Ghost (A 'The Hunger Games' Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Four

She wouldn't have felt so betrayed if they had just come out and asked her for a meal. Ghost would've given them some of her food without a second thought. They'd done so much for her in the past that sparing them some breakfast would've been nothing. It was the fact that they tried to trick her into it that infuriated her. The tension in the kitchen was as messy as the grease cooking in the fryer, the only sound crackling from the oven. 

Anger boiled inside her stomach and tried to claw up to the surface, scratching at her throat and flaming within her lungs. But there was no way for that anger to escape, for it was held back and bottled up by her clenched teeth and closed lips.

"Uh..." Prim started uneasily. Her mother sent her a warning look, but the young girl was too nervous to notice. "Y-you don't have to..uh...stay...if you don't want to. We're sorry about this. We really are." Ghost wasn't sure why everyone was afraid of her. It wasn't like she was buried in muscle and threatening to kill everyone she saw, everyone who judged her. Her mother used to always say that silence was intimidating...maybe that was it.

The thought of her mom seemed to calm her nerves down and her fists didn't shake at her sides like they'd been before. Her mother. The strongest, bravest, kindest woman she'd known in her entire life. She wouldn't have wanted Ghost to leave them. She would've wanted her to be the bigger person, to forgive them and move on. Even years after her death, she was still nudging Ghost onto the right path. With a deep breath and a roll of her shoulders, she shrugged simply and turned back to the food cooking behind her on the oven. If she didn't tend to the meat soon, it would overcook and become unsuitable for eating.

Primrose, Katniss, and her mother all exchanged glances of shock and disbelief. She wasn't leaving? Why wasn't she leaving? Why wouldn't she leave? Ghost knew that they were all just standing around with their mouths gaping, catching flies. In an act of annoyance, she extended her free arm, snapped her fingers, and pointed to the chairs around the kitchen table. Not even bothering to turn around and face them in the process.

The three immediately, obediently got into their seats and scooted their chairs up to the edge of the table, as if the three of them were children who'd just finished getting lectured on manners.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Honestly, breakfast went by a lot quicker than Ghost originally thought it would.

The food she'd brought coexisted perfectly with the Everdeen's originally planned meal and tasted absolutely spectacular. One of the best meals she'd prepared in a long time. The sweets she shared at the very end for dessert were obviously the best things Prim had ever tasted, she made sure to announce that with a loud groan of joy after taking her first bite. Food-wise, it was a beautiful success full of mouth-watering flavor and joy that Prim, Katniss, and their mother would never forget. Most likely, it had been the best breakfast they'd ever had in their entire lives.

And the social part hadn't been too bad, either. Of course, Ghost didn't say anything. Like the norm. And the beginning was definitely awkward as they passed out the slices of bread and portions of squirrel meat Katniss provided, full of tight silence and the constant ticking of silverware on plates. But after a minute or two, Prim decided to bring up school and all the stuff she'd learned during the week in her classes. Algebra, Science, History of Panam. The gossiping girls in her grade and the boys who'd clown around and make her laugh. By the end of the meal, the Everdeens were a laughing mess. Ghost smiled.

She hated to admit it, but it felt good not to eat by herself for once.

After years and years and years of being secluded, relying on nothing but her daily routine to get her through life, to make her feel like she had a purpose, it was nice that this small change and encounter with her neighbors could put the faintest of smiles on her lips and a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Maybe Ghost and the Everdeens could become friends again, just as they'd once been so long ago. In all honesty, the mute teenage girl wouldn't have minded meeting up with her neighbors again; spending time with people, familiar people that she'd known for her entire life, brought back a rush of feelings in Ghost that she never thought she'd feel again: thankfulness, glee, stability, even the feeling of being wanted. Though they'd wanted her for all the wrong ways at the beginning of this rare encounter, that ache of hunger driving the Everdeens' actions diminished in a matter of minutes and was replaced with a genuine want, the wanting of a friend long forgotten.

Maybe this starve-inspired meal was the beginning of something beautiful for the girl who lived alone.

**********

Hey, guys. I know its been ages since I updated this story, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm very thankful for the fact that you've all loved it so much. Despite only being on the fourth chapter, the comments I've received for this fan-fiction have been nothing but good and the smiles I get whenever I see them really make me happy. There have been no rude or hurtful comments, like on many of my other stories, and to see such a welcoming response to what could be an amazing start of a journey gives me hope for the future of this fan-fiction. I'm sorry this update was so short, but with the holidays coming up, I felt like I owed you all an early gift. I appreciate all the nice things you've said and I hope you all have a great rest of 2017. :)

~Madness