DISCLAIMER: HG CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME
Chapter 133-Mockingjay
"Sienna I don't want to talk about that right now" Katniss says angrily as she walks ahead of her, trying to get to the train station as quickly as possible, Gale a few steps behind for Jackson was having a hard time keeping up.
"But Mom, I just want to know why you and Dad were in those black outfits?" Sienna says jogging to keep up with Katniss as she heads through the main doors of the train station.
Just as the double doors automatically open Katniss stops and turns to her daughter and says, "You saw your Father? Where? How?"
"Katniss" Gale says uneasily as he and Avery and Jackson finally catch up to them, Gale overhearing the conversation.
Katniss shoots Gale a threatening look as she says, "Sienna answer me."
Sienna looks uneasily at her Father, Gale gives her a gentle nod and she looks at Katniss and says, "The images in the video were moving so fast, but pretty much all of them were of you. In some of them, I saw Dad standing behind you, he was holding a gun. I mean, you both looked a lot younger, but it was definitely Dad."
"When you are older I'll tell you about why we are in those outfits" Katniss says as she turns and heads inside.
"But Mom!" Sienna protests, angry that Katniss still won't say what the video was all about.
"I said drop it and I mean it" Katniss roared, jolting Juniper awake from Katniss's chest. Sienna taken aback in surprise, never having seen her Mother get that angry at her before.
Juniper now screaming, Katniss tries to calm her down and Gale says, "How about you take Juniper to the main gate and wait for us, we'll get the tickets and meet up with you there?"
"Fine" Katniss says in an annoyed tone and takes Juniper's baby bag from Gale and walks off.
Gale sees Sienna try to hold back tears as he heads for the ticket booth and purchases five tickets to District 2's downtown station, Juniper not needing a ticket since she was under two. As he walks back to his children Sienna comes up to him and says, "I don't get it, all I did was ask why Mom was in that black outfit. Why did she get so mad at me?" The tears finally falling from her face.
His heart breaking, before Gale can answer Jackson comes up to Sienna and pats her on the shoulder and says, "It's okay Sienna, Avie and I aren't mad at you." The five year old trying to make his older sister feel better.
"I'm sorry about your Mom, she's….she's had a hard day. It's no excuse for the way she just spoke to you, but she's acting this way because she loves you."
"Oh come on Dad" Avery says in disbelief.
"It's the truth, when you're older you will understand." Gale then bends down and gives Sienna a hug and whispers in her ear, "When we get home I'll tell you about the black outfits, I promise." When he pulls away from his embrace he sees a small smile on her face and she nods in response.
By the time they meet up with Katniss, Juniper was still awake but in a much better mood. Gale hands Katniss her train ticket and the five of them board the train. Feeling awful for what happened earlier, Katniss tries to take a seat next to Sienna, but Sienna quickly moves away from Katniss and takes her seat next to Gale. Katniss looks at Gale but he gives Katniss a look to let it go and Katniss sits beside Jackson as Gale sat between Avery and Sienna on the other side of the six seat box section they were assigned to. Grateful that the train ride was only an hour, Katniss let Jackson play with Juniper as she sat on the seat beside him.
"Careful Jack" Katniss said as he hands the next color ring for Juniper to stack.
"I am Mama" he says not looking at Katniss as he responds.
"Just make sure she doesn't roll off the seat" Katniss says as she glances over at Gale, Sienna, and Avery. The three of them watching something on the small TV screen in from of them, laughing at whatever they were all watching together.
By the time they arrive at Hazelle's, Sienna continues to keep her distance from Katniss, barely acknowledging Katniss's existence. That night, while in Hazelle's basement, Katniss and Gale get into a heated exchange.
"It's time to face this Katniss. You can't hide them from the truth forever. We have to tell Sienna about the war."
"I'm not ready Gale. Not yet. It's one thing to tell the kids about the Hunger Games, it's another to tell them about the war, about me being the Mockingjay, can't we please just wait a couple more years? At least until Sienna is 13? It's only 3 more years away."
"Sorry Katniss, I can't do that. Our daughter was in tears after you yelled at her today. I promised her when we got home I'd tell her the truth about the black outfits. I'm keeping that promise. I'm telling her, either with or without you."
Shocked to hear that she was responsible for upsetting Sienna, Katniss looks down and says, "I didn't want to do this now."
"It's now always about what you want" Gale says harshly.
"You don't think I know that Gale! I love them so much! It's because I love them that I'm afraid-I'm afraid she'll look at us differently."
"I know you are. I tried to tell them that today but they didn't understand."
"They are too young!"
"Sienna's not. I'll talk to her. She's not going to let it go until we tell her, you know that."
Katniss nods and starts to tear up. Gale gives her a hug and says, "It'll be alright."
"I hope so" Katniss says into his chest.
Two days later after returning to Silver Lake, Gale decides to take Sienna out back behind their house deep into the woods to have their discussion concerning Katniss and the Mockingjay outfit. Just like her parents, both Sienna and Avery knew how to hunt and Sienna carried a small bow and arrow into the woods while her Father set up a small snare line.
Dressed in a large purple coat, Sienna and Gale ended up on the edge of a small cliff between two large mountains. The mountains snow covered, it was a picturesque site as they sat in silence for a moment breathing in the cold air. Gale sighed and took a deep breath as Sienna patiently waited for him to speak. Finally he says, "In school, they taught you that after the last Quarter Quell there was a war right?"
"My teacher briefly mentioned it, she says we won't learn about the war until grade 6 and 7."
"Well, the reason in the museum at the end we went into that room, it's because at the end of the Quarter Quell, the rebellion started. Your Mom was rescued by the rebels who jump started the rebellion. They got your Mom out of the arena the second time. The purpose of the rebellion was to start a war. A war to overthrow the Capitol."
"To stop the Hunger Games?" Sienna asks.
"Not just the Hunger Games. To stop all the injustices of the Capitol. To bring equality to all the Districts. When I was your age, I didn't have the freedoms you do. Grammie, Uncle Vick, Aunt Posy, Uncle Rory and I, we couldn't leave District 12 and just come to the Capitol whenever we wanted like we do now. One had to be invited to come to the Capitol. We were never allowed to leave our District. Our District was guarded by electric fences. Armed men we called Peacekeepers used to enforce the rules. Your Mother had never been to the Capitol until she volunteered for your Aunt Prim in the Hunger Games. She had never seen another District before. Panem was very different back then. That's why the rebellion started, to change Panem. We wanted a new Panem."
"We?" Sienna asks confused.
"When you Mother won the Hunger Games the first time with Peeta, they returned to the District 12 as co-winners. Panem had never seen that before. Panem had seen something special in your Mother, they had seen someone who had given them hope. Your Mom had become very popular with the different Districts. People started to rise up, she had given them hope. Hope to stand up to the Capitol. People started fighting back. Panem's former President, President Snow, was very threatened by your Mother. He arranged to have your Mother and Peeta go back into the arena for the Quarter Quell along with the other former Victors. But what President Snow didn't know was that a rebellion was forming, and arrangements were made to rescue your Mother from the arena. After she was rescued, the war started. Your Mother joined the war and I did too."
Sienna looks at Gale in surprise and said, "Why?"
"I always wanted to fight the Capitol."
"But why Dad?"
"I grew up with nothing Sienna. The reason your Mom and I know how to hunt is because we had to feed our families. District 12 was very poor. I know you've learned that in school. If it wasn't for me and your Mother our families would have died. We come from a placed called the Seam, all the people there lived in shacks. My Father died when I was 14, I had to grow up real fast. The Capitol took everything from our District. I longed for the day I could fight them."
"Did you kill people?"
"I did."
"So Mom was the leader?"
"She wasn't the leader. The rebellion was lead by a woman named Coin. Your Mom was used more as a symbol. That's what the black outfit you saw her in was. They called her the Mockingjay."
"The Mockingjay?"
"Yeah, because in the games she wore a Mockingjay pin and remember how her outfit and dress caught on fire and the one dress changed?"
"Yeah."
"Well the theme stuck."
"So Mom continued to kill people too?"
"She didn't want to."
"How long did the war last?"
"Longer than any of us wanted, almost a year."
"What happened after the war ended?"
"President Paylor got elected, Panem started to rebuild."
"And you and Mom?"
"Me and Grammie moved to Grammie's house. Along with Uncle Vick, Uncle Rory and Aunt Posy."
Gale sees the wheels turn in Sienna's head. "Where was Mom?"
"Your Mom returned to District 12 after the war ended."
"She wasn't with you?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"We weren't together then."
"But you said you always loved Mom. That you loved her ever since she was 15."
"It was-complicated back then. I did love you Mother. But-I did something that was….unforgivable that your Mom found out about right after the war ended. Your Mom and I weren't together until a couple of years before you were born."
"Did Mom love Peeta?"
"She did."
"Did you ever love anyone else?"
"I did."
"Did you love them more than Mom?"
"No. I could never love anyone more than your Mom. Or you and your sisters and brother."
Sienna goes into Gale's arms and hugs him without saying another word. Two hours later, they return home, the only game caught was a small black bird shot by Sienna. Gale not having caught anything in his snare line.
"Wow, nice Sienna" Katniss says as Gale brings the small bird inside and grabs a knife to take outside.
"Dad didn't get anything" Sienna says proudly.
"Nothing in the snare line? That's unusual" Katniss says.
"Can we eat it for dinner tonight?" Sienna asks.
"Sure, it's why your Dad grabbed the knife to get it ready for us to cook."
"Mom-I just wanted you to know, Dad told me. He told me about you being the Mockingjay."
"He did?" Katniss says in surprise, thinking that Gale was going to tell her in the evening before she went to bed like they had agreed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry that I upset you at the museum last week. And I'm sorry that you and Dad had to fight in a war so that me, Avery, Jackson and Juniper can grow up in this nice house. Dad said you guys grew up in shacks."
Katniss tries to hold back a sarcastic remark wanting to tell her daughter the war more than just about her children growing up a nicer home than what her and Gale had.
"I just want you to know, when I grow up, I hope I can be as brave as you are. Dad says that you gave people hope, you are the kindest and bravest person I know. If anyone ever asks, I'll be proud to say that my Mom was the Mockingjay." And Sienna runs off to take her heavy coat off to put in the hallway closet.
Katniss wipes away the tears that suddenly formed and quickly began running down her face.
