Haymitch lounges on the couch with one arm draped across the top. My mother carefully tiptoes towards him from the kitchen balancing one mug full, of what smells like tea, in each hand. She sets one gently down on the coffee table in front of Haymitch, to which he offers a small smile, and she takes a seat at the opposite end of the couch. I wonder how long he has been here before I got here.
Prim glides towards our mother and bounces herself onto the couch next to her before resting her chin against our mother's arm. Our mother, looking as delicate and lovely as Prim in that moment, offers a "hello" and smile to us while we hover in the doorway.
Haymitch lifts the steaming mug to his lips and sets it back down on the table. I'm surprised to see that he has yet to reach inside his coat pocket where his flask usually stays and add some liquor to the mug. Being sober at this time of day must be a difficult feat for him.
"Welcome home, sweetheart," he drawls out in an annoying smug voice. "Lover boy and the cousin." He nods to each of them in turn.
From Haymitch's crooked smirk, I know the three of us must share similar looks on our faces. Peeta glances at me with a look of slight irritation playing upon his features. He doesn't bother to hide his stony expression or narrowed eyes. His eyebrows raise high up his forehead where small creases form, as if to say, 'will he ever stop?' I'm not used to seeing Peeta look so irritated. Gale looks like the scowl will never leave his face.
I try my best to hide my irritation but his chuckle reminds me I'm not the best actress.
"Innocent doesn't suit you much," he says to me.
I decide to stifle my sarcastic retort. I can't get side tracked right now. "I really need to talk to you," I say instead.
I try to detach myself from Peeta's hold, but he wraps his arm more firmly around me at my resistance. I limp my way forward, swallowing pride with each step that he helps me move.
"Katniss, how did you hurt yourself?" my mother asks as she rises from her seat. There's an edge of concern in her voice completely foreign to me. I don't know how to process her concern.
"Landed on it wrong," I grumble.
She nods in understanding as Peeta sits me down on the chair beside the couch. He lifts my injured foot up and places a pillow on the edge of the table before laying my foot on it. I let my eyelids close briefly as relief flows through me like a wave. The cushion is soft and comfortable underneath my weight. Maybe because it's the first time I feel I can truly rest from the events of the day, but my body sinks into the cushions until I feel like a deadweight. Every limb of my body aches. I barely notice my mother kneeling in front where she inspects my foot.
"You'll need to stay off it for a while," she says despite my exasperated expression I know must show on my face. "I'll see what I can gather to help the pain," she adds. She makes a silent gesture to Prim and she follows after her into the other room and out of ear range. I guess I never noticed how subtle she is about knowing when I need privacy.
"Like I was saying, Gale and I-"
"Look here, you two," he barks. "There's some serious business we need to discuss."
With the Victory Tour a day away, I never thought business ever stopped being serious. Peeta flops down onto the couch where Prim was before and releases a sigh. We share a look, the faintest hint of a smile playing on our lips. There's a small gush of warmth that surges through me that reminds me of the days isolated in the heat of the cave. I immediately dismiss the feeling before I can think on it. I am foolish to think about the cave as anything other than fear, thinking Peeta would die.
Gale's game bag hits the floor with a thud as he sits himself down on the chair across from me. He looks nearly as exhausted as I feel. Haymitch looks him over hesitantly before whipping his head in the direction of Peeta and me.
"What is it now?" Peeta asks nonchalantly.
"Did I do something wrong?" I spill out right after him.
"One at a time," he grunts. "It's about the Victory Tour."
Peeta straightens his back and turns towards him, attentive. "What about it?"
"There won't be one."
"But-"
"Why would-"
"Now, listen here," Haymitch cuts us off. He leans forward and places his elbows on his knees. His hands cover his face and he groans loudly. He stays silent for a few moments as if searching for words. "It's been canceled. Seems the star-crossed lovers has backfired against the Capitol."
I think of my ignoring Peeta since we've been home. How seemingly unconvincing I know I am. Surely I've failed both of us. Snow must see right through me. My heart sinks low into the pits of my stomach until I feel hallow and as icy as I act.
"Now there's no use placing blame," Haymitch says towards me. "Snow was furious the moment both of you survived. You give the districts too much hope."
"But isn't that a good thing?" Peeta blurts out.
"Not for the Capitol," Gale says quietly, speaking for the first time.
"He's right," Haymitch confirms. "What's the whole reason we have the games? To keep the districts in line. To boast their power over everyone. They don't take lightly to people who outsmart them at their own games." There's a hardness to his face, almost like anguish. I wonder if Haymitch was always drunk and careless or if the Games made him that way...
"So they think we'll make it worse during the Victory Tour?"
"In a sense, yes. But the districts are already rebelling. It's not about what they think you'll do. They know how to intimidate people to doing what they want. It's about what they don't want you to know."
My ears perk up a little as curiosity consumes me. So Bonnie and Twill were right. I can't hold onto any shred of doubt anymore. My heart starts pounding out of my ears and it feels like small insects are fluttering around in my stomach. I don't know if the confirmation fears me or excites me. Gale leans forward in his chair, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation. Peeta slumps down against the cushions looking worried. I hear a rapid tapping of shoe against the floor coming from his direction.
"So what happens next for us?" I ask.
"We can't be sure," he says slowly. "But you realize the Games didn't just end when you got home?"
I feel myself shake my head in confusion and Peeta mirrors me.
"Well, of course for the Victory Tour..." I trail off. Games, Victory Tour, and then we can live the rest of our lives in peace as promised.
"No, especially you two. The Games don't ever end, not for a Capitol owns you the rest of your life. Threatens everything that's important to you. Keeps ya in line, so to speak.
"But now," he continues, "no Victory Tour. Snow feels you're responsible for the districts stepping out of line. Particularly you Mockingjay."
"She's not responsible for the Capitol's treatment of the districts!" Peeta rises to his feet. I look up and catch his eyes. 'It's okay,' I try to convey to him.
"Good to know she brings out the fighter in you. You're gonna need it. Now sit down and listen," Haymitch's gruff voice seems to soften slightly. Peeta reluctantly obeys.
"We can't forget who the enemy is. It was only a matter of time this happened. The hostility has been building..."
"This is a good thing, isn't it?" Gale asks Haymitch. "We finally have a chance to fight!"
"I've been talking with some important people the past few days. We just need to wait until the right time. Timing is key."
"So we'll rebel? It's not just talk?" Gale asks. A triumphant smile plays on his lips and I've almost forgotten what that looked like.
"That's the plan. But there might be complications."
"Like...?"
Haymitch now turns back in the direction of Peeta and me. "I think there's another reason the Victory Tour was canceled. I think they want to make sure you two stay put. Keep tabs on you."
"Without Peacekeepers?" I ask, suddenly remembering the streets empty of Capitol workers.
"What are you on about, girl?"
"When Gale and I were coming back there were no Peacekeepers. It felt weird, but I'm sure I didn't see one..."
"You know, I haven't seen one either today," Peeta adds.
Haymitch looks deep in thought and the silence rings in the room taunting me like a ghost. I know I need to tell Haymitch about the dead people just outside the district, threatening our safety. Now all I can wonder is where the Peacekeepers have gone. What does Snow have planned?
Anger is burning through me like a fire, vicious and wild. I'm sure if someone was to touch me they'd burn from the heat radiating off my skin. I force the dry lump in my throat away but it still feels itchy and hoarse when I begin to speak.
"Out in the woods there's dead people," I state flatly.
Haymitch's head shoots up so fast I think he might have a head rush. Peeta looks concerned while Gale gestures for me to continue.
"You shouldn't be in the woods with Snow so interested in you," Haymitch snaps at me. I ignore him.
"But they were moving and alive. Well not alive, more like walking corpses. Nearly killed me and Gale. And Bonnie and Twill..."
I stop talking as my voice threatens to crack. I can't just talk about it so casually. Two girls, desperate like I would be, died right in front of my eyes in a way so gruesome and terrifying it makes my stomach churn. As if that isn't twisted enough, they come back alive and attack us like we're no more than a piece of meat.
"Who?" Haymitch asks as his eyes dart between Gale and I.
"Two girls from eight," Gale answers. I'm grateful that he came because I'm not sure I could tell the story. "Said there was an uprising then the Peacekeepers left and dropped off dead bodies that attacked everyone. They made it to the woods and were in bad shape when we found 'em."
Haymitch pops out of his seat like it suddenly burned him. He begins pacing so aggressively I wonder if he'll leave a hole in the carpet. He mutters under his breath that mostly sounds incoherent but I think I make out words like 'eight' and 'dead people.'
"Where are they now?"
"They died. But not before saying they heard bombs being dropped in eleven. Blew up the whole fence."
"Eight and eleven," Haymitch says to no one in particular. "Makes sense."
"How did they die?" Peeta asks softly.
I look at him and the sadness on his face somehow fills me with the strength to speak again.
"Bonnie was bitten by one of the dead people. She looked real sick when we found them, maybe from the blood loss. Then she passed out and attacked Twill, bit her neck. And she-well...well, she died. Then she came back and attacked me."
Peeta's face pales and he fumbles with his fingers. He bites his lip as he runs his hands through his hair. Gale's eyes bore into mine. Though I can tell he's impatient, his sturdy demeanor is oddly reassuring.
"What does it mean, Haymitch?" I ask, becoming impatient and weary from his silence.
"No, it can't be," Haymitch mutters to himself. "Makes no sense."
"What, Haymitch?!" Peeta and I speak together.
"It's suspicious. I don't know facts only rumors. Sounds like something the Capitol had planned for a while. You sure they were dead?" He asks me roughly.
"Yes," I say. "We're almost positive they were mostly dead tributes. Gale recognized the girl from eleven last year."
"Do you know something?" Gale asks.
He shakes his head violently while his hair whips back and forth, slapping against his face. "They were interested in stories from before the dark days. Walking corpses coming back to life to eat people. I think they were only old folk tales of sorts. For entertainment-movies, television shows, books..."
"Why would-"
I swallow the words before they finish leaving my throat when a loud noise echoes through the district. It sounds like static that might sound from a broken reception from a broadcast on the television. Haymitch, Gale and Peeta jump to their feet as I struggle to my left, trying to keep balance. Prim and my mother come bustling in from the other room looking to us in confusion. Haymitch strides to the front door and shoves it open. That's when I hear the voice that haunts my dreams and chills my bones.
"Citizens of Panem," Snow's voice echoes through the town and causes me to tremble as it courses through my ears.
"We have been forgiving and merciful over the years. We provide each district with means to benefit all citizens of our country. However, you still defy our ruling and rebel against us. This is unacceptable.
"This year we celebrate the seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games with the Quarter Quell. Due to recent rebellion our districts are threatened. We must safeguard our futures. Therefore, all suspicious districts will participate in this years' Games.
"We do not wish bloodshed, but only those deemed worthy will survive. There will be no sponsors and there will be no
training
. If you survive, we will rebuild our futures with the knowledge of our mercy and compassion.
"You will find yourselves confronted with the horrors of your pasts. Happy Hunger Games, Panem, and may the odds be ever in your favor."
The silence that falls through the air is thick with tension and dread. I feel dizzy and weak like someone is draining the blood from my veins. I hop my way towards the door not knowing whose hands are helping me. I see several large, metal containers fall from the fading blue sky and landing in the town center where the reaping is held. Prim looks horror-struck and nervous. My hand instantly reaches out for her.
The high, shrill screams in the distance cuts through me like a knife. That's when a loud boom echoes through the air like a cannon, slightly shaking the ground like an earthquake. The Games have begun.