Chapter 3
"Peeta?" the voice asks again.
I step closer. The shadow moves closer into the moonlight.
My body shudders at the sight of her. If I hadn't heard her voice first, I'm not so sure I would recognize her. The scars run up her right arm, covering the entirety of it. They lead up to her neck and along her cheek, reaching to the top of her forehead. For a moment I feel like crying. How could something like this happen to someone like her? Is there anything good out there for any of us anymore?
Delly Cartwright's yellowish hair lay flatly along her mangled collar bone. Her eyes are full of recognition, but I do not see the same girl I once knew. She pulls her arm across her body, out of self consciousness maybe. I realize now that I've been looking at her far too long.
"Delly, is that you?" I ask, walking toward her.
"Yeah… I'm finally home." She pausing, taking a deep breath. "After searching for my brother, and found that he was ok, I decided to come back to District 12."She pauses again, looking back up at me. I immediately steer my gaze to the side. "It's okay Peeta. It's bad. Real bad. I'm just happy you knew it was me." Her eyes flickered up to me, and back down to her hands. "is Katniss..is she okay?" She asked.
She was always a close friend of mine. She was selfless, and caring. She reached out to me when I needed it most. Now she is the one who needs help.
"We're all fine. We've been doing well back here so far. With some help, we got the bakery up and running again." I stop myself. Who cares about the bakery? "I'm so happy to see you. I've been hoping to see you around here again." I walk forward, embracing her. Right then, she begins to cry. I will never know her pain.
"I got in earlier today. Greasy Sae and Ripper have a spare room in their house for me to stay." She smiles at me. "I'm really happy to see you Peeta. Won't you tell Katniss I say hello?"
I immediately see the old Delly in there somewhere. Maybe it was the way her eyes lit up in that smile. At the same time, I notice other drastic changes to her. Besides the burns, I noticed how gaunt she is. She always looked healthy, and well fed. Now I could see her rib bones beneath her protruding collar bones.
"You'll be in good hands with Greasy Sae. She keeps us healthy around here." I surprise myself by letting out a laugh.
"I won't keep you, I know it's late. Good night, I guess I'll be seeing you around then." She smiles and waves.
I wake up feeling a little disoriented. Like last night might have been a dream. Like Delly was never standing in front of me with most of her body covered in scars. But she was. The girl who helped me with my memory was punished. She's alone.
I walk to the closet and take out my clothes. I take off my shirt, revealing scars of my own. I look down at the one across my abdomen. The Capitol ruined my mind, and they ruined my body.
Ashamed, I look away from the scar and pull on a new shirt.
I finish getting dressed and go outside to check on the plants. Note to self, stop letting Buttercup use the garden as a litter box.
"You did this." I point to the dead plants. Buttercup hisses at me, naturally.
I hear a laugh behind me. I look over my shoulder to find Katniss leaning against the opening of the front door. She's wearing sun dress today. I can count the times I've seen her in a dress, so I take the opportunity to relish the moment.
"You look nice today." I grin, adjusting my gaze from her face, all the way down to her feet.
"Cinna." She's still smiling, but her eyes have changed.
We were told he was killed. Katniss refuses to believe it, but I know deep down she thinks something awful has happened to him.
I take my gloves off, and walk to her. She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder. I can tell she's still thinking about him.
"He would love that you're wearing it." I place my hand on the small of her back.
"I wonder if he can see me now…" A lump rises in my throat. I've never heard her talk about him like this. I wonder if she really believes he's gone. I decide to hold back and not say anything. Nothing I could say would be right.
I grab her hand and lead in her into the house. We sit down on the sofa, and she looks to me.
"Do you think you could stay with me today. I'm sure the town has enough baked goods for the day." She takes my hand. "I just, I could really just use a day off…with you." She says.
She still makes my heart race when she's so candid. I'm still not used to it, and I probably won't ever be either.
"What's it to you?" I joke, and she lightly punches my side. I pull her closer to me, and brush her hair from her face. She looks at me seriously now. Differently. She reaches her hands up to my face, cradling it gently beneath her palms. She pulls me closer, her forehead resting on mine. Our breathing is in sync. But if I could guess, my heart is racing much faster than hers. Her right hand falls to my arm, and she stares down at it. Her hand gently moves down my bare arm, until her hand is placed into mine. I lean in, pressing my lips to hers, hers move more fiercly against mine. My head goes blank. No words can describe the relationship we have. She's my neighbor. She's my friend. And now she's my lover. I feel stirring in my chest, slowly making its way throughout my body. I can't help but feel myself grow hungrier for her kisses. But I know we have plenty of time for this. Time passes, but when I'm with her it feels like it has stopped.
I press my lips gently to her neck and along her collar bone. I pull back, and tuck her hair behind her ear.
She lay her head down against my chest. She laughs, giving my hand a squeeze.
"You heart is racing a mile a minute." She says.
"You really don't have any idea, the effect you have on me, do you Katniss?"
"Not really. I was hoping you might want to give my heart a listen." I lean my head down to her heart. I could be wrong, but it's beating just as fast as mine. I can't help but give her a grin.
"You have that effect on me too, Peeta. More than you realize." She whispers quietly in my ear. She reaches down and laces her fingers through mine.
She lays down again, and I mindlessly fiddle with her hair like I used to. It brings me back to happier days. Livelier ones.
It makes me wonder if she still believes I was practicing tying knots.
