What's Real
~Chapter 3~
Katniss
She gulped as she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked... normal. She no longer had that lost, confused look in her eyes. She didn't look like a crazed lunatic at all. Her outfit was normal. Her appearance was normal. Her gestures... normal. She even had her hair plaited into a braid. She looked normal. Just like in her false world.
Katniss sighed and stood back from the bathroom counter. Prim was waiting downstairs with her parents. They were waiting on her. It was Friday. A big, big day, as Effie would say. And it was, indeed, a big, big day. It was her first day back to 'normalcy'. She was going back to school.
She opened the bathroom door and quickly padded down the stairs. Her father gave her the school bag she used before the accident: a leather over the shoulder bag covered with various buttons. It was odd. She'd assumed that her bag would be the one she used for her game while she went hunting. Thing is, her father and she would go hunting together. It really was their game bag. When she was well enough, Mr. Everdeen planned on bringing her out on a good hunting trip again. Just like before.
Her mother was practically in tears when she saw Katniss. Her father looked so proud. And Prim, well Prim looked just as excited as ever. Katniss tried to hold onto the excitement she felt before falling asleep the night before. The excitement kept the nightmares away. She thought that if she was excited enough, the nervousness that was clawing at the back of her mind would just about disappear.
She only took a few minutes to sit down and eat. She wasn't the least big hungry, but her parents would feel better about her first day back if they knew she had a little something in her stomach.
"I've packed you a lunch and put it in your bag," Mrs. Everdeen said, circling the dining table to stand behind Katniss. "It's just a sandwich, water and an apple. I didn't think you'd want much to eat."
Katniss smiled gratfully at her mother. And she returned the smile.
"Your father will walk you two to school," she went on, "and he'll be right there to pick you up right after. If you don't feel good or get scared, don't you hesitate to tell the teacher you'd like to go home. They'll call your father or I and we'll get you as soon as we can, okay?"
Nodding, Katniss got out of her seat at the table to dispose of her dishes. She grabbed her bag and turned to her family, all standing behind her. Conjuring up the biggest smile she could, she took a deep breath and asked, "well? 'You coming?"
Mr. Everdeen grinned and made his way over to Katniss. "There's my little girl."
Real or not real
The school was overwhelming.
Her father dropped her off at the front office and headed off to work as soon as she was seen to. They'd handed her a schedule, map, school planner, gym clothes and a whole bunch of papers that her parents needed to sign. They told her they missed the first quarter of the school year. It shouldn't be too hard for her to catch up. But Katniss thought otherwise. Her memory wasn't great. She'd have to get extra help if she wanted to make it through this school year.
It was difficult for her to find her way through the school halls. It wasn't that people were unfriendly; it was quite the opposite, actually. Everyone heard about the infamous Katniss Everdeen: risen from eternal rest to walk among the living once more. She was something like a legend in the school. People were falling all over themselves to help her out. But there were a lot of them-
A lot of them should be dead.
Katniss shook the thought out of her head as she finally found her assigned school locker. During her free period- ironically called 'Reflection' by her principal Alma Coin- she was supposed to go to the textbook window and retrieve all the books she needed for her class. Katniss memorized the area so that she would be able to relocate the locker once again. It was near the boys' and girls' locker rooms and across from the gym. She dropped her gym clothes into the locker and tried to locate her first class.
Real or not real
It was a normal sized classroom. At least, that's what she thought. It was the same size of the classroom she had within her fake reality. People had already found their ways into the room, taking seats that were so obviously claimed at the beginning of the year.
Katniss gulped. She had no idea how her day would pan out.
She shuffled into the room, head down and mouth pursed. She made a bee line to the teacher's desk and introduced herself. Recognition coated the teacher's facial expression and Katniss finally placed who exactly this teacher was. It was Wiress. Her math teacher was Wiress.
"Katniss Everdeen! I heard the rumors but I couldn't believe it!" She exclaimed, grinning happily. "It's great to see you again."
Katniss had to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes as she forced out a smile for the older lady. "You too."
The bell rang and many more students rushed into class. Katniss took care not to look any of them in the eye. However, she did notice that they were whispering to one another, occasionally pointing to her. They were talking about her and the news of her being here would probably be spread around school before third period.
The palms of her hands became clammy when Wiress stood from her desk and took her place beside Katniss.
"Class, I'm sure you've all heard," she began, "that Katniss Everdeen is back to school. Please make her feel welcome and help her with anything she may ask about."
Katniss quickly scans the room, eyeing each person warily as they stare at her. She notices Peeta sitting directly in front of her. She almost jumped when she noticed him. He was seated so close to her, she hadn't noticed him until she was finished looking at the others.
Her eyes flit to the ground, a blush coating her cheeks. She felt herself grow even more uncomfortable.
Wiress directed her to the seat beside her desk so that Katniss would be able to ask for help whenever needed. Katniss wasn't sure whether she liked this seating arrangement or not. Peeta was just two seats over, and he would be a great distraction to her catching up on her studies. She didn't complain, however; she just tried harder to ignore the boy with the beautiful blue eyes.
Real or not real
Gym was right before lunch. And since the locker rooms and gym was right beside her locker, she took all the time she wanted to get to class.
She hadn't seen Peeta since first period. It was already fourth and she was hoping that she'd have minimum classes with him, despite her strong attraction towards him. It was just that she was afraid of getting to talk to him and then spilling everything to him- her 'reality', their 'relationship', her feelings. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she allowed such embarrassment to fall upon her. She already knew that Peeta didn't like her. Ry hadn't said anything otherwise. And her family didn't believe that he harbored any feelings for her either.
She walked into the gym and immediately got lost. She had no idea which gym teacher was hers. There were five of them and the name on the list wasn't the slightest bit familiar. It wasn't that surprising then, though, since she'd experienced the same thing with another teacher.
She stood at the door a little longer, trying to get her courage up to confront the teachers when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She peered to her side and saw one of the people who meant so much to her.
"It's good to see you, Catnip."
He was smiling and his arms were opened, inviting her in for a hug. Her eyes watered as she flung herself into him, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing as hard as she could.
"I wasn't sure you remembered me," she gasped. "I didn't know if it was all made up, or-"
He shushed her, chuckling a bit. "It's alright, Catnip. You're awake now. You're okay. I'm glad you're here."
She held onto him a little longer before letting go. She smiled up at him from beneath her eyelashes and clasped her hands together. "So... do you know who my teacher is?"
Gale laughed. "Of course. Follow me."
The lady's name was ridiculous. She preferred calling her Ma'am instead of calling her by her name. Gale left Katniss with her teacher, making his way to his class since roll call had been announced. Her teacher placed her in her assigned place, somewhere near the middle of the mass of teens on the gym floor. Then, she'd gone off to check off who was here and absent.
Katniss took this time to look around at her class mates. Some of them had been in earlier classes of hers. They were... nice. They rarely spoke to her. Said whatever they needed when she asked. But Katniss didn't necessarily feel like they would open up their arms and welcome her as some sort of long lost friend.
She saw Madge at the other end of class looking at her. She watched as Madge raised her hand to wave at Katniss, a small grin placed on her lips. Katniss returned her wave, the matching grin on her face making Madge's grow wider. Katniss felt that she'd get to talk with Madge during her class, maybe even do some of the exercises together. Nervous butterflies flew around in the pit of her stomach. Hopefully, it would all turn out alright.
Katniss returned to looking around the class and her eyes stopped on Peeta for the second time that day. He was just a few rows down, doing some stretches as he waited for the teacher to play the exercise track that Katniss'd heard of.
She couldn't take her eyes away from him. As he reached for his toes, the hem of his shirt rode up and exposed some of his skin. His biceps bulged from beneath his sleeves- obviously from lifting those flour sacks. And the look of concentration on his face; it was so endearing, one of the things that Katniss loved about him. As if he felt her watching him, he turned her way and caught her eyes. Her eyes quickly flicked away from his, embarrassment causing red to rise to her cheeks. She wasn't supposed to be ogling him! She was probably scaring him again.
Cursing herself, she began stretching herself, getting ready for the class period that she knew would be the death of her.
Real or not real
The class really would be the death of her. She'd caught herself watching Peeta so many times throughout the period, it was concerning. She didn't think that she'd see him as so... attractive while he worked out.
They really weren't doing much; they were out on the track the whole period. The teacher just made them run around in circles. Katniss saw it as a waste of time. However, she filled that time with catching up with Madge and staring longingly after Peeta, who was just ahead of her the whole time.
"Why don't you talk to him?" Madge asked when she noticed Katniss's glances towards him.
Katniss turned deep red. "I don't think he notices me. Besides, it would be creepy."
Madge, although she looked like she wanted to argue, stayed quiet. Katniss was glad that she let this slide. She was sure her friend wouldn't be so nice later when she was more accustomed to everyday life.
Katniss dropped her clothes into her locker and slammed the door shut with a sigh. She felt her trademark scowl take place on her features. However, when the expression took over her face, it seemed... foreign. It took Katniss by surprise. She thought that she'd always scowl, even in this world. However, the gesture felt so odd to her then. Maybe she really was happier here, it really didn't feel like she glared all that much.
She bit her lip as she turned and almost chewed it off when she saw who was just down the way from her. Peeta Mellark, a dozen lockers down, was watching her with an expression she couldn't understand. As soon as the fact registered that she was returning his gaze, his eyes flit away. They stood motionless, him sneaking peaks at her while she full on stared at him. It wasn't until the bell rang that she made the first move.
Clearing her throat, she shuffled on her feet. "See you later, Peeta."
Her voice was quiet and an octave too high. She tried not to wince as she made her way past him towards the cafeteria. What a way to talk to him. It was her first chance to make an impression.
And she blew it.
Real or not real
"It couldn't have been that bad," Madge said. She didn't know what Katniss's deal about Peeta was, exactly- things were much deeper than they seemed and she knew it- but she would always be there for her best childhood friend. Even if that friend didn't remember her that much.
"But it was," Katniss groaned, resting her head on the lunch table.
The cafeteria looked just as it had in her dream and she found Madge exactly where they ate daily. It was weird, since they hadn't eaten together as high schoolers. However, Madge told her that the middle school lunchroom had once been sabotaged and the whole month before she had gotten into the accident, they'd went to the high school to eat their food. This was the exact table they'd eaten at. And it was the table Madge ate at even after Katniss had gone.
"What did you say?"
Katniss looked down at her hands, playing with the cuticles. "That's the thing," she said, "I said nothing."
Madge raised her eyebrow. "Nothing?"
Katniss nodded.
"You had to have said something."
"Yeah, all I said was 'see ya' but that's practically nothing!"
"You're just acting dramatic."
Katniss pouted and turned, for the millionth time, to look at Peeta's table. He wasn't seated very far from her and Madge's. Just a few yards away, blocked by maybe two other tables. But with the way that the room was structured, she had an unobstructed view towards his table, specifically his seat.
"Quit looking!" Madge scolded. "He's going to notice!"
"I know. I did."
"What?"
"Nothing." Katniss shook her head and brought out her home made lunch. She wasn't really all that hungry, but she knew that she should eat something. "Did you hear about my little episode at the Mellark's yesterday?"
Madge nodded. "I'm sure all of Panem heard about it by now."
"Yeah. I bet Peeta thinks I'm a freak."
Madge's expression softened. "Oh, Katniss, of course he doesn't! You've been through a lot, have only been awake for two weeks! Don't be so hard on yourself.
Katniss pursed her lips. "Thanks. Um, can you tell me, how close were we when we were little?"
Madge smiled slightly. "Very. We didn't talk much, but we were pretty good friends when you get down to it."
Returning Madge's smile, Katniss replied, "that's how we were like in my head. We didn't talk much, but I knew I could trust in you. You were a great friend."
Madge smiled. "What happened to me in your dream?"
Upon hearing the question, Katniss's expression darkened. Looking down, she spoke with a chilling tone: "Most everyone I loved died. The only one that stayed with me was Peeta."
Real or not real
Katniss's father kept his promise of meeting her outside of her school. The school day had been highly stressful and just as equally embarrassing. She'd almost given Cinna a heart attack when she tackled him with a hug. The poor choir teacher didn't know what hit him.
They walked down the streets of Panem, headed towards the middle school to get Prim and then they would make their way to the bakery. Katniss told her dad about her day as he asked, giving only the details she felt comfortable with. She highly doubted her dad wanted her to know about her longing towards the youngest Mellark boy.
Prim was just as excited to see Katniss picking her up from school as she was when she got her elder sister from the hospital room. Prim commented on how things were beginning to feel normal again and Katniss couldn't keep the smile off her face. Normal. The sound of that really did cheer Katniss up.
When they got to the bakery, the Mellark boys were already setting up to work. Of course, the eldest son Westley was back to college, so the other two- Ry and Peeta- were working the store in the place of their father and mother.
Ry greeted them at the register, since Katniss (somehow) knew that Peeta was always the one to be in the back, baking the bread and decorating the sweets.
"Katniss! It's good to see you walking around again," he grinned.
Katniss blushed and looked down as she approached him. There were no customers yet, so she thought that it would be okay. "Yeah. Sorry about yesterday."
He shook his head. "Don't worry, there's no need to apologize. You were startled. And you just told me what happened to you. Of course you would be on edge. I would have been if I were you."
She met Ry's eyes and smiled. "Thanks. But, I'm sorry for scaring away all your customers. It wasn't my intentions, but... it happened anyways."
Ry laughed. "No, I know what you were doing! Scaring them all away... it was a ploy to get everything that I baked!"
Katniss giggled, pointing out, "you didn't even bake! Peeta was the one who did. That's not very nice, taking credit for your brother's genius."
"It's just baking; you wouldn't have to be a genius."
"You'd understand if you saw me in a kitchen."
Their laughter was loud and contagious; even her father and sister were chuckling along. It was the kind of laughter that she knew would last for a long while. However, her mirth was cut short when she noticed Peeta standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
Katniss cleared her throat and stood straight, hands flying to her braid in an effort to calm her nerves. She played with the hair as she tried to figure out what to say. However, just as all the other times that day, her mind turned out blank when trying to talk with him.
"Hey, Peet," Ry said, making his way around the counter to stand next to Katniss, "don't you think her giggle is cute?"
Her face flushed a deep red as he flung his arm around her shoulders. His shit eating grin made Katniss want to punch his lights out, but she settled with a red-cheeked scowl pointed directly towards him.
With that beautiful smile of his, Peeta looked towards Katniss and allowed his grin to grow bigger. Just a bit. Her heart fluttered as he let out a simple, "yeah, it is."
Ry quickly abandoned her to rub his knuckles into Peeta's hair and coo at him in a teasing gesture. Using his distraction as a means to escape, Katniss quickly made her way to the door.
"I'll see you two later" she called over her shoulder as she practically ran out of the family owned bakery.
Prim and Mr. Everdeen followed her out, quickly saying their own good-byes in order to keep up with the teenage girl. Katniss paid no mind to them, though. The only thing she could think of was that smile directed at her and the thought that he believed Katniss's laugh was cute.
~Chapter 3 End~