The testing ends all too soon and the time has come for my 'talk' with Wiress.
I walk calmly out of into the hall.
"Over here, dear" A voice I recognize as my teacher.
I look to my left and see him and Wiress.
I make my way quickly to them.
"Am I in some kind of trouble?" I ask in a detached voice.
Mr. Seeder looks at me with angry eyes.
"Now, Katniss you know-" he begins
"No, you're not in trouble" Wiress answers.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Well then, why am I here?" I continue
"Mr. Seeder would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?" Wiress asks my obviously infatuated teacher.
"Certainly!" he chirps and speeds off towards the teacher's lounge
She makes sure he is around the corner before beginning again.
"Walk with me Katniss." She semi asks and semi commands
I nod "But, what about your-"
"Yes, I know. Let's leave before he gets back." She says briskly as she walks
I smile a bit at her antics of trickery before I catch up.
"Tell me" she says "What do you know of psychics?"
I'm taken aback by her question.
"Um…Not much only that they don't exist." I answer
She chuckles lightly.
"Why, of course they are Katniss. You're one."
I stop suddenly.
"What?" I breathe
She turns sharply
"I was curious when I first saw you, mostly due to your eyes. Then the test with the pencil nearly confirmed it."
"You're crazy. I didn't do any tests with a pencil" I retort "And they're not real"
"You mean to tell me that you believe in a boy you think you saw six years ago, but you won't believe in psychics?" she smirks
I take a step back and sputter "How do you know about that?"
"I saw it" she said simply as she walks ahead. "In your mind"
"That's impossible" I try to sound confident
"You said that you didn't do any tests with pencils but, you did." She changes the subject
"But I-"
"You didn't realize you were taking a test. You were too busy drawing to realize that I was moving your pencil further and further away from you. By the time you retrieved it, the pencil was on the desk in front of yours."
"I grabbed it with my hand and you were on the other side of the room" I accuse
"I was on the other side of the room but, you moved the pencil into your hand. Telekinesis, that's what it's called. How do you know Haymitch?" she asks, changing the subject once again. Memories of that night flash in my mind and I have the eerie feeling of being watched as they do. I shake my head and try to dispel the thoughts.
"Stop changing the subject" I command shakily
"So that's how you know Haymitch." She says sadly "You met him when he was working with Boggs…that bastard…"
My eyes snap towards her. "Is Boggs scar-face? I ask angrily
"I suppose"
"Do you know where I can find him?" I growl
"No, but, not because lack of searching. We've been trying to track and kill that monster for years; his boss too." She takes a deep breath
"You're trying to kill him?" I ask. She's finally said something worth my time.
"Yes, which is why I'm here." She turns to me "Would you like to help?"
A breath escapes my lungs. Of course I want to. But… stuff like this doesn't happen in real life. A fairy godmother doesn't just get sent down from heaven and help you kill a man.
"What about all the psychic bull?" I ask
"You're one of the kids they've been hunting: a manmade psychic. There are others like you." She walks towards me. "You can help us and meet more kids like you. And you could leave this place. You can come live with all of us, far away and be safe."
I process her words.
I could be safe?
"What about Prim and Caleb?" I ask
"They could come too." She says instantly
"And we'd all be safe?" I ask cautiously
"Your mother could never find you again. You could even keep in touch with Gale if you really wanted too."
"I need to think about it" I say
She nods in understanding before walking back to the testing area.
"If you choose to come, meet at the docks before three" I check my watch.
1:30
I need to go to my favorite thinking place.
I rip through the thick foliage of the forest and crawl under the stone passageway that leads to my father's secret cottage. The door opens with a loud screech and I breathe in the dusty smell of old training equipment.
This was my training center.
I spend and hours thinking as I punch, kick, thrown and any everything in between. And though I try to find the faults of Wiress' offer, I already know my choice was made. And so, I clean up the place knowing I'll never see it again. I decide to take my father leather jacket that had been hanging and my bow with me. I run back to my truck and throw my things in it. I'm about to hop in the driver's seat when I realize something.
Before I leave, I have to clear something up.
I leave school and drive to my street, past my house, and park in the driveway of a familiar house.
I knock on the door and shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. The door creaks open and an ancient woman smiles at me with no teeth. Mags.
"Is he real?" I blurt before she can say anything. Her smile fades and her eye grow serious. She opens the door wider and gestures me to come inside. I take the invitation and she leads me to her kitchen table with two sets of cups already placed out with tea. It weird, I guess, despite all that's happened, I've never been into this woman's house, or even spoken to her since that night.
"Mags please, I don't have much time" I plead. She cuts me off with a sharp glare as she adds sugar to her tea and takes a sip.
"You're leaving" she clarifies in a hissing tone
"Yes" I answer "Very soon"
"Good, you need to get out of here and explore the world" it's hard to decipher what she's saying but I get the jist of it.
"I'll be taking Prim and Caleb. I need to be at the docks before three." I nervously glance at the clock hanging on the wall: 2:19.
"Then I'll tell you." She says, placing her cup back onto the table. "Six years ago yesterday a little boy knocked on my door, a boy with the bluest eyes I've ever seen, in the wee hours of the morning covered in blood. He was scared and breathing heavily but, he managed to ask me to call the police because he found an injured girl. I did as he said and by the time I re-entered my hallway; the boy was gone."
My heart lifts and I feel a relief I haven't felt in years.
"Did the boy tell you his name?" I ask, finishing off the contents of my cup.
"I'm afraid not but, he gave me this and told me to give it to the girl when she visits for the final time. I just never realized the final time would be the first time but, oh well." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small box.
"I'm sorry I never visited. I know I should have but, something was stopping me." I explain.
"It's quite all right child. Just take this and be happy." She hands me the box and stands. We walk towards the door.
"I never thanked you for that day. Without you, I would be dead right now."
"Don't thank me. Thank that boy." She smiles wearily as if she just finished a long journey and I've just begun.
"His name is Cato" I say with a small smile.
"Well, when you find Cato, tell him I said hello and where does a boy like him get that much money for jewelry?" I nod and walk out of the house.
This is a new journey.
