A/N: So…surprise! :) Sorry for the late update.
Disclaimer : Some people have gotten bored with my story so, yeah..obviously I am not the real author since you can't get bored with the real things…:P
Previously….
PRANG!
" You cheated on Aunt Amphritite?" Harry asks, a look of horrified mixed with disbelief on his face.
Katniss' POV
Well….
I really did not see that coming.
Psy Done is Perc y's dad?
And he is already married?
" I can't believe you would do that to Aunt Amphritite!" Harry roars. " And Triton!"
" Harry, please. You have to listen to my explanation first," Psy says quickly, a pleading look on his face. " You need to understand – "
" That you're a dick?" he yells, which attracts a lot of unwanted attention. " I had always looked up to you, Psy!" He throws a knife at Psy, who nimbly moves out of harm's way.
" Harry, please be reasonable," Psy tries to say but at that moment, Harry's fist meets his face. "Harry Potter!"
" Screw you," Harry spats at Psy, before storming out of the ballroom with everyone's eyes on him. " What are you looking at?" he snarls at a muscular man in ripped tux.
" Nothing," the man mutters, looking down at his feet.
As soon as Harry is out of sight, the crowd resumed their chatters. Probably gossiping about the incident, since some of them kept casting us furtive glances. Some (who had no shame at all) spoke about it in obnoxiously loud voices.
" I say, I always knew that Psy Done was a tramp but to actually cheat on his wife? Despicable!" a very fat man in tight pink suit says.
" Says a very fat man in a pink suit," I snap at him. The man sneers at me before waddling off, talking at the top of his lungs about 'how it must be a shame to my family to have an obnoxious brat like me'.
" Are you okay, Psy?" I ask him, kneeling next to him.
" I just got hit by my own nephew. Would you be okay?" he grunts as he touches his now-swollen cheek.
" Very snarky," I say drily. "Come on. Let's get you some ice," I tell him but he waves me off.
" I'm feeling rather exhausted at all the things that has happened tonight," he says, his easy-going tone vanishes in an instant, replaced by some Capitol-ishness manner. " If you will excuse me, I think I have to go back to my residence. It was good to see you, Miss Everdeen. May the odds will ever be ever in your favour," he says, kissing my hand before leaving the room briskly.
" Psy Done has always been an oddball," Effie's voice says from behind me. I turn to see her in her ghastly pink dress and vulture-like headdress, holding a stemmed glass filled with lime green water. " Do you think it's funny that I see some resemblance between him and Percy?"
It's because he is Percy's father, you dolt, I think to myself. " Maybe you're just missing Percy so much that you're seeing him everywhere? I sure do."
" Hmm…" she says, swirling the lime green water with her finger . " Come along, Katniss," she suddenly says, gesturing at me to follow her. " Someone has been dying to meet you."
" Who?" I ask her when she suddenly stops next to a large man who looks vaguely familiar.
" Katniss, meet Plutarch Heavensbee, our new Head Gamemaker," Effie says, smiling at me.
" Why, hello there, Miss Everdeen. It is good to finally be seeing you," he says, smiling at me warmly. A soft and slow ballad comes on. " Oh, I do love this song. May I?"
No, you may not!, I wanted to scream. " Sure," I say politely, plastering the fake smile I had mastered on. I don't want to dance with Plutarch Heavensbee. I don't want to feel his hands, one resting against my hand, one on my hip. I'm not used to being touched, except by…Percy and my family, and I rank Gamemakers somewhere down there below maggots in terms of creatures I want in contact with my skin.
We chitchat about the party, about the entertainment, about the food, and then he makes a joke about avoiding punch since training. I didn't get it (at first) and then I suddenly realized that he's the man that tripped into the bowl of punch when I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers during training session. Well, not really. I was shooting an apple out of their roasted pig's mouth. But I still made them jump.
" Oh, you're the one who – " I laugh, remembering him splashing into the punch bowl.
" Yes. And you'll be pleased to know that I haven't recovered," Plutarch says.
Well…neither will the twenty-two tributes who died in the Games you helped created, I thought to myself. Oh, how tempting it was to say that to his face but of course, I didn't. Instead, I say, " Good. You're the Head Gamemaker this year? That must be a big honor."
" Between you and me, there weren't many takers for the job," he says. " So much responsibility as to how the Games turn out."
No kidding, I thought to myself. The last guy is dead. He must know about Seneca Crane, but he doesn't look the least bit concerned. " Are you planning the Quarter Quell Games already?" I ask.
" Oh, yes. Well, they've been in the works for years, of course. Arenas aren't built in a day. But the, shall we say, flavor of the Games is being determined now. Believe it or not, I have a strategy meeting tonight."
Plutarch steps back and pulls out a gold watch on a chain from his vest pocket. He flips open the lid, sees the time and frowns. " I'll have to be going soon." He turns the watch's face to me so that I can see the time. " It starts at midnight."
" That seems late for – " I say, but then something distracts me. Plutarch has run his thumb across the crystal face of the watch and just for a moment an image appears, glowing as if lit by candlelight. It's another mockingjay. Exactly like the pin on my dress. Only this one disappears. He snaps the watch closed.
" That's pretty," I say.
" Oh, it's more than just pretty. It's one of a kind," he says. " If anyone asks for me, tell them I've gone home to bed. Meetings are supposed to be top secret but I think I can trust you with this secret, right?"
" Yes. Your secret is safe with me," I say.
As we shake hands, he gives a bow (which is a pretty common gesture here in the Captiol) and says, " Well, I'll see you next summer at the Games, Katniss. Best wishes on your victory and good luck with your mother."
" Thanks. I'll be needing that one," I say, smiling at him.
Plutarch disappears and I wander through the crowd, looking for no one in particular. Fine. I'm looking for Harry. Maybe he came back to the party. It would be nice to have someone my age to talk to. But no. The only people that wants to talk to me are strangers that kept congratulating me on my victory or giving me their condolences (one even burst into tears at the slightest mention of Percy) or even complimenting my choice of lipstick. I respond, but I'm really thinking about Plutarch showing off his pretty, one-of-a-kind watch to me. There was something strange about it. Almost clandestine. But why? Maybe he thinks someone else will steal his idea of putting a disappearing mockingjay on a watch face. Yes, he probably paid a fortune for it and now he can't show it to anyone because he's afraid someone will make a cheap, knock-off version of it. Yep…only in the Capitol.
" Time to say thank you and farewell!" Effie trills, suddenly appearing at my elbow. It's one of those moments when I just love her compulsive punctuality. We collect Cinna, and she escorts us around to say good-bye to important people, then herds us to the door.
" Shouldn't we thank President Snow?" I ask Effie. " It is his house."
" Oh, he's not a big one for parties. Too busy," says Effie. " I've already arranged for the necessary notes and gifts to be sent to him tomorrow. There you are!" Effie gives a little wave to two Capitol attendants who have an inebriated Haymitch propped up between them.
We travel through the Capitol streets in a car with darkened windows. Behind us, another car brings the prep team. The throngs of people celebrating are so thick it's slow going. But Effie has it all down to a science, and at exactly one o'clock, we are back on the train and it's pulling out of the station.
Haymitch is deposited in his room. Cinna orders tea and we all take seats around the table while Effie rattles her schedule papers and reminds us we're still on tour. " There's the Harvest Festival in District Twelve to think about. So I suggest we all drink our tea and then head straight to bed." No one bothered to argue with her.
When I open my eyes, it's early afternoon. My head is inches away from the bedside table. I sit down and rub my eyes. Wow….no nightmares. That's a first. But I did have a dream. A dream about a mockingjay that I followed through the woods. I'm sure it was Rue because it sang, it had her voice.
I wonder if Percy was still alive would he be here next to me. Calming me on my bad nights. I wonder what would his nightmare be. I shake my head. Wishful thinking. I've been doing that ever since I met that apparition. And then of course, I met Harry Potter.
The agenda for District Twelve includes a dinner at Mayor Undersee's house tonight and a victor rally in the square during the Harvest Festival tomorrow. We always celebrate the Harvest Festival on the final day of the Victory Tour, but usually it means a meal at home or with a few friends if you can afford it. This year it will be a public affair, and since the Capitol itself will be throwing it, everyone in the district will have full bellies.
Most of our prepping will take place at the mayor's house, since we're back to being covered in furs for outdoor appearances. We're only at the train station briefly, to smile and wave as we pile into the car. We don't even get to see our families until the dinner.
I'm glad it will be at the mayor's house rather than the Justice Building, where the memorial for my father was held, where they took me after the reaping for those wrenching goodbyes to my family. And also this place is where the memorial for Percy was held. Seriously, that place is just full of sadness.
But I like Mayor Undersee's house, especially now that his daughter, Madge, and I are friends. We always were, in a way. It became official when she came to say good-bye to me before I left for the Games. When she gave me the mockingjay pin for luck. After I got back home, we started spending time together. It turns out that Madge, too had a lot of time to be filled. It was a little awkward at first because we didn't know what to do. Other girls our age, I've heard them talking about boys, or other girls, or clothes. Madge and I aren't gossipy and clothes bore me to tears. But after a few false starts, I realize she is dying to go into the woods, so I've taken her a couple of times and showed her how to shoot. She's trying to teach me how to play the piano but mostly I like to listen to her play. Sometimes we eat at each other's house. Madge likes mine better. Her parents seem nice but I don't think she sees a whole lot of them. Her father has to run District 12 and her mother gets these fierce headaches that forces her to stay in bed for a few days.
" Maybe you should take her to the Capitol," I say one day during one of them. We weren't playing the piano that day because even though she's two floors away, the sound caused Madge's mother so much pain. " They can fix her, I bet."
" Yes. But you don't go to the Capitol unless invited," Madge says gloomily. Even the mayor's privilege are limited.
When we reach the mayor's house, I only manage to give Madge a quick hug before Effie hustles me off to the third floor to get ready. After I'm prepped in a full-length silver gown, I've still got an hour to kill before the dinner, so I slip off to find her.
Madge's bedroom is on the second floor along with several guests room and her father's study. I stick my head in the study to say hello the mayor but find it empty. The television's droning on, and I stop to watch shots of myself at the Capitol party last night. Dancing, eating. This will be playing in every household in Panem right now. The audience must be sick to death of the poor traumatized little girl from Twelve who lost her boyfriend. I know I am.
I turn to leave the room when a beeping noise catches my attention. I turn back to see the screen of the television go black. Then the words " UPDATE ON DISTRICT 8" start flashing. Instinctively I know this is not for my eyes but something intended for the mayor. I should go. Quickly. Instead, I step in closer to the television.
An announcer I've never seen before appears. It's a woman with graying hair and a hoarse, authoritative voice. She warns that the conditions are worsening and a Level 3 alert has been called. Additional forces are being sent to into District 8, and all textile production has ceased.
They cut away from the woman to the main square in District 8. I recognize it because I was there only last week. There are still banners with my face waving from the rooftops. Below them, there's a mob scene. The square's packed with screaming people, their faces hidden behind rags and homemade masks, throwing bricks. Buildings burn. Peacekeepers shooting into the crowd, killing at random.
I've never seen anything like this before but I can only be witnessing one thing. This is what President Snow calls an uprising.
A/N: I know...BORING! But this is just a filler chapter. It's Katniss' side of the story so I have to put it in. Anyway, one question : how much suspense would you feel if I say that I have made the final drafts for the final chapters of the Mockingjay fanfic? I am excited to show it to you guys. But of course, I'll have to finish this one first. Please leave a review! :P