Chapter 8:
It was a question of time; his moment would come. He flexed his bow; he was ready.
They were only gone for five minutes, yet the room they returned to was not the same as the one they had left. The television was turned off; with the curtains closed and the lamps disconnected the screen had been the only light source in the room. Katniss reached out and touched the wall beside the door, searching for the light switch. She found it and bright white light burned her eyes, she squinted. Haymitch sat with his head bowed and both hands clutching his hair. One of the sofas was upside down, sofa cushions laying by the side; Effie was nowhere to be seen.
Katniss scowled. "Where did she go?"
Peeta turned the sofa upright but did not sit; he walked over and switched on the lamps. Katniss turned the ceiling lamp off again; it was too bright and the table lamps provided more than enough lighting.
"Doesn't matter really," she muttered. "You have to get up," she said to Haymitch.
Haymitch turned to her, greasy hair framed his face. Katniss had not noticed before, but the room had a different smell than the hallway. It smelled of sweat and old socks; it had been a while since either of them had showered.
Haymitch took a long drag from his drink.
"Stop that," Peeta said.
Katniss turned the wall screen back on. "We have to use the sponsor money before they remov—"
"Gone…"Haymitch said. "It's already gone, the sponsors pulled out."
Katniss sat down on the edge of the sofa, the same one that fifteen seconds ago had been upside down, she rubbed her eyes tiredly. The last glimmer of hope flickered out.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
"I don't know…" Haymitch slurred.
"There is nothing we can do. It's entirely up to Madge now." Peeta sat down and leaned back in the sofa. The screen showed the six tributes from The Capitol, Claudius's voice informed them of their many accomplishments, often involving causing physical harm to others. Katniss scowled—his voice was like a dull headache; she could try to ignore it but it kept reminding her that it was there.
Katniss got up and paced the room. She ground her teeth; there had to be a way. She pushed over a lamp; it fell to the floor with a dull bump. "Turn off the volume," she snapped.
"I can't—it doesn't react to anything," Peeta said.
"They turned that off too," Haymitch said. "We are completely out of control." He shrugged. "What does it matter?"
Katniss took the controller from Peeta, she pointed it towards the wall and mashed the mute button. Nothing happened, so she mashed harder. She threw the controller at the wall; it hit Claudius's face, right at the tip of his nose. The controller broke in two and fell to the floor; a battery fell out and rolled away.
"What about Effie? She should be able to get in," Katniss said. Then added, "To the other place."
Haymitch looked at her funnily. "I know; I told you."
"No, you didn't. I asked, but you ignored me," Katniss said, heatedly.
"I did?" Haymitch furrowed his brow.
"You did," Peeta confirmed.
"Huh… Well, she already left."
Finally Claudius stopped speaking and there was blessed silence. Then music was playing, a slow melody with a lot of drums. It lasted for over a minute before Claudius's grinning face came back on screen.
"Welcome back to The Hunger Games! There has been a last minute rule change, to reward the bravery of the Capitol tributes, President Snow has decided to reintroduce last year's rule. Do you remember what it is?" He smiled. "Let me remind you, if the tributes alive are all from the same area, they will all walk away as victors!" Cheers from an imaginary crowd.
Katniss buried her head in her hands.
"In under a minute from now, the six tributes from the Capitol will enter the arena; who knows what will happen then? I sure don't. There is nothing left for me to say except..." He took a deep breath. "May the odds be ever in your favour."
The screen was once more showing the arena; in the darkness of the labyrinth six figures were visible. There was no countdown this time, instead a bell rung and the figures moved. Katniss sat down on the sofa end, she put her feet up onto the cushions. The six split into two groups and went in opposite directions; no words were exchanged between the tributes.
Katniss swore. "They have been watching all along. They already know where everyone is." Madge, had she moved already? Katniss eyed the remote; a pang of regret shot through her. Maybe it would have worked now. She tapped the touch table and waited but nothing happened; probably not then.
Katniss sank back into the sofa and was now half-sitting half-laying; she closed her eyes and used her ears to follow the action.
"What do you think happens now? How much does this change the dynamic of the Hunger Games?" Claudius asked.
"I still hold Wren as the favourite," Enobaria said, frostily.
Claudius huffed. "Don't be foolish; there is no way this is going to the Districts," Claudius said. "What do you think Gloss?"
"Why did you wait until now to unveil this? Would it not have been better to start off this way?" Gloss asked.
"This is more fun isn't it?" Claudius asked. "I think so," he answered his own question.
Hope, Katniss thought. They allowed them to hope, to dream, then they crushed it.
"Let's travel to our only duo of this year's Games. From Districts Eleven and Twelve, Madge and Theta. I wonder how they're doing," Claudius said.
Katniss opened her eyes and saw Madge. She had a walking stick in hand and walked gingerly. She had bound a shirt around her upper leg, but the blood was already seeping through.
Katniss glanced at Peeta; he massaged his leg; his artificial leg. Did it hurt him to walk? She had never asked, but now she was curious.
Peeta looked at her; then followed her eyes to his leg. He stopped rubbing and moved the hand away.
"Does it hurt?" Katniss asked. "Walking with it I mean."
Peeta shrugged. "I've gotten used to it."
She really wanted to see it; through all the nights they spent together she had never seen it. She shook her head, ridding it from such thoughts. This was not the time or place.
She turned back to Madge. They walked slowly, through the city, in the direction of the labyrinth. Theta carried the sword in her left hand; it had been cleaned and the blade shone clearly in the sunlight.
"Now, let's go to Cal, he has—"Claudius was cut off.
The screen still showed Madge and Theta. Katniss furrowed her brow, then her eyes widened. The commentators had moved on, but they had been allowed to stay behind to watch over their own. Thank you, she thought, for allowing them to follow Madge.
It was eerily quiet; the only sound came from two pairs of shoes hitting hard against the asphalt. One shoe made a softer sound than the rest. Madge's left foot only touched the ground briefly before it left again.
Madge and Theta walked for an hour before they stopped for a break. They had left the city behind them and moved back into the woods; Theta climbed up a tree to get a better look around. There was no smoke, nor any disturbed animals, they seemed to be safe for now.
Katniss glanced at the door. "She's not coming back is she?" she asked. Peeta shifted on the sofa beside her.
"Not unless she finds something we can use," Haymitch said. He sighed. "She is smarter than you give her credit for; she's our only hope now and she knows that. Sit and wait."
Katniss stood. "I wish we had a map," she said and glanced at the door again.
"Yeah…" Peeta said. "That would make it much easier to find the new headquarters."
Katniss's eyes widened. "What?" she asked, caught off guard. Peeta gave her a flat stare; Katniss swallowed thickly. "I can't just sit here!" she exclaimed.
"I agree," Peeta said and stood. Katniss furrowed her brow and stared at him, and then she smiled.
"Let's go find it," she said and opened the door; Peeta was right behind her.
Haymitch laughed. "It's about time," he called after them; Peeta closed the door.
Katniss stopped. "So…where are we going?" she asked, sheepishly.
"No idea," Peeta said.
"Snow said that it was built especially for this event, so it's a new building."
"Yes."
"Which means…"
Katniss played with her braid as she tried to figure it out.
"Why don't we ask someone?" Peeta asked.
"Yes, that might work."
They walked through the other doors. The area outside of the building, like the hall inside, was desolate. Not a car on the street, nor any pedestrians on the pavement. Katniss wanted to scream, but refrained, it might scare away possible targets.
They walked down the large, wide stairway, and reached the street below.
"Left or right?" Peeta asked.
"Left is towards the President's mansion, but the training centre is to the right…" Katniss shrugged. "Let's go left."
They walked past grocery stores and shopping malls, hair salons and bakeries; but most of all they walked past apartments. There were no houses in the Capitol except the mansion that Snow lived in; everyone else lived in huge apartment buildings.
They were alone; she cringed. Peeta would without a doubt use this to bring up the kiss. She glanced over to him. He walked with his eyes fixed on the road before him, he would occasionally look around for people, but other than that his eyes were looking straight ahead.
Katniss licked her lips. What should she tell him? She spoke to Haymitch and then something he said had prompted her to—no, that wouldn't work. Peeta would never forgive her. Why had she kissed him? She ransacked her brain for answers, but she came up blank.
Stop thinking about it, Madge is in danger. Stop.
Five minutes passed and Peeta had yet to bring it up. She threw more and more frequent glances in his direction. She was starting to get worried; was he sick?
"Katniss," Peeta said.
Here we go.
"Someone is over there. Should we go?" Peeta pointed.
Katniss blinked, but followed his finger; there was indeed a man there.
"Finally," she said. She walked briskly ahead of Peeta over to the man, he spotted their approach and stopped to wave.
"Hey," the man said. He wore a dress, blue, covered in gold stars; it reached his knees.
"Hello," she said.
"You like it?" the man asked, he twirled.
"Yes, the colour really brings out your eyes," she said, stealing Peeta's line.
The man grinned at them. "I knew it, people keep telling me that I should change, that dresses are only for women, but they're wrong. Tomorrow I will be the most famous stylist in The Capitol. Maybe I will even get a district. "
Katniss shuddered.
"Hopefully," she said.
"Do you know where the Hunger Games headquarters is?" Peeta asked.
"Of course, it's right over there." The man pointed behind them.
"I mean the new one," Peeta said.
"Ahhh." The man narrowed his eyes. "I got the message hand delivered; how come you don't know?"
Peeta looked down. "Well you see…" He hesitated. "I'm not that good with directions, and she—"He pointed towards Katniss. "—was at the hairstylists for the entire day, so she wasn't there for it." He grinned sheepishly.
The man looked at Peeta, then at her, then back at Peeta. "Ahhh," he said again. "I see… Well, don't worry, it's over there. Follow me."
They did and he led them down the street; then to the left and after another hundred feet he stopped in front of a giant glass building.
There was a huge group of people gathered inside it.
"Thank you," she said.
"We're not there yet," he said.
Katniss frowned, but followed after him as he walked around the building. He led them to a small green door, at the back. The only thing that was not glass.
"You would never be allowed in the front," the man said suddenly. Katniss halted.
"I recognized you, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark," he said and opened the door.
Katniss hesitated. "But, how will this work? It's glass; they will see us instantly." Katniss stared at the Peacekeepers guarding the outer doors; one of them seemed to stare directly at her.
The man shook his head. "Only for the people on the outside. It's allowing the less fortunate the opportunity to gaze at their superiors." He stopped at the final door. "Good luck in there; I'm rooting for you." He walked inside.
"That was…" Katniss said.
"Yeah."
"I like him; we should ask if he can design something for you."
"Please don't."
Her smile only lasted for a moment.
"Do you see Effie anywhere?" she asked.
"No."
"Time to find some sponsors."
"I'm ready."
Katniss opened the door and entered an entirely different building. The walls were decorated in red and gold; countless screens were fit in between the decorations. On one of them Madge and Theta walked on a narrow path, surrounded by trees. Two enormous numbers were plastered on one of the walls. Five and Six, separated by a hyphen. Over them, in silver letters it said: Districts versus the Capitol.
"We still have some time," Peeta said and motioned to the map. The first group of Capitol tributes were still some distance away from Madge.
A woman walked over to Katniss. "Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark? You shouldn't be here," she said and looked around the area.
"But we are," Katniss said.
"You are," the woman repeated and leaned in. "That's so rebellious of you," she said, excitedly.
"That's us," Peeta said.
"I'm Ashleen Lowenek."
"Pleasure," Peeta said.
They walked to the middle of the room, less chance of getting spotted.
The woman followed after them, giving her opinion on the various design of the outfits they passed.
Ashleen sniffed the air and grimaced. "What's that smell?"
Katniss froze.
"Some people don't know what a shower is." Peeta sighed and shook his head.
The woman pursed her lips. "So rude, to come in here smelling like animals!" She raised her head and glared at the surrounding people, revealing nostrils devoid of hair. Katniss stared. Peeta elbowed her in the side, she winced and sent him a glare. He rolled his eyes; the woman smiled at them.
"Come on." Someone tugged on Katniss's arm. It was Effie, she waved at them to follow.
"Did you get anything?" Katniss asked.
"I did," Effie said. She sniffed the air. "You two smell awful," she said. She led them over to the door they had entered through.
"Go through here."
"We can't leave yet, we just arrived," Katniss said.
"You have to, it's not safe for you here," Effie said, hastily. "I got medicine for Madge, now go!" She pushed them out the door at the same time as two Peacekeepers started moving in their direction. "And take a shower," she shouted after them.
The journey back to the observation room was uneventful and spent in silence.
"Hey," Peeta said as they entered room twelve.
Haymitch grunted.
"Effie managed to find some sponsors—"
"I know, Madge already received the package; she is applying it now."
Katniss collapsed on the sofa; the screen showed Madge sitting with Theta crouched on the side. Theta had one hand around a small plastic box; the other applied a sticky yellow substance. Like magic the substance worked its wonders and the wound healed.
Theta's eyes widened as she gazed down at the leg. "It's gone," she said.
Madge felt the spot, the skin was unblemished; no sign of the wound.
"Amazing…" she said.
Theta stood; she paced back and forth. "I bet they're on their way here right now."
"Yeah, we have to keep moving."
Theta swore. "What for? So hopefully they will kill someone else first? They already killed Gaius, we are next Madge; I know it."
Five-Six. So he had been the one.
Theta continued, "You heard them, it's the Capitol versus the Districts now. There is no hope."
"We just have to find the others, if we can make an alliance, then—"
"Hah! How do you plan on finding them? I don't know if you noticed but this place is huge."
"We get lucky," Madge said, icily.
"Luck?" Theta laughed. The kind of laughter that went on and on; the same laughter that got stuck in the throat and did not let go until it caused you physical harm. The laughter of the sick, the dying, the laughter of despair.
"There is no such thing," Theta said. She collapsed on the ground, her body shook as she let go; they zoomed in on her tears.
Madge stood. "We have to make traps, set snares."
Theta did not move.
"I'm not giving up, but I need your help. I can't do it on my own," Madge said.
"Please."
Theta moved her arm, then her feet, she placed one foot on the ground and stood. "I'm not going down alone," she said.
"That's right."
They walked for an hour before they stopped in a small clearing. A stream ran a few hundred feet away, allowing them to keep hydrated.
They laid their equipment on the ground. "We have one knife, a sword, a piece of rope and an empty backpack." Madge frowned.
"I'll take the sword," Theta said and grabbed it.
"Okay, that leaves me the knife."
"We can't do this straight up, we have to make a trap."
"I know."
"And it has to work."
"I know."
"So…"
"I'm thinking!" Madge snapped.
They both froze, and kept quiet for the next thirty seconds.
Theta let out a deep breath. "Don't do that."
Madge nodded. "I won't."
"I could make a single snare, but I doubt that they move alone," Madge said.
"So, something that traps all of them."
"Or at least make them incapacitated for a while. "
Madge ran her left hand through her hair, it got stuck in a tangle; she jerked it free.
Madge sighed. "We don't even know how many they are," she said.
"Probably two and two."
"Why?"
"Capitol arrogance," Theta said.
Katniss shifted in her seat.
"Then we have to separate them, and go after one," Madge said.
"Sounds great, but how?"
"By giving them a distraction."
"It's a good idea," Peeta said.
"Yeah…" Katniss said, unconvinced. There was a big difference between two and three.
Madge collected small twigs and piled them into a small heap.
"What are you doing?" Theta asked.
Madge paused in her work. "I'm going to start a fire," she said.
"Great," Theta said. "I bet that won't backfire."
"If you don't—"
"Easy, I'm in okay? What should I do?"
Madge glared at her. "The same, over there." She pointed to the other end of the clearing. At Theta's raised eyebrow she continued, "We're going to trap them."
"I thought you wanted to separate them?"
"That comes later, this is plan A."
Theta narrowed her eyes. "How do you—"She paused. "Forget it," she said and walked off towards the middle of the clearing.
Madge followed her; she brought the rope.
"I can set one snare," she said.
"Then do it."
"I don't know where; up or down?" Madge turned left, then right. On the left side there was a slow rising slope; it went on for a few hundred feet before evening out. The right was covered by big, thick, maple trees. It was difficult to see even a few feet in.
Theta peered at the two options. "Up; I bet the Capitol tributes are big brutes. They need room to move around," she said.
Madge nodded and went on to set the snare.
The hours passed; Madge had moved her pile of twigs further into the woods. She sat by it, waiting. The sun was low over the horizon, it was almost dusk.
"They should be there now," Katniss muttered.
"Maybe they lost the trail?" Peeta asked, hopeful.
She frowned. "Maybe…"
"This is so exciting, I can hardly wait," Claudius said. The commentary was back, which could only mean one thing.
"They are soo close to each other now, almost touching, but not yet." He laughed. "That time will come, you bet on it!"
"They are walking right into a trap," Enobaria said; she did not sound sorry for it.
"It's hardly a trap," Claudius argued. "More like throwing a rock up in the air and hoping it will hit something. But, we shouldn't take it too lightly; it's their last ditch defence. We have seen before that these girls won't go down without a fight."
Madge sat with her back against a tree; ten feet above the ground and had a great view of the clearing. She moved her legs suddenly, and crouched on the branch. She had spotted something: three people strode into the clearing, two blonde girls and one black haired boy. Even if she had not seen them, their loud footsteps made their presence plain. They were not trying to be quiet.
Madge climbed down, using the branches on the other side of the tree to hide her descent. She had to move fast; the clearing was oblong and the Capitol tributes were walking across the small middle.
She started a fire; it burned brightly. Madge waved her hand, trying to direct the smoke towards the three tributes. She had placed dry grass around the fire and it was already fully ablaze; the smoke that rose from it was dark and heavy. She raised her head in the tributes' direction, but her view was obstructed by trees. Madge grimaced, she had to move soon; she could not get caught here.
Katniss crouched on the sofa and rested her elbows on her knees. Twenty seconds passed before Madge moved; she ran away from the fire, towards the snare.
"She is in here!" Someone shouted.
Madge sped up, moving deftly between the trees. She took a sharp turn to the left and hid behind some bushes. She was breathing rapidly; Katniss found herself doing the same.
One of the female tributes burst out from behind an old oak. The girl ran right past Madge; not even a glance in her direction. Madge sat still and waited; the second girl was suddenly before her. She moved silent and deliberately, taking great care in placing her feet. She had definitely watched the Games before entering. Her eyes searched the ground; she stopped at the place where Madge turned. Madge tightened her grip on the knife, her eyes fixed on the girl.
The girl turned and in one fluid motion released a knife from her right hand; Katniss had not even seen the knife.
Haymitch swore and sat up straighter.
The knife missed; the girl had known the direction but not the exact location.
Katniss leaned forward.
Madge sprung to her feet and for a split second the two girls locked eyes. Then Madge ran, the other girl was much bigger than her; she would have no chance in a direct confrontation. She ran after the first girl; the moss under her feet kept the noise to a minimum, but to Katniss's sensitive ears it was louder than a bulldozer.
Madge jumped over a stubby root and landed on both feet; she continued to the right and finally reached the snare.
Madge halted. Something was wrong; the snare was sprung. No one was in it; it was completely empty.
Laughter. "You didn't think I would fall for that did you? My little brother could do better." The first girl walked out from behind a tree; she smirked at Madge.
Madge's blank mask slipped and she shivered.
"There you are, I thought you would make me run forever." The other girl had arrived.
"I had to disable that." She pointed to the snare.
The other girl walked up to it. "Ohhh, clever, "she said sarcastically.
Madge inched away from them.
"She's going to run again."
"It would be easier if she didn't." They both smirked.
"Brutal!" Claudius shouted. "They are playing with her."
Madge ran towards the clearing; the girls followed a few feet behind her.
She burst out of the forest and into the clearing. Theta did the same on the opposite side, the boy right behind her. They met in the middle; Madge and Theta stood back to back with their weapons raised.
The three tributes from the Capitol circled them, moving in to attack before quickly retreating. They were testing them, checking their combat expertise.
"Not bad," the boy said; he shifted his sword from hand to hand.
"Let's get it over with," The second girl said in a bored tone. She moved in and swiped at Madge's feet, but missed as Madge jumped away.
"You won't get out," Madge said. She gestured to the forest; the flames circled the clearing. There were only two gaps and they would be closed shortly.
The second girl shrugged.
"I'll do it," the first girl said. She brandished her bow and drew back an arrow; she pointed it directly at Madge.
"Wait!" Madge shouted.
"No," the girl said.
Katniss clenched her hands. The girl was too close; Madge could not dodge from that distance.
The arrow flew and hit the ground harmlessly.
An incomprehensible sound emerged from Haymitch.
"Yes," Peeta agreed.
Katniss's eyes were drawn to the girl, to the girl's neck. An arrow stood out from it; a gurgling noise escaped from the girl's lips as she fell.
The sound of a cannon filled the air.
"No…" Claudius said.
The camera changed, the girl from District Two, Wren had arrived. She stood at the edge of the clearing with flames burning around her. Wren drew back the bow string, another arrow already placed on it. Wren let go, and the arrow flew through the air, directly towards the boy.
He dodged and the arrow missed him by a few inches. He ran back into the woods, Wren took off after him. Madge, Theta and the last girl stayed put. They did not have much choice; the flames surrounded them and crept closer and closer to their position.
"Two against one, luck against skill, Districts against the Capitol. Carly is the only one left, and she is faced with two opponents, can she overcome the challenge and come out alive? Or will the cowardly girls from the Districts get lucky and murder her? This is the Hunger Games!" Claudius said.
Madge stood shoulder to shoulder with Theta; the girl stood ten feet away. Madge glanced over at the fallen girl, the bow lay beside her, partly covered by the girl's body.
Then the Capitol girl moved; she took a firm step towards the other two. Madge took a step back; her eyes wide and her hands clenched. The hand holding the knife had lost all colour. The Capitol girl took one more step forwards; once more the two other girls stepped back.
The Capitol girl brought out another knife and now had one in each hand. Suddenly she sprang into action and closed the gap in one short moment. Theta swung her sword, aiming for the girl's midsection. The girl sidestepped easily, and threw one of the knives. It hit Theta in the left thigh and she fell to the ground with a scream; still keeping a firm grip on the sword she brought it up to defend herself. Madge hesitated; she glanced at the bow then back at Theta.
"Madge, help…" Theta begged.
The Capitol girl inched closer to Theta.
Madge made her decision and charged at the girl; her knife held up like a sword, ready to slash. Madge died instantly, from a knife to the heart. Her body hit the ground hard, and was still. The second stretched on and the Capitol girl fell, landing a full foot away from Madge. Her blue eyes open in surprise; the knife stood out from her chest like a beacon. They lay in a circle, Madge's yin to the girl's yang.
Katniss mouth started working again. "No… Nooo!" she screamed.
Peeta hugged her, his entire body was shaking. Katniss was numb; her body was not responding to her and she stood motionless.
A glass shattered, Haymitch had not moved from his position on the couch, but shards of glass littered the floor in front of him. A wet spot formed under them.
Katniss's eyes refocused on the screen as Theta crawled over to Madge; with quivering hands she reached out and brushed Madge's hair away from her face. Tears flowed freely down her cheek.
"And her last word was wait…" Claudius said.
Katniss blinked away tears, she hugged Peeta, clinging onto him for dear life.
Two cannons went off; the lights shut down and it was darkness.
His gaze left the screen and the dark room that was shown; she had changed a lot. Too much, but that was not for him to wonder. She made her choice, now he would make his.
His right hand found the bow; his left checked the arrow quiver on his back. He drew an arrow, this was it. Today the world would change. He walked out the house and met up with a small group of people, they carried weapons as well. Bows and arrows, knifes and axes, some even had guns.
He walked through the group; his destination was not far from the house and he reached it quickly. A man stood on the porch in front of a small house. He wore a white uniform, with black stripes at the sleeves and collar. His hair was closely cut, almost bald, his dark grey eyes were not visible at this range.
Gale brought the arrow to his bow and dragged the string back; he took a deep breath and gazed at the heavens. Then he looked back and focused on the target. The arrow flew and the target fell; the revolution started.