A Fresh Start-After Mockingjay (Before the Epilogue)

Chapter Forty-Three

Katniss POV-

"Sure." I say nervously.

He takes my hands in his bandaged ones and leads me to the couch. We sit down and he swallows nervously. At first, I'm thinking he's going to ask me to be his girlfriend or something but the question is no where near it. "Will you tell me everything you know about the bombings here? I need to clear a few things up in my head." He says. I nod my head, feeling disappointed and slightly embarrassed that I braced myself for such a question. "Gale told you the news about the bombings. Didn't he?"

"Yes." I say, my voice choked.

Peeta shifts uncomfortably, "Will you please tell me what you know? I can't just fill in the blanks on my own. I've been wanting to know for awhile now but I haven't had the courage to ask. Especially since things are going so well between the three of us lately."

I take a deep breath, "He told me that when I blew out the Forcefield in the arena, Snow sent in the bombs at the same time as they went to get you and anyone else they could. The rebels got to me first."

"I was just a few hundred feet away. I could hear you looking for me. Could you hear me?" He says and I'm shocked he remembers something I don't.

I sigh, "I don't think so. It all happened so fast. I don't really remember much of anything. I'm sorry." I say truthfully.

He frowns, "A lot of people survived it. I saw a lot of people from Twelve when I was rescued. How come my family didn't survive?" Peeta asks me, tears welling up in his blue eyes.

I frown, feeling awful but I knew I couldn't hide it from him forever. He deserves to know but I honestly have no idea why Peeta's family didn't survive. I am not sure if it's because Gale didn't tell them or they refused to leave like Gale said. Like Peeta said, now that we're all on good terms again, I'm afraid to ask. "Gale started with my mom and sister, then his family. He told me that he tried to get your family to come as well but they refused to leave." I explain quietly. It's been in the back of my mind that Gale did it on purpose, that he lied about warning Peeta's family but now, I'm starting to actually believe it could be true. If it is true, what would this mean for our friendship? I don't know that I could forgive him for purposefully allowing Peeta's family to die out of jealously over me. Plus, Peeta and Gale made up, finding out the truth about his family could ruin everything.

"Do you think that Gale was telling the truth? About asking my family to leave? About warning them?" He sniffs.

I sigh, "I don't know, Peeta. I'm not sure what to believe. Do you think they would've stayed?"

"Not if they were warned about what was going on. They would've left, Katniss." Peeta tells me quietly.

I feel my stomach sink. "Then maybe he lied to me." I say, almost in tears. I really never thought Gale was capable of doing such an evil thing, but Peeta knows his family better than anyone. If he says they would've fled, they would have fled. Peeta let's out a breath. "It was my fault that they bombed the District and my fault that Gale didn't get your family out." I admit.

His eyes narrow at me, "He made his own choice. Gale couldn't stand me before, Katniss. You had nothing to do with it."

"I had everything to do with it. If I would have done some things differently when it came to you two, maybe he would've made a different choice."

"It was his own free will. It isn't your fault." Peeta assures me.

"Peeta-" He cuts me off.

"Katniss, stop. You're going to set me off again and then where would we be?" He scolds me.