Chap 9

August-10-12

9:13 PM


APRIL

Peeta stands ahead of me, watching me, almost seemingly laughing at me, yet he looks angry with me.

"Peeta?" I question.

He doesn't say anything. He just suddenly growls at me. His brow furrows and he nears me.

"Peeta, what's going on? What's wrong?" I ask, trying to show him that I'm no harm.

"You. You put me in danger. You said that you'd tell someone about the gunman. You said you'd get help! You never did! And this is what happened because of your stupidity and your selfishness! You're selfish, Katniss Everdeen! And to think I ever liked you!"

I look at Peeta in shock.

"I HATE you! And this is your punishment,"Peeta continues and walks over to me. He lifts his hands to my neck and wraps them around it.

I feel his grip start to tighten and I'm loosing my ability to breathe.

"Peeta!"I gasp, trying to gain a hold of his wrists and yank them away from me. No such ability.

"No, this is what I have to go through, and you're going to have to deal with it too," he spits out with venom.

I feel myself lose consciousness as his grip is like a vice.

I hear footsteps near where Peeta and I are.

A man with a snow white beard and hair walks in followed by the man with the weird beard named Seneca Crane.

"Help me!" I call out desperately to the white bearded man. He seems like someone who I can count on.

The bearded man just smiles. And it's not a kind, helpful smile. No, it's a sick smile. His cologne reeks of layers and layers of roses.

"Good, Peeta. You're doing very good. She's almost gone," the bearded man says to Peeta, condoning Peeta's behavior.

"Help!" I cry out one last time before I lose myself to unconsciousness.

I sit up suddenly in my bed, panting like I just ran a marathon at top speed.

I look around at my surroundings and I find myself in my bed, in my room, in my home.

Immediately, I reach for my phone on my beside table, noting that my therapy has been paying off since I can move a little more than I had before Peeta insisted on me trying to walk. I've been keeping my promise, trying to accomplish something Peeta wanted for me.

Peeta.

I look down at my phone. There are no messages or calls from Peeta. I decide that I'll try getting a hold of him like I normally have done for the past couple of weeks.

In the dark of the night I am thankful for the back-lit keyboard on my phone.

Peeta―Where r u? Im sry 4 evrytng. Txt me! ―Katniss

I hit send and place my phone back on the table after checking to see if it was on vibrate.

I lay back on my pillow, pulling up my duvet and sheet to my neck, cocooning myself in my blankets. I stare up at my ceiling, thinking of sleep, but Peeta invades my thoughts.

The first time I saw Peeta was in kindergarten actually now that I think about it. He had the softest blond hair that every girl in our class wanted to touch. Even me. I chuckle at the thought and find it silly that I couldn't remember him from back then.

When I also think about it, I remember he gave me a sandwich one day during lunchtime in kindergarten because momma forgot to pack my sandwich. That was during the time poppa had cancer, and it was a busy and difficult time. Peeta saw that I hadn't eaten and he felt bad, so he offered it to me. Funny thing is, I was stubborn back then too, so I wouldn't let him give me his whole sandwich. I made sure to give him half back, though he refused. We're both very stubborn when I think about it.

My mind starts scrolling through my mental album of memories Peeta, randomly stopping on one of us hanging out downtown so Peeta could get some pictures of the river for his homework assignment.

I rolled along beside him on the pathway while he went along, looking through his camera's eye hole, spying all the possible images that would look great. I had to keep biting my lip to stop me from blurting out: I really like you, Peeta! I was lying when I said that you were delusional! I'm the delusional one who won't believe that I can actually like you and you'll like me back! It was because of how his hair looked when the wind pushed at it; it was forever messy and nothing could tame it. What also made my heart ache, and I didn't want to listen to it was his smile. While I had a frown most of the time from the fear of everything going on, his smile was something that made my heart beat and shine, and I always tried to rush after the glow from his smile, trying to stay within the security that I felt from it.

The slideshow of memories quickly flash forward to Peeta and I just talking at a park one day when I had to do a study for my biology class which involved observing and sampling some organisms in a park.

Peeta was sitting on the edge of the park bench and I'm in my wheelchair right beside him.

"Do, you ever wish that you could turn back the clock, Katniss?" he asked me.

I didn't look at him, but I just stared at a worm in my hand under my magnifying glass.

"Heck yeah. If I could, I'd change everything that's happened to me. I'd get rid of this stupid wheelchair, get my―get people that I've lost back, I'd change every scenario of everyone I've encountered and the problems they've given me," I said.

He seemed taken aback and took a few minutes before he spoke again. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I wasn't around," Peeta said. "Like if it would matter to anyone if I was or wasn't. Like anyone would notice or care...sometimes―"

"It would be terrible!" I said suddenly, and covered my mouth, trying to take it back.

"What?"Peeta asked, and looked over at me.

"I care. It would be terrible without you. I can't live without you, Peeta," I said, and cursed silently to myself, telling my mouth to shut up before you run out of excuses to why I said this.

"Why?" Peeta asked, trying to be dumb.

"Because school and life would be so boring without a good friend like you," I said, and made it sound like something a friend would say, and nothing like what I would say when I'm trying to tell the truth about what I feel deep down inside.

Peeta's spirits seemed to drop after I said that; almost as if he was expecting something more. Which is what I really want.

I feel myself suddenly dropping off to sleep and my eyes are suddenly closing.

I turn my head to my phone to see if he replied, but there's nothing in my inbox.


A/N:

Review:

Livingwithobsessions: Hopefully this gave you an idea of who Seneca Crane is in this story. But I like your thinking, that was one of my thoughts when I created the letter. :)

Well, what do you think? This is a bit of a filler chapter, as well as maybe the next one, however they are to be read to gain information for the final chapters.

Please review, the more reviews, the faster I write. I welcome comments, feedback and suggestions.

Another note: if you find my instagram (mellarky) or my tumblr (found on profile), you can see pictures and cartoons regarding the story which will be loading on there soon.

Thanks!