In contrast to the aimless meandering involved with me when I was trying to find her, it probably takes Katniss just a few minutes and direct path to get us back to the tree-line.
"Thanks for guiding me back." At least I know now that one thing has remained a constant despite all I've gone through: my abysmal outdoors skills. "So I'll see you later?"
Instead of answering my departing query, Katniss responds with silence and, when I turn around to look back at her, is fidgeting while chewing her lip.
"Uh… Katniss? Something wrong?"
"I think…" Oh please don't say that you want to leave already…"I think I want to walk back up with you."
Okay, wasn't expecting that. "You… you do? Because I'm going up to the square to be around the workers."
Katniss nods her head and states, "Can't make any promises that I won't run back to my house. But since you say that there's going to be more people coming from Two, I might as well try to face them now." I must be grinning or something, because she immediately scowls at me to add, "Like I said, I can't make any promises, and if you're going to be like that, then I might as well go back home."
"Okay okay…" I concede while raising my hands up in supplication. "Can I still be happy for your decision to mingle with them?"
The scowl deepens. "I'm not going to mingle."
"Whatever you say…"
As with the trek out of the forest, our trip back up to the square mostly proceeds in silence. Honestly, just having Katniss walking at my side fills me with a certain measure of contentment, especially since she's looking healthier by the day.
Of course, me being me, I decide to break that silence: "So far what I've seen they're really nice people. I'm sure you'll get alo—"
I don't get to finish my sentence as the sound of commotion reaches our ears and a crowd can be seen forming in the near distance. When the workers see us approaching — I can practically feel Katniss tensing up beside me at their stares — they part to reveal what all the fuss is about.
And of course there has to be a kerfuffle as I'm trying to reassure Katniss.
Because as of this moment, the girl is carried upon Onyx's shoulders and screaming various profanities that carry across the area. I have a suspicion as to what had just transpired; because one of the local workers — the same guy who yelled at our new volunteers when they arrived — is currently busy curling up on the ground and nursing himself. In the meantime, Marcus looks extremely flustered and unsure where to direct his frustrations, while Thom… Okay, you'd expect Thom to be upset at someone from our district being physically assaulted, but if anything, the only emotion he seems to be expressing is slight embarrassment.
I'm not sure what the full conversation was about, but the girl's screeched proclamation makes the scowl on Marcus' face deepen to the point that that it's hard to tell he's not from the Seam, and he proceeds to mutter, "I don't have a stick up my ass."
"Mind telling me what's going on?" To my pleasant surprise, and despite the light tone I use, my query causes those who weren't already aware of my presence to fall silent and turn their attention to me. Part of me is glad that I can once again captivate an audience; the other part suddenly realizes I just put myself in the spotlight and, judging by the expectant look everybody is giving me, took upon the role of mediator.
"Ask her," the former Peacekeeper growls while jabbing a thumb towards the source of the profanities, it doesn't look like she's the only one he's angry with.
Before I can do so, however, the girl snaps, "I didn't even want to be here, much less be insulted by some asshole rube."
"Okay, so what happened?" I ask, even though I suspect that I won't like the answer.
"He said that we deserved what happened at the Aedes Bellonae!" Oh great… "That we had what was coming to us, and that Camp fucking Victim was us getting off lightly! Well… he got off lightly by what I did to him."
Even with the deep steadying breaths I take, when I turn to the man standing back up, my question comes out through gritted teeth: "Is this true?"
In response, he just spits, "So what if it is? We never asked for them to be here either. After everything they've done, I'll be damned if I allow a bunch of Careers and Peacekeepers to finish the job."
"None of the people here have ever been through the volunteer program," Marcus mutters.
"Who cares?" the man snaps back.
The hatred being emanated from my own neighbor takes me aback; this is beyond just mere frustration. Still I try to maintain some diplomacy: "I know you're angry about what happened here; you have every right to be. However, even if there were Careers in the group, our guests aren't the monsters who bombed our district. They aren't monsters, period." I don't miss the shocked expressions on many of the visitors from Two at that last part. "They are just people trying to move on with their lives and helping us in the process."
"You don't hate us?" Onyx murmurs in awe; his companion is too shocked as well to do or say anything.
"No, I don't," I state firmly. "Look, don't get me wrong. I hated how you guys blindly supported the Capitol; I hated how the Games were trumpeted as a wonderful thing and kids were brainwashed to actually enjoy killing other kids; I hated how your Peacekeepers enforced brutality and starvation amongst the districts.
"However, I never hated Two itself or the people in it. Despite my experiences, I certainly didn't hate Cato or Clove. Hell, I consider Enobaria good company. And I knew enough Peacekeepers to know that not all of them were like Thread or the ones who… oversaw me in the Capitol. As of now, I still don't hate you all."
"What about Brutus?" someone else in the crowd asks.
"Okay, he was an asshole. But I certainly didn't enjoy killing him if that's what you're wondering, and my point still stands," I state before sighing. "In the end, I'm sorry for what happened to all of you; I really am. Unlike what you're all doing here, I know all I'm saying are just words that aren't backed by works of substance, and I'd completely understand if you don't accept them. But what I say is the truth, and as is my complete gratitude for this right now."
I really don't understand the reason for it, but in the wake of my speech, it's as if the crowd's struck dumb, and many of the visitors stare with dumbfounded expressions as if seeing me in a new light.
Soon though, the silence gets broken by a mocking clap, and I look to see the source of the original altercation sneering at me with contempt:
"Typical. Why am I not surprised to see you take their side over that of your own people?" What did he just say? Though before I can retort, the sneer grows. "Then again, to call townies part of Twelve is being generous. With even less numbers on your side, I guess that allying with the Twofers is the only thing you can do to feel big again. If not for one of our own being your district partner, you probably would have—"
I don't let this asshole finish. Honestly, with the implication he's making about the merchants, it's not like I can comprehend the rest of that diatribe as it melts into a drone as hazy as my vision right now. But whatever he's about to say next, those words come out strangled as I tackle him with my hands wrapped around his throat.
Everybody else makes a collective squawk of distress, and to my great satisfaction, the expression on the asshole's face morphs from contempt into fear as he tries to paw ineffectually at my arms. Despite his struggling, and despite the other hands — it vaguely occurs to me that it's that of the visitors instead of the locals — tugging at my arms, I don't budge; though I allow my squeeze toy just enough room to breathe.
"Do these hands belong to Katniss or a Career? Does it feel like I need others to fight for me? Have you forgotten what I did to Brutus?" I don't yell, but rather allow my voice to come out in a low growl, and it looks like my message is getting through. It also looks like the asshole's trying to rasp out a reply, but I cut him off: "Rhetorical question. But keep talking, and maybe we'll put to the test as to which one of us needs the help of others to feel big."
A couple more seconds are allowed to pass before I finally let go. In turn, those attempting to restrain me — ironically my current anger is probably the only thing that's preventing a freak-out; I'm not exactly one to react well to having hands on me due to… reasons — immediately haul me back up to my feet and keep their grasp, even though I've already had my say.
That wasn't my hijacked state talking; it's all me… and I regret nothing about it.
As the asshole scrambles back, he looks expectantly at the others from Twelve gathered. To my honest surprise however, they don't look too sympathetic at his plight; a bit bemused at my reaction perhaps, but not sympathetic. And the only thing Thom says is this: "Go home, Zach."
At this point, Zach's surprise is joined by anger. "Are you seriously taking their si—"
"Go. Home." I've never heard Thom express anger before. But even though he doesn't raise his voice the slightest, he has no trouble conveying it. It's now that I can appreciate how he's able to hold the unofficial leadership position here. "You're done for the day… Or perhaps the rest of this time."
As Zach the asshole stomps away back up to the Victors' Village, Thom turns to the rest of us: "To the Twofers here, I'm sorry about what Zach said. I really hope this doesn't affect things. Though next time, I prefer that you come to me with any grievances instead of resorting to violence. And to those of our district…" — A pause is given as he looks pointedly between his Seam compatriots and me. — "Remember Peeta's words; at least the ones before… you know. Also, remember that there is no more Seam or town left to divide. Snow is gone; so don't let his specter stick around to keep us divided. If you insist on dredging up old hatreds and divisions, I'll point you to the train station."
With the finality of Thom's speech and the diffusing of the situation, the crowd finally begins to disperse, and everything is up and running.
"Are you alright?"
Katniss' query causes me to start a bit before I turn back to her. "Huh?" That's when I notice how cautious she's looking at me, and now I feel a bit guilty for losing my cool in front of her like that; I still don't feel guilty for the action itself. "Oh… that. Yeah… not my proudest moment — I'll definitely have to talk to Dr. Aurelius about it — but I wasn't going mutt if that's what you're worried about."
"Oh, okay…"
"Which reminds me: just to be on the safe side, I should probably let you know what precautions I have in place just in the event of an episode. I haven't had a violent one since the war, but you can never be too sure."
I can tell that I'm starting to make Katniss uncomfortable with the topic of my hijacking, but I think that it's important she's well-informed about it if we're going to be interacting with each other.
Perhaps ironically, she's saved from further discomfort by the tentative approach of one of our guests. More specifically, it's Marcus, who looks unsure as to whether he should leave Katniss alone or say something; she saves him the burden of decision-making by actually giving him a hug, to which he can only reciprocate by giving one back in an awkward and hesitant manner. When they finally break apart, they begin to talk to each other about something, but I'm too far away to hear what they are talking about; instead, I'm more focused on an idea that's brewing within.
So when I situate myself right in the middle of the work crew, I holler out something for everyone to hear: "Alrighty then, if you don't mind, I'd like to appropriate some of you for a little project. So to start off, how many of you can bake?" To my pleasant surprise, several of the visitors tentatively raise their hands. "Excellent. Keep those hands up. Now how many are good at following instructions dealing with measurements, and how many can transport heavy items well."
By now, I've got at least twenty hands raised, to which I tell them to follow me up to the Victors' Village. When I get there, and once I get Sae and a couple other houses on board with what I have planned, I immediately put my work crew to… well… work carrying out the task at hand: baking cookies.
Now it's stretching the resources I have — right now there's a couple hundred pounds of flour, sugar, and other ingredients stored away in my kitchen courtesy of Paylor — for the number of people available, but I think I'll be able to pull it off. Without wasting time, I disperse various recipes to the ones with baking experience, have the stronger individuals ferry ingredients around, and task the rest with prepping the kitchens. And within fifteen minutes, there is a full-scale operation underway.
Once things get started, it's amazing how fluid the process is, with everyone requiring little guidance as to what they are supposed to do and every role meshing seamlessly with each other. Besides their role at carrying supplies, strength-based guys like Onyx do a good job at keeping morale up and a tempo going by either singing various military hymns or cadences that the others — even some of us natives — join in on. And within a couple hours, we end up enough cookies of various forms to go around.
When we arrive back down, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that Katniss has reneged on her original plan to not mingle with our guests, and it's clear how much of an effect — which she's still probably utterly blind to — that she has as she goes among them. Between the despair and devastation sown between the Capitol and the Rebellion, I'm happy for any form of inspiration being salvaged from there. The same goes for the way these workers' eyes light up when they bite into a cookie and I tell them there's enough to bring back for their families.
For me, it's the type of victory that counts.
~oOo~
As promised, more trains come in the following days, with the usual reactions from the visitors when they arrive. The only people who aren't shocked are those coming for repeat visits, and there are actually quite a few who decide to do so, with some eventually holing up in the empty houses so as not to deal with traveling back and forth. Katniss and Onyx even begin to exchange tunes from their respective districts to sing and buoy sprits during these ordeals. Along with the work crews, come extra supplies of baking ingredients so I can continue my little project.
And like Thom had hoped for, this contribution from District Two ends up doing in a few months what would probably be difficult to achieve in a few days with the number of people we initially have. By the end of the April, almost all of the remains are buried and hazardous waste cleared away. By the anniversary of the bombing, during which Paylor visits to host a solemn memorial service, there are no more ruins — barring a prominent structure here and there — left standing, all large pieces of rubble have been cleared away, and rains have washed away and mixed the ash into the soil.
In the meantime, between her treatments, keeping active, and being among our guests, Katniss gradually comes back to life. I won't say that it's a smooth process, as there've been some days where she refuses to emerge from her home, but I'm more than sure that her plan to leave has effectively been dashed.
One idea that has especially been effective is a "memory book". She got the idea from the plant book we worked on — that reminds me that there are a few entries I want to work on — and after talking to Dr. Aurelius about it, he was enthusiastic enough to send supplies. The premise was simple in itself: you'd start with an image of a person — namely someone long past — and from there would write something about them to keep their memory alive. Naturally, we started with Prim and Katniss' father, but it then expanded to my family, then other important people long gone, be they from District Twelve, the arenas, the Capitol, or the Rebellion.
I won't lie: it's not easy, and there've been many times when the pages we work on become unusable due to drops of saline. But we soon find that the measure of closure gained after each page's completion outweighs the heartbreak during its formation. I've also found that sketching all these people has helped me with my memory; there are still gaps here and there, but I can feel them being filled in.
Other people begin to help out as well to give their accounts: Katniss mother, Cressida and Pollux, Thom, Sae, Beetee, Johanna, Annie — her son, who was born on the anniversary of the arena breakout and Twelve's bombing, already looks like the best of his mother and father — and even Dr. Aurelius. As difficult as he is still — I have yet to completely forgive him — even Haymitch begins to fill us in on our parents, his tributes, and fellow victors. The only person who we don't contact, though I myself do talk to him, or even mention the subject of is a certain former hunter-turned-commander in District Two.
Marcus, being one of those from Two staying for the short term, also eventually comes by for dinner — it actually didn't take too long for me and Katniss to begin eating together — most of which involve him and Katniss exchanging stories about Darius. One day, I give the former Peacekeeper a sketch of his redheaded friend joking around with Sae at the Hob; in turn, he gives us a photograph — one of them together and with their families at their Peacekeeper graduation — to place in the book along with the stories that were told.
Recovery, be it within us or with the district, is a slow process, but it makes steady headway.
Around late July, and as the cleanup process begins to taper off, Marcus heads back to his district for about a week. We assume it's just to visit his family, but when he returns, there's an official-looking document in his hand that he gives to us and Thom.
While there's a flowery statement at the top of it, what draws my eyes is the list of various locations, with various resources listed by them. That's when it occurs to us that those locations are all mines and quarries that contain what District Two has to offer: limestone, clay, sandstone, granite, marble…
And it's after I actually read the statement that it finally sinks in what this document states: these resources are available for the rebuilding of District Twelve…
Free of charge.