The Wrong Victor

Chapter ten: Peeta

We were able to save everyone and get them down to safety. Thanks to Katniss, all of District 13 is down in the bunker waiting for the threat to come and leave. I sit on a bed and look around. I can't just sit here I need something to do. I need to be doing something. If I don't I don't know what will happen.

"Peeta?" Prim asks as she sits next to me. The moment the call was made to get everyone down I ran to get Prim and Katniss' mother. Prim also wanted Buttercup who I had saved when I went to District Twelve.

"Hey little duck." I say wrapping an arm around her and petting her hair.

"Do you think Katniss is dead?" Prim asks. I look down and see tears threatening to fall past her lashes. I offer a sigh and kiss her forehead.

"Primrose Everdeen, I don't think for one moment that she's dead. Even if I hate it the Capitol needs her and that keeps her alive." I say leaning my head on hers and just closing my eyes. "She's in a lot of pain right now. If I could I would teleport myself in her place and send her here. I would take every beating and torture she has to go through. However, the Capitol has a plan. I don't know what the plan is. Probably to hurt me. Or to hurt the rebellion. But right now all we need to think about is how soon Katniss will be home."

Prim nods and struggles to stop crying. "She's extremely malnourished. She is dressed in long sleeves and high collars probably to hide bruises and other injuries." Prim says wiping her eyes. I kiss her head and move to kneel in front of her.

"Prim, it is okay to cry. I know it hurts but try not to think about it. Okay? Let me worry about getting her back and getting her healthy again. You need to worry about studying. Aren't you going to be in the hospital full time now?" I say as she finally crumbles and launches herself into my arms. I hold her and rock her back and forth kissing her head.

"I can't take it. She's not here. She's should be here." She sobs into my chest. I let out her braid and start to play with her hair like I did with Katniss'.

"I know. And I promise I will get her back. I promise I will get Katniss-" I get cut off by the sound of something drilling then an explosion. The bombs are here. I look up to see a crack in the ceiling and quickly move us on the bottom bunk of the bed.

"What was that?" Prim asks sitting up and looking around.

"It was a bomb. My guess is they know we're underground so they have drilling bombs that drill down and then explode." I say as I look around to see Finnick sitting on a bed not too far away from us tying and untying his knots. He's worse everyday. He doesn't know if Annie is alive or dead. There's no videos, no confirmation that Annie and Johanna are alive. And if they are then they probably look as bad if not worse than Katniss.

"How long do you think we'll stay down here?" Prim asks pulling me from my thoughts.

I look at her and smile. "I don't think we'll be down here long. The Capitol can only bomb us for so long then even they have other things to do." I sigh and look at her blonde curls. "Want me to fix your hair?" I ask holding out her hair tie to her. She nods and turns for me to braid her hair. I hum as I braid Katniss' signature braid onto Prim's head.

"Peeta, where did you learn to do this?"

"Your sister. During the Victory Tour she would sleep with her hair down. When we woke up she would have to braid it but she would be too tired from her nightmares. Eventually she taught me after I offered many times to do it for her."

"One day, I hope I fall in love like that. Like you and Katniss."

"I don't doubt that you will. I already see a bunch of kids your age staring at you."

"No they aren't!"

"They are! They stare at you because, like your sister, you are beautiful. So I have no doubt one of these kids here will have you falling for them and they'll treat you right."

"Peeta, they don't stare at me."

"They do! Look." I turn her head in the direction of one of the kids staring at her. "They've been staring for an hour."

"Oh hush! You don't know that." Prim's cheeks blush as she shoves her elbow back into my stomach. I laugh and tie off her hair.

"And if anyone ever treats you wrong you come to me. Well, come to your sister because we all know she's more scary. But for now come to me. I'll straighten them out." Prim turns around and hugs me. I hug her back and just hold her as more bombs come.

The bombs last for hours, but even after they're done we can't go back up because they hit residential areas. Prim finally fell asleep. I lay her down and tuck her in before walking over to Finnick. The one person I can be myself with. With Katniss' mother and sister I have to be strong. For the rest of Thirteen I have to be strong. For the districts of Panem I have to be strong. With Finnick. I can break.

I plop myself onto his bed and he hands me the rope. I silently start to knot and braid the rope. "They could all be dead." I whisper out my voice shaking.

"It would be better." Finnick says dryly back to me. "They wouldn't be in pain. They would be happy."

"And us? What do we do if they are dead?" Finnick's hands stop when I ask and he looks at me.

"We keep fighting. We don't stop. we kill Snow and make Panem better. The girls would want us to finish this."

"I'll shoot an arrow right through his chest."

"Good." We fall silent in our knot making. "You know, I always thought she didn't love you. I mean anyone could see your obsession with her, Katniss. So of course in the first games it was all an act for her. I knew the act would continue through the rest of your lives, but I also thought she would never truly love you. However, when you hit that force field I knew I was wrong. I knew I was wrong because that girl loves you. The way she acted. That wasn't an act. That was her genuinely being scared to lose you. That was her actually sobbing over you praying you to live." I stare at him before my eyes wonder to Prim and I wonder how she would react if Katniss is dead. I think of how Gale would react. How Katniss' mother would. How I would. I would break. I wouldn't be able to continue.

"Finnick, how... how do you keep from breaking?" I ask as tears well in my eyes. I keep my eyes on my rope to keep from looking pathetic in front of everyone. They are supposed to see me and think strength.

"I force myself out of nightmares every night. And I think to myself that if I just fall into it. If I give into the hurt that it will hurt less, but then I remember that it takes ten times as long to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart. Because of the small sliver of hope I have that Annie, Katniss, and Johanna are alive I can't break. I can't. If they are alive we'll save them. And I don't want my girl to come home and see me like this. She'll need me more than ever. There's no telling what happened to any of them, but they'll need us. They'll need us to be their strength." Finnick pats my shoulder and I smile at him a little. He's right. Katniss will need me more now than ever when we get the girls back.