Chapter 11: The cameras
"Wake up Katniss." I hear his usual cheerful morning welcome. I hide under the blankets, before he can reach me. I huddle tightly, hugging my knees to hide my anxiety. After all those terrible nightmares about little kids, I don't feel like doing anything.
"Katniss!" Peeta says again in a strict tone, which hints he's not very patient today.
"I'm not getting up!" I growl angrily.
"Katniss I don't have time for this today. I must be down in the town in half an hour." he says.
"Then go and leave me alone." I say and tears are coming to my eyes. But I'm determined to keep them in. I have cried long enough during the night.
"Come on, it's a nice day, you've not been hunting for two days, you should go." he persuades me.
"I'm not going hunting." I say stubbornly, but in the end my voice betrays me and shakes.
"Katniss?" suddenly Peeta changes his voice into that soft one, he uses when he's calming me down. I start to tremble. Then he pulls the blanket off me and looks at me with concern. He must see the tears in my eyes, which I try to keep in so hard, because he looks at me sadly.
"What happened?" he asks softly, sitting cross-legged on my bed and stroking my hair.
"Nightmares." is the only thing I say. He just sights and keeps stroking my hair. He gently forces me to swallow my pills and leaves a plate with some breakfast by my bed.
"You don't have to hunt okay?" he says softly. "Just do something. Don't just lie in here. Write your sadness into the memory book okay?" he brushes some hair off my forehead and eyes. The problem is, I can't write my sadness down since my nightmares were about our non-existing kids.
"What were your nightmares about?" he asks.
"Little kids being killed by mutts." I say with an empty voice. Our kids. I add in my head.
"I have to go now." he says "But I'll be back as soon as I can okay?"
I just nod slightly and he sighs with a sad expression. He leaves me on the bed and goes to the town. I close my eyes and stay in my bed for a while, but I don't want to sleep anymore. I don't want to see them die again. It seems that it's not enough that I already have plenty of Hunger Games, Capitol and War nightmares. No. I have to develop new ones about my future children.
Slowly I push myself to sit up from my huddled position. I'm persuaded by the sweet smell of waffles, which Peeta left me here and I eat them all. They are soft and sweet and I voluntarily admit that they light up my mind a little. I don't know what to do exactly. I don't feel like going hunting, but I don't feel like staying in this lonely house. So finally I decide I'll just take a walk to the town.
And as I step out of the house into the warm morning sun, breathing the fresh early summer air I feel a little better again. Watching my feet as I put one in front of other, I slowly arrive to the town. The market seems pretty alive. I greet Leevy and I stop by Sae to greet her too. She happily announces me, that there will be a new pub in the new square and that she will work as a cook in there. It will be led by some man, who moved here from District 9. She says he was here just today to arrange the plans and asked her to help him in the kitchen. When I ask if she saw Peeta, she says she saw him in the square with some man. I also stop by the Candy Man, who now knows me pretty well, because I'm his regular customer.
"Strawberry lollipop, hunter girl?" he asks with a smile when I approach his stall and he waves the sweet candy in front of my eyes. It makes me smile.
"Two, Candy Man." I smile at him. Of course I know his real name. It's Edmund, but I know he won't be angry with me, because he likes teasing. It has become something like our little game.
"Here it is." he laughs a little. "How are you today?"
"Thanks." I say giving him the money. "I'm tired." I sight.
"Didn't sleep well?" he asks casually.
"Hmm." I hum "It seems that my dreamlands are more horrid than the real world." I say and my smile fades away. This makes him look at me sadly.
"Then take this little chocolate for free. I guarantee you that if you eat it before you go to sleep, your dreams will be filled with sweet chocolate." he says and gives me a wink. My smile is back again. I must admit that he reminds me Darius a lot. He is a redhead and he has a similar easy way of speaking too. He came here from District 13.
"Thanks, Doctor Candy, I'll try it and let you know how it works." I can't help then smirk at him as I take the small chocolate and turn to go away.
"Have a good day Katniss." he says.
"You too, Edmund." I smile back at him.
I head towards the square. Or the place which used to be square and I hope it will be again. There I see Peeta, standing in the place where the old bakery used to be. He's standing with an unfamiliar man, who has a clipboard with paper and writes down something. They don't notice me until I'm just a few steps from them and Peeta rises his head to see who's coming.
"Katniss?" he says surprised. "What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I needed fresh air." I say casually noticing how the other man looks at me curiously.
"Oh, Katniss this is Liam Moor, supervisor for the construction of the new bakery." Peeta says proudly with a smile.
"Liam, this is Katniss." he says.
"Of course I know who she is." the man says and shakes my hand enthusiastically giving me a smile. "I'm pleased to meet you Miss Everdeen."
"Please call me Katniss." I say and give him a shy smile too. "I don't like people calling me miss Everdeen."
"What an honor." he says surprised. Then he turns to Peeta.
"Well I think it's all for today Peeta. We have agreed on the plan, they should lay the foundations in two days and then we can start on building. I will come here with all my crew and it should be done in four or five weeks." he says.
"Thanks a lot." Peeta smiles at him and they shake hands again.
"I have to catch my train" Liam says "It was nice to meet you both." he adds and heads in direction of the train station. Peeta is watching me closely.
"I see that you have visited Edmund." he says suspiciously.
"Yeah, Candy Man can always lighten my mood with a lollipop." I give him a little smile as I put one of the lollipops into my mouth. It's sweet and it lightens my mood.
"You know that eating your depression away is not a good solution?" he asks.
"I know." I say in a superior voice. "Do you know it when you leave piles of waffles by my bed?" I ask. He just laughs and I let myself smile too.
"What's that?" I ask pointing at a folded paper in his hands.
"That is, my dear Katniss." he gives me an important look as he unfolds the paper "a plan of the new bakery." the construction has not even started but he already seems so proud and enthusiastic, that I smile over it.
"Look." he says as he raises the sheet of paper in front of our eyes. Then he spends twenty minutes showing me where will the side walls be, where the kitchen will be and the office... The bakery won't have a second floor, but the ground floor will be bigger than the old bakery. He seems so excited, that I hardly recognize the broken boy who cried in the rubble of the old bakery two days ago. I guess, he keeps busy to keep away the depression.
"Sae told me, that some man from District 9 will build a pub in here. She said he wants her to cook in there." I say.
"Yeah I met him. He was here just as we arrived with Liam. His name is Bart and he will move in here with his family. His wife is Teyla and he has two kids too. His pub should be finished during fall. Maybe sooner if there won't be any problems." he informs me.
"I never understood how you're able to make friends so quickly." I say and shake my head.
"Katniss if you're nice to people, they like you and it's easier to make friends." he smiles at me.
"Do you want to say, that I'm not nice to people?" I ask with a playful warn in my voice.
"Well obviously you could get better, when you compare how many friends you have in your life and how many I have." he smiles at me. He gets a playful shove for that. He takes my hand with a smile.
"Your advantage now is that everyone loves you even before they meet you." he says.
"Everyone wants to meet you. And those from 12 already loved you before." he says and makes me blush a little. And as a confirmation of that, someone calls our names out loud.
"Peeta! Katniss!" I see surprise in Peeta's eyes and then a he shoots a concerned look towards me. And as I turn around I find out why. There is a man with camera and a woman with a gaudy pink hair and ugly green dress. And they are heading right towards us. My hands start to shake and I already think about a hiding spot, but where could I hide when all the buildings on the square are down?! Peeta squeezes my hand firmly.
"Calm down." he whispers towards me. "I'll send them away." Even though my body wants to run and my mind screams, I stay by his side, holding to his hand firmly and looking down at my boots.
"Katniss, Peeta! It's nice to see you together again!" the woman exclaims enthusiastically. I hate her already.
"What about your wedding? Are you already planning it?" this first question is so terrible for me, that I keep my gaze down and I just try to control the trembling of my body. This is none of their business. Why do they care? Why do they always have to ask about such a things? I think I'll lose my control soon.
"We'll let people know if we will plan a wedding." Peeta says in a calm voice. "For now, I'm busy with building the bakery." he says and I dare to look up.
The camera is focused on him now. I guess it was his intention to protect me from it. As he charms the reporter women with his smiles and talks about the bakery, I slip my hand out of his grip. While he walks them around the future bakery and shows them where the different parts will be, I flee. I stop around the corner, to take a deep breath and I hear them still talking.
"Oh, when did Katniss go away?" the woman asks.
"She was not feeling very well today." Peeta says.
"So you are back together? Star-crossed lovers happy again?" she says. I start to feel sick, but wait to hear Peeta's answer.
"Well, you know I was in a bad condition after the rebellion. I lost my memories, so I didn't remember anything about her and our relationship" he says and the woman gasps.
"So you're not together?" she asks with a dread in her voice.
"We're close friends." he says. "That's all."
He said it well, but even though I'm angry with him. We could have run away before they reached us. I run home as quickly as I can. I want to hide in a closet, but then I eye the oak tree next to my house. Peeta won't find me there so easily so I don't hesitate and climb it. I sit on one of the lower branches and close my eyes.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
I take deep breaths of fresh air to calm down. Why do they keep longing to know everything? Why do they have to come and ask personal questions, when I don't know the answers myself? Why the hell they can't leave us alone?! I don't want to pretend again. Few tears stream down my face and then I hear someone coming.
It's Peeta. He runs straight into my house. I can hear the door cracking and him calling my name every time he steps into some room. It takes him five minutes to figure out I'm not there. He even visits Haymitch's house, but after a while he's back again and stops on my backyard. He looks around and sights hopelessly. I decide to have mercy on him.
"I'm up here." I say. He comes to the tree and looks up unbelieving.
"What are you doing there?" he asks.
"Three guesses what." I say ironically.
"Hiding?" he asks.
"Bingo." I say.
"Come down." he begs me.
"You come up if you want to talk to me." I say annoyed.
"Katniss you know I can't climb trees as well as you." he says pleadingly.
"That's a pity." I say coldly. "Then you'll have to wait until I come down."
He sights and I secretly watch as he places his hands on the trunk. He starts climbing the oak and he's not that bad, but I don't want him to get injured because of me.
"Okay I'm going down." I say and start climbing down. I can see the relief on Peeta's face. As I jump down from the tree, he comes to me immediately, sorry look on his face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know there is some camera crew" he says in a sincere voice. I don't say nothing, just try to keep control over myself.
"Please, it'll be okay. They promised they will let us know if they will want to film something else so we would know they are coming." he says calmingly.
"What?!" I say angrily and look up at him. "They will come again?!" I yell at him.
"I don't know." he says. "Maybe, but they will let us know if they will." he says again.
"That's a relief!" I shout at him and run to my house. Unfortunately he runs after me.
"Katniss wait!" he yells and I stop in the living room, sitting on the couch furious with him.
"What are you so angry about?! I thought you will be glad I made them go away." he says angrily, obviously losing his patience with me.
"I am, but you also said they will come again!" I shout at him.
"Yes, but they will let us now." he argues. "Isn't that better than if they're hiding in the bushes and waiting when you will go by?!" he asks angrily. Maybe it is. But still I'm angry.
"I don't want this Peeta." I say pleadingly and put my face into my hands to hide the tears. "I don't want to be on cameras. I don't want to act and pretend." I say and a quiet sob goes out of my lips. He puts his arm around me.
"You don't have to pretend anything." he says quietly.
"Yes I do!" I say angrily. "They expect us to be the star-crossed lovers! They want to see our wedding." I cry hopelessly.
"I don't care what they want." Peeta says firmly. "I won't marry you because of cameras and I don't want you to love me because of cameras either." he says as I try to control my sobs.
"I told them we're just good friends Katniss." he says calmly and rests his hand on my cheek so I would look him in the eyes.
"Katniss we don't have to start at the same point, where we ended before the Quell." he says "We're not star-crossed lovers anymore. We're survivors and friends, that's all. We can start everything over. I told them that I lost my memory and we're just friends now. No secret weddings, no babies. It will be in TV tonight and all the Panem will know we're just friends okay?" he says and still keeps looking into my teary eyes.
"Okay." I beep. He sighs with relief and hugs me tight. I don't object. After a while a phone starts ringing and I do that big mistake that I answer it.
"Hello?" I say.
"Oh hello, Miss Everdeen! How nice to hear you again!" says the man's vioce. I know him very well and it makes me feel anxious again. My fingers start to tremble as I recognize Plutrach Havensbee.
"Oh, Plutrach, how are you?" I ask nervously, my voice shaking in the end. I see how Peeta turns around, when he hears the name and he gives me a concerned look.
"I'm great! I just saw the shoot you and Peeta did in your district! Even though you went away, Peeta was amazing as usual!" he says enthusiastically.
"A-as usual." I finally stammer out.
"Yes exactly." he says "Well I was thinking, we're doing shoots about rebuilding the districts, they are always done by some special people as reporters. Would you like to host one in 12? You and Peeta as the reporters huh?" my fingers start to shake even more and I have to hold onto the wall so I would not crash down into a heap right now. My breathing is shaky and I feel a little sick.
"I-I don't know, I don't feel very well right now." I stammer again.
"Oh it doesn't have to be right now. It could be in a month or so, when the buildings are in a construction." he says. I have to escape from this somehow. Speaking is not my specialty, so it's not as easy as running away. But finally I find the right words in my mind.
"C-could you give us some time to think about it?" I ask
"Oh of course Katniss. I don't need your answer right now. But let me know as soon as possible." he says.
"Okay." I say and a sigh of relief goes out of my mouth.
"Well I need to go now, so have a nice rest of the day and say my greetings and big thanks to Peeta!" he says cheerfully "You're spot will be in the evening news!"
"Okay bye." I say finally and the beeping hints that he hang up. I put down the phone and finally take a deep breath. I lean against the wall, hide my face in my trembling fingers and slide down slowly, where I start trembling.
"What a day!" I breathe out hopelessly into my palms.
"What did he want?" Peeta asks coming to me.
"He said he wants us to do a spot about the district reconstruction." I say with a trembling voice. "Me and you. In a month."
"That's not that bad is it?" he asks carefully. "There won't be any questions about you and me. Only talking about the district. You don't have to pretend anything." he says. I don't know how he can do it, that he always says the right words to calm me down.
I slide down my shaking hands and he holds them in his.
"It's gonna be okay." he says with a hopeful smile on his face. I just sigh.
"Come on, let's make some hot chocolate." he smiles at me and without asking he pulls me up on my legs and leads me to the kitchen. As he makes the chocolate, I let myself think about what he said. And I know he's right again. There shouldn't be any questions about us so I let myself calm down. When he puts hot cup of chocolate into my hands, I'm even able to give him a small smile as I look up at him.
"I'm sorry, that I'm such a freak." I whisper.
"You're not a freak Katniss." he says quietly sitting next to me. "I understand why you don't like cameras. But you have to realize, that the world is different now. They're not gonna harm you or force you to pretend something." he says calmly. "They just want the entire Panem see, that you are better. Maybe they'll even let you free from this district if they see you're doing so much better." he says encouragingly. I didn't think about that.
"How do you do it, that you always know what to say to make me feel better?" I ask admiring his skill. He just smiles sweetly.
"I don't know. Guess I have a talent for that." he puts one of his hands on my cheek tenderly and I let it linger in there while he gives me an intent look.
"I know you can do this sweetheart." he says softly.
"Even when I'm such a freak?" I ask hypnotized by his deep blue eyes. He leans towards me. At first I think he will kiss me, but his lips end up next to my ear.
"You're not a freak." he whispers. "You're amazing, beautiful and brave young girl." and again my body is flooded by goosebumps as his warm lips touch my ear slightly and his hot breath tickles me on my neck. I breathe my anxiety out with a shaking sigh and close my eyes. Waiting what he will do next. Not running away from him.
Then a loud crack of the door makes us jerk away from each other as Haymitch comes in.
"How are you, kids?" he asks not noticing our embarrassment.
"Fine." I say in a cold voice.
"Heard you will be in TV tonight." he says and eyes us suspiciously. "Some news you want to tell me?" he asks.
"They just met us down by the bakery, nothing more." says Peeta and he gives me concerned look.
"Hmm. If you say so." Haymitch says. He still watches us closely.
"You're both okay?" he asks in an unusually caring manor. "You're getting along with each other?" he asks.
"Yeah we're fine." I say.
"So you're behaving sweetheart?" he looks at me.
"Of course I am." I say starting to be annoyed by his questions.
"Hmm." his eyes linger on me. Then they turn to Peeta.
"And you?" he asks. "Keeping my advice and kissing her?" a blush comes to both my and Peeta's face.
"No!" Peeta says angrily and I know he wants Haymitch to go away as much as I want.
"Hmm." Haymitch hums again. "You should. It'll help. Let me know when you're there." he turns and goes out.
"How he can lecture me about behaving." I hiss angrily and get just one smirk from Peeta before I stand up and go to the living room. Peeta follows me. As I sit on the couch, Buttercup jumps into my lap and I dive my fingers into his fluffy fur.
We turn the TV on and watch the news in hopes we will see the spot and there it is. There's a shot of me and Peeta in the distance. Firs just smiling and talking, then I give him a shove and then he takes my hand, says something to me and I blush shyly. Then there is just the interview with Peeta. No more me. I'm glad it ended up like this. I sigh.
"It wasn't that bad was it?" he asks and looks down at me. I lie down my head into his lap and close my eyes as his fingers dive into my hair.
"No." I whisper. We remain silent for a long time and my eyes start to close. I jerk up my head after I dozed off and blink several times to realize where I am. Peeta smiles at me.
"You should go to bed." he says. I just nod and head upstairs, while he heads to his own house.
Tonight my worst nightmares visit me again. I see Prim dying again and I can't do anything about it. I'm just standing there and can't move at all. I try to struggle, but the only thing I'm able to do is scream. As much as I can. Than I suddenly wake up. Trapped in my blankets, all sweaty, breathing quickly, trembling and crying.
It's too much for me and I have to run out. I even don't take a coat it is warm night. I run out, breathe deeply, trying to stop trembling and crying. The only thing I can notice in the backyard are those primeroses and roses Peeta planted by the house wall. And in that moment I'm angry and so despared, than I run there and start to tear them out angrily. I hate them. Primroses remind me of dead Prim and those red roses remind me of evil president Snow.
I tear all the primroses out, crying and sobing aloud, than I start to tear out the roses too. I feel that the thornes are rending my hands, but I don't care. When they are all out, I look around myself. I'm kneeling by the house, all the plants are around me and I am filthy from dirt and grass. I must be really going crazy. By now, I don't have any other strength so I just crash down into the patch, just lie there in the dirt, two roses in one hand and primrose in another. I just give up any struggling and release my despair in a loud cries. I don't care if anyone hear me or think I'm crazy. I just can't live like this any more.
I don't know how long have I been lying there, but I'm starting to feel cold, when I hear footsteps. I'm still crying and trembling, when my saviour appears. Of course it is Peeta. He has a really worried look and it becomes even more scared, when he sees me laying on the patch, crying and trabling, roses and primroses all around me. He slowly comes to me, when I'm avoiding his eyes.
„Katniss?" he asks with a tender voice „What happend?" he kneels next to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.
After a while, he lifts me up, sits down and keeps me in his arms. Hugging me, cuddling up to me, stroking my hair and whispering quietly to my ear. Somehow it makes me cry again. I can't stop it. Suddenly I realize, that I demaged all his work with the flowers and I feel ashamed. I just bury my face into his chest and in a few minutes his shirt is all wet. He doesn't push on me in telling him what happend. He knows that it won't help. He knows me well enough to wait until I tell him myself. After like a fifteen minutes, I finally am able to speak a little.
„I'm sorry" I say with a cracking voice. My voice doesn't work very well after all the screaming and crying. He looks at me.
„You don't have to be sorry Katniss. You haven't done anything bad." he says.
„I demaged your flower patch. You did such a beautifull thing and I destroyed it all." I start to cry again.
„ It's okay Katniss. It's not so bad. They can be planted again." he says in a calming voice.
„I had a terrible dream" I tell him with a trembling and weak voice. „I saw Prim die again. And there was Coin too. Laughing to my face and I couldn't move so I couldn't help Prim." I loose my nerves again and I start to cry again. He doesn't say anthing just hugs me tight and comfort me as much as he can. But after a five minutes he speaks again.
„Katniss we should go inside or you catch cold." Than he stands up, lifts me up and carries me in. He lays me down in an armchair. I'm still holding two roses and a primrose. I huddle in there and I still feel cold and start trembling, I drop the roses and keep just a primrose. After a while, I put it down on a bedside table.
„Well at first you should change." he starts looking at me. I know he's right. My sleeping gown is all filthy from dirt and grass. He opens the dresser and pulls some sleeping gown out. He throws it to me. I keep looking at him with a shocking glance. Does he think, that I will be naked in front of his eyes? He certinaly doesn't get it from my glance so I have to speak.
„Turn around first" I say in an irritated voice. I can see that he has to put a lot of effort not to start laughing.
„Ohh Katniss..." he starts.
„Stop talking about that PURE thing!" I say angrily before he has time to finish his sentence. Than he just smiles at me and turns around. I quickly change the robes because even when he is turned around I don't have a good feeling being naked when he's in the room.
„May I turn back?" he asks and I'm sure I can hear smile in his voice.
„Yes" I say.
He turns around with a wide grinn.
„You know there was a mirror in front of me when I turned around?" he says with a sparkles in his eyes. That makes me angry, but I don't have any energy to do something, I just huddle back into the armchair and give him just one sad look. The sparkles in his eyes vanishes imediatelly and they are exchanged by worried look. He slowly comes to me and kneel next to me.
„Sorry Katniss, I was just joking. I wasn't looking, I swear I closed my eyes." he admites and gives me a hopefull and sorry smile. I try to smile back, but I'm sure it doesn't look like a smile at all. But he gets that I'm not angry with him any more. He takes my hands into his and squeezes them. And when he does I jerk my hands out of his, because the scratches are painfull.
"What is it Katniss?" he asks, carefully takes my hands and turn them. Now he can see in what shape they are. Dirty from soil and there is a lot of scratches from thornes. He looks terrified.
"Katniss what have you done?" he looks at me shockingly
"Roses" I whisper.
He goes to the bathroom and comes back with a soft wet towel. Carefully he washes my hands and clears it from all the soil and blood. I can see how sadly he looks at the scratches. Maybe he's feeling sorry that he put those roses in there. When he's done he bandages my hands carefully and kisses them softly. When he looks up at me I have to smile. I can't help. Because it's unbeliavable how this boy with bread knows me well and how he can always save my life.
Than he lifts me up again and lays me softly into the bed. I huddle under the blankets. He sets a fire in the fireplace and I start to feel warmer.
Than he wants to go away. And imediatelly I'm scared that he will leave me alone again. I want to call his name but instead I just make a wierd squeeky sound. He turns back.
"Don't worry I'll be right back in a few minutes." he assures me and kisses me on my forehead.
I lay back and watch him calmly. Than I take the little primrose into my hands. And it feels like I'm holding my little sister in them. Again I see her dying in my head and tears are going down my cheeks again. I don't know how long have I been staring at the flower, but Peeta already came back and layed two cups on the bedside table. There must be something hot because I can see a little bit of smoke above it. He looks at me and sees the primrose in my hands and tears on my cheeks. Now his face gets really sad.
"I'm sorry Katniss." he says with a truthfull look.
"It's not your fault" I reply with a weak voice. "I am a freak."
"No Katniss, it is my fault. I shouldn't have planted those flowers. I should know that it is too early for that." he says with a sad look. "And you're not a freak!" he says with a little irritated voice. I keep looking into his eyes because they can make me so calm.
"Will you forgive me?" he asks worriedly. I just smile and nod a little. He smiles back at me.
"I brought you something what could make you feel better." he says and gives me the cup. I put down the primrose, take the hot cup and I can feel the sweet smell. I'm sure that it is hot chocolate. When I taste it my thought is confirmed by the sweet taste. I slowly drink the chocolate and keep looking at Peeta. He takes his own cup and drinks too.
"You should get some sleep" he says. I look at him all scared.
"I'm scared." I admit with a weak voice.
"I'll stay with you." he says.
"Always..." he adds with loving smile. I put down my cup and hug him tightly. I need him so desperately now. He's the only one who can make me feel calm and safe. After a while, I lay back to bed and keep watching him. When he finishes his cup, he puts it down too. He gets his clothes down, until he's only in his underwear and slips under the bedcloths right next to me. He takes my hand and keep looking into my eyes. Then he smiles with that smile I know pretty well. I know that he is up to something. Something which would cheer me up.
"Would you like to hear a bedtime story?" he asks with a sweet smile.
A bedtime story? I haven't heard one since my Dad has died. I smile back at him and he understands that as a yes.
"Okay." he says and for a while he's thinking. "Here it goes." he says and smiles at me.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl. Here name was Katy. She used to be a happy girl with a beautifull spirit, everyone knew her and liked her in her village. She was living while the war was finishing. And one day a tragedy happend. All her family were killed, while she was away from home. She was left alone. After the end of war she got a house and some money from the country so she could live easily. But she went mad. Or people said that. Everyday you could see her sitting in a huge window of her house. She stopped speaking and didn't do anything else than looking out of the window and eating. There was just one woman, a friend of her mother, who made her meals every day. People started to call her Silent Katy." I feel strange about this story. It isn't an usuall bedtime story and the girl starts to remind me of someone.
"Then there was one boy. His name was Peter. He also lost all his family in war. His only help was his godfather Hamley, who was a candy maker. Peter knew Katy and he loved her for a long time now. He just didn't have much courage to tell her. But he was sorry for her and told himself that he has to help her come back. So one day he came to her. She was sitting in a window as usuall, looking far away. The women who was taking care about her let him in, but told him, that it doesn't make a difference if he visites her. But he believed it does. He came to her room. and she didin't even turn her head when he came in. He came directly to her, but she didn't pay any attention to him.
'Hi Katy' he said to her 'Do you remember me? I'm Peter, we used to go to the same class at school.'
But she was not responding to anthing. He didn't give up though. He started to visit her every afternoon. First just sitting next to her in the window. Then he started to bring her candies from his godfathers shop. He found out, that she likes mint ones most. He started to talk to her. Even when she was not responding, he was talking to her about the village, people in there and specially about the forest and nature around. Because he knew she loved those two. She used to go to forest to pick and hunt a lot of things. She loved it in there. His first success was a smile he got from her. She let him put his arm around her and slowly it became like a habbit to them. He came every afrenoon, sat next to her with his arms around her, kept talking about what he's been doing and what's new in the village. After 3 months, a miracle happend. She talked. She said 'Hi Peter'. But that was all. But for him it was a huge success. She used to say it every day then. She stared to get back slowly. One day, she let him take her hand and lead her out of the house. He led her to the meadow which was just around the corner of her house. They sit in there and looked into the sky.
'You know I lost my family in war too' he said to her. 'I know how does it feel, I could help you to get over it' she looked at him terrified, but than she spoke.
'How?' she asked. It was just one word, but for him it was another huge success.
'Well I realized, that they are on a better place now. They're looking at me from above. And I know they would not like to see me unhappy and sad. I know they would love to see me livivng my life happily, maybe getting married, having children and remembring them all with a smile. And I'm sure, your family would not like to see you like this all your life. They would love to see you happy.' he said to her. She was just looking at him astonished, but then she smiled and looked into the sky again. From that moment she started to get better. She went for walks with him and she started to speak a little. First it was just Yes or No. So he made up a game where he asked her questions and she answered just yes or no. But slowly, she began to live again. And after a year, she was back to normal. And that's the end of this story." Peeta said with a smile.
It was a strange story, but somehow it calmed me down. I'm sure the words which were for Katy in the story were for me too. I'm pretty sleepy now, my eyes start to close, but I have one more question.
"Did they live happily ever after?" I ask. He just smiles at me widely.
"Well happy enough. He proposed to her, they got merried and had children. Sometimes one of them had a bad night with nightmares or bad day, but the other one was always there to help. Their love saved them from everything. The last time I saw them was on a meadow. They were there with their kids. The oldest one was a girl. She was six and she was just as beautifull as her mother. She had dark brown hair and grey eyes and her name was Lilly. Another one was a four years old boy. Grey eyes and blond hair. His name was Rye. And than, there was the smallest one. Just one year old little girl." my eyes are shut now, I'm starting to fly away to my dreams, but I still hear his last words. "She was a blondie with blue eyes. And her name was Rose." after this I smiled a little and that is the last thing I remember. Than I'm in a dream. On a meadow with these three kids and Peeta. He is chasing the two older ones and he catches them both easily. I sit there with a little blondie girl in my arms. Her eyes are blue just as Peeta's. And I'm sure I know her name. It is Rose.
When I wake up, I don't want to open my eyes. I want to stay in my drem forever. Finally I force myself to open my eyes. Sun beams are going in through the window and they are falling on my cheeks and warming them. Peeta is not laying next to me, which makes me a little sad, but I think he's just somewhere in the house. So I go out of the bed. I slowly and still sleepy go down the stairs, where I find him in the kitchen. He does not hear me when I'm walking with my feet bare. So I quietly reach him and then I cover his eyes with my hands. I can feel the muscles on his face move, when he smiles.
"I guess our sleepyhead has finally got up" he says with a playfull voice.
"I'm not a sleepyhead!" I defense myself, but when I find out that it's ten in the morning I must admit he's right "Usually" I add. He turns, smiles at me and hugs me tight for a while. I close my eyes and can't help a smile. I feel so happy and safe with him. Maybe I could bear to spent the rest of my life with this boy.