Note: I decided to recant my previous statement and put in some Peeta, because I missed him too. Read on, it starts in the middle of this chapter. Review review!
The Cornucopia was a bloodbath. When the buzzer sounded, twenty-six tributes ran head first into the battle. The careers were there first, picking out positions and taking down everyone who came at them. The boy from district ten got his head cut off while he tried to pick up a spear. The girl from eight got a knife to the throat while she tried to get a food pack towards the middle of the circle.
I had watched seventeen years worth of games, and I had never seen anything like this. The tributes hadn't had mentors to warn them against going straight for the supplies, so most of them tried to rush the Cornucopia at the same time. I mainly focused on Prim, and I was glad that she was smart enough to realize the Cornucopia was not a good place to be. She had picked up a backpack from the outskirts and sprinted into the forest, running as fast as she could to get away from the carnage. I also noticed that Lexie had run, but she went towards the fields that Thresh had hidden in.
Everyone else decided to fight it out. They were no match for the careers, and most of them quickly realized that and fled for the hills. I watched Emanuel kick one of the boys so hard that it broke his spine. He layed there paralyzed, and Emanuel drove a spear through his heart. He killed five people by himself during the initial struggle.
I saw Sydney grab a sword and easily take down the girl from six who tried to attack her. It looked like she had decided to team up with the careers despite the fact that Emanuel had announced to world that he was going to kill her. I was worried, but she seemed to think the pros outweighed the cons in being with the careers. In the end, eleven tributes were killed in the Cornucopia struggle. Sydney, the two tributes from one and two, and Emanuel were left standing by all of the supplies. The boy from four had been killed by a stray arrow, but I was almost positive that it had been Alexei who had shot it, and it definitely didn't look like an accident.
Zane, the male tribute from district two, let out a loud yell in triumph, and they began to pick through the supplies that were left for them. I saw Sydney grab the most intricate sword she could find, and the bow and sheath of arrows. I knew she didn't like distance weapons, but I assumed she had seen Alexei shoot, and she didn't want him to have them. "Give me a view of everyone." I said to the game maker who sat to my left. He placed several screens in front of me.
The middle one was a view of the Cornucopia. There were nine more screens, each showing the camera closest to the tributes who had gone out on their own. I looked to my left at the tribute board. The eleven people who had died had red x's covering their faces. The two tributes from three, the boy from four, the girl from six, both tributes from seven, the girl from eight, both tributes from ten, the girl from eleven and James. Those were the tributes who hadn't survived the first day. "Time to shoot the canons." I said. I heard a small beep, and the eleven cannon shots went off in quick succession.
I heard the game makers remarking on the events that had passed. Most of them hadn't been surprised at all, and one man even had the gall to make fun of James. I rolled my eyes and glared at him. This was just some sick fantasy for them. I stopped listening and turned my attention back to the screen, checking in on Prim, who was still running through the forest, then focusing on the careers.
They were taking inventory of their supplies, counting up the amount of food and piling everything together. Emanuel took lead of the pack, and Alexei, Katrina (the girl from one), Zane, and Zahara (the girl from two) followed him without question. Sydney begrudgingly worked along with them, but I could tell that it was killing her inside. It was safer for her this way. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, wasn't that the saying?
After they were done, the sun was falling behind the trees. They built a fire and sat around it, bragging about their kills for the day. "Did you see the look on his face?" Alexei said, laughing. "Please, have mercy, please! Then pow. I hit him so hard it broke his neck!" The other careers laughed. All of them except for Sydney.
"I saw you slice that girl in half Harper, don't act like your so above it all." Zane said when Sydney didn't join in on their laughter. "You kill just like we do, so stop fighting it. Embrace the animal!" He howled again, and punched her in the arm. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, lifting him up off the log he was sitting on. He screamed in pain. It looked like she was going to break it, but she let him go and shoved him to the ground.
"Don't test me." She said angrily. "It won't end well for you." The other careers just looked amongst themselves, and Zahara went over to see if Zane was ok. Eventually things settled down, and the conversation resumed. Even though they had all been prisoners of the Capitol, the career tributes were the same as they always had been. They were cocky and arrogant, and they all thought they were going to win. Emanuel mostly kept quiet, but he would smirk on occasion and add in a story of his own.
"So what's our next move?" Alexei asked him. "Who dies first?" The grin on his face was disgusting.
Emanuel thought for a moment, and they all waited in silence for him to speak. They respected him, or maybe it was fear, either way, they would wait to do as he said. "The girl from twelve. Primrose. We have to kill her first." Not Prim. I immediately checked in on her screen and found her building a camouflaged shelter in a hole beneath some tangled tree roots. It was almost dark outside, but she still had time. Not Prim. They couldn't go after Prim. I saw Sydney's head snap up, and she stared intensely at Emanuel.
"You want to target a child? She's our worst enemy? Public enemy number one? Come on, she's fourteen years old." I could tell she was trying to be coy. She wanted to make it seem like Prim wasn't a threat so that the careers would stay away from her.
"Don't give me that bullshit Harper. You know she's the game makers sister. We should go now. The more time we give her, the more booby traps and tricks Katniss will be able to come up with to protect. I say we kill her now. Make it quick." He stood up. "I think she went this way." He pointed through a bushel of trees.
The others stood up as well, and they started to walk, but Sydney jumped up and stood in front of them, blocking their way. "So you want to murder a child? That's your first move, is it, o highest leader?" She spat out sarcastically. "I'm so impressed by your bravery."
Emanuel got in her face. "Why are you protecting her? Come to your senses Sydney. If it came down to being between you and the little Everdeen, who do you think Katniss is going to choose? Its not you, I can assure you of that. She doesn't give a damn about you, and you're an idiot if you think she does." He pushed Sydney aside. "Now come with us. Help us kill the girl. Then maybe you'll actually survive this."
Deep down, I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it. I had to protect Prim, but I had promised myself I would get them both out. I saw Sydney staring at the ground. It looked like she was trying to weigh her options, and I knew that if she chose to go with them, I would have to kill her. That wasn't the Sydney I knew. She wouldn't kill Prim. If she went after my sister, I would stop her. I saw her take a step towards the careers, then she stopped, lifted her head up, and laughed.
They turned around to look at her. Emanuel stared at her quizzically, clearly thinking she had gone insane. "So…you're coming?" He asked hesitantly. Sydney started to back up.
"First of all, she went that way." Sydney said, pointing in the direction she was headed. "So it looks like you're the idiot, not me. And second of all," She stared at him with her fierce green eyes, "I wouldn't come after her if I were you." She smirked at them and laughed again. "Because if you do, you'll have to fight me, and I really don't think you want to do that. So do yourself a favor, go find someone else to pick on, before you come and get yourselves killed." She nodded her head at them and turned away, grabbing her pack from the ground and slinging it over her shoulder. He grabbed the sword and bow and arrow and began to make her way to the forest.
Suddenly, Zane charged at her. "Zane no!" I heard Emanuel shout, but he didn't listen. He took out a knife and hurled it at her as he was running, and it sliced open her side. She cried out in pain and whirred around just as he was on her. He tackled her to the ground and tried to put his arms around her throat, but I knew before he even got to her that he was a dead man.
She flipped him over and rolled off of him. He stood up and tried to charge her again, but she pushed him away from her and got him in a headlock. "What…did…I…say?" She panted. Then she gave his head a twist. I heard his neck break with a sickening snap, and I forced myself to look away from the screen. I heard the cannon fire without my orders, and I was grateful for that. I looked back in time to see Sydney give the careers a menacing last look, then turn on her heels and run in the direction of Prim.
I saw Emanuel think it over in his head, then he waved at Sydney's back. "Let her go." He said finally. "If she wants a little girl as an ally, she can have her. She'll be back, and I'll just kill her then." They went back to their fire and sat down, roasting some of the food they found in their pack. The hovercraft came down over Zane's body, and he was beamed up into the sky.
Meanwhile, Sydney was bolting through the forest. "Prim!" She yelled, crashing through some bushes and running as fast as she could. "Prim come out. I'm here to help you!" She kept running and running, shouting Prim's name and waiting for an answer. Then, she stopped in the middle of the forest and leaned against a tree. I could see her panting, and she clutched her side where Zane's knife had hit her. She pulled her hand away, and it was covered in blood. She ripped off a part of her jacket and tied it around the area, grimacing in pain. Then, she shook her head and stood back up.
She looked around the forest, trying to determine which direction to go next. She was lost. She started to walk in the wrong direction, and my heart sank. The arena was huge, and it was going to be impossible for her to find Prim on her own. Then I realized she wasn't on her own. "Bartimaeus." I barked at him. "Knock down a tree to block her path." He nodded at me and input a series of codes. I heard the tree cracking and saw it begin to fall, and Sydney skidded to a stop just before it would have fallen on her head. I would have to work on my timing.
"Jesus Katniss are you trying to kill me?" She yelled into the forest. "I'm trying to help your sister and this is what I get." She tried to climb over the tree, but it was too high and there were no footholds.
"Another tree, to the left." That was the direction Prim had gone in. The tree boomed as it hit the forest floor, and Sydney whirled around to face it. She looked confused at first, then a broad smile crossed her lips.
"I knew we were a team." She muttered, sprinting off in the direction of the fallen tree. I smiled to myself and set out the path for Bartimaeus to follow. I turned around to look at President Snow, and he only glared at me. That was good. I liked to make him angry.
Eventually, Sydney got extremely close to Prim's hiding spot. When she didn't hear another tree fall, she stopped running. "Prim!" She hissed. "Prim I'm here to help you. Your sister and I are friends. I'm here to protect you." She listened closely for a response, and I looked at Prim's screen. She was huddled in her shelter, afraid to move. Please Prim. Please just let her know where you are. It was dark by now, so Sydney would never be able to see the shelter clearly. I saw her punch a nearby tree in frustration and grab her side. "Come on Katniss, help me out here." I thought hard about a way to lead her to Prim's hiding place, but I couldn't think of anything. Then I heard a subtle whistle. Four notes, strung together in a specific succession. It was the signal to let you know that everything was ok. The signal Rue and I had used to find each other.
To any other competitor that could possibly be around them, it would mean nothing, but I knew that Prim remembered it. I had talked about Rue a lot with Sydney, and had explained to her why sometimes I whistled to tune absentmindedly while I worked. Sydney turned towards the noise, and repeated it verbatim. They went back and forth like that until Sydney was right next to Prim's tree. She was in the middle of whistling the notes again, when Prim popped out from her hiding place. "Sydney." She whispered.
Sydney turned around and saw Prim, then she grinned and went over to her. She hugged her tightly. "I can't believe I found you." She laughed at the impossibility of it all. "I guess we have your sister to thank for that. She smiled and tossled Prim's hair. Then looked to the sky and nodded slightly, acknowledging my help. I couldn't stop from beaming ear to ear. They were together now, and they had a chance to survive this.
I turned around again and smiled at President Snow. He shook his head and scoffed, leaving the room in disgust. I looked over at Bartimaeus, and he held his hand below the table. I slapped it, and he winked at me. "Good job kid. Now we can keep our good eye on both of them." It felt nice to have an ally in the control room. I knew Bartimaeus was a Capitol citizen, but he was helping me, and he had opened the force field to let me see Prim. He was supposed to be my enemy, but I kind of liked this man with the purple hair.
I looked back at the screens as Sydney and Prim were making their way inside Prim's shelter. It looked pretty secure, and Sydney complimented Prim on her handy work. Prim noticed Sydney's injury for the first time.
"What happned?" She asked, concerned.
"Knife wound. They can only get me when my back's turned." She tried to laugh, but I saw her grimace. Sprinting through the forest had taken its toll on her, and she had clearly lost a lot of blood.
"Luckily," Prim said with a smile, "I know just how to cure that." She went to the corner of her hut and pulled out some herbs and some medicine from her pack. "I collected these on my way through the forest. They help heal skin wounds. The medicine I found in my pack. It helps fight infection." She gave Sydney the medicine to swallow, and put the herbs over her cut. Sydney inhaled sharply, and I could almost hear her skin sizzle. She grabbed Prim's arm, attempting to stop her from continuing, but Prim just raised her eyebrows. Sydney reluctantly pulled her arm away and let Prim do her thing. Prim took out a clean piece of cloth that she said was from a blanket also in her pack, and wrapped it around the wound.
"Better?" She asked. Sydney shifted a little bit, but nodded.
"I guess we'll find out for sure in the morning." She said, settling into a corner of the hut.
"Make it rain." I announced to the game maker who controlled weather. "I want the footsteps gone. Besides, I think we've seen enough carnage for today." He nodded at me and pressed a button, and the thunder boomed in the sky. To my relief, Prim's shelter held up and her and Sydney were kept dry. They huddled together for warmth and decided to fall asleep.
"Sydney?" Prim asked with a yawn.
"Yes Primrose?" Sydney answered, her eyes still closed.
"What do we do now?" She sounded afraid when she said it, and I knew Prim was thinking the same thing I was. Sure they were together, and that would keep them safe, but there could only be one victor. The thought tugged on the back of my mind as I watched them lay together.
"We pray for a miracle." Sydney answered, and I knew she realized it too. As I typed in the code to flash the pictures of those who had died in the arena today, I sighed at the bleakness of the situation. We would need one hell of a miracle to make our way out of this one.
I slammed my fist against the table and let out a frustrated yell. "So you're just going to sit here and do nothing while the Capitol murders them?" I said, looking up at President Coin. She was one hell of a terrible leader, and I was tired of putting up with her bullshit.
"What do you suggest we do Mr. Mellark? I know you have your personal concerns, but there is a bigger picture we have to look at here. Not all of us are so self-centered as to put one person above an entire rebellion. I know you care for Ms. Everdeen, but she isn't more important than our entire cause." She answered me, cold and unyielding.
I rarely spoke directly with President Coin, but each time I did, I hated her more and more. This wasn't just about Katniss, it was about all of the remaining tributes. I had been there, I had lived through the games. No one deserved to go through that, and wasn't it our job to stop the evils of the Capitol? "Your daughter's in there!" I shouted angrily. "I know you're a cold heartless bitch, but surely you care about her."
"So you suggest that I take up the surrender that President Snow offered? You're saying that I should give everything up to save a few lives?" She spoke with such disdain that it sickened me. A few lives? One of those people was her child.
"You're showing your weakness." I answered darkly. "You're letting President Snow play his sick little games, and you aren't doing a thing to try and stop him. You think the people of Panem are still going to love us if we let them put on a Hunger Games in the middle of a rebellion? We need to do something."
"Peeta, calm down." Haymitch said, putting his hand on my arm. I looked past him at the screen that was broadcasting the games. The anthem of Panem had just finished, and Caesar Flickerman was on to recap the day's events. I was happy that Sydney and Prim had both made it out alive and were on a team together. I knew it was probably killing Katniss to see them go through this, but I also knew she was strong enough to keep her head clear and do everything that she could to help them.
I thought back to the day when Katniss had volunteered for Prim at the reaping. I had seen the panic in her eyes as Prim's name got called. I watched her as she walked bravely up the stairs to meet Effie Trinket, and my heart ached at what I thought would be the last time I saw her alive. Of course I had no idea that my name would be called next.
She had been so strong then. I had fallen in love with her all over again. Her devotion to her family and her strong will were two of her most attractive qualities. My heart hurt thinking about Katniss. I missed her so much that it tore a little piece of my heart out each day. I needed her to bring it back together, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do to save her. When she had first gone missing, I had gone crazy. I destroyed my room in the apartment, and I had a mental break and just sat on my bed and stared at the floor for almost an entire day. I didn't move. I didn't acknowledge the people who had tried to talk to me. None of it mattered without Katniss. I had worked so hard to keep her safe, and now she was gone.
It was Haymitch who had finally snapped me out of it. I was just sitting in the same spot, not knowing how I would function without her, when I felt something hit me hard in the face. I was knocked off the bed and sprawled onto the floor, clutching my jaw. Pain racked my head and I felt my skull pounding. Then, someone pushed me up against the wall, and Haymitch's face came into focus.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled, slapping me again. "You think moping around here is gonna help? Wake up Peeta. She's gone, but she isn't lost. Snap out of this stupid depression and go find her." He slapped me one more time, then let me go. As he was walking out the door he paused. "You're the only one who can save her Peeta. We need you."
That had brought my head back into the game. I threw myself into the search. I went into the woods that very same day, teaming up with Furman and Finnick to comb out each section of the forest around thirteen. When they got tired and went back underground, I kept going. I wouldn't rest until I found her. I canvased every inch of woods personally, and that's when I ran into Gale.
I heard a noise coming towards me from the distance. I ducked behind a tree and froze. It was the middle of the night, so there shouldn't have been anyone else out here. I thought I was alone. I took a deep breath and launched myself out from cover, raising my rifle. "Don't move!" I yelled at what I assumed to be a Capitol soldier. I saw his gun raised back at me, and it took me a second to register that it wasn't an enemy soldier.
"Gale?" I asked, lowering my gun. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night. Everyone's given up by now." I knew that Coin had called off the search. It had been three days, and she assumed Katniss and Sydney had either run away or died, so she figured she would put her focus back on the war and the invasion of the Capitol.
"Same thing you are." He answered, lowering his rifle until it pointed at the ground. I rolled my eyes. His undying love for Katniss got on my nerves. "Don't worry." He said, shaking his head. "Its not Katniss I'm looking for." He stared at his boots, and I could see the sadness in his eyes, then I remembered what Katniss had told me about Gale and Sydney, and I felt bad for judging him.
"I'm sorry. I forgot that you—"
"Its fine. I'm sorry I bumped into you." He turned and started to walk away. I felt like such an asshole. I was still mad over the whole him trying to kill me thing, but he had more than made up for it, and we were just starting to be able to stand each other.
"It'd be more effective if we worked together." I shouted out to him. He stopped and turned back to face me. His eyes narrowed like he was trying to figure out if I was sincere. "Look, we've both lost someone we love. If you care about Sydney half as much as I care about Katniss, you'll do anything to find her. Coin may have given up, but we don't have to." I offered my hand out to shake, showing that I meant it. He thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed it, nodding his head.
From that day on, we barely rested. We visited every single district one by one. We started in the ruins of twelve, checking to see if something had gone wrong and they had to escape somewhere. We knew they hadn't run. They wouldn't abandon us like that. When we didn't find them, we moved on. We searched Capitol bases, and invaded every Capitol prison we knew of because eventually we came to the conclusion that they had been captured. It was either that or dead, and I didn't even want to consider that possibility.
At first, we mostly just kept quiet. Gale wasn't a big talker. He reminded me of Katniss in that way. We traveled in an armored truck that we borrowed from thirteen, and we took turns sleeping in the back. He was a good traveling companion. He never complained and he always had my back when we went into a dangerous district. We never really talked about more than our plans for the next day until one night when we had stopped to make camp on the side of the road in district ten. We could have stayed with the army or in the home of a rebellion sympathizer because these were our districts, but we came to a silent consensus that we were better off alone. I set up a fire and we cooked the rabbits that Gale had caught in the woods. We were just eating in our traditional comfortable silence until he spoke up.
"What do you miss most?" He asked, looking down at his food. "About Katniss." I was kind of stunned. I figured Katniss was an awkward topic considering he had basically tried to kill me for sleeping with her, so I didn't know what he was playing at.
"I miss Sydney's smile." He said when I didn't respond. "I miss the way that it was infectious. Like you couldn't help but smile when she was. I didn't realize how much the little things mattered until they weren't there any more. I don't think I've smiled once since she's been gone."
I stared at the ground, pondering whether or not to answer his question. Talking about Katniss made my heart ache, and I always felt like I wanted to cry, but Gale had been so honest with me, I felt like I owed it to him to answer. "I just miss her being there. Even if it was quiet, with her there, I never felt alone. Sleeping alone is the worst. Its like something is missing from my body, and I can't rest without getting it back. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and panic, then when I realize she's not next to me, I try to remember where she went, and when I realize I don't know, I get up and go hit something. Eventually I just stopped sleeping in my bed when we were still in thirteen. She's such a huge part of my life that living without her is like torture."
I knew I had been rambling, but when I looked up I saw that Gale had been listening the whole time. "You really love her don't you?" He asked, staring hard at me.
"More than anything." I answered honestly. I didn't think it made him angry anymore, my love for Katniss. He had apologized for being an asshole, and ever since then he had been nothing but friendly to both of us. I didn't know if he realized she would never love him or if he had just fallen really hard for Sydney. Either way, he was moving on from her.
"I thought I did." He said with a chuckle. "I honestly thought I was in love with her. That's why I was so angry about…what happened with you two. But lately, I know that wasn't real love. Real love has to be reciprocated, and it wasn't. Not at all." He sighed. "I know what I have with Sydney is real. That's another reason why I doubt my true feelings for Katniss. When I look at Sydney or think about her, its unlike anything I've felt before. I did love Katniss in a way, but it was nothing like that feeling I get when Sydney's around. I'm not really good with words, so I can't describe it to you, but it's like when she's there—"
"Nothing else matters. She ignites every good feeling in your body. It feels like you're on fire when she's around, and you believe that you can do anything as long as she's there. You know that you don't need anyone or anything else, and that if you only had her by your side for the rest of your life, you would be a very happy man." I finished his sentence for him. He laughed and nodded his head.
"Exactly." We finished eating in silence, but it was different. There was an understanding between us now. We put out the fire and got back into the truck, ready to make our way to the next district. It was my turn to drive, and Gale climbed into the back to get some sleep. "We're going to find them Peeta." He said firmly. "We're going to bring them back with us." I nodded my head. We had to. I couldn't live without Katniss, and from what we had just talked about, Gale felt the same way about Sydney.
But we didn't. We searched every district. We combed through each city center and each outlying village, and still we didn't find them. When we finished with district one, we considered going in to the Capitol. We knew their largest prison was there, so it was very possible Sydney and Katniss were being held captive in it. Eventually, we decided that was a poor decision, and we headed back to thirteen empty-handed.
Ever since we had talked that night outside district ten, our travels weren't so quiet. Most of the time one of us was sleeping, but when we were both awake we talked more. We discussed what we thought our next move should be in the war, how evil we thought Coin was. I told him about the games and my experiences inside the Capitol, and he talked about living in the Seam and working in the mines. I found out that I had more in common with Gale than I could have ever imagined, but I also discovered that we were different in more ways than I though.
Gale ranted about the evils of the Capitol. He was so passionate about his hatred for absolute power and his willingness to do anything to destroy it. I was more laid back. Sure I hated them, but I bided my time and tried to use their mistakes to my advantage. His methods for getting information were also different from mine. Gale's temper flared up at the slightest provocation, and once I had to stop him from killing someone with his bare hands. We had been in district two, and we were asking the mayor if he knew anything about Katniss and Sydney. The mayor refused to assist us with our search, and Gale got frustrated.
"Do you know anything?" I asked again, sighing. "We just want to find them. If they're being held captive, we need to know." This man was one of the most self-absorbed, ignorant people I had ever met. He laughed in our faces when we asked for his help, and it was only after Gale forced the door open that we got in. "Please, just help us."
"I don't associate with rebels." He answered in his uppity voice. We had almost won over district two, but this Capitol controlled mayor was still in charge here, so it was clear we weren't welcome. "I don't know where those girls are, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you, I don't—" Gale was on him before he could get the words out. He pushed him up against a wall and held his hand around the man's throat, the other one pushing on his chest. The mayor was a small, squirly man, so he didn't stand a chance to fight against Gale.
"Tell us what you know!" He yelled, tightening his grip. I saw the mayor claw at his throat, but Gale wouldn't back down. "I know you know something, now tell us." I heard the man choking, trying everything he could to get fresh air. His face turned purple, and I saw his eyes begin to roll into his head.
"Gale!" I pulled on his shoulder. "Get off of him! He doesn't know anything." I tried to pull him off, but he brushed me away. He was going to murder this innocent man. "That's enough Gale!" I said, shoving him hard. His grip on the mayor loosened, and he let go of his throat. The mayor fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. I pushed Gale's shoulder and yelled in his face. "Don't stoop to their level, man. We don't murder innocent people to get what we want. Use your head once in a while." He pushed me away and walked out the door back to our car. I apologized to the mayor, and followed him.
After that day, I had to be on guard for any lashing out that Gale could do. I did most of the talking with mayors and professionals, while Gale combed the streets and spoke to the common people. It worked better that way, because Gale sympathized with them, and they liked him. When he wasn't being a raving lunatic, Gale was a really cool guy. He was laid back, and he joked around a lot. He often commented on my terrible driving, which I knew was true. It had been the only part of military training that I was bad at. He was someone I could trust and confide in. It was almost like having my brothers back again, and I liked that feeling.
I thought the pain of my family would go away after a while, but it never did. Every time I thought of them, my head throbbed and my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. I just wish I could see them, one more time. I missed them so much. When I looked at Katniss interacting with her sister and mother, or Gale playing with his younger siblings, I couldn't help but be angry. I knew it wasn't their fault, but it wasn't fair that they got to keep their families while mine had died. I wasn't angry with them, I was angry with the Capitol. I wanted to make sure that they never did that to anyone else. That they never made anyone feel like I felt every single day. That's why I'll never forget the moment that I found out President Coin had traded Prim over to the Capitol in a deal with President Snow.
Prim and I had become extremely close over the past few months. Katniss and I often had dinner with her family, and it was one of the highlights of my week. Being around her family was like having my own back, and I came to love Prim as my own sister. She was a hilarious and fun-loving kid, and her heart was so pure that it made me believe in the goodness in people again. After Katniss had disappeared, I had gone to her and her mother and we had spent some time together, and I had promised Prim that I would save her sister.
When I came back from my search with Gale, I was already feeling angry for finding nothing. I went to Katniss' family's apartment, and when I knocked on the door, there was no answer. I stood outside for a long time, until finally I decided to just go in. I found Mrs. Everdeen lying on the couch, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Something wasn't right. I ran over to her and shook her shoulder. "Mrs. Everdeen." I said. "Mrs. Everdeen what happened? Where's Prim?" She didn't say anything, so I picked her up and carried her to the medical wing. I brought her in to the emergency sector and asked if there was anything they could do to help. The nurse looked up her file, and her friendly smile faded.
"You didn't hear?" She asked in a sympathetic whisper. "They took her daughter." I shook my head. Of course I knew about Katniss.
"I know, Katniss disappeared, but I saw her before and she wasn't like this. She was trying to find her, she was trying to fight." There had to be some mistake. Maybe Mrs. Everdeen had a stroke or something.
"No, not her. They took her other daughter. President Coin traded little Primrose in a deal with the Capitol." I backed out of the hospital, stunned at what I had just heard. Not Prim. Why had she done that? I knew President Coin was evil, but this was just sick. I turned around and sprinted to the command room. I threw open the doors, and it took everything in me to not attack Coin.
"How could you do this!" I yelled at her, slamming my fist on the table. "Prim? Why the hell would you hand her over to the Capitol? She's just a kid!" Her expression didn't change. There was no remorse. No sympathy. It was like she actually thought she had done the right thing.
"It needed to be done. Two kids who could do nothing for the war in exchange for POWs who could help us fight. It was a small price to pay really. He asked for one boy and one girl from district twelve, so I obliged. Those were good men he had captured, and I figured that it was worth it."
"But you had to choose Prim?" I said, fuming. "Katniss' sister? You had to choose her? There are at least fifty girls here from district twelve."
"It was random." Coin said, matter-of-factly. "I guess little Ms. Everdeen doesn't have much luck with random drawings does she?" The reaping. Coin was cruel. I knew it wasn't random, but it wouldn't be hard for her to fake that it was. The public didn't know about Coin's personal vendetta against Katniss, so they would never suspect she had done it on purpose. She could probably even convince them that trading children wasn't a cruel, inhumane thing to do.
When the games were announced, it got worse. We received a message from the Capitol to tune into a special program that night at precisely seven o'clock, so we all gathered in the command room and awaited the message on the screen. When seven rolled around, we held our breath as the anthem of Panem played in the speakers above our heads. When the chariots started to roll down the runway, the horror that we felt at that moment was quadrupled as soon as Prim appeared, then when Sydney rolled onto the screen, I looked over at Gale, and he balled his hand into a fist and thrust it into the wall at his left. He punched it over and over and over again until blood ran down his knuckles and his face was red. We were all just quiet, letting the shock of the moment set in.
Then, President Snow and the game makers were flashed onto the screen, and I gasped when I saw Katniss was up there with them. It had been so long since I had seen her face, and I felt my heart drop when I looked at her. The makeup professionals in the Capitol had tried to hide it, but I could see that she had suffered during her time there. Parts of her face were yellower than others, and there were dark bags under her eyes that no makeup could cover. I could also see how confused and angry she was over what was happening. I wanted to strangle every single citizen of the Capitol for hurting her. I wanted to be with her now and help her if I could. I wanted to hold her and protect her and make everything ok, but I could only stand here and watch the painful expression on her face.
She was announced as head game maker, and I heard Coin talk of treason and betrayal. "You think she did this on purpose?" I spat at her. I was sick of her unnecessary hatred for Katniss. It was clear that this was against her will. "Are you really that stupid? I know you hate her, but you honestly think she would work with the Capitol? After all she's been through?" Coin glared at me, but backed down. It was clear that Katniss and Sydney had been in Snow's clutches the whole time, and now he had pulled Prim into it as well. He had outsmarted Coin, and that made her angry.
For a few days, we just watched and waited. There was nothing to see during the training, so we all went back to our normal activities. Then, the scores were assigned and the interviews were conducted, and we all gathered nervously around the screen the morning the games were supposed to begin. Beetee had tried to jam the television signals, but the Capitol had rigged it so that was impossible. They were one step ahead of us in everye way.
I didn't get to see Katniss on camera again. I guess the Capitol decided it was in their best interest to not interview her this year, so she was kept behind the scenes. When the buzzer sounded and the games begin, I got to watch in horror while children slaughtered each other left and right. I had thought the games were gone for good, but I was wrong.
I held my breath while Prim made her harrowing escape from the Cornucopia. She was smart enough to run away, but it wasn't her intelligence that I doubted. She picked up a small pack and fled into the woods as fast as she could. She would survive today. That was one small victory.
Sydney on the other hand, had decided to fight. I watched Gale's face as she fiercely defended her territory and destroyed anyone who came within feet of her. When the day was over, she was left with the careers, but I suspected it wouldn't be for long. I saw her growing more and more angry with them, and I could tell she despised their leader, Emanuel. When they threatened Prim, I was surprised when Sydney came to her defense. Then I remembered what Emanuel had said in the interviews about killing Katniss' best friend. I didn't know whom he was referring to, because as far as I knew Katniss didn't have any friends. Then I saw Sydney defend Katniss' honor when it was her turn for an interview, and she mentioned that they were cell-mates, so I made the connection that they had become friends. It made me feel a little better about Katniss' time as a captive. At least she hadn't been totally alone.
The boy from district two had tried to attack Sydney when her back was turned, and I thought it was over her when the knife sliced her side, but she was too quick for him, and she killed him like it was nothing. I had always known Sydney was ruthless, but watching her snap his neck made me wary. I was glad I wasn't on her bad side.
I saw the tension in Gale's forehead. I knew every second she was out there was killing him, and I was grateful that at least Katniss wasn't in the games, but I knew she was dealing with a whole different set of problems. I could only imagine the torture she was going through having to become the thing she hated most. I knew that Snow was holding something over her head, so she had no choice but to obey. My heart ached for the pain she was going through, and I knew how bad it was to watch Prim compete for myself, so I couldn't bear to think about how bad it was for her. Then on top of that, she had to watch her friend fight as well.
I couldn't help but smile when Katniss felled the trees to lead Sydney to Prim. They worked well as a team, even when they weren't together. I looked at Gale again, and while he was still grimacing, I could see that he was proud of her. They finally found each other, and our worries were done for the day. When I heard their conversation about staying alive, I knew we had to do something, so I had asked the powers around me if there was anything we could do to help. And here we were, arguing about what our next move should be
"Listen, the boy's right." Haymitch said to Coin. "We need to do something to prove we haven't given up. We can win them over right now, I know we can." He looked around the room at the generals and leaders of district thirteen. "Any suggestions?" He asked dryly.
"The Capitol is weak right now." It was Commander Jacobs who finally spoke up. "All of their focus is on the games. I have reports from our troops that the Peacekeeper force on the outskirts of the city has diminished. Several of our spies have been able to get through enemy lines undetected."
"So what are we supposed to do about it?" Coin asked suspiciously. I hoped her anger over being shown up by President Snow was enough to push her into action.
Haymitch grinned. "We've been waiting for this moment for a long time, ladies and gentleman. I think its time we take our chances. I think its time we end this war, in one foul swoop." I could see Coin weighing the options in her head, and I knew she knew he was right. We had to attack the Capitol now. She nodded.
"Wait!" I said as they began to disperse and prepare for the upcoming battle. "That could take days to get ready for. What about Sydney and Prim? What about the Games?"
Haymitch sighed. "We can send a craft to the arena. Jam their systems and pull the force field away. Rescue who ever is left when we get there." He looked up at me. "Let's just hope your girlfriend can keep them alive until then."