Thank you guys for all your magnificent reviews! And because of them, another chapter and it's longer than most of the previous ones. And also, sorry for not fulfilling my promise! It has been 4 days right? So sorry!
"These are amazing, you did all of these?" I turn around to look at Katniss, who's admiring some of my uncovered paintings. Without a word, I go to the small pile of my very first paintings. I return to Katniss and hand the painting over to her. She looks at me cynically and pulls the white cloth off the art. Her gray eyes fall on the image and I can see her brows furrow. The picture was of Katniss, in her fiery dress at her first interview with Caesar. "Why do you have a painting of me?" she looks confused, curious and angry at the same time. "It's you during your interview for the Games." She breathes deeply and lets it out. "Cinna made it, and called you the girl on fire."
"I think everything he made had made Katniss be known as the girl on fire." I turn to face the person who just spoke. Johanna Mason gives us a smile as she walks in on us. "Johanna, what are you doing here?" I ask. Johanna has been one of the few friends I'd made during the uprising. She's like a sister to me. "Not that glad to see me are you?"
"No, it's not that," I try to reason out. It's not that I don't want her here; it's just that her timing's made things complicated. Johanna turned all needy after the war. She needs total attention. But with Katniss' condition, I don't think I'll be granting Johanna that. She gives off a light laugh and focuses on Katniss. "How are you?" Katniss shifts her weight, indicating her discomfort. "I'm fine thanks .You're Johanna Mason right?" Johanna nods in answer to Katniss. "You still haven't answered my question Johanna. Why are you here?" I insist. She gives an exasperated sigh. "Wanted to see Katniss. I heard about her condition." She states with a silly grin."How do we know each other?" Katniss inquires. "We're Victors. We stick together. You do know you're a Victor right?"
"Yes. Peeta's mentioned it before."
"What you got there?" Johanna moves in to take a closer look at the painting. "Peeta painted me—this."
"I know. Cinna truly was amazing. I was jealous that you got him. If only I could steal stylists. Too bad he died though."
"Cinna died?" Katniss stood there, her eyes wide and in my direction. I can only nod. Things were going really fast. I mean, Katniss still haven't remembered a lot from our first year together, and she's learning about the Quell at once? I mean, I don't know where I'll start to tell her, and I can't process all of these right now. "Hello?" Johanna obnoxiously waves her hand in front of my face. "Quit it Johanna." I try to refrain myself from smacking Johanna's hand. Where is all of her energy coming from? "Sheesh. Who crapped in your cornflakes?" Now this is really puzzling. I haven't seen Johanna like this since we were in a party in the Capitol and she was drunk. That time, Johanna was silent and only gives occasional nods and smiles, but when she consumed enough alcohol, her mouth kept spewing words like a machine gun firing. Could she be possibly drunk right now? But I'll take the benefit of a doubt. I smile and ignore what Johanna just said. I see Katniss fiddle with her braid and I know right away that being here with this gauche atmosphere won't help me help her. We need to leave at once and I need to find a way to get rid of Johanna until she learns how important this is for me. Or until—if she's drunk—she turns sober. "Katniss, you can keep that if you want."
…
"Haymitch, can you keep Johanna company for a while?" I find Haymitch in his backyard tending to his geese and the bottle of liquor in his right hand. This man's got a thing for alcohol and birds. "Who's Johanna?" he acts all clueless even though he knows who I'm talking about. "Haymitch this is serious." I know this will affect him. He'll try to put the fogginess of his head from the alcohol aside. This always works, me telling him sentences ending with the word serious. He'll try to be as sober as possible. And I would be lying if I say that this isn't entertaining. "What's serious?" I chuckle lightly. Haymitch might be annoying me by acting this way, but he also gives off a slight entertainment factor. "Haven't you been listening?"
"No. I haven't been listening to you rambling on about Johanna Mason." I sigh. Clearly Haymitch will be unable to help me with this. He just doesn't want to. "Haymitch, can I ask you a question?"
"No." He takes one sip of his liquor—too small an amount—and laughs hysterically afterwards. I seize the bottle from him and drain the bottle immediately, just to make him talk to me properly, even for just a while. "What the heck was that for?"
"You never get old Haymitch. I need to talk to you properly, without you acting like you're sick in the head!"
"Damn you! That wasn't normal liquor you idiot! That was four times the cost!"
"I don't care."
"You should care! That stuff's strong. You did see me only take small sips right? I can't even handle a bottle. You're such an idiot." Okay, maybe I took it too far. What was I thinking? I can already feel my legs shake, making me unstable. I plunk down on the dirt, groaning. My head hurts. I can only feel things go by in a blur. I just know that Haymitch brings me in, and I pass out.
Cold liquid makes contact with my face and I sit up from where I was lying. My head still hurts and I'm sure it's still from Haymitch's liquor. I feel extremely stupid for committing that deed and I regret it. Next time, I'll ask Haymitch for it rather than grab it from his hands. I open my eyes and the first thing I see is Johanna holding a bucket. Great, just great. I look around and notice I'm in Haymitch's living room. I also notice that the place is neater than normal. "Yay, you're awake." She greets sarcastically. "How long was I out? What time is it?"
"It's 5 am. You were down for 12 hours."
"12 hours? That short?" If that liquor really was strong, I'd expect myself to have gone to sleep for about a day or so, not less."Yep. 12 hours. But I woke you up. Don't go around thinking you can handle that much liquor. I think you need more sleep but it's boring without anyone to talk to. "
"How considerate of you Johanna." I say sarcastically. "But how about Haymitch?"
"I don't like him. He's so old. And he won't give me some stuff."
"Stuff?" I yawn. "His liquor. I stole some yesterday but I was soon out."
"Oh that's why you were acting so weird."
"I was not."
"Yeah right. Where's Katniss?"
"I think she's with Hawthorne. It's uncomfortable talking with her you know. It already was when she had her memories, how do you think it will be—"
"She's with Gale?" I cut in. Johanna flashes a knowing smile. "Oh, are we jealous?" I'm slowly becoming embarrassed.
"What? No. I'm just uh, confirming."
"Whatever you say. By the way, you better get up!" I shake my head in disappointment. I really needed the sleep, and I don't think I have enough strength to stand up soon. But I try to stand up, because I don't feel comfortable sleeping here. My head feels heavy and I can't seem to find my balance. This is worse than when I first stood up with my new leg, which did not go really well. I hang onto the sofa to keep myself from tipping over. "Whoa. I think you might need coffee."
"I need it, but I don't think anything in this house is clean."
"Hey! I cleaned up some places here you know! And Haymitch has a housekeeper."
"Nevertheless, can you help me back home? I'll feel much more comfortable there."
"Fine. And when have been such a prissy?" I try to laugh, but it only makes my head hurt even more. "Can you stand?"
"Unfortunately, I don't think I can. But there's a wheelchair back home. It's inside the closet under the stairs."
"Ugh. I'm not your caretaker. But the hell, I'll just do it."
"Thanks Johanna." I smile the best smile I can produce. She leaves the living room and I can only hear the slamming of the front door. After two minutes, I hear a knock on the door. That was fast. I expect her to barge in again but the light rapping repeats. The knocking recurs again and again, and finally gets on my nerves."It's open!" I call out, making my headache worse. I expected a brown-eyed girl to come rushing through the door pushing a wheelchair, but instead, a girl with a steely gaze tiptoes in. "Peeta, I heard you got… wasted?" she speaks unsurely. I chuckle nervously. "Who told you that?"
"Johanna..told me directly."
"Now why would she do that? And where is she?"
"She said she was going to fetch something, a wheelchair I think."
And at the instant Katniss finishes her sentence, Johanna came crashing through the door, pushing the wheelchair, and seemingly out of breath. "Katniss, can you do me a favor?"
"Uh.."
"I have to go run an errand, take care of Peeta okay? Bye!" She runs out of the house, without even a proper answer from Katniss.
Okay maybe not that long. I'm so uninspired right now! I'm really sorry guys. And for my next update, let's count 4 days, just to make it safe. I'm just so weird.
Reviews are my inspirations by the way!
