Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Katniss finally thought everything was going to be alright and her children would grow up in a safer world then she and Peeta had, but something changes and a new set of games begins.

CHAPTER 13

EMBERLY POV:

I move swiftly off the stage, my blood boiling in my veins. I wanted to punch Caesar, punch every single person in the Capitol who wanted these Games to take place and every single person who wanted to compare me to my mother. The circumstances that brought my mother here years ago and me here now are different.

I don't bother to look at anyone, though I know all of the other Tributes are gawking at me as I walk past them. They had seen my interview and I am sure it made me lose a few potential allies and sponsors, but I could care less right now.

I head straight for the elevator, getting on it and trying to close it before anyone else could get on with me. Unfortunately, both Damir and Effie manage to catch up with me and slip in before the doors close completely.

"Well, young lady, I hope you are happy!" Effie's voice rings high and I can tell she is not pleased with me.

"What?" I ask as innocently as possible.

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you may have just caused out there?! What sponsor wants someone who seems so ungrateful…who wants an alliance with someone so angry?" Effie says, confirming the two things I was slightly worried about.

"I'm sorry…I was just…I was so mad. I'm not trying to one up my mom…and the way Caesar acted like I just volunteered for the fame of it…" I shake my head in disgust, my fists clenched in anger.

"Its fine. We can handle it," Damir says quickly.

"Handle it? Handle no help in that arena?" Effie shakes her head.

"We don't know if we even had help to begin with," Damir says quickly.

I give Damir a small and grateful smile. Even if he is angry with me, he doesn't show it.

"Plus, we have each other…and I think some serious hunting advantages over any of those other tributes," Damir adds with a smirk.

Effie snorts and shakes her head, her nose high in the air. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Damir shoots me the same devilish grin he used to sport when we were seven and would steal my mom's knives and bow and sneak out into the woods, all the while with her yelling for us to return her things.

I grin back. He is right; we may be okay even if I just blew our chances at any real sponsors or allies. We still have each other, and hopefully that will be enough to get him out of the arena.

KATNISS POV:

It takes a few minutes, but I finally manage, with Haymitch's help, to get Galen into the elevator with Peeta. It is clear that Galen is afraid of Peeta right now, but he trusts both of us enough to follow us.

Once we are in our Penthouse, Galen moves quickly into the room that had been assigned to him and closes the door.

Peeta sighs, rubbing the spot on his head that Haymitch had collided with early in the night. It is still bleeding a bit.

"We should clean that up," I tell Peeta.

I want to comfort Galen right now, but Peeta hasn't had an attack in years and I want to make sure he is situated before I leave him alone.

"Its fine. I deserved it," Peeta says, as if he is a wounded puppy.

"Peeta…that's not true. Come on…lets get you into bed," I say, wrapping my arms around his waste and forcing him to follow me into the bedroom where I sit him on the bed and gently pull the suit he is wearing off oh him until he is down to his boxers.

Peeta then leans back into the bed and sighs, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

"Peeta, there is nothing to be sorry about…" I say and I mean it. He has nothing to be sorry for. What happened was not his fault; it was Snow's fault, it was the Capitol's fault. They are the people that should be dealing with it, not my son. Not my family,

"Galen is afraid of me," Peeta says simply.

"He's just never seen that happen to you before," I remind Peeta.

"Its just all of this…with Emberly…we can't lose her Katniss," Peeta says, his eyes hardly meeting mine but I can see a small swell of tears in them.

I feel my own voice get caught in my own throat. I haven't seen Peeta looking this hurt, this scared in so long. It frightens me. "We won't."

Peeta sits up and pulls me in for a strong, desperate kiss, similar to the ones we shared in the second arena. I respond, out of the same need to feel close to him. I feel like I am losing myself, and he is the only one who can bring me back. Maybe he feels the same way.

After a long moment we break apart and Peeta tucks a stray piece of my hair behind my ear.

"You should go check on Galen," Peeta says quietly.

I nod slowly. "Will you be okay?"

"Fine…I'll be right here. Just…tell Galen I am sorry," Peeta says.

I nod again and then slowly get off the bed and make my way out of the room. I understand why Peeta does not want to see Galen right now, and I know I have so much to explain to him, I just hope I have the strength in me right now.

The walk to Galen's room is shorter then I thought and I find myself knocking before I even realize it.

Silence answers my knock but I don't bother trying again. Instead, I just push the door opened and am immediately greeted by blue walls and a huge window overlooking the Capitol. This is not any room Galen would have picked out for himself. He personally hates the color blue. He had told Peeta that many times when he was younger, because blue was never bright enough. Galen loved the color yellow, which always made me smile, because yellow was the color of dandelions, the color that reminded me so much of Peeta.

"What?" Galen asks me quietly.

I am surprised by his coldness. Although it is rare to see, this is one trait that does surface in Galen every once and awhile and it is definitely something he has gotten from me.

"I wanted to talk to you," I say slowly sitting down on the bed.

Galen curls his feet up to his chin and he looks so much younger then thirteen. His grey eyes search mine for something, anything, but I am not sure I can give it to him.

"What happened to dad?" Galen asks slowly when he sees I am struggling.

I swallow hard, trying to figure out the best way to approach this subject. Its been a long time since I have had to explain Peeta's fits.

"Your dad…had something bad happen to him in the Revolution," I say slowly.

Galen's brow becomes cross and I know he is confused. "A lot of bad stuff happened…"

I realize now, despite how young he looks, Galen is getting older and he isn't dumb to the world around him.

"I mean…something really bad. He was…well…its called being hijacked," I try to explain.

"What?" Galen might be angry but he sounds intrigued now.

I nod. "The Capitol…they used trackerjacker venom to…distort his memories, mostly of me. It really had him confused for a long time…but we got him back, eventually…but sometimes…because the venom is still in him, he gets confused."

I feel as though I have explained things well enough without going into detail. I don't want to to have to explain that Peeta tried to kill me or that he wanted to kill himself. Those are things I don't want my son to think about. I don't want him to see his father in that light.

"Was he confused tonight?" Galen asks.

I nod, almost relieved that Galen seems to be taking this so well.

Then, Galen's curiosity turns to a frown. "How come you never told me about this before?"

"Well…your dad hasn't had them in awhile…so we never really had to explain it," I say.

"So you just left it out?" Galen suddenly sounds hurt and it catches me off guard. This is not what I expected.

"Galen…we just didn't see a point in explaining something you would hopefully never have to see…." I say, trying to defend mine and Peeta's decision as parents.

"But I did see it…and I didn't know what to do. What if he had hit you, Mom?" Galen asks.

"He wasn't going to—" I start but I already know I am lying. Peeta, when he is having an episode, is completely unpredictable.

"He was going to. I saw it, and I didn't know what to do," Galen says.

"Galen, I—" I try.

"I want to go to sleep," Galen says and tosses over in his bed, his back to me, before I can respond.

I feel numb as I walk out of his room and into the now dark living room. I order myself a tea and sit down on the couch. Galen is angry with me, Peeta is breaking apart, and Emberly is getting ready to be thrown into a game that can kill her. And I am helpless. The Mockingjay has lost her voice.

I glance out at the Capitol as it lights up the night sky; the disgusting land that is trying to take everything good in my life from me. I feel as if I am drowning in all of it. I don't know which way is up. I don't know how to save my family and I so desperately want to.

EMBERLY POV:

I wake up the next morning by the window overlooking the Capitol. I hardly remember getting up to sit by it, but clearly I have fallen asleep next to it. I quickly stretch out, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I hear Effie calling me through the door.

"Lets go Emberly! You need to be down in training in ten minutes!" Effie calls.

I sigh, making my way to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Training. That is not something I am looking forward to; not anymore. Not after last night.

I am sure I have cut a few cords before I even new I had them with my interview last night and I may have put Damir and myself in more danger, but if that's the case its more important now then ever to train for what is ahead. I just honestly don't feel like it.

After I throw my training clothes on, I head out of my room to see Damir sitting at the table with Effie. He is trying his best to eat one of the rolls, but I know form his expression that he knows that I know about the bread here in the Captiol: my father's is better.

"Well, you clearly missed breakfast," Effie makes a face at me.

"Wasn't hungry," I shoot back smugly.

"Young lady…after last night you need to be charming in that training session. We have no idea how those other Tributes are going to react to your interview and so far you seem to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today," Effie scolds me.

"Sorry," I mumble. I know Effie doesn't deserve my rudeness but I'm just not in the mood to really talk to anyone. I just want to focus on the training.

"We should get going," Damir seems to feel the tension between Effie and I and tries to defuse it. He stands and motions for me to follow.

"Well, good luck!" Effie waves to us and seems a little more chipper all of the sudden.

I follow Damir into the elevator and he clicks the button to the training center.

"You're in a mood," Damir acknowledges.

I glare at him and then sigh. "I just…I'm worried about training today. Effie is right, my interview probably didn't help."

Damir shrugs as we step off of the elevator. "Who cares? We will manage on our own…"

I just take a deep breath. I am not sure what to say to Damir. We may be able to manage at first, but without help we won't last long in any arena.

I allow Damir to lead us into the training room where I keep my eyes on the floor. I don't want to see the rude, speculating looks of the other Tributes this early in the morning.

So I am easily startled when we are not met with an awkward silence but a resounding cheer. Instantly, my eyes flick up, and I can see some, not all, but a good amount of tributes clapping and smiling at me.

What is going on?

"Or maybe they liked your interview," Damir whispers in my ear, though I can tell he is smirking.

"Uh…thanks?" I laugh out, causing more cheering.

"You earned it…spoke the truth!" The boy from District Four smiles wide at me.

I smile back and then my attention is drawn to the tall boy with the broad shoulders behind the boy from District Four. Mason Hawthrone; and he is smirking and clapping for me.

I quickly glance around and noticed the Victors from the Capitol and District One and District Thirteen don't seem particularly happy with me, but I never expected them on my side, at least not District One or the Capitol.

Speaking of the Capitol, my eyes shift up to the box filled with Capitol Officials that are watching us. President Snow Jr. is glaring at me and Enobaria is just watching me, as if studying me for an experiment.

I could care less though. It seems as though my interview didn't blow up in my face the way I feared it would; at least not yet.