A/N: There's a sexual harassment warning for this chapter. It comes in implied comments and looks, but it's very much implied.
Prim's illness worsened over the following days. The top priority was keeping Prim as strong as she could be, and Katniss felt herself growing weaker as she gave up as much food as she could to feed Prim.
Meanwhile, the weather grew colder as winter drew closer. Katniss was convinced the chill settled in earlier than in past years.
As she sat waiting for Peeta on the edge of the school grounds, she held her jacket close to her body, trying to hold onto her own body heat.
School had ended hours ago, but some students still came and went as she sat there. A few of the most dedicated spent time in the library after classes. Katniss was unsurprised when most who were leaving were blonde-haired. They could be home easily before the peacekeepers amped up their patrolling. Children from the Seam had left long ago.
She only had a few minutes before Peeta would be free of the bakery when she noticed Thread patrolling. It took him longer to catch sight of her, but when he did, his face broke into a smirk and his gait quickened as he zeroed in on her.
Since the incident with Gale, Katniss had avoided Thread at all costs, but every so often, he would catch sight of her in a crowd and give her that same smirk that sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. So far, she had eluded him, but this time, she had nowhere to go. She kept her gaze on the bakery as Thread approached, willing Peeta to appear.
"Katniss Everdeen."
The hair on her arms raised at the satisfied way in which Thread said her name. It was the first time she'd heard it from his mouth, and she would have been satisfied if it were the last.
Though it pained her, she looked up at him. There was no way she was facing a public whipping because she'd refused to show the Head Peacekeeper the respect he ardently chased. Keeping her expression blank and her her mouth tightly closed, she waited for him to make his next move.
"How is Mr. Hawthorne?"
Katniss' eyes narrowed before she could stop them.
"He's fine."
"Yes," Thread went on as if they were discussing the weather. "I've heard he's back in the mines. It takes someone strong to do such dangerous work. See, my punishment couldn't have been too extreme if Mr. Hawthorne made an easy comeback, could it?"
At first, she didn't respond, but Thread raised an eyebrow and continued to stare.
"I suppose not, sir," she replied curtly.
"There, see? I'm glad we can come to an understanding."
Katniss gave him a short nod and took to staring at the ground. All was quiet between them for a moment, and Katniss grew hopeful that he would walk away without another word. Instead, he took a step closer, causing Katniss' body to seize up like a tightened coil.
"I hear your sister isn't doing well."
Ice coated Katniss' veins. She didn't dare look in Thread's eyes and see the menacing look that accompanied the way he was towering over her. She felt like the deer they used to hunt in the woods.
Thread was enjoying this, and that knowledge left her feeling nauseous.
"She's been in bed for a week," Katniss admitted.
Thread had enough connections that there was no sense lying about it. She was sure lying to a peacekeeper about even the most mundane of things was against some rule, either Thread's or the Capitol's.
"I see," Thread said. "By the looks of you, her illness is taking a toll on the whole family. What a shame. I imagine you could all do with a nice, filling meal. When was the last time you had one of those, Miss Everdeen?"
Katniss shrugged. She'd taken to staring at Thread's shoes, noting that they were coated with dry mud. She wondered why he didn't wash them more often when he was overly concerned with the rest of his uniform appearing absolutely spotless. The crisp white of his jacket glowed against the darkening sky.
"Can't even remember?"
Thread clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Katniss suddenly felt less like a deer and more like a pet dog Thread was preparing to scold for disobedience.
"Do you know what's available to peacekeepers, Miss Everdeen?"
She wished he'd stop saying her name. Every time he did so, his enjoyment of this was palpable in the air between them.
"A lot of things, I'm sure, sir."
"Yes, a lot of things. One of those things is any medicine needed by either me or one of my soldiers. The Capitol doesn't even require a check up with anyone but our trained, on-site doctor, and, as his superior, I really require no check up at all."
Her curiosity got the better of her. She met Thread's gaze with a frown.
"That must be wonderful."
Thread hummed in agreement.
"There's also no one around to monitor who takes the medicine I request. No one except our trained doctor, of course."
Katniss didn't respond this time, just watched him.
"You must think I hate you," he continued, "but I admire both you and Hawthorne. There's a tenacity in both of you that is incredibly beneficial if used correctly. Poaching, however, is a waste of your spirit. It may help you in the short term, but it would never get you ahead in life."
"With all due respect, sir, I don't know that it's possible to get ahead of anything in Twelve."
Thread sneered.
"It's difficult to be sure, but there are always ways for those willing to play the right games."
He tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. His eyes traveled the length of her body, and Katniss shrunk away from him involuntarily, her shoulders hunching over.
"Oh, hello, sir."
Katniss' head shot up. She'd become consumed with the anxiety Thread created in her and forgotten that Peeta was meant to be meeting her. Thread hadn't been expecting more company either if the slight raise of his eyebrows was any indication. His eyes narrowed as he inspected Peeta, recognizing him from previous encounters.
"Mr. Mellark," he greeted, almost as if he weren't sure how polite he should be with the son of the town bakers, especially the one that dared to approach him when he was busy. "Aren't your parents in need of assistance?"
It was a clear dismissal, but Peeta feigned ignorance.
"Oh, no. I just left the bakery. My shift's done for the day. Homework time, I'm afraid. I really am sorry to interrupt, sir, but see, you're talking to my partner for our big history project. We're meant to be writing a report on what we think is the Capitol's greatest achievement. I have plenty of material to work with, but to be honest, sir, I'm more of an idea person than a writer. Katniss is much better at putting pen to paper, and if I don't get an A on this one, I may never leave the bakery again."
Thread stared Peeta down for what felt like a lifetime, but Peeta didn't back down, keeping his face earnest and, somehow, innocent.
When Thread took a large step away from her, Katniss almost audibly sighed in relief. His gaze flickered between Katniss and Peeta as if he were analyzing them.
"I'll leave you to it then," he concluded, walking away without glancing back.
"I can't believe you did that," Katniss whispered as soon as Thread was out of earshot.
She resisted the urge to throw her arms around Peeta in gratitude.
"Neither can I," said Peeta. "I thought for sure he was going to whip me."
"But the project?" Katniss asked, suddenly accusatory. "You don't think he'll ask Ms. Hayes about it?"
Peeta shrugged.
"Maybe. I don't think it'll matter. Ms. Hayes may be the most loyal citizen in Twelve, but not even she's a fan of Thread. Course, she may actually give us the assignment in retaliation, but I'll take it."
XXX
Her heart hadn't calmed by the time she made it home.
The atmosphere of the house was a far cry from what it had been in previous months. Her mother was hovering over Prim when Katniss opened the door. There were no other visitors like Katniss had become accustomed to seeing since Thread's arrival. There hadn't been any in the week since Prim had taken ill.
How the men and women Thread regularly whipped in the town square were treating their wounds, Katniss wasn't sure. They had relied heavily on her mother before. Her past frustrations with her mother rarely taking payment had been eclipsed by the patients' absences.
"Have you seen anyone today?" Katniss asked quietly, trying not to disturb Prim.
Her mother gave her a sharp look, calling to mind the past two nights when Katniss had asked the same question. Mrs. Everdeen didn't respond as she came to the sink, sterilizing the thermometer she'd used to record Prim's temperature.
"Mrs. Carbones stopped by," she replied once the thermometer was set aside. She wasn't looking at Katniss. "Her youngest was whipped this morning, grabbed on his way to the mines for something or other. Not even he knew. She kept him at home where he was as comfortable as could be considering the circumstances, but I gave her some medicine to take back with her."
"And payment?"
Mrs. Everdeen sighed, taking her time wiping her hands against her apron.
"She brought tessa rae grain."
Katniss reached up to tug the cabinet open, seeing that, sure enough, there was more grain there than that morning.
It shouldn't have bothered her. It really shouldn't have. The grain was filling, and it was food. It wasn't meat or vegetables or money, but it was more than they'd have otherwise. More importantly, it truly was all that most of the district could afford to give them.
"I tried to make her keep some, but she refused. She wouldn't see to it that I got any less."
Katniss wanted to lash out. She could feel the desire bubbling up inside her, but she didn't have anything to say to her mother. She would never have characterized Mrs. Carbones' payment as anything but steep, and there was nothing her mother could have done. She could see the exhaustion in her mother's demeanor that came from caring for Prim for the past week. It was more than she'd expected of her mother in years.
