*surrenders to the mob of story followers* I surrender! I don't deserve you all! The night before I was supposed to update, I got a terrible earache, and it turned out to be infected. And I wasn't sleeping, and I was in pain, and I was down in bed all week. I love you, readers, and I'm so sorry. But I'm here now. And I also want to thank the anonymous reviewer I was so angry at because they apologized, and I was grateful. I overreacted a bit. And I appreciate all the positive encouragement when I posted my rant; it was nice to see some reader love. Now, here's chapter 20. (I think it's chapter 20. I seriously need to keep a record)
Disclaimer: * phone rings, barely audible over the rush of the wind on the back of Josh's motorcycle * Me: Watch out for that car!
Josh: I see it! * does some awesome maneuver to keep us from crashing *
* I pick up the phone * Mysterious voice: Alyssa? Is that you?
Me: Yeah! Are you ready to upload? * pulls out laptop and somehow gets it open while on a speeding motorcycle *
Voice: Yep! In 3…2…1…GO!
* we both press the button simultaneously despite being across the world from each other *
Me: Wait! There's one more thing I need to say before we lose our signal! Make sure you write at the top that I DON'T own The Hunger Games!
* signal dies out *
Chapter 20I push myself away from Peeta's side. "Tonight?" I say, outraged. The guard nods.
"It wasn't my decision, Miss Everdeen. President Coin made the decree herself," he says. I scoff at the use of the word "decree." It is almost as if she is a queen rather than a president. She has absolute rule in her District. How is she any different from Snow? The way she lies and plots and pushes around the people beneath her station do not set her apart from any selfish, power-crazed Capitol ruler.
"What do we need to do to be ready?" Peeta asks since I've remained silent.
"Put on these uniforms and meet by the clearing thirty minutes prior to departure." He drops two bundles of clothing on the ground in front of us. He salutes, and leaves. I pick up one of the bundles and inspect it. These new uniforms are different than the ones we've seen guards wearing. The dark green of those uniforms has been replaced by a solid black, highlighted by charcoal and gray in the camouflage pattern. On the shoulder of the right sleeve is the District 13 symbol stitched in silver thread. I move to go change, but Peeta's hand on my arm stops me.
"I think this one's yours," he smirks. I take the uniform from his hands and inspect it. It's the same as the other one, though it is considerably smaller, and on the left shoulder is an intricately embroidered depiction of my mockingjay pin. I sigh and roll my eyes.
"Well, I did sign up for this, I suppose. I guess I can handle my own "scarlet letter," I say, exasperated. I stand and walk towards the other side of the tree. With so much time on our hands and the amount of supplies being salvaged from the still hazardous District 13, Peeta and I have used our many blankets to create a makeshift curtain around ourselves. It wraps around the circumference of the trunk like a circular shower curtain. "Stay on your side," I order Peeta.
"I'm not making any promises," he teases, though I see his cheeks flush red just a bit. I smile at him. He teased me once about being pure, in that elevator, after our uncomfortable encounter with Johanna, but he's not exactly a corrupt soul. In fact, he's the most genuine, innocent person I've ever known.
I go to the opposite side of the tree, hopefully out of his line of sight, though I don't expect he'll peek. I take off my white District 13 everyday clothing and can't help but think I'm losing one uniform just to put on another. I sigh before stepping into the pants and then buttoning the shirt, which is rather loose against my small frame. I can't imagine how enormous Peeta's uniform would have been on me had he not noticed there was a difference. Tucking in my shirt and giving myself the best once-over that I can without a mirror, I decide I'm ready; however, I have to stop myself from stepping out on the off chance that Peeta isn't done yet. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Peeta? Are you, er, decent?"
He chuckles. "Katniss, you don't have to be so cautious. You've technically seen me naked before."
I wince at his words. "Not entirely. Just…nearly. I didn't…I didn't see what counts." I hear him laugh much louder this time. I wish he would tell me I could come out so that I can glare at him face-to-face. He finally stops laughing and pops his head around the trunk of the tree. "It's safe to come out now, Katniss. I'm not going to flash you," he says, widening his eyes and wiggling his fingers at me dramatically. I am glad to have the satisfaction of glowering at him personally. "Don't be like that," I warn him.
"I still can't get over it. He laughs again. "'What counts,'" he mocks. My face flushes a deep shade of red, and he notices. It seems to keep him quiet, at least for now. I take Peeta with me to say goodbye to Prim. She takes the news of our early departure better than I expected.
"Take care of yourself, Katniss. And take care of Peeta. How's that knee, Mellark?" Peeta scratches the back of his neck nervously. Prim lets him off the hook by turning her attention back to me. "I trust you to be safe. Just come back. And bring Finnick with you, okay?"
I nod and pull her to me in a tight hug. "I love you, Prim," I tell her. Though she already knows it of course. "I love you, too," she says, and pulls back a little to look me in the eye. "Be safe."
I nod once more and turn to my mother. She also tells me to be safe, though there are no reassurances that she loves me or even cares that I come home. I wonder if she told me to be safe simply for Prim's sake. It wouldn't be surprising. What is surprising is Prim's strength. She remains straight-faced, her features painted with concern, but not with fear or sadness. Though as I walk away, I turn back to her for a moment, and I think I see her eyes shining. Holding back tears. Peeta takes my hand and laces his fingers with mine. It is a simple gesture, not as noticeable as a hug, a kiss, or an arm around my shoulder. But it is what I want from him. Need from him. His subtle gestures are the ones that reassure me that I have made the right decision to let him get close to me. They prove how much he really loves me. I look at him, memorizing his features and his expression so I can remember this moment, so I can stay in it forever. Like that night on the roof before the Quell. He turns to me and holds my gaze. "What?" he asks me, his blue eyes showing that he is amused. "You keep staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"
"No, you don't have something on your face. I just happen to like your face. Or, looking at it, that is. I don't know. I'm terrible at compliments." He smiles, amused but not mocking like before. "I like your face, too," he grins, lifting my chin with one finger. I roll my eyes, yet I still lean into him. I close my eyes as our lips are about to meet, but they never do. I open them and look around. Peeta is looking over to our left. I discover that we've strolled close to the edge of the clearing, and so has Gale. His nose appears to be broken, and his lip is a bit swollen, but he seems to have retained no great injuries from the scuffle with Peeta. I look in the clearing and see that the hovercraft is preparing a little earlier than planned, as it is only about nine o'clock. I act quickly to avoid another confrontation.
"Peeta. We are going to walk away and get on the hovercraft. Okay? You are not going to speak to him. I don't care how he looks at you, or what he says to you; you have to leave him alone. This rescue mission is not about our petty fights with my…friend," I sneer at the word, but I can't think of how to describe our current situation. "This rescue mission is about Finnick. Not us."
He purses his lips, obviously upset, but he knows I am right. He cares too much about Finnick, Annie, and me to act on his anger. I take our joined hands and walk into the clearing, pulling him behind me. We check in with the guard by the hovercraft. He says that normally he wouldn't allow us onto the craft so early, but since I am the Mockingjay (he drags out the word) he will make an exception. Peeta thanks him, as I refuse to do so, and we get on board the hovercraft. I find us a seat near the front and settle in, though I don't fasten my seat belt because we still have quite a while to go.
"Hey, you should get some sleep before we head out. It'll be a long trip, and it may be too loud to sleep once everyone else boards," Peeta suggests.
"Thank you. That's really sweet, actually." I lean into his waiting embrace and get comfortable. I soon fall asleep, hoping that my nap will be a refreshing one. Because when it's over, I have work to do. I have to bring Finnick home.