Another life I remember vividly was life 23. It broke my heart to see this one.
Peeta
(Set Austria 1944)
Peeta was walking to school hand in hand with his daddy. It was the last day of second grade. Mrs. Everdeen was his favorite teacher and he would miss her in the third grade.
As the father and son walked across the long sidewalk, he spotted a train sputter to a stop on their right side. Five people in weird outfits filed out, two standing by the door and the rest spreading out more. Peeta's father pushed his back, forcing him to walk faster, and turned his head toward the school so he couldn't see anything else.
"Who are those people, daddy?" He asked.
"No one, Peeta. Go to your class now." His father responded. Peeta was still very confused.
He heard several shouts and his head flicked to the sound, worry sprawled on his face. He saw one of the men shoving a woman to the train. She was fighting back.
"No, Peeta," His father pushed him once more. "I'll see you after school." He said and gave a tiny push. His dad walked all the way back on the trail that would take him home.
Peeta continued walking and saw Mrs. Everdeen walking back from the school campus.
"Mrs. Everdeen! What are you doing? School's over there!" He exclaimed.
She gave him a sorrowful smile, staying silent. She kept walking until another one of the men took her by the arm and thrust her onto the train. As much as Peeta wanted to see where she was going, he stayed on the track to the school. Perhaps a substitute would come. But more people, parents, teachers, students, went on the train. Until he saw a insignificant face in the ocean of people. Katniss Everdeen. She seemed to be crying. He looked at her with confused, but sad expression. They made eye contact. For a second.
"Katniss?" Peeta whimpered.
Katniss turned back and the same man pushed her on the train. Katniss snapped at him, but the person did something Peeta would never expect. The man slapped her, across the face.
Peeta ran straight toward Katniss, pushing and shoving people in the process. Meanwhile, she fell to the ground, the man laughing at her.
"Katniss!" Peeta yelled. "Katniss!" He rushed to the train and finally, finally, reached her. He leaned over her just as the man grabbed at her. He swatted Peeta away, and kicked him. He landed on his left hand and heard a sickening noise. Crack! He screamed out, now Katniss was hovering above him.
"Peeta? What are you-" The man pulled Katniss up and shoved her in the train. "Peeta, run! Run!"
Peeta threw one sorrowful glance at her, then sprinted to school, forcing tears back. They would come back soon, he told himself, over and over again. I'll see them tomorrow/
The train kept coming back. Taking more and more people. Never bringing them back. They would come back, he kept saying. Every day, for years. Friends, family... gone.
He never saw them again.