Defenders of Panem (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 33

AN: This one's short, but after such long chapters I figure you guys could use something small to keep your brains from exploding. Love yall! Hope you like it!

Jem's POV

The Dream...

I bolt awake from the nightmare. Tears streak down my face. It about was daddy. He still hasn't come home...He was taken into question about something and hasn't come back. Grace is sleeping with mommy; I don't want to wake them up. I pull a blanket over my shoulders and tip toe out of the house. The moment I close the door I sprint to Dath's house. I quietly go over to his window and tap on the glass. After a few moments I see him wake up. He jumps when he sees me at the window. I give him a small wave as he comes over and opens it.

"Jem what are you doing out there??" He says and he looks concerned at my tear streaked cheeks.

"I..I had a bad dream..." A cool wind blows and I shiver under the blanket, in a white nightgown. He notices and also shivers a bit.

"Here, come in before you get sick." I climb in the room with his help and he closes the window. "Now sit down and tell me what happened."

I sit on his bed and he sits next to me. "I told you about daddy being taken for question....he hasn't come back. And I had a bad dream where the peacekeepers came and.." I start to cry again. I wish I could stop because it makes my nose all snotty and gross. He gives me a tissue and I wipe my tears and blow my nose "t-thank you..."

"It's ok. I'm sure you would so the same for me." He says smiling, not the dazzling smile I see him give the other girls, but a small yet genuine smile, a meaningful, real smile. And I can't help but smile back a little bit. Then the smile on his face changes to one of worry and a bit of panic "You're out past curfew. If the Peacekeepers catch you." He bites his lip just slightly.

"They didn't see me come over here...I'll be fine going back." I get up to leave, wrapping my blanket around my shoulders.

"No, Jem. I don't want you to risk getting caught. You can stay here tonight." He says pulling me away from the window. I hate how much taller and stronger he is than me.

"Ok fine." I plop down on the floor and lie down, closing my eyes.

"Jem what are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping here, like you said." I hear him sigh and the next thing I know he's picked me up and set me down on the bed.

"You can sleep here, you're the guest. I'll take the floor." He says getting a pillow. I look at him.

"Why can't we just share? I sleep in the same bed as Grace all the time." In all honesty, whenever I have a bad dream I like to cuddle up to Grace, and because he won't let me go home....he's my only option. He looks at me funny, but then shrugs. I scoot over and he comes and lies next to me. It's a good sized bed, enough room for us to sleep slightly apart. But the moment I lie down, he scoots closer to me, and I to him. I don't quite know how it happened but I fell asleep cuddled up to him, with his arms protectively wrapped around me.

I wake up from the flashback/dream and look around. I'm still in the arena. It looks to be almost dawn. Such a good memory...I regret waking up from it. Ever since that night, he leaves his window open for me, so if I ever have a bad dream, and Grace is not there to console, I can come in. I look over at Meg and Collin. She never sleeps without him anymore.

"Jem.." Jace's hushed voice calls to me. I look at him. "You ok?" I nod and he nods. "Get some sleep, I just started watch." I nod and lie down, hoping but regretting the possibility of another good memory in my dreams.

~Dath's POV~

I want her here. That's all I can think of as I lie in bed. I want them all back, but I need Jem the most. I want to hold her. Know that she's safe, out of the games, alive, and with me. I want the feeling that Meg and Collin have in the games, without the threat of not lasting another day dangling over our heads.
I get up out of bed and go to my door. They need to get out of there. Now. I don't care what it takes. I need to talk to the rebel leaders. I scan my ID and the door opens, letting me out. I jog down the winding staircases of district 13 to command. It's almost 5 am, so I know they're up already. Hardly anyone sleeps anymore since the group has been in the games. I think I've gotten a total of 7 hours of sleep. Guards line the hallway to the door, they let me pass without saying a word, and two guards stand at the door. A middle-aged man with a graying beard, and a woman who looks a few years younger than him, with reddish brown hair. I know the man, his name is Sterling Frey, but I don't recognize the woman.
"Morning, Sterling." I say and go to walk in, but he blocks me.
"Sorry, Bud. I can't let you in right now. It's an important meeting. No one's allowed in." He tells me with a slightly pitying look on his face.
"Can I ask what the meeting is about?"
The woman replies this time "You can ask but we can't answer it."
"Sorry, but that's our orders." Sterling finishes.
"Are you kidding me?" He shakes his head no. "I need to talk to them!"
Sterling sighs. "Dath..I think you should just go back to your room and get some sleep. You look like Hell."
"I don't care! Jem is going through Hell! My team is going through Hell! I need to talk to the leaders!" I try to push past them but they stand in my way.
"Dath, I'm sorry but you can't talk to them now." Sterling says holding me back. What happens next is a mix of lack of sleep and frustration. In a blurry daze I punch Sterling in the gut and shove the woman off my arm, I start to force the doors open and catch a glimpse of graying blonde hair, until I'm pulled back by another guard. I turn around about to punch the man, but something, someone grabs my ankle and I fall hard onto the floor. I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflective floor tiles, I do look like Hell. I have dark bags under my eyes, the eyes red, and my hair matted and messy, I look nothing like I used to. The next thing I know is something being injected into my neck. I try to crawl to the door but I can already feel myself slipping into unconsciousness, and then the door opens. I catch a glimpse of someone's black combat boots, another person's pink fluffy slippers, and the smell of alcohol. Why couldn't they have just let me in? And then I black out.