So I think you guys will like this chapter! Oh and honestly I'm not gonna pair Delly with Peeta! I just love Delly, and wish she got mentioned more in the books. Plus Delly said they where so close she would tell people he was her brother. The only time I would ever pair them is if I paired Gale/Katniss.
I brush a strand of blond hair away from his eyes.
"Peeta." I call out softly, but he doesn't react, his skin radiating warm beneath my finger tips. I look out the window and see that it's pitch black outside. I can't really blame him for falling asleep, every time I blink I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. "Peeta." I try again gently shacking his shoulders, but nothing changes. Sighing I realise I'm going to pass out unless I go to sleep too. For a moment I consider how easy it would be for me to crawl onto the sofa next to him, lay my head on his slowly rising chest and have the best night's sleep I've had in what seems like a lifetime. I shake my head, knowing that I have to go to my own room and sleep in the empty bed by myself and deal with the nightmares like the strong person I am, or at least pretend to be. However before I can head upstairs I know I have to do a few things. First I go over to the window, making sure to leave it a little bit ajar so that a fresh, cool breeze is blowing into the room, then I close the curtains, shutting off the outside world. I look over at the coffee table in the middle of the room, you can't see the wood it's made from because it is covered in so much paper. Kneeling down I start to collect it all up into one pile, most of it is blank so I'm surprised when I find the sketch Peeta was working on before he fell asleep. It's of his father, a tray of cookies in his hands and a lopsided chef hat on his head. He hasn't finished it yet but that doesn't take away from its beauty. I place it with the rest of our work in a neat pile thinking of the Baker who said very little words but managed to keep smiling all day long, unlike his wife, who seemed intent on frowning at everything. Sighing I stand up and head over to the doorway where I turn off the main light, leaving one lamp glowing in the corner in case Peeta wakes up. Then I stagger up the stairs into my room where I take off my day clothes, slip on some thick, cotton, pyjamas, ten clamber into bed pulling the sheets over my head.
I'm trudging through the jungle from the second arena. There's no quiver on my back nor bow in my hands. When I start to get thirsty I feel around my belt but I can't seem to find the spile, so I have leave my throat scratchy and raw from thirst. For a while I don't know where I'm going, or why I'm here. That is until I notice a squirrel hanging from a piece of string only a few feet away. I walk forwards and inspect it, I can tell immediately who made this trap. But before I can react to it get Gale comes out from behind a nearby tree.
"Hello catnip." He says solemnly.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for you." He says walking towards me and lifting his hand up to touch my cheek.
"You're not meant to be in the arena." I say forcefully, although I don't push him away.
"I was always in the arena." He says, taking a strand of my hair with his finger and twirling it playfully. "Because I was always in your head." He's right, I thought about him a lot in both of the arenas but so much has changed since then.
"Where's Peeta?" I ask.
"He's gone." He tells me with no further explanation.
"Gone?"
"Gone." He says leaning in to kiss me but I rip myself away and start running, not once looking back. I need to find Peeta, he can't just be gone. You can't disappear from the hunger games. Soon I recognise the path I'm taking; it's the one that leads back up to the lightning tree, where I told Peeta to wait until at midnight so we could blow up the force field.
By the time I reach the tree my cheeks are red and my lungs are struggling for air. I was right, Peeta is here, hanging from one of the branches with a withered rope around his neck. His expressionless face stares at me with glassy, blue eyes.
"PEETA!" I scream, my feet rooted to the spot, hot fresh tears springing to my eyes. "PEETA!" I cry out his name until my voice starts to hurt, but there's nothing I can do. He's dead. He's dead. He's gone.
"Katniss, it's alright I'm right here." His voice and his voice alone pull me from the nightmare. I gasp as I sit up in the bed, but this time when I reach out his arms are there for me to fall into. I rest my head onto his chest where I can hear his strong heartbeat and I cry, clinging on to his shirt for dear life. Scared if I dare let go then he'll disappear forever. His arms wrap around my waist and pull me close whilst his chin rests on my head. "I'm right here." He says again.
"Don't go." I whisper.
"Of course I won't. If you don't want me to." In reply I snuggle down further into his chest, the tears have stopped now and a sort of peace is coming over me. He's not dead. He's right here in my arms.
"Never." I say, so he crawls down next to me in the bed. "Are you tired? Did I wake you up?" He shakes his head, making his ashy blond curls do this funny dance.
"No, you're screams saved me from a nightmare of my own." Peeta explains as I place a hand on his stomach so that I can feel his stomach rise and fall. "You where calling my name." He adds. I close my eyes and hide my face.
"I don't wanna talk about it." I murmur.
"Me neither, why don't we try and get a few more hours sleep?" I nod in agreement. I'm suddenly feeling tired, like I've had no sleep. Well I don't suppose the little sleep I've had really counts. So I close my eyes and dream.
YES FINALLY AFTER 4 CHAPTERS! *sigh*