We Didn't Start The Fire
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre
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Chapter Three: Another Brick in the Wall
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Last Time in We Didn't Start The Fire:
Behind a steel gray metal desk sits the grayest woman I have ever seen. Her hair blends seamlessly into her coverall and the only indication of her rank is a small badge on her upper left arm.
"Welcome to District Thirteen," she greets us. "We have a lot of work to do."
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I step forward before Katniss can say anything about President Coin's last sentence. There's assumptions in those words, that we're just going to play along with what Coin and District Thirteen want, and I know my wife will be very quick to disabuse them of those notions if she starts talking. We can't do that, not yet. We need to play their game until we're sure Madge is out of danger and our baby is delivered safely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Peeta Mellark." I extend my hand.
She takes it and shakes it firmly. "Mellark? I was given to understand you three were married."
"I am. We are." I motion to the three of us. "We just chose to keep our own names."
"I see," she murmurs even though I can tell she doesn't. A thought confirmed a moment later when she says, "I thought the tradition in your district was to take the name of the husband."
"Typically it is," I say. I realize now that I've unintentionally stumbled upon a landmine. Time to diffuse it. "But with two husbands, it didn't seem fair to make Katniss take both of our names. That'd be quite a mouthful. Katniss Mellark-Hawthorne. Or would it be Hawthorne-Mellark? You see, already we're running into confusion," I dissemble. I make sure that my features are schooled into a pleasant, non-threatening appearance as a contrast to both of my spouses' wary looks. "We're much better off each keeping our own name. We know that we're married." I close for the kill. "And, because we don't live in Twelve anymore, we wanted to start our own tradition rather than one encouraged by the Capitol."
"You make a valid point, Mr. Mellark," she concedes, nodding warmly. "I can see how throwing off the Capitol's yoke would influence you to start your own traditions. Although you must understand the confusion that you three will cause."
"They'll deal with it," Katniss says flatly. "What goes on between the three of us is nobody's business but ours." That's my girl. Rough. Abrasive. Stubborn and protective of those she loves, which now includes me. I'd been outside of that love for so long that it still warms my heart to realize I'm now in the close circle of those she holds dear.
Coin flicks her pale eyes to regard my wife. She's keeping her face carefully neutral, but I can see a hint of annoyance in those almost unearthly eyes at Katniss's words. With that flash, I know Coin isn't happy with the situation or with Katniss. Katniss says what she thinks. I can see how that wouldn't sit well with a woman as clearly conscious of rank and position as Coin. She'd see it as a challenge. My mother's the same way.
"You mentioned we have a lot of work to do," I interject. "What kind of work would we be doing?"
Coin returns her attention to me. I can tell she's sizing me up and she wants to know the reason why I, not Gale, seem to be the leader of our group. I'm not. But she doesn't know that. In fact, if we had to pick a leader, it'd be Katniss: Gale and I follow her lead. But in this situation, it's better for me to be the spokesperson. I've got experience handling difficult situations and I know how to use my words to keep us safe. Katniss and Gale are too direct, too honest, and I get the feeling that this woman is much more deceitful than she lets on.
An impression which is confirmed when Coin answers my question. "Ideally, you would just be creating propos to inspire those people in the districts who are still undecided about our cause." She pauses, probably for effect. "However, wars are rarely ideal. And it would be expected that you would be a rallying point for our troops as well as being the figureheads of our rebellion against the tyranny of the Capitol." Nothing about us actually leading said rebellion or having any real power. I suspect she plans on keeping that for herself.
"And how do you envision us being this rallying point?" I ask her politely.
"Can I speak frankly, Mr. Mellark?"
"Of course! By all means." I don't think she's going to be totally honest with us but I'll take anything that gets us out of this landmine-laden conversation.
"I don't envision you being a rallying point at all," she says bluntly. "Your story, while inspiring, is not the same cry to arms that Sweetgale's is."
"Gale," my husband interjects, his arms crossed over his chest. "My name is Gale."
"Of course." She nods. "Gale. Your story, Gale, of taking your family and fleeing into the wild to avoid the Reaping, along with the iconic symbol of the Mockingjay," she motions to Katniss, "is really what this rebellion requires. We have the symbol, thanks to your wife. All we need now is the man whose story can inspire us all."
I can see Katniss biting her lip to not correct Coin's interpretation. I'm glad to see she's sticking with our plan, even though I can tell it's eating at her. She's the most honest person I know, so misrepresenting herself like this is hard on her.
"It's not just my story," Gale says emphatically. "It's all of ours."
Coin frowns. "I'm not sure the public will respond to three figureheads."
It's pretty obvious that she's one of those people who is dead set on doing things her way. From the set of her jaw, I can tell nobody's challenged her before like we are now. Unfortunately for her, my husband and wife are just as stubborn as she is, and what's more, they have me. I've been in love with Katniss since I was five. If that's not stubborn, I don't know what is. Coin doesn't know it yet, but she's run into a mountain that she can't chip her way through. I know she's not going to be happy, but there's no way we're going to budge. She either gets all three of us or she gets none. Now I just need to find a way to spin it so she doesn't immediately reject it out of hand.
"They might respond better than you think," I begin. "After all, each of us represents a different group. Gale's the handsome masculine rebel, the guy who throws everything away and dives headfirst into new challenges and danger. He's the one who every man will want to be and every woman will want to be with." I catch Gale shooting me a look, asking me what the hell am I doing. I tilt my head, telling him to just trust me.
Coin nods her head. "I'm pleased to see that you've grasped exactly why we want Gale to be our Mockingjay."
"And that makes perfect sense," I say soothingly. "However, have you considered just how inspiring Katniss would be? She's the one who had the audacity to paint those symbols. She's the one who took the chance to spread the word, to inspire the rebellion. Without that symbol, would you even have a Mockingjay?" I ask rhetorically. I see Coin considering my point, so I press my advantage. "I would argue that you would not. You need people who are willing to stand up and rise up, not just to run away to fight, but who are willing to stay at home and continue supporting Panem while resisting the Capitol's yoke. Additionally, what you don't know about Katniss is that she was equally important in Gale's decision to run away. They left at the same time, with both of their families." I deliberately leave out that I was with them as the date of my defection is well known and we can't risk Coin finding out just how early Katniss and Gale left. It's better to keep the date a mystery, at least until we can get the story straight with Madge. "Katniss has now had the freedom to live her life with the men she loves and is starting a family with them. She's what every woman will dream of becoming and, perhaps more importantly, she's the symbol of the future. She's carrying the hope of the rebellion in her belly." It's a hunch, based off the fact that I haven't noticed any children in Thirteen. The children could be hidden or in another facility, but somehow I don't think so.
I can see my hunch has paid off when I catch Coin nodding thoughtfully. "You bring up a good point, Mr. Mellark."
"Please, call me Peeta."
"Alright, Peeta. I concede that Ms. Everdeen is an important figurehead, especially considering her breeder status." The term gives me pause. Breeder? I don't have a lot of time to consider what it could mean because Coin asks, "And what about yourself, Mr. Mellark? No, I'm sorry. Peeta. What can you offer our rebellion?"
I smile and spread my hands self-effacingly. "As I'm certain you might have noticed, I have a way with words. Katniss and Gale are inspiring, but they're not actors and since you've mentioned propos, I'm assuming that that means there'll be scripts? Lines to read? Speeches to give?"
"You are correct."
"Then you'll need me."
She raises her eyebrows. "How can you be so certain?"
I turn my eyes to my spouses and I feel my smile become more real. "Because I love them. I know them." I turn back to look at her. "I know their strengths and weaknesses and public speaking isn't either of their strengths."
"You've given me quite a bit to think about, Peeta," she says, drawing the conversation to a close. "Why don't I have one of my aides show you to your quarters? We'll discuss things further tomorrow."
"What about Madge?" Katniss asks.
"Your companion will be taken care of. I'm certain she's receiving the best medical care."
"Thank you," I say before Katniss can add more fuel to the fire. "I look forward to talking with you again." I don't. But we're going to have to. I just have a feeling that Coin is much more dangerous than we'd even guessed.
oOo
The aide, last name James first name not given, takes us through the bowels of Thirteen to a line of numbered and lettered doors. I notice as we're moving further and further into Thirteen that the air is becoming more dry. Recycled. I miss the fresh air of the area around our cave and the smell of rain on the wind. I can only imagine just how poorly Katniss and Gale are reacting to this.
I hazard a glance over at my husband and wife. As I expected, Katniss is chewing her lower lip. That's one of her tells. Normally she does it when she's nervous or uncertain of something, but lately she's been doing it when she wants to say something but doesn't feel she can. I can see her eyes flicking about the narrow gray hallways. She's never been one to be confined. And I can tell these walls bother her.
Gale is also looking uncomfortable. He's not as bad as Katniss, I suppose because before we left Twelve, he had consigned himself to working in the mines. But I make a mental note to add to our list of demands a room with a window that can open to the outside. Thirteen may not have them, but I'm not sure Katniss and Gale will be able to function without being able to see the sky.
A mockingjay has to fly free, and we are the Mockingjays.
The aide places his hand on a panel on the right hand side of a door. The portal slides open, revealing four bunk beds and a surprised woman standing in the middle of the room. She appears to be a little older than me, closer to Gale's age, with mud brown hair and the same pale pallor that everyone in Thirteen seems to have. "You're my new roommates!" she says. "I'm Robin Hawkins. You must be Sweetgale Hawthorne, our new Mockingjay. I've heard so much about you."
Gale frown deepens. "Then you would know not to call me Sweetgale. My name's Gale. When are you people going to get that through your heads?" It's apparently a very sore subject for him and I make a vow to tease him about it only when I know he's not going to snap.
"I'm sorry!" The woman takes a step back. "I didn't mean to upset you, they just told me that was your name when they gave out the room assignments."
"Wait what?" Katniss asks, her eyes flicking to the three narrow beds. "Are we all staying here?"
"Indeed, as you can see there are three available beds and last I checked there are three of you," the aide says, failing to keep his disapproval out of his tone.
I step forward before Gale or Katniss can explode at the man. "Um, excuse me, Mr. James. I think you might have been mistaken. We're all married. All three of us."
The man pulls out a rectangular tablet and consults it. "I don't see your union registered and you all have different last names..."
Katniss growls low in her throat.
"...There is no indication that you are officially married. Therefore I was informed that you three are to be boarded in the unpartnered persons barracks." There's an unmistakeable smugness in his tone when he delivers his statement.
"Fuck that," Gale snarls, stalking off down the hall.
Katniss and I share a look. This is bad. Gale's forgotten the plan to let me take the lead, and I'm afraid of what he's going to say or do. I hurry after him, but I'm unwilling to leave Katniss too far behind, which means our husband keeps getting further and further ahead. Behind us, I hear the aide, Mr. James, calling after us, trying to get us to come back. I'm not quite sure how Gale knows where he's going, since I'm completely lost, but both he and Katniss seem to be able to navigate through these identical hallways with ease.
We catch up to Gale just in time to see him stomp into President Coin's office.
Shit.
I hear a loud slam come from inside the office and I look through the door to see Gale with his hands placed on the desk, looming menacingly over Coin.
The president glares daggers at us for an instant before schooling her features, all of the hard earned goodwill from earlier gone.
Fuck. I don't know how I'm going to rescue this.
I note that Coin isn't alone in her office. Commander Boggs and Fulvia, the woman who came with him and Cressida to fetch us, are both there, along with an older gentleman who looks to be around President Coin's age with gray-flecked red hair, gray eyes, and a slightly redder complexion than I've seen in Thirteen. He's looking at us with an amused expression on his face to counter the shocked and angry ones on Fulvia and Boggs respectively.
Coin is doing her best to contain her anger, but it's clear that she's livid. She tilts her head up to regard Gale. "Is there something I can do for you, Gale?"
"What the fuck is up with these room arrangements?" he asks calmly, deliberately.
She blinks. "I beg your pardon?"
"Why are you shoving us in unpartnered persons living quarters? We told you we're married. All three of us. What part of that don't you understand?" My husband isn't yelling, in fact his voice has gone very quiet. I glance at his hands, his very expressive hands, and note that they're clenching and unclenching into fists. That tells me, more than anything, just how unlikely he is to back down on this right now.
"I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding," Coin tries to reason. "If you take this up with my aide, James, I'm certain this can get straightened out."
"Your aide seems to think that we're unmarried." Unspoken is why the aide would think that. There's an accusation in my husband's statement.
"You have to admit it is an unusual situation," Coin says smoothly. "Perhaps we can clear this up another time." She turns back toward Boggs, her body language signaling a clear dismissal.
It's immediately apparent to me that Coin is the one behind our lodgings. She doesn't seem surprised at Gale's words, only his anger. The real question is why.
Unfortunately, my husband's missed the cues. "We clear this up now!" Gale is adamant. He straightens up, crossing his arms over his chest.
Coin is equally unwilling to budge. "That is not an option."
"It better become an option. The three of us stay together in our own private quarters, otherwise you lose your Mockingjays," Gale vows and I try not to wince at his words. He's just backed Coin into a corner, and in front of witnesses. This is not good.
Coin's eyes go hard. She is beyond livid. The last time I saw that much anger in a person's eyes, my mother beat Farl and me to within an inch of our lives for ruining a batch of cookies. Coin is even more dangerous than my mother and instead of her fists, she's got other weapons to use against us.
But I understand why Gale is not willing to concede this point. I'm not pleased with the arrangements either. And I know Katniss is pissed too. But why would Coin do something that would so obviously anger her figurehead?
Then it hits me. The living arrangements are a test. I'm just not sure if we're passing or failing at the moment. It'd help if I knew just what we were being tested on, there are several possibilities and each one requires a different approach.
"I see." Coin draws out the last word. "You must understand that space is at a premium."
"Are you saying you don't have any place for us to sleep?" Katniss interjects pointedly. "We can always go back home."
"You did arrive quite unexpectedly," the woman tries to reason. "We don't have any quarters large enough to accommodate three full sized adults. The barracks are the best solution."
"And you always make pregnant women sleep in the barracks?" I ask, trying to keep my tone curious rather than accusatory.
The red haired man shoots Coin a startled look and I know I've hit on the right excuse for Gale's anger. I hate using Katniss's pregnancy like this but if it keeps us together and stops Gale and Katniss from leading us back into the minefield Coin's laid for us, I'll use any ammunition I have.
The man turns to Coin. "Alma, don't we have larger quarters set aside as incentive for potential breeders?" There's that term again. "I believe there are several available in the lower levels."
A micro-expression of rage flits across Coin's features before she schools them back into a politely concerned faҫade. "You are correct, Georges. I had forgotten about those."
"Then that seems to be our solution." A smile spreads across his ruddy face.
"I'll authorize the change," Coin says. "Although I should warn you, the bed may not be able to accommodate all three of you."
It's time for me to take over. "Your largest bed will be fine. We're used to sleeping together and we have trouble when we can't. And Katniss already has enough trouble sleeping, what with the baby and all." Deliberately, I rub the back of my neck. "I think that's what Gale is really trying to say. I told you that he wasn't the most eloquent out of the three of us." I smile slightly as if I'm embarrassed by the admission. "I hate to say it, but if you want us at our peak performance, we have to make sure that we're able to get a good night's sleep."
"Is there anything else?" It's clear from her tone that she wants us to leave.
Gale and I exchange a glance. This is as good of a time as any for us to lay out the rest of our demands. Delaying at this point won't help us, we've already burned our bridges. Also, the longer we wait, the more likely it is that our requests will be ignored or turned down. And there's the possibility we might have an ally in this red haired man, something we are currently lacking.
"I'm glad you asked," I say, stepping into my role as speaker. "There are a few conditions to us taking on the roles of Mockingjays."
Her eyes flash. "I'm listening."
"The first, and as you can tell, one of the most important, is that all three of us remain together and be acknowledged as a married trio. If there's paperwork we need to make it official to Thirteen, we'd be happy to fill it out," I concede, acknowledging her concern on that subject. "But we are married, all three of us." I let my tone indicate that I'm not going to budge there either. I might be the spokesperson, but I'm not a doormat.
"It's irregular, but I'll have an aide figure something out." She makes a note on a screen next to her. "The standard paperwork does not allow for more than two people in a union."
"When you're making the changes have the decency to refer to us by our proper names," Katniss says before I can speak. "He's Gale Hawthorne. Not Sweetgale. Gale. I'm Katniss Everdeen. Not Mrs. Mellark or Mrs. Hawthorne. Katniss Everdeen. He's Peeta Mellark. Got it?"
The red-haired man smiles at my wife, it's a real smile and it actually reaches his eyes. "I believe you've gotten your point across, Ms. Everdeen. I don't believe we've met. I'm General Georges Glenn, commander of District Thirteen's advance troops."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Glenn," I say and mean it.
He seems to hear it in my voice. "No, no, the pleasure's all mine, Mr. Mellark."
"Please, call me Peeta."
"Now that we have that out of the way," Coin steps in, annoyance coloring her tone, "are there any other demands the three of you might have?"
"Since we are changing our rooming assignments," I say, "we would like to request a room with a window or some kind of view or access to the outside."
All three people from Thirteen frown slightly. "That's a bit of a difficult request," General Glenn tells me. "Pregnant women are typically kept on the lower levels for their safety as well as proximity to both the nursery and medical facilities. Is there any particular reason why being on the uppermost level is so important?"
"Please don't take any offense at this, but Thirteen is a bit, well, confined." I'm being diplomatic. The place is downright claustrophobic compared to what we're used to. I struggle to explain without giving up too much. "All six of us have gotten used to coming and going as we please, being able to see the sky, smell the wind. We've gotten used to that freedom. It's even more important for Gale and Katniss. They've always roamed free, even back in Twelve. I feel it would help improve relations if this request could be honored. In addition, we'd be able to perform more efficiently." I pause slightly. Time to drop the next bombshell. "Also, our family is composed of more than just human members. Katniss's sister has cats, which leads us to another of our requirements. Prim gets to keep her cats."
"Just how many cats are we talking about?" Coin asks, her tone carefully neutral.
"She has two." I deliberately don't mention the fact that Dandelion is pregnant. "But considering that we brought Buttercup all the way from District Twelve during our escape and Dandelion was rescued as a kitten near our home, the loss would be quite devastating to all of us." I'm stretching the truth quite a bit. Both Gale and Katniss don't like the cats, and only see them as being useful for keeping away vermin. But we all know just how devastated Prim would be if she couldn't have her furry babies.
Coin's mouth becomes a thin line. I can tell she wants nothing to do with the cats and would probably eat them if she could. But she gives a terse nod. That's one point down. "You may have your cats."
I do a little internal victory dance. She didn't specify the number, which means that Dandelion's kittens are safe.
And then I realize: I just told Coin that we brought Buttercup with us during our escape. Not their escape. Ours. I've pretty much stated that Katniss and Gale left Twelve when I did, before Madge ever painted a single mockingjay. I glance around the room, noting that no one seems to have noticed my slip of the tongue. Then I hastily change the subject. "That brings us to another of our requests. All of us would like to be allowed outside to hunt, gather, fish, or just take in the wilderness."
"What would you do with the things you collect or kill?" Fulvia asks curiously.
I'm pleased she's given us an opening to show that we're not being totally selfish in our requests. "We'd be happy to turn them over to the group kitchens. That way we can contribute to the well-being of District Thirteen in gratitude for you granting this request."
"I believe that's reasonable, Alma, don't you?" General Glenn says. "I know the troops would enjoy some fresh meat now and again rather than the typical rations."
I notice President Coin flash a look of utter hatred at General Glenn before she manages to cover it. If I hadn't been looking so closely at her face, trying to catch the moments where she actually shows what she's feeling, I never would have seen it. I try to keep my disappointment to myself. It appears our lone ally is not as highly regarded by Thirteen's president as I'd hoped.
"I think we can accommodate you, Mr. Mellark," President Coin says. "I assume you have more demands."
"You would be correct, Madam President." I smile slightly, but don't do anything else that could be construed as weak.
She crosses her hands on her desk. "What are they?"
"We only have two more conditions," I tell the group. "The first is in regards to our companion, Madge Undersee, the Mayor's daughter from District Twelve." I pause to make sure I have their full attention. "She must survive."
"She's already receiving medical care," Boggs tells us.
"Yes. Thank you." I nod my head, acknowledging the commander's words. "We want to reiterate our initial stance that Madge receives the best possible treatment and care. If Madge dies we will not be able to be your Mockingjays," I say with faux regret. "Madge is, ultimately, the only reason we came. And if something were to happen to her, we'd have no reason to stay."
"I am assuming you will want to keep her out of the fighting then," Coin says. It's a statement, not a question.
"Yes," I say without any preamble. "We understand that if District Thirteen were to be attacked that all inhabitants must do their part, but Madge stays out of your war."
"Done," Coin says crisply. "And your final demand?"
"It's a simple one, but one I'm sure you'll understand." This is the demand I insisted we include. "We reserve the right to add to our list of conditions later. After all, wars do change and circumstances need to change with them. There might be something in the future which we will need to discuss that hasn't come up yet."
I can tell that Coin isn't happy about this condition. She counters with, "I think we can work with that, so long as we in Thirteen can reserve the right to renegotiate any of your previous conditions."
"We can negotiate them," I concede. "However, our willingness to negotiate does not mean that we're willing to give in on any of these points."
"So let me make sure I have this correct," Fulvia says, speaking up before Coin can. "You three wish to be quartered together, in a location that has a window or a view of some sort, and be acknowledged by your chosen names and as a married couple - a trio, I mean." She blushes slightly at her gaffe.
I nod my head, acknowledging her correction, and motion for her to continue.
"You will keep the cats you brought with you. Your group will be allowed outside to hunt, gather, and do whatever you do outdoors, and any fruits of your labors will be donated to District Thirteen." She turns to Coin. "I assume they'll need to check with the appropriate people before they'll be allowed outside and you'd prefer if they'd schedule their outings in advance?"
"That is correct."
Fulvia turns to me. "Can you work with that?"
I look at both Katniss and Gale. It's not an unreasonable request but they're going to have to be the ones to agree to it.
"Our weapons?" Katniss asks.
"Will be kept in the armory with all armaments," Coin answers. "You can retrieve them before you go out and will be expected to return them when you come back."
Katniss nods first, followed by Gale.
"That's fair," I say.
Fulvia smiles. "Continuing... Your companion, Madge Undersee, will receive the best medical care Thirteen can provide, and for the duration of the war will be kept here in Thirteen on the homefront. And finally, both parties reserve the right to renegotiate, add to, or remove these conditions at a later date. Does that seem correct?"
I nod my head and I note Gale and Katniss doing the same.
"Then we've come to an accord." She claps her hands. "How splendid!"
President Coin looks up from her desk. "I believe you've summarized it correctly, Deputy Director Cardew. I'll have my assistant James show you to your temporary quarters for tonight. We will do our best to find ones that meet your other demands tomorrow."
"We understand. Thank you for meeting with us."
"It was a pleasure. Now, if you don't mind, we were in the middle of a very important meeting."
"Not at all, Madam President, not at all." I grab both my spouses and escape before they can do any more damage. We've got a lot to talk about.
oOo
I flop down on the bed in our temporary quarters and let out a long sigh. It's been one hell of a day and I am emotionally exhausted. I feel Katniss and Gale sit down on either side of me, Gale reaching out to take my hand.
"You okay, man?"
"That's a loaded question," I say. "Define okay. You mean not dead? I'm fine. If you mean not in mortal peril, well I would say that I'm slightly less than okay."
"What do you mean?" Katniss asks, laying down beside me.
I don't answer her right away. Instead I roll over so I can rest my head against her belly. It's been my favorite position ever since she told us she was pregnant. I love the comfort of feeling our child grow and move within her and the happiness it gives me. She lets me have my moment, running her fingers through my hair. I feel Gale lie down behind me, protecting my back. They're trying to guard me, protect me. That's what they do. They just have no idea how much danger we're in here. Actually, Katniss probably has some idea. For all that she's not politically savvy, she's got a strong protective instinct. It's probably why she didn't want to come in the first place.
Gale's the one I'm really worried about. He's wanted to be a part of something meaningful like the rebellion for so long. If he'd heard of it before leaving Twelve, he might've stayed and become an agitator like Madge. Not that that would've done him any good, but that's just how my husband is. He's an idealist. He's a crusader. And right now I have to keep him from tilting at windmills in his quest to save Panem. And I can't do that curled up against Katniss's belly.
I roll over and stare up at the concrete ceiling over our heads. The smoothness and uniformity remind me more than anything else just where we are. This isn't home and we aren't safe.
"Gale?" I say. "The next time you confront a power-hungry paranoid militaristic dictator, can you please give me a heads up and maybe let someone else, someone more eloquent, do the talking, so we don't get ourselves killed?"
"You're talking about Coin, aren't you?" Katniss asks.
I turn my head to look at her. "Who else would I be talking about?"
She frowns at me. "I don't know."
"Sorry, didn't mean to be short." I sigh. "It's just… that woman is dangerous with a capital D."
"Why do you say that? She seems pretty reasonable," Gale says.
"Seems being the operative word." I take a deep breath, trying to put into words everything that I observed today and just what it means for us. "That woman hates having her authority challenged, and worse, she's paranoid that someone is going to come along who's going to remove her from power. All three of us, both individually and together, represent a challenge to her power. We're either with her or against her, and that whole thing with the accommodations? That was a test. And we failed. Badly."
"A test?" Katniss asks. "What do you mean?"
"It was a test to see if we'd go along with what she wanted."
"What did she want?" my husband asks.
I roll over to take Gale's head between my hands. I stare into his eyes, trying to convey all of the fears that I have. "If I had to guess, she wants you. We're just excess baggage. You're the one she wants."
Gale reaches up and takes my hands in his. "She doesn't get me without you."
"I know that. You know that. And now she knows that." I pause, replaying the day in my head. "We probably could have gotten our way with less hostility if we'd approached her a little less antagonistically, but you," I kiss Gale's nose, "love, had to go and ram it down her throat in that forceful bullheaded way of yours."
"I'm sorry?" he says in a tone that's anything but. "I'm just not willing to let them bully us like that."
I kiss Gale's mouth in gratitude that he's willing to fight for us, for me. "I know you're not, and that's what we love about you. But really, Gale, we'd probably have been better off choosing the time of our battles rather than tipping our hand like we did." I stroke his cheek with my thumb.
"So she knows that we're not gonna compromise on this," Katniss says. "What's the big deal?"
I roll over to face our wife. "The big deal is that she now knows that she can use us against Gale, or any of us against the others. In a way, all of us are hostages, but you and this one," I rub her belly, "most especially."
"The baby would always be a hostage," she points out. I can hear the fear in her voice and it echoes the fear in my heart.
"Maybe, maybe not," I try to soothe her and myself. "If we'd stayed on Coin's good side, she probably wouldn't even think about it. You saw her reaction when we brought up the baby. That matters here. That matters a lot." I pause, closing my eyes. "But even then, she'd probably be willing to sacrifice one baby, our baby, if it meant that she could retain power."
Katniss reaches up to place her hand over my heart. "So what are we gonna do?"
"I'm open to ideas," I say with a sigh, taking her small hand in mine.
"Is there any way you think we can get back into that woman's good graces?" Gale asks, slipping his left arm over Katniss's waist and mine.
"Maybe. But the only way I can see that happening is if we turned into perfectly obedient Thirteen soldiers."
Gale chuckles. "Not happening."
"I know that. It's not even really an option." I sigh. "We've defied her, and what's worse, we did it in front of others, including somebody she sees as a rival."
"Huh? Who?" Katniss asks, looking up at me.
"That General Glenn guy."
She makes a face, trying to attach a face to the name. "The nice redheaded one?"
"Yeah, him." I nod. "Coin hates him."
"How do you know?"
"I saw it on her face."
"I didn't see it."
"Because you weren't looking for it," I tell them both. "I've had to become good at reading people's expressions and figuring out what they mean. It's the only way I could survive." I don't like talking about my home life. My mother wasn't fit to be anybody's parent and to this day I'm not sure why my father married her. Especially since I know he was in love with Katniss's mother until the day he died.
"So do you think she's gonna kill us?" Katniss asks me bluntly. "I mean, we haven't really agreed to stay. We can still go."
I take a deep breath. "Yeah, but what about Madge?"
"Madge isn't either of you," she answers seriously. "Madge is my friend. You're my husbands. I'm not about to sacrifice you for her."
"It's not totally your call," I say softly.
She glares at me.
"Gale still wants this. Don't you?" I tilt my head back to see a flash of guilt cross my husband's features.
"Gale?" Katniss's voice is confused, wary.
Our husband sighs and tightens his arms around the two of us. "I'm sorry, Catnip, but Peet's right. Not just about Madge. It's not about her. It's not even about us anymore. It's about everyone. Panem needs us."
"But I don't understand why!" Katniss exclaims in frustration. "Why can't they use someone else? I mean, it's not like we're all that inspiring, it's not like we got up in front of the Capitol and defied them repeatedly on television. It's not like we pulled one over on them. All we did was run away!"
I pull her closer to me. "But that's just it. We did pull one over on them. We got away."
"And what's more, we got away cleanly," Gale adds. "Six people? And now we're inspiring others to run! You heard Cressida, you heard Peet's brother and Madge. Our defection is inspiring people."
"Your defection," she mumbles into my chest. "I'm just an afterthought."
Tilting her chin up, I see that she's struggling to hold back tears. Katniss rarely cries. I know part of it is the pregnancy messing with her hormones, but part of it is her fear of loss. "Not to us. Never to us." I bend down, kissing her gently.
She returns the kiss, clinging to Gale and me. "I just want to go home. Can't we go home?"
I roll over slightly and Gale and I exchange another look. Both of us know, out of all of us, that this is going to be the hardest on Katniss. It always was going to be. With her pregnancy, she's going to be limited in what she can do. And her story is technically Madge's story. If Thirteen were to find out, she'd become expendable, and now that Coin is against us, she's in even more danger.
Without really thinking about it, we shift positions so that Katniss is lying between us. We've gotten used to being able to switch who's lying in the middle without it turning into a big production.
"We can't," I tell her, spooning behind her and resting my hands on her stomach. "Maybe if we never came here, if we never confronted Coin, we'd be safe. But Thirteen knows where we live now, and as long as we're alive, as long as Gale's alive, Coin is going to see us as a threat. She'd have no problems sending a troop of assassins to kill us one night."
"We can always move." I can tell from her tone she doesn't really believe it, but she's trying to find a way out even if there isn't one.
"Where? How?" I ask. "You're pregnant. We're going to have a baby. Even if we managed to get away, there's still the Capitol and those raiders out there. No. We have to see this through."
"I still don't like it," Katniss says, her tone resigned.
Gale sighs. "I owe you both an apology. I fucked up. I really fucked this up."
"Yeah." I look over at my husband. "You really kind of did."
"Is it wrong that I kind of found it a little hot?" Katniss asks, a small smile gracing her lips.
I laugh. "Nope. I gotta admit it, Gale in his alpha maleness is a pretty damn fine specimen."
"Okay good, it's not just me." She grins. "But Gale?" She rolls over to face him. "Next time, leave the talking to Peeta. Or at least make sure I have my bow so I can kill anybody who threatens us."
The three of us laugh and snuggle close together. We might be in danger. We might be far from home. But at least we have each other.
oOo
The following morning, we're escorted to a commissary where we eat a very bland, very gray breakfast. Each of our portions is carefully measured out, with Katniss receiving the most because she's pregnant. It makes sense in a place like Thirteen. It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that citizen after citizen of Thirteen keeps coming over and placing their hands on Katniss's belly.
Katniss turns to me after the last person, an older woman, steps away. "Can you get them to stop?" she hisses.
I sigh, looking around the cafeteria, noting that most of the people are watching Katniss with something akin to awe on their faces. "I'm guessing there haven't been a lot of pregnant women in Thirteen lately."
"That's not my fault!" she snarls, crossing her hands over her belly protectively. "The next person who comes over and places their hands on my body without my permission is going to get smacked!"
I can tell she means it. Katniss has always been a very private person and only physically demonstrative with those people she cares about deeply. Outside of Gale and myself, Prim receives the majority of Katniss's affection. Even Rory and Violet only get the occasional touch. So Thirteen's reverent pawing is driving her crazy.
I reach over and rub her back, trying to catch Gale's attention. I need him to stand guard so I can talk our wife off the ledge. Her pregnancy is the only real thing Katniss has which makes her the third Mockingjay. The rest of her image is built on a lie and Madge's work. Katniss's position is precarious and she cannot shatter Thirteen's image of her.
"They're going to keep doing it, Katniss," I tell her quietly once Gale's standing guard. "This baby's important to them. You're important to them, and they're going to want to be a part of it."
"But does that mean that they have to touch me?" She leans against me. "Can't they just talk? Or wave? I'd be okay with waving!"
I wrap my arms around her and murmur, "I don't think it's going to work like that. Look around you. How many people under the age of twenty do you see? There aren't any. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say Thirteen's dying and that the reason they have to have the rebellion now is because it's their last chance."
Katniss does look around and I can tell she sees I'm right. The only people under the age of twenty are ourselves and Rory and Prim. Everyone else is older than us.
"So you're right." She rests her head on my shoulder. "It still doesn't mean that they get the right to touch me!"
"It'll be over soon, if that's any consolation."
"But then they'll want to touch our baby!"
"And then we'll put our foot down."
She looks up at me. "Why can't we put our foot down now?"
"We've got to give them a reason to love us." I caress my fingers along her jaw, playing idly with a tendril of hair. "Go along with it for now, and if it gets to be too much for you, pretend that you're not feeling well or that you're sleepy or something."
"I'm not feeling well."
"Good, you won't have to pretend."
She scowls. "You're not helping, Peeta."
I laugh. "If it's any consolation, I'd carry the baby for you."
"What woman hasn't heard that before?" She sighs. "I know you would, Peeta. Sorry. It's just… I don't like it here. I want to go home."
"I know." I look up and see Gale regarding the two of us sadly. "I think we all do."
"So why don't we leave?"
"Because we can't." It breaks my heart to have to keep saying that, over and over again. I know she doesn't want to be here and that the only reason she came is because of Madge. I only hope she doesn't hold Madge's injury against her. It's not the Mayor's daughter's fault she was hurt. That fault lies solely with the Capitol.
"We should probably get going," Gale says, breaking in. "There's a new rush of people coming in and I don't think we want to be here for round two of touch Katniss's baby belly."
Katniss stands up abruptly. "Fine. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"Anywhere but here."
"Why not go check on Madge?" I suggest. "We need to make sure that Coin's holding up her end of the bargain."
"Good idea," Gale agrees.
We take our leave and I do my best to try to keep track of where we are. One thing I notice is that everyone seems to have this purple tattoo printed on their wrist. Some people are wearing bracelets that they occasionally lift up to their mouths to speak into, and almost everyone has a military-like bearing to their step.
We don't know where the Infirmary is, so I stop an older woman to ask directions. She rattles the directions off and I shake my head. I have no idea how to make sense of what she just said.
The woman sighs and tries again.
I still don't understand. "Could you maybe draw a map?"
The woman looks at me like I've asked her to remove her left leg. "And use up valuable resources? How wasteful!"
"Sorry? It's just that we're new here."
She narrows her eyes. "Then where's your escort?"
The three of us exchange a look. "We didn't know we had to have one."
"All transients must have an escort. It's in the rules," the woman snaps. "Haven't you read the rules?"
"I think we're an exception," Gale says dryly.
"I'm calling Security."
"Go ahead and do that," Gale tells her, amusement in his tone. "Maybe they can show us how to get to the Infirmary from here."
Glaring at all three of us, she orders, "You wait right here."
"Not a problem," Gale says, watching the woman walk away.
"I think I'm beginning to see a bit of a problem with Coin's plans," I mutter.
He glances at me. "What do you mean?"
"Nobody's going to recognize us," I explain to Gale. "It's not like we're Finnick Odair famous. Or even Haymitch Abernathy famous. Even if there are pictures of us circulating out in the districts due to our escape, they're out of date, probably our school photos from a year and a half ago."
"Not to mention you've got these." Katniss reaches up and tugs at my beard with a slight smile.
I grin down at her. "Exactly. I don't know what Coin's planning on doing, but it's going to take a lot more work than I think she's expecting."
Gale sighs. "Great. One more reason for her to hate us."
The woman returns with two men dressed in body armor carrying batons. "These are the three transients I was telling you about."
"Thank you for informing us, Miss," the shorter of the two men states in a monotone. "We'll take it from here."
The woman nods and leaves.
Not waiting for the men to speak, our husband steps forward, his body language reading frustrated teenager. "So let's get this out of the way now. I'm Gale Hawthorne. No, we haven't read the transient handbook since no one gave it to us. We have no clue where we are. That woman was a bitch." I can tell he's not talking about the woman who summoned Thirteen's equivalent to Peacekeepers. "And we've had a shitty last few days. Would you mind showing us how to get to the Infirmary from here? Hospital, medics, whatever you call it? We need to check up on the rest of our party."
At Gale's name, the hostile demeanor drops. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Hawthorne. We didn't recognize you."
Gale turns to me, asking me to take the lead, rolling his eyes slightly.
"It's okay, soldier," I soothe. "Sometimes we don't recognize ourselves. I'm Peeta Mellark, and this is Gale's and my wife, Katniss Everdeen."
"It's a pleasure to meet all three of you," the taller man speaks. "We've heard quite a lot about you guys. I'm Soldier Neil Hayes and this is my partner, Soldier Bart Ashley. It's nice to be able to put a face to the name."
"Do you think you can take us to the hospital?"
"Absolutely, right away!" Neil consults a cuff around his wrist. "In fact, I think they're actually waiting for you."
Gale and I exchange a look. Waiting for us? That sounds ominous.
The two men lead us to the Infirmary, Neil chattering the entire time. Even though he's older than us, he acts younger. He tells us about how he's been a soldier since he was fourteen and how he's really looking forward to finally being able to do something else with his life.
I raise my eyebrows at that information. Fourteen seems young, really young, almost as bad as the Capitol taking twelve year olds and forcing them to compete in life or death games. I don't say that, of course, I'm not stupid. But it's another tick in the bad column regarding Thirteen.
Soldier Ashley doesn't say much, although he seems to be amused at his companion's steady stream of conversation. He meets my eyes and gives me a little shrug. It's nice to see that these people from Thirteen are human, even with their pale sameness.
They show us into the Infirmary, which is located in the bowels of Thirteen. There's a nearby bank of elevators and a large set of reinforced doors at the end of the hall with the words 'Fallout Shelter' stenciled on the wall next to them.
When we enter the Infirmary, we're shown to a large square desk with four people monitoring a bank of screens set up there. Congregated along one side is a group of several doctors and nurses dressed all in white and blue going over tablets of information.
Bart Ashley talks to one of the people at the desk, who motions to one of the doctors in the group.
The man looks up when he hears the conversation, looking first at Bart then over to us. "There you are!" he exclaims. "We have been sending patrols all over looking for you! Why didn't you pay attention to your schedules?"
"Schedules?" I ask.
"The one that's printed on your wrist every morning!" he answers impatiently.
I hold up my blank wrist. "What schedule?"
He glares at Neil. "Did nobody give them the transient information packet?" He reaches out and snags Katniss's wrist. "Anyways, Mrs. Everdeen-"
Katniss wrenches her arm back. "Ms. I am not my mother."
"Whatever. You have an appointment," he snaps. "You had an appointment an hour ago." He pauses. "I don't suppose you've eaten already."
"I just finished breakfast."
The doctor swears. "There goes most of our tests. I suppose you'll have to come back tomorrow. But we might as well get done what we can get done now, so it's not a total loss."
Katniss looks over at me. I can tell she's reached the end of her patience, but she's trying not to blow up like Gale did yesterday.
I step in, but I'm just as confused as my wife is. "Um, we were just here to see a friend of ours, one of your patients. Madge Undersee. She's here, right?"
"Not right now," the doctor snaps, reaching for Katniss again. "We're already off schedule."
My wife has had enough. "No. I'm not going anywhere with you until you let me see Madge."
"Katniss…" I say warningly. "I'm sure Madge is fine."
She shakes her head stubbornly, crossing her arms protectively over her stomach. "No. No one gets to lay a finger on me until I know how Madge is doing."
"Fine," the doctor says. "If you're going to be stubborn like that. She's in here." He walks over to a small room and opens the door. Inside, I can see my mother-in-law seated in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair that's in one corner while Madge is lying on one of the beds, her eyes closed.
"How is she?" I ask, turning to Violet.
"Stable," my mother-in-law answers. "They've pumped her full of antibiotics and other drugs. She's got surgery scheduled for later this afternoon. They may have to remove her leg, although they won't know for sure until they get her into the operating room." She sighs. "They don't even know if she's going to make it. But they're trying."
I frown and hazard a glance at Katniss to see if she's heard. She has, and I can see that she doesn't look pleased. I don't blame her. I'm not happy either. But there's nothing we can do right now.
"Have you seen Rye?" I ask, changing the subject.
"I think he's in the next room over."
"And Rooba?"
"She's around someplace," my mother-in-law answers vaguely. "They've classified her as mentally disoriented."
"What does that mean?" Katniss asks.
"I think it means she's lost her marbles," Gale supplies.
"I suppose that's one way to put it," I murmur. I walk next door to see my brother. He too is asleep, and I'm a little disappointed. I can tell that he's still alive. They've hooked up some kind of monitor to him and he's got an IV going into his left arm.
A nurse, an older gray-haired woman, comes up beside me. "You're the brother, right?"
I nod.
She smirks. "Thought so. We're keeping him asleep for now," she tells me, keeping her voice low. "He kept trying to go into the girl next door's room, which was against the doctor's orders. We don't want to risk him getting infected with what she's got."
"What does she have?" I ask, concerned.
"A better question is what doesn't she have," the woman answers with a shake of her head. "The mutts that attacked her had some kind of venom or something in their bite and we're having to give her a broad-spectrum antiviral and antibacterial in order to fight whatever it is off."
"Madge is gonna make it, right?"
"We're doing our best, Mr. Mellark." She sighs. "Just, the Capitol are bastards, you know."
I reassess the woman beside me. Unlike the doctor from before, she actually seems to give a damn.
"Thanks," I say.
The woman smiles over at me. "It's my job. I took an oath."
"I should probably get going," I tell her, looking around. "Before my wife kills that doctor."
The woman laughs. "Don't mind Dr. Andrews. He's always like that."
"Good to know." And it is. If the guy is as rude to all of his patients as he is to Katniss, it makes it easier to deal with him.
Gale and I stay with Katniss during her exam. The man pokes and prods her and draws several vials of blood before wheeling in a machine with a television screen attached to it.
"You're doing surprisingly well, Ms. Everdeen," the doctor says, "considering the lack of medical care you've had during your pregnancy."
"I've had plenty of medical care," she protests. "My mother's a healer."
He snorts. "Yes, well, let me be the judge of that."
"So what are you doing?" I ask as a distraction.
"I'm performing an ultrasound."
I have no idea what the word means, but I'm not about to tell him that. Instead I say, "We don't have those back in District Twelve. The Capitol likes to keep our medical care, well, I suppose you would say primitive."
"Yes, I've heard. The monsters," he replies with some heat. "Access to modern medical care should be a right, not a privilege for the Capitol elite."
I realize then that the guy isn't necessarily as bad as we thought. He's just set in his ways and has no patience. "So do you mind explaining what you're going to be doing?" I ask before Katniss can start to protest.
"Well, this machine allows us to see how the baby's doing in real time, without the invasiveness of a probe or other kinds of scan," he explains absently, his eyes focused on his work. "The bloodwork we've taken will assist in that and help point out any chromosomal anomalies or birth defects, and will identify which of you is the father."
"You can do that?" Gale asks.
"Of course!" Dr. Andrews looks up in surprise at Gale's tone. "It's a relatively simple test. We just need a reference from the two of you to compare it against. In fact, I'm going to demand it, since it's possible that one or both of you might be carriers of any number of hereditary diseases."
I'm not sure I'm comfortable with Thirteen taking my blood. It's no different, I suppose, from the Capitol requiring a test from all of its potential tributes on Reaping Day or mine workers having to provide a reference sample in case of an accident in the mines like the one that killed both of my spouses' fathers. I can tell Gale is as uncomfortable as I am, but I suppose it's better to know now if one of us is a carrier of some kind of disease. I wouldn't want to inflict that on a child of mine.
Dr. Andrews rings for a nurse. A young brunette woman responds, coming in and drawing our blood while the man finishes setting up his equipment. When he finishes, we get to see our child for the first time. It's gray and indistinct, and the first thing I'm aware of is a fast-paced swishing sound.
"That's the child's heartbeat," the doctor says.
I feel tears come to my eyes and I reach out to take Gale and Katniss's hands. Our child has a heartbeat. It's alive.
"It appears the fetus is well-developed," Dr. Andrews continues. "And there's only one in there." The man pauses the screen, taking a few measurements before continuing. "So far, I don't see any cause for concern. Ah!" he exclaims. "And there's the penis. Congratulations. You're having a boy."
A son.
We're going to be having a son.
We haven't even started talking about what we want to name the child. Katniss has always been a little skittish about that. But now that we know what we're having, I desperately want to start considering names. I want to talk to him, let him know how much I love him, how much he's wanted. I want to tell him all the things I never heard. I feel my eyes start to fill with tears.
Katniss squeezes my hand. She knows how much this means to me.
I look over at Gale and see he's just as moved as I am. "So what are we gonna call the tyke?" he asks, echoing my thoughts. He turns to Katniss. "Do you wanna name him after your father?"
She shakes her head. "No. He should have his own name."
Gale nods his head. "Well if that's the case, I suppose that also takes Dominic and Matz out."
"Yeah. He doesn't need the baggage," I agree. "Let him carry his own."
"How do we even go about deciding?" Katniss asks.
"We could just pick a name we like," I suggest with a shrug.
"I'm vetoing Finnick right now," she says, shooting me a stern glance.
I laugh. "Wasn't even on the list, I swear."
"Uh huh."
"We're not naming him after any kind of flower," Gale says firmly.
"Oh Sweetgale," I say teasingly. "You don't want to call him Rose? Or Lily? How about Lavender?"
Gale glares at me. "No. Just no."
"Okay, flower names are out," I say with a chuckle at my husband's expression.
"Just for the boys," Gale corrects. "For a girl it's okay."
"We don't have to decide right now," I point out. "We've got time."
The doctor cuts in. "Three or four weeks, I suspect, based on size."
"Not soon enough for me," Katniss grumbles.
"I hear that from all of my patients," the doctor says.
"How many patients do you have currently?" I ask curiously.
"Not many."
"Why not?"
Dr. Andrews glances up at us sharply. "You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" Katniss grumbles. "We just got here yesterday."
"There was an epidemic twelve years ago," he explains. "It swept through our population like wildfire. It came without warning and was especially virulent among the young. Some called it a Capitol plot while others blamed it on our isolation." He shrugs. "In the end it didn't matter as we were able to synthesize a cure, but by then the damage was done. The majority of the male population was rendered sterile due to testicular swelling while much of the surviving female population suffered from intrauterine growths, preventing implantation and gestation."
"You're saying Thirteen is dying?" Gale asks bluntly.
"I am absolutely not saying that, Mr. Hawthorne," the man says firmly. "I am saying our current rate of replacement is not sufficient. However there has been some improvement thanks to various restrictions and incentives enacted by President Coin, as well as her recruiting transients from other districts."
That last bit niggles at my brain. "Of those pregnancies you mentioned, how many have both parents native to Thirteen?"
"None."
I shake my head. No wonder everyone was so excited about Katniss being pregnant. Their population is dying and they need infusions of new blood in order to keep it going. We're breeding stock.
I don't have a lot of time to consider the greater implications of what the doctor's told us because the brown haired nurse returns, a tablet in her hands. "I have the DNA results." She looks up at me. "Congratulations, Mr. Mellark. You're going to be a father."
oOo
AN:
Written: 4/10/15
Revised: 4/28/15
Revised 2: 7/1/15
Revised 3: 7/8/15
The title of this chapter comes from the Pink Floyd song "Another Brick in the Wall" from their album and movie "The Wall." The lyrics really fit Thirteen and their communal sameness.
So Coin! You'll notice that we've gotten our trio off to a bit of an antagonistic start. Unlike in the books, none of the characters have PTSD. Additionally, our POV character is Peeta, who can read micro expressions and get the lay of the land from just observing a few simple things. He's actually with it and not hijacked so what we're seeing is they aren't going to trust Coin or Thirteen very much and they don't have Haymitch or Plutarch there to act as a buffer between them. Also Gale doesn't have the same gratitude that he did in canon because Coin hasn't saved his family and those people he cares about.
As you can see, Katniss's role is very different here than in canon. In a very real sense, Gale is the Mockingjay, not Katniss. She's important, don't get us wrong. But it's going to be very different than in canon. We're playing with things so don't expect them to win the war in six weeks. It just ain't gonna happen.
So onto Thirteen's fertility issues. We talked about it and decided that the illness that swept through Thirteen was a mutated form of the mumps, which causes infertility, specifically in men. So approximately ninety percent of the men in Thirteen are completely infertile while seventy five percent of the women are also completely barren. The remaining fertile population isn't evenly distributed. Some of the fertile men have other issues like erectile dysfunction, or genetic illnesses, or other things. While the women can either be too young, too old, or have illnesses or injuries that prevent them from carrying a child to term. Basically the actual viable breeding population is damned low and the only way Thirteen is going to survive is if they take in outsiders. Which they're totally doing, but not at a fast enough pace. So they need to win the war to ensure their survival. We'll start to see other repercussions of this fertility problem later on.
Things We Randomized:
- Name, ages, and some genders of minor Thirteen characters
- The gender and father of Katniss's kid and if she was carrying twins
Thanks for reading! We hope you're enjoying!