Fire Burns Brighter in Darkness|| Peeta melark x reader

3

A/n: it's been a while! But I do try and update in a way where I post once I have the chapter that comes after the one I posted is already done. For example, when this is posted, chapter 4 has already been written and so on. Just so when I go through a dry patch I still have a post if you get what I mean.
Words: 2.4k
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As the anthem ends, the Peacekeepers march us through the front door of the Justice Building. Inside of it, we are conducted separately through the front door of the Justice Building into a room and left there alone. There are deep carpets and smooth couches.

When I sit on the couch I can't stop stroking the material. It feels so satisfying to touch. I Instantly miss the feel of Peeta's warm hand squeezing mine tightly.

With every second that passes, I feel my composure fade along with them. Tears prick my eyes and I can't hold them back any further. I might make it a few days, perhaps a week in the arena, but my chances of winning are not at all high.

My mother comes to visit first. She's threatening to fight Effie trinket for not doing her job correctly. She wants to give everyone in the Capitol a kick in the head. She is a sobbing, sniffling mess- even more so than me- and it breaks my heart more than anything I ever think can.

My mom holds me on the soft couch and strokes my hair like I'm a little girl. She recites as many things as she can that may be useful in the arena. How to kill living animals, to preserve food, the weakspots of the human body. It's horrible. Horrible and painful because the whole time, all I can think about is how hurt she will be once they ship my body back from the Capitol.

I can't win. There will be some weak, skinny, gullible people in there that will be picked off like weeds. Sure, I will probably survive longer than them. But those from districts 1,2 and 4? They've trained their whole life for this, the games are an honor for them. Boys with big muscles that could probably toss me fifty feet and a bit. Girls that could carve me out like an intricate pie and then walk over my cold dead body for good measure.

After what seems like no time, a Peacekeeper is at the door, signalling that our time is up. She gives me one last bone-crushing hug and showers my face with kisses. "I love you. So much, come back to me, okay?" She sobs before the Peacekeeper orders her out

I bury one of the smooth pillows into my chest and hug it close. I have no idea how I will ever make it through this, how I will even deal with it. How will I deal with Peeta's inevitable death?

Sure, he's strong physically but a few days starved and all of that will go. But mentally? I'm not sure he'll take it, I'm not sure I'll take it. I'm sure he's already a mess. The inability to track my thoughts like usual is already ruining me.

Someone else enters the room, I'm not sure if I expected others to even visit me. It's Mr Mellark. Why would he visit me? Sure, he was quite fond when I was younger, but I would soon become one of twenty three people endangering his son's life. Not like I could ever bring myself to kill Peeta.

He sits awkwardly on the plush chairs, either because of me or because he- too- wasn't used to such nice furniture. He's tall, with wide shoulders and a boyish face similar to Peeta's. I can see the tearmarks on it and his eyes are red. He must've just finished visiting Peeta. For some reason even that thought brings more tears to my eyes.

He pulls out a white package from his jacket pocket and holds it out to me. Even the packaging emanates warmth- physically and metaphorically. I open it. Cookies. They make me smile, they're always my favourite and the baker would slip me a couple of free ones when I was younger and went over to play with Peeta and the boys. He couldn't have known that I would be picked, heck he may have made these for Peeta but the sentiment still softens me to a point of no return.