I take an inventory of my injuries, the bullet hole being the most obvious one. A deep green bruise slowly fades to my new olive skin. All treatable, all earn a certain level of sympathy. I find the scratches and needle marks that mar my arms. Still there, light round scars slowly turning to silver dot the creases in my elbow. The mark on my hand from my IV was fading faster and would disappear soon having not been the site were melted sweet… no, terrible. Terrible drug was injected.

Underwear and a bra were the easy part of getting ready.

"What do I dress like?" the question seems so strange, "Do I dress like me or like her?" I go through shirts thinking of my choices in the past month or so, "Was I dressing like me or her?" I pull out a pair of dark jeans, almost black, I only choose them because they're a size lower than I used to wear and when I slip them on they're still loose needing to be held up by a belt. I find the perfect shirt, a baseball t-shirt with three quarter sleeves to hide my arms. I tug at the mint green fabric making sure not a track mark could be seen.

I'm not an addict, I'm a victim…

I slip on my sneakers and after braiding my seemingly endless black hair I figure I'm as fit to be seen in public as ever.

"Make-up… Do I wear make-up?" I pull at the bags under my eyes, maybe I could make myself look healthier?

I tipped a bottle of foundation over, my old skin tone was about three shades lighter and I was convinced the creamy foundation would never blend but sure enough it blended in with my dark circles and even some of the scratches. I had to rush, not much time before we had to leave, and I still had to conquer the flight of stairs down to street level.

Eyeliner, eye shadow, powder… There… Now I look human.

"Shouldn't you wear some school colors?" Andrew teased handing me three motrin, hopefully enough to take the bite off the aches.

I shrugged, "Who are we against today?"

"East, who else?" Ryan tore apart an orange, handing me a segment.

I picked the membrane off the outside and started eating the individual cells of juice, "I'm wearing green, we're yellow, they're blue… I want peace between the rival schools."

"Excuse me little miss, we're gold." He throws his large gold Central Bucks West sweatshirt at me, "I know you're new around here, but that's a crime."

The stairs were easier than I thought, though going up was going to be a work out, "See, we're not supposed to be there because we're 'sick'."

I finish off a second segment, actually feeling pretty good as we get into the car, "I'd offer to make you look sicker by putting on powder, but that would make you tanner…"

I had been in the passenger seat of Peeta's jeep, which we were taking because the twins car was "out of gas", numerous times, but only in the back once. We were hiking and I kept having abdominal pains. He carried me through the woods, to his Jeep and drove to Saint Mary's Hospital from Tyler State Park just in time for my appendix to almost rupture. He kept a messy car, which was ok, it was full of memories. My foot nudged a notebook and a photograph slid out…

Christmas… Only a few months before my death. Madge and I, the singles in a tight embrace, our cheeks pressed together. I ignore the other two couples studying Peeta and Delly. They were always close, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was with her because I told him I didn't date.

God I'm so stupid… I wasted my first shot at life guarding myself… Though maybe people should guard themselves from me.

My breath catches in my throat and a fist grips my heart as we sit at a red light. I grasp for the worn fabric trying to will myself to breathe.

State and Main.

I blink and I'm in the middle of the intersection, "Oh come on!" I see in the car my body glazed over as if half asleep. I walk through an Audi, a Chevy and a Ford before walking through the Jeep, the radio crackling as I pass through before I float myself up into the seat next to me.

"Go in… come on…" so I can still leave my body, or get evicted. I run my hands along the tether, bright as ever, really bright. If it was a gauge on how alive I was I'd say "Prime of my life" fit the level of brightness.

Something taps me on my shoulder and I half expect to see Effie, but instead am met with the large eyes of an African girl, "Can you help me?" she asks as I start getting sucked back in.

"Who are you?"

"Can you help me?" she looks down, her sad eyes hooded by her bonnet. She tugs at her white apron adjusts the hem of her skirt, "Please miss, can you help me?"

I'm blinded for a moment as I enter my body again, gasping for breath. I expect to not see her anymore, but she comes forward her translucent hand passing through my face, "Please miss, you're the only one. Can you help me?"

The boys are lost in their own little world, "You pulled me out, didn't you?"

She giggles, "Can you help me?"

"If you answer my question, yes."

"The blood did miss. It'll do that until your spirit finds vindication. You're restless."

I'm hallucinating, I must be… It has to be the drug, or the pain, or a hole in my brain. I'm not seeing this, there isn't a ghost asking for my help. No. I refuse.

"You're not real… you're just in my brain…"

She furrows her brow, and the air grows cold, "Jesus! Drew chill with the AC!"

"It's not on…" he grumbles the window behind the girl grows icy.

"You're the only one!" she shouts the chill threatening to choke me. Her body seems to form a dark mist and she passes through me and out the door. The second she's gone the air returns to normal.

"The fuck was that?" Ryan asks messing with the heater, I wipe my nose on my hand.

"Can I have a tissue?" I ask, "I'm bleeding…"

I lean forward, the bleeding stops as soon as it comes so I can play it off as allergies.

What the hell was that? Then I remember.

"Effie…" I whisper. I have to see Effie as soon as possible.

"What was that kitty cat?"

"Ryan Mellark if you call me that again I'll tell Madge not only your middle name, but your three biggest fears."

Snakes, Deep water, and clowns.

Wait, shit Katrina wouldn't know this.

"Well played, but if you tell her I'll torture Peeta, and you wouldn't like that."

"Trust me," I start, "I have many ways to enact revenge," I remember the vacating of my body and crackling radio… So electronics did react to ghosts.

We park and head inside, still a half hour before the meet, "I have to… Just save me a seat ok? I need to see Coach Trinket…" I put my hands in my pockets, "I'm fine, really, just save me a seat and give Peeta a big 'ol kiss for me," I smile to make them see I'm just fine.

A chill eats at my skin, frigid air, "Where are you little girl…" I take a step to the side, warm… step back, cold. Something shoves me gently and I look down.

Nothing but I walk forward following the cold trail, literally, the second I'm off by a step the air returns to the normal warmth. The door to the Art Room is open but slams closed behind me.

"I know you're mad but please, this is crazy…" another shove and I move to the back of the room to a lone easel, the canvas covered in a white sheet stained with dark greens and bright blues.

"Why did you bring me here?" the sheet fall to the ground and I'm met with my face, my old face.

I get close, studying the painting, the background is pure black though quickly turns into the deep honey brown of my old hair, my eyes are closed and my head looks down and to the side. I'm in the dark green dress I wore to homecoming, clutching a single white rose to my heart my other hand down, slightly away from my body and upturned, as if I'm waiting for someone to grasp my hand. The strands of my hair give way to the folds of green of my skirt, longer than the real dress.

I look at the bottom, Peeta's signature, "I wanted to remember you that day… but like you were sleeping, or waiting for something…"

I jump and clutch my heart, "Shit Peeta you scared me!"

"Why are you in here?" he seems almost offended, covering his work up.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Ryan and Andrew found me and told me you looked really bothered by something," he furrows his brow, "Kat your shaking, should you be out of bed?" he brings a hand up to check my temperature, but I swat it away.

"I'm fine, really," I catch his hand which he is too stunned to pull away and kiss his knuckles, "Why did you cover it up, the painting I mean?"

"I thought it would upset you," he shivers a little and from behind him walks the little girl.

"Please miss, can you help me?" she wipes her hands on her apron, "I've lost my mama, they took her miss, can you help me find her?"

"Katniss, what are you looking at," I grab his wrist.

"Lets go."

"Kat, what's going on?" I pull him through the hallway, the girl's cries for help ringing in my ears.

"Miss you're the only one!" lockers start banging and flying open, "I need to find my momma! They took her miss! They took her!"

"Kat!" I look back, she's misty again. I throw Effie's office door open, she's on the phone.

"I'll call you back…" she spins around on her chair.

"Katrina, I'm so glad to see you up and about…"

"That's not my name Effie, you know better," I glare at her and the door slams behind us, the lights flickering, her computer speakers crackle.

"Miss, you have to help me!" she pleads, I can barely hear it over the speakers.

"What is that?" I ask pointing to the shadowy girl.

"I can't see anything," she shivers, "The air conditioning must be buggy…"

"There is a little girl, right there, yelling at me to help her," I wince, the wind picks up as the misty ghost girl starts to wail in an inhuman octave that makes me wince and threatens to split my eardrums, "Actually, she's stopped asking and is just screaming..." I put my hands to my ears, sinking my middle fingers into my ears to cover up the screaming.

Effie's eyes widen and she sinks back down into her chair, "I… One minute…" she closes her eyes and her body relaxes before the well-dressed guide I met the night I died stands from her body.

"Katniss, where did you pick up a poltergeist?" her eyes are wide, she sounds panicked. Great.

"The intersection I where… Well you know, we met?" Peeta squeezes my hand, pulling me back away from the creature he can't see and wrapping his arms around me.

"Kat, who are you talking to?"

"I'll explain later… How do I deal with this?"

"How can you see her in your body?" she returns to hers gasping for breath and standing, "This isn't good…"

I can see my breath in the air in the light of the monitor as the lights cut out. The misty girl still asks every few seconds for my help, her arm swinging to knock a stack of papers from Effie's desk, "Effie… You're my guide, tell me what to do!"

"This isn't my expertise, you can see her, calm her down before she freezes us to death!"

"Peeta, get out of here…" I reach for the door knob but the handle hisses when I touch it, colder than ice it burns my skin.

"What's your name, little girl, tell me your name and I can help you?"

Her eyes snap to me in the middle of her tantrum, "Rue, miss, my name is Rue."

"Ok, Rue, please, stop hurting us and I can help you!" the air grows warm and papers stop flying, Peeta's arms loosen around me.

"You will help me?"

"As long as you stop hurting people, please…" my head throbs, "And please, don't rip me out of my body again…"

"That wasn't me, that was the blood, you're restless… You could be like me if you don't find justice."

She smiles a little and blinks out of existence.

"She's gone…" I sink back into Peeta, all my weight on him but he doesn't flinch, if anything he holds me even closer.

"So you told him?" I nod, she paces around a little, "This… this is strange," she's smiling again, "Please sit, both of you."

"Peeta had wrestling in ten minutes, he has to go Effie."

She nods, "Come by after, I'll go talk to… Well the bosses, straight here after the meet."

I nod and Peeta pulls me from the office, "Katniss, what was that?" he whispers looking at the mess in the hallway, papers strewn about, locker doors bent.

"What I could have become…" he pulls me to his chest, kissing my forehead, "Why aren't you running for the hills?"

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I ran from you the second things got weird?"

"A smart one…" I wrap my arms around his waist, "Now go get ready, I think I have some people who haven't seen me in a few weeks to be bombarded by…"

I get on my toes and kiss him lightly, "Good luck."

He gives me a cheeky grin, "Don't need luck baby, I have skill."

I roll my eyes and head back to the gymnasium as he takes another hall to the locker room.

What the actual fuck?