My first ever FanFic. Mockingjay to post Mockingjay. Eventual Galeniss.
"Katniss, the team wasn't able to find him," Haymitch's eyes reflecting the pain in his voice. "President Snow would have taken him somewhere after he warned us of the attack on 13."
I refuse to think of what could've happened. "So you just left him there?" Slowly raising out of my seat, I feel my face flustered with anger.
"Peeta is out of our reach, Katniss! There's nothing we can do!" The amount of grief that fills Haymitch's words take me by surprise and I'm forced to sit back down.
A team was assembled, and Gale volunteered, to rescue Peeta from the cold grip of President Snow. But he wasn't in the same place he was when the planned the mission. They were forced to return to 13 empty handed. They just barely made it out on time.
"I'm sorry. There was no other option," Haymitch spoke with such gentleness and I rose to embrace him. We stay like this until the tears threaten to spill over my eyes. Quietly, I turn and leave the room. I find the supply closet I spent so many hours sleeping my pain away. Now it feels empty. Like a part of it went missing. I guess in a way it has. In previous visits, I held on to a hope that I would somehow get Peeta back. Now it's become a dream I try so hard to forget. My eyelids become heavy and I don't try and fight the sleep that I need.
When I come to, a familiar hand brushes some hair away from my forehead.
"Hey Catnip," the sound of Gale's voice is soothing.
"Hey," I try to respond with the same loving tone.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more to save him. I told them we had to find him! For you!" Tears welling in Gale's eyes make this situation unbearable.
"There's nothing you could have done! He's probably dead anyway!" Gale's arms pull me into him. I take in his warmth and realize this is the first time I've let myself think that.
"By the way," he whispers, "you're wanted in Command."
When we arrive, a small group of people have gathered. Haymitch, Plutarch, Finnick, Beetee, Boggs and President Coin. Their expressions full of grief and pain. On the screen behind them, a man I know to well, talks about the death of a loved tribute. I thought I'd seen the last of Caesar Flickerman after his last interview with Peeta. But instead of Peeta filling the chair next to Caesar, it remains empty. Caesar's eyes resemble the same sorrow and pain I saw in Plutarch's. He tells the nation that Peeta is, in fact, gone. I push my way to the screen and start screaming incomprehensible things at him. I pound the vary place Caesars nose fits on the screen. It gets bad enough that the have to sedate me.
When I awake, I'm accompanied by Gale. He speaks softly. "How do you feel?"
"I've been better," I say with much more hostility than I intended.
"I'm sorry," he finally says after a long silence.
When I don't respond, he gently kisses the top of my head and goes. I watch him disappear around the corner. Gale cares about you, don't be so hard on him, I tell myself. There's nothing I want more than to see him happy. I decide it's best to go and find him. Apologize for the way I've been acting.
I find him sitting on the marble steps of the old Justice building, the backdrop for the Capitol's news reports on 13. I sit down next to him.
"Hey," he says with the same harsh tone I used.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just so hard," I manage to say without sounding too desperate.
"I know," he replied.
I'm about to speak when we're interrupted by an excited Finnick, "President Coin wants to send us to the Capitol! She wants us to film more propos there."
"What about Snow?" I ask.
"Not sure. Coin didn't say anything on the subject," Finnick answers.
"Well we'd better go find out," says Gale extending a hand to help me up. Finnick, Gale and I search for Coin.
Once found, Coin begins to explain the plan to us. We go to the Capitol and film some short propos and come back to 13. Not once did she mention Snow.
"What about Snow? Aren't we going to attack?" Gale inquires.
"You are not. Another team has that job. You are all too valuable to lose," Coin responds sounding annoyed at the question.
"But the deal was that I kill Snow if I become the Mockingjay!" I counter.
"Fine. You want to risk your life, then I'll have Boggs lead the attack," Coin replies.
"Good," I say under my breath.
Coin leaves the room. After a few moments of silence Plutarch enters and stands in front of a large map.
"If you're going to attack Snow, you have to know every street, building, pod-"
I interrupt him, "Pod? What exactly do you mean?"
"Essentially, they are traps or lethal weapons that activate when a person is detected. Look here." He presses a button and a hologram of the Capitol appears. On this version of the map, small lights that blink with different colours and speeds mark the pods. I reach out and hold a flashing green light in my hands. This is not new to Finnick and I.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Finnick begins.
"Let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin!" I respond.
We are sent to the Capitol the next day. We start to disable the pods closest to the camp, shattering glass and other things in the process.
"We do you think we'll start to actually attack?" Gale asks me quietly.
"Today," Boggs says behind him.
In a few hours, Snow could be dead