The hug was nearly her undoing, but it was quick, and she kept her emotions in check, working hard to keep as neutral as she possibly could. "I know." And she did, because Gale was a part of her as well; another broken piece that she couldn't ever quite put back into place. She had become a puzzle with too many missing pieces and completeness was something far out of reach. For a moment during that hug she had felt a little bit closer to it and yet, somehow even further away than ever.
"You reach out too if you need me." She nodded quickly at him before slipping out the door and making her way down the hallway and the stairs.
Katniss wasn't sure where she ended up exactly when she finally collapsed in a corner behind an ornate sofa. It wasn't until she was tucked safely into the shadows that she allowed the tears to fall. Silent sobs to wrack through her body, hands pressing to her ears as she turned into the wall in an attempt to make herself as small as possible. She cried for who they had once been, for the cavern that had developed between them, and what they had become.
My name is Katniss Everdeen. I'm from District 12. I won the Games but lost nearly everything in the process.
She repeated the mantra, attempting to calm her body and mind down, but the tears kept on until exhaustion finally took hold and all she could do was stare blankly at the wall and stroke the kitten in her lap. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.