It's a beautiful Spring day. The air is warm and sweet, and the birds are chirping a beautiful melody. I look down at the little girl, walking beside me hand-in-hand. She looks up at me with a smile, her blue eyes dazzling in the morning sun. We walk through the Meadow to a patch of bushes I am familiar with. I pluck a handful of berries, which are perfectly ripened, and share them with Pearl as we walk in silence, admiring the scenery. She and I have an equal love for nature. As we're walking, I spot Peeta in the distance. But what is he doing in the woods, alone? I realize the birds have stopped singing, all but one. It sings a long, single note. Then the hovercraft appears above the trees behind Peeta.
I scoop Pearl up, and in one swift motion have her on my back in a second as I race towards Peeta. I start to yell for him to get down, to hide behind something, anything! He can't hear me. I'm about a quarter mile from him, when it starts to quickly approach him, and then it happens. The beam grabs hold of Peeta, paralyzing him. I'm running and screaming franticly, all the while I have a small child on my back. My child. Peeta's child, who is watching all of this happen. Peeta is 5 feet in the air now, and I'm not that far away. How can I save him? And then it happens.
My foot catches a rock that I must not have seen out of my peripheral vision, since my gaze would not leave Peeta. I'm falling in slow motion, and I realize the weight on my back has lifted. She is flying over my head, I reach out to grab her and I'm just short of grabbing her by the shirt. I'm stretching my arms out as far as I can, trying to grab on to a hand, a foot, anything! Then I realize the ground beneath us has vanished, we're falling down a dark black hole, when a jolt goes through my spine, jerking my body awake. My body is drenched in sweat. It was just a dream.
I jump out of bed and run across the hall to the closest door, snapping into hunting mode.. quiet. I crack the door and see her laying there sleeping, so peacefully. I tip toe over to the side of her bed and brush the brown hair off of her face, and kiss her on the cheek. She doesn't stir. She's gotten use to us checking on her over the years, and eventually stopped waking up.
I go back into my room and climb back in bed next to Peeta, who doesn't seem to stir either. I haven't had a bad dream like that in months, but he's use to it too.
"Is she okay?" Peeta whispers softly, as he wraps his arms around me. I guess I was wrong.
"Yeah, sound asleep." I answer, snuggling up against his chest, getting as deep as I can in his warm, protective embrace.
"Good, now let's get a little more sleep. We have a big, big day tomorrow!" He says in a Capitol accent. He can barely get it all out before he starts to chuckle, and I join him. I can't help but think of Gale though. Before I was reaped into the 74th Hunger Games, we loved making fun of Effie & the Capitol accent to pass time hunting and foraging in the forrest. Gale is still in District two, and Effie is still in the Capitol, both of which I haven't spoken to in at least a decade. I think about them both, hoping all is well before I drift back off to sleep.