A/N: So i've decided to make a series out of my previous fic, Brother, the piece from Thresh's Sister will be added to this soon, so stay tuned. :) remember to review !! Last note, be sure to check my forum: Starvation, for chatting, challenges, and contests.
I don't own the Hunger Games.
"Oh, Peeta," Brun mumbles.
He and I have been here all afternoon, watching the tributes try to make it through another day. The latest update; two tributes could win. This has sent a lot of hope to us, we all knew Katniss could do well, all of District 12 knows she can survivr, our own mother believed she was capable of more than Peeta. Now that they can win together though, we have a chance of bringing home out baby brother.
Still, Brun and I can't tear our eyes from the screen, Father is the same as us, he'll duck his head in from the bakery all the time. Mother is the only one that avoids the television at all costs. Its not that she doesn't care for Peeta, she just has trouble showing how much she loves us, and she isn't very optimistic, more realistic.
"I can't believe this, Rye." Brun sighs as he grips his blond hair and his eyes stare into the screen, watching thos blue eyes that are buried in the mud and match our own eyes. "He's putting himself through all this for her."
I agree with Brun. Peeta and I were never close, him being the baby of the family and me being the oldest with Brun torn between choosing one of the two of us. Peeta made his friends though, so did Brun, and I was pulled into the family work.
Poor Peeta, he had so many friends, and yet he fell in love with Katniss, the Seam girl. She never even spared a second glance at him, she only had eyes for the Hawthorne boy, Brun and I both know it. Brun is the same age as Gale, he's heard some of the rumors about what has always been expected of the Hawthornes' and Everdeens' oldest children. I told Peeta not to bother with her, that he could do, better like her friend, the mayor's daughter, Maggie, Maddeline, Madge, something like that.
No, Peeta could never listen to reason, he was always so...so…good. He has to noble and protect her, and he won't listen to reason.
"No, Peeta, don't just lie there," I whisper more to myself than Brun. Our baby brother is just lying in the mud, he's invisble but how is she going to find him, I know she's not that devoted to finding him. He closes his eyes and there is no trace left of him on the river bank.
It's like he's accepting his failure, like he's giving up life. I hate Katniss, no matter what she does she's killing him, she might as well grab one of her arrows and shoot him through the heart. It would probably hurt less.
No matter what Peeta does he will lose because all he cares about is her. If he dies in there, he loses his life. If he miraculously comes out alone, he'll lose her. If they both come out, he still loses her, and he has to live with even more pain.
Brun heard about the curses Hawthorne has put on Peeta's name, if my brother comes out with Katniss, Brun and I will have to stay by Peeta constanly to make sure Hawthorne doesn't kill him. Even then I wouldn't put it past a Seam kid to try something even with witnesses.
"Rye, Katniss is almost there!" Brun grabs my shoulder, shaking me, as he jumps up and runs out of the room to tell our parents about Peeta's so called 'rescue'.
Seeing Katniss coming for Peeta doesn't reassure me like it does Brun. I remember Brun and Peeta when they were just little guys. They were always getting into messes those two. Peeta would try and help Dad with frosting, he'ld get dye all over him and he would just laugh at his speckled appearance. Brun would be the one pulling coal in so we could fire up the ovens, he looked worse than the coal miners when he finally managed to bring enough for the day in, all you could see was his white smile and blue eyes.
They were both the same when it came to one thing though. When they were both alone, they were fine, they kept a stiff upper lip and toughed it out, even if it meant messing up completely. They would get hurt, like boys do, but the minute our father showed up they would burst into tears and he would fix all their problems for them. As they got older, they tried to help him fix the problems, but more than not, they caused more trouble. Peeta's good nature often made his predicaments worse.
I'm glad I turned out more like mother. She understands when you can fix something, when to stick it out, when to let other people take care of their own problems, and when to just ignore the problem all together. Most of all, she knows that you shouldn't ask for people's help, you can only depend on yourself.
Oh Peeta, please be safe. Please come home baby brother, we can't lose you, but I'm afraid, no matter what happens, we won't get our Peeta Mellark back, we will never have our baby brother home.