A MockingJay Story Part 1 Chapter 2

Shay led Katniss deep down in the bunker one day. They went down several flights of stairs to get to where Shay was going. She walked into a room with wooden instruments piled up together.

"What is this place?" Katniss asked.

Shay touched some of the instruments and turned around. "The music room."

"Why are we here?" Katniss asked.

Shay walked over to the grand piano in the back of the room. She stood in front of it, right in front of the piano bench. "I'm going to tell you a story."

Katniss narrowed her eyes at her. She folded her arms and leaned against the doorway.

Shay lifted the piano cover, folding it over. She sat at the bench and began playing a classical Beethoven song. "After I won the 73rd game, I had to find a job that helped the Capitol." Each victor had to serve the capitol in some way after winning. Violet was exempted as part of 'her' silence. "I didn't even get to choose." Her face seemed far away. The tune she played was somber. "Snow thought with my spunk and pep that I should do propos for the Capitol making them look good and advertise the latest gadgets for the Capitol."

Katniss lifted her head away from the doorway.

"If I agreed, I would have to move to a capitol." She said. She kept playing a sad melody on the piano. "I didn't want to leave my family." Her voice began to tremble. "My parents. Our dog, Bailey. Golden retriever." She smiled for a moment. "I turned them down. I asked if there was something else I could do, so that I wouldn't have to move." Her moved her hands over to the left side of the keyboard. The melody turned dramatic.

Katniss flinched at the sudden change in tune.

"They didn't like that. I came home the next day to find my parents dead. My mom was on the kitchen floor with her neck broken." Shay paused before continuing the story. "My father was positioned up in his reading chair, with his throat slit."

Katniss stared at her, unable to speak. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

Shay walked into the victor's mansion of district 8. It looked similar to the other victor mansions in other districts. She walked inside with some flowers in hand. Lavender. As soon as she opened the door, she felt that something was off. It was too quiet and the room had an odd smell. "Mama?" She asked. "Papa?"

The other victors were out for the afternoon.

Shay walked into the kitchen down the hallway. She found a clear vase on the counter and put the flowers in it. She ran the sink underneath it. She turned the sink off and turned around. That's when she found her mom's body on the floor.

She gasped and dropped the vase of flowers. It shattered on her ground.

"Mama?" Shay kneeled beside her. She went to checker her pulse and noticed the bone there. Her neck as broken. "Mama!"

Shay stood up and ran out of the room. "Papa!" She found him in his reading chair in the living room. She saw him from the back and slowly walked over to him.

"Papa?" She walked around the chair, seeing the horror on the other side. "No!"

Shay fell to her knees crying. She fell over and cried uncontrollably.

Some time later, Shay got up on her knees. She looked up at her father's body where his neck was cut. She followed the blood trail down his shirt. Something stood out.

"When I stopped crying, I noticed something bright in my father's pocket." Shay continued.

Shay lifted her jacket to the side using two finders. She stared at the white flower in his pocket, with her eyes widened. She couldn't breath for a minute. She held her chest and started sobbing all over again.

"There was white rose inside his jacket." Shay said.

Katniss lowered her arms. "Snow?"

Shay nodded. She ended the song on the piano. "Whatever Coin and Plutarch need to you to do as the Mockingjay, do it. This needs to end. The Capitol will not stop."

Katniss stared at her and nodded quietly.


Clara's 5th birthday occurred during their time in district 13. Liam and Shay arranged for a party for her in the cafeteria. The victors and a few others showed up at their table.

Liam walked in with a homemade cake in hand. It was a bit slanted with frosting strides all over it. There were five candles on top of it.

He placed the cake on the table. Around the table sat Clara, Primrose, Katniss, their mom Mrs. Everdeen, Shay, and Finnick.

They sang happy birthday to her. She smiled as they sang for her. She was missing a front tooth. She blew out her candles and they all cheered and clapped their hands.

The other district 13 members in the cafeteria gave them weird looks.

The party go-ers enjoyed their half chocolate half vanilla cake slice baked by Liam.

"Not bad for your first cake." Shay said, sitting next to Liam.

Clara smiled at them.

"First cake I've had in a long time." Prim said.

After eating, they went around the table, handing Clara her birthday gifts.

The Everdeens were up first. Prim made her a bracelet out of pony beads and elastic string. There was a pretty blue heart shaped bead in the center of it.

Clara smiled and put the bracelet on. "Thank you. Oh, it's so pretty."

One district 13 resident got up off their table across the room and left the area.

Katniss noticed, giving them a strange look. What's the problem?

Shay handed Clara a couple of handmade hair ties and headbands. Each had pretty designs on them and were very stretchy. One headband had a starry pattern. Another had a rainbow pattern.

"These are gorgeous," Mrs. Everdeen said.

"Thank you." Shay said.

"What else was she gonna do with all this time?" Finnick teased.

"So pretty." Clara said. Her eyes flowed, feeling the fabric. She put on of the headbands on her head. "Thanks Shay."

Shay smiled at her. "Happy Birthday, Claire."

Finnick rubbed his hands together. "Alright, it's my turn." He handed her a jar of chocolates.

"Chocolate!" Clara beamed.

"I'll hold on to that." Liam said. He held the jar.

"Hey," Clara pouted.

"If I let you keep these in your room, you'll eat them all in one day." Liam said. "You can have one a day."

Clara sighed, folding her arms.

"Don't be too upset." Liam said. He handed her a book.

"Finally a new book." Clara said. It was The Ugly Duckling.

"Boring." Finnick said.

Liam gave Finnick a look.

"No, it's great." Clara said. "I haven't had anything new to read in a long time. All the books from school here are boring."

"Those are history books." Prim said.

"In 10 we had fun books. Stories about made up places like Neverland where people could fly and have adventures." Clara said.

"Things are a little different here," Shay said.

"Little?" Finnick asked.

"What is going on here?" Coin asked from behind Clara.

They all jumped and turned to her.

"It's a birthday party." Liam said. "For Clara."

"We don't celebrate birthdays in District 13." Coin said.

"What?" Katniss asked.

"Seriously?" Finnick almost laughed.

"Clean this up and disperse." Coin said. "This party is over."

Clara looked around at her party guests. She saw her half eaten cake slice on her table and hit the table. "I hate it here!" She took off out of the room.

"Clara," Liam called after her. He followed after her.

"That was cold." Finnick said, still at the table.

"It's the rules. We have very few celebrations here." Coin said.

"Her mom's missing." Shay said. Her arms were folded. "She deserves one day of fun. One day to forget her worries."

Coin stared at Shay, giving no expression. After a moment, Coin left the room.


Later that day, Haymitch visited Clara in her doorway. "Happy Birthday Clara." He said.

Clara smiled a little. "You missed the cake."

"I wasn't feeling well." He said. Being sober has it's downfalls.

The Ugly Duckling book was on her dresser. She still had her bracelet and headband on.

He held one hand behind his back. "I'm sorry Coin crashed your party." He noticed her bracelet and headband. "Make sure you hide that bracelet. It's considered 'out of uniform' to wear it."

Clara nodded, turning the bracelet around on her arm.

He handed her the journal from behind his back. "You mother once told me that writing was very helpful to her. Maybe it will help you too during this time."

Clara slowly grabbed the journal and held it in her hands. "Thank you, Haymitch."