If Crane Never Made The Call

Saying Goodbye

I sit on one of the red couches staring at the floor with my knee bouncing wildly. After about 3 minutes of planning how I'm going to die the door opens with a click and my mom steps in. She races towards me like she hasn't seen me in years.

"Peeta!" She screaches. "Did they hurt you?"

"Mom it's been 5 minutes" I say "they haven't hurt me" yet. I don't say yet just so my mother doesn't get worried.

"Ok. I love you, I truly do. I may not show it all the time but your my boy. And another person who can bake, well kind of bake." She wipes a tear from my cheek and I wipe one from hers. "District twelve may finally have a winner this year"

We stay in a hug for a few minutes when a guard walks in and pulls her out

"Goodbye Peeta!" I hear her yell as shes dragged away.

The next people who come to see me are my brothers. One of them is too old to be in the Hunger Games so he couldn't volunteer for me even if he wanted to. But the other one could have volunteered, said something but instead Noah stands in front of me, looking at the ground ashamed too much to even step close to me.

"Hey buddy" James says as if I just woke up from a coma.

"Hey" I say back.

"Look Peeta," Noah begins to say. "I'm so sorry I didn't volunteer I just-"

"Save it Noah." I say interrupting him. "Lets put that behind us, I don't want the last thing you say to me be an apology for something that can't be fixed." I say. It surprises me how calm I am about all this.

"You're right, I don't want the last thing I ever say to you to be an apology either."

I trap him in a hug faster than he can relize whats happening. After 2 seconds James joins us and we have a bro hug till the peace keeper comes and takes them from me.

The door opens again and my father steps in and stands like a soldier.

"Son." He says.

"You can drop the act dad, I can tell you're sad." As soon as I say the word 'sad' he breaks into tears and starts rambling on about how sorry he is for me and for the things he did to me. That list goes on forever so I tune out after a bit.

"and I love you so much." He finishes after 2 long minutes then breaks into tears again. I hug him tight and he clears his throat. "Good luck Peeta." He pulls away just as a hand reaches in to pull him out. The door slams shut and I sit down on the couch waiting for someone to come and collect me. I don't really know anyone else well enough that they would come and say goodbye.

Suddenly the door flies open and Gale Hawthorne tumbles in. When he regains his balance he stares at me with cold, dark eyes and a cruel smile.

"Peeta we need to talk"

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I look Gale straight in the eyes trying to figure out what he's doing here.

"Why?" I ask confused.

"Because I know you're a good person and that you know helping Katniss is the right thing to do." He says it like he thinks I already knew why he was here.

"Helping Katniss? What happened to helping me!" I say angrily.

"Helping you?" He snaps. "No. We're here to help Katniss. You do whatever you need to do to keep her alive. Kill anyone you need to including yourself if it comes to that. Ok?"

"Why? Why would I do anything for you or Katniss?" I reply harshly.

"Peeta those doors aren't exactly sound proof. The way your mother said goodbye it sounded like she meant forever. When Noah said he didn't want the last thing he ever said to you to be an apoligy, he meant it. And how your father rambled on and on about how sorry he was for everything he ever did to you, you wouldn't say all those things to someone if you were going to see them later, would you? Also when your mom said that district 12 may finally have a winner, you didn't think she meant you did you?"

I can't process what Gale's saying so when he starts snapping his fingers in front of my face I get really cofused.

"Peeta we don't have a lot of time, focus. Now promise me you will do whatever it takes to let Katniss walk out of that arena alive. Do you understand?" He says loudly like I'm a soldier and he's my commander.

"Yes" I say quietly. I look up to see that Gale is staring at me with those eyes again and I know what he wants to hear. "I Peeta Mellark will do whatever it takes to let Katniss Everdeen walk out of the Hunger Games alive."