I don't break my promise to Peeta and stay in bed throughout the day, though it's extremely aggravating to do. My urge to go outside to the Meadow or even to venture downstairs is difficult to contain. My mother helps Peeta with the meals, and then carry up little trays for me. We make conversation and speak about our time during these past months away from one another. I try to tell her only the good, which has to be picked out in my head like weeds in a garden. The bad has unfortunately overcome the good since Peeta and I returned home and it's almost hard to find something appeasing to tell her.
"Katniss, have you been sleeping? I know that the nights can be difficult for you." My mother says during lunch, eyeing not me, but Peeta. As if he will tell the truth, instead of myself. Peeta clears his throat.
"Um, no. Not much." I answer quietly, biting into one of the buttered rolls Peeta had baked. My mother sighs.
"That's not good. You need to sleep. The less rest you get, the less chance you'll have at healing yourself again. Where are your sleeping pills?" She moves off of my bed to go to the cabinets located in the bathroom.
"No. They don't help. They just make the nightmares worse." I say, leaning back into my pillow.
My mother turns, shaking her head.
"Katniss, running away from your nightmares isn't going to help you."
I frown.
"You are telling me that I'm running away from things?" I answer defensively. My mother is the number one person at hiding or running away from fear.
She furrows her eyebrows.
"I've tried to-"
"I'll help her Mrs. Everdeen. Your right, she needs rest." Peeta interrupts, finding my hand laying on top of the comforter and lacing his fingers through mine.
My mother's chin trembles slightly. Great, I've made her upset.
"Thank you Peeta." She answers curtly.
"I'm sorry mother, I shouldn't have said that." I apologize, mostly so she won't have a break down in front of us.
Haymitch and Effie come by to see how I'm doing around dinner, and explain to us that Finnick and Annie, plus the brand new baby, would be traveling to meet us in a month. They rescheduled their visit so my mother could come. Effie is still like an unofficial escort to Peeta and I again. I have realized that she's planned all the visits of our family and friends to come and see us. Again, somehow it is strangely like old times.
"Alyssa and Jayce have been missing you two as well! You know, they both have contributed to rebuilding District Thirteen above ground once more." Effie comments as we all make a picnic around my bed. I nod, cutting into my chicken.They wouldn't dare to come back either for long term, even with Peeta and I here. District Twelve is home to them, yet they are frightened; just like my mother.
"I hope to see them again. I've heard they've got engaged." Peeta says with a smile.
"Oh yes!" Effie squeals.
"I've already offered to help with the preparations!"
Haymitch grunts.
"They're too young I think." He sips his red wine which I assumed he slipped from our kitchen. I nearly snort. Since when did you care, Haymitch? I was only sixteen when Snow matched me up the aisle.
"Oh, don't be a grump! It's a wonderful thing! Why, it makes me think back to when Katniss and Peeta got married in the Capital." Effie grins at us. I shift in the bed. Yes, but it wasn't real. It didn't seem real at all, because we were forced. It's not like that for Alyssa and Jayce.
Peeta and my mother clear everyone's plates from the bedroom and Effie and Haymitch say goodbye to all of us. Peeta washes the dishes downstairs while my mother checks on my infection again. When she leaves, I pull on one of Peeta's shirts as my pajamas for the night. The sun begins to set and my mother bids goodnight to me, going to her room across the hall. At last, Peeta and I are left to be alone. Though it is almost time to sleep, I force myself out of bed. I need to stretch desperately.
"I thought you promised me to stay in bed?" Peeta jokes, grabbing my pain medicine and shaking out two pills into his hand.
"But I'm stiff." I say, leaning down to touch my toes. Not a good idea. Dizziness overtakes me and I have to slump back on the bed. I try to make it settle so Peeta doesn't notice, but he sees it nevertheless.
"Here, open up." He pops the pills into my mouth. I swallow.
"I hate this." I tell him, laying back on the bed.
"I know. I'm sorry." Peeta leans over me to kiss my cheek.
We turn off the lights and close the curtains, then pulling the covers over ourselves as if we are actually going to go to sleep. But we don't. I can't make myself close my eyes for one minute. I know, I'm tired. Exhausted even. The nightmares haunt me though. Worse then they did back on those nights on the train. The thought of seeing my sister's ashes again makes me want to scream, or cry. Peeta won't rest either. He doesn't sleep if I don't sleep. It's part of his crazy idea of chivalry. I know it is more then that though. His triggers have been heightened since that day in the forest. I've made him worse.
"You want tea?" Peeta whispers into the dark about an hour after our attempt to cuddle and close our eyes.
"Not right now . . . My mother might still be awake."
I tell him, looking over at our closed door.
"Let's just stay here for a while." I sigh, leaning in to him. So again we complete another night with no sleep. By the morning, I feel awful. The pain has returned, and not only is it around my stomach, but it's come to my head as well. I slump out of bed and down the pain killers, but my head is still spinning like a top. I search for Peeta around the room, but he is gone. He must be downstairs fixing breakfast. Wobbling slightly, I travel down the hallway. I pass my mother's room and then Prim's, in which case I freeze when I reach hers. There, standing in front of the oak door, is her small, blonde haired figure. Buttoned up shirt untucked and wearing my hand-me-down shoes, she smiles up at me. I gap at her.
"PRIM!" I shriek, rushing to her. She laughs as we embrace, and I hold her close to me. She is here. Solid and human. Somehow, she lives.
"How I missed you! How did you escape? Oh, why did you hide from mom and me? We thought you were gone forever!" I tell her, running my fingers along her golden braids. She laughs again, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I hear somebody bound up the stairs, Peeta appears in the hallway.
"Katniss, who are you talking to?" He wonders, coming to my side.
"Peeta!" I cry.
"Peeta, look I found Prim! I found her! She's not dead, she's alive! She's here!" I say, turning back to little Prim, who's blue eyes gaze up at us affectionately.
"Katniss? What . . ." Peeta stares at me dumbstruck.
"Peeta, don't you see her? Look, she's here as her perfect twelve year old self, wearing my old reaping clothes and . . ." Twelve year old self. Prim's fourteen. She's not twelve anymore.
I frown.
"I don't understand . . . Prim?" I say uncertaintly, taking the hands of my sister. I almost gasp, they're ice cold. Prim looks into my eyes, she gives me an almost saddened look. As if to say that she's sorry. Peeta takes me by the shoulders.
"Katniss, I think you need to go back to the bedroom. You're not well." He says with a panicked face.
"No-no! It's Prim. I see her! She's here!" I protest, struggling from Peeta's grip. That's when he lifts my weak stature up over his shoulder, and carries me away.
"No, no! Prim! PRIM!" I yell, tears running down my face. I scream and sob all the way to the bed. Peeta forces me down upon it, pushing the comforter up to me. I sob angrily into his arms as he holds me. A moment later, my mother bursts into the room, still wearing her robe and hair up in a braid.
"Peeta, what happened?" She asks, surprisingly calm, coming to my side.
"She thinks she saw Prim." Peeta answers over my shattered breaths.
"I think she was-hallucinating." He adds, rubbing his strong hand up and down my back.
My mother closes her eyes.
"Of course."
"If you do not sleep for a number of days and then take prescribed medication, you can have side affects. One of the most common is hallucinations." My mother explains to Peeta, laying me down upon the pillows. I wipe the tears angrily from my face. How much embarrassment can one take? I'm not hallucinating! I am NOT crazy. I saw her. I saw my sister.
A/N: Okay, I know we have a very broken Katniss here, but I PROMISE that she'll get better. I thought that I had to add this to the story because there is sort of a climax that I'm working up to, so bear with me ;). Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy Summer to everyone! 3