Katniss and Peeta are hidden in the cave by the river. Katniss has saved Peeta's life with the medicine from the Cornucopia. Now for the first time in the 74th hunger game it seems possible that they both might make it out alive. On the other hand, outside of the cave Foxface, Cato, Thresh, and whatever the Gamemakers can conceive are threatening.
Katniss was awake watching the darkness outside of the cave, as the rain poured down. It was very late and Peeta seem asleep, but she could feel his hand tapping her leg. She looked down to see Peeta motion for her to lie down beside him. This didn't make much sense but she did it anyway. He rolled over and pulled the bedroll over their heads. They were now face to face under the bedroll. In the darkness she could barely make out his face. Obviously whatever he wanted to say he didn't want the camera to discover.
Peeta started talking in a very low voice, "Katniss, we need to talk."
"What about?" I reply.
"Haymitch got me gift with the food last night and we need to make some plans."
"How did he get you a gift? I was right here with you, I saw what was there and I didn't see anything?"
"Katniss, do you trust me? I mean do you really trust me?" I could barely make out his blue eyes, yet I knew he was telling the truth.
"Peeta sure I trust you. We are allies and you saved me at the tree."
"You don't know the half of it, but it's a start. Haymitch's gift came hidden in the bread, when I bit into it I found it. I hid the thing until I thought we might get a chance to talk."
"How could he get a gift past the Gamemakers?"
"Forget that for now. There are only 5 people left in the game, you, me, Foxface, Cato, and Thresh. Most of the food is gone now and everyone has to live off the land. You and Thresh I believe are excellent at this. That means that Cato and Foxface are basically slowly dying. Also Cato is now hunting Thresh for whatever Thresh stole from him at the Cornucopia and for revenge for Glimmer. Somewhere out there Foxface is looking for food to steal. So if we can just stay here it's likely in just a few days we will be down to either Cato or Thresh. And if it's Cato he will die of hunger within a week."
"Peeta what are you talking about, that is non-sense! The Gamemakers are'nt going to let us stay in this cave till we win, they will force a confrontation and soon."
"They force confrontations because the people lose interest if they don't, that is where Haymitch's gift comes in. Say that this year everyone has something new, something so interesting, that people are begging to see more. Something that will stay the Gamemaker's hand, and leave us to live." I can feel my eyes widen, as I slowly understand. "You mean us. You mean us kissing!"
Peeta puts his hand on my mouth and uttered a low 'shh'.
"Katniss you know how I feel about you, but I'm not sure how you feel about me, but either way it doesn't matter. I think we can save our lives by playing up the romance and actually get home to our families."
I can feel the tears threatening, "I don't think I can do it, Peeta. Please Peeta I think this is beyond me. I don't know what I feel, here in this place I 'm just so scared I just can't feel, and I'm no good at acting either." Peeta holds my hand very hard, "You did ok fooling me with the sleeping medicine."
"That was different, I didn't have to pretend any feelings all I had to do was lie."
Peeta face becomes a mask as all the emotion drains away. "That is where Haymitch's gift comes in. In order to make this work he needs you to be able to act better." In the dark I can see Peeta's hand comes close to my face. In Peeta's palm I can see a small pink round something. When I pick it up I can see it's a pill box. Peeta puts his hand again on my mouth to stop the scream about to come.
"What is that! I won't take it! How could you!"
Peeta is still stone face as he starts slowly talking, "I don't know what the pills do, there is no writing on it at all. I didn't ask for this, none of this, the reaping, the spectacle, the game, and these pill where not my idea. All I've done is tried to get you thru this, you have to trust me and trust Haymitch that this will allow you to go home to your Mother, Prim, and friends." The word "friends" hurts as it makes me think of Gale.
"It's some kind of passion drug or something isn't it!", I say as loud as I dare.
"I don't know. But yes, I expect it's something to make you more able to carry off the I-am-in-love act."
"What will it do to me? How long will it last? What is going to happen?"
"I don't know anything about the pills, nothing at all. On the other hand, I can tell you what will happen tonight if we do this, kissing just kissing that's all."
"What if the pills make me all weird or something and I jump all over you?"
"I will throw you off. I promise you nothing will happen tonight, if we decide to do this, besides kissing."
"Why am I the only one with the pills?", now I'm getting angry.
Peeta pulled up his other hand and in his palm sat another identical case, but in blue.
"Peeta, I'm so scared of this!"
"So am I but I think we should give it a try, what do you say?"
I relent not knowing anything better to do, "Ok, when should I take the pill?"
"I think peak audience is right after supper, so let's take our pills just before supper. You and I then will try to act romantic and do some kissing, then after about an hour one of us at least pretend to go to sleep. Late in the night we will talk again like this."
"I hate this so much."
"Katniss while I'm attracted to you, I find this whole thing sickening, still I think it is our best chance."
Peeta puts down the cover and goes back to pretending to sleep.
I sit up again and pretend to be on watch. As I stare into the dark outside of the cave my mind races in a way unlike any other time I can remember. Emotions come and go as I imagine all sorts of things happening after I take the pill.
With the first light of day, Peeta gets up and says he will keep watch for a while. It's almost midday when I awake again. Outside it looks the same as when I fell asleep, just one long heavy rain. Looking outside I say, "I guess there will be no hunting today and no trapping either." Peeta looks tired as he says, "Yes, today will be a long day. We can only hope one of our rivals gets killed today. At least our food supplies are still good."
As the day passes we do nothing much. We certainty do nothing like lovers. Ever once a while Peeta will bring up some person or story from District 12, trying to get conversations going. But soon we are just watching the rain.
A knot in the pit of my stomach just keeps getting larger as time goes by. Then the moment comes when Peeta grabs my hand and says, "I think we should get ready for supper". I sneak the pill case out of my pocket and put the first pill in my hand, making sure the cameras can't see. Peeta taps me on my shoulder and give me the water canteen. I take the pill.
At first my hand is shaking as I just sit there waiting for whatever to supposed to happen happens. Peeta and I slowly split up the food and we start to eat. Nothing seems to be happening, and I start to think maybe I was worried about nothing.
Peeta grabs my arm and pulls me down so that he is laying with his back on the wall, and I'm laying with my back on his shoulder. I give him my best imitation of a loving smile. Peeta starts talking, "You know if reaping had never happened I did have a plan for us."
"Really, you had a plan to win me."
"Better yet I had a conspiracy all planned out.", Peeta says with a proud look.
"A conspiracy! Who all was in on this conspiracy?"
"Let's see my father, my mother, your mother, Madge, Delly, and of course Prim."
I'm truly shocked, "You are kidding! This is a joke right!"
"No it was a brilliant plan you would have'nt stood a chance against my charms. Madge and Delly parts were easy I 've known them for years and when I confessed my feelings for you to them they were more them willing to help. Their part was to talk me up after I start making advances. Your mother and Prim were a little more complicated, but I've been making a point to talk to them ever week. Their part was just to be ready to say what a nice boy I was when you asked. My father and mother were hard, I had to promise them I would do twice the labor as my brothers, for five years. In exchange they were to hire you and train you as a baker. Once we were seeing each other every day in the bakery, I expected my charms to win you over."
I'm crying as I kiss Peeta. Part of me makes me wonders what part the drug is playing in this but I've never been so flattered in my life.
"Oh Peeta, I never knew. When was this all to happen?"
"After the reaping my father would approach you with the job offer. I 've already done my five years of labors, it started the day after your father died."
"Oh Peeta, you were right I never stood a chance."
Maybe it's the drug, but I no longer am thinking about the camera, or all the people watching. In fact I can't seem to stop kissing. Peeta's lips seem to be warming my whole body and each kiss seems to require another.
After a while Peeta pushes me away saying, "Katniss I think maybe you should get some sleep. I will take the first shift tonight watching for attackers." I reach around his head and give him one more long kiss and lay down to pretend that I'm sleeping. For a long time I lay there wondering how much of what just happen was me and how much was the drug.
The music starts and I wake from my pretend sleep. I ask, "Did anyone die today?" Peeta answers, "Yes, Foxface is gone. It's just Cato and Thresh out there hunting each other now."
"Part of me is rooting for Thresh. But I guess that would only make Thresh our enemy to kill."
Peeta genteelly pushes me back down and says, "Go back to sleep."
An hour later Peeta lie down beside me and pulls the bedroll over our head. Peeta says "How you feel?"
"Ok, how about you?"
"I'm ok, I think the drug made me a little braver but not too bad."
"I felt braver too. During the kissing I didn't worry at all about the cameras.", I decided to leave out how excited and emotional I got, still I wonder if it was the same for Peeta.
"Well I think we did a good job of selling our romance, maybe this plan will work."
"Was it real? Did you really tell your dad when you were 11 that you would work for five years for me?"
"Yes, that was real, by the way my dad won't eat squirrel."
On reflex, I jump forward and lock my lips to his, and we play with each other tongues. When we finally part I say, "That is for you and you alone." Peeta is bright red and wearing a silly smile, "Is that the drug speaking?" says Peeta. "Maybe partially, but I'm not sorry at all. What are we going to do now.", I reply.
"I guess we continue tomorrow as we did today."
"But we will have to top today if we are going to continue!"
"I see your point, today will be tough to surpass. We will have to find some way to spice it up though." Behind Peeta words I can tell he is nervous about this conversation.
Peeta is obviously avoiding saying what he is thinking and when he lowers his eyes for a second I understand.
I decide to shock Peeta, "So tomorrow we start feeling each other up, I guess."
Peeta swallows hard and is about to say something when I pull the bed row up and sit up.
"My turn to watch, you sleep for a while." It's funny to see him trapped with nothing to say.
I'm pretending to watch the entrance to the cave and Peeta is pretending to sleep. I can't help think about how excited Peeta must be, and strangely enough I'm getting excited by the idea of him thinking about my breast. I'm imaging him touching my breast, holding them, of him playing with my tits and I'm getting really excited. The most exciting part is imagining the look on his face as he touches me. I image him worshiping my body and I'm not sure I can't wait for tomorrow. Is this normal, is this me, or is this all the drug. No matter what Peeta has certainly worm himself into my heart. Right now I can't think of any future which does'nt include him. How could I've been so blind, to all this happening around me? I'm thinking hard of just laying down beside him and start kissing and touching and never stopping.
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