DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY"
IT BELONGS TO SUZANNE COLLINS
Thirty-Eight
In a few moments we're out of the room and in the elevator, accompanied by four of our security team, including Harvey. In the lobby we are shocked to find Effie battling out reporters and flashing cameras. The hospital lobby is crowded with cameramen, reporters in the suits and ties and patients who are trying to move through the ocean of men and women. When they hear the elevator open, all the cameras start to swarm into our direction and questions are fired at us. The noise startles Alouette and she begins to cry. I rock her lightly in my arms as I order our security to do something about the situation.
"Katniss, over here! Over here!" The reporters call. "Show us the baby! Just one photo!"
Each of the four men takes a stick from their belt and extends and connects it to one another. They lay the long stick on the floor and step back. A hologram-like light emits from the sticks and creates a dome over the seven of us. Light escapes inside the dome and there is nothing but darkness. Two of the security men take hold of my shoulders while I keep Alouette close to me. The light returns as fast as it disappeared. We adjust our eyes to the light and find ourselves standing in front of a car where the rest of the security team stands.
"Teleporter." Harvey says. "One of many new weapons we've been granted when you got pregnant." Harvey is gleaming as though he's won an award.
"From District 3, I suppose." I tell him as I hand Alouette to Peeta.
"From District 3 to District 2 to you." He says as he takes our luggage.
"That was definitely something I hadn't expected when Katniss said take care of the situation." Peeta notes as he gets Alouette settled on her car seat. We get into the car and round the hospital to find the lobby still filled with cameras and reporters.
"What about Effie?" I ask,
"She's got a similar teleporter, built for a single person only." Harvey answers. "She's probably be back in your house by now."
"Why couldn't we teleport to the house just as Effie has done?" Asks Peeta
"The teleporter gets weaker as the number of people in the dome increases. It can only go short lengths as compared to Ms. Trinket's which has got only one passenger." Harvey answers. The car pulls over at the front of our home and surely enough, Effie is waiting for us at the porch.
"The crowd was absolutely astonished!" She calls as she straightens her long skirt, "Where is the little angel?"
Peeta and I get out of the car and Harvey takes our things into the house. I unlock Alouette from the car seat and show her to Effie. Alouette starts to nod off and she make a tiny yawn that makes Effie squeal. I shift her in my arms and her eyes close.
"Her name is Alouette." I tell Effie
"Gorgeous." Effie whispers. We walk into the house and we find a couple dozen boxes layered in the living room.
"What's all this?" Peeta asks,
"Gifts!" Effie raises her arms, "Gifts from the Capitol, from Panem!"
"Gifts?" I ask and Peeta starts opening the boxes with a small knife.
"Where do you think you're going to settle little Alouette?" She asks and I realize Peeta and I don't have crib or anything for babies.
"Oh." I sigh and I start to feel Alouette's weight on my arms. How could I have forgotten to buy things for the baby? I had nine months to do it and I wasn't able to. How would I get this baby through life if I can't even but a crib for her on time? "I guess we forgot." I speak again.
"Don't you worry, darling, the Capitol's got it." Effie says as Peeta lifts a rather large crib from one of the boxes. "Ooh, that was specially made by District Four! If you look closer, there are tiny seashells carved onto the wooden rails! So precious!" Effie starts opening more boxes and explaining how the satin dresses were hand stitched by the people from District Eleven or how the bottles were made by Five and were specially ordered by Paylor.
"Panem's baby." I look down at Alouette and pull her blanket lightly to keep her warm.
"Effie these are wonderful!" Peeta says as he puts the crib together.
"They really are. We hope you send our thanks to Paylor and everybody else who welcomes Alouette." I tell her.
"Oh Peeta, Katniss! Don't you worry we are always going to be on guard with whatever you need!" Effie collects her coat and puts on her hat and kisses Peeta and I on both cheeks and gently places a hand on Alouette's forehead. "Alright, I'm going! Take good care of that little baby and we'll see you three in the Capitol for a short interview when Alouette is ready."
"Effie, wait. Interview?" I ask before she leaves
"Well of course! Panem is on the edge of their seats to meet her!" She says as she starts fiddling with her earpiece and calling for prep for the hovercraft. "Call me when you think she's ready."
Effie leans in to give me a hug, "Gale is coming over to speak with you, it's urgent and Peeta must not know why he's here. He told me to tell you to meet him in the meadow." She whispers.
"Alright! I'll see you sometime soon, I hope! Bye-bye, Baby Lou!" she says when we part.
Lou?!
"Thank you, Effie!" Peeta leads her to the door.
"Lou?" I say when the door closes. "We did tell her the baby's name was Alouette, right?" Peeta shrugs.
"Lou sounds all right for a nickname doesn't it? Hi, baby girl!" He says and offers to take Alouette from my arms. "We should set up the nursery in the room next to ours."
"I was thinking we should place the crib in our room." I say, inspecting the rails of the crib, "So we can keep an eye on her throughout the night."
"You're probably right." He says, "Did you hear that, Lou? You're going to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room!"
Peeta hands Alouette back to me and takes the crib up the stairs. It surprises me how strong he still is what with his leg.
"I was thinking of going to the meadow later today, just to clear some air and probably shoot some arrows." I call after him as I climb the stairs.
"Are you sure?" Peeta says as he gently puts the crib right next to our bed. I lower Alouette into the mattress and place a soft blanket over her. "The meadow helps me relax. You understand."
"Alright just let me get my shoes on." He says and start to make his way toward the closet.
"Peeta?" I say, "We have a baby, remember?"
"We'll come with you." He replies.
"I'll be shooting." I tell him, "Peeta, please?"
"Don't you think it's too soon? You just had Lou and now you want to hunt?" He says.
"Peeta, she's Alouette." I say bluntly.
"Alright, listen. Just let me get Harvey to come with you." He tells me, leaning in for a hug. "Don't be too long, while you're gone Lou—"
I pull back and raise an eyebrow. "Alouette and I will spend some time together." Peeta kisses me on my cheek and let's me go.
The meadow never changes, the trees bend against the cold evening wind and I pull my coat over myself as I strain to remember if Effie ever told me what part of the meadow to go to. I remember where Gale and I would often stay when we would find the fence alive with electricity and I make my way toward the tallest tree in the field.
"Mrs. Mellark, it is getting quite dark, are you absolutely positive it's necessary to take a walk at this hour?" Harvey asks behind me. He lights the way with his flashlight and is obviously shivering. I had told him to get a coat but he refused after I had refused more back up. I want most of the security back in the house with Alouette in case the worst will resurface in my husband.
"Just keep walking, Harvey, we're almost there." I whisper, "Gale?"
He takes a step behind the tree, his hands in his pockets, his hair pulled back.
"It took you long enough, Catnip." He says, opening his arms to greet me with a warm hug. "How's the baby? How are you?"
"She's perfect. I'm fine." I tell him as I wave Harvey away. Harvey makes a curious face and whispers something into his earpiece and takes a few steps back, facing the opposite direction.
"Why did we have to meet in secret and why did it have to be in the meadow in the dead of night?!" I exhale, my mouth chattering.
"We discovered the master plan. I couldn't risk anybody hearing us talk, the meadow was the only place I could think of that wasn't bugged or being monitored." Gale and I sit at the foot of the trunk of the tree, "This will be fast, I can't be too long."
"How did you even get here so fast?" I ask,
"I have my ways." He says. "Dr. Aurelius—Nathan Thropp is harvesting weapons and keeping them in an island not too far from Panem."
"What?!" I gawk at him,
"Listen, he's angry because he's lost his monetary security when you and Peeta destroyed the Games, he needs the money to keep his weapons secret and on that island. Once he stopped receiving money for the Games, his income came from treating Peeta but once Peeta started to improve, income started to slow again. To get more money, he declared that Peeta's situation was untreatable but in truth, he was injecting Peeta with daily rounds of tracker jacker venom back in Thirteen when we sent him there for rehabilitation. He's been poisoning Peeta with the pills too." Gale and I keep hunched beneath the branches of the tree as I try to absorb what he has just told me. It was true; he was trying to poison Peeta but now we know it was because he wanted money. Money for weapons.
"But, what are the weapons for?" I ask him,
"We don't know yet. It took us so long to discover his real name and even longer to find the off shore account he was keeping for his money for being related to Reynard Thropp; even longer to discover the island." Gale sighs. "We're too long behind his plan. We fear that he's planning to start a war. We realized that missiles were directly pointed at three main spots in Panem, but we cannot contend with him just yet. We couldn't know how easy he could launch those weapons and what horrors they'd bring."
"Three spots? Where?" I ask, my eyes tearing up against the harsh cold wind. Gale faces away from me and starts to pick on the grass and flowers, lighted only by the moonlight.
"Gale." I demand.
"The Capitol, District Two," he pauses, "And District Twelve."