Chapters are going to come a bit slower since I started a new story. I'm not too good at doing two things at once, so yeah… but enjoy it while it lasts! Here is chapter 77!

It felt like only five minutes later when I began to slowly revive consciousness. I was acutely aware of a dull ache in my shoulder and a funny tingling sensation in the crook of my right arm. I must have made some sort of noise, because, as always, a nurse swooped down next to me and began taking my vitals.

I groaned, "Is it done?" My head was very thick and heavy from all of the morphine. "Where is Mother?"

"Your family is waiting in the room, but you can't go back yet." The nurse replied. "We need the medicine to wear off more."

"Mmm…" I mumbled and closed my eyes again.

For a few more minutes I drifted in and out of consciousness. When I finally emerged from sleep, unable to sink back, I once again turned to the nurse side. "I want to see Peeta and Mother and…" My voice slurred the last word and I yawned. "…Primrose."

The nurse smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Mellark."

My bed got wheeled down the hall. I didn't know how long I was being pushed because I was on heavy drugs, but I guessed it was for only ten minutes. We finally began to slow down, and with a slight jolt, my bed turned into a room. Despite what I thought, no one was in the room except for—I gasped. Dr. Longarden was standing at the far end of the room, looking mildly uneasy.

"You!" My voice was really slurred and heavy; I sounded like Haymitch on his bad days. Stupid drugs. "You better have a good explanation."

"Katniss, I do not wish to make this any more stressful than necessary." He took hold of my bed and shooed the nurse from the room.

"You can't have her yet!" I cried, trembling under the covers. "We're not ready! Go away!" Tears ran down my face.

"I'm not taking her yet." Although there was a glint in his small brown eyes that told me he was not being honest. "You and Mr. Mellark still have plenty of time for that."

"You're lying." I hissed.

"Please, Katniss. I am not here to persuade you to give her to me today."

"You have no idea what it is like to love your own child. You don't know how it feels to finally have a baby and be told you have to kill her. And you know what?" I lifted my head defiantly. "You can't have her. Not yet. I still haven't made up my mind." That was probably a lie on my part, but I didn't really care at the moment.

A spark of anger flashed across the doctor's face. "That child is a monster. You can't keep her and think we are all going to live."

I sat up, vertigo swaying me around for a split-second. Thank goodness the surgeons put a gown on me after the operation. "You are not getting my daughter unless I say so. And right now, I say NOT!" I ripped the IV out of my arm and stood up. Taking a moment more to sneer at Dr. Longarden, I sprinted out the room.

My shoulder hurt. The crook of my elbow hurt. My head hurt. I felt dizzy, as if I was going to black out. Not even an hour ago I was undergoing major surgery and now I am rocketing through the hospital at top speed. Luckily I was aware enough to know where I was going and get out. After only a slight pause to rest against the wall, I continued down to my room.

Once I was there, I bolted up my door and sat down on the floor. Even though I was starch naked under the thin gown that only came to my knees, I curled up on the floor and cried. Every part of me ached and I just felt like dying. If it wasn't for the promise I made with Peeta earlier things would be different right now.

"Katniss…" Someone murmured next to me and I felt arms come around me.

"Go away, Peeta." I sobbed, flinching away from him. "I don't want you right now." My shoulder screamed in agony as that same someone pulled me onto his lap.

"It's not Peeta, Katniss."

I froze and glanced up at the mysterious person holding me in his lap. "Gale?"

"I'm here, Katniss." He brushed his hand on the rough material of my bandaged shoulder. The pain vanished.

"You have some s-serious explaining to do." I hiccupped and pulled away from him with a tear-streaked frown. "You saved Prim's life. And there wasn't a body in your coffin, but you come and see me almost every day. I am getting really creeped out right now."

Gale bit his lip and didn't look me in the eyes. "Like I have told you plenty of times before, I don't know any more than you. I saved your little sister's life because she is a life worth saving."

"Yet you didn't save yourself." I trembled from head to toe with quiet sobs. "Why is that, Gale? Why did you have to die and leave me alone?"

He shook his head. "I didn't have any control of that. But I see you now because you want me to."

"I don't want to see dead people. I want my best friend back."

With a pained look, Gale pulled me into his arms and cradled my limp body to him. "I want to help you. Anything you want, Katniss. I can't see you this hurt without hurting myself."

I wanted to remark about how he is dead and can't feel any pain, but I shut my mouth before anything of that sort could come out. But anything I wanted… I wanted the murderers dead. "They killed you, they nearly killed Prim, and they nearly killed me. I want to get them back. What do you know about the spies from the Capitol?"

Gale seemed taken aback by my question, and hesitant to answer. "Are you sure that's the best thing to ask? I don't know if I should tell you…"

"Please." I must have had either a very pitiful or a very persuasive face on, because Gale looked as though he wanted to punch himself.

"The day I died I snuck into a room that turned out to be where they were staying." He said all of this very fast so I had to strain to process it all. "That is where they are now."

"Who are 'they'?" My voice came out in only a whisper.

Gale shook his head and I felt him trembling ever so slightly. "It would only make things worse, Katniss. Don't go after them. Let the officials handle it." He begged me.

"No." I pulled away from his chest and stood up. "I'm going after them, and there is nothing you can do about it. Now, Gale. Where is the room?" I said those four words very slowly and clearly, if not threateningly.

"I don't think I am going to tell you that. You'll get yourself hurt."

Too late. A sudden burst of fury swept through my body. "Well, fine! Go then. Leave me alone so I can get myself killed, for YOU." Furious tears poured out of my eyes and I watched in astonishment as Gale stood up and just…vanished.

After only a second of standing there, crying, I straightened up again and stripped off my gown. No one should interrupt me on my little journey because they all thought I was still in surgery. I took some clothes from my wardrobe and pulled them on.

My hair needed tending to, though. It was in a messy poof all around my head. After combing it out and braiding it back, I looked around my room. If I was going to hunt the murderers down, I needed some type of protection. I had lost my only dagger out in the woods the last time, so the only type of weapon I had was the deadly-looking one I had directly from the murderers. Perfect.

I smiled slyly to myself and tucked the foot-long knife into my belt loops and took three deep breaths. Of course, I would be happier with this mission if I had some type of deadly crossbow, but the Capitol dagger was the next best thing.

Now all I had to worry about now was how do I find them? Gale said that they were in the room where he got killed, but as far as I was concerned, no one knew where that was except for the officials and Finnick…Finnick! I straightened up and prayed to God that he would be up to a little man hunting today. Saying that in my head made me somewhat sick to my stomach, but it had to happen. I've killed a man before, I could do it again. Especially now that I have a good motive.

"No, if I was Finnick where would I be?" I mumbled to myself. Probably with Annie, but who knows where she would be?

I fast-walked down the halls purposefully, regarding my bandaged-up arm sorely. My plan was to ask the first person I ran into the location of Finnick and Annie. My idea wasn't complicated, and actually sounded so simple it was close to stupidity, but it worked.

The first person I came to was an unsuspecting guard.

"Excuse me," I cleared my throat when I came up to him.

The man, seemingly in his early twenties, smiled kindly at me. "What may I do for you, Ms. Everdeen?"

"It's actually Mellark, but I was just wondering if you may know the whereabouts of..." I paused to clear my head. "Finnick Odair."

"Certainly." The man's eyes twinkled, and I grudgingly smiled back. It wasn't every day I was flirted at by a guard. "He just went to dinner with Miss Cresta."

For a second I was overly pleased that my plan was so easy, but then I melted when I realized what that meant. It was the middle of dinner, so many people would be in there, and some of them were bound to think I was in the hospital, and they would either tell Mother or tell the hospital. I would get hunted and strapped down to a hospital bed.

I glanced back up at the friendly guard, who was looking at me in the corner of his eyes. When he caught me looking, he looked away. An idea crept up into my mind. "I'm… not allowed to go to dinner due to…mental health. Do you think you could get Finnick for me?" With that request I added a shy smile.

After only a second of hesitating, he returned my smile. "Sure. Wait here, miss." And he slipped away in the direction of the cafeteria.

Just ten five minutes later, he returned with Finnick Odair at his side. "Here you are, Mrs. Mellark."

I gave a quick goodbye (and a smile) to the guard, who blushed and resumed his official position, and dragged Finnick off with my good arm out of earshot.

Finnick frowned at me. "What's going on, Katniss?"

"I'm sorry I had to interrupt your dinner, Finnick, but this is urgent." I spun around and looked feverishly at him with a slightly wild look on.

"So what is it?"

How would I put this without sounded weird? "Well… When Gale…died, were you there in the room?"

"Not the moment he died, of course." Finnick seemed impatient. "Why do you want to know?"

I ignored his question. "But you know where the room he died in is, correct?"

"Yes."

"Take me there." I attempted to grab his arm and march off, but Finnick backed away.

"Why? Katniss you aren't being yourself."

I clenched my jaw. "There is something there I needed to do. Please, Finnick, if you know what's good for you and the rest of District 13 you would take me there."

"I don't think—" But Finnick's eyes trailed down to the knife stuck in my belt loops. "What's that for?"

I tugged the edge of my shirt down over it hastily. "Nothing."

Then something inside his head seemed to click. "You're going after the people who killed, Gale, aren't you?"

"Finnick, you have to take me there. Please, Finnick." I resorted to the begging stage, which I hoped I didn't have to do.

"Katniss, I—"

"Please!"

"Shut up for a second." Finnick laughed nervously. "I was going to say I wanted to help you."

"Oh." It felt as though the franticness in me deflated. "Well, let's go then."

We ran down the halls together, just like old times. I stuck close next to Finnick just in case he made any sudden turns, but they weren't too sudden.

After a little bit, we skidded to a stop in front of a pair of small double doors. Finnick leaned over close to me. "This was a storage room. Now I don't know what it's being used for."

"I do," I muttered under my breath. "Let's go."

And without any more waiting, I kicked the door open and charged in. At first all I saw was just empty boxes, but a black figure flashed in the corner of my eye. And suddenly the room was in a whirl of chaos.

The door slammed noisily and someone struck out at me from behind. I brandished my dagger and swung it out at the person, who stepped back.

Finnick was busy wrestling weaponless with a similar cloaked figure on the ground. However, all of their hoods stayed up.

My heart pounded as I leapt for the closest figure. The person tried to swerve back, but I managed to catch the material of the sleeve and tore right through it, also cutting its skin. An unmistakable feminine voice cried out, and I could help but feel a de-ja-vu. The person hissed and dove at me.

I was just about to get trampled by that person when Finnick lunged at her and yanked her down to the ground. Brandishing a rope from his pocket, the persons' hands got tied behind her back to her feet. Frustrated screams filled the room. In fact, Finnick had also tied down the other person, who was also writhing around on the ground in anger.

Now all that was left was the one crouched near the wall in front of Finnick. Without a second thought, I flung the dagger in my hand straight towards the person. Before he could move, the knife thumped home and the figure collapsed onto the ground, though he wasn't quite dead.

I knelt down by him. Strange gurgling sounds came from inside the loose hood the man was wearing. I bent my ear down towards him and listened.

Finally I made out a word that I understood. "Katniss…"

I froze. I knew that voice. I knew that voice saying my name. I recognized it so much it hurt.

With trembling hands, I reached down and pulled the hood away. Now I was looking into the dead face of my old stylist, Cinna.

That chapter was about twice as long as I intended, but it was worth it, wasn't it? Well, I expect to get plenty of reviews 'cause this was a pretty big chapter. Thanks for reading!