Katniss

After the whipping, Gale and I went back to my house where Gale stayed for a few days before my mother released him. After three days passed, she had sent him on his way with the majority of things Cinna had sent me from the Capitol. We were kept away from one another the entire time he was in her care. Too worried that it would be too much too soon for the both of us. When my head wasn't throbbing and encompassing me in headaches so severe I couldn't form a single thought, I'd wonder about how Gale was doing. I didn't remember how his back appeared while he was tied to the post. He had been conscious, my mother had informed me that much. But whenever I got a moment to ask on his condition, she would tell me that he was fine and that I shouldn't worry. And then I would be reminded of Peeta and whether he saw what happened, if he was thinking about me too. . . if what Haymitch said was true.

It's now been almost two weeks since the incident with our new Head Peacekeeper. I've been itching to go back into the woods. My mother and Prim have not let me out of their sight. Prim is with me when she's not at school. My mother replaces her whenever she is. She's been so stubborn as to almost refusing to take patients in case that Gale or I would need her care.

It took days of convincing for my mother to let me outside of the house today. Of course, she doesn't know that I'm going out to the woods, but I needed to get out of there. People are starving all over the district while we are still drowning in the earnings of my Games. Before I was put on house arrest, I would fill my game bag with loads of food and spread things around here and there. My priorities included the Hawthorne's, Greasy Sae, and now Hob traders who were recently shut down. My argument was that I needed to feed the hungry that had relied on me for at least one meal a week. She has her own people, mostly patients, who she looks out for. She felt my disparity and ultimately caved on my pleas. I felt bad for lying my way into the woods. But I still plan on dropping off the food on my way back home, so it's not a complete lie. At least, that's what I've been telling myself.

After I pick up my bow and arrows from my hollow log, I halfheartedly search for things to hunt. I don't plan on bringing any game back after what happened with Gale, so I find it hard to shoot an animal without the intention of it going to someone's belly. It'd be a waste of good food. I've known hunger far too well to throw game away.

Following some time of simply shooting arrows into the sky and retrieving them, I'm not surprised when my feet lead me to the cement house. I go inside and set my heavy bag down near the door. My hands and face are numb from the exposure to the cold so I make a fire from the wood Gale and I have gathered and stocked beside the chimney for occasions like this and start a small fire. At the thought of Gale, my head begins to fill with thoughts of my best friend.

A week after our encounter with new Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread, Gale stopped by to pay me a visit. I had just begun talking again after the shock of Haymitch's confession. Despite the amount of worrying I'd done, I found that seeing another boy whose heart I had captured was not what I wanted to do. He was shy, but he came into my room with a purpose. His limp was obvious and he grunted with every few steps. Prim had followed in behind him to supervise our interaction. Not because she or my mother feared that we would do foolish things, but to make sure that I did not become distressed.

Gale took a seat at the stool while Prim checked on the wound and reapplied my salves and replaced my bandages. He sat there watching her for a while as Prim waited for him to begin the conversation. Finally, when Prim was left with nothing to busy her hands with, Gale politely asked if he could speak to me on his own. As I expected, Prim did not leave at his request. Instead, she turned her attention to me. I was too busy eyeing Gale. Trying to decide between asking how he was feeling and ripping his shirt off to see the damage myself. With a final sigh, I assured Prim that I would be okay on my own. She was hesitant, her eyes wary, but she left with her head down and her ponytail bobbing.

I had already decided to be stoic when Gale was to come by, so when I turned to face him once again my eyes were hard and my jaw was set. Determined to be strong. I did not expect to see the pain in his eyes. It stopped me cold.

"Thank you. For taking that hit for me," he said to me. "You saved me."

My shoulders rose and fell on their own. "No I didn't. I was too late."

He nodded at my words, his eyes falling on my bandaged head. "I could've ended up dead had you not stepped in and taken that for me. Why did you do that, Catnip? Why would you try to protect me, especially after we had just had an argument?"

"Wouldn't you have done the same for me?" I countered, my eyes threatening to fill with tears.

Gale faltered, upset that I was ignoring his obvious point. But for once in his life, he let something go. "What are, uh, they going to do about that scar?"

I can tell he knows I'm amused at his attempt to talk Capitol things with me. My protective walls fell almost instantly. "Cinna called here and told my mother and Prim how best to care for it so it doesn't scar as bad as it should. Those salves your mom has been applying to your . . . injury, he sent them to apply to my wounds at scheduled times. Believe it or not, my wound is on a more rigorous schedule than I ever was under Effie Trinket. You bet my lovely caretakers haven't missed a single application."

A hesitant smile slowly blossomed on his face and my heart had warmed. It was the first normal conversation we'd had since I left for the Games. I only wish it didn't have to happen under the circumstances it did. "Good to know you're being well taken care of."

For some reason the mention of care coming from his lips makes me think of another boy districts away from our own and his own nurturing nature. So different than the boy sitting before me. My head suddenly begins to hurt and I declare that Peeta and Gale do not coexist well together in my thoughts.

"Do they know when you'll heal?" he asked after a few minutes of my silence.

It was too late though. I was no longer in the mood to converse with my best friend. Now all I could think of was Peeta. Haymitch never got back to me on whether he had heard any news on the boy with the bread. I've been desperate to hear something. But I haven't seen Haymitch since he dropped the bomb on me.

My warmed fingers roam over my face, no longer cold and numb. When they find the tip of my nose I find that it's still cold and scoot closer to the fire. I get up quickly and grab the folded quilt above the fireplace, draping it over my still-cold frame. I think of Gale and when he'd first brought it after Hazelle knit it for us a few winters ago. I shiver when I think of our last encounter here. Before the whipping. Thread has not been shy on his use of the post. Haymitch could only do so much. Saving Gale and I was all he would be able to do.

Some nights I stayed up wondering if it wouldn't have happened had Gale and I not gotten into the argument. But I push those thoughts away swiftly. The only thing that would have prevented the events that took place that day was if Thread had arrived any other day to take Cray's place, or not at all.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I barely register the click of the gun. Instinctively, my arm reaches over for my bow and I have it poised and ready to shoot my assailant before they can blink an eye.

That is when I become aware of my target. They are in the unmistakable white of a Peacekeeper uniform. There's no hope for me anymore.

My fingers are just about to let my arrow fly when the gun falls and their other arm quickly rises up, showing me something in their gloved hand. "Stop!"

Her voice reminds me so much of my own when I was trying to save Gale that I waver, confused at this turn of events. That's when I see it. In her hand is a small white circle of flat bread. And in the center it holds an image. It's my mockingjay.

"What does that mean?" I demand, my voice harsh.

A smaller young woman appears from behind a tree. "It means we're on your side."

I'm so stunned that I let my bow fall to my side. These women look beaten down, weak. The young one's uniform is ill-fitting and now that I inspect her closely could not be of age to be a Peacekeeper. She hangs on to a broken tree branch I see is helping her stand. My eyes travel back to the first woman who I can now tell is significantly older than her companion. She appears nervous but unafraid. "Who are you?"

"My name is Twill," says the older woman. She appears to be around my mother's age. "This here is Bonnie. We've run away from District Eight."

I stand, this information capturing my attention immediately. District Eight? They must have information about the uprising.

"Where did you get your uniforms?" I ask.

"I stole them from the factory," says the younger one. "We make them there. Only I thought this one would be for . . . someone else. That's why it fits so poorly."

My eyes travel to the gun and Twill is quick to give me an answer for that too. "The gun came from a dead Peacekeeper."

"And the cracker in your hand. It's the bird from my pin. What's that about?" I ask, hoping for a clear explanation as to why these women are running around the woods of District Twelve supposedly on a trek from Eight with my mockingjay on a cracker.

"You don't know, Katniss?" asks Bonnie.

Feeling discouraged, I blurt out the one piece of information I'm sure they'll be surprised I know. "You had an uprising in Eight." I declare matter-of-factly.

Twill nods, gesturing to Bonnie. "Yes, that's why we had to get out."

"And now that you're out, what are you planning to do?" I ask.

"We're headed for District Thirteen," says Twill, as if it was obvious and I should have already known.

But I just think they're insane. "There's no Thirteen. Everyone knows it got blown off the map."

The two women look at each other briefly before Bonnie answers me. "Seventy-five years ago."

Suddenly feeling below them on the topic they seem so sure of, I decide to change the subject of our discussion. "Is anyone after you?"

"We don't think so," Twill says. "We think they believe that we were killed in a factory explosion. At least, that's what should have been our fate."

"Come in and shut the door behind you, it's cold in here now." I say, picking up the abandoned quilt and laying it down before the fire. "Are you hungry?"

Bonnie bows her head. "We took what we could, but food's been so scarce. That's been gone for a while . . ."

That was it. My remaining defenses melt at the sound of her wavering voice. "Well, then this is your lucky day," I say, reaching for my game bag and emptying the contents of it onto the quilt. I tell them to go ahead and eat whatever they like. The overwhelmed look in their eyes at the small pile of food makes me ache both at the sight, and because the Capitol has let this go on all over Panem.

Once everyone is settled and filling their stomachs, I clear my throat. "So what's your story?"

"You might as well grab a snack, too," Bonnie says, smiling slightly as she looks to Twill. Twill smiles back and nods. I play along and grab an apple that I don't intend to take a single bite out of. When Twill begins speaking, I realize that they were not playing around.

"Ever since your Games, there's been a mutual unrest among everyone in Eight. I mean, it has always been that way, but after your interview, it was buzzing around the atmosphere like a plague. Everyone's wishes of revolting were no longer just that. They became a reality," she says. "Our factories back home are loud. Words could be passed around without the fear of being heard by unwanted ears."

I'm completely drawn in. "Is that how you two know each other?"

Bonnie laughs lightly. "No. We worked at the same factory, but I was one of Twill's pupils back home. She's a schoolteacher. We both spent four-hour shifts together after school. That's why we were able to flee together."

"You escaped the explosion at your factory?" I ask, unconvinced. There is no way they would have had time to outrun an explosion.

Her face grows somber. "No."

When she doesn't offer an explanation I turn to Twill, who is looking at Bonnie. She gives me the answer I'm looking for. "The day of your Harvest Festival was the day our uprising began. Some time after your broadcast began, after people were in position and the Peacekeepers had lowered their guard, our people began to attack. At first, the Peacekeepers didn't stand a chance. They were taken by surprise and were terribly outnumbered. We were able to take out the Communication Center, the granary, and the power station. And as Peacekeepers fell, we obtained more weapons. All was going well until Peacekeepers began to arrive by the thousands. It wasn't until they began to bomb us that everyone finally backed down and tried to make it home."

"Less than two days later, and we were back in the Capitol's hold," Bonnie says quietly. "We were on lock down for a week after. No one was allowed out to get food or coal. We were absolutely forbidden from leaving our homes. Our televisions showed static unless they were televising the deaths of suspected instigators. It wasn't until just before half the District died of starvation that they allowed us to return to our daily activities." She pauses and looks up to where the wound is on my head. "They even showed us the whipping from Twelve. It was our last day on lock down."

Not wanting to talk about myself yet, I put the focus back on them. "How is it then that you guys found the time to escape?"

Twill reaches over to Bonnie and places a hand over hers. "That first day back, Twill and I were on our way to the factory when we met a giant hole in the ground in a road that we usually walked to get to the factory. We had to find a new route, making us late. We were still miles away when the factory exploded. It killed everyone inside. My husband, Bonnie's family. It wasn't the first incident to happen to one of our factories. We believe that someone let it slip to the Capitol that the idea for the uprising started there. . . Bonnie and I ran back to my house and got the suits. We took food from our neighbors that we knew to be dead and took off to the railroad station."

"We changed in a warehouse near the tracks. From there we were able to make it onto a boxcar full of fabric on a train headed to District Six. We escaped at a fuel stop along the way and traveled on foot from there. Using the woods as a cover and the tracks to guide us, we made it to Twelve just yesterday. The only reason we thought to stop here was because of my ankle. My boots are too big and I twisted it."

I feel bad that these women have made such a journey. They're only going to be disappointed when they make it to Thirteen and find nothing but rubble. A rigorous trek gone to waste. "What do you expect to find in Thirteen?"

Bonnie bites her lip and meets Twill's nervous glance. "We're actually not sure."

"We've all seen the footage," I say, still unconvinced.

Twill raises an eyebrow. "That's it. Haven't you noticed that they have been using the same footage for every live broadcast of Thirteen? Just about everyone in Eight has remembered seeing it every single time."

"Really?" I try to recall the images I've seen of Thirteen on television but I can't think of anything specific.

"You know how they always show the Justice Building?" Twill asks me. I nod and she continues. "If you look very carefully, you'll see in the far right-hand corner a mockingjay flying by. Every single time. Back in Eight, we have a theory that they keep reusing old footage because they can't show us what's there now."

I shake my head. "That seems ridiculous. The Capitol wouldn't just let people roam about on their own. I'm sure we needed graphite miners for a reason."

They look surprised with my response. "We think that the people moved underground after everything on the surface was destroyed. We think they managed to survive. Before the Dark Days, their principal industry was nuclear development. For them, survival could be possible. It would also give the Capitol a reason to leave them alone."

"But in school. . ." I stop myself, no longer confident. The Capitol had told us they were graphite miners. I can feel my whole body start to panic. Could there be merit to the words of these women and District Eight? Could there be people in Thirteen? With an arsenal so powerful that it could— "Why haven't they helped us?" Suddenly I'm angry at these imaginary people.

"We don't know," Bonnie whispers. "Right now, we're holding on to the hope that they exist."

The room filled with tension, we all become silent. No one speaks as Bonnie and Twill continue eating bits of the food. It isn't until I remember a small detail Bonnie had mentioned that makes me grow desperate and I snap up so suddenly that Twill searches for her gun. My face grows hot. "Bonnie, how old are you?"

She smiles, though confused at my sudden question. "I'll be seventeen here soon. I'm in the same grade as you in school."

I then turn my attention to Twill. "So you teach children in my year?"

Twill nods. "I did, yes."

"Do either of you happen to know a boy named Peeta Mellark?" I ask hesitantly, seeing their interest in my personal questions. They both look surprised and nod their heads after sharing a quick glance in recognition.

Bonnie speaks first. "Oh yes, he's very sweet. All of the girls in school think he'd make a great husband." She blushes at her comment and ducks her head a bit. Twill smiles.

"Peeta is definitely a fine young man. All of those Mellark boys are charmers, but Peeta . . . he's special," she says before seemingly making the realization in her head. "He was born here, wasn't he?"

"Yes," I say, playing with the end of my braid. "Did you guys see him the day you returned to school?"

Twill nods, interested. "He's never missed a day. Right on time as always. May I ask why you're concerned?"

"He's just an old friend." I stutter, my tongue catching on the word friend.

Bonnie bites her lip but I still catch the hint of her smile. "He was okay the last we saw of him. I'm sure he's fine. He couldn't get into trouble if he tried."

Her old teacher laughs. "You are very right on that, Bonnie."

Satisfied, I let a smile fall on my lips. I can finally relax knowing that he's okay and wasn't killed in the uprising. "I guess I'll be on my way now. It's getting late and we're under strict curfew."

They both stand with me and watch as I pick up my empty game bag and bow and arrows. I'm taken off guard when they both embrace me tightly and give me endless thank you's. "I can't believe we actually got to meet you."

I strain a smile on my face and, after asking them to stay safe, bid them goodbye.

My walk back through the woods is over before I know it. I'm filled with the newfound information Bonnie and Twill have given me. I'm not even thrown off by the light snow that begins to fall. When I reach the hollow log nearest my old home in the Seam, I quickly stash my weapons before walking over to my usual hole in the fence.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that it isn't until I hear the trill of a mockingjay that I pause and come back to reality, suddenly becoming aware of the things around me. It's just as I'm reaching to put my hand on the fence when I hear the quiet hum. The fence, though it appears as innocuous as ever, is alive with electricity.

I don't crawl away fast enough.

Panic taking over, I immediately scan the treeline for a tree I can climb. It's much too ironic that the fence is alive the exact day I come back into the woods. I fear that I've been watched. When I find the perfect tree to get over the fence with I don't hesitate to climb. It's only when I'm at the edge of the limb over into the side of Twelve that I finally pause.

It's a dangerously long drop. Even for someone as me whose had years of practice. Finally, I take a deep breath and lower myself until I'm only hanging onto the limb with my hands. I take a deep breath and let go. A gasp escapes when I hit the ground after my fall, feeling a sharp pain go straight up my spine. I don't have to stand to know I'm injured. My hand immediately goes to the wound on my head and I wince at its tenderness, but decide I haven't injured it any further.

Not one to waste time, I get up and, after testing my foot, begin my walk to Town. I've taken far too long out here. I'm going to need an alibi to tell my mother and Prim.

When I arrive, I buy some white cloth and herbs for my mother. At the sight of the fabric shop I remember Bonnie and Twill and decide to go in and get Prim a nice bow for her hair.

By the time I get home, I'm exhausted, hungry, and the pain in my heel is so intense that I can barely stand on it anymore. I fully intend to collapse in the entrance of my home but am in for a shock when my feet touch the mat in my home.

Two Peacekeepers are standing in the doorway of our kitchen. I can tell by the flicker of surprise on one of their faces that I am unanticipated. They did know that I was in the woods. "Hello," I greet them. "Can I help you with something?"

"Head Peacekeeper Thread sent us with a message for you," the woman says.

"They've been waiting for hours," my mother adds.

They've been waiting for me to fail to return. To confirm that I was out in the woods and became trapped by the live fence. "Must be an important message." I say.

The woman's face grows impossibly harder. "From Head Peacekeeper Thread, he wanted you to know that the fence surrounding District Twelve will now have electricity twenty-four hours a day. He thought you might be interested in passing this information on to your friend."

"I'll let him know as soon as I can," I say. "Thank you for coming all this way and keeping my family company while I was gone."

I can tell that they want to say more, but they have no orders left to fulfill, so they leave quietly. After the door shuts behind them, I fall to the floor and wince. A few tears spring to my eyes due to the pain.

Prim rushes to me first. "What is it, Katniss? Is it your head?"

I shake my head but decide not to answer just yet. Instead, I declare that I need to go see Haymitch.

My mother objects but I give her a look that says I don't want to be messed with. "I promise I'll be back soon. I just have to discuss something with him quickly."

With those as my parting words, I leave my bag and begin to limp on over to the house of my old mentor. The entrance is covered with empty glass bottles and I can only hope that he's not drunk out of his mind. I find him sitting on his couch and he looks at me in surprise. "Had I scheduled a visit?"

"Peeta's alive." I blurt.

Haymitch looks amused. "I know."

"You know?"

Haymitch shrugs and takes a sip from the glass I hadn't noticed was in his hand. "I made a call about a week ago. Your boy's fine."

I'm too angry to acknowledge his comment. "I've been worrying the past two weeks thinking he was dead! You've known all this time and not told me, even though I asked you to?"

"Cool it, fire girl," he says, waving a hand at me in dismissal. But then he pauses. "How did you know know that he's alive?"

For a second I almost think of lying, but Haymitch could call me out on my lies any day. So I cave and tell him of the day's events. He doesn't say a word when I'm done.

When he finally does, his words surprise me. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"What?" I ask, the word tumbling out so fast that Haymitch smirks.

He gets up and helps me over to the kitchen where he pulls a small device from a cupboard and presses some buttons. Eventually, he raises the device to his ear. I stand eagerly at his side, waiting to see what will follow. My heart nearly stops when Haymitch speaks, "Boy?"

I bite the inside of my cheek hard, not willing to believe it just yet.

"She's fine, healing nicely." Haymitch looks up at me. "Just took her first trip to the outside world."

Haymitch smiles as he converses quietly. My name a hot topic. I start to think that he's forgotten I'm there when he suddenly thrusts the device into my hands. It's a small pod that easily fits in my hand. I don't give myself too much time to inspect it before tentatively bringing it up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Katniss?" I hear him ask almost immediately and I actually sigh in relief. "Are you okay?"

I nod even though he can't see me. "Yeah. How-how are you?"

He chuckles softly and I grip the pod tighter in my hands, wishing that I could hear him laugh in person. "I should be asking you that same question."

I shake my head. "The uprising. . ."

Peeta doesn't say anything at first. Nothing but silence travels between us. "How do you know about that, Katniss?"

His question catches me off guard. His voice is soft, sad. I'm scared to speak any further. "Haymitch."

"And you listened to a drunk?" he asks in an attempt to brush it off, but his voice lacks the playfulness it would have with such a joke of his.

"Peeta?" I ask quietly, afraid by this new side of him I hadn't experienced with him in Eight.

At the sound of a sharp intake of breath, I really begin to worry. But I don't even get another word in before he's talking again.

"Katniss, I told you to be safe. Please promise me that you'll stay safe."

"What? Peeta, you were in an uprising—"

"Katniss, you were whipped on a live broadcast." Peeta interjects, his voice desperate. "I couldn't get a hold of Haymitch for hours, I thought that they got you."

His words make tears spring to my eyes. "I'm sorry."

Peeta sighs. "Don't apologize. Just stay safe please, for your family."

I try to stand up straight at his words but forget about my injury and yelp. Haymitch grabs one of my arms and nods to my head. I shake my head slightly and see worry flash in his eyes.

"Katniss?" Peeta asks, concern evident in his voice.

"It's just my leg, I . . . missed a step on the stairs this morning." My lie is so clear that Haymitch winces.

Even Peeta doesn't buy it. "You're such a bad liar, Katniss. I don't know how you've survived this long."

My face burns at his words. "I survived The Hunger Games so I've obviously been doing something right."

A quiet laugh escapes him. "Nice to hear that you haven't changed."

And just like that my anger is gone and I'm left with this odd feeling of needing to be with him once again.

"Katniss, I have to go," he says, his voice no longer happy. "I've been on for a little too long."

"Okay," I say, sure my own voice has lost its light.

"Don't forget to stay safe, Katniss."

I bite my lip to keep from saying anything stupid. "No promises."

The line is quiet for a few seconds and I'm afraid that he's left. It only saddens me more when he finds his voice once again, dreading the moment I'll have to let go. "No promises. Goodbye, Katniss."

A/N ~ The book was my best friend during this chapter. I'm still not over the fact that Bonnie and Twill, as well as all of Katniss and Peeta's bonding, were left out of the film. Bonnie and Twill were such a significant part of the book and I was so excited to see it played out on screen. The disappointment was unreal when I realized it wasn't happening. Also, for non-book readers, their bonding could have really helped understand the connection Katniss and Peeta grew to have. Anyway! I'd like to address some questions that I was happy to receive. (Don't ever be afraid to PM me guys!) Peeta was able to recognize Gale because of his and Katniss' highly publicized "romance," though Gale's face was not shown in the broadcast because the crime and punishment was the focus, not him. For all Peeta knows, she was just protecting one of her people and not necessarily someone close to her like Gale. Katniss doesn't ask of Gale immediately because she's just suffered a head injury and she's still trying to understand what happened to her, and the first things she's processing are what's taking place in the moment. Things have been rocky for the pair in this story, it's been months since she won the Games. Months that there has been distance between them and that they've grown apart. We all know how prideful Gale is and getting rejected the way he did really hit him where it hurt. It caused strain on their relationship and that is how they got into their current situation. I hope that helps! Now, I'm sad to inform you guys that my next update won't be for another week since I'm about to be swamped with work starting tomorrow and I don't know when I'll be able to fit in time to revise and upload the next chapter. Feel free to PM me with any questions, I'll respond as soon as I can! Until next time loves.

With love, Daisy