We take the hovercraft that we came in and go to the only place where we know we will find refuge. Thirteen. I calm myself down so Kiri won’t be curious about anything but she always curious. She asked about ten times where Uncle Peeta was and Gale just told her that he would meet us where we are going soon. She also kept asking why we were leaving Twelve when we were only there for not even an hour. If only she was older, it would be much easier to tell her that Peeta and I are run away criminals and that he is now dead. I can’t believe that Peeta would do this to me. But I’m also mad at myself. The last time I saw him he made me cry and we were yelling at each other. When we get to Thirteen we were automatically greeted. They knew we were coming.

“Great to see you again Soldier Everdeen,” says a man that I don’t recognized. He can see that I’m confused.

“I was in you squad when we were taking over the Capitol last time Soldier Everdeen,” he says.

“My last name is now Mellark, but not for long, and I don’t know you,” I say.

“Let’s just cut right to the chase. My name is Oskar and you’re a little late to be fighting but I’m sure we can get you back into shape.” I can tell Oskar used to be a Capitol citizen. He has some gold tattoos on his skin and his hair is somewhat green. He starts to push me.

“Who is giving you the right to do this? What if I don’t want to fight?”

“I gave myself the authority to do this, I’m the President of Thirteen. But don’t worry I won’t become rude and power hungry like Coin and Paylor.”

“Well listen up Oskar, I’m not fighting. Peeta was suppose to stay here with Kiri and Dawn but he’s dead now, so I have to take over. Plus I’m pregnant again and I can’t risk killing him/her. Also I just don’t want to fight because last time I almost died. Right now I am a single mother who just got widowed with a baby, and I’m pregnant. I am not fighting.”

“But Katniss, I thought you were the Mockingjay. I thought you would do whatever it took to make your country proud. But you’re keeping a lost loved one and children in your way? We have babysitters here for you because we knew that you were pregnant and we knew that Gale had Kiri and that you had Dawn. We were prepared for you. We are ready for you to fight, but are you ready for us?” I sigh. I don’t want to kill the child inside of me, but I also want to live. I know I can trust the people here in Thirteen but I also think that I need to do what I know will be good healing process, and it will really distract me. I don’t even say a word and I nod my head. Gale and Claudia also nod theirs. Oskar waves someone over and she takes Dawn from me and grabs Kiri’s hand. I kiss Dawn on the cheek then she walks away taking Kiri and Dawn with her.

“Just tell me where to be and when to be there. I’m not going to have my schedule on my arm and I want my own room with no disturbances. I also want someone to go back to my house in Twelve and pick up my husband’s body if it is still there so we may have the proper funeral.”

“We already have some undercover rebels in Twelve that were guarding your house so we will contact them and give them your command. Is there anything else Soldier?” I shake my head. “Well then we will have a guide bring you to weapons and Gale and Claudia to training.” I nod my head. All in under an hour I became unloved, widowed, and a Soldier again. My life is not perfect but terrible. When I get to weapons it is completely transformed. You can tell the weapons have been upgraded so that can mean only one thing. Beetee has been working here. As I’m walking down the aisles and aisles of weapons I see it. My own customized bow. I brush my hands of the metal. I say “good morning” to it and it begins to talk to me again. I put the sheath of arrows on my shoulder and I pick up the bow.

“You know it hasn’t talked since the last time you used it,” says a voice that I recognized. It’s Beetee.

“I just want to get this over with. My life already stinks enough so I just want to get my training done with, go out there and kill Paylor then just go back to my life,” I say.

“Rough day?” I nod my head and burst into tears. He comes up and hugs me. “I know what happened but you have to know that he still loved you. He was just in a depressed mode. Just think of it like when he was hijacked. He wasn’t himself.” I nod my head and I wipe away my tears.

“Where do I need to go first? I still have a feel for the bow even though I haven’t used it in a while,” I say pulling myself together.

“Go to the target range and meet a trainer. You might think you still have a feel but he will make you get better.” So I try to find my way to the target range and I’m not succeeding. After twenty minutes I find it. I don’t see the trainer so I start to do some practice. When I pull back the bow string I feel that it’s really tightly strung so I have to pull back with more strength. I don’t remember having to pull back too hard on a bow. Since I have to pull back more it makes my aim a little shaky so when I let the arrow fly it went on the outside rings. I almost always get it in the center. I re string my bow and when I let it go it’s barely closer to the center. Then I feel some arms go around me. One hand is where my hand is and the other one is pulling back my elbow.

“Your stance is good, but you need to pull back more and make sure your arrow is centered. Also try not to be so wobbly because it will mess up your aim,” says a man’s voice. I let go of the arrow and I get it right in the middle. I turn around so I can see him. He has brown hair and dark brown eyes. He’s wearing a simple black jumpsuit but his smile lights up his entire outfit.

“Thank you,” I say.

“It’s what I’m here for,” he says. I reach out my hand.

“I’m Katniss.” He shakes my hand.

“I’m Eli, and I know who you are. You’re a legend not only here but throughout Panem. It’s an honor meeting you.”

“I didn’t know that I made such and impression on people.”

“So, where’s Peeta?” I try to fight back the tears, but I couldn’t. Eli comes over and hugs me. I wipe away my tears.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been like this lately.” He nods his head.

“You want to take a break and talk about it?” I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t think of me as some strange trainer you just met. Think of me as a friend that you can tell anything to.” I nod my head. We sit down against the wall. I tell him everything while crying. He hugs me again. “Well know that I will be here for you. I know we just met, but think of me as your new best friend.” I smile. “Now, you’re sure that he was shot.” I nod my head.

“Um, yeah, Gale and I heard someone break open our back windows so I took Dawn and Gale and I ran out the door. While we were running away from the house we heard gunshots and Peeta was the only one left in the house since he refused to go with me.” Eli stays silent for a while.

“Wow, you’re going through a lot lately.”

“Yeah, but can we just forget it. I only did this so I could forget about everything has happened.”

“Yeah, sure.” I get up set up my stance again. He adjusts my elbow and my aim again. I let go of the arrow and it was towards the middle but not in the center.

“I’m still a little rusty,” I say. I wish I would’ve kept hunting.

“You’re doing absolutely fine. You might just want to go to training though to strengthen your muscle because you’re having a little trouble pulling back your bow because of the force.”

“Well I haven’t shot a bow and arrow in eighteen years.”

“I thought you still hunted when you were in Twelve?”

“Well I haven’t been in Twelve for fifteen years. I was in hiding and they told us it was safe to come home because they needed us to fight.”

“Well, I’m sending you to training for the next couple of days then come back here. I’ll be training you there also but be prepared to wake up early. Me and you are going to for a run at five in the morning, then right after we will take a short break then we will be working on your muscles.”

“I thought we were friends?” I say with a smile.

“Okay, well I never said I was going to be a good friend,” he says laughing. “Do you know where you are staying yet?” I shake my head. “Well why don’t we find out so I know where I can annoy you to get up.” I hit his arm. We go find Oskar and I’m staying in the same one I was in last time. Eli walks me down to my room. When we get there I try to go into my room and he blocks my way. “Remember, I will be here 5 o’clock tomorrow morning.” I nod my head. “Well, see you tomorrow neighbor.” Then he walks to the room to the right and walks into it. My trainer is my neighbor, great. I walk into my room and sitting on one of the bunks is my old roommate. Johanna. We run up to each other and hug one another.

“I’ve been waiting here in this room for a week for you. I thought you were dead,” she says. She’s almost crying.

“I’m fine,” I say.

“Listen I know what happened to you today and I hope I can make you feel better.” She’s actually being nice. I wonder what she wants?

“I know everyone around here is trying to make me feel better but I would rather not talk about the topic.”

“Okay, well the babysitter is going to be dropping off Dawn soon, and look what Oskar dropped off as a house warming gift.” She walks over to the corner of the room and something is covered by a sheet. When she pulls it off it is a crib/toddler bed for Dawn. How long are they expecting us to stay? I don’t want my daughter growing up underground. But all I do is smile.

“Wow, you’re not going to mind having Dawn cry in the middle of the night?”

“Already thinking ahead.” Then she pulls out some ear plugs. “I can barely hear anything with them in.” Then we hear a knock at the door. I go answer it and Dawn and the sitter are there. I say thank you then take Dawn from her and close the door. Johanna gasps. I don’t think she’s met Dawn yet. Johanna was the only victor that wasn’t in Greenland with us. No one knows where she was until she showed up at Thirteen one day.

“Oh, Katniss, she is so adorable. I love her.” Then Dawn yawns.

“It’s been a long day for her, she missed her nap.” I lay her down in her crib and she falls asleep almost instantly. I cover her up with her blanket and kiss her forehead. “It’s been a long day for both of us, and I have to wake up tomorrow at five to go on a run with Eli so I better get to sleep.” I crawl into the bunk and Johanna crawls into hers. The light eventually turn off and I surprisingly I fall asleep for only an hour. I wake up with a nightmare but I try not to scream. I don’t want to wake up Dawn, Johanna, or Eli since he’s right next door. For the rest of the night I don’t sleep. I toss and turn in my bed wanting Peeta’s arms around me to comfort me and to love me. I eventually just decide to wait until Eli comes to get me. Minutes feel like hours until I hear the knock on the door. I get up very quietly and go to the door.

“You ready?” he asks already ready to go running.

“Yeah,” I say yawning. “Just let me change.” So I shut the door and slowly change into some running clothes. I kiss Dawn goodbye and leave. When I get out there Eli is leaning against the wall waiting for me. He can tell how heavy my eyes are.

“Did you even sleep?”

“Yeah, for an hour which is the most I’ve gotten without Peeta. For eighteen years I slept in his arms and now I can’t sleep without him beside me.”

“Hey, I thought we weren’t talking about this.”

“Right, let’s just get this all over with. I want to get this all over with just so I can go home.”

“And what, leave me?” I shove him.

“Where are we running?”

“Um, outside.”

“Well, I didn’t know since I’m in hiding.”

“It’s not that good of a hiding spot since Paylor knows where it is.”

“But, she doesn’t know that I’m here.”

“Or does she?” We laugh. When we get outside Eli tells us where we are going to run, for how long, and if he thinks I will make it. We were suppose-to go on a two and a half mile run but after two miles I stop and I sit on the ground. Eli comes and sits next to me.

“I guess we can take a little break,” he says barely out of breath. Then here I am almost about to die because I can’t breathe. “Well, we are here, alone where no one can hear us. I know you don’t want to talk about it but how you been with Peeta and everything?” I stay silent, then begin to cry. He sits closer to me and puts his arm around me, to comfort me, just the way Peeta did.

“I’m sorry again,” I say wiping away my tears.

“It’s alright, but can I tell you something, and can you just keep it between us.” I nod my head. “Well I know I’ve only known you for a day, but I feel like I’ve known you for years. I’m just going to say that I really like, and I know that this is a terrible time but-,” he leans in to kiss me but I pull away. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m just not ready yet.”

“Can I just tell you that you’re beautiful?” I nod my head then get up and start to run again. I beat him back to the bunkers and I run into my room. When I get in there Dawn and Johanna are still asleep. So I go to the sink and rinse of my face then go back to bed when I hear a knock at my door. I ignore it. He knows that I still love Peeta and I will probably never love someone again the way I loved Peeta. But I also want the best for Dawn and the least I could give her is a step-dad, and Eli isn’t a bad guy. He’s sweet, strong, charming, and handsome. No, what am I thinking. I’m not ready and I don’t like Eli. Do I? No, I don’t. My husband just died yesterday and if I were just to go off and start being with another man would make me terrible. It would make me look like I never even loved him in the first place when I was head over heels in love with him. Right now I’m going to make a promise to myself that I won’t start to see someone in at least a year, so I can have the proper time to heal. The door keeps being knocked and I keep ignoring it. Eli eventually walks in. I knew I should’ve locked the door. He comes and sits on my bed.

“Listen I know what I did was absolutely wrong, but you have to train if you want to keep your country united,” he says. I turn over so I can see him.

“I’m not mad I’m just tired,” I say. He crawls into bed with me. I should push him away, but I don’t.

“So, we’re just friends, right?” I nod my head.

“Just friends,” I say. Then we lock eyes and my hunger for company takes over my feelings for Peeta and I kiss him. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him and starts to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck and I’m as close to him as I can be. I need company. We kiss for a couple of minutes until he pulls away I try to fill the gap but he still pulls away. “What?”

“I thought you weren’t ready for another relationship.”

“I am.”

“You’re sure?” I nod my head. He starts to kiss me again. After a couple more minutes he stops again. “We need to train.”

“I don’t want to.”

“We have to.” We get up and head towards the target range. Once we leave my room he grabs my hand. Am I doing the right thing being with him? I promised myself that I wouldn’t do this. When we get to the target range I’m going to tell him that I can’t do this yet. I know he will understand. When we get there he puts his arms around my waist. He leans in to kiss me but I pull away. “What?”

“What if someone walks in?”

“They won’t.” Then he starts to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps him arms around me. I can’t just dump him ten minutes after we started going out, plus I enjoy his company. Having the arms around me that make me feel safe, but it just isn’t the same as Peeta’s. I don’t feel the same spark kissing him as I did with Peeta. He was my first love and I know I can’t do this. When we’re kissing someone barges into the room. We separate instantly. Eli pretends he’s fixing a bow and I just start walking around the room. The person that barged in came from behind the corner and he looks for me. When he sees me he runs up to me and grabs my hand. I try to pull away but he eventually pulls me out in the hallway and into the elevator.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

“Can’t tell you, but you will definitely be surprised,” he says. When we get out of the elevator he shoves me into a room then shuts it. I don’t see anyone. I go over to the other side of the room and sit on the couch. The couch was against the wall so I’m looking at the door then I see the surprise. I cover my mouth with my hand and I gasp then begin to cry. I run up to him and wrap my arms tight around him he wraps his around me.

“Peeta,” I say.

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Since Katniss was with Peeta all those years, so used to having someone to love, and now that he's "dead", she wanted someone else to replace that comfort, fast, since she was so used to it. Comment what you liked and disliked and vote if you liked the chapter! Oh, and the picture is what I imagined Eli to be.

Love, Bookjunkie001