The Hunger games - I'm still breathing (Everlark)

Chapter 8

Peeta stands in front of me with two peacekeepers holding each arm. I turn my head left and right to see the same peacekeepers mirrored on my arms. President Snow walks over to me, the smell of blood reaching my nose and making my skin crawl. He whispers in my ear,
"This is because of you."
Before I can fully register what he said, the peacekeepers throw Peeta's body to the floor and begin to beat him. Kicking, punching. His cries of pain echo through the air.
I throw myself forward in an attempt to save him but am hauled back away from him. I scream at them to stop, thrashing at the peacekeepers restraining me. I slap them and scratch them but their grip doesn't loosen.
"Katniss please help me!" Peeta is yelling. His blood splatters across the white tiled floor.
My energy is fading fast. In one last attempt I lunge forward, pulling myself away from the peacekeepers. To my surprise, they let go and I go rushing to Peeta's side.
When I lift his head to meet mine, his face is disfigured and haunting. His eyes are sealed shut from the swelling, his cheeks are black and blue. Blood leaks from every crevice, mixed with his tears. I let out a horrified moan and suddenly his eyes snap open. They are savage and fierce and looking for a victim.
He finds his victim. I am thrown into the wall, his hands enclosing around my throat.
"Peeta, no please!" I cry.
"You deserve this, you killed everyone! You're a mutt, nothing but a stinking mutt!" He snarls, spitting in my face.
I sob, knowing his words are true. The last thing I hear before I black out is Snow's laughter.
"It's the things we love the most, miss Everdeen, that destroy us."

I wake screaming, thrashing around in the sheets, trapped. I feel an arm on my shoulder and turn to see President Snow sneering down at me. My screams get louder as I fight to get away from him.
"Katniss, it's okay!" he says. That voice is not Snow's voice. I turn to look at him again and see Peeta staring down at me.
I start to smile in relief, when his face starts to swell and the blood reappears. Scream after scream releases from my throat. I back away from the tortured Peeta before me. They beat him, burnt him and poisoned his mind while I strode around playing a war hero. It's my fault, it's all my fault!
I crouch down in the corner and cover my ears with my hands, trying to block out the voices.
"Everyone is dead because of you!"

"All you're good at is hurting people!"

"You're a monster!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I wail, over and over until my throat is hoarse. My breaths come out in short rasps.
I feel a hand gently begin to rub my back in small circles and a soothing voice fills my head blocking out the voices screeching at me. When I gather the courage to look up again, Peeta's face is unharmed. There is no blood, no bruises, just the blue eyes of a very concerned boy.
I fall into his arms, burying my head in his chest. I grip on to his t-shirt, bunching it up in my hands. He continues rubbing my back. He then reaches over to my desk, receives a hair band and scoops my sweaty, matted hair up in a bun. The cool air tickles my damp neck.
"Come on, let's go back to bed" he says softly.
"No Peeta, I can't go back, don't make me go back there!" I cry frantically, my grip getting tighter on his shirt.
"Hey, shhh, you can't go where Katniss?" He asks.
"I can't go back to sleep. I can't have another nightmare Peeta, I can't do it," I sob.
"Alright that's okay," he says, pulling me closer. He turns his head and looks at the clock.
"Why don't we go and watch the sunrise?" He suggests.
I nod in agreement, welcoming anything that will stop me from going back to sleep.
******************

The sun is mesmerising, swallowing the meadow in it's rays. The flowers and trees are vibrant with the summer approaching. Rabbits creep out of their burrows in search of food, their babies' heads poking out watching their mother go.
I run my feet along the fresh grass, liking how it reminds me I'm alive. Peeta sits beside me in our swinging chair, holding a blanket around the both of us. I spot a Dandelion beside my foot and bend down to pick it up.
"That'll make you wet the bed," Peeta jokes.
I roll my eyes at him and lean back into his chest.
"For you," I say, handing him the flower.
He smiles, taking the flower and staring off into the distance.
"I gave you a pearl in the Quarter Quell, real or not real?" He asks, looking at me intently.
"Real, I still have the pearl," I smile up at him.
Before Peeta can reply, were startled by a door slamming open and the long stream of curse words coming from next door. We see a figure swaying in the doorway over the fence. The figure has a bottle in his hand and is falling forwards on his face.
Haymitch.