Life After the Games

Chapter 15

I lay on the bed too shocked to move. I'm still wondering how she knew I was here. All I'm concentrating on is getting out of here.

After hours of laying on the uncomfortable hospital bed I decide to get up and try to escape again. I rapidly change, grab my father's hunting jacket and quietly leave. I wander the halls trying to find the exit. Until my head is covered in a rough burlap bag and I feel an excruciating pain on my temple.

Peeta's POV

I've been taking care of the kids and keeping them healthy. They keep asking about Katniss and I answer the same thing: "She's visiting grandma." Willow is asking more questions that I really don't know anymore. Finally she asks "why is mommy gone for so long?"

I finally had to answer "I don't know."

Her face got red and her eyes started to tear up. She accused me that I was lying to her. I tried to explain to her that no one knows where she is, but she didn't listen.

It's been two months since she was gone and I'm still trying to keep my hope up that she'll return. 

Later in the afternoon I leave Greasy Sae with the kids and I go out to the hob to buy some staples. It's feels so unnatural to walk there without Katniss. I walk into the dusty hob to get some more fruit and vegetables. As I'm walking home I think about going to the woods to search for Katniss. I stop home to drop off the food I bought and swiftly leave. I head towards the edge of the woods by Katniss's old house and slide under the broken cable. I stand up and see a figure laying in the middle of the meadow crushing the tall grass making a small valley.  I edge closer and closer to the figure and that's when I see her lying on her side with her back flat on the grass. She has a gash on her temple, a black eye, and her bottom lip is bloated. She has bruises and cuts on her face all over her neck and body. Her face has left over blood and dirt smeared on her forehead and cheeks.

"Katniss?" I say quietly brushing off the lose dirt from her face with my thumb. "Katniss?" I say a little bit louder.

Her eyes flutter open the tiredness showing promamitly  in her eyes. Once she fully sees me her eyes fill with terror. She starts to back up from under me and stumbles to get up. Once she finally finds her feet she backs up a few yards from me. I try to hide the hurt in my eyes because I know what the Capitol tried to do to her.

"I thought I lost you." I say in a whisper.

Her eyes show terror and her body is tense like she's going to dart from me at any moment.

"You sent me to the Capitol to get tortured because you don't love me anymore so you wanted to see me like this. In pain and suffering." She says with a bitter yet heartbroken sound in her voice.

"Katniss that isn't true. Non of that is. We love each other so much especially me. We have three kids together." I plead to get her to understand.

"You turned on me. How could I trust you?"

"Just trust me. I'm not telling you any lies."

Katniss looks at me suspiciously wether to trust me or not. "Fine." She says breaking the silence.

She follows a good six feet away from me out of fear, I'm just happy she's following me.

Katniss POV

I follow Peeta still unsure if I should trust him. I get in my house and go straight to the extra room we have where I used to sleep before Peeta and I grew back together. I sit on the bed staring at the beat wood floor. I turn around abruptly when I hear the wood floor squeak only to reveal Peeta with a cloth.  He starts to come near me holding it. I back up watching Peeta closely, unsure what he's  going to do. Seeing the cloth brings flashbacks to my mind that I longingly want to rid from the Capitol, but I know they will never go away just like the nightmares.

"Katniss it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to clean your face." Peeta says frowning with sadness in his eyes.

I eventually let him wash my face from the dirt and dried blood. He uses soft gentle strokes on my face being careful he won't hurt me. After he's done he looks me in the eyes like he wants me to come back. Moments of silence past before any of us speak.

"I remember the first Games and the second games and when we had kids. Then after that you sent me to the Capitol. Have you abandoned me? Real or not real?" I ask quietly.

"Not real." Peeta responds. "The Capitol changed your memories of me making it seem like I did, but I didn't. I would never do that."

I nod. "Did you send me to the Capitol for me to get tortured, real or not real?"

"Not real. I would never send you to the Capitol. I care about you and want to protect you."

I think for a moment. "Can I trust you, real or not real."

"Real. You've always been able to trust me. The Capitol twisted your memories."

"Do you love me, real or not real?" I ask  glancing up at him afraid of his answer.

Peeta's POV

The question hits me like a ton of bricks.

"Real. I've always loved and cared about you. I will never stop loving you."

Katniss nods thinking about what I've said. "Okay." She says barely in a whisper.

I nod and get up and leave the room.

Katniss's POV

I sit in silence thinking about Peeta's answers. I rise and go to the bathroom to take a shower.

Once the water is warm I step in under the water letting it run over my scratched bruised body. The warmth of it soothes my bruises making me not want to step out of it and not return to the world. My memories are so jumbled I don't want to and I'm perplexed about what Peeta said.

After the shower I dry off, and put on some pajamas then go back to my room.

I lay under my covers staring up at the ceiling the only thing filling the cool dark moonlit room is my light breathing. For hours I stare at the ceiling hoping that sleep would over come me, but never happens. I eventually decide to get up and walk to the front window and watch the still lifeless Victors village out it. I stare out the window with the white moonlight reflecting off my face. I hear a disturbance behind me and I immediately whip around to find Peeta.

"Can't sleep?" He asks quietly.

I shake my head in response.

"Me neither. I heard you get up." He walks over near me, but not close enough where I feel threatened. "I just wanted to tell you that I love and I care about you and I always will. I loved you since I could remember. Your hair was in two braids instead of one. "He chuckles and smiles a bit looking a the ground for a moment, but back at me."When the teacher asked for someone to sing the Valley song your hand shot straight up. Your voice would make all the birds go silent.  I used to watch you walk home everyday with little Prim. " Peeta glances down sadly. Before leaving he looks into my eyes and I see a sad broken heart looking at me like he was pleading to me to remember him for who he really is. Which is what I have to sort out.

OMG 2.54k reads?!! That's nuts! Thank you guys so much for reading and tolerating my inactiveness and not updating much. I've been tied up with school then I have play rehersal. (Which at the end of the month it could now end at anytime. :/) but anyways I hope you liked this chapter! #everlarkfeels ! Credits to Suzan Collins for some of the writing I put in this update (you all know what it is)