"So where are we going?" Heather asked as they entered the forest.
"I want to go to the lake," Katniss said.
Heather nodded. The desire to ask Katniss why she wanted to go there but she knew that wouldn't be a good idea. Clearly, Katniss wasn't in the mood for a conversation. The fact that she'd allowed Heather to come along with her was already out of her character and she didn't think she'd stay as lucky if she continued to pester her.
Even though the trip to the lake was't long, Heather felt like it was taking twice as long. With every step she took, she became more tired but she didn't dare to mention it to her. Although she felt like she was already giving it away with how hard she was breathing. It didn't help that her breaths were more visible because of the cold air.
"With all things going on, I forgot to ask you," Katniss suddenly spoke. "But when did you and Haymitch get, you know-"
"A couple?" Heather said, a smile spreading on her face.
"Yeah."
"Remember that one time I was sick?" Heather asked to which Katniss nodded. "Well, Haymitch took care of me back then. I already had feelings for him back then and during that time, I confessed."
"But why? I mean, it's Haymitch," Katniss said. "He's grumpy, and rude, and you have to admit, it's hard being around him."
"I know, I was his tribute before you are, remember?" she said.
"I never asked you this before but how did you get him to mentor you seriously?" Katniss asked.
Heather smiled at the memory, "I may or may have not dumped his spirits during the train ride to get his attention."
"You didn't," Katniss's eyes widened.
"I did," she said. "I also pestered him a lot with questions and I guess I sort of grew on him."
"I still have a hard time believing that you two are together," Katniss said.
Heather laughed. "I get what you're coming from but trust me when I say there are parts to Haymitch that you don't know about. He helped me a lot, in more ways than you can imagine, and I always feel loved and safe around him."
Katniss stared at her in disbelief and she was about to say something before Heather heard the familiar sound of a weapon clicking. Immediately, Heather grabbed Katniss and pulled away to hide a tree. Suddenly, all the obvious signs that indicated others being here. The recent footprints in the snow, the stream of smoke from the chimney in the house near the lake, and the smell of steaming pine needles. Heather ignored the fact that she found the smell of that delicious and noticed Katniss going out of their hiding place, already drawing out an arrow.
Suddenly, the Peacekeeper dropped her weapon on the ground and held out something in her gloved hand.
"Stop!" she yelled.
At first, Heather was surprised to hear the word come out of that Peacekeeper but looking at the thing she showed them, everything clicked.
"Katniss, stop," Heather said as she stepped out of her hiding spot and gently lowered Katniss's arm.
But it seemed that she didn't need to as Katniss too stared at the white cracker bread that bore an image of a mockingjay at the centre. Wordlessly, Heather understood what they were trying to say.
"What is it? What does this mean?" Katniss asked harshly. Heather noticed how her hands were still tightening around the arrow and bow, still prepared to shoot.
"It means we're on your side," a quivery voice said from behind them.
While Katniss kept her eyes trained on the woman, Heather turned to see a young girl, about to same age as Katniss. She was also wearing a Peacekeeper's uniform but it was a bit large for her. The girl was using a branch as crutch and from her trails on the snow, she could tell her a part of her right leg was hurt. As she examined her features, Heather could immediately tell that the girl was from District 8.
"Katniss, lower your weapons. They're rebels," Heather told her but she could see the look of hesitation on Katniss' face. "Now, Katniss."
Warily, she lowered the bow and she looked at her questioningly. Heather smiled reassuringly, happy that she actually listened to her. She then turned to the two women.
"You're District 8, right?"
Hesitantly, the older woman nodded. "Yes, how did you know?"
"I can tell from your features," she said. "Besides, out of all the districts, you guys would have an easier access to Peacekeepers' uniforms since you make them."
Heather looked once again at the younger girl and saw the uncomfortable expression on her face as she tried to hold herself up. "How about we go sit down somewhere? I can look at that leg of yours and you can tell us your story."
Once again, the women looked astonished that Heather noticed something new. Katniss still seemed upset at being left in the unknown but nethertheless, she complied and they moved over to the cement house.
The young girl instantly sits down on the Peacekeeper's cloak laid out in the floor, near the fire. The woman comes over to her and adjusts the cloak around her.
"What are your names?" Katniss asked.
"I'm Twill," the older one answered. "And that's Bonnie."
"Are you guys really from District 8?"
Bonnie nodded.
"I heard you had an uprising there," Katniss said.
"Yes, that's why we got out," Bonnie said.
"But where are you going?" Heather asked.
"We're headed to District 13," Twill said, making Heather's heart drop.
"Thirteen? There is no Thirteen," Katniss said. "It got blown off."
Feeling uncomfortable, Heather turned around and saw Bonnie shifting and wincing from pain. "What's wrong with your leg?"
"I twist it. The boots were too big," she said.
Heather looked around for something that could help her with the pain. Finding nothing, she looked down at her top. It could be worn as a dress as well since it reached her knees. She grabbed the hem of it and, gathering all her strength, tore a part of it.
The sound of cloth tearing made Katniss and Twill pause their conversation. They were talking about food and if anyone was after them.
Heather came to sit near Bonnie and tenderly removed the boot from her foot. She tied the piece of cloth firmly around the swelling in her ankle but she was still careful to not make it too tight as to cut off the circulation.
"You really are generous as you were in the games," Bonnie said under her breath.
"Thank you," she said. "Though this is the least I can do for you."
When Bonnie and Heather turned their attention back to the other two, they saw Katniss taking out food from her bag. Heather observed the hungry expressions on the women's faces as they stared at food. That's all she needed to see to know that food had been sacred for them too. It wasn't so surprising as District 8 was an ugly urban place with no green in sight so it was astonishing that these two made it this far when they knew nothing of nature.
She grabbed the food and gave it to them.
"Oh," Bonnie exclaims. "Is this all for me?"
Heather's lips tightened as she felt her heart wretched inside. It was always hard to hear the disbelief of people who are always hungry when they are presented with an ample amount of food. She remembered the first time she witnessed it when she won her games and the people of her district got to eat so much food as a result of her victory. It was weird as it made her happy and sad at the same time. Happy because these people finally got the chance to eat something and sad that they're acting this way when they don't have access to something as important as food.
"Yes, it is," Heather said, placing her hand on her shoulder.
Bonnie stared at the bread as if it wasn't real before sinking her teeth into it, then did it again and again. "Please try to eat slowly," Heather said. "It's not good for your stomach if you eat so fast."
Bonnie nodded and tried to slow down. But it was still hard for her to do so. Out of the four of them, Heather hadn't experienced hunger much being born into a privileged family but she had still gone through a time where food wasn't easy to find. And she could only recall those hollow moments as she looked at Bonnie.
"So, what's your story?" Katniss asked after Bonnie and Twill finished eating their food and drinking their tea.
Heather listened intently as she listened as they told them about the growth of discontent in District 8. Things were different now because the talk was no longer just a talk but started to become a call to action. With the factories being loud, it was easy to spread the word out without being heard.
Twill worked as a school teacher and Bonnie was one of the students. After school, they went to work in a factory specializing in making Peacekeepers's uniforms. Bonnie, who worked in the inspection dock, managed to secure some clothes that were intended to Twill and her husband. It was understood that, once the uprising began, it would be crucial to get word of it out beyond District 8 if it were to spread and be successful.
They told them about how they were rehearsing their positions when Peeta and Katniss came for their Victory Tour appearance. People in the crowd positioned themselves according to their teams, next to the buildings they would target when the rebellion broke out. That was the plan: to take over the centers of power in the city like the Justice Building, the Peacekeepers' Headquarters, the Communication Center in the square, and at other important locations in the district.
The night Peeta proposed to Katniss was when the uprising began as their interview with Caesar Flickerman had been mandatory viewing. It gave the people of District 8 a reason to be out on the streets after dark, gathering either in the square or in various community centers around the city to watch. Normally, such activity would have been too suspicious, but in this case, it was not for the Peacekeepers.
Then, at the appointed time, all hell broke loose.
Taken by surprise and overwhelmed by sheer numbers, the Peacekeepers were initially overcome by the crowds and all the crucial locations were secured. Weapons started being distributed to the rebels and hope spread through the people and they thought that if they could spread the word to other districts, they could overthrow the Capitol.
Of course, it wasn't an easy victory.
The following days, Peacekeepers began to arrive by the thousands and hovercrafts began bombing. Within two days, the city was subdued and everyone was in lockdown in their homes. No food, no coal, everyone was forbidden to leave their homes. The only time the television showed anything was when the suspected instigators were hanged in the square. Then one night, as the whole district was on the brink of starvation, came the order to return to business as usual.
That meant school for Twill and Bonnie. A street made impassable by the bombs caused them to be late for their factory shift, so they were still a hundred yards away when it exploded, killing everyone inside — including Twill's husband and Bonnie's entire family.
That was the last straw for Heather as she looked to the side as she tried to keep her tears in.
"Someone must have told the Capitol that the idea for the uprising had started there," she heard Twill say faintly.
The two raced back to Twill's, where the Peacekeeper suits were located. They scraped together what supplies they could gather, stealing freely from neighbors they knew to be dead, and made it to the railroad station. In a warehouse near the tracks, they changed into the Peacekeeper outfits and, disguised, were able to make it onto a boxcar full of fabric on a train headed to District 6. They fled the train at a fuel stop along the way and traveled on foot. Concealed by woods, but using the tracks for guidance, they made it to the outskirts of District 12 two days ago, where they were forced to stop when Bonnie twisted her ankle
"I understand why you're running, but what do you expect to find in District Thirteen?" Katniss asked.
Bonnie and Twill look at each other nervously. "We're not sure exactly," Twill said.
"It's nothing but rubble," Katniss said, and Heather looked down in guilt. "We've all seen the footage."
As Twill and Bonnie told Katniss about their theory of why District 13 still existed, Heather stayed quiet. She should say something really but no words came to her mind. Thoughts ran through her head about if she could tell them that District 13 still existed. But at the same time, she couldn't risk telling Katniss. She didn't know why but something inside of her told her that Katniss shouldn't know about this.
"We don't know," Bonnie whispers. "Right now, we're just holding on to the hope that they exist."
"They exist," Heather said, instantly grabbing the attention of those around. She gasped at what she said and covered her mouth with her hand.
Katniss turned towards her with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I-I found out about it a few years ago myself, and they do exist," Heather told them. "And I promise that I'll answer any questions you have, Katniss, but not now."
She still looked skeptical and there was no doubt that anger was boiling inside of her. Heather then proceeded to tell them all she knew about the district. She told them how the leader struck a deal with the Capitol to stay hidden and pretend to be bombed as an example set for the other districts. But over the last years, they've been planning for a rebellion.
"I don't know exactly where they are, I've never been and never asked at the location but they're living underground and they have a system to detect trespassers so you would be found easily," she said.
"S-so it does exist," Bonnie said in astonishment.
Twill also sported a look of surprise on her face then looked up at Heather. "Thank you."
Afterwards, Katniss gave them all the food she had and took Twill outside to teach her how to hunt. Meanwhile, Heather taught Bonnie how to build a proper fire and gave her instructions on how to take care of her ankle. They told Twill and Bonnie about the current state of their district and how life was under Thread.
When the late afternoon approached, they said their goodbyes and hugged. Heather wished that the two women would be able to make it to District 13, but with the harsh weather and their lack of survival knowledge, she knew the chances were low.
It didn't take 5 minutes for Katniss to start bombarding her with questions.
"Can you please stop with the lies?" Katniss asked. "I'm tired of them, why are you always not telling me the truth?"
"I don't always lie to you Katniss. I just keep information from you," Heather sighed. "I know that's no better but you have to understand that there is a right time for everything. You just came back from the arena and you want me to tell you how there is a rebellion going around when you have so much trauma and heartbreak in you? And even before you became tribute, I wouldn't have told you because frankly, I want to keep you safe, okay? You always try to keep Prim safe and that's what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep you safe, and I'm failing."
Heather felt the cold wind nimble her skin as she and Katniss stared at each other intensely.
"I don't need to be protected," Katniss said.
"No, but you deserve to," Heather said. "And besides, I don't want you to associate with those from District 13. I think the people are okay, but those in charge, especially the leader, something is off about them."
"You're bitter about them abandoning us too, aren't you?" Katniss asked.
Heather chuckled. "Let's just say that Haymitch had to stop me from going there myself and giving them a piece of my mind."
Katniss let out a laugh.
They continued their way back home, and Heather answered every question honestly, to the best of her abilities. She told Katniss when she couldn't tell her some information because she was sworn to secrecy. Surprisingly, Katniss was okay with that and didn't throw a fuss. Really, all she wanted was some honesty.
They also talked a bit about Snow and analyzed some of his actions. Heather admitted that she had her suspicions about Snow playing her for a fool but she didn't say anything since she didn't have all the facts.
"I don't like sharing my theories before considering all perspectives and getting the big picture," Heather said.
"Fair enough. But it would've been nice if you said something," Katniss said.
"I know, and I will. Next time, I promise," she said.
"When Bonnie and Twill showed that picture of the mockingjay, what did that mean?" Katniss asked. "Am I the face of the rebellion? Has the mockingjay on my pin become a symbol of resistance?"
Heather was about to answer her questions when suddenly, she heard the sound of buzzing. At first, she thought it was the buzzing of bees and was confused since there were no bees there. But then she focused more on the sound and realized that the buzzing was different than that of a bee, then she laid her eyes on the fence.
It was alive with electricity.
Katniss seemed to draw the same conclusion as she backed away from the fence and covered her mouth.
"D-do you think that-"
"Thread saw us? Yes," Heather said, exhaling as she tried to think through this issue.
This wasn't the first time they were caught with an electrified fence but usually, they'd always wait out until the electricity died, which it always did. But this time, Heather was certain that the power will continue to be on.
"We need to jump over it," Katniss said.
Going over their other options, Heather found that there was nothing better to do besides what Katniss suggested.
"Let's hope my luck in climbing trees stays with me for this one," Heather muttered.
It did not.
When Heather and Katniss found a suitable tree to climb from, Heather went to go first to jump as she was the least experienced between the two of them. While she wasn't afraid of heights, when she looked down at how much feet high she was, Heather felt like throwing up. And so, she gathered all her courage and let herself fly through the sky.
Next thing she knew, Heather had broken her tailbone and her knee was in so much pain. It wasn't until Katniss hopped next to her that Heather paid attention to the world around her.
"We need an alibi," Katniss grunted in pain, letting Heather know that she too was injured.
"We can buy some things from the shops," she suggested.
Once they got their pain in check, they got up and headed towards the square. They bought white cloth for bandages and other items Heather and Amaryllis could use to help treat others. They also went to purchase bags of sweets for Prim and Luke. When Heather went to place a piece of candy in her mouth, she realized that this was the first thing she had eaten that day. But then again, Twill and Bonnie were so hungry, Heather couldn't possibly bother to eat in front of them when she had an abundance of food back at her home.
"Will you tell Haymitch about what happened today?" Katniss asked as they approached their Victor's Village.
"Of course," Heather said. "We tell each other everything."
"How convenient," Katniss said under her breath.
Heather chuckled. "But don't worry, I won't tell him anything personal you tell me. That's for you to reveal, not me."
Her face softened. "Thank you."
"Of course."
Heather decided to head inside with Katniss to her house since she needed Amaryllis to treat her as well. Inside, they found two Peacekeepers, a man and a woman, were standing in the doorway of the kitchen. While the woman remained impassive, a flicker of surprise appeared on the man's face before he masked it.
Immediately, Heather knew that they anticipated for them to be stuck back at the office.
"Hello," Katniss said neutrally but Heather simply waved.
Amaryllis appeared. "Here they are, just in time for dinner," she said brightly.
Heather tilted her head, "What's going on?"
"Head Peacekeeper Thread sent us a message for you," the woman said.
"They've been waiting for hours," my mother added.
"Well, that message must be so important," Heather said.
"May we ask where you've been, Miss Everdeen, Miss Mildbreeze?" the woman asked. Heather was about to answer when Katniss beat her to it
"Easier to ask where I haven't been," she said in exasperation. She started to move to the kitchen and Heather followed her. She tried to seem normal as she walked but every step she took was angushly painful.
When she made it to the kitchen, she saw Luke and Prim standing near the hearth. Haymitch and Peeta were sitting at the table, playing chess. She didn't know whether they were here because the Peacekeepers told them to or if they did to discuss her and Katniss's disappearance earlier.
"Mommy," Luke jogged over to Heather and hugged her legs. She crouched down to hug him back.
"So where haven't you been?" Haymitch said disinterestedly.
"Well, I haven't been talking to the Goat Man about getting Prim's goat pregnant, because someone gave me completely inaccurate information as to where he lives," Katniss said, turning to Prim.
"No, I didn't," Prim contradicted. "I told you exactly."
"No, you didn't," Katniss said. "You said it was the west, didn't she, Heather?"
Heather looked up at her. "I'm not sure, I wasn't there, remember? I was sleeping. But I do know that we got there once I suggested we go to the west."
Haymutch and Peeta laugh out loud while Katniss shot her a look of betrayal. Even Prim was smiling.
"You know what? How about one of you go get the goat arranged for pregnancy?" Katniss said, making the men laugh harder.
The man was smiling but the woman was still unconvinced. "What's in the bag?" she asked sharply. "And why is your shirt torn?"
Heather looked down at the ruptured dress. "Well, let's just say that one of the goats got hungry and chased me down," she said as she stood up, letting out a hiss of pain that she couldn't help. "And unfortunately, I broke my foot while running. As for the bags, you can check what's inside of them"
Quickly, Haymitch got up from his seat and helped Heather sit down in one of the rockers. She bit her inside cheeks to suppress any type of pain noises as he wrapped his arm around her waist. The Peacekeepers searched through the bags and found nothing alarming.
"So, what's the message?" Katniss said.
"Head Peacekeeper Thread wants you to know that the fence surrounding District Twelve will now have electricity twenty-four hours a day," the woman said
"Didn't it already?" Katniss asked innocently.
"He thought you might be interested in passing this information on to your cousin."
"Thank you. I'll tell him. I'm sure we'll all sleep a little more soundly now that security has addressed that lapse," she said dauntingly.
The woman narrows her eyes at her but leaves shortly as she has no other orders to follow. After she leaves, Katniss slumped down on a chair alongside Heather and the others went to surround them both.
"What happened?" Peeta asked.
"Oh, I slipped on ice and banged up my left foot. The heel. And my tailbone's had a bad day, too," Katniss said. They looked at her in disbelief but they didn't question her further since they all knew the house was bugged.
"What about you?" Haymitch asked Heather.
"I already told you that I got chased down by a goat," Heather said. "I also broke my knee, tailbone, and ankle."
"That must be scary," Luke said as he went to hold her hand, reminding everyone that he actually believed their alibi.
Heather laughed. "It wasn't so bad."
The next few hours were spent with Prim and Amaryllis treating their wounds. Heather couldn't help but let out a cry of pain when they poked at her bruises. Luke and Haymitch looked at her sadly before Haymitch took Luke with him outside so he wouldn't witness other things being done to her.
When they were done, all of them gathered around the table and they started to eat dinner. They decided that they would stay at Katniss's for the night because of how late it was.
Despite her protests, Haymitch still carried Heather upstairs to one of the bedrooms. Those who were used to the nature of their relationship, i.e. Luke and Peeta, acted as if that was normal but those who weren't, i.e. the Everdeens, were a bit staggered by this.
As he laid her on the bed, Haymitch said. "They called this morning. They want you to be at the Capitol by Wednesday."
Usually, Haymitch was pained when she had to go to the Capitol because he knew exactly what was going to happen to her. And she knew it was really upsetting that he could do nothing to prevent this.
"Is it Plutarch?" Heather asked.
Haymitch nodded and went to lay next to her.
"Haymitch?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Okay, but you have to be honest about this," she said.
"I will," she could hear the smile in his voice.
"Have I gotten heavier?"
"... Yes."
NEXT UP, Heather will be in the Capitol and not only will she find out what the Quarter Quell is but some other interesting news