Doe In The Meadow | Peeta Mellark

twenty one

The room had a cold chill in the air as we all sat around waiting for the self assessments to be over. My personal skill was the same as last years. Katana and slicing dummies like cake. I could have just gone off on all of them and shown them my true special skill, but decided I'd like to actually try and live until tomorrow.

Peeta returned, looking more shaken up than ever. He didn't say anything as he took his seat near me. "What?" I asked but he just shook his head and looked to the floor.

Moments later, Katniss emerged, visibly enraged and upset. She sat on the other side of me, looking as if she were going to cry. "Are you okay?" I whispered to her. She shook her head slightly. "What happened?"

"Ask Peeta." She stood up and stormed to the other side of the room, sitting away from us. I looked over to Peeta once more.

"I painted Rue. Haymitch said if I made her upset, it'd inspire her to get angry and show off." He looked down, dissapointed with himself. I placed my hand on top of his, attempting to comfort him as he looked up at me, shocked that I was giving him some sort of positive attention.

"Hey, guys." Finnick seated himself next to me.

"Finnick." Peeta sounded annoyed with him being there, probably the whole alpha male ego thing.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"So, Katniss strung up a dummy and wrote Seneca Crane on it as her skill." He informed and I looked across to her as she stared down at her hands, deep in thought.

"Wow, Peeta, you really got to her." I looked over to Peeta. He seemed even more upset now, clearly disappointed with his actions in which I knew weren't his idea. "Peeta, it's a good thing. It means she's going to come in full force." I assured him.

"Since when are you and her friends?" He finally asked me, looking up, sort of upset, but more or less confused.

"Since you and I broke up." I pulled my hand away from his as I felt myself becoming upset again. I looked to Finn, who was just patiently waiting for me to continue on with our conversation. "How did you do?" I changed subjects abruptly.

"I think I did alright. I mean, Capitol loves me." He rolled his eyes and I smirked. The Capitol truly had their favorites and Finn and I were high on that list due to where we were from. "What did you do?"

"Sliced up some dummies. Thought about giving them all a certain finger or chucking the katana into the new gamemakers face but that forcefield thing is kind of a cock block." I scoffed.

"You're attitude's gonna get them to hate you." He laughed. "Don't change a bit." He placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Arizona," My mother called out to me as I sat on my bed, nose in a book. I looked up and immediately lunged off the bed, rushing to the boy in the doorway.

"Finn! Oh my!" I shouted, as he lifted me into his arms. "I've been so worried." He plopped me back down to my feet. The nineteen year old boy stared down at me. It had been two years since I had seen him last. He was seven years older than I was and despite that, he still treated me as if we were the same age. He was like a brother I never had. My mother closed the door behind us and Finn and I took a seat at the table near the window. "Are you alright?" I asked, noticing something was up. He shook his head.

"There are things you wouldn't understand." He sighed, gazing out the window. "These games, Arizona. They changed me. I know it was years ago, but being in the Capitol, the things that have happened, the people I've met. The things I've had to do," he stopped himself, tearing up and then gulping them back. "Be thankful you havent had to endure this." He looked to me.

"I don't understand, Finn. I know the games are awful, but your life should be good now, you have everything." I questioned.

"I don't. They've taken it all from me. Not material things, Ari, but my soul. They make me do things." He shook his head again, looking down ashamed with himself.

"You can trust me, Finn, what's happened?" I asked as he breathed, preparing himself to tell me of stories I'd never be able to forget, inspiring my hatred for the Capitol and their currupt system and treatment of others, including their so called "victors".