Katniss sat on atop the braided rug, her legs crossed as she used her knife to cut a notch in the long, slender arrow in her hands.
Prim sat at the kitchen table just a few feet away; a book was open before her and Katniss could tell her sister was lost in its frayed pages. It was an old book, the teachers always gave the Seam children the old books, but Katniss was just glad that Prim had something to read at all – books were expensive – a luxury the Everdeen's couldn't afford.
Katniss looked across the room, where her mother sat folding laundry she'd gathered from the clothes line.
As Katniss looked at her mother she felt a deep relief. Gone was the woman who lay in bed all day, with thoughts of her lost love – her dead husband in her head. Gone was the mother who didn't even notice has her children starved to death in front of her.
In the past year both Katniss and her sister, but mostly Prim, had helped bring their mother back out from her deathly shell. Coaxing her to eat and brush her hair had been the easy part, but it wasn't until just six months ago that she'd begun healing again. It was almost like it had been in the old days, before their father had died.
Katniss almost smiled, and even tried forcing one, but found the motion felt strange and foreign on her face. Only Prim could bring a real, true smile out of her.
Katniss went back to her arrows; she'd lost two in the woods the other day and needed to replace them quickly.
At the table, Prim closed her book, returning it to her book bag before taking a seat beside Katniss on the floor.
"What are you doing Katniss?" Prim's voice sounded so innocent, so angelic and as Katniss looked over into her huge blue eyes she felt her heart melt.
Tweaking her little sister's nose, Katniss gestured to the freshly made arrows at her side.
"Making sure there's no shortage of meat in this house – more or less."
Satisfied with this answer, Prim cuddled into Katniss' side as she worked, her eyes following her older sister's every move.
"I wish you didn't have to kill them." Prim said wistfully. "I know they taste wonderful, I just wish little baby animals didn't have to suffer for us."
Katniss sighed, continuing to notch the arrow. Prim thought every small animal was a baby.
"I know little duck – and believe me, I don't like killing them any more than you do – but I don't kill baby ones, just big ones."
Prim thought about this for a moment.
"You mean like the momma and daddy animals?"
Katniss nodded.
"I guess you could say that."
Prim's mouth went wide, her eyes sad as she tugged on Katniss' arm.
"But Katniss, what if the baby animal's daddy gets killed – they'll be sad like us."
The silence in the room that followed Prim's statement was so loud in Katniss' ears that she thought she could almost hear the wings of a bird flapping outside. Even their mother was silent.
Katniss struggled to swallow around the lump forming in her throat, clearing it before speaking.
"It's not the same Prim, animals and people – they're not the same."
Prim nodded in assent.
"I guess so – I'm sorry Katniss."
Katniss didn't want her sister to feel bad for speaking her mind, and she could tell Prim thought she'd hurt her sister. Katniss drew her arm around her sister's shoulder, pulling her close.
"I know little duck, its fine."
They stayed where they were, Mrs. Everdeen folding laundry, and the girls sitting cross legged on the floor; Katniss with her arms still wrapped around Prim. The silence was once again startled by a sharp knock on the door.
"Help! Please open the door, we need help!"
Mrs. Everdeen rushed to the door, placing the laundry basket on the floor as she did. Pulling it open Katniss recognized the caller as one of the Mellark boys – Rye she thought his name was.
He was panting, his face white and his eyes bright with unshed tears – terror filling them.
"You've gotta help – it's my brother – h-he fell and… the blood… too much…"
His voice trailed off and Katniss could see the way his hands shook fiercely at his sides.
He was tall, taller than her mother by at least a head, but Mrs. Everdeen reached up, taking his cheeks between her hands as she tried to calm him.
"Where is he – your brother – can you tell me where he is?"
Still trembling, the boy pointed back where he came.
"O-on their way here – my father and older brother are carrying him here."
Katniss' mother nodded, pushing past the panicking boy and out into the street. Katniss realized then that Prim had left her side and was gathering bandages and herbs from the cabinet behind her. Standing, Katniss looked back to the tall, blond boy in the doorway. His fists were clenched and he held them to his face, his eyes were squeezed shut tightly.
"Don't let him die… don't let him die…" He whispered.
Katniss felt cold as icy dread continued to fill her body – she'd known as soon as Rye had begun speaking who needed help. It makes her stomach sick with fear, fear for a boy she hardly knew.
Her mother had only been gone for a few moments before she returned with Mr. Mellark and the oldest Mellark boy behind her. In their arms, Peeta lay limp and unconscious; dark red blood from a head wound coated the arms of his father.
Katniss froze, and didn't even hear as her mother out for her to clear Prim's books from the table. Prim did it instead and Katniss shrunk towards a far corner of the room.
As they laid Peeta's limp form across the table, Mrs. Everdeen began to ask questions.
"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked, already going to work, grabbing a towel that she'd folded only minutes before to staunch the flow of blood from Peeta's head.
Mr. Mellark and his oldest son, whose name escaped Katniss, shared a glance before the older man spoke.
"He – he fell… he was at the top of the stairs and he uh, fell down."
The man's tone was quick and hurried, but Katniss could tell he was hiding something.
Mrs. Everdeen however, didn't question him, but continued to work over the boy on the table.
The older boy retreated from beside the table and made his way towards the middle Mellark boy, who still trembled with fear, unable to tear his eyes away from his younger brother. As Mrs. Everdeen continued to look over Peeta and his father held the boy's still hand, the eldest led his younger brother away, out the door.
Katniss watched them go and noticed that the sun was setting and dark was falling fast. Crossing the room, Katniss ached to leave – to be away from the smell of blood and fear. She knew her mother wouldn't allow her to leave so late, and instead pulled up a chair beside the open door and sat still, with her back to the boy on the table. She couldn't look.
From outside, she could hear the voices of the brothers. They were talking to one another in hushed tones.
"It's not your fault." Said the older.
"It is Flax – it is – I was supposed to put away tomorrow's dough but I forgot. Mother found out and came upstairs – she was screaming and Peeta told her to stop…"
He paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath.
"She freaked out, he was standing on top of the stairs, she got mad and pushed him and…"
He didn't have to continue, Katniss could picture what went on from there.
Katniss tried to close her ears, to block out what Rye was saying, but the words kept ringing in her ears.
"Told her to stop… stairs… pushed him…"
Katniss stood, walking further back into the house.
Peeta still lay on the table as Katniss' mother held a needle and thread in her hand and Katniss fought the urge to vomit and she watched the needle pass through flesh. Katniss quickly passed the table, even passing Prim where she sat near her mother, waiting to be of help. Katniss went straight back to the small bedroom she and Prim shared, sitting down on the firm bed.
She could hear her mother talking quietly to Mr. Mellark.
"Don't worry Wade, Peeta will be fine."
This first statement puzzled Katniss, how did her mother know the baker's name?
"Really Wade, it'll be fine – it looked worse than it was – head wounds are always like that. I don't think he's concussed – we won't know until he's awake, but I believe the worst is over."
Katniss peaked out the window and watched as her mother finished, putting down her needle and thread and placing her hand over the baker's arm. Mr. Mellark's head was bowed, resting over his the hand that held his son's.
"I can't lose him." He said quietly.
Mrs. Everdeen nodded.
"I know Wade, I know…"
They didn't speak any more and Katniss closed the door softly, thinking through what had just taken place. Prim joined her before long, telling her that Mr. Mellark was spending the night here with his son and they'd be gone by morning. Katniss hardly listened though, thinking back over the bread from three years ago – the bread, and now this.
What kind of boy was this Peeta Mellark?
This one-shot was a little more intense, but I thought of the idea yesterday and decided to go with it. What do you think of Katniss' reaction, and Prim's? Did they seem in character. Peeta didn't really need to be in character - he was unconscious after all. If you didn't catch it, Katniss and Peeta are 14 here. One more to go! Let me know what you think!