First of all, I would just like to thank everyone who has been keeping up with this story so far! I love reading the reviews. It really turned my super, not great day around. :) Thank you, and happy reading!

Chapter 7

"What Has to Happen"

I am alone, and it's cold. I wander aimlessly through what looks like trees, but I'm not sure. I squint, but it doesn't help at all. There is a blanket of thick fog enveloping everything around me. A cold chill shoots through my spine and my teeth begin to chatter. I need help. I stumble across rough terrain, tripping over tree branches and roots. I want to call out for help, but I get a strange feeling that no one is around to hear me. Screaming will not help me here.

I hear a sound behind me. Maybe I'm not alone. I stop and feel my heart rise into my throat. I begin plotting the end of whatever is behind me. "Wait, wait for me!" I spin around slowly. I have never heard this voice before. It is strange and high-pitched. For some reason, I move towards it. It is somewhere in the distance, but I can't make out where exactly.

I should run. It's probably a trap. But I don't listen to myself. I move closer and closer, waiting for the voice once more. "You're going too fast." The voice begins to sound upset now. I'm getting closer; I can hear it much more clearly. It's the voice of a small child, possibly a little girl. "Prim!" I yell into the gray mist around me.

I take off into a blind run towards the voice. It's getting louder and louder, and then it just…disappears. I search and search, but find no trace of any other being. I begin to panic thinking that something has happened to the little girl. I run until the fog clears. The moonlight illuminates the forest floor. I see no trace of a little girl anywhere. I am about to turn back, thinking I have missed something, when I see it. Off to itself in a small clearing sits a stone that almost seems to be glowing. I see engraving on it, but I am too far away to read it. Then it hits me. "Gravestone," I say out loud.

I don't need to know what it reads; I know exactly who has been put to rest underneath that beautiful, gleaming white stone. I sprint in any other direction, straight back into the fog, but the voice is following me again. I turn left quickly, now trying to escape. My breath is coming out in a tiny ragged gasps. I trip over something. My face smacks into the hard ground, disorienting me for a moment. I look back and see the headstone. I am lying right next to it. I scream and run for the forest once more. Her voice is yelling for me now. I can't seem to get away. I sink to my knees in defeat and lock my hands over my ears. I scream for someone, anyone to help me. But no one comes.

My eyes pop open in terror. I am shaking and my whole body is covered in sweat. I search frantically around my room. There is no sign of the headstone, or the little girl's voice. My breath is beginning to feel like tiny daggers rising within my body. I try to calm down, but it is not possible.

The headstone. I couldn't read it, but I know whose it was. I place my hand over abdomen and begin to cry. "I'm so sorry," I whisper into the darkness. I get up from the bed, too afraid of the voice to close my eyes once more. I walk into the bathroom and splash my face with cold water. It seems to help a little. At least the shaking has stopped. I stare at my face in the mirror. The dark circles remain under my eyes, making the gray within my irises resemble the sky before a violent thunderstorm. How fitting. I haven't had a full nights sleep in days. I have horrible nightmares. I'm losing weight, and I cry more than I ever have in my whole life. My mother says it's merely hormones, but I hate it just the same.

I turn sideways and place my hand over my abdomen, a strange habit I have formed lately. It's been two weeks since I've told Peeta, two months into my pregnancy. My stomach feels different against my palm. It has rounded just slightly, but only enough for me to tell. I'm sure women find this exciting, but I find it to be very strange. I have hardly any feeling at all towards it, and it is probably because I don't want to become attached. We're both going to die anyways.

I feel the overwhelming urge to see Peeta, to have him comfort me. He is the only one who completely understands. I grab a light jacket and walk to his house. This wouldn't be the first time that this has happened lately.

We both wear the same pale, distant look and neither can sleep. We look awful. I know that Haymitch knows that something is happening, but he doesn't ask and I can't bear to tell him just yet. My mother, Prim, and Peeta are the only ones who know.

I knock on Peeta's door and wait patiently. I see him through the glass walking slowly. I must have woken him up. I catch sight of his face as he opens the door. He looks more tired than usual. "Hey." He gives me a half-smile. I walk inside and take off my jacket. "Peeta, are you ok?"

He shakes his head. "I had an awful dream." I drop my gaze. We should both be used to this by now. I may never sleep peacefully again. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shakes his head once more. "No, just come lay with me."

We climb the stairs and move to his bed. I nestle my body against his with my head against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat. I never thought something so ordinary could sound so beautiful. It meant that he was living, and I intended to keep that beautiful sound alive in his chest. I let my hand rest on my abdomen once more. Am I an awful person for this? I am sacrificing myself to save Peeta, but in the process I am killing it…our child." I shake the thought from my mind. I can't think about all of that right now. I look up at Peeta and see a tear gliding down his face. "What's wrong? Is it your dream?"

He shook his head. "I just…I don't want to lose you both, Katniss. I have nightmares that I live. How crazy is your world when you're afraid that you won't die in a few weeks? This is all driving me crazy." He sits up and places his head in his hands, rocking slowly. "I keep thinking that I need to be strong for you, but it's so hard. I know that I have to die in order to keep you both alive, and I would never want it any other way. But just knowing that I will never hold you again or see our child's face makes me feel so twisted inside. I don't know how to deal with it." I reach my hand out and rub his back gently. Tears are streaming down my face. "I'm so sorry, Peeta. I'm so sorry." He turns to me and wraps me in his arms.

"We can't be like this forever. Neither of us will make it out alive. We need to get stronger," he whispers into my hair. I shake my head, unable to form words. He pulls me back and brushes a lock of hair from my face. "I have to make you stronger. You have to make it out. I know what you're thinking. I can see it in your eyes all the time. You are planning to die in that arena, but that can't happen. Don't you understand? Don't you understand that?" I am sobbing at this point. He knows me too well. "I would rather die a thousand painful deaths then ever live in a life without you and our daughter."

I search his eyes, unsure if I heard him correctly. He notices the confusion. "I dreamt it was a girl. I saw you holding her. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You see, that has to happen." I fall against his chest. I can't take it anymore. He shushes me and I squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to block out the world. He lies back on the pillow and rubs my back softly, calming me somewhat. I position my ear right over his heart, and once again listen to the melodic sound of his heart beating. In that moment, I knew that there was no sound more beautiful. He doesn't understand what has to happen. I allow myself that final stubborn though before drifting into a deep slumber.

Ok, so I know that everyone was expecting Gale or Haymitch to find out in this chapter, and honestly I was too, until I started writing. This just flowed right out of my fingertips and I love it. I promise next chapter someone will find out, but until then I hope this is ok. Review and let me know what you think. :) Thanks for reading!