The Hunger Games - Peeta's POV

Chapter 23 - Blueberries

Morning comes too quickly. Katniss is watching, and I have fallen into a dreamless sleep, thankfully. The morning sun comes, and Katniss and I finish the last of our feast. With nothing to do, she prepares her arrows. For a second I am afraid they are for me, but it is all cleared when she says,

"Come on. We're going hunting."

Katniss is beyond talented when it comes to gathering food. At first, we walk through the dry leaves, but I make too much noise. My leg is throbbing, but not as much as a few days ago. I force myself to walk, though. But I can't help it - and I can tell Katniss is getting fed up with me chasing away possible game.

"How about we take off our shoes, it'll make us quieter." I can't say no, so even though it makes me notice all the twigs beneath my feet, I take them off. It doesn't help, though, and I think the Gamemakers are purposefully snapping every twig I step on.

"Katniss, I know I'm making too much noise. You hunt by yourself, I'll gather plants."

"Ok, but stay close. Here," she sings the four-note song I heard a few days ago. The mockingjays fall silent, and repeat it in a lovely harmony. "If you hear that, it means go back to the cave." she sings a different melody "If you hear that, it means we're ok. If you hear that, respond with the same thing, so I know you're okay as well."

"Got it." I set off in a new direction, sliding my shoes back on, and on the hunt for anything. I find an abundance of weeds and flowers, in the most iconic placement. Katniss tubers, clustered underneath the bank of a pond, and primroses growing brightly beside the katniss roots. I don't tell Katniss this, afraid it will break something inside her. I continue searching, and find a familiar bush. It is low on the ground, and has groups of what I can tell are blueberries. Blueberries! They were such a treat back home. Ma would haul home a bag to use in our cupcakes, and I used to eat a few when she wasn't watching. When she caught me, it would certainly haunt myself with a beating. They had the perfect amount of tartness and sweetness, and tasted like a bomb of happiness. If happiness even had such a taste. I collect eight of the clusters, and drop them into my pocket. A few slip out, but I don't mind, as eight clusters are more than enough for a few days. I walk, leaves crunching underneath me, when bang. A cannon is fired. A canon. Is Katniss dead? Just like that? Did I hear screams? Did I hear anything? But I don't answer the questions. My head is blurred with only one picture - Katniss laying dead. Like in my lucid dream. No. No. No. She can protect herself, right? With at least six arrows and perfectly able and uninjured. I am tackled to the floor, and I am ready to pull out my knife when I see the intricate braid that is on her back.

"I whistled! I whistled! You didn't whistle back" She screeches. I want her to quiet down, in case someone is nearby. But I don't care. I am too glad she is alive.

"I didn't hear." I say, clearly shocked by everything from the past few minutes.

"Then you stay where you can hear! You stay close! I already lost someone because they were too far away, Peeta!" She takes a look at my hands, which hold a few blueberries. She picks one up, and examines it. Almost immediately, she drops it to the ground, and squashes it with her shoe.

"That's nightlock, Peeta! You'd be dead in a minute!" Nightlock? I don't question it further. We embrace in a hug, as she strokes my hair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." I whisper into her ear. Because I am sorry. I'm sorry that I don't know a thing when it comes to survival. That I am a heavy burden to Katniss, worrying her in abundances. Sorry that I am of no use in her road to victory. Sorry that I can't even guarantee her victory in the first place. Sorry that she is given a story that does not reflect how much she is owed. By everyone. So sorry.

We find Jacqueline, dead on the forest floor. Her mouth is lined with berry juice, some nightlock still lying in her hand.

"I had no idea she was following me." She was following me for my food. Because if I eat it, it is safe to consume. How was she this clever? How was I even able to kill her? Did her death even count as mine? I don't know if it does. I don't want it to. Like how I didn't want Maryam's death to be on my behalf. Will Jacqueline be choking me in my dreams tonight?