So I just turned 4 years old today. No, just kidding. My age is between 5 and 243 years old. Happy reading! oh and...virtual cheese buns for everyone!
Chapter 10
We finally get to leave the shelters. I help my mother and Prim transport the sick back to the hospital. I still get grossed out from skin wounds, but it's something I want to overcome, and seeing them is the only way to get over it.
The top levels of District 13 are destroyed. The boarding cell that my family stayed in is gone, and the Hangar is in need of the rubble to be cleared. The dining hall is full of activity, and the upper levels of the industrial offices are being rebuilt. The floor where food is grown has only some malfunctions. I guessing with all the damages, they will have to be fixed and that means the rescue mission will have to wait longer. This is all very frustrating. This all Snow's fault! But I guess there's one silver lining in all of this; we were warned before the bombing. Peeta saved a lot of lives. There's no way Coin will take his immunity away, just like that. He's no traitor.
Even though I can't go on the mission, I get to go to the training center with Gale and Finnick. Gale is a little distant. He doesn't really look me in the eye, but he is no longer furious at me. I give him his space. I just concentrate on my training. My mother made sure to catch me before I went. I was told to only lift the lighter weights and not to tire myself out. Yada yada. I'm careful. I'll take care of myself.
At the range, Finnick was a little rusty at first, but now watching him throw his trident is impressing. He was really stoked when he heard he would get to use the trident Beetee made for him, and now he gets the target every time. Gale shoots a couple of arrows and I do the same, for the fun of it. Some trainees begin to practice with the bows and arrows as well. Copiers.
The soldiers going on the missions are trained with the guns. Gale looks perfectly comfortable shooting a gun. It's like he has been shooting a gun for years. When he aims, his face expression turns to concentration. Finnick shoots the targets most of the time. He's not that good. Probably better with his trident. He looks in my direction and pretends to shoot me with his finger. I form my hand into a gun and pretend to shoot him. Pew, pew, pew. A guy turns to see what I'm doing and I pretend to shoot him. He looks away mumbling something. Gale smirks. The other soldiers look at us strangely. This just makes me smile more.
After training Gale gets an alert form his communicuff for Finnick and him to go to Command. It even specifies for me not to come. Well, fine. Finnick shrugs as they walk away from me.
"See ya later, Katniss." he says behind him. They're probably planning the mission for tomorrow. Maybe there's some way I could sneak on board the hovercraft and get a disguise or… I'm kidding myself.
That evening, Cressida bumps into me in the hallway.
"Katniss, Fulvia is planning to film a prop with you this evening."
"This evening? I'm not prepped. Where is…"
"We're filming in the small studio here. Your stylist just need do a few touch ups. So at eighteen hundred hours you will go to the studio, and that's where they'll do the prepping." As soon as she gives her message she starts walking away.
"Okay." I say after her. I want to ask her what kind of prop they had in mind, but she's clearly in a rush for something. So I hang around in Special Weaponry with Beetee. I'm given permission to go in the Hummingbird Room. I like to call it the Meadow. I sit there and practice tying knots till I have to leave to the studio.
I go into the studio and find the film crew along with Fulvia and Plutarch. Finnick is here. I ask him to tell me what's going on, mouthing the words, but he doesn't say anything. I'm led to a curtained spot in the studio and put on my uniform. While Venia covers the dark circles under my eyes with makeup, Cressida explains what we're doing.
"We need something to air while the team goes on the rescue mission. It has to be something that catches the attention of everyone, including Snow. Something that they can't turn away from."
"Did you have something in mind?" I ask, because I don't have any ideas.
"We want to interview you about Peeta."
"Okay, is that it?"
"Finnick will also be interviewed." Finnick looks nervous. He looked pretty calm earlier. He wouldn't be nervous for a simple interview, would he?
I sit on a stool, and take deep breathes to calm my nervousness. I tap the bottom on the stool with my fingers. A red light on the camera turns on. Cressida begins asking questions.
"When did you first meet Peeta?" My mind goes back to the memory that is still as vivid as when it happened.
"I was eleven years old, and my family was starving. I was selling baby clothes, but nobody would buy them. I started walking home and then it started to rain. I stopped in front of the bakery trashcans and looked to see if I could find anything edible. His mother came out screaming at me to get away. Behind her, was Peeta. She went back in and then moments later I heard yelling in the bakery. Peeta came out with two burnt loaves of bread, and a bruise on his cheek. I remember his mother yelling and scolding him. He was yelled to feed it the pigs but he threw them in my direction. They were meant for me, so I put them under my shirt and ran home with them. My family didn't starve that night. He probably saved our lives. After that, I had been meaning to thank him, but I never did. The first time I talked to him was after the Reaping." After a short moment of silence she continues with more questions.
"Did you have any idea that he had feelings for you?"
"No, I had no idea. We never really spoke to each other. I was pretty surprised that night of the interview."
"Whose idea was it to take the berries out?"
"It was sort of my idea. It upset me that they anounced there could be two victors from the same district, and then took it away when it was only Peeta and I left. There was no way we were going to kill each other." Cressida stops after a few more questions.
"Okay Katniss, we're done." then Finnick walks onto the set.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asks Plutarch.
"Yes, I'm sure. It will definitely get's Snow's attention."
Finnick begins how after his Victory Tour, Snow forced him into selling his body to powerful and important people. He denied the demand first, but Snow got him to do it, by putting in danger the ones he loved. It was kind of what Snow did to me. I had no idea Snow did this to other tributes. I just figured it was just us because Peeta and I both came out alive.
He said his clients always felt bad about it. So in order to relinquish their guilt, his lovers would pay him with valuables, but instead Finnick asked for secrets. That's why he asked me if I had any secrets at the Chariot showing. Finnick had a huge collection of secrets about the Capitol officials. He spoke of people that I had met during the Victory Tour celebration in the Capitol, and some of who I did not know. He made sure to save Snow for last.
He told of how Snow would eliminate his enemies by poisoning them. Snow would drink the poison himself, to eliminate suspicion, but the antidotes only work so much. That's why he has terrible bleeding soars in his mouth. He uses the enhanced roses to cover up the smell of blood. All the secrets Finnick knows about Snow is said. The crew, Plutarch,and Fulvia are absolutley astonished. There's no way Snow can ignore this. The whole Capitol is probably reanalyzing their leader. Finnick still sits on the stool and the he says "cut".
The crew hurries out to edit the footage. Plutarch leads Finnick off for a chat, probably to see if he has any more stories or secrets worth sharing. Haymitch and I are left in the room.
"Did that happen to you?" I ask him sincerely.
"No. My mother, younger brother, and my girl were all dead two weeks after I was crowned victor. They were killed because of the stunt I pulled with the force field," he answers "Snow knew he didn't have anybody to use against me. I was left alive, to be an example for all the other victors, if they were to pull any stunts like I did. But he knew he had no leverage against me."
"Until Peeta and I came along," I say softly. I don't even get a shrug in return.
In the boarding cell, I lay on the bed alone. Prim and my mother are in the other bed. My mind is constantly running thoughts. Snow should just give up. There's no way he'll regain the districts. He's losing. He should just give up the tributes and face his loss, but no. He's not going to give up easily. He'll do anything and everything he can before he goes down. I hate him. Suddenly, I begin to feel fluttering again. It surprises me and I sit straight up. I guess my sister sees me shoot up like a vampire and asks what's wrong.
"Are you okay, Katniss? Did you forget something?" she asks tiredly. My mother opens her eyes and looks at me with concern. I smile and walk over to sit on their bed.
"I'm pretty sure I felt something." I say. Prim is confused at what I'm talking about. My mother smiles. I take Prim's hand and hold it to my stomach. She gets a look of excitement and waits for something to happen.
"I feel it. Do you feel anything?" I ask. She shakes her head, disappointed.
"It's probably just fluttering. You just feel it. When it kicks, then you can really feel it." my mother says.
"Oh," I say. I still got to a lot to learn about this stuff. "Well, good night." I say and I get back into my bed.
"Good night, baby," I whisper very softly. "Don't keep me up."
You know what the next chapter is. Well... I hope you can infer what's going to happen. Feedback would be awesome.
-cheezebuns