I wake up in a cave. It is sundown. My throat hurts so badly. I don't even want to think about my side.
"Don't move." Peeta! I slowly turn my head to face him. The side of his mouth smiles. "I said not to move." He gives me some water to drink.
"I'm going to help you sit up, ok?" He asks. I nod.
Peeta slowly props me up against the wall. He gives me some more water and a few crackers from my pack, which I refuse. Something is wrong; I can see it in his eyes.
"Let's look at your injuries." He says. The stitches have unraveled, but the cut has healed a lot. I have a bandage on my head and I realize that it hurts. Peeta sees my confusion as he takes a look at it.
"I think you hit your head on a tree. That's where I found you. I was running away from the Careers, almost tripped over you and carried you to this cave. I am going to look at your side, ok?" I nod, exhausted.
His fingers are gentle as he lifts up my shirt, but it still hurts. I can't see, but I watch his face and know that it is not good.
"What happened?" Peeta questions.
"A fireball hits my side and by luck of the draw, that's where Cato decided to cut me." Peeta laughs in spite of the situation. He treats it to the best of his abilities when we hear a beeping.
Peeta looks at me inquisitively.
"A parachute!" I say, excited. Peeta goes to retrieve it and we find that it has a pot of broth and a syringe of medicine. Not good. There is also a note. Peeta reads it aloud.
"Kids, I'm glad you found each other. Stay strong, Haymitch. "
We laugh. I stare at the syringe. Peeta follows my gaze. He gives me a sad smile. I look away, queasy again. There is a sharp pain in my upper arm.
"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He says.
"Yes," I start to reply but the anthem cuts me off. I see Glimmer's face in the sky. Both tributes from 1 are gone, along with the boy from 6 and the girl from 7. Oh and the boy from 8. He was huge. There must have been some bloodbath. I start to cry. Peeta pats my back but seems occupied by something else. I look over and he is tending to a burn. For some reason that sets me off.
I start sobbing, really hard. I can't stop. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm sorry I'm sorry."
Peeta is confused. He tries to comfort me but I think I am scaring him. I am scaring myself. There is more beeping and Peeta jumps to go get the parachute. The sobs wrack my body and my head is bleeding again.
Peeta bolts back in. "Delph...Delphi! Open your mouth." he commands. He finally forces my mouth open, which isn't hard at this point and pours something in. It is sweet. Sleep syrup. The only thing I am aware of is someone screaming. I have a feeling it might be me. The last thing I remember is Peeta still trying to comfort me when the world caves in.
I wake up and I am groggy. Peeta is awake next to me. He gives me the pot of broth.
"You scared me last night," he says.
"I'm sorry." I want to cry again. I look down at my side and see that it looks a little better. I eat a little broth but find that I am not hungry.
"You need to eat." Peeta says.
I sigh for some reason. Peeta comes to sit next to me. He puts his arm around me and I remember that we are supposed to be in love. Well, he has to try to. I lean against his shoulder and for once in the arena, I feel safe.
"Do you think you feel alright to look for some food?" Peeta asks. I nod but I don't want to leave the safety of his arms. Peeta seems to sense this and pulls me in closer. I hear a cannon, which makes me jump.
We set out to find some meat and at least some berries. I have been tracking a rabbit and am just about to shoot it when another cannon rings out. I bolt back to our meeting spot, but Peeta is not there.