The remaining days in 13 speed by me without much of a second thought. Every morning the squad starts off its day with a short workout followed by full time on the shooting range. I practice mostly with a gun, and to be honest, I don't think I will ever be used to the way it feels in my hands. Gale has been using a heavy-duty military style cross bow, while Beetee has designed a special trident for Finnick.
We practice on targets and eventually Peacekeeper dummies where we learn to hit the weak spots in their armor; our squad it remarkably accurate. Along with Gale, Finnick and myself, the squad is made up of five other soldiers from 13. Jackson is Boggs second in command. She is a middle-aged women with a sharp eye who can hit things the rest of us did not even see. There is also a pair of sisters who are identical to each other. The girls are in their twenties and named Leeg. We call them Leeg 1 and Leeg 2. There are also two older men, Mitchell and Homes who do not seem to say much but can easily hit a target from fifty yards away.
The next morning Plutarch comes in and begins to explain our group's status.
"Squad Four-Five-One, you have been selected for a special mission. We have a number of sharp shooters, but rather a dearth of camera crews. Therefore we have handpicked the eight of you to be our 'Star Squad.' You will be the on screen faces of the invasion."
I must say I am a little disappointed to not be of better use in this war, but by the looks of everyone else in the squad, I can tell they are much angrier then I.
"So what you're saying is that we won't be in any actual combat?" Snaps Gale with a disgusted look on his face.
"You will be in combat, but perhaps not always on the front line. If one can even isolate a front line in this type of way," says Plutarch.
"None of us wants that." Finnick remarks. His objection is accompanied by many others in the group. Everyone seems to have a negative opinion on this situation. But I on the other hand, stay silent.
"You're going to be as useful to the war effort as possible." Says Plutarch. "And it has been decided that you are of most value on television. Just look at the effect Peeta had at the hospital in District 8. Do you notice how he's the only one not complaining? He understands the power of the screen."
Everyone eyes turn to me and I suddenly feel very small. Maybe it is because I understand the power of a voice, or perhaps it is because even still, the thoughts of being thrust into the front lines of battle scares me. What ever it is, the others do not seem to be in favour of it.
"Don't worry!" Plutarch interrupts. "You'll have plenty of targets to hit. But don't get blown up. I've got enough on my plate without having to replace you. Now get to the Capitol and put on a good show."
The morning we ship out to the Capitol I am awake much earlier than I should be. I rise from bed and feel the cool concrete on my bare feet for what could be the last time. I exit my room and walk the familiar path down to Katniss' room. When I get there she is sleeping. No more shackles on her wrists on ankles. She is softly breathing, her chest rising and falling. I wish so badly that I could walk into her room and lie down next to her. I want to feel her warm breath on my cheek as she sleeps. But I can't do this, I am off to battle, and there is a significant chance that I may never see this girl again. I want to tell her that I love her, but I can't.
I press my hand up against the cool window to her room and feel the tears welling up in my eyes.
"Good morning Peeta." I hear a familiar voice ask.
"Prim!" I choke out. "Why are you up so early?"
"Same reason as you." She responds. "You're not the only one who loves her Peeta."
I give her a small smile back and nod my head.
"How are you feeling?" She asks, sounding so much older than ever before. This has all aged her significantly. She isn't the same little girl who stood on her tiptoes pressing her face up against the bakery window to admire the baked goods. She is much older, much wiser now.
"I'm better. I'm better knowing Snow can't reach you or reach Katniss. You're safe." I reply
"Next time we see each other we will free of him." She replies.
I reach for her and pull her close to me. She is still so small. I hug her as Katniss would, placing my hand upon the back of her head as if to keep her safe from the outside world.
"Be careful." She tells me.
We board a hovercraft and I sit next to the window as we take off, watching it all fade from me, watching Katniss fade from me.
"You're doing the right thing Peeta." Finnick takes a seat next to me and rests his hand against my knee.
I nod my head trying to convince myself that he is right.
We ride the rest of the trip in silence.
The hovercraft takes us to of all places, district 12, where a transportation train has been set up to take us to the Capitol. No fancy train cars this time, just empty boxcars filled with soldiers sleeping on their packs.
It's really an ironic train ride to be on. Another train ride taking me from District 12 to the Capitol, where I will fight for my life and for the life of the ones I love most in this world. Nothing has changed.
After a few days on the train we arrive inside a mountain tunnel that will lead us to the Capitol. We make the rest of the six-hour hike on foot.
When we emerge from the tunnel we enter into a rebel encampment. The camp is set up in ten-block stretch outside the train station, exactly where Katniss and I have entered the Capitol many times before. I shiver at the familiarity. The area is filled with soldiers this time, no Capitol citizens around. Our squad is assigned a spot to pitch our tents. This spot has been secured for over a week after many rebels invaded to push out Peacekeepers, many lives were lost in the process. The Peacekeepers pushed back deeper into the city where hundreds off pods are waiting for rebels to encounter. All areas are need to be screened before we can move forward.
"What about the risk of a hoverplane bombings?" Mitchell asks as we pitch our tents in an open area.
"Most of the Capitols air fleet was destroyed in the District 2 invasion. If the Capitol has anything left, they are withholding is. We will be safe hear." Boggs replies.
Safe. An interesting word choice for people in war I think to myself.
After three days it is clear that Squad 451 is suffering from boredom. Cressida and the crew take shots of us firing things that don't matter. Once in while a real sharpshooter service is needed, but Finnick, Gale, and myself are never chosen.
"I don't think they know what to do with the three of us." I say to Finnick.
"It's our own faults for being so camera ready." He replies
We both smile; a small glimpse of happiness in the midst of war.
After all the complaining about lack of participation, we are each handed a paper map of the Capitol. I note that it forms almost an exact square. We are told to study the grid and the streets that make by the different sectors of the Capitol. Gale looks rather annoyed by this mundane task. But I comply, because what else do I have to do at this point. I thought I knew the streets of the Capitol well after my several trips here. But it is much more complex than I once thought. The commanders are working off of an electronic holograph form of our paper versions known as the Holo. It produces images onto the screen and allows for one to zoom in and study any pods in the area. It is far more superior to any of our paper versions.
The Holo is activated by a specific commanders voice giving his or her name. Therefore is Boggs was killed or severely wounded it could be passed onto someone else. Also, if someone repeats "nightlock" three times is a row, the Holo will explode killing anyone and anything in a five-yard radius. This is so if someone was captured it would disable for security reasons. It is also widely understood that we would all like to be killed rather than be captured or tortured in the Capitol. After seeing Katniss return from torture I know now that I would never want that for anyone.
On the fourth morning the sun is brightly shining, but something tragic happens. Solider Leeg 2 hits a pod that is mislabelled. The pod shoots out a burst of metal darts and one dart finds her brain.
I scream and race to her. Leeg 1 is following closely behind. We watch the colour begin to drain from her face. I can hear Boggs call for a medic, but I can tell that they will not make it in time. Tears begin to fall from Leeg 2's eyes.
I place her head into my lap and her sister clutches her hand. I smooth the loose hair from her face.
"Look up." I tell her. "The clouds are magnificent today. It's amazing how when you live underground for so long you forget the beauty of them."
I watch her eyes slowly trace towards the sky.
I continue. "When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like to live in a cloud." Everything around me seems silent now. "I used to imagine my own world up there. Some place safe and warm, where I could just lie peacefully inside a little, fluffy cloud. It sounds wonderful if you ask me."
Leeg 2 gives me a small smile, but I can see her struggling to breath. Her sister places a gentle kiss atop her forehead and she is gone. Again I shiver at the familiarity.
Boggs informs us that there will be a speedy replacement. This makes me feel heavy. So easily it seems that we can replace a human a life. I reach for Leeg 1's hand. She squeezes mine gently, and does say anything else to anyone for the rest of the night.
The following evening the newest member of our squad arrives. I walk to the train to see if I recognize the newest recruit. When the train doors open I drop to my knees. No manacles. No guards. She steps down from the boxcar with a gun strapped across her shoulder. The tears rush to me eyes.
451 is stamped into Katniss' hand in fresh ink. How can this happen. The reason why I am here is so she does not have to be.
Betrayal is all I feel.
"Katniss what are you doing here?" Gale asks as I lift my head trying to stable myself.
Boggs is furious by her presence and exits to make a call.
"Calling won't matter." Katniss explains. "The president herself assigned me. She decided the propos needed some heating up I guess."
The anger inside of me builds. Coin lied to me. Her plan was always to send Katniss here. I know now her plan was never to save the Mockingjay.
Wow, where do I even begin. To start I think I should say that my intent was never to leave this story unfinished. I know that I have lost many readers in the process because I know if it was me, I would also get tired of waiting around for a story that was never undated. I started writing because I loved this story, and I loved these books. Than as my stories grew, the amount of people reading them did too. I am thankful for everyone who reads my story. For the people who have been around from the beginning and are still reading, I can not thank you enough for staying with me. My life has become so busy and things within it have changed. But I want to finish. You just need to be patient with me. In December I will have three full weeks off of work and school. I plan on finishing this story then. Thank you for your comments. Please feel free to let me know what you want to see next and your thoughts on this chapter. I will see you soon. XO