Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a really long time; I've just had a lot going on. But please remember that I will ALWAYS update no matter what and would never just leave you hanging! Thanks for being such loyal fans and I hope you enjoy this short chapter! Please review too and let me know what you think! Thanks!

-FallingFantasy

Chapter 11: Close But Far

"PEETA!" I shout as I run, "PEETA WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Katniss!" Paylor calls after me, "Katniss wait!"

"PEETA!" I continue to shout as I run, ignoring her shouts. "PEETA PLEASE!"

"Katniss stop!" Paylor shouts.

Suddenly I fall to the ground and start digging my fingernails in the dirt. In the first games Peeta hid himself with his camouflage techniques when he was hurt because it was his only option. Maybe he's done that now.

"PEETA! PEETA WHERE ARE YOU?!" I continue to shout as I dig, deeper and deeper. Suddenly my vision becomes blurred, and hot tears start to stream down my face. "Please," I whisper as I finally stop digging, "please."

Paylor slowly approaches me, being cautious of my emotional state.

"Katniss," she says in a calming voice, almost cooing as you would to a baby, "It's okay." She places a hand on my back and kneels down on the ground next to me.

"Where is he?" I ask, "You have to know something."

She gulps. I wait for an answer, but there's still no response.

"Tell me," I hiss at her.

"Okay," she finally says after a while, "let's go inside."

"No," I snap at her, "tell me here."

"Katniss," she whispers, "trust me I would if I could, but….." She looks around hastily and then continues. "They could be watching."

"What?" I ask in confusion, "Who are you talking about?"

"Come inside quickly Katniss," she says, looking up at the sky, a panicked look spreading across her face, "I'll tell you then."

"Okay," she says as she shuts the door behind her. She takes a seat across from me where I have already sat. "Katniss I truly did think Peeta returned home safely to you," she tells me, "but I'm not surprised that he didn't."

"Why?" I ask her, suspicious.

"Katniss," she says, "I'm not supposed to share this information with anyone. You have to swear not to tell a single soul."

"Yeah yeah whatever," I say.

"No Katniss," she says, "you need to swear."

"I swear," I say.

"Okay," she says, leaning in closer to me. "Katniss, there's another authority, or another power, and they're watching over us."

"Another power?" I say, "You mean like…another district?"

"Precisely," she says, "I know districts haven't been used how they used to before the war, since we have a Democracy government system now, but this other district, they want things back how they were. And when I say things back how they were, I mean everything."

I shudder. If they mean everything, that means the Hunger Games included.

"So which district is it?" I ask, "Two? Four?"

"It's not one of the current existing ones," she says, "as a matter of fact, it's not even on the ground."

I give her a puzzled look.

"Katniss," she says, "you know how you questioned me when I told you we could….make more soldiers?"

"Yes….." I say, a little worried now.

"Well," she says, "I meant what I said. As the years have gone by, we've found that people haven't been as physically and emotionally strong as they used to be. It turns out The Games had an effect on everyone. That's what gave us such a great army during the rebellion."

The mention of The Games and the rebellion send cold chills down my spine.

"We had our top scientists here in 13 develop a… 'formula' so to speak. The formula created mutants. Strong mutants. That we could use for our army. But they were too strong. Some of them broke out and…."

"Created their own district," I finish for her.

She nods her head.

"They were created with great speed, strength, and skill," she tells me, "They used these abilities to make a headquarters. It's not on the ground, however."

"You mean…"

"Yes," she says, "they built in the sky."

"The sky?" I ask her, "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," she says, "I've spent months trying to figure out all the scientific possibilities but…nothing adds up. They send spies down here constantly. They've already tried many attacks on us, so we had to create more of them. The only people who can stop them are their own kind, but we had to take out the chemical that made them betray us. The problem is, that chemical was also the chemical that made them so strong. Without it, we're nothing in this war."

"This can't be happening…" I say, getting up and holding my head.

"We're trying so hard," she says, "our scientists; they're trying to re-create the chemical. But every time they test it something different goes wrong."

"Well what am I supposed to do?!" I ask, raising my voice, "Those freaks that you created have Peeta! They've probably killed him by now! I mean what would they want with him?!"

"I might have an idea," she says, looking a little guilty.

"Tell-me-now," I hiss at her.

"Katniss," she says, "the reason I had Peeta come was because of this matter. My scientists believe that a small ingredient Peeta uses to bake his cakes could help steer the chemical on track. They want the same thing we do. If we get it before them, then we win. But if they get it before us, who knows what could happen. They want more of their kind, and they want them the best they could ever have. And Peeta's the only one who can help them."

"Something he uses in his baking?" I ask, "What is it? Flour? Eggs? Sugar? Can't you just get any of that at the store?"

"It's not a normal ingredient Katniss," Paylor says, "I don't believe even Peeta has told you what he uses."

"Then how do you know?" I ask, anger already bubbling up inside of my core.

"Because we created it for him," she says, "unfortunately, the scientist who created it for him was killed in the Rebellion. He didn't leave any trace of the formula behind, and we need it back. We'd go get it ourselves, but I'm afraid Peeta has it locked up somewhere where even you wouldn't look to find it.'

So many thoughts fluster over my head. I try to find the right words to pick and choose, but none of them transfer down and touch my tongue. Instead, I fall to the ground. I squat, clutching my stomach, shoveling my head between my knees. This can't be happening. There are too many things going on, more than I wished to know.

"Katniss," Paylor's soothing voice says. She squats down too, and places a hand on my shoulder. "I do not believe that they have killed Peeta. They want something from him, and if they kill him, they will never get it. They may be, however, torturing him."

A blow to the head. That is what just happened. I received a blow to the head. Torturing is even worse than killing. What's even worse is that even though I know how bad torturing is, I'm almost glad that they could be torturing him. If they are torturing him, then at least he's still alive. What a selfish thought.

Peeta would never think that way. If it was me in his place, Peeta would want for them to kill me rather than torture me, so I wouldn't have to live with the pain. He would give up his selfish needs for the well-being of me. I wish I could do the same. But the thought of that there could be a single chance that Peeta's still alive, even if he's hurting, gives me hope.

"You can save him, you know," the calming voice says again.

"How?" I ask, tears still leaking from my eyes.

"Maybe we should get into details later," she tells me. "For now, I think you need to get some rest."