Chapter Two
Screams, screams so loud that that my ears are bleeding. There is a brief moment of silence, and a sigh of relief forms. Lasting not even a second until, rough hands grab both of my shoulders, bruises beginning. I brace myself, and the hands let go of me. I feel confused why nothing is happening. Clanks and sounds of metal bars colliding with keys fill my bleeding ears. My shoulders are grasped again, this time I am too slow to react. I am thrown against a wall, and dragged down a cold, stone hallway. I enter a room filled with the smell of blood and roses, and my nose burns. I gag, hacking like I have tuberculosis, when a ghostly shadow casts over me. I look up and want to die right then, for the symbol of death is standing right over me. "Get away! Get away!" I scream, as Snow smiles at me. My shirt is torn off of me, and a long suspenseful pause filled with sneers from Snow himself is cast upon me.
"Where is she?" he asks, she, what is he talking about? I am right here. "I am telling you I don't know!" I say, but the voice is not mine, it's Peeta's. Snow nods to something behind me. A long, spear- like knife starts to come down. I try to get away, but I cannot under the hold of the strong hand. The blade slices my skin, and I scream with pain. "I will ask one more time," Snow says, "where is she!" I am right here! I wanted to yell, but my voice wouldn't come; only the desperate sounds of the tortured were made noticeable. "I don't know!" Peeta's voice shrieked. And with a swift motion of his hands, the knife pierced me again. I was screaming, but it was not my voice. Peeta's yelps of pain filled my head, and I wanted to call out to him…but no sound came.
Someone was shaking me, "miss, miss," Nurse Lydelle? What was she doing here? "Miss, miss," she continued to say, "please, miss." I finally came to and looked up to see my pixie-like nurse staring at me gently. "What just happened?" I asked her. "You were yelling like a lunatic, screaming Peeta's name, woke up half the clinic," she replied. Huh, I could have sworn I was being tortured by Snow and his team of evil. I could feel it. How is that possible? You are not supposed to feel your dreams, are you? I was so puzzled and upset I began to cry, what is it with the crying? "Oh miss," Nurse Lydelle says, "Please do not cry, it was only a dream," she pauses, "I can fetch Haymitch if you like." The thought calms me and I hastily nod my head. She smiles, "Then I will be right back." I wait trying to console myself, without victory. When Haymitch finally enters the room, he smiles meekly at me. "Hello again, sweetheart," he says. I gave a smile, a small one, but it was still a smile. "Haymitch, is it normal to feel the dreams you have, like actually experience it?" I ask. "I don't believe so," he said, "unless maybe you have a strong connection with something or someone within the dream." Seems likely, but would my connection with Peeta really be that strong? I doubt it, he probably hates me now.
"Haymitch?" I ask, "Did anyone else make it out alive?" he thinks it over a moment, "Beetee." I am so glad that he made it out, they would probably need him for the rebellion, and no one else would know how to get into the Capitol's computer system. "That's good, he was great to me," I say. I wonder what he is doing right now, and if he feels better. "He wants to see you, he made something for you,' Haymitch tell me. What could he possibly want to make for me? I hope it isn't a weapon to kill anyone with; I never want to kill again. I must have shown my discomfort because Haymitch said, "Don't worry sweetheart, he would never make you something you didn't need." So do I need to kill someone? I sure hope not. The only exception to my new rule about no killing is, President Snow. I will laugh when I get to kill him. That sounds sadistic I know, but he deserves it really.
"Coin changed her mind, their getting Peeta out next week," Haymitch told me. "But I thought she was waiting to get Snow too." I replied. Haymitch stared at the floor, as if avoiding eye contact with me; strange. "Haymitch, what is it?" I asked. He continued to stare at the floor which made me anxious, he was avoiding telling me something, and I was determined to find out what. Haymitch looked expressionless; like the dead. What could be so wrong? "Haymitch, Good Lord! Just tell me what it is, instead of keeping me waiting!" I demanded. He smiled with one side of his face and chuckled a bit, "You never did know how to get answers out of anyone," he says. What is he talking about? And why does he keep changing the subject; I stared expectantly up at him.
"Snow found out about the plan to get Peeta, and when he figured out we were going to get him too…" he trailed off. "Spit it out!" I yelled. He chuckled again and shook his head, "Snow wouldn't have it, so he decided to do one more thing to you," he paused waiting for me to soak that in. "Keep going," I said. He looked at me for a second as if deciding whether to tell me or not. "Alright," he began, "Katniss, he kidnapped your sister." I gasped, eyes wide, pretending he did not just say that. "What!" I half whispered, half yelled.
"He took your sister Katniss, and put a ransom on her,"Haymitch said, "here's the note." I stared at him blankly while he handed me the note. It took a few minutes for me to actually read the note and for the words to sink in. This is what it said:
Ms. Everdeen,
I am sorry to say that I have something you may want. And what an adorable little thing she is. She misses you and wants you to come for her, but I am afraid that cannot happen unless you give me something I want. And do you know what thing is? I think you do. You, Katniss Everdeen. If you turn yourself in, your sister will not be harmed. If not I am afraid, your innocent little sister's face will never be seen by you again.
I enclosed something for you I thought you may like, enjoy. You have three days until I kill everything and everyone you love. It has bee a pleasure writing to you.
As Always,
President Snow
As my eyes scanned the words, my heart accelerated and I feared I would pass out. In almost an instant I knew what to do. "Sweetheart, I know that look, do not do anything stupid," Haymitch told me. If only he was my father, I thought. Then he would have a say in what I do.
"Haymitch, you know me only too well to know that I never listen to any authority," I told him. He pursed his lips, grinning slightly, "Do really want to do this?" he asked me. I stare at him; do I really want to do this? No, of course I don't. But, Prim and Peeta need me to do this, and if I can help them in anyway I will do it in a heartbeat. "Yes," I respond to Haymitch, with a stone cold expression. Haymitch looks at me for a moment; trying to find any sign that I am unsure, but he seems to come up with nothing. "Well then," he begins, "Let's get Peeta and Prim out." I smile so glad that things are finally going the way I want them to. "I have three days, get Peeta and Prim out while I go in," I say, "and don't think about getting me out or trying to same me." At the last part he looks like he wants to object, but I put my hand up, "Promise me you will get them out before you even think about getting me out," I say. He still looks unwilling, "Promise me now," he sighs and nods his head. "Let's go tell Coin," he tells me.
"Can I get ready first?" I ask, "I need help getting all these wires out so I need the nurse," I say. He laughs a little, and walks to the door. "I will send for her," he says, "and I will wait for you to walk out," and with that he was out the door.
After Nurse Lydelle helped me get all of my wires out, she helped me into a bath. Then, she dressed me in a simple brown, long- sleeved, shirt with a matching leather jacket; she gave me brown pants with brown leather boots. She braided my long, dark hair down my back, into a single braid. When she was done, she turned me around and said, "Good Luck." I smiled gratefully, and she gave the three finger symbol of thanks back to me, and I did the same. We nodded to each other, and she opened the door for me, and pointed for me to wait by a door down the hallway.
I followed the Nurse's instructions and waited by the door that read, "Haymitch Abernathy," on it. After about ten minutes I began to get annoyed, and I knocked on the door loudly. "Alright, alright," a gruff voice said. I heard loud footsteps approaching the door, so I stood patiently. The door opened and Haymitch emerged. "You can't just knock nicely and wait can you?" he murmured. I laughed a little trying to lighten the mood. "Where are we going?" I ask Haymitch. "Command," he says flatly, trying to keep as little emotion out of his voice as possible. We walk down long hallways and corridors, for what seems like hours until we finally reach two large metal doors. Haymitch presses his hand to a scanner, it beeps for verification, and the doors open. When we get inside, Coin, the president of thirteen seems to be having a meeting with her colleagues. Haymitch makes his way over to her.
"Coin?" he says, "She's here." Coin looks up at me from her desk; her pale eyes watch me intently. "Ms. Everdeen," she says, "you are the one who is giving herself to President Snow?" she asks. I hesitate for a moment wondering if this was a rhetorical question. Finally, I reply, "Yes." She purses her lips to a tiny smile, and nods. "No one is to save me, just get my sister and Peeta out," I tell her. She thinks it over a while, "Alright," she says, "anything else?" she asks. "Just one thing," I reply, "Can you tell me where Gale Hawthorne is?" I ask. She motions for someone to come to her; they nod and walk over to me. I see that it is Gale, "You may go now," Coin says, so I walk out with Gale by my side.
"Katniss I cannot believe your doing this!" Gale yells at me, "Have you gone mad?" he asks. I gaze at him harshly, "No," I say, "Gale you're my best friend, and I know you well enough to know that you would do the exact same for one of your brothers or sisters." He seems to think this through, and nods, "I hope you survive, you're my sister you always will be," he tells me. I smile at him and give him a hug, and he hugs back. "I hope that somehow you will come back and we can still be friends, and that you and Peeta can be together like you want," he tells me. I grin and nod happily.
"We can only hope can't we." I say, silent tears pouring down my cheeks. He nods solemnly and leaves me to myself, back in my hospital room. I get my self to my bed and sit there, balling myself up and wrapping my arms around my legs. I'm only sitting there for a few minutes when loud sobs wrack my body.
