Suzanne Collins gave us The Hunger Games

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Consciousness is varying.

I feel I'm held up against a body. My eyes are closing before I register much else.

I feel the air around my face when I come to once more. Like before I slip under.

I can't open my eyes, but I feel the searing pain in my shoulder by an arm around it. I feel another arm under my knees. I want to keep awake, but the darkness pulls me back.

My sight comes in flashes and I see the trees and dirt whizzing by. I see the outline of a face, but then I just become confused and welcome the dark.

The dark turns into vivid images which turn into nightmares.

In my dream I'm walking in the woods. The clouds are dark, too dark. The leaves are not their normal luscious green, but a crimson, bloody red. Then the trees appear to be crying tears of blood from the leaves. I feel the tears fall onto my forearm and I try to wipe them away, but they keep coming. The tears pool and it creates a type of mirror. In it is my sister and she's crying the tears of blood. I suddenly am inside the pool of blood on my arm and Prim is before me. She has fallen to the ground and is now clutching my calf. Her tears have found their way to my lower leg and her nails have embedded themselves into my skin. She is slowly peeling off the layers of skin on my leg and it is excruciating. It seems in my dream I'm frozen because I can't move or do anything to stop this. Then out of nowhere is a faceless man with blonde hair. My brain connects it with Peeta immediately and the pain in my arm and leg are subsiding. He calls to Prim and she gets up. This is when my dream changes entirely.

"No, Prim! Come back!" I yell

Prim turns around and her eyes have rid themselves of the blood. She says to me, "Katniss, be happy. Let me go, and live a healthy life in district 12 with Peeta. Did you know he really loves you?"

I'm taken aback by her knowledge of Peeta's feelings.

In my dream we're surrounded by white all of a sudden and the blonde, Peeta figure is gone. Prim is now standing, white, clean and pristine. She's walking away from me again.

"No, please, he doesn't feel that way anymore, and I don't care about him, I-" I'm interrupted by her slow, even tone.

"You do care about him, silly Katniss. You are always trying to be brave and strong for everyone that you don't listen to the ones around you. He still loves you." Prim said.

I'm brought back into a room with sobs desperately escaping my mouth. As the cries are leaving my lips I feel a strong pair of arms around me, only this time, I'm not afraid. They feel familiar and I hope I know who they belong to.

"Peeta..?" I squeak out after the screams have subsided.

"Shh.." he says. "I'm here, its okay. You're safe now and the dogs can't get you. You're safe."

I begin to slowly lift my head, "What happened?" I asked hoarsely.

I feel Peeta shuffle slightly to accommodate my head and then he speaks, "You were attacked by wild dogs but I followed you into the woods, you were a fighter, but you couldn't take them all. I took care of them all except one so beware if you go in the woods okay? Or just don't go in at all without me.." I don't think he meant for me to hear that last part, but I can't help it. I begin to sit up a little more and realize I'm on a bed.

"Where are we?" I ask and for the first time I'm looking at Peeta's sculpted face. His eyes are a clear blue and his eyebrows cover them perfectly. There is a cut above his left one and I remind myself to ask him about it later. I see his perfectly square jaw tighten and his cheeks become redder by the second. He's looking away from me and I realize he's embarrassed. I don't understand why he would feel that way. Then he spoke, "Well I brought you back to your house and I knew we both couldn't fit on the couch.. So.." He's stumbling over himself at this point and I realize why he's embarrassed. He wanted to stay with me and brought me to my bed, where we clearly have been since he brought me here.

We used to spend nights together and nothing ever happened. We weren't like that we just needed the comfort of one another and so we slept in the same bed. But this hasn't happened since the Quarter Quell and I understand his embarrassment.

"So you brought me to my bed." I finish his sentence for him. "Yes, I'm sorry.." Peeta says and he's getting up off of my bed. No, he can't leave now. I won't let him go especially when he has nothing to be sorry for. I grab his wrist before he can get away. I realize I grabbed him with my left arm that is covered in shirt material. I see it for the first time and I realize I'm in a lot of pain. I take my arm back and wince. Instead I try words, "No, Peeta, please don't go. I don't want you to go and I don't want you to be sorry okay?"

He looks down at me and slides back into my bed on my left side. He puts his arm behind my head and I lay my head on his shoulder. I can't see his face but I feel he's smiling.

I'm still holding onto my arm and realize the blood has gone through the makeshift bandage. Peeta realizes this also and takes my arm in his right hand. He lifts his right arm over my head to assist his examination.

He unwraps my arm and my stomach does flips. I've never been one to welcome the sight of jagged flesh and Peeta knows this.

"Don't look at it and it won't seem so bad." He says.

"Nothing seems bad if you don't look at it." I retort. He gives me his sad eyes and I wonder if he thinks that is how I viewed him. Maybe he thought by me avoiding him I was holding onto the old Peeta. Does he know I think of him as two versions of himself? Doubtful, I have never told anyone my thoughts on that except Prim and it was in my dreams.

"I would always watch you, you know." I say and he looks quizzically at me so I continue. "When you would plant the pri- uh bushes," I keep going despite my inability to speak my sister's name. "My eyes always drifted to you if I was ever in the same area as you. Even if I wasn't I would always find myself drifting in your direction. Peeta," I pause unsure of my next thought. "I think, I think I love you." With that last statement I look up at his face.

He's smiling at me, but it is a dark smile. Then I look and somehow he has his left hand wrapped around a long, sharp knife. He plunges it into the wound on my left arm and is carving out the bite mark.

I wake up and I'm screaming bloody murder.

xxxxx

Betcha no one saw that coming! Just a little twist I wanted to throw in there. Tell me what you think! As always review and tell me if you love it or hate it.. What happens now that Katniss has had such a vivid nightmare? What will her reaction be when she wakes up? What will Peeta do to reassure her? Hmmmmm!