Posted to Prompts in Panem Day 6: Purple
Purple, my mind mumbles as I am led throughout the President's mansion. Each window displays the throng of those waiting to see how their Lover Boy is faring. Shouting, whooping, or silent, they all mean the same thing—what their gracious President Snow is doing, it's, it's ruthless, evil, so unlike him. So much so that they need to be there, need to see it, to look at someone and see something more than complete and utter inferiority.
They go ballistic once they look through the windows, see me flanked by ten, twenty men in white, my skin the same shade as the way I see them.
"Purple," I murmur, a humorless laugh escaping my lips afterwards.
Even with expressions of feigned outrage splitting their faces all I see are their fine fur-lined coats; their ears, wrists, and fingers weighed down with priceless jewels. All I see is purple.
And then velvet as the antechamber ends, and we turn a corner.
And then all I see is entropy. It is a welcome sight at first, something to spur on my masochistic thoughts. Then, my smile is exchanged with a frown, as none other than Gale Hawthorne has a lead in the chaos. Headed straight for me. And my frown is replaced with fear, outright and seizing.
Because if he's here, then so is she. The Girl on Fire. Katniss.
Ten or so of the men guarding me rush forward to stop the intruders, but an army of soldiers stands in their way. Gale manages to fight past the fleet and aims my direction again. And I aim for the vase to my left.
It impacts hard against the wall, and I pick up one of the bigger shards, pointing it in Gale's direction as he stops just shy of me. He jumps back and puts his hands up, palms out in the universal sign of peace.
"Watch it, Peeta," he says, yelling amidst the commotion. "If you're smart, you'd know to put that down—I'm trying to save you."
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to kill me," I say, nodding behind him, where the men on his side wipe out the men in white.
"I'm not worried about them. We're here for you." He tries to take a step closer, but he's not fast enough, and I strike. Blood leaks from his bicep almost immediately, and he cries out, clutching his arm and his gun at the same time.
His brow furrows as he looks into my eyes. "What's gotten into you? Peeta, drop the glass. We're not here to hurt you," he says through clenched teeth, his patience thinning.
"We?" I say.
He gestures to the men behind him, though most of them turn and run down corners, in pursuit. Still, my eyes dart around, searching for the girl of my nightmares. And with my defenses lowered, Gale charges at me, pinning me down. I yell and thrash, but he grabs my wrists and holds fast.
And as he sticks what I believe is a sedative into my arm, I hear him murmur, "You had to have him, huh, Catnip?" before I black out.