Hijacked (Peeta Mellark Fanfiction)

Chapter 14 - Warning

"There's no way."

"Well, he has to, we have to do the best we can, president's orders."

I try not to choke on the amount of powder hovering in the air after they viciously apply it onto my face. I force my eyes away from the mini sandwiches they have neatly stacked up on a tray across the room, my stomach lurches with hunger. Maybe I could snatch one when nobody's looking, but there are people everywhere, would the guards let me have at least one? No, it's too close to the door, there are peacekeepers out there. I swallow the saliva forming in my mouth and ignore the angry hunger ripping apart my insides.

When I tried on another tuxedo they gave me, it was almost two sizes too big, I've lost a massive amount of weight. I'm not sure if I even remember how much bigger I was before.

Earlier when they brought me to the makeup station, I refused to look in the mirror, but a strong urge of curiosity made me steal just one glance. I couldn't recognize the hopeless and starved boy staring back at me. That isn't me, his face is too thin, his hair is like straw, and the his eyes are too clouded to be mine.

This isn't me, this isn't Peeta Mellark. What I am now is exactly what I didn't want. My breathe hitches, I fight back at the unwanted tears burning in my eyes. I hate them, I hate them so much, is there anyone out there who can save me from this? A hopeful little voice in the back of my mind forms a name, Katniss. My body tenses up, but I don't push away the thought.

I don't even know who I am anymore, but I do know who I was, who I wanted to be. There's only one person I can trust in this world, and that is myself. The person I was...before. He could think properly, he could move properly, and he trusted Katniss.

But that was before he knew the truth.

No, it doesn't matter anymore, I can't trust myself now, so I can only trust what I used to be. I still remember how I felt about her, and it was real. He trusted that she was real too. I'm still trying not to believe the so-called truth the Capitol tells me, but every time I doubt something they say it is somehow proven to be accurate.

The Capitol lady with golden dreadlocks who is combing my hair with gel stops for a moment, she senses my unease. She steps out in front of me to look at my face, I can immediately see the pity on her face as she looks down at me. She speaks with a strong Capitol accent that I can hardly take seriously,

"Don't worry darling, it's only a news update, they just want you to speak against rebel acts, simple stuff. They have little speech cards for you to look at so you know what to say."

I don't say anything back, she sets down her comb and walks toward the door, still talking,

"I hear the president is making an appearance, that must be exciting! Be right back dear." She adds excitingly while opening the door and exiting the room.

Nobody else is in the room, I didn't notice everyone else leave. The peacekeepers are outside the door, maybe I could steal just one mini sandwich before the stylist comes back.

I try to prevent myself from leaping out of the chair, and ignore the annoying pain in my missing leg as I limp with the prosthetic one. When I reach for one of the neat little sandwiches, I hear voices on the other side of the door. I pause, my curiosity leading me closer to the door. The stylist forgot to shut it, it's open just a crack, but the peacekeepers on the other side don't know this. I lean closer, their muffled voices getting slightly clearer,

"After the power outage, President Snow is anxious, the riots are increasing, and he ordered an attack about ten minutes ago."

"On Thirteen?"