Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 37

as my new year's present to you... the next chapter! i'd just like to warn you that i haven't proofread this chapter at all and i typed it all in one go, so if it doesn't make sense/is horrible, sorry! also, happy new year's eve! and to those of you lucky enough to be on the other side of the world, happy new years! to celebrate the new year, my best friend abby and i are doing something special and awesome... i'll let you know when ... yeah. but yeah, i hope you enjoy this! also, i may not upload for a few days because i need to finish up the last minute homework for break that has been piling up :P procrastination sucks. so hang in there and don't kill me if i don't upload for awhile! x

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As she launches off into the story, I find myself struggling to keep my focus. Half of me wants to go to sleep, while the other half stares at Katniss, mesmerized by the twinkle in her eyes and the delicate way she moves her lips. I feel myself yearning to feel her lips on mine again, but I snap myself out of it as I hear her laugh, a beautiful, tinkling sound. Her words filter through my mind, a jumble of senseless words that my brain cannot comprehend because it is distracted by her beauty. Some may say that she looks savage right now, but I feel that her disheveled appearance just brings out her inner strength.

She tells me how she got some extra money buy selling her mother's old locket slowly, measuring every word and thinking it through before it slips out of her mouth. I scoff and roll my eyes, knowing that she is fooling no one. She's obviously lying and trying to hide the truth- that she earns money through poaching illegally. Everyone with a brain should have been able to figure that out by now. Of course, then again, I cannot be sure that the Capitol residents have a brain; they all just seem like mindless machines.

I am constantly distracted by the light of the flickering flames against her dark hair, bringing out a reddish-bronze tint I have never noticed before as my one-track mind struggles to keep up with her story. I feel like I'm listening to her from the wrong end of the telephone, and it is only then that I grasp the reality of how sick I am. I know that blood poisoning would lead inevitably to death, unless treated, but even now in its' early stages, my mind already feels muddled. Taking a deep breath, I tug at my consciousness and try to remain awake and I smile weakly. I don't need to worry Katniss even further.

She talks about how she bargained for an injured goat for ages, one with a raging infection in its shoulder, animatedly gesturing to emphasize the heated argument she had with the person we all know as "Goat Man." She wanted it to surprise her sister, and I am struck by her thoughtfulness. Not many people that I know would use their own money to buy such a precious gift, even for a loved one. When she finally bought the goat, she brought it home, with a pink ribbon tied to it and presented it to her weeping sister. I involuntarily smile as I picture this happening in my mind's eye, the poor, injured goat with a silly pink ribbon and the little blonde girl weeping with happiness.

As she talks about how her mother and Primrose tended to the goat, I am suddenly reminded of my situation. Katniss is like her mother, and I am like the goat, helpless and hopeless. She goes on about how her mother bustled around confidently, bandaging and disinfecting the injury and I smile. "She sounds a lot like you, Katniss."

Katniss looks up, startled, as if she forgot I was there. "No, they are so much more competent than me. That goat couldn't have died even if it tried." She suddenly bites her tongue and looks at me worriedly, as if scared she somehow offended me.

I roll my eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not trying. Finish the story."

She smiles happily to herself while telling me how much Primrose loved the goat and I find myself admiring her again. She does so much for her sister and loves her so much it touches my heart and I find myself yearning that she could somehow feel the same way about me.