Part Three
The Yule Ball is nearly here, and Peeta is more determined than ever to get the answers he craves. He hasn't spoken to his Mother in the many weeks since she confessed to being the reason Katniss was taken away. His father has tried to reason with him, stating over and over again that once his Mother found the information, she had been obligated to turn it over. It didn't matter to Peeta though. He argued back she had no right to go through his letters from Katniss, and reiterated that she had only been a fourteen year old girl, who would never hurt anyone.
The guilt Peeta feels for leaving those letters in a place where his mother could find them and sue them against her is eating at him slowly. Not only that, but she alluded Katniss was made aware it was the letters she sent him that caused her to be taken. If that is true, did she spend her last minutes of life thinking he had betrayed her? He cannot believe that, and he knows Katniss wouldn't have believed it either. It is unthinkable.
Sometimes, Peeta doesn't feel like any of this is real at all, like it is a horrible dream he will wake from, and he'll be in the summer cottage with his friend again.
Before they leave to go to the Capitol, his Father advises him to keep his interactions with anyone there as vague as possible, at least at first. He wants him to be cautious, they can't let the wrong people find out that they are looking for information on what is done to elementals. The Duke promises to scout for information as well, but Peeta feels it will ultimately fall to himself to uncover whatever secrets the King has about the elementals.
Arriving at the Capitol, Peeta is astounded at what he sees. It is sleek and futuristic looking, with buildings that had curved edges and nearly touched the sky. The streets are paved with a grey material, that is smooth and hard, so unlike the dirt roads they had back home. Everything here shines, the glare nearly making his eyes water. Even the people are overly vibrant. They come in all different colors, literally. Their hair is dyed and some even change their eye color. They all have a sort of plummy way of talking, sounding very lofty and soft. He decides he doesn't like it. It is too impersonal, too far removed from the world he finds so beautiful.
They, as well as all the other noble families, are to be guests in the King's own home, and upon their arrival are greeted by servants, called Avoxes. These are not people born into service, but people who are traitors to the Crown. They all have their tongues cut out, some have other parts removed, like the eyes. They all have short, bright red hair, and wear pristine white uniforms. In the King's domain, you are never to acknowledge an Avox, unless you're giving them an order. Peeta realizes what's been done to these people is sadistic, and it makes him worry if the King could order something like this, what would he do to someone he thought of as dangerous?
The Mellark family is shown into the guest wing, where there were already many other noble families from other districts present. Peeta has never met any of the other families, outside of his own district, and as he passes anyone in the hall he finds himself wondering if any of them can help him.
Their family suite has one communal living area, filled with electronics none of them really know how to use. His parents will share the master bedroom and bath, across from his own room, which is smaller but affords him the privacy and distance he wants. He starts to unpack, but one of the Avoxes hurries forward to take care of it. A wave of anxiety sweeps over him, and he becomes jittery with nerves. This is it, he thinks. This is his chance to make some headway, and he can't ruin this. He decides it would be best to go and make an appearance with the other families, and maybe see if anyone is willing to talk. There is no reason to wait.
He leaves their chambers without telling anyone where he can be found, and follows their hallway down a few rooms before finding the corridor that leads him back to the main hall. As he descends the steps, he was surprised by the clothing of so many of these people. They are clearly not from the Capitol themselves, as their attire is not so frivolous, but they still have a richer look than he does himself, and are not nearly as modest. The men all wear shirts that open, showing their chests, and the women have dresses with scooping backs that show more skin than cover. All of the clothing is tailored to show off either curves or muscles.
He decides to try and join a group of teens that look about his age. He is sixteen now, and while not tall by any means, he stands out thanks to his friendly demeanor and harmless smile. The first person he approaches is another boy, he is tall and muscular, and looks to be about eighteen, and he is surrounded by several others. He walks up boldly, and introduces himself while holding out his hand in greeting, "Peeta Mellark, District Twelve." He knows that the Mellark name carries weight here, everyone should know the families of the current Dukes.
The boy narrows his eyes, weighing his possible worth, "You can call me Cato, from District Two" he gestures to his right, "this is Marvel, Clove and Glimmer" he points to the two girls with them. Glimmer is tall, very blonde, and quite curvaceous. Clove is smaller, with dark hair and an uneasy look to her eyes that makes Peeta's skin crawl.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Peeta nods in greeting, and shoves his hands in his pockets to stop anyone from seeing them shake.
Glimmer raises a shaped eyebrow, looking him over, "I don't believe I've ever seen you here before, Peeta."
He grins disarmingly, "No, you wouldn't have, it's my first time here."
Her pale blue eyes brighten, "Oh, you're a virgin!" The others laugh lightly, except for Clove who rolls her eyes and glances around the room.
Peeta frowns in confusion, "Pardon?" He can't have heard right, could he? Besides, he is only sixteen, of course he's never…done that.
Marvel explains as the laughter dies down, "She means you've never been here to experience the Capitol before."
Peeta smiles widely, doing his best to go along with their joking, "No, I definitely have not experienced this before, or anything like it." His hopes of getting any information from these people is dwindling, they seem too vain and narcissistic to be of any use. Still, he stays with them, hoping to pick up on something that might help him.
He learns that both of these boys are to inherit, just like he is, and the girls with them are their fiancées, though that does not stop either of them from commenting on other women. Marvel even approaches another, but when he returns red faced, Cato thumps him on the back and says, "Better luck with someone your own age next time!"
Astounded at their behavior, Peeta can't help but compare this to the world where Katniss is still alive, which he thinks of often. She'd be fifteen still, as her birthday isn't until May, but he knew she'd be more beautiful than these girls. Her hair would probably be in some style of braid, maybe pinned up, and she'd be in a dark green gown. He would hardly be able to leave her side, let alone notice anyone else. She would share a look with him whenever someone said or did something outrageous, and there would be laughter in her eyes.
But, she isn't here, he's alone and he's only trying to learn about her last few days.
Grief seeps into him, a sticky darkness he can't seem to shake, and he knows if he doesn't get away from these people, they'll see, and all of his work will be for nothing. "Excuse me," he says in an almost toneless voice, "I've got to go and check in with my family. You know how they can be." He tries to shrug his shoulders, as if there's nothing he can do, but he's afraid it doesn't go over well. Clove watches him, like she knows he's lying, but Cato laughs raucously, "Yeah, get outta here then, we don't need that coming down here."
Peeta smiles wanly, but then turns and heads straight for the stairs, practically running to get away from everyone. He has to get to his room. He brought some sketches of her with him, and he knows that's the only thing that can calm him down.
In his rush, he doesn't see the pair of sea-green eyes appraising him from across the room.
When he is alone, he repeats that he is doing this for Katniss. It is the last thing that he can do. He will find out what happened to her, he will find out who was involved. He will find out why this had to happen. He has to.
Later that evening, after he has calmed himself, Peeta heads back down again. He looks for the group he was with earlier, but another man steps in front of him.
"Peeta Mellark?"
The man looks like he may have been chiseled from marble. He's tall and extremely well built, has coppery hair that is tousled just so, with a dimpled grin.
"Yes?" he says uncertainly, as he has no idea how this man could possibly know him.
"Finnick Odair," the man says, and holds his hand out to meet formally. Peeta responds automatically, and Finnick winks at him, "I see they've got you trained well."
That is not what he expected him to say, "What?" Did he mean by trained well? By whom? His parents?
"I just mean society, they have you trained to act just like they want you to, in order to uphold the role you've been born into."
He frowns at this man, who has to be at least ten years older than him, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."
"I'm counting on that. I just wanted to meet you, at least once and see if you're truly as trustworthy as I've been led to belive. I think we might have a mutual friend."
Peeta has no idea how that could be possible, he doesn't have friends outside of District Twelve, but he doesn't say that. "If you say so, Mr. Odair."
"Well you're easy, aren't you? Ah well, if that's the case, maybe we'd better wait a few years."
That gets his full attention, and Peeta snaps his attention back to him, his eyes hard, "Who is 'we' and what are you waiting for?"
Finnick looks him over again, walking around him in a slow circle, sizing him up like he would an opponent he was preparing to fight. "Don't you worry about any of that, not now at least. Focus instead, on the 'why'. You've already got the where and when."
Peeta watches the man, Finnick, walk away completely confused, but positive that something important has just happened. He just has to figure it out.
For the first time in a long time, he feels a little bubble of excitement, and hope. That night, when his dreams come, they are different. Instead of dreaming of Katniss walking away from him and never being able to catch her, he sees her, sitting up in a tree.
She reaches down for him, "Peeta, come sit up here with me."
His dream-self grasps her hand, and she helps pull him up next to her, just like they used to do when they were little.
"Katniss, where have you been? I've been looking for you, and calling your name. Why didn't you come back?"
She smiles at him, "I've been hiding Peeta. We have to be quiet, or they'll find us."
Peeta nods, because he definitely does not want anyone to find them, ever again. Instead of talking, he wraps his arm around her, and she leans into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. They stay like that, in the tree, surrounded by dark green leaves, and watch the sunrise together.
In the morning, when he wakes, it is with the sun and not partway through the night. For the first time in years he slept through the entire night. He feels rested, hopeful and hungry.
He is now positive that Finnick was speaking of Katniss' abduction. He confirmed that she had been brought to the dungeons, under the building he is standing in. If that is true, then it means he knows the where and when. He also told him to focus on the 'why'. Why was Katniss taken? Why were any of the children taken? It seems as good a place to start as any.
He knows, with every fiber of his being, that this is what he meant. Peeta is meant to find out the truth about why people like Katniss are taken. He no longer believes it is because they are dangerous. Anyone can be dangerous, it doesn't take an affinity with an element to suddenly become something to be afraid of.
No, there has to be some other reason King Snow has for taking them all and locking them away in a dungeon, and then torturing them. It isn't to protect the citizens of Panem.
Peeta makes it his goal to find out why, exactly, Snow finds the Elementals so dangerous.
After nearly a week of striking up conversations with everyone he can, Peeta has nothing new to go on. He's endured dinners and conversations rampant with gossip and blatant flirting. Nothing. He is beyond frustrated, after finding out so much right away. He tugs on his hair as he paces in his room. There has to be someone he is overlooking. Someone he hasn't talked to, someone that blends in.
Or maybe, just someone that hasn't taken the time to talk to him.
Clove, Cato's betrothed, comes to mind. He grimaces, thinking how impossible it will be to get anything out of her. She hates him, and he thought she probably doesn't care for anyone around her, except for maybe Cato.
He knows it won't be easy, but he has to try. The Ball is only a day away, and everyone will depart soon after, so he doesn't have much time left.
That evening, as all the guests mingle together, Peeta watches Clove. She never leaves Cato's side, and for most of the evening he keeps his arm over her shoulders. He has no idea how he to get her alone long enough to ask her what he needs to, or how to ask it without making her suspicious of his motives. The last thing he needs is someone reporting him for trying to find information on elementals.
His opportunity comes at dinner, the seat next to her is left open, and he sits down before he can lose his nerve change. Peeta smiles politely at Clove, but her eyes shift away from his, and he's at a loss as to how to broach the topic without seeming obvious.
A herald enters, announcing the King's entrance, and everyone stands abruptly, Peeta included. He has never seen the King in person before, and he is bothered by his resemblance to a grandfatherly figure, while his actions speak of his violent nature. Thinking about what deplorable acts this man had ordered carried out on hundreds, maybe thousands, of people makes him shudder. He has to get to the bottom of this, maybe he can stop it from happening to someone else.
"My esteemed guests," King Snow begins, "I am honored that you have graced my home with your presence this year, to help us celebrate Yule. It is a time to come together, and rejoice in another prosperous year for Panem." He pauses here, and everyone around Peeta begins applauding, murmuring their approval at such a lavish party. When he raises his hands, the room again falls silent, "As you may know, we will be on a strict schedule for tomorrow. Anyone that arrives in the ballroom after the doors have closed will not be allowed admittance. Anyone who arrives with an unregistered guest will not be allowed admittance. Finally, anyone who causes a disturbance among my other guests will be asked to leave, and escorted to their rooms." There is another pause here while he looks about the dining hall, his hooded eyes darting from guest to guest, like he's checking to make sure he has their full attention. "Now, please enjoy your dinner, and we will see you all tomorrow evening."
Peeta lets out a deep breath as he watches the King disappear back through the double doors he came in.
Clove hears him and lets out a grating laugh, "I forgot, you've never seen him before, have you?"
Peeta, startled that he is so obvious in his fear induced awe chuckles, "Yeah he's definitely got a commanding presence, doesn't he?"
She looks at him sharply, "Commanding is right, but he's so obvious about it, I'd hardly call it a compliment."
Peeta leans back in his chair, watching Clove whose pursed lips and pinched features make him think she might be angry for some reason. He decides to feed her ego a little, and see if that gets him anywhere with her, "As you say, I've never seen him before, so maybe my opinion shouldn't count for as much as yours. What would you say to describe him?"
Her back straightens instantly, and she meets his gaze head on, "I would say he shouldn't let everyone know how much he craves control. It is a weakness." And the way she says it, slowly and with an emphasis on 'weakness' gives him chills, but he smirks at her, and tries to downplay his reaction.
"Control? Why would he need to worry about that? Look around here, anyone who steps out of line is dealt with quickly."
"Be careful Peeta," she chides with a mocking frown, "Snow doesn't like it when things are out of his control, because it means he doesn't have power over it. Just remember what happened to your fiancée."
He grasps the arm of his chair tightly when the word passes her lips, and though she whispered it, the sound feels daggers in his chest, ripping him open anew. "You know what happened to her?"
She feigns disinterest, and calmly plucks up her glass of wine and takes a long pull from it. Her breath is sweetened by it when she answers him, "All of the families were told she was reaped; that means you no longer have a marriage contract in effect, and that is of some consequence to us."
But Peeta knows she's only bringing that up to try and throw him off, he can see it in the way her pulse thrums along her jaw, and because she won't meet his eye again. "But that's not what you meant, is it? You know more than that."
Her face is stony, and she looks as though she would like to rake her nails across his face, but he pushes just a little harder, "You know more about what happened to her. I can see you do. How?"
She huffs, and he can feel the hostility rolling off of her, "I know because my brother was reaped, and I followed him here, three years ago. He was put through the testing, he was not an elemental. Do you know what they do to them, if they survive all the testing, and are cleared of suspicion?"
Peeta feels his stomach drop, the blood in his veins has turned to ice, and he can't move. If he moves right now, he'll break. He's been holding onto the hope, all this time, that maybe Katniss hadn't been an elemental. Maybe they sent her off somewhere, so she couldn't tell anyone about what she'd gone through. Now, he was about to learn if it was a possibility.
"They burn them alive."
He doesn't know how he makes it back to his room that night, but he knows he excused himself from the table once he understood what she was telling him.
Burned alive?
No. He refuses to accept that. Katniss had not been burned alive. Especially not if her dreams had been true, right? She was dreaming of walking through fire and coming out just fine! That had to mean she had an affinity for fire, and that meant fire couldn't hurt her, doesn't it? He thinks it does, but he if he's honest with himself, he doesn't know. He's heard stories of the elementals using their abilities, and he knows those gifted with water could stay under it for hours, and never have to come up for air. Does fire work the same way?
He lays back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about Katniss' screams of pain when there was a light knock on his door. He doesn't make a sound, hoping whoever it was would just leave. They do the opposite, and let themselves into his room.
"Hello Peeta, it's so nice to see you again."
Peeta sits up on his elbows, and then lets his head roll back, "What do you want now Finnick?"
The noble from District Four starts to wander around his room, looking at paintings and knick knacks casually, "I thought you looked like you could use a pick me up after that talk with Clove." He turns around and grins, "She's quite blunt, isn't she?"
"Get out!" he rasps.
"I will Peeta, I will. But first, you have to listen to me, and I mean actually listen. Did you figure out the 'why'?"
"Not now, just leave me be. We can talk another time."
"No, we'll talk now, there may not ever be another time. If you want to know anything else, start answering me."
"Fine! Yes! I figured out why. He craves control because that means he has power. Which means, this whole thing, the Games and the reapings aren't for our safety, or because anyone is dangerous. It's all because he is actually afraid of them, because he can't control them!" His rant propelled him to his feet and he has Finnick's shirt collar in his fists when he finishes.
Finnick gently pushes his hands away, "Good, that's very good Peeta."
The younger of the two feels a burning in his eyes, and his breathing is already in gasps. Katniss died because that old man was afraid of her, and what she might do. That reality makes Peeta want to leap off the roof of this place and be done with this world entirely. There isn't anything left in it he wants, anyway.
"So, Peeta, have you heard of District Thirteen?"
Peeta took sleeping pills that night, for the first time. His dreams come on strongly, but again, they are pleasant.
"Hello Peeta, I've been waiting here for you."
They are back at their lake, and she is swimming on her back, taking slow lazy strokes.
"Katniss, I've missed you so much." She smiles at him, and he splashes through the water to meet her, making her giggle as she finds her footing.
"I wasn't sure you'd come, I thought you might be too afraid." She wraps her arms around him when he reaches her, and he does the same. Her voice sounds different, and her face is a little blurry, but he can tell it's still his Katniss.
"If I had known you were waiting for me, I wouldn't have taken so long. I just didn't know where to look for you."
She stands back to look at him, and tugs her braid around in front of her, playing with the end of it, "Will you come with me?"
He doesn't hesitate, "Of course."
She takes his hand, and the pulls him deeper into the water, until they're both swimming, further into the cool, clear depths.
In the morning, the Mellark family begins preparations for the Yule Ball, and all the Duchess can talk about his how he should spend his time looking for a girl to spend time with. After all, he's sixteen now, it's time to settle these things.
He has no intention of doing that. Ever.
Katniss is more real to him now than she has been since she was taken. His mind is a flurry of hope and more questions.
The day passes quickly, and he is dressed in a sleek charcoal suit, with gold metallic accents and trim. They slick his hair back and spritz him with cologne, which he's never worn before in his life. It makes his nose itch and eyes water. He can't help but think how Katniss would hate it.
When they make their way to the ball room, they are well within the set time limits, and are allowed inside. Music is playing, there are Avoxes everywhere carrying trays of bubbling drinks and colorful foods. He knows he has to keep up appearances, so he tries the foods, he drinks a few of the drinks, but shies away from any dancing. He is not the best dancer, even back home, and he doesn't know any of these Capitol dances anyway.
He sees Clove with Cato, and nods at them both. Cato responds, but Clove is back to acting like no one else exists. Not far from them, Marvel is with Glimmer, who winks at him. He makes sure to stay far away from them after that.
He looks around the room, and sees how full it is of lavishness, and is outraged by it. How can these people live like this, when their ruler is a tyrant? How can a party with food, drinks and music make them believe he is protecting them?
He is disgusted by what he sees. He feels exploited, because he is a part of this, isn't he? He is just another piece in this game they are all playing, and he is weary of it.
He slips back to his room without anyone even realizing he's left.
On train back home, his mother gives him an earful about how he has shamed the family and offended their King by not enjoying the festivities long enough. She admonishes him, and vows that by this time next year she'll have him engaged to someone whether he likes it or not.
As they arrive at the Keep, one of their messengers calls that the Duke is needed. He and Peeta share a look, and the son follows the father through the heavy oaken doors into his study.
There are reports of attacks in District Eight. They manufacture textiles, and it seems as though the assailants took Peacekeeper uniforms. They could use them to travel between districts, and go unnoticed by many in any of the districts they chose, because the uniforms they wear bear no markings to set them apart.
The strange thing about the thieves, is that they attacked in the middle of a horrible storm, but there is evidence that they set fires. Now, anyone knows that a fire set in the middle of a downpour doesn't last long. These fires were burning long enough and hot enough to melt some of the machinery.
Peeta knows what this means. It means District Thirteen is real. It means they are fighting back. It means they have elementals.
The attacks continue, incrseasing in frequency and in varying districts, over the next six months. They repeatedly hit Districts Ten and Eleven, taking foods. They start damaging the train stations in each district, as well. This means that particular district is unable to send any goods out, or get anything back from the Capitol.
It is May, and Peeta is feeling the absence of Katniss strongly. Her birthday has just passed, and he thought of her constantly now. Summer is nearly here, they should be spending it together. He's laying back on his bed, with a sketchpad propped up on his legs as he is drawing exactly how he wishes he could have spent her birthday when a strange smell gets his attention.
It smells like burning coal. A lot of burning coal.
Peeta rushes to the window, and looks out to see a bright orange blaze in his town, and it is by the train station. He dashes down the stairs, and is outside running towards it, heart in his throat as he tries to think of what he'll say to them when he finds them.
As he gets closer, he sees that he is far from the first person to realize something was wrong, and any rebels that might have been here are long gone. There are dozens of District Twelve citizens there, but there isn't much they can do but try and contain the blaze. It is absolutely devouring a shipment of coal that was meant for the Capitol.
Peeta smiles, realizing they are starting to plan their attacks well, hurting the Capitol more than the district they attack from. When the Peacekeepers arrive, and begin to try and quell the flames, Peeta knows he must play the part of the Duke's son, and tries to organize people into groups to help them.
It is hours before he returns home. His father had arrived a few minutes after he did, and they worked long into the night, stopping the fires and trying to assess damages. There would be plenty of work for them in the morning.
He drags himself into his room, feeling the ache in his muscles as he shuts and leans against the door. He's leaning forward, and his stretching out his back and neck when he realizes he's not alone.
Slowly he stands back up to his full height, and searches his room. There is a slight figure about halfway between him and his window. He can tell they're facing him, but all he can make out is their shadow.
"Is there something I can help you find?" he asks pleasantly, interlocking his hands behind his back. He knows this has to have something to do with the fire, and he doesn't want to seem threatening to whoever this is, he only wants information. Hopefully he can convince them he is on their side.
The shadow takes a small step forward, then halts, and a torch appears in their hand, and they lift it up closer to their face so he can see who they are.
He feels the blood drain from his face when she calls to him, "Peeta?"
This can't be real. Not real. Not real.
"Is this a dream?"
She smiles at him and it's a different smile now. It's wider, and her lips look a little fuller than they used to. Her braid is shorter than he remembered, but she still wears it over her right shoulder. She's a little taller, he thinks in a daze, but not much.
"No Peeta, this isn't a dream. It's real."
A/N This was done for Day 3 Queen Anne's Lace "Fantasy" for Prompts in Panem. No beta, all these awesome errors that are left are all me! I hope you enjoyed reading, please let me know what you think! I'm also over on tumbler if you want to stop by to chat!