Getting Back To You

Chapter 14

I lay in a cold hard bed that feels oddly familiar. I sit up and my back aches, actually my whole body aches. I touch my face and my fingers run over a bumpy edge that appears to be a scab. I look around the room and I know I've seen it before, once or twice. It then hits me when I realize I'm in the tribute center, in my old room during the first games. I scoot over to the edge of the bed and turn my legs out. My feet hit the cold ground and goose bumps race up my legs and arms. I look around for a blanket and I grab this warm purple one. I notice I'm in a hospital gown again.

I still feel dirty, so I head to the shower that is to the left of the bed and take off my gown slowly. Each muscle movement I make, it aches badly. I make the water hot to sooth myself and I step in. As I'm in the shower I wonder how I got here. Did the Capitol catch me? Is this the end? Where is everyone else? When I step out of the shower and put on a new hospital gown that lay on the end of my bed. I curl up under the blankets and I keep my legs up to my chest and my arms warped around them. As I lay there, my eyes slowly close and I fall back asleep.

I wake up, go to the bathroom and go back to sleep. I've done this for at least three days now. No one has checked on me, unless they did when I was asleep. I get up to go to the bathroom again,and I notice my reflection in the mirror. I look like I lost ten pounds, maybe even more and I look almost sick. Once I leave the bathroom, I go outside my room and enter the living room that looks painfully familiar. I brush my hand on the royal blue couch. I remember how when I would sit on this couch, it would've been before Peeta was Hijacked, before Prim was gone, before I started everything. I move over to the kitchen and look in the fridge, but there isn't anything in it. I walk over to the door to leave my room and look down the hall left and right. I close the door behind me and fold my arms because I'm still cold. I choose to walk down to my right of hopes of finding someone else or food.

As I walk, I notice all the lights are out and the only thing that makes it bright in here is the sun. I make my way around to most of the doors and I pick and choose the ones I want to knock on. I find a door that leads to a stair case, so I take that and go to the level below me. I reach the level and I pass by a few doors until I see one with the words "hospital" written on it. I remember Haymitch saying something about Peeta in the tribute center the night before we got him. I look through the rectangular window and I see hospital beds and medicine filled in tubes. I push the door open and I walk slowly toward the door that's farther down. There's hospital beds in here and shelves with medicine on them. I push through two more doors and I enter another room. I notice there's chairs that have cuffs around the arm rests and a strap around where the torso would be. Next to one is a medal table with syringes sitting on top of them. I pick one up that has a liquid in it and I hold the thing in my hands as I examine it. I rotate it and the letters H-I-j-A... Start to appear. I then realize at that moment I know what it is and tears start to rush to my eyes. I rotate the bottle even more and the the letters spell out two words, "Hijacking fluid". I release the syringe out of my hands letting it drop to the floor. My hand cuffs my mouth and I begin to cry. I cry the tears that have been needing to get out. I brush my fingers on the end of the arm rest where his hands would have clasped over. I walk a little further down and enter through two heavy doors that swing open, with tears still streaming down my face. My chest begins to hurt as I gasp for air as I cry, but I still make myself walk through the doors. The room is filled with medal bar doors. There's about eight cells on each side of the walls. They're cells for prisoners or in Peeta's case, victims. I can't bear it anymore and I rush out of the room pushing the doors open again. When I walk through the part of the hospital that has the hijacking fluid, I wipe my arms across the medal table and everything on it goes flying. I push the table over and I turn around and do the same to other tables, wiping things off it. I cry and continuously wipe the tears from my eyes but it doesn't help. I crash onto the ground and cover my face with my hands. I stay there for a moment, but I decide to look for Peeta and everyone else.

I open the doors to leave the hospital and I decide to walk down my right and I pass by many doors and I cross one, but I hear voices from inside. I slowly twist the handle and push it open.

Haymitch, And the rest of the rebels, including Peeta, turn around and face me.

"Hey Sweetheart." Haymitch says

"Why are we here?" I ask.

"You know the Polite thing to say when someone says "hi" is to say hi back."

"Sorry I just thought that because I was left on my own for more than three days, with no food and no sign of any one, there would be some kind of explanation."

"Well, we knew you needed time alone," Haymitch says. I say no more because I did need time to myself. Usually everyone is surrounding me either doing my makeup or talking to me about being the Mockingjay. "We leave here soon to go to District 12."

I stop for a second and think of the words he just told me... district 12? It's in ruins. "You're kidding."

"No, no I'm not. They cleaned most of it up."

"So we're just going to clean everything up like nothing happened?"

"Well I don't know where else we can go. Nothing was touched in the victory village and I don't think any of us want to be stuck underground for the rest of our lives." That's true. Being stuck underground for weeks was enough.

******
Most people who were in District 13 are coming to District 12 tomorow. They're going to build this nation back up, as Coin says. We enter the hovercraft and take it to District 12. While we're on it, I touch my hair and notice it's all scraggly and I'm in my jumpsuit from District 13, because it was the only other clothes they gave me besides the hospital gown. I look across from me and Peeta sits there. His eyes are closed and I imagine he's asleep. I stare at him for awhile, examining his condition. His skin is a normal color and he looks like he's been eating, but not too much. His blond hair is pushed back and the scratches that are on his face are healing. I look at his wrists and they still have red cuff marks around them.

I look over at Gail who sits across from me,three seats away from Peeta. His eyes are open but he stares at the Hovercrafts ceiling. I wonder what he's thinking. If this will be the end to him and I? It's time to move on... I love Peeta more than I could ever imagine, I just wished he loved me, but I don't know if he does. I fight myself back and forth about this if he loves me or not.

We land in District 12 and I'm afraid to open my eyes once the door has lowered. I lift my eyelids and the sight makes me feel almost relieved but sad. All those bodies are just forgotten and cleaned up. I try to not think of what they've done to them so I shake my head to clear the thoughts. I walk out of the hovercraft and step on the soft green grass. All buildings are gone and there's nothing but field. You can see the victory village from afar when usually you can't.

I give a hug to Cressida, castor, and Pollux because I don't know if I'll see them again. I thank them for what they've done for me and everyone else. Haymitch and the rest of us wave goodbye as they lift off into the Hovercraft. As the loud noise lifts from the ground, silence begins to fill the air. It's just us, Haymitch, Gale, Peeta and I.

"Well, I suggest we go to our homes." Haymitch says.

"I don't have a home..." Gale says with his eyes toward the ground.

"There's some vacant houses you can stay in. It'll be awhile till we can get furniture in it though, but you'll be going to district 2 soon to work."

"Alright." He says. I'm expecting a hug or even a wave goodbye, but nothing. He doesn't even sound surprised to him leaving to district 2. He turns around and walks up to his new house. This almost makes me upset, but I try and not think about it.

"Peeta, you're living with me for awhile." Haymitch says.

"Why?" Peeta asks in an irritated voice.

"So you don't kill yourself." This almost takes me by surprise that he would say something like that, but then I remember it's Haymitch. Peeta takes a deep breath and I give him a smile. I turn around and head to my house.

Haymitch grabs my arm and says "I'll be taking care of you." But then I hear another voice following.

"Me too." Peeta says.