Nate felt as though he was trapped within a giant hole. There was no escape, only blackness. He could feel a presence, eyes staring solely at him. He wondered if it was one of those doctors, telling him he was wrong. He understood he wasn't home. He even understood bad things happened. He just wished somebody would tell him what was going on.

A tiny squeak alerted him to his visitor's identity. It wasn't a doctor as he originally thought. It was a girl. Someone from his school he was sure. The squeak vaguely touched at his memories. He was trying to place it when the girl decided to draw his attention.

"Hello, Nate," she said.

He didn't expect her to be here. That was his first thought as he realized what was going on. He opened his eyes slowly. Yes, it was Leigh Jameson. He remembered her alright. She was tiny little blonde thing, like most of the girls in the Seam. She had a smile that could light up a room too. She was wearing a hideous grey uniform though. She didn't usually wear that. She usually wore bright colors, pinks and blues. She always brought cheer with her wherever she went.

"Leigh," he coughed, "What are you doing here?"

Leigh swallowed and looked towards the mirror. She was nervous. He could understand that. It wasn't easy talking when there were people watching. At least she didn't have the stupid restraints holding her back. She stepped forward and darted one more careful look the mirror's way.

"I wanted to visit you," she said, "to help you cope."

"Cope?" He knew there was something wrong but what was he supposed to cope with. "What happened? Where is everybody? Where are we?"

He didn't mean to burden her with so many questions. He could see the confusion and confliction on her face. Her eyes darted towards the mirror again. He wondered who was behind it. He could sense it wasn't just the doctors who bothered him. Maybe it was Snow. Maybe this was a new game he developed. Maybe Leigh was going to be punished if he didn't act accordingly.

"We're in District Thirteen," she said, "We live here now. Do you remember that time we started playing with chalk to create new worlds? When we wanted to know what the other districts looked like?"

She was avoiding something. He could sense it in the way she spoke. The cheeriness was missing. Her clothes sagged against her skin. She was one of the few in the Seam with a daily meal. There was no reason for such shrinkage in her clothing. And her eyes, those blue eyes held a sadness that had never been there before. Something was wrong.

"Where's my dad?" He asked, "Where's Parker?"

"They're fine," Leigh's eyes darted to the mirror again. They must have been watching. Why weren't they in there with him? He wanted to see them. "The doctors aren't sure if you can be trusted around them right now."

Her hands flew over her lips as if she said something wrong. Her eyes darted to the mirror once again. Tears sprang to her eyes and he could swear she was barely keeping it together. He would comfort her if he had that option. His wrists were still tethered to the bed and all.

"What about Paul?" He asked.

"He didn't make it, Nate," Leigh explained. "There was… trouble. Not a lot of us made it out of the district. Do you remember that day we made each other charm bracelets? You told me that Adrianne was so jealous of yours. Do you remember?"

Why wasn't she talking about the district? Did something happen to Twelve? Snow said he would punish everybody if he didn't go on those propos. He said he was going to skin Parker alive and take off each of Jimmy's fingers. No, he knew what happened. She did.

"I remember," he growled, "There was a fire."

"What?" Leigh was confused. He understood why. She couldn't read his mind. "No! No there was no fire."

"She did it," Nate hissed, "Sophie! She burnt Twelve to the ground! She killed Paul and everyone!"

"No," Leigh shook her head. She grabbed onto his hand and displayed a bravery he never thought possible before. "No, Nate. That wasn't Sophie's fault. It was Snow."

"Did she tell you that?" He was angry now. How deep did her tentacles reach? Did she have everyone fooled?

"No," Leigh stepped back cautiously. She wasn't used to him being so angry. "NO, Nate. She didn't have to-"

"She was lying, Leigh!" He shouted. He turned towards the mirrors and the wretched doctors who were watching. "She's the reason they burned it down! She was planted by the Capitol! She's one of their mutts!"

"NO," Leigh screamed, "No, you're wrong. She's nice and sweet and the baby…"

"There was no baby!" Nate felt the hatred and anger of his torment fill him to the brim. The sting of that one lie hurt him most of all. "It was a lie she invented for the Capitol! She's a mutt, Leigh! She's nothing but Snow's little spy. If you keep her in Thirteen much longer, she'll kill us all!"

He took a deep breath when the doors opened. Several doctors were rushing towards him. He knew what was coming next. He could see the gleam of the needle clearly enough. So he fought for his last breath, wanting his statement to be heard through the rafters above.

"That's why they sent her here!"

%%%%%%%%%%

Sophie had enough. She couldn't stand to watch this anymore. She burst through the doors before Haymitch or Jimmy could stop her. She was already in Nate's room before the doctors even knew it. She lunged at the first one, taking him out without a breath. The second one fell limp after two good kicks to her stomach and a slap into the wall. The third one was too busy holding Nate down. He didn't even notice the bed pan to the back of his head. The fourth doctor looked stunned when she appeared between them.

"No!" She grabbed onto the syringe and tried to wrestle it away. This one was smarter. He could battle with her and he did. He was struggling against her and she could feel her muscles ache at the fight.

"I won't let you hurt him!" She growled.

Nate was still shouting behind her. Every word of anger hurt her very soul. She could feel her strength with every spiteful thing he had to say. But she wouldn't bend. She wouldn't break, couldn't. She would defend him to her very last breath. He didn't deserve this. He was just broken, because of her.

"Let go, stupid girl!" Haymitch growled.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her as if she was nothing. She was over his shoulder and leaving the room before she could comprehend what was happening. Nate's voice was still echoing in her head. Tears poured from her eyes. She just wanted to kill them all.

Jimmy wasn't gentle when he put her down. He dropped her indelicately on the floor. Then he and Haymitch both latched onto her arms. Together they slammed her against the wall, briefly knocking the air out of her lungs. She felt like paper being crushed into dust. Her mind whirled in misery. Then Plutarch Heavensbee appeared in her blurry view.

"What were you thinking?" He asked, "Do you have any idea what could have happened if he broke free? What does that say about our little Robbingjay?"

"Let me go!" Sophie screamed, "They're hurting him!"

"They're protecting him," Haymitch hissed, "Do you honestly think we would let them hurt him?"

"This won't do," Heavensbee cursed, "This won't do at all. She's gone. Our Robbingjay has finally lost her mind and right when the rebellion was turning in our favor. You could have found a far more opportune time, young lady!"

"Let go," Sophie begged. She couldn't control her sobs anymore. This was too much. Hurting Nate was her final straw. "Please!"

"He's my son!' Jimmy shouted.

That got her attention. She snapped her head his way, ready to tear him apart. But the arguments died on her tongue. Her father-in-law was nothing now. His face had deteriorated far more rapidly than expected. She could barely even see the familiar glint in his hard, blue eyes. He'd aged so much in these past few months, the most in the last few days. The sadness etched in his features told her everything she needed to know.

"I can't stay here," she sighed, "I need to go."

"What about the baby?" Jimmy asked. Nobody else dared speak. "You're a mother now! You can't make decisions all willy nilly. You have to consider her in your plans!"

"I'm not allowed to see her," Sophie cried, "They think I'll hurt her and I'm starting to think they might be right."

"We could easily transport the child with her wherever she goes," Heavensbee whispered.

"We'll have to hire someone to keep Katniss alive if her mother spins out of control," Haymitch replied.

"You'd never hurt her, Sophie," Jimmy cooed. "She's your little girl, your child. You fought to get her!"

"They want to take her away just like Snow," she whispered.

Haymitch and Heavensbee weren't paying attention. They were discussing war tactics and child safety. Their minds were made up. She would bring the child with her. They would take her somewhere safe, somewhere mostly unaffected by the fighting. But Jimmy understood her. He knew where her mind was. He knew what the others didn't. She had given up.

"NO," Jimmy's voice was softer than hers. It was warm in her ear as he pulled her against him. "I won't let them take her away."

He pulled back slowly. He looked her straight in the eyes and explained everything that would happen. She understood. A great flood of relief filled her heart. She could actually breathe again. She had another ally. It wasn't just Eliot and Parker on her side anymore. She had someone with a voice, a voice that would listen to her.

She could leave Thirteen and she wouldn't have to fear something happening to Nate. They wouldn't dare do anything to their lead strategist's son. No, they would bide their time til it was most beneficial. The child however was fair game. Little Katniss had only just begun to gain a following of her own. People were constantly lining the halls looking to her as a symbol just like her mother. Coin would do anything to keep that power within her grasp. Sophie knew if she stepped one toe out of line that child would be gone forever.

Snow no longer had Nate. But Coin still had Katniss. She was still in the game; the game she thought would be over by now. She had to be the Mockingjay. She had to keep her heart locked away. It was time to make a decision. Would she allow Coin to control her just as Snow had? Or would she forge her own path and risk the lives of those she loved?

"I want to join the war," she decided.

%%%%%%%%%%

Hardison wasn't very happy to be in District Two. He couldn't help but grouch about it every ten minutes. Sophie didn't understand it. He didn't have to come. Beetee actually asked him if he would stay behind and take care of things in Thirteen. The boy refused though. He argued and argued until Coin and Beetee agreed that he would go to Two in Eliot's stead. Sophie had never seen Nana so proud.

It wasn't that Eliot hadn't offered to come. He insisted on being there actually. But Sophie refused him. She couldn't do that to Aimee. She couldn't ask him to leave her behind when they had only just been reunited. She understood what it was like to be separated from the one you loved most. She even used that against him. She told him he was stuck with Aimee and there was nothing that would change her mind on the subject.

"I'm fine," he growled, "Aimee's alive. I have nothing to fear anymore. Besides, I owe President Snow a big kick in the kisser. What better way than to assist in annihilating his pet district?"

Sophie rolled her eyes at him. "NO!" She said.

"Why not?" Eliot howled, "Parker needs back up! They're not going to let you fight! You're too valuable. I'm Eliot Spencer. They need me there to rally the troops. Besides, Katniss needs one of her parents alive."

Unfortunately for him that excuse didn't work the way he wanted it to. Sophie was so inspired at the idea she burst into tears. She crammed herself into his arms and used the confusion against him. Sometimes her jumble of emotions came in handy.

"She can't come with me," Sophie cried, "We're going into a warzone Eliot. I can't risk her life. She's too precious, too important."

Then she did the one thing she knew would be the chink in his armor.

"And I can't trust Coin's people," she said, "But I can trust you."

He agreed immediately. She assumed it was to get her to stop crying. Jimmy thought it was hilarious. It gave him the perfect excuse to keep track of Nate. Haymitch and Beetee went to Two with her. Besides, Eliot and Aimee needed the practice. She had a feeling there would be a little Spencer running around someday soon.

It had been a grueling week. She spent most of it on the sidelines, fighting only when it would make a good propos. Coin didn't want her out in the actual war. Sophie was still useful to the war effort. It wouldn't be until that use was no more that things would change.

That was the reason why Eliot had to stay behind. Katniss would be fine in Jimmy's hand, but eventually Coin would grow tired of the child. Jimmy could still fight. He was secretly training with them during the late hours of the night. But he was still no match against an army. Eliot didn't stop training. He was the only threat that would keep Coin in line. Plus Aimee was training with him now. Two champions protecting a child was one thing. But now there were three fighting on Katniss' behalf. There would be no way she could explain away three deaths.

Cressida and the rest of the rebels of Two had her comforting the sick and wounded. Her job was clear. She had to bring hope to everyone. There was only one way she could do that without fighting. She had to socialize.

So she made the hospital her first priority. She read tales to the children caught in the crossfire. She helped treat the wounds of those fresh from battle. She even saved a man's life with her plant knowledge. There were several people who died while she was there. Boggs expected her to bolt in revulsion after the first death.

It was child, two years older than Katniss. His tiny body had been marred and burnt beyond recognition. The poor thing kept asking for his mother and crying in pain. Nobody had the heart to tell him his mother was the reason he was still alive. So Sophie rushed to his side and started working her magic. She used water and mint to sooth the boy's pain. Even she knew his injuries were too much. But still she did everything she could to make him feel better. She talked to him about his day. She told him her name. She laughed at the jokes he had energy to give. She was stunned when he told her she was his favorite champion.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you won for love," the boy said.

Then he died.

That was it. He just told her she was his favorite. He told her why. Then he smiled the biggest smile his tiny face could muster. His eyes dulled and a short breath escaped his lungs. That was it. There was nothing interesting about it. He just died right before her eyes in the middle of a conversation.

Boggs expected her to react poorly. He even placed a caring hand on her shoulder and asked her where she wanted to go. She shrugged him off and scowled. She felt the tears prickling her eyes. She'd grown attached to the little boy. How dare he expect her to abandon him when she was his favorite champion? She even opened her mouth to argue with him.

That was her undoing. She saw the tears falling from the older man's eyes. He looked just as wounded as she was. She could see the sadness, the misery engulfed in the lines of his face. New wrinkles were forming before her eyes at this child's death. She saw the hatred for the Capitol, for war itself. She saw everything she was feeling and more reflected in those eyes. So she did the only thing she could.

"I want to bury him," she said, "Find his mother. They'll be together as they deserve."

Cressida filmed the entire ceremony. The bugs followed her as she wrapped the boy in a special cloth. They watched as she a Boggs each carefully created a homemade coffin for him. But it was the image of the holes that made it into the propos. She and Boggs worked side by side to dig those tombs. They even took care of all the dead while they were at it. They gave words of comfort to the few family members present and informed Panem of the horrors they witnessed.

Now things were different. The war was on their side. Two was on the verge of falling. All they had was one compound left. It was the mountain that held the military supplies. The current discussion was how to storm the place without killing all of their men. The leader of the rebellion was Lyme, a former champion herself. She wasn't fond of the discussions.

"If another one of you little maggots comes up with another plan to storm the mountain I will make certain you are the first in line," she shouted.

Her anger was understandable to Sophie. She had already suffered great losses just keeping up with the battle. Her district was the only one that had yet to fall. She'd spent the last six or seven months, Sophie wasn't sure anymore, commanding an army that barely made a dent in the effort. Her patience was wearing thin.

"Do we need to keep the mountain?" Hardison asked.

He and Parker were sitting in the windowsill, side by side as usual. Lately the two couldn't be separated. They seemed unaware of the possible romance blossoming between them. They were only united in the rebellion at the moment. But the attraction was there and Sophie couldn't help but envy it every time she saw it. She and Nate had that same obliviousness once, but the games had forced them together before they even knew what was happening. Now those same games were forcing them apart. She was going to make certain Parker and Hardison didn't have that same problem.

"All of the plans are centered on keeping the mountain," Hardison continued softly, "What happens if we take the mountain out of the equation?"

"You mean use it as the weapon," Beetee supplied, "Not as the goal?"

"Yeah," Hardison stood now. He moved towards the center table and gulped at the attention. He wasn't like Sophie or Parker. Up until now he'd only been on the sidelines. He'd never held so many people captive before. He was beautiful under the pressure. "It's like a fox den, right? You draw it out when you want to go for the kill."

"The avalanche zones," Beetee smiled, "That could work. If we set explosives off, all entryways will be blocked. We could block the tunnel too."

"NO," Hardison scowled at the idea, "We're not the Capitol. We want to give them an exit. Some of our own people are in there. The goal is to end the battle not destroy them all. That will only make the remaining people stay with the Capitol."

"Besides," Sophie reported coolly, "They're victims too."

She's never been prouder of Hardison than that moment. She understood why Parker liked him. She understood what brilliance his mind truly was. She could even picture why Nate was so willing to help him and his Nana. The young man had a good heart and great potential. The games would have squashed that out of him as soon as Snow got a whiff. He was more dangerous than anybody else in the room.

And he was on her side.

"I think we should strike at them now," Hardison said. He smiled at Sophie clearly pleased that she supported his plan. "That way we can end it with as little casualties as possible."

"What are we supposed to do if they have weapons?" Lyme asked.

The look on her face was one of danger. There was fear there too. She didn't want to kill them. That was obvious. Some of them must have been her friends. It would have been horrible if their positions were reversed. Sophie was positive she would have betrayed the rebels for her family. She could only imagine the desperation Lyme was feeling. She won her games to return here.

"We'll have guns trained on them," one of the rebels said. It sounded like Gale. He was the one who helped Jimmy save the survivors of Twelve. Sophie didn't like him because of what he stood for. He was nothing but pure revenge. He didn't care who suffered.

"But don't shoot unless it's absolutely necessary," Beetee agreed, "That's understandable. I'll call Coin immediately."

The rest went on without a hitch. Beetee wasn't wrong when he said the avalanches would be uncontrollable. The rocks just slid right on down with very little pushing. The entire mountain was contained in seconds flat. The smoke lasted longer than the first part of the actual mission. Now they were forced into waiting to see if survivors would surface.

Sophie felt ill at the way things went. She couldn't imagine anyone surviving such a giant cascade of rock. All she could think about was her family. District One was in a similar mess. The people who dug for gold could have easily been substituted for that mess. She could even imagine her father's accident. She could see his giant smile disappearing, marred with blood and dead, blank eyes. She could see her mother lying in the middle of the road, a lonesome bullet in the middle of her head. Any one of her brothers could have been that little boy she tried to save. Benjamin, the baby, would have just started school. He could have been one of the children burned alive just like the hospitals and schools all over. Even Katniss wouldn't have stood a chance under such fire. There were infants younger than her that didn't make it through the first raid when she arrived.

She felt the tears prickling once again. She wanted to shut her eyes but that would just make them fall. She wanted to curl into a ball and ignore the world too. She couldn't stand the fighting. All she could think about was Nate and how determined he'd been to live through the games and return to Parker. He didn't understand. He never understood.

This was what winning the games meant. There was no peace. There was only blood, blood and pain. There were innocent children dying and nobody to stop it. They were just as bad as Snow. The rebellion was killing just as many children as the games had, more even. It wasn't worth it. None of this was worth it. They were in an endless cycle of blood and death.

Hope was a falsehood no longer in their grasp.

"Sophie," Haymitch called.

She looked up at the man she hated almost as much as President Snow. This man was responsible for participation. This man gave Nate the advice to survive the Cornucopia. This man made it possible for her to love Nate, find him and want him like never before. This man took Nate away from her afterwards. He gave her hope that everything would be okay, that Nate would be hers forever. Then he took it away by rescuing the Nate that hated her and didn't even believe his child was real. Now she was fighting his war because she was afraid he would do the same thing to her daughter.

An endless cycle of blood indeed.

"We need you to go to the Justice Building," he explained. He handed her an earpiece and pointed to his ear. "Lyme thinks that having you speak to them will get them to surrender."

Sophie didn't put the earbud in her ear like he wanted her to. He thought that meant she was unsure about herself. She wasn't. She knew what she was. A murderess always knew the amount of blood on her hands.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'll give you everything. All you have to do is speak. You'll stop them. You've got the voice that started the rebellion after all."

She ignored his comment. She didn't like the guilt it gave her. She put the earbud in her ear and tried to find some form of hope. She had to lie to these people. She had to convince them there was something worth fighting for. The Capitol had to be their enemy. They couldn't afford to fight each other anymore.

She stood on the steps of the Justice Building, shivering from the cold. Night had fallen since the attack. No trains had appeared. There was nobody in the square, but she could still feel the presence of guns all over. She wondered if anyone even survived. She was silently counting the blood on her hands, the bodies she was now responsible for. She was too quickly losing count. She used to hate the idea of even one bug's life on her hands.

She was just about to propose leaving when two trains appeared. Both of them were burning and the bodies flying out were too weary of danger. They jumped out of the train and onto their bellies. They were all expecting pain. Not a single one of them expected to make it out alive. They all carried guns on them. Most of them were scratched and bruised. They were all bleeding. Yet the fire blazed on and nobody moved to stop it. Sophie finally had enough.

"Stop!" She screamed. She ran out into the middle of the square, ignoring Haymitch's vehement complaints. She didn't care she had to end this. "Don't shoot! Please! Stop this now!"

She was running towards the first body she could find. He was injured. His back was decorated with wounds. He was a burn victim. She could smell the burnt flesh and hair and she was still many meters away. He still had energy though. He bounced to his feet as soon as she started moving towards him. His gun turned to her before the rest of him.

"No!" She froze with her hands in the air. She stepped back cautiously, prepared for the absolute worst. "Please," she said, "I mean you know harm."

"Why should I believe you?" He asked. His voice was garbled and only too late did Sophie notice the giant hole in the side of his face. His eyes even looked a bit puffy. He was probably suffering from a concussion too.

"You shouldn't," she replied, "but what other choice do you have?"

"I could shoot you," he grinned, "That's an option."

She nodded. He did have that option. She even liked the idea of it. Her misery would end and somebody else would take up the mantle. There was just too much of a chance that Katniss would be the one to suffer. She would die before she let that happen.

"You don't have to," she said, "I don't want to hurt you. My enemy is the Capitol. I have no qualms against District Two."

"Then why are you here?" the man shouted. He looked torn now. His face contorted in confusion. He looked on the verge of crying too. They all did.

"Because we're on the same side," she replied, "I know it doesn't seem that way but we are. I'm fighting to end the games. I'm fighting to make sure my daughter doesn't end up dead like the rest of these people, those children in those games. I don't want Katniss to grow up in constant fear of President Snow swooping down on her."

She picked up each of her precious knives. She dropped them to the ground and made the man before her aware of her lack of safety. She wanted everyone to know she meant no harm. She could even see herself on the big screens of the square. She looked so much stronger than she felt, braver. Inside she was terrified.

"Isn't that what you're fighting for?" She asked.

She saw the nod even if he wasn't aware of it. She wanted to race towards him. She hated the way his face was bleeding. Her mind told her the dangers of letting the blood flow would cause him. She wanted to heal those wounds and end his pain. His eyes were filled with such intense pain. But he still refused to move and she had to make the initiative.

"You should be fighting with us," she said, "not against us. Join us. We don't want to fight you anymore than you want to fight us."

This time he stepped forward. His gun was still trained on her but he was moving forward. She met him step for step. Their eyes were glued towards each other. There was no one else in the world. It was just the two of them in the square. So Sophie stopped moving. She extended her hand and waited. She didn't care how this ended. Even if she did get shot.