Hey! Uh... hah... haha... Yeah. I'm so sorry it took so long to update! To make it up to you, I've added an extra special chapter from a point of view I haven't done before. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
Katniss flings herself down on the rock-hard cot, scowling. I look around, searching for the cause of her distress, and it's not long before I spot Gale stalking off in the opposite direction. Peeta has disappeared into the crowd. I reach out and gently rub Katniss on the back. "How'd it go?" I ask, even though I know perfectly well how it went.
Katniss just grunts and shifts her arm so it covers her eyes. After a few seconds, she sighs and says, "Gale tried to lecture me about how dangerous Peeta is."
"And you didn't want to be lectured," I finished for her, nodding sympathetically.
Katniss suddenly rolls over so that she can look me in the eyes, startling me and nearly falling off the cot. "He's not."
"Who's not what?"
"Peeta. He's not dangerous, Prim. Just… lost."
I turn away, so that Katniss doesn't see the smile spread across my face. I silently thank whatever higher powers there are for doing their job. I had heard that Katniss went to visit Peeta, and that it gave him a huge push in the direction of recovery. But I didn't know if it was really true. Judging by recent events, I'd say it's very true. And I'm so happy they're finally finding each other again. All I say aloud, though, is, "I know."
"Do you think he'll ever find his way back?"
I glance back at her. It's rare for Katniss to say this kind of thing. Then again, she has been… different lately. "Yes," I reassure her. Then, more quietly, "He always has."
My sister's piercing gray eyes flash towards me, trying to figure out what I mean. They soften after a few seconds and she turns back around so that she's propped up against the wall, the heel of one shoe bouncing on the toe of the other. "Yeah."
I busy myself with tucking Buttercup into a small, cave-like structure I made out of the bags and a blanket. He nuzzles against my hand and I stroke his head. I love taking care of this cat. I always have. I don't know what I would have done if Katniss hadn't brought him to 13 for me.
My mind wanders as I pet Buttercup, so I'm surprised when I look up to find Peeta standing a few feet away, next to Katniss. Neither of them seems to have noticed that I saw them. They're talking in whispers, Katniss with the beginnings of a scowl and Peeta looking stubborn. Huh. I've never seen Peeta look stubborn before. Katniss starts to say something, but Peeta shakes his head and covers her mouth with his fingers. Katniss looks so surprised that I doubt she knows what Peeta says next. But I hear. He says, "Stay safe. Promise me."
He drops his hand and Katniss just looks at him for a second before she gently says, "I promise. But you have to stay safe, too."
"I will." Peeta hesitates, and then his hand zips out to brush a lock of Katniss's hair back from her face. Then he's gone and Katniss is just standing there, looking shell-shocked.
"Katniss?" I finally venture.
She snaps out of her reverie and walks over to me, smoothing my hair back just as Peeta just did to her. "Yeah, little duck?" There's a smile in her voice. I wonder why.
"What did Peeta want?"
She rolls her eyes, but I sense it's more in amusement than annoyance. "He just wanted to make sure I'd make it through the night without somehow hurting myself. I'm not that clumsy, am I?"
I laugh with her. "Okay. But, is that all?"
She frowns slightly, and I know there's more. But before she can tell me, there's a bone-cracking boom and the lights flicker. As a tribute to how practiced she is at keeping her face clear of emotion, Katniss doesn't even flinch. I jump a few inches, though. Another few bombs hit, spaced out by about fifteen minutes each, and Katniss retreats into her own little world. Her eyes glaze over and she props her chin on her hands. At first I'm worried, but then I remember that when she's zoning out in the dangerous way, her eyes close.
My mom appears and nervously packs and unpacks the bags over and over again. It's pretty quiet, considering how many people are in this cavern. At last, about an hour goes by without any jolts. President Coin comes on the intercom, letting the population of 13 know that we're free to move about the cavern, but that we won't be leaving for another day or more, just in case.
It takes a total of fifteen seconds after that for Haymitch to come running to our square, waving his arms frantically. He's so out of breath that all he can do once he gets there is huff, "Peeta… gone… don't know where… just… disappeared after the… bombs."
Before I know it, Katniss has bounded from her seat on the bed and is sprinting across the cavern like her life depends on it.
