DISCLAIMER: HG CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME
A/N: As always thanks for the reviews!
December
As the weeks went by, Katniss continued to focus entirely on her training. Her daily routine being to eat, sleep, and workout. She and Johanna practiced drills and weapons and continued to attend lectures on tactics. Both were moved into an additional class which gave Katniss hope she might be a contender to be chosen as a solider to fight in the war.
Unfortunately, she did not have any time to go to the cabin, with Gale managing to get to the cabin three days a week. Convincing Coin that 13's soldiers needed fresh protein before heading to the Capitol, he is given permission to hunt from 12 to 5 pm once he is finished with his morning training session, followed by lunch. Now December, the sun sets early, but he convinces Coin that he needs to be outside as long as possible for it is harder to find game when its colder outside.
Each time he goes out, he arrives back with game, along with fish, and he informs Katniss as he walks her back to her compartment after dinner his progress on the mattresses. Now with enough feathers collected to make one mattress, he still needs to make the mattress along with continuing to collect feathers for the second mattress and explains that he plans to sneak fish nets and snare lines to store at the cabin for when their families arrive.
But the two of them cannot come to an agreement as to how they plan to sneak their families to the cabin, and when.
Katniss tells Gale that should she not pass the exam, that she will take everyone to the cabin. Telling Coin that she is going hunting, she tells Gale of her plan to district the guards with the help of Buttercup. Thinking that her plan may not work, he reassures her that she will pass the exam and that he was most certain she will be going to the Capitol.
Gale's plan was for the two of them to take their families separately and meet at the cabin. Feeling they would draw less suspicion if they were not seen together the day of the planned escape. He tells her he would be able to convince Beetee to do some system testing that would deactivate 13's defense systems, and that the distraction would give them enough time to get their families and get out as long as they can get past the guards at the main entrance, for all of 13's cameras would be down. He tells her if her Mother could sneak something from the hospital to knock the guards out, and give the medication to him and Katniss, then they both can sneak up on the guards and once the guards are unconscious, they will both take their families into the woods and to the cabin.
Katniss however was not comfortable with the idea of them splitting up. Unsure if it was due to what happened last time, when she split up with Peeta in the arena, she tells Gale she thinks it is better to have strength in numbers and pushes for them to use Buttercup as a way to convince the guards that Prim would need to go outside to help call him back to the fence.
"If you take Buttercup to the cabin the day before, we can tell the guards he snuck out, that way we can at least get Prim outside" Katniss says to Gale as they approach her compartment door.
"How are we then going to sneak out five other people?"
"Maybe we can create a distraction? Get the guards to leave the area?"
"Then we'll need Beetee for that. We should just go with my idea. And what are we going to say when they ask us what has happened to them?"
She sighs in frustration for she didn't think that far ahead. Blaming it on her determination to pass the exam and not looking ahead beyond getting her Mother and Prim out, it did not cross her mind what would happen if she and Gale were still in 13.
"What if we just….don't come back" she says after a long pause.
"They might think the Capitol has captured you, if they send a search party, they'll eventually find the cabin."
Not wanting that to happen, she resigns herself to the possibility that they will both have to return, and somehow come up with a plan to explain why their families have suddenly disappeared.
Two days later, her uneasiness increased significantly when Peeta shows up at her and Johanna's morning workout.
After lunch, she confronts Heavensbee once she sees Peeta begin drilling with a group of beginners. She marches up to him and says harshly, "Why is he here?"
"Don't worry it's all for the camera. We have footage of you, footage of Annie and Finnick's wedding, and footage of Johanna training, Panem wants to know what's going on with Peeta. They need to see he's fighting for the rebels, not for Snow. Maybe, if we could get a couple of shots of the two of you-you don't have to kiss-but if you could manage to both look happy to be back together-"
But Katniss cuts him off before he can finish and says, "That is never going to happen" and swiftly turns around and storms off.
Late that afternoon, while sitting in her compartment studying, she hears a knock at the door. Knowing that her Mother and Prim will not be arriving back to their compartment till 6 pm for Reflection, she sees the time is 5:20 pm and wonders who it is at the door.
Once she opens the door, she smiles when she sees who it is. Gale is standing there, holding the hand of the youngest Hawthorne beside him.
She bends down as she says, "Hey Posy, how are you?"
"Hi Katniss. My Mom said I could come visit you if my Brother came. I never see you anymore" she says sadly.
"I know, I'm sorry. But I have been busy training."
"Like Gale?"
"Uh-huh. But I'm going to try to start coming by your room after dinner, okay?"
"Promise?"
"I will try-I promise. Maybe Prim can come too."
She sees a smile form on the five-year old's face and Katniss stretches her arms out for a hug, Posy immediately going into them. Katniss glances up at Gale and sees him smiling down at them as she pulls away and Katniss then ushers Posy and Gale inside as she closes the door behind her.
A few days before the first round of soldiers are set to leave 13, Katniss and Johanna are told they have been recommended to take the exam. With no time to prepare, they are immediately ushered to a training room and learn the exam is structured into four parts: assessing physical condition, the written tactics exam, a test of weapons proficiency, and a simulated combat situation.
Johanna goes before her, and once Katniss completes the simulated combat scenario thrown at her, a soldier stamps her hand with the number 451 on it and she is told to report to command. Boggs tells her she's with him, and that it's a special unit of sharpshooters. When she sees who is in the group, she tries to hide her excitement, she sees Gale and Finnick in the room, along with five other people she does not know.
She sees Gale nod at her, and she can tell by the look in his eyes that he is happy. She is not only in an elite squad, but she also gets to work under Boggs, one of the few friends she has in 13 is with her, along with the person she loved.
Trying not to jump up and down, she forces herself to walk calmly over to Finnick and stands beside him, for she didn't trust what she would do if she stood beside Gale.
Her good mood is shattered once she begins watching Heavensbee's presentation, and learning, that she and Finnick are heading right into what they considered the 76th Hunger Games. Seeing the entire Capitol lit up with pods, she forces herself to remain calm, imagining herself heading to the cabin where she can cry, or scream, or both.
As she and Finnick begin walking down the hall after the presentation, Haymitch appears and tells them that Johanna has been taken to the hospital, unable to finish her simulated combat scenario.
During Reflection time that evening, she is given permission from Boggs to go into the woods for 30 minutes if she stays within sight of the guards. Knowing that it is dark and impossible for her to get the cabin, she pushes her need to see Gale's progress from her mind as she looks for a pine tree and strips the needles from the boughs.
When she presents the pile to her, Johanna asks her what it is in confusion.
"I made it for you, something to put in your drawer. Go on, smell it."
Katniss watches as she slowly picks it up and brings her nose down to sniff. Her eyes water as she says, "Smells like home."
"That's what I was hoping, you being from 7 and all" Katniss says with a warm smile. "Do you remember the day we met? You were tree-until you stripped your clothes off."
"You have to kill him Katniss" she says with no emotion.
"I will."
Katniss becomes uneasy as Johanna grabs her wrist, holding it just a little too tightly. "Swear it! On something you care about" the emotion returning to her voice.
"I swear on my life."
"On your family's life" she says as she continues to hold her grip.
"On my family's life" Katniss says firmly, then is relieved internally when Johanna releases her grip.
The next day Katniss reports to the training room with Squad 451. It is 7 am, and Boggs begins by telling the group of eight that their training will consist of a brief workout each morning, followed by training in shooting, with an hour reserved each day for specialty weapons. For Katniss it would be her Mockingjay bow, for Gale his heavy militarized one. Beetee designing a trident for Finnick that has a lot of special features, the most remarkable one being that he can throw the trident, then press a button on a metal cuff on his wrist, and the trident returns to his hand.
Hearing that their entire day will consist of training, she is not surprised, but becomes upset because she knows she and Gale will not be able to return to the cabin. As the days pass, she barely has enough energy to make it through dinner and visit the Hawthorne's as she promised Posy she would do. Luckily with Prim joining her, she can spend time with Prim and the Hawthorne's for at times she must get a 30-minute nap in during Reflection she is so exhausted.
The day before they find out they are leaving to head to the Capitol, Katniss slips a note to Gale asking him to meet her in their old spot at 11 pm. Figuring since they are leaving it is unimportant if they are caught on camera again, she meets him outside the stairwell, and they quickly head inside. With Johanna still in the hospital, she did not have to worry about being seen while she left her compartment, only having to look out for the guards monitoring the halls. Once they climb a few flights, Katniss moving at a much faster pace than the last time they had been there, they stand in the corner and she softly says, "What are we going to do? There's no time to come up with a plan."
"We knew they were going to ship everyone out sooner rather than later."
"I really thought they'd wait until after the new year."
"I think it is all part of the surprise invasion on the Capitol. Attack when they least expect it" he says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Should we leave tonight? Make a run for it?"
"You know we can't do that-they are loading the hovercrafts as we speak."
Seeing the look of distress on her face, he leans in and says gently, "I thought you wanted to fight? You worked so hard for this."
"I do! But…I also want our families safe."
"I drew a detailed map. I'm going to give it to my Mom tomorrow morning when I say goodbye. I'm going to tell her, depending on what happens-if 13 ends up evacuating, to find your Mom and Prim, and head for the cabin if they can. I was able to finish one mattress."
She nods and says, "Your mom can sleep in the bed with my Mom and Prim, and Posy can be with your Brothers on the other mattress."
"Yeah, it will be a tight squeeze, especially on the main bed, but they can make do. I'll tell my Mom if they can, to grab extra blankets and pillows."
"I'll tell my Mom to grab her box of supplies."
After a short pause of silence, she says, "We better go."
But as she turns to head for the stairs, she feels his hand grab her arm, pulling her back into the corner. He touches her face and says, "I have to do this one more time" and he leans down and begins kissing her. Instinctively, she reaches up and wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer to her as she opens her mouth to allow his tongue inside.
"President Coin, you will want to see this" one of the soldiers in the command room said. It was 6 am, and President Coin had just arrived. With the squads leaving in exactly one hour, the President wanted to get to the command room early for a briefing before they headed out.
Coin heads over to the soldier and sits down, looking at the screen before her. The soldier rewinds the tape and plays back the recording. Coin sees the time stamp is 12:32 am and knows whose compartment it is by the number-Katniss Everdeen's.
About a minute into the playback, she sees Katniss's compartment door open and sees Gale Hawthorne emerge. Dressed in District 13's mandatory uniform, she sees that his shirt is only half buttoned. As he exits, she sees a hand reach for his arm and pull him back. She then sees Katniss's dark hair peek out from the doorway. She squints her eyes and leans closer to the monitor and sees the two of them in what appeared to be deep conversation as the door opened further. Seeing that Katniss is wearing only her gray shirt, she sees Katniss reach up and touch his face gently before moving up and kissing him softly. She watches as he breaks away and kisses her hand and quickly heads off.
She presses pause on the computer and turns to the soldier and says, "Good eye Soldier Reid."
The soldier nods his head in appreciation as she gets up from the chair and leaves without another word.
Katniss tries her hardest not to show emotion as she says goodbye to her family. It is 6:15 am, and she needs to head to the cafeteria by 6:30 am to eat her breakfast before reporting to the docks at 7 am sharp.
Her Mom holds her tight for what felt to Katniss like an eternity. Feeling her Mother's tears on her cheek, Katniss knows her Mom suppressed her emotion when she left for the games, and it was just now all coming out.
"Don't worry, I'll be perfectly safe. I'm not even a real soldier, just one of Plutarch's televised puppets" Katniss says, trying to reassure her. Right before Katniss leaves, she whispers into her Mom's ear, "Remember what I told you."
Her Mom nods in response without another word.
Prim, escorting her to the cafeteria entrance says, "How do you feel?"
"Better, knowing you're somewhere Snow can't reach you."
"Next time we see each other, we'll be free of him" and then Prim throws her arms around Katniss's neck and whispers into her ear, "Be careful."
"I will little duck" she whispers back and hugs her tightly one more time before letting go.
As she eats her breakfast, she contemplates making a quick stop by the hospital to say her final goodbye to Peeta, but decides against it, feeling it will only make matters worse for both. She gently touches the pearl that is now in the pocket of her uniform, a token of the boy with the bread, and her good luck charm.
Ten Days Later (The Capitol)
Katniss's mind races as she thinks of various scenarios over and over in her head as to how she can figure out a way to steal Boggs's Holo. It is evening, and they are waiting for Leeg 2's replacement to come. Having stepped on a mislabeled pod, she was killed immediately, and Heavensbee promised a speedy replacement.
When the replacement arrives, she stares in utter shock and confusion. She sees no manacles, no guards, just his gun swinging from the strap over his shoulder. She sees the numbers 451 stamped on the back of his hand. She watches as Boggs takes his weapon and goes to make a call.
Suddenly, she sees Gale's tall frame in front of her, warning the former Victor to keep his distance. "It won't matter" Peeta says, "The President assigned me herself. She says the propos needed some heating up."
Katniss realizes in that moment, that if Peeta's arrival is Coin's doing, then the Mockingjay is more valuable to her dead than alive.