Peeta POV

I'm released from the hospital and assigned a drab room which I will share with Haymitch once he has completed his detox on some far below level. Everything is so grey in District Thirteen that I can feel the creativity draining from me. Being so far below ground makes me feel claustrophobic.

Finnick and Beetee are still in the hospital. Beetee is paralyzed from the waist down, a result of him trying to break the forcefield himself. I feel a sense of dread knowing that he did it with my knife. Beetee, however, is as optimistic as ever. He's ready to battle with the Capitol's defenses.

Finnick on the other hand is... pessimistic in a way that I have never seen him before. I visit him in the hospital multiple times a day, completely ignoring the schedule that gets printed on my arm each morning. The sparkle in his eye and his opulent humor are gone. The hospital staff have given him a short length of rope to help with his therapy. Not long enough to hang himself, but long enough to tie a couple of knots. That's all he does. Ties and unties. He's too worried about Annie to focus on anything else.

I understand the feeling. Katniss could be anywhere. Katniss could be dead. I hate not knowing. I hate waiting.

Finnick's nurse encourages him to leave his hospital room a week after our arrival. She thinks it will be good for him, that it will boost his morale. I decide to take him to the cafeteria to eat lunch and promise that I will return him when the period is over.

Finnick looks better in District Thirteen'a clothing than he does in a hospital gown. He laughs a bit when I tell him so.

I take Finnick through the line, and we sit alone at a table. Finnick asks me questions about the District, like he usually does when I visit him. It helps distract us from what we are really thinking about. Right now, his topic is Gale Hawthorne, who sits two tables over from us with his family.

From what I've observed, Gale Hawthorne has become the perfect soldier for District Thirteen. He follows his strict schedule, trains with the citizens of Thirteen, and never complains. But then again, that describes most of the refugees from Twelve.

All of the refugees from Twelve.

Except for me.

"He looks stuck up," Finnick says like a school girl. "No wonder Katniss choose you."

I grunt at his words. "She didn't choose me. I didn't give her a choice."

"You know," he says in a voice that reminds me of the old Finnick. "I thought the whole 'Star-crossed lovers' ordeal was fake. A lie. A strategy to win your first games. It wasn't until your heart stopped that I realized it was real."

"It wasn't real," I reassure him. "Sure, we were friends. We shared a mutual suffering, and that made us close-"

"Willing to die for each other close," Finnick interjects.

"Yes, but the love aspect of it wasn't real... not for her at least."

"She cares about you," he says softly. "She may not know in what way, but she cares about you."

I silently eat my food, hoping Finnick will drop the subject. He does. Instead, he says, "This food is terrible. How do you eat it?" District Thirteen's food is basic and bland. It's meant to keep you alive, not satisfied.

"It's more than what we had at home. At least the bread is not stale," I tell him as I shove a tasteless piece into my mouth.

Finnick freezes beside me, wondering if I'll erupt into a fit of tears or an angry passion while talking about my deceased family. He's seen me do both.

Lucky for him, something catches my attention. The familiar sound of the Capitol's anthem floods the cafeteria. My blood runs cold as I turn my attention to one of the many screens that hang in the center of the room. The Capitol seal appears on the screen. It's the first time I've seen it anywhere but the sky in a long time. A hush falls over the room. Everyone turns their attention to the screen.

Finnick tenses beside me. I can only imagine how this will impact his mental health. The bracelet is his wrist gleams when it catches the light. It reads: Mentally Disoriented.

Caeser Flickerman's face appears on the screen and he says something about stopping what you're doing, but I know that all of Panem has stopped. We're waiting.

The camera pulls back and reveals Katniss. I gasp and stand from my seat at the sight of her, unable to control my movements. Finnick stands beside me and places a hand on my shoulder. I need it. I need something to ground me right now because Katniss looks horrible.

I mean... good? Her hair is curled and flows down both sides of her head. She's wearing a white dress that gives her a heavenly glow. Katniss is beautiful in everything she wears. Her skin is still tanned from the arena, but she has no signs of bruises or burns. I saw the scene from the games where she blew up the force field. She's lucky to be alive.

But no amount of make up can hide the bags under her eyes. Her face looks hollow, like she hasn't been eating properly. The camera only shows the upper half of her body, but her arms are in an uncomfortable position. I wouldn't be surprised if she was handcuffed.

Katniss tries to smile and laugh, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She looks sad. Her eyes are a bit red and puffy. She looks tired. The only time she doesn't look uncomfortable is when she talks about wanting to save me. "My plan was for Peeta to win the Quarter Quell," she says in a apologizing tone.

Caesar mentions the baby, our pretend baby. It was my last, desperate attempt to stop the games and ultimately stop Katniss from losing her life. I knew that she would do everything that she could to protect me, and I had to do the same for her. She looks like she could cry. Katniss is one of the strongest people I have ever met, and I have never seen her shed a tear when she didn't want to, even when she was in physical pain.

"What have they done to you?" I whisper to no in particular. I see Finnick watching me out of the corner of his eye.

Katniss describes the arena and our situation in a way that makes my palms sweat. She always said that she was not good at words, but this Katniss... she knows she has to keep talking in order to stay alive. Caesar mentions the rebel plan, and Katniss almost snaps. Almost. "Peeta and I knew nothing about a rebel plan," she practically growls. My heart soars when I see that she still has a little fight left her.

Hand in there, Katniss.

I see her slip when Caeser's questions come faster. Her jaw tightens, and she appears to be agitated. If she's anything like Finnick and I, the voice inside her head is trying to win. Trying to pull her back into the games.

The second she says "cease-fire" the entire cafeteria erupts. Katniss is the last person I would ever expect to want a cease-fire. She would be the one running into the rebellion the first chance she got. No, this Katniss is being forced. God forbidden that she is being tortured.

When the screen goes black, I steal a glance at Gale Hawthorne. He looks like how I feel. Ever so slightly, he meets my gaze and motions to the door with his head. He turns and exits the cafeteria. It's like he wants me to follow him, so I do. I grab Finnick's arm and drag him to the doors. Behind us, I hear the accusations against Katniss. "The words traitor, liar, and enemy bounce off the walls."

Gale looks like he could punch a wall. "Why would she say that?" He asks once I stop before him. He's pacing the slim hallway.

I still haven't grasped the fact that Katniss was on the screen before, that she is actually alive. "I-I don't know..." I stutter. I somehow manage to say, "She's alive."

Finnick seems to snap out of the haze he's been in since we arrived in Thirteen. "Did you see the way she moved? How uncomfortable she was?" Gale and I both nod at him. "That wasn't Katniss. She's being forced."

"Tortured?" Gale asks in low voice.

Finnick hesitated. "I wouldn't put that past Snow."

Gale swallows hard and takes a deep breath. Then, he looks right at me. "She's still trying to protect you."

Then it hits me. There's only two reasons why Katniss would ever go along with something Snow wanted her to do. The first is her family. If they were in harms way, then she would do anything to save them. Second would be to save me and fulfill this insane desire to repay me for the bread all those years ago. She has made up for it enough. She saved my life... and she fills like she owes me for that too.

I look to Finnick and say, "She's still playing the game."

Finnick opens his mouth to say something, but we are interrupted by a serious looking man in a black uniform. "Soldiers," he commands in deep voice. "You're wanted in Command."

We silently follow him through the web that is District Thirteen. The grey walls are easy to get lost in. We load into an elevator that looks like it belongs in the mines in District Twelve. With all of this technology and weapons, you'd think they could spruce up their interior a bit. Where is the inspiration? How do these people live like this?

We file out and come to a screeching holt when the man leads us into a conference room. There a big table in the center with people sitting around it. The wall behind them has been turned into a screen with Katniss' face enlarged on it. I take a shaky breath when I see her again. This isn't a nightmare.

Gale stands up straight before the people like a good little soldier. Finnick stands beside him and mimics his stance in a mocking way. Where did this Finnick come from? I try my best to follow suit, but I am feeling defeated. I can't imagine how Katniss must feel.

I recognize a man sitting in the center of the table. Plutarch Heavensbee. He sits with his hands folded on the table. An amused smile dances across his lips. A woman with grey hair and light skin sits beside him. She's the first to speak. "Thank you, Boggs. Soldier Odiar and Mellark, I am sorry we had to meet this way. I was instructed to give you adequate time to heal from your injuries. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury anymore."

Plutarch clears his throat, and the woman glares at him. "Finnick, Peeta, may I introduce to you President Coin."

This woman means business and clearly lacks the manners to be the leader of District Thirteen. She shakes off Plutarch's introduction. "Katniss Everdeen's interview for the Capitol has done a lot of damage. The districts are in a fragile state and are deciding which side they want to be on. The Mockingjay herself has called for a cease-fire, and the districts are likely to listen to her."

A bitter taste fills my mouth, and I am unable to stop myself from saying, "Perhaps you should have saved her."

Plutarch bites his lip to hide a smile. Coin narrows her beady eyes at me. I immediately don't like this woman. "It wasn't that simple, Soldier Mellark. The entire operation and you could have been killed."

"Did you call her the Mockingjay?" Finnick asks, saving me from more of a lecture. Its okay, I could have handled it. I handled my mother my entire life.

Its Plutarch who answers. "Yes, the rebellion has dubbed Katniss as the Mockingjay because of the pin she wore. Mockingjays were a Capitol creation gone rouge, much like Katniss herself. Its become the symbol of the rebellion. She has become a symbol."

"Then we need to rescue her," I say.

Plutarch sighs, "My contacts are still radio silent. Everyone is still on edge from what happened in the games."

"If Katniss is that important," Finnick starts, "Then we'll find a way."

"She doesn't know," I blurt out. My thoughts from earlier are returning. "They're threatening or lying to her. Katniss would only say those things if she was trying to protect someone."

Coin weights this for a moment. "She doesn't know what?"

"About District Twelve," Gale says quickly. Its almost as if he was thinking the same thing.

Finnick adds, "That some of the victors escaped. Snow wouldn't willing tell her about that. He'd have nothing to hold against her."

"We need to show her," a voice speaks up from the corner of the table. Beetee sits with a notebook in front of him. He doesn't look up from what he is writing. "The next time the interview Katniss, and they will, we need to breakthrough their broadcast. We need to show her a message."

Plutarch lights up like a firework. "We can shoot a series of propaganda videos with the purpose of turning the districts and altering Katniss. The past victors can show the world that they are alive and well and fighting for the rebellion."

"We need to show her District Twelve," I say quietly, but everyone hears me.

"I can't sanction sending a civilian outside of District Thirteen," Coin says dismissively.

Lucky for me, Plutarch is on my side. "That's the best way to appeal to the districts, madam president. We need to show them what Snow is really capable of."

The man who I assume is Boggs speaks up, "I'll supervise their trip."

President Coin thinks for a moment. Then she says, "There's been no activity in Twelve since the bombing. I doubt Snow is even keeping tabs on it. The soldiers should be safe." She looks directly at me and asks, "What happens if you are killed?"

I answer, "Get it on camera."

We load into the hovercraft. Me, Finnick, and Gale Hawthorne. Gale had been promoted to wear a communicuff because he is a good little solider. Part of me is convinced it is so Coin can spy on us when we leave the district. They call it "communication."

Our propo, as Plutarch calls it, team consists of two Capitol cameramen. They wear heavy mobile cameras... like insect shells. There's Cressida, the director, who has a shaved head with green vines tattooed on it. Her assistants is Messalla, a man with several piercings- even one on his tongue.

Boggs and two other soldiers come along as bodyguards. The hovercraft lands, and we're instructed to stay inside while a full sweep is performed. When it is deemed safe, we step foot in District Twelve again.