Hello! Sorry for the lapse in time since my last update. I've been busy with finals and Christmas. I was also debating on what to do with Peeta. I made this chapter extra long to make up for it. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 14

The week of preparations goes by quickly. I received an 11 during my private sessions, which most would consider a good thing but I know the real reason why, thanks to my mentor. I did something I shouldn't have. I shot an arrow in close proximity to the Gamemakers. The only reason I did it in the first place was to get their attention. They were more interested in the food than me. Now I have the highest score, making me a target for tributes.

It is now the night of the Interviews, the final night before the Games start. I nervously pace in my room as I wait for Effie to come and collect me. My hair is done along with my makeup and I'm in a red dress that Cinna told me lights up in flames when I twirl. It's a running theme with my outfits, starting with the fiery outfit I wore on the night of the Opening Ceremony.

I hate to admit it but the pacing is also due to something that upset me earlier. I spent the whole week with Peeta Mellark, in training and on the rooftop during our free time. I got to know him pretty well since our arrival in the Capitol. Today, when he didn't show for breakfast, Haymitch informed me that he wanted to be coached separately. At first I was confused but now I get it. Tomorrow we will be competing against each other in the Arena. He's probably just trying to distance himself. It still hurts though. We got along so well and it was nice having someone from home to talk to, even though we didn't know each other before this tragic turn of events. I hear a knock on the door and Effie enters, commenting on how marvelous I look. The whole team of District 12 makes their way to the lobby of the Training Center where everyone is starting to gather.

I do my best to ignore Peeta, avoiding his gaze as I look strait ahead. We are lined up in order by District, with the girls first. This also allows me to not have to see him. This doesn''t stop him from trying to talk to me.

"Katniss." he whispers, bringing his lips close to my ear.

"Don't." I say back to him. I don't feel like hearing his apologies. It doesn't matter now. Tomorrow, we will be on our own.

The line starts moving and I muster a small smile as we make our way onto the stage. We take our seats and Caesar Flickerman begins by introducing each of us. He then got straight to the interviews starting with District 1. I hate that we have to be the last District to be interviewed. I just wanted to get it over with. When it finally was my time, I make my way to the chair. I embarrass myself when I don't hear the first question and ask 'What?' causing laughter from the audience. Thankfully Caesar helps me, and the rest of the interview goes well. I even manage to show the audience my dress and what it can do. They seem to love it. Maybe I can actually get sponsors and win this. I'd do anything to get back to my family and Merrick. Even if I only saw him on the Victory Tour. That would be enough for me.

I listen in on Peeta's interview. I missed the first part. Caesar is now asking him if there is a special girl back home. When he finally admits that there is, I can't help but wonder whom. I don't know much about the romantic lives of my classmates but I don't remember him ever having a girlfriend. Caesar than tells him to win so she can't turn him down. He then says that winning won't help and when Caesar asks why, he stammers out, 'Because she came here with me.'

My eyes widen when I realize what he means…he means me. I am the girl he's had a crush on since he can remember. I look at the ground so all of Panem won't see my shock. I can feel the blush hit my cheeks so much that they are burning with heat. I look up at the screen and can see the cameras are waiting for my reaction. I look shy but beautiful thanks to the work of Cinna and my prep team.

They finish the interview and we are escorted off the stage. A bunch of tributes are put into the elevator before it is sent up. Luckily, he is not in here with me. I'm still angry at him for embarrassing like that. I am alone as I reach my floor. When I exit, I see him walking off the elevator next to mine. I grab him by his lapel and slam him into the wall across from me. He slides down before trying to get up and I push my heel into his chest causing him to fall again.

"What was that for?" he asks in shock.

"Why did you say that?" I shout at him as glare into his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I say that?" he bellows back.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" I say pounding my fist on his chest as a few tears manage to pass down my face. I can't help but think of Merrick and the fact that he had heard that. What must he think of me? Does he think I've moved on? My anger fuels my actions as my fists repeated hit Peeta's chest. I feel hands pulling me away from him and look back to find Cinna and Haymitch separating us.

"What's going on here?" Haymitch reprimands us.

"You heard what he said…about him and me. He had no right to say that."

"Oh that's all?" Haymitch guffaws.

"What do you mean that's all?" I say now charging at him. Cinna stops me and steadies me by placing his hands on my shoulders.

"He did you a favor."

"He made me look stupid." I retort.

"He made you desirable." Haymitch answers back. "Before he said that, you looked like a silly girl, twirling around with that dress of yours. Now everyone is pulling for the star-crossed lovers of District 12."

"But we aren't star-crossed lovers!"

"Who cares? Let them believe what they want to believe. I'll have sponsors lined up around the block after that." And I know he's right. The crowd when crazy when they heard Peeta's confession. They love the fact that there would be something new and exciting in the Games this year. Effie breaks off the fight, announcing we are late for dinner. We all file into the room and take our seats as our final evening together begins.

The next morning goes by in a flash. After breakfast, I am given a shot to inject my tracker and then loaded into a hovercraft with the other stylists and tributes as we are taken to the Arena. They black out the windows so we are unable to get a peek of the environment that we will be raised into in an hour's time. Once we are underneath the Arena, we are taken to separate rooms where our Head stylists prep us alone. I am lucky to have Cinna. He is amazing. He's not like the other Capitol citizen. He doesn't dress flamboyantly or drone on about gossip. We spend most of the hour in silence as he dresses me and braids my hair. He radiates a calmness, which prevents me from freaking out too much. He then pulls out the pin that Madge gave me and attaches it to my outfit. I had almost forgot about it.

Before I know it, it's launch time. I hug Cinna tightly and thank him before stepping on the plate that will raise me into the Arena. I feel my heart start to race as I move upwards. The sun shines brightly as I rise from the ground. The Arena resembles the woods near my home. At least I'll have a little advantage having hunted in a similar environment. I know the resources available to me. The countdown begins and I quickly look around to see which tributes are near me. No one too threatening is to my direct right or left. A few plates over, I see Peeta look over at me and shake his head. He must know that I am currently thinking about running towards the Cornucopia even though Haymitch told us not to. I nod in response.

When the countdown runs out, I step off my plate I jut towards the Cornucopia just to get the backpack not too far ahead of me. This only leads to trouble as the girl from District 2 throws knives at me. I use the backpack to deflect them as I run into the forest. At least my low weight has one advantage: it keeps me fast. I run for what seems like forever. I wonder about Peeta and if he has managed to make it out of the bloodbath. I then stop in my tracks as I think about our strategy. Was I supposed to meet up with him? I never did ask Haymitch about that. I sweep it from my mind and focus on finding water. Haymitch said that was important. If I am meant to be with Peeta, we will somehow find a way to each other.

After searching for most of the day, I finally find a water source. I fill up the water bottle I found in my backpack and purify it with the iodine droplets. I wait for them to work and I quickly rehydrate myself. As I am drinking I hear the canon sound, signifying that the bloodbath is over. There are 11 shots fired. I can only hope that Peeta is not among the dead. I refill the bottle and place some more drops in before I am on my way. The sun is setting now and I know I should find some place to rest from the night. I decide on a tall tree not too far away. It looks sturdy and its foliage should keep me hidden. When I am a safe distance up, I open my backpack and retrieve the sleeping bag to keep me warm, a long rope to tie myself to the tree so I won't fall out when I rest.

Night falls and the Anthem plays. Peeta is still alive. That thought is enough to calm me as I try to get some rest. What little peace I have is interrupted when I see a fire lit closeby by another tribute. I silently curse her for luring other tributes to us. It's only a matter of time before the pack of Careers is but a few feet from my tree. I listen as they chase her. Her scream alerts me that they found her and I know what is next. They walk back towards me talking and bragging about their latest kill. When they notice the cannon hasn't sounded, they suggest that someone goes to finish her off. My heart stops when I hear a voice volunteer to do it. It belongs to Peeta Mellark. I then start to wonder about the Careers letting him join their alliance and why he'd want to. The cannon sounds and he returns and the Careers carry on. I close my eye and try to get some rest before the long day ahead of me.

The past few days have been rough. I managed to escape death by the hands of the Gamemakers but not without injury. A fireball managed to nip my leg making it more difficult to move. The Careers managed to find me and chased me up a tree. I did manage to get away from them by sawing off a branch that had a Tracker jacker's nest attached to it. I was stung a few times but the girls from District 1 and 4 died as a result of it. Peeta got stung too but I'm not sure how bad it was. It might have been the hallucinations I suffered from but I could have sworn he tried to help me. I'm not sure what happened next because I passed out.

When I awoke, I found the girl tribute from 11, Rue, using plants to draw the venom from the tracker jackers out of my skin. She reminds me of my sister. We formed an alliance and managed to make quite a mark in the Arena. We successfully took out the Careers food source. Things took another turn for the worst shortly after that. The boy from District 1 speared Rue right in her chest, a fatal injury. I quickly took him out and rushed to Rue, singing and holding her before her cannon fired. I covered her in flowers before leaving her. I almost lost my will to survive as I wept for her. I had failed her. I thought I could protect her. I was wrong.

I don't get out of my depression until I hear Claudius Tempersmith's voice announce a rule change. He says both District tributes can be crowned as Victors if they are the last ones standing. I finally have a purpose. I need to find Peeta Mellark and I need to get him out of here alive. I begin my hunt again, starting where I last saw him, by the stream. I step on a rock by the embankment when I hear a groan. I look down but see no one. I whisper his name, just in case he's hiding. I then hear his voice mutter "Here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I look below me to find him camouflaged with the rocks and mud around him. I help free him and clean him in the stream. It's there I notice the gash in his pant leg. He tells me that the boy from District 2, Cato, got him with his sword. I take off his pants and am disgusted by the sight in front of me. It take everything in me now to vomit right there. Instead, I use the leftover plants that Rue gave me to draw out the pus from his wound. This makes my stomach even weaker. He tells me to leave him, that he's a lost cause but I refuse. I am not leaving without him.

I help him out of the water and we climb a large hill until I find a safe place for us, inside a small cave. I lay him down, resting his head on my backpack.

"Katniss…thank you. You didn't have to…" he says.

"We're in this together." I say brushing some hair out of his face.

"Earlier…with the Careers." he begins.

"Shh, Peeta, you need to rest."

"No, you have to know. The only reason I joined them was to keep you safe. That first night, I saw you in the tree. I tried to keep them away from you. I never thought we'd cross paths."

"It's fine. I'm sorry about the tracker jackers. I thought you were with them. If I had known, I would have given you warning."

"I'm just happy we found each other." he says with a smile.

"Me too. Now close your eyes. You need your rest." This time, he listens to me and closes his eyes.

The next few days pass by and Peeta case is more severe. He fever has spiked and the infection is growing worse. Haymitch hasn't sent anything for it. I know that if something doesn't happen soon, he will die. He tries to put on a brave face but there are times where he breaks. I can see the agony on his face. Other times, he is delirious, ranting on about past memories of his family and District 12. Sometimes, he looks so weak that I think he's in his final moments. Right now is one of those times.

"Katniss, come closer." he breathes out. I do as he says and position my face close to his. He then says 'closer' and I know that he doesn't want the audience to hear. I place my ear next to his mouth and wait. "Kiss me." I pull back to look at him and find his eyes pleading with me.

"Why?" I whisper in his ear. I then place my ear next to his mouth.

"I don't have much longer and it's the only way to get the medicine." he says. I know he's right. We are supposed to be star-crossed lovers, after all. The audience is probably waiting for us to show our affections. I guess me taking care of him is a start but it's not enough. I know it's time to kick our strategy into full gear.

"You're going to be fine." I say as I caress his cheek.

"It hurts so much." he says producing a film of tears over eyes. "Katniss, I'm not ready to go yet…I'm not ready to let go of you."

"I'm right here." I say pressing my forehead to his. I know this is it; that a kiss would fit in well here. Only my feelings for Peeta run no deeper than friendship. I'm not sure I can kiss him and make it look convincing. I have no choice though. I react quickly and lower my lips to his. Then, I do something I'm not proud of. I close my eyes and pretend that I'm kissing Merrick instead. He lips stay still for several seconds. For a moment, I start to question if he's even conscious but then feel his warm breath against my lips before he reciprocates the kiss. The way he kisses me tells me there are some sort of emotions behind the kiss. I wonder if he is imagining that he is kissing another girl, someone he left back in District 12. I end the kiss about a minute in. I don't want him to overexert himself. I know how weak his body is right now. I look down at Peeta and find him gazing up at me. I give him a brief kiss on the cheek and then smile warmly at him. I feel him place his hand over my hand, which is currently resting on his chest, lacing his fingers between mine.

We stay in silence for a while. I don't know what I should say, if anything. I'm not good at showing me emotions even if they real. How am I supposed to fake them? The added pressure that our lives depend on what I say or do doesn't help. I then think of his wound. Maybe if the audience gets a good look at it, they send in their money to sponsor us.

"Your leg…" I begin to say as I pull away from him. I stop the rest of my sentence as I feel his grip on my hand tighten.

"Leave it." he says. It's almost as if he wants me close to him.

"I haven't checked it since this morning. Your bandages may need changing." I say, pulling my hand from his. I unzip the sleeping bag that is covering him and unwrap the bandage that covers his wound. I place my hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp coming from my mouth but I'm too late. It pierces the air and I know he can hear it. His wound has swelled quite a bit and tiny red streaks are branching up his leg. It's the worst possible thing that could happen. The blood poisoning is starting to kick in.

"How is it?" he asks.

"The pus has stopped." I say, trying to be optimistic. I just want the audience to see how bad it is without letting him know the seriousness of his condition.

"Let me see." he says starting to sit up.

"Peeta, no." I say as I block his way. He gently moves me to the side and inspects his leg. I look down at my lap sighing in defeat.

"It's blood poisoning, isn't it?" he says his brow furrowed. I see the side of his mouth pull upward for just a second, and suddenly I know what he's doing. I'm sure by now everyone is the Capitol is pulling up 'blood poisoning' on their devices, trying to find out more information about it. I decide to help them out a little bit.

"It's still in the early stages. If we could just get some medicine you'd be fine." I say, letting them know a cure is possible.

"How much longer do I have?" he says as the worry shows through.

"I'm not sure. A day or two. You just need to hold on. We're almost there." I tell him as I wrap the gauze around his leg. Before I can cover him up, I feel him wrap his arms around my waist and pull me close to him, so that I'm laying beside him, the front of me pressed along his side. I hear him exhale deeply before he buries his face into the crown of my head. His arms tighten around me.

"Are you ok? Does it hurt?" I ask with apprehension.

"I wish we had more time." he murmurs.

"We have right now." I whisper.

"I always wanted to talk to you…when I saw you in the halls or in the square. I could never get up the nerve to even say hi." he tells me. I can't help but notice how well he can stay in character; that he is in love with me despite the pure agony he must be going through. I let him continue. "I guess I'm lucky in that respect, that my name was called at the Reaping. It finally gave me a reason to talk to you. It gave you a reason to notice me."

"Peeta, I've noticed you." I lie. I wonder if he'll accept it or call me out.

"You should have said something." he says.

"You should have said something. " I say slyly repeating his words. I brush my lips against his for a short kiss. When I go to pull away, I see him advance towards me, as if he isn't ready for the kiss to end.

"Peeta, you need to rest." I say as I press my cheek against his to deflect his lips.

"I can't help myself." he says playing with my braid. I can feel the warmth of his skin again mine, signifying that his fever is getting worse. I sit up and put the back of my hand to his forehead. It's burning although the sweat is no longer present. It might be a sign that he is dehydrated. I make him drink a good amount of water from my water bottle and he even manages to eat a few crackers.

When I tell him to get some rest, he tells me he is afraid to close his eyes. I lie down beside him and tell him that I'll be with him the whole time. He still looks scared so I drape my arm around his stomach and pull myself closer to him. He seems to like the close proximity and his eyelids droop down. Once I'm sure he is asleep, I sit up and examine his leg. The red streaks on his thigh have traveled further south. Now is when I really start to worry about him. I can't contain the sound that escapes my mouth. It almost feels like I'm drowning. I can't get any air into my lungs. I run out of the cave into the rain and gasp as the tears fall. I don't want him to die. He's such a nice boy. I didn't know him well back in District 12 but I knew that everyone that knew him loved him. There were only kind words said about Peeta Mellark.

"Please help." I call out in exasperation, as if that would really do me any good. Just because I ask for help, doesn't mean that anything will come of it. I look up in the sky, waiting for a package to drop but the only thing that falls are the droplets of rain. I wait for minutes like this but nothing changes. I run back inside the cave when I think about him and how I don't want him to wake up thinking I left him. Once inside the dank cave, I feel myself shivering to my bone. It was stupid of me to go running out in the rain like that, especially in the nighttime when they lower the temperature. I remove my outer layers and squeeze out the water before hanging them to dry. I return to Peeta and climb to the folded part of the sleeping bag before draping it over our bodies. The fever has raised his whole body temperature providing me with the warmth I need to prevent me from freezing. I think about how scandalous it must look to everyone watching at home, the two of us scantily clad under a sleeping bag. Right now I don't care. It's not like we really have feelings for each other. We are just friends.

I place my head on his chest, with my ear over his heart. It lets me know that he's still alive, that he's still with me. My eyes point towards the mouth of the cave as I keep watch. It proves to be difficult to stay awake. I'm already running on limited sleep. The rain hitting the ground doesn't help. It provides a soothing sound that slowly carries me off to sleep.

Before I reach that deep sleep, I hear something metal clunk to the ground outside. I grab my bow and quiver and ready an arrow. I look outside but no one is there. What I do see is a metal container lying in the mud in front of me. I quickly retrieve it and run back inside. My hands shake as I unfasten the lock. I silently hope that it's the medicine. Inside the container, I find a syringe filled with liquid. My eyes fill with tears and whisper a thank you into the air. I make my way over to Peeta and carefully unwrap his bandage. I don't even bother to wake him. I just insert the needle into the worst part on his wound and press down on the plunger. I am lucky he doesn't wake up in pain as I do this. Hopefully it's not a bad thing that he doesn't. I place the empty syringe on the other side of us before curling up next to him, hoping that he will be better by morning.

I wake up the next morning to the sensation of Peeta's lips on my forehead. I keep my eyes closed as he lets out a content sigh. I open my eyes a smile up at him to find him with a grin already on his face.

"You're better?" I ask with hope.

"Yes, I'm better. I see we got a little present last night." he says. I nod. I then sit up and remove the sleeping bag. His leg is completely healed. It's amazing what the Capitol medicine can do. He then asks where my clothes are and I explain to him what happened after he nodded off.

We pack up our things and go to the river to wash up. It has been days since either of us has bathed. We wash our clothes first and lay them on the hot rocks that have already soaked up the mid-day sun. We then focus on our bodies, using some rags to wash the dirt and sweat from our skin. I watch as Peeta walks toward me against the current. When he reaches me, he lowers his mouth to my ear.

"I think we owe the viewers something…after all they did save my life." he whispers quietly.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask. He leans in closer to me, running his lips against mine as we stand near the middle of the river with the water rushing past us. I use his body to steady my own as I feel the kisses deepen. I wonder where he learned to kiss like this. He is definitely quite skilled when it comes to kissing. I then start to think of the girl he's most likely practiced these moves on and how angry she must be that I am the one kissing him right now. I then think of Merrick who is surely watching this and if he thinks this is real. He has to know what I feel for him. I wait for Peeta to end the kiss but it seems like he has no intention of stopping. I have to kick his foot under the water to get his attention. His lips leave mine and he pulls me into his embrace.

"That should hold them over for a while." he murmurs close to my ear. There he goes again, thinking of strategies to sell our love for one another to the citizens of Panem. He's so smart. I ought to think of things to do as well.

We bask in the sun on a large boulder as we wait for our undergarments to dry before putting on our clothes. We share stories about our youth and our families as we lie there. I hear his stomach growl loudly as his body starts to function normally. I tell to get dressed and lead him to the woods. It's time that I teach him how to hunt.

Ok I have to be honest. I don't think is my best chapter. I didn't really know what to do with the Games (how much to include etc.) Let me know what you thought about it. Also do you think Peeta really likes Katniss or do you think it's part of the strategy (I'd be interested to know what your think).

BTW Merrick will be back next chapter (there will be some time jumps but I'm sure you won't mind, right?)