As promised, here is the 7th chapter of Sparks!
I'm extremely sorry for the long wait, but I was too tired yesterday from travelling, and I was out with my friends at our local 'Cinema Under The Stars'. We watch Grease and Jaws until half past midnight, so yeah…
Anyway! Enjoy this chapter!
Peeta was missing for almost two days. Yes, I know it isn't that long, but when you know how his mother is, and the whole 'Peeta knocked up a Seam Slut' situation has made it worse, you suddenly become very paranoid.
By nightfall I swear I've gone crazy. I've been waiting all day for the sun to set. I waited around all day explaining Rye's plan to my mother and Prim. I waited around all day worrying about Peeta.
I think Gale thinks that I'm crazy too.
I think he's finally realised that I have feelings for Peeta. And now I feel that he looks at me differently.
I hate it.
It feels like he's judging me.
I can't believe that he's agreed to help me get Peeta. I know that he isn't happy with this, and that he doesn't like me liking Peeta. It seems that his feelings for me are stronger than I first thought.
Honestly, I don't know how to react to Gale. We've been best friends for what seems like my entire life, but now that I know his feelings are different to mine, I can't help but worry that it will change things between the two of us.
Back at my house my mother has laid out all her medical supplies on the kitchen table. She sent Prim and I to the meadow to collect leaves and roots. The atmosphere is tense. Too tense. Eventually I fall asleep on Gale's shoulder, in the living room of my house, and dream of Peeta.
The dream starts off pleasant, simply a sunny day in District 12. I'm in the bakery, talking to Peeta, when his mother suddenly appears and pulls him away, through the curtain that separates the front of the bakery and the back. I run after him and my feet splash through something. Something red. Blood.
I see Peeta's body on the floor, his shirt dyed red in uneven patches all over his chest. I drop to my knees beside him.
"Peeta. It's gonna be alright." I promise him.
"Go away. I don't need you. I don't want you. Go. Away." He slurs, his eyes shiny.
"You don't mean that."
"I do."
"You don't."
"I… do." Peeta says. And then his eyes close, his chest stops rising and falling, and an eerie silence fills my dream.
"Catnip. Hey. Wake up." Gale shakes my shoulder with his hand.
"What?" I slur, still half-asleep.
"It's time to go." Gale tells me.
"Oh!" I say, sitting up. He smiles at me. "Sorry. I'm kinda freaking out at the moment." I apologise to him.
"Lets get going." Gale says, standing up and stretching his legs. I stand too and walk into the bedroom Prim, my mother and I all share. My mother and sister are both asleep.
"Guys, wake up." I say.
"Are you going to get Peeta?" Prim asks, swinging her legs out from under the blankets.
"Yeah. Can you wake Mum for me?" I say.
"Sure." Prim wraps her arms around me. "He'll be okay Katniss." She says into my stomach.
"I hope so." I say. Prim pulls away and smiles at me. I smile back. And then I'm walking away, out into the dark street. Leaning against my house is what looks like an old door, or plank of wood. Gale grabs one end, and I take the other.
When we reach the cut between The Seam and the Merchant's houses, Rye steps out from the shadows, his hair glinting in the moonlight.
"Are you ready?" He asks quietly. I nod.
"Are you sure this will work?" Gale asks.
"It should do. Every Saturday Mum goes out with her friends and normally comes back a bit tipsy. She'll be passed out on the couch all night." Gale and I exchange glances. Rye grins.
We continue towards the bakery in silence, our footsteps crunching over the gravel paths.
"I'll go inside and when give I give you the signal, come on in. But be as quiet as you can. The floorboards creak." He shoots me what looks like a smile before turning and walking in through the backdoor of the bakery, the one I usually stopped at to trade with Peeta's father. Gale and I stand under the tree outside the Mellark house, our backs against the rough bark.
"You love him, don't you?" Gale says to me suddenly. I say nothing. I look down at my feet. "It's okay Catnip. I just want to know." I remain silent. Gale sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yes. I do love him." I finally tell him. He stiffens.
"Why?"
"I don't know." I admit.
"You must know Catnip." My friend shoots back.
"I guess that I love how caring he is, how he looks at me. His entire personality. Everything about him."
"But he told you that he didn't want to have anything to do with you."
"Correction: Rye told me that."
"And than makes it a lie, does it?" Gale says, turning to me.
"I don't know."
"Why are you so clueless about all this?" Gale exclaims suddenly.
"Keep your voice down!" I hiss. His jaw locks and he rolls his eyes. "I know what Rye told me. It may the truth, it may be a lie. But surely if he were lying about it he wouldn't be helping right now?" This time Gale is silent.
"How could you love someone that you've only really known for a week or two?" The silence is broken.
"Gale, if you've ever loved someone, you would know that sometimes it doesn't take a long time to fall in love with that person. It could take hours. It could take years. But however long it takes, or what causes you to fall in love with that person, love is love. You can't stop it." Gale stares down at me. I'm as surprised as he is over my sudden outburst about love- a subject that Gale and I after all these years have dodged talking about.
Something flickers in Gale's eyes. "Fine." He says.
"Don't throw a fit." I snap back.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"Can we just drop it?" Gale asks, exasperated. "I was just wondering."
"Right." I say. "Sorry." I add.
"Lets just drop it." Gale repeats. Again we fall silent. The darkness outside the bakery is brightened when one of the windows on the upper floor is lit up in a yellow glow. Then we're plunged into darkness. Once more the light is switched on, and then it's dark again.
"That's the signal." I say quietly, walking forward. Gale heaves the plank of wood into his arms and follows me into the house.
"I feel like a burglar." Gale whispers to me as we tiptoe over the tiled floor of the bakery.
"I know." I say back to him. "The bad thing is that we'd be good burglars."
"I don't know. We need to stop talking." Gale remarks. I grin at him. He rolls his eyes. I push the curtain away and squint, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness before continuing.
"Hey!" I hear someone call from the darkness. I freeze. Gale stops, mid-step. "It's only me!" The voice adds. I breathe a sigh of relief. It's only Rye at the top of the stairs. "Be careful coming up here. The second, fifth, sixth, ninth and top two steps are really creaky."
"Okay." I whisper back. I glance back at Gale and he nods. I walk forward, guiding the plank carefully so it doesn't smack into one of the walls, as well as navigating the creaky stairs.
I test each step with the balls of my feet before stepping forwards and we make our way up the stairs at a snails pace. We creep along the hallway, following Rye who is looking over his shoulder the entire time, checking for anyone –like the witch- to appear at one of the bedroom doorways.
"Christ. This is a nice place." Gale mutters, looking around. I look around at him and shoot him a 'don't rant about the Capitol here' look. He seems to get the message but rolls his eyes.
"He's stirring, but isn't aware of his surroundings right now." Rye whispers as we walk through the doorway of Peeta's room. I place my end of the plank on the wooden floor and walk quietly over to Peeta's bed. He's still lying there, but his lips are moving, as if he's trying to speak.
"Oh, Peeta." I say, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.
"You can love him somewhere else. Not now, in front of me." Rye comments. I spin around and face them, my cheeks turning red.
"Sorry." I say quickly, standing up. Gale and Rye lay the plank on the floor beside Peeta on his bed and slide him onto it. And then they lift him up. I can't believe that they can lift him and a heavy plank of wood. The muscles in their arms are straining under his weight. I want to help, but I've got to open doors and guide them. I poke my head out from the bedroom door and look along the gloomy corridor. Empty.
"Lets go." I whisper to Gale and Rye. They follow me down the corridor. All three of us are holding our breath, feeling our way towards the stairs. I almost scream when the last door in the hallway, the one closest to the stairs, opens and Fenton is left standing there, ruffling his hair with one hand and staring at me, a bewildered expression on his face.
"Um, hello." I say, smiling warily up at him.
"What the fuck?" He exclaims.
"Shut up Fenton!" Rye hisses. Fenton looks around the doorframe and sees Gale and his younger brothers in the hallway, Peeta lying on a plank of wood, Rye and Gale carrying it. Gale gives him a nod, a grin on his lips. He finds this whole situation hilarious.
"What the hell are you doing?" Fenton asks, still looking half asleep.
"They're rescuing Peeta." Rye says. Fenton raises an eyebrow. "Go back to bed Fenton. This never happened. This is just a dream." Rye continues.
"Your head is fucked up, Rye." Fenton says, before returning to his room.
"He's a charmer, isn't he?" Rye whispers. I grin slightly, and we continue down the stairs. I end up having to hold Peeta in place on the board, to stop him falling onto the floor during the descent of the stairs. We exit through the bakery kitchen and head for the Seam. By now it's about midnight and the District is completely silent except for the sounds of dogs barking and the trees rustling in the breeze.
"You do realise that when Peeta wakes he's gonna be completely confused." Rye says.
"I'm sure he'll be okay." I reply, looking down at Peeta and smiling.
We reach my house and Rye and Gale half-tip, half-slide Peeta onto our kitchen table.
"Thank you Rye, Gale." My mother nods to each of the older boys.
"No problem." Rye smiles.
"Yeah, it's fine." Gale adds.
"Will he be okay?" Rye asks. I look up at him when he says this. It seems that his caring side is making an appearance. (As if him rescuing his brother in the dead of night isn't caring).
"He should be, but I'm yet to assess the situation." My mother reassures him.
"He's in good hands." Gale says.
"Alright." Rye continues, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll cover for you. Make sure she doesn't come round her screaming." He sighs, referring to his mother. I nod, though Mum and Prim look slightly confused.
"Goodnight." Mum says, and I show my best friend and Peeta's brother to the door.
"Fenton won't say anything, will he?" I ask.
"Nah." Rye says, shrugging it off. "He won't. He cares about Peet too."
"Peet?" Gale asks, raising an eyebrow.
"He's gonna kill me for telling you that." Rye says. Gale laughs.
"Thank you, again." I tell Rye he nods and heads out, waving his hand in goodbye before walking away from my house.
"He'll be alright you know." Gale tells me.
"I know." I say. "But thank you for helping. I know this must be… a little heartbreaking…for you." I struggle to find the right word and regret the word I use the second I say it. Gale's cheeks darken slightly, but I can still see it in the light of the moon. He shuffles on his feet and frowns.
"What do you mean?" He asks, clearing his throat.
"You like me, don't you? And when I say like I mean like, like." I explain.
"I… er.."
"It's okay Gale." I say, already knowing that this is extremely awkward. "You don't need to be embarrassed." Gale's grey eyes light up. I smile at him.
"It's just that I…" Gale stumbles. He doesn't know what to say. I look down at my feet. And then I feel his hand on my cheek. And then his lips on mine.
I freeze, not knowing what to do. Gale pulls me closer to him and tries to deepen the kiss and, after what seems like hours, I pull away.
"No, Gale. I didn't mean that." I mumble, a hand on his chest. He leans in again. "Stop it. Now!" I hiss, pushing him away and stepping back, bumping into the doorframe.
"You can't love him Catnip. You just can't!" Gale says, his eyes shining.
"Why not?" I ask, frustrated.
"Because I love you. I've loved you longer." He says.
"I'm sorry. I just don't feel this way." I say. "I'm going to go and help my mother and Prim." And with that I slam the door in my best friend's face. I slide down the door and sit on the floor, letting out a shaking breath. I can't believe it. Gale Hawthorne just kissed me. My best friend. The person I've always trusted, always known I could talk to, always loved. But obviously Gale's love is different to mine.
How long has he felt this way? A few days? A few months? A few years? I subconsciously wipe my hand across my lips, still feeling the pressure of Gale's lips against mine. I close my eyes and focus on breathing.
Girls in the school yard always whispered about how your first kiss made you feel all bubbly inside, that you saw fireworks behind your eyelids, that you felt a spark.
With Gale, I felt nothing.
Nothing.
Not a flicker.
It wasn't disgust, the feelings I felt. I was surprised at the sudden kiss. I was bewildered at what to do. How to react. This was my first kiss. I had never done it before. Even worse, it was with someone I didn't love in the same way.
I take a deep breath, stand and walk into the kitchen. My cheeks warm at the sight of Peeta without a shirt. I've never been one to be at ease around nakedness, unlike my mother and Prim who have always been unfazed. I can't handle too much blood or injury on a person either. Though I can gut an animal without a second thought.
"What is the diagnosis, doctor?" I ask, coming up to the table. My mother motions to Prim to explain.
"Well, he's got either a broken arm or a dislocated shoulder, a few broken ribs and two of his fingers are badly bruised." My sister says, looking down at the youngest Mellark in pity.
"What else?" I ask, dreading the answer.
"Severe bruising and a few cuts on his face. And what looks like several burns." A strangled cry escapes my lips.
"That monster." I say, dragging a stool over and sitting beside Peeta. I'm about to take his hand when Mum stops me.
"Not that hand, dear. That's the bruised one." I nod and resort to stroking Peeta's forehead. Throughout the hours of the early morning, my mother and Prim set Peeta's arm, pop his shoulder back in, (yes, he had both the dislocated shoulder and broken arm) and smeared lotion on his burns, bruises and cuts. He cries out in pain when his arm in straightened and shoulder is fixed, but stays partly unconscious.
"Why has he been unconscious for so long?" I ask, biting my lip and staring down at Peeta.
"He's probably taken a hit to the head. Sometimes you can fall unconscious for a long amount of time." Prim says. "He most likely has concussion."
"You should go to bed Katniss." Prim tells me. "You're exhausted and he probably won't wake fore many hours. We've given him lots of medicine for the pain."
"No, you two have done lots of work. You should go. I'll stay here." I insist. Prim sighs but leaves the room after washing her hands.
"You've done well, Katniss." My mother tells me, squeezing my shoulder.
"I didn't do anything. You're the one who fixed him." I mumble.
"But if it wasn't for your love, he would have never been brought here."
"If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be in this position. None of us would." I sigh. Mum lays a raggedy blanket over Peeta, slides a pillow under his head, and throws another blanket around me shoulders. She too leaves the room.
I lay my head on the table and listen to Peeta breathing. "I love you Peeta." I say softly. I press my lips together. I've never said that out loud before. "I love you so much." I continue. "I'm sorry I got you in this mess."
Before long the steady rhythm of Peeta's breathing makes me relax, and my eyelids begin to droop. I sigh and let the darkness of sleep to overcome me, leaning my head on the wooden surface of the kitchen table.
For those who may think that a broken arm/dislocated shoulder/ broken ribs may not seem that bad, trust me. It is hell. I've experienced all three. In front of my entire school. Yeah, rugby is dangerous, even when you're a girl sitting at the sidelines watching the match. O.o You can probably imagine what happened… If you honestly can't, just ask and I'll tell you the entire story… :P