Three months pass since the day I came to my mother's and all Peeta and I converse through is phone calls each shorter than the last.
I can still feel the awkward silence of our last conversation which didn't last more than two minutes because we had nothing to say. I am scared that when I finally go back, this silence will be all that there is.
My mother, of course, makes no comments. Though my mother has since kept quiet, I am suddenly doubting what Peeta and I had more and more. What if the person he fell in love had changed or worse he had mistaken her for something she never was. The doubts were killing her.
I can't stand it anymore. I have to get my mind off it. I need a change of scenery to take my mind off. But where could I go?
Just then, I hear the phone ring.
I rush to answer it. It couldn't be Peeta. He had called just a week ago and after that huge silence, I didn't expect him to call so soon.
"Everdeen residence." I say into the phone.
"I didn't know it was so serious that you had already dropped Mellark from your name and gone back to Everdeen." Johanna's voice came over the phone.
Great, just great. Even she knew.
"It's my mother's house. That's how I will answer the phone at her house."
"So you crawled back to your mother's at a little sign of trouble."
I took a deep breath. Johanna could be a pain in these situations.
"I went to my mother to think things through and to give Peeta time as well."
"Haymitch said something about a break. Who's fabulous idea was that?"
"Peeta."
"I always thought he had a good heart but rotten brain."
"Hey, that's my husband you're talking about." my voice hitched a little on the word husband but Johanna didn't notice it.
"Fine. I won't talk about him that way" and in a small voice she added "in front of you."
"You do know that I heard that, right?"
"That was the point."
"Then why the small voice?" I ask confused.
"So you know my intentions clearly while I still pretend that I didn't want you to know them when I really don't care."
"And you said Peeta had a rotten brain."
"Yeah, yeah. So why am I finding about this now? How long have you been living with your mum?"
"Three months."
"Three months? Did you want me to chop your mouth off? Because you really don't seem to be using it. You never bothered to call me in three months and tell me about this?"
"I wanted to keep it quiet and not tell everyone."
"I'm everyone? Not your dear friend Johanna who is a lot like a big sister?"
"Now, you're being over-dramatic."
"Over-dramatic my ass. You can't call me to tell something so important and still except me to be normal. I want to kill you right now. And don't think for one moment I'm exaggerating."
"How dare I think of something so preposterous?" I say with sarcasm.
"I can hear the sarcasm."
"That's the point."
"And now you're just copying me."
I change the topic.
"Who spilled the beans about our break?"
"Haymitch. I called your house and no one picked it up. So, I called Haymitch to know where you both were and when will you be back."
"Ahh, the traitor."
"Shut up. So, what are your plans now?"
"Well, three months are up, only a month's left till the break is over. I was thinking of going sightseeing and going to 5. I haven't ever gone there."
"What about 7? You haven't been here for a long while now."
"I guess I could visit you too."
"You guess? You better come here and stay for awhile. I don't bite, you know. Alright, I bite but not much."
"Fine, I'll come."
"It will be like when we shared the dormitory in 13. Except better, because I don't have to see your face first thing in the morning because you'll be in an another room."
"I can just feel the love." I reply.
...***...***...
A week later I'm in District 7. Johanna's house is nice. Of course since her house is in what was supposed be Victor's village, it is big as well.
"You know, I visited Annie last month." she says.
"How is she?"
"Good. And tired. Jr. makes sure that she's always up on her feet. Her aunt lives with her so it's not that bad."
I knew what she was talking about. When she gets her episode, her aunt takes care of her and her son. Peeta who has always been on good terms with Annie told me long time ago. Annie is his friend like Johanna is mine.
"How is Jr.? Does he still try to catch fish with his hands?"
"Nah, he now likes to use his trident to catch them. Too bad because his tridents keeps breaking as they are made of plastic."
"That means I know what to get him next month on his birthday. A pack of plastic tridents. Not real because they're dangerous and shouldn't be given to boys on their eleventh birthday."
"Don't even think about it. I have already decided it as my gift."
"Well, then I have to think more. Man, how about that fisherman cap he always wanted?"
"He already has one."
And the rest of our evening went with us discussing what could be a good gift.
...***...***...
"Wake up, lazy bum!" Johanna called while knocking on my door.
"What do you want?" I called out.
"For you to get up. You have lazed around enough."
"Come on, just let me sleep today." I replied and snuggled back into my sheets.
5 seconds later Johanna is barging into my room and forcefully taking my sheets away.
"What the?"
"I didn't invite you here so you could laze around."
I just glare at her through my sleepy eyes.
"Stop staring. I know I'm drop dead gorgeous." She says as she goes back out.
"Asshole."
"Heard that."
...***...***...
"So why did you wake me up so early?" I ask her over breakfast once I have taken a bath and gotten ready.
"I wanted to show you around the District. And what I do for work. I know you wanted to see because you asked a long time ago."
I groaned.
"I'm no longer curious."
"Too bad. Because you're coming with me."
...***...***...
The whole day went with her showing me around. It was a nice district. She showed me where the forest where people used to cut trees, before, was (She didn't have to say that by before she meant before the rebellion. All of us, me, Haymitch, Johanna, Effie, etc, had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it.) Where her old house was.
She showed me around the new places, all the favourite tourist spots. She told me how from the Lumber district it had now become more of an Environment caring district.
"No one is allowed to cut trees now without permission. And if you cut them, then your head is mounted on a pike and displayed in the middle of the District as an example."
"Really?" I ask not believing a word.
"No. He's just given a hefty fine or few weeks in jail or both depending on his previous record. But think how much better the previous punishment would have been."
"So what' your work?" I ask changing the subject. Because I really didn't want to hear more about heads on a spike.
"My work is making sure that people who have permission to cut woods are the only who cut them. And those with permission don't cut extra. Which includes a lot of running behind trespassers who enter it. And telling people to take a hike when they want to go into it for adventurous purposes."
I could see grumpy Johanna shouting after people to 'Take a Hike'
"What about hunting? That's forbidden as well?"
"In these forests only. But you can't animals in here anyway because they are too small to really bother to hunt and some of the species here are rare and exotic to 7. If you want to hunt, then you have to go to the forest on the opposite side of 7. It's more open and there is no patrol needed to check woodcutters as the trees there are too tall and bothersome to cut down properly. Cutting them will be more expensive than any benefit they will give."
"I'll keep that in my mind."
We return to her house at night. I was really tired and looking forward to going to bed.
The phone started ringing and Johanna went to take it.
"Johanna here."
There was a pause. Then, "Cheese Buns! How are you?"
I stopped. It was Peeta. Cheese Buns was Johanna's name for Peeta.
"So you have no interest in talking to me? It's alright, it's not like we are friends." Johanna said and made a fake choking sound.
Turning to me she said, "Cheese Buns wants to talk to you."
I took the phone from her.
"Hello?" I said uncertainly into the phone.
"Hey." He replied just as uncertainly.
"So….."
"I just wanted to talk to you."
"You are now."
"Yeah, I am."
"Good."
"Great."
I turn away from Johanna who seemed to be amused hearing my side of the conversation.
"So how are you doing?"
"Great. The business is booming. Except Effie is here trying to make Haymitch quit drinking which is making him furious. So it's not that great waking up in the middle of the night thinking you have a thief in your house only to realize it's Haymitch looking for his drinks that Effie has hidden. And I have no idea how he gets in."
And to prove Peeta's point, I heard someone shouting in the background, "Peeta please tell me Effie has hid it here."
"No. And how the hell did you get in? I made sure the door was locked." Peeta's voice yelled back at him.
"You're lying. I know she hid it here."
"If she had, I would have given it to you already. I'm half mad as it is. You have no idea how much I really want Effie to give up her misguided mission."
There was some scuffling and then a door banged shut.
"That's how it is about everyday now." Peeta says getting back on the phone.
I am laughing.
"Don't laugh. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to suffer that everyday?"
"Yes, that's why I'm laughing. Since I don't have to go through that everyday, I can see the funny side in it."
"Shut up."
I takw five deep breaths to calm myself.
"So it's not even a month left." I say going to a serious topic.
"Yeah."
He doesn't sound enthusiastic.
"You sound happy about that." I say sarcatiscally.
"Like you are. I did hear the way you said it's not even a month left. If you were excited, I would have heard you jumping up and down."
"I'm not a kid, you know. I don't jump up and down every time I'm excited."
"No, you don't. But you aren't excited anyway."
It was true. I hadn't thought about going back since the last time we had talked which was 3 weeks ago. Which was weird because at first, going back was the only thing that was on my mind.
"So we're both not happy about it. What do we do?"
"I don't know. But let's not have this conversation on the phone. We'll talk when we're together again."
"Fine."
"Fine."
And I hang up. Just when I thought the anger had faded away and we were back to being good, this happens.
...***...***...
I'm currently working on the next chapter. But do comment in the meanwhile. Your comments motivate me want to write faster to share it with you as soon as possible.
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