I do not own the Hunger Games!
Peeta's POV:
I walk out of the infirmary, rubbing my neck subconsciously while cursing Coin for making this all such a big deal.
"Poor Peeta so weak he cannot handle being punched by a girl less than half his size," he mutter sourly. "Surly I have never had an injury before so a hit to the throat is practically lethal. Stupid, foolish woman…" He rolled his eyes at the thought of Coin even worry about him like that, no; there must have been some underlying reason. Because even an idiot would be able to tell that woman did not have a compassionate bone in her body, let alone it be out of concern for someone like him.
Besides the nurse only proved that point because after a few days of analysis he was cleared with a bill of good, nearly perfect health.
Now he had to run and find Athena, it had driven him to the point of madness to be locked up in the infirmary when he had to speak to her so urgently. What she must think of him…he shook his head at the memory of her eyes sparking with shock and hurt, and then that anger that lashed out at him for speaking to her in that manner.
He rubbed his throat again, a slight smile turning the corners of his mouth up but not too much because the severity of Athena's pain still flashed in his mind—over and over, like a movie set on repeat. Still…it had been a good hit.
Now he had to go explain to her that he had not meant all that he had said, that it had all just been for show so Coin and the others would not suspect anything and take away his rights to being her mentor. All of this, he had been trying to figure out the proper way to tell her without revealing too much of himself to her because he did have feelings for this strange, beautiful girl. However, he did not wish to have another hit delivered to his ego and pride because he was developing feelings for Athena—strong feelings—that left him vulnerable to heartache. Again.
Though he also had to consider the fact that Athena was not Katniss, that she had her own mind and heart—both of which she began to open up to him. Which she is probably beating herself up over doing right now, thanks to his harsh choice of words, he thought bitterly.
In his defense, he did not think that she could be harmed so easily or that she would believe what he was saying for even a second. He thought she would have read him like a book, seen through his intentions, and merely played along only to laugh about it later. But she hadn't laughed, or understood, and instead those beautiful golden eyes filled with hurt before clouding with anger and throwing a punch at him.
And god was it a punch, a direct hit to his Adams-apple. Baby, you take my breath away took on a whole new meaning, he thought with a smirk as he walked down to where Athena's room was located. Once there he knocked, took out the keys, and then turned the lock and stepped into the room.
A once he felt the sense that something was wrong, amiss. The room was vacant, the bed stripped for probably cleaning but that was not all…it just felt abandoned, as if its occupancy had reached its limit. Athena was not here, that much he was certain.
Worry clouded his mind suddenly, ideas of her being imprisoned for her lashing out at him but Coin had said she was not to be taken prisoner for she was already taken prisoner for the Games.
He had to go see Katniss because if anyone would know what was going on it would be her, so he stormed his way to her room with the tapping of his cane bouncing off the walls of the hallway.
He knocked on her door, waited for a few moments and then knocked again—louder and harder but still he received no answer. Strange. He placed his ear to the door and heard noting within except silence.
A rush of noise came down the hall and he watched as some of Coin's soldiers talked strangely with animated gesturing and enthusiasm.
"I am telling you the guy's leg was torn completely off! And the girl kept hauling him onto shore," the one soldier said while swinging his harms back and forth in a ridiculous
hauling motion.
"But that guy, Hecant or something—"another soldier started.
"Hector," the first man interrupted.
"Whatever," the other said impatiently. "But what I was trying to say was that the man is massive, two-hundred-something pounds of pure muscle and around six-feet tall. The fact that that girl could shoulder all that by herself and in the event of a crisis like those waters, I know how cold and dangerous they are because I helped Coin and those lab-rats from the Capitol get everything ready for the Games."
"Yes but obviously the girl is a mutant anyways, I mean just look at who her father is and the way she runs—it was like watching a beam of light shoot through the air. And the way she moves, god, that body even through that white suit of hers…"The third man smirks then shakes his head, while the two others laugh but nod in understanding and playfully shoved at one another.
"You know what the Captain would say if she heard your talk, Flint?" A woman's voice interrupted the men's horseplay, cold and calculating, and a Paylor stepped out of a nearby shadow.
"Commander Paylor," Flint replies civilly. "Of course, we were just messing around a little, no need to alarm the Captain. She knows where out loyalties lay, with her and always with her."
The two men on either side of him nodded quickly as Paylor glanced over them, though she must have been taking little notice because it was not the soldiers she was looking at…it was at him.
"Evening Peeta Mellark, did you just get discharged from the infirmary?" A slight smile quirked at her mouth, she had taken to staring at him more often lately since Katniss made her choice of Gale known. He did not know what to make of the new attention just yet, Paylor was older than he but noticeably attractive thought he did not have any interest in her in that way.
The male soldiers spun around in surprise to fine him there, leaning casually against the stone wall listening to everything with a strange cold feeling welling up in his stomach. The name…Hector, jumped around in his mind but he could not figure out the importance of that name just yet.
"Poplin Paylor," he said and smiled politely. "Yes, I did just a bit ago actually though there was nothing wrong with me. A clean bill of health as the nurse said, aside from a nasty bruise that looks far worse than it actually is but nothing to worry about."
"Why that's great news," Paylor exclaimed with a somewhat timid smile. "Are you going to watch the Games now with Katniss?"
The confusion must have registered on my face because Paylor frowned slightly, and shot a look at the male soldiers in order to dismiss them, and then—once they were gone—she turned back to Peeta. "The Games Peeta, is that where you are going now? To watch them with Katniss in the mentor room?" She said the words slowly, carefully, as if not to alarm him somehow.
And then everything began to click into place: Athena's empty room, the silence in the hallways, who Hector was, and why the soldiers' mention of the girl in the white suit made a chill run through his body. However, most of all, he finally understood why Coin had pushed so hard to keep him in the infirmary after the incident with Athena and his throat.
Raking his hands over his face in frustration and slight misery, Peeta looked at Paylor and shook his head. "Where is the mentor room located, Paylor?"
"On the second floor in the third room to the left; Peeta, are you alright? You are looking a little pale maybe you should go rest, or visit the infirmary again."
Peeta just shook his head and walked passed her, mumbling a small thank you before rushing down the hall and barreling into the elevator. He tried to remain calm, told himself that Paylor and everyone had just made a mistake because they could not have started the Games just yet. He had not apologized and explained himself to Athena yet, and he needed to see her face at least one more time to tell her something that would drive her to win. To come back to him without her actually knowing how desperately he wanted to be near her.
When he finally got to the room on the second floor, Peeta swung the door open and received a slap in the face for his thoughts and harsh words as reality crashed into him instantly.
"Damn it, climb a tree already and get out of the line of fire. Get to higher ground now, girl." Katniss grumbled and slapped her hands down on the table in front of her.
Peeta walked a few steps closer to the screen as if not believing what he was seeing, then his can slipped out of his hand and a look of horror appeared on his face.
On one of the screens was Athena's pale face, smudged with blood, dirt and tears as she wandered around in the darkness in search of something.
"Peeta," Katniss breathed his name, registered the look on his face, and quickly walked him out of the room before anyone else could see his reaction.
"I don't—"He paused, blinking slowly as if this was all a bad dream. "She cannot be gone already. The Games, they have not started already? Right, Katniss?" He looked at her hopefully, but he could read the look in her eyes before she even spoke.
"Peeta…" Her voice said it all, this was really happening.
"How long?"
"How long what?" She asked in a quiet and soft voice.
"How long has it been since they when in?" His eyes slit to blue daggers, not angry at her exactly but still as fierce and intense. "How long have I been kept away?"
"Peeta. I did not know that you were being kept away; I thought that after everything that happened you just wanted me to take over. I did not know where you were. I asked Coin, asked Haymitch, damn it I asked everyone but no one knew so I thought you were staying away intentionally." She looked at him sadly, frowning. "I had no idea. Peeta, please, stop looking at me like that."
"How long, Katniss?" He said through gritted teeth then instantly regretted his tone when her eyes widened in shock then narrowed in cold civility.
"Two day ago," she muttered silently.
"Two days," he repeated her words numbly. His back hit the stone wall hard, the cold surface providing stability for at this moment he was sure he would collapse. Not out of weakness but more because the anger trembling in his body was rising up, flaring like nothing he had ever felt before. "I have to go."
And so he went with Katniss calling out to him from a distant place, his hands clenched into fists as he realized something. He did not have his cane. So he walked, taking the staircase to punish himself, and collapsed into his room to begin smashing everything in sight.
What will happen now? Oh dear, I am not sure. How about some insight from my lovely reviewers? Please? =] Tell me what you think and I will be much appreciative!