Hey everyone! I'm baaack! And with a whole new chapter! This one is a little longer than the rest but, enjoy! :)
Chapter 3
I couldn't help but ask, nearly beg Haymitch to not send me to training. But, of course, he wouldn't listen to my pleads. The only thing that brightened my day was Cinna clipping my Mocking Jay pin to my training uniform. It reminded me that I'm not in this arena alone, I've got my district to back me up.
Feeling more confident than this morning, I strode into the training gym, head high. And then, I saw him. Like a shadow in the back corner of the room. As soon as I saw him, our eyes locked, and that same, amused grin cast itself onto his lips. I had to pull myself away, feeling my blush riding up. 'Why is he doing this?' I asked myself as the head of the gym went over the basic rules again. We would get to train for one week. That meant 6 more days of facing Thresh, every morning to afternoon.
As we dismissed, I immediately headed towards the opposite corner as Thresh. To my dismay, this happened to be the spear throwing station. My mind immediately went to my conversation with the dark brute the day before. I couldn't help but blush softly. With my mind completely distracted, I didn't hear him approaching, (not that I would have, the way he moves like a shadow).
I snapped to reality as the spear, thrown from behind me, fluttered through the air like one of my arrows and smashed into the dummy's head. "Need some more help?" He asked. His voice, as I now realized, taking account of it's softness, was husky and deep. Very deep.
My palms began to involuntarily sweat. "N-no." It came out as a squeak. Clearing my throat, I somehow produced a more confident answer. "No thank you."
He laughed softly. But it wasn't the dark laugh I'd expected. It was surprisingly light, airy, and oddly... Comforting. Like the laugh of an old friend. I instantly realized who he reminded me of. Gale. Now I recognized it. The silent movements, the teasing kind of joking, the laugh... The only thing that was different, was that, at some point, I might have to kill him. I shuddered at the thought of coming face to face with this brute on the battlefield.
"Cold? That's not good. Katniss need warmth to blossom. I'll make a suggestion to the Gamemakers about the temperature." He chuckled again and then, he was gone.
My heart beat again, reminding me that, at some point in the near future, I would need to breath. When I did, the oxygen filled my lungs like I'd just been chased out of the woods by a black bear. Not nearly fast enough. After a few deep breaths, I sighed softly. 'He's just pulling you into his game, Katniss.' I forced myself to think. Still... There was a certain ring to his voice, one would call captivating, that made me want to believe his flirting was not produced by the Games.
My head was spinning so I decided I'd sit myself at the station I felt most comfortable at (other than the archery unit). Survival skills. I whizzed through the "edible plant" test, and had a shelter built in no time. Allowing myself to think clearly as my body preformed the familiar motions, I took my first calm breath in a while. 'The Games are in less than a week, Katniss.' I reminded myself. 'You don't have time to be fretting over guys that you will have to kill in 6 days.' That thought hit me like a ton of bricks. There could only be one survivor. Somehow, I knew I wouldn't be it.
My thoughts immediately drifted to Prim. I promised her I'd try to win. But would winning be worth it if I meant I had to kill someone. 'For Prim's sake, yes.' I decided. But would I ever be able to live with myself? My thoughts drifted to my mother. What if I was scarred by the things I will have seen. Things I will have done. What if I go into a state of shock, like my mother. That would leave Prim to face the cold world around her with no one but that putrid cat of hers. 'No.' I thought defiantly. 'I will not let that happen. Prim will never be alone as long as I am around.' And there was that thought again. 'But what if you aren't around?' I quickly pushed it down into the crevices of my mind and focused on starting a fire.
"For the girl on fire, you sure don't know how to start one." Thresh's voice came from behind me. It was soft, warm, but teasing.
Thinking as fast as I could to come up with a witty remark, I let my hands fumble. "Well, I was only there after the flame started. Fire catches." I said, and as I did so, burnt my hand on the hot rock I'd been very close to setting ablaze before I spoke. "Ah!" I let out a soft shriek, bringing the burnt area to my lips. Even my cold tongue couldn't silence the burning.
"Here." He said softly. Taking my hand, he pressed it to a bag of ice. Not the kind of ice you see on the side of the roads in winter in District 12. Cubed ice. Capitol ice. The fancy stuff. "Now what am I going to do with you?" He chuckled. His voice was teasing, but it was light, so I didn't take it as an insult. There was something about him teasing. It was flirtatious and soft, unlike Haymitch's down right criticism.
I couldn't stop the blush that spread across my cheeks. Looking up, I realized that no one was paying much attention to us. No one but Peeta. And what was he looking at? Thresh. And his gaze was not only angry but... Jealous? No. I tore my gaze from 'dough boy' as I call him, and looked back at the dark figure knelt next to me.
His eyes met mine and I realized our faces were only inches apart. His dark eyes sparkled in the fluorescent light of the training room. I caught highlights of color in them. They were not just dark. No. They had hints of hazel and light brown in them too. Like the coat of a baby deer. And there were also the darkest patches. Like crystals held to the starless midnight sky. His eyes were beautiful. They reminded me of home. And instantly my heart began to ache. I missed home badly.
After realizing that my hand had gone numb, and Peeta was no longer the only person looking at us, I tore my gaze away and looked back at the fire I'd failed to create. "So much for being the girl on fire."
He grinned softly. "It's fine to play with fire as long as you're ready to be burnt. Like I am." He said, though the last part was barely a whisper.
My eyes caught his again, and I absently wondered what he saw. Did he see the eyes of, indeed, the girl on fire. The girl that had caught everyone's attention at the parade. The girl that had stolen the glory of those that deserved it? Or did he see just another opponent in the game. An opponent worthy of a little time, but in the end, just another target. It was hard to tell. His eyes gave away so little of what he was thinking.
The survival station instructor cleared her throat and both of our heads whipped back to see her. "If you're going to stare longingly into each others eyes, please do it on your own time." She said curtly, but not exactly in a harsh way.
Nodding, I stood, as did Thresh. "Thank you for the ice." I said softly. He nodded but before he could walk away, I added softly. "And the flowers." He only smiled, fixed a strand of my hair, and walked off.
Wow! Can you believe that? No? Then why don't you tell me your opinion in a review or a PM. I'd love to get some feedback. Until next time, Happy Hunger Games. :)