Bam.
The explosion of the force field sends me flying backwards, and my back slams into a tree trunk. My ears ring and I can't focus, and I stagger around while rubbing my temples for a while. "Darin!" I yell, but my own voice sounds distant and hollow. The ringing noise is too loud. I hope I'm not going deaf.
I shout Darin's name countless times, partly because I can't see clearly and I hope he'll find me, and partly because I want to test my ears to see if I can hear my own voice. All I can see is green grass and trees. Have I failed? Is the arena really endless?
I feel someone run towards me and I turn and see Darin plummeting toward me. Before I can react, he grabs my hand and yanks me forward.
"Wait!" I scream. "Where are we going?"
My ears are still ringing so I can't hear what he replied. "WHAT?" I ask.
"OUT!" he shouts loudly in my ear. Now it hurts a little. That can't be good.
"What about Ferrous? And Elysia?" I stop abruptly. "We have to go back to help them!"
"No time!" he shouts in my ear. "They should be running away by now!" He starts running and tugging me along again.
Suddenly, a dart shoots from behind and strikes Darin's back, which leads to his not-so-heroic fall to the ground. "Darin!" I shout. I bend down and try to take out the dart, but I feel a sharp needle burying in my back. I try and grab at it, but before, I can, I fall on the ground next to Darin.
Why is it almost every time I go unconscious, I end up in a new place?
Right now, I'm pretty sure I'm in a hospital room. The walls are painted a soft blue, and the room is a square shape, with my bed pushed to one side. My arena outfit is replaced with a hospital gown, and many needles poke in different parts of my body. I pull them all out. Who knows what this stuff is? All the scars and blood have been scrubbed away from my body. I run my fingers through my hair, and find it soft and clean instead of filled with bits of blood and dirt.
The door creaks open, and someone steps in. (Wait, I can hear. I'm not deaf!) I scoot closer to the wall, and brace myself for whoever that is.
The person flicks a switch on the wall, and a plush velvet chair springs up from the floor. He sets himself on it and crosses his legs. "Miss Mellark, you're awake."
That voice. I know that voice. I've heard it many times during celebration speeches and announcements. The last time I heard this voice, I fell asleep and got pushed to an arena. I narrow my eyes. "Camelon."
This is the first time I've ever seen Camelon in close-up, and I can tell you I don't want to see it again. Usually when he gives speeches in our district, he's standing far away and I can only make out his greying hair. I've never really paid attention to his facial features before. His dark eyes suggest that he came from the Seam of district 12.
"Now, now. There's no need to stare. I'm here to have a little chat with you," Camelon smiles.
"Chat? You killed Joannie! You put my brother and my friends in danger! Where are they? Why did you do it?" Many questions spill out of my mouth at once, and in anger, I hurl the closest thing to me at him, which is a pillow. The pillow rebounds in mid-air and hurtles back at me. It hits me squarely in the face, because clearly I was not prepared for fluffy pillows to come after me. I groan and bat away the pillow, and brush my hair out of my face.
Camelon chuckles, clearly amused. "I was hoping you'd throw something harder at me." I hiss at him. There's a force field between us, and I can't kill him. I should have known.
He leans forward in his chair. "Your brother and your friends are alright. But let me ask you a question."
I press my palms to my ears. I don't want to listen to that monster. Whatever he asks, I will refuse to answer him.
"Have you ever thought, how great this world would be, if you took control over Panem?"
This question takes me by surprise, and I lift my hands away from my ears. Of course I have. I can't ever keep track of how many times I have fantasized people chanting my name, calling me the greatest president of all time, how perfect everything would be under my command.
Camelon sees my expression and smiles. "I thought so. You see, you and I are not so different after all. I too believe that I can bring great fortune to Panem. You remember how great district 12 was under my control?" Camelon sighs dreamily. "Well, I can spread this gift to everyone."
"I asked you why you put us in the Games," I spit. "I have no time to listen to your yapping. Do you know how scared we were? How hungry and tired and thirsty we all were? You'd better start explaining, or force field or not, I'll rip your throat out," I threaten.
He tsks. "No need to get violent around here. Be patient, and I will answer all your questions. I never wanted to hurt anyone of you. I gathered you and put you in the arena as a show for your parents to see. I made them a deal—if they supported me as new president of Panem and agreed to my terms, you would all be unharmed, and your names would not appear in the reaping balls. But alas, they would not co-operate with me. Of course, I kept you all safe and alive."
I almost laugh at the thought of his last sentence. "Safe? Alive?" I snort. "We took care of ourselves back there and we survived on our own. And I thought of the escape plan."
Camelon laughs. "You really thought you did it by yourself? Your arrows could have never been enough to kill the mutts. I only wanted them for a show, so I let them die easily. If I had programmed them to kill, you would have all died a long time ago. I let you go on with your escape plan. I wanted to know if it would work, and just how clever you really were. Besides, I sent you the picnic basket, didn't I?"
He was the one would sent us the picnic basket? Back up. I stop to process this information for a while. Camelon took us and pretended to torture us to make some kind of deal with our parents to support him as president. He sent us the picnic basket and let us escape, because he knew he could easily capture us if the force field shattered.
"What was the deal? And what about Joannie? And Nada?" I ask.
"Ah, yes, the deal. I had three conditions—to not speak of this to anyone, to allow me to re-enact the Games, and to stop any protests in their respective districts. Too bad I can't just replace the people who defy me. People would suspect and they would tell on me. And for the unfortunate pair, their parents thought little of them and refused to accept my deal," Camelon grimaces.
"You want the Hunger Games to come back?" I cry. "You're insane!" Even so, couldn't my mother have agreed first, and then thought of a plan later? And why didn't they just run away or something? What parent would kill their child over some political issue? No, my parents would have done everything to protect me.
"The way I see it, the Hunger Games are a good thing. They act as a reminder to listen to your leader, and to never let your guard down. Being in peace makes people lazy and unprepared for sudden things. Just look at how unfit you children were in the Games! Except for you, of course, Lily, which is why I admire you so much. I could really use someone like you to help me after I become president. You'd make an excellent gamemaker. I've had several…ideas."
I don't like the way Camelon said "ideas". Or that sinister look on his face. But a job offer is not what I'm interested to know more about.
"What about my mother? Did she want to save me?" I ask.
Camelon cocks his head to one side and thinks. "Katniss Everdeen? Why do you care if she wanted to save you or not?"
"Because she's my mother. And I love her," I say matter-of-factly.
"Do you? Well, she certainly doesn't feel the same way. If she had loved you, she would have accepted my offer and saved you immediately."
Camelon's toying with me. That has to be it. He's the one who put you in the Games, I remind myself. Why should I believe what he says? Exactly.
"Lily. Have you ever found yourself being constantly compared to your own mother? Tell me. How many times have you been referred to 'Katniss Everdeen's daughter' instead of 'Lily Mellark'?"
I laugh. How many times I've been called 'Katniss Everdeen's daughter'? More than I can count, probably. The people in school call me that. The teachers call me that. Probably everyone who has ever met me call me that. And people compare me with my mother all the time. When I hit a bull's eye in archery, they'd say, "Very good, but your mother was always better." When I got a question wrong for geography, they'd say, "Never mind, your mother was never that good at geography either." I never thought much of it, but now that Camelon says it, I do feel that way. I'm never good enough because Katniss Everdeen is always better. My knuckles turn white as my grip on the edge of the bed tightens.
Camelon chuckles. "You're very intelligent, Lily. You're an original, and you shouldn't be compared to anyone else. Really, I could use someone as clever as you. You just think about it while you rest and heal in here."
He gets up and flicks the switch and the chair disappears. He opens the door, and before he leaves, I blurt out "I'm still going to kill you, you know."
His back is facing me so I can't see his expression, but I swear he's smiling. "I'll remember that." Then he closes the door.
Katniss
"Liar!" I shout as I watch Camelon talk to Lily. Who does he think he is, telling Lily he kept her alive and I don't love her? Garbage! He kept them alive so he could torture them for another day in the arena to let us see!
I have to tell Paylor to tell her to fake let Camelon be president and think of a plan to take him down later, but I'm chained up to the wall. I wanted to tell Paylor ever since I got captured, but I couldn't because Camelon was around and I couldn't go anywhere or contact anyone while I was still pinned up and there were force fields everywhere. Besides, the plan had too many flaws, and it was risky saying yes to Camelon.
Half of the parents already said yes to Camelon but half still stays strong. Peeta and I are one of the latter, along with Bogg's son and Joannie's father and several others I don't remember. I'll have to find them and discuss how to take down Camelon afterwards. I'm not sure if I can trust Joannie's father, though. He had a long, private chat with Camelon in another room before Camelon launched the piranhas that killed Joannie. I could swear Camelon and Joannie's father were both smiling when Joannie's cannon fired. Even if it is, I can't say no to him if he says he wants to help defy Camelon.
Right now, all of us parents have been separated and brought to different places. I was brought to this room with a single television screen to watch Camelon toy with Lily's mind. I don't know where Peeta or anyone else is. I don't know how Ferrous is. After Lily blew up the force field, Ferrous and Elysia ran but they got captured just like Lily and Darin.
"Lily. Have you ever found yourself being constantly compared to your own mother? Tell me. How many times have you been referred to 'Katniss Everdeen's daughter' instead of 'Lily Mellark'?" I hear Camelon ask Lily on screen.
I watch in horror as Lily's face changes. She's never felt compared to me before, has she? But the look on her face is all too familiar to me—hatred. I know that look because I used to see it in the mirror all the time. I've already forgotten about my old life so many years ago. The need for revenge used to flood through every part of me. Now I see the old me in my own daughter.
Didn't I use to hate my own mother for abandoning me and Prim after dad died? Now Lily probably feels the same way about me, thinking I abandoned her and Ferrous. I wanted desperately to help them, I really did, but I can't be that selfish as to put everyone else in danger as my family stays safe.
"I'll remember that." Camelon leaves Lily's room and the television screen shuts off by itself, not letting me see more of my daughter. My daughter, who probably hates me and blames me for everything now.
Camelon enters my room after a short while later. "So, Miss Everdeen. Ready to make a choice?"
My name is Katniss Everdeen. I have lived in peace for the past thirty years. But now everything is going to change. I have to fight again to protect my family and my people. And I'll have to take some risks.
"Yes. I will support you as president," I say.
Camelon smirks and flicks a switch on the wall and disables the chains tying up my limbs. "Very good. You may return to your district now. You have some announcements to make to them. I will promote one of my followers as temporary mayor of district 12." He turns to leave.
"Wait!" I shout. "What about Lily and Ferrous? And Peeta?"
"Didn't you hear?" Camelon says. "I offered your daughter a job. And for your son and husband, they will be sent back to district 12 as well." Camelon steps out and another woman dressed in black steps in.
"Hello, Miss Everdeen. I will be escorting you back to district 12," she smiles.