Hey Y'all it's wisegirlindisguise y'all hopefully know me since this is my story. Enjoy the installment of The Capitol's Calls. I will not longer be posting author's notes at the end so I shall put my sincerely to you all here in my beginning author's note.

Sincerely,

wisegirlindisguise

The train was eerie quiet as they stopped in district eleven. Gavin and Primrose were in separate rooms, but Peeta and Katniss were inseparable. The train made Katniss nervous as id she were going to be locked away from each other. Peeta had his arms around Katniss as she laid with her faced buried in his chest. There was no appearance to made even though some people in the other districts outside of Twelve would love to see the Mockingjay.

Katniss wanted her past to disappear. Maybe then she wouldn't be as wound up about this trip, but then again she wouldn't have Peeta there to hold her. If she didn't have her past she wouldn't need to be held. She'd be out in the woods with Gale supporting their families with the rush of a life of living on the edge. There she would be happy. Katniss wouldn't be scrounging for things to take up her day while the kids were at school.

"Play the guitar for me?" Peeta whispered kissing her forehead carefully. The sun was high in the sky, but they had refused to move. Staying still seemed like their best option out of pure fear. Their children would never understand. They didn't want them to though.

"No..." Katniss breathed. It seemed she barely made a noise because she was speaking into Peeta's chest.

"Sing?" Peeta wondered running his fingers through the ends of her hair.

"Okay," Katniss sat up taking a deep breath. It whistled through her helplessly and then it settled inside of her as if made of led. It hung in her throat by a string of sanity making her feel like she needed to just cry and get it over with. She had to be strong though, in case Gavin or Prim walked in.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Her voice shook desperately as if it were cloth in the wind. Peeta watched her form where he lie. He took in her appearance as she seemed to sort things over with herself in her head. Her eyes were glass from tear and a dam held back the wall of tears that sat on the ledge of her eyelids. He wished he could wipe them away and make her feel better, but she was scarred.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

As Prim slipped into the doorway unnoticed she listened to her mother. Peeta knew their eldest was there listening as her mom seemed to cry in her words. Katniss had settled for this, and he knew it. Katniss had never wanted kids though Peeta had. Sometimes he could help but feel that he had guilted her into the lifestyle. If everything that went down hadn't she would be with Gale, even though he hated to admit it. They would have no kids and Peeta would be waiting to hear the silence of the Mockingjays to know that Katniss was singing.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run so we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

Where would he be if he didn't have her? Would he be running his dad's shop? Or, would he be in the Games facing off Katniss' sister. If he had what would he do? Peeta would like to think that he would've been strong enough to kill himself so that Primrose would have a better chance to go home and make Katniss happy with her return... Of course that's what he'd like to think.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.

The know was tied now and there was no turning back. Peeta was well aware of that as Gavin stood next to his sister listening to the last verse. Yes, their knot was tied when they pulled out those berries in the first games. The noose was looped around their neck when they put them in their mouths and they found a loophole in the games. After all that Katniss had done how man rope necklaced did she where? Was one of them tightening as they road this train through the districts to the Capitol? Hopefully not.

"Mommy..." Katniss whipped around looking at her little boy. His eyes were glassy like his mother's as if he had been crying though he looked more in control.

"Gavin," Katniss welcomed him into her arms hugging him close. "Don't sing that song, okay? We don't want to hear you singing a song like that." Katniss hugged her baby boy wishing she could shield out the whole world and everything he didn't understand. She wanted to protect him like her mother didn't. She had introduced the woods to her children so that they would no grow up ignorant and afraid of the group of trees. She was able to introduce that to them though instead of having them thrown among the sharks to fend for themselves.

"Yes Ma'am," Gavin said obediently as he curled into his mother's lap. Prim stayed leaning in the doorway. She watched as Katniss seemed to clutch Gavin for dear life. She was quiet to slip back out of the doorway as she made her way to the phone in the kitchen. From there she would call Ash and apologize for not making it to their meeting place.

Peeta got up from the bed and followed his daughter out only to stop and look at District 11. Two families were boarding the train. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered seeing one of the women on the news during the rebellion. He made his way over to the window but as soon as he got close enough to reach out his arm to touch the glass the drapes closed and there was a clang of metal as if a metal door had just fallen over the portal out.

"Uh, Katniss!" Peeta called out and immediately heard her feet start to go across the wood of the train's floor. Prim slid to a stop next to him looking at him and then the window. She reached out to the curtains thinking her father was going crazy. All he had to do was part the cloth. As soon as her fingers got close to the drapes it repelled her shocking her hand. "Prim! Don't touch it!"

"You're a little late Dad." Prim cradled her hand cursing herself.

"Peeta!" Katniss ran up to him and then checked Prim's hand. Prim claimed she was okay and moved away again to pick up the call she had started with Ash. Katniss stared at the window and looked around her. "It's just because this is an old tribute train," she said confidently. "We were never brave enough to move close to the windows when we were on one of these the first time." She looked to Peeta smiling reassuringly. "It's just to keep the tributes from jumping ship."

"Okay," Peeta said calmly though he wasn't so sure. He had touched one of the windows in his room when they rode the tribute train the first time. He had been looking for the vibration of the train to prove to himself that even that detail had existed. He was making sure he wasn't dreaming, or having a nightmare at that. "Let's eat," he said after an awkward pause.

They moved to a different section of their cart and sat down at a comfortable table that was stacked with delicious heavy foods. Prim slipped into a seat at the table after a short while smiling softly. Katniss looked at her daughter and nodded at the happiness she was emitting. Gavin was eating happily like the little boy he was. He started to ask where the deserts were when a waiter handed him a heavy platter of different types of rich sugary dishes. Peeta chuckled as he picked away at a rack of lamb with some sort of sauce. Katniss simply pushed around the contents of her stew with dried plums. Peeta had ordered it for her. It was one of the few good memories she had of the Capitol other than getting her Peeta back.

The train rocked to motion as it began to speed it's way on. Katniss had ruled everything to the fact that this was going to be a meeting of important people meeting and a party. They were going to stop at every district to pick up all of President Markkus' guests. Yea, that's why it was all happening. Nothing other than what the President said is going to happen. Don't worry, she told her self, you're relating him to President Snow and Coin. He's not them. She was trying to convince herself as much as possible, but even that only went so far.

It was a foreboding bittersweet that he had shown up at her house. He was the President he had rights to people's addresses. He wasn't hunting them. He was giving us a personal invitation. Katniss continued to chant similar things to herself as she ate. Gavin was gushing about how cool it was that they were riding such a fascinating train. Prim rolled her eyes at her little brother and his obsession with the mechanics. Peeta tried to carry the conversation but he was having trouble following the terms Gavin had taught himself.

"Peeta, your son has beat you as the house mechanic. Back down," Katniss joked and everyone laughed.

The waiters in the rooms chuckled as well though they said nothing. No, they weren't Avox, but their job was to only be seen and not heard. They got paid for the task at least. Some of them made Katniss think back to the Avoxes that had served them. Peeta even had to stop his hands from shaking as he started to see Darius in one of the men. He quickly looked back to his food when that started to happen because soon he would start to hear Darius' screams. He couldn't bare that.

As they stood from their meal Peeta and Katniss had a moment of lapse. What were they supposed to do again? Bed right? Or were they supposed to go review the Reapings. No, those days are over. They both had to remind themselves that this was a different time and those times were gone. Katniss was not in her mother's dress. She was in casual clothes and she had not been standing in the Square earlier in the day. Peeta had to tell himself that his shoes fit. His brother's shoes that had been passed down to him had burned in the bombing. He would never have to pretend he fit in them again. He was a grown man with two children. He shared those two children with his beautiful wife and they were headed to the Capitol for a get together like any vacationing family.

The family then split off as Peeta went to send Gavin off to bed. Katniss and Prim settled into the couch in front of a blank television set. "Mom," Katniss turned to face Prim at the sound of her given title, "can I ask you a question about the Games?" Prim could barely bring herself to ask that of her mom. How was she supposed to ask her real question? Could she?

"Sure Honey," Katniss said it so calmly. There was alarm in her eyes though. Prim could see it. No, Prim wasn't strong enough to hurt her mother. She looked away and closed her eyes for a moment until a hand touched her arm. "You can ask me anything Prim. Don't worry about me if you're curious about something." Katniss swallowed her alarm. She needed to get past this. Now was the time she would make that effort. "Go ahead, ask," she smiled at Prim when she looked up at her.

Prim watched her mom for another moment or two. Then she opened her mouth somewhat sure that her mother could take it: "Why did you cover that girl's body with flowers and sing to her?" There went her mom's composure. It seemed to stab her. "Mom, you don't have to-" Katniss' hand was up stopping Prim from speaking.

"I did it because at the time Rue was the only friend I had in the arena..." Katniss took a deep breath that didn't fill her hollow shell. It didn't bring her eyes to life and when she let it go it left her even emptier. "At the time, she was all I had other than my instinct." Katniss looked at Prim who looked nothing like her sister. Her name was more to honor Katniss' sister. "I saw a Games when instinct ruined a person. Even with your father I couldn't keep myself completely together."

"So, you did eventually go and find him?" Prim asked in relief. Katniss nodded and turned on the television. Prim thought her mom was going to end the conversation like that; Prim was going to let her. When the Capitol's old seal lit the screen Prim looked to her mom with shock. Katniss didn't turn though. She fast forward through the beginning of everything and went to the point where the Capitol announced that there good be two winners. She sunk into her seat and watched as she risked her life screaming out Peeta's name.

She looked so young on the screen. When did her trouble catch up with her? The Mockingjay who was dangerous and gorgeous was gone. She had lines on her face now and almost none of them were from smiles. The ones that were came from Peeta or her children. Katniss hoped that she moved as gracefully as this girl did through the woods. She just hoped there was some of her left. When the older Peeta sat next to her she knew there must at least be some Katniss left in her. Peeta had fallen in love with her and so there had to still be a her. When Peeta squeezed her hand she turned to look at him and he smiled. Yes, there had to be some of her left.

They watched the games with Prim leaning forward seeming to study it with such a great precision it was almost beautiful. Prim was great with her eyes she caught every detail and never skipped over the smallest detail. If there was a hidden picture she could find it, or if there was an overlooked color she could add the accent color to bring it to attention. Her painting skills had been adopted from her father.

Of course, the pictures that Peeta had painted of the games were now tightly locked away in the basement of their home. Peeta was almost sure Prim and Gavin didn't even know there was a basement on their house. Katniss had covered the door to it with one of the book shelves. "Out of sight, out of mind," she had told him. That was a lie. He thought of those swirling colors of death and destruction every day, just like how Katniss thought she could smell a hint of rose forever burned into the walls of Prim's room.

After a few hours Katniss paused the Hunger Games on the screen and shooed Prim off to bed. Once she heard Prim's door close she wilted into Peeta's arms. "Katniss," Peeta would have to get this out fast or he never would, "I don't think that window shut like that because this used to be a tribute train." There it was out.

Now, Katniss would argue over it. "Peeta, it's just to keep the tributes in," she said it as if she had already blown the subject off. It was almost infuriating to Peeta. "We never touched the windows when we were on the tribute trains, so that must be what it is."

"Katniss I did," he muttered and Katniss turned to look up at him. "I touched the window the first time we were on the train. It didn't lock up like that. It let me look out and see everything that we passed. We've been on these trains so many times. Honestly, wouldn't we have noticed it before?" The feelings of worry started to stir inside Katniss. Anxiousness curled up like fumes in her throat choking her. "And another thing, there are more than two families of important people in each district. Right?"

"Yea, so?" Katniss barked not sure how else to respond.

"We only pick up two in District 11. Both of the familes had children in their teens-"

"No Peeta, stop," Katniss closed her eyes shaking her head. He couldn't say things like that. This wasn't a joke to her. He started to say something else and she stood whipping around to face him. "Stop! Stop..." When he tried again she covered her ears. "No, shut-up!"

Peeta stood ripping her hands away from her ears. "Listen to me Katniss. For a second just listen! You have to face this," Peeta snapped shaking her slightly from where he was holding her arms. "There was no need for the President to show up in our home to invite us to a party. Just like last time I think this was a warning. You know once you killed Coin that there was going to be some upset. They were going to hold you to blame. Explain to me why we would only be picking up two families up in each District."

"They only brought us from District 12," Katniss muttered.

"Do we know that for sure?" Peeta asked her squatting slightly to get to her level. "We have been trapped in one car this whole time. We didn't even have to leave this car for a meal. What's to say that there isn't another District 12 family somewhere on this train?" Peeta let her go finally having gotten out what he was thinking.

Then he took Katniss' hand and pulled her toward the bedroom's hallway. He pulled her all the way down the hall too the door that would lead to the knuckle of their car and lead to another one. He went to touch the door and his hand was repelled and he cussed under his breath. A metal sheet poured out from the top of the door clanging against the floor. An image shivered to life on the metal like a projection that had gone fuzzy. A woman with wild blue colored hair and bright purple tattoos that swirled across her skin creating an abstract version of fairies.

"You'll soon arrive in your destination. Then the doors will open and you will then be able to exit the train." The image shimmered and the woman vanished. Peeta looked over to Katniss who was gaping at the door that was now locked and they couldn't even see it. This couldn't be happening. They were trapped.