THEY COME FROM THE NORTH. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers. President Paylor has no idea what is coming.
Everything is peaceful in 12. Peeta is baking his bread, and Haymitch is drinking. Again.
I'm hunting.
Sneaking through the forest, I silently stalk my prey. I reach behind myself and quietly pick an arrow from my quiver. With precision, I take aim and release, letting loose my arrow. My aim is true, hitting the heart. The buck will never again see the light of day.
After I finish skinning my catch, I load my game bag, taking what I can and leaving the rest for the wild dogs. I reset my snares and start heading home. It's half-past noon, and Peeta will be expecting me soon. I try to avoid the little nook where Gale and I used to meet. It reminds me of the past, which is full of painful memories.
When I get to the meadow, I cut across towards the Butcher's. I'll sell most of my catch there, and keep the rest. The Butcher, Angus, quickly buys what I have to offer him, but he seems distracted. Worried, even.
To get to the Victor's Village, I pass through the town square. There is a big commotion, and everyone seems worried. I decide to ask a lady passing me.
"Excuse me," I say, "What's causing all the commotion?"
"Haven't you heard, Mrs. Mellark?" she says. It always bothers me when people call me that. I mean I love Peeta and all, but when people call me Mrs. Mellark, it makes me feel as though I belong to Peeta. But when people call me Miss Everdeen, I feel more like myself; it makes me feel free.
"No," I respond, "what's happened?"
"Oh, my poor dear," she says, looking very distressed. She pauses, and then answers, "The invasion."
"What?" I say, "What invasion?"
"The Capitol was invaded," she says sadly, "and taken. They broadcasted it live, not an hour ago."
My head starts spinning. In my heart, I know it's true, but I can't accept it.
"No. No, you're wrong." I say in a panic, "You must be wrong!"
"No," she says, "The army came from nowhere. And then just hit the Capitol without warning. But President Paylor escaped. She's headed to 1 right now."
My heart stops. I feel it sinking to the bottom of my stomach. The Capitol, taken? The bow slips out of my fingers and I realize I'm running. Back to the forest. I keep running until I'm far enough away from civilization so no one can hear me. Then, I start to sob. Suddenly, I remember Peeta. We'll probably both be recruited for the war, and then I'll lose him again. All this is too much for me, and I feel my eyelids becoming heavy. I curl up next to the trunk of a tree and fall asleep.
Next thing I know, I'm being shaken awake. I open my eyes to see Haymitch standing over me.
"Hello, Sweetheart," he says gruffly, "forgot us again, did you?"
He gives me his hand, and then pulls me up.
"Peeta was worried sick about you," he continues, "I had to convince him to stay home just in case you came back, and then I came out here to find you myself. And here you are, feeling sorry for yourself. You still don't deserve him and you never will." There is no sympathy in Haymitch's voice.
"I thought it might have been a dream," I say, ignoring Haymitch's comment.
"No," he says, "It's all real."
We head back towards the meadow. We don't talk, until we reach the edge of the forest. I suddenly stop. Haymitch turns around.
"Haymitch you listen to me," I say. "Now, help me figure out: What are we going to do? I can't lose Peeta. Not again." I feel my throat begin to hurt, and Haymitch softens.
"There, there," he says, wrapping his arms around me, "We'll be alright."
I calm down a bit, and we head back towards the Victor's Village. But I don't feel up to talking to Peeta right now. However, when we arrive, Peeta is waiting for us.
"Katniss…" he starts, but I push past him into the house. He and Haymitch follow me into the living room, and I slump down on the couch. Haymitch sits in a chair, and Peeta stands behind me.
"There was a call while you were gone." Peeta says. This catches our attention, so we both sit up and stare intently at him. There is a pause.
"Well?" Haymitch says.
"It was President Paylor." Peeta responds.
"What'd she say?" Haymitch grunts.
"She wants us to remain in District 12 until further instructions arrive. She said to be on guard. She's going to send more reinforcements here soon."
No. This is just what I was afraid of. Now they're pulling us into this war too. I lost so much in the last war, I can't afford to lose any more. Especially not Peeta.
Haymitch sighs. I slump back down onto the couch, making sure my face is unemotional.
"Well," says Haymitch, "I guess there's nothing we can do." He gets up and Peeta walks him to the door. I hear them conversing, but can't understand what they are saying.
I close my eyes and hear bombs exploding. I feel bullets whizzing past me. I see my home being burnt to the ground. Katniss. Someone is saying my name. I open my eyes and Peeta is standing in front of me.
"Katniss," he says, holding out a loaf of bread to me, "are you hungry?"
"No." I reply. All I want to do is curl up somewhere alone. But I don't say that aloud.
"Well, you should at least try to eat something anyways." He holds out the bread again, but I don't take, so he just sets it down beside me. There is a long silence.
"You know, you don't have to shut me out, Katniss," he says, somewhat flustered. I just turn away from him. Grabbing the loaf of bread, he runs upstairs to our room, slamming the door behind him. I want to call him back, but I'm scared. Will his mind snap, like back in 13? Haymitch shakes his head and walks out. But not before peeking in and saying:
"Remember, you still have your allies." and closes the door. I suddenly remember all of my friends, my allies. Johanna Mason. Beetee. Annie Odair. Even Gale. But then my mind flows to those who are dead. Finnick Odair. Mags. Cinna. Wiress. Rue. Boggs. Even Prim.
I get up and walk to our room. I peek in and watch as Peeta sits on the edge of our bed, rocking the cradle. He knows it probably won't happen, but he made it just in case of anything: orphans, foster care, or even if I do become pregnant. I abruptly feel sorry for him.
"Peeta."
He turns. It looks like he's been crying. I walk over and put my arms around him.
"We have each other," I say, "we'll be okay."
He nods and pats my hand.
"We should… we should go to bed," he sighs. I nod my head in agreement.
As Peeta drifts off to sleep, I lie awake, staring out the window. The stars are very bright tonight. I hear him breathing, so shallow, as if anytime he'll just stop, like The Morphling in the jungle. I stop myself from thinking about that, and slowly find myself falling asleep too.
Days pass, and days become weeks. Finally, it's been a month since the invasion. We wonder where the reinforcements President Paylor promised are. Every day I get more worried. Peeta isn't himself; he has been having more nightmares than usual. Sometimes, he wakes me up with his screaming, and I can only wake him by shaking him violently. On those nights, knowing that we can't get any more sleep, we stay up, holding each other until morning. I keep wishing we could get some news about what's going on, or that something would happen. Then, at the end of the month, something does happen.
It is just another normal day. Or at least, it starts out like any other normal day. I wake up feeling very sick, so Peeta makes me breakfast. I sit in bed, watching him paint. It always helps me find peace of mind.
"I love watching you paint," I say to him, "I love how your hand moves when you stroke the brush across the canvas." I would only ever talk that way to Peeta.
"What else do you love watching me do?" he laughs, jokingly. But I take him seriously.
"I love watching you bake. Especially when you knead the dough," I say, "and I love watching you sleep, too. In fact, I love watching you do most anything." Peeta smiles. I love it when he smiles too. And I haven't seen that smile for a long time. Ever since the invasion, now that I think of it.
He walks over and sits down beside me.
"And how do you feel," he says, feeling my forehead.
"I'm fine," I say. I lean my head on his shoulder, and we just sit there for a while. Then, in the distance, we hear it. The sound of planes. But not ordinary planes. Bombers. My head jerks up.
"Peeta!" I say, grabbing his arm in alarm. We hear banging on our door, and then it bursts open. Haymitch comes thundering up the stairs to our bedroom.
"Haymitch," says Peeta getting up, "what's going on?"
"I got a call from President Paylor." Haymitch says, out of breath, "They detected the bombers a few minutes ago. There are hovercrafts waiting outside to evacuate everyone." Haymitch takes a swig from his beer. I snatch it away and let it smash on the ground some feet off.
"Haymitch!" I scream, "What's wrong with you?" I eye him, in his drunken sleepy state. "We're going to die if we don't evacuate." I continue, grabbing him by the arm, "Now let's go!"
I see Peeta run into the bakery, which is adjoined to our house, and come back with two knapsacks.
"Here," he says, throwing one to me. I catch it with one hand and sling it on my back. I run to the closet where I keep my bow and hunting jacket and snatch them up. I toss Peeta a sword. We run outside to find people swarming around the Victor's Village for guidance. Suddenly the planes drop their first bombs. The ground shakes violently, and I have to clutch Peeta's arm to keep my balance. The explosions are still a little ways off from the Victor's Village, though.
After that first attack, I send Peeta and the rest of the people to the hovercrafts.
"No," he says, "I'm staying with you."
"Peeta," I mutter, then grab him by the hand and drag him off behind our bakery. I pull an arrow from my quiver, knock it into the bowstring and then peek around the corner. In a split second the arrow flies from my fingers, sending it soaring into the air.
I'm firing arrow after arrow, exploding as they strike the planes with blow after blow.
"Katniss!" Haymitch yells, standing by the last hovercraft, "Katniss, come now! Do you want to get yourself killed?" I realize that Haymitch is right. There are just too many of the planes, and I'm outnumbered.
"We're coming!" Peeta yells back. I fall into a jog behind him, when suddenly I remember our book. By the time Peeta turns around, it's too late.
"Katniss!" he screams, "Katniss, what are you doing? Come Back!"
He tries to follow me, but Haymitch stops him. I secretly whisper my thanks to Haymitch.
I shoot up the stairs and back into our bedroom. I reach to the shelf and snatch up the book. I couldn't leave this behind. Not after all the work we put into it, not to mention all the memories. Tucking it under my arm, I race back downstairs. By the sound of it, the planes are right above us now. I dash back outside and sprint back to the hovercraft, but I'm too late. The planes drop their bombs, and that's the last thing I remember.
I wake up to see Peeta's face. I am in a hospital bed, in Thirteen, by the looks of the room around me.
"Hey," he whispers to me.
"Hey," I whisper back. He reaches down and gently tucks a stray hair behind my ear.
"What happened?" I ask.
"You were knocked unconscious by the blast." Peeta answers, "Luckily, you weren't hurt bad. Haymitch and I got you on board the hovercraft before anything else happened. And now, here we are, in Thirteen."
"How long have I been unconscious?" I ask.
"We got here about twenty minutes ago," He answers. There is a pause.
"Katniss…" he continues. Oh great. Here comes a lecture about how stupid I was.
"You are the most stupid, impulsive, reckless person I've ever known," he sighs. Just what I predicted.
"Really?" I say, rolling my eyes.
"No, really," he answers, "You could have got yourself killed!"
"I had to save the book Peeta." I say in my defense.
"You know I value your life far above that book!" he says in frustration, "You can't keep risking your life for unimportant things like that, Katniss. One day you won't be so lucky."
"That book isn't unimportant," I argue back, "It's the only thing we have to remember some of our friends by."
"Yeah, well what will I have to remember you by if something happens?" Peeta looks as if he might cry. I try to avoid his gaze. I now realize how stupid I really was.
"Peeta," I say, "look, I'm sorry."
Before Peeta can say anything else, a doctor walks in with a clipboard in his hands.
"Mrs. Mellark, we just need to do a few basic tests to make sure nothings wrong." he says.
"You think she could be hurt?" asks Peeta in concern.
"No need to worry, Mr. Mellark," he responds, "It's just basic procedure. But I'm going to have to ask you to step out while we are working." Peeta looks at me in concern.
"I'll be fine, Peeta," I reassure him.
"Alright," he says, giving my hand a squeeze, "I'll be back in a bit." Peeta gets up, kisses me on the forehead, and then walks out of the room.
The doctor tells me to sit up, and does some basic stuff, like taking my blood pressure, and checking my heart rate. After a few other various tests, he leaves the room. I wait there for about ten minutes before he comes back.
"Is something wrong?" I ask, as he enters the room.
"Well, Mrs. Mellark," he says, "You are very lucky to have come away from that incident unharmed, in your fragile condition."
"Fragile condition?" I question.
"Mrs. Mellark," he says, "You're pregnant."
The news hits me like a train.
"Pregnant?" I gasp, "That's impossible. No, your test results must have come out wrong!"
"There are no mistakes," says the doctor, "Now, I'll release you from the hospital, but I would advise you get as much rest as possible. And I'd like for you to come back for a checkup next week."
I take my coat and exit the hospital. My mind is swirling with questions. How can this be possible? Why did this have to happen during a war? And what am I going to tell Peeta? At that moment, I look up to see Peeta heading my way. Suddenly, confusion and panic set in, and I want to turn and run. Maybe I can find one of the old hiding places I used to use back when I lived here. But it's too late. He's spotted me.
"Katniss," Peeta calls.
"Hey." I manage a smile.
"How'd your tests go?" he asks, walking over to me.
"They were fine," I say, brushing it off, "So, did you get any more details about what's going on?"
"President Paylor is calling us for a meeting in ten minutes," he says, "That's why I came to find you."
Peeta and I head towards the command center and arrive just as Haymitch does.
"Nice to see you didn't get yourself killed, Sweetheart," he says with sarcasm.
"Well, don't worry yourself about me, Haymitch," I smirk back. Peeta just nods his head and tries to hide a smile.
Haymitch takes a hold of my arm, which aches a little. "I've gotten a hold of Johanna Mason-"
"How's Effie?" I know it's random, but I must know how she is. She's like an aunt. A very weird, eccentric aunt, but still loving, never the less.
"Fantastic," Haymitch mimics.
"Seriously."
"She's fine. She never even heard about the first bombings." He smiles. "So, what's it like being the mother of a real baby?"
Peeta whips his blonde head over to me. I see anger, embarrassment and questioning in his eyes.
I kick Haymitch in the shin as hard as I can. He yells out in anger.
"Katniss, can I talk to you?" Peeta says. He leads me to a hall, in the shadows.
"I was going to tell you, I swear," I say, "I don't even know how Haymitch found out."
"Katniss," Peeta says, "How long have you known?"
"I just found out!" I yell.
There is a long silence, and Peeta looks like I just slapped him on the cheek. Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at him. But I guess I haven't learned my lesson, because I add:
"I don't even want this baby."
Peeta looks slightly shocked.
"Well I do," Peeta says sharply, "Remember Katniss, it's not all about you anyway, okay? It's about US!"
"Well even so, I'm not ready yet, Peeta," I say angrily, "I just wish none of this had happened!" I don't know why I'm saying all this, considering there's nothing I can do. I guess it's because I'm mad.
Peeta shakes his head. "Stop it Katniss. It's like back in the arena. I don't want to go back."
"What are you talking about?"
"Play acting! We're both going to act like we want this baby when you don't even want it at all. Now you're going to have to decide. Do you want this baby, or not?"
I suddenly realize what this is doing to him. I remember that his whole family is buried under the grounds of 12. His brothers, his dad. His mom. Man, his mom treated him like trash. But she was still his mom. And now, I'm all he has. I guess all he wants is a family again. Maybe he doesn't even know what family is. I mean, at least I had Prim and Gale, but him. No. I realize that I have to keep this baby, if not for me, then for him.
And, hey, maybe this will end up being good.
Maybe making even me happy.