"Peeta?" I whisper as I walk towards the window. The sight of him scares me. What did they do to him? Well, I know what, but why. When I stare out the window for a second, the thought hits me.
"They want him to kill me," I say as I turn to Haymitch. When I look at him I see he has figured it out a while ago. "Yes, but we will do everything to stop that. Beete will make sure of it." He walks towards me and pads me on the back. "We will figure it out sweetheart." He leaves the room and I'm left alone. How on earth will they get him off the tracker jacker venom?
I think back to the days of the Games. The way he kissed me. The day he told me he was in love on with me since the day he laid eyes on me. I know it's the venom, but I can't imagine he would ever be like this. As I walk to our assigned compartment I see Gale waiting for me. "How is he doing?" he asks. I sit down beside him and rest my head on his shoulder. "The Capitol wrecked him. They tortured him. Gave him tracker jacker venom. You should've seen him Gale." A tear escapes and rolls down. Gale catches it with his thumb. He knows I belong with Peeta, although I don't know it myself. He said to me that I only notice him when he's hurt, and he's right. I kissed him when he was hurt from the whipping. He kissed me before I went back in the arena. "I'm sure they want him to kill me," I say. I look up at Gale. "You really believe that?" he asks. I nod. "What else could be the reason?" Gale shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe they want to show you how much power they have, so you won't be the mockingjay and lead the uprising." He could be right, but something in me tells me he's not. "You should talk to Coin," he says. I look at him like he's crazy. "The president?" When people thought I was out, I heard every word they said to me. I know Coin is District 13's president since they moved under ground. "Maybe I should," I say and walk out of the room. "Wish me luck."
As I walk to Coin's office, everyone is staring at me. I realize I'm still in hospital clothes, but right now, I don't care. Without knocking, I walk in to Coin's office. I see she has company, but that also does not bother me. "What is your plan with Peeta? And why is the Capitol trying to have me killed?" I know the answer to both questions, but I want to see how her mind works. "We will ask BEete to work on him, and I think you know the answer to your last question," she says. She looks at me, her eyes pinned on me. "I bet they will throw us back in an arena so he could kill me," I say. Coin looks surprised. "Why would they send you back to the arena?" she asks. I guess she's not as smart as they say she is. "Well, they pulled us out of an arena, and ever since the beginning of the Quarter Quell, they think it's my fault that the Districts…" She cuts me off. "Well, partially, it is your fault. You're the mockingjay Katniss, the people look up to you. But you must know you had nothing to do with it. You stand up to the Capitol. People want to be like you." Maybe she is right. Everything began when I held out those berries in our first Games. Everything continued when we were sent back to the arena because Snow wants me dead. He might not have said it to my face, but we agreed not to lie, and he held is end of the bargain. Maybe I should just join the uprising and kill Snow myself. That's when an idea pops into my head. They call me the mockingjay, so maybe I should act like one. Coin is still looking at me. Everyone in the room is. I fill the air with my words "I'll be your mockingjay, but I do have some conditions." Coin looks to the other people in the room. "OK," she says and assigns me a seat. I start to ramble "When the time comes that Snow throws me back in to an arena, you do everything to save Peeta. You also make sure my mother and Prim can stay here. There is no District 12 and I want them to be together. I want to exonerate all the other tributes of what they did. Even Peeta. He will not know what he's doing." I think. I want to see what's left of 12, so they need to let me go above ground. "I want to see what's left of District 12 and I want Gale by my side." I think of Prim and Buttercup, the scruffy old cat. If he's still alive, and I doubt it, he must be with her. "Prim's scruffy old cat Buttercup will live here if he's alive." There is silence, when I say my final request "And I will be the one who kills Snow." The silence is nerve wrecking, but I stand my ground. "Oh, one more thing, you will mention this to all the people of District 13, and 12." I await her answer. She looks mad. I know she's not happy with this. "Fine," she says, and I know she's not ready with what she wants to say. "If you fail to be the mockingjay, everyone will get punished for their deeds. When you die all agreement will be off the table." Those words shock me. What does she mean with 'when I die?'