Door. Another visitor. Keller with his clicking?
No—the face—something--school books, leather smells, hammering?
“Did you see it, Guwar? It was like a sculpture, pond with fish, trees, even little people having a picnic and fishing in the grass.”
“Why would you make him walk up all those steps Delly Cartwright? I thought I taught you better manners.”
“Delly?”
Her face lights up. Happy. I've not see that on Keller or..or..Brandon? Or any of the others in and out of here.
“Yes! Peeta, it's so good to see you—I-I've been worried but they wouldn't let anyone in...how—how do you feel?”
“Terrible,” I pull on the straps, “Maybe you can tell me where we are?”
“...District Thirteen, you mean?” She takes a few steps closer. They still have me strapped. Don't want me to eat her. She looks at the walls and the fake window and steps again.
“So they say,” I pull on the straps a bit, “People keep lying to me though. I want to go home. Why aren't we home?”
“Haven't they—I know it's got to be confusing with everything that happened to you; but District Thirteen, here, that's where we're living now.”
“So...they got you too, huh?”
She shakes her head, “No...it's the truth. There was an accident and we live here now. They've taken us in...but I miss home, I do. I keep thinking about things we used to do when we were kids together. Doooo...you remember when we would do chalk drawings together?” Scratching houses, trees, cat, sun, big boots nearby laughing, goat, cow, cloud, “You would make different animals?”
“Pig. Cat.” Big deal. Root out the lies, “Accident. You said there was an accident?” They've said other words. Maybe she's not real.
She looks uncomfortable. This is a face I've seen on the others, “Yes. It was bad. Ve-very bad. No one could stay. That's...why we had to come here,” she takes a step closer, reaching for my hand where it's still in the cuff, “but once-once you're better and can come see everything you'll really like it here. There's food every day, safe...safe place to sleep and...and...clothes, and school is differ—better, much more interesting.”
School. Great.
“Peeta,” she puts her hand on my hand. It feels warm.
“Why did they send you in and not my parents or—or I have brothers—why not them?”
She grips my hand tightly, and her voice catches, “They coul—they can't. Not everyone made it to Thirteen. Only—only about a thousand of us...we're trying to find a new way to live here. You know, once you're feeling better they can probably use a baker.”
Useless. Can't even leave you to watch the oven.
“Do you remember when your Dad use-used to show us how to make those dough boys and we—we would...”
Burning. Planes dropping bombs. I see her cackling in the flames as they burn around her.
“Was it a fire?”
“Yes,” she says softly.
“Twelve burned down,” Bombs. Bombs cause fire. Her grip tightens on my hand, “Twelve was destroyed because of her,” laughing in the flames, braid whipping in the wind, “because of Katniss.”
She releases my hand, “No. No, that's not...” she's looking around as though the window can help her. Does it have writing on it that I can't see? Is Katniss out there signing things to her?
“She's telling you to say these things isn't she? All these lies?”
“No, Peeta! That's not true either!”
I can't reach her. She has to understand. She's not safe.
“No! She's not true! That's not her real face! She's a mutt! She'll show you! She'll show it to you when you think you're safe! Let me out!”
The door opens and people come in and take her out.
“I'll show you! You can't trust her, Delly! Look what happened to me!”
Keller comes in then with two others on either side.
“Where did you take her? You can't let her get hold of her--She's going to go back out there and who knows where Katniss is. If she's not just watching right out there. Toying with them. Toying with everyone. But it's just a matter of time before the daggers and claws come out and everything else is burning down. Twelve is already gone and you've got her right in here. It's all wrong. It's all wrong. It's all wrong.”
“You need to be apart so that you can calm down,” Keller responds.
“So, she can fill her with more lies?”
“No,” Keller says, “Delly was here to help you just as we are. To help you regain--”
“I don't—just let me out of these things! I don't want you in here with your clicking and your—your face. Why don't you just let the mutt in here and we'll sort it all out and it'll be done with?”
“We'll just let you rest and continue this discussion later.” Keller closes the door and the room goes dark.