Disclaimer: We don't own The Hunger Games.
Sorry about not updating. Procrastinating ~
It's annoying, but very useful. Somebody has to do it.
It was as if Peeta's voice had roused him. Cinna blinked open his eyes. He stared blearily at the other captive.
Sort of like he's just woken up, Peeta thought. Actually, I guess he has.
"What are you doing here?" the stylist mumbled weakly.
A blink.
"I could ask the same of you."
They had never been on good terms, with the Hunger Games between them and the continuous danger that haunted Katniss. No time could be spared on idle chatter and open – hearted conversations. And now, they'd both sacrificed themselves for her. She was their common bond, Peeta thought with a trace of bitterness. She was the reason they were in this dump of a cell, rotting away. He shook the darkness off, knowing that it wasn't true, but feeling as if he needed someone to blame anyway. He jolted out of his thoughts, as he noticed that Cinna was about to speak. He'd sat up against a wall, and lifted his head.
"I'm doing this for Katniss. You know that." The stylist's voice was quiet, his green – gold irises suddenly intense, as if he'd forgotten the pain of his injuries. "We both are." Understanding flickered through Peeta's eyes. "She's the reason we're here, and she's the reason we have to get out." Sounds like something I would say, Peeta thought. How does Cinna stay sane? For Katniss? He's been here longer than me, longer than Johanna. They've probably tortured him more…
"How are you?" Peeta asked absent-mindedly, trying to distract himself from his conscious thoughts. Cinna smiled wryly. "How do you think I am?" He answered his own question, in a roundabout way. "I had a partner in my cell before who helped keep me sane. Madge. That girl from District Twelve, the mayor's daughter. You know her? She had the abilities of a psychologist. Anyway, she told me that she'd suffered worse. Told me that she'd heard Katniss was fine. I don't know why I believed her, considering that we've never met before." Here Cinna paused, a soft look spreading across his face. "But I did. So I'm okay. A bit battered, but otherwise fine." Surprise flickered in Peeta's eyes. How had Cinna guessed his thoughts so well?
Cinna, however, wasn't finished. "I helped her, too. She told me what the guards had done to her. Showed me the scars on her back," Cinna's eyes were distant now. "She was imprisoned for helping Katniss. Gave her the mockingjay badge that became the symbol of the rebellion." The stylist shook his head briefly. "Anyway, the guards decided she was too good for me, I guess. And I think that they were angrier as Katniss gained more public support. They took her away. I don't know what they've done to Madge after that."
Peeta felt a surge of jealousy at his friend's story. Was it because Cinna had found a friend or because he'd had someone to support him? Or perhaps both…
And now he supposed it was his turn to talk.