Catching Fire: What If Katniss Had Really Gotten Pregnant?

Chapter 9

"Come on, we should head back to the others." Peeta tried to coax me into standing, but I shook my head and remained seated in the sand.

"I think we should go off on our own now, Peeta. There's, what, seven of us left?" I said. "An alliance of five when there's seven of us left isn't the best idea." Peeta's eyebrows knit together and he looked down at his fingers.

"Twelve."

"What?"

"There's twelve of us left." I scowled at him.

"You know what I meant." He chuckled. I stood, lifted the baskets and walked toward the forest.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he grabbed hold of my arm.

"Well we still need water, don't we?" I jerked my arm free. He grabbed it again and took the baskets and knife from my hand.

"I'll go get some. I don't think the jabber-jays can bother me." He tried to give me a kiss but I crossed my arms and turned my head in the other direction. As soon as he was out of sight I knew I had to hurry. I walked along the edge of the jungle until I found a bush full of ripe, black berries. I opened my locket. Holographic images of Prim and my mother appeared. I tried not to let it phase me. I'd already accepted the fact that I'd never see my family again. I plucked a single berry of of the bush, placed it inside of the locket, and closed it tightly. When it was down to me and Peeta, I'd pop it into my mouth before he could stop me.

I walked quickly back to the spot of where Peeta had entered the woods to wait. I sat, put my hands up my shirt and rubbed my stomach. It had been almost a month in the arena now. I'm sure my stomach would be showing through my clothes if I wasn't wearing all black.

I wasn't going to actually show the cameras my stomach, though. Haymitch, everyone back home; they still though that all of this was fake. Wait. The cameras. Everyone at home.

They'd seen me place the berry in my locket. They knew what I was planning on doing. I imagined Prim's distress in finding out I was going to kill myself. Prim... I shook the thought off. I couldn't let anything stop me. Peeta was going to win.

When Peeta came out of the trees, I'd begun crying again without meaning to, lying on the ground with my hands on my stomach. He dropped everything in his hands and came running over to me.

"What happened? What's wrong?" I sat up and hugged him.

"Nothing. It's just, I guess the reality of everything is hitting me. This isn't going to be like last time. The game makers won't let that happen. And no matter what, by the end of this, we won't be together."

"No, we won't. And it's terrible that it has to be that way," Peeta began. "But you'll have our baby." His hand rested on my stomach. "I hope." And the parachute came.

Attached to it was a small box, containing a loaf of bread, a note, and a pregnancy test. Wait. A pregnancy test? I took out the note. The world is waiting to know Katniss, did you lose the baby? Best wishes sweetheart.      --H

Peeta appeared behind me and looked at the test in confusion. I handed him the note. "Oh." Was all he said. I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.

I'd never seen one of these before. I knew what they were and how they worked, but we didn't have them in district 12. They were a luxury made only in the capitol. Women from 12 would just wait to see if they were pregnant. But I guess the world was dying to know. So I suppose I had no choice.

"I guess I have to do this. Um, but, I think I'll go down the beach a ways." He agreed, but I'm sure he would want to know as soon as possible. So I walked quickly down the beach to get it over with as soon as I could. But when Peeta was finally out of sight and I plopped myself down on the rocks, I just stared at it not knowing what to do. I mean, I knew what to do, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

There were so many questions swarming in my mind, making my head buzz. I couldn't think straight. But I knew that if I sat there much longer Peeta would come looking for me, wondering what was going on. And when he found me, I would have no plausible explanation.

I walked into the forest -- against my better judgement -- and went and, you know, did my business in a clump of bushes to remain hidden from the cameras. I shoved the test in my pocket and refused to look at it until I was back with Peeta. I walked as quickly, as I could out of the forest and back to him.

When he saw me coming he stood. When I reached him, he took my hands in his and looked at me quizzically. I then realized he was waiting for me to tell him what the test had said. "Oh, I don't know. I didn't want to look until I got back." My hand hovered over my pocked and he looked down at it. He slipped it out gingerly and lifted it slowly to his face.