Gale coughed awkwardly before thanking me for the bread and exiting quickly.
I sighed and leaned my elbow on the counter while propping up my chin on my hand.
How has my life become this?
I groaned and rolled over in my bed, the blankets tangling around my legs even more. I looked out the window, squinting as the early morning sunlight hit my eyes.
Rubbing them, I looked over at the clock
It was only 7:25.
I stared up at the ceiling, wondering if it was possible that I could sleep a little longer. Even just five more minutes...
A loud knock reverberated from downstairs and I cursed all of humanity.
I stood up and grabbed one of my sweaters, pulling my arms through the sleeves and throwing my bedroom door open.
Even though it was 7 on a Saturday and now I had monthly Victor's checks coming in, Grandma was already at work in the shop.
"Who the hell is it?" I yelled, looking through the peep-hole. Blonde hair, rosy cheeks, blue eyes.
Peeta fucking Mellark.
I threw the door open and glared at him.
"Good morning my red headed friend!" He said cheerfully, pushing around me. He brought in the cold with him, and I tightened my sweater around me as I closed the door.
It had almost been six months since I came out of the arena. You know what that means.
Victory tour. Yay.
"Peeta, you do know what time it is, right?" I asked.
"Yup! It's 7:27! Perfect time for fresh bread from the Mellark Bakery." He said, plopping a loaf on the counter. I groaned and sat down on one of the swivel bar stools.
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat."
"No I don't."
"You'll die."
"That's what they all said when I volunteered."
This has happened every day for the past three months now. Every morning the argument is a little different. This is the first time it's gone in this direction. And by 'in this direction' I mean towards the Games.
I don't like talking about them. But sometimes it's almost nice to joke about them. Makes them seem like less of a nightmare.
Peeta just looked at me oddly, not saying anything. I must have taken it too far.
Sighing internally, I reached for the loaf of bread and tore a hunk off. I ate it all before looking back at my friend.
"There. Are you happy?" I asked. He smiled, his whole face lighting up.
"Very much so, yes. Now- go get showered and changed. We're going to go have some fun. God knows you need it." He said, coming around the side of the island and forcing me up and out of my seat.
"Where are we going?"
"Wherever the wind takes us." He said. "Although, I think you need new shoes."
Thgthgthgthgthg
"There." I said to myself, looking in the mirror.
I had bags under my eyes, proof of my sleepless nights, and my skin looked paler than usual. If I was being honest, I hadn't gone outside in about a month. It was getting too cold and it reminded me of the arena.
My usually ratty and untameable hair was pulled back in a long french braid, the water from my shower keeping it from frizzing out. Even my freckles looked a little in need of sun.
Maybe it was a good thing Peeta was forcing me to go outside today. I looked down at my feet.
I did need new shoes.
"Are you almost ready?" Peeta asked through the door. I nodded before I realized that he couldn't see me. So I just opened the door and stepped out.
"Okay, let's go!" I followed him down the stairs and stopped at the coat closet. I opened the door and pulled out my heavy parka like jacket I had bought from the Hob a while back. I wasn't going to go out in the cold without a thick coat.
I put that on and then wound my scarf around my neck before putting on a hat and then my earmuffs, and finally my gloves.
"Crap." I said, my voice muffled by the scarf. "I forgot to zip my coat."
Peeta rolled his eyes and laughed before helping my with the zipper. Gloves and zippers don't really go together.
When that was done, I was finally ready.
Peeta opened the door and motioned for me to go first. I walked out and down the steps, mentally cursing District Twelve and how cold it could get.
We left Vicotr's Village and walked towards town. There were a lot of kids running around and playing in the snow that had fallen the night before. About halfway to town, a little Seam girl ran by, nearly knocking Peeta over. I laughed and steadied him, before leaning down to talk to the girl.
"Careful, Girly." I said, smiling at her. "You never know what you'll run into. Here, you look cold." I took off my hat and put it on her head. She grinned up at me, her two front teeth missing, before running off again she seemed to think about what I had said, and instead speed walked after her friends.
"Well aren't you just the town saint." Peeta teased me.
"What can I say? I have a soft spot for kids. I always wished I could have had a little sister or even a brother."
"Trust me, you don't want a brother."
"I don't think I want kids either now. Not after being in the games. It seems... almost selfish. To bring another kid into this, only for them to possibly be reaped."
Peeta didn't say anything back, only looked solemnly on up ahead.
We finally reached the shoe shop not too long after that. I pushed the door open and held it for Peeta before letting it fall shut. The bell dinged again after it closed, and the owner rushed out from the back.
"Miss Smith! What can I get for you?" He asked.
"She needs a new pair of black flats and some boots." Peeta said, not allowing me to speak. I frowned over at him.
"I have vocal chords, Peeta." I said after the guy rushed off to find some shoes.
"Yes, well, I know you. You would justget some stupid tennis shoes or whatever, and you need boots."
"And the flats?"
"Are pretty!"
"Are you sure you're not queer?" I asked him.
"Here. Try these ones." I was handed some shoes and sat down on one of the chairs.
I took off my too tight boots and slipped my feet into the new ones I had been handed. They were black on the outside, but the inside was made of red plaid material. The sole was nice and thick, which helped in our district where there was usually glass or bits of wood and rock all over the place.
Next I tried on the little shiny black flats. I tightened the strap that went over the top of my foot and stood up.
"What do you think?" I asked, showing Peeta. They had a little bit of a heel, no more than an inch, but I liked them.
"I think they look nice." He said. I nodded and turned back to the shoe maker.
"I'll take them both."
He gave me a price and I handed him a handful of coins from my bag.
When we left I was wearing the new boots and carrying my old ones in the bag with the flats.
"Now what? Can I go home? I think that's enough interaction for me." I said.
Peeta sighed. "I guess. Why don't we go back to the bakery first? Maybe we could have some cookies and milk."
"I guess that sounds good." I said, and we switched our path so that we were walking towards the bakery.
"So don't worry about my mother. She's been going on and on and on about you for the past few weeks, saying that there's still redemption for you, even if you said you liked a Seam boy. She'll probably say something to you." He warned me. I laughed.
"As long as she doesn't try to set us up again, I'm fine."
"God, I don't think I will ever be so embarrassed again in my life. That was horrible."
"The worst part of that was she thought we already were dating."
"True. Did you know-" and then two things happened very fast. Something flew by my face, missing my nose by a few short centimeters, and crashed into the shop window next to me. The window shattered into a million little shards, and I yelled, holding my arms up to protect my face. Next, somebody started screaming bloody murder from inside the shop.
I dropped to my knees, locking my arms around my head to protect it from any other shrapnel. My breath was heavy and I felt as if the world was pushing down on me.
"Aces! Aces!" Peeta said, reaching out with his hand. He touched my shoulder and that's when I lost it.
I started screaming, trying to shake off his hand.
"Don't touch me! Don't touch me, don't touch me!"
"Aces, calm down! It's okay-"
I screamed and screamed and screamed. I'm pretty sure if the glass hadn't already been broken, it would be now. People were still walking and running all around me, and everyone of them was an enemy. Somebody grabbed my arm and tried to pick me up.
I acted purely on instinct, reaching out and grabbing a piece of glass before swinging out at whoever had grabbed me.
I will not die I will not die I will not die.
"Kid! Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"
Haymitch.
And I had been ready to stab him.
His grip on my elbow is almost painful, but it helps me focus so I don't slip back into the crazy. Instead, I just brake down into tears.
"Shh, Aces, it's okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you come outside." Peeta says.
"Come on, Kid. Let's get you home." Haymitch and Peeta helps me stand up and walk on either side of me as we head towards my house.
"You're bleeding." Peeta said, taking his sleeve and dabbing at my cheek.
"Oops. It's probably from my hand..." I said, looking down at my hand that I had grabbed the glass with. Blood was dripping off of my fingertips and staining the snow beneath me as we walked. There was a little trail behind us.
"Aces!" Someone yells from up the street, and my head snaps up.
It's Posy, and guess who's not far behind.
Gale.
"Aces! Are you okay? You're bleeding!" Posy says in her innocent little child's voice.
"Er..."
"She's okay. Some kid kicked a soccer ball into a shop window and she fell in the glass." Peeta said. "We're taking her home to get her bandaged up."
"Do you know how to do that, though?" She asked, and for some reason I laughed. It must have been the way she said it and the face she made.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Peeta can't mess it up anymore than it already is." I told her.
"Katniss' mom is good at injuries. You should go to her." Posy said. I tuned and smirked at Peeta.
"Thanks, Posy, but I'm sure we'll be fine-"
"You really should go to her. Your knees look pretty bad." Gale said suddenly, and I was so shocked it was a good thing Peeta was holding me up. I frowned at him and looked down at my knees.
I really wish I hadn't.
There were pieces of glass sticking out of my skin, and my jeans were torn and bloody.
"O-okay." I said, almost falling over. Peeta gave me a worried look before leading us towards the Seam.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." I said to myself.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay." Posy said.
"I will be okay. I will be okay." I said instead. She giggled.
She skipped along side of us, saying she would show us which house was Mrs. Everdeen's.
My head was starting to hurt, and I wondered if it was from blood loss, and could I really have bled that much? Well, my shins were sticky with blood and my coat sleeve was thoroughly stained as well.
"- and so I told her that it was practically treason to say that she liked some other district's victor more than one of our own, especially since you had saved my life." Posy finished her story of one of the girls in her class.
"Aces?" She asked, but her voice sounded kind of funny. As if she was trying to talk to me from the other side of a wall.
"... Yes...?" I replied. My eyelids felt heavy.
"Aces?" She said again. Ad the world was tipping and everything was skidding and my feet slid out from underneath me, I was falling, falling, falling...
And then it was dark.