Happy Reading, it's a long one. Sorry about any grammatical errors.
(POV CHANGE)
The trek to the rebel encampment overtired me. During the trek, Rory continually pushed me to keep going, but every new mile, brought more exhaustion and fatigue. When we reach the encampment I sit on the ground, exhausted. Rory squats next to me. I realized I don't have the endurance I used to have, but I see some younger soldiers do the same thing. It really doesn't make me look any better.
It's dark, maybe around ten at night. The encampment is lit by heaters and street lights. The dust drawn up from soldiers walking, makes my throat dry. We're given some water and then led to our assigned teams. I take some water and force myself to stand up. Rest later. I adjust the pack on my shoulders, and walk with the other new-comers more into the camp. Rory walks beside me.
"Have you seen him?" he asks.
I assume he's talking about Gale. I survey the soldiers around us, looking for anyone who might be from Seam. "I haven't spotted him," I say.
A soldier walks up to me and Rory. "Rory Hawthorne," He looks up from a clip board. "Over there," he says pointing toward the direction of a circle of tents.
"If I see him, I'll find you," I say. Rory nods and walks in the direction of where the guy pointed.
"Peeta Mellark?"
"Yeah," I answer
"Follow me," he says. He walks away and doesn't bother to see if I'm following. I walk after him. We walk past several medical tents and vehicles and continue walking till we almost reach the end of the encampment. We stop at a small camp fire, surrounded by dark outlines of soldiers sitting around it. Before the guy says anything, somebody recognizes me.
"Peeta?" I look to who said my name. It's Johanna in a soldier uniform. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Before I can answer, the soldier speaks. "Peeta Mellark is the replacement sent. He's joining your team."
I recognize some these people now. Finnick just noticed I was here, and so did Gale, who's sitting against a log. They all have puzzled looks on their faces.
"You're the replacement?" asks Gale.
"I guess so. I didn't know I was replacing anybody, I just volunteered to come out here." I say.
A man with a jar-head haircut comes out of a tent nearby. From his uniform, I assume that he's the commander. The soldier, who led me here, begins to inform the commander that I'm the new replacement for their team. Jar-head does not look happy. He relieves me of my weapon and asks to see my tag. I pull it out and show it to him. Surely enough it says 451. I didn't have any idea that I'd be on this team.
"I'm going to make a call," he says irritably. "Jackson if you'd please." He leaves and a uniformed woman walks with him. The soldier who brought me here goes with them as well, and so I'm left standing alone, in front of my new team, who are all confused as to why I'm here.
"What are you doing here, Bread?" asks Johanna.
"I'm here for the rescue mission."
"Why would they send you? Weren't you hospitalized?" asks Gale.
"Well now, I'm good enough," I say. I'm a little fed up of convincing people I'm better.
Gale isn't convinced. He looks to everybody else with the same questioning expression. A woman, about 20-something, is saying something in a hushed tone to Finnick, but I can clearly hear what she's saying.
"Wasn't he hijacked?"
"I'm fine," I say directed at her.
Finnick gets up. "I'm sure you're better, but Boggs clearly doesn't think so. You've improved, but he probably thinks that you're not well enough. Maybe it's best he send you back. That's what they did to me, and now I'm perfectly okay." He stands beside me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It's for your own good, Peeta."
"It doesn't matter. Coin assigned me herself. I'm actually an asset to this mission."
"How?" asks Gale.
"I've been there," I reply.
"So have I!" Johanna calls out.
"True, but I'm sure you know some parts more than others, I'm just filling in what you don't remember."
"I don't think you got everything remembered straight," she says.
"That's why there's two us. It's better with two people finding our way in there."
Resentment, confusion, worriment. That's basically what everybody's expressions are. It looks like Gale is only one who's actually agitated. I'm left standing there, and I can feel the wall of tension they already have put up, because of my presence. They think I'm crazy. Yes, I can understand why, but I don't want them to continue thinking that I'm just a liability. I sigh.
A uniformed man, around thirty or forty, comes out of a tent. He walks next to the fire, and then notices everybody watching me from the corner of their eyes. "Who's this?" he asks.
"Peeta Mellark," says Finnick. Finnick goes over to the log. "Have a seat Peeta." He sits next to the man who just arrived, and pats a spot on the other side of him. I walk over and sit next to him. They're trying to overlook my presence. Nobody really says anything. The guy on the other side leans forward and puts a hand toward me.
"My name's Homes. I'm the team's sharp-shooter."
I shake his hand to be polite. "Peeta Mellark, I'm handy with a knife, I guess."
Homes just laughs. "You're funnier in person," he says. "So what's your business here?" he asks with good humor.
"Well, Coin sent me here to help out with the rescue mission."
"Oh," he says. His friendly expression is gone and it's replaced with uneasiness. There's no further conversation except little palaver between Finnick and Homes.
Boggs and the woman, called Jackson, come back. Boggs looks furious. "Coin is convinced that Peeta's knowledge of the prison floors will be an asset. She also says the footage is uninspiring and needs work." He looks to all of us and then to Jackson. "Set up a two-person, round-the-clock guard on Peeta." Jackson nods and Boggs walks toward the way he just came.
Jackson points to Finnick and an older soldier I don't know. "You guys start it. Rotation will be every 4 hours."
I find this demeaning. It slightly irritates me. I don't need baby-sitters. If I wasn't well enough, the doctor wouldn't have let me come here. I think. Everybody gets up to get their sleeping bags. Finnick throws me a bag, but he stays seated on the long. The other soldier on watch spreads his out on the opposite side of the small fire, and leans his head on the log. Everyone else retires to the tents, or lays their sleeping bags close to the source of heat.
Jackson tells me to sleep out in full view where the rest of them can keep an eye on me. I lay mine on the ground. I remove my pack and use it as a pillow.
"G'night, Bread," says Johanna as she turns over in her sleeping bag. Gale lies on the opposite side of the long, giving a sort of glare before he's out of view. At least I think it was a glare. My thoughts keep me from falling asleep. I look to the sky, looking for stars, but there are none visible. The city lights conceal them. I turn and stare at the wood crackling in the fire. Then older guy coughs roughly, and it breaks me out of my trance. I see Finnick's attention is at his hands, but I don't see what he's doing.
"Do you really think I've shouldn't have came here?" I ask plainly.
"I don't know. That kind of stuff is unpredictable, right? I used to be like that. I wanted to go places, but I was confined to my room. No Finnick, you're not well enough." He says trying to imitate an old female doctor.
"I haven't had an episode in days, and I was getting better at deciphering memories of what were real and not real. Katniss helped me. She told me about my home and life before, but she's… I just haven't been able to remember stuff on my own."
"You could ask me," Finnick says. "That's what Annie does. So, I might not know a whole lot about District 12, but got any questions about the Games or whatever in the middle, I'm your man."
"Um okay. I'll let you know," I say. Finnick turns his attention back to his hands. I'm curious so I ask, "What are you doing?"
Finnick lifts a hand with a long piece of rope, into my view. "Tying knots."
"You remember?"
"I've been doing it like forever," he says humorously. "Actually, since I was a kid back in 4. I made nets."
I nod my head. I can barely remember my childhood. I have some pieces of it, like when I gave Katniss bread and some with my family, Delly and school, but that's about it.
"Were we allies in the Quarter Quell?" I ask.
"Yes sir," he says.
"But you were only pretending? You actually were secretly allies with Brutus and Enboria."
"Uh no. That's not real. I was your ally to make sure you and Katniss survived. Is that how you remember it?"
"Yeah, but I didn't think it was real. The memory was sort of shiny and vivid. It didn't look normal."
"So those memories you call "shiny" are the ones changed with trackerjacker venom?"
"I think so. I'm not sure. I can't know if it's real or not without asking someone."
"Ask away," he says.
I think for a moment. "So you knew about the rebels? You were allies with us because we were supposed to be part of the rebellion?"
"Real. It was all set up between Haymitch, Johanna, Beetee, and some others."
That's right, I remember. Haymitch went behind our backs and set us up to have allies, and we were going to be used for the rebellion. He gave us no clue to as what he was really doing, thinking if we didn't know what was going on, it would keeps us safe. Huh, and look how that turned out.
"For how long was District 13 there?" I ask.
Finnick hesitates for a moment, but the older guy next to him speaks up.
"It's always been there, since it started, even after the Dark Days," he says.
"Are the ruins and stuff on television not real?" I ask
"Pretty much," he clears his throat. "Whenever you see footage of the ruins, it's the exact same one. The reporters aren't really there. You can tell, because there's a mockingjay in the corner; the exact same one, flying in the exact same way."
"I never noticed it," I say.
"Me neither," Finnick says.
"You got to be looking for it. It's barely visible, but you can see it." There's this long pause and I start to think about it. I'm actually interested on how District 13 was kept underground for so long. I'm also thinking of why they didn't help the other districts while the Capitol continued to dictate them. I guess they had their reasons.
"I don't believe you know my name," he says directing at me. "I know who you are."
Finnick pronounces his name into his hand for me to see. I can't really tell but I give it good guess. "Marshall?"
Finnick is snickering, and the guy is giving me a funny look. "That's not my name," the guy says. Finnick laughs louder. "I'm Mitchell," he says. "You remember that."
"Mitchell, got it," I say.
"At least he didn't say Michelle…" says Finnick, trying to keep himself from laughing out loud. The guy gives a look to Finnick, and then I see him smile for the first time.
Next rotation is Gale and the female soldier, who they call Leeg. They sit close to the fire, which is slowly dying out. Gale and Leeg have their guns beside them, ready to use if I were to go into the effects of the venom. I'm lying in my sleeping bag up to my chest, facing away. I couldn't sleep, so Finnick lent me his rope to practice tying knots. I start a knot that I sort of remember, but when I can't remember how to finish, I give up and start all over again.
The female soldier yawns loudly. I hear her talking to Gale, and hear my name. I don't bother to let them know I'm aware of their conversation. My fingers get tangled in the rope. I become frustrated and try to shake it off. Stupid rope. I give up on tying knots and look for something to distract myself. I look around at all the sleeping soldiers scattered and surrounding heaters. I wonder where Rory is.
"You awake?" I hear Gale ask.
"Yes," I answer.
"Too apprehensive to sleep?"
"Sort of," I say.
"Try. Sleep would help out tomorrow," he says plainly.
"I know, but I can't." I lie on my back, and look straight up. I wonder what Katniss is looking up at, the ceiling of cell, probably. I won't be able to sleep until I know she's alright. Every second of not knowing, is making thoughts of worriment run through my head. I know Gale cares about her too. I wonder how he tolerates with it. "I just can't stand it." I say earnestly.
Gale turns and then looks back at the fire. "Huh, will I'm not happy about it either."
"And how do you bear it? That she's there?"
"I don't," he says.
"Well, you're good at appearing composed."
He lets out a sarcastic laugh, "Wow, thanks. I wish I could say the same for you."
I don't let it offend me. I continue to talk plainly. "You still think I don't belong here."
"Yes," he answers bluntly. "I get why you came, but I don't think it was a smart idea."
"Wow, thanks," I say exactly like he did. He looks offended, but then he turns away and smirks. I see the other soldier is occupied with her gun. She looks troubled, but she assembles and reassembles it like she's distracting herself, or trying to appear to not be listening.
"I don't like you," Gale says bluntly. "I've got every reason to hate you, especially for what you did, but I can't seem to make myself. You're too much of a good guy. You're hard to hate."
"Wow, thanks," I say again. I grin when I say it, coming out light-heartedly. "I don't hate you either." I take the rope on my finger and pull it off. It burns, but I don't let it bother me. My mind is off somewhere, and too occupied to sense the pain. I think about the trip here.
"Hey," I say. Gale looks in my direction. "I wouldn't consider it good, given the circumstances, but I met your brother on the hovercraft here, Rory. He's a nice kid."
"Rory is here?" he asks.
"Yeah, we were on the same hovercraft, and train car. He's camped over that way." I raise my arm in the direction. "I told him I'd find you for him."
Gale looks in the direction. He doesn't say anything and looks back to the fire that has completely burned out. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a match. He lights the remaining wood in the ditch. The soldier grabs a piece of wood from behind her and hands it to Gale. "Thanks Leeg." He throws it in and sits back. Leeg lies down, but she's trying to keep her eyes open. Gale adjusts his shoulders on the log and put his head back.
"How many brothers do you have, two?" I ask.
"Yes," he answers steadily. "and I have a younger sister."
"I don't know if you already knew, but I had two older brothers. They were always doing things before me, experiencing things first, better at wrestling. They died in the bombing." I say monotonously.
Gale looks confused. "Why are you telling me this?" he asks hesitantly.
"I'm not asking for sympathy from you. I'm just talking, conversing. I had brothers. You don't realize how important they are to you, till they gone. I'm glad you were able to get your family out of 12, that you still have them."
"Yeah…" he says.
"You should be sleeping, right? You want to be good for tomorrow. I'm just keeping you up." I look over to Leeg who is already asleep. "I swear I won't go anywhere," I say plainly.
"My shift is almost over. What about you try to sleep?" Gale says.
"Right…" I lie on my side and bring the cover up to my neck. I have to fall asleep. I need to. I have to be in good condition when we go on that mission.
We're up and early the next morning. We receive breakfast at the canteen and report to the same site to depart for the streets. I stand in a line with everybody else on the team. Boggs explains our mission and route. We'll be taking streets, that still have active pods. Closer to the heart of the city, we'll be traveling in the underground tunnels, and from there we'll break into the bottom floors of the Mansion.
A small camera crew is going to be following us. They want actual footage of the mission. Plutarch says that filming a real mission will get better footage. The crew is wearing protective gear. I think it's a little ridiculous and risky, but the people in the crew have all agreed to go, and have accepted all the dangers that come with it.
"Where is Soldier Gale Hawthorne?" asks Boggs.
"He went to have a brief meeting with his brother," I answer.
He looks irritable at me. I don't react to it at all.
"He's stalling our mission," Jackson says.
"He'll be right back,"
Then just on cue, Gale arrives and stands at the end of the group. Boggs doesn't confront him, and we all start leaving camp. Boggs hands me a gun. He makes sure to mention out loud that it's filled with blanks. I shrug. "I'm not much of a shot anyway."
We walk down streets of orange and pink paved stones and baby blue apartment buildings. When we reach an assigned block, Boggs gestures to Homes to shoot a pod, while everyone else shoots windows for the camera. The pod is activated and a swarm of bullets shoot in undulations. We were expecting it, and we all duck and take cover. After awhile, Boggs tells us to move forward.
Cressida, the director, shouts out that she wants to film each of members' reactions. Okay, I see this as a waste of time from rescuing Katniss, but it's said to be important for rebellion propaganda. We all takes turn being filmed of our reactions. It's supposed to be serious business, but it feels a little ridiculous. Mitchell's heroic dive and act of desperation is causing everyone to laugh uncontrollably.
"And I thought I was a bad actor," says Johanna grabbing her sides from laughter.
"Pull it together, Four- Five- One," Boggs says firmly, but he's clearly trying to hide a smile. He consults his Holo, and raises it up to the light to get a better view in the fog. I'm anxious about finding Katniss, but I'm trying to control my laughter. I stand next to Johanna who is clearly failing.
"I really don't understand why they need to film this. Why are they doing this?"
"To make us look like idiots," she says laughing. I try to suppress my urge to laugh. We start walking toward the others when a bomb detonates right in front of us.
I'm blown back and land on back. I hit my head my on the street, and I begin to hear screams and yells. I get up slowly, and help Johanna up. She groggily stands and we start to walk forward. I search the smoke for anybody who is hurt. I see Finnick trying to revive a crew member. Jackson is yelling into a field communicator for medics. I see Boggs lying on rubble, his legs are gone. Homes is attending to him, but I can see it's too late. He's lost so much blood.
Then there's a second explosion. It knocks me down again. My ears ring and I have tunnel vision. Everything seems to move in slow motion. Finnick points and shouts. I look in the direction and begin to see black gush enveloping the street. It's coming towards us, we have to move. My perception is hazy and I try to concentrate on following Johanna who's in front of me. We reach where Boggs lies. He's still alive. I offer to help carry him, but Homes denies my help and gets Mitchell to help him.
My vision seems to turn shiny and bright as I look around my surroundings. Sounds are amplified, and when Gale and Leeg fire their gun at stones it gives me a terrible migraine. Another bomb goes off. My heart is palpitating extremely fast, color turn incredibly vivid and bright, and then I start to feel the all too familiar rage.
It's pure hate, anger, and fear. The adrenaline is surging through my veins. My instinct is telling me to stop whoever is causing the explosions. They're the threat. I run at them, but then someone grabs hold of me in a tight embrace. I bend my knees, raise my arms, spin and hit my attacker. I start to sprint, but somebody else tackles me to the ground. Fumes make me sick, but it doesn't stop my sudden energy. I get my feet under them and push them off. I don't take notice where they land. They're trying to kill us. They're traitors. They're for the Capitol. They want us dead. I dart for the person who is aiming their gun at me. Someone from behind, pushes me down and I'm restrained again.
"Get off of me! Let go!" I can't get out of their hold. I keep struggling against them, but they hold tighter. I'm being dragged, and my vision is still so distorted, that I don't know what's going on. Fumes, explosions, snapping of traps, door slamming open. Cuffs are put on my wrists, I'm shoved in a small dark room, I hit the wall, and they shut the door. I slam against it, and then repeatedly start to kick it.
They freaking locked me in a closet! I'm not going to let them take me again. I slam against the door with my shoulder, and kick it harder, but then I start to feel weak. The adrenaline that propelled me, is diminishing, and I stop kicking the door. My breathing starts to get really slow, and I black out.
Familiar? Almost. I like writting this one because all the dialogue, and also everything that happens. Peeta has gone crazy again, attacking his team. Poor him, and his team. Thanks for reading!
-cheezebuns