Burn: A Hunger Games Spinoff

Chapter 6

"District 13?" I gasp. Bonnie and Twill were right. District 13 does exist. Even though they just saved me, anger bubbles up inside of me. District 12 was destroyed, the Hunger Games continued for 75 years, the districts have been used as slaves, and here they are, living independently.
When I request Gale to ask around for Bonnie and Twill, he reluctantly agrees, though he doesn't think they're here.
"How long have I been in the Capitol?" I ask. "A couple weeks," Gale replies. Weeks. He sighs, "Katniss, I have to go. My schedule, I'm sorry," Gale says. "I do think somebody else might be coming. Your mother will be coming later. She's working somewhere else in the hospital, and she's very busy." "Oh, well, who's coming, then?" I ask. Gale shrugs, "Get well." "I will," I call after him as he leaves.
I lie down on my bed and sigh.
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"You have another visitor, Miss Everdeen," a lady informs me. "Thanks," is all I say. I barely have time to think before a figure flings themself at me. I struggle to get them off me. "Katniss, oh Katniss, you're here! You're—you're alive!" Peeta cries. Peeta. Alarm flares through me. He's come to hurt me. "No thanks to you," I hiss. Hurt, shock, and guilt flash across his face all at once. I take the moment and fling myself off the bed. I stumble to him. He wraps his arms around me and I begin to tremble. "You're right, Katniss, and I'm so, sorry...I don't...." I don't let him finish. Instead, I claw his eye, leaving a bloody scratch. He reels back, pressing and hand onto his eye.
I grab his arm and bury my teeth into it. He cries out in pain. A team of doctors bursts in, unable to peel me off.
Haymitch comes in after a couple minutes. "Katniss! Get off of the boy," he demands. He hauls me off Peeta, who's face is contorted in guilt, shock, hurt, and something like...betrayal.
I try to pry myself away from Haymitch, but he doesn't loosen his grip.
Peeta stumbles off numbly with the doctors as I continue to fight Haymitch to go after him.
Only when the door slams shut does Haymitch's grip loosen.
I turn around at him angrily. "Why are you helping him?" I ask, betrayed. "Why are you hurting him?" Haymitch retorts. "What do you mean, Haymitch! He's a monster!" I scream. "Him? You want to call him the monster?" Haymitch yells. "Did you see that scratch!?" "I did, I did Haymitch, and he deserves it! He deserves worse, so, so much worse!" I tell him, disbelief boiling inside of me.
A doctor steps inside, and I see an injection in her hand. All the anger drains out of me, replaced instead by fear. "No..." I whisper. "No, please!"
The doctor looks at Haymitch, confused. He only shakes his head. The doctor comes closer and I jerk away. "Please, Miss Everdeen, it's for your own good," the doctor says.
Everything comes back, the venom, the screams, the zaps, the beatings, the shackles, Snow—
I feel the shot pierce my skin, gentler than the Capitol's people did it, and I fall back.
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I wake up and have this horrible sensation when I'm back in the Capitol. Back in the grip of these evil people. Until I remember. I've been rescued. I'm not in the Capitol anymore. No, no...I'm in....in....district....13?
"District 13," I whisper. I remember everything.
Darius, Lavinia, Johanna, Haymitch, and...Peeta. I remember how I attacked him. How I attacked him. That's not normal. It's usually Peeta. Usually it's Peeta who harms me. I scrunch my face. He didn't even defend himself, he just...let me. He was hurt. Him. He deserves it. He deserves everything I did to him and worse.
A knock sounds and I tense. The door creaks open. It's Prim and my mother. I brighten. "You're awake!" Prim cries, thrusting herself at me.
I wrap my arms around her, "Hey, Little Duck," I croak. My mother stands at the door, somewhat unsure. "Katniss," she says. "Hm?" Prim's face turns concerned and she lets go of me. My mother comes over and takes my hands. "Katniss, what happened this morning?" my mother asks. "What do you mean?" I ask. "With Peeta," Prim elaborates. "I defended myself," I answer. "From?" my mother questions, looking at me intensely. "Peeta!" I cry. "Why is everybody acting like Peeta's some great person! Does nobody remember?" "Remember what, Katniss?" my mother continues. "Everything! He destroyed everything!" I scream. "Am I the only one who knows that? Did he brainwash you or something?!"
"Actually," says Beetee, stepping  into the room. "We think that may be you who's been 'brainwashed.'"