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"It's non negotiable," Katniss said. "I'm going."
"He will go back on his word," Haymitch said. "You will be trapped there and we won't be able to get to you."
"What if I bring someone with me?" Katniss said. "I'm sure he'll have people with him."
"I go," Coin said. "I'm President of 13. I don't want him to think I'm a coward."
"Boggs and Gale come too," Katniss said. "I'll feel better with them around."
"He has to have a trick up his sleeve," a voice said from the corner.
Everyone whirled around, only to find Peeta.
"I know the way his mind works," Peeta continued. "This doesn't sound like a good idea."
Everyone sat still, knowing he was right.
"What if we meet in the middle? We can bring our own vehicles, teams, everything. As long as there's a threat looming, he won't go back on his word," Plutarch said. "I'm a gamemaker, I know how he thinks too."
"That's better," Peeta said, pointing to Plutarch. "Call his bluff. Give him some terms."
Coin raised her hand. "Excuse me? Shouldn't I be the one meeting with the President?"
"He asked for the mockingjay," Gale snapped.
Katniss took a deep breath, looking at Peeta, panicked.
"We shoot a propo with Coin accepting Snows offer and reading the terms of the meeting. That way, you've identified yourself, he knows there are more people leading the revolution than just Katniss," Plutarch explained. "Cressida, get Beetee on setting up a broadcast. We shoot in an hour. Katniss, go to Cinna, he has something for you, Gale and Boggs please go to special forces."
The room began humming with nervous excitement as everyone stood up from the table. Katniss crossed the room to where Peeta was standing.
He could read the fear in her eyes. He knew how she felt about Snow.
Not saying anything, Peeta took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Don't," Katniss pleaded, as he began to pull his hand away. He quickly pulled her in for a tight hug.
Peeta wasn't sure why he was being affectionate. He wasn't sure if he remembered or what he remembered. He just knew that he cared about Katniss, and she needed his support right now. He could forget about the lies for today… They were in a war.
Finally releasing her, the room had become empty.
"I have to go to training," Peeta said. "I'll see you later."
Katniss nodded quickly, watching him walk out the door. Her heart felt a jab when she watched him leave again.
Tucking her bangs behind her ears, Katniss took a deep breath and left to go find Cinna. They were going to have a lot of work to do.
Later that night, 10 hummers full of rebel soldiers revved their engines, waiting for Katniss and her team to show up.
She strolled in, her hair long and loose, wearing a black leather jacket, green pants, and black leather boots. Her eyemakeup was dark but subtle. Katniss couldn't help but notice that her hands were shaking as she approached the hummers.
She saw Haymitch, Gale, and Peeta waiting for her.
Cinna caught up to her quickly. "You look great," Cinna said. "Your outfit is just simple enough to remind him of-"
"The games," Katniss whispered.
"Exactly," Cinna continued. "It's also durable for running, in case."
Finally reaching the hummers, Cinna took Katniss by both shoulders. "Don't be afraid," he told her familiarly.
Katniss smiled. "I'm not afraid," she tried to say as strongly as she could, but it didn't come out as fearsome as the last time she wanted it to. She gave Cinna a quick hug. "I'll see you in a little while."
She turned to face Gale, Peeta, and Haymitch.
Haymitch touched her face. "I won't be going with you, but here's an earpiece. You'll be able to hear me the whole time."
Katniss nodded shakily, taking the small bud and placing it in her ear. She nodded at Haymitch. "Thanks," she said.
Then she looked at Gale. "Ready?" She asked him.
"Yes," Gale said, meaning it. "We're going to be riding in hummer 1 with boggs. Plutarch and Coin will be behind us in hummer 2, Beetee and Haymitch are staying behind."
With that, Gale hopped into the back of the hummer, leaving Katniss and Peeta alone.
Peeta pulled her in for a hug. "Don't do anything risky," he whispered in her ear. "Stick to the plan."
Releasing her, he pulled out the mockingjay pin.
"How did you-" Katniss began.
"Prim gave it to me. She said you left it on the hovercraft the day we escaped." He pinned it to her chest. "Give em hell, mockingjay." With that, he started walking away.
Katniss sucked in a quick breath. "Peeta!" She called at his backside.
He whirled around, looking at her and smiling fondly.
Katniss strode over to him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. Peeta automatically threw his arms around her back, pulling her closer.
Hearing the hummer honk at them, They broke apart, touching their foreheads together. "Stay out of trouble," Katniss whispered to him. "And… Just in case something happens to me-"
"No need for that, Katniss," he said, interrupting her. "I'll see you when you get back. I'll be right here."
Katniss nodded, and took a deep breath. She turned around and hopped into the back of the hummer, closing the door. She stood up and watched as Peeta began to shrink in the distance.
I hate goodbyes.
The air was cold, and the sky was dark. The hummers of the rebels lined up in a horizontal line, with all of their high beams on to light the meadow where the meeting was taking place. It was lightly covered in powdery snow.
Katniss looked up at the stars, wondering how such beauty could reign over such destruction below.
Suddenly, hovercrafts came whirling over them, landing on the opposite side of the meadow. They aimed their guns at the hummers, but didn't fire.
He was prepared too. Katniss thought.
Katniss walked forward, watching Snow climb down from the hovercraft and walk towards her as well. She could see the air coming out of her mouth as she moved closer and closer towards the man she hated the most.
Finally, they reached one another.
"Miss Everdeen," Snow said with a chill in his voice. He reached in his pocket and grabbed a rose, holding it out to her. "Thank you for accepting my invitation."
Katniss took the rose, smelling it. "What did you want to discuss?"
Snow smiled at her. "I remember promising you once that I would never lie to you. And this conversation is going to stay between the two of us, I assume?"
Katniss glared at him. "Don't assume anything about me, President Snow."
"You're right, you are quite unpredictable," Snow said with an eerie laugh. "I came to warn you."
"Warn me?" Katniss scoffed.
He leaned close to her, whispering in her ear. "There is a traitor in your midst, Miss. Everdeen," he sent chills down her spine.
Katniss' heart stopped. She kept her cool. "Are you attempting to manipulate me again?"
"This meeting was simply to plant the seed, and now that it's there, the thought won't ever escape you," Snow said. "Look at Peeta, for example."
Katniss blood lit on fire when he spoke his name.
"His loving you was always there, and no matter what we did, he was never able to truly forget. Inspiring, isn't it?" Snow said cheerfully.
Katniss glared at him. "It's a shame that none of your tactics ever seem to actually work."
Snow looked at her darkly. "It's working right now, Miss. Everdeen. The art of poisonous manipulation. You're a fan, I believe."
Katniss stared at him long and hard.
Snow smiled. "You're running out of tricks, Miss. Everdeen. The clock is ticking. And when the masks come off at midnight, trust me, everyone will see you for what you really are," He breathed. "You just want to save your own skin."
"As opposed to you?" Katniss muttered sarcastically.
"I didn't come here to argue," Snow smiled. "Just to give you a friendly warning."
Katniss took a deep breath. "The districts are on our side now. You are outnumbered-"
"You are outgunned," Snow sneered.
"Your guns are fragile," Katniss corrected, clearly. "Did you not see your command hovercraft the other day?" Katniss asked innocently. "I waved to the camera's and everything."
Snow smiled bitterly at her. "Like I said," he began. "You're going to run out of tricks eventually. They always do-"
"I'm also going to run out of patience," Katniss snapped. "If you intend to call a ceasefire, I wouldn'ttake your time," she started.
Snow leaned closer to her. "Is that a threat?"
Katniss glared at him. "No, Sir, That was a warning," She stepped closer to him, challenging him. "This is a threat: When the rebels win, and we will, win," she assured him, "I'm going to burn you."
Snow's face froze, clearly taken aback by her words. "You're not a soldier, Katniss," He said with a smile.
Katniss raised her eyebrows. "You're right," she said, smiling back. "I'm a victor."
They stared at each other for awhile, before Katniss grinned. "Thank you for the meeting," she said, reaching out and offering him her hand. "It was great to see you again."
He kissed it, and smiled at her. "Don't forget about what I told you, now!" he chimed at her.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Katniss called as she walked towards the hummers. Carefully, she climbed into the back of hummer two. "Drive!" she commanded. She closed her eyes, ignoring the bombarding of questions from Boggs and Gale.
There's a mole on our team. He said there was a rat on our team.
Sometime later, Katniss snapped out of her trance when Gale touched her face. "What happened? What did he say?"
Katniss, suddenly feeling sick, laid back against the walls of the bumping car. "How long till we get back?" She asked Boggs.
"10 minutes or so," Boggs told her. "You okay?"
Katniss closed her eyes. "I need to speak to Haymitch."
Well! Who do you think the mole is? Will Katniss go to war against Snow? Did the kiss mean something to Peeta, or is he still conflicted? Review and follow! More chapters up tomorrow! XOXO DLL