Chapter 32!
Peeta
My heart drops in my throat the next morning at the words of the police officers.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mellark, but we are getting a very important call. I'm sorry we couldn't find Miss Everdeen, but we will return to looking for her once we handle the call we just received. We scoured the whole place, and all we found was some of her blood. A lot of it. I'm very sorry, but as of this moment Miss Everdeen is proclaimed dead."
Just like that, I am gone.
"N-no! Your a liar!" I scream, feeling my knees weaken. "She's not dead. She's not dead!"
"I'm sorry, son. That is all we can do for today. We will continue the search tomorrow morning." They get in their police cars and drive away. Tears fill my eyes. I look over to see Finnick, and he is frozen in place, his green eyes filled with sadness. No. She is not dead. I take off into the woods.
"Katniss!" I scream. "Katniss!" I snap my eyes everywhere, looking desperately for a place the police didn't search. Then I find it. A huge, tall tree way off in the distance. Of course she would go there! She loves tall trees. She likes to climb them. My heart fills with hope as I take off towards the tree in the distance. Finnick calls after me, telling me its no point, all I can really hear is my panting as I sprint away. "Katniss!" I yell again. "Katniss!" I make it to the tree and look all around, my heart sinking when I find nothing.
"Kat?" I choke out softly, my eyes already filling with tears. "Where are you?" And just like that, I feel a small rustle in the grass. My head snaps over to see her lying in the tall grass, her eyes barely open. "Katniss!" I fling myself towards her, and tears fall from my eyes at the sight of her.
Her once pink lips are now a chilly shade of blue, her skin pale. Her hair is wet and sticking to her from the rain last night. A choked sob escapes me at the sight of her chest, deep, 6 inch claw marks slashing across.
"Peeta." she barely whispers. She reaches for me and I gently take her hand and gather her into my arms, and she collapses.
"Finnick!" I scream. "Finnick!" he is way in the distance, but I can see him taking off towards us. I turn my head back to Katniss, and see her panting. "Oh my god. This isn't happening. Katniss, stay with me love, stay with me!" I desperately say to her, but she just coughs. Finnick arrives.
"Oh my god." he says. "Oh, kitty kat." his eyes fill with tears and I gently scoop her up, and Finnick wraps a blanket around her. She begins shivering madly, panting like a tired dog. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Run, Peeta!" we instantly take off in a sprint, Katniss in my arms in bad condition, as Finnick already takes out his phone calling the hospital as he runs along. We get to the truck and Finnick flings in the drivers seat, while I sit in the back with Katniss in my lap. I feel myself pale as I watch her eyes roll in the back of her head.
"No, no, no. Stay with me, love, I'm right here. Look at me, Katniss. Open your eyes!" Tears stream down my face, Finnick speeding about 50 over the limit.
We scurry out of the car, Katniss in my arms, currently unconscious. Finnick rams through the hospital doors, and we race to the front desk.
"Help her!" he shouts. "Get her a room! Do something!" many bystanders stare at us and the blue girl in my arms. The receptionist is juggling papers and calls and she scowls at Finnick
"Sir, we are very busy. You can't just barge in. She will have to wait like everyone-"
"Open your eyes, lady, this is a fucking hospital, not a cold and flu doctors office! My friend here is dying while you take calls, so drop your fucking papers and get someone who knows what they are doing!" he roars. Just as the receptionist is about to reply, an angry doctor flies through the door, demanding what the commotion is about. His eyes immediately widen when he sees Katniss, and he runs behind the door. Seconds later someone snatches her from my arms and puts her on a gurney. About 6 doctors surround her as she is rushed back. I'm about to rush back with her when a doctor stops me.
"You can't go in there." he says sternly.
"Please! I love her! Let me be with her!" I beg, tears streaming down my face. Just then, Annie and Johanna burst through the door. They are quickly at my side, as well as Finnick.
"Let us in, dammit!" Finnick shouts.
"No. Strictly only immediate family is allowed." the man says, his voice still hard.
"We're the only family she's got." Annie says softly, looking sadly at the doctor. His face softens briefly before it is stern again, and he sighs.
"Alright. Actually, you can't go in there at this exact moment since she just is being worked on, I can't let you through any loophole on that. I suppose..." he sighs again. "You can go in, but not till they give me the full report."
"Full report?" I say.
"What is wrong with her." he says.
As if on command, a nurse steps out. "Is anyone here for Katniss Everdeen?" Finnick, Annie, Johanna and I quickly surround her. She clears her throat. "She is going to be okay." My heart lifts. "But she got pretty beat up. What exactly happened?" she says. I look to the floor, un responding. I don't think I should tell her what really happened.
"We, uh...we were camping, and Katniss got lost. We started looking for her, but it started pouring rain and we couldn't see anything, so we went back to the campsite and called the police." I lie, rubbing the back of my neck. She doesn't blink though, and continues talking.
"Well, I suppose that makes a lot of sense, considering her case. She has a very bad case of hypothermia. It is probably because she was in the cold rain with no protection for a while, out in the middle of nowhere. We also think she was attacked by some sort of animal, there being some deep scratch marks on her chest. Luckily, the scratches weren't too deep, and those will recover ok too. Only one of them needed stitches. She also has a broken leg, but that will heal over time, too. She is a very, very lucky girl, though. You kids better be more careful next time." she says. "Would you like to see her?"
We all nod feverishly.
"Alright, one at a time, though. Hypothermia can cause major mental confusion, and we don't want to stress her out. One at a time."
They all turn to me.
Katniss
The first thing I can register is how weary I am. I can barely lift my arm. I try to lift my head, and I start coughing. A jab of pain screams in my chest. I moan before laying back down. Where am I? What happened? I close my eyes and try to remember what all has happened.
Fire. As they lift me up over the flames, my world comes crashing down. I choke on the smoke in the air as I scream. Someone yanks Cato and Marvel away, and I fall to the ground with a thud. My eyes wide, my memories screaming in my head, I tuck my knees to my chest, feeling my eyes start to go hollow. I feel myself sucked deeper into darkness as I look up into the kind blue eyes. Suddenly everyone is here to hurt me. They want me into the fire. I have been tricked. Nobody loves me. No one is there. All I truly know is the evil and despicability of the hot fire. I have to get away. Flight is essential, but I must not let my fear show. I scramble to my feet, and dash with my unsteady feet to the tall grasses that holds who knows what. They call out for me, but I have to get away. From the fire. From Gale. From the evilness of the world. Nothing feels safe or familiar. I run and run and run, until I see the one thing that I know will never hurt me.
A tree.
The only thing in life I have ever seen true beauty in. Nature. Woods. I run to it, faster with every step, until someone trips me. I fly into the air and land on the ground with a thud. Panting heavily, I lift my head. I am right under the tree. I try to get up, so I can climb it, but my leg feels like it has been smashed. I scream in pain. I lay my head down and I feel tears slip from my eyes as the rain begins to fall. Why did I run? Why do I always run when I am scared to death? Why am I so timid and broken? I guess I deserve this. Gale is right. I am nothing. No one loves me. This was meant to be my fate, lying injured, cold and alone, like I deserve. I am trash. I am garbage. I feel myself slipping away when I hear it.
A small rustle in the grass, a few meters away.
"Help." I cough out softly. "Help."
I am greeted by a pair of vicious green eyes.
A mutt.
I forgot what they were called. But these mutts were created by the Capitol. Farmers and land owners purchase them, and set them free on their property. They are meant to hurt any intruders, and I guess I am a intruder.
So this is it. This is my fate. To be ripped to shreds by a vicious mutt, out alone and cold in the rain, far away where no one can reach me. I try to get up, to scoot away, but my leg shrieks at me to stop. I only manage to stagger a few feet before the mutt pounces on me and I collapse to the ground with an agonized scream. It rips at my chest, his claws slowly raking my skin, making it as painful as possible. Only the Capitol would create something so mean and ruthless. I have no choice but to lay there in pain, my broken soul being eaten away. It lifts its paw and I close my eyes, waiting for the death blow, but it doesn't happen. It seems like it is almost...bored. It just walks away.
That's it? It's not going to kill me? It's a mutt. It's designed to kill. I feel my head getting heavy, and my world goes black before I can register what's happening.
The next thing I know, I'm awake.
Barely awake.
Barely alive.
Voices call my name. I open my mouth, trying to call out to them, but my weary body has given up. I can't move. I can barely even breathe, let alone open my eyes. I turn my head, just the slightest, and there he is. The beautiful boy with blonde curls and blue eyes, looking desperately for the ugly, hollow shell of a person. He glances over and his eyes widen, and he calls my name as he rushes over to me. He lifts my head into his lap and he screams for Finnick, and then begins talking to me worriedly. I can barely make out a word he is saying. I hear 'stay', and 'love', and a few other things, but all I am focusing on is trying to say his name.
"Peeta." I whisper. It's barely audible, but I think he caught it. The next thing I know I am being scooped up, and oddly, I can't feel any pain. Then I realize how cold I am. I am shaking violently, and breathing heavily. I am numb with cold. A blanket is placed around me, one that smells like Peeta. I try to burry myself in its warmth, but all I can do is close my eyes. I can't close my mouth, tiny, shivering pants are escaping rapidly. I can't breathe. I feel myself heaving, trying to take in air, and seeing streams of tears down Peeta's face as he holds me when we get in the truck. I black out once again.
I wake up gasping for breath. I rub my temples, trying to blink myself into focus. Okay. I am Katniss Everdeen. I am 19 years old. I was at a bonfire. Cato and Marvel held me over a fire. I ran away. I was attacked by a mutt. I blacked out. Peeta saved me. I blink again, feeling utterly confused. My thoughts are jumbled and I feel a little sick. The first thing that registers is how weary I am. I feel so weak I could just slip away, but I'm not going to let that happen. I try to lift my head, but that would be pointless because it would just plop down on the pillow again. I try to take in my surroundings.
I am in a hospital bed, and one of my legs is in a sling. My skin is pale. Very pale. There is a tube in my arm. I am all alone. I am wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown, and a thin blanket over me. It then registers how cold I am. I shiver violently, attempting to rub one of my arms with my hand. I eventually give up in weakness, helplessly laying on the bed. Then the door creaks open, and there he is.
Looking upset and distressed, but still handsome as ever. He walks over to my bed and sits down, and that's when his tears fall.
"I'm so s-sorry Katniss." he says, taking one of my hands in both of his. His bright blue eyes look broken as they stare into mine. "This is all my fault."
"No, Peeta, its not." I say, gaining back a little bit of strength. I rub my thumb over his hand. I never should have done this. I never should have freaked out and ran away.
"Yes it is!" he wails. "I know you hate fires. I-If I never would have p-pressured you to g-go, then none of this would have h-happened! This is all my f-fault. All my fault!" he cries, burying his face into his hands. "You should hate me right now." he sniffs.
"I could never hate you. You know why? Because I love you." I say softly, caressing his face. He stills.
"You do?"
"Yes, you idiot. I told you at the bonfire!" I say, laughing. "Of course I love you."
"I'm sorry, I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet." he sniffles. Suddenly, he brightens. "You love me!" He looks at me and grins ear to ear, pure happiness in his beautiful blue eyes. "You, you love me!" He begins laughing with joy and I roll my eyes but can't help but join in. He's such dork. Suddenly, he thrusts his lips onto mine, feverishly and happy. Utterly surprised, I respond after a couple of seconds and wrap my arms around him. I melt in the feeling of his warm, perfect lips on mine. How long has it been since we last kissed? I pull him closer and things start to get heated up. Just when I am about to moan, he pulls away, our foreheads touching.
"You love me." he whispers again. He closes his eyes and smiles softly.
"Yes." I whisper. "I do." I pull his face to mine again, and even after everything I went through yesterday, all of it becomes water under the bridge as I kiss this beautiful boy that I love so much.
I'm baaack! I missed you guys! I hope you liked this chapter! Awww, she loves him. So cute. Sappy ending c: the M rated chapter will be coming up pretty soon ;) but until then, review and stay tuned! QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
In the actual Hunger Games series, do you think Peeta was a virgin before he met Katniss?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.