An Extra Tribute

-tunnels of darkness-

Six hours into our trek under the Capitol, we decide to rest. Thanks to Pollux, we've been moving quickly and efficiently and have crossed tons faster than if we had decided to take the top route. Then again, we probably also would have been dead by now if we'd taken that. We hunker down in a barely lit room filled with pipes that gives off a yellow glow due to the furnace. We're assigned watches again and I get paired with Katniss. I make my way to collapse next to Peeta, kicking Fin's boot on the way over. We sit up against a wall, settled close to each other. My arm naturally tightens around his as I lean against his shoulder, my head nestling in the crook of his neck. The others are out in an instant, Leeg 1 and Finnick being the first to take watch. But, they sit at the other side of the narrow room, Fin being opposite me.

"You should try to get some sleep," I mumble to Peeta, my eyelids barely staying open as exhaustion threatens to take over. I feel him shake his head.

"I can't," he replies quietly. "I... I just can't."

"I'm here, Pete," I say.

"I know. I still can't." He intertwines his fingers with mine and squeezes my hand softly. "But, you should." I nod, turning on my side slightly as I lean into him more.

"Probably," I reply. "I'll see you in a few hours. Rest... please." He sighs.

"Okay. I'll try." I smile softly.

"Wake me up if you need anything." I hear him murmur something quietly but am out too quickly for it to register.

I wake up slowly to a warm brushing over my cheek. As the world around me starts to come into more focus, I catch sight of Peeta's soft smile as he rubs his thumb over my right cheek. My eyelids pull themselves up after a few moments and his smile drops, his hand sliding to my shoulder.

"You're on watch," he whispers. I see Jackson on the opposite side of the room, waking up Katniss. I nod slowly, sitting up as I do so. I have somehow found myself to be almost half way on top of him, but it doesn't seem like he minds. I fall to the side, propping myself up on the thick, metal pipe behind me. My arm loops through his and my head flops onto his shoulder naturally, his head nestling onto mine. His fingers wrap around my own tightly and I glance around the small room as best I can. Katniss and I lock eyes and she silently asks if I've got Peeta. I give her a nod in return, my eyes travelling the room again. Pollux is wide awake, but I can understand why. I cannot even fathom how many terrible experiences he has had down in these tunnels; I wouldn't sleep either.

My eyes flash to Peeta and I squeeze his hand to get his attention. "Did you sleep at all?"

"No," he admits with downcast eyes. "It's not... I mean..." He trails off with a sigh.

"I know," I say with a nod. "I know, Pete." I quickly look at Katniss as she shifts, clearing her throat and catching Peeta's attention as well.

"Peeta, when you asked about what happened to Darius and Lavinia, and Boggs told you it was real, you said you thought so. Because there was nothing shiny about it. What did you mean?" She asks hesitantly, playing with her fingers.

"Oh," Peeta says. I subconsciously scoot back as far as I can to allow them room to speak freely and somewhat privately. I'm now leaning on the side of the pipe, tucked in next to Pete. I'm almost flat against the wall and so they have a touch more privacy. Naturally, I've removed my head from his shoulder, but he reaches out for my hand again, his eyes still trained on the Girl on Fire. I grab his wrist, our fingers locked together around the slightly rusted pipe.

"I don't know exactly how to explain it," he continues. "In the beginning, everything was just complete confusion. Now I can sort certain things out. I think there's a pattern emerging. The memories they altered with the tracker jacker venom have this strange quality about them. Like they're too intense or the images aren't stable. You remember what it was like when we were stung?" Katniss is quick to recall it. Thanks to Peeta, I wasn't stung, so I have no idea what it feels like to be stung by a tracker jacker.