Katniss's POV.
The closer we get to District 12, the more nervous I get. Are mom and Prim alright? I've been gone for almost a year, could they be mas at me for leaving them? I don't think they would. Could my mother have fallen in depression yet again, like had happened with dad's death before, and left Prim?
Primrose is 16 by now, she must be so grown, and I missed that.
"Okay, we arrived."
"Huh?" I have been so deep in thought that I didn't even notice that I was picking at my nails.
"You're home, Katniss." Annie says.
I look out the car window. Sure enough, we're in front of the house where I grew. It looks exactly the same, as if I hadn't even left that night to go hunting. The night that lead to all this mess.
I look at the two storages light yellow house. The flowers that are growing in the front lawn show me that They've been taken care, which means mom hasn't gone in depression and left Prim to die. I notice the kitchen window slightly open, the way Prim always left it because of the cats, which means she keeps taking care of the neighboorhood's cats. From where the car is stopped I can see part of the small back garden. I take a better look at it, when I see her waivey blonde hair, cascading down her shoulders. I remember the way she always wore her hair in braides, because she wanted to look like me. Now, that I've been gone for so long, she weird wears her hair her own way. Suddenley a fear that she forgot me takes my mind. Instead of running to her I stay in the car frozen, looking at Prim reading her books, she always loved reading. She used to go to the bookshelves in the attic and search for the older books. When she had already read all the books in the house, she started writing her owns.
My heart warm sat the memorie of her asking me to read a few pages of stories and blushing deeply when I read them out loud and after that complemented her words.
I open the car's door and run to the backyard screaming her name, jumping the fence. I'll never forget the way her face lighted up when she saw me and stops up, running to my arms. We crash in eachothers arms, and That's when I loose it and start crying. I think These are tears of happiness, that I'm reunited with my Little Duck again, but they might be causes too by the fact that I'm still very shaky after everything that happened.
"I missed you so much, Little Duck." I say.
"I missed you too Kat." She says with her usual angelical voice.
That's when I notice, she is almost my height.
"You're so big, Little Duck. You've grown so much." I say letting go off her.
She laughs a airy laugh.
"You look the same, Kat." Then her face turns serious "Where have you been all this time? I was always so worried, wondering of someone was hurting you."
"I've been fine, you didn't need to worry." I say.
"I know. You've always been a fighter." she says.
"And so have you." i say, smiling at her.
"A sister's reunion is always very touchy." someone behind me says, Finnick obviously. I roll my eyes and look at him. He has one hand in his heart and is fake crying, Annie is stood beside him, with her arms crossed, looking at Finnick disaproovingly.
"Katniss, who are these?" Prim asks.
"Oh these are some friends I met while I've been gone. They helped me."
She smiles at them too and opens the backgardem door. "Come on in." she says.
They gratefully smile at her and come in.
"Where's mom?" I ask.
"In the kitchen, I think." Prim answers.
"Thanks"
I take a deep breath and go inside, towards the kitchen. I stop at the door.
Sure enough, mom is turning to the sink, with her back to me.
"Mom?" I ask.
She turns around, wide eyes.
"Katniss?"
She somes up to me and hugs me. I hug back.
"Where have you been?" She asks.
"I'll explain everything." I say.
Prim, Finnick and Annie appear behind me.
"Honey, Who are these?" Mom asks pointing to Finnick and Annie.
"These are Finnick and Annie, they are my friends." I say. They both smile politely at her. "They are going to stay here for a few days, if there's no problem with you." I say.
"Of course not, feel welcome." she says.
"Let's go to the living room." I say.
We all do. Mom sits in her rocking chair and both me and Annie sit in the couch. Prim sits in front of me, in the ground, while I brush her hair with my fingers. That's the way we always did, even when father was alive. Finnick sits in the armchair.
There's silence for a moment, when mother speaks up "What happened, Katniss."
I sigh and tell her the story. "When they arrested me, I knew it was unfair, I wasn't guilty so I had to find the real killer. So I escaped. I ran so much, I ended up stopping by the highway." I take a deep breath as I start narrating the part when Peeta comes in. "I stayed there asking for a ride, somewhere, it didn't matter. After hours a car finally stopped, it was a boy, my age." i say trying to avoid saying Peeta's name and brave down crying. "He didn't know where he was going either, and he also didn't have nothing with him besides the car and a few of his personal stuff. He was running from something, too. So we joins each other and went to New York, together. We were able to survive and stayed there for a few months. we started getting closer and I fell i. Love with him, and he fell in love with me too. One day we met Finnick, who became our friend and offered us to stay with him and his girlfriend, Annie, in District 4."
"And then you came back, because they found the real killer." Prim pips up. Tears strong my eyes and my mouth goes dry, I can't say anything. Prim goes on. "But what happened to that boy?"
My lips start quieviering, and I cover my eyes with my hands when tears escape my eyes. I start sobbing quietly, thinking about Peeta. It's so unfair, why did this have to happen to him?
I know I can't go on, so Finnick answers Prim's question.
"He is in jail, for murdering that little girl Katniss got arrested for."
Prim gasps "So you fell in love with the killer."
I finally gain strengh to speak again. "Peeta isn't the killer. He just trovões the police saying it was him so I could go free." I say, beetween sobs.
Prim gets up and sits beside me, embracing me. She wipes the tears from my cheeks.
"He must really love you." She says.
"He does." I mumble.
"And she loves him too" Finnick adds.
Prim imterwines our hands like she used to when she was little, when she notices the ring Peeta gave me.
She stares at it for a few moments and then lips at me questioningly.
I think it's time everyone knows.
"I got news." I breath out.
Everyone looks at me, Finnick raising an eyebrow, which means Peeta didn't tell him nothing.
"The other day, before Peeta went to the Police, he sort of proposed. And we agreed we would get married when all this was solved. He left me the ring before he left. That's why he went to the police, he wanted me to be free, só that we could be together." I say.
"You will" Annie says "I know you will." Annie says.
And I want us to be together, because I need him.