Chapter 6

Peeta

"Are you ok with that Katniss?" Gale asks, smiling at her. I can tell that the polite look on his face isn't real. It can't be. 

I really do hate him, but I know he used to be Katniss' best friend, and I don't want to be rude to him. Katniss opens her mouth and runs up the stairs without a word. I can't imagine how she feels seeing him here. She doesn't like talking about it, but she's told me about the bomb that killed Prim. So, I decide to give her time to calm down.

I turn back to the oven. I hear Gale take a breath right behind me. I spin around quickly, but I don't have much choice anyway. Gale grabs my shoulder and pushes me up against the wall.

He puts his elbow up against my throat so I can't breath. I watch his eyes carefully, but the look he gives me sends chills down my spine. I always knew Gale was violent. But was he really that crazed to try and hurt me? "Get out of here. Katniss is supposed to be in love with me, not you. Your just the baker's son. You can't do anything to protect her," he hisses. 

I struggle to move but I have to try. I quickly bring my knee up to his stomach and kick him with as much force I can muster.

He grunts in pain and hunches over. I push him to the ground but he's too quick and grabs my legs.

Out of no where, I have a sudden wave of violence wash through me. I know what's happening. What they did to me in the Capitol never completely wore off. I try not to think about it, maybe it will go away.

I keep kicking Gale on the floor. I try to make myself think that I'm just doing it for self defense, not out of violence. I hate this part of me. I can't help it. I know it's not my fault either, but at the same time, I know it's me who is doing this. I'm the mutt. 

A glass vase falls off the kitchen table and shatters. A piece of glass hits my hand and cuts my fingers. I wince, but continue punching Gale, only to be punched right back.

Gale grabs a particularly large, sharp piece of glass and pins me down. I try everything I can to push him off but he holds the glass to my throat and locks his elbows against my hands. I feel a tiny twinge of pain. He poked me in the throat.

"Stop it!" I hear Katniss yell. She must've heard the vase break. She runs towards us but I grab her wrist, and pull her down. I try my hardest to climb my way out of this black hole, to try not to feel the urge to kill her, like before. But I can't. And I do. 

Katniss is trying to pull away but I grab her throat with my hands. I don't know what happened to Gale. He is holding his arm so maybe he accidentally cut himself with the glass.

Kill her. Do it. She's only causing trouble. Kill her. Kill her.

The voices are growing louder and getting harder and harder to fight. I have both of my hands on Katniss's throat now. She is trying to claw her way free but I won't let go. I can't. This is my chance to kill her. She's used me long enough. If I don't do it now, I may never get the chance again. 

Then, I look into her gray eyes, filled with fear. "Peeta..." she whispers. 

The demons in my head begin slowly drifting away. I let go of her and she gasps and holds her throat lightly in her hands.

I look at my hands, afraid of what I just did. Afraid of what I have become.

Then Gale jumps on me an begins punching me. I don't fight back anymore. I deserve this. Gale has every right to hate me, and so does Katniss. She is still choking and gasping by the counter. She grabs the table and stands.

"Stop it Gale!" she screams. It isn't really a scream, but a hoarse sounding whisper.

"Me? Stop it? Tell that to the one who just tried to kill you!" he yells. He grabs the glass again, this time more confident. He brings it up to his head, ready to bring it down. I let go of his arms The violent look in his I frightened me to the very core. I closed my eyes and looked away. He can kill me. I don't care. I don't deserve to live. 

There is a yell and Gale is pushed off of me. At first, I thought Katniss pushed him out of the way but she's standing there looking at me, her mouth covered with both hands.

It wasn't Katniss who tackled Gale, it was Haymitch. He's pulling Gale up to his feet, forcing his hands behind his back. He ties Gale's wrists and throws him to the floor.

"What the hell is going on here?" he yells.

Katniss kneels down and puts her hand on my cheek. I can't look at her. Gale is right, I had just tried to kill her. She doesn't seem to mind though, which I don't understand. She should hate me. I hate me. 

Haymitch helps me up to my feet, Katniss by my side.

"I came down and. . .they were. . .fighting. . .and I. . ." Katniss is mumbling, completely out of breath. She looks terrified. 

"Why don't you sit down sweetheart," Haymitch says, motioning for her to sit in the chair by the kitchen table. She did as he said, which surprised me. She didn't even tell Haymitch to stop calling her sweetheart.

Gale is giving me the death glare, trying to untie the knot on his wrists.

"Is anyone going to explain what just happened?" Haymitch says, looking back and forth from me and Gale. I don't want to tell him what happened. Even though Gale did attack me, Haymitch doesn't need to know that. 

"Peeta was trying to kill Katniss," Gale spits. "So I stepped in." 

"That's not what happened! You're a liar!" I yell. 

"Oh, really? Katniss are those handprints on your neck?" he asks. Katniss' hands reach up to her neck and her eyes go down to the floor.

"Peeta, you had another. . .episode?" Haymitch asks. 

All eyes are on me now. I can't take this anymore. 

"I'm sorry," I mumble. Then I run out of there as fast as I can, not looking back again. 

There you go! Hope you liked it! :) By the way, I'm sorry if you like Gale and/or are "Team Gale" (I'm not ;P) but its just part of the story. I realize he isn't the 'bad guy' in the actual books ;)