Katniss POV
As I sit at the dining table, my chair facing Peeta's as he lifts another forkful of salad into his mouth, a sense of betrayal falls over me. We promised each other we wouldn't keep secrets, but I mean, this has to be an exception right? If I tell Peeta, or Haymitch for that matter, no doubt they will confront Gale and there will be a fight. More attention will be drawn towards us and it will all get out of hand. Not to mention, I've seen what Gale can do when he's all worked up. I don't want Peeta or Haymitch to get hurt. I'm sure I can sort this out myself. I have to. I rip off a piece of bread and shove it into my mouth.
"So it was still a good day in the woods? Without catching the game I mean?" Peeta asks me as he swallows down the last part of his salad.
"Yeah, it was fine," I lie with a smile – a guilty smile "How was work?"
"The bakery was great. A lot of people came through and brought things all over the menu. It's strange though. I'm not used to so many people coming through the bakery in one day."
"Well a lot more people can afford to visit the bakery now." I smile as I reminisce at the way things used to be. How people would be starving in their homes. And now, the luxury to eat fresh bread is a miracle.
"It's amazing. How far this district, well, all of Panem has come. When school was over, a few kids even came by to have a look. I gave them all free cookies. You should have seen their faces Katniss. It was pure magic."
I can't help but smile and take his hand as I'm amazed at how perfect he is. I can just imagine the look on the children's faces when they got free cookies. All of them would have known about the struggles beforehand, and I guarantee that most of them would have known firsthand about the starvation of District 12.
"I love you Peeta. You know that right?" I ask, hoping that one day he will understand why I'm keeping this from him.
"Of course I know Kat. I love you too." He leans over the table and plants a kiss on my lips.
Later that night, Peeta and I sit in front of the television. I'm randomly flicking through channels, whilst Peeta draws beside me. The warmth from the fireplace in the room calms my mind slightly, but only slightly. Just as I finally relax my mind enough to pick a channel, Effie comes through the door.
"Hello Peeta and Katniss. How was your dinner?" Effie smiles as she takes a seat next to me. I can see in the corner of my eye, she is slightly staring at me.
"Dinner was great Effie. How was your evening with Haymitch?" Peeta asks as he sets down his sketch book.
"It was mediocre. He was passed out drunk of course, but I managed to clean up most of his filth and make him some dinner that he can heat up when he wakes. I've never seen Effie as one to clean. I mean, I always suspected she would get someone else to do it.
"That's lovely of you Effie. I am sorry though, but I am exhausted and am heading off to bed. Are you going to come up Katniss?" Peeta smiles at me after he has given me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"She'll be up soon. I just have to talk to her about something." Effie answers before I can. Great, I'm going to be cornered again.
"What about?" Peeta smiles a little.
"Just girl stuff Peeta. Now off you go! You need your sleep." Effie smiles as her quirky original self. She really does know how to get someone away.
"Alright. I'll see you up there Katniss?" I give a nod with a slight smile. I watch as he climbs the stairs and wait for the familiar sound of a closing door. Just as I recognise the sound, Effie turns to me
"Have you told him Katniss?"
I shake my head. "No. I can't."
"What do you mean you can't? He has the right to know Katniss. You owe him that much."
"I know that Effie. He deserves this and so much more. But if I tell him, it will do more harm than good."
"Katniss, Gale has betrayed you as a friend. He has many times," I know she's relating back to Prim. "Peeta has stuck by you through everything. You need to tell him." She's being quiet incase Peeta walks in on us again.
"How do I tell him though, without making matters worse?"
"You can't Katniss. He is going to react to it, of course he will. But you need to grit your teeth and rip off the bandaid." Effie instructs with a sense of order in her voice.
When I wake up the next morning, I find myself empty in the bed. Peeta must be at work. How can I tell him? I know that I have to, but I'm not sure where I should start. As I bring the covers up closer to my body, I remember I was meant to go hunting today, but I can't bring myself to go back into the woods, especially since Gale is still in town.
I drag myself out of bed and push myself towards the shower. As I turn the taps on, allowing the water to sprout from the shower head, I stare down at my body. Bruises are beginning to form across my skin. Purple ones around my wrists from the rope and the cuts, bruises on my ribs and face from Gale. I wondered if they would show up, but I guess they have now. I let the warm liquid rush over my skin and slowly, I close my eyes and begin to clear my mind. That's when I hear it. Theres a knock on the front door. It can't be Effie. She has a key.
I switch off the shower and stand frozen. Someone knocks again. As I manage to climb out of the shower, I wrap the towel around my body and quickly towel dry it down. I run into my bedroom, finding the first clothes I can find and chucking them onto my body. As I walk down the stairs, my hair dripping wet, I stop before opening up the door. What if it's Gale? Is he here to get me, cause he knows Peeta's at work? Fear envelopes my body. I press my forehead against the wood and speak out.
"Who is it?"
"Delly." I take a deep breath in. Thank god. I open the door and allow the sight of her to be another confirmation that I'm not in danger.
"Hey Delly. What can I help you with?" I say as I let her inside, taking a step back.
"I was just wondering if I could borrow some ingredients from your cupboards? Peeta's been trying to teach me how to make these cookies, before I start working at the bakery, and well, I'm determined to get it perfect before showing him." She laughs as he hands clamp together in a plead.
"Haha, of course Delly, help yourself. You know where everything is." I smile at her as I watch her run off towards the cupboard and fetch out flour and other ingredients.
"Thank you so much!" She says as she piles everything into her arms. She runs back, gives me a quick hug with her free arm and runs out the door.
"Do you want Peeta to come over after work?" I yell out to her as she reaches the front yard.
"No thanks, I want to surprise him!" She yells back with a smile.
A/N: Hey Guys, I'm really sorry this isn't the best chapter, but I recently got 2 moles out of my back/shoulder and it was causing me pain to be on the computer. But he's the most i could do before I HAD to lie down and stop. School starts tomorrow, so I will desperately try to get one up this week, but I can't make any promises. So, next chapter at 53 reviews :)