Chapter 10
"Persia...". I can feel tears in my eyes.
"Yes, Echo, it's me!", she comes in and hugs me.
"Persia, I thought you were dead!", I'm crying now, holding on to her not planning to let go anytime soon. At first I suspect it's just a dream, but this feels to real to be a dream. Even if it is I'm enjoying it to much, so I don't care.
"I was, but they saved me! Just like they did for you!", she says crying.
"Who?"
"The people of District 13!", she says and we are both crying and laughing. I can't believe it, Persia is actually here, alive. District 13, but they were destroyed in an explosion. They can't be alive. That's weird, this has to be a dream. There is no way this is District 13. I can hear the door slide open again. I look over and it's...it's...Excalibar!
"Jabberjay! You are alive!", he shouts out, and runs up to hug us both. After the happy embrace, they explain to me about District 13. Apparently, District 13 struck a deal with the Capital to be left alone or they would nuke it. The Capital obliged and cut off every connections to District 13 just like they wanted. They told ever other District that District 13 was obliterated, but that wasn't close to true. Ever since then they've been living underground, all abiding to a set of rules. "Camenella, Morson, Persia, and I have been working for District 13. They saved me in the arena after the first hovercraft took you!"
"And they took me right in front of you.", Persia follows.
"No wonder that hovercraft seemed odd.", I tell them. "Why did they save me?", I ask.
"Because you know a bit more, about the Capital, and your an Elite. Plus we didn't want you to die the way they planned it for you.", Excalibar tells me. I look down at my leg and see that there is a wound, and on my stomach to. They might have kept me alive, but they couldn't fully heal me like the Capital did the first time I was there.
Carmenella and Morson both walk in. They both go to their lovers. I notice Carmenella has a ring on her finger. It isn't anything fancy, it's just a ring of possibly a random metal, and it has a heart shaped pebble in the middle of it. Morson and Persia are both kiss and it makes me think of Tessa. "We've got a surprise for you, 'Jabberjay'! Just wait for it." Morson says. He leaves and the door opens up and walks in Amanda, Drake, Lizette, Antony, Marcus, and Salem. They all come up to me, and I'm still streaming tears from all this joy, but Carmenella tells me there is still more. The door opens again and it's Urwin, Nessa, Richest, Issac, Jareda, Derma, Clydessa, Artimis, and Jason. They're hugging me, and it's starting to become to much for me. I'm an emotional wreck, but it's completely out of happiness.
"Jabberjay, we're so glad you're okay!", Jareda hugs me.
"Yeah, we doubted they would've gotten you in time, Echo!", Richest says standing close.
"No, I'm fine, and just seeing you guys makes me feel a whole lot better. Is everyone else still coming?", I ask them. Everyone finds the floor in order to avoid my gaze, and Excalibar tells me what happened. They were only able to revive people who weren't damaged to badly, so not everyone made it. It saddens me, not to see Kessie, Caston, Cashmere, Juno, and all the rest, but I still keep on a broght face, and spend a long time catching up with everyone. They all soon start to leave, because they have training on their schedueles. Jareda grabs hold of Antony's hand and they leave. Urwin does the same with Lizette, and the rest of the kids leave, as do the Elites, and I'm left alone with Carmenella.
"I bet you're really happy to see all your friends again!", she walks up to me and says.
"Yes, I am."
"Did they tell you about what the Capital wanted to do to you?", she tells sitting down in a chair next to the bed.
"No, but I would like to know..."
"The Capital sent all the Elites into an arena to play the Hunger Games. They wanted to iraticate all of you. They were going to kill the winner just like they were going to do to you. They wanted to destroy anything left about the Elites, it was decided that all of you knew to much, and that it wasn't guarenteed that all of you were going to side with the Captial in case of another rebellion.", she tells me and it starts to come together. Psy Prows being turned into an Avox, Petra being killed. "They expected you to kill most of the new Elites in the arena, so they wouldn't have to kill as much if they just let them kill you right off the bat."
"So, what does District 13 have to do with any of this?"
"They wanted the Elites to stay here, and train extensively, so in case the rebellion does start again, we will have most of you to fight on our side, and while you are here you will pretty much do the same thing you guys did as District Elites. In case the Capital plans on attacking us, everyone else and you shall be fighting on our side.", she reaches over to the machine and checks something. "You should be able to walk now, here put these on.", she says and hands me a uniform. I look at her and realize that everyone I've met has been wearing it. She leaves the room and I start to change. I look through my old clothes and find the mockingjay pin. I pin it on to my uniform, so I can have some identification among these people. I walk out and Morson escorts me to an elevator. Once we are in he presses a button and the elevator goes backwards and then down.
We come out into a room where there is a television, and many people who look like important. Morson tells me that they are exactly that, politicians of District 13, they try and make this place better. I sit down in front of them because that's what they wanted me to do. "Hello Echo, I'm President Coin of District 13. You're probably wondering why you're here?"
"Yes, and I would like to know.", I tell the woman.
"We'll we are her to discuss this with the nice representitive from the Capital.", she directs her vision to a colorfully well-dressed man. He does look straight out of the Capital.
"Yes, young man, you alone have caused a lot of trouble to the Capital and all it represents."
"I didn't mean to..."
"Well, the Capital is willing to offer District 13 lots of money, and a lot more constructing material, so you can expand, in exchange for the boy.", the stubby man says to President Coin.
"No deal. We said that we didn't want to be disturbed by any of the Districts, or the Capital. We are going to keep this boy here with us.", she responds to this deal. The bargining continues for half an hour. One of the deals is to go back home, and to remain undisturbed by anyone, and still become a mentor, but they disagree. They finally come to an agreement, "He will stay here with us, and he shall never be seen by any of the Districts ever again. You shall deliver the news of his death back to District 7."
"Agreed,", he says and walks by me. He mutters something once he sees my pin, "Mockingjays...disgusting little creatures."
President Coin stands up and clearifies the deal to me. I shall be given special quarters along with the rest of the remaining Elites. I'm sent to the room and I see that in the drawers is just the same uniform. I sit down, and Morson explains all the rules of District 13. I couldn't care less, I just wanted to see my friends again. "So what happened to Clair and Quinn?", I ask him.
He sits down next to me on the bed. He starts, "The two of them were taken from their home Districts and they were treated as traitors. They were turned into Avoxes along with Psy Prows. They were also executed.", he turns back to the clipboard in his hand, "It looks like you'll be sharing your room with Jareda." I'm in a room with Jareda? How fun. I killed her boyfriend, and he couldn't be revived for the way I killed him. He leaves me alone, and after staring at a wall for fifteen minutes of silence, Tessa comes in.
I'm so happy to see that she didn't meet the same fate as her mother, one of my only friends, Akiliya. I walk up to her and give her the biggest kiss I've ever given any girl. She returned it, and I just didn't stop myself. She grabs my hand and we walk out of the room together. She guides me to a room where all the other Elites are. They're all talking, and once they see me again they cheer at the success of me being able to stay. After a while I hear music start to play, and someone starts to sing.
I look over and it's Jareda singing the first verse of the song I sang to Persia. Soon they all start to join in, and everyone is singing. When the song is done they all give me the biggest hug ever.
After a long while all of them are schedueled for downtime in their rooms, so I follow Jareda since we have the same room. We go back to the room we were assigned and when we sit down, I turn to her and say, "Jareda, we need to talk."