I am running. Rain lashes against my exposed skin, searing every inch it touches. The Mutts, with the deceased tributes eyes, are chasing me. Scattered on the ground, in all directions, are pale, limp bodies. I trip and get a face full of the damp forest floor. My legs shake as I struggle to get back up. Fatigue is setting in.

I don't know why I continue to run; I saw what they did to Cato, leaving him a lump of flesh at the mercy of my bow. I should just take my own life; spare myself the slow and painful death. I pull out a knife and position it over my heart. The sound of my own name stops me. "Katniss," the familiar voice says. My heart stops, it's Rue. I spot the young girl about 3 yards from me. I run to her. Rue's chest is moving up and down, but I can tell she has little time left. I stare into her golden eyes and remember the young girl from District 11, who warned me about the tracker jackers and who was murdered so unforgivingly by Marvel. I had watched her die in my arms during my first Hunger Games, and I was about to witness it all over again. "Sing," she whispers in a soft pleading voice. My eyes flood with tears as I remember how I had sung to her in the arena, helpless and unable to save her. "Please Katniss," she begs with her fragile voice. I begin, the same song I sung in the field:

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
Cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Upon this last line, Rue closes her eyes and drifts into a sleep she will never wake from. Once again, I was unable to save her. I am alone and helpless, just as I will always be. I look around; the growls of the Mutts have subsided into the forest. I am almost relieved, but as my eye stretches over the bodies on the ground around me, I stop. Everyone that ever tried to help me lies dead at my feet. I stumble forward over the bodies of all the rebels who died in the fight against the Capitol. Cinna, Boggs, Finnick, my precious sister Prim. Time stops as I stare at the blond hair that falls across my boots and the glazed, distant blue eyes of the body at my feet, Peeta.

I wake to my own blood curdling scream. Peeta's soft blue eyes stare into mine and he gives me a kiss. I wrap my arms around him and struggle for my sanity. Peeta is still here and alive. I let out a deep breath; everything is going to be okay. I don't let go of Peeta regardless, his warmth comforts me. "Another bad dream?" He asks.

"Yeah" I answer. I feel a pang of guilt; Peeta has not gotten a good night's rest since we returned back to District 12. He strokes my dark brown hair as I lay back down. I can feel his warm breath gliding over my face, causing chills to run down my spine.

"Katniss?" He asks in a gentle voice.

"Hmm…" I reply.

"I love you", he says. I roll over and our noses are touching. I stare into those kind blue eyes that are filled with so much life and love.

"I love you too", I whisper back. It is the truth, I do. I deeply and unconditionally love Peeta. I hope he sees the sincerity in my eyes. He kisses the top of my head and drift back to sleep. But his embrace continues to encircle me. Those strong arms seem to be the only thing that keeps me grounded in reality.

Bright sunlight pours into the room, and birds sing their melodies outside my window. Peeta is gone, warming the ovens at the bakery. I get out of bed and pull on some casual clothes; I catch a glimpse of the magnificent dresses gathering dust in the back of my closet. Tears flood to my eyes as I remember the gracious comforting smile of Cinna and my innocent stylists. I close the door to my closet, I cannot bear to think of the past anymore, it hurts too much to think of all those I have lost. Gale left me, my mother has abandoned me, and Prim and all those I cared about are dead. All I have left is Peeta, I will protect him.

My skin has almost returned to normal, but it still burns. I know the real pain comes from the loss of my sister. That fiery explosion that took so many lives is engraved into my memory. I will forever hear the screams of pain and agony ringing in my ears. I cannot forgive myself; I am the reason why so many are dead. It has almost been a year since Prim died, almost a year since I lost her and my grip on life.

I decide to get some fresh air. I pull on my father's hunting jacket, it is worn, but it smells like him and that comforts me. I grab my bow and arrows and march across the tile of Victor Village, where I now live. It's a chilly day, with a slight breeze, that pushes my hair behind me. As soon as I reach the woods, I feel the closest to whole I have in a while. I breathe in the damp air and touch the rough bark of a tree. I used to hunt with Gale in these woods.

I must not think of Gale. He is just another reminder of what I have suffered through. We were once friends, and happy as such. For Gale though, it wasn't enough. He loved me as something more than a friend, and I couldn't reciprocate the feeling. I trusted him, and he left me. The games did something to us. The girl that Gale encountered in the woods that one fateful afternoon was changed, and so was he.

I now realize what he meant Gale meant when he said, "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without." A part of me feels empty without Gale, but so many parts of me are missing that I hardly notice. It is Peeta who keeps me alive. He is the
one who keeps my heart beating every day. He is the only reason I have to live, and I am his.