Coming Home

Chapter Two: Facing a new reality

"Prim needs me, and she needs me now."

I shoved my sorrow aside, pushed it deep down into my core where I could lock it up and away. There was no time for weepiness now. I needed to man up and hold my own. I was now responsible for the well-being of my sister and I would do whatever it took to make sure that she wouldn't go short.

I took a couple of deep breaths and snuffled. I cleaned my face with my sleeves before I stood up, turned around and addressed the nurse that had brought me here.

"I'm sorry Ms…Cardew." I said reading her name tag. "Please I need to see my sister. Where's Primrose?"

The kind lady gave me a sympathetic glance and a pat in my shoulder.

"Don't worry about her, she is being cared for. Take your time, Mr. Mellark. Do you want to speak to a chaplain or a minister or maybe a grief counsellor?"

"No, thank you. Please take me to my sister. She needs me." She nodded and motioned me to follow her.

I then turned to the police officers who had followed me down here.

"Thank you for your help, gentlemen. I highly appreciate it."

"Our assignment was to make sure that you get home safely, so we'll wait and take you and your sister to your home when you're ready."

I nodded at them gratefully as I had not yet had the time to think about how to get home from here. I had my driver's license but I didn't have a car and my parents' one was most likely junk now. The nurse led me back through the corridors and into an elevator. On the way up, the nurse handed me a tissue and I used it to properly clean my nose.

The front of the elevator opened when we reached the fourth floor and she brought me to a colorful door which seemed so out of place in this otherwise sterile environment. It had a small glass window in it and as I peered through I saw my adored sister sitting at a low plastic table with a coloring book in front of her, spiritlessly coloring the offered image.

I again took a couple of deep breaths and made sure that my own sorrow and despair were locked well away. I pressed the handle and pushed the door open. Before the angle of the door cut off my line of sight through the little window, I could see my sister's head turn towards the sound of the opening door. As soon as I was visible to her, she jumped up and rushed to me.

"Peeta!"—she screamed.

I just about found the time to drop to one knee and extend my arms before my distraught sister reached me and threw herself into my chest with her arms around me.

They wouldn't tell me what's going on.

I was so scared Peet!

"Peeta, Peeta my brother!" —She was babbling and sobbing and crying all at the same time. ""Mommy and Daddy had an accident Peeta!"— I didn't really understand the words she spoke but I quickly grasped that she was telling me how she had experienced the events of the day. After a few minutes of sobbing with her face buried in my neck, Prim took a long breath and calmed down a bit. Pulling away from me, she took my cheeks in her hands and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Nobody wants to tell me what's going on, Peeta, where's my mom?"

"Damn it!" —I thought to myself. I never thought that I would also have to give my little sister the sad news that we were now orphans.

There wasn't much I could do right now, so I just stroked her back and tried to calm her.

"it's okay, I'm here honey. Everything will be fine. I'll—"

"She dead?"—she cut me without hesitation. Her eyes never left mine. She knew I wouldn't dare to lie to her, so I nodded with a somber glance. "Daddy too?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

Again, I nodded.

The cry of pain that came from the lips of my poor little sister broke my heart into a thousand pieces. I hug her tightly without being able to contain my own tears. But I could not break down at that moment. I had to remain strong so that she would lean on me.

"It's okay Prim, I'll take care of you. Don't worry. Leave everything in my hands."

"Is the lady who brought me here going to take me to an orphanage?"

"NO!—I snapped immediately making her jump.—"Sorry honey, it's just…that is no going to happen. Under no circumstance would I ever, absolutely not ever allow that to happen. I'll protect you with my life, sweetie. Nobody will ever separate us. I promise. You understand me?"

I didn't really believe myself but it had a calming effect on my beloved baby sister, so I kept it up. With the help of the nurse, I maneuvered us further into the room so the door could close behind us and continued to soothe my remaining family.

She was all that was left. Mom had come from an abusive home and had grown up in a children's home. She never had contact with her parents again after she had been hauled away from them and one evening just before I had gone to College she had confided me in that she was glad about it. She hadn't enjoyed growing up in the orphanage but it was better than the abuse she had suffered before. Dad's father had died from a heart attack five years ago. His mother was technically still alive but a neurological sickness, ALS, had reduced her to a care case and she wasn't able to use the toilet without help or communicate with anyone. We had been expecting her to die any day for over a year now.

I made sure that my own feelings of loss and despair were still buried deep inside before I addressed Prim.

"Shall we go home? I'll cook dinner for you."

It was the nurse which had been with my sister before my arrival who thwarted my plans.

"I'm afraid you'll have to talk to Social Services first. They'll want to make sure that the child is properly cared for."

At that moment, I felt the rage taking over my body. How do these people dare to imply that I am not able to take care of my own sister?

"This 'child', as you so vaguely put it, is Primrose Mellark. My sister. You'll have to use violence if you try to keep her away from me."

"I'm just the messenger, Mr Mellark. If you please wait here for a minute, I'll go and get Mrs Coin."

I took a deep breath to collect myself again.

"Of course. My apologies. We'll wait."

A severe looking woman in her early fifties entered a few minutes later. At the sight of her, Prim hid behind he, grabbing my hand with all her strength.

"Mr Mellark?" — She offered her hand for me to shake while scanning me from head to toes. Her unreadable expression made it difficult for me to know what she thought.

"I hope she doesn't find me too young to care for Prim"— I secretly hoped. I was only 22 years old, but I didn't think my age would be a factor.

"I'm Alma Coin from Child Protective Services. I'm very sorry for your loss." Her tone was not very sympathetic at all, but I guessed she has given this speech many times before. So I just nodded gracefully accepting her condolence. "I'm here to discuss what will be the best course of action regarding little Primrose here. I'm guessing you want to stay with her?"

"Yeah, of course I will take care of my sister. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her with me. I'm the only family she has left." —I replied trying not to sound too defensive but keeping my head up to give her the impression of confidence that I did not really feel.

"Very well, I think that would be the best thing for her right now. Let's take a seat to discuss what the short-term options are, Mr. Mellark."

At that moment, my legs felt like jelly, and I was grateful that we would sit down and discuss the situation before they failed me and I fell to the ground. That would not inspire much confidence, neither with the Social Worker nor my sister.

Half an hour later, Prim and I were walking through the hospital exit hand in hand. The talk with Mrs. Coin went quite…well. In fact, she even supported the idea that I should take Primrose home. She made a small question mark whether this was a suitable long-term solution but ad interim, it was the best option available. She also offered to help with funeral preparations and legal questions concerning the accident and the inheritance.

The two police officers dropped us off at home around eight in the evening and left immediately. Entering the house was an emotional rollercoaster in itself, for my sister even more so than for me. I hadn't lived here for the last three years as my scholarship had included the rent of a student apartment close to the campus but my sister had eaten breakfast here with our parents only twelve hours ago.

But never again would we be welcomed home by our loving parents. Never again would we hear them laughing. Never again would they scold us for entering with dirty shoes or not having cleaned up after us. That was now my responsibility.

I was glad that I had lived on my own for the last three years as this had been the catalyst for me to learn how to cook. I sent Primrose to wash her hands and then watch some TV while I made a quick inventory of the kitchen. I was relieved to find the fridge full, both with fresh groceries and with leftovers. I decided on speed over quality and reheated some of the leftovers.

As we sat eating, I finally had the opportunity to really speak to my sister. I assured her I would do everything in my power to ensure that we could stay together as a family. For me, it wasn't an option to have her placed in foster care, not after what our Mom had told me. She didn't really understand what that meant for me and I didn't even try to explain but she was obviously glad that I would come home and take care of her.

After dinner, I washed up and then sent her to brush her teeth.

"You need to help me a little. Mom and Dad didn't read you bedside stories anymore, did they?"

"Peeta! I'm not a baby anymore," Prim replied with all the condescension an eleven-year-old girl could muster.

I managed a smile and spread my arms, "Come here."

She gladly complied. I embraced her tightly; making sure my facade remained intact.

"I love you, Prim. For me, you'll always be my little baby sister that needs my help tying her shoes."

"I love you too. You are the best big brother in the world. Don't you ever leave me."

"Never." I whispered holding her tight.

When she was done with her preparations for the night, I tucked her in.

"Peeta, I'm scared. What's going to happen now? What if they send me to foster care?"

"Not if I can avoid it. I'm here to stay and take care of you. Trust me; I'll never let anyone take you away."

My voice was steady and assertive while I spoke to Primrose. That wasn't how I felt but it was what I had to convey. Fate had taken one of its unexplainable turns and put me in charge of my sister. For the next seven years, I would be a surrogate father. I just hoped I could make it work. I wasn't sure about that at all.

She begged me to not let anyone get in between us. I promised, sounding much surer of myself than I really was.

After bringing my sister to bed I retreated downstairs into the living room, planning to watch some TV but I never turned it on. Instead, I just sat there, trying to get my head around what had happened today.

My parents were dead, ripped out of my life from one moment to the next and I was suddenly responsible for a little girl. I didn't know anything about raising girls. I didn't know her School schedule, I had a rough idea of her extracurricular activities but I didn't know any details.

"And how the hell am I going to support us?" —I had no idea how much money my parents had left us. I didn't know how I was going to buy food or pay for utilities over the next few days. I needed to start looking for employment quickly but first I needed to find out about the funeral. And I needed to inform my parents' friends and their employers. And I had to find out if they had made a will. And I would have to inform the university that I definitely wouldn't return to complete my degree, much less to start my Masters. And. And. And.

It took me a while to realize that I was crying and it took even longer to find out what I was crying about. It wasn't just the loss of my parents; it was the heavy weight of responsibility that was so suddenly dropped on my shoulders. It was well past midnight when I finally went to my old bedroom and cried myself to sleep. I still had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I just knew that I was in way over my head.

Hi again, everybody!

Thank you for the very warm reception to this story.

Peeta is still adapting to his new reality as the sole guardian of his sister, since they have no more family. He is also facing the pressure of his new responsibilities and the challenge of demonstrating his ability to keep his sister out of a foster home.

In the next chapters, these new challenges will lead him to make decisions that could alter his life forever.

And what about Katniss?

She will make her appearance very soon. What role will she play in Peeta's new life? We'll see.

Thanks for your reviews. They always help a lot with more ideas.

I see you soon.

XOXO, Lizzyvb