Part One

I'm tossed, blind-folded and disoriented onto the cold cement floor. My body screams in protest as a jolt of pain shoots through my muscles. I land in a crumpled heap, making no efforts to move. A rough hand tears the fabric away from my eyes and I barely have time for them to readjust before I see the barred door closing swiftly shut.

With my cheek pressed against the damp floor, I can see that I am in a tiny room with stone walls on every side. I make out the sound of a soft beep from the other side of the steel door and I can now assume that I have been locked inside. My first and second attempts to sit up lead only to blurry vision and the feeling of passing out. So I try again, slowly this time, using the wall to prop myself up so I'm supporting very little of my own weight. With a clearer perspective of the room, I can see that there is a small shelf jutting out of the far wall which I can only imagine is supposed to be the bed. Next to it, a shallow bucket. I don't have the right mindset at the moment to be disgusted by that.

The longer I sit against the clammy wall, the less hazy all of my thoughts seem. The one thing that I still cannot pin point however is why exactly I ended up here. This room… this atmosphere… it seems as if I'm being held… prisoner!

In a matter of seconds, it all comes flooding back to me. The mental dam that had been blocking my most vital memories has been broken and each thought hits me like a ton of bricks.

Katniss kissing me goodbye as she ran off into the woods with that electrical coil. The last whisper of her voice, "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight." Running frantically through the woods in an attempt to save her from the careers. Screaming her name, but hearing her replies fading slowly away among the branches. That dazzling blue light that surrounded the arena as the lightning struck. The explosions all around me. The hovercraft pulling me inside as I fought tooth and nail, shouting her name again and again.

"Katniss." I mumble, my throat tightening as I realize I may never see that face that belongs to that name again.

Now you're gone,
I wonder why
You left me here,
I think about it on, and on,
and on, and on, and on, again.

I curl up on the small bed, my feet hanging over the end, and try to warm myself by wrapping my arms around my torso. It's no use. The shivers due to cold have long since subsided as I become more adjusted to the temperature in my cinderblock cell; however nothing can stop my trembling from fear and anguish.

I have heard the cries of my other prison mates being brought in and locked in their cells as well, but none of them sound like her. None of their cries at night, or the sounds of their breathing that I can catch when the guard opens my door. She is not here. I bite the inside of my cheek and try to push her to the far corners of my mind.

I count the blocks on the wall repeatedly, slower each time, to keep my mind distracted. Eventually, four hundred and thirty two squares are not enough to keep the thoughts from surfacing.

My only goal in the games had been to protect her, and I had failed. Here, trapped in this little room, I have no way of getting to her. Every time that thought forces it's way to the front of my mind, breathing becomes harder and my heart begins to race. She is strong, yes, but my instinct to keep her safe has never left me and although she is very capable of defending herself, I can only imagine the horrors she is facing right now.

If only she hadn't left me at that stupid lightning tree. If I had gone with her as guard, maybe I would still be with her right now, wherever that may be. Then my stomach turns as I remember her offer to separate from the group earlier on. Had we done that, I could still be there, keeping her out of harm's way. But no, she had left with Johanna and that was the last memory I had of her; her beautiful face glancing one last time over her shoulder as she disappeared into the darkness.

I know you're never coming back,
I hope that you can hear me,
I'm waiting to hear from you..

The nightmares that night are nothing like I have ever experienced before. Horrible images passing in front of my eyes like a never ending film reel. I wake up in a pool of sweat and glance around, not yet adjusted to the new surroundings… or lack thereof. When I hear my cell door bang open I sit bolt upright, my muscles tensing as I wait to see what is going to be done to me. However, like the past two instances, only food is slid across the floor from some unknown hand, and I am once again locked inside.

I get up and angrily kick the tray of food across the room, watching as it crashes into the other two. Dry bread and bottles of water remain untouched in the pile, unappealing to me. Now, what I crave more than anything is the soft touch of her skin as we protected each other from our night terrors.

I manage two more full days with no food or water before I begin to feel the pain of it. After staring longingly at the full bottles of water for more than an hour, I break down, crawling weakly across the floor. I break the seal and take a long swig from the bottle. It takes me only seconds to notice that something is off. Before the fog completely overcomes me, I call out her name again, praying that somehow she can hear it.

Until I do,
You're gone away,
I'm left alone,
A part of me is gone.

I come to, sitting upright in a hard, metal-backed chair. When I try to move around and see where I am, I quickly realize that I am bound in place by shackles on my wrists and feet. There is also some sort of brace around my neck and forehead, preventing me from turning my head in any direction.

From what I can tell, I am now in a different room then the cell. A medical room, perhaps? The walls are a fresh white color and the smell reminds me of a hospital. I jump as a cool hand brushes my shoulder, the smell of roses abruptly over powering the antiseptic smell that had recently filled my nostrils. From behind the chair walks President Snow, looking out of place in this room, wearing his stiff suit.

"Well hello, Peeta," he says calmly, taking a seat on the stool across from me. My body begins to shudder and I am suddenly wishing I was back in that confined little cell. Everything about this encounter feels wrong, and not only because I am being held firmly in this chair against my will.

I swallow deeply, wondering how frightened Katniss had been when she had first spoken with President Snow. "Hello President," I try to say in an even tone. If my shaking had not already given away how scared I was, I wasn't going to let it be heard in my voice.

"I want to start off by saying that you are safe here now," he tells me, almost as if he forgot that I was being shackled to this chair. My mouth opens slightly in disbelief and I pull against the restraints to make a point. He waves them off with his hand, "Those are merely a precaution so that you don't hurt yourself. As you may have noticed, we have mended your hands. I would advise strongly against hitting those stone walls, I doubt you will do damage to anything other than yourself."

I feel my face get hot, remembering how last night I had begun to punch the wall closest to me out of sheer anguish. The first of my many nightmares had been about Katniss being tortured in the room next to mine, me listening to her cries of pain, unable to do anything. When I had awoken, it took me a good five minutes to determine that it wasn't real.

"On another note, I have brought you here hoping to speak to you about something important," he says, fiddling with the button on his sleeve. I figure it best not to say anything at this point, so I sit, watching him and waiting to hear what he has to say.

"I have already warned Miss Everdeen, though I'm sure she has already told you, about how I believe our nation is facing the risk of rebellion. This of course is due, in part, to your little stunt at the end of last year's games," he pauses, allowing me to reminisce.

I'm transported back onto the grass where Katniss and I knelt, watching each other with pained looks in our eyes and poisonous berries in our hands, threatening to kill ourselves unless the Capitol took us both as winners. Tears well up in my eyes as I remember what we were willing to do for each other. I've long since accepted that she may not love me as I love her, but in that moment, we weren't willing to continue without one another. I only wish I could have her that close again.

"Ah, I see you do recall that moment," he states, interrupting my thoughts. "Well, I must say that this has caused a little disturbance among some of our districts. This is of course unfortunate, for we do not wish to destroy anyone unnecessarily."

I stifle my gasp, realizing how truly horrible this man actually is. However, sitting here, I have no choice but to listen to him.

"Katniss has failed to prevent any of these potential uprisings, if not made them worse along your tour of the districts. And of course, now that she has ran off with the rebels of 13 and made a mockery of my games, there is no hope of using her to my advantage any longer."

My heart momentarily skips a beat, "Ran…off?" I question frantically, "What are you talking about?"

The corners of his mouth turn up in a menacing smirk and all of a sudden, I'm scared of his answer. "Katniss and a few of the other remaining tributes were airlifted from the arena during an unplanned infiltration and taken to district 13. We believe they plan to use her as a symbol for the rebellion. What I'm asking of you, is to help keep the districts calm. I would like you to be a symbol to contradict her."

My head is spinning from the weight of this information. District 13? Rebels? Katniss, there… without me?

"So she's…" I start, my voice catching in my throat.

"No Peeta, she is no longer an ally of yours," he finishes harshly. "She is long gone."

He stands up, and presses a button on the wall next to me, causing the shackles to release me. Two guards step from somewhere behind me, replacing the bindings with their firm grip, half leading, half dragging me towards the door.

President Snow stares deep into my eyes, and I feel all the blood draining from my face, being in this close of a proximity to him. "I expect you to do this for me Peeta. For Panem. You should no longer be doing this for Katniss's sake. She is gone."

And with that he leaves the room. I feel a prick of something in the corner of my elbow and before I know it, the room is becoming fuzzy again. Just before I go completely under her face swims across my vision one last time, and my mind protests against something he has said. She is not gone. Not yet at least.

And I'm not moving on,
So wait for me,
I know the day will come..

A.N. - Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the first part of this story. I need lots of reviews to determine whether or not I should post the rest of it. So be sure to let me know what you think!