CHAPTER 2: REVELATION

I could tell that Finnick and Johanna had predicted that my anger would dissipate within three days. Sadly there was still tension in the house, namely the source being me. I tried to ease it, I really did, but I convinced myself I just didn't have the capacity. After all, it wasn't my decision to admit Peeta to the house. Since I'd gotten here he'd been his usual sunny self and me my usual stubborn self. I just couldn't fathom how we would ever get on. And then this morning, when Johanna handed me the telephone, my mood immediately soured.

"Hey, sweetheart." The sarcastic voice greets me from none other than Haymitch. Just the thing you need in the morning. I try to detect a hint of drunkenness however his voice seems pretty steady. "How's my house?"

"You played it down." I accuse him. "Said it wasn't fancy."

He chuckles. "But then you would have never agreed to rent it." He says.

"The rent's too cheap." I argue not liking being given charity. Even if it is Haymitch.

"You know as well as anyone I don't need the money."

I sigh. "What do you want? And why are you up so early?"

My relationship with my uncle had never been very friendly, somehow though he's put up with me for the last 21 years. Today however I thought I had a rite to be angry considering that lately, morning calls and soberness were out of the ordinary for Haymitch.

"They say your mom's getting better." He says gruffly, a note of caution in his voice.

"Do I care?" I answer trying to keep the emotion from my voice. Even so I can feel my throat closing.

"Now, now don't play that game." He warns me. "I've offered to not give you updates-"

"Okay fine, but she's never coming out of that place." I huff insolently. "You saw what happened when I was there! How can they say she is getting better again?"

I hear him sigh. "I don't know Katniss, they just told me that." I can hear his weariness through the phone. As much as I sometimes hated Haymitch he was all I had. And he'd been good enough to have been there for Prim and me since the accident. Even with his own demons in his closet. "They also told me they weren't making any long plans for her to stay."

"No." My voice is like ice. "They saw what happened. They can't release her. It'll wreck Prim." My voice is getting close to hysterical.

"I know Katniss, that's just what I was told. If anything changes I'll call you again." Sensing my unwillingness to discuss the topic further he changes it gruffly. "Got enough money?"

There it is again, the guilt. "Yes. How's Prim?"

"The same. Being little Miss Perfect and studying her med books before she's even started the year."

A smile creeps onto my face. "Thanks Haymitch." I say.

"At your service sweetheart." He says sarcastically and then hangs up the phone.

I put the receiver down on the counter and nearly jump three feet when I find Peeta in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" I shout.

He seems startled. "I, uh, I came down when I heard you yelling. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" I huff giving him a death glare. He must have heard practically the whole conversation.

"Was that your Uncle?" He asks carefully.

I stare at him wide eyed. "Yes."

He looks uncomfortable. As he should. As I stare him down he walks over to the island counter and begins making something that I think may be pancakes.

"So Finn said you worked at a law firm?" He asks as he mixes the batter and diverts the topic. There's some caution in his eyes I don't understand.

I cross my arms, still standing by the phone receiver. "Yes, I do. I've worked there for 2 years."

"That's impressive."

"Not really, when your Uncle talks your way into it for you."

He chuckles. "Still you must be some good at it."

"Oh she is." Jo declares, entering the room. "She'll never admit it." I glare at her but she ignores me. "You making pancakes Peeta?"

He nods. "Good, I'm starved." She says. "What did Haymitch want, Kat?"

"He…uh, was just asking about the house." I lie terribly.

"Seriously, Katniss." Johanna urges. I shake my head, eyeing Peeta off and mouth later. She rolls her eyes. "So you and I are going to the volleyball game this afternoon. Finn's even filling in and I already told Thresh we'd be there."

"What?"

"No but's." She says adamantly. "We're going whether you like it or not." I knew this was the start of the 'fun' Johanna was so resolute about.

"Trust me, it'll be good." Peeta attempts to soothe me, a lopsided grin on his face.

As if I would trust Peeta Mellark!

Peeta makes us all breakfast, as he and Johanna chat amiably while I stare at the phone mulling over what Haymitch told me. They're setting my mother loose? No not possible. She couldn't fend for herself, let alone Prim, to save her life. I wouldn't have it. I'd go down there myself and demand that she stay.

"Katniss!"

"What?" I demand from Johanna who is looking at me like I am crazy.

"Where were you? Do you want pancakes or not?" She practically yells at me, indicating Peeta holding out a plate.

"Yes. Please." I tack on the end. Peeta smiles at me warmly and places the plate in front of me. I avoid eye contact.

But when I put a forkful in my mouth I struggle do hold back my moan. Jesus Christ these were the best things I had ever put in my mouth! Blueberries oozed out of the fluffy goodness. My eyes are wide in admiration and I can see Jo smirking at me.

Well I had to give him one thing. Peeta Mellark could sure cook.

000

Not soon after breakfast I find a text from Gale. How is State 4 again?

I'm angry at myself for how readily I text back. Not bad. Hating this house though. It's as if we never fought about anything this summer. Like once again, we were those two children bonded together by the loss of our fathers. I'd known Gale forever and for the time I spent in State 12 we'd kept each other together. I suppose it was when I left State 12 to attend university that things had first shown a hint of seriousness.

I'm sure you'll be fine. We're all missing you down here. Did I miss it? In part, yes. I missed the old friendship of Gale and my sister Prim. However my visits were always marred by my mother.

Missing you guys too. I sigh. I knew Gale wanted to make something of us. But really, this predicament was my fault, the problem arising from the first time I slept with him. Back then he probably wanted the same thing but I was far less stable, hindered by my mother's deterioration over my father's death. Now, years later, I was faced with the problem of answering my earlier, not so smart actions. He was frustrated I wouldn't commit after all this time.

I'm debating over whether to just call Gale and get his opinion on the issue of my mother when I hear the yelling. I'm confused for a moment. Johanna had gone out which left only me and Peeta at the house and I just couldn't picture he even getting angry given his demeanor. But when I cross the hall and look out the window there he is, standing on the porch, another man at his side.

For a moment I'm stumped. What do I do? I consider going back into my room and simply calling Gale, forgetting about Peeta but something good deep down in me stops me. As the conversation becomes more and more heated I find my feet heading down the stairs quietly aware he wasn't far from the front door. I stand by the wall a few feet from the door. The loudness of their voices makes my eavesdropping easy. Somehow never once did I think what I was doing was wrong.

"She's going to get away with fucking everything!" I hear the man say.

"Shut it, Rye!" Peeta growls angrily. Who was Rye? A friend? A brother? I had no idea if Peeta even had brothers. Or friends for that matter. For a fleeting moment I feel slight ashamed of myself for caring so little of him.

"Do you even care?"

"Of course I fucking care!" It was the first time I had ever heard Peeta curse. "Why are you talking to me about this? And here?" His tone becomes harsher.

"Because you should know. This might change a lot of things." There's a small surge of silence. "And why does it matter whether I'm here? You scared they'll chuck you out or something? That Katniss girl will realize how fucked up we are?"

I freeze as I hear my name. Peeta had talked about me? And why was my opinion more important than Jo's or Finnick's? And what on earth were they talking about? How were they fucked up? Who was the 'she' they were talking about?

There were so many questions reeling in my head that I didn't even hear the door knob turn or the door slam. Peeta stares at me, only a foot or so away, shocked. The brokenness of his expression and the redness of his eyes catch me off guard. A wave of sympathy hits me. I knew that expression well.

"What? So now you're eavesdropping on me? Trying to get me back or something?" His voice is cold and stilted.

This is such a shock compared to the boy I've known these past days I struggle to get out a coherent answer. "I'm sorry. I was…I was just-"

"Save it Katniss." He waves me away. He brushes past me and retreats up the stairs. At the very top stair he looks down and says, "You know, you're no better than me. No matter what you think you know."

000

"What the hell did you do?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about." I tell Finn.

I'm acting nonchalant because his expression is scaring me. "I leave you alone with Peeta for one afternoon and look what's happened! He's ignoring you when a few hours ago he was pretty much obsessed with you-"

"What?" I ask, thinking back to how my name had been said on the porch. "Obsessed?"

Finn shoots me a glare. "That is neither here nor there right now. What happened? He's not Peeta anymore!"

"I didn't do anything!" I hiss, attempting to defend myself. "I heard him arguing with someone named Rye and I came down to check on him. That's all."

Finn's face suddenly closes off. "Okay."

"What do you mean okay? You were tearing my head off a minute ago." I rant.

Shoes sound on the stairs. "Okay guys we have to go!" Johanna calls. I keep my gaze trained on Finn.

Jo stands beside me as Peeta makes his way down the stairs. He doesn't look at me however I see something pass between him and Finnick.

"Let's go brainless." Johanna says in my ear. As we take the short walk to the beach for the game I'm left to think over what exactly I have missed.

The crowd is large, sitting under the blazing sun, though Johanna and I scored a good spot thanks to Thresh. Thresh is tall and broad and his skin was a beautiful rich brown. He was soft spoken which I like after spending so much time with Jo and Finn.

"How was your summer?" He asks.

I sigh. "Fine."

"Come on Kat, what were you talking to Haymitch about?" Johanna presses.

I'm tired of lying so I just tell her. "He said they were thinking of releasing my mother."

"From the Institution?" Thresh asks.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that good?"

I shake my head vehemently. "No. No. "

"Why not?"

"It'll wreck Prim." I admit remembering the last three months. If she hasn't broken yet, false hope like this will do it to her.

"Katniss she's 19-" Jo starts to argue.

"You weren't there this summer." I say. "They said that she was getting better again. Prim was so excited she started preparing everything. The house, flowers, food. I told her it was too early. She didn't listen. And one day we went back to the Institution together and my mother just…deteriorated again. She was in a fit, screaming things that weren't even true. Saying she didn't want children after the accident…" I swallow the lump on my throat, focusing on the boys warming up on the court. "Then she- she grabbed a pair of scissors that were at the desk…and she just held out her wrist and…" I shake my head ridding the horrible image from my mind.

Thresh and Jo's faces are a mix of horror and sympathy. "Why are they going to let her out again then?"

"That was two months ago. They were saying stuff about changing medications and wrong dosages….I just don't believe she's stable again. It's happened before and every time she ends up back there. You should have seen Prim. We're lucky as hell she has Rory. None of us knew how to deal with her." I remember Peeta's expression when he came inside. His blonde hair and blue eyes…for a moment it was like looking at Prim again.

"Honey, I'm sorry." Thresh says patting my hand.

"It's fine really."

"But you had a good time with Gale." Johanna says suggestively.

I chuckle. "That is for another day."

In the next few minutes the game starts and Thresh brings us all beers from the little island bar. The Strip which was this stretch of beach was the most inhabited out of the whole State where you could always find masses of drunken college kids. Sometimes I was one of them.

I must admit, it is sort of nice to watch a bunch of shirtless guys run around. However Finnick steals most of the girls' attention. I know Jo and I are hated by some of the more pathetic ones considering we live with him. But what I also see is how a lot of stares and fingers are pointed towards Peeta. He's athletic, that's obvious, and he makes pretty much every ball that is directed towards him.

I stare and wonder who the hell he actually is. "Jo what's up with Peeta?" I ask plainly as we watch the game.

"Oh so now you want to know?"

I feel a small twinge of guilt. Maybe I had acted too fast. Maybe I was too consumed with rage from my summer to realize I was being unfair. "Come on Jo."

"It's not my place Katniss. You out of all people should know not to judge people by appearance. Look at Finnick for god's sake. He comes across as a fucking tool."

I laugh thinking of the façade of Finn's. He's crafted it so well after what he's been through that it's difficult to see the cracks. Most people simply assume he's nothing more than some guy that has slept with every girl on campus. It's only partly true.

"Just be nice, okay? As much as Katniss Everdeen can muster." Johanna says. "He likes you a lot although you don't deserve it."

I began to wonder whether I deserved anything in my life. I never seemed grateful for the help extended toward me. We all had our own nightmares. I knew that well. I would have to accept that maybe Peeta Mellark did too.