The apartment that had been given to her after her own had been blown up was not that far, she had grabbed the suitcase and threw a few things into it, things that she would need. There was no time to waste even more when the train would be arriving soon, besides she hated the whole idea of leaving Peeta behind on his own. She trusted the boy, she knew that he was making huge progresses but she felt bad in leaving him on his own for long period.
She did a double check around the room and once she was happy to find that everything that she needed was in the suitcase Effie had left. Apparently she had taken all the time that she could because as she approached the station she saw the train already there, she cursed herself under her breath and for a moment pushed all her manners aside as she tried to run as fast as she could in those heels without breaking them or breaking a leg.
With heavy breathing and her cheeks very red she had finally reacted the station and found Peeta exactly where she had left him, smiling she smoothed her skirt and jacket, chin in the hair and a smile on her lips. “Thank you my dear, I think I make it just on time.” She smiled softly at him. “Come come, let’s get inside.”
Her hand she had rested it on his back, lightly guiding him inside the train as she followed close behind, there was no need to ask if he had her ticket, she could trust him to be sure that he had it for her. “Now we have a two day ride before us but I’m certain that will go by flying.” Effie tried to be cheerful; she could see in Peeta’s face that the boy didn’t seemed that convinced about returning. “My dear any doubt that you have, you can ask me. I do not want your mind to play tricks on you.”
It was like a flash to the past, directly back to the first games. Effie leading him onto a train with a hand on his shoulder, insisting that it’d all be all right. And just like then, Peeta wasn’t so sure. Of course, this time he was more than likely not going to face death, but he was still as unsure as ever. They boarded, handed off their luggage to be stowed away, and found a few seats to themselves. The train was a little fuller than it was during the Victory Tour or on the way to the Games. With travel opened up between the districts, people were going everywhere. Not to mention, rebuilding required them. So, they came and went from all over, still being shuffled around by the war.
It was only when they were both settled into a seat in a relatively empty car that he chose to answer Effie back. In a hushed tone, he went over it all, the worries that plagued his mind. “You know the last time I saw her, right? The... the execution. She... Katniss, she didn’t mean to walk away from there. She still had a nightlock pill on her. I saw her pull it out after the shot. She was going to take it, but... I stopped her.”
Peeta’s head hung, his eyes burning holes into the floor of the train. “I don’t even know why I did it. I just... did. I knew I couldn’t let her take it. But... now I have to go see her? After that? And that’s not even counting the fact that she... that I’m... not all there still. There’s no way she’d want to see me, Effie.” Shaking his head slightly, he let out a heavy sigh, that only for a second relieved the weight he was still carrying on his shoulders. However, it all came rushing back, falling even heavier than before. “I’m just going home so I can be home,” he muttered, daring to look up at her. However, his gaze drifted back out to the still sparkling, though slightly broken Capitol outside the windows.
“Not that it really is home anymore,” he muttered to himself. He may have been on the train, checked in and ready to go, but his uncertainty still remained. It was hard to shake the many questions in his head, especially when there were still so many conflicting messages. However, when he looked back at Effie, he quickly shook his head. “I’m sorry, Effie. I shouldn’t be such a downer... I’m so sorry,” he muttered.
