Catching Fire (Peeta's P.O.V.)

Chapter One

Catching Fire 

 The general plot and characters belong to my idol, Suzanne Collins. 

Haha. So I stared rewriting The Hunger Games from Peeta's perspective earlier today. I'm still continuing that, but I'm going to work on Catching Fire first. For multiple reasons. 1; I read Catching Fire before the The Hunger Games and my grip on it is stronger. 2; I've never done this before and I decided maybe I should start out with a book I'm more familiar with 3; Peeta is a much more developed character in Catching Fire. Well, enjoy!!  (Sadly My chapters have been quite shorter than the book chapters. That's because Katniss has a whole lot more that she does in the mornings. As soon as Peeta and Katniss are around each other or more separated the PPC will pick up)

Catching Fire 

Part One: "The Spark" 

Chapter One 

I scream Katniss's name into the flames. I revive no answer. Prim's name comes out of my mouth, too. No answer. I stand as Katniss's house only three from mine burns with white flame, screaming, desperate to know that there is hope, that Katniss could still be alive.

"Katniss!" 

No answer. 

Katniss?" 

No answer. 

"Prim!" 

No answer.  

"Prim?" 

No answer. 

"Mrs. Everdeen!" 

No answer. 

"Mrs. Everdeen?" 

I call every name I can think of. I call for Gale and Katniss's dead father. I need someone to let me know Katniss is still alive. Still breathing. When the responses keep not coming I decide to go in and search for them. I take a deep breath and charge for the door. Right as my hand is about to curl around the flaming door knob a giant wolf tackles me back on the green grass in the yard of Katniss's house. It's the girl I killed with the careers the night Katniss watched us from the trees in the arena. Then there's Glimmer. And then Clove. Then all the tributes are on top of me ripping me away piece by piece. Then I see Katniss emerge from the flames, 

"Katniss!" I cry out to her. 

All twenty one of the wolves turn to her and start to rip at her instead. I know she's not going to die. Just like they did for Cato in the arena. Death would be a mercy compared to the fate they have in mind for her. So they rip her up to a slab of raw meat, while I lay here in pieces and completely helpless. I shut my eyes tight. When I open them I am lying in my own bed looking up at the ceiling. I glance out the window at Katniss's house. It's not burning. It just sits there, three houses away from mine like it always is. 

Knock if off, Peeta! She doesn't care about you. It was all just an act. She cares about her life. She cared about yours. She kept you both alive, but you don't even rate the truth to her. STOP DREAMING ABOUT HER!!! 

I sigh and climb out of bed. I switch clothes, no putting too much effort into it since Portia and my prep team will be here in a couple hours. I go to my bathroom, brush my teeth and wash my face. I find a comb and comb the knots out of my hair. I walk down the stairs to my quiet, lonely kitchen. I don't like my family much, but it's not the best feeling; waking up from nightmares every night to an empty house. I know I'm welcomed back home and at Haymitch's. Probably at Katniss's too. But good would that do? Because the last time I told people about my feeling I ended up brokenhearted.  

In a way I am dreading today. I will play lover with Katniss for the next couple weeks while we are on our Victory Tour. Only on my part it won't be playing. I will be savoring her touch and her kisses. And that is the part I'm looking forward to. I grab three loafs of bread from the oven, slide on my coat, and walk out the door. In the cold I can feel the metal and plastic of my new leg against my skin. It feels cold. I rush to Haymitch's house and let myself in, quickly closing the door behind me. Haymitch is asleep, dead to the world on the kitchen table. I go into his pantry and clean up a bit when I hear the door open and then close. Katniss is here. I hear her rustle around in the kitchen, while I find some eatable butter in Haymitch's fridge. Then I hear my name. 

"Look, if you wanted to be babied, you should have asked Peeta." says Katniss, impatiently.  

I walk into the room. A very irritated Katniss is perched on an open window sill across from a very wet Haymitch. 

"Asked me what?" I ask 

I walk across to room carefully. I set some bread down on the table with the butter. I hold my hand out to Haymitch for the knife he is holding in his. 

"Asked you to wake me without giving me pneumonia." says Haymitch, removing his shirt. 

I dip it in the easily accessible bottle of alcohol sitting on the table and then dry it with my shirt. I slice the bread and hand Haymitch the heel. I force myself to bring my eyes to Katniss's and speak to her, 

"Would you like a piece?" 

"No, I ate at the Hob, but thank you." She says, stiffly and awkwardly. 

"Your welcome." I say, sounding stupidly stiff as well. 

I'm not trying to impress her. At the moment Katniss is not my most favorite person. That doesn't change that I love her and would die if anything happened to her. And I want her to know that.

"Brrr. You two have a lot of warming up to do before show time," says Haymitch. 

"Take a bath, Haymitch." Katniss says then ducks out the window.

Haymitch -unfortunately- is right.  A lot of bad things could happen if we don't pick up right where we left off. Star-crossed lovers.

"Still mad?" Haymitch asks me once Katniss is well across the grass, almost to her own house.

"Yes." I answer.  

Haymitch starts to say something else, but just trails off and heads towards his bathroom. I walk to my own house just in time for my prep team to arrive.