Hello! A got a chance to use my computer. Today I bring you chapter 6.
When I go the boarding cell, I find Prim holding her hideous cat. She smiles. Buttercup gets off her lap and gets as much as away from me as he can. I laugh. He probably hates me for stuffing him in a bag to get him here in District Thirteen.
"I saw it Katniss. It was really good."
"You watched it?"
"Yes, well… I looked away a few times, but overall you did really great."
"Did mother see it?" I ask.
"Kind of, she saw a little, and then left to work on something." Prim says. I sigh. Well, that's my mother. She looks away when it gets too ugly. I walk to our drawers where we keep our clothes. Then out of the blue, I feel very depress and I start tearing up. What the heck? I cannot be crying. Prim notices and she motions for me to sit with her. I shut the drawer and I sit next to her and wipe my eyes.
"It's nothing this time Prim. I think it's just the hormones, mood swings, or something." Something had to cause it, so it's probably because of Peeta. I can't stand not having him here. Finnick was right. Just like their using Annie, they're using Peeta to slowly break me. Can I do anything about it?
I try to go to sleep, but I can't stop thinking. Turn off, mind! Why won't you? Now I'm talking to myself. I hold the pearl and start rolling it down my arm. I lie down, and roll the pearl on my stomach. It falls to the floor and I scramble out of bed for it. I finally find it and quietly get back to bed, like it will make up for the noise I made. Luckily, nobody wakes up.
I'm forgetting something. Oh yeah, my vitamins. I quietly open the little drawer and get them from my hiding place in the little silver parachute. I take one with a cup of tap water. I look into the mirror and see an exhausted looking girl. There are bags under her eyes and there are faint little scars. This is the real Katniss, not the one who acts for cameras with her perfect skin and fearless attitude. I'm very much afraid, but acting brave for the war is like an act of bravery on its own. Being the image of the rebellion. I lie in bed and eventually fall asleep, only to fall into a nightmare.
I'm in the woods with Gale, but it seems it's cloudy, so my surroundings seem to have a bluish tint. The surroundings are unreal, but it feels real. I'm following Gale. I don't know where we're going. He doesn't speak, and when I ask him to turn around it's not him. Snow. His mouth dripping with blood, and suddenly I'm pushed to the ground while he points a gun to my head. I wake up in my boarding cell, sitting straight up, and feeling my heart racing in my chest.
"Katniss it's okay. It was only a nightmare." I recognize the voice. It's Peeta. He sits at the side of my bed. He's here and my eyes water with happiness and relief.
"Peeta, you're here!" I hug him. He holds me and I feel safe.
"It's alright, Katniss. I'll always be here." I want to object, because he wasn't here, but footsteps come to the door. I see the person's shadow through the crack at the bottom of the door. Then I smell it. Genetically enhanced roses. Peeta lets go of me and walks to the door.
"No! don't open it, please!" I shout, Peeta looks back, but the door is swung open violently and a black silhouette of man plunges a knife into Peeta's chest. He falls to the ground. "No!" I fall to the floor, on my knees, sobbing. I sit on my legs next to Peeta's motionless body. The black figure comes forward and points his gun to my head. I want him to shoot me. I want him to just end my life right now, but no, that would be too easy. He points it to my abdomen.
"Not you, just yet," the trigger is pulled.
Then I really wake up.
I dress, and get my schedule. I then go to the Dining Hall to eat breakfast with Gale and Finnick.
"I'm going to Command right after this." I say.
"What's up?" asks Gale.
"We have to do something about rescuing the tributes in the Capitol." Gale raises an eyebrow, but Finnick looks up in interest.
"They're using them. We have to save them." I say.
"Yes! A rescue mission." Says Finnick. Gale looks at me.
"You're asking to go on a rescue mission to the Capitol? Because what we saw last night?"
"Yes. It's time to get something done."
"You have, Katniss. Did you forget about the prop?"
"We have to save them. I can't… We can't just sit here, while they're being tortured."
"Peeta…" says Gale solemnly. I don't know if he's not for the idea, or he doesn't like it that I'm taking a huge leap to save Peeta.
"and Johanna…" I add.
"Annie," says Finnick. "I'll go with you to Command. I'll go on the mission." He says. I'm little worried for his health, but he knows exactly what this means to both of us. Gale is disappointed at me for getting Finnick into this idea, because he thinks he's not that stable and all…
"The Capitol has a hand on this because they have them, but once they're rescued there is nothing stopping us." I say. Gale gives a slight nod. We're going to Command.
Luckily, everybody is there in Command; Coin, Plutarch, Boggs, Fulvia, Haymitch. Now why are they here? Doesn't matter.
"Katniss, what are you doing here?" asks Coin.
"We need to set up a rescue mission." I say.
"Agreed, but we can't do that now."
"Why not?" asks Finnick.
"We are close at hand in getting more intel on the Capitol, and it is best we wait till then. Also, we were just planning a trip to District 2." She says.
"To District 2?" says Gale. Plutarch steps forward.
"District 2 is the only district right now that is still allying with Capitol. Many of the Peacekeepers come from District 2, and that's where the Peacekeeper Headquarters is. They are currently working in making weaponry and tanks and such there, since the other Districts are against the Capitol." Plutarch says. This is just stalling from rescuing Peeta and them, but it is important. "We'll get you on a hovercraft tomorrow o' twelve hundred hours. You'll be in battle, but you'll have the crew and bodyguards, which includes Gale."
"Let me go." Says Finnick.
"I'm sorry Finnick, but you aren't stable enough." says Plutarch.
"Yes I am!" he says loudly. Coin looks straight at him.
"Finnick, you just demonstrated how undisciplined you are. If you want to work with us you must stay here for this mission. You must get better. This is how you will help those tributes. This is how you will help Annie." She says seriously. Finnik relaxes, but he clearly doesn't like Coin. Huh, neither do I.
"Katniss, Gale, you'll go to the Training Center today." Says Boggs. "We'll have a meeting tomorrow, O' eight hundred hours, for the trip with all the soldiers going." I look to Haymitch, and he hasn't said a word. He just stands there in the background. Maybe Haymitch introduced the rescue mission.
"Everybody is dismissed." Says Coin.
Finnick and Gale and I walk down the hallway, and I notice Finnick's expression.
"Finnick we're soon going to get Annie." I say. He gives a sigh.
"Yes, I know, but there goes another day of them being in the Capitol. We don't have a whole lot time, you know?"
"I know. I want them back as soon as possible, but once we win over District 2, there will be nobody to protect the Capitol, and we'll get them back." I say. Finnick nods dolefully. Gale doesn't say anything. He doesn't have any part in this, which sadly makes me feel guilty, for thinking so much about Peeta. He has to know I love him, and that I love Peeta differently than I do him. I guess my actions haven't been to convincing of that. My stomach feels sick all of the sudden.
"I got go." I say. I run down the hall and find the nearest bathroom, next to the dining hall. I don't bother to look back and see Finnick and Gale are following me. I go into a stall and throw up. There goes my bread and milk. I wipe my mouth and gurgle some water. When I walk out, Gale and Finnick just walk up to me. They both have confused looks.
"Uh, feeling sick, must have drunk sour milk." I say. Finnick dismisses it, but Gale knows something's up, but he lets it go for now.
When we go to training I take my wonderful bow and start shooting at the range. Younger boys and other trainees, who just started training watch in amazement. It feels good. I'm not one to show off, but I take pride in it. Gale does well too. He shows some guys how to aim and get a strong hand on the bow. I see him helping a girl about my age. She smiles when Gale helps her with the aiming; he puts his arm over hers. She shoots an arrow straight. She turns to Gale smirking, her dark red hair swaying over her shoulders. He turns her attention back to the target. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not all jealous; girls are always like that with him. I do feel kind of irritated though.
Boggs compliments on our shooting but takes us to the hand-to-hand combat station. I could tell Gale wasn't trying to hit me too hard; he doesn't have be soft on me. I get a real good hit at his ribs, and then he smiles ominously and really tries to hit me. Boggs shows us a few techniques, and then we go off to other stations like shooting actual guns in the shooting range, climbing ropes, running a few miles. I'm exhausted by the end of it. We get a quick lesson in first-aid, and then we are dismissed.
I know I'm not supposed to strain myself, but I couldn't let anybody think I'm a weak or lazy, or … pregnant. Keeping it a secret is harder than I thought, especially with all these precautions. I say bye to Gale and go to my boarding cell to take a bath. My mother greets me when I walk in.
"Katniss, sweetheart, I've been meaning to talk to you." Uh oh, what could this be about? I sit on my bed and she sits across from me. "I know I have been busy, and all. The hospital is in constant need of volunteers. Well, what I want to say is that you can talk to me, or call me whenever you like. I know your stressing out about the Mockingjay part, and I want you to think of me as someone you can talk to." She says. I can't help but think how ironic this all is.
"I know I was very distant at times, and that you were put a lot on your shoulders. Now it's my turn. I'm your mother and I want to help you anyway I can." I think through it in my head. She's asking for my problems, but I still think she'll always need protecting. She's trying, but she has to know that she has a limit, and when she reaches it, she'll go back the way she was after my father died.
"Thank you." I say. She waits silently to see if I'll pour my heart out, but I don't.
"You talk to me whenever you want." She says and kisses me on the forehead. She goes into the bathroom and closes the door. I feel the guilt again. She probably knows how upset I am about Peeta. I guess I could talk to her. I can't tell her I'm pregnant, at least not now. I'm going to dread that day when I do tell her. She'll probably be upset, because I waited to tell her. Not now. I'm just not going to tell her today. Then there are the missions. I have to go on those. She'll worry about my safety, but it's mandatory that I go. She can't talk me out of it. She's very protective, but what kind of mother would she be if she wasn't? I wonder if my kid will think I'm over protective.
Thanks for being patient. Reviews would be awesome.
- cheezebuns