[His heartbeat was soothing, steady. But not like Peeta's heartbeat. Peeta, who knew how to soothe her better than almost anyone else. Better than Gale or Finnick or even Prim. Maybe because he had been there, witnessed the horrors that only the arena could bring. Maybe that's what made him so good at keeping the nightmares at bay.
But he's not here now. She doesn't know when he'll be home. And that lack of knowledge threatens to overwhelm her. She tries to still her thoughts, tries to focus on what Zevran's saying. Think only of something bright and peaceful. The forest. Laughter. A dandelion in the spring? That sign of rebirth and hope, that life could be good again. The color of Peeta's wings, that same shade as the dandelion. His smile and kind blue eyes. The same blue eyes and golden hair her sister had, somehow succeeding in evading that notable look of the Seam - the dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes Katniss had inherited from their father. And Prim's laugh. Better than any song.
Her sister, now dead. Never to laugh again.]
I'm okay. [The words are hollow and weak, not all that convincing. But she pulls away from Zevran's grasp. She can't meet his eyes.] I'm okay.
Action
But he's not here now. She doesn't know when he'll be home. And that lack of knowledge threatens to overwhelm her. She tries to still her thoughts, tries to focus on what Zevran's saying. Think only of something bright and peaceful. The forest. Laughter. A dandelion in the spring? That sign of rebirth and hope, that life could be good again. The color of Peeta's wings, that same shade as the dandelion. His smile and kind blue eyes. The same blue eyes and golden hair her sister had, somehow succeeding in evading that notable look of the Seam - the dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes Katniss had inherited from their father. And Prim's laugh. Better than any song.
Her sister, now dead. Never to laugh again.]
I'm okay. [The words are hollow and weak, not all that convincing. But she pulls away from Zevran's grasp. She can't meet his eyes.] I'm okay.