A/N: Sorry this took so long guys! I've been having some serious writer's block with this one recently but I'm back on track . . . I hope. Anyway, the first part of this chapter is from the past and is in Peeta's POV and then the second part is the present and is in Katniss' POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or it's characters.

Chapter Thirteen

The past:

"It's this guy again?" A feminine voice asked. His head was swimming and Peeta couldn't form a coherant thought in his mind. The last thing he remembered was Darius nearly passing out from exhaustion and his yelling at the slave drivers before everything went black. His eyes refused to open and he couldn't move a muscle. "What did he do this time?"

"Rebelled against one of the drivers," a different voice replied. Cold fingers brushed some hair off his forehead and Peeta suppressed a sudder as every fibre of his being wanted to recoil against the touch. "Defended one of the other slaves who were working near death."

"Just can't seem to keep his mouth shut can he?" the first person sighed.

"Seems so," the second replied. "I think we should knock that one in the head."

"I think you're right."

A second later, a searing pain splashed across Peeta's cheek and his eyes snapped open as the slap burned it's way around his face, his head jerking to the side and his neck cracking in the process. How long had he been out?

When his eyes finally adjusted, Peeta was met by two women standing before him. He flew through an inventory in his mind and noted that his wrists were strapped to a table and so were his ankles. Any form of escape was impossible, even for someone as determined as he was.

The owner of the first voice-a woman with sleek orange hair and a pointed face-shook her hand slightly, obviously having been the one who'd slapped him. "Do you know why you're here, slave?" she sneered.

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me," Peeta replied.

The second woman, a curvy blonde with hair that tumbled past her shoulders, sighed and rolled her eyes. "I told you, too much to say about everything, Harper."

"You're here because you were born unclean," the orange woman-obviously Harper-explained. "And you were born to serve those worthy to be served." Peeta fought the urge to roll his eyes. He'd heard this speech a million times before. "You're supposed to be compliant and know your place."

"Which you obviously can't understand," the blonde put in. "What is it going to take to teach you to shut up?"

"I don't know, you're the expert," Peeta answered. "I mean, I'm a dumb slave, right? What do I know?"

Harper turned her nose up in disgust. "Didn't your owner teach you not to talk back?"

"You mean my mother? She taught me nothing," Peeta replied acidly. "Just how to recieve the back end of a beating. She claimed the teaching was your job. Which you obviously haven't done very well."

"Jackson, get some of the duct tape," Harper said, her gaze never moving from Peeta. The blonde nodded and disappeared into the darkness. When she re-emerged, she had a roll of sliver tape in her hand. "Maybe this will finally shut you up." Harper took the tape and pulled it out, creating a loud riiiipppp that rang out in the otherwise empty room. Tearing a giant chunk off with her teeth, she tossed the roll back to Jackson.

"Any last words slave?" she sneered. "I'd chose carefully. It'll be the last time you speak in a long time."

Peeta glared, his face giving nothing of the frantic beating of his panicing heart away, his eyes hard as he stared Harper down. "You do not own me," he finally stated. Harper scowled and stuck the tape tightly over his mouth.

"Extra adhesive," Harper said as if it needed explained. "Will stick for months on end." Peeta tried to move his mouth but it was so tightly pressed against it that he couldn't even breathe let alone speak. "You won't be speaking for a while, slave."

Jackson giggled and ran her hand down his jaw. "You're much more attractive with your mouth shut," she said. "Much more . . . appealing. How long has he been working down in the daily routine Harper?"

"Since his mother dumped him back. So about five months," Harper explained. "We've been meaning to bump him up a level but with the sudden out break in male births we haven't had a chance to."

"I think he's ready to come and join me in my sector," Jackson grinned. "There's always someone out there looking for a fuck and blondes go like wildfire and we're the ones to blame if they aren't fully equipped to please and create pleasure."

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Peeta's face as the blonde discussed his exchange in sectors with Harper. All Jackson had to do was sign over some papers and that was it. Peeta was moving up in the building-the one thing he'd dreaded his entire life.

Jackson freed him from the table and yanked him to his feet. Her eyes ran over his body unabashedly and she smirked. "Yes, you'll do just fine in my neck of the woods," she decided. Peeta wanted to reply with a snide comment but forgot about the duct tape on his mouth.

A hand roughly grabbed his backside and he jumped. Harper's breath brushed past his ear. "If you think I was bad," she said slowly, "Wait until you get to work with Jackson. She'll have you wishing you were back with me." Her words sent a shiver down his spine and he swallowed hard. That didn't sound promising at all.

"Come on pretty boy," Jackson said. She grabbed his wrists and wrapped them around his back, preventing any means of escape. Holding his trapped wrists in one hand, she roughly grabbed his chin with the other, forcing Peeta to look her in the eye.

"Now it's time to show you what it's really like to work." Her green eyes gleamed with malice and Peeta knew he wouldn't forget those eyes in a hurry.

~xXx~

Present:

The red headed woman and blonde sat silently across from her. Katniss tilted her head and pursed her lips. Who were these people? And what did they want? Effie twittered into the room holding a tray of tea and biscuits, blabbering about how much of an honour it was to have two women of the Capitol in her household.

"How may we help you?" she finally finished her babbling and sat down on the armchair beside Katniss' stool. Both women occupied the couch.

"Just a routine check." the blonde woman purred. "I'm Jackson, this is Harper. We tend to visit the owners of slaves who'd caused us . . . trouble in the compound to make sure they aren't being difficult."

"We understand you are now the owner of Mr. Mellark, is this correct Miss. Trinket?" Harper asked.

"Yes," Effie nodded. "Well, I actually co-own him with my niece Katniss."

Katniss' eyes widened. The way Effie said this as if casually answering a question in a survey. It sounded so strange, as if she did, indeed, share ownership over Peeta. The thought itself being so insane it took her a moment to comprehend it.

Harper nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. "And has he been obiedent? Compliant? Has he caused any difficulties?"

"Oh no," Effie replied. "Believe me, if he had he'd have been on the first train back to the Capitol."

Jackson pursed her lips in distaste and frowned. She looked at her lap and murmered something to Harper that sounded along the lines of, 'That doesn't sound like him at all.' Harper nodded in agreement and shrugged.

"The problems we had with Mr. Mellark in the compound was that he had a tendancy to speak his mind," Jackson explained. "He'd been punished on numerous occasions for talking back and saying things that hinted at rebellion."

Katniss' heart dropped into her stomach at the word 'rebellion' and a lump grew in her throat. She tried not to show this though as something told her that if these women found out that Peeta was still fighting for justice they'd do something horrible to him. Maybe tape his mouth again or something . . . worse.

"He hasn't done this at all since he's been in your custody has he?" Harper asked.

Effie's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "Oh my, no. I don't let him speak too often anyway. In fact, Katniss has spent more time with the slave than I have."

All eyes turned to Katniss and she gulped. Jackson's cool, green eyes felt like they were burning into her soul and Katniss tried not to avert her gaze. "Has Mr. Mellark done any of the mentioned with you, Kat-niss?" she asked, hissing like a snake at the end of her name.

"No," Katniss answered firmly. "No. He hasn't." Harper quirked an eyebrow at her and Katniss nodded frantically as if saying no to their question wasn't enough. "I don't even talk to him to much." Katniss paused and winked. "If you know what I mean." Her mind screamed at her for acting so awfully but there really was nothing she could do about it. It was either act like everyone else or send Peeta up shit creek without a paddle.

The backdoor suddenly opened and Katniss stiffened. Effie had given Peeta the job of nailing some hanging baskets into the wall at the back of the house and to do the washing. And the basket of clothes was sitting by the door of the sitting room. There was a soft knock on the door, something every slave had to do before they entered a room.

"Come in," Effie said, noticing the basket of clothes too.

Peeta entered the room cautiously, his mouth sealed shut just the way it was when Katniss first met him. He paused when he saw who was in the room and Katniss could swear she saw a fleck of fear glint through her eyes before they turned to stone again. He turned to the basket and made a move to pick it up when Harper held up a hand.

"Maybe it'd help if Mr. Mellark stayed," she said.

"If you think it'd help," Effie replied. "Slave, stay," she ordered, her tone making the instruction final. Peeta shut his eyes and clenched his jaw before nodding and staying by the door.

"Miss. Trinket, could Jackson and I speak to young Katniss and Mr. Mellark alone for a while?" Harper asked. Effie frowned in confusion but nodded.

"Of course, if you think it'd help." She stood up and left the room silently, knowing better than to argue with Capitol women.

Katniss began nervously twiddling with her thumbs as panic began to really settle in. She didn't understand what these women wanted but there was two things she knew for sure:

1) They scared Peeta

2) They weren't here for a warm chat.

What did they want?

A/N: Sorry to end it so aburptly. If everything goes as planned, the next chapter will be longer ^_^

I've also changed the type of writing I'm doing because I find it easier to write in third person POV :-)

Please R&R! :D