abugsaunt- You're such a good aunt. I'm glad you caught on to how Cato never gets what he wants in those damn gardens, haha. I'm so cruel. I won't be cruel though to use the scenario you hate. Peeta will have enough on his plate by the end of the chapter. And I saw your update. Headed over there to read it right now!
scheiGuy- Some normalcy despite the chaotic background of their relationship is what I'm struggling to achieve, so I'm pleased you see it. And you can't be too surprised with my cliffhangers. I love them so much, especially when they incorporate events from the book.
Guest- You'll see how Peeta reacts in this chapter. And Peeta and Cato are still rebels in an ongoing war, so I think you'll get your wish eventually ;)
MangoMagic- That wasn't the last you'll see of Clove and Marvel. I'm already scheming for more scenes for them. I get the mixed feelings about the time skip. It wasn't a big one, but it did skim over potential moments I could have detailed more on. I just like relationships that grow over time and not the ones that are just those rare explosions of "love" right away. I believe in infatuation before love and I admit I was too lazy to go into detail of a month's worth of slow growth between them. Rest assured, there's still plenty of progress these two need to do and you'll get to see that.
sundragons9- I'd say they're together, but haven't put titles on it. And yes, the ending was certainly not a good thing, as you'll find out in this chapter.
CupcakeSprinkles14- Ooh, thank you. I should just quit school and work and become a slogan writer... then a week later end up a bum on the streets lol.
Pale Is The New Tan- Aww, shucks. You're too kind. My "writing skills" are just me having fun doing this story so I can share it with wonderful people like yourself.
Possessed4evr- Oh, I will finish this. I'm driven to. I never thought about a modern day story with these two. You see, I'm not a writer or an aspiring one. I'm just doing this for fun in between school and work. But I guess I should never say never ;)
DrarryFrerard- You had me laughing pretty good there with your "pervy smile." hahaha. That's great. And it's basically the only type of smile I'm able to do half the time. Thanks for the laugh.
PleasedAnon- Please don't go jumping to conclusions. Any similarities to other fics are certainly not intentional. But thanks for at least giving me a shot, even if you found it terribly unoriginal.
"Madam President, Special Intelligence has just informed us that the Capitol sent a fleet of hovercrafts strapped with missiles that are headed straight for district 12."
"District 12?" Coin exclaimed. "Send out our fighter fleet to intercept them immediately!"
All the officials were scrambling as the tributes sat there, stunned. Suddenly, Katniss was pulling Peeta up and running with him out the door. "We have to go with them, Peeta!" she screamed. "Our families need us!"
The pair from district 12 threw on their gear and accompanied a hovercraft that would tail the fighter fleet from a distance. High-tailing it over to 12, they saw that the Capitol had gotten there first. Fire was raining down on their home as the enemy crafts released their bombs. 13's own aircrafts soon intercepted, and the battle in the air began. Blasts were riddling the sky as one Capitol craft was shot down. It crashed directly into the justice building in a fiery explosion. The Capitol continued to drop their bombs, despite the dogfight, and Peeta and Katniss watched in horror from their surveillance craft as their home was being obliterated before their very eyes.
"Over in the forest! Look down below!" one of the soldiers in the craft shouted. Everyone on board looked over to see, just outside the boundaries of 12, a large mass of people running madly into the woods. It appeared they had busted through the fence and were escaping the attack by taking cover in the surrounding forest.
"We have to help them!" Katniss was practically pulling her hair out.
The pilot radioed for central command to send out more rescue crafts as he immediately landed in the cover of the woods. Everyone on board quickly rushed out with emergency kits as they caught up to the fleeing victims. Looking out into the sea of people, someone specific caught Katniss' eye.
"Gale!" She could just make out the head of her tall hunting partner through the masses.
"Katniss!" the dark-haired boy cried out in return. He hoisted a little girl in blonde braids up above the crowd for Katniss to see. The huntress immediately broke down as she pushed her way through to reach them. Peeta followed frantically and the two made their way to Gale and his family who had saved Prim and Katniss' mother. The dogfight and explosions were still going on above in the distance.
Katniss embraced her sister as Gale explained their escape. "We only got away because we first heard the bombs coming from the village square. It gave us enough heads up to get to the edge of the district before they started hitting the Seam too," he huffed between staggered breaths.
"They hit the village square first?" Peeta whispered in horror. The bakery was in the dead center of the village square.
"The whole place went up in flames," Gale mumbled solemnly. "I'm so sorry, Peeta."
Peeta suddenly broke away from them, running straight for the broken fence into the burning district.
"Peeta! No!" Gale screamed out to him.
No one could stop the rebel as he recklessly ran with all his might through the treacherous battle zone. Bombs were being dropped right over his head as he just kept pumping his legs forward, dodging the flaming shrapnel that flew all around him. He found himself face-to-face with the bakery; his family's bakery. It wasn't a bakery anymore. The whole structure had collapsed and was smoldering now as he ran forward and began digging through the hot rubble. The whistles of the bombs that were now focused on destroying the Hob were deafening, but Peeta still tried to shout above them.
"Father!" he screamed as he tore through the ruins. He stopped to listen for any response, but heard none. His efforts were frantic as he burnt his hands tunneling through the scorching wood of his childhood home, trying to find any signs of life. He suddenly felt arms wrapped around his waist and turned to find Boggs pulling him away.
"It's too late, Peeta!" Boggs shouted. "You can't save them now. We have to go! It's too dangerous to stay here any longer!"
Peeta tried to struggle free but was dragged back through the Seam and into the woods. More rescue crafts had arrived by then to load all the refugees in and take them to 13. Peeta was thrown into one of the hovercrafts still kicking and screaming. He kept sputtering maniacally that he had to save his family but it was eventually reduced to an exhausted whimper as the door of the craft closed and everyone was taken away.
Arriving back at 13, the whole district was in chaos as everyone pitched in to make room for the influx of refugees. Peeta helped, but the whole event was just a giant blur. All the yelling and barking of orders seemed muffled in his ears. Everybody looked as if they were running in slow motion. When he tried to speak, his voice was mute. All his senses were shutting down. He was going completely numb.
A tear had escaped his eye and soaked into the bandage he was putting on one of the injured when he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and ran, not sure where he was going. What are you doing? His mind asked him. Stop running. You can't run from this.
The shaking boy stopped and fell where he stood. Crippling anguish was taking over his body. He couldn't help but feel responsible. District 12 was one of the least threatening districts to the Capitol. It was clear Snow directly attacked 12 because it was Peeta's home. The entire district was gone now, the ruins still blazing due to the added fuel of coal dust that blanketed every inch.
And now his family was dead.
Peeta tried to fight the creeping darkness that dared to swallow him up. The last thing he wanted to do was go catatonic. So he started to cry. He couldn't remember the last time he cried. There were plenty of times he wanted to, but he always managed to bottle it up. But none of those times compared to now. The pain ate at his soul as he curled up in the shadows, grieving in solitude. He had never felt so alone.
Cato was still in the hovercraft hanger among the crowd who worked to help the refugees from 12. The entire time he was scanning the sea of people trying to find Peeta. As things started to calm down, he found Katniss sitting with her family and another boy's family. The young man looked enough like Katniss to be her cousin.
"Where is he?" the Career asked desperately. Katniss knew exactly who he was referring to.
"I don't know," she sighed. "He came back with us, I know that much. Cato, the Capitol strategically bombed the part of our district where Peeta's family lived. Peeta ran straight into enemy fire to dig through the ashes of his home. He saw it all. He lost everything and everyone. Wherever he is, he shouldn't be alone right now."
Cato felt a rage towards the Capitol that boiled his blood. "I'll go find him," he assured. Katniss actually gave him a sad smile and mouthed thanks as he quickly turned to hunt the younger blonde down.
The Career looked everywhere. The smaller boy wasn't in his room, wasn't in any of the shooting ranges, and wasn't in the dining hall. As he passed the entryway to an empty weapons hangar, he caught the sound of pained sobs echoing out.
"Peeta?" he called as he cautiously entered. The large artillery shelter was completely dark, the only light coming in was from the hall where Cato entered. He found the younger blonde sitting on the balcony that overlooked the bottom level of the hangar, leaning his upper body against the poles of the railing and dangling his legs over the side. His back was facing the Career.
"Peeta, I've been looking all over for you," Cato whispered.
"I didn't want to be found," the boy choked out. "Please, just go away."
"No," Cato refused. "I can't just go away. I'm not gonna leave you alone in here."
"But I am alone!" Peeta suddenly shrieked at the taller blonde, turning to face him. His eyes were red and swollen, and the light from the hall outside glistened off the tear stains on his cheeks. Cato felt a lump form in the back of his throat at the sight. He'd never seen his Peeta like this before. It was killing him.
"Peeta," he spoke softly as he approached the suffering boy, "you're not alone. I'm here for you. And I'm not going anywhere."
"They're gone," Peeta mumbled. "All gone. That was my home, Cato. That was my family! Those were my friends!" He was starting to shriek again. "And now they're gone! My whole world obliterated before my eyes and it's all my fault!"
Cato rushed over to sit and embrace the tormented boy. He felt him shaking and saw the wild torture in his blue eyes. "Peeta, this isn't your fault. Why would you ever think that?"
Peeta just kept rambling through the sobs. "Training to fight all these years, getting sent to the Hunger Games; it was me who was supposed to die. NOT them. I was prepared to die and have my family and friends live on without me. I wasn't prepared for the other way around. I put myself out there as a target and my family and friends took the hit for me. I feel so ashamed."
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Peeta," Cato said sternly, trying to convince the boy. "You're an amazing and skilled soldier, but you're also a 16 year old boy. You had family and friends that you strived to provide a better life for by taking down their oppressors. What you've accomplished is nothing to be ashamed of. The Capitol did this. Not you. I bet everyone you knew was so proud of you and now they're looking down wishing you'd stop blaming yourself."
Peeta was stunned at the warmth and compassion coming from a Career. He felt the steady and unwavering grip wrapped around his shoulders. Looking into Cato's eyes, he could see he truly meant everything he said. And that made Peeta believe the older blonde was right. Peeta really needed to hear those things. It affected him deeply and the tears he tried to push back with Cato around began to rush down again. He quickly turned his face away.
Cato reached out and grabbed Peeta's chin. "Don't hide your face from me."
"I don't want you looking at me and watching me cry."
"Why not?" Cato shrugged. "You don't have to hide yourself from me, Peeta. I would never judge you or belittle you. Ever."
"That doesn't sound like the mantra of a district 2 Career," Peeta sniffled with a pathetic attempt of a smile.
"As more time passes, I'm finding myself deviating further and further from the typical district 2 Career. Granted, I'm anything but typical," Cato smirked as he used his ego to lighten the mood. "In fact, none of this is typical; this place, you, me, our lives right now. None of it is normal, but it's ours and we'll hold onto it for dear life. We can't let them take anymore away from us."
"I won't let them take anymore," Peeta assured, wiping the tears away. "I'll fight with everything I have left in me to end this. It's time the districts get the chance to live the life they've always wanted and deserved."
"Glad to hear it," Cato smiled. He was beginning to see that fire spark back up in Peeta.
Cato picked the younger boy up then and carried him to the showers to get cleaned up. He put him in fresh pajamas before carrying him to his bed. He tucked Peeta in before laying himself down on top of the covers and just laid there with the younger blonde until he finally fell asleep.
Peeta sank into the precious release of slumber as he realized how truly grateful he was for Cato. And the Career was right. He wasn't alone, and this was anything but typical.