Ta-Da! Chapter 2! As per a review, I'm cutting back on Gale's emotional moments. So no tears here. Also, something else that popped into my mind: I absolutely HATE cliffhangers. Especially in fanfictions, because if the next chapter isn't up, I have to wait to find out what happens. And most especially in The Hunger Games. Because both the first two books end in cliffhangers! Which made me mad. Grr. I mean, it's great for making $$$. Anyone who reads it has to go buy the next book to find out what happens. But still. Anyways, since I hate cliffhangers, I promise not to have any in my stories. And if I do, I'll put up the next chapter at the same time so I don't anger anyone who's actually interested in my story.
"Katniss?" Gale and I are sitting on a couch in some long-forgotten, dusty room. He'd followed me there after I ran away from my room. Recently I'd started having these awful flashbacks, to everything terrible that had happened to me. My father dying, Rue, with a spear in her stomach, Mags writhing in pain…today I'd remembered Cato's painful death in the arena. It had set me off screaming, and the hysterical tears that always followed had just subsided.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking…after you, you know, take care of some things, what are you going to do? I mean, I doubt you want to stay here, and you can go pretty much anywhere, so…"
I try and keep my voice level, but it's no use. "First of all, what do you mean, where am I going? I fully intend to stay with you, unless of course you'd rather I didn't, which I would understand completely. But I really don't know where I want to go. Obviously, I'm not staying here. And definitely not 13. I'd rather not stay in 2 or 8 either. But that still leaves 10 districts to choose from. Why do you ask?"
When Gale speaks, his voice has taken on a slightly darker tone. "I figured you'd say that. She-Coin-has, ah, recruited me…to, you know, help out with cleanup. I'm not the only one, pretty much anyone who's capable of doing so is helping in the districts, and since I'm well enough to be chasing you around, I've been assigned to 2. That's where I was headed when I was on the hovercraft. I'm surprised you didn't ask about that yet." I'm somewhat shocked at this news, although I shouldn't be. I never really thought about why he was on the hovercraft in the first place, though I suppose I should've figured it out. But of all the districts, 2! District 2 is another source of my frequent nightmares. I decide, in a split second, what I'm going to do.
"Gale…" I say hesitantly, not wanting to get him angry with me, "this has nothing to do with you, I promise. But Two isn't exactly a place I want to revisit. So, if it's okay with you, I think I'll go back to 12 and stay there while you're in 2. Then, when you're finished we'll figure out what we're doing."
"That's okay, Katniss. But you realize that I'll probably be there for months?" I sigh. I knew he'd be there for a while, and I'm almost glad.
"I know. See, the thing is, I kind of need…some time? You know, by myself. But as soon as you've finished we can pick things up again. And we'll keep in touch. I imagine we'll both have phones, and it'll be easy to talk."
"Okay. Katniss, I'm supposed to be in 2 already. Coin said I could stay until the execution, but it's taking longer than they thought to get you up to speed, and I'm not sure she'll continue to extend that courtesy to me…" It takes me a minute to catch onto what he's implying.
"Oh! Yes, of course. I'm sorry. I'll go tell Haymitch that I'm ready to do it."
When I knock on Haymitch's door, I'm surprised that he's sober. His room is still a wreck, but I suppose it could be worse. I take a mental note to ask someone to keep his quarters decent looking. When I tell him that I'm ready to kill Snow, he looks me up and down, and then says, "Like hell you are, sweetheart." He then proceeds to drag me down the hall into Plutarch's office. When he tells him the news, Plutarch seems to come out of a trance and calls someone. He gives me a few morphling tablets and tells me to go back to my room and take a bath. The tub's deep, with three steps to the bottom. I ease down into the warm water and sit, up to my neck in suds, hoping the medicines kick in soon. Once I've dried myself off, there's a tentative knock and the bathroom door opens, revealing three familiar faces. They try to smile at me, but even Venia can't conceal her shock at my ravaged mutt body. "Surprise!" Octavia squeaks, and then bursts into tears. Of course. I can't possibly go out in public like this. They've come to prep me for the cameras. Remake me to Beauty Base Zero. Now wonder Octavia's crying. It's an impossible task.
In the bedroom, I find another surprise. Sitting upright in a chair. Polished from her metallic gold to her patent leather high heels, gripping a clipboard. Remarkabley unchanged except for the vacant look in her eyes. "Effie," I say.
"Hello, Katniss." She stands and kisses me on the cheek as if nothing has occurred since our last meeting, the night before the Quarter Quell. "Well, it looks like we've got another big, big, big day ahead of us. So why don't you start your prep and I'll just pop over and check on the arrangements."
"Okay," I say to her back.
"They say Plutarch and Haymitch had a hard time keeping her alive," comments Venia under her breath. "She was imprisoned after your escape, so that helps."
It's quite a stretch. Effie Trinket, rebel. But I don't want Coin killing her, so I make a mental note to present her that way if asked. "I guess it's good Plutarch kidnapped you three after all."
"We're the only prep team still alive. And all the stylists from the Quarter Quell are dead," says Venia. She doesn't say who specifically who killed them. I'm beginning to wonder if it matters. She gingerly takes one of my scarred hands and holds it out for inspection. "Now, what do you think for the nails? Red or maybe a jet black?"
Flavius performs some beauty miracle on my hair, managing to even out the front while getting some of the longer locks to hide the bald spots in the back. My face, since it was spared from the flames, presents no more than the usual challenges. Once I'm in Cinna's Mockingjay suit, the only scars visible are on my neck, forearms, and hands. Octavia secures my Mockingjay pin over my heart and we step back to look in the mirror. I can't believe how normal they've made me look on the outside when inwardly I'm such a wasteland.
There's a tap at the door and Gale steps in. "Can I have a minute?" he asks. In the mirror, I watch my prep team. Unsure of where to go, the bump into one another a few times and then closet themselves in the bathroom.
"I brought you this." Gale holds up a sheath When I take it, I notice it holds a single, ordinary arrow. "It's supposed to be symbolic. You firing the last shot of the war."
"What if I miss?" I say. "Does Coin retrieve it and bring it back to me? Or just shoot Snow through the head herself?"
"You won't miss." Gale adjusts the sheath on my shoulder. "Listen. I've got to leave as soon as it's over. I probably won't see you afterwards. Shoot straight, okay?" He touches my cheek and leaves.
People sweep into the room, surround me. The last touch of powder, the instructions from Plutarch as I'm guided to the front door of the mansion. The City Circle runs over, spills people down the side streets. The others take their places outside. Guards. Officials. Rebel leaders. Victors. I hear the cheers that indicate Coin has appeared on the balcony. Then Effie taps my shoulder, and I step out into the cold winter sunlight. Walk to my position, accompanied by the deafening roar of the crowd. As directed, I turn so they see me in profile, and wait. When they march Snow out the door, the audience goes insane. They secure his hands behind a post, which is unnecessary. He's not going anywhere. There's nowhere to go. This is not the roomy stage before the Training Center but the narrow terrace in front of the presiden't mansion. No wonder no one bothered to have me practice. He's ten yards away.
I feel the bow purring in my hand. Reach back and grasp the arrow. Position it, aim at the rose, but watch his face. He coughs and a bloody dribble runs down his chin. His tongue flicks over his puffy lips. I search his eyes for the slightest sign of anything, fear, remorse, anger. But there's only the same look of amusement that ended our last conversation. It's as if he's speaking the words again. "Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen, I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other."
He's right. We did.
The point of my arrow shifts upward. I release the string. And President Coin collapses over the side of the balcony and plunges to the ground. Dead.
Okay. I suppose this is sort of a cliffhanger. But we all know what happens next (unless you haven't read Mockingjay. And if you're reading this but you haven't read Mockingjay, SHAME ON YOU!). But I'm putting up the next chapter now, so no waiting is involved. See? So, what do you think? Since this chapter is outlining the execution and such, it contains more of the original text that I want. In fact, looking back, most of the chapter isn't even mine! Perhaps that's why I've finished already. Anyways, I promise to have some of my own writing in the next chapter. I'm trying to stick to the chapter by chapter thing, which is why I'm ending it here. So…yeah. Oh, and another thing. I was bored at school today, so I was brainstorming, and I came up with this absolutely brilliant idea. About another fanfiction! I was just thinking, what if those letters Katniss wouldn't open while she's in her house with Greasy Sae were not just from her mom, Haymitch, etc., but from Gale! She'd never know. And then I thought, what if she started writing to Gale too, but he didn't open any letters either? So basically, they both send each other letters, but neither of them open them. I'll wait 'till after this story to begin that. But if you're interested, keep an eye out. I'll probably call it something along the lines of "Letters" or something. How original…
~Kass