"And I will stay up through the night;
Let's be clear, won't close my eyes;
And I know that I can survive;
I'll walk through fire to save my life."
-Sia
The clock strikes for a new hour. One hour since the Quarter Quell faded to black, engulfed in flames. One hour since my sister began this fire with an electric arrow.
One hour since… Oh, I can't even think over Mom's sobbing. We sit together on the sofa, my head lying against her shoulder.
"We don't know for sure," I keep saying to her, though I feel tears staining my face. "Maybe, somehow-"
She grabs my hand firmly, grimacing. "Prim. You're such a bright ray of sunshine. Always so optimistic, even when your father died and I… I couldn't even produce the energy to keep you fed. I feel like I've only just returned to my old self. Of course, I wish Katniss somehow lived through what happened earlier... God, I wish. But the whole place exploded. Nothing looked salvageable, from what I saw. We have to accept it…. Katniss is dead."
So it goes, I guess. Death is the only thing I'm sure of in this world. We lost Dad; and we almost lost Katniss more than once. She came home alive, but scarred. Now… Now, there's just no way she could've survived again.
What if that was the point? That she wanted to die?
No. Can't be. I saw how frightened she was when she volunteered for me. She put my life above her own, to give me a second chance. But the prospect of being 'sacrificed' must've haunted her every waking moment inside the arena.
I can't say the same about her mental state afterwards. Before Reaping Day, she had said, without emotion, "Don't expect me to come home. If nothing else, I want Peeta to win."
Which begs the question: Why would she take Peeta down with her? At first, I wasn't sure if she cared about him. Not even after she tended to his potentially fatal leg wound. My thoughts changed during the Quarter Quell- and the moment his heartbeat vanished. He legitimately died. Katniss was hysterical, almost like Mom when the miners told us about Dad. That older victor they allied with, Finnick Odair, literally raised Peeta from the dead, because he saw her anguish, too.
Yeah. There's no doubt in my mind. Katniss loved Peeta.
Oh great. Did I really just use past tense?
Loves, I correct myself. She loves him, and soon, I'll see both of them again. They're practically invincible in my eyes.
"I've got a bad feeling that's not the worst of it," I admit to my mother. "I think we're… we're officially at war, Mom."
"Unfortunately," she agrees, stroking my cheeks.
A new appreciation is growing between us; something I've always wanted. I finally have my mom back. In spite of losing Katniss, I know she won't shut people out anymore.
BOOM.
Mom and I jump at the sudden quakes. They seem distant- but my heart leaps, nevertheless.
"What was that?"
"We'd better go see," Mom replies.
Opening the door, we step outside. Way beyond Victor's Village, smoke curls upwards. And fire. A monstrous fire burns somewhere near the Hob.
"No," I whisper.
Poor Greasy Sae! I hope she's not in there. But a glimpse above shows me that she won't be the only potential casualty. Hovercars fly around, releasing explosives wherever the pilots direct them. And I know exactly who's behind this.
President Snow has ordered for District Twelve's execution.
Who should we go to? I know exactly who. Someone who knows the woods and can navigate us to safety.
"Mrs. Everdeen? Prim?"
And there he is; Gale Hawthorne. The boy I call my honorary brother. He's all sooty, drenched in sweat from the run.
"Oh, I'm glad you guys are okay," he says after catching his breath. "We need to evacuate. The Peacekeepers aren't gonna stop until they've destroyed the whole district. Quickly, go back inside and take everything you need."
Mom nods, grimacing to me. "Prim, you get the herb bags and whatever cans of food we have. I'll take the first aid kits."
"Buttercup!" I suddenly exclaim. "He ran out earlier… he could be anywhere…" Yeah, it might sound pathetic to some, but to me, it doesn't matter if you're human or not. A life is a life. Hence the reason why I've never taken hunting lessons from Katniss or Gale. I can't stand thinking of my cat, stranded and hungry. Maybe worse. Still, he's a smart feline.
"We'll be on the lookout for him," Gale promises.
"What about your family?"
"Rory led them away to the same place I'm taking you," he rambles. "There'll be a bunch of others heading there, too. I've been going from house to house and giving directions. Now, hurry!"
It takes me five minutes to gather our food supply and jam it all into my dad's old messenger bag. Weighed down with supplies, we exit our new house, leaving Victor's Village for the last time. It doesn't hold many good memories. Dad never got to see it. We received the Quarter Quell news here. Even so, part of me had always dreamed of living in a place as beautiful as this.
I should've known it wouldn't last.
Flames continue raining down on my homeland. On my school; the Justice Building and town square; Mayor Undersee's house; every inch of the Seam. Those fireballs… they remind me of the inferno Katniss ran from in her first Games. Despite our speed, the bombs start to land just out of range. Way too close. We soldier onward with Gale in the lead.
Mom and I have to pause for a second as a fireball is closing in. Ten feet. Five feet away. It passes me, towards-
"MOM!"
She remains put; like a statue. I can't handle this again, I think. She'll always be looking for excuses to get herself killed.
I yank her out of harm's way just as the fire darts past us. Not a moment too soon. She continues jogging, little sobs punctuating her steps.
"I shouldn't have…"
"It's okay," I say.
The farther we go, the less danger we face. We've lost the Peacekeepers. When I feel I've had enough of running, Gale halts at the district boundary fence.
"Step through it," he orders. "I know what the sign says, but the electricity hasn't worked for a long time."
To demonstrate, he goes first. I maneuver past the fence with the ease of a natural hunter; light on my feet. I guess it's in my blood. But for Mom, who's not as coordinated, it proves difficult. Gale and I have to catch her so she doesn't fall.
I've gone beyond district lines just once before, when Katniss gave me swimming lessons. The forest has a beauty unmatched by anything the Capitol has created. To Gale and Katniss, this is home. And luckily, the lake will keep us hydrated.
But what happens if it freezes over?
Stupid Capitol, ruining everything because of my sister. Because she had to volunteer for me. It really is amazing how one decision can alter life as we know it; how it eventually brought us, weak and homeless, into the untamed wild. I could never hate Katniss for what she's done, though. Somebody needed to show President Snow who was boss. Maybe her sacrifice is the beginning of a greater future. When the war ends, we could resurrect District 12 and the Hunger Games will be done.
The Hunger Games. Done. If I say it to myself enough times, I can almost believe it's gonna happen.
We're deeply concealed by the trees at this point. My neighbors have clustered in groups, comforting one another and waiting for missing loved ones to appear. They've erected a hospital tent filled with people. Some are wounded; others just want company. Dining tables are laid side by side. Makeshift beds.
"There they are," Gale suddenly announces.
Gale's mother, Hazelle, clings to her younger children. After Gale, Rory is the eldest Hawthorne. Fifteen years old, and, dare I say, totally cute (I am a teenage girl, after all). Vick is around ten years old. Little Posy, the youngest, is five. She won't create any memories with Mr. Hawthorne. How sad! At least my dad and I had some time together.
"Well," Gale says to us, "my job's not done. I've gotta head back and see who still needs rescuing."
The other Hawthornes are none too happy; yet they understand how important it is for him to step up as a leader. Most people have no clue how to get here.
Of its own accord, my hand grabs his wrist, turning him around. "But, Gale, what if we came along-"
"Don't argue with me," he commands in that brotherly voice of his. "You're not going back into that mess."
"So why are you?!" I exclaim.
"It's not about me right now," he answers somberly. "Since you and your mother have the most experience with nursing, you're staying here to treat anyone who's injured. Rory, Vick and Posy will help you."
"Me, too?" Posy squeaks in her tiny voice. "What can I do, Galey? Mom won't let me touch most of that stuff."
Hazelle chuckles, pinching her daughter's cheeks. "No, but this is different. You'll have Prim, and she's a good teacher."
"You can hand me supplies to make it go faster," I tell Posy. "How's that?"
"All right," she replies.
She flees to Gale's legs, squeezing them desperately. "Galey! Don't go."
"Aw, Peanut. I wish. There are still people in danger. We can't leave them behind, and I've got the skills to help."
"You might disappear, like Daddy."
Gale is tearing up a little, though he fights to hide it. "I might. You've gotta know that I love you, right?"
"Yeah. And I love you."
I can hardly watch as Gale embraces his family. There's no promise of return, but no goodbyes, either. That would be too painful- trust me. He comes to hug me as well, and coal ashes litter my dress.
"You're as strong as Katniss was," he says. "Don't forget it."
"Look who's talking," I tease.
A rare smile creases Gale's face. "See you later, then. I promise."
While he recruits a few other men, Mom and I unpack our equipment inside the hospital tent. People are lining up to be treated. I don't see any life-threatening wounds. Yet. They usually require bandages, stitches, or simply food and water. More begin flooding the campsite.
Later refugees aren't so lucky. Some have received permanent damage to their bodies; and though we try our hardest, it's clear that many won't last the night without real medical attention. We've already started a respectable graveyard within a meadow. Burials will have to wait until we know the chaos has ended.
God, I think, if you're there, please send help.
Then… the vibration of yet another hovercar. My first instinct is to flee; but as it descends, I don't see a Capitol seal on its sides. Weird. There's a loud thud. I hear boots touch dirt, and the purposeful stride of whoever piloted this hovercar.
He approaches us sternly. The man is fully-armored, with a bulletproof vest and rifle at his side. It relieves me for some reason. If he'd wanted to shoot us, he would have. He's tall, dark-skinned, and bulky; the definition of intimidating.
In a thundering voice, he says, "People of District Twelve, please, listen!" His arms and hands spread open, showing that he means no harm.
"I'm very sorry for the circumstances you've found yourselves in," he continues, "but we can get through this if you follow my lead. I'm Lysander Boggs, active soldier in the revolution against President Snow and the Hunger Games."
"How do we know you're not leading us straight to the Peacekeepers?" someone cries out.
Boggs thunders: "Let me explain myself! With every fiber of my being, I promise that I have no association with the Capitol. As a matter of fact… I come from a place you believe to be dead. My home is District Thirteen."