I'm covered in a cold sweat. My muscles are aching, my head is pounding, and my throat is raw. I slowly start to move, from a fetal position to on all fours. I don't dare to raise my head in fear that the mutts would come back. Before I could move again I feel big hands grab me by the collar, and pull me into a standing position.
"Tell me, Miss Fire Girl, how are you feeling now?" the man asked.
"Peachy. What else do you have in store for me?" I asked.
"Plenty, but President Snow doesn't want us to ruin the surprise." the man said.
"Oh, I like surprises." I said sarcastically.
The man threw me so hard that when I hit the ground I rolled over backwards with me feet hitting the wall. I was too exhausted to move, so I just laid there on the ground. I felt a warm liquid pooling around my cheek. I raise my head to get a good look at the pool, or more appropriately, I feel the blood trickling off my lower lip. I lower my head back on the floor, and rest my eyes. I hear footsteps approaching me, and given by the fact that nobody else has entered the room it might be Snow.
"How are you feeling Miss Everdeen?" President Snow asked.
"I've had better days, but what brings you to my lovely abode?" I ask get back on all fours.
"Nice." President Snow said.
I don't see it, but Snow signaled to the man from earlier. I feel a sharp pain in my solar plexus from being kicked, which leave me gasping for air and collapsed on the floor.
"It seems that the Jabberjays aren't as effective as I thought they would be." President Snow said.
"I'd be willing to trade you anytime." I said.
"That won't be necessary." President Snow said. "It's more fun to watch, as opposed to playing along."
"Oh, come on. You don't know what you're missing." I said
When the man went to kick me again I braced for the impact, using my right arm up to absorb the brunt of the impact on my metal arm. I could hear, and feel the bones breaking. I looked as the attacker fell over screaming in pain, while holding his broken foot. I slowly get to my feet as more guards came into the room. I only get as far as my knees before I stop moving.
"Smart move." President Snow said. "That's it for now."
Snow turned his back on me, and then exited the room. I got to my feet before I was told to, or they could forcefully pull be to my feet. I make my way to the door, and then turn left. Before I get away from the door I'm surrounded by guards on all sides. One of the idiots decides to be stupid and push me. We get to my cell I hear Annie mumbling. Just as the door is opening she starts screaming. I can barely make a few words in her rambling, but what I do make out is disturbing. Before I could make sense of Annie's screams Johanna cuts in.
"I overheard two guards talking about how they plan on injecting us soon." Johanna said.
Now it gets interesting. I think.
"Thank you for the heads up, but that is something I didn't want to hear." I said.
"What could be so bad?" Johanna asked.
"What could be so bad? Do you have an idea what they are going to inject us with?" I ask barely holding it together. The exhaustion starting to kick in.
"No what?" Johanna asked.
"Tracker jacker venom." I said.
"Weren't you stung in the seventy-fourth Games?" Johanna asked.
"Yeah, and I'm guess this dose is going to be more potent than what I received then." I said.
"Oh, how colorful." Johanna said.
Before I could speak again, Annie started to scream again. I was feeling extremely tired, but I had to ask one question.
"Johanna." I said.
"What?" Johanna asked.
"How long do you think we have been gone?" I asked.
"Close to two months I believe." Johanna said.
"Thanks. Talk to you later." I said.
I got to my feet and slowly walked to my bed. I don't even bother to pull the covers back, I just lie down on my bed and go to sleep. By the end of the week the three of us had been tortured, but we haven't been inject with the venom yet. That's something I didn't want to experience again. They tortured me with the Jabberjays more often, but they aren't have that great of effect. They went back to electrocuting me a couple times. After one particular nasty torture session I find myself strapped to a table, but they do it while I'm unconscious.
My dreams are peaceful at first, but them they become nightmarish. The colors are falling apart, fading, becoming dull. I feel the irrational fear begin to kick in and I know my time as prisoner is coming to a close. I don't know how long they have been pumping the poison into my system, but before I regain consciousness I know that I have been injected with tracker jacker venom. And it drives me into a state of madness, but before I lose my mind to the substance I'm put to sleep.
This goes on for a few days. Then again the concept of time has no meaning in this place, so for all I know a week could have passed already. And then I thought it couldn't get any worse; which I should have known from my days as a tribute. I thought, I wake up strapped to a table. There's a strap across my forehead, my chest, both of my arms at the elbows and wrist, one across my waist, and then one on both of my knees ankles. I fear the worse, but I have an inkling what they are going to show me. My fears that they somehow got to my family and Peeta, but I won't know until they tell me. But what was about to happen was far worse than I could imagine.
A screen was lowered in front of me, but nothing happened.
"I'm pretty sure you know what happens next, Miss Everdeen." President Snow said.
"No, but I'm pretty sure you're about to tell." I said attempting to break free of my bonds.
"I see you still prefer sarcasm to intelligence." President Snow said.
"Of course I had intelligence. I know that I'm going to be dying in the near future that I decide to pull out all the stops Snow." I said sarcastically.
"That's President Snow to you." President Snow snapped.
"What does it matter if I use your title? You're still going to punish me severely, but that's beside the point. You knew I had some brains when you tried to reason with me before the seventy fifth Hunger Games. I have to say that if you had captured Peeta you would have wrecked a lot more havoc by torturing and harming him to destabilize me, but I guess capturing me is just as satisfying for you." I said.
Snow didn't even respond. I look at him and all I could see is the devilish smile on his face. And with that President Snow left the room. On the screen in front of me were images. Images of the past Hunger Games. And seeing as how there were seventy three before I become a contestant, I had to watch all of them.
And this sack of human detritus somehow talked these men into playing the Games in their entirety. I think.
After an hour I was in tears. After a week I was shell of my former myself. By the end of the third week I had lost any sense of privacy. I spent my waking hours in the chair watching the Games, being injected with the venom, or being tortured. When they used the Jabberjays this go round I almost lost my mind. At the end of my third month of being a prisoner, I think it has been three months, Snow strapped me to the table again, and showed me footage I haven't seen before. As soon as I see the first scene I know exactly where it is: District Twelve. It's dark, most likely taken at night. The video starts playing, but there is no sound. I see fire hit the first house, and it engulfs the house while spreading to the second. I realize that the district is under attack from Capitol.
Are they suffering because of my actions in the arena? I think.
The video plays in its entirety, and I'm reduced to tears. I see men, women, and children on fire run; others are rolling around on the ground trying to put the fire out. None of the people engulfed in flames are successful. I hear a voice and it scares me half to death.
I didn't realize that I had company. I thought.
"I was told there were no survivors found in the aftermath of District Twelve." President Snow said.
"YOU KILLED THEM!" I shouted.
"Me? How did I kill them? You were the one who defied my orders." President Snow said.
I could hear the excitement in his voice. Whatever he had planned for this moment that was coming next.
"I TOLD YOU THAT I WANTED TO KEEP MY SISTER SAFE! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FORCE MY HAND! TO CONTINUE REBELING!" I shouted some more.
"The best part has yet to come." President Snow said.
I can't see him, but I imagine an evil grin on his face. And without fail, he shows me another place. But this place isn't being bombed. As a matter of fact this is the aftermath of being bombed. I scan the area looking for survivors. Then I recognized the place: it was District Eight. The camera pans until I see a body, and I speak.
"No." I say softly just above a whisper.
The camera zooms in on the body, and all the while all I can say is one word over and over again.
"No. No. No. No. NO!" I scream the last no.
The body was Peeta, and I lose all pretense. I'm screaming in fury at the sight of Peeta's dead body, tears are cascading down my face. When the video cuts, the image of Peeta's dead body is burned into my retinas. I have no fight left in me, and I lose consciousness. I have no idea how long I was unconscious for. All I know is that when I regain consciousness I don't want to do anything. I lose the will to live. My family is dead. Peeta is dead. There's nothing left for me to live for. If my time is drawing to a close, I want to defy the Capitol one last time. I hear the cell door open, but I also hear Annie and Johanna's doors open too. I exit my cell, and await further instructions. I hear Annie babbling as the doors are being closed. Johanna is trying to get my attention, but I barely register that she is talking to me.
I look up at her, and I see a look of horror etched into her face. She looks sickly thin, but I know that I'm in worse shape than she is. I took the brunt of the torture. The guards escort us from the prison. Upon exiting the prison I see two cars waiting outside. I getting into the first car, while Annie and Johanna get into the second one. I noticed that there are more Peacekeepers on the streets.
I wonder what that's all about. I think
I realize that I have to go before the country to give another speech.
Awesome! I get to give the resistance a one last push before I die! I think gleefully.
I look over my shoulder and I watch as the other vehicle heads south.
Which is in the direction of the Training Center. Why are they taking us there? Wouldn't it be easier to leave us in the prison? Or do they want to make their jobs easier when they publically execute us? I think.
It doesn't matter what they plan to do with us, I'm going do what Snow was afraid I was do: cause the rebellion. The ride to the presidential palace seemed to shorter than usual today, but if it gets me closer to my objective what do I care. When the car comes to a stop in front of the president palace I have a weird thought.
What if he lied about Peeta's death? What if the body that was supposed to be Peeta's was digitally made to look like it to break me? And if that's the case… maybe mom and Prim got out of twelve. I think.
I'm guided back to the room I've been to outside of Snow's office. After being for three months I feel a sense of nostalgia for the place. When I look at myself in the mirror the shock of seeing my body so thin, so deteriorated doesn't affect me. I look like I did when I came out of my first Games last year. No amount of makeup will hide the damage done, but I don't care. The shock of seeing my body, and the call to arms will definitely spur the rebels into action. My makeup is done, and I get up from my chair and waltz into Snow's office. If Caesar is put off by my appearance, he's hiding it very well. I think what really sets him off is the air of confidence that I give off. Even Snow is taken back by it. I shake hands with Caesar, and we both take a seat.
"Ready, Katniss?" Caesar asks.
"Alright Mr. Flickerman, I'm ready for my close-up!" I say gleefully.
Everybody in the room is taken back by my statement, but then I see someone counting back, and then we're live. But something odd happens. Just as we are about to go live, we lose the feed. In its place I see a banner that I haven't seen before. What really makes my day is the person that is on screen after the banner fades away.
"Hello, Katniss." A familiar voice addresses me.
PEETA! I think.
He continues with a speech that was arranged for this very moment, but all I can do is take in his features. Peeta is healthy than when I last saw him. His face fuller, eyes brighter, his skin has the shine of being in perfect health. I hear something on the edge of my hearing range.
"The planes will be commencing the attack in twenty minutes." I heard a voice tell to Snow.
No! I think.
Just as I turn back to the TV screen Peeta was signing off, and as luck would have it we're still live.
"Anything you would like to say to Peeta?" Caesar asked.
I heard something about holding on. That help was coming.
This is my chance! What was meant to spur the rebels onto victory, I now have to send a dire warning. I think.
I look dead in the camera and speak.
"Peeta, baby. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, seeing as how'll you be dead before sunrise."
Just as the word sunrise leaves my mouth they cut the feed. The entire room is staring at me, but I don't care. I stand up and turning to Snow. I give a theatrical bow, and the walk out of the room. I stop so they can take my makeup off, but I don't sit down. I'm escorted out of the palace. I get into the car, and I'm driven to the Training Center. When I get to the Training Center nightfall was upon us. I make my way into the building, and then onto the elevator. I don't know what floor I was supposed to go to because I start to feel lightheaded. The last thing I hear is the elevator dinging at a floor. The last thing I see is a group of men dressed all in black with some kind of mask on, and they were holding a big gun.
The first thing I register is that I'm no longer lying on the hard, but smooth elevator floor. I'm lying in a soft bed, with the covers pulled up to my shoulders. I try to register, by sense of feel if there are any restraints, but there aren't any. I hear a voice saying that I'm waking up. I hear a person walk out of my room. I start to open my eyes, but all I see is blurry shapes. I'm in a hospital, but it is definitely not in the Capitol. I recognize the voice at the same time my vision comes into focus.
"You're awake ."
"Plu… tarch?" I say.
"Yes, Katniss." Plutarch Heavensbee says.
"Where…" I begin to ask but I'm cut off.
"Don't bother to speak Katniss. You're safe for now, so just try to get some rest." Plutarch says.
Plutarch steps out of the room, and disappears from sight. To my left I hear movement.
"Hi." A voice says.
I almost break my neck when I turn to the voice. The sight before me brings tears to my eyes. It was Peeta, and sleeping on his arm is Prim.