A/N: Okay guys I know it has taken forever for me to update. I am sooooo sorry! I have just been so busy with school and have not gotten the time to sit down and write it.

This chapter has quite a lot of dialogue from canon, but you get Peeta's comments on it. Hope you like it!

Chapter 4: Escape to the Garden

I feel giddy with excitement as we walk towards the elevators. This is more than anything I could hope for. We were the most loved district in the Opening Ceremonies; I can't even think of the last time this has happened. Effie seems to be even more excited than me. She spends the whole time cheerily chatting about how good she was at talking us up to sponsors and how interested they were in us. I catch the tail end of her recount of a conversation she had with them.

"And then I said, and this was very clever, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns into pearls!" She says so cheerily I think she might explode. This is completely ridiculous of course. If that was the case, half our district wouldn't be starving. I don't want the silence to make her feel bad, however, so I respond.

"That was very clever, Effie! I'm so glad we have you to help us!" I say as cheerily as I can muster. This seems to do the trick, as Effie goes on talking as much as she was before.

The elevator opens up onto the twelfth floor. I walk into a room so lavish, it makes the train look like District 12. I don't have the same reaction as I did before though, I think I have gotten used to the wasteful living of the Capitol. I'm about to head to my room before dinner, when I run into Cinna. He suggests we go up to the roof.

I stand by the railing, and breathe in the fresh air.

"I thought you would like a place to escape everything," Cinna says.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," I say gratefully. "How do they keep tributes from jumping off the roof?"

"Oh, there's some sort of electric field to bounce them back up. You can't physically jump off," he answers. I put my arm out to test it, and jump back when I feel the shock on my fingers. We stand there silently for a little longer and then Cinna suggests we leave for dinner.

We make our way to the dining room to eat. Everyone is talking about how brilliant Katniss and I were at the Opening Ceremonies. It's kind of making me uncomfortable; I've never been praised this much before. Come to think of it, I've never been praised in my life. A server brings out a cake and when she lights it, the cake is covered in fire. Katniss turns to ask her something, and then I see a flash of recognition her face.

"Oh, I know you!" Katniss says. This seems to unsettle Effie, who immediately replies.

"Oh no, Katniss, you can't possibly know an avox!" Effie says.

"What's an avox?" Katniss asks.

"They are convicts to the Capitol. Their tongues have been surgically altered so they can't speak."

This seems to cause some sort of reaction in Katniss. She looks so confused and lost. I can't let her get herself in trouble.

"Delly Cartwright!" I say suddenly. Katniss looks even more confused so I explain further. "She looked familiar to me too, and then I realized she was a dead ringer for Delly." Katniss still seems a little baffled, probably because the girl looks nothing like Delly Cartwright, but she seems to understand.

"Oh, yeah that's probably it," she says. Everyone seems to relax after that, including me.

After dinner, we all head into another room to watch a recap of the Opening Ceremonies. I notice how much screen time is still spent on us, and the commentators are simply gushing about us. It just reinforces in my mind how good of a shot Katniss and I have at sponsors.

After the recap is over, we head to bed. I stop Katniss on the way to her room. I would like to know exactly how she knew that girl.

"So, imagine finding a Delly Cartwright lookalike here?" I say casually.

I can see the conflict in her eyes, and realize she doesn't want to talk about it where the Capitol could be listening.

"You know, Cinna showed me the roof. It's a beautiful view of the city," I suggest. She nods and follows me through the door and up the stairs. When we get up the stairs I am hit by the breathtaking view of the city at night. I still hate it, but I can't deny its beauty. We walk up to the railing at the edge.

"I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" I say to break the silence that has formed. She seems intrigued by this idea.

"What'd he say?" she asks.

"You can't." To demonstrate, I put my hand over the railing and jerk it back when I feel the electricity pulse through my body. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

"Always worried about our safety," she says with an edge of bitterness to her voice. I thought the same thing when I found out. I would imagine they were worried about the bother of finding another tribute. I see a glint of worry in Katniss' eyes as she asks, "Do you think they're watching us now?"

I understand why she would be paranoid. I definitely feel like we're under surveillance at all times here. So, to be safe I suggest moving to the garden. Here the wind is blowing just loud enough that no one will be able to hear us. I give her an expectant look and she begins her story.

"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game." Her voice comes out in a whisper.

"You and your father?" I whisper back.

"No. My friend Gale." Of course she was with Gale. I've known he was her hunting partner from way back. He trades with my father when Katniss doesn't. Katniss quietly continues with her story as I mull this over. "Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it."

I close my eyes to take in her words. The way she describes it, I feel as if I'm there with her crouching behind some bush, watching these people doing something that I've never had the courage to do in my entire life: run away. To run away from everything I've ever known and loved, although it's not much, would be the bravest thing I've ever done. I open my eyes when she starts talking again.

"The hovercraft appeared of nowhere," she continues. "I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard the girl scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing happened."

It takes all my will to speak. I can hear the torment in her voice, but I have to find out what is causing it. "Did they see you?" I ask.

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," she replies. But, I can tell she's lying. She did know. I see the guilt in her eyes. Growing, like some monster that threatens to swallow her. Then, she begins to shiver, and I know it's not because of the cold. I can tell that story has tormented her for her entire life. She probably hates herself for not doing something, even though there's nothing she could have done without being punished herself.

"You're shivering," I say, because this is something I can fix; I can do nothing about her torment. So, I take off my jacket to wrap around her shoulders. She looks like she wants to resist, but eventually takes it. I have a feeling Katniss isn't used to people taking care of her. "They were from here?" I ask as I secure a button at her neck. She nods. "Where do you suppose they were going?" I'm curious because I don't exactly know where there is to go besides one of the districts, and those are worse than the Capitol.

"I don't know that," she replies. She then adds, "Or why they would leave here."

"I'd leave here," I blurt without thinking. I would leave here. The one thing the districts do have is choices, a sense of freedom. Here, they are so protected from the horrors of the Capitol. They don't know what the price for their comfort is. In order to be safe at night, they are kept in the dark. Yes, the districts have to compete in the Hunger Games, but at least we know the corruption of our government. At least we know how wrong we've been treated, where as those here in the Capitol think they live in complete security and that the government has their best interests in mind. But, I'm not supposed to admit this, especially if people are listening. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime," I quickly add. Now anyone listening will just think I'm a scared kid, and not suspect any rebellion on my part.

"It's getting chilly. We better go in," I suggest. When we get inside, I have to ask her one more question. "Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the Reaping?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" she asks.

"Not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other."

"No, we're not related," she says. I knew this of course. I figured it out when I saw the way Gale looks at her. He looks at her the same way I do. But, I can tell she doesn't return these feelings. She acts like he is family to her, nothing more.

"Did he come to say goodbye to you?" I ask. I'm curious if he clued her in on his feelings. Her face doesn't change, though, so I'm guessing he didn't.

"Yes," she replies, eyeing me skeptically. "So did your father. He brought me cookies."

I raise my eyebrows. This is news to me, but it doesn't surprise me. My father has always showed fondness for Katniss and her sister. I think they remind him of their mother. "Really?" I ask. "Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys. He knew your mother when they were kids." That's all I will say on the matter. I won't mention that he was hopelessly in love with her. It's kind of ironic now that I think about it. I'm in love with the daughter of the same woman that my father loved so long ago. I intend things to turn out differently for me. However, going into an arena to fight to the death with her kind of throws a wrench in my plans.

"Oh, yes," Katniss says. "She grew up in town." I can tell her mother's never mentioned my father. I could see the surprise on her face. It doesn't shock me. My father made it clear her mother never returned his feelings.

We're at Katniss' door now. She gives me back my jacket. "See you in the morning then," she says.

"See you," I say as I walk off towards my bedroom.

A/N: There it is! Hope you liked it! And please please please review! Even if you didn't like it, I just want to know what you think! Until next time!

-XO Mockingjay0221