they won't find it. I almost start crying on the way back, but I make it to the bedroom, and I wrap myself in the blankets until Peeta comes. Seeing everything, and talking about everything has been too much, so when Peeta's arms envelope me later that night, I don't even notice until I hear his steady heartbeat next to me.
"You love me, real or not real?" he whispers. I turn to face him, not hesitating with my answer as I did all those years ago.
"Real."
"Good, because I love, too," he whispers in my ear. I love hearing him say that, and every time he does I find myself falling more in love with him. I fall asleep that way, snuggled up in his arms, and feeling loved.
Hey I hope you like it! It's currently 11 where I am, so I think I'm going to bed for the night. Shoot for 10 reviews? I love you all!
