My mentor, the tribute

Chapter 4

Peeta sleeps soundlessly next to me in his bed. The usual look of concern on his face is washed away entirely as he sleeps. He looks so peaceful, very different from his broken appearance he wore last night.

Peeta starts to stir. I turn to face him as he opens his eyes, revealing a deep ocean of blue. As soon as he sees me, he bolts up into a sitting position.

"Uh...Katniss," Peeta says, puzzled. I give him a soft smile.

"Hey." I respond gently. "Are you feeling ok?"

He stammers beet red as he breaks our awkward eye contact. "I'm fine, thanks." Peeta runs his hand through his blonde locks.

"I-uh, I'm not trying to be rude," He starts awkwardly. "But-uh, why are you in my room?" He asks, looking as confused as ever.

Now I share his puzzled look. "You know why, don't you?" I ask him. When he shakes his head no in response, I start to get concerned.

"Peeta, do you know what happened last night?" He chuckles.

"No. Would you mind telling me?"

As I'm about to answer him, Peeta looks around the room. His eyes land on the shattered vase and blood-stained carpet. He grows even more confused than he was before.

"Katniss, what happened last night?" Peeta then notices the bandages wrapped around his hands. He gives me a concerned look.

I take in a shaky breath. "You... you did this, Peeta."

"What?!" He asks in shock, urging me to finish.

"I was walking to my room last night and heard a crashing sound from your room. When I came in, you were on the floor next to the vase." A look of confusion crosses his face. He scrunches his eyebrows together.

"You were rocking back and forth," I continue. Peeta finally looks back at me after scanning the room multiple times. "and you hands were covered in blood. Then you started to shake uncontrollably. You eventually calmed down, which is why I'm in here now. I was so scared, Peeta. You've never done anything like this before.

Peeta just sits there, taking all of this in. I look into his eyes, and they are shiny with tears, not ready to fall.

"I did this?" He stammers out in disbelief as one stray tear manages to escape his eyes. Peeta quickly wipes it away and takes in a shaky breath.

"Yes." I whisper in response, looking at the ground.

An awkward silence fills the room. I glance over at Peeta, who looks so confused defeated. After a long, heavy silence, Peeta speaks out.

"Why?" Is all he says. I don't know if the question is addressed to me, or to himself.

"I don't know, Peeta." I say. "But you'll be ok. I know you will." He gives me yet another defeated look.

"Thank you." I hear Peeta whisper. I look back to him.

"Yeah, of course," I say as I start to exit his room. I reach his door frame and turn back to him. "Always."

He gives me a sad smile as I leave. As soon as I'm out of his room and in the hallway, I go to my own room. I sit on the bed as my mind explodes with questions.

Is Peeta ok? Why did he do that? Why couldn't he remember?

After a lot of thinking, I decide that he could've very well been drinking out of anger towards me and Haymitch. I stand up to go ask Haymitch if he knows anything, because I guarantee he would've seen Peeta in the bar car.