A/N As promised here is chapter 24.
Katniss POV
Chapter 24; Poked and Prodded
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games Trilogy or Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.
The first thing I saw when I woke was Peeta's face. The first thing I heard was the shrinks and awes of my prep team.I guess seeing the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve in the same bed is a huge scandal. Octavia fans her face with her hand. Venia hides her lips with her hand, her smile peeking over the sides of her palm. Flavius just stands there his face flushes but does nothing to hide it. Venia is the first to speak.
"Good morning," she says. Her voice exposing even more of her feelings toward the scene in front of her.
"Good morning," Peeta replies.
"Mr. Mellark, would you please join the others in the Dinning car so we may get started prepping Miss Everdeen." Flavius says awkwardly.
"Okay," he says. He kisses me. "Bye, love. I'll see you soon."
He walks out of his room. His chest exposed. Causing me to flush. The muscles in his arms and chest perfectly defined. Breathe taking.
Immediately after the door shuts my prep team makes me strip and begin soaking me in weird concoctions, striping every last hair from my body, applying custards and crèmes in my hair, and perfecting every part of me they find not up to par.
At one point Venia pats my stomach, sending fear though me.
"Better stay away from those sweets!" she sings. I nod in agreement and give a long sigh.
At some point morning sickness hits me and I rush in the bathroom. Octavia just stands in the doorway with a neon orange bottle with the words Nausea Capsules written on it.
"I recommend you take these. They will help with your" She pauses for a single moment "Vomiting?" she says. I thank her and except the medicine.
At the end of it all my legs, arms, lip, eyebrows, and everywhere else stings. My patience had vanishes. And my hunger was overwhelming. I basically stormed into the Dinning car. I analyzed the main coarse, Roast beef, as I (almost) ran to the table. But no, I just cant cut a single break. Venia's voice echoes though the car.
"Remember Katniss, You're on a diet."
Never have I been so frustrated. I see everyone stuffing their faces full of roast beef and I have to eat healthy. I angrily sit down eyeing the rest of the food. An Avox (under my prep team's orders) put a stack of celery in front of me. I literally just stare at it. Not wanting to taste it dissatisfying flavor on my tongue. I look to Peeta with pleading eyes. He smiles and strips a little meat off of his meal. Slowly he places it on my plate. The fork full of meat is half way to my mouth when Octavia basically rings the alarm bell.
"Katniss!" she shrieks. I stuff it into my mouth before any of them could stop me. Even though that just riles them up more. "Its just a diet!" "Eating healthy!" "Can't you just follow one simply request!" they all stamper. I am flung into an even worse mood. Venia, Flavius, And Octavia all calm down, though their faces still show distraught.
At some point the train stops and the announcer explains that it wont just be for a fuel stop, but some part of the train had malfunctioned and will require about an hour. This sends Effie into a state. She pulls out her schedule and starts ranting about how this will affect every event for the rest of our lives. Finally I just can't stand it anymore.
"No one cares, Effie!" I snap. Everyone stares at me, even Haymitch. Immediately I am on the defensive. "Well no one does!"
I stand and leave the table, grabbing two rolls from their basket violently. The train jerks a little and I'm definitely quezy now. I find the exit door and force it open, triggering so sort of alarm, which I ignore, and jump to the ground. I expect to land in snow, but no. The sun is shining, leaves are still green, and the air is balmy against my skin. How far could we come in one day? I begin walking toward the end of the train, but I don't stop there and leave the train behind me. I could walk for a good twenty minutes out in to the distance and back and still have plenty of time to spare. But no, after a few hundred yards I stop and sink into the tall grass. The rolls are still in my hands but smashed flat against my palm. I begin picking at them and throwing chunks into my mouth, wanting to satisfy the growling in my stomach. I immediately regret my words to Effie. She didn't deserve them. My outburst was the height of bad manners and manners mean deeply to her.
After a while I hear footsteps behind me. It will be Haymitch of course. Here to chew me out. I know I deserve it but I still don't want to hear it.
"I'm not in the mood for a lecture," I warn the clump of weeds near my feet.
"I'll try to make it brief."
Peeta take a seat next to me.
"I though you were Haymitch," I say.
"No, he's still working on that muffin," he says. "What's wrong?"
"Let's start with something simpler," I mumble.
"Okay, why did you outburst like that?" he asks.
"Pregnant?" I joke. "Ring a bell?" he smiles.
"Maybe, I can never tell these days" he jokes back.
"I don't know what to do," I grumble laying back into the grass. Peeta does the same.
"I'm sure there has something we could do," He says.
"We can tell them," I say. "But then again there is the possibility of them spilling the beans."
"So that's out, we can find a compromise of some sort," he says. I nod, knowing that is our best option. There is a moment of silence. Then I am compelled to sing the song my father would mutter on long hard days of work.
"If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show mw a garden
That's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
For get what we're told
Before we get to old
Show me a garden
That bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes,
They're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things
Will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world"
I close my eyes as I sing the last line. Holding on to this moment. Absorbing the last few words.
'Just forget the world'