A/N: Begins from Peeta's POV. …That's all I can really say here. I don't know, man. I don't know.

The room is bright. So bright that there are times when I cannot see the cameras. But I see them. I know they are there. What concerns me about the brightness is I cannot tell if Cato is here. But then, I remind myself that if he were here, I would have heard the door open in front of me, and the chair across the table with the metal restraints would also be occupied.

But where he is and how he is are all I've been able to think about today. Even though I was given a goodbye to my family (to which my mother did not show up), told in painful detail of why I was here, and groomed for the cameras, all I thought about was Cato. Cato, and if he was okay. Of course he was...I just wanted him here. The sense of dread within me made me feel like I could drop dead any second, and I wanted to see him at least one more time. I'm going to be here for two, six-hour sessions. With ten minutes for water between. Cato was, too. It was then I also realized that the metal on the chairs holding our hands in place were just short enough that our hands would never actually meet.

I felt as if I'd been sitting there for hours when I heard the door get fumbled with for the first time. Well, the one in front of me that my love would come through. Not the one behind me that the various people and instruments of torture would come through so I couldn't see them until they were inflicting pain on my body. ~

I'm struggling the entire time I'm being dragged down a long hallway. I'm not exactly sure how long I was out for, but I know I woke up to a Peacekeeper bringing me to some bright room at the end of the hallway. I don't even need to listen or look at his face to know it's my father-I can tell just by the way he's gripping me. The only thing I've been wondering about since I woke up is whether or not Peeta was dead already, but then I remember they wanted to torture him in front of me.

Maybe I'm crazy.

I'm thrown to the wall and held there as my dad searches for the key to unlock the door. It's still impossible for me to get out, so I give up and stand there like an idiot. When he finally opens the door, I'm thrown into the room. At first, I'm blinded by the lights. Then, my eyes are able to adjust and I see cameras everywhere. So this is it.

He pushes me into a chair and straps me in at the feet and the wrists. I feel like I'm in a mental institution. They might as well put me in a straightjacket. I look up from the metal encasing my ankles and wrists and finally see what I've been looking for, sitting right across from me. "Peeta?"

My action results in a slap across the face from none other than my worst enemy. "You don't speak yet."

I look back down at my feet. They wouldn't even let me talk to him.

"As punishment for your crimes," he says, looking at Peeta, "your love will watch you be tortured to death while you're on national television. It'll be most enjoyable, for some people. You, not so much." Then he turns to me, and I can see the look of hatred on his face. "You saw him sooner than you thought, am I right? You'll be seeing a lot of him for the next six or so hours." He double-checks the restraints on the both of us, then walks towards the door. "Have fun with your boyfriend while you can. They'll be in soon." He opens the door and closes it behind him. And I can hear him laughing. ~

I look up at Cato and see the red mark on his face, and now is the time for tears. Before they come in and see me crying. See me weak. Though there are cameras, I feel that only Cato is here, and nothing else can matter besides that. "..I...I'm sorry that you have to go through this..." I'm already choking on my words. "This is it, isn't it?" ~

"It's my fault, I should've told you." I say, my voice deadpan. "This is it." ~

"It's not your fault...It's not time for blame. Especially if this is all the time we've got left." I'm shaking the bit I can manage in the shackles on the chair. ~

"But I don't want this to be the time we've got left..." I look up and I'm finally able to see his face, stained with tears. "I made a mistake...if we never got this close, you wouldn't be here right now...but either way, whether it was my fault or not, I'm glad we met, Peeta." ~

Now that gets me crying harder, when I thought that was impossible. "So..you finally changed your mind on that?" I manage to be strong and crack a smile. "So am I...So am I. I wish we'd gotten more time, but...I'm happier to die having known you than live not having you, love." ~

The tears flowing down his face is too much to handle. "I don't want you to die at all." I'm stuck saying pointless things to him that he already knows. "Yes, I changed my mind on that. I'll always be glad we met. And...I don't know how long you'll have to wait for me, but I'll be there eventually, okay?" ~

"I'll wait as long as I have to." Now, I realize I'm visibly shaking. My mind has finally started to register that I am going to die. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. But it will be here. And it will be sooner than later. And it will hurt. "I'll miss you." Something that makes me sound so small. But something so honest. "I'm...I'm going to die here, Cato. Aren't I?" I need someone to confirm it to me so I know it's not a nightmare, and I can just accept it once and for all. ~

I try pulling my hands out of the restraints, but they're a little too big to pull out without actually unlocking the damn thing. "Please don't ask me that." I know the answer is yes. Yes, he'll die here if I can't find a way out. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." When I swore I would. "It was another lie, wasn't it?" ~

"No..." I shake my head. "You did. You did everything you could." I let out a quiet sob. "I'll always be with you, Cato. Always. Our hearts...they beat in time." A sudden chill gets sent up my spine, and I realize the door behind me has opened. I don't know what or who is there, but I shut my eyes and prepare myself for it. "I love you." I whisper. ~

"I love you too Peeta!" I shriek. The door behind him slams, so I automatically shut my mouth. If the cameras weren't already going...well, they are now.

"Good morning, Panem," a voice says, "it seems that your beloved Capitol has run into a bit of luck." I shut my eyes so that I could pretend it isn't real. "After agonizing months of searching, rebel Peeta Mellark has been found..." I'm sure the cameras are all focusing on him now, shaking in his chair. I can hear the metal braces rattling. "And in the home of none other than his lover." A voice inside my head tells me that I have to look now. The lights seem brighter than ever and I can't see Peeta anymore. "Cato's been stealing a lot of the airtime lately, hasn't he? Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, he just returned from his Victory Tour yesterday, and now this..." So Peeta was right. My dad must've known for a long time that he was living at our house, because there's no way they could've thrown all this together in less than a day.

From across the room, I hear Peeta whimper a bit. I won't be able to take this and it hasn't even started.

The voice continues. "As punishment for defying the Capitol, Peeta Mellark will undergo torture equivalent to the pain he should have felt in the arena. Then, tomorrow morning, he will receive the proper death he should have received in the Hunger Games about six months ago."

So, I have until tomorrow morning to figure this out. ~

I can't think. What is one supposed to think about when they discover they have almost exactly 24 hours left to live? All I know is that I'm afraid now. And I won't hide it. Sure, there are going to be people who are going to agree with what's happening to me...but others will object, won't they? Maybe people will start to take notice for once...Notice how the Capitol treats us all. I didn't do any of this on purpose. I didn't ask to survive the berry in the arena. And...and here I am now. The cameras are everywhere, and if I squint, I can make out Cato on the other side of the room. I cannot see the person introducing the world to my death. I don't think I want to. If this torture is going to drive me insane, I want the last face I see while I'm in my own, right mind to be Cato's. Because he's the only thing that'll keep me attached to my old self. I begin breathing heavily and start to try to grab onto something out of nerves, but my hands won't reach. This is already torture. I squint again, but the lights and cameras are obscuring my vision. "Cato...are you still here?" I manage to whisper. Torture today. Death tomorrow. ~

Next thing I know, there's a Peacekeeper at my side. For good measure, I'd say. Then, I hear Peeta whispering to me. "I'm here for the next six hours." I say quietly. Then, there's another slap to my face and another command of "no talking".

Another voice starts talking directly to Peeta, this time. "I'm sure our little tribute remembers his chariot costume? The fire?" ~

My eyes widen. I had been bracing myself for some sort of impact, but my mind hadn't even thought of anything in this range of possibilities. I nod, hoping that the reaction to the voice will get me some form of mercy. I also know my hope is in vain. But cooperating just seems like the smartest idea right now. ~

I see a figure step out from the back of the room. I can't see any of his features-all I can see is a giant match being lit.

The voice continues. "How did you like it? Did it hurt?"

No, of course it didn't hurt him. Unlike the fire I see next to him, that fire was fake. ~

"N...no." I barely manage to crack out. I smelled the smoke, and it immediately made my throat dry. "I..it wasn't real f-fire." I almost whimpered. Here it is. The beginning of the end. Just like this whole thing began. In fire. ~

"Oh, such a shame. Then I guess you won't know how it really feels until...now."

As I watch them light his sleeve on fire, I scream his name out. ~

I can't even tell who's screaming at this point; Cato or I. I know I heard my name before the pain completely engulfed my right arm, and I immediately cried out loudly in despair. This was a pain I'd never experienced before in my life. I felt as if every part of me the fire touched was no longer a part of me. It wasn't numb, but I just didn't even feel attached to any of it. The heat began spreading towards my torso and neck; it had taken over my entire right arm and was moving on. ~

"Stop it!" I scream again, putting my head down so that I couldn't get slapped across the face again.

The fire slowly crawls up his arm and it eventually reaches his neck. I want to scream again for the hundredth time, but my throat has gone dry. I can see that his pale skin is already becoming redder and darker. Behind him, I see them getting ready for the next part of his endless torture, though I can't see what it is exactly.

After about five minutes of him being on fire, they light his left arm, and then the hem of his pants. I know that soon, flames will engulf his entire body. ~

For a while, the fire lives on my right arm and chest. But then, I feel the same, searing heat on my arm and near my ankles. Immediately, I feel as if I will never be able to walk again. But it's not like that matters. The first thing I thought when they lit my arm was that I'd never be able to bake or paint again, but then I remembered that even if I was capable...I'd never have those luxuries again. As the heat from the left side of my body spreads, I eventually cannot distinguish it from the flame on the right, and I know they've met in the middle and have their wisps licking along my neck. As the flames on my legs get closer and closer to my chest, rising up my body, I close my eyes and pray this is a horrible dream. "Please!" I shriek. "Please wake up!" But deep inside, I know I am not dreaming. ~

Hearing Peeta scream is the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. He's right in front of me and I can't even do anything about it. It's like I can almost feel the burning sensation on myself, mirroring what it's doing to his body. "Stop! This isn't worth it!" Then I beg for something I never thought I would. "Just kill him!"

But they ignore me and continue to watch him twist and turn in his chair, unable to put out the fire. He outshines any of the lights in this room, by now. His clothes are nearly burned away now, and I see that he's wearing something underneath-another shirt, probably fire resistant but not heat resistant. It's another ten minutes before the fire finally burns out, and his screaming dies down, and I hear my father laughing behind me. ~

I have never been more relieved in my life than I was when the fires stopped. They must have been meant to burn for a certain amount of time, because though the mass came from three sources, it went out cleanly at once. "O..oh god..." I stutter before coughing madly from the smoke. But I stop the coughing, because every move I make hurts. Even the littlest things. Blinking makes my eyes tear more than what should be natural. "I..is it over?" I think aloud. ~

"No." A bunch of people in the room laugh at his relief. I'm finally able to see him clearly, and he's burned...all over. In some places, his skin is even worse than red. But I have almost no time to worry about his burns because another Peacekeeper steps forward and slices one of the burn spots open with a long, rusty knife. ~

I can't even make a noise at first for the amount of pain I've just felt. Something unnatural digs into the back of my charred shoulder. When it's removed, I shout out in pain. I didn't even get any kind of warning on that, which may have been what made it hurt more. ~

They don't do it just once. In fact, they open wounds all over his exposed body, and even one across his face. "NO!" I scream again, trying to shake my arms loose, but they continue anyway. I wonder how much of Panem is viewing this right now. "PEETA!" ~

Immediately after they slash my face, I hear Cato call out to me. I turn my head to face him, but suddenly, blood gushes in the way of my left eye. I quickly turn my head away. One of the worst things about this is knowing this is the last he'll see of me. This pathetic boy getting tortured and begging for his life. By the time they're done with me, I know I'll be unrecognizable. ~

"Get the hot water ready." I hear one of them say. Oh my god. They're going to pour boiling water on his burns. On his likely infected cuts, which are already starting to swell.

"This isn't his fault! STOP IT!" I start crying. "TAKE ME INSTEAD!" ~

I know the Peacekeepers are talking, but I don't hear what they say. It can't be good, because it has Cato screaming and crying. And we both know it's no use. Because this is exactly what they want. Me in horrific physical pain. And him in horrible emotional pain.

Congratulations, Capitol. You've won. Emotional and physical checkmate. ~

A/N: I think I'm posting these so quickly because they hurt so much. Ugh. Review, if you can still manage. This is only the beginning. xx