Darker And Colder

1.11: See You Soon

Chapter 11
Katniss's POV

The audience is shouting so loud. Peeta stands next to me, also crying, like so many others. I am surprised I haven't been shaken apart as the anthem has been turned up so you can feel it in your bones. I clasp Peeta's hand close. I don't think I would be able to stay standing without it. The lights are so hot, I feel nauseous and unstable. I turn to Chaff and offer my hand.

Up and down the row of Victors, everyone begins to hold hands. The capitol people begin to notice, and everything turns off, leaving us to stumble around and get out.

♤♤♤

When I get out of the elevator back to the floor for district 12 I run for my room and throw up.

Peeta bursts in after me, looking worried. I have to reassure him I'm fine. I know that pregnancy can lead to nausea and so I am convinced this is completely normal. After a few minutes I have convinced him that there is nothing wrong, and he embraces me.

"I am so sorry, Katniss."

"It's okay," I say.

"No it isn't. It's the furthest from ok that it is possible to be. You shouldn't be forced to go through this."

"Peeta," I say, pulling away, "This isn't your fault. We both knew the consequences. Okay, neither of us could have seen this, but that includes you and it is not your fault."

He looks so innocent, so scared that he has hurt me. "Is there anything I said in the interview that I have to apologize for?"

I shake my head and hug him again. "Peeta..."

"Yes?" He responds quietly.

I look up at him. "I love you."

♤♤♤

Peeta's POV

I am woken with Katniss by Cinna and Portia.

"I'll see you soon," I say to Katniss, kissing her forehead lightly.

"See you soon." She smiles.

"I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want to leave you either," she says, "But we will be together again soon."

And then I am led by Portia away from her.

We go to a different part of the roof, and I step on the ladder which freezes me in position with an electric current. Even though I can't move, I do appear to jump a little still when I touch it.

When the ladder has brought me up to the hovercraft, a woman gets a needle and injects the tracker in my arm. It hurts, but it is over within a second and I am released from the electric current.

Portia helps me dress into a blue jumpsuit, a plastic purple belt and rubber and nylon shoes.

After a couple of hours, we go from the hovercraft to an underground room. I step onto the metal plate and say goodbye to Portia. A glass cylinder comes down around me and the metal plate rises.