Title: Peeta not Katniss

A/N: This is my very first Hunger Games fanfic and I have spent ages on this story. So please be gentle on you comments. I do not own the rights to the Hunger Games books; they belong to the brilliant Suzanne Collins. Enjoy! :)

A Cannon sounds.

Something has gone wrong with the plan. The wire has come back to the tree in loops, like someone has cut it. I start running in the general direction that Katniss and Johanna went, ignoring the shouts from around me telling me to stop. Nothing matters, except Katniss. It has been an hour since they left.

"Katniss!" I yell, not caring if any other tributes hear me. I no longer care if I die, as long as I see her face one more time. So I yell louder.

"Katniss!" I have to find her. I should have listened to her, this morning, and left the pack. We wouldn't be in this situation; we wouldn't be separated. I have been running for a while, when I hear...

"Peeta!" she screams, from far away. It sounds like she is back near the lightning tree, so I turn around. She sounds like she is in pain. I'm now running as fast as I can.

"Peeta! I'm here! Peeta!" I dodge a tree, and jump over a branch. "I'm here! I'm here!" she calls. She sounds so frantic! I'm running faster than I have ever run in my life!

Suddenly I see a figure in the dark.

Brutus.

I stop running and pull out my knife. He is bent over the lifeless body of Chaff. He hasn't seen me. It's him or me. If I just run around him that's another person stopping Katniss from making it out alive. If I kill him, she is one step closer. It's decided. I throw my knife at his back. He drops to the floor, dead.

"Peeta!" I start running again. I can reach her! I can save her from whatever is there!

"Katniss!" Two cannons have sounded. That leaves Enobaria, Johanna, Beetee, Finnick and Katniss. We can do this! She is going to come out alive! I'm almost at the place where I heard her yell. But then, the lightning strikes the tree, marking the hour of twelve o'clock.

But something happens to the tree. It lights up. The energy knocks me over. Blood pours down my face, from a wound to the head I just received from the tree I was blown into. The dome above me glows a brilliant blue for a split second, and I can see Finnick and another person lying on the ground. The earth explodes into a shower of dirt and plant matter. Trees burst into flames. Even the sky fills with brightly coloured blossoms of light; fireworks.

What just happened?

Whatever it was, I have to find Katniss and get out of here! But my head feels so sore. A hovercraft appears above me, and without warning a claw drops from the underside until it's directly overhead. Then the metal talons slide under me. I blackout, with the hopes that Katniss is save.

I open my eyes. Where am I? I know I'm not in the arena….. but that means?

Oh no! "Katniss!" I yell out. But then my head hurts too badly, and I blackout again. I wake up in a white, clean smelling room. A beeping sound comes from a machine near me. I look around. I'm alone, except for a bed made up like mine, but with no one in it. What happened back there? Where am I? And where is Katniss? Well, we aren't in the arena. That dome, that exploded, must have been the force field. Which means that we are in the Capitol, about to be tortured, killed or worse!

I get up off my bed, and limp to the door, my leg stiff from no moving. The door is unlocked. I tread out, into the corridor. Katniss must be around here somewhere. Then I hear talking coming from a room. I creep down a narrow hallway to a metal door that stands slightly ajar.

"Communications are down in Seven, Ten, and Twelve. But Eleven has control of transportation now, so there's at least a hope of them getting some food out." Someone says. Then a hoarse voiced person speaks, but I can't make out the words.

"No, I'm sorry. There's no way I can get you to Four. But I've given special orders for her retrieval if possible. It's the best I can do, Finnick." The hoarse voice, which must be Finnick, says something again.

"Don't be stupid. That's the worst thing you could do. Get her killed for sure. As long as you're alive, they'll keep her alive for bait," says Haymitch. I walk calmly through the doors. Haymitch, Plutarch Heavensbee and Finnick all look up at me, from their untouched lunch. Haymitch pulls out a chair in between him and Finnick. "Sit." He says.

I sit.

"What happened?" I say, staring at the food on the plate that Plutarch places in front of me.

Haymitch explains that there was a plan to break us out of the arena from the moment the Quell was announced. The victor tributes from 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 had varying degrees of knowledge about it. Plutarch Heavensbee has been, for several years, part of an undercover group aiming to overthrow the Capitol. He made sure the wire was among the weapons. Beetee was in charge of blowing a hole in the force field. The bread we received in the arena was code for the time of the rescue. The district where the bread originated indicated the day. Three. The number of rolls the hour. Twenty-four. The hovercraft belongs to District 13. We are currently on our way to District 13. Meanwhile, most of the districts in Panem are in full-scale rebellion.

I slowly take it all in. The one thing I hated the most, was being played as a fool.

"Why didn't you let me and Katniss in on the plan?" I snap at Haymitch.

"Katniss was the head of the rebellion, and so are you. While one of you lives, so does the rebellion."

"What do you mean 'while one of us lives?' Where is Katniss?" Haymitch shifts uncomfortably. Purposefully not looking at me.

"Where is she?" I whisper, my heart sinking. "Where is Katniss, Haymitch!" I yell at him.

"The only people we could get to after the force field blew up, were Beetee, Finnick and you. Katniss was taken after she shot the arrow, but before the lightning even struck. Johanna and Enobaria were taken too."

"Finnick picked up this before he got on the hovercraft," Haymitch holds something out to me. "I guess she wanted you to have it." My eyes fill up with tears as I look at the pearl. I reach out for it, and Hatmitch places it on my hand.

I look up at Finnick, "thank you." He nods.

"She did love you, you know." Haymitch says. I start to say no, but then I remember near the start of the Games when she cried when I died, then Finnick brought me back. And all the other times, like when we kissed on the beach.

When we danced at those silly parties, at the capitol, when we did the Victory Tour.

When we spent the day on the roof of the training building, having a picnic.

When she was given sleep syrup and she told me to stay with her, and I whispered Always.

But I'm not with her now. I didn't keep her save. I should have listened to her, and left the pack that morning. I shouldn't have left her with Johanna. I was supposed to keep her safe. I was supposed to make sure that she came home, and not me. I failed her.

"I love her too." I whisper. Hoping that she could hear me, and know that I will ALWAYS love her.

A/N: I hope you liked the start of this fanfic! Remember to review! :)