I think things are about to get a lot more explosive!

Ch. 18- The Deepest Wound

The smell was the worst part, foul and rotten smelling like decaying flesh. Or maybe it was the fear. Though that had always been there, an ever-constant presence since the reaping. The hunger was pretty crappy too, but that was nothing new. Back home they had always been worried about where the next meal might come from, if at all. Maybe it was that tingling itch that cropped up all over her body, but could never be fully satisfied, not when she was caked in endless layers of blood so thick she feared her skin might be permanently stained red and a new layer could always be added at a moments notice.

Primrose hated how much she thought about it. The misery. She didn't want to let it affect her. She wanted to be stronger than that, so much stronger. For Peeta and her sister, Katniss. Even for Cato. But it was just so hard. Everything ached and smelled and was so brutal that sometimes in her mind she was just screaming as loud as she could until it was all she could hear, all she could think. It wasn't fair. None of this was. But that's the way things were she supposed, so she'd better suck it up and be a grown up, because things weren't going to get any easier.

Except this blood! It was so nauseating to be covered in blood. Whose or what she didn't know. Prim scrubbed at her arms with broken nails, trying to peel off the crusted on flakes of red, trying to get down to the itch deep in her skin, so deep in her that it felt like her bones might burst into flames if she didn't get to scratch it. Her hair cracked like the breaking of ceramic with the thick coagulated blood that drenched it. She didn't even feel like herself anymore. She couldn't still be Primrose Everdeen, the quiet little sister of Katniss, the one who had nightmares about their dad's coal mine explosion—and now ones of Katniss's death. She tried not to think about it, but the images never left her. Seeing her and Peeta fight for their lives on the screen against Clove and Stasson. How Clove nicked Peeta and he turned and killed her with the spear, lobbing it right through her soft stomach. Prim had wanted to look away but she'd already seen Stasson pick up one of the dropped knives and give an expert throw that hit Katniss in the back. Peeta didn't see it. Wouldn't see it until after all the fighting, but they knew. The audience knew and it was horrible.

Was that what it was like now, at home? Was her mother watching this through her fingers, terrified and knowing? Knowing what lurked out there in the other parts of the jungle? Knowing who was trailing whom? Had she seen the Careers closing in on them the other day? Had she known like Prim had that when Asasia and Cashmere held her that she was dead.

But then she wasn't. Prim couldn't have been happier to escape their clutches, but everything came at a cost. She was learning that now. The tributes from Six had given their lives for her. And why? Because she was nice to them at the camouflage station? Had they been so starved for human interaction that her treating them like normal human beings had meant so much as to sacrifice their selves for her?

Katniss had once told Prim that growing up was hard. That you had to learn to let go of all your preconceived notions because they were based on a child's naive notion of how the world worked. It hadn't really made sense at the time to Prim. How much could really change? She understood how the world worked. That there were terrible things that happened and no one could do anything about it like their father's death. But it wasn't until she lost her. Lost Katniss, her closest friend and confidant, that she learned just how brutal an awakening she was in for. Suddenly it felt like adulthood had been thrust upon her whether she was ready for it or not and now there was no turning back.

And so, after that stupid and childish act on the train to the Capitol Primrose had vowed to let go of her childhood and act like an adult. That was a child's way of handling a situation, thinking she could run. That jumping from the train was a plausible option. Now she was an adult and she would turn and face her problems. If Peeta could still walk into the Games with his head held high, after everything he's been through, then so could Prim.

It had been three days since they last saw Peeta. At least she thought so. It was hard to keep track of time. At least the blood rain helped. It always seemed to happen at the same time, twice a day. There would be some bells and lightning and then a little while later the skies would turn a dark purple and open up, pouring down upon them thick buckets of crimson red blood. No matter what she tried some of it still ended up in her mouth. The first few times she had gagged and vomited, not knowing what or whose blood she had ingested. But now she was morbidly resigned to the fact that the blood was everywhere and she barely registered it getting in her mouth or eyes.

Cato had worked to construct a canopy for them that would hide them from most of the rain in the beginning, but it still leaked through the cracks and ended up on them. And after an hour of constant blood rainfall the structure typically gave out and caved from the weight of the blood. So now they just suffered through the rain and kept vigilant for any approaching tributes.

At one point Prim had suggested they move on from here, but Cato would entertain no such idea. She could tell he was terrified for Peeta's well being and he was barely able to contain it, but he did so anyways. She knew the front he was putting on was all for her benefit. Cato wouldn't risk moving from the relative safety they had seemed to find in this section of the forest to find Finnick and Peeta if it meant putting Prim in danger. She hated feeling like such a burden to Cato. He had done nothing but try to help and protect her and yet here she was holding him back from finding his fiancé. Luckily they knew they were still alive since there faces hadn't shown up on the night sky yet. But that was little comfort during the day and the moments right before the nightly tribute were always the most tense as they waited to confirm their worst fear that the cannon fire earlier that day had really taken Peeta's life. It never was so far. But that moment felt like a cruel eternity as they both sat frozen, unable to speak or blink as they waited for the recap to begin.

They'd had very little to eat since they escaped the Careers. Cato had run with Prim in his arms until his legs gave out in exhaustion, which was in this very spot they still currently occupied. They hadn't seen any sign of the monkey mutts or the poisonous fog since arriving in this section. The blood had freaked them at first, but as it didn't harm them in any visible way Cato had decided they'd stay put, assuming it was the safest area to hide out for the time being. They were protected from view by the thickets of vines and wild jungle growth. But the blood rain seemed to drive most animals from this area of the forest and so food was scarce. Luckily Prim still had the spile so they could access fresh water from the trees. They could manage a little longer. But not much.

"How do you do it?" Prim asked, breaking the silence that had pervaded between them since they woke from a restless sleep that morning.

Cato was a tough guy to read. He kept a lot of things internalized and yet he never felt cold or uncaring. At least not the guy she knew now. There had been a time though, back in the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games when he'd seemed most likely to carry the superlative for most brutish Career.

"Humph?" Cato grunted from his post against the tree across from her.

Taking a breath Prim tried to clear away some of the grime on her face, but it was to no avail. She huffed in frustration before running a hand through her hair only to find it getting stuck in the tangled not of her blood-crusted hair. She looked back up at Cato and forced out the question.

"I just meant how do you know… kill?" Prim quickly averted her eyes from his and looked down at her folded legs. The spandex fabric of her outfit had been silver to start with, but now it was stained a ruddy brown and coated with blackened blood.

"Why are you asking?" Cato asked and he was suddenly much closer. Prim's head jolted up to see that he had moved to crouch next to her. She straightened her back a little and swallowed down her trepidation. She was an adult now and could hold an adult conversation.

"I'm just worried. I don't want to be a killer. I don't want to become something awful like those careers... Like Asasia or Cashmere." Prim's chest fluttered as she finally verbalized the fear that had been eating away at her since stepping foot in the Arena. "I—I had a chance, back—um—in the fight with the Careers. To kill Enobaria I mean. She was on top of you and I had a clear shot. I could have hit her in the neck, but I—choked. Something froze inside me and I couldn't kill her and I missed the opportunity and instead hit her in the side…"

A hand came to grip the bottom of Prim's chin lightly and pulled it up until she was forced to look in Cato's warm amber eyes. She'd have blushed if she weren't caked in blood. He was very attractive up close.

"You'll never be anything like those women." Cato said with force, but not harsh. They were tender, comforting words that he meant sincerely. "Do you hear me? There is nothing inside you that could ever be compared to them. They have hate in their hearts. They've been corrupted by the games, by—" He lowered to a whisper, "The Capitol."

Letting go of her chin, Cato repositioned so he was seated next to her and slung one arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close. It felt nice. She hadn't been comforted like this since Peeta sang her to sleep before the games started. Even though she was an adult now she could still indulge in a little cuddling she reasoned.

"We do what we have to, Primrose." Cato sighed. "Sometimes we're asked to do horrible things, but we'll do them. We will do what we have to protect the ones we love—to protect ourselves. No one will blame you. And you wont become them if you take a life. Peeta—" Cato took a deep breath and Prim's head rose with the rise of his chest. She could hear the stutter of his heart as he spoke Peeta's name and her gut twisted in sympathy. "Peeta worried about the same thing. But then when his friends were in danger, threatened by terrible, unscrupulous people he made the tough decision. Sometimes there is no right answer, but if you do it for the right reasons it'll be okay."

It wasn't what Prim had expected to hear, but it made sense. She didn't have to be a killer even if she killed. Something inside Primrose knew it was truth. Peeta hadn't hesitated when it came time to kill when it meant his and Katniss's life were in danger. She felt a little piece of her resolve harden in the center of her chest, if someone she loved was in trouble she would do what had to be done to protect them. No hesitation and no question about it. Not like last time, she promised herself that much.

"I wont fail you again, Cato." Prim said with a steely resolve that felt light years removed from the young timid girl she used to be.

"Prim," Cato said. He looked down at her with knotted brows and a heavy heart. "You never failed me. Nor Peeta. You've done only your best and your best has been pretty damn good so far. Don't put yourself down. If you hadn't done what you did Enobaria would have killed me and we all would have died back there."

A pride swelled inside Prim like the sun's warm light on a summer day radiated inside her stomach and she smiled. It took more muscles than necessary as she fought against the dried blood, cracking it apart to reveal her bright smile. It was hard for her to say now whom she liked more. Gale and Cato were both great men and they'd both now helped her through difficult times. Why did life have to be so complicated? She could only fathom what it must be like for Peeta.

Resting her head back against Cato's chest Prim felt when it suddenly tensed and his heart rate skyrocketed. Fear coursed through Prim's veins in response to Cato. He had caught wind of something off. He pulled his arm free of her and stood up, unsheathing the sword on his belt. He signaled for her to stay low as he crept forward, pushing apart the dense foliage. Prim strained to hear or see anything, but she didn't have the training Cato did to notice whatever had set him off. She clutched the only remaining knife she had tight against her chest and waited.

After a beat Prim realized she was holding her breath and quickly inhaled. That was a sure fire way to get herself killed! She mentally kicked herself. But finally Prim picked up on what Cato heard. It was the sound of people running. She could hear the underbrush being displaced by their fast moving feet and the closer the got she could even make out their ragged breath. Fear threatened to immobilize her. It had been days since they'd had to face anything but blood rain and she had become complacent. She refused to stay still otherwise she might succumb to the fear. So instead she leapt to her feet and joined Cato's side. He glared at her, but there was nothing he could do as she was going to stay by his side, fight or flight.

It sounded like a rather big group of people running and it didn't seem like they knew where they were. Then Prim heard a voice.

"Fuck, c'mon! Get your asses moving!"

It was a very familiar voice, usually it was roughish with just the hint of an edge, but now it was all steely determination. It was Johanna. She had been very kind to Prim on the hovercraft ride to the Arena. They had been sitting next to each other and Johanna helped distract her from her thoughts. With out her Prim thought she might have lost it completely. She had never been so terrified in her life as that thirty-minute flight to the Arena. Johanna had kept her talking and distracted the whole time and explained everything that would happen next. She was more than grateful to have had her there. Prim found her heart was a little lighter knowing Johanna was still alive.

"It's Johanna!" Prim whisper-exclaimed to Cato. "We should help her! It sounds like they might be in trouble."

Cato threw an arm out and held her back before she could even try to move.

"We'll do no such thing! We don't know if we can trust them and I'm not putting you in harms way."

"I'm already in harms way, it's the Hunger Games!" Prim retorted hotly.

Suddenly they heard a devious cackle and more racing footstep. She was right they were in trouble. Cato's body tensed like a dogs bracing for a fight, but instead he dropped to the ground and pulled Prim down with him.

"It's Asasia and the others! Do. Not. Move." He hissed.

Prim's face was planted in the dirt and it smelled of rotted flesh like everything around her did. Then she heard a strangled cry.

"Shit! Alright, we're gonna have to fight them!" Johanna cried.

"We can't take them!" Another man's voice shouted, which also sounded familiar to Prim, but she couldn't quite place it.

"That's the first smart thing I've heard you say," Replied the icy voice of Asasia. Prim knew it instantly by the thick layer of distaste that reverberated from everything she spoke.

War cries and clashing steel reached their ears and Prim couldn't stand by any longer. She pushed up and darted forward with surprising agility, dodging Cato's clamoring grasp. She raced through the thickets of jungle vines towards the battle sounds and burst on the scene of an all out battle. Asasia, Enobaria and Gloss had surrounded Johanna who was putting up a valiant fight with axes in each hand. Beetee tried his best with a spear to keep Gloss at a distance and protect Wiress while Johanna took on both Asasia and Enobaria. It was like watching a ballet. Every movement of Johanna's was graceful and perfectly timed against the other's movements. Asasia growled in frustration and lunged forward, but Johanna just danced around her and slashed her shoulder with one of the fighting axes she held.

In a swift movement Enobaria countered Johanna's attack with an agile dance of her own and knocked one of the axes from her hand. It was in that moment that Prim threw herself into the fray and aimed her only remaining knife at the center of Enobaria's back. Unfortunately Gloss called out in warning at the last second and she moved just so that the knife barely sliced along the side of her abdomen. She hissed in pain and then lit up with shock at seeing a blood drenched Prim. Asasia—wasting no time—used the distraction to her advantage and darted through their line of defenses to bring the spiked club down on Wiress before she even had the chance to scream. Blood blossomed forth from the fracture to her scull and—BOOM—the cannon fire sounded before her body even hit the ground.

"No!" Beetee shouted in anguish.

Thankfully Johanna kept it together and jumped into swift action, sidestepping Enobaria newest attack and racing at Beetee, pulling him along with her and out of the way just as Asasia and Gloss closed in on him. Cato suddenly burst on the scene and joined the fight with a savage cry, taking on Enobaria as she charged at Prim for vengeance. That was the second time now a knife of Prim's had hit her.

"Thanks for the help peach!" Johanna said to Prim as she pulled up along side her. "I've been carrying these guys through the games for the past six days, it's been exhausting! Beetee stay with her!" Johanna ordered before darting off to their right.

The battle turned horribly fierce now as Cato faced off with both Gloss and Enobaria while Asasia raced after Johanna, taunting her for being an awful protector. "One down, two to go."

Prim could hear the splash of the ocean waves close by and knew they were close to the beach. Maybe she could find a new weapon at the Cornucopia. With that in mind she took off towards the break in the line of trees, disregarding Beetee's cry to wait up. She could hear him struggling to keep up after her, but she wasn't about to let this fight happen with out her. She had to protect those she cared about and she couldn't do that weaponless. A beastly roar boomed across the Arena, but Prim didn't let it startle her. It was just another common sound of this horrible Arena.

Crashing through the forest Prim abruptly burst through the line of trees and onto the beach. Her feet sank into the soft sand and she came to a stop, startled by her sudden change in surroundings. She had been trapped in that blood drenched forest for so long she forgot how disorienting the beautiful aqua blue water was. The sun was setting in the distance directly across from her and it was blinding. She covered her eyes to scan the horizon, looking for one of the sand bars she could run along to the Cornucopia. Instead she spotted to figures on the beach opposite her. Peeta and Finnick! Her heart jumped with joy at the sight of them and she thought of running directly to them for help.

Except before she could make a move she heard shouting and suddenly Peeta took off running back into the line of trees as Finnick pleaded for him to wait. It sounded like he was saying something about a trap. She would never know for sure though because Beetee came crashing out of the forest behind her, gasping for breath and a panicked expression on his worn face.

"They're—coming—right—behind—us!"

Prim gripped his hand in hers and ran towards the nearest sand spoke.

"FINNICK!" Prim called out. "CAREERS!"

Finnick stabbed his trident into the sand, but Prim couldn't hear a response. She dashed down the sand bar as fast as her feet could carry her with Beetee trailing right behind her. There was more noise behind her and a quick look over the shoulder showed Cato and Johanna had just reached the beach. They took Prim's lead and moved quickly across the sand bars that intersected the water.

"Is that Finnick?" Cato called out in confusion.

"Yes! Peeta was with him but he just ran back into the jungle!" Prim shouted in response. They had reached the Cornucopia and when she turned to look behind her adrenaline spiked in blood again. The Careers were now on the beach. They split up and then each one of them took a sand bar and started racing towards them. Suddenly the Cornucopia seemed like the worst idea as now they were practically trapped on a small little island with no where to go as the Careers bore down on them with nothing but bloodlust in their heartless eyes.


"GALE? GALE WHERE ARE YOU?" Peeta shouted into the now devastatingly quiet jungle.

It was like someone had shut off all the noise in this section of the jungle. Everything was still and eerily quiet. Too quiet for he knew the roar of the beast came from this section as did Gale's cries for help. It was as if the Gamemakers had shut off all sound. Nothing breached the fearful silence. It was so quiet it felt like the air was thick like molasses and absorbing everything before the sound had a chance to escape. But Peeta didn't have time for this. Gale was here, somewhere. He knew it. His heart could feel it. The connection between the two of them, the bridge they'd built told him it wasn't a lie. It couldn't be.

And yet there was no response now to his shouts. Just returned silence.

"Gale, please!" Peeta begged. "Tell me where you are!"

Peeta moved forward swift and determined with an arrow strung and ready. But the longer the silence lasted the more his doubt ate away at him like some infestation of fleas. The silence, it was overwhelming. It bore down on Peeta like the ceiling was slowly being lowered until eventually he'd be crushed. Was Finnick right when he'd shouted it was just a trap? Another Gamemaker's trick?

Then suddenly he heard what sounded like a bulldozer tearing through the forest. The sound of earth being torn apart and the thunderous cracks of tree trunks breaking reverberated through the silence like gun shots aimed straight at Peeta's ear drums. Then he heard the cry.

"Oh god! Peeta it's close!"

"I'm coming!" Peeta shouted in return. "I promise." He said to himself.

He dug his heels into the dirt and raced in the direction of Gale's cries and whatever was making those sounds. He put everything he had into it. Gale's cries were desperate. Whatever was in here with them was almost upon him. The cracks and booms of trees being torn apart and ripped from the ground grew louder as Peeta closed in on Gale's voice. He thought he was behind it, but only by a minute. He had to get their first. Whatever the thing was, it was too big to maneuver easily through the trees.

Then more shouts entered the forest. It was Cato. And Finnick, and others that he couldn't place. There were too many people yelling in this section of the forest and it threw him for a loop. What was happening? Were they real or fake? He couldn't process it so he kept running.

Thwump, thwump.

No, not again! Peeta thought frantically. He almost ran straight into a fallen tree. It had huge gashes going down the length of it. He clambered over it and then moved forward, stopping only momentarily to reorient himself in position to where Gale's voice had come from. He was close he knew it. He veered to the left and passed through a row of trees that had been shredded apart.

Thwump, thwump.

Peeta could hear the beat of his heart in his ears practically as loud as the beasts roar. He stumbled and then stopped and grabbed his head with both hands. If he could just hold on, if he could just keep grounded.

"GAAAHHHH!" Peeta screamed as loud as he could up at the violet sky. The beast roared back in return and the sound of its progress halted.

Somehow, someway, through his scream and tight grip on his head the feeling passed. He was left with a pounding headache and nausea in his stomach, but then Gale shouted again and Peeta was running. Bow and arrow ready for a fight.

Then there was an explosion of bark and branches, dirt and leaves, directly to Peeta's left and he was thrown onto his back. The wind was knocked from his lungs and he had trouble seeing straight. He looked for the source of the explosion to find a terrifying beast that made his blood run cold. It was the size of the trees around it, covered in black fur, and had these arms that looked almost human in the way they were built, except for the razor claws at the tips of its hand. Peeta watched dumbfounded as the beast with a gorilla's flattened leather face and glowing red eyes plowed through the trees in it's way, coming straight for Peeta.

Flinging forward, Peeta pulled the bow into his hand, notched an arrow and let it loose, quickly following with two more. He fired with out aiming; just praying they'd find its target. The beast grunted in annoyance, but never slowed its approach. Just as it tore down the last tree in its way—mulch and twigs raining down on Peeta—he took careful aim with the bow. The monster lunged, it's bulging arm coming straight at Peeta and he fired. The beast roared in pain and its claw just barely missed him, gouging huge chunks from the earth right before Peeta's feet.

Peeta quickly righted himself and began to run. He barely made it ten yards when he slammed into another body. They both fell backwards and groaned in pain. Peeta's head throbbed and everything ached with exhaustion. Looking back behind him the beast was still there behind the trees probably with its arms swinging about in fury as it tried to dislodge the arrow from its right eye. Then looking in front of him Peeta's eyes connected with the beady black one's of Asasia.

"Well isn't this a fantastic surprise," Her grin almost broke her face it was so big. "I should have known Cato ran into these woods for a reason."

Suddenly Gloss broke through the flora behind them and Asasia swiped the bow from Peeta, tossing it behind her and standing ready with her spiked club. The flesh of some unknown victim hung from the deadly silver spikes.

"Let's make this quick, I'm actually growing bored with all this." Asasia stated.

"I agree." Peeta said and then he rolled to the left and let out another bellow. The beast roared in return and latched onto his new position. It charged and Gloss and Asasia gasped as it unexpectedly appeared crashing through the trees. Peeta snatched up his bow from behind Gloss and quickly shot his thigh with an arrow while he stood surprised by the beast's appearance. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Asasia took in the sight of the charging beast and shook her head.

"Fuck that!" She turned and ran.

"Asasia, no! Don't leave me!" Gloss shouted in panic, but she didn't even bother with a response. Her disappearance between the leaves was answer enough. Then he looked to Peeta, but he too just shook his head and stepped out of sight. The last thing Peeta saw was the beasts clawed fist coming down on Gloss and a terrified scream ripped from his lungs.

As Peeta raced back around the beast towards where it had come from, hoping to follow its trail to Gale he heard the boom of the cannon and knew Gloss was dead. It was getting dark and harder to see as he raced through the leveled trail left by the beast. He could see exactly where it had stopped its progress to turn and charge towards Peeta, because the destruction just ended and the jungle picked back of thick and dark. What little light was left barely able to filter down through the canopy. Then, finally, Peeta burst into a clearing and saw him.

Gale.

He was alive. He was real. He was right before him. And he was struggling against the bindings of thick rope that held him tied to the base of a pole in the middle of the clearing.

Gale's eyes latched onto Peeta's and he froze. They both did. It was like being caught in the tractor beam of the Capitol's hovercraft. Neither of them could move and yet he was drawn forward towards him. His feet stopped just short of being right on top of Gale. Neither of them spoke. He wasn't sure if it would be possible. Peeta lifted one hesitant hand and moved it forward. Gale tensed and the second it hung in the air before Gale felt like a thousand. Peeta's heart was on the verge of bursting with anxiety until finally he touched the cool, soft fabric of Gale's shirt, felt the muscles twitch beneath his palm and the thunderous beat of his heart. He was real. Peeta looked up into his eyes again. Those cobalt eyes were something he'd never thought he'd see again and yet here they were looking back at him in person.

"Wait, what the hell is going on?" Peeta snapped back to reality. He looked around the clearing for a trap, something, but there was nothing. Just this pole Gale was tied to.

Why the hell was Gale here. And why was he tied to a pole? Something was terribly wrong with all of this.

"Not now, just help get these off me. We've got to move." Gale said, his voice raw and tense, either from all the shouting he'd done or from Peeta's close proximity.

Shaking his head to clear it, Peeta dove into action and began untying him. His fingers felt thick and numb, like they belonged to someone else. He had trouble getting them to do what he wanted. Once the last knot was undone the thick ropes fell to the ground useless and Gale stepped out from them and forward, into Peeta's space. All the air was vacuumed away and Peeta found himself losing focus again. Gale seemed to have completely lost his. His eyes kept darting down to look at Peeta's lips and Peeta felt his belly flip uncomfortably.

Even though already hot and sweaty from the humidity and running, Peeta felt his body react to Gale's closeness and heat up, sweat breaking out across his body. Gale lifted a hand to press against Peeta's neck and then they both lunged forward and connected lips. Peeta wasn't thinking. He couldn't think. Not when this was real and right in front of him and they were both alive. He hadn't realized how much he missed him until he was right in front of him. Their tongues clashed in a fierce kiss that knocked all the air from Peeta's lungs and all other thoughts from his mind except for one. Need. He needed this. He needed the feel of those lips against his. The feel of Gale's rough hands against the back of his neck. The feel of his fingers threading through Gale's thick brown hair. The feel of his strong, lithe body pressed up against his. The feel of being alive and of worth, because that's what Gale had said once. That he mattered. That he was worth it—worth everything.

Then it hit Peeta where exactly he was and just who was watching.

Everyone.

Every person in Panem had just seen him kiss Gale.

He took two steps backwards and wiped the back of his hand across his lips. They were swollen and red from the intensity of their kiss. He could still feel the tingle on his skin from Gale's stubble and his rubbing together. There were too many stimulants. Too many things for his brain to get side tracked by. But they had to get out of here before the beast found them again.

"We—we shouldn't have done that…" Peeta finally spoke and was startled by the husky quality of it.

There was a sound to their right, the rustling of leaves. Peeta's snatched an arrow from his back and strung it on the readied bow turning towards the sound. Expecting the beast, but finding something all the more worse Peeta felt the bow and arrow drop from his dead hands. Everything he had felt the morning of the reaping—after his night with Gale—all came rushing back. The crushing guilt, the bitter self-loathing, the internalized hate and the shame, it all came back ten times stronger and hit him like the bullet from a shotgun.

Cato had seen everything.

"Oh god," Peeta moaned with a dawning sense of realization. "Oh god."

So that's that. Surprised by the turn of events? You know I'd love to hear your thoughts and reviews. Don't hold back.

xoxo,

crobb07