A/N: If you've never read The Hunger Games Trilogy, you might not understand this story. Also, since it's A/U, it's very obviously going to be different. But for this first chapter, I'm laying down the foundation so in some places it may be similar.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter One – It Should Have Been Me
I know she didn't want to part with me. But how could I insist on going with her without making it obvious we were about to break the alliance? Besides, Beetee wanted me to stay with him. Things went fast from here. Soon, the line went slack and I could hear Katniss cry out something and I thought she was in trouble. I tried running to her aid but I was attacked by one of the tributes we weren't allied with. I easily dispatched him and saw Johanna knock Katniss down, slicing her arm with a knife.
"What are you doing?" I yell, going for the two. Johanna attacks me, trying to slice in precisely the same spot she got Katniss. She succeeds and runs off. I look to where Katniss had been not more than a minute ago and in her place was a small pool of blood. I thought of the lightning tree. If I were Katniss, that's where I'd go. I sprinted to it, losing blood fast. Katniss wasn't there. Beetee was, knocked out cold, and the knife in his hand suggested he had been trying to defend himself. I looked closer and noticed the knife was wrapped tightly with the metal coil, making the steel weapon deadly. His arm had been angled toward the force field, and since there were no traces of enemies around, I figured he really had been trying to manipulate the arena. But why? And how, even? I look up and notice an odd chink that indicates the force field is right in front of me. It's hard to hold onto, because it's an odd distortion of the earth. If I threw the knife into that spot, would it simply kill me, or give way to the outside world?
I've been standing here for less than a minute contemplating. I make my final resolve, and just as I throw the knife, I hear somebody yell out my name.
"Peeta!" It was very faint, but I hear her nonetheless.
"Katniss? Katniss!" The last thing I remember was the force field blowing up before I went unconscious.
xXx
Tubes are connected to me, keeping most of the pain away. I'm in a hospital bed, even though I'm sure I'm fine. Just a little sore and confused. I can tell I'm in a hovercraft because of the slight wobble and my first thought is that the Capitol has gotten me. For a second, I'm truly terrified. Do they have Katniss, too? If they do, I'm sure she is heavily sedated and under close watch. Why aren't I?
Looking to my right, Beetee is asleep and connected to tubes that drip morphling into his system. They must have pulled us all out of the arena once I destroyed their precious force field. I rip the tubes from my arms, the taped on needles as well. It hurts, but I get up – a little shakily – and start down the narrow hallway. I hear voices from a room to my right. I listen to their conversation.
"Did you get Annie?" Finnick Odair says, sounding as if he's on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was in on this? With the Capitol? Traitor!
"Yes, we got Annie. She's in one of our hovercrafts as we speak." Haymitch says tiredly. Haymitch says? Maybe I'm not in a Capitol hovercraft.
"I know you're there, Peeta." He says. I walk into the room and sit down in the chair next to Finnick.
"What's going on?" My voice cracks a little, my eyes search the room for danger. Even out of the arena, everything seems to be a threat unless proven not to be.
"Things went wrong. You weren't supposed to be the one to destroy the force field. But you did. As soon as that happened, we grabbed you from the arena. We needed to save at least one of you."
"Who is 'we'?"
"The rebels. Now go ahead, ask." Haymitch braces himself.
"Where's Katniss?" I already know the answer. We needed to save at least one of you.
"I'm sorry, Peeta, the Capitol got to her before we did."
"No," I whisper. "No, no, no." My hands are trembling and I bury my face in them. Be strong, Peeta, I think. We just need to get her back, now, and everything will be fine.
"The original plan was to save Katniss and then you, if possible. She's the face of this rebellion. But they know how much we need her. How much power she holds over the rebels, even though she has no idea." Haymitch sighs.
"I just can't wait to go home." The way Haymitch looks at me stirs my curiosity. "What?"
"Peeta, there is no District 12 anymore."
"What!" I exclaim.
"The Capitol fire bombed it within minutes of the end of the games. Gale helped as many people as he could escape."
"My family? Prim and Katniss's mother? Did they all get out?"
"Your family didn't make it, Peeta, I'm sorry."
So much has been thrust upon me. My stomach hurts and my heart races. My thoughts are jumbled, and all I can think is that I hope we can get Katniss out alive.
"When are we rescuing her?" The sentence startles Haymitch.
"We can't, Peeta. She's as good as dead. They'll probably kill her on live television, to make an example out of her. To show the rebels what happens to traitors."
"We have to get her!" My voice seems to bounce off the walls. Even I'm surprised at the fierceness and determination in those five words.
"We'll talk about this when we get to 13." Finnick says reassuringly. I'd almost forgotten he was there.
I laugh coldly. "There is no 13."
"Yes. There is. District 13 is the head of the rebellion. The Capitol let them live as long as they let them be presented to Panem as dead. They obviously couldn't have been taken out because of the nukes they manufactured – it would have created a nuclear war. Then who would have been alive to bask in the triumph?" Finnick runs a hand through his hair and I soak in all of the new information.
"What else have you withheld from me, Haymitch?"
"Everything I never told you was necessary to your survival in the games. You would have told Katniss, and then it would look too suspicious. She's rather bad on camera, you know."
"I'm sick of not knowing what's going on! From now on, you tell me everything!" I stand and walk back to my hospital bed, suddenly aware the gown I am wearing is not my normal clothes. I eat the food they bring me and promptly fall asleep. There must have been sedatives in it. My nightmares are filled with Katniss being tortured for information, Katniss being killed by Snow, Katniss pleading for me to save her. The images conjured by my subconscious are burned into my mind. All I can think when I wake up again is that we have to get her out of there somehow. Even if it costs my own life.
Soon, we arrive in District 13. It's mostly underground and the security is extremely ridiculous. Since I haven't really had real medical treatment, I'm sent straight to the medical department and they tell me I should be fine. I made out pretty good. The only thing that they had to do was stitch up the wound on my arm. Haymitch told me Johanna had only been trying to get out my tracker. If only I'd just left with Katniss when she had suggested instead of sticking around…
Gale shoots me a glare as we turn down the same hallway. I pull my eyebrows together in confusion. Jealous or angry, maybe? I don't really care. I'm supposed to be in command for some reason.
I identify myself and enter the room, just after Gale does. Everyone is wearing the same outfit. I thought I was the only one assigned to wear these depressing clothes.
"Soldier Mellark. Take a seat." Coin gestured to an empty seat next to Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker. Quite a surprise to see Capitol citizens among rebels. Then again, I guess they're rebels, too. I sat down and waited for Coin to start talking. Good thing Haymitch gave me a breakdown of everybody's names or I'd be stuck looking like an idiot.
"As you know, our mockingjay was taken by the Capitol. So now, we are left with two choices," She talks slowly, enunciating the words. "We could perform a rescue mission and attempt to get her back, risking the lives of many. Or," Her eyes fell on me. "Peeta Mellark could take the roll of mockingjay. He truly does have a way with words."
"No." The word bubbled up to my lips before I could stop it. I was shaking my head halfway through her proposal. We needed Katniss back. I can't help myself from thinking it should have been me that the Capitol took.
"Although Peeta is good with words, he just can't be the mockingjay. Katniss already has the title. I say we get her back and the two can work together." A man with white hair and blue eyes says. His nametag identifies him as Boggs. I like him already.
"If Snow airs her talking out against the rebellion, the districts that are unsure of themselves will surely be against us." Plutarch drums his fingers against the table. "She needs to be here, being taped saying things that will fire up the undecided."
"I think we should leave her." Haymitch speaks up. Every pair of eyes turns to look at him.
"What?" I shout, enraged at the thought.
"Just think about it!" He puts his fist down on the table. "If he decides to kill her, it would add fuel to the fire. She would be a martyr for the rebellion. He would see it as teaching people a lesson – showing people how easily their mockingjay lost her wings. But the rebels would only be more powerful than ever."
"Haymitch, no! How can you even – " I start, but Coin cuts me off.
"I see your point, Abernathy. It actually is a rather good idea. Are there any other opinions?"
"Yes, there are." Gale speaks up. "Why don't we just send in a small team, composed of Boggs, Me, and a few volunteers to get back Catnip – I mean, Katniss."
"Yes! If we have a map, we can plan out how to dispatch our enemies and where to create diversions. If we're going to do this, we would have to do it soon." Saying this got a look from Gale, but I tried to ignore it. I was excited. Hopefully, we were really going to get Katniss back. Coin looks displeased that the majority of people seem to agree that getting Katniss back is the best solution.
"Beetee, Plutarch, and Boggs will plan the mission. Covers of the rebel spies will be blown, but I suppose it is worth it. Peeta would never do what we ask unless he got Katniss back, anyway." Coin stands. "Volunteers for the mission?"
I raise my hand high, but only Finnick and two men who I later find out are called Mitchell and Homes are chosen. It really will be a small squad, only five people.
"Maybe you should grab the other people that were taken." I suggest. "Who else was it? Just Johanna, I think?"
Coin just nods to Boggs who writes it down in his notebook. I notice for the first time he has been taking notes of the whole meeting. She concludes the meeting, and just as we were all about to leave, the individual screens that pop up from the table in front of our seats shot up. Everyone scrambled back to their seats. Except Beetee; he had turned them all on. He knew what was coming on.
"Hello, I am Caesar Flickerman, your host," Caesar smiles and the camera pulls back to show more of the set. "And today, our special guest is Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire." The camera now includes both of them. Katniss looks perfectly fine except for the tight, fake smile on her face and the trembling of her legs. If she stood up, I'm sure she'd pass out. It's only been four days since she was pulled from the arena. Who knows when they recorded this? As soon as she was stitched up and primped?
"I have to say, Miss Everdeen, I didn't expect to see you back here."
"Yeah," Katniss said, her voice rough. "Me either."
A/N: Please leave reviews! I would love to hear from you. If you don't like it, give me your suggestions to make it better. It will get better in the chapters to come, I just needed this chapter to set up the situation. Thanks for being amazing. ~Briana Breezy