Thanks to InLoveWithPeeta, jesuschick13, LoudAvox, peetamellarkbuns for your multiple lovely reviews. And to those who read this.
Chapter 9
When I wake up, everything from last night floods into my head. I don't know how I'll face it. Gale is upset at me, and I've been feeling paranoia from people. Most of them don't know, but still. They probably think I'm a foolish girl, whose stupid hormones control her every action. I'll soon be an adult, though. In a few weeks or so...
My mother and Prim help me up, give me vitamins. I have breakfast with them. Just my mother, Prim and I. I didn't feel liking talking. My mother didn't force me to talk about it. I think she understood that I just wanted a little silence from the whole situation. They know I told Gale.
When we finish our mushed apple and grains, Prim hugs me and she and my mother get on with their day. I go put my arm in the hole in the wall, and get my schedule. Looks like a meeting in Command. Oh goody. Why do I need to be there? I'm not going on the mission. The thought of seeing those people make me sick, or maybe it's the morning sickness. Maybe they're going to tell me the mission is canceled. It would be unlikely, but things haven't been going well for me.
In Command, Haymitch, Fulvia, Plutarch, President Coin, Cressida, Boggs, Finnick, Messalla, Castor, Pollux are all there, along with some other generals. Oh look, Gale. He's not scowling at me. He looks at me, then looks away. He is not giving me the rage of guilt I should be getting from him. Why is that?
"About time." Says Coin.
"Why am I here?" I ask. Plutarch steps forward.
"The Capitol aired something last night." I feel complete dread at what it could be. "We'll play it once. I hate to show it to you, but it's important." He says. The screen is turned on and Haymitch motions for me to sit in the chair next to him. He looks sad. I'm terrified now.
On the screen, is Snow. He stands in front of a large map of Panem in the background, at a podium. He greets the nation, and the camera zooms out to show Peeta sitting on an elevated chair. He looks worse. Next to me is Finnick and he grasps my hand, to give an anchor.
Peeta commences in speaking of a cease-fire. The map behind them animates the districts and show footage of the destruction that the war has caused. There's a broken dam in District 7, and train on its side on a broken bridge. Then the some of footage of the We Remember prop show up. Then the footage of the destruction in the district begins to shows. When it flashes back to the Capitol, Snow is shouting at the camera operators. Peeta tries to continue his speech with the bombing of water purification plants, but it goes back to the footage of District 2. Then it show what I wasn't there for.
After I was shot, and the shooter was captured. That injured armed man, called for the District to join the alliance. District Two citizens went against the Peacekeepers with the help of the rebels. They seceded any Capitol contributions and showed that it was worth fighting the Capitol. Some people were yelling in disagreement, but the mayor gave a speech and relinquished the chance in still being for the Capitol. The rebels set up medical tents for the wounded. Supplies were given out. They only thing really destroyed, was the Peacekeeper Headquaters. That was real change being made. That was what the Mockingjay was supposed to do.
The set in the Capitol is in chaos. There is frantic exchanges from their booth. Snow plows forward and asks Peeta if, from tonights demonstration, he has any parting thoughts for Katniss Everdeen.
"Katniss… how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not in the Capitol. Not in the districts. And you… in Thirteen… dead by sunset!"
"End it!" we hear Snow say off camera. The camera is knocked down to see the white tile. There are heavy footsteps, and a blow of impact, that causes Peeta's unseen pain. You can hear him cry out in pain. His blood splatters over the tile. The image of the Capitol emblem replaces it.
I want to scream, but when I try to, nothing comes out. Haymitch has seen this already, but he feels his pain. Plutarch turns off the monitor and looks to the audience sympathetically.
"It was aired last night, but you were nowhere to be found." He says.
After the argument with Gale, I decided to go into the storage closet. I usually went in there to hide. Nobody found me there until Gale did one time, but he wasn't going to look for me. So I sat on the floor with my knees under my chin and probably stayed there for about an hour.
"We think what Peeta said was a warning." Says Haymitch.
"Just that why would he announce it us?" says Plutarch. "Would Snow give him that information?"
"It has to be. We know him. He meant it." I say.
"Yes, or why would Snow shut it down?" Haymitch says, not mentioning the other part. "District Thirteen needs to evacuate. They probably plan on bombing District 13." Before Plutarch says anything, Coin stands.
"We will call for an emergency evacuation into the shelters. The rescue mission will be moved from tomorrow to sometime following this aftermath. It's best that we all return to our boarding cells till the announcement. Dismissed."
More events to stall the rescue. After seeing Peeta brutally hit on screen, I just wanted to get him out of there. The more time we spend here, the more Peeta and them are else is in Snow's hands, and he can do anything to them. Haymitch must know what I'm thinking, because he grabs my shoulders and looks straight at me. "We're going to get them out of there."
The sirens and the announcements come on, and everybody is led to the shelters, deeper down into the earth. I was alone in the boarding cell, and inferred that my mother and Prim were still helping to transport patients into the shelters. I'm the first one in shelter 432. There are bunk beds, radio, a few supplies and flashlights. I read the sign, "Instructions". I probably read them ten times, till some people who will inhabit 432, come in. My mother is there and she walks up to me.
"Where's Prim?" she asks. "She left before me from the hospital."
"What? She's not here. Could she have gone somewhere?"
"She didn't mention anything to me. Where could she have gone? They're about to close the shelters!" my mother says frantically. I try to think where she might of gone.
"Buttercup!" I say and my mother looks worried. I run out of our shelter and I see Gale.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
"Prim, she went back for her cat!" He follows me up the flights of stairs to get to the shelters, then we climb some more to get to our boarding cell on the top floor. We run into the hallway and see her, with the hideous cat in her arms.
"Prim! What are you doing? Come on, we have to go." I say. Gale takes the cat and we all run back to the entrance to the tunnels of shelters. Two guards are closing the heavy doors.
"Wait! Wait!" we're all yelling. Two guards stop just in time. We have to squeeze through between the doors. I breathe out in relief.
"Prim, you have to let someone know where you're going, especially when we're about to be bombed." I say to her.
"I know Katniss, I'm sorry. I thought it wouldn't take me long, but he was outside and…"
"It's okay, just glad you're here now." I should have looked for the stupid cat before I left. I should have known she would want to bring him. Gale hands her the cat and she hugs him dearly. "Okay Prim, let's go back to our shelter. Mother is probably worried." We start walking, then I stop and turn around to Gale.
"Thank you," I say. "for coming with me to find her."
"That's what we do. Protect each other." He says. "I'm in 234, if you need anything." I nod and he walks back to his family, where probably Hazelle is worried about him.
We protect each other. We made a pact that if something were to happen to one of us, the other would take care of that's person's family. It still counts, even though we're not talking about hunting for food. If our families are in trouble we'll do anything to protect them. With this pact, I still think we have something to hold us together, even though we've been opposing each other a lot, lately.
We are bound to our shelters, and everybody starts to get bored. The only entertainment is Buttercup and a flashlight; the Crazy Cat game. Prim shines the flashlight and Buttercup springs on the light, trying to catch it. The kids and the adults get enthusiastic with the whole show. The cat is finally good for something. Prim hands me the flashlight and she sits with the kids. I evilly shine on the high on the wall to see if the cat will jump for it. Buttercup springs up to the wall and reaches the spot, till I move it away. I'm so evil.
Sometime after noon, there is a loud noise from above. The cave shelters seem to shake and little rocks come from the ceiling. The lights flicker off then on. 20 minutes later there is another bomb, then about 10 minutes after, another one. My mother is sitting next to Prim, while she holds on to Buttercup. The lights go out for a few minutes, but we have flashlights. The bombing ceases, but we are to still stay in our shelters till an announcement. Much later, there is announcement that we would leave the shelters in the morning. I get under the blanket on the mattress on the floor. Prim squeezed next to me. My mother takes an empty bunk.
"Goodnight, Katniss, Prim." She whispers.
"Goodnight." We both whisper. I turn on my side, and see Buttercup's gleaming eyes look at me.
"Go to sleep, you cat." I whisper. Prim puts him beside her. I lay on my back and look at the ceiling. It reminds me so much of when Peeta and I were in the cave, our first hunger games. He told me the story of when he first saw me, and I told him the story of how we got Prim's goat. I miss him being next to me when I sleep. I have Prim here but she's hugging that cat of hers. Whenever he was around I felt safe. I can't imagine what they're doing to him. Will he ever get out of the Capitol?
Whao. what was that? I had just felt some kind of fluttering in my stomach. I put my hand where I felt it. There it is again! It feels so weird, but I know it's the baby. I remember my mother being pregnant with Prim. She said that she felt flutters, then more into her pregnancy she felt kicks. Being little, I thought it was weird.
I want to wake up Prim, but I should let her sleep. I rub my stomach. I wonder if he or she feels it. I think he or she does. I don't know the gender. Maybe I should have let Dr. Odessa tell me. No, maybe it's best that I don't know now. It could be a boy and look just like Peeta, or it could be a girl and look like me. I'll take our kid hunting and Peeta will teach him to paint But it's only a flight of imagination. I don't even know if the baby will come out healthy, and if Peeta will either. But there's hope and I think it's possible for the baby to grow up well.
In the book it says "dead by morning", but that wouldn't make sense in this case. Sunset has more meaning to Katniss, if you can recall. I bet you just want Peeta to come back already. I know, me too. It's coming soon.
-cheezebuns