Chapter 10

Katniss's POV

"Peeta?" I whisper.

he hums against my ear as he kisses it.

"Peeta." I say again.

That snaps him to attentio. It must have been something in my voice that makes him look into my troubled face.

"Yes Katniss?" Peeta's low voice low voice sends shivers down my spine.

"Where are Lottie and Nick?" I ask, fear creeping into my voice, "They should have been back by now."

Peeta frowns against the horizon and nods.

"Shall we go search for them?" He asks.

I nod, standing up to go grab my sash.


"Lottie?" I scream.

"Nick!" Peeta yells.

We shove through the trees, the fading sun casting a devilish look on everything.

I grab Peeta's arm, tears running down my face.

"Where are they?" I cry.

Peeta grabs me into a hug, "We'll find them." he promises.

Suddenly I hear a moan.

"Peeta!" I hiss. His head snaps up in attention.

"What was that?"

We both stay silent, and I hear the moan again.

I look up at Peeta's face, shocked.

"That sounded like Nick!"

He nods and we run towards the moan.

I spy a bow and an arrow lying in the dirt.

"Peeta!" I yell.

He rushes to my side.

I grab the bow, my face pale.

"This is Lottie's."

His face pales.

"Oh, no." he whispers.

I get up and start running again.

"LOTTIE!" I scream.

"NICK!" Peeta yells.

I burst into a clearing and stop in horror.

Peeta runs up next to me, and I fling my arm out to stop him.

His face pales even more when he sees Lottie and Nick.

Lottie's hair is all mangled and her clothes are ripped. Blood seeps through a crack in her skull.

Nick is on the ground too, moaning.

He has a deep cut in his throat, and a huge bloody mound on his temple.

"Lottie!" I cry out.

"Nick!" Peeta yells at the same time.

We rush over to our children's sides.

Nick moans as Peeta picks him up, but Lottie doesn't do anything.

She just flops in my arms.

"Peeta!" I scream, tears running down my face.

"We need to get them to the hospital, NOW!"