Tobias and I run up onto the stage where Peeta has collapsed.
“Peeta?” I ask and touch his arm. I stroke a strand of blonde hair off of his wet forehead.
“Peeta, wake up.” Tobias says and Peeta’s eyes flutter open. He looks up at me with those big blue eyes.
“She’s gone. I let her go.” He says and tears roll down his face. I put my arms around him and he hides his face in my shoulder and sobs.
“It’s ok. It’s ok.” I tell him, over and over, stroking his hair while he cries.
“No. I let her down. I should have stopped her but…” Peeta chokes out. He makes a strangled noise. “But I didn’t.”
Tobias puts an arm around Peeta’s waist and helps Peeta down from the stage. We stumble through the swarm of peacekeepers and likely tributes that look at us in shock.
“We were just leaving.” Tobias says “Sorry.”
We make our way down to a side road far away from the reaping area. It’s grimy and dirty but Peeta sinks to the ground, shaking uncontrollably and gulping back sobs.
“What’s the plan?” I ask and everyone looks at me with a mixture of pity and sadness.
“What plan? We can’t do anything. We can’t help.” Sighs Tobias.
Peeta puts his head in his hands and though he’s trying valiantly to be brave a pained noise escapes him.
“I have an idea.” Gale says and we all look up expectantly. “Tobias, Tris, Caleb. You pretend to be avoxes. Board the Capitol train with the tributes and pretend Peeta and I are under arrest. They’ll take us to the Capitol with the tributes. When we get there you need to keep the avox act up. We’ll work something out once we’re there.”
By the pain in Gale’s eyes I can tell he really wants-needs-Katniss back.
“What about the rest of us?” Delly asks. Gale turns to her.
“You, Uriah, Christina and the other initiates need to make your way up to the Capitol as quickly as you can. But first get Plutarch and Effie and Haymitch. We need all the help we can get. Tell them what’s happened. Ok?”
Delly nods
“OK. Let’s move.” Gale says.
I coax Peeta into standing up and we walk to the station. Gale reminds us once again that avoxes can’t talk.
“Will Katniss get hurt?” Peeta whispers.
“Over my dead body.” I reply fiercely.
YOU ARE READING
The Faction Games
FanfictionA crossover between divergent and the hunger games, in the point of view of miss Tris Prior. The second book in the series. Based on The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. I do not own the characters...
