"What's that?" Katniss asked as Haymitch came into her house carrying some papers.
"It's called a newspaper. Twelve is too small for one but it's a way for other people to know what's going on in the rest of the district. This is from One, read it, unless your cushy life as a Victor made you forget." Sneering at him she snagged it before straightening it out.
"Disaster Strikes Quarter Quell Victor? What happened?"
"He was traveling with his parents when the car went out of control and crashed. The Monets were killed instantly while Peeta lost his left leg."
"Why would Snow do that?"
"He didn't, Adonis' older brother works as a mechanic, did. Slade, the brother, messed with the break lines, he was mad at Peeta for killing Adonis the way he did. There's an article in the end about Slade's death but it wasn't enough. Portia told me that he's devastated and alone, Gloss and Cashmere are trying but I think they know that he's not from One either. It's making it harder for them to care since he survived against all the others."
"Are they?" She asked without saying since they were in her kitchen which was probably bugged.
"Yeah, because they too have sent too many kids into the games, doesn't matter if they were ready or not. This last games was really hard for them instead of two they watched five die in the games." Katniss nodded and Haymitch continued, "Portia said he spends a lot of time in the graveyard where the Monets are and the other tributes. Snow sent Portia and Effie out sooner than later to try to get him ready for the tour." Like in the games they could talk without words and Katniss knew that Snow didn't care about Peeta, he cared that the Victor wasn't a mess. Portia and Effie had to get him better or die. "Pack up, Finnick wanted you to visit." That startled her but she knew that Haymitch wouldn't lie to her anymore so she went to pack.
Haymitch told her mother that Finnick wanted Katniss to visit and she accepted it, Prim was a different story. Happy that her sister returned last year, she had also been startled by Azura's coming out. She listened and no matter what Katniss thought, was old enough to understand.
"Can I come too?" Prim asked as Katniss was getting ready to leave. Katniss looked to Haymitch first who shrugged then to her mom.
"There is a break in school," Haymitch said, "and we will be back in a few days." Neither Katniss or her mother wanted Prim there but in the end they couldn't say no to their little duck. They agreed and Prim hurried to pack, excited to meet the young victor and the sea. The train ride was quick but Prim was still amazed at it, not a victor train it was once called a passenger train and within it Haymitch set up a device that disabled bugs. Sitting with Katniss in that room while Prim slept Haymitch watched her. Finally she broke the silence.
"Finnick didn't ask for me did he?"
"Yes and no. Finnick loves company and wanted to introduce you to Annie. Portia believed the crisp sea air would be good for Peeta." Katniss boggled at that.
"Peeta will be there?" Haymitch nodded.
"Maybe you can interact with him, apologize for how you were at the games. That may be hard for you but we think it will help in breaking through to him."
"We?"
"Finnick, Mags, Annie and I."
"The victors from Four?"
"The living ones. Gloss, Cashmere and their former mentor Diamond agreed. You were probably too young when she won her game. It was the forty eighth games, she was a great fighter but won when the volcano in the arena exploded killing off most of the other tributes."
"How many are with us?"
"I think it would be quicker to list those who aren't. The victors from Two, which we thought so no love loss there, then there's Auto and Gambit from six might be with us if they weren't so drugged out on Morphling. Aside from them the others are with us or we haven't gotten an answer from them. Chaff is with us, Seeder is concerned about her children so she's on the fence." Katniss took all this in before standing up.
"Just the victors?" Haymitch paused but remembered her promise to him.
"There are rebels everywhere, not just the victors and," he paused again taking a moment before pressing on, "the entire district of thirteen."
"Thirteen is still around?" Katniss asked amazed.
"Yes, they were forced underground and before they could aid the other districts two things happened. The entire surface of the city was bombed as you know from history books. Then a disease cut through their population. They had the weapons but not the people able to fight back and while they were trying to recover the first war ended. The Capitol couldn't attack with more powerful bombs as Thirteen had them as well. To attack the Capitol directly might mean the death of all the districts so they stood down." Katniss remained silent as she watched the country roll by.
Azura and his parents were driving from their studio in downtown One back home. The road was curved and in the mountains, when his father attempted to slow down to make the turn he was horrified to discover he couldn't stop. Reaching out he took his wife's hand in his own and whispered he loved her before looking at Azura.
"You are my son but not, Azura you are Peeta Mellark." Peeta was stunned by this confession for three seconds before the car went over the cliff and crashed. Peeta was thrown from the car and when he woke up the wreck was on fire and a shard of metal was piercing his left leg. There were sirens in the distance but he wasn't stupid, Azura was a smart and tactical person. The Peeta from his memories might have wailed at the loss of his parents but Azura was stronger than that. Pulling himself to an old stump nearby he sat there taking it all it. His memories fractured as his father's words echoed through his mind. As if kicking in a door in his mind the words brought two worlds through his mind. A memory of his older brother playing catch with him as a Monet but another as two older brothers helped him bake something. One loving mom, one hurting him. Watching his father paint, watching his father bake. Instead of seeing the Monets and the Mellarks as separate people they were the same. Leonard painting and baking, their faces the same but their bodies not. The worse was seeing his loving mother Frida hugging him when he scraped his knee one moment then striking him over burnt bread the next. Blackness overtook him as the memory of an eleven year old Katniss in the rain came through, Azura shouldn't know what she looked like that young. The pain and the memories were too much and he passed out.
The first person that Azura saw when he woke up was President Snow who was sitting in a chair in the corner reading a book. The sickly sweet smell wafted off the white rose on his lapel. Snake eyes looked over the top of his book when he saw Azura was awake.
"My dear boy, I came just to make sure you were given the best care," he said with a smile closing the book and setting it on his lap. Charm oozed out of his pores but Azura knew better, especially as a Victor. After the tour he was going to learn how Snow wanted him to serve him. Rumors were that he would become Snow's apprentice of sorts, his bodyguard and own personal victor. Better than sold like he had done with Finnick but that was the only other victor he knew of being used by Snow. "What do you remember?" Azura swallowed hard before pushing himself up a bit.
"We were coming home from a gallery. The road was curvy along the mountains and dad said he couldn't slow down. The car went off the cliff and then nothing." Lying to the President was going to be hard but Azura spoke as if his memories weren't screwed up and they came out truthful. Snow narrowed his eyes before standing up. "My parents are gone, I was lucky."
"Yes, and they will have the best treatment for their funerals back in One. I will see you again at the end of the Victory Tour. Farewell my Victor." With that he left along with the peacekeepers that Azura hadn't realized were even there. A doctor came in a bit later checking him out.
"You were very lucky Mr. Monet, your parents didn't suffer as they died instantly. They found you thrown from the vehicle however a shard of metal pierced you leg and it looks like there was some previous damage. The blood vessels were already weak, did something happen before your games?" More of those melting memories, if he really was Peeta then of course there had been damage as he had already been in the Hunger Games. Once he was out he'd request a copy of the games Katniss won to see what happened to Peeta, to himself.
"No," he managed to get out, the lies were so easy now.
"We couldn't save it, there was previous damage and well it couldn't be saved. You can go home to One after a few days of rest and after we fit you with a prosthetic." With all of the people who he really called friends dead along with his family the only people he saw aside from doctors and nurses had been Portia, Cinna who would come with the later, Effie and Atala who, along with training the tributes before each games, had a degree in Psychical Heath or something she was the one helping him with his new leg.
Two months before the Victory Tour and Azura returned home to an empty house. Effie and Portia had returned with him. Effie explained that he needed to keep exercising and that to help on the tour Haymitch was bringing Katniss along with him. Azura was nonplussed by this information, thanking them then holing up in his house in the Victor's Village with the copy of the 74th Hunger Games. Staying with Cashmere Portia watched the house but saw no sign of life as Effie returned to the Capitol. Three days after his return Gloss had found Portia and let her know Azura left his house while she was asleep. When asked where he went Gloss couldn't meet her eyes letting her know he went to the tributes' graveyard. Portia's main concern was Azura killing himself after losing so much so soon. Letting her rest some more the Victors decided to go after Azura themselves and Gloss and Cashmere went.
Standing in the garden over Topaz, Taff and Lace's graves Azura was crying.
"Did you know?" he asked the graves, "Did you know my entire life was a lie? If I had known then I would have made it my mission to get you home," he was speaking to Topaz now. It was strange since the year before he had made that promise to Katniss and succeeded but that was supposed to mean he died. One needed a real victor not a false one and that should have been Topaz. Looking at the other two he smiled, Taff and Lace wouldn't have come home they couldn't live without the other. A recent memory returned though, "You told Katniss that you knew me my whole life," he said having held back to hear what Lace was saying to Katniss when he stormed out that one night. "Was Snow paying you or did you genuinely like me?"
"She liked you, you're a very likable person," came the voice of Gloss as he and Cashmere stood a few paces away from him.
"Did you know?" There was no accusation in his voice, Peeta knew that it was a loss to the Victors as well. He wasn't even from One yet he won.
"Not at first, after the games though."
"Haymitch told us," Cashmere added.
"Do you hate me?" Gloss chuckled at that.
"Maybe at first, but then again Victors have a special bond. We all survived and even though we Careers go in for glory we still lose a part of us inside." Peeta now turned to look at them.
"Snow kept me alive when I killed myself for Katniss. Somehow he stole my memories and gave me new ones and for what? As far as I can tell from the videos of the games there was no reason to keep me alive. The only person that my resurrection would have hurt was Katniss. I was such a jerk to her during the games." The siblings looked at each other for a moment then back at the confused young man.
"Portia believes you will find peace in Four and we agree." Gloss said as Peeta started to complain he held up a hand. "We're going with you. Finnick wants you to meet the other Victors before your tour." There was something that they weren't telling him but he couldn't complain only nodded before walking over to them where they hugged him.
"There's only one person to blame now and that's Snow," Cashmere whispered to him as they were safe from any type of people listening to them. "You're special, no longer a District One Victor but the first Victor of Panem." That made Peeta smile and thank them both as they went home.
In his mind Peeta was two boys with two histories in one body but took Cashmere's idea to heart. He was Peeta Monet, first Victor of Panem and if he could convince the others to join him he was going to start a rebellion.
AN – Just a heads up this is a version of Peeta who never learned that Katniss was faking her love for him in the games however he's still messed up and isn't ready to face it right now. Of course we know that he'll have to confront it head on soon. Thanks for sticking around and liking this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Don't fret, it doesn't feel done just let. I'd love to hear what you, dear readers, think about the story so far.