Author's Note: Hello everyone! It's Valentine's day. As usual, I've spent it alone with the Hunger Games films and a massive tub of ice-cream. How did you all spend your day? I hope everyone had a lovely day, and shout out to all the single ladies! (Sorry, I'm listening to Beyoncé!) However, I was in the mood to write so here I am! Hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the property from Hunger Games. It belongs to the brilliant Suzanne Collins.
We step outside into the late summer sun, ready for the repetitive process of filming to begin once more.
Chapter 26
I stumble into a chair, exhausted. We've been filming outside all day. My entire body aches. Prim hands me a mug of something sweet and warm, so I gulp it down eagerly. All three of us sit in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet. It's hardly ever quiet around here nowadays. The filming crew rush around all day long, I think that everyone is getting to the point where they are just waiting for it to end. Thankfully, it won't be long now. Hopefully, I'll be able to breathe again. I've felt so trapped, like the camera crew's presence alone has constructed walls of steel around me. I need to get out, to fly free.
There's a quiet knock from the back door. Prim gets up to answer it, making graceful lithe steps across the tiled floor. She pushes back the bolt with some difficulty; it's still stiff from seventy-three years of disuse, no matter how much I oil it. Finally, she yanks it open and smiles at whoever is standing on the other side. Peeta walks in, shivering a little under his jacket. The setting sun behind the house sends rays of light through the door, making his blonde hair shine a brilliant gold.
"Peeta?" My mother says, instantly getting up from her chair and walking across the kitchen to greet him. "Are you alright?" She questions, checking him for any signs of sickness.
"I'm fine Mrs Everdeen." He chuckles, his deep voice rumbling quietly through the room. "Thanks for the concern though."
"Why are you here?" Prim asks.
"Prim!" I say shocked, standing up and stretching a little. My muscles groan in protest.
"Primrose, there was no need to be so rude." My mother admonishes gently. "Peeta is allowed here whenever he likes." Peeta smiles a little, nodding his thanks. Prim mutters a quiet but sincere apology then opens the window to let Buttercup in. Stupid cat. Should leave him outside in the dark by himself. I've never understood the appeal that cat has. Buttercup meows pitifully then gives a warning hiss in my direction, like he's heard exactly what I'm thinking. Don't be idiotic, I think to myself. It's just a cat. Peeta sets something wrapped in cloth on the table.
"I've brought something for you to try. It's a new recipe that I've been working on." My mother unwraps the goods and the smell that invades the kitchen is heavenly. My mouth instantly begins to water uncontrollably. I head to the table for a closer look. There, lying on top of the rough cloth is thirteen perfect buns. On top, they look perfectly ordinary, except that they are covered with dried herbs. Prim gets plates out of the cupboard and places a bun on each one, handing a plate to us all.
"Why are there thirteen?" Prim asks curiously.
"I made a baker's dozen." Peeta explains, his voice gentle and relaxed. "A dozen means twelve, but if you make a baker's dozen, you make thirteen. It's basically so you've got one left over to try and make sure that they are okay to sell." Prim smiles.
"That's amazing! So you could eat one of every batch you make?"
"Technically, yes. But when I worked at the bakery, I knew all the recipes so well I could make them blindfolded, so I didn't need to test the finished product." He hands her a plate with a bun on.
"Here, try it. Just be careful though, it's fresh out of the oven, so it'll be hot." I smile softly at seeing them interact. They look like they could be brother and sister. In fact nearly everyone in this room could easily be mistaken for family. It's just me, the odd one out. Not for the first time in my life, I wish I was a merchant girl. Then I'd never have to worry about feeding myself, or money. If I was a merchant girl, I'd be free to marry Peeta and no-one would frown upon it…Whoa. Where did these thoughts of marriage come from? I hate the idea of marriage. I swore years ago that I never would be anyone's wife. So why am I thinking about marrying Peeta? It would never happen, even if I wanted to, which I don't. There are more important things right now to deal with. To distract myself from my dangerous thoughts, I take a bite of the bun on my plate and my mind goes blank, filled only with the pleasure of eating something so delicious. This has to be the best thing I've ever tasted. I moan out loud, savoring every last bite, my eyes closed. I open them slowly, to find all three staring at me in horror, amazement and I can't quite find the word for Peeta's reaction. His blue eyes deepen, staring into mine. I find myself biting my lip. My mother looks between us, shaking her head slightly. Prim is still staring at us, but the corners of her mouth curl up in a tiny smirk.
"Katniss!" My mother's voice interrupts our staring. I shake my head a little to land myself in reality.
"Yes?" I ask.
"Can I have a word please?" She says. Her voice sounds strained, like she is forcing the words out. Her hands firmly clasp my shoulders and she steers me out of the room into the colder hallway. I feel the cool air hit me, and my hands feel my cheeks anxiously. They feel like they're on fire.
"You have got to get a hold of yourself!"
"What do you mean?" I reply.
"I meant, you have to get a grip! How dare you act so shamefully? I raised you to be a lady!"
"I really don't understand…" My mother rolls her eyes angrily.
"For goodness sake Katniss. Surely you can't be that naive?" I just stare at her questioningly. My mother sighs, a resigned look settling on her worn features.
"We will need to talk about this at some point. I really can't believe that the school never talked to you about this kind of thing. Well I guess it usually takes place when you're in the last year, but since you won the Games, the task must fall to me." She sighs again, leaning her head against the wall. "Go on, back into the kitchen. Just please, think about what you are doing before you decide to do it." She smiles a little, though it doesn't reach her eyes. Then she turns, and heads into the study. I stare after her for a second, and then push open the kitchen door. I'm stunned by what I see. Prim is in Peeta's arms, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"I feel so helpless Peeta. She screams every night, crying out for you, for Rue." Peeta winces at the sound of Rue's name. "I want to help her, but I don't know how. She needs you. She might not admit it to anyone, but she cares so much about you. Please Peeta, I know she hurt you, but try to see past that. Kat just puts up walls so she doesn't get hurt. Anyone paying attention could see that you have a special place in her heart." I decide to walk in to stop Prim from talking anymore. I'd no idea that she noticed so much. I hate hurting her; I wish I could stop my nightmares. As soon as they see me, Prim escapes Peeta's embrace, wiping her hands furiously over her eyes, trying to wash away the tell-tale line of tears.
"Katniss?" She sounds surprised to see me alone. "Where's mother?" I bite my lip, struggling to keep it together. My sister, my sweet innocent Prim was crying over me. I feel terrible.
"Erm, she's in the study." I reply, my voice wobbling slightly at the end. Peeta looks at me with nothing but concern. I want to burst into tears and fling myself into his comforting arms like Prim did, but I should be more sensible than that. I need to be strong.
"Well, I should go see if she needs me to run any errands." Prim mutters, quickly making her escape, her gaze avoiding mine. I look at the floor. I sense his presence near me and my head snaps up in response. I jump back a little. I hadn't realized just how close we were.
"Are you okay?" His gentle voice asks. That's when I lose it. My knees buckle and I start to slide to the floor. Peeta's strong arms catch me, and then he guides me to sit on the floor. I feel the cold from the tiles seep through my trousers, making me feel cold. I bring my legs up to my body and wrap my arms around my legs tightly. I rest my head on my arms, unwilling to look at his face. I know that if I look at him, I really will go to pieces. So I don't.
"I'm fine." I reply quickly, my shaking voice betraying me. Peeta gently pushes a lock of hair back behind my ear, his blue eyes meeting mine.
"I think we both know that's not true." He says softly.
"Peeta…" I whisper his name, my voice betraying all my pain. He sighs.
"I wish I could take your pain away Katniss. You don't know how many times I've wished that. I used to wish it when your father died." My breath hitches in my throat when he mentions my father. Peeta's eyes are still on mine, but they have a faraway look to them. "I could watch you getting smaller every day. I wanted to help you so badly. I wish I had the courage to go up to you and offer you my help. I would have done anything to help your family, even if it meant going without myself."
"I never would have accepted your offer." I say quietly. "I would have been too proud. I also would have thought that you were just an asshole, playing a cruel trick on me. Especially since you're from town. Merchant boys only notice Seam girls when they want something."
"That's not true!" Peeta exclaims indignantly. Then his face drops, probably thinking about all the Merchant boys in our year, who only talk to the Seam girls so they can go behind the slag heap. "Well, not all Merchant boys. Definitely not me anyway." I look at him.
"Have you ever been?" I ask him. He looks at me questioningly.
"What?"
"Have you ever been to the slag heap?" I ask him curiously. His face flushes a little. I take that as a confirmation. He sees my judgmental look and is quick to explain.
"I've been once. It's disgusting. My brothers took me when I was fifteen as a 'birthday present'." He snorts and rolls his eyes. "I think it was just an excuse so they could go. They tried to get me a girl, but I wasn't interested. There was only one girl that I would ever think about like that, and she wasn't there so nothing happened." He looks into my eyes as he says this. It makes me blush and look away. "My brothers thought I was crazy. They did nothing but tease me about it on the way home."
"Sounds like a great present." I said in reply. He chuckles a little.
"Yeah, it was the best one I've ever had." He chuckles a little at his sarcastic statement. "My mother caught us on the way home though. She went ballistic. Said we'd dirtied the family name even though I hadn't done anything. We got a horrible punishment." He said frowning.
"I'm sorry." I tell him sincerely, unwrapping one of my arms and placing on his shoulder.
"Don't be." He tells me, smiling a little. I frown at him.
"Peeta, you should take it more seriously. She beat you. She antagonized you. She made you feel worthless every day and yet you still defend her?" Peeta looks at the floor.
"It wasn't all bad." He mutters. "Anyway, I deserved it."
"Don't ever believe that!" I say shocked. I hate his witch of a mother. If I ever have to see her again, I'm pretty sure I'll end up smacking her for what she did to Peeta. "Peeta, you are one of the most selfless, amazing people I know. Don't take any of her crap." He sighs.
"Whatever. Anyway, I don't want to spend this evening talking about my mother. Please can we talk about something else?" We sit in silence for a few minutes. Neither of us have much to say. However, the silence doesn't feel awkward. It feels nice.
"Peeta, would you mind making some more of those buns from earlier?" He smirks, a mischievous look coming into his eyes.
"Of course I can kitten. Did you like my buns?" I look at him a little strangely.
"Yes I did. You have lovely buns." I tell him sincerely. He can't contain his smirk any longer and laughs out loud.
"Oh kitten, what am I going to do with you?" He grins, his pearly white teeth flashing in the firelight of the kitchen.
"I don't know." I say, my voice breathless.
"Maybe I'll do this." He murmurs, snaking a hand around my waist and pulling me across the tiles towards him. He lifts up my body so I'm practically on his lap. My tense position from before relaxes, my cramped muscles breathe a sigh of relief.
"Maybe I'll do this." Peeta says, gently turning my face to look at him. His eyes stare down into mine, and I loose myself in the deep pools of blue.
"Or maybe, I'll do this." His husky voice drops to a whisper. He leans in. I lean in. My hands tangle into his hair at the nape of his neck. There is a tiny gap between the two of us. My eyes flutter closed, anticipating the feeling of his lips on mine.
"KATNISS EVERDEEN!" My mother's shocked voice comes from above us. We awkwardly jerk apart, to see my mother standing over us, a stern look on her face. Peeta lifts me off his lap and we stand up, looking anywhere but at each other. "I have never seen such a shameful display!" I smirk a little. We've done worse in this kitchen. Then I blush at the memory and look down, hanging my head. My mother takes that as a sign of repentance. "You should hang your head Katniss Everdeen. This is nothing to be proud of young lady. Upstairs, now." Walking slowly over to the door, I take one last glance at Peeta. He sees me looking and winks. I bite my lip and blush, escaping into the hallway. I hear my mother ushering Peeta out of the back door.
"Peeta, please can you try to control yourself around Katniss? I know what teenagers are like. I was young once." Her voice turns a little melancholy, no doubt remembering my father. Then her voice turns hard like steel. "But Katniss is very naive. She has no idea about what she's getting herself into and I need to protect her from that. She's not even seventeen. I don't think she's physically or emotionally ready for such a serious relationship."
"Mrs Everdeen," I hear Peeta reply. "I have nothing but good intentions with Katniss. Don't you think that I'm fully aware of her disinterest?"
"Then why were you trying to kiss her on my kitchen floor?" My mother shrieks. Peeta doesn't reply for a long while. When he does, his answer is quiet.
"I don't make Katniss do anything she doesn't want to. If she wanted to turn around and tell me to fuck off and never come back, I'd accept her wishes." I hear my mother gasp at Peeta swearing. It shocks me too. It's a rare occurrence. "However, never once has she ordered me away, and until that day, I'll be sticking around. Goodnight." He must then have left, for I hear the door slam shut. I sprint up the stairs to my room, rushing to the window. I see him walking dejectedly down the path. I open the window as far as it will go, cursing the stiff latch.
"Peeta!" I hiss into the cold night air. He looks around frantically, until he finds me stood at the window. His serious expression melts into a handsome smile.
"What are you doing?" He asks. I disappear from the window for a second, throwing on a random jacket and some shoes.
"I'm escaping." I tell him grinning. "I can't stay in this house a minute longer." I get up on the windowsill, my legs dangling.
"Are you sure you wanna do that?" He asks. "I'm flattered of course, but it's a long way to jump."
"I don't care." I reply. I take a deep breath and let myself drop, praying I won't hurt myself when I land. That would be embarrassing and awkward, calling my mother outside to fix a broken bone whilst trying to escape. I land in a crouch, straightening up. My legs feel a little sore, but I'm sure that I haven't broken anything. I jog over to Peeta, laughing a little.
"Quick, let's go before she finds out!" We run next door, and burst into Peeta's dark house. He switches on the lights and I instantly feel at home.
Author's Note: There you guys! You wanted Peeta to make a return, and so he has. I pay attention to my reader's demands! Plus, I was missing him to. He lights up everyone's lives. To be honest though, this chapter did not go the way that I was expecting. It's put of the end of filming back just a few chapters. But it will be over soon, I promise. Please leave me a review, they make me smile so much!
Love,
Mjenney21 xxx