Chapter 22 Chapter 22 The Flying Dinner

The rain hit the stone cave, and the crackling sound made me gradually regain consciousness, and I wanted to sleep for a while.At this time, I was covered with a warm blanket and stayed at home safely. I felt a headache in a daze. Maybe I had a cold, so I could lie on the bed. I don’t know how long I have been in a coma.Mom stroked my cheek with her hand, and I didn't push her hand away like I did when I was awake.I didn't want her to know how much I longed for her tender touch, how much I missed her even though I didn't trust her.Then a voice, not Mom's, said, "Katniss, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes, and that sense of security suddenly disappeared.I'm not at home, not with my mother.I was in a dark, cold cave, my bare feet frozen under the covers, and the air smelled of blood.A haggard pale boy's face came into my eyes.I was startled at first, then calmed down. "Peta." "Hey, good to see you opened your eyes again," he said. "How long have I been out?" I asked. "I don't know, I woke up last night and you were lying next to me with blood all over your side, it was scary," he said. Anything else." I cautiously raised my left hand and touched my forehead, which had already been bandaged.Just doing this simple movement makes me feel weak and dizzy.Peeta lifted the water bottle to my mouth, and I was so thirsty that I took several gulps.

"You're better," I said. "It's better, your injections are working," he said. "My legs are almost swollen down this morning." He didn't seem mad at me for lying to him, drugging him, and going to a party.Maybe I'm too weak now, and I'll listen to him complain later when I get better.But now, he is very gentle. "Have you eaten?" I asked. "I'm sorry, I ate all three pieces of meat, and then realized that I have to hold on for a while. Don't worry, I will strictly control my eating," he said. "No, fine, you need to eat, I'll be hunting soon," I said.

"Don't worry too much, okay?" he said. "Let me take care of you for a while." I don't seem to have much other options either.Peeta fed me some bird meat and raisins, and some water.He rubbed my feet to warm them up, wrapped them in his jacket, and finally tucked the sleeping bag under my chin. "Your boots and socks are still wet, it's not very nice weather," he said.There was thunder in the sky, and through the cracks in the rocks, I saw lightning piercing the sky.Rainwater trickled down from the roof of the cave.Peeta tucks a piece of plastic into the crevice of the rock above my head to keep out the dripping rain.

"I wonder why this rain is happening, I mean, who's the target?" Peeta said. "Cato and Salish," I said without thinking, "Foxface is in the cave, Graf, she stabbed me, and..." My voice trailed off. "I know Graf is dead, I saw it in the image in the sky last night," he said. "Did you kill her?" "No, Saresh smashed her head off with a rock," I said. "It's a good thing he didn't catch you," Peeta said. The scene of the banquet suddenly appeared before my eyes, and I felt sick. "He caught me and then let me go."

Then, I told him exactly what happened, and told him many things that he didn't ask because of his serious illness, and I didn't plan to tell him, such as the explosion and my ears. , Lulu's death, the boys in the first district, and bread and so on.All of this has to do with Saresh's behavior, which explains why he wants to repay me. "Did he let you go because he didn't want to owe you anything?" Peeta asked confidently. "Yeah, I don't expect you to understand, you've always wanted everything, but if you grew up in the 'sandwich', I don't have to explain." I said.

"Well, you don't need to explain, I'm too stupid to understand," he said. "Like that bread, I always feel indebted to you," I said. "Bread? What bread? When we were kids?" he said. "I don't think we really need to think about it anymore. Didn't you just snatch me from death too?" "But you don't know me, and we haven't even talked about these things. Besides, favors are always the hardest to repay, and if you didn't help me, I wouldn't have rescued you at all. Why did you help me then?" I say. "Why? You know," Peeta said.My head shook slightly, it hurt so much. "Haymitch said you always get someone to explain why."

"Haymitch?" I said, "what has he got to do with this?" "Nothing," Peeta said. "So, Cato and Thrash, ha, I think it's too much to expect them to destroy each other at the same time?" But thinking about it just makes me uneasy. "I think we like Salish, we'd be friends in District 12," I said. "Well, let's hope Cato kills him so we don't have to," Peeta said grimly. I don't want Cato to kill Saresh at all, I don't want anyone else to die.But that's not what a winner should say in the arena.I tried my best to hold back, but the tears still blurred my eyes.

Peeta looked at me with concern, "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" I replied yes, because that is also true, tears are only a temporary weakness, not a permanent admission of defeat. "I want to go home, Peeta," I said sadly like a child. "You will, I promise." He said, leaning down and kissing me. "I want to go home now," I said. "Let me tell you, if you sleep a little longer, you can go home in your dreams, and then you can really go home without knowing it. Okay?" He said. "Okay," I said softly, "wake me up when you need to be alert."

"I'm fine and well rested, thanks to you and Haymitch. Hey, who knows how long this is going to last?" he said. what does he mean?Do you mean a storm?Is it the rest we get for a while?Or is it the game itself?I don't know, I'm too sad and tired to ask him anymore. It was night when Peeta woke me up, and the rain was pouring down, and the water droplets on the roof of the cave turned into trickles.Peeta has placed the pot where the leak is the worst, and the plastic sheeting over my head has been switched to keep most of the rain out.I feel better now, can sit up and feel less dizzy.I feel very hungry.So is Peeta.Apparently he was waiting for me to wake up so we could eat, and he couldn't wait.

There was not much left to eat, two pieces of meat, a bit of mashed plant root, and a handful of dried fruit. "Should we share it and eat it separately?" Peeta asked. "No, let's eat, the meat is going bad, and the worst thing is that the food is going bad." I said.I divided the food into two portions, intending to eat it slowly, but we were so hungry that it was over in a minute or two.My stomach was not satisfied at all. "Going hunting tomorrow," I said. "I can't help you with that," Peeta said, "I've never hunted before." "I hunt, you do it." I said, "You can pick wild vegetables and fruits." "I wish there were bread bushes here," Peeta said. "The bread they sent from District 11 was still warm at that time." I said, sighing, "Here, chew this." I handed him a few mint leaves and stuffed them in my mouth. A few slices. The images that appeared in the sky were difficult to see clearly, but it was still possible to know that there was no death today.That said, Cato and Salish haven't had a showdown yet. "Where's Saresh? I mean, what's on the other side of the arena?" I ask Peeta. "A piece of wilderness that can't be seen at a glance. There are grasses as tall as a person everywhere. I can't tell. Maybe some of them are grains. The colors of the grass are different, but there is no road in it." "I bet some of it's grain in there, and Saresh would recognize it," I said. "Have you been there?" "No, everyone doesn't want to follow Salish in the grass. It's gloomy inside. When you look at the field, you think there may be everything in it, snakes, beasts, and quicksand." Peeta said, "Everything might have." I didn't say a word, Peeta's words reminded me of the warning that you are not allowed to cross the fence in District 12, Peeta is different from Gale, Gale will think that there are delicious prey hidden there, and of course there will be danger.Of course Saresh knew there was danger there.Peeta isn't weak, he's proven he's not a coward.But I think, growing up in a family atmosphere where the smell of bread, he will not be very curious.But Gale asks questions about everything.And what would Peeta think of the jokes Gale and I made every day after breaking the law and crossing the fence?Will it surprise him?And what we said about Panem, Gale's hot words about the Capitol, how would he react? "Maybe there really is a bread bush in there," I said. "Sarish looks fatter than when the big game started, and maybe that's why." "Either well fed or good patron," Peeta said. "I wonder how we can get Haymitch to deliver the bread?" I looked up and was about to speak when I remembered the message Haymitch had sent us the night before that he didn't understand.I can't say that a kiss is a pot of soup, or else I'll annoy the audience, and they'll see that our romance is concocted, a way to earn their sympathy, and then there's nothing to eat.Anyway, I have to get the audience's emotions going, and it's not that hard.I reach out and take Peeta's hand. "You see, he must have spent a lot of money to help me knock you out." I said mischievously. "Yeah, that's right," Peeta said, intertwining his fingers with mine. "Don't do that again." "What else?" I asked. "Otherwise...otherwise..." He couldn't think of how to say it for a while, "Let me think about it." "Any questions?" I asked with a smile. "The problem is we're all still alive, so you feel more like you're doing the right thing," Peeta said. "I did right," I said. "No, no, Katniss!" He squeezed my hand painfully, and his voice was angry. "Don't die for me. You don't help me again, okay?" He spoke in such a strong tone that it surprised me, and made me see the perfect opportunity to get food, and I continued, "Maybe I'm doing this all for myself, Peeta, do you think so? Maybe you're not the only one Those who are worried, in case..." I'm trying to find the right words, I'm not as good at words as Peeta.As I spoke, I felt the fear of losing Peeta again, and realized how much I didn't want him to die.It's not about patrons, it's not about going back to District 12, it's just that I don't want to be alone and lose the boy who gave me bread. "What if, Katniss?" he said softly. At this point I wish I had a shutter in front of me that I could close to keep out Panem's prying eyes, even if it meant losing food.No matter how I feel at this moment, it is my own business. "Haymitch asked me to avoid this topic." I couldn't answer directly, but Haymitch never said such a thing.Maybe he was mad at me and lost the chain in the midst of the emotional turmoil.But Peeta seemed to have figured out what the words meant. "Then I'll have to guess for myself!" he said, coming up to me. This is the first real kiss, you love me.Sickness and numbness did not dampen its heat, lips were neither hot with fever nor chilled with cold.For the first time, I experienced the sprouting of emotion, the warmth of a kiss, and my heart was full of curiosity; it was also the first time I longed for another kiss. But I didn't get a second kiss, Peeta just gave me a light kiss on the tip of my nose, and he turned his attention to my wound, "I think your wound is bleeding again, come on, lie down, It's time to sleep anyway," he said. My socks are dry and ready to wear.I let Peeta wear his own jacket.It was wet and cold, freezing, and Peeta must have been frozen.I insisted on my first watch, although we both felt that no one would come in this weather.But he won't agree unless I get into the sleeping bag too.I was already shivering from the cold, and it seemed that there was no need to refuse.Two nights ago, I felt Peeta was thousands of miles away from me; now, he is close to me.We lay down, he turned my head away, and put it on his arm, and put the other arm on me like a protection, and he didn't take it away when he fell asleep.It's been a long time since I've been hugged like this.After my father passed away, I didn't trust my mother either, and no one's arms have ever given me such a sense of security.Through the night vision goggles, I watched the raindrops fall on the ground of the cave, making a rhythmic sound of ding ding dong dong, making people feel that the surroundings are very quiet.A few times I fell asleep, only to wake up quickly, guilty and angry.Three or four hours later, I had to wake Peeta because I was too sleepy to keep my eyelids open.He doesn't seem to mind. "It won't rain tomorrow, I will find a place for both of us in the tree, and we can both sleep." I promised him with sleepy eyes. But the next day the weather did not improve, it was still raining, as if the contest organizers were determined to wash us away.The huge thunder shook the ground.Peeta was going to go out and find something to eat no matter what, but I told him that in this weather, he couldn't find food when he went out, and he couldn't see anything three feet in front of him. It's even more troublesome.He knew what I said was right, but his stomach was growling and he was very hungry. Day passed, night fell, and the weather didn't get any better.Haymitch is our only hope, and he hasn't moved at all. Is it because of lack of money - prices are skyrocketing now - or is he not satisfied with our performance?Most likely the latter.I have to admit that we really didn't have a great performance today.All we showed was hunger, pain, fear of open wounds, we huddled in our sleeping bags and snuggled together, mostly for warmth, and the most exciting thing we did was take a nap. I really don't know how to make some more touching love scenes, the last kiss last night was great, but there must be conditions for another kiss.In the Seam, some businesswomen are just at home with this.But I hardly ever have time for it, and it's of little use.Anyway, a kiss doesn't do the trick, otherwise we'd have had food last night.My hunch is that Haymitch wants us not just to be intimate, but to have something a little more personal.It was the personal experiences and stories he asked me to tell while preparing for the TV interview.I don't like it at all, but Peeta seems to be pretty good at it, and maybe the best thing to do is get him to talk. "Peeta," I said softly, "During the TV interview, you said you were infatuated with me. When did you start liking me?" "Oh, let me see, it must have been the first day of school, there were five of us, and you were wearing a red plaid skirt with two braids instead of one, and when we lined up, Dad put you Show me," Peeta said. "What did your father say?" I asked. "He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but her mother ran off with a coal digger,'" Peeta said. "What? You made it up!" I yelled. "No, it's true," Peeta said. "I said 'coal digger'? Why would she talk to you about a coal digger? He said, 'Because when he sings, even the birds stop and listen.' " "Yeah, it does, I mean, it used to," I said.I was both surprised and moved to think of the baker saying that to Peeta.I suddenly felt that my reluctance to sing might not be because I was afraid of wasting time, but because I would think of my father. "So that day, at the concert, when the teacher asked who could sing folk songs, your hands were raised high. The teacher asked you to stand on a stool and sing for us. I bet all the birds outside the window stopped at that time Tweet," Peeta said. "Oh, please don't say that," I said, laughing. "Indeed, really, when your singing was over, I knew—like your mother—that I was a follower," Peeta said. "For the next eleven years, I wanted to encourage Have the courage to talk to you." "But you didn't make it," I continued. "No. So it was a stroke of luck that my name was drawn for the Harvest Festival ceremony," Peeta said. For a while, I was foolish and felt very happy in my heart, but soon, I felt very confused.Ordinarily, we did this for a show, pretending to be in love; but Peeta's story seemed real, especially about Daddy and the birds.And I did sing on my first day of school, though I don't remember what it was.As for the red checkered dress... there was one, I passed it on to Prim after Dad passed away, and it was all washed out. It would also explain another thing, why Peeta willingly took the beating to give me bread on the day I was starving and cold.So, if these details are true, are the others also true? "Your... memory is really good." I didn't know what to say. "I remember everything about you," Peeta said, pushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "You just didn't notice." "I won't now," I said. "Well, I have no competition here," he said. I wanted to close the "shutters" again, but I knew I couldn't.I can almost hear Haymitch whispering in my ear, "Speak up! Speak up!" I hesitated, and finally said: "You won't be there anywhere." This time, I took the initiative to approach him. We were about to kiss when there was a dull clang of metal, and we both jumped up, and I picked up my bow and arrow to shoot, but there was no other sound.Peeta looked through the cracks in the stone, and then yelled.Before I could call him to stop, he jumped into the rain and handed me something.A basket is tethered under a silver parachute.I opened it quickly and there was a hearty meal inside - fresh omelets, feta cheese, apples, and best of all, a lamb stew with wild rice in a soup plate, the kepi I was talking about to Caesar Frickman The best food ever. Peeta twisted and slid into the hole, a broad smile on his face. "I guess Haymitch is tired of watching us starve." "I suppose so," I replied. But in my heart I can hear Haymitch's words, "Yeah, what you've done is exactly what I want, honey." His words are bitter, but still quite smug.