Always: A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 65

Peeta

I angrily walk away from Katniss. Sometimes I don't understand why she never lets people in. It's more than sometimes. Most of the time, actually. I know I should have gone after her, but I guess I have to give her time to calm down. Maybe in an hour, she'll be better. I wish her sister, Prim, were here. I know she'd be able to help me. I know she'd talk to Katniss for me; try to understand what I can't.

I sigh and lean my right shoulder against the pea green wall. I don't know what to do now, so I decide to wander back to the room Johanna and Haymitch are in.

After a while of turning and twisting in the hallways, I finally find it. Haymitch is sitting on a chair, drinking vigorously. Johanna has a bored but depressed look on her face as she watches the TV screen in front of her. I open the door and walk in, forgetting that they might say something about my flashback. Haymitch is too drunk to notice me walk in, though so it doesn't really matter. Johanna only side-glances at me once.

"One of your female tributes died. It was one of mine who killed her," Johanna says softly. Diamond's dead now. One tribute left. He needs sponsors and fast. I nod, pretending like I don't care.

"How many left?" I ask.

"One of yours, three of Katniss', two of Haymitch's, two of mine. So that's only eight," she explains. I nod again, thankful this sick thing is almost over. But what then? Go back to 13? I would rather be anywhere but there. I take that back the moment I think of it, though. There are so many worse places that I could be; that I have been. The only place I want to be, though, is my home in 12. I want to be with Katniss again in the quiet Victor's Village. Everyday I hope and pray that someday I will get to go back.

The door opens and I just barely glance at who it is, hardly seeing them. But I know exactly who it is. Tall, strong looking. He has dark hair and gray eyes, just like Katniss. I clench my jaw at the sight of Gale. He sideways glances at me nervously, as if I would go crazy and try to kill him.

I get a better look at him now that he isn't looking. He looks tired and sad, probably like all of us. He walks past me and whispers something to Johanna that I can't quite hear. Johanna's eyes get wide and she stands from her chair. "What's going on?" I ask.

"Annie's here," she says. I stand quickly and follow them out the door.

"I'll find Katniss," I say. Johanna nods and Gale motions for her to follow him through an entryway. I turn on my heel and quickly walk to the room I last saw Katniss in.

I knock. There is no answer so I open the door anyway. The room is completely deserted. A part of me knew she wouldn't be in here anyway, so I'm disappointed. I sigh and turn around. Where could she have gone? A feeling of dread rushes through me. What if she left?

I turn and wander around, trying to find an exit out of this place besides the front door. There has to be an unguarded door to leave. Otherwise, Katniss would still be here. The guards wouldn't have let her out. But she still has her bracelet. And I have mine. I jog to the control room, trying to find Plutarch. He probably has some type of animated map to track us with.

Sure enough, Plutarch is sitting in a chair looking at a TV in the control room. "Plutarch," I say, out of breath. He turns and raises his eyebrows.

"I thought you left," he says.

"No, but that doesn't matter. I can't find Katniss," I say.

"Does she have her tracker?" he asks.

"I think so." He nods and punches in a few buttons on his computer and a confusing looking screen popped up. He points to a green dot. "This is you," he says. "Katniss is the purple dot. Looks like she's still in the building."

"Where?" I asl.

"Follow this hallway until there's a turn. Turn right. Then at the next turn, turn right again. It says she's in room 108."

I mumble a quiet 'thank you' and walk out the door again. Right, right, room 108. I repeat in my head to make sure I won't forget it. I come to the turn, turn right and walk down the next hallway. Then turn right again until I finally find room 108. I open the door. "Katniss?" I ask. No answer. A red flashing light catches my eye. I walk slowly over to the corner of the room. There sits Katniss' tracker. Katniss is gone.