They had rescued Johanna, Annie, and Peeta. It was deceptively easy, but they were grateful, nevertheless. But when Gale looked into Peeta's eyes as he released the shackles, he knew that something deep inside Peeta had broken. The eyes, before the Hunger Games, filled with hope, and sometimes amusement, now held an edge of insanity to them, even when closed. But there was something else. Something that Gale could not quite put a word on it, about Peeta's face. It was more than tortured, unlike Annie's or Johanna's. It was hellish in its agony. Gale eased Peeta's bruised and torn body off the torture seat, it's weightlessness shocking. He could feel drops of blood slide down his arm, blood that seemed thinner than normal. Still, Peeta's body was hauntingly lax. What has Snow done to you? Gale felt his heart tightening in despair. Even jealous as he was, he could not help but feel an overwhelming despair at Peeta's state. And somehow, he was afraid to verbalize his fears to Katniss, and even Coin.

There was something about Peeta's injuries that spoke of vehemence and malice, that the injuries were not simply a way to make the Mockingjay despair. No. The red welts were oddly placed, the bruises were clustered around areas that gave his mind unrest. Peeta was completely naked, and while nudity was not uncommon when it comes to governmental affairs, there was something obscene about this picture. But Gale did not dwell on this. He would get Peeta out first. And he would piece these mysteries out later, once safe back in District 13.

No one had expected the violent way that Peeta had awoken, definitely not Katniss. And after she was taken to the hospital wing, after Peeta was rendered unconscious once again, Haymitch approached Gale angrily.

"How did you find him?" Haymitch hissed. "Not one of those damn doctors are giving me any details. What kind of injuries did you see?" Haymitch actually looked fearsome if he tried.

Gale sighed. It was a new side of Haymitch he had never seen. The man actually cared about Peeta, this man who spent more of his life drunk than sober. It was so odd to see the worry lining Haymitch's forehead. Where to start?

Haymitch closed his eyes as if calming himself. This time, he spoke with more control. "Johanna and Annie had a ton of injuries, but they did not react like this. That boy is a totally different story. The torture seems more psychological. And I get that everyone is talking about hijacking, but that boy looked more than fearful from tracker jack venom."

Gale nodded and finished the thought. "He looks haunted."

Haymitch let out a deep breath. "How did you find him?"

"In a room with solid white walls and a single light, shackled to a seat, naked and bruised. There was something about the bruises, cluttered in some pretty terrible places in his body, on his neck, his hips, his thighs, his arms, like a strugglein the , but not upright position. Like he was struggling on the ground or on a table. The cuts were in areas designed to incapacitate him, not necessarily hurt him. They were aiming for the back of his knees, his shoulders, his elbows. His face has remained untouched, other than the blow we had seen on the screen earlier when Beetee broke through the Capitol's televised showings. There is something so deliberate about it all. Is this how Snow works?"

Haymitch nodded. "Deliberate, yes, but this is beyond deliberate, bordering on devilish. If Snow wanted to hurt Katniss, one would think that the physical injuries would be more noticeable."

Gale snorted. "Are his physical injuries not noticeable enough?"

Haymitch shook his head. "No." Succinct, but left to interpretation, Gale frowned in frustration.

"Well?" Gale threw his arms out. "Please try not to be so verbose."

Haymitch sighed. "From the way I see things, Snow was not merely punishing Katniss. I mean, Peeta is only an instrument to get to her, from our perspective. But do you not think that there is an anger that is directed towards Peeta himself?"

Gale raised his eyebrows. "You mean, the punishment is intended more for Peeta himself than aimed at Katniss?"

Haymitch's face darkened, his eyes fiery in their acknowledgement. "How much has Peeta revealed about his personal life, to you, to me, to Katniss, during the games?"

Gale shook his head. "He goes to the same school as Katniss and I since we were kids. We've seen him work at the bakery. His father and brothers have seemed aloof to him. His mother, I think despises him. At least, he's been seen at school a lot with injuries that are pretty visible. He always claimed they were accidents, but everyone at school agreed that they were not. It was no secret they came from his mother."

Haymitch shakes his head. "Why would a mother despise her own child so?"

Gale looks confused now. "You think he posed a threat to her? Or . . . you think he is not her son?"

Haymitch's reply was grim. "Or both."