Blaze

District 13

"Catora, you have to stop pacing." Peeta hissed to me.

"I can't." I replied lowly. Peeta stood up, standing in front of me and gripped my shoulders tightly.

"They're staring." He murmured pulling me in for a hug.

"I don't care." I muttered pushing him away. I didn't need to be comforted right now, I needed my best friend back safe and sound and no amount of peacekeepers were going to stop me from looking anxious. All of us had gathered back in my house with the sick and the dying to be with Mrs. Everdean and Prim. They were sick out of their minds with worry and I couldn't blame them, especially since these peacekeepers had just arrived to formally tell us the fence was on.

Gale watched Peeta and I with a small smirk on his face and all I could think about was walking over and slapping him. He was thinking about us, Peeta and I, and how I was pushing him away. He's stupid if he thinks I wouldn't do the same to him if he tried comforting me. I had half a mind to walk up and actually slap him. In fact I was staring at him so intensely Peeta grabbed my wrist and turned me around slowly. "I noticed too but I'm not going to let it get the best of me." He grumbled, breathing heavily. I glanced up into his steely cold blue eyes and then at his other hand clenched in a tight fist.

"I'm sorry I just..." I said slowly glancing at the Peacekeepers. One of them, a women, was smirking to herself. They must know. They must know Katniss is over there, on the other side and that she can't get back over because the fence is on for good. "I need to know that she's okay, please can we go check the fence again?" I whispered to him.

"We've already gone three times Catora." He murmured rubbing my arms. "She's probably realized by now that the fence is on and is trying to work out a way to get over it." He murmured, kissing my forehead.

"I still don't like just sitting here. Feeling helpless." I glanced over at the Peacekeepers and groaned into Peeta's chest softly. "Why won't they just leave?" I whispered to him. Peeta tried not to laugh too loudly which proved difficult. When Peeta laughed, it was always loud and it always made me smile. If the door hadn't banged open then I might have begun laughing along with him.

Every head turned as a figure stood in the doorway, just outside of the lights reach. The snow and wind continued to whirl around them. For a second my heart stopped. Then the figure hobbled forward. Katniss. I rushed forward, dragging Petta after me who had our fingers intertwined. Letting go of him I threw my arms around Katniss and hugged her tightly. Despite recent events, Katniss hugged back.

"Where the hell have you been?" I demanded against her cold wet hair.

"I just needed some air. Then I got caught in the snow. Slipped on some ice." She replied a bit louder so everyone could hear. Mrs. Everdean and Prim hugged Katniss as soon as I let go and Glae wasn't far behind. Katniss looked happier in his embrace.

"We should get that wrapped then." Mrs. Everdean murmured nodding toward Katniss leg. She was favoring her right one and seemed a little sore all around. Katniss nodded and smiled at the Peacekeepers, who seemed too stunned to say anything. Katniss shouldn't be here. She should be over the fence or dead.

"Well if that's all you'll be needing tonight." I said turning towards the Peacekeepers a bit haughtily. Their jaws tightened and with furrowed eyebrows they said a gruff goodbye and headed out the open door. I slammed it shut triumphantly behind them. Peeta chuckled as I walked back towards him.

"You're rubbing it in their faces Catora." He murmured, pressing his forehead against mine and looking me deep in the eyes as he wrapped his arms around me. I shrugged as I stared up at him.

"I could care less." Peeta laughed again and kissed me.

In the kitchen, Katniss recounted her tale of Twill and Bonnie and of District 13. At the mention that they might be living underground, alive and well, possibly with nuclear weapons sent me into a fury. Why haven't they helped? There are people dying up here and they bite their thumbs and sit underground watching? But Katniss seemed pretty convinced it was all just a fantasy of the people back in District 8. Speaking of which, we hadn't heard anything about. I thought everything was fine. No riots, no massacres, but I was wrong. If this was going on in District 8 what about the others?