Hi everyone! Thanks for the beautiful reviews! :) I love your reactions to the story... I didn't want to torture you for a long time so here is another chapter, where you will get to know what happened to Peeta. Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Abused
I sleep calmly until I'm woken up by my phone, which is ringing frantically. It's too dark to be morning already. When I look at the clock it's 1:00. When I look at the display I see that mum is calling me. That can't be good.
"Mum?" I mumble sleepily. "What the hell, it's one in the morning." I growl.
"Katniss." she says and the serious tone of her voice wakes me up. My stomach ties into knots, because I just know something bad happened.
"What happened?" I ask, dreading her answer.
"Honey it's Peeta." she says worriedly.
"What happened?!" I ask starting to panic.
"I don't know exactly. His father brought him here, he said he came home late and found him under the stairs, that he probably fall down." she says. Or his fucking mother helped him down! I scream in my head.
"Is he all right?" I ask with a shaking voice.
"He's badly bruised and he has a bad injury on his head, but he will be okay." she says.
"Can I come and see him?" I ask, already standing up and putting my jeans on.
"If you insist on it." she says.
"Okay, I'll tell Prim and I come as soon as I can." I promise.
"Okay, but drive safe." she says concerned.
"Don't worry mum. See you soon." I say and hang up.
As quickly as I can, I dress, check if Rosie is soundly asleep and then I head to Prim's room. I wake her up and tell her where I'm going. She promises to sleep in my room and keep an eye on Rosie until I'm back. I jump into my car and drive to the hospital as fast as I can and as safe as I'm able to. I stumble through the front door and ask for Peeta.
"Right now, they're treating his head injury, you can wait by room 415, where he will be staying. It should be done in half an hour. Your mother is helping with the stitching." she tells me.
I look for the room for five minutes. I find it thanks to a man, who's sitting next to the door. I don't doubt it's Peeta's father. His blond hair and kind blue eyes would be enough to prove it. But his features are also very similar to Peeta's. He's only older and in much worse state because of the alcohol I think.
"Hi." I say quietly not sure if I can sit next to him. He looks up and I can see the tragic look on his face.
"You must be Katniss." he says and a little smile appears on his face.
"How do you know?" I ask.
"Peeta talks about you all the time." he smiles "Actually since he was five. And your mum told me, you will come."
"How is he?" I ask and sit down, playing with my fingers nervously.
"I don't really now. The only thing I know is, that he's badly bruised and he has an injury on his head." he says. "It's all my fault." he says and he puts his head into his hands.
"I don't think so." I say. He looks up and searches in my eyes.
"What could you know about it." he shakes his head.
"He told me." I say quietly. "It was her wasn't it?" I ask and search in his eyes. He doesn't say anything.
"You don't have to say it, I know you would not do anything to him" I say.
"You met her?" he asks.
"Yeah, two days ago." I say and point to my bruised cheek.
"Oh, I'm sorry." he says.
"I still think it's my fault, because I've not stopped her. Because I preferred alcohol instead of my son." he says and tears run down his face. I sigh because I don't know what to say.
"Don't blame yourself." I say quietly.
"You had a hard time with her. Peeta told me, that you were trying to protect them all from her. Some people would not do that." I say "Some people would just run away."
"You're kind." he smiles at me. "Are you his girlfriend?" he asks curiously.
"Yes." I say.
"So you've been the one who changed him in the last year so much?" he asks.
"I don't know, maybe." I say.
"He's so different now. He's more himself." he smiles at me. I smile back because I'm glad Peeta has changed.
The door open and they are moving Peeta towards the room 415. He's asleep. His body seems badly bruised and his head is bandaged. I jump up from my chair and go with them.
"Is it bad mum?" I ask her concerned.
"He will be okay. The only danger is, that he could have little amnesia, he could have problems remembering some things, but we'll find that out, when he wakes up.
"When will that be?" I ask.
"He should wake up until morning. But the longer he sleeps the better I think." she says and looks down at me. "Don't worry, he'll be okay again. He's young, he will heal quickly." she cheers me up.
"Could I stay here with him?" I ask.
"If you insist on it." Mum smiles at me sadly.
"I would like to." I say "And you should probably take care about him." I say pointing at Peeta's father who is now sitting with his head in his hands.
"Okay." she smiles at me. I sit down in the chair by Peeta's bed and I hold his hand, stroking it with my thumb softly. I sigh as I look at his face. There are bruises and cuts and it makes me feel so terrible. It makes me feel terrible that a woman can beat her own child like this. That a woman is capable of pushing him down from the stairs. Then I remember, that sometimes, sleeping people can hear your voice.
"Hey Peeta." I whisper quietly. "It's me, Katniss. Don't worry, your injury is not so bad. You'll heal quickly." I say.
I decide to stay until morning since it's Sunday tomorrow and Prim is keeping an eye on Rosie. Sometimes around three I start to doze off and my head rests on my hands. It's not very comfortable. Since Peeta has his own private room, he has a big bed. So in the end, I lie next to him, cuddling to his side carefully and resting my head on his shoulder. His left hand is lying under my body, but it's still and not moving. I close my eyes and pray that he will wake up in the morning and that he will remember me.
When I wake up, the first thing I realize is an arm embracing my body. It's not still any more. It holds me closer to his body. And suddenly I realize, that it means he's awake and I open my eyes. Immediately I find his blue eyes looking at me with a little smile on his lips.
"This is definitely the brighter side of my injury." he says and smiles wide. I smile back weakly.
"You remember who I am?" I ask.
"Of course I know who you are. How could I forget?" he asks.
"How do you feel?" I ask examining him closely.
"Like I was run over by a train." he sights.
"You'll be okay." I whisper and kiss his cheek. "Luckily nothing was broken so it's just bruises." I state. "In no time you will be playing football again." I smile at him encouragingly.
"I think a little kiss would help me." he says looking at me innocently. I just laugh, shake my head a little and give him a soft kiss.
"Ehm, ehm." mum clears her throat by the door and I jump up so quickly I almost fall down from the bed. She just smiles slightly.
"Peeta, you will be sent home in the afternoon and you have to rest." she says.
"Okay." Peeta says. I can't miss the anxiety in his voice.
"There's someone who would like to see you." she says in a serious voice. There are two policemen coming in.
"Katniss, please come with me." Mum says. I feel nervous for Peeta. What do they want from him?
"Mum what do they want?" I ask her as we're out of the room.
"It's the usual protocol, when they bring a child from home like this." she says. "It's always suspicious and they have to investigate if there is no abuse." she says and she examines me closely. I try to control all my muscles to not reveal his secret.
"Okay." I say.
"You should go home, he'll be okay." mum says.
"I will, I just need to talk to him when they're gone." I say.
"Okay." Mum says "I'll be finished with work in thirty minutes, and then we can go home."
"Okay." I say and I sit down.
When the policemen went out of Peeta's room, I went in. He looks pale and a little nervous.
"What did they want?" I ask even though I already know.
"They asked if there is no abuse in my home." he says and avoids my eyes.
"And what did you say?" I ask.
"I-I said there is not." he mumbles, looking at his feet.
"Peeta." I say annoyed. "You should have told them."
"There is no way how I can prove it." he says and finally looks me in the eyes looking hopeless. "It would be my word against hers."
"No it won't!" I protest. "Your brothers could help you, your father could help too. And I would speak in front of court without any problem. I would tell them how she beat you and how she hit me too." I say fiercely. He just gives me a sweet smile.
"You're so amazing Katniss." he says "You are so brave."
"It's your choice Peeta." I say annoyed. "I'm going home with mum okay? I may come in the afternoon." I add.
"Okay." he smiles. I lean down and give him a kiss.
"Think about it Peeta. They could condemn her to imprisonment with all the witnesses." I tell him.
"I'll think about it." he says quietly. But something is telling me, that he's too afraid of her.
"Bye." I smile and go out, find my mum and we drive home.
At home, mum calls me to the kitchen and by the look on her face I know it will be serious conversation.
"Katniss." She says as I sit down. "I have heard, that Peeta has denied that there is abuse in his family." She looks me in the eyes looking for my reaction.
"And?" I ask.
"He's lying." She says. It's a statement, not a question. "I can see it Katniss. I have seen abused children, you can recognize it in their eyes. The fear, the sadness, the pain, the fact that they think they are not good enough." She says. I can see those things in Peeta's eyes too. But I still don't say anything.
"Is it his father?" she asks "I can't believe he would do that, he's too kind for that."
"No, his father is okay." I say "He's very kind."
"Then who is it?" she asks confused.
"It's his mother." I whisper.
"What?!" His mother? How could she beat her own child like that?" she asks angry.
"I don't know mum. Just please don't tell him, it is a secret." I say.
"Okay, but there are things we could do." She says. "There are ways how to prove she's like that."
"How?" I ask.
"Well for example, there is a special scan, which can reveal and show old bruises. Not all of them of course, but some… Then of course we could use help from Peeta's brothers and dad, they could all testify against her." She says.
"I'll think about it, I'll try to persuade him, but I'm not sure." I say and our conversation ends there.
In the afternoon, I plan to go and see Peeta again. It takes me ten minutes to get there. I find his room and open the door. I don't expect any guests in there. But I'm mistaken. As I open the door, I see Glimmer leaning down towards Peeta and giving him a kiss. A kiss!
"What the hell?!" I yell angrily. Glimmer jumps away from Peeta and Peeta gives her an angry look. Then he looks at me scared.
"Oh, Katniss, we didn't know you are coming." Glimmer says, but a victory smirk is on her lips.
"Katniss..." Peeta starts, but I'm not in the mood for his explaining.
"Bye!" I say angrily and slam the door as I run out quickly.
I feel my throat tightening. A week. That's how long our relationship lasted if you could call it a relationship at all. I was sure he has changed. I thought that I'm different than the other girls. I thought that he will be faithful to me. I run home, sob quietly and ignore the ringing of my phone. I know it is him, but I'm not ready to talk to him.
I go to my bedroom and I do my homework, trying to forget what I saw. But it's hard when the phone keeps ringing and ringing. At three o'clock it stops ringing though. Then our doorbell rings and for a fraction of second I'm scared it's him. But then I remember his state and I'm almost sure it can't be him.
"Katniss!" Mum calls from downstairs.
"What?" I call back.
"Johana, Annie and Madge are here!" she calls.
Oh, God. That's even worse. They are here to find out how the date went. And they will surely notice my mood and ask about it.
"Send them up!" I call down. In a minute they all walk into my bedroom enthusiastically sitting on my bed and looking at me.
"So?" Annie asks "How was it? Tell us!" she urges me, like she can't wait.
"It was nice." I say and I sit down too.
"Nice?" Madge asks suspicious. "You sounded more excited yesterday."
And so I tell them about our date. And as I tell them and as I remember those beautiful moments, I feel worse and worse.
"So you let him kiss your neck even though you knew you'll get a flashback?" Madge asks surprised.
"Yes I did." I say "It was easier, when he h-held my h-hand." I stammer and I have to fight a sob as I remember his warm hand in mine.
"What's wrong Katniss?" Johanna asks. I can't hold it in anymore and a sob comes out of my mouth.
"He fell down from stairs and he's in the hospital." I say and another sob comes out.
"Oh my, that's terrible." Annie whispers "I'm sure he will be okay." She says and hugs me.
"T-that's not the problem." I whine and sob. "He'll be going home today."
"What's the problem then?" Johanna asks.
"I spent all night in there, eventually I fall asleep next to him in his bed." I say
"Ohh, that's cute." Madge smiles.
"I wanted to see him now in the afternoon too a-and." I have to take a deep breath
"And?" Madge asks.
"A-and when I c-came in, there was G-glimmer and she was k-kissing him." I whine and I start to cry.
"That bitch!" Madge curses.
"How could he do that?" I cry when Johanna puts her arms around me.
"Katniss was he kissing her or was it her kissing him?" she asks.
"W-what do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, how did the kiss look?" she asks.
"Well he couldn't do anything else then lie in bed. She was leaning down and kissing him." I say.
"And she did it when you came in?"
"Yeah, she just kissed him and then jumped away when she found out I'm there." I say.
"I don't think it was Peeta's doing." Johanna says. "I think it was Glimmer's plan to separate you." She says thoughtfully.
"You mean she did it so we would break up?" I ask.
"Well as much as I hate to admit it, I believe Peeta more than her. And with everything he did through the last week… When I saw him with you, he was different and it seemed like his life depends on you." She says "I believe it was a trap from Glimmer. Did he apologize?"
"He wanted to explain, but I run away. He called me few times, but I didn't answer." I say and look down. Maybe Johanna is right. I want to believe it.
"You think I should talk to him?" I ask her.
"Yeah, talk to him and you'll see." Johanna smiles and hugs me again.
"Okay." I smile.
"Well we've got to go Kitty. Let us know how it ended up." She smiles at me.
"Okay. Bye!" I say and they go home.
For a long time I think about what I saw in the hospital. When I came in, Glimmer was just leaning down and starting to kiss Peeta. Their lips barely touched, when I yelled at them. And Peeta seemed angry at her. I want to believe what Johanna said. I want to believe, that it was just her trap. With shaky hands I take my phone and dial Peeta's number. The phone starts beeping and my heartbeat speeds up.
"Katniss?" his voice says and my heart speeds up even more.
"Hi." I say quietly. "We need to talk." I say.
"Okay, whatever you want Katniss. Talk." He says. Then I hear another voice calling his name angrily.
"Who is that?" I ask.
"Wait a minute, mother's coming." He says and I hear a strange sound. It seems that he put the phone down because the sound is a little muffled. But I can still hear what they say.
"What do you need mother?" Peeta asks.
"I have something for you." She says. Her voice sounds kind of happy so it can't mean anything good. And suddenly my stomach ties in knots from anxiety.
"That girlfriend of yours was here." She says. What?!
"She told me to tell you, that you're over. She said that she thought you are better, but you are not. She said that she thought you are the right one, but you are not. She said, that you are an idiot because you kissed Glimmer and she said she doesn't want to see you anymore. She said you're worthless." She says and my stomach is turning around. What the hell? How does she know about Glimmer?!
"What?" Peeta says and I can hear how his voice shakes.
"She seemed really broken. She was crying and she run away after she told me." She says. You Bitch!
"You know Peeta, I agree with her in one thing. You are worthless. You always were. You should not even be born. You are a mistake." She says hatefully. He doesn't say anything and I don't like it.
"You know you could make it easier for everyone Peeta. If you were not here, everyone would be happier." She says. "I think I'll leave this with you and you can think about it. Just think how you hurt that poor girl. She was hoping you're the right one and you hurt her right after your first date." She says.
"How can you call yourself a mother?" Peeta asks weakly. "A mother would hardly put a knife to her children's hand and tell him to commit a suicide." He says and my heart sinks. She gave him a knife? Is she really that crazy?
"Normal mothers hug their children and say I love you." He says and it almost sounds like he's gonna cry.
"I don't love you Peeta. But you can trust me, that my life will be much better without you. I'm leaving to spa now so if you're going to do it, do it when I'm already gone so no one would suspect me." She says and I hear the door closing.
"Peeta?!" I call desperately. There is no answer. After a moment I hear a strange noise and then I hear his voice.
"You could say it to me personally. You didn't have to use my mother!" He says angrily.
"Peeta no! Don't believe her, it was…" but I'm not able to finish, because he hangs up. I can feel my heart in my throat. It's beating like crazy. She left him with a knife and she practically told him, that he doesn't have purpose to live. What if he does it? What if he already did?!
"Peeta..." I whisper and my hands start to shake. My throat is tight, my heart aches and my stomach is in knots. Rosie is already asleep and mum is at work. My only hope is Prim.
"Prim!" I call desperately as I run to her bedroom.
"What's wrong?" she asks.
"Could you keep an eye on Rosie?" I ask. "I really need to go somewhere just for half an hour or so."
"Of course, I will." Prim says.
"Are you all right?" she asks me. I'm so scared that I'm trembling.
"Yeah, I am. But someone else is in danger." I say "I'll be back as soon as possible." I say and run down the stairs.
It takes ten minutes to walk to Peeta's usually. So if I run it should be around six or five right? To my shock I'm there in three minutes. Just in time to see her car going away from their house. I can see light in Peeta's room. And I really hope he didn't do it. I run to the cherry tree and start climbing as fast as I can. His window is slightly open and when I finally reach it I can see into the room.
Peeta is sitting by the desk. He can't see me, because the window is behind him. The light from a little lamp is illuminating him. I can clearly see a big knife in his hand. Its long and undoubtedly deadly sharp blade is resting on his left wrist very lightly. I open the window fully and he even doesn't hear me. He takes a deep shaky breath and he sights. I can see his right hand shaking as he presses the blade to his skin. If I won't do anything, I know he'll do it.
"Don't you dare to do it!"
Surprise, surprise! Another cliffy :D I hope you won't be angry with me, but that scene was so tempting :) What do you think about this chapter? Good? Bad? Tell me in reviews, I really love to read your reactions :) Just to calm you down a little, next chapter is called "Loved" - what a contrast with this chapter which is called "Abused" :)
P.S. I know Mrs. Mellark is damn bitch, she will pay for it, don't worry. }:D