Short but necessary chapter...
Chapter 17
The moment I am dreading is finally here. We are back in the Capitol, about to do a televised interview with Caesar Flickerman. Everyone will be watching to see the star-crossed lovers from District 12. I only hope I can convince them and not mess up my responses.
At least the audience will be more pleasant. After being in District 1 and seeing all the scowls and glares from their citizens, I will gladly take the enthusiastic smiles of the Capitol people. Two Peacekeepers lead me through a maze of halls to the side of the stage where the interview will take place. Peeta is already there waiting for me. He takes my hand and holds it firmly, trying to give me some reassurance.
"It's a short interview." he says.
"What if they don't believe me?" I whisper.
"We'll make them believe it. Just keep close to me and smile. Kiss me on the cheek once." he says giving me some pointers. We are interrupted by a Peacekeeper saying that they aren't quite ready to begin. He tells us to follow him and leads us down a hall to a door. He opens it and reveals President Snow sitting behind a desk. He tells us to come forward and take a seat. We slowly make our way to the two chairs facing him. I hear the door close, knowing that it's just the three of us here.
"How are the star-crossed lovers of District 12?" he asks with sarcasm.
"Good." Peeta says.
"Good for you too, Miss Everdeen?" Snow asks with a raised brow.
"Yes, we couldn't be happier." I say as I look to Peeta and smile.
"Oh." Snow says with a glint in his eyes. I know he doesn't believe me.
"Why are we here?" I ask, wanting to get right to the point.
"We have a problem…in some of the Districts. Not everyone believes you were going to eat the berries out of love. Some Districts have seen this as rebellion and they have started to act out themselves."
"That's not our fault." Peeta says calmly.
"But it's still a problem. We still need some damage control."
"What do you mean?" I asked, now confused. Is he planning on using us to fix what we started? Without a word he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. He slides it across the desk until it rests in front of Peeta. He takes it in his hands and opens it, producing a ring with a diamond in the middle.
"You are aware of what that is?" he asks. The both of us nod. It's an engagement ring. We don't have anything like that in District 12. No one could afford a diamond, but we know that other Districts use this to begin the marriage process. "You'll do it during the interview." he says with authority. He doesn't wait for a rebuttal or for us to chime in. Instead he stands up and nods his head at us before leaving the room. As soon as the door clicks shut, I am out of my seat, pacing back and forth. Peeta approaches me and places his hands on my shoulders. I look at him, my vision becoming cloudy from the tears that have started to form.
"Don't cry Katniss." he says. "Not until after the interview."
"But he wants you to propose. He wants us engaged!"
"I know."
"But we were suppose to break up after this. We were suppose to be free."
"Things don't always go the way we plan. Our lives are not our own anymore." he says.
"And you're ok with that?"
"No, but there isn't any other choice. It isn't safe to get on the President's bad side. Nothing good will come of it."
"So what do we do?"
"We keep on pretending."
"And if he wants us to go further?" I ask. He remains silent, unsure of what to say.
"We'll talk to Haymitch about this later. See what he says." he tells me. We leave the room, returning to the side of the stage.
"There you are. They've been looking for you." Haymitch says taking a swig from his flask.
"We had some last minute instructions from the President." Peeta mutters. Haymitch raises his brow with intrigue, his eyes questioning what went on. Peeta takes the box from his jacket pocket and discretely shows Haymitch the ring. I can see the shock written on his face. He then turns to me and grips my arms.
"You have to say yes." he warns me.
"I know. I'm not stupid." I say, releasing myself from his grasp.
"Just making sure. I know how pig-headed you can be." he says, followed by a guffaw.
A man then comes to collect us, telling us that the interview is about to begin. I hear Caesar's voice booming through the space, starting with an introduction. He then announces our names. I take Peeta's hand and we walk onto the stage, smiling and waving at the adoring crowd. They are so loud I almost can't hear myself think. We take our seat on the small couch next to Caesar. I do my best to keep up with the act, sitting close to Peeta who has his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He asks us about life since being crowned Victors. We talk about living in Victor's Village and how nice it is to live near each other. Peeta remarks that with our close proximity, it's hard for him to keep himself away, causing the audience to giggle and 'aww' in response. At some point in the interview I mention how lucky I am to have found him and that I've never been so happy in my life. I lean closer to him and give him a brief kiss, causing the Capitolites to gush even more. If only the other citizens were as easy as they were.
Caesar then talks to us about the Quell and we discuss our involvement as mentors. While neither of us is thrilled with coaching two children that will most likely meet their death, we confidently tell the audience that we are sure we can produce another Victor. Peeta interrupts Caesar mid-question.
"I'm sorry Caesar, but there is something I have to do and I don't think it can wait any longer."
"Go ahead." Caesar says with a nod. Peeta turns to me, taking my hands in his and gives a profound speech about how he's always liked me and how it was fate that our paths crossed the way they did. He tells me how much he loves me and how he never wants to be apart. He then goes down on one knee and there is a collective gasp coming from the audience. He pulls out the box and opens it towards me, asking me if I will marry him. My eyes tear up, out of sorrow, not happiness and I place my hands over my mouth to conceal the choking sound escaping me. I nod my head and say yes. The crowd goes wild. I pull him closer and kiss him with my eyes closed, pretending that it's Merrick instead. It's the only way I can make it look authentic. We part and he presses his forehead to mine and we both smile, pretending it's the happiest moment of our lives. Caesar brings everyone back, this is an interview after all. He asks to see the ring and comments on Peeta's good taste.
Snow makes a surprise visit to the stage to congratulate us. It takes everything I have not to roll my eyes at him. He then addresses the crowd and asks what they think about throwing us wedding in the Capitol. The crowd erupts with claps and cheers. Snow turns his back to the audience and gives me a smug look letting me know that he has won. He gives me a hug while kissing my cheek and shakes Peeta's hand before exiting the stage.
The interview concludes and we are taken to our rooms to get ready for the ball in the President's Mansion. The lavishness of the party is disgusting. There is enough food to feed an entire district and people are dressed in extravagant attire. The most interesting part of the night occurs when I am forced to dance with Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker. He pulls out his pocketwatch and frets over it being so late. As he was closing it, I saw a Mockingjay flash over the face. He then told me that he had a Quell meeting at midnight, which seemed an odd hour for a meeting. He tells me to keep it a secret that he's attending a meeting. I tell him I will but I can't help but wonder if there was a reason he told me that.
At 1 a.m., Effie find Peeta and I. It is time for our farewell. We are then taken to the train station, heading home towards our own District. We go to bed shortly after getting settled, since the Harvest Festival will be awaiting us when we arrive.
I wake to a bright cabin, clearing indicating that I've slept well into the afternoon. Peeta is lying beside me looking towards the ceiling.
"You slept well." he says, turning to face me.
"Why are you here?" I ask with curiosity.
"I didn't feel like being alone last night. I had nightmares…bad ones." he admits with embarrassment.
"I usually do too." I say.
"We'll be home soon." he says changing the subject.
"I know." I say with a sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"It's going to be weird, having to face everyone. And my mother…I don't know what she'll say."
"I'm sure my mother won't be much better. She won't like that I'm engaged to a girl from the Seam." I don't let the comment bother me too much. I know how nasty of a person his mother is. Peeta is nothing like her. He doesn't care about things like that. He leaves shortly after to get ready for the day. I do the same, preparing myself for what is to follow. As soon as we arrive, we have to be whisked to the Mayor house for dinner. We meet Effie, Haymitch and our prep teams in the dining car for lunch. When lunch is over, I retreat to my room to get a little more rest.
I am awoken by Effie who leads me to the exit of the train where everyone is waiting. Cinna wraps me in a coat and then we make our way from the plaform to the cars waiting for us. Citizens of District 12 are waiting there for us, to welcome us back home. Some reporters snap pictures of us as well. The cars pull up to the mayor's house where we will get ready for the evening's festivities. I find Madge waiting in the hall to greet me. We only had time to hug before I am taken away to be prepped.
Once, I am clean, my hair and make-up is done and I'm wearing a floor-length gown, I am ready. I have some time before dinner starts so I go to find Madge, to tell her about everything that has happened. I walk down the hall, and hear a muffled noise coming from her father's study. I peek my head in, to say hello but find the room empty. The noise was coming from the television. It is playing a recap of last night's events. I'm about to leave when the screen goes black words flash on the screen, "Update on District 8". This must be a secret message only for government officials which makes it even more appealing to stay. Maybe now I can finally see what is really happening the Districts. A reporter talks about worsening conditions in the District. The factories have been shut down. Next, the picture cuts to the square where a mob is shouting and throwing things and lighting them on fire. It looks absolutely terrifying. This is what President Snow was worried about…this is an uprising.
Sorry if things were rushed in this chapter. Assume that the Capitol party was just how it was in Catching Fire.
Also, Merrick will be back next chapter and you'll see what he thinks of the engagement.
Don't forget to review ;)