The Mockingjay Returns

Part 8: The Journey

The train is the same as the one that took me to both Games. Well, it's probably a different train, but the interior is exactly as I remember it. The compartment is filled with furniture, which is all plush and expensive. A dark, shiny table, with fastidiously-carved embellishments carries a mountain of food. It looks so pretty, but as if it is all there for decoration but not for use. That pretty much sums up the Capitol.

I look around me. Haymitch is making a bee-line for the alcohol, pouring himself a generous serving of wine before taking a seat, as if only too familiar with the surrounding compartment. Peeta, on the other hand is still looking round, his eye no doubt, caught by a painting or an ornament.

At that moment, in walks Effie.
"Katniss, Peeta!" she cries, "Haymitch."

Half an hour later, we are all sat down at the table. Effie has been going through the "all-important schedule of events."

I must admit that I am glad to see Effie again. She looks so much better these days, rid of that excessive look, yet still managing to look, well, like typical Effie Trinket. I know that things must have been hard for her recently, which is easy to forget considering her background, so I've tried to make a conscious effort to make her feel comfortable.

"Katniss, Peeta, let me show you to your rooms," she says, getting up from the table. I follow her, despite remembering exactly where I would be sleeping. I am well-acquainted with that room.

"You're in here, Katniss," she smiles, opening the door. "And Peeta, this is yours."

Peeta smiles. "Thanks."

I stay in my room for the rest of the evening, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. At some point, I fall asleep. My face is buried within the silky blankets when a knock wakes me up.

Peeta comes in. "Where've you been?" he asks. I shrug, sitting up on the side of the bed. "Can I join you? Is that okay?" he asks very carefully.

I gesture for him to sit on the bed. He does, again being careful to leave some distance between us, before asking me a question: "Katniss, can we talk? Properly. I think we're building walls around ourselves for no reason. We've both been through hell; why can't we just talk?"

"You always had the way with words, Peeta, not me," I reply. "How about we make a start now by playing that game. What was it - 'false or true?'"

"Real or not real," he corrects me.

"Right."

Peeta thinks for a moment. "We've slept in these rooms before: real or not real?"

"Real."

"Yeah, I remember." He thinks again. "Real or not real: I used to come into your bed on the train when you couldn't sleep."

"Real. Somehow you always made things better."

Peeta smiled at this. "Real or not real: Haymitch and you were always arguing"

The game continued like this.

Peeta finally left when he heard Haymitch retire, meaning it must have been the early hours of the morning. I felt so much more relaxed after our conversation, and when I fell asleep this time, it was full of the most calming dreams I'd had in a while.

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Awww, I liked this one. Nice to be at a stage where Katniss and Peeta can actually talk - means more interesting things are to come. Capitol, next chapter. Stay tuned.