~Katniss~
"Now where are Peeta and Clove?" I demanded and her looked faded quickly.
"We have things to discuss before you can see them." she said turning to walk away but I refused.
"No, if you want us to cooperate you'll take us to them." I demanded again and she signed, an annoyed look on her face. Something tells me that she doesn't like other people making demands against her. Good to know.
"Fine. Boggs take our Mockingjays," she said emphasizing our title, reminding us of who we are now. "to our revival patients. Bring them back here at five tonight." she ordered then took off down the hall to who knows where, her office I'm guessing.
"This way." Boggs instructed, almost giving us a sympathetic look after what he just witnessed. He led us through hallways after hallways, further confirming that I could easily get lost in here. No landmarks like there are in the woods to help me find my way back. Finally we came upon the hospital wing of this underground system.
"This is the hospital wing. Your mom and sister are here during the day Katniss, but since you were coming here today, they'll be waiting for you in your compartment."
"Compartment?" Cato asked.
"Standard living arrangements. One or more bedrooms depending on the size of the family, a bathroom, and sitting area. I will show you to your compartments later." he explained before coming to a stop in front of a door labeled PR316.
"PR?" I asked.
"Stands for Patient Room. When our patients are well enough to not need constant surveillance we move them here to transition them to standard living once they are discharged. Your friends are in here." he stated, using a key card to unlock the door and open in. He stepped into the room, blocking our view.
"What do you want?" the voice of Clove sound irritated, I could tell she didn't like him.
"You have visitors."
"Who?" Peeta asked curiously. To answer him, Boggs stepped out of the way to give them a view of us. "Oh my God!" Peeta shouted, stepping forward and enveloping me in his arms. I wrapped mine tightly around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder.
"You're alive." I whispered, pulling away to look him in the face. "You were dead. You were cold and had no pulse." I said, my eyes filling with tears and he wiped them away
"Did you really think you were going to get rid of me that easily Kat?" he joked and I laughed, hugging him again.
"What I don't get a hug?" Clove said in her snarky tone. I pulled away from Peeta and hugged the younger girl to me. I looked to Cato to see him shaking hands with Peeta and I smiled. "So how are we here? How are we both alive?" Clove asked and that's when Haymitch and Brutus made themselves known. "I think we can help explain that." Haymitch said.
"Haymitch!" Peeta exclaimed, hugging his old mentor. Haymitch hugged him back and smiled.
"You both are alive as a form of blackmail." Brutus explained.
"Blackmail? Against who?" Clove asked.
"Against us." I stated. "If Cato and I agree to be the face of the Rebellion you two get to live. And if we don't or do anything to defy our place as the Mockingjays they'll..." I started to explain but I had to stop, choking up at the thought of them dying again.
"They'll kill you." Cato said, stepping forward and taking my hand in his.
"So you have to follow the rules or we die?" Peeta clarified and we nodded. "Wow, no pressure or anything right?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood and we all chuckled.
"So when can we get out of here?" Clove asked and Boggs was the one who answered her.
"We were waiting until Cato and Katniss arrived. I'll see what I can do about your living arrangements. Katniss I'm sure you'd like to see your family?" he asked and I nodded eagerly. "You two will have to stay here for a while until I can get things sorted out but the doors will no longer be locked. You'll be able to come and go as you please."
"Do you mind if we come with?" Peeta asked. "It's been a while since I've seen the Everdeens and I think Clove would like to meet them."
"I'm okay with them coming." I confirmed and Boggs nodded, leading us all through the series of hallways to my family's living compartment. At some point Brutus and Haymitch broke off and got someone to show them the cafeteria for food.
"Your family in is C112, Cato you are across the hall in C113." Boggs explained.
"Is my family here?" he asked and Boggs shook his head.
"We haven't moved to bring them here yet. With the height of stature your family has in your District we didn't want to raise suspicions. We plan on waiting until your father goes to visit another District on business." he told us and Cato's shoulders slumped, I could tell he misses his family. Boggs opened the door to my compartment.
"Hello?" I called when it was open and soon I was bombarded by people.
"Katniss!" Prim shouted as she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I hugged her back tightly as my mom stepped forward to hug us both. "We missed you!" Prim sobbed.
"We're so glad you're alright." my mom stated. Both of them pulled away from me and I gestured to Peeta.
"I'm sure you'd like a familiar face?" I asked them and Prim squealed.
"Peeta! You're alive!" she said, hugging him as well.
"As much as you are." he laughed, hugging her back. I smiled at the sight and looked at my mom who was giving Cato and Clove questionable looks, who in turn look uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Uh Mom, Prim, this is Cato and Clove. I trained with them at the Academy." I introduced. Prim broke away from Peeta and moved to stand in front of the pair.
"You're really good with knives," she said to Clove then turned to Cato. "and you protected my sister." she said before surprising the large man in front of her by hugging him. He gasped in shock before hugging her back.
"Thank you for bringing her back to me." she said pulling away from him. He knelt down to her level and smiled.
"You're welcome. I know how much she means to you." he said then she leaned in to whisper in his ear. Whatever she said made his smile grow bigger and he chuckled.
"You bet I do." he said when she pulled away to look at him. The smile that was on her face was huge, one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on her. What did she say to him? I turned to look at my mom and saw that she was observing the interaction between her youngest daughter and the beastly man before her. Cato must have noticed because he straightened up and extended his hand towards her.
"It's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Everdeen." he said politely with a small smile on his face. She reached out and took his hand in her's and gave him a proud smile.
"Thank you for taking care of her in the Games." she said to him, making Peeta give us a confused expression.
"You took care of her in the Games?" he asked and I shifted uncomfortably.
"Yeah, after you um..." I trailed off, not able to say the words out loud.
"I didn't know that." he said quietly as Cato reached for my hand to comfort me.
"You haven't seen the rest of the Games?" Cato asked and both of our friends shook their heads.
"We were in recovery for the rest of them." Clove told us then Prim chimed in.
"Plus they refuse to show anything to do with the Hunger Games here. It's prohibited even."
"I'm not surprised about that." I muttered.
"I want to see them." Peeta said out of nowhere and we all look at him like he's lost his mind. "What? Clove was there til about the end. She already told me that. But I don't know anything else about what happened. I want to see." We all looked at him uneasily before I turned to Boggs who stood unsure by the door.
"Is it possible? Can he see what he missed?" I asked him and he sighed.
"I'll see what I can do. But we need to get back to command. It's almost five o'clock." he reminded and I nodded. The four of us follow him back to the command center to find Haymitch, Brutus and Coin sitting there waiting for us. Boggs stood by the door as the rest of us took a seat around the table.
"Now that you two are here with us, we need to discuss how we are going to get the rest of the Districts to rally behind us." she started, letting what she told us sink in before continuing. "We thought of shooting a series of propaganda, propos as we're calling them. Cato, Katniss, you two will be starring in these propos. Showing all of Panem that you are alive, surviving, and supporting this cause." she explained.
"What about Clove and Peeta?" I asked, gesturing in their direction.
"We won't be needing them in the propos. As far as Panem knows they are both dead."
"But won't it help for people to see them alive? Show the country that the Capitol doesn't have as much control as they think." Cato suggested.
"They aren't here to be used in the propos, they are here for a different reason." Coin states in a firm voice, but I just rolled my eyes.
"No, they're just blackmail against us." I snap and she gives me a look that seems like she's fighting the urge to slap me.
"I think of them more as incentive for when we're successful." she says, closing that part of the conversation. "The main question is where to film these propos."
"Before we get into all of that," Peeta speaks up. "I want to see the rest of the Games. The part after I died." he said and Coin got a hard look on her face.
"You are not in a position to be making demands Mr. Mellark."
"What's the harm in him watching them?" Haymitch piped up. After a moment Coin sighed.
"Fine bring them up." she said to somebody behind her. Somebody reaches for a tablet on the table and turns on the screen in front of us. The next thing we know, we're hearing me plead with Peeta to stay alive as I try to save him. I cringe away from the screen and feel Cato wrap his arm around me, trying to comfort me as tears rolled down my cheek, reliving the moment.
"I think we can mute this part." Brutus says, snatching the tablet and turning off the volume until we are out of the cave. Peeta had his eyes glued to the screen, taking in everything. Clove was looking away from the screen, wincing every now and then. But me, I was curled up in my chair with my hands over my ears and my eyes squeezed shut once we got to the finale. Listening to our screams and shouts brought me back to the moment it happened. I kept seeing flashes of memories as if I was there. At some point I felt someone untangle myself and pull me into their lap.
"You're okay. You're safe." Cato whispered softly into my ear. His body felt stiff against mine. He hated this as much as I did. When we heard us crying for Clove as she lay dying in our arms Peeta finally spoke up again.
"Turn it off. I've seen enough." the sounds in the room grow quiet, but my eyes remained closed.
"Katniss you can open your eyes. It's okay, you're safe." Cato said, rubbing his hands up and down my arms as I opened my eyes and pulled my hands away from my ears. I looked around to see everybody watching me with worried eyes, except Clove, she sat in her chair with her legs pulled to her chest, and her eyes staring at the table.
"You okay Sweetheart?" Haymitch asked and I nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment.
"Okay, now that that is taken care of, let's discuss the propos. I think we should film them here in Thirteen. In a controlled environment where we know that nothing can hurt you two." Coin suggested and Haymitch guffawed in his seat.
"Something to add Mr. Abernathy?"
"Yes actually I do. There is no way you can give this girl a script and expect her to follow it. Trust me I know. No offense Sweetheart." he says to me and I just shrug.
"None taken."
"If you want her to do something specific it comes off totally wrong and obviously fake. We all watched the Games. All of her best moments were unscripted."
"As were Cato's." Brutus chimed in.
"Right." Haymitch agreed.
"So what do you suggest? Throw them into battle and hope to catch something decent on camera?" she said chuckling to herself but stopped when see realized we weren't laughing with her. "You can't be serious? No, absolutely not."
"It doesn't have to be direct combat. We could take them somewhere that doesn't have a lot of action." Boggs suggested and Cato spoke for the first time about the propos.
"But before we film the propos, I want my family here. I need to know that they're safe." he demanded and I nodded along with him. Suddenly a thought popped into my head, one I'd almost completely forgotten about.
"Clove's family too, and Pamela, and her grandmother." I said. They shouldn't have to fight this battle when they did nothing wrong.
"And who is Pamela?" Coin asked obviously confused.
"Marvel's daughter. She turned four while he was in the Games." Cato explained to her and she gave an angry sigh.
"Making trips to District One and District Two is a huge waste of resources."
"You were planning on getting my family out anyway. We're just bringing back a few extra bodies." Cato argued.
"And District One is near Two anyway." I argued as well.
"How do we even know that this Pamela and her grandmother will even come here?" she questioned.
"They know us, personally. We met them after we gave our speeches on the Victory Tour. They trust us. And besides don't you want more people on our side of the Rebellion anyway?" Cato countered and she knew we were right.
"Fine. We'll make two trips. District One is closer. We'll go there first then to Two. Once everybody is back here then we'll start filming the propos." she ordered, standing from her chair and looking to Boggs. "Organize teams for the mission." she said.
"We have to go with them. Pamela won't trust anybody else, neither will Cato and Clove's families." I butted in and she nodded.
"Fine, get something to eat and get some sleep, you leave tomorrow morning to District One." she said before walking out the door to who knows where.
"Come on, I'll show you to the cafeteria and get you some food, it's almost dinner time." Boggs said and we all followed him to the cafeteria. Once we got there, for saw throngs of people seated at tables eating food, going about their lives. We all went through the line of food and found an empty table off in a far corner of the room. The walls looked to be made of metal and lights hung low from the ceiling, the entire room was very dim, but you can still see everybody staring at us.
"Why do they keep staring?" I asked to nobody in particular.
"You're new, they find it hard to believe that you're really here." Brutus said from my left. Cato sat on my right with Clove in front of him. Peeta sat in front of me with Haymitch in front of Brutus.
"That and they might be a bit freaked out seeing two people they thought were dead." Haymitch said, taking a bite of whatever food he was eating. Everything here either looked like mush or tasteless. I was about to reply to him when I heard somebody call my name.
"Katniss?" I heard from across the room. I turned to see Madge and Gale running towards us.
"Madge! Gale!" I shouted as I stood in time for the two of them to barrel into me, wrapping me in their arms.
"It's so great to see you!" Madge wailed in my ear, pulling away from me, her eyes filled with tears.
"What? No hug for me?" Peeta said, standing up and making himself known. Madge and Gale looked at him awestruck.
"We thought you were dead." Gale said, walking around the table to him.
"Not quite. They got me out before I made it to the Capitol." Peeta explained as Gale brought him in for a brotherly hug.
"Good to have you back brother." he said as we heard Madge sniff next to me.
"Aw Madge don't cry." Peeta said, walking to her and wrapping her in a hug.
"But you're here, you're alive." she cried, hugging him back.
"We all are." I said and the four of us joined in a group hug, relishing in the fact that we're together again until somebody cleared their throat. We pulled apart to see the rest of the table watching us.
"Oh Made, Gale this is Brutus, my trainer from the Academy." I said, introducing him first.
"You two got any skills?" he joked and we smiled.
"Not at all." Madge said, wiping the tears from her face.
"I used to hunt with Katniss so yeah some." Gale said modestly and I rolled my eyes, moving on to the rest.
"This is Clove, a friend from the Academy." I said, gesturing to her. She stood up and walked around the table to us.
"Nice to meet you guys." she said, extending her hand to Gale and Madge.
"Katniss told us about you. You're scary good with knives." Madge said, taking her hand and giving her a polite smile.
"So I've been told. And Katniss never mentioned either of you, not really anyway." she said raising her eyebrow at me before throwing a punch into my arm playfully. "You could talk about us but not about them?"
"Part of hiding my identity." I exclaimed rubbing the spot she punched. Playful or not it hurt. "Anyway this is Cato, my um..." I trailed off.
"Her boyfriend." he said standing, holding his hand out to shake. Gale took it first and held it firmly.
"I don't need to give you the "you hurt her, I hurt you" speech do I?" he question and Cato chuckled.
"No, Brutus and Haymitch already covered that." he said, letting go of his hand. "I remember you. Clove and I met you in the woods that one day."
"Oh yeah, sorry for being a jerk that day. I didn't know you knew Kat."
"I had a feeling you two would get together." Madge said with a proud smile.
"How is it that everybody knew that before we did?" Cato exclaimed and we all laughed.
"What do you mean?" Madge asked confused.
"My roommate, Luna said the same thing, how did you know?" I asked her.
"Just the way you talked about him when you came home, of course it was only confirmed when I saw the two of you in the Games." she said with a triumphant smile on her face.
"You talked about me?" Cato said cheekily as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Of course I did, I talked about everyone." I replied looking up at him.
"Hey guys, not wanting to interrupt but can we continue this conversation while we eat? I'm kinda hungry." Clove said and we laughed before sitting back down at the table with Gale and Madge sitting next to Clove and Cato.