Out Of The Dark

The Capitol's Devastation

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10th May

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Chapter 17

Finnick's POV

"Peeta... are you sure?" I ask, then look up as Annie comes into the car.

"Sure about what?"

"Annie," I smile, "are you okay?"

She nods and I see Peeta smile at her too. "Yes," she says, "I wanted to see you."

"Do you want a game?" Peeta offers to her, pointing at the chess board.

Annie shakes her head. "What were you talking about?"

Peeta looks to me, a sort of age in his eyes I'd never expect to see in an 18 year old. "Annie, I don't want to upset you..."

"You won't," I assure Peeta. I know he's trying to be nice, but it comes out a little too patronising. I turn back to Annie, "We're just concerned the Capitol did something to Katniss..."

"It was something Hazel said to me," Peeta says. "I think... it was something about how suspicious the death of Willow's twin was. My mind wasn't the best at the time so I didn't quite connect the dots- but I realise it now. I think it was the Capitol." The edge of his eye starts to become glassy, and I'm not entirely sure but I think I hear him whisper, "I'm so sorry," and something else I don't quite catch but seems a little like 'it really is my fault'.

"Oh my God," Annie says, "Is Katniss okay?"

Peeta shakes his head, his eyes unblinking. "I don't know. She says she is, but I'm not exactly sure."

"What do you think they did to her?" Annie asks.

"I don't know. Maybe slipped something into her food when I said she was pregnant before the Games." He finally has to blink, and a tear rolls down his cheek. "This never would have happened if it wasn't for me."

Annie looks concerned. "Do you think they did anything to me? Finnick, are we going to be okay?"

I wrap my arm around her, trying to bring her back to reality, "No, Annie. We're going to be fine. I promise."

I hold her hand, trying to stop it from trembling, as she shakes her head. 

Peeta's eyes widen at the scene, "No, no Annie, I don't think they will have done anything to you. I think... they might have done something to Katniss just because of what I said in the interviews. And it's not even certain. You're going to be okay." He looks to me, "I think I'm going to go now. I'm sorry Annie."

Annie just shakes her head, so instead I answer, "Thank you. We'll be fine, I think."

He leaves, and I kiss Annie on top of her head. "We're going to be fine. I love you. I'm sorry, it wasn't a good thing to talk about."

She leans in closer to me, kindly. Sometimes physical touch brings me back to how things were in the Capitol, the endless lines of girls trying to get at me. No matter where I am now, I'm never going to forget that period of life, and I hate that.

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Haymitch's POV

I try to put the bottle down, my arm aching as I force it down. Thoughts race, needing the drink, the release. It almost hurts to put it down, a lot of parts of me scream for the bottle of spirit, so I end up taking a sip. Just a sip. Nothing more.

I grimace as I get up, and decide to walk around the train, wondering how I'm supposed to navigate it before realising it's... the same train. The exact one I've been on every single year, for twenty-six years. Twenty-six years of pain, rarely being sober, watching children grow and die every time. Forty-six children, that's how many I saw go there and die, not even counting the ones who went in there with me.

Not even counting my friends, or my family, the ones the Capitol killed. Their lives wasted, just as a warning.

And Silas. He was always so kind, but now...

The Capitol didn't need to waste such an amazing life.

I find the room with Finnick and Annie in, and Finnick seems to be showing Annie some kind of chess move. "What's been going on here then?" I ask, as Finnick answers me with a glare.

"Peeta's worried about Katniss," Annie says. "He thinks the Capitol might've done something to Katniss when she was pregnant."

"What?"

"He was saying to me," Finnick says, "that after the interviews, President Snow might've thought it to be amusing if he put something in Katniss's food or something that ruined the pregnancy."

I try to massage the spot above my eyebrow from the headache. "Oh god."

He shrugs. "I don't know how he would have any evidence. The only evidence I know him to have is that Hazel said the death of Willow's twin was suspicious."

"I think I need to go... have a talk with them. I'll come to have a game with you later, Annie."

Annie smiles.

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"Peeta," I say, knocking his door. "Peeta? Finnick was telling me about some weird idea you had, let's talk it out." I knock again. "Peeta, are you in there?"

No answer.

"The absolute ba-" I stop as I hear a small amount of noise from down the corridor a little, and follow it to Katniss's room. The door is open a crack, so I can see in.

"Katniss, I-" Peeta starts, as Katniss reaches up to him and grasps him in her arms, crying. "I don't know if it's true or not. But I didn't want to not tell you. Maybe we could get some kind of test, I don't know."

"Okay," she says. "Peeta, you're going to think this is your fault, but..."

"This is a hundred percent my fault.  I let all this happen. I told the whole world. That's not exactly a normal family thing, is it? Or a normal thing for seventeen-year olds? I just don't want you thinking you have to stay with me. Or that I'm broken and you have to try fix me. Maybe I am broken, but you do not need to fix me. You can go far away the moment I hurt you." Even from a distance, I can see the small tear that runs down his face as he buries his head in her hair. "I can't hurt you again, okay?"

Some part of me registers how private this moment needs to be, so I start away from it. Down the corridor, quietly-

Until my boot creaks the floor. "Oh god."