The Fall of a Mockingjay
By Jessica Watters
•Katniss•
The claw tightens around my wounded body and lifts me above the trees at an excruciatingly slow pace. Cold metal hits the patches of bare skin where my uniform has been ripped, and I try to wriggle out of the claw's grasp, but its hold is too strong and I am too weak. As I lift my head, a searing pain shoots through my neck and I can only get a glimpse of the hovercraft above me before I am forced to curl back into a less painful position. In my peripheral vision, I can see blurry images of the wreckage below me. A wave of pride surges through me, at the ability of my arrow to break the arena that has trapped myself and the other competitors. But even though the arena has been broken, I'm not sure that means we have seen saved.
Peeta. I scold myself for focusing on my own pride and pain instead of worrying about him. I raise my head again, this time anticipating the pain that sears through my neck, but choosing to face it. I scan the sky around me, searching for another claw holding Peeta and hopefully carrying him to safety, and seeing nothing but my own hovercraft. As I feel my body lose the power to fight the claw, I cling to the hope that I was able to keep my promise and keep him alive. I close my eyes.
••••••••••
The first person I see is who I desire the most. My heart beats faster in my chest, and I hear the monitor beep faster in response, which causes him to raise his thick, white eyebrows and smirk at me. My first instinct is to scan the room for possible weapons, even though I know he is too smart to leave anything in my reach. He does not underestimate my abilities as a fighter, and I don't underestimate his power to hurt me or the people I protect. Still, there is a stubbornness that refuses to let him see the fear that lives inside of me. I don't know where I am, or what kind of danger I am in. So, I opt for the best thing I can do in a situation like this. As I lie handcuffed in my hospital bed, I close my eyes, ignoring his presence. I can hear him chuckle, but I remain still.
"You can pretend I'm not here, Miss Everdeen, but you can't change reality. Your plan didn't work this time," President Snow says. I keep my eyes closed and try to resist the urge to snap back at him.
"It's not over until I'm dead," I say finally.
"That is true. But a live Mockingjay is more useful than a dead one. For now, at least."
My heart monitor picks up, and I cringe at my body's betrayal.
"Our main concern right now is District 13," says Snow. "They are the ones encouraging the rebels. They've started propos featuring Peeta, and we need to retaliate. What better way than to broadcast their symbol of rebellion, pleading for them to surrender? They will see your life laid in front of me on a silver platter, ready for me to take in any way I please. And they will stop." It's not entirely bad news. I push away the thought of Snow forcing me to beg for my life, and focus on the fact that Peeta is alive and working with the rebels. I can't shake off the feeling that I should be there with him, fighting in District 13. They don't have their Mockingjay, but they have the boy with the bread and the way with words. I'm not sure if that will be enough.
"Well, Miss Everdeen, I must be on my way. Lovely chat. I'll be back tomorrow for any questions you may have thought up during your time in here. Hopefully you'll be friendlier then," Snow says. As soon as the door closes behind him, I snap my eyes open and check out the room I'm held captive in.
•Peeta•
The scream echoes through my cabin and bounces through the corridor where I've been living. I grab the blankets beside me and feel nothing but fabric. It's been weeks since I've felt the warmth of her body beside mine, but I still expect to see her every time I wake up. Even with waking up every few hours to Katniss's screams and having to calm her down, I got much more rest when she was with me. Now I'm the one waking everyone up with my nightmares and screams.
I know that I need to sleep. In a few hours the community alarm clock will go off, and all of District 13 will receive their daily schedules and work together to prepare ourselves for the battle. I can already guess my schedule, as I've falling into a helpless routine since I've been here. Film propos I'm not sure are helping, focus on getting stronger and healthier, and work with the team to plot their next moves in the war. Any spare time I am given is spent with either Prim or Gale, waiting for any opportunity to talk about Katniss. Prim is too kind to tell me to leave her to her work, so she lets me follow her around as she works in the hospital, softly explaining what she's doing as she heals people. I like focusing on remembering which treatments are for which illness, because it takes my mind off of everything.
I think Gale lets me hang around him for the same reason that I follow him. I answer his questions about my time spent in the arena with Katniss, and he tells me stories of hunting with her in District 12. I don't ask Gale if he still loves Katniss, because I'm afraid I already know the answer. Plus, he's in deep training to go into combat. Gale gets to go out and fight for Katniss, while I sit back here and watch.
They should at least let me train. I can throw heavy weights and I can fight for something I'm passionate about. But we can't risk losing me, so I'm left losing my mind.
•Katniss•
I wake up to see a white rose on the table beside my bed, and a few minutes later President Snow saunters into my room.
"Good afternoon, Miss Everdeen," he says, twisting his pale lips into a sinister smile that I so badly want to knock off of his face. He presses a button on the wall and my bed lifts so that I am sitting. As the bed moves, my neck and back crack loudly and I try to disguise my pain.
"That sounds uncomfortable," Snow says.
"We agreed not to lie to each other. You don't have to fake your concern," I say.
"Katniss, you aren't here to be tortured right now. Obviously, you're not here to be pampered and catered to, but we will provide you the necessities for surviving," Snow explains.
"Why are you even keeping me alive?"
"Do you remember the propos that District 13 have been making? We need to retaliate with a few of our own. You have the rebels wrapped around your pinky finger, and we are going to use that to our advantage."
"I'm making a propo?"
"I think it's become obvious that acting is not your strength. The first one will just show that you're alive and in the Capitol."
"And that I'm on your side," I add.
"That's the point, Miss Everdeen."
"Then I won't do it. I don't want my rebels to be distracted by your lies."
"If you don't cooperate, I'm afraid I will have to inforce some punishment."
"Then that's what it's going to resort to. I said I'm not going down without a fight, Snow."
"I really hoped it wouldn't come to this. Waste of a warrior, I say. If you change your mind, just notify your Peacekeeper. Fair well, Miss Everdeen. It was a pleasure to play against you," Snow says, and leaves the room.
A group of Peacekeepers march in with a silver wheelchair.
"I'm guessing that's for me," I say, and sit down without much of a fight. I need to save my strength for whatever Snow has planned. The Peacekeepers handcuff me to the chair and push me down a long, white hallway, until we arrive in an almost empty room, save for a big TV screen and a platform to handcuff my wheelchair to. All of the walls, ceiling and floor are made of mirrors, and I close my eyes to avoid staring at my weak body crumpled in the wheelchair.
A man enters the room wearing a lab coat so long it brushes the floor when he walks. He observes me with orange eyes. I stare at his marble skin, with swirls of white and grey that cover his body and remind me of the marble cakes I used to get from Peeta's bakery after saving my money for months.
"Let's begin," he says. I glare at him while scanning the room for any chances to escape. The man walks towards the screen, and turns it on.
"Bring in the Tracker Jackers," he commands to someone that I can't see, and a square pops out of the mirrored wall. As he reaches into the box I flinch, remembering Glimmer covered head to toe in the deadly bees during the first Hunger Games. Instead, he pulls out a needle filled with bright green liquid.
"I'm sure you remember your first experience with the Tracker Jackers, and the hallucinations they cause," the man said. I nod without taking my eyes off of the needle.
"This time we've spared you the pain of the Tracker Jacker stings. You just have to endure the hallucinations now, as we use them to alter your memories using videos played on this screen. Then you will be released to District 13," the man explains.
"You're going to let me go?" I ask.
"Yes. But to their surprise, the new Katniss will be programmed to kill." Without thinking, I lunge at the man, but my handcuffs hold me down, and an electric current shocks me. For the first time since we've been separated, I do not want to see Peeta. I've been successful at protecting him from the Capitol, but I don't know how I can possibly protect him from the fiercest warrior I know: myself.
The screen begins to play clips of President Snow. I try to look away, but the image reflects on every surface in the room. Every time I try to close my eyes, the chair sends an electric shock through my body. The man approached me, and holds the needle to my neck. The chair responds to every kick and hit I attempt to stop him with, until he finally plunges the needle into my skin and releases the green liquid into my blood. With a scream, I prepare to fight the hardest battle and the toughest enemy.
•Peeta•
As my prep team slathers thick makeup on my face and debates which outfit I should wear for my propo, I focus on watching the news report from Panem. The anthem begins to play, and Caesar Flickerman appears on screen in a blueberry coloured suit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some big news from the Capitol, concerning a certain young woman who everybody is surely very curious about!" The whole room goes silent.
"The President's granddaughter is five years old today! Congratulations to her!" Caesar laughs. The prep team and I glare at the screen, and some of the wardrobe people resume their conversation in hushed voices.
"Okay, the jokes up. Although here at the Capitol, we are very proud of this most special achievement," Caesar pauses for dramatic effect. I want to scream at him to hurry up. "We have some news on the former symbol of rebellion, Miss Katniss Everdeen." Former symbol of rebellion. She could be either dead or an ally to the Capitol. I don't know which is worse.
"Miss Everdeen has made her own tape she wants to share with us. Without any further ado, here it is!" Caesar gestures to a screen with a flourish, and the tape starts.
I finally see her. Her hair has been straightened and cut up to her chin, and the face I knew so well is covered with heavy makeup. She wears a plain silver shirt with long silver gloves, so the only skin that can be seen is her neck and face. Her Mockingjay pin is gone, and replaced by a small white rose. To the people of Panem, I am sure she looks beautiful.
"Rebels," she starts. "You must stop. I am telling you right now, from the heart of the Capitol, that they have plans. Under no circumstances, will you be able to win this war. We have given a good fight, but we are going to wipe ourselves off the face of this earth before we win this war. Ceasefire. Surrender. This is your warning, from me." She pauses and the softness in her face from addressing the rebels disappears, and is replaced with a sharp glare.
"Peeta," she starts. "I need to see you. I will fight my way to you. I-" The tape cuts off and I run to the TV, trying anything I can think of turn it back on and hear the rest of what Katniss wants to say to me. Fulvia, my film director, peeks her head into the room.
"Propo filming starts in two minutes," she says. The makeup and wardrobe team flutter madly around me, trying to make me look presentable.
"I can't do this anymore!" I yell at her. "Everyone else gets to fight for Katniss and I'm stuck in here filming speeches I don't even believe. I'm done. Use me on the battlefields or don't use me at all."
"I think we should definitely film today," Fulvia says. "But not about this." She holds up the motivational speech I wrote last night and rips it to shreds. For the first time in weeks, I smile.
"Katniss addressed you in her propo. Let's show the people your response. Plus, seeing the star-crossed lovers might give the rebels an extra push of energy to keep fighting," Fulvia says. A million words race through my head, and I struggle to pick the best ones to explain everything to Katniss.
"Okay, he's ready!" Hylia, the prep team lead, announces. I turn to the mirror and see a stronger version of myself, as if I'm fresh from a fight.
"You're on in 3…2…1," someone says.
"Katniss," I say. The word feels foreign and familiar at the same time. I've thought it so often, but rarely said it. "I don't know where you are, but we are going to find you. We need you as much as you need us. You are still our Mockingjay. And you can't give up on me. Trust me, the rebels are going to win but we need you to lead us. And I am going to fight my way to you, too." The film is sent to Beetee to be bugged into the Capitol in less than five minutes, and I enjoy the feeling of finally being able to say what I've been holding in for so long. 270 seconds later, I watch myself on the big screen, along with the rest of Panem and hopefully Katniss too.
"Katniss," I say. "You can't be our Mockingjay anymore. You need us more than we need you. We will fight this war, and fight you if we need to."
••••••••••
The TV turns to black and the room is engulfed in silence that not even Haymitch dares to break. I clench and unclench my fists, and am about to approach Alma Coin and insist she lets me fight when I hear a high-pitched shriek from Beetee.
"The nerve! The absolute nerve of it!" he yells. "Editing our propo and broadcasting it to our rebels? They better prepare for what's coming for them next!" Gale stands up and takes Beetee back to the lab to figure out how the Capitol edited our propo.
"Peeta," Haymitch says, sensing my anger.
"Haymitch," I say absentmindedly, not wanting to waste my time on him.
"Relax. We're already working on the next propo. Can you imagine the fury that's going to unleash when the rebels find out what happened? They're gonna freak, it's gonna be great," Haymitch says.
"No, it's not," I say, "The Capitol knows we are going to retaliate. The TV is going to be guarded closer than ever, and without the propos, our rebels are going to give up. We can't win this thing without Katniss. We need our Mockingjay." Alma Coin steps up beside and smiles.
"Peeta's right," she says. "We need a Mockingjay."
•Katniss•
"What are you going to say to Peeta when you see him?"
"That I know the real Peeta. I know that he just wants to lead us to our deaths. Nobody else can see past his charm, but I can, and I know he's evil," I say.
"What are you going to do to Peeta when you see him?"
"Kill him," I say.
"And?"
"And anyone else who tries to stop me," I say.
"Good," says President Snow with a kind smile. "I think you're ready for District 13 now. Do you think you're ready?"
"Yes, President Snow," I say. I know that I must be one of the best fighters in Panem, for President Snow chose me of all people to fight Peeta and protect the Capitol. President Snow has prepared me well, showing me pictures and videos of Peeta and warning me not to fall for his innocent appearance. He has told me top-secret information about all of the crimes Peeta has committed, slowly building my hatred towards him until now, where I can focus on nothing except finding Peeta and making him pay for what he has done.
"I wish you the best of luck, Miss Everdeen. Make me proud," President Snow says, and hands me one stunning white rose. I take the rose and meet the Peacekeepers at the door.
"It's not over until I'm dead," I say with a brave smile. There is nothing more I can give to President Snow than my life. He smiles at me, and I smile back for a few seconds before finally leaving with the Peacekeepers to put an end to Peeta's crimes. As I board the hovercraft and picture the sweet face that hides the mind of an evil criminal, the anticipation of seeing Peeta kills me.
•Peeta•
"We have excellent news for you," says Alma Coin when I arrive at her office.
"Is it about Katniss?" I ask.
"Yes," she says, to my surprise. My face breaks into a smile. "She is on her way to District 13." I pause for a few seconds, in disbelief that I am hearing the very words I've been praying to hear for weeks now.
"How?" I ask. "When?"
"She is on a hovercraft as we speak. We sent a few of our rebels into Snow's office to find Katniss and rescue her. They've been gone for a few days now, but we just heard back from them that they had found her location, broke in, and should be here in a few hours," says Alma Coin with a proud smile. I thank her many times and then run to my room to get ready to see Katniss after so long. I can't wait to tell her everything that has happened since the Games ended and ask her all of the questions that have been driving me insane. I know that we've had an unspoken agreement since the first Hunger Games that we will always be a team, and we will always have each other's backs. I know that once she gets her, the loneliness I've fought since being brought here will be replaced with the comfort of knowing the one person I can trust with my life is beside me. As I wait in my room, watching for signs of the hovercraft, the anticipation of seeing Katniss kills me.