Good morning! It's morning right now for me. I'm off of school, so I'm going take advantage of time and write more. So this Katniss' televised showing. I tried get Peeta's POV right, but anyway happy reading!

Chapter 26

I walk over and stand beside Haymitch and Beetee. There on the screen, is a reporter standing in front of a building in the Capitol.

"With this terrible war going on, we have an announcement of some good news from our president, Cornelius Snow," the reporter says. The Capitol emblem appears on the screen, and then it begins to show Snow in the same place I was filmed. The sight of him runs fury inside me, and all I can do is grip my hands on the chair to keep it from letting it take over me. That snake-eyed bastard.

"Good evening people of Panem. It may appear as though we are always keeping our defenses up, but we are stronger than the districts, and we will relinquish the fire of this rebellion. It has all been done before, and the Capitol asserted their power over it. It's never too late to retreat your soldiers. It would be wise, or we will surely see many deaths.

"As for good news, we have a new member joining our side. Ms. Katniss Everdeen has denounced her role for the rebellion side, and is for a cease fire."

The camera switches to Katniss who sits on a couch sort of stiffly. She looks serious, but her gray eyes seem hurt, something I rarely see in her. It breaks me, seeing her like that.

"For those who may not know who I am, my name is Katniss Everdeen and I was in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. For the past months I have witnessed war close up, and have realized it must be stopped. Countless people are dying and towns and villages are aflame. This attempt of a rebellion is not worth the deaths and destruction it causes. Even if the rebellion had any hope of victory, there would be nothing to build up on. Everything will be destroyed; our homes, our friends, our livelihoods.

"I am announcing that I have resigned from my role for the rebels. They're for this war, and they'll kill as many as it takes to even have a chance against the Capitol. I'm not for that. You won't win. The Capitol has been guiding us for many years and a rebellion has failed before. Stop this! Surrender your armies and retreat to life before this idea of fighting the Capitol. Nobody will win when this is all over."

Katniss isn't very good at lying, but I almost believed it. I hate to think what Snow is using against her to make her say this. Just before the camera switches back to Snow, I realize something. Her stomach; There's no bulge anymore.

No… they couldn't have…The possibility that they aborted the baby is abominable. The trepidation makes my stomach sick. Did they kill our baby? The innocent life, that hasn't even started yet. I grab hold of the chair tighter and keep my head down. I can't let the rage take over, not now.

Haymitch grabs my shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Do you need to go back to the hospital?"

"No," I almost shout back. I'm trying really hard to stay collected. I look to the screen and see the camera is back on Snow. "I didn't see it…"

"You didn't see what?" asks Haymitch in a hoarse whisper.

"The baby… she may not be pregnant anymore." I say in a low tone. I don't want Ms. Everdeen and the people in front of me to hear me, or see that I'm losing control of this rage.

Haymitch eyes widen, and he looks to the screen. The broadcast ends and then it goes back to the usual Capitol airing. "We got to get you back to the hospital."

"No, I have to stay. We need to plan a mission to the Capitol as soon as possible." I say back gravelly.

"Coin might change her mind of you going, when you go into paroxysm!" He counters.

"I'm fine!" I say back to him. Ms. Everdeen and Beetee person look back in my direction. "I'm fine," I say more calmly. Haymitch gives me a look, but he doesn't continue to pester me about leaving.

Coin stands in front of the screen. "It seems they're using her to influence our armies into surrendering, but he hasn't threatened us directly."

"So we will continue an attack on Snow's mansion?" asks Beetee.

"Yes," she answers.

"What about Katniss?" asks Ms. Everdeen. "What if they threaten to take her life?" She holds her hands together tightly.

"We'll continue the original plans on taking the Mansion, but we'll send in a side team to get inside the Mansion," says a general.

"When do we plan to do that?" I ask.

"We agreed 2 days from now," he says.

"I don't think that's soon enough." The general looks at me like I've disrespected him in questioning his authority. "Please, when is the next hovercraft to the Capitol?"

"Tomorrow, eighteen hundred hours," Coin answers.

"Yes, but that hovercraft is carrying cargo and supplies. It actually lands in District 12, and then the cargo is shipped to the Capitol by train," says the general.

"Are not some new recruits going to the Capitol that way?" asks Coin.

"… yes," answers the general.

"Very well then, Mr. Mellark will travel with the other recruits and when you reach the Capitol, you'll be placed in the team going into the Mansion," says Coin. She dismisses everybody, except the generals and Beetee. They'll be discussing further battle plans.

I'm led to my room by the guard. I look to the clock and see it's pretty late. I need all the sleep I can get, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep that well when Katniss is in the Capitol, and there's possibility of losing our child. Drawing calms me, so I continue to sketch the drawing for a little while. When it gets late, I decide I'll make an attempt to fall asleep.

I wake up from a nightmare. Instead of being about Katniss, it's Snow. Katniss is dead, and he has the baby in his arms. The anger and hate runs adrenaline into my veins, and I run toward him. Snow is across a battle field, so I have to stop to keep soldiers from attacking me, and dodge grenades. I run and run, but it seems when I stop, that the distance just gets greater. I woke up when Snow walked into his mansion and shut the door before I got there. I was running full speed and I hit the door hard, then they're gone, just like that.

How come I never win in nightmares?

After breakfast, I have therapy, then lunch, then training. For half of the training, I go to Special Weaponry and accompany Beetee. I never really had a weapon I was good with. He gives me a dagger and a small black gas mask. He actually lets me try out a bow, but I mean, I'll never be as good as Katniss. I hit the target a few times, but decide that it's not for me.

If only you could frost someone to death.

Beetee shows me live footage of the war going on.

"How are they filming this?" I ask.

"With our hovercrafts. They drop bombs and film a bird's eye view of the war," he answers. We continue to watch the screen. I take notice of how well protected and guarded Snow's Mansion is. He has to be there, but then again, he might just escape and hide somewhere.

"Do you think the soldiers over there saw Snow's announcement?" I ask.

"I would think some of them did. Not all soldiers are in the camps, so they don't have access to a television. They get news by their commander's communicuff."

"So they may not know."

"They'll hear soon enough."

"Do you think they'll change plans just because of it?"

Beetee watches the screen for a moment and doesn't say anything. "They still have their mission, but I'm sure they'll be cautious."

I'm sure he's trying to say it delicately, just to make me feel better. Katniss won't change they're plans. She's only one person, but yet somehow she influenced thousands for the rebellion. She fought battles and risked her life for the betterment of the districts. She wasn't the greatest orator, but she spoke to people through what she did. She never did realize the effect she had on people.

Katniss probably wouldn't want a rescue. I know her. Doesn't want her capture to stop the rebel's plans, but that how you're made to think when you're in that position. She deserves to live through this. She's coming home. I'll make sure of it.

Seven in the evening, I'm boarding the hovercraft to District 12, where a makeshift transportation area has been set up outside the fire zone. From there, we'll be taken to the tunnels outside the Capitol. We'll make a six-hour trek on foot and then reach the rebel encampment, which is a ten-block stretch outside the train station.

Delly came just in time to see me off. Haymitch wished me luck earlier, but everyone else were occupied with other things. That's alright. I'm sure they have had enough of saying good-byes. Good-byes on their own are hard enough.

Inside the hovercraft, it's softly lit. There are mostly boxes in here with soldiers sitting against the side of the hovercraft. I sit against the wall near a window. From the small window, I see the hovercraft leave the Hangar and then get lifted up till we're above ground. Looking out the window I see the air strip, and then beyond the fences is all forest. I've haven't been outside since I got here in District 13. This is all new. It's like seeing mountains for the first time.

Everyone is really quiet. Nobody talks, so all there is to hear is the hum of the hovercraft. I would consider it soothing, if I didn't know where this hovercraft was going. Having nothing to do, but worry about Katniss, I start looking though my pack. Each soldier gets one to carry necessities, like bandages, canteens, and ammo. I put my hand in a small pocket and feel something cold and hard. I take it out and see it's a flask. What's a flask doing in my pack? I hold it in my hand, and notice it feels empty. I open it and hold it upside down. A small pill falls into my hand. I hold it up next to the window for a source of moon light. What does it do?

"You don't want to lose that. If you got one, it could be really useful," a voice says. I turn around and see a young boy about 15. He looks familiar. He must be from 12, because he's got the dark hair and grey eyes.

"What is it?" I ask. The boy looks at me like he's surprised I don't know.

"It's a nightlock," he answers.

Nightlock. It sounds so familiar. I look back into my memory, hoping for a trace of why I recognize the name. Then I remember something: the berries in our first Hunger Games. They were called nightlock. I guessing they were named after the berries, so I already know what they do, but I still ask.

"So this kills me?"

"Right," he says back.

If I were captured, then I have to use it. This would be after I make sure Katniss is safe. I don't know much about rebel plans, but that won't stop them from thinking I do. And even if they can't get information out of me, I don't know how President Snow would continue to use me. He'd probably just kill me. I guess using this is just the more painless way out.

I put the pill back in the flask. There's the other question: why is it in a flask? I'm thinking Haymitch put it there, but I can't be sure. I put the flask back in my pack. The boy across from me is looking sideways, the light reaches his features. Then I realize I know who he is.

"Rory," I say. "You're Gale's brother."

"Right again," he says.

I've never really met him, but I've seen him around back in 12. He almost looks, and sort of talks like Gale. I know Gale is off at war, being filmed, but I didn't really think his younger brother would have to go off into battle too.

"Have you talk to, or heard any news about your brother?" I ask.

"Not since he left 13."

"So he doesn't know you're going?"

"No. I think I'll see him there. I know he's in squad 451," he says. "I'm hoping he's alright."

I notice the tone change in his voice, which makes him sound younger when he says it. If I'm right, Rory is fourteen, which is still pretty young. He's fourteen and he's on a hovercraft to go to the Capitol. I look around and see that the soldiers look only slightly older than Rory, and the majority look older than me.

"I don't know him personally, but he always seemed like the kind of guy that can take care of himself," I say. "and from what I heard, he actually helped design traps for the war."

"Yeah, he did. He said he was glad to do it, because it's helping to abolish the Capitol. He really hates them," Rory says.

"Don't we all," I say. Rory slightly grins, and it makes me smile too. "Did you want to fight in the Capitol?" I ask.

He doesn't speak for a second and then he answers, "Yes, because I think I'm doing a good thing by helping out. Everybody wants to see them gone, and so do I."

"I can't think of better reason," I say which makes him grin again.

"Same for you?" he asks.

I'm thinking of saying more of why I'm going, but it's too much. I don't want to burden Rory with my thoughts. "Right," I say.

That's one of them, along with saving Katniss, getting revenge, possibly killing Snow. If he even dares to hurt Katniss or the baby, I'm going to kill him. I'm going to see him dead.

I'm so caught up in my acrimony of Snow, that I don't realize Rory is looking at me.

"You alright?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I try to say composedly.

"You sure? If you think you're having one of those attacks, I could-"

"No, I'm fine." I say assuredly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to have one of those, and if I do, I'll make sure to stay away from you guys."

"Alright, but you can tell me when you need help or something," he says. Then he lies against his pack and closes his eyes.

I smile to myself. Rory seems like a good kid. If he's anything like his brother, then I know he's tough. I remember thinking how if Katniss chose Gale, he would protect her. I did hate the thought of Katniss being with Gale, but that's when I was more concerned for Katniss, and what would make her happy.

It's funny how she chose me. She's brave, caring, and strong, and I don't really understand why she chose me over him. They seemed like they were meant for each other, and I so happen to be caught in love with Katniss. I must have really loved her when I was young, because I love her so much now. I love her, and she loves me, which is probably a dream I had since I was younger. We're having a baby. It makes it a little complicated now, but beautiful. I guess apart of my dream of Katniss being in love with me, it would be to marry and have a family with her. That just leaves that one thing to do.

If we both come back, then I'll propose to her. It's either we both come back, or she just makes it. I'm going make sure, even if it's the last thing I do. That's my goal, but I can still hope that I'll get the chance to ask her to marry me.

*tear* thanks for reading and reviews would be absolutely, positively, lovely. Next chapter, Katniss POV. I'll upload that soon.

-cheezebuns