Let me just take a moment to say thank you and to clear a few things up.
Firstly, thank you to everyone for your unyielding support! Your reviews and follows keep me writing so thank you.
I hope most of you, if not all of you, have read the Hunger Games/seen the films. I try not to reveal spoilers but I did point out that this follows the book to a point so I hope I haven't ruined anything for anyone. That being said, Peeta's hijacking in the books is a source of controversy and confusion. Since Peeta is the only known surviving victim of such a heinous crime, the rebels and Katniss have no idea how to truly help him. When I go back and forth in these scenes it is because I might have seen a glimpse of the old Peeta in those particular parts in the book. Mockingjay was my favorite of the trilogy but it's definitely the most tragic. But because we see everything in Katniss's POV, I feel like we miss a lot about the hijacking and the rebel cause in general. So that is why I decided not to do POV in this particular fic (although, surprise, I have started a new Hunger Games fic that IS POV, so you can look forward to that ;)
Furthermore, the next few chapters, I try to take a bit of the text directly from the book so you can clearly see what is happening with this mission. As always, I do not own these amazing characters and all credit goes to Suzanne Collins.
So I hope I haven't driven you all to frustration. Trust me, reading about Peeta's hijacking was the hardest part of me because I fell in love with this character and just wanted him and Katniss both to have a happy ending. I won't reveal anything more but I DO plan to write well past the end of Mockingjay, so you can see what became of the characters, at least in my eyes. Bear with me and I promise I will continue to try to move you to tears and laughter and a flood of emotions ;)
Love and pixie dust to you all! XOXO
XXI.
Boggs stomped back into the camp and everyone stared at him warily. He snapped at Jackson to set up a two-person round the clock guard on Peeta.
"And don't even think of trying anything," he snarled at Peeta. Peeta crossed his arms, his face impassive.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Katniss swallowed and Boggs gestured for her to follow him.
When they were away from the others, Boggs whirled around and found Katniss's wide eyes on him.
"She wants me dead."
"Soldier Everdeen, that's not-"
"He'll kill me, Boggs. Especially here, where there are so many bad memories to set him off."
"I'll keep him contained, Katniss."
"Why does Coin want me dead now?"
"She denies she does."
"But YOU know better." Boggs shook his head.
"Here's as much as I know. The president doesn't like you. She never did. It was Peeta she wanted rescued from the arena, but no one else agreed. It made matters worse when you forced her to give the other victors immunity. But even that could be overlooked in view of how well you've performed. What it really is…well, sometime in the near future, this war will be resolved. A new leader will be chosen. I'm not saying it will be you but think about this. You'll throw support to someone. Would it be President Coin? Or someone else?"
"I don't know. I've never thought about it."
"If your immediate answer isn't Coin, then you're a threat. You're the face of the rebellion. You may have more influence than any other single person. Outwardly, the most you've ever done is tolerated her."
"So…she'll kill me to shut me up? She'll make me a martyr? You think that would work, for the rebellion?" Her heart sank when she saw his eyes flick downwards.
"She doesn't really need you as a rallying point now. As she said, your primary objective, to unite the districts, has succeeded and these current propos could be done without you. There's only one last thing you could do to add fire to the rebellion. Give us a martyr to fight for."
Katniss swallowed, feeling sick again. She hadn't eaten much in the past few days so she wondered what on earth she could throw up. Her hand went to her belly and she said a silent apology to her child.
"But I'm not going to let that happen, Katniss. I plan on you having a long life. You deserve it. Come on, let's get back."
When they returned, Peeta was pitching his tent and Jackson was making notes on her clipboard.
"What time is my watch?" Katniss asked. Jackson blinked.
"I didn't put you in the rotation."
"And why not?"
"Because I know you wouldn't shoot Peeta."
"Shoot him? Why would we shoot him?"
"If it came down to him killing you, your life comes first, Soldier Everdeen." That only angered Katniss.
"Put me on the damn rotation!"
"Midnight to four. You're on with me," Jackson said with a shake of her head. Nodding, Katniss turned away to find her path blocked by Gale.
"Do you want me to kill him?"
"Shut up Gale," she said angrily, shoving past him. She was again blocked, this time by Cressida, and she huffed impatiently.
"What now?"
"Take a walk with me, Katniss," she said pleasantly. Katniss reluctantly followed her down the sloping hill, away from camp. Cressida looked around to make sure they weren't being watched and she leaned in closer.
"Look Katniss, I have a huge dilemma here. A pregnant Victor of the Hunger Games is big news by itself. But a pregnant Victor of the Hunger Games who is also leading the rebellion as the Mockingjay…that could be the biggest break of my life." Katniss's mouth had gone dry and she tried to swallow.
"I don't…I don't know what you're-"
"Don't play dumb, Katniss, it's not very becoming. Your Mockingjay uniform that Cinna designed doesn't even fit. Strange, only certain parts of you are starting to grow despite your conditions and turmoil. If Coin heard about it, you would be a serious target. If Plutarch heard, he would exploit you and your child and you would never be left alone, for the rest of your lives." Katniss felt her knees weaken and she wished someone would just descend upon her and kill her now. Cressida was a serious film director and would do about anything for her stories. She had followed Katniss and Gale and the others up to the roof when they had shot down the hovercrafts in 8. She was staring at the ground and saw Cressida's pointed-toe shoes shift in the dirt.
"But I've gotten to know you, Katniss, and I never realized how sad you really were. Truly, when I watched you in the Games, I knew your story was different but I didn't really understand why you isolated yourself. I have come to respect you and care for you. And I would hate to see you harmed in any way. Which is why I will keep your secret. I do, however, ask a favor of you. After you defeat the Capitol and you start to show, you will let me be the first to interview you about the pregnancy." It was only fair, Katniss decided, and she started to nod but bit her lip, thinking about her previous decision.
"If I'm alive, Cressida…of course you can be the first with the story."
"What does that mean? You're not even going into battle."
"I'm going to be the one to kill Snow, Cressida. I made up my mind when I left District 13 that I would do everything in my power to bring down the Capitol and to lead the rebels to victory. Even if that means my life. I didn't even say goodbye to Peeta, because I realized that I wasn't coming back to him. I'm not expecting to survive this."
"You're a survivor, Katniss. We learned that in the Hunger Games. You will survive this. And when it's all over, you and Peeta can try to have a normal life, with your child." Katniss swallowed and her hands went to her stomach, just as it began to growl. She could practically hear her child begging for food. Cressida's eyes flicked downwards then back up at her.
"I'll meet you back at camp." And with that, she was gone.
Katniss trudged back into camp and found the others chatting around the fire, roasting something on a long stick. Peeta was playing the rope that Finnick had given him, tying and retying knots, and he shot Katniss a look when she sat down a little ways from him.
"Here Katniss, you should eat something," Gale said quietly, moving closer to her. But Katniss saw there was barely enough food for them all and she shook her head.
"You eat. I'm fine."
"Katniss," Gale said firmly.
"Leave it. I'm not hungry." Finnick shook his head but said nothing as the rest of the squad was watching. Cressida returned, her arms full of something and she sat a huge leaf in front of Katniss. Gale stared at the fish and berries on the leaf.
"Where the hell did you find that?"
"I have sources," Cressida said with a shrug, and she winked at Katniss before she retreated into her tent. Katniss devoured the fish and popped the cool blackberries in her mouth. Gale relaxed when he saw her eat and he finished his own meal in silence. Finnick rose and took a leaf of food to Peeta. Peeta shook his head but Finnick gave him a pointed look and pushed the food closer. Peeta succumbed to his hunger and ate as well. After everyone was finished, people started to retreat into their tents. Jackson loudly asked that Peeta sleep out in the open, just for the night at least, and he grudgingly agreed. Katniss sighed as she disappeared into her tent, once again frustrated that this was how they were treating him. Like a prisoner. Like something dangerous. Granted, he could be dangerous to Katniss but she honestly believed that he wouldn't hurt her. As she pulled the tent flap back, she cast one last look at Peeta, who had his knees pulled into his chest and he was leaning his chin against his knees, frantically tying knots. Katniss stifled a sob and disappeared into her tent.
The next morning was an early one and Cressida insisted they find some breakfast before they ventured into the streets. Katniss wondered if Cressida was more interested in a healthy baby for her headlines or because she genuinely cared about her. Cressida had mysteriously returned to camp with a few eggs and a few more berries. Katniss pressed two of the vitamins into her mouth and swallowed them down with a swig of water. Seeing the berries in her palm sent her into a wave of panic and she frantically looked over at Peeta, who was adjusting the strap of his gun. The watch last night had been miserable. Peeta had barely spoken two words to her and she had tried to play the 'real, not real' game with him but he had ignored her for most of the time. She hadn't slept and she had some serious bags under her eyes. Well, at least they wouldn't want to shoot propos with her looking like that, she decided. She still had a handful of berries left so she went over to Peeta and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned, his brow raised and he waited for her to say something. She was silent as she took his hand and transferred the berries to his palm. He looked down quickly then looked back at her and she gave him a small smile before she returned to her tent to retrieve her things.
It had been a long and uneventful day when the squad trudged back to camp. Several of the pods had been activated but luckily no one had been injured. Katniss collapsed next to Finnick and gratefully accepted the jerkey he offered her. Sighing, they ate their little meal in silence as they stared at the flickering flames in front of them.
"It's a bit too much like the Games for my taste," Finnick said quietly. Katniss glanced sideways at him and saw most of his face was hidden in shadow.
"We're on the move, to escape the other tributes or we are sitting around, waiting for the Game-Maker's next move. But you know that final time, that moment when you have to move in and kill or be killed, will come soon. When do we attack the Capitol? When do we move in on Snow?"
"It's stupid to think we have a shot at Snow while there are still Peacekeepers and enemies all around," Jackson snapped. "We have to make sure the area is clear, we have to let the rebels clear the city and then we will have our shot. Patience, Soldier Odair."
"Patience," Finnick snorted. "No one knows patience more than victors. You have to be patient and just wait. Wait to die. Wait to live. Wait to kill. Wait to be killed. Wait wait wait."
"Try doing all that waiting in a dark cell with your friends being tortured around you," Peeta spoke up from behind them. Everyone whirled around to find him staring into the flames, the burning evident in his dark eyes. "It's just like the arena. All you can do is wait. Except at least in the arena, you can move around. You can partially control your fate. In the cell, if someone decided to beat the shit out of you with pipes, you couldn't stop it. If they wanted to carve you like a turkey, you couldn't stop it. And the screaming. The screaming is so close. Like right beside you. And you have no power to help them." His fingers flexed nervously and Finnick moved to sit beside him, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Here," he handed Peeta a long piece of rope and Peeta's hands immediately started to make knots. He tore his eyes away from the flames and looked around at everyone, seeming surprised that they were all staring at him. His eyes rested on Pollux, one of Cressida's cameramen and his face softened.
"You're an Avox, aren't you? I can tell by the way you swallow. There were two Avoxes with me in prison. Darius and Lavinia, but the guards mostly called them the redheads. They'd been our servants in the Training Center, so they arrested them, too. I watched them being tortured to death. She was lucky. They used too much voltage and her heart stopped right off. It took days to finish him off. Beating, cutting off parts. They kept asking him questions, but he couldn't speak, he just made these horrible animal sounds. They didn't want information, you know? They wanted me to see it." Katniss felt sick and felt Gale's eyes on her. He remembered. Long ago, while they had been in the woods, they had watched a boy and a girl being taken by the Capitol. Years later, she had encountered the girl when she and Peeta had arrived in the Capitol for the first Games. Now they finally knew her name. Katniss excused herself and walked a ways away from everyone, leaning over to throw up in the bushes. She shakily wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and returned to the fire. Peeta and Gale both watched her sharply as she sat back down and didn't say a word. Finnick draped his arm around her shoulder.
"You should get some rest, little mockingjay. You look terrible."
"You don't look much better, Odair," she fired back but he smiled and pushed her toward her tent. She felt everyone's eyes on her as she closed the flap behind her. Great. Everyone was thinking she was weak. She would NOT appear weak to them. She would find a way to redeem herself in the morning.