Thanks for all of the feedback. But can I ask you guys a huge favor, one of my closest friends is going through a really tough time right now, and it would mean a lot to pray for her. She tried to commit suicide, but I told a teacher and is being sent to a rehab center :( Oh, happy Derby day, and may the odds be ever in your favor ;) good luck to Palace Malice in today's Kentucky Derby, hoping for the Triple Crown winner this year, it's been a while.
Peeta's POV
I wake up around nine thirty and roll over to find Katniss already gone. I think I remember her telling me about meeting Gale in the woods. I lazily roll out of bed and walk down stairs to begin breakfast. I know Katniss has been going crazy over cheese buns recently so I decided we can have that for breakfast. I mix all of the ingrediants until I realize we don't have any cheese. We always have cheese though.
"Dammit." I mutter underneath my breath. I guess that means I have to make a trip to the bakery. I pull on my coat and begin to walk into town. I see a large crowd crowded around in the center. "Now we have a poacher here." I hear the peace keeper say. poacher? That means it could only be Katniss or Gale. No body else in the District crosses the fence in fear of their death awaiting them.
Please not be Katniss God. Please not be Katniss. I think to myself and find my feet carrying me faster to the center of the town. I'm hoping it's Gale but when I hear Katniss' scream let out, I know it's Katniss who's being punished. I run as fast as my feet can carry me and pray I'm not too late.
"Katniss! Katniss!" I'm screaming and there is no response, she's dead. She's really gone. I feel the tears form in my eyes. I feel the peace keepers push me back into the crowd. "No! No! She's dead just let me have a few words with her!" I scream, the peace keepers surprisingly let me through.
When I reach her I grab her hand and hold it tight. "Katniss, please don't leave me. Please don't leave me." I'm pleading to her. I can see her breathing slightly, so at least she' still alive. But for how much longer? I think to myself. I think she has passed out and I'm thankful for that because that means she won't be feeling all of this pain. These wounds look so deep, I could swear I see a bone, but I'm no healer or doctor.
"Go home. Go home, before we pick who is next." The angry peace keeper shouts and the crowd goes about their business as if nothing has happened which deeply sickens me for that. He then walks up to me "Get her out of here kid. And make sure she doesn't go in the woods again, because next time, her punishment will be death. We'll be watching closely." He says sternly and walks away.
"Katniss, I'm going to take you home. And I'm sorry if I hurt you, but we need to get you to her mom." I say. I don't want to carry her bride style because I need to be careful about her back. I have no idea on how I could carry her with no help, and if I don't get her out of here, the new head peace keeper will kill her. There is no other way I can carry her besides bride style, so I decide that will be the best way.
I unhook her arms from the pole and pick her up. "Tell me if this hurts Katniss. And I'll try and fix it. I'm so sorry this happened to you." I say and I see one of my tears hit her pale check. It's almost like the life has been sucked right out of her.
Thankfully the walk from the center of the town isn't too far away from the Victor's Village. "Mrs. Everdeen? Haymitch? Prim? Someone please help. She's dying!" I scream through the tears in my eyes. Mrs. Everdeen and Prim are the first to come out.
"Oh my God. Peeta what happened?" Mrs. Everdeen asks with small tears coming down her face. If she's like this now, I could only imagine what she was like watching the Games. Mrs. Everdeen helped me walk her inside their house and onto their kitchen table. Katniss was still passed out, thank God.
"I don't know. I she got a note from Gale yesterday telling to meet him in the woods, when I woke up I started to make cheese buns but realized I didn't have any cheese. So I went into town going to the bakery to pick up some cheese. When I heard the peace keepers announce that someone was going to be whipped for poaching. I was hoping it wasn't Katniss, but when I heard her first scream, I sprinted as fast as I could into the Town Square. I managed to convince the peace keepers to let her go. I didn't want to carry her home the way I did, but they told me if she was poaching again they would kill him and also if I didn't get her out of there, they would kill her." I say. The tears are coming harder. It's so hard to see someone you love in pain and on the verge of dying.
Mrs. Everdeen nods and calls Prim downstairs. I can see tears form in the corner of her eyes as soon as she sees Katniss in her current state. To me, it's unreal on how much these sisters love each other. Katniss volunteered for Prim. I love my brothers, but we're not as close as Katniss and Prim are. My brothers would have never volunteered themselves to take my spot in the Games. But Katniss did it in a heartbeat. "It's almost winter, so the good news is, snow should start to fall and we can use a snow coat to help it heel. But for now, we can only use herbs." Mrs. Everdeen says. Prim has wrapped her arms around my torso and I have one of my arms around her.
"Prim, I need you to go upstairs and get my first aid kit." Mrs. Everdeen says. Prim nods and runs upstairs.
"Is she going to okay?" I ask. I can't even hide the tears on my face.
"I don't know." Mrs. Everdeen says flatly. "I think these are really deep, when she wakes up, lets hope she's in pain because that would mean her first layer of nerves haven't broken. But she's a fighter." And Mrs. Everdeen begins her work when Prim comes back downstairs.
When Mrs. Everdeen is putting on some light medicine across her back, I hold her hand throughout the entire process. After she was done, Mrs. Everdeen and Prim go into the living room and relax in there.
"Katniss, you've got to hold on. You have so much to live for." I say to her. I don't know if she can hear me, but I feel better talking to her.
"Peeta?" Katniss says groggily. "What happened?" She asks. I don't have time to answer her before I can call her mom and Prim into the room.
"It hurts Peeta. It really hurts." She says and I see more tears come out of her eyes. I recall what Mrs. Everdeen saying about how we want her to feel pain. I take a sigh of relief on that part. I can feel her grip on my hand tighten as she adjusts to the pain.
"I know honey, but your mom will make you feel better." I say and hold her hand tighter.
"You promise?" She asks, I can see the pleading in her eyes, I know she must be in immense pain.
"I promise. I promise she will." I say confirming the promise.
Mrs. Everdeen gives her some herbs to drink. I manage to convince her to get some sleep. She agrees and shuts herself out from the world.
Katniss' POV
Over the next few weeks, Peeta takes care of me and makes sure my wounds heel. My mom was right, a few days after the incident, the first snow fell, and my mom used a snow coat to help with the heeling. Luckily, I didn't get an infection even though the wounds were really deep. Mom says I'll have scars from that probably for the rest of my life. Gale has never stopped by to check on me, and that sort of hurts. It isn't his fault I was whipped, but it would have been nice for him to at least see if I was okay. Our friendship has changed so much, I wish it could go back to normal. Like the whole Reaping Day was a dream and I wake up in my house in the Seam and head out to go hunting with Gale.
We've been home from the Victory Tour for three months now. District 12 has finally gotten back to normal. As if Peeta and I never won the Games except for when we get that feast every month.
"Peeta." I shout, "Are the cheese buns almost done?" I scream from the living room to the kitchen.
"They're done right now, I've also cooked some pancakes with it." He yells from the kitchen. I swear, I'm going to die fat because of all of the sweets he bakes me.
I walk into the kitchen and the smell of the pancakes makes me feel nauseous. I run over to the sink and throw up. Peeta runs over to my side and holds my hair back runs a soothing hand down my back. After I'm done I slide down and lean against the cabinants.
"Katniss, are you okay?" Peeta asks with a concerning voice. "We can always call your mom and have her find out what's wrong." I shake my head. I don't need help. "Katniss, this is the third time you've thrown up this week." He argues.
"I'm fine, I'm sure it's just a cold or I might be getting the flu. I've heard the flu has been going around recently." I try to convince me. He nods in agreement. I guess he knows I'll win this argument.
"I guess I'll give the pancakes to someone who lives in the Seam. But the cheese buns are on the table." He says and gives me a hand up. I make my way over to the table and pretty soon eat all of the cheese buns before Peeta could have one. "Well, I guess someone's hungry." He says and playfully punches my arm.
"Sorry." I say in embarresment. I guess it's nice being able to eat and know if you're still hungry you can eat some more until you fill your belly.
A few hours later, Peeta goes into the Seam and gives the pancakes to this single mother who is only 25 with five children. I walk over to the house where Prim and my mom say. I never knock because technically this is my house, "Hey Little Duck." I say when I walk in. I notice Prim is watching t.v.
"Hi Katniss. How's your back?" She asks.
"It's good. Where's Mom?" I ask.
"She went to the Seam to help a child." She says and I nod. She pats the spot on the couch next to her. I sit next to her and she lays down and lies her head in my lap. "I love you Katniss. When you were in the Games, I was so scared you were going to die. Especially when you burned your leg and were trapped in the trees by the careers. And when Rue died, I thought you were about to kill yourself." She says. Prim and I used to have heart to heart conversations all of the time. But since I came home from the Games and the Victory Tour, I haven't really spent time with her.
"Well, it was hard to survive. But I'm here now." I say and start to stroke her long blonde hair. "And I'm sorry I put you through all of that." I say and kiss her forehead. I fall asleep, I can hear Peeta and my mom talking about something in the kitchen. Prim is no longer on my lap, and I'm sure she is also in the kitchen with them.
Curious, I get up and walk over to the wall that separates the kitchen to the living room and press my ear against it. I can hear Peeta's voice talking. "She's thrown up for the past three days and can't stop eating." He explains, I can picture my mom thinking and I hear her response, "She sounds pregnant to me. But I cold have her take a pregnancy test if you wanted me too." "Yes, please." I hear Peeta's response. Pregnant? I can't be pregnant, that was only one time. I didn't even have my period the either.
I decide this would be an appropriate time to walk in. As soon as I do, all three of them stare at me. "Katniss, I'm going to need you to take a test. Let me go and get it." My mom says and motions for Prim to get it from upstairs.
"What kind of test." I ask deciding to play dumb.
"Just a test." My mom casually replies. I already know what kind of test so I don't bother to question it.
When Prim comes back my mom hands me a test. "Go in the powder room and pee in it. When you're done, come back and give it to me." She says, I nod and walk down the hall and into the powder room. I pull down my pants and underwear. I don't have to pee at the current moment, so I grab a cup in the cabinant and drink a few small cups.
I pee on the stick and take it out to my mom. She nods and places it in the sink. About a few minutes later, I can see her check the stick and whisper something into Peeta's ear. "It's negative." If I didn't overhear her and Peeta talking earlier, I wouldn't have known what she meant, so at least I'm not pregnant. I also see Peeta let out a sigh of relief.
"It's getting late, and Peeta and I should be going now." I say and grab Peeta's hand and lead him out the front door.
"Peeta, can I have some dinner?" I ask him and give him my puppy eyes that never fail to make him cave into whatever my need is.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"A sandwich with cheese." I say and he nods. As soon as we get back home to our Victor's Village house, Peeta goes straight to the kitchen and starts making my sandwich. I lie down and lay my feet across the couch. Peeta comes into the living room with my food. I take one bite out of it and something is wrong. "Peeta. You forgot the cheese." I snap, "I just asked for one simple thing and you mess it up damnit!" I scream.
"Katniss, I'm sorry. Here I'll go fix it." He offers and holds out his hands so I can hand him the plate.
I look into his eyes and I can see a sincere apology. "No. I can do it myself. They're right, if you want something done correctly you got to do it yourself." I snap and go into the kitchen. I decided I didn't want to see Peeta for the rest of the night. So I go upstairs and lock the door. I lay on my side and realize how empty and lonely the bed feels without him in it with me. I don't know what triggered that response out of me.
I drift off to sleep but wake a few hours later and hear the knob giggle. I'm sure it's Peeta. "Katniss, I'm sorry about tonight. But could you let me in?" I can hear the plead in his voice. I start to feel bad about snapping at him earlier, but I couldn't help. I decide to pretend not to hear his voice and drift back to sleep. It won't be the first time he would be sleeping on the couch...
I'm coming back from the woods a few weeks after my whipping incident. I know the new head peace keeper said if I was caught poaching outside the District boundaries, I'll be punished by death, but the woods is where I escape to when I need to be alone. I can always find comfort in them. Especially by the Lake House my dad took me too when I was younger.
I go through town and see a huge crowd gathered around the Square again, sort of like when it was my whipping. "I told his fiance the punishment would be death if she went hunting again. But I think killing him will do just as much harm as killing her." I hear a peace keeper say. It takes a few seconds to process that, but that's what Peeta told me that the peace keeper told me. He's killing Peeta!
"Peeta! Peeta!" I scream. His shirt is stripped off like mine was. "You shouldn't have been hunting again." The peace keeper says. He raises his whip to whip Peeta again, but I step in front and he gets me in my face, he just laughs and pulls the gun on Peeta and shoots to kill him.
"Peeta." I whimper because he's really dead.
My eyes flash open from the dream, well nightmare. I guess Peeta heard me screaming and came running up stairs. "Katniss, if you don't unlock this door I can't help you." He says.
I unlock the door and fling into his arms. His strong arms immanently wrap around me. "I'm so sorry Peeta. For our fight. I love you and I'm so thankful that I have you." I cling to his chest.
"I love you too Katniss. And I'm glad that you're mine too." He says and kisses my forehead. We stay like this for a few more minutes before he leads me to our bed and he wraps me in his arms and we sleep like that until the sunlight wakes us up. I look over at Peeta and see he's still asleep, since he normally makes me breakfast, I get up and go downstairs to start cooking.