"Remember Katniss, this whole area has been swept and we will be watching from the air." Katniss nodded to show she understood, her eyes on the hovercraft door.

"Are you sure you want to do this alone," Gale asked softly.

"I need to. I need to see it. And then I need to show Panem."

"We will circle twice, as we discussed, and then we'll land," Haymitch said. "Cressida and her crew will be ready. Gale, Rory, and Rye will guard your flanks. Boggs will remain behind to ready to the hovercraft in case of emergency evacuation. Be
careful, Katniss." She nodded and stepped out onto the gravel.

Her immediate thought was regret. There was no way she could do this. The air smelled of death. Bones littered the gravel that she stood on. The Justice Building in front of her was a pile of bricks. She very nearly backed right up into the hovercraft and demanded they take her back 13.

She was the Mockingjay. She was her father's daughter. She could do this.

Katniss took a step forward, followed by another. She lifted her chin and let out a shaky breath. She had never seen the district so still. Even before the sun rose, the workers were hurrying off to the mines.
She felt her stomach start to roll as she realized what was in front of her. The whipping post, which she and Peeta had been bound to. She closed her eyes and felt the sting of the whip on her back. The sight of Peeta's mutilated flesh came flooding to the front of her mind and she clutched her stomach, bending over just in time to expel everything from her stomach. She reached out to steady herself but yanked her hand back from the post. It was ironic, she thought, that this thing had survived the bombing.

She shook her head and continued on. She was tempted to enter the Justice Building and see if anything in Peeta's office had survived.

"Everything ok, Katniss," she heard Haymitch's voice in her ear.

"Fine," she said quickly, and continued walking. She didn't want them to know how weak she was feeling.
She continued on, keeping her eyes raised and straight ahead. She didn't want to see the many faces staring up at her. Twice she had stepped on a skull and had nearly fainted. But she knew they were above her, watching her, and she forced herself to put on a brave face.

When she approached the bakery, she froze. There was nothing but a charred oven and the trunk of a tree. She moved closer, kneeling next to the tree trunk. It was underneath this tree that Peeta had saved her life. Before he had given her that bread, she had curled up against the trunk, losing all hope. She reached out and shakily trailed her fingertips across the charred wood.

"Can you believe this is the same place we came to trade," a soft voice said behind her.

"What are you doing here?" She kept her eyes trained on the remains of the bakery.

"We gave you a little more time than planned. Haymitch wanted to land. Cress is getting her crew ready, back at the Justice Building." She felt someone else approach and she turned to see Rye gaping at his childhood home.

"Doesn't seem real, does it," he said stiffly.

"I'm so sorry, Rye," she reached for his hand.

"This would make Peet cry. He loved this bakery. Even though he's the youngest, he begged Dad to let him have it. Mom insisted it should go to Bing, but Bing said he didn't want it. And I've never been much for baking. I would have let Peet have it. He could make works of art out of those cakes."

"I remember," Katniss muttered. Rye glanced sideways at her, then moved toward the bakery. Katniss hung back and pressed her palm to the tree stump again.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
They strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree."

Katniss didn't notice Cressida's film crew sneaking up with their cameras rolling, or Rye lowering his head and shedding silent tears, or Haymitch tucking several files into his bag, his eyes trained on Katniss. She didn't notice any of it, because she was singing to Peeta, wherever he was. She imagined him right in front of her, begging for her to continue. He had told her he'd been enchanted by her voice. She sat against the tree stump, pulling her knees to her chest and tilting her head back to sing.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run
So we'd both be free
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope
Side by side with me
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree

As she finished the song, she buried her face in her hands and allowed the tears to come.

"Katniss," Cressida said gently. "Can you tell us about this place? It's obviously meaningful to you, isn't it?"

"This is the bakery that Peeta grew up in." Cressida motioned to her crew and she knelt in front of Katniss.

"How did you meet Peeta?" Katniss lifted her head and swallowed.

"I met him on my first day of school. He offered me a cookie. He was very sweet. I didn't talk to him again after that. When I was 11, my father died and essentially took my mother with him. She wasn't able to work so we nearly starved. My little sister was dying. I took some old baby clothes to town to try to sell, but it was raining horribly. I was rooting through the baker's dumpster when his wife came out and chased me away. She said she would call the peacekeepers on me, and I watched until she went back inside. I collapsed near the bakery, right next to this tree." She reached out to touch it again. "I was so weak that I couldn't move. I hadn't eaten in days. My eyesight was so blurry from hunger. I was nearly frozen because my coat was so ragged. I was sure I would die right here. I heard the door open again and I was too weak to care if the baker's wife was coming back. But it wasn't her. It was him." She looked to the bakery and Cressida actually turned, sure there was someone there. Rye listened with his jaw agape. He knew his brother had saved Katniss's life, but he'd never been told the full story. Katniss's eyes were glassy as she continued to talk in a low voice. Castor moved closer so he wouldn't miss a word.

"He came outside, with his mother following him, screaming at him and hitting him. When she went back inside, he threw the bread to me and when our eyes met, I knew he had meant for me to have it. I ran back home as fast as I could, with those two loaves hidden under my jacket. I made a salad from greens I gathered outside and it was the first real meal we had eaten in months. That bread gave us hope and Peeta took a beating for a girl he barely knew. He started to sneak sweets and bread into my locker at school. The first time we actually spoke was when he returned to 12 as a peacekeeper. And he asked me to marry him."

"He was already in love with you," Cressida said with a smile.

"I guess so." Katniss nodded, attempting a weak smile. "That's what he said."

"The Capitol is holding him prisoner and you are in 13. How are you doing, being separated from him?"

"Not well," she replied. Understatement, she mentally chastised herself. "I know at any moment he could be killed. But because of what they're putting him through, I don't have any reservations anymore. About doing whatever it takes to destroy the
Capitol. I'm finally free." She turned her gaze skyward and watched the flight of a hawk across the sky. "Peeta once told me that the Capitol was fragile. At the time, I didn't know what he meant. It was hard to see clearly because I was so afraid. Now I'm not. The Capitol's fragile because it depends on the districts for everything. Food, energy, even the Peacekeepers that police us. If we declare our freedom, the Capitol collapses. Caius Snow, thanks to you, I'm officially declaring mine today."

"That was fantastic, Katniss. Well done. Ok Pollux, let's get some footage in front of the Justice Building. Haymitch, did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah," Haymitch grunted, patting his bag.

"I want to go to Peeta's house and see if I can find something for Annie to wear for her wedding." Rory and Gale walked behind her as they continued toward the peacekeepers' part of town.

"It's scary, how quiet it is," Rory mumbled. Katniss sucked in a breath when they approached Peeta's house. Most of it was gone and she felt sick again.

"Come on," Gale said softly, tugging her arm. He stepped through the rubble, lifting boards and picking things up as he went. She stepped on a picture, cracking the glass, but stifled a sob when she saw the picture was whole. Her father smiled up
at her and she clutched the frame to her chest.

"I wish I had a picture of Peeta," she whispered.

"There weren't many," Rye said at her side. "Mom didn't keep many pictures around."

"Hey Katniss, check this out." Rory held up what looked like a drawer and Katniss pulled out a silky green dress. It looked untouched.

"No way," Gale said in disbelief. Katniss held it up, eyes wide. It looked new. Peeta must have had just ordered this, because the Capitol tags were still on it. Maybe the Capitol had some kind of flame-resistant fabric or something, she reasoned. It
was the only one that had survived, but she was thankful at least one did. Despite it being from the Capitol, Katniss loved it and thought it would look perfect on Annie.

She draped the dress over her arm and continued to shuffle around. It was hard to see Peeta's belongings scattered about, burned beyond recognition. She was glad he had packed his sketchbooks before they had left the district. She couldn't imagine all of his art being lost. Rye appeared in the rubble, looking anxious.

"Oh no," he muttered, throwing boards this way and that, obviously looking for something.

"What, Rye?"

"Just… something that Peet bought. I really hope… maybe he packed it before he left."

"What is it?" But he didn't answer her, overturning boards and boxes instead.

"Hey, we should probably get back," Haymitch called from the end of the path. "Cressida, you got everything you need?"

"We should be good," she said, adjusting her bag.

"Ok. Let's get back to the hovercraft." They trudged back to the center of town and Cressida's team boarded the hovercraft. Rory went next, followed by Gale. Katniss saw Haymitch lift his face to the sky, his brow furrowed.

"What is it, Haymitch?" Haymitch and Boggs exchanged looks.

"I don't know. Too quiet for my liking. Let's get back to 13." He hurried her on board and went to speak to the pilot. Katniss clutched the dress and the picture all the way back to 13, feeling exhausted from the journey. As they flew over the trees,
she heard Gale speak from across from her.

"What if we had just run away to the woods one day?" Katniss lifted her head and frowned over at him. He was staring out the window, looking wistful.

"We could have done it. Survived by hunting and gathering. Built a nice little house. Just forget about the Capitol and what they've done."

"You think Haymitch would have let me run away? Knowing I would be the Mockingjay one day?" Gale scoffed.

"Old man couldn't have stopped you."

"Old man could stop you," Haymitch said behind them. "And she's right. I would have kept her from running off with you, Hawthorne. You're not her destiny or her future." Gale scowled deeply and went to sit at the back of the hovercraft. Haymitch
took his vacated seat and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. I know he's your friend but his dad and I never got along."

"Wasn't he a part of the rebellion too? Gale has always been such a rebel."

"He was but he was stupid about it. He got too drunk at the Hob one night and started yelling about different times coming and revolution and I punched him to shut him up. He woke up the next morning with a black eye and a real dislike for me.
He wasn't too fond of me when I came home from the Games, anyway. Said I'd changed too much." He scoffed and crossed his arms.

"I'd like to see anyone go into the arena and come out unchanged."

"Did he and Dad get along?"

"Ash got along with everyone, really. Even the peacekeepers liked him. He could make people laugh in uncertain times. His songs soothed people. His kindness moved people. Your dad was the best man I've ever known." Katniss was surprised to see
Haymitch looking so… devastated. She could tell from the way he spoke that her father had meant a lot to him. But it was so strange to imagine her father being best friends with a Victor.

"What about Bran Mellark?" Haymitch frowned.

"What about him?"

"Was my Dad friends with him?"

"Seam and Merchant didn't mix much sweetheart. Even more so then, than it is now. Still, Bran and Ash respected each other. Bran traded with Ash and he was one of the few Merchants who did. Think Bran did that more for your mother but it
helped keep you and Prim alive too, so Ash was grateful." Katniss crossed her arms and leaned back against her seat.

"So when did Mom leave Bran for Dad?"

"Your mother's engagement was all the rage in the district. The Apothecary's daughter and the Baker's son was a big deal. Both of them were prominent families and they couldn't wait to join the two. But then one day, Ash's sister got real sick and
he went to the Apothecary. I told him no Merchant would give away medicine but he said he had to try. He came back that night, with the medicine and a lovesick look on his face. He said he was in love with the Apothecary's daughter and he had to marry her. It was insane, and I told him so, but he said she was his soulmate." Haymitch chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Your grandparents kicked Violet out as soon as they found out why she had called off the wedding. Bran's mother visited Violet to give her one more chance. She promised Violet the Merchant community would exile her if she chose to be with Ash.
Violet moved in with Ash and they were married a month later. Bran even made their toasting cake."

"That wasn't really fair to Bran, though. He really loved Mom, didn't he?"

"I think your Mom loved him too. But she loved Ash more. We don't always do what everyone expects us to do. And you're your mother's daughter in that respect." Katniss scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"How many people expected you to marry Hawthorne," Haymitch jerked his head toward Gale. "You married a Peacekeeper instead. A Merchant Peacekeeper. You and your mother are a lot alike, defying the norm."

"Lots of Seam girls married Peacekeepers, remember? For wealth and stability."

"Oh cut the shit, sweetheart. Who are you trying to convince? Why is it so hard to say aloud that you love him?" Katniss stared out the window. The trees reminded her of her father and she blinked back tears.

"It was the last thing I said to Daddy that morning," she whispered. "Before he left for work. I told him I loved him. I haven't been able to say it aloud to anyone since then. Not Mom or Prim. And not him. I wanted to tell him but I couldn't lose him
like Mom lost Dad."

"Yeah? And how's that working out for ya?" She threw him a disgusted look.

"You're such an asshole."

"I'm just saying, it doesn't make the pain any less, does it? Not admitting it aloud doesn't make the separation any easier. Love is in your heart, Katniss. You love that boy, and maybe if you had told him, he would have an easier time of coming back
to you." Her jaw dropped.

"You're blaming me?!"

"Christ no, sweetheart. I'm just trying to get you to see that hiding your feelings doesn't do anyone any good. I know he's still in there. Boggs said the sound of your voice woke him up for a minute. Just promise me you'll stop lying to yourself. And tell him when you do see him again. It'll help both of you." Katniss fell silent and stared out the window.

"Haymitch… finish your story from yesterday."

"What story," he mumbled, his eyes closed.

"Who killed my dad?" His eyes shot open and he glanced back to see if anyone was listening.

"Keep it down, sweetheart. The Capitol had your father killed. You know that."

"Fine, who was responsible for his death? Who told the Capitol he was involved in the rebellion?" He shook his head and huffed.

"You gotta understand something, Katniss-" but what she needed to understand remained a mystery because Haymitch suddenly stood and marched toward the pilot and Boggs.

"What is that?"

"Airspace has been invaded, sir. Coming from the West."

"Can you zoom in on that image," Boggs pointed to the dashboard. Katniss stood behind Haymitch, peering around him. The image was of a hovercraft with Capitol insignia.

"It's headed toward 12," Haymitch said quietly.

"Soldier, get us higher into the sky. We need to get back to 13 completely undetected."

"Yes Colonel." Katniss stared at the dashboard, wondering who was aboard that hovercraft.


Peeta leaned back, clutching his seat for dear life. He wasn't the best flyer, he had discovered, and he felt his stomach roll as the hovercraft descended. It hadn't been the quickest of flights either. District 12 was on the other side of Panem, far away from the Capitol. And the sun was going down, which made his pilot uneasy. The whole trip had a feeling of foreboding.
He glanced at his soldiers and frowned.

"You know our orders. Capture the Mockingjay and bring her back alive."

"And if she resists, General?" Peeta's jaw tightened.

"Then you leave her to me." The soldiers all sat up straighter, diverting their eyes at Peeta's angry expression. The hovercraft landed and Peeta checked the device in his lap.

"It seems that they are in the center of town."

"How do we know they are still there, sir? This could have been from hours ago."

"It likely was. But chances are they are still in the area. No other aircrafts could be detected so that probably haven't left ground. Move out." The soldiers obeyed their General's orders and marched out of the hovercraft. Peeta followed, moving off to the side and he pressed a button on the device. The Minister had sent him footage of the Mockingjay, moving through the debris of a burned building. He turned the volume dial and held it to his ear. Her sweet voice flowed out from the speaker and
he swallowed. The song wasn't particularly a pleasant one. Something about wearing a necklace of hope with her in the hanging tree but he ignored the lyrics and focused on the voice itself. He stared at the image of the girl, trying to find her in his memories.

"General," one of the soldiers yelled and he lowered the device to his side. He saw the peacekeepers standing in front of a demolished building, a whipping post standing tall in front of it.

"This was their Justice Building, General," the soldier said, waving his hand toward it. On the charred bricks he could see a circle with a bird and an arrow.

A Mockingjay.

"They were here," he said, moving to stand in front of the whipping post. "The paint is fresh. Split up and search." His eyes moved from the graffitti to the whipping post. He felt a sudden pain all over his back, as if he had been struck by lightning.

Or a whip, he stared at the post, his mind racing.

"Stop! Stop, that's more than 20! Stop it! You're killing him!"

"General Mellark." His head shot up and he clutched his rifle as he marched over to where the peacekeepers were.

"This was the footage Minister Antonius sent us, wasn't it sir? The Mockingjay was here." Peeta stared at the tree stump, feeling a knot in his throat.

"General?"

"Yes. This was the footage I received. Spread out and search. She's likely being guarded by the District 13 Colonel we encountered in the Capitol. Remember, Minister Antonius wants her alive." The soldiers marched past him, their rifles in the air. Peeta moved closer to the remains of the building he had seen her in. An oven stood alone and Peeta ran his hand over it.

"A bakery," he said to himself. He shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. How did he know that? It could be anything. It could have been a house, for all he knew.

He glanced back at the tree stump and his brow furrowed even further.

No. It was definitely a bakery.
And an apple tree had stood here.
And a girl had sat under it, drenched to the bone and close to death.
He could see her in his mind's eye. Shivering and shaking from hunger.
He had to help her.
He had. He had burned bread for her.
He felt his mother's sharp slap on his skin.
It was the first time he had thought about his mother. He could see her now too. Tall and slender with long blonde hair that was wrapped in a tight bun.
He had once brushed it out, when he was very young. He remembered how soft it was in his hands.
Opposite of her hard palms, that left marks on his fair skin.

He held up the device again and pressed play.

"Peeta once told me that the Capitol was fragile. At the time, I didn't know what he meant. It was hard to see clearly because I was so afraid. Now I'm not. The Capitol's fragile because it depends on the districts for everything. Food, energy, even the Peacekeepers that police us. If we declare our freedom, the Capitol collapses. Caius Snow, thanks to you, I'm officially declaring mine today." She sat beside the tree stump he stood next to now, speaking fiercely into the camera. Her silver eyes flashed with rage as she declared her freedom. He could understand why the Capitol feared her.

He looked around the deserted district and back to the device.

"Damn," he shut it off and went off to find his soldiers.

"Return to the hovercraft. The Mockingjay isn't here."

"How do you know, sir?" He pointed up to the sky.

"The footage I received was early morning. The sun was at a different angle. They're long gone now, probably hours ago. We'll return to the Capitol and regroup." The peacekeepers filed onto the hovercraft and Peeta instructed the pilot to return home.

He knew the Minister would be furious. But he wouldn't call the trip a complete failure.

He had more questions for Lavinia now and he had an idea of how to finally get the truth out of her.


"You sent him where?!" The President's eyes flashed and the Minister cowered in his seat.

"President Snow-"

"Don't. Speak," Caius said through gritted teeth. "Don't make a sound. I'm trying to understand why you thought it was a good idea to send him there, where all of his memories could return. What do you propose we do if he remembers and they
join together? How exactly do you think we can win this war if the Mockingjay has him with her? We need to bring her down. Reuniting with her husband will have the OPPOSITE effect that we want!" Antonius remained silent, his eyes on the gun on
the President's desk.

"Get him back here."

"Sir-"

"Get him back here and order him to destroy the refugee camps. We need as much blood on his hands as possible."

"If I may sir...perhaps we just need the right blood on his hands?" Snow pressed his palms to the desk.

"Speak quickly, Antonius. Your next words may save you or may damn you."