Quick everyone, look; she's updating! Grab a camera! Sorry, writers block, couldn't figure out how to start, even though I had a plan. But this just hit me, and it flew on from there. Oh, and just so you know; nearly done! Just the epilogue to go now!

By the way, this chapter may be a little OOC, Snow especially. I don't really know how he would speak, so sorry if that bit is a little wrong.

Disclaimer: The Hunger Games isn't mine. I don't own the evilness that is Alma Coin (you think I'm that good? Aww, thanks... =P) or the awesomeness that is the other characters, either.

Chapter 26

Accusations

"Alright, I can't take this anymore!" cried Johanna. "This sitting and doing nothing. We have to do something! Coin can't get away with this!"

"What are you going to do?" sneered Enobaria. "We can't just waltz up and demand that she stop her little scheme. Look where that got Katniss."

They all glanced over to me.

I ignored them. I was hardly aware that they were even there. I could hear their voices, and I could see them, but that was all. I was vaguely aware of Peeta's arms around me, and his soothing words in my ear, but they, along with Johanna's and Enobaria's words, didn't stick in my mind and just faded into oblivion.

I had killed my best friend. Even more than before. This time, he really was going to die, because I couldn't just let Coin do what she wanted. But I also knew that this is what he would have wanted… maybe still what he did want.

"She can't do that to me; there is no-one she can use against me. Besides, I'm not as weak as her."

"Hey, leave Katniss alone! She's been through a lot today and-"

"Well, what should we do, then, Peeta? Do you want Coin to start up the Hunger Games all over again? Ruin everything we have been fighting for? Or do you want to actually do something about it? People have died in this war. Do you really want their sacrifice to go to waste?"

"No, and that isn't what I was saying. I was just asking you to lay off for a bit!"

I kept on staring at nothing. What was there to look at? Coin was toppling my world… First Snow, now Coin…

But no. Snow toppled my world a long time ago. Coin was just stopping me from rebuilding it. The only thing I could do was start anew. That's what Gale would want me to do…

"We have to stop her," I whispered. The others, who had now begun talking again, stopped and stared at me. "We can't let this go on. Other people may know what it is like to loose a child or a friend to the Games, but we are the only ones who know what it is really like. We can't let anyone else go through that. Not one single child. No matter where they come from, or what they believe."

"That's what I was trying to say," said Johanna.

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Finnick.

Haymitch was about to respond, probably to say something extremely reasonable like 'there are cameras in here' or 'you'll never be able to beat her that way, be more strategic and subtle and political' but he never got the words out. For that moment, a large explosion rocked the building.

We all dashed for cover, but it didn't take us long to realize that the explosion was coming from outside. When we did, we all ran to the window.

"Stop!" yelled Haymitch. "There could be a battle going on out there!"

"Then we should help!" Finnick replied.

"What if thy shoot at the windows?"

"If there really is a battle, then won't they be concentrating on saving their life rather than looking at windows?" Johanna pointed out.

"Fine," Haymitch relented, "But I will look, as I am the oldest and most useless and most dispensable."

Ignoring Peeta's and my protests about Haymitch being useless, he walked to the window, and peeked through the glass. Then he gasped.

"Well, there isn't a battle…" His voice sounded dead. Almost as if what he was seeing was just so terrible that he couldn't believe it. Slowly, we all moved forward to see for ourselves.

I froze.

I thought the war was over.

Who would do this? Who?

And then the answer registered in my mind.

Snow.

He was the only person in the entire world that I could conceive doing such a horrible deed.

After the argument between Coin and I in front of the entire nation, she had the rebels organize all of the people into the houses in the area around the square, several families to a house. It was only temporary, just so that the people were able to stay and watch the execution in the morning. The people would go back home after that.

However, the injured and the sick were to stay in the square for treatment. If they had children, then the kids would stay in a small tent to the side of the square. Due to the close quarters people were forced to stay in during the last few days of the war, many people were sick. Some with illness, and some with starvation, having given their rations to their children. As a result, there were many kids staying in the tent, which had turned into some sort of playground. During the evening, laughter had softly emanated from it, until they had all finally gone to sleep. To young to understand about the war, or old enough to know the war was over, to them this seemed like a fun sleepover.

Not so much now though.

Because the tent was gone.

Where it used to be, there was only a crater ad a pile of ash.

As we stood, frozen with horror, the wailing started.

Without uttering a word, we all moved away from the window and headed back down to the square to see what we could do.

The next few hours were horrible. The sound of keening mothers reached down into the very core of our bodies, freezing our souls and chasing away any glimmer of hope the end of the war had brought.

We walked around, helping where we could, knowing that no effort we made could possibly comfort these people. They had lost their children, right when we should have been safe and victorious.

Beetee was muttering something about the blast, about how it must have been very controlled and concentrated to destroy the kid's tent so completely with only a tiny amount of damage done to the hospital tent. At first I couldn't believe he could be so cold, thinking of something like that at a time like this. But then I realized that I was the same. I was thinking about and listening to Beetee for the same reason that he was muttering about the blast. To keep the horrible realization that a human being could do something this terrible at bay. It was impossible to accept, because if we did, we would have to admit to being a part of the same species as the monster that did this. And that was enough to crush anybody, even if we had never set eyes on the person responsible.

After a while – I am not sure how long, as the numbness took over, but it was still dark – Coin's voice rang out over the square through the megaphone she was holding.

"This is a terrible tragedy, and all the worse for hitting us when we should be safe and celebrating our victory," she started. "I know that there is nothing I can do to console you, so I am not going to try." This may have sounded cold, but in reality, it was true. There was no point in trying, so why waste time? "I would, however, like to announce that we have caught the monster responsible for this horror."

She had everybody's attention now.

"It was a peacekeeper. When President Snow realized that we were storming the Capitol, he ordered the force field to be activated, and the trap to be set. We fell for that, but came out of it alive. Although Snow thought that it would have been impossible for us to escape, he made a plan, just in case. He told this peacekeeper that if the Capitol were taken and all was lost, he was to use the self-destruct button on the controls for the force field to be activated. This is what that peacekeeper did, and, unfortunately, the pole upon which the button rested was located right next to the tent."

"Of course, that makes sense," Beetee was muttering, "The self destruct button would have been concentrated in order to only destroy the person pressing it and those in the immediate area, so that if Capitol citizens were near they wouldn't be injured… and of course Snow wouldn't want his house, which is so near, destroyed…" I tuned him out.

However, listening to Beetee's ramblings caused a turmoil in my mind. Because, at that point, my mind was in denial mode. The denial was so strong, working to deny the fact that this was happening, that I tried to deny anything that I heard. So, to my mind, Coin's explanation did not make sense.

Because, for starters, what did Snow have to gain? Yes, the explosion was controlled, very controlled in fact, so he must have known that it wouldn't destroy anything important. He had no way of knowing that he would even harm anyone. And it didn't match his style. Snow was sneaky and careful; this plan was obviously quickly thought of and rushed. And if Snow thought there was even the tiniest possibility that the rebels could escape the force field, why were the peacekeepers so relaxed? And why wait until after everything ended? Why not detonate the bomb when he still had a chance of winning the war? And if he had time to set the plan in place, why didn't he just place anther, more destructive bomb?

No, it didn't make sense at all. There was something else going on here, but I didn't know what.

I glanced around, but no-one else seemed to make anything of it. Then I caught Haymitch's eye, and saw him frowning. But then he shrugged and headed back to the house, unable to deal with the horror anymore. I sighed, grabbed Peeta's hand, and followed him.

I knew that our talk of ending the Hunger Games was over, for now at least. Everyone was a little overwhelmed.

It seemed like a rather large coincidence to me.

~~0~~

"Coriolanus Snow," said Coin, her voice ringing out across the square. I doubted she even needed the megaphone; she just had one of those voices that carried through the air. "You have been accused, and found guilty of crimes of the most heinous nature. These include political sabotage, murder…"

She continued on for a while, listing all the things that Snow had done wrong. Some of them were serious, some of them ridiculous – things a normal person would not even get a fine or a warning for - and I was sure Coin had only added them to make the list longer and more impressive. No one was complaining though; we all believed that no punishment would be too great for Snow, especially after last night.

However, I still wasn't so sure about that. It didn't make any sense. And the more Coin talked, the more I grew sure.

"…and lastly, the unprovoked murder of twenty-seven innocent children." I was sure she had mentioned murder at least three times before in her list, but wasn't about to question it.

I thought back to last night, and the revelations I had had. I didn't sleep at all afterward; I just lay there in Peeta's arms, thinking. I didn't want to sleep anyway. I was sure I would have nightmares. Peeta did.

But back to the subject at hand. Those kids… It just didn't make any sense, no matter what angle you looked at it. Snow had nothing to gain. He didn't even know he could have had something to gain.

"For these crimes the new government of Panem has decreed that you shall be executed at the hands of our Mockingjay."

I wasn't paying attention as I was ushered forward to where Snow was tied to a post. I wasn't paying attention as Coin gave the order for me to prepare to fire. I was lost in my thoughts.

Because I was right; that explosion did nothing for Snow; and Snow was not dumb, he would have known it would not help his case. All it served to do – apart from killing innocent children and destroying the lives of their parents – was to make the people of Panem hate him even more. Why, only yesterday Coin was being ridiculed and compared to Snow for wanting to reintroduce the Hunger Games. But now everyone was standing behind her, united in their hate for Snow…

I raised my bow, nocked an arrow, pulled the string and aimed it at Snow's heart. Still not paying attention. Still not thinking about my actions.

Because in that moment, something clicked into place in my brain.

Snow had nothing to gain. He had no motive. But somebody else did.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered the fact that Coin had ordered me to fire. But I didn't. Because I still wasn't paying attention. Everything had become clear.

The way everything played out was too perfect. Way to perfect.

Everyone had united behind Coin in her accusation against Snow, lost in a rage about the children's deaths, not being able to think logically.

Because of this rage, everyone wanted to hurt Snow, and in turn the Capitol, in any way they could. Which, in turn, meant that they would no longer fight against the reintroduction of the Hunger Games.

Everyone hated Snow even more.

Everyone would think that my claim about the Capitol being just like us was wrong. Because no one would think themselves capable of something that terrible.

But hadn't I been thinking, only last night about how similar Coin was to Snow?

I knew she was capable of this sort of thing. I couldn't stop thinking about what she had promised to do to Gale after our argument on the stage yesterday…

But hadn't that explosion happened just I began to think about fighting against her anyway, despite what she would do to Gale? Weren't we all talking about it? I had thought there might have been cameras – or at least a microphone - in that room…

And then afterward, all of us Victors were so horrified by the explosion that we had forgot all about stopping Coin…

And now I think about it, she had been the one to suggest the camp in the square. She was the one who laid out the position of the tents. Hadn't Peeta and I told her about the self-destruct button on the post, hadn't we warned her to stay away from it? And yet, she positioned that tent so that it was almost on top of that pole.

It wouldn't have been hard to convince the peacekeeper to follow the story. From what I'd heard, he was an officer - a high-ranking official. He would have been executed anyway. But Coin could have promised protection for his family…

Yes, it was perfect. Too perfect.

Coin had the motive.

Coin had the means.

Coin was the one that gained in every single way possible.

And Coin was the one shouting at me now, ordering me to fire an arrow into the one man that could offer proof – no matter how dubious – that my theory was correct.

Finally, I reopened my mind to the world and took in what was happening.

There I was, standing on the stage, my arrow aimed and Snow. The one person I wanted dead more than any other.

But did I?

Who was worse; the monster who knew what he was, or the one that tried to pretend to be otherwise?

I had been standing still for a while, and the people were getting restless.

"Katniss, fire now, or I will do it for you! We need to keep the support of the people, and we won't be able to if we hesitate!"

I lowered my bow, put the lone arrow back in my quiver, and took a step back. Coin's eyes widened, and Snow's shined with relief, and little bit of smugness.

"Gone soft, have you?" he smirked, sounding a lot braver than he looked with his face shining with sweat.

I ignored him, and turned to Coin.

"What are you doing?" she hissed as the murmuring of the crowd grew in volume. "Get your arrow back out now! Or have you forgotten our arrangement from yesterday?"

Oh no, I hadn't forgotten. If I was a good girl and followed the plan, she would give Gale a pardon. If I did anything wrong, she would fight tooth and nail to make sure that he didn't get a fair trial and was sentenced to death. That had killed me. I had known I shouldn't have let him enter the square and join the fight. I had known he'd end up doing something he'd regret. But I hadn't stopped him.

I shook my head. If I had my way, Coin would no longer be the one with power to do anything to Gale.

I took another step toward her, another step away from Snow.

"Fire!" she hissed again. "Kill him, for goodness sakes, end this now! Or it shall be you tied to that post!"

"No," I said quietly. "I will not stand by and let you deal out injustice where it does not belong." My voice may have been soft, but it carried. There was much muttering in the square after my words. I expected people to cry out, wanting to know why I didn't think Snow was evil – as I was sure that was what it sounded like – but they didn't. They waited for me to say more.

This surprised me. Until now, I had never really understood how much power I held.

"What are you saying?" asked Coin. "Are to trying to imply that I am the evil one here? That I should be tied to that post?"

"Yes and no," I said. There was a collective gasp, and Coin began to order my arrest, but I held up my hand and kept talking. "You will listen to what I have to say," I ordered. "You will listen, and so will everybody else. Then you can place the blame where it belongs, and decide what is best for this nation." I spoke the last part to the people. They all looked shocked and confused. I could hardly blame them. Then I turned back to Coin. "After that, you can do with me as you wish."

Peeta moved forward to try and stop me, but I stopped him with a look. Then I began.

"I know what this man has done," I said, gesturing to Snow. "And I know that for his crimes he deserves to die. But before I end his life, I would like to set some things straight. First of all, the things we are accusing him of. We all know what Snow is capable of. We know from Finnick's testimonies that he indeed sabotaged and corrupted the government. We know that he has killed people to get their loved ones to cooperate with his plans. We know that he has been ruthless with the Hunger Games. Yes, we all know what Snow is capable off. But there is one accusation made against him that I would like to question." I paused, looked around. Everyone was curious now, especially the Victors standing behind me. I sighed, and then spoke the words that had fallen from Coins mouth not long before. "The accusation that he was the cause of the unprovoked murder of twenty-seven innocent children."

Those words caused an explosion of their own.

Every single person began yelling, shouting things such as 'have you lost your mind?' or 'what are you playing at?' Then there were the people yelling obscene things about me, and the people that claimed I should be admitted into a mental institution. I grabbed the megaphone out of Coin's shocked hands, and yelled into it, causing everyone to be shocked into silence.

"Please, let me finish!" I called. "I need you to understand."

Everyone was silent, and stared at me with angry eyes. Even some of the Victors were glaring at me, however Finnick and Peeta merely looked shocked, while Haymitch was looking at me appreciatively.

"Fist of all, I want you all to think about what happened. I am sorry, I know you don't want to, but please, try. I want you to think about what Snow had to gain from this. I'll tell you what: nothing. He had nothing to gain. We all know that Snow is smart, cunning. He would never do anything unless he gained from it. And he only lost from this explosion. I want you to ask yourself, what did we all do? What were we thinking? We were all thinking that we hated Snow more than ever. We were all united in our rage. He would have known that this would happen. Now, I want you to think, and I want you to think as objectively as you can. I want you to open your mind to all possibilities. I want you to have an unbiased approach. Now, what I want you to do is think about this; who did gain from this tragedy? Who did something out of this? Because there is a person who gained. I know the situation is horrible, and it seems like there was only loss, but someone did get what they wanted. And that someone is standing right next to me."

Comprehensions flickered across their faces. I could see that many people understood what I was saying, and I could see that they did not want to believe it. But the logic was working on them.

"This person knew that the post near that tent was a self destruct button. This person positioned the tent next to said button. This person only gained from the explosions; she gained support. Why would she do this, you might ask? Remember yesterday? Remember how no one wanted to follow her plans? Well, who argued with her after that explosion?"

I paused, waiting for it to sink in. Then I looked over at President Snow.

"Do you have any idea what I am talking about?" I asked. He looked surprised at being spoken to but answered carefully.

"Not really. At first, when you said twenty-seven, I thought you had spoken wrong, and meant to say twenty-three. But even that wouldn't be right, I've presided over more than one Games. All I can gather from your words is that there was some sort of explosion that killed some children… I guess that is the reason for the crater in my square?"

When Snow stopped speaking, the people were stunned into silence. Then…

"Well, of course he's lying," came a voice from the crowd. There were mutters of agreement.

"Is he really?" I asked. "What does he have to gain? He knows he will die whatever he says, and if he did do it, why wouldn't he want the credit?"

"Don't expect us to understand how this snake's mind works," spat a different voice.

"President Coin," I said pleasantly. What is your take on this?"

The whole time I had been talking, Coin had been silent, shocked. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to realize this. But when I addressed her, she turned angry.

"What do you think?" she spat. "That I will just announce that I killed those children in front of the whole of Panem? Have you lost your mind?"

"So you did kill them then?" I asked, a smug smile making it's way onto my face. She had pretty much just announced her guilt.

There was silence, absolute silence, for about five seconds. And in her silence, the truth finally dawned upon everyone standing in the square. Once she got her wits back, Coin spoke again.

"Preposterous!" She cried. "How could you accuse me of such a thing?"

"You accused Snow of this," I said.

"Exactly! Snow! We all know what he is capable of! Do you really think that I, leader of the rebels, who has been fighting against this would do such a thing! Arrest her!" She gestured to the soldiers standing near the stage, but they looked at her with disgust. They believed me. I felt my spirits rise a little.

"Yes, we all know what Snow is capable of," I said. "And it was only yesterday that we pointed out that you are capable of the same."

"What! You know that I-"

"Every crime that you accused Snow of," I said, raising my voice over hers, "you have also committed, or plan on committing."

"How can you-"

"You have manipulated people through the use of their loved ones."

"I never-"

"You did," said a soldier. "Or what did you mean when you said that if Katniss put one toe out of line, you would take away the protection you gave to Gale, Peeta and the other Victors?"

Coin gaped, and I smiled at the fact that a soldier I had never met before had the guts to join my fight.

"You have committed murder in order to gain power."

"And when have I ever-"

"Oh, just last night, I believe," said another soldier.

I continued on, with the increasing support of the people around me as they realized that what I was saying was true. Coin had done exactly what Snow had. She was exactly the same…

"And last, but most certainly not least, the Hunger Games. You may not have acted yet, but, unless my memory deceives me, you were going to. Or were you lying to the populace yesterday?"

Coin was spluttering, unable to speak as she realized that she could not win. The entire population of Panem had turned against her. She was on her own.

I would have expected there to have been turmoil, but everything was surprisingly quiet save for a bit of muttering going on between the commanders standing behind me, near the other Victors.

Slowly, Commander Paylor walked forward with two other soldiers. At her signal, they each grabbed one of Coin's arms.

"Alma Coin," she said in a loud voice. "You have been accused, and found guilty of crimes of the most heinous nature. These include political sabotage, murder…" She continued for a while, repeating the words that Coin had said earlier. "… and the unprovoked murder of twenty-seven innocent children."

She paused, and glance behind her. The others nodded. She took a deep breath, and with a short glance at me, said:

"For these crimes the new government of Panem has decreed that you shall be executed at the hands of our Mockingjay."

Someone handed me a second arrow.

So, what do you think? Was it okay?