A/N: the usual three (PeetaMellark'sKatniss, Christopher Marsh Hawk, and November92009) have all reviewed once again, so thanks. And a thing that happened recently: my school was able to win Chuck the Rubber Chicken back from our rivals. Fun fact: Chuck has been signed by Chuck Norris.
Also, go read the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. The first book is Wizard's First Rule. Trust me on this; the guy inspires how I'd want to write.
Chapter 4
It is day one of the Victory Tour and Effie is already angry with Peeta and myself. Other than the fact the photo shoot the day before went completely wrong and we kept half of District 12 up last night, I don't get why she's so angry with us. Or maybe it's just what had happened this morning. She had told me that we have to stay on schedule or else we'll be the laughing stock of Panem. At that point I had said I thought the Gamemakers were. Her head soon looked like a tomato with pink hair on top of it, which I blurted out as Peeta pulled me out of the dinning car and Haymitch called up some Peacekeepers before Effie tried to kill me. The rest of the day went splendid, with Peeta and I doing absolutely nothing, not even having our 'fun'.
We showed up later and she didn't take the time to acknowledge me like she did for Peeta, so I just decided that I'm not going to listen to her. And that's when she decided to speak to me.
"So Katniss, I guess you're thinking that I hate you. Let me tell you, I treated a teacher the same way you just treated me and she wasn't angry. Eventually we became good friends and…" she cut off from her story, "are you listening to me?" Peeta nudges me a couple of times before I look at something other than my soup.
"Yes honey?" I ask Peeta. His eyes flick towards Effie and I give a dissatisfactory groan. Sometimes I wish I would've died in that arena, or at least have gotten Peeta to kill me. Peeta gives me a stern look, something I've never seen from him.
"What is it Peeta?" I mumble out, stirring my soup lazily.
"Effie asked you a question. I think you should answer." He seemed more…sympathetic of her. I turned to Effie.
"So what were you asking?" Her lips pursed into a thin smile.
"You just answered my question. I was telling you about how I once treated someone older than me just like how you treated me earlier." I barely noticed the small splash of soup as my spoon fell from my hands. I could never image Effie being disrespectful.
"Wait…you did?" The corners of my lips were starting to pull up as the words exploded from my mouth.
Smiling, she replied. "Yes I did. I was a…bad cookie growing up, so to say. My parents weren't the disciplinary type, so I got away with a lot of things I'd rather not tell you about." She looked away from me and back to her food. A few tears were coming down her face. "I was never a good kid for them, they deserved so much better." I was completely surprised by Effie's story; I've always thought of her being one of those people who always cares about manners and such. She quickly finished her meal before standing up and leaving.
"We'll be in District 11 soon." She looks back at us from the compartment door. "It's warm there, so dress appropriately."
Douglas Moriner hated District 11. It wasn't the people or even the weather; it was the Head Peacekeeper, Jonathan Mengler. Doug was currently standing in one of the many watchtowers around the fenced district; it had been years since an attempt to escape had been made. Moriner looked out into the distance; one of the Capitol Bullet Trains was racing towards the District, only half an hour out. Picking up the phone, he called Mengler.
"The Victor's train is in sight, sir. I'd estimate they'd be here in about half an hour." A few moments passed before Mengler answered.
"That's good. A letter arrived here from the Capitol this morning issued to the victors, so I want you to come over to the Justice Building. Jackson should be there soon."
"Of course sir." Doug let his usual response to authority slip out before hanging up. He had never liked the more violent measures used in District 11, but it was too vital to have toxic bombs dropped on it during the Dark Days. He walked over to the edge of the tower to see Jackson climbing up the ladder. The other Peacekeeper pulled himself up into the watchtower, a grim smile on his face.
"Looks like you're off early. I'd give my front teeth to watch the victors, especially after hearing some of the rumors from the Capitol about some wedding thing a couple of days back or something along those lines." Doug just rolled his eyes at his comrade, on of the more idealist Peacekeepers. Some joked about sending him to a different district on 'accident'.
"Yeah, well I'd rather give my front teeth to get the hell out of this place. At least nobody has found the…get-away car." Jackson gave Doug a knowing smile as the previous guard started to climb down.
'Maybe that rebellion will happen. They are the only ones who can control the sparks now,' Doug told himself.
It took a while between Effie's breakdown and our arrival in District 11, the one I was looking forward to the least. This was Rue's home and I had failed her. I was on the verge of burying my face into Peeta's shirt and just crying until he could wring it out and fill a tub. Sometimes I was convinced that the only thing the Hunger Games did for me was just to build upon the fears I had built up my entire life; the now infrequent nightmares and Peeta were testaments to that.
He held my hand as the door opened up and the flashes from the cameras caught our faces. We were lead by some of the Peacekeepers on the train to the Justice Building, Haymitch and Effie providing their selves as good shields from the paparazzi. Soon we were in though the doors and they slammed shut. A District 11 Peacekeeper walks up to us with some paper-thing in his hand.
"My name is Douglas Moriner and I'm in charge of the victor's safety while in this district. This letter for them." He holds it out towards us and I take it, staring in wonder. I had never seen a letter in the Seam; we considered them to be a thing the people in the Capitol messed around with. I rip it open and a piece of paper finds itself in my hands.
To my dear victors,
As a way to show you that no matter what you do I am in control, for every District that gets closer to rebellion, one of your friends back home gets punished. Some, such as Primrose, I will not touch for Panem loves her too much. But some, like Gale, have done things to get my attention and will face serious problems. I suggest you tell him to stop reading about 'the United States of America' when you get home; it'll be dangerous for his health.
Other than that, I hope you two have a marvelous Victory Tour and enjoy yourselves in the Districts.
Your friend,
President Coriolanus Snow
P.S. I know about the toasting.
It felt like my heart was being cut out with a butcher's knife; I couldn't believe that he could do these things, but at the same time I was barely surprised by who he was threatening. It seems that maybe Gale has been right all along; maybe he's right that the only way to make sure that the people I care about are truly safe is by eliminating the Capitol from the picture of everyone's life. I can tell by now that Peeta has also read the letter and now a calmer fire is building within him, calmer than the one inside of me. I'm tempted to test President Snow, but I fear to do for Gale.
As Doug leads us towards the stage where the ceremony will take place, I feel myself internally arguing about how involved with a rebellion I should get. I can spot the families of Rue and Thresh and the answer is becoming messier.
Should I spark it, or should I suppress it, just like how the Capitol does to everyone's life. And that's when I figure out what I'm going to do.
Every soul in Panem was glued to their TVs as Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, as far as they knew, were led out to the small stage set up in front of District 11's Justice Building. On each side of the stage were two different families: one for Rue, one for Thresh. The 'star-crossed lovers', unknown to all except President Snow and Gale, were trying to decide what to do now.
President Snow had changed the rules and the Victors were left to play by them.
A/N: I have a four-day weekend coming up soon; so more chapters will arrive sooner. Also, for the Hunger Games movie they're going to do, I'm convinced that for the opening credits they should play "Endgame" by Megadeth.