Chapter 17: Be Alone

I wake up to a starry night sky with dark clouds. It must be still before dawn, I trun on my side and see a sleeping Gale. I sit up and take a few moments to collect myself a bit before I get up and perform a duty a wife should do, or at least for me, a task that I would be forced to do. I get up and get dressed quietly in the bathroom, trying not to wake up, Gale. Taking light steps, I walk into the kitchen, and open the refrigerator to find an assortment of foods. I wrap up Gale's lunch together for his lunch break at the mines. However, my stomach takes an unexpected turn which leads me to the trash can immediately. I throw up the dinner I had in my stomach last night. I wipe my mouth with a cloth and wash my mouth with water. I look up to our bedroom to see if Gale awoke. Fortunately, he does not appear. I turn on the new stove and place some mint leaves with water to boil. Hopefully this will calm my stomach nerves

Just as I watch the leaves boil, Gale comes up behind me and asks, "Why are you up so early?" I turn to respond to him in the most polite way I could say, "I made you lunch." He surprises me by smiling, and looking into the bag, "Really? Wow. Thank you, Katniss. Oh well I mean, wife." My fake grin comes out again. He then asks, "Why do you look so pale?" I falter my breath, "Umm… I'm always pale." He shakes his head, "No, you look paler." I shake my head, and say, "You better hurry, or you'll be late." He nods and I lead him to the door. He looks at me and asks, "I need one more thing of you." I nod, "Yes?" He says, "I need you to go buy some fresh bread from the baker. I'm craving fresh bread, and I know we have a bit of money for it. So can you control your senses for some moments, and buy your husband some bread, without trying to interact with the Baker's youngest son?" I make a face of disgust, and responds with cruel intentions, "I guess, you know since I can't whore around with a man I used to love, until he was unlawfully taken from me. And then I had to marry you. I think I had suffered enough." He then makes a face. "I don't like your attitude you know. Why can't you just do as I say? Why do you always complain to me?" I place myself directly in front of him, "Don't you like me the way I am? I thought that's why you've been in love with me, for the person I am. Well this is me Hawthorne. You wanted me this way," He squints at me and says, "Just get me the damn, stupid bread, Katniss." And with that he walks away, towards the mines. I slam the door shut.

I try to channel my frustration, with cleaning the household, but nothing takes my anger away from my cruel future. Having a husband that I only consider my friend, to see the one you be with someone else, and the worst of all, having a child with the unwanted. I can't find what other obstacle I might have to face. I yell, I scream, I burst out crying. When I run out of energy, I finally lay down on the couch, trying to breath out my emotions. However, I know I have to get Gale's bread, or he will be very displeased. I compose myself and take a few coins, throw on my father's coat and head out to the bakery.

Walking to the bakery, I pass all the generic houses the Capitol had designed. Walking past the meadow, onto town brings me most attention, everything is busier, but with women only. Did this really make us more movable? I see a difference in the town. As I arrive to the bakery, and somehow I cannot bear to pass through the front door. So I take my short route to the back door, where all businesses have been made. I knock on the door and hope not to find the witch of his mother. However, I am given a delightful surprise.

Peeta stands the door, with flour in his hair and hands covered in icing. I smile at the man I love. He smiles back and unexpectedly pulls me into the bakery. I am taken by surprise because the first thing he does is kiss my lips. Cradling me, I now feel like I am home. I kiss him back fervently until I realize where we are. I push him back, "Peeta! We're inside the bakery." He chuckles, and his arms encircle me, "Don't worry, it's just me and my father today. He's in the front attending customers." I smile at him and confess, "I miss you." He puts on a sad smile and says, "I have missed you even more." I become frightened by our situation, "I need to leave before your mom finds us." He shakes his head, "No, she is with Madge." He makes a face at saying her name, which actually gives me a bit of pride knowing he is not happy with his pair either.

His light up, and he seems to have an idea. He says, "How much time you have on you before Gale arrives at your house?" I ponder and reply, 'About a good 3 hours. Why?" He grins, "Go to the woods. I'll meet you in five." I grin and he kisses me once more. I retire from the Mellark Bakery, and run across the meadow to the fence, to enter the woods. The thrill of being with Peeta in secret allows me to make a decision I might regret later. I wait a while and there's a rustle of leaves revealing a stocky build of Peeta. I grin at him and ask, "Weren't you working?" He answers as we walk, "I told my father that I felt sick and needed to go out. He understood and believed I had been sad, which I am. He called my brother from above and I left." I ask, "What did we come out here for?" He shakes his head in disbelief with eyes wide open, he says, "What are you talking about, Gorgeous?" He picks me up and twirls me around, responding in laughter, "Why we love each other? I want to spend sometime with you just like you want to spend time with me." I respond with a kiss, "Of course."

We retire to our cabin deep in the woods, where we spend our little time together. Touching, Kissing, Smiling, Laughter, Crying is what spend our time with. We talk about our day from yesterday, in which seems to infuriate him. "He treated you that way? Didn't he promise he was going to take of you?" I shake my head, "He got… possesive or something. He was not like this, Like if I was gonna slip from his hands or something." He gets angry, "What the hell? I left you with him because I trusted him! He is going to pay." I quirk an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, and let him know we still see each other. I think no." Then another question pops to mind, but I barely get the words out, "Did you… you know.. with Madge?" He shakes his head and runs his hand through his blonde curls, something he does when he is nervous. "No, she wanted to. But I couldn't do it. I told her that that night just wanted right." I nod and respond, "I couldn't either, I was shaking in fear." He asks, "How are we going to do this, Katniss? I don't want to have a child with someone I don't love." I nod and say, "Same here. Let's just hope we can get through this nightmare together." He hugs me to him, "I want to imagine us to live in a beautiful place with our children, playing without a care, and us being able to be together." I agree, "I wish, Peeta. I wish, too."

I see the sun setting, and begin panicking. "Peeta, we need to leave now! I'm supposed to get there before Gale!" He springs out of action and begins to exit the cabin, as we run to the fence.

As we arrive, I am fatigued. Peeta asks, "Are you okay?" I nod and say through labored breaths, "I'm just so tired." He wipes the sweat from my forehead. "Breathe. Let's get you home." he says. I shake my head, "No, I need bread." He nods and we cross the fence back to the bakery. He enters discreetly through the back door, and comes back out with a loaf of fresh white bread. "Take it and go, before he catches you. I love you." I answer back, "I love you, too." I kiss him a goodbye and run towards my house. I take the back alley in hopes of not being seen. As I arrive my front door, I don't see any lights. I sigh in relief, Gale is not home.

I enter the house, closing the door behind me. I turn on the lights and find the person I least wanted to see. Gale looks at me and stands up. I try to explain myself as fast as I can, "Gale, I-" He cuts me off by placing his hand in order for me to stop speaking. He fully turns to me.

Gale asks, "Where the hell have you been?"

…

Wow, Chapter 17. Well I do say that in this story there is a serious change in characters, how and which characters are for you find out by keeping up with the reading. I am happy, I have gone along with the story, I thank all readers, all followers, all reviews, and all favorites, Thank you for inspiring me every time I write. See you next chapter. "You should be alone, Yeah you should be alone… alone with me!" Be Alone by Paramore