To all of my lovely readers and reviewers who don't get mad over little changes and decisions I make regarding my story, thank you. You guys are the best. Also, I wouldn't be here without the help and support of my lovely beta, wollaston.
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen.
August 13th, 2013
"I need to get out of here," Katniss gasped through her sobs. She turned and sprinted back into the bakery, nearly knocking over the tables as she maneuvered through the dark. When she got back to her room she slammed the door behind her and started grabbing handfuls of clothes and shoving them into her bag.
"Hey Katniss?" Rye called, knocking on her door. "Is everything okay?"
She coughed a bit to clear her throat before responding. "Yes, Rye, everything is fine."
"Okay, well, did Peeta leave? I thought I heard the car..."
"Um," she looked around her room, desperate for a story. Finding nothing other than the digital clock on her nightstand showing her that it was just before two a.m., a time where there was really no logical explanation for leaving in the middle of the night, she told him the truth. "Yeah, Peeta took the car. We had a bit of an argument and I think he just needed to calm down."
"Oh." Rye was silent for a moment. "Mommy and Daddy aren't getting a divorce, are they?"
Katniss choked out a laugh. "I don't know, Rye. I, uh...I really fucked up."
"I'm sure it couldn't be that bad." She heard a thud as Rye leaned his full weight against the door. "You're like his world, Katniss."
She slowly sank down onto the bed and dropped her head into her hands. "I lied to him, Rye. Big time."
"Did you lie about how you feel about him?"
"No, but-"
The door opened. Rye didn't comment on the state of the room as he crossed over the threshold and took a seat next to her on the mattress. He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Then you guys can work through it."
Katniss rested her head on Rye's shoulder and sniffed. "I'm not so sure about that, Rye."
"Listen, Katniss. Why don't you get some sleep? Peeta will be back in the morning and you guys can talk it over then. Everything will be fine."
When she didn't say anything, Rye squeezed her tight and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I promise, Katniss. It'll all be okay."
Katniss awoke to the sound of customers in the bakery. She sat up quickly and threw on some fresh clothes before bounding down the steps. Haymitch was tending to the counter, so she headed for the kitchen without a second thought. She opened the door, Peeta's name on her lips, but stopped short when she saw that it was only Rye who was bent over, pulling a tray out of the oven.
Her heart lurched, and she immediately backtracked out of the kitchen, trying not to alert him to her presence. Katniss immediately ran to look out of one of the windows, and her heart stopped beating altogether when she saw that the truck still wasn't back.
"It's madness out there, isn't it?"
Katniss spun around to face the woman who spoke to her, hoping she wouldn't notice her ashen face.
"Excuse me?"
"The town," the woman said, adjusting the baby on her hip and motioning out the window. "This is really the only day it gets like this."
Katniss peered out the window, and sure enough the streets were packed with people; families, street vendors, even a DJ. She had been too preoccupied with Peeta's whereabouts to even notice them.
"What's going on?" she found herself asking. It looked as if they were closing off the roadways, making it A) impossible for Peeta to return and B) impossible for her to leave.
"It's Reaping Day!" the woman explained. "Back in 1905, when the town was founded, no one could decide who would be in charge. So our ancestors held what was called a Reaping, where they put the names of all those eligible in a big bowl and picked a name out in front of everybody." She straightened her shoulders and spoke proudly. "It was my great-great-great uncle who was picked. Jackson Panem. He did such a great job they even named the town after him."
"Sounds great," Katniss muttered, peering out the window again. The woman bid her a goodbye, but she barely heard her. Her eyes were glued to the empty space next to the bakery where the truck should be.
Peeta will be back in the morning and you guys can talk it over then, Rye had said.
Everything will be fine.
Katniss stepped back away from the window just as the last customer left the bakery. Haymitch called to her as she moved to the counter.
"Flip the sign closed for me, would ya, sweetheart?"
She paused, quirking an eyebrow. "We're closing? It's only eleven o'clock."
"It's Reaping Day," he said by means of explanation. "We're taking half a day and then joining in on the festivities. I need to pick up a few supplies myself, as soon as the boy gets back with the damn truck."
Katniss gulped, her face flushing. "Oh," was all she could muster. Haymitch looked at her strangely.
"It's not like Peeta to take off like that. Any idea where he went?"
"None at all," she whispered. It was the truth. "I wish I did."
"Hmph," Haymitch grunted. "Strange."
Katniss nodded quickly and escaped up the stairs. She flew into her room and hastily resumed packing her things. It didn't take long, given her small amount of possessions, but it took just long enough to give Rye enough time to corner her.
"So, you're really going then?" he asked as she folded up her last shirt. Katniss jumped a foot in the air and turned around.
"Were you even going to say goodbye?"
Katniss sighed and gave the room a once-over. It was as bare as the day she had moved in all those months ago. Rye crossed the threshold.
"How did you know I was going?" she whispered, staring at the ground.
"I overheard you talking to Haymitch, and you sounded a little strange. Plus, Peeta never did come home. I figured you'd take that as a sign and beeline it out of here."
"Well, you were right," Katniss said. "I need to go, Rye. You don't understand."
"Katniss, please don't go. We love you. You're a part of our family now. Don't run away just because things got a little tough."
She blinked back tears as she answered. "You know I-I love you guys, too. Truly, I do. But I can't stay. Please don't make me."
Rye stared her down for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. "Be safe, okay Katniss?"
She let out a deep breath and her whole body relaxed before squeezing him back. "I'll try."
"You know you can always come back, right? You'll always be welcome here."
"Thank you, Rye," she choked out. I sincerely doubt that.
He pulled away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I wish you the best, Katniss. Really. And, uh," his lips quirked up into a smile, "It was really nice to have a sister."
Katniss returned his smile and wiped away a tear that had escaped from her left eye. "And it was really nice to have a brother as well."
He let her go. She walked past him down the steps, into the empty bakery. Haymitch was nowhere to be found, and although Katniss would have liked to say goodbye to him, she he would've tried to convince her to stay. She walked out the front door and heard the bells jingle for the last time. The streets were mobbed, and she knew there would be no traffic in or out of the town for the rest of the day. So she headed to the place where she knew she could avoid the commotion and take a shortcut to the highway.
The woods.
The woman behind the Rent-A-Car counter looked up at him with contempt.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we are completely booked. There's nothing I can do but take your name and wait for an available vehicle."
"But how is that going to help me now?" Gale seethed. His flight from LAX to Charlotte Douglas International had been delayed four hours due to rain, and the entire flight had been extremely turbulent. It didn't help matters that he had just found out that the past two weeks of his life had been an utter waste. The Trinket woman had lied through her teeth about Catherine's whereabouts.
"Sir, there's nothing I can d-"
Gale shoved off the counter with a growl and stalked through the crowds. He stomped into the parking lot and looked around. There was a couple dragging three young children and about two tons of luggage to a dirty beige minivan, a gaggle of twenty-something women arm-in-arm strutting towards a shiny BMW, and a business man talking loudly into his cell phone and loading a suitcase into the back of a sports car. Gale's eyes narrowed. He jogged over to the Buick in the slot a few spaces over.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Hey, could you help me out a second?"
The business man ended his call and jogged over to Gale. "Sure, man, what do you need?"
"I think there's something stuck in my exhaust pipe. I'd look for myself but I've got a bad knee and can't really bend right now."
"No problem," the man said. He hiked up his pants and crouched down. Gale peered around the parking lot.
"I don't see anythi-" Crack.
Gale slammed the man's head against the bumper of the car and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. He looked around again to make sure no one had seen, and then fished the man's keys from his pocket. He took the suitcase out of the trunk and laid it by the man's side.
"Thanks," he said to him with a grim smile.
Gale hopped into the car and nearly shook with anticipation as it revved to life. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled picture of Catherine.
"Just a few more hours," he told her. "Just a few more hours and you'll be all mine."
He pulled out of the parking lot and turned on the car's GPS. When it asked for the location, he spoke with an excited tremor in his voice.
"Panem, North Carolina."
It will get happier soon, at least for a little while. I promise.
Come chat with me on tumblr or AO3:'ohalaskayoung'.
xoxo