DISCLAIMER: HG CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME
After she returns to her compartment, she has a nightmare later that night. When she wakes up, she sees the time is 5 am. She curses, knowing she must be up in exactly one hour to get ready to head to breakfast at 7 am. Having only gotten five hours of sleep, for she was with Gale on the stairwell until almost midnight. Her heart still racing and her forehead damp for she must have been sweating in her nightmare, she sits up and takes out the pearl given by Peeta on the beach shortly before they separated and begins moving the pearl between her fingers in her left hand. Needing to do a repetitive movement to calm her nerves, she has found this small tactic has worked. It works so well, that she drifts off to sleep and awakens to the sound of their compartment alarm at 6 am.
Feeling groggy but knowing she has no choice but to get up, for there was no such thing as 'sleeping in' here in District 13, she rises from the bed. Realizing that Peeta's pearl is not in its usual spot, she panics figuring out she must have dropped the pearl when she fell asleep. She frantically begins looking for it on the bed. She sees Prim look over at her as she is making her bed and asks her what is wrong.
"My pearl from Peeta, I can't find it, I dropped it around here somewhere" she says while continuing to feel around the bed sheets.
Prim comes over and helps her look for it, she gets on her hands and knees and begins looking on the ground, after a few seconds she says to Katniss, "Found it!" and hands to Katniss the small, round pearl.
Sighing in relief that it was found, she takes the pearl from Prim and places it back on the extremely small nightstand by her bed. She then hugs Prim and says, "Thanks little duck."
Prim gives her a look and says, "I cannot believe you still call me that."
"You'll always be my little duck" Katniss says smiling.
Katniss hears her Mother say the shower was now free, her Mother emerging from the tiny bathroom the three of them share. Katniss nods to Prim to go in next, and Katniss finishes making Prim's bed and then makes her own. She is last to get into the shower, and once she is finished and her hair braided, she rushes out and sees the time is 6:50 am. She tells her Mother and Prim she will see them in the cafeteria and when they leave, she goes over to the contraption on the wall and gets her temporary tattoo. She sees the following:
7:00 Breakfast, 7:30 Kitchen Duties, 9:00 Meet with the President in Room 1710, 12:00 Lunch, 12:30 Kitchen Duties, 14:00 Training in Room 250, 18:00 Reflection, 18:30 Dinner 20:00 Gathering in Atrium
Looking at this schedule for today, she knows she is discussing with Coin their plans for her to be their mockingjay. She wonders what they have planned, for she knows if there is one thing about this place, is that planning is their strongest weapon.
She makes it to the cafeteria by 7:10, with not much time to eat, she takes a seat by herself and begins inhaling her food. She sees a tray plop down beside hers and sees Gale take a seat.
"My tattoo says I have a meeting with Coin at 9 am, I take it yours does too?" he asks.
"Yeah, and we have to be in the atrium at 8 pm?" she asks him in response.
"Maybe Coin is making an announcement to the District about you being the mockingjay" he says then places a piece of bacon in his mouth. Katniss was surprised to see that they were given bacon this morning, for the only other time she had bacon was in the Capitol. She wonders how District 13 is able get it, for it is not like there are pigs running around outside. She knows the District had an underground greenhouse for growing vegetables, and that they had an underground barn of sorts for cows to produce milk and beef and the barn had chickens, but she did not think the barn had pigs. It makes her wonder what else they had down here. Animals that would never see the light of day, she never thought in her life she would ever feel sorry for an animal, that was something Prim did, not her.
She shrugs in response and continues to eat her food in silence. Sensing something was off Gale says to her, "Something wrong?"
"Trying to still wake up" she says wishing she could have a cup of coffee.
He leans in closer to her and whispers, "I'm sorry I kept you up last night" and flashes a quick smile at her.
This time she is more responsive back and says, "No you're not" and gives him a seductive smile in return.
She knows that he desperately wants to kiss her, she can tell by the look on his face, but he knows that he cannot do that, not here. Last night while walking back down the stairs she told him that she wants to keep their relationship private and just between them. She did not want her Mother or Prim to know, and told him she did not want Hazelle, Rory, or Vick to know either. While Posy was only five, it was best if she most of all never find out, for she could not keep anything to herself.
He was not thrilled with her request, but he knew that it was for the best. For she still had appearances to keep up. For one, the relationship with Peeta everyone needed to think she was still in, and two, she wanted to protect the people she loved and cared about, which included both of their families.
Once they both finish eating, she tells him she will see him at 9 am and finds Prim to wish her good luck, for today she would be working one on one with one of District 13's doctors.
"And this is the suit that Cinna designed for you" Heavensbee says to Katniss as he moves the design book forward in her direction.
She looks at the drawing, she sees the detail in the sketch and the handwritten notes along the side. Realizing this is something the rebellion had been planning for her to do for a long time, she suddenly has a strong sense of honor at getting the chance to wear something designed by Cinna again. But a feeling of sadness overcomes her at the same time.
"You're going to be the best dressed rebel in history" Gale says to her as he looks over her shoulder. She looks up at him and sees a look of pride on his face, she sees he wanted her to do this all along.
"So, we will need your prep team to begin getting your suit ready" Heavensbee says.
"Prep team? What prep team? I assumed I would be getting ready myself" Katniss says, for she knows there is no way District 13 would waste their resources on anything even remotely resembling a prep team.
"Your prep team from the Capitol is here, they've been here" Heavensbee says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"What? Where are they? How come I have not seen them in the cafeteria?"
"They have been having a hard time, adjusting. They are being contained" Heavensbee says in a neutral tone.
"Take me to them" Katniss says, in a tone indicating the matter was not up for debate.
Gale follows behind Katniss as she walks with Heavensbee to the elevators. They head down to the 3rd floor and Heavensbee escorts Katniss to compartment 3908. She gasps in shock when she sees Flavius, Venia, and Octavia chained. Appearing that they have been beaten, she turns to Heavensbee and says, "Why are they like this?"
"One of them stole food, we made it clear to them that is not allowed here when they arrived" Heavensbee says.
"It was just a slice a bread!" Octavia says in a terrified tone to Katniss.
"Unchain them, now!" Katniss yells.
But Heavensbee shakes his head no and says, "President Coin is doing you a favor, trust me it is better for them if they are with us being tortured than with the Capitol."
"If you don't unchain them then the deal is off" Katniss hisses at him.
"Really? For them?" Heavensbee says pointing at them.
Katniss watches as Gale moves closer to the guard standing by Heavensbee, using his body as a shield between the guard and Katniss's prep team. She sees Gale give Heavensbee and the guard a threatening look.
Heavensbee puts his hands up in surrender and says, "Fine, they can go, but President Coin will hear about this" and Heavensbee motions for the guard to unchain them.
Once unchained, Katniss helps Flavius while Gale helps Octavia, and Venia trails behind as Katniss takes them to her Mother, knowing her Mother will treat their wounds.
She wonders what President Coin will do to her once she finds out what she has done.