Chapter 7: A New Plan

I never make it to my destination. Mel has me cornered in an alley, trapped between him and a dead-end. I shouldn't have tried to avoid him; I don't know the Capitol streets well enough to make a proper escape.

"What's the matter? Nowhere left to run?" Mel takes a step toward me, a wide grin on his face. "I've been waiting for a chance to kill you since the day I was freed."

I press myself against the wall, unable to flee. What can I do? There isn't anything lying around that I can use to defend myself. I am completely unarmed. "Would you really stoop so low as to kill an unarmed girl?"

He casually shrugs. "If you really thought Peeta couldn't regain control, why are you running around without a weapon? You must have some faith in him, but I'm going to show you that your trust is misplaced."

So this is where my life will end. Of all the places I could have died, why an alley? And why at the hands of Mel, Peeta's hijacker? Fate is cruel. Peeta is going to spend the rest of his life blaming himself for my death. I don't want that. He deserves to have a good life, but that won't happen if he thinks my death is his fault. He will never marry; never have kids; never enjoy the time he has been given.

"Peeta," I say slowly.

Mel gives me a look of pure hatred. "Peeta? He's not here! But he does have a front row seat to your demise. I'll kill you slowly, so he can see the light drain from your eyes."

I have to get through to him somehow. "Peeta, this isn't your fault! Don't waste your life mourning my death! Please. Marry a nice girl, one who isn't damaged like I am. Have a few beautiful children. And..." my voice drops to a whisper. "Forget about me."

For a split second, I can see his expression change from hatred to sadness. A few tears drip down his cheeks as Peeta tries to return to me. He wants to come back, but Mel refuses to let him win. "Please..." he mutters. "Please... don't hurt her..." I recognize Peeta's soft voice in an instant.

"Shut up!" Mel growls. He lunges at me, pinning me to the wall. "What should I do to her, Peeta?" A smile spreads across his face. "Death it is. Sorry, love, it's time for you to go." He strikes me over the head with a crowbar, and I lose consciousness almost immediately.

I regain consciousness in a pitch black room. The air is chilly, and the room smells of chemicals. My head is in bandages, and I'm lying on what I think is an examination table. I have no idea where I am or how I got here.

The lights flicker on, and I am greeted by Rosemary. "Haymitch found you two unconscious in an alley. We brought you here."

"Where am I?" I ask, taking in my surroundings. The walls are pure white, and the only object in the room is the table I'm currently sitting on.

"Laboratory A. This facility was used to experiment on prisoners of war," she tells me. "Many of them did not survive their first week here."

I hop off the table in disgust. Why did she bring me here, to a place were countless people have died? "Where's Peeta?"

Rosemary leads me into an identical room. Peeta is sitting on an examination table with his head in his hands. He looks up when we enter the room, and I notice the tears in his eyes.

"Katniss, you're alive." He's at my side in an instant. "They wouldn't tell me anything. I thought... I thought you were dead."

"Why would you let him believe I was dead?" I ask angrily.

Rosemary scribbles something down on a piece of paper. "The experiment was a success." She looks up at our confused faces and continues. "Mel was in control when he regained consciousness. He kept asking about you. I assumed that he wanted to know if you were alive. Haymitch and I decided not to tell him, and he came to the conclusion that you were dead. That's when Peeta came back to us, grief-stricken and inconsolable. In other words, his emotions are the key to getting rid of Mel."

"My emotions?" Peeta repeats, sounding just as confused as I am.

"Let me explain. You have an overwhelming love for Katniss, correct? You became very distraught when you thought she was dead. Your feelings toward her created strong emotional pain that Mel didn't like. He went into hiding after that."

"Mel can feel Peeta's pain?" That must be how he knew that my death would hurt Peeta. They must be connected somehow.

Rosemary nods. "Of course. The hijacker shares his body. Whatever Peeta feels, Mel feels as well. It doesn't work the other way around. Not anymore, at least. Mel's hatred for you was created from Peeta's fear and pain. He twisted Peeta's memories in the beginning so that he hated you, too. But now Peeta can differentiate between the real and fake memories, breaking Mel's hold over his emotions."

That makes sense, I guess. But how does that help us get ride of Mel? Will Peeta have to be in a constant state of pain in order for this to work? Maybe he is better off dead. "I don't want Peeta to be in pain for the rest of his life."

"He won't be," Rosemary assures me. "Not if we can lock Mel away inside Peeta's mind. Haymitch has a plan, but we need time to finish preparing. I'll leave you two alone." She retreats into the hallway and closes the door.