Yes, it is Katniss and thank you all for your wonderful reviews. And a special thank you to AlexLunaah for commenting that she was presumed dead in the first chapter. That is what I was going for.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, only Septa, Hima, and Joel.
Enjoy!
"You," I say again, a little more strength in my voice. "You are the mentor for 12? No wonder our tributes are always dying, Katniss." I hiss. Just seeing her is bringing up everything again.
"Katniss?" Joel questions. "As in the Katniss? The Girl on Fire and the Mockingjay." Katniss nods.
"So," I say suddenly, "you are the reason why my family has always been picked for the Games."
"Septa, you know that the Games,"
"Don't!" I yell. "Do not tell me that the Reaping is done by chance! My sister had only one slip in that bowl and she was still chosen! My brothers each only had five! There was no way that they should have been chosen! Not even me! But we have been! And it is because of you! You are the reason that my parents were not the ones to see me off!" Joel stops pulling on my dress as I say this. Katniss also looks at me.
"What did you say?" She asks
"Didn't you know? Hardly anyone dies of old age anymore. They are taken away by the Peacekeepers and are never seen again! And my parents were taken away two weeks ago! I have been by myself for the past two weeks! Waiting for today because I knew what was going to happen! Christa could have been saved had you not done what you did! I could have volunteered for her and she would have had a year to learn something! Maybe two because of the rules for the Quarter Quell! This is your fault Katniss!" Before I can blink, I feel Katniss's hand across my face. It should have thrown me to the floor, but I hold my ground.
"Septa, I'm,"
"Don't." I say. "Don't say anything else." I walk towards the back of the compartment to go to my room and then stop. "You want to know what I just realized." I say. "The Capitol used you Katniss. They made you. The Mockingjay is a mutt half made by the Capitol. You know, you look good for how old you are. But then again, that could just be the Capitol's work. That's the way they do things isn't it?" I slam the door behind me and run to my room. There is nobody to see the tears streaming down my face as I run.
Katniss's POV:
She looked after her female tribute in shock. She had never raised a hand against any of her tributes. After she had witnessed Haymitch do it to Peeta, she had decided never to do it herself if she had won the Games. And now she had. It was silent a moment while they both tried to comprehend what had just happened. Katniss tried to wrap her mind around what Septa had said. She had not realized what was going on. She had been cooped up in the Capitol for the past twenty-five years, never seeing anyone except her tributes and the other citizens of the Capitol. "Katniss?" She looked and saw her make tribute, Joel, standing next to her.
"I was going to tell the both of you some rules that I have. You must never say my name when cameras are around. As Lin said, I like my privacy. If you must talk about me in front of others, refer to me as she. My name is only allowed to be used in the Capitol. I don't know why, but especially during the Games, it cannot be used in front of cameras. I will meet with you for lunch every day. You will have breakfast and dinner with Lin. And for you, Joel, don't listen to what she says. I am going to try to get one of you to the end and in that Victor's chair. I have been trying for twenty-five years."
"The reason why your name can't be used on camera during the games is because everyone thinks you died when The Mockingjay Rebellion died." Joel said as he exited through the same door that Septa had and Katniss was left alone. Katniss fell into a chair behind her. She had pictured this moment differently when she saw that they could win. She had seen that they were fighters from the very moment she had watched them be chosen for the Games. She thought back to Septa. Her eyes were so very familiar. To see them full of hurt and anger and hatred had crushed her.
"But why are they familiar?" She whispered to herself. Then it hit her. "She must be related to Cinna. But how is that possible? Cinna was from the Capitol, and Septa is from the Districts." She stood and went to the intercom. There was an attendant who was always glad to talk to her. She came in quickly and sat down across from Katniss.
"Feeling alone again, Katniss."
"Slightly, Bek. I have a question, has there ever been a child taken from the Districts and raised in the Capitol?"
"I can only think of one. I don't remember his name. But I know he was from District 2 and later became a stylist. He had two brothers and a sister who stayed behind. Does that help?"
"Slightly. What can you remember about him?"
"I only ever met him once and that was during your Victory Tour. I remember the gold flecks in his green eyes."
Katniss's breathe hitched. "Cinna". She looked at the woman. "Thank you Bek. Can you do one more thing for me?"
"Sure."
"Send Lin in to talk to me." Katniss says. "He's from the Capitol. To him, I am just the Girl on Fire."
Septa's POV:
"Septa," I hear, "can I come in?"
"Go away, Joel!" I call. I've stopped crying, but the hurt is still there. My door opens. "I said go away!"
"Do you want to talk about it?" He sits in a chair next to my dresser. I glare at him and then sit on my bed.
"My dad had two other siblings, a brother and a sister. My dad was the youngest. He was eighteen when the Third Quarter Quell came around. Since it was the Victors' Games, we didn't have to worry that year. Then, everything changed. After the rebels lost, they relocated my dad and my aunt. Then, they started with my uncle. They took all of his kids, except one, in consecutive years. My cousin only had one child, a daughter. They took her as soon as she was old enough. That was ten years ago. Then they went after my aunt. She only had five children the oldest was only thirteen. He was taken first. Then the other four followed as soon as they turned twelve. Then they turned to my dad. My oldest brother was sixteen five years ago. He was chosen. Then my other brother the year after and the last one after that. A couple years ago, I somehow managed to escape and that other girl was chosen. I don't know why it skipped me that year. Then Christa was chosen last year. She was only twelve." I turn my head so he doesn't see the tears that threaten to fall again. He stays quiet, thinking. Then his eyes fall on my pendent.
"I know why you were skipped."
"Why?" I ask through the tears that are threatening to overwhelm me.
"They didn't know you existed."
"Nonsense. They knew."
He looked around quickly and then continued. "12 does not harbor any love for the Capitol. They would hide you. My mom told me, you were born in the dead of night and you didn't make a sound and so the Peacekeepers never knew you lived there for a long while. If they did see you with your brothers, they possibly put you off as an orphan. They never cared to learn anything about us. But you drew their attention to you when Christa was chosen." Then I recognize him. He is the one that held me back from volunteering for Christa. I remember seeing him shake his head at me and keeping a firm hold on my arm while Christa mounted the stage and the male tribute was called. He had finally let me go when they had been taken into the Justice Building. I look at him now and realize he is the same age as me. "You have no idea how much I wanted to let you to volunteer for that little girl. It is wrong to have children that young have to kill others."
"Joel, go to your own compartment." I suddenly hear Katniss say. I scowl. She doesn't even have the decency to knock.
"Why?"
"I need to talk to Septa, alone." I narrow my eyes. I can tell Joel does not want to go, but he does any way.
"What do you want?" I snarl as soon as the door is shut.
"You want answers. I have them. Don't worry. There are no spies in here. What am I going to say that goes against the Capitol?"
"Get to the point."
"I am the reason your family has been chosen for the past twenty-five years."
"I knew that."
"What you didn't know was why."
"Alright, why?" I say, deciding to play her little game for the time being.
"Your uncle was my stylist." I start laughing. She looks at me.
"Cinna was not my uncle. He was born and raised in the Capitol. And then they turned on him because of you. Because of your stunt in the arena with the berries. But he was not my uncle. My dad was the youngest of three, not four."
"But he was. You don't know the Capitol like I do, Septa. They are full of gossip and this was the prime one many years ago. A child was taken from District 2 and raised by a Capitol family. He never did self-enhancements except for some gold eyeliner to bring out the gold flecks in his green eyes." Gold flecks. I look at the mirror and see my own gold flecks in my own sapphire eyes. Dad always said that no one else had our color of eyes. That we possibly had been from the Capitol once upon a time. Then I remember Dad whispering something to my mother late one night. He had mentioned that the stylist by the name of Cinna had the same gold flecks as I did. He had gone to the Justice Building the next morning and he seemed upset when I got home from school with my brothers. He didn't say anything to us, but I knew something was wrong.
My anger begins to boil over again. I did have another uncle. I remember Dad telling me in my sleep where I would never remember it, where I would put it off as a dream. I look at Katniss. She got him killed because of her rebellion. If she had never done what she had with those berries, Cinna never would have been killed and my family never would have been targeted by the Capitol. They never would have used us to get back at her. To remind her that she was the reason that we were always chosen and now I am the last one to be used as an example against her. I won't do it. I see Katniss back away from me. I can tell she is distressed by what she has just told me and now she knows for sure that it is her fault that I am on this damn train heading for my death.
"Septa," she whispers and I feel a gentle shake on my shoulders. I open my eyes and realize that I had fallen asleep and Katniss is waking me up.
"What?" I ask.
"Breakfast. I know you are hungry." I sit up and look around. The room is a mess. I look at Katniss. "After I told you, you broke almost everything that was not bolted to the floor. You almost broke the window. Capitol attendants had to sedate you." I follow Katniss into the main compartment and we join Joel and Lin. We eat in silence a while and then Katniss speaks again. "I want you both to know, my name is not to be used in front of cameras. If you must refer to me, only do it as she. The Districts are not allowed to know that I am alive. I am dead to the Districts of Panem, do you understand?" I nod, still trying to keep my anger under control. "I want to know from both of you, how do you want to be trained?"
"Separately." I whisper but she hears me and turns to Joel. He agrees. After all, it stands to reason that we may have to kill each other, best not to know how the other will do it.
"When we get to the Capitol, when you meet your stylists, do what they tell you. They can be the difference between having sponsors and not having them. Sponsors can mean your lives in the arena. Somehow, I know she is mainly talking to me, begging me to help change my fate. But I had already planned that. "The first night will be the opening ceremonies where the president will welcome you. After that, you will stay in the Training Center for three days in the training room. The night before you go into the arena are your interviews. Caesar will help you. He is the only one in the Capitol who does. After that, you're on your own. Do what you can to survive. Got it? I'd advise you to run from the Cornucopia, but I know you won't listen. Get something small that will help you survive. A small knife. But do not go for a large weapon. I can only do so much for you."
"Don't worry." I think. "I've got talents that you don't even know of."
I look out the window and sigh. The train shows no sign of slowing down. I never realized how far away the Capitol was from 12. Katniss said that it takes two days one way and that we should be arriving tomorrow afternoon. I think of what is to come in the next week. After we get there, the afternoon will be spent getting us ready for the opening ceremonies, then we have three days of training, a day before the interview, the interview, and then we are in the arena. I take a deep breath. I look at my dress, my mother's dress. I had folded it and placed it on my bed, wanting it to be sent back to Hima should I die. And right now, there is only one person I trust to do that. I sigh and stand. I am in tight pants and a loose top, similar to what I wear in the smithy. I grab the dress and go to Katniss's room and knock. She lets me in without a word and I know she has been waiting.
"I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Make sure that this gets back home, to Hima, when I die." I say.
"You are not going to die if I can help it."
"Did you say the same thing to Joel?" I sneer. I know I am going to die. The Capitol is going to make sure of it. "They are going to kill us because of you."
"I can't help you if you won't let me."
"Good, cause your help never helped the other tributes of 12. You are Capitol now, what do you care if your advice gets your tributes killed." Katniss grasps for words, I can see it in her eyes. I know she said the same thing to Joel, but he will accept her help. I won't. The only thing I will allow her to do for me is sign deals for sponsors.
"Don't show your talents, whatever they may be, during training."
"No shit." I say. "Anything I don't already know?"
"I am not the enemy."
"The hell you're not. Have you forgotten so soon that I blame you for the deaths of my family? Hello, you got Cinna killed and to punish you further and remind you that you got him killed, the Capitol targeted his family who had no idea he had even existed. You got them killed. You are not going to get me killed. I will win by my own power."
"You know the Capitol wants you dead, yet you still are going to try and survive."
"Have you ever known any of us to just quit?" I ask and then exit her room, dress in hand.
I sit in the main compartment where there is the most sun and work on my drawing. It's been a talent of mine since I was ten. I was glad when I found out from Lin that I could get a hold of drawing utensils for now. The pages next to me are full of pictures, designs of molds to make and cast. Back home, I never had the chance to make my own things, but if I win, I will be able to. I will have the money to buy the clay I need to make the molds. I can pay to have someone from District 12 carve them out of wood for me to press. No more making swords or plates. I can do what I want. I look at the drawing I have just finished, it's not filling the paper, but that is because it is four different views of one model. A carver needs that so they can make the right model the right size and proportion. I finish making the eye as the room goes dark and the train starts slowing down. Joel rushes in.
"We're here." He says excitedly. I jump up from the couch and look out the window. I am in awe as we exit the tunnel. The city is shinny and full of colors. We see the funny citizens of the Capitol point to our train with excitement. We are the last ones to arrive. Now the show really begins. Once we are hidden from view, I turn back to the couch and gather up my papers so I can have Lin hang onto them for me. He and Katniss walk in as soon as the train stops.
"Lin, hang onto these for me. Please, do not sell them unless I die."
"You have talent, Septa." I hear Katniss snort and ignore her.
"And one more thing, if I die, take this to Hima. Just ask around, the people will know her." I hand him the dress.
"I promise."
"Thank you." At least he doesn't try to sugar coat things. He knows there is no guarantee that I will survive. But, somehow, I know he is hoping that I do. The thought threatens tears and I suppress it.
"Ready?" Katniss asks.
"For what?" Joel responds ignorantly.
"To meet the Capitol."
So, how did you like that little twist? I know most of you were wondering why her family was targeted and here is the reason. Please review and thanks for reading. :D