Chapter 4
We stare at each other for a few seconds, then I turn away. Cinna begins class with a hello and then asks me to introduce myself. I stand up from my seat between Cato and Thresh and walk to the front. "Hey, I'm Katniss Everdeen. I'm 16 and moved from California." I state blandly. I walk back to me seat and can feel his eyes one me. "Now everyone I expect you all to treat her with respect. We all clear? Good. Now you all can go into the practice rooms and play, I'll check in on you during the period at some point." Cinna waves us all off.
I'm about to get up and follow Thresh and Cato when I hear "Katniss, Can I please speak with you?" Cinna asks, well states. Shit I think. My friends give me a questioning look, I shrug and turn around to Cinna. He motions me to a seat and he sit next to me. "Katniss, I haven't seen you since your parents died 11 years ago." I cringe at the mention of my parents. "Yeah." I state awkwardly, he sighs. "I know how Derrick abused you and Prim. How is she? Is she alright?" I guess the decided to leave out the part about her dyeing when they told all the teaches what happened. I look up at him with tears in my eyes. "She...she died Cinna. In the fire that also killed Derrick." I reply in a whisper purposely not telling how the fire actually started. I don't need him to know that. Just another layer of dark secrets, I never told anyone how it started and don't intend to I add to myself. He gasps and lays a hand on my shoulder "Katniss, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He says equally as quite. I start to cry harder "I couldn't save her! It was my job after they died, I promised myself, her, and them that I would. I couldn't! He stopped me!" I throw myself in his arms. He shushes me, "Shh, hun it's alright. You would have died if you tried. Your parents wouldn't want that." He rubs my back. I nod, hes right but it still hurts. "I'm going to go play in the practice rooms, do you have any violins I can use? Mines at my house." I ask, whipping my tears. "Yes, I have your mother's old one in my office." He points at the door beside us. I go in and take the case into a practice room with no one else in it.
I open the case and am reminded of my mother and father. She played this the night they were killed. They always say it was a mystery on what happened, but I know that somehow Derrick killed them, he was jealous of their skill level. I sigh taking out the bow with shaky hands, I rosin it as I think of her. Her hair was a golden blond, with blue eyes and high cheek bones she was beautiful. I miss her so much. I get into playing position, perfect from years of training when I was little, and begin to play. I play what I'm feeling, my parents told me it was the best way because you are connecting with the song. The song is one of a melancholy melody, then moves into a more angry, fast paced song. My fingers are flying with perfect precision as always. I drift off into my own thoughts as I play.
I'm in my red dress sitting in the audience of the Rockefeller Center as my mother and father play together in front of hundreds of thousands of people. They are world renowned for their skill. They always play in perfect harmony and look graceful doing so. I sit in awe hoping that one day I'll be at their level. The show lasts for and hour and a half, the curtains close. Then the screams came. A high pitched whale come from behind the curtains, I run onto the stage only to stop in my tracks in horror. My father has a knife in his stomach while my mother lies next to him clutching her heavily bleeding side. I run to the trying to help, but they just start to talk to me in a fast paced manner, as if its their last worlds. "Katniss. sweety it will all be ok, your father and I are badly hurt and will probably die here. Just remember we love you and Prim never forget that, please!" My mother pleads with me tears running down her and my faces. My father grasps ahold of my other hand. "Katniss, protect Prim from the danger in this world. Never forget music, it breaths life into your soul. Keep playing and me and your mother will be watching other you." I nod "I promise to take care of Prim. I'll never stop playing music." I say clinging to their hands.
As my parents are taken away in body bags I hold onto Prim crying. A hand comes onto my shoulder. Derrick. He is a coworker of my parents. "Its alright I'll take care you now." He leads us to his car and we drive away. That's when my hell started, its only gotten worse.
I end my song and look up. I see Cinna and about the whole class staring at me in awe. I guess they heard me playing. Cinna seems proud of me. I guess I was good.
As me, Cato,Thresh, Finnick, Marvel, and Jo walk out the room the begin to talk about my playing. "That was phenomenal!" Shouts Finnick "Yeah where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Asks Jo in disbelief. "I know how to play almost every instrument, the violin isn't my best though." I say shrugging. "Not your best!? You play like a fucking pro!" Thresh says in his deep voice. "I'm not that good guys." I blush. "The hell you aren't! I wish I could play one tenth as amazing as you!" Marvel adds into our conversation. Cato just keeps staring at me with the look of amazement in his eyes. They would be proud of my playing, but I'm far from being as good as them. I think sadly.
The rest of the day goes normally for the most part. At lunch everyone tells Clove how good I am at playing. She seems impressed that I could considering everyone pretty much thinks I'm a bad ass. After school I say bye to my friends after getting all their numbers and ride my bike home. I spend most of the evening in my room setting everything up while listening to my parents old concerts playing on my laptop. My room is quite large, yesterday I only took out my clothes, bed things, an alarm clock, and my toiletries. Now I'm taking out all my music, photos,and instruments. I hang up old photos of my family when we were all together, and of the places I went traveling with my parents. After my wall is full of the pictures and old concert tickets I start on unpacking the cases to my instruments. I have my cello, violin, bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone,tuba,trombone,and a piano. These aren't mine originally Haymitch and Effie got them for me when I moved in, but now I have two violins my mothers and the one they got me. I set them all up with the music they also bought for me and start to clean and tune up all of them. By time that was done it was 7:30 and time for dinner.
Haymitch, Effie, and I all sit in the enormous dinning room eating lamb stew. "Katniss, how was your first day?" Asks Effie, looking outrageous in her yellow wig and pin stripe suite... kinda like a bee. "Oh, I had a nice day. I made some friends and all the teachers were really nice to me." I speak with the 'manners voice' Effie taught me. "I heard Cinna is the music teacher there, did he bring up any bad memories?" Haymitch asks. "No, no he was very nice to see, I even got my mother's old violin." I say quietly. After dinner I go to my room do my homework and shower. As I get into bed I hope the nightmares won't be as bad tonight, but I know they will be.