Lucky Escape
Katniss
The crowd is moving as quickly and orderly as they can as Gale and I move toward the mansion gates. When we arrive we see peacekeepers pulling children from the arms of their parents, making them cry hysterically. It doesn't take us long to realize that the kids are now a human shield for President Snow, which is very unsettling to both of us. As we sort out what to do next, we spot peacekeepers checking everyone they pass. We immediately turn around, only to see more peacekeepers. As we panic about what to do, gunfire breaks out and the soldiers of District 13, plus those who had joined the fight from the other districts, rush in. We duck for cover as the gunfire continues. I look up and see the little girl in a yellow dress I had seen earlier. She is crying over her mother, who was hit by a stray bullet and I feel sorry for her.
I have little time to think about the girl's situation further as Gale and I rise to our feet and hear an unexpected noise. I look up to see a hovercraft flying overhead, with the Capitol emblem on it. As it flies over, it drops packages with parachutes, much like those from the Hunger Games. We watch them fall until they're almost to the children before the unexpected happens. An explosion sends us backward, off our feet. Quickly, I look up and see a horrible scene: Children on the ground dead, dying, or missing limbs from the explosion. I barely have time to register this as I realize resistance medics are rushing into the area help who they can. Gale has been dragged away by peacekeepers, as I look on. Suddenly, I see my sister among the wounded, tending to a severely wounded little girl. "Prim?" I call out, as if still unsure it's really her. "Primrose!" She sees me and quickly, but carefully, collects the child and hurries toward me just as another explosion rocks the area. I fly back and hit my head on the ground, not knowing if she made it as darkness drags me to unconsciousness.
Prim
The explosion rocks the area as the hovercraft flies away. I hurry toward the gates with the other medics, as the peacekeepers open the blockade, realizing they've been tricked and that we're here to help the wounded. As I begin to treat a little girl caught at the edge of the blast, I hear someone calling out. "Prim?" I look around. "Primrose!" I spot my sister looking right at me. Without hesitation, I carefully gather my gear and the girl and hurry toward Katniss. As I get within 4 yards of her, another explosion sends me forward. Last thing I remember is more screaming and shouting before I lose consciousness.
Several Hours Later
I wake up to find myself in a hospital bed, with bandages on my arms and head. I look around slowly and find Katniss to my right, still out, with bandages of her own. Our mother is in between us, tending to my sister. "Mom?" I say softly, trying to get her attention. She looks at me and smiles. "I'm so happy to see you're awake," she says. "We were worried about you." She looks at Katniss. "Your sister was awake for a while, but that didn't last long. She'll be alright, but it'll be a little while before she wakes again, I suspect." I can't stop looking at Katniss, wondering what will happen next.
Epilogue
District 12 - Prim
I look across the meadow as Katniss and Peeta take a walk together. It's been five months since President Snow was overthrown and we've long since returned to District 12 to rebuild. Thanks to some crafty work by Katniss and others, Coin's plot to continue the Hunger Games, using the Capitol's children, was revealed publicly and she, like Snow, was killed in the riot that followed. In the time since that day, Peeta and Katniss have become so close that Peeta finally had to ask her to marry him, three months ago. Of course, Katniss said 'yes' and they have since married and moved into one of the remaining homes in what was once Victor Village. I watch as they tease each other while they walk and can't help but wonder what lay ahead for them and everyone else who has come back to Twelve or have moved here from the other districts. Even some Capitol citizens have built new mansions out here, to help show that we no longer are divided, as well as to change their surroundings after losing their homes in the Capitol.
As I watch, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and see a boy I met a couple months ago. He's from a wealthy family and we have become good friends. Katniss keeps teasing me, saying that I'm falling for him, but I try to ignore her. "Spying on them again, are we?" He asks, despite it being obvious. "You know I like watching the sunset," I reply. "They just happened to walk in front of the view." This was, of course, only half true as I knew that the pair would be coming by when I got there. "Whatever you say," he says, grinning. I blush as he casually takes my hand and we begin to walk a nearly parallel path to Katniss and Peeta's. We walk on a short distance before sitting down at the bottom of a tree and I lean my head on his shoulder. Maybe my sister was right after all.
End