Katniss and the Rebels
Chapter 12: Mothers and Text Messages
Hi I know I have been away for a while I have been sick the past week and I am only a small bit better today. So I had a bit of a blank after the last chapter and I was working on my other story and a new Hunger Games story but today I lay on my bed and thought right I need to get back to my Katniss and the Rebels story and so I started thinking and planning and this came out. I hope you enjoy this chapter and like always if you do please let me know it helps a lot :)
Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games because if I did I would have seen Catching Fire already and not mindlessly counting down the days until it comes out
This chapter is dedicated to: Awesomegirl2656
Updated on: 8/03/15 (It is like 00:06 on the 8th so I had to change it from the 7th to the 8th :( ah well. I still cannot believe that it is March all ready!)
Peeta POV
I sigh as I open the door to the bakery. Thank God school is over for the week. I mean don't get me wrong Finnick is a great friend but he is useless when it comes to Annie Cresta. Though when I said that to him he burst out laughing and said I was the same except 10 times worse with Katniss. He may have been right but I wasn't going to tell him that.
Dad is working behind the counter today. He looks tired and the look on his face is one I recognize as I see it so often. He and mum have fought again. Or most likely my mother yelling about something and my dad just agreeing to it. He looks up when the bell goes off as I enter. I shut the door and he smiles at me.
"Hi Peeta, how was your day?" I can tell that he is exhausted but he still smiles at me.
I shrug and push my bag under the table near the entrance.
"It was ok kind of boring. Finnick has messed up with Annie again so he was asking me to help him. I don't know why he asked me though but I gave it a try any way." I tell him leaning against the table.
He smiles tiredly "You are a good friend Peeta."
"Em, thanks." I say narrowing my eyes. Something doesn't seem right. Dad seems on edge and I can't help but think that it has something to do with my mother, something bad.
So being the idiot I am I ask him about her.
"Is mum home?" His smile vanishes immediately. He tries to resurrect it but fails miserably.
"Peeta, your mother-"
"Peeta Jonathan Mellark! Well it is about time you got home. Wait until I get my hands on you!"
I shut my eyes tightly. I can hear her thundering down the stairs with somebody chasing her and by the time she has reached the bottom and come through the door I have opened them.
Her face reads of anger, disgust and pure hatred. A sight I have gotten used to over the years. She glares at me, her hands in fists, nails digging into her skin I'm sure. But she doesn't seem to care her gaze is fixed on me.
Bran rushes through the door and almost crashes into her. I guess that he was the one chasing her. I take my eyes off my mother for a second and take in his appearance. He looks terrified and worried. Not for himself though but for me. I can tell he wants to tell her, or me I'm not sure, something but thinks better of it and he looks down at his feet ashamed.
What is going on?
After what seems like an hour she finally speaks.
"Is it true?" She asks me with a deadly tone. Again I look at my dad who looks away and then to Bran who lifts his head and meets my eyes. He looks nervous, apologetic and even guilty.
"Don't you look away from me young man! Now you answer me at once. Is. It. True!"
I dare myself to look at her and answer.
"Is what true mother?"
"Oh don't you play the innocent act with me! You know what you have done! Put shame on our family just like you have all ways done! Going behind my back and brining a common Seam slut into our home, my home, while I was away! I bet you think that I would never find out well guess what you are going to pay for it."
I close my eyes because I refuse to let her know how this makes me feel. Though I know she knows all ready. It is obvious what she is referring to. Me brining Katniss over to work on our project though I doubt she knows about the project bit. All she probably heard was Katniss being in 'her' house and she must have exploded.
I open my eyes but look straight at Bran whose head his hung but I can tell that his eyes are shut. I realised he must have told her. Why? I don't know. Hurt, anger and betrayal surface in me as I look at him. I thought I could trust him. I would never even think of Rye doing something like this though he has threatened too many a time but told me afterwards that he never would.
I turn back to my mother's deadly strong gaze that is still fixed on me and I gulp.
"I-I can explain-" I don't get a chance to finish as she has stomped over and slapped me across the face.
"Laura!" My dad shouts at her with shock and disappointment clear in his voice. I have no idea why he does. It's not like she has never done it before. Well maybe not when he was there but I know he was always aware of what my mother does to me.
I close my eyes I am not surprised that she slapped me it isn't the first time she has hit me and it probably won't be the last
"Don't you tell me that you can explain what you have done! How could any respectable person explain sleeping with that-that girl! How many times have I told you Peeta! All that girl is, is no good rubbish. Just like her parents and everyone else that lives in that dump! I have always known that you were exactly like your father but I had hoped by now that you would have inherited my brains! Well you clearly haven't if you are going out with that good for nothing-"
"That is enough Laura!" Dad yells, interrupting her again. This doesn't do much good for him as she is quick to turn on him.
"Oh no. Don't you dare! Avery Mellark! Don't you dare! How could you let that girl into our home after everything 'that' family has put us through! Even if she wasn't from 'that' family you should never have let a girl from the Seam into our house. You knew how I would feel about it!"
"Laura! They were working on a project! They did nothing else but work when she was here. And don't even think of bringing all of that up again! Everything that happened between us and the Everdeens was all your fault and you know it! They have done nothing wrong Laura and they never have!
That is what you can't handle. That they are good, kind people and they never hurt any of our family. Or anybody in this town! You have made everything difficult for our family for years. I thought finally we had gotten past all that and moved on. But no of course not.
Peeta and Katniss were working on a project. Yeah that is her name, Katniss! Not 'the Seam slut'! Not 'that girl'! No Katniss! Yes she came over when I was here and I had no problem with it! Bran was here when she was here so was Gwen and they didn't care! This is just yoi are your stupid childish prejudices! Even if they were more than friends I would have let her come over the same as I did when Bran and Gwen started dating! Because Katniss is a lovely, polite girl which is amazing after all that she has been through. Everything that happened between us and the Everdeens happened years ago! Move on and get over it!"
Bran, my mother and I both look at him in shock. Never, no matter what my mother has done has dad ever raised his voice to her. Well not since I have been born anyway. It seems that he has finally reached his breaking point after all these years.
We all stand there frozen. My parents with locked eyes and are having a silent conversation of their own with them. Then my mother turns to me sharply and looks at me with no emotion on her face whatsoever.
"So you are not going out with….that girl?" It seems she still can't say her name but I choose to just answer her question.
I shake my head
"No I'm not going out with her. Like dad said we are just working on a Home Ec. Project together that we were assigned partners for." She looks at me as if she can see straight through me before she moves aside.
"Get upstairs and do your homework boy, before I give you jobs to do." She turns away from me, not looking at anybody but grabs her coat and says, "I am going out" She then storms out of the front door, leaving us alone.
We stand there in silence for a moment then I retrieve my bag from underneath the table and straighten it on my shoulders. I make my way towards the door that my mother exited from an hour ago when Bran stops me by placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Peeta I-" I shrug his hand off me.
"Don't Bran. Just, don't." I shove past him and make my way quickly upstairs. I want to act cold and stay mad at Bran but I am just hurt more than anything. How could he tell my mother that Katniss had been here? He knew she would go ballistic, which she did. After all the secrets I kept about him and Gwen and not just her his past girlfriends too, he does this to me.
I climb the extra stairs that leads to my attic bedroom and when I get there I shut the door and throw my bag on the other side of the room. I sit on my desk chair and put my face in my hands re-living the past hour in my head over and over again. About five minutes later I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I groan and hope that it isn't a text from Finnick but when I take out my phone I am pleasantly surprised at the message I have received.
'Hey Peeta, Its Katniss here.
I just thought that I would say hi and make sure that I had the right number that you gave me the other day.
-Katniss
PS: Mellark this better be you because if you gave me the wrong number on purpose you are dead.'
Ah Katniss and her death threats. I grin widely before quickly typing a reply.
Katniss POV
All the way home Gale and I cannot stop talking about James. I am really excited (again don't want to get too excited in case something happens. Which is very likely) when I get home which doesn't happen often. I shut the front door and hang up my coat. I go into the kitchen and am shocked to see my mum at the table. She looks up at me and I can see the tiniest hint of a smile on her face though I remain expressionless.
After a bit she realises that I am not going to speak so she does.
"Where's Prim?" she asks, her voice is strained, as it always is on the rare occasion that she speaks.
"At Roar's" I answer moving across the kitchen to get a snack.
"What?" she asks confused
"Rory, she's with Rory Hawthorne at his house."
She stares blankly at me. Clearly she has no idea who I am talking about.
"Gale's little brother, Rory, she's at their house for the evening they have some project to do.
"Oh that is nice" I shrug
"Would you like some tea?" I ask awkwardly. I never have tea I have always preferred water but I know that she likes it. Well I guess she does I make it for her almost every day and she drinks half of it which is more than she eats.
"Thank you but I have one" I raise an eyebrow. True she does have a cup of tea in front of her but it has gone cold and none of it has been drank. It has obviously been sitting there for a long time.
"Ok then"
"Who was that boy?" mum asks while stirring her tea with a spoon "That was here the other day?"
"Rory?" I offer her as I sit down opposite her.
"No, no that-that wasn't his name. He was about yo-your age."
"Gale?" I ask her hopefully. I don't know the exact details between our family and the Mellarks but I do know that my parents and Peeta's parents didn't get along when they were younger. Then again I can't think of anybody who gets along with Mrs. Mellark.
"No I think he was from the town. I-I saw him on my way to the…bathroom" Her voice is shaky. This is the most I have heard her speak in years. I can tell this is a struggle for her though as she takes deep breaths.
"Oh yeah. You must mean my partner for my Home Ec. project Peeta."
"Peeta?" she asks absentmindedly
"Er yes Peeta, Peeta Mellark." That catches her attention and her head flies up and her tea flies everywhere. I gulp and take a deep breath
"Mellark?" she asks with no emotion in her voice
"Yes but it was assigned the teacher told us all who our partners were" I say quickly not mentioning the fact that I am glad Ms. Trinket chose him.
I notice she can't remember a boy that has been coming over to our house even since he was born yet she can remember if a boy is a townie and she can remember the Mellarks.
We don't speak for a minute. I stand up and grab some kitchen towel and wipe up the mess from the spilt tea. Once I have finished I throw it in the bin and sit back down.
"Is he-is he…nice?" She asks me cautiously and I look at her in shock.
She has barely spoken in years and now suddenly a Mellark appears and she is all talk and questioning me about him. I fight the urge to scream or roll my eyes.
"Wh-What?" I ask cluelessly.
"Well-Is he, well like his-, his father? Would you say? Or his-his mother?" she asks and I just stare at her still in shock.
My eyes widen slightly, I wasn't expecting that or any of this conversation to be honest
"Well his father I guess. He is nothing like his mother anyway." I say and her face relaxes and again shows a hint of a smile
"Good for you he is a nice boy then." I stare at her in shock and suspicion. She stands up shakily and slowly leaves and goes up to her room. I close my eyes and go over the last couple of minutes which is the first proper conversation I have had with my mother since I was eleven.
I sit there in shock for around ten minutes before I take my biscuit and head up to my room. I lie down on my bed with my eyes shut and when I get up five minutes later to start my homework I spot a small, folded piece of paper on my bedside table. I frown in confusion and look at it. Its Peeta's phone number. Wow I had completely forgotten that we had exchanged numbers.
Subconsciously I retrieve my phone from my bag and open it. I type in his number quickly.
Should I text him?
Should I call him? No defiantly not
I'll text him.
Yes.
I must spend about ten minutes going back and forth over whether to text him or not. And for what seems like the millionth time this week I am thinking like a pre-teen townie girl.
I am not one of them girls so I suck it up and start typing.
As I type I pray that he is not playing a joke on me and has given me the wrong number. If he has he probably gave me Finnick or Thresh's number so they could have a good laugh about it later.
My finger hovers over the send button but I send it and breathe out.
I sit on my bed and lean against the headboard. I go into 'sent' in my messages and enter the message I have just sent to Peeta.
'Hey Peeta, Its Katniss here.
I just thought that I would say hi and make sure that I had the right number that you gave me the other day.
-Katniss :)
PS: Mellark this better be you because if you gave me the wrong number on purpose you are dead.'
Ugh why can I not sound cool like Madge or even Delly Cartwright and say something simple or even cool? Like…well I am that unlike Madge and Delly that I don't even know what I would have said if I was like him.
Ok that made absolutely no sense.
If Peeta did in fact give me his right number then we probably thinks that I am some weirdo. I am getting nervous though whether or not he will text me back.
He is probably busy so-
'Beeb'
I rush to check my inbox and open the message.
'Hi Katniss, yeah don't worry it's me. How was your day? :)
PS: Yeah it is me, Peeta that is. Proof: we were passing notes when we were meant to be doing our English essay in class today.'
I smile brightly and text him back.
'Ha that's good. I am glad that its you that I am texting. My day was grand thanks pretty boring you know. I did have a strange conversation with my mother though. Wbu? :)'
He texts back quickly,
'Ha yeah I feel the same. I would much rather be talking to you than someone else especially after my day. I mean don't get me wrong Finnick is a great friend but its nice to just get a break from him for a while. The others as well. My day was ok. I also had an odd conversation (If odd is the right word to describe it) with my parents and Bran. What was your weird conversation with your mum about? If you want to tell me I mean you don't have to or anything em yeah…. :)'
Finnick and Peeta's friendship is just hilarious. I laugh at Peeta's ending he is even babbling in his text messages.
'Yeah I am the same with Darius. It is nice to get away from him flirting with any girl in this District. Well my mum was down from her room which is an improvement. She talked quite a bit. She doesn't remember who Rory is and I don't think she remembers Gale either (I don't know how she doesn't know Rory, Prim never shuts up about him). She asked who the boy was from the other day and she was talking about you. She seemed very…surprised? I guess is the word. She started asking what you were like and stuff :)'
'I am glad your mum is doing a bit better. I am sorry to hear that she doesn't remember Rory and Gale. What did you say to your mother? :)'
I smile sadly at what he says about Rory and Gale. Even after all this time it is a shock for me to believe that she can't remember them.
'Oh she was asking me if you were nice I think and I was in shock and just said what? Then she asked if you were like your father and I said yeah you were. And that was about it I didn't really know what to say and well you and your father seem kind of a like. She seemed happy about what I said though she said you must be nice then. :)'
'Oh yeah its fine thanks :)'
Well that's good I was worried I had offended him by telling him and my mum he is like his dad.
"So what about your odd conversation with your family? :)"
I wonder if Rye has messed up again or if his mum did something to upset him now that she is back.
'Bran told my mother that you came over while she was away. I don't know how he told her I just know it was him. She went insane anyway and she also thought that we were…sleeping together.'
God that can't be good
'Oh god what happened then?'
'What I would expect. She started to yell and scream the house down. My dad tried to tell her to stop but she started on him then. She asked how he could allow you to come over and then my dad, for the first time ever, started fighting back and he told her that he let us work on the project together and that you were a lovely girl. He told her that she needed to grow up and move on from the past. When he finished we were all just in shock then my mother told me to go up to my room.'
I have a feeling that Peeta isn't telling me something. But I don't say anything I mean we have only started talking properly since we started the project I don't expect him to use me as his personal diary. I have only met Mrs. Mellark a few times, all being in the bakery, and she was never very polite towards me…well towards anyone really. I do know that she hates my parents for some reason. I have never gotten the impression from Peeta that he and his mother were close either. Much like myself and my mother.
'Why would Bran tell her that I was over if he knew she would go mad and get the wrong idea? I don't mean to slag off your brother but I thought you two got along it just seems really spiteful for him to do something like that. I mean I wouldn't even suspect Rye of doing something like that.'
I hope I don't sound nosy for wondering about his brother. When I met him he seemed like a nice guy and I thought that he and Peeta got along well.
'No its fine I thought the same thing. It is just so unlike him to do something like this. I know he probably has an explanation for it and he did try to talk to me after my mother stormed out. But I couldn't handle him telling me so I just asked him to stop and went upstairs. I will probably hear him out later but I don't think I want to now. I mean if Rye were to do something like that he would just tease me about you. He wouldn't say your name. I don't mean that in a bad or offensive way but well you know what my mother's like about well girls from the Seam. I don't know though if Bran told her if me and you were dating and/or sleeping together or if she just assumed it.'
'Yeah I think it would be good if you heard him out. He is your brother after all. Yeah well Gale presumed the same thing. Well not the exact same thing. But he did think that we were together because we went to the Hob together and apparently according to Gale, only people who are from the Seam who are in a relationship with someone from the town brings them to the Hob. Why are people so presumptuous?'
'Ha I don't know. I can see where Gale was coming from. I got that too, all day people asking us if we were together. We are the talk of the district apparently. I am sorry about that.'
I feel sorry for him when he says that. It seems that no matter what happens Peeta seems to just blame himself and apologize for things that aren't his fault.
'Hey don't blame yourself! Sure I brought you there didn't I? And I don't regret it. So we should just ignore what people say :)'
'Thank you. I don't regret it either. Yeah we should just do that. I mean it isn't any of their business what we do or…don't do :)'
'Great well sorry but I have to go. I want to get my homework done before band practise and I can never concentrate on it when I am texting. I also want to try and get it out of the way before the weekend starts. I might talk to you later? :)'
'Yeah no problem. I should get my homework done too. Yeah great I will talk to you later see you later :)'
I blush and start doing my homework with a massive grin on my face.
AN: So what do you think? I know poor Peeta, his mother is really something isn't she?
I think Peeta and Katniss have grown closer in this chapter. Close enough that the can tell each other things that mightn't share with even Finnick or the Rebels.
What did you think of Mr. Mellark defending Peeta and the Everdeens?
Coming up:
What is up with Bran?
Can Finnick make it up with Annie?
Will Katniss and Peeta grow closer over their project and if they do what will the rest of the district say about it?
And how will meeting the recording manager go?
You'll have to wait and see
Thank you for reading
Please let me know what you think or if you have any ideas
xTeam Mockinjayx