Peeta Mellark's POV (Catching Fire & Mockingjay)

Part 6

The next few days seem to run like clock-work. It was unclear how many hours we'd spend in the Chamber a day. But one thing was certain; the cages were not as primitive as we'd originally thought. They were designed for three and rotated to a single segment continuously. The cage positioned at that segment would lower into The Chamber. The schedules were so sporadic it was impossible to memorize, evoking a sense of impending doom.

The rotation was unpredictable, but each morning we awake to the smell of fresh baked bread. Our daily rations consist of a baguette, fruit and a handful of almonds. Annie was allergic to clementines so I trade my peaches for hers. Johanna prefers grapes. So by afternoon I've accumulated half a banana and apple, baby clementines and the nuts. Enjoying our meal, we'd chat amongst ourselves, sharing stories of life before the Games.

However our safe haven seems another reality entirely once in the Chamber. After The Games, the fear of losing Katniss emerges in my nightmares. Now traced with venom, they become more gruesome; with Katniss the hunted and I the hunter. The fear grows so tremendous that even awake, I can't escape the nightmares. Soon whenever I close my eyes, I see myself killing a muttation of the girl I once loved.

Increasingly the horror is so frightening, I awake and find my arms suspended in chains. And Annie would tremble, telling how I returned to the Cage screaming revolting things and had resorted to clawing at my wrists to draw the venom from my body. That she'd screamed and screamed for help. But by the time the doctors emerged from the camouflaged door, I was sitting in a pool of my own blood.

For a while, Johanna and Annie resorted to feeding me. With good behaviour, I am released from the chains. We've even been rewarded with small luxuries such as fleece blankets and pillows and on occasion a chocolate pudding for dessert.

In time, torture in the Chamber becomes clear. It was designed specifically to use our weaknesses against us. Mine was Katniss. Annie's, although she never spoke of her horrors, was Finnick. To me, Johanna's was a mystery. That is, until I hear her stomach-lurching shriek for the first time. I awake to find Annie rocking back and forth with her hands over her ears. Her screams remind me of Katniss' in the arena and of the jabber-jays that mimicked the voices of their loved ones. I remember Johanna bravely embarking into the jungle, saying she had no one left to love. Once her screams die down, Annie tells me that Johanna couldn't swim. Since then I have a profound respect for Johanna.

Annie becomes the most docile after being submerged in the Chamber. She neither screams nor cries. And an eerie silence descends upon the cage. When she finally emerges from the depths, Annie would rock silently with her eyes closed tight. Her face not only drained of colour but expression as well. She might have been a vacant body, waiting anxiously to be infused with a human soul. Often it would take Johanna and I all afternoon to coax Annie, shaking speechless, from her corner and even longer to put a smile on her face.

Of all our transformations, mine is the most unpredictable. Sometimes I descend into the Chamber as emotionless as Annie. However on particularly restless nights, when the venom lingers for hours in my bloodstream, I awake viciously to the jolt of the cage. And in a fit of rage, attack the Peacekeepers who struggle to restrain me in chains. Despite battling malnutrition and muscle deterioration, my body is still surprisingly strong, feeding hungrily on my fury. I've broken noses, jaws and fingers; sprained ankles, clawed and bruised. One Peacekeeper got too close when locking my torso in chains and I bit his ear off. Since then, the Peacekeepers emerge into the Chamber armed with batons to defend themselves.

As the dose of hallucinating venom increases, so does the extremity of my nightmares. Johanna and Annie become merely a flicker in my reality. Yet are the only lifeline I have left. Not only do they battle their own insanity, but struggle to resurrect memories of my former self.

"Katniss is a warrior, a soldier." Johanna muses, leaning against the bars of the Cage, gazing at me with such a surreal expression it's as she were literally looking into the past. "Her strength is in her bow. But you..." Johanna trails off.           

I can feel Annie's fingers tying and untying my shoe laces with peruse concentration. I've grown to love them both. They were my anchor and compass, both guiding and grounding me to here and now.

"Peeta you're a warrior, a natural born leader..." Johanna smiles at me with fondness, her eyes alight. Her words were genuine and it sparks warmth in my heart. "You move people with your words and that is more powerful than any weapon." I smile, blushing. Suddenly, Annie's fingers freeze. Glancing over, I'm surprised to see Annie is nearly in tears. Inhaling sharply, I tear my gaze from hers, fearing tears myself.

"Do you believe that?" I ask Johanna, my brow furrowing.

"Yeah I do." Johanna replies, sitting cross-legged now. She has a defiance in her voice, reminding me of the heat in the arena. "And if you were the voice of the rebellion, the capitol wouldn't stand a chance."

"Peeta you have no idea the effect you can have." Annie whispers for the first time in hours. A smile spreads across my face; I'd said the same thing about Katniss. Johanna and I glance at Annie, who suddenly finds her voice. "You speak for the people of Panem, they were awestruck during your interview with Flickerman, your charm and genuine innocence captured our hearts."

"I'm afraid charisma won't help me now, Annie." I whisper, despite our humble abode, I am losing hope that we'll ever again see the light of day.

"Peeta we're going to get out of here." Johanna says gravely, the hope in her voice renders me speechless. "And when we do, I'd be honoured to fight by your side."