I'm not fully conscious again for a while. When I awaken, my wrists are strapped in chains. I'm sitting on a single, steel chair in the center of a dark cement room. I tug uselessly at the chains, but they're pretty solidly attached to the wall. My door is just a set of close-together bars. Some jail cell in the Capitol, I imagine. I try and remember everything I can. The wire snapping. Hitting Katniss in the face. Heh. Taking out her tracker. I look down at my arm; I still have mine. Killing Brutus. Fighting with Enobaria. The hovercraft. The injection.

Other memories are hazy - landing next to a giant, brick building. More injections. I think I vaguely remember seeing Peeta, but the image is blurred.

I inspect my body - I'm dressed in a skintight jumpsuit, totally white, that comes just below my knees. No shoes. I inspect my arms, but I barely have a scratch on me. I can't see what I look like, but I'm sure I look like shit. No matter, though. Because they're going to kill me. They'll know I saved Katniss, and they'll know I was in on this from the beginning. All I can hope is that Plutarch got Katniss and Finnick out safely.

"Get up, Seven," a gruff voices commands me. I apparently fell asleep on the floor. I begrudgingly get to my feet. Another man comes in, unbuckling my shackles. He immediately handcuffs me instead, pushing me forward.

"If you wanted to get kinky, all you had to do was ask," I joke, throwing a smirk over my shoulder. Neither guard responds. They bring me into a room with one long, rectangular table and two chairs. They sit me down in one of the chairs, buckling me to the seat. I look down. The seat is bolted to the floor. Damn.

I have to swallow down bile as I watch Snow walk into the room. It gives me just a small bit of satisfaction to see him look a little haggard. He's lost sleep. He sits down across from me, waving the guards out of the room with a flick of his wrist. He's wearing a crushed velvet suit, trimmed in white lace at the cuffs. His signature white rose is in his pocket. The room smells with the scent of blood.

"Hello, Miss Mason."

I cock my head to the side. "Snow, you murdered my family. You can go ahead and call me Johanna." I shake my hair out of my face, steadying my glare at him.

"You always seem so certain, Johanna." He stands up from his seat, clasping his hands behind his back. "The truest characters of ignorance and vanity is pride and arrogance."

I roll my eyes. "Is that advice for me? Or for you? Because the way it looks to me, a stinking miner's daughter from Twelve just upset your little apple cart."

He lets out a small chuckle, pacing around the room. "Fair point. Now, Johanna, you know why you're here. I won't lie to you. I want the information you have about the whereabouts of Katniss Everdeen, Plutarch Heavensbee and the other rebel leaders. I will have these men do whatever it takes to retrieve this information. Do you understand?"

"Since we're being honest, I can honestly tell you that I won't tell them a goddamn thing. You have no power over me." He raises his eyebrow. "You have some leverage over the girl because you probably have Peeta. I'm gonna go ahead and guess you've got Annie, too, if Finnick isn't here. Enobaria's a fucking idiot so I'm sure you just let her go home. So let's just have at it, shall we?" I lean forward in my chair. "I don't give a shit about anyone, and I'm not going to tell you anything. You might as well just kill me." I think if he had the skill or ability to slit my throat at that moment, he would have. "You're scared, you shriveled piece of shit."

"I'm not afraid of you," he replies with a laugh.

"Not me," I reply with a smirk. "You're afraid of her." His eyes widen a little. Nailed it.

He lets out another laugh and signals for the guards. As they unbuckle me from the chair and handcuff me again, he purses his lips. "Killing you solves nothing, Johanna." He walks up to me so close I can smell his breath. It smells like death. "You will wish for death. But I am not in the business of granting wishes."

I can hear Peeta's screams from my room. Our rooms must be connected, even though I don't have any windows. All I have are two vents, one on each side, and the cell door. My left side is always silent, but my right side...that's where Peeta is. Even at night, when the torture is over, he screams Katniss' name. I hope I don't scream for anyone at night.

There are a few days of just beatings. They scream questions into my face, their saliva coating my features with every word. Day after day. I don't respond. I haven't spoken a single word since the meeting with Snow. I'm hoping they'll give up and kill me, or leave me alone with something so I can kill myself with, but they never do.

And then one day, it changes. I'm strapped to a chair and they buzz off my hair. I watch the black locks fall to the ground. I hold back my tears. I haven't cried yet, and I'm not going to cry at not having any hair like a child. I try to figure out why they would do this. And when they lead me into the next room, I know.

With my hands and feet tied, I can't offer any resistance, even if I wanted to. Before me is a small pool, but I can't see to the bottom of it. Men in rubber suits emerge from a side room, and grab me by the arms. We get into the water, and then push my head underneath, soaking me in the cold water. Their hands hold me down, in spite of my struggling. Finally, when I'm on the brink of drowning, they pull my head out of the water.

I sputter and cough, trying to blink the water out of my eyes. And then I feel it. Shocks. I let out an ungodly scream. It stops. Water begins pouring from above me, into the pool I'm sitting in. I'm reminded briefly of the times in the lakes near Seven, when I'd wade in the water during thunderstorms. More shocks. The pain is so searing I think my flesh is going to tear off. I can see wounds opening on my arms where the electric currents touch me directly. I realize with horror that my jumpsuit conducts electricity. Every part of my skin is on fire.

When I return to my room, there's water leaking from the ceiling. Little dark spots indicate where it's coming from. Deliberate, slow droplets of water splash to the ground, getting soaked back into the cement floor. They allow me to move around freely now, with my hands bound, but I can barely move. The only thing in the room is a small cot with no springs, but most days I don't make it to the bed. Usually when I get back to my room, I'm exhausted, so I just sleep on the floor. The droplets above make sure that I am never, ever dry. The sound slowly drives me a little insane.

One night after a particularly scorching round of shocks, I can suddenly hear weeping coming from the vent on the left. The sobbing is quiet, and I can just make out what the girl is saying. She's calling for someone. I crawl over to the vent. "Annie?"

My voice sounds strange, and not my own. I think the water and electricity have damaged my vocal cords. The sobbing ceases for a moment. "W-who is this?"

It's her. They do have her. I muster up a little bit of anger. "Annie, it's Johanna. Johanna Mason, from Seven. I'm a friend of Finnick's." My voice is barely a whisper, but she hears me.

"Finnick?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, a friend of Finnick's. Remember me?"

I can hear her sniffle a little. "Yes, I remember. Is Finnick here, too?"

I let out a sigh. "No, he's not. He got saved. He's in Thirteen with Katniss. He's safe."

"S-s-safe?"

"Yes." I pull myself up so I'm sitting against the wall, talking into the vent. I hear Peeta scream and I wince. I wonder if he hears me scream, too. "He's safe. As long as you're here, he's safe."

"What?"

I'm too tired to explain fully. "They are keeping you. To make him sad." I can't tell her why. They've probably bugged the room anyway. I don't want her to know about the resistance. She's already a few coins short of a dollar.

She cries again. I'm suddenly exhausted and my body slumps against the wall. "Why are you here? Are they making someone sad?"

For the first time in weeks, I can feel tears run down my cheeks. The saltiness seeps into the cuts on my face and I wince. "No, Annie. Nobody is sad that I'm in here."

I begin to drift to sleep as I hear her tearful, small voice once more. "I'm sad you're here."

The beatings get worse. I think the guards, trained to be inhuman, are pissed off at my resistance and have upped the intensity of the shocks. I've done nothing but scream, so they aren't getting anywhere. They toss me into my room and I land with a thud against the floor. I can feel the cuts on my skin. They pulse with infection. I'll probably lose some limbs. I've stopped caring, though.

A few hors later, my door bursts open. I can't even see who it is. But I can hear gunfire. The whizzing of bullets, the clanging of metals. I'm scooped off the floor, my chains broken with some kind of mallet. I'm not sure what's happening, and before I can process anything, I'm lifted into a hovercraft.

"Holy hell, what did they do to this one? She's wet." I hear an unfamiliar voice say with an obvious wince. I wish I could manage a snarky remark, but I can barely remember to breathe.

"Torture. She knew things." The voice sounds vaguely like someone I've heard, but I can't place it. A needle gets pushed into my arm, another plunged into my thigh. I can hear the ripping of fabric as they tear my jumpsuit. "Jesus is that wires? The fabric is meshed with wires."

Wires? Wiress? No, she died. I watched her throat get slit. And even though I hated her, she was a Victor, too. She was another lamb for the rebellion. Poor little Nuts. I wonder if Beetee made it out. I never heard his screams. I can hear my mouth mumbling words, but I have no idea what I'm saying.

A hand comes down and smoothes over my head. My hair is short, basically just a bit of fuzz on the top. I can hear whoever it is sigh sadly. "Shh, Johanna, just go to sleep. You can stop fighting it now." I can't place the voice, but I've heard it so much. Low, manly, gruff. My father? I must say something to that effect because he speaks again. "No, Jo, it's Jox. But don't worry about it, go to sleep."

Sleep? I can't even remember what sleep is like. I'm mumbling again and Jox puts his hand under my chin. "Is she safe?" I hear myself ask in a whisper. It hurts so much to speak. My mind is fuzzy and I don't even know who I'm asking about. Lilac. Annabelle. Katniss. Take your pick. I'm sure Jox doesn't either.

"Yeah, she's safe." I drift off into sleep, my mind blank of any dreams at all.

This fucking doctor comes around every twenty minutes and tells me I'm safe. I've been in this hospital bed for days, maybe weeks, and he keeps telling me I'm safe. There is no such thing, I want to tell him. Not for anyone who's been in the Games.

The morphling they've got me on is amazing. I can't feel a thing. Not the physical pain, not the emotional pain. Nothing. I think if I were predisposed toward happiness, I'd even be euphoric. But I must've given away that my pain tolerance is high, because they start shortening my dosage over a few days. They don't understand, really, that the physical pain is nothing. It's temporary. But my brain...

I hear a lot of commotion one day, and I realize Katniss must be in the other side of the room. Shot, I hear them say. Hit the spleen but otherwise okay. I must've seen it on television, because their voices are meshing with a memory I already have. The bullet rings out. Katniss falls. People start shooting. The feed gets cut.

She's on a steady morphling drip and pretty out of it. I begin going to her side of the room and stealing some of her drip when she's asleep. One day, I hear her moan. Compelled both to see how she is, and to grab some of her drip, I whip back the curtain that separates us. She looks like shit. I grin. Good. At least we all look like crap. I look worse than she does, obviously.

I expertly pull the drip from her and slide it carefully into the small socket where the drip usually goes. The warm sensation floods me and I close my eyes. "I'm alive," her hoarse voice says.

"No kidding, brainless." I plop down on her bed and I see her wince. It makes me feel a little better to see she's in pain. She's looking at me warily, like she did in the arena. But I'm sure by now she understands why I did what I did. "Still a little sore?" I ask sarcastically. "They started cutting back my supply a few days ago. Afraid I'm going to turn into one of those freaks from Six. I've had to borrow from you when the coast was clear. Didn't think you'd mind."

The morphling spreads through my bloodstream and I let out a long sigh. Katniss gives me a look somewhere between pity and appreciation and I don't really want either from her. "They've got this doctor that comes around every day. Supposed to be helping me recover. Like some guy who's spent his life in this rabbit warren's going to fix me up. Complete idiot. At least twenty times a session he reminds me that I'm totally safe." I let out a laugh and Katniss smiles. "How about you, Mockingjay? You feel safe?" I know Peeta has been brainwashed against her, and I don't think they've had much contact.

"Oh yeah," she replies sarcastically. "Right up until I got shot."

I scoff at her. "Barely. The bullet never touched you. Cinna saw to that."

She looks completely confused and I have to admit, it's kind of cute. But that's probably the morphling talking. "Broken ribs?" she asks.

"Not even. Bruised pretty good. The impact ruptured your spleen. They couldn't repair it." She looks worriedly toward me and I wave my hand at her. "Don't worry, you don't need one. And if you did, they'd find you one, wouldn't they? It's everybody's job to keep you alive." There's more malice in my voice than I intend, but I don't care. It helps me to think it's largely her fault I'm in here.

"Is that why you hate me?" she asks, and I'm surprised at her candor. Maybe I'll finally be able to meet the real Katniss Everdeen.

"Partly," I admit slowly, giving her a smirk. "Jealousy is certainly involved. I also think you're a little hard to swallow. With your tacky romantic drama and your defender-of-the-helpless act. Only it isn't an act, which makes you more unbearable." Katniss seems to smile a little and I set my lips in a line. "Please feel free to take this personally."

She smiles instead. "You should have been the Mockingjay. No one would've had to feed you lines."

I guess I could have, if I had kept my mouth shut. "True. But no one likes me," I inform her, with the least amount of pity I can manage.

"They trusted you, though. To get me out," she insists. Why is she defending me? Does she think this makes us even? 'Cos it sure as fuck doesn't. "And they're afraid of you."

"Here, maybe," I reply with a smile, looking around at the doctors. "In the Capitol, you're the one they're scared of now." Out of the corner of my eye I see Gale appear, and I sigh. The "cousin." I detach the drip from me and shove it back into her spot. "Your cousin's not afraid of me though." I walk by Gale, nudging him with my hip. "Are you, gorgeous?" I let out a laugh, walking down the hallway to leave them alone.

When I slide into my lunch table, Annie and Finnick are closer than usual. I raise my eyebrow at them both and Annie lets out a giggle. "Okay, the jig's up. What's going on?" I motion between the two of them with my fork.

Finnick looks at Annie, then to me. "I asked her to marry me."

"And I said yes!" Annie interrupts giddily, kissing Finnick squarely on the mouth. My happiness for them is only tempered by my loneliness. But that's selfish, even for me, so I smile as widely as I can.

"Well then let's get to it! Tell the Mockingjay so we can get a real party going on in here." Finnick raises his eyebrows at me. He visited me a few times while I was in the hospital, and each day he looked a little better. Annie's influence, clearly. "Katniss is pulling the strings, Fin. Let her know and I'm sure Plutarch will put together some extravagant affair. If Coin will allow it."

Annie frowns a little as I mention Coin. "Do you think she will?"

I laugh. "I think that she has to do whatever little Everdeen says."

"I thought Little Everdeen was Prim?" Finnick asks, poking my food with his fork and taking a bite of one of my potatoes.

"Whatever. Tell her. Let's have something worth doing in this miserable rabbit hole."

The wedding is a huge success. Every single person who they allowed to attend does, and happily. Finnick and Annie are insanely happy, as I watch from Finnick's side of the room. They touch salt water to each other's lips, their hands entwined. I try not to cry because, well, that doesn't gel with my "don't fuck with me" reputation that I've built here in 13. I'm honored Finnick let me so close to their ceremony, as if we were family. I guess, since we don't have anyone else, we kind of are.

Some people from Twelve start up a fiddle and begin to dance. The kids from Thirteen have no idea what that is, but the Twelve kids do. And boy do they dance. Eventually the children from Thirteen join in, and Plutarch begins filming the propo. I find Katniss in the crowd and come up behind her. I guess she's truly forgotten her arena days for the moment, because I startle her when I pinch her arm.

"You're going to miss an opportunity to let Snow see you dance?" she looks at me, considering this for a moment. Then she takes off, finding her adorable little sister in the crowd. Their love is so clear, and I'm reminded of Annabelle and her siblings. News has trickled in of the rebellion taking hold in Seven. They haven't totally bombed it, so I hold out a little hope that maybe they're surviving. Jox has gone back to help the rebels in Seven, and I haven't seen him since the hovercraft landed.

But thinking of Annabelle and Lilac and my family, I begin to get mad. I know they're not going to let me go with them to the Capitol, but I want to. I want to stand there as Snow gets his heart ripped out. I want to mash it with the sole of my boot.

"You are not authorized to leave, Miss Mason," the doctor informs me again calmly, but I toss a bag of something clear across the room and frighten him.

"Then go fucking authorize me, then! I'm not just sitting around here while Gale and the rest of them fight the Capitol!" I grab him by the collar. "I lost a lot. A LOT for this rebellion, you fucking bastard. I am going to get my due." I toss him backward and wave off the guards. They back down as they see me step away from him.

Katniss walks into the room, looking just as pissed as I am. "Maybe you can train, too," she tells me, and I quirk my eyebrow. "Coin says if we pass our training, we can go with them."

"Fine, I'll train," I reply with a sneer. "But I'm going to the stinking Capitol if I kill a crew and fly there myself."

Katniss looks amused. "Well that's probably not the best thing to say in training, but it's nice to know I'll have a ride." And there we have it. I've finally gotten a little bit of the Mockingjay. We're in this together.

"Get your shit together!" I yell at Katniss while we stretch. She's wincing in pain and I won't let her hold me back. And I won't let her hold herself back. "Pick it up, Twelve!"

She never responds to my insults, but it pushes her forward. We're in this ridiculous day care with a bunch of teenagers, and I don't want to be here for long. So we continue to train, but I can tell Katniss is having trouble with her ribs.

When Katniss agrees to a surgery to fix her ribs, they cut off her morphling. Which, in turn, cuts off my supply. The first night is bad. Katniss won't stop moaning because of the pain in her ribs. "I'm sorry about the morphling."

I wave off her concern. "It had to happen anyway, brainless," I reply. The feeling in my body is insane. I want to throw up. But I think if I do, I'll breathe fire. My body feels salty and on fire. It feels like there are needles prickling my skin at all times. I grab my stomach, turning over in my bed over and over again. After a few hours of the withdrawal, I can't take it. I begin to remember all the things I've repressed - my Games, Lilac, my family, Annabelle, the Quarter Quell. It hurts more than my stomach. "I can't fucking believe just because you can't take a little pain, I can't have anything. It hurts." Katniss mumbles an apology but I ignore her. "Just shut the fuck up, you stupid dirty miner. I hate you so much."

That morning I have to physically drag Katniss out of bed. I can tell she's in pain, but I can't let her give up. "I don't think I can do it."

This dumb weak bitch. I'm shaking as I pull the blankets off of her. "You can do it. We both can. We're Victors, remember? We're the ones who can survive anything they throw at us." I'm practically growling at her by the time she finally gets out of bed. She looks a bit horrified at my appearance. "Don't say a word, Twelve. You look like shit, too."

When we go to step outside to run, I realize it's raining. I freeze. "It's just water. It won't kill us." I clench my jaw instead of smacking her in the face. I remind myself she doesn't know. As we walk out into the rain, I want to cry. I keep expecting to feel the shocks. The rain feels like acid on my skin. I jog anyway, against the pain. Every step I think of my mother. My father. Arbor. Lilac. Annabelle. Katniss has bailed on me but I continue to jog. For everyone in my life that they've taken from me.

When we assemble rifles, I'm shaking so badly I can't put the pieces together. Soldier York stares me down, but when her back is turned, Katniss expertly puts it together. I mouth a 'thank you' and she nods. I don't do too badly in the shooting; Katniss is better. Which would bother me more if I didn't owe my participation in the training to her anyway.

During lunch we try to eat, but Katniss and I can barely move. I turn around on the bench and throw up the gruel on the floor. I don't even care enough to aim for a garbage anymore. Katniss doesn't seem fazed. We are beyond that point in our tentative friendship. When we return to our hospital beds, I'm livid. "This has to stop. Us living as patients. Everyone views us as patients."

I call a doctor into the room, and Haymitch accompanies him. "We want a room."

"Well, Soldier Everdeen can return to her family's compartment if she wishes, but you are not fit to be in a room alone, Soldier Mason." He eyes the mark on my forearm from the morphling drip and I sigh.

"Not stable enough? I survive torture in the stinking Capitol and I've been training for days, and I'm not stable?" I realize I'm yelling, and not at all helping my case.

But to my surprise, Katniss does. "She won't be alone. I'm going to room with her," she announces to the room. Haymitch looks surprised, but covers it with a cough. He doesn't look so great since we haven't had any access to alcohol. Who knew that one day you'd miss the train to the Capitol and all its amenities?

"They'll be fine. Katniss can look after Johanna." I glare at him and he holds up his hand to me. "Put them near Katniss' mom and Prim. They're doctors. If Johanna or Katniss need help, they'll be right there."

When we get to our compartment, I study the surroundings. Much better than the cell in the Capitol, and definitely better than the hospital bed. I rummage in a drawer, but when I see Katniss' things I slam it shut. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You can look at my stuff if you want." The pity in her voice is palpable, but I ignore it. I open the necklace and see the pictures. Of course Peeta had something made for Katniss. He didn't think he was gonna live. He had a fair point; I probably would've killed him in favor of saving Katniss. Not sure why, just a gut feeling.

I pick out a pearl and examine it. "Is this -"

"Yes." I can tell from her dismissive tone she doesn't want to talk about the Games. Or Peeta. But I think we probably should.

"Haymitch says he's getting better." On the rare occasions I talk to Haymitch, he keeps me updated on Peeta. I feel bad for the kid; we're torture buddies. Haymitch didn't appreciate the term, but I used it anyway. I also think since Katniss won't even speak about it, one of us should care a little.

"Maybe. But he's changed."

I snort out a laugh at her. "So have you." She looks to the ground. "And so have I. And Haymitch. And Beetee. And Finnick and don't even get me started on Annie Cresta." I roll my eyes and Katniss looks sad for her. "Do you still feel like the girl who volunteered for her sister?"

"No."

"That's the one thing my doctor is probably right about," I say, sitting on the edge of my bed. "There's no going back. So we might as well get on with things." I'm paraphrasing his therapy sessions, but Katniss understands. She gets up and turns off the light, snuggling into the sheets. "You don't think I'll try and kill you tonight?"

Katniss laughs a genuine laugh. One of the first I've heard in a while. It's dark, so I smile because she can't see me. "Like I couldn't take you."

Oh I bet you could, girl on fire. And I'd let you.

We continue to train. And day after day, week after week, we get better. I can run in the rain, but I still can't shower. I can put together a rifle and I can shoot with pretty good accuracy. I think Katniss is better because of the bow, but I can still paint the targets. "Good job, Soldiers Everdeen and Mason."

I smile at York and Katniss and I turn to leave. "I think winning the Games was easier." But I'm proud of me. I'm proud of us. I squeeze Katniss' arm and she looks a little touched at the gesture, but overall still defensive.

We sit down to lunch with the Siamese twin that is Finnick and Annie, attached at the hands. I sit down next to Annie, while Katniss sits across from us with Gale. Delly, one of Katniss and Peeta's friends from Twelve who's been helping with Peeta's therapy sits with us too. And then, I see Peeta coming toward us.

"Peeta!" Delly squeaks. Everyone looks at each other awkwardly. "It's nice to see you out and about." The poor boy is shackled and looks like a steaming pile of garbage, and he's flanked by two guards.

I roll my eyes and address the elephant in the room. "What's with the fancy bracelets?"

"I'm not trustworthy yet," he explains. "I can't even sit here without your permission."

I look at Katniss, who looks like a meteor has just crashed in front of her. "Sure he can sit here. We're old friends." I pat the seat beside me so Katniss doesn't have to sit next to him. But I want him to sit here because this looks like a great recipe for hilarity. "Peeta and I had adjoining cells in the Capitol. We're very familiar with each other's screams." Annie lets out a small yelp and covers her ears, and Finnick glares at me. I roll my eyes again. "What? My head doctor says I'm not supposed to censor my thoughts. It's part of my therapy."

It kind of is, but it's also because I want to rub it in to Katniss how much Peeta and I have suffered for her. We sit in silence, like balloons with the air let out. Finally, Katniss' friend pipes up. "Annie, did you know it was Peeta who decorated your wedding cake?"

Annie looks across me, eyeing me warily before looking to Peeta. "Thank you, Peeta. It was beautiful."

"My pleasure, Annie." He sounds like himself and I see Katniss brighten a little. Finnick gets up from the table, carrying their trays and holding Annie around the waist. "You be good to her, Finnick. Or I might take her from you."

Aaaand there it is. A coldness sets in at the table. Finnick looks concerned toward Katniss, whose wide eyes also say she has no idea what's going on. "Oh Peeta," Finnick jokes, "Don't make me sorry I restarted your heart."

Once they leave, Delly looks displeased. "He did save your life, Peeta. More than once."

"For her," Peeta replies, motioning toward Katniss. I want to intercede, but it's so deliciously fun to watch Katniss squirm. Finally, someone is calling her out on her bullshit. "Not for me. For the rebellion. I don't owe him anything."

"Maybe not. But Mags is dead and you're still here. That should count for something." Ooh, girl on fire has taken the bait. Shots fired. I continue eating my stew and watch with interest.

"Yeah, a lot of things should count for something that don't seem to, Katniss. I've got some memories I can't make sense of, and I don't think the Capitol touched them. A lot of nights on the train, for instance." Oh, return fire. I giddily eat my soup. "So are you two officially a couple now, or are they still dragging out the star-crossed lovers thing?"

Neither Twelve answers so I do. "Still dragging."

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself," Gale says, his posture defensive. Peeta's hands are balled into fists, but then he stretches his fingers out.

"What's that?" asks Peeta.

"You," Gale responds back with a shake of his head.

"You'll have to be a little more specific," says Peeta. "What about me?" I love this Peeta a little. Give 'em hell, kid. Because that's what we got.

"That they've replaced you with the evil-mutt version of yourself," I interject, barely hiding my smirk. Gale and Katniss get up, clearly miffed by Peeta's behavior. Once Gale and Katniss vacate the area, Delly slides down and glares at Peeta.

"What is wrong with you, Peeta? Do you know what they've done for you? Gale got you out of prison. Katniss saved your life. A lot." Her voice is high and squeaking and it's fucking hilarious. Peeta just sits there stoically, taking in her onslaught. "You can't just sit there and insult her. Everything she has done has been to protect you. I know you don't remember a lot of it, but it happened. There's no taking it back."

The entire dining room is staring at Delly, whose cheeks are puffed up red. She continues yelling at Peeta, and I just finish his stew for him while he takes her in. He suddenly begins yelling back at her, but it's not at her. She looks right frightened, but doesn't say anything. Then, I realize, he's arguing with himself. The two sets of memories regarding Katniss are battling each other. The guards realize he's about to come apart and take him away, and Delly looks down embarrassedly.

"Don't worry about it." Delly looks up at me, her wide eyes still full of fear. "In other news, that was the most entertaining thing I've seen since Finnick's wedding, so thanks." I flash her a grin and she smiles a little. I leave the dining hall, weaving my way back to our compartment.

I find Katniss alone and I plop myself over the foot of her bed. "You missed the best part. Delly lost her temper at Peeta over how he treated you. She got very squeaky, like someone stabbing a mouse repeatedly with a fork."

"What did Peeta do?"

"He started arguing with himself like he was two people. The guards had to take him away. On the good side, no one seemed to notice I finished his stew. " I rub my belly, feeling full for the first time in a long time. I notice her look at my hands, and I'm not even embarrassed. I can't quite scrub all of my parts yet. Just the feeling of water on my skin sends me back to the Capitol. But she doesn't know that. Like someone from Twelve, which has a permanent dust all over it, should be judging me.

Katniss and I quiz each other through a lot of the night, until I can't keep my yawns down. I finally settle into sleep a few hours later. Katniss begins murmuring in her sleep, then it escalates into yells. My mind flashes back to my days in Seven with Annabelle, how her soft arms would cradle me like I was a child. She'd whisper sweet things into my ear, trying to coax my dreams back into something pleasant. I don't know if that's what Katniss needs. I realize how badly I miss being held.

I do it anyway. Slowly I crawl into her bed, pulling the covers over us both. "Shhh," I whisper into her ear. Her body stiffens, but she doesn't wake. "It's okay, Katniss. It's not real." I wrap my arms around her slowly, and I feel her relax. I push some of her hair out of her face. She lets out a quiet whimper. I don't tell her she's safe. Lilac would tell me I was safe and it would break me from my slumber. Safe doesn't exist for Victors. Not for anybody, really. "You're not alone."

I repeat that until her breathing becomes steady and she falls asleep. Once she does, I disentangle myself from her and go back to my bed. I immediately miss the heat of another body, but I try and shrug it off and go back to sleep. But I can't.

After Katniss and I blow through everyone in drills, Soldier York informs us that we are to go immediately to the final exam. The offensive onslaught on the Capitol is coming quickly, so we are to take the exam and then be off for the Capitol. I sit next to Katniss, who doesn't seem to remember (or want to talk about) the night before. When they call my name, she gives me a nod of encouragement.

I enter the street, and immediately I've given orders. I duck in and out of alleyways, shooting down targets. I even get to toss my axe. Getting into a groove, they send me into the middle of the street. Suddenly, I can see water rising from the sewer grates. I freeze. Suddenly a large noise comes from behind me and I turn, my eyes widened in horror. A wave floods the street, knocking me to the ground.

"No, no, no, no, no," I begin wailing, shivering. I expect shocks and my body begins to convulse. I can hear a loud siren, and suddenly I'm swept onto a gurney. "I won't tell you anything!" I scream, trying to wrench myself away from the doctors. "Nothing!" I feel the injection in my arm, and the warm spread of morphling. "N-nothing..." I whisper, and then everything goes black.

When I wake up, Finnick is there to greet me, in his full uniform. He can tell I'm immediately pissed off. "I'm sorry, Jo," he apologies, patting my arm.

I shrug painfully. "Not your fault," I push out in a harsh whisper. Wow, I must've screamed a lot. I can barely speak. "Stupid stinking floods." He nods. "I'll look after Annie," I say to him. His eyes widen in surprise. I let out a low, barely-there laugh. "Finnick. I will make sure she's okay while you're gone. You have my word." He squeezes my arm, and I can tell he wants to cry. There's a good chance he'll never see her again. He leaves the room, and I lay on my bed, trying to fight off sleep.

Katniss walks in and takes in my appearance. She looks like she pities me and again, it makes me want to vomit on her shoes. She walks over to me, holding out a small bundle. "What is that?"

"I made it for you. For your drawer." She's so unbelievably awkward it makes me smile just a little. She puts it in my hands, and I grasp it tightly. "Smell it."

I take in a smell and tears immediately flood my eyes. I'm reminded of home. But more than that, I'm reminded of Lilac. The token she made me, that I hope she still has. I hope that she's somewhere safe in the Capitol. That the cut off from the Districts hasn't affected her. That she's not starving somewhere. "Smells like home."

"That's what I was hoping. You being from Seven and all." It's incredibly kind and it makes me angry that this situation even exists. That someone as selfless as Katniss has to risk her life. It should be me. No one is counting on me. "Remember when we met? You were a tree. Well, briefly." A small blush comes on her cheeks.

I grab her wrist in the tightest grip I can. It must be tight because Katniss looks a little worried. "You have to kill him, Katniss."

"Don't worry."

She doesn't understand. What I've been through. What we've all been through. How much is riding on her. "Swear it. On something you care about."

"I swear it on my life," she responds. No. Her life doesn't mean anything to her. If it did, she wouldn't have sacrificed so much for Peeta. For Panem. For Prim.

"On your family's life," I insist hoarsely, my grip tight on her wrist.

"On my family's life," she repeats, and I let her go. She rubs her wrist. "Why do you think I'm going, anyway, brainless?" She uses my term for her and a big smile expands on my face.

"I just needed to hear it." I pull the bundle to my face, and allow myself to be relaxed into dreams. Maybe I'll dream about home tonight.

When everyone leaves, I discharge myself from the hospital and go back into my compartment that I shared with Katniss. I realize with a bit of sadness that I miss her. I miss a lot of people.

There's a bit of commotion as Prim convinces Coin that they need to go to the Capitol to take care of any of the wounded. After a lot of deliberation, Coin allows it. Prim's pretty popular around Thirteen, and a lot of kids go to say goodbye to her. I wave, and she waves back at me with a smile. "Give 'em hell, Little Everdeen!" I call and she nods. She's not like her sister; she's an open book. I appreciate that about her.

When we say goodbye to Prim, I finally see Annie for the first time in days. She's beside herself. I walk over to her compartment and she looks a little scared. "It's okay, Annie. It's just me." That doesn't really calm her. "How are you doing?"

She walks back into her room, sitting on her bed. Finnick's touch is everywhere. It makes me a little happy. "I'm okay."

"You don't have to lie to me, Red," I remark, sitting on the floor. I cross my legs, looking around their room. Their wedding net is hung on the wall. Little shells and other bits of Four are scattered all over the place. Annie looks over to me and sighs. "I know that we're not friends, but I -"

"I think we're friends." I smile. "Sometimes, you say things that make me feel a little crazy, but I know you care about Finnick. So I care about you." She lets out a laugh, and I know it's not related to what we're talking about. She's left, and the only person who can bring her back is gone to the Capitol.

"Thanks."

I move into her room shortly thereafter. We spend the next few days together, with her teaching me a few knot-tying tricks Finnick had taught her. It seems to calm her down, so I oblige her. We do this for hours, until a few days after Peeta leaves, a Peacekeeper comes into our room. (Needless to say, I'm pissed that Peeta is allowed to help. I should be going. But for some reason, Coin insist it be Peeta. Plutarch claims it's for the propos, but Coin... I don't trust her. I think she wants Peeta's loose cannon to go off on Katniss. But it's just a feeling.)

One look at his face and I know what he's going to say. I stand up from the floor, walking toward him. "Stand down, Soldier Mason."

"You stand down, Soldier Whatever-The-Fuck-Your-Name-Is." He looks surprised at me and I let out a growl. I lower my voice to a whisper. "Is it him?" He nods. "Dead?" He nods. I swallow down the lump in my throat. "I will tell her. Go." I motion away with my eyes and he gives me a curt nod.

I turn around to Annie, who is very distracted tying an intricate knot. I suck in a deep breath. I try to imagine that she's Annabelle or Lilac. How would I deliver bad news to them? I sit down with her on her bed. She is already surprised, because I don't sit on their bed. I find it kind of gross. "In Seven, we tie knots too." She looks over at me, confused. "We tie long ropes together, connecting one lumberjack to another. This way if one climbs a tree, they won't get separated." I take the rope from her, weaving it between my fingers. "We have a kind of old tradition about it. That two people who are destined to meet, when they are born, they have a rope tied to their ankles. It stays connected to the other person forever."

"That's pretty."

I nod. "It is. That two people, no matter the time, or distance, or death, are always connected. And that if they meet, should fate dictate that these two people are born at the same time, in the same era, then they are forever linked. And incredibly lucky." I put my hand on hers. "You and Finnick have those ropes tied to each other. No matter what happens, you'll always be together." Annie nods and I take in a deep breath. "Finnick didn't make it, Annie. I'm sorry."

I let the news set in. She begins rocking back and forth. Her arms wrap around her stomach, and she begins to cry. Hard. She doesn't scream, though, like I think she will. She just holds her stomach and cries. I go to stand and she takes me by the wrist. I sit back down. She leans on my shoulder, continuing her heart-wrenching sobs. I stay there that night.

It isn't long before Katniss and the crew reach the Capitol. Prim has died. Mrs. Everdeen loses her shit. Haymitch comes down to mine and Annie's compartment to let us know that we are needed at the Capitol.

"Do I get to kick some ass?"

Haymitch shakes his head. "The ass-kicking has already been done, Mason." I frown. "Get ready. We leave in five."

Annie and I exchanged wary glances, but we follow Haymitch to the hovercraft waiting for us. Enobaria is on the plane, as well as Beetee. I snarl at Enobaria, who crosses her arms and ignores me. I sit next to Annie, who links her arm with mine. Haymitch watches this with a raised eyebrow. My glare at him lets him know not to ask any stupid questions.

When we arrive at the Capitol, we are ushered into a room. Katniss, Haymitch, Beetee, Annie, Enobaria, Peeta and I sit at a large table. "What is this?"

"We're not sure. It appears to be a meeting of all the remaining Victors," Haymitch explains. He seems used to Katniss' useless questions.

"We're all that's left?" she asks, clearly appalled. It's a sobering thought, and we all exchange glances. Are we glad that we've survived this ordeal? I guess. Getting older is a privilege. I think of Jox. He's not here. He's probably dead.

"The price of celebrity," Beetee interjects. "We were targeted from both sides. The Capitol killed the victors they suspected of being rebels. The rebels killed those thought to be allied with the Capitol."

I scowl at Enobaria. "So what's she doing here?" I gesture toward her angrily.

"She is protected under what we call the Mockingjay Deal," says Coin as she enters the room. Coin is an attractive older woman, but I never trusted her. Not for one moment while we were in Thirteen. Especially not after she chose Peeta over me to help in the Capitol. "Wherein Katniss Everdeen agreed to support the rebels in exchange for captured victors' immunity. Katniss has upheld her side of the bargain, and so shall we."

Enobaria smiles at me. "Don't look so smug," I sneer. "We'll kill you anyway." Enobaria huffs again and we turn our attention to Coin. She begins to explain that she and her group cannot come to an agreement on how to deal with the Capitol. They want to kill everyone in the Capitol. My heart seizes. Lilac. Could I get her out? Would there be time? But then she lays it on us. They want to hold a Hunger Games. Using only the Capitol's children.

"Um, what?" I ask, speaking for everyone who is very confused.

Peeta immediately objects. I guess he found his heart again. He looks like shit, what with his burn marks everywhere. He matches his girlfriend. "Why not?" I ask, shrugging my shoulders. "It seems very fair to me. Snow even has a granddaughter. I vote yes."

"So do I," agrees Enobaria off-handedly. Ugh, I can't believe she and I agree on something. She even gives me a look, like we have something to offer each other now. I want to strangle her. "Let them have a taste of their own medicine." Is that what I sound like? Gross.

"This is why we rebelled! Remember?" Peeta looks at us. Does he remember when he wanted Katniss to die? Hypocrite. I think he's neglecting the obvious: that killing all the Capitol citizens is probably worse than sending twenty-four kids into an arena. "Annie?"

"I vote no with Peeta," she replies. "So would Finnick if he were here."

"But he isn't, because Snow's mutts killed him," I remind her. She looks like she's about to zone out, but she doesn't. We've bonded a little, and I think she's finally used to my crassness. But she should vote yes, for Finnick. But she can't. And when I think on it a bit more, I know Finnick would've voted no, too.

Between Haymitch and Katniss, they decide yes. Coin looks oddly pleased. It doesn't settle well with me, or with Katniss. We exchange a look. I don't know what it means, but there's something there.

Afterwards, I realize what it was. Coin. Suddenly, Katniss and I became clear about who the real enemy is. It was something Finnick had repeated to us, but I only understood it after looking into Coin's eyes. She was no different than Snow. The circle must be broken. And Katniss broke it.

After the chaos of Katniss' assassination of Panem's new president, all hell breaks loose. It isn't until Plutarch calms everyone, and we sort out that she's not to blame because she's "insane," that Plutarch puts himself in charge. Better him than power-hungry Coin. A hovercraft takes us all back home. Gale goes to Two, where his skills as a soldier will come in handy. Everyone goes back to their original Districts, including me.

When we land in Seven early in the morning, I finally see the devastation. Seven wasn't as decimated as Twelve or Eight or Eleven, but I can see the broken homes and buildings. I walk slowly back toward the only home I can think of - my house in the Victor's Village. The Village isn't touched. I look toward Jox's home but it's dark. So is Blight's, but that's to be expected. The ground beneath my feet is a little wet, and the squish makes me a little nervous.

I run my fingers through my hair. It's grown back enough that I can style it up, which I do, into a mohawk. As I approach my house, my home is dark, too. My heart constricts a little. I open the unlocked door. As I step inside, the air feels cold. There's a small aroma of ash in the air, but the entire District smells like that anyway, so I think nothing of it.

As I step into the foyer, I close the door quietly behind me. The place looks the same as I left it. But it doesn't feel the same. It feels empty.

"I hope you are going to take those boots off before you get in here." I look up and I can see Annabelle on the top of the stairs. My throat goes dry. "Don't you dare track mud in here, Johanna Mason."

A/N: Dun-dun-dunnnnn. But we're not done here, folks! Again, apologies for the redundancy. I don't mean to plagiarize, I'm just sticking to the story so far. And yes, I snuck that scene in the compartment because that's where I'm going, eventually. So I hope you all continue reading. I will have the next chapter up shortly!