Peeta
I wake to hear the woman I love screaming.
Katniss' voice echoes around the cell, leaving me feeling useless. I've failed her. They're doing something to her to make her scream, which means they're hurting her. And I told myself I was going to protect her. I think back to the arena.
I yelled her name."Katniss! Katniss!" I ran to her. She turned and mouthed something to me. Then she pulled her arrow back, it went flying into the wavy blue force field and I was frozen to the spot. "I love you Peeta" that's what she had mouthed to me. As the hovercraft appeared and yanked us up, I could see the dread in her eyes. "I'll look after you" I mouthed to her, before they shoved me away into a cell with green walls. The colour made me think of Katniss and then I sat on the floor like a child and cried for Katniss, for our love and for our fake child.
Her screams go on for hours on end. From all the snippets of conversations i've heard, I gathered that the Capitol has me, Katniss, Finnick and Johanna. I hear Johanna's screams too. Hers are usually cries of "No more, please, no more water!" whilst Katniss' are usually moans of "PRIM!" or "No! GALE!" though more often than not she cries out "Peeta! Peeta! PEETA!"
At about midday, they walk in in their white robes. The murderers. The killers. Peacekeepers. I always wonder how they keep their uniforms so white when they kill people so mercilessly. Surely the blood must splatter onto the peacekeepers uniforms? They unchain my hands from the walls. That means I'm going somewhere, that they are taking me away from Katniss. Or that they are taking me TO Katniss, although that seems highly unlikely. They drag me past Johanna's cell where she's being electrocuted again. Next I see Finnick, huddled in a corner whispering Annie's name. She's his girlfriend, but luckily for her, the rebels got her out of 4 before the end of the quell.
When we reach the end of the cells, I am surprised to see Katniss being held back by some other peacekeepers by the door to the rest of the prison. At the same time, we are both released by the guards. I run to her. She has a long scar across her cheek. "What happened Katniss? What have they done to you?" I ask. "It doesn't matter. It's just a scar, Peeta. What about you? What have they done to you?" She replies. I run my fingers through her hair, still half in its braid from the arena. "Beatings. Beatings because I saw one of them punch you, knocking you out so I started to beat the little beggar up. Then they chained me up-"I show her my scarred wrists, "And then they made me listen to you screaming every day. Katniss, I have to protect you. I love you" She looks away, as if in pain, before turning to me again. "I know. I love you too." Then she leans in to kiss me and I don't hesitate to kiss her back. We stand kissing for what seems like hours until the peacekeepers pull us apart. "This way, the President wants to see you two" One of them announces. We are pushed through numerous corridors although I can't tell how many we've been through, they all look the same.
Finally, Katniss and I are sat on a small armchair in another white-walled room before the President himself. I resist the urge to get up and try to strangle him, as I know that they'd just hurt Katniss more if I did. "Welcome. I hope your hotel rooms are ok? "Snow asks in a mocking voice. Dangerously, I answer, "No, I was hoping for one with a view of the city, which I could share with my girlfriend, as you seem to be keeping her in a cell beneath the ground which rarely has light. You don't have to pretend you care, snow. I know you don't. If you cared you wouldn't continue the games." He laughs a little, before slapping me hard across the face. "Rule number 1, Mr Mellark. Do as I say or the girl gets hurt. 2. Don't argue with me unless you would like your girlfriend to see you tortured on Panem TV. 3. Play nice and I may let you see her more often" He finished by gesturing the peacekeepers in. They pull me out of the way; push Katniss to the floor, take off her tattered top and start whipping her much like Thread whipped Gale before the Quell. With each blow she screams to me and I struggle but the peacekeepers have got my arms firmly. Snow stands there laughing the entire time. At the end, he stands her up and she looks to the side, to me. Snows ice-blue hands grab her jaw and he twists her head so that she's looking at him. "Now, Everdeen, kiss me like you kiss him. No one has ever loved me and I want to know what it's like. Now would be good." She spits in his face in disgust. "Like I'd do that for you, you're from hell." He signals the tallest peacekeeper forwards, whispers to him before he leaves the room. The other ones tie some sort of tag around my wrist before they exit leaving Katniss, the tall man and me alone.
I run to her, but he pulls her away from me. "Mellark, Snow told me that Katniss is mine for a day or two. You're here to watch her in pain!" He punches me and I fall back; at the same time his hands find their way to Katniss' face and he slaps it harder than hard, so hard it leaves a red mark. "Don't you dare you ass!" I yell as I get to my feet but Katniss breaks free from him and comes to me. "I'll be fine. If it means snow will leave us alone then let it be. Just remember, I love only you, no one else, no matter what they do to me. Remember, Peeta, you're my boy with the bread." She whispers, before kissing me lightly on the cheek. I nod to show my understanding. I notice that in the corner of the room is a whip. I see him tie her wrists and ankles to the wall Within minutes, I hear Katniss' cry for help which I've heard nearly every day in the past few weeks. I sit in the corner huddled in a ball and I cry myself to sleep.
Katniss
I am woken by the force of a hard hand across my face.
I look up and he's there, the nightmare man, the clown faced peacekeeper who beat me and Peeta up when we got here, to the Capitol.
I know that I shouldn't live with false hope, and the truth is, secretly, I wish I had killed myself when I had the chance. I remember it clear as day…
I was pushed into a room away from Peeta but the walls were a muted orange, like the sunset which was Peeta's favourite colour. I sat and cried for our friendship that would never become anything more if the rebellion which was starting didn't succeed. Then, in the corner of the room was a pot of pills and a knife. I could easily have overdosed or stabbed myself. As I was considering it, a peacekeeper came in saw me staring at them and took them away. Gosh, if I could turn back time I'd stab myself with ease…
As the clown stands there, his friend approaches the door. He walks in, knife in hand, a cold heartless expression plastered upon his face. I know what it means. It means I am either
Going to be murdered-unlikely.
Going to be stabbed- possible.
Going to be made to kill someone else like Peeta-probable.
Going to be cut across the face or have a word cut into my arm-Highly likely.
My suspicions are confirmed when he holds my head up high and slashes my cheek. I sit there, blood pouring down my face onto my shoulders as the clown gets out his whip, slams me to the floor and starts whipping me. I scream Peetas name, calling for help but I doubt he's even still alive. He's probably dead by now and I wish I was too because death seems better than life right now.
I feel gloves pulling me up now the whipping has stopped. I'm forced into a small room with a TV on the wall, and on screen I see Peeta, Gale and Prim being whipped too. I try to move, but the peacekeepers- or deathers as I've nicknamed them- hold me in place so I stop struggling and watch the TV. I feel tear after tear roll down my face and the scent of the blood and tears makes me cry harder and reminds me of the time when Prim cut her knee after school when I took her to the hob and I carried her home. When the video finishes I'm led to the prison doors, through the corridor containing the cells where Johanna, Finnick and Peeta are held. I'm taken through the doors and stand waiting when I see Peeta being led towards me, restrained by some Deathers, like I am being held back. They release us at the same time and I run to him, into his arms.
He sees my scar and asks instantly, "What happened Katniss? What have they done to you?" I survey him; he looks starving and has red wrists. "It doesn't matter. It's just a scar, Peeta. What about you? What have they done to you?" I ask back. He starts putting his hands through my hair. It's actually a bit annoying sometimes, but it soothes him so I let him do it. Now I realize that this is the first time I've seen Peeta in several weeks, since the quell. Now I see why I care so much for him- because he gives everything to protect me. That's more than Gale could ever give. "Beatings. Beatings because I saw one of them punch you, knocking you out so I started to beat the little beggar up. Then they chained me up-"Peeta shows me his scarred wrists, "And then they made me listen to you screaming every day. Katniss, I have to protect you. I love you" I turn away, thinking of how I faked my love for him in our first games, before I turn back to him. "I know. I love you too." Then I lean in to kiss him and he doesn't hesitate to kiss me back. We kiss for hours it seems, though its only minutes.
We are pulled apart and led through numerous corridors until we are pushed into an all-white room. The last things I remember are being slapped, spitting in snows face and being whipped whilst calling Peeta's name…