Peeta

I understand now why the clothes Portia and my prep team wore were the certain shade of red: it's to conceal the sight of the blood.

Their lifeless bodies are taken away by the same Peacekeepers who shot them. Part of me believes that the four innocent workers of the Games are still alive. A small part tells me that to let it go. They aren't coming back.

Everyone else is evacuating the rooftop and I still can't process all of this. What could they have possibly done to deserve such a fate? If anything, it was probably so frivolous and President Snow is just as wicked as normal, refusing to let it go and to show Panem how extreme consequences are. It's sick to even think about this now.

Johanna, on my right, has a set of conflicted emotions scurrying her face. To my left, Annie has her hands covering her ears and her eyes are sealed shut. What to do now, I don't know.

Katniss enters my thoughts at that moment. I recall back in District 11 when the man who did the salute was shot before our eyes, the terror that passed through her then. Oh, Katniss. Is she okay? Is she safe? Did she just watch what I just watched? I'd give up anything just to know now.

Ed comes over to us a minute later and returns us to our cells. No one speaks at all. We stop at Annie's cell first, where she immediately squeezes herself in the corner of her cell as she shakes involuntarily, hands still pasted over her ears. Johanna and I are taken to our cells and Ed leaves after locking us up with only us and our thoughts.

I fall asleep shortly upon returning.

A dream blossoms.

Katniss and I are both in a white room, the Interrogation room to be exact. She's asleep, passed out, I can't tell. Attempts to reach her fail when I find my hands locked in chains attached to the wall.

I cry out her name multiple times but no movements occur.

And footsteps echo in the air. I cock my head to eye the balcony, finding President Snow standing there.

"Such bravery," he hisses, a smile crossing his face. A despicable one.

In his left hand, I see, is a revolver.

He points his left arm straight up.

"No!" I scream. "Please! Don't shoot her! Please!"

President Snow looks at me. I mouth the word please.

He ignores it.

The gunshot goes off.

"KATNISS!" I cry. "KATNISS!"

"KATNISS!"

I jolt up with heavy breaths and a tear sliding down my cheek. "KATNISS!"

"Peeta, Peeta, calm down. It's okay."

I hear Johanna's words but they don't circulate in my head. My hands shake, my head bangs with a new headache, and my eyes pool with tears.

"Katniss...Katniss..."

"Katniss is okay," Johanna says. "She's okay."

"How do you know that, Johanna? How?" I argue. "How do you know he hasn't done anything to her? How do you even know she's safe wherever she is? She could be locked up here and we wouldn't know."

"Peeta, I think you're-"

"SHE COULD BE DEAD!"

"Peeta! Quit overreacting! Whatever you think originated from bad dreams, so can you please shut the hell up about Katniss because she's fine!"

I gulp from intimidation.

Johanna sighs. "Hey, look, I'm sorry, Peeta. You just need to understand that you need to worry about yourself now. Wherever Katniss is must be safe since she's not here. I wouldn't worry all that much."

"How can I not worry? I...I can't explain it. I just really want here to be safe."

"You're acting exactly like Finnick. He must've been rubbing on you. He's the same way with Annie."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

She scoffs. "Oh God, no. How could I? He's been a good friend of mine for a long time. Dating him would be like dating your brother. Please tell me you wouldn't date your brother."

That brings back so many memories from District 12 with Isaac and August. Sure, I was the youngest and possibly the most vulnerable, but they usually kept an eye out for me. They were good brothers, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't care for them.

Which reminds me of my parents as well. My gentle dad. My abusive mother. What ever happened to them? Did Snow request their deaths? These questions unravel in my head like a roll of ribbon.

"No, I wouldn't," I say.

"Do you even have siblings?"

"Two brothers. Older." I shut my eyes for a second, trying to eradicate thoughts of them. "How about you?"

"One. Her name was Taylor. As much as I can she's alive...well she is in spirit, I suppose. Died at seven."

My heart grows thick of despair. "I'm so sorry, Johanna."

A lengthy string of time passes before she whispers, "Yes, but he isn't."

I know who she's talking about.

And he requests me when I wake up from another nap. I'm perplexed. I wasn't suppose to return to him until another week. It's only been two, three days.

I follow Ed back the same route to the Interrogation Room, and my heart is on the verge of bursting.

The same chair waits for me in the room. I stride over and sit down just as I presume I have to do, and Veronica and Jonathan appear from a different door as soon as I'm comfortable, their eyes as cold as President Snow, who shows up shortly after.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mellark. I see you found yourself stable enough to attend with me at this time."

Well, it wasn't exactly a free option, I think to myself. "Yes, I think I am."

"You must understand, though. They did crimes that could not be ignored. And what would we do with more criminals especially now?"

"Put them in the cells..." I mutter. Thank goodness he doesn't catch it.

"It's a shame they worked for the Capitol. And speaking of the Capitol, I called you in here today for a...favor from you."

Favor? What makes him believe I owe him a favor?

President Snow inspects my face. "Confusion will disappear as I explain, Mr. Mellark." He takes a sip of some beverage before continuing.

"I will not take you as a victim of naiveness, because you are intelligent enough to know the rebellion that could occur. The Capitol has gone through this much prior to now, and a reoccurrence wouldn't be pleasant, now would it?"

I shake my head in agreement. President Snow shows a thin smile.

"Yes, well, I propose a series of commercials, if you must, to show the districts that the Capitol will do as much as it takes to provide for them, and the acts of District 13 are frivolous.

"And this is where you will attend, Mr. Mellark. You and Miss Cresta will star in these commercials as well and show the districts who is on their side. Are you to reject this deal, well, Miss Everdeen will not have the greatest of a fate-"

"I'll do it," I reply in an instant. Anything to keep Katniss safe. But getting Annie to star in the commercial? That's going to be a tough task for President Snow to complete. And then I remember: Finnick. He wants to use Annie against Finnick, like in the arena with the jabberjays. I remember Katniss telling me about it.

"I appreciate your cooperation very much," President Snow says. "You are dismissed now."

I get up and head to the door. Right as my hand reaches the knob, I hear the haunting words of him say, "Ah, yes. I must inform you prior to then that you will be due here in five days again. Have a fine day, Mr. Mellark."

As I walk back with Ed, the idea of being in a Capitol trailer with President Snow sticks into my mind. Because, if he were to succeed, he would long live until the day he passes. More Games. Katniss's inevitable death.

Katniss's inevitable death.

Katniss's death.

Katniss's.

Katniss.

Story question: Will Annie agree to do the commercials?