Burn me with fire
drown me with rain
I'm gonna wake up
screaming your name
"This will all be over when you tell us the rebellion's plan!"
"Damn it! I don't know!" A sharp pain makes it way up my spine, causing me to shiver.
"Just tell us."
"I don't know." I whimper.
"Maybe she really doesn't know. I mean think about it, Snow. They probably knew you were gonna go after her and Peeta when the arena went up in smoke, what use would it be if they knew and you got it out of them?" The guard holding my hair offers.
"That's a good theory, Clark."
Peeta. Oh Peeta, how I miss you. I wish I could talk to you somehow. But, when I get back I'll be a complete different person. I know that.
Oh, Johanna and Finnick, they know about the plan. I know they do. Why would they give up everything in the arena, even their lives, to protect me and Peeta? Because we're important to the rebellion. That's why.
I endure another shot of that tracker jacker venom. Snow hovers over me screaming vulgar things about Peeta. It makes me look at him differently.
He is a mutt. Snap out of it, Katniss! No he's not. No.
They get another vile and insert into my neck again, giving me these visions about Peeta murdering me in my sleep.
"He will do that do you, if you don't kill him first."
When it's over, I walk out of the room with a growl. In the cell, Johanna and Finnick are already there, looking tired as ever.
"Hey Kat, you look exhausted. Come here," Finnick says, patting the space beside him on his bed.
I flop down, not caring that it hurts, or that it isn't my bed. Somehow, my head made it onto Finnick's lap, with him playing with my hair. It sends this pleasurable feeling to my scalp. I don't even notice that I'm crying until Johanna says something that brings me out of my stupor.
"What?" I ask, looking around the room, looking for guards or avoxes or someone to summon us somewhere.
"Relax, brainless, there is no one coming to get us. I asked why are you crying?" Johanna says, he tone is slighter softer than it was than when I met her.
"I'm not sure. I just started crying." With that, I start a new set of sobs, racking my body.
"Shhh, shhh, Katniss, it is okay," Finnick says stroking my cheek, near my jaw line.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** PAGE BREAK** ** **TIME SKIP********************************************** ***
There he stands, right in front of me. A real smile plastered on his face when he sees me. He opens his arms wide.
"CINNA!" I scream as I run into his embrace.
"Katniss, my little mockingjay, I missed you." He says, stroking my hair. "Too bad we meet on these terms." A frown tugging at his lips. He kisses my cheek and snaps his fingers in the air. My prep team comes scurrying in carrying loads of hair and skin products, make-up, dresses and accessories and more.
"Do you know how long we have been here, in the Capitol I mean?"
"No I don't, I'm sorry, honey." He says, shaking his head.
I nod. Cinna gives me a sad, weak smile and goes behind me to work on my hair. It's in knots from the guards grabbing handfuls of it when they are torturing me. He carefully tries to pull the knots out without hurting me. His attempt is unsuccessful as I wince when he gets to a particularly large knot.
Flavius comes over to me and starts putting some product on my body, which is already stripped down to just its undergarments. Octavia is busying herself with making my nails all uniform shapes. Venia goes to help Cinna with my hair. The table I am laying on is pushed over to a sink thing, which is placed over my head. Water starts flowing down my scalp, as Venia runs her hands through it, soaking all the strands of hair. Cinna grabs a blue bottle from the tub of hair products and squirts some at my hairline and some in Venia's hands.
An hour later, my hair and skin are fresh, clean, and shiny. My nails are uniform and painted red, orange, and yellow in a sort of gradient thing.
Cinna tells me to stand, so I do. Flavius grabs something from the closet and Octavia and Venia rush over to help him carry the train. I do as instructed and close my eyes. I feel something silky slip over my body. A few minutes of rustling, ruffling, and adjusting I am told to open my eyes. My lids fly open and I gasp at my reflection.
I am in this crimson gown. It reaches to the floor and is cinched at the waist. There is a black flower lace pattern going from the bottom left side all the way up to the bodice then crossing over to the right side there, covering both the whole bodice. It is strapless. It really is beautiful. Cinna created another amazing fashion design.
"No tricks for this one. Snow warned me. Said that if I had any more tricks up my sleeves for rebellion he would murder me after he made me watch you be slaughtered. Couldn't risk the mockingjay. I care about you, Katniss. You're like a daughter to me. Be careful. Remember Girl on Fire, I'm still betting on you."
I'm ushered out by some guard that appeared silently before I can respond. I am directed into this small, tight room. The smell of roses is so overpowering when I enter I am surprised it doesn't completely mask the blood smell.
"Now, Miss Everdeen," the smirk on Snow's face is obviously related to what is too come. "Love the dress," He says eyeing me from head to toe. "But, on to business, you will order for a ceasefire. You will. No matter what. Don't even try warning them about the bombing on District 13. You will be severely punished if you do." He sneers. "Now go on, don't want to be late, do you?"
Surprisingly, I am led to where I waited for my interview before both games.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!" Caesar Flickerman drones out. I walk swiftly and confidently to the chair, trying not to think about how dizzy I am right now. He asks a bunch of questions that I respond to absentmindedly. That is until I hear that one question.
"Now, Katniss, I must ask you, what do you think about the uprisings and potential rebellion that would lead to war?"
I look straight to the camera when I answer, hoping everyone in District 13 can see how much I hate this. "I call for a ceasefire." I hear series of gasps around in the crowd, not expecting that. Oh, how naïve they are, trusting the Snow completely. "Now, I am not as good with words as Peeta is. I motivate people with my actions, not even trying to. But I must try with words here. If we keep fighting we will destroy ourselves completely, wiping out our species, watching as our loved ones die, ridding our lives of company until we are alone. Do we want that? No, none of us. None of us want our lives to be completely changed and destroyed, forcing our minds into depression, our bodies weak and un-moving. I call for a ceasefire."
Thirteen has been intercepting our interview. You can tell when they do, because the people operating the broadcasting change their expression entirely. I can tell they are about to stop it soon so I look back to the camera, desperate to get a warning through, no matter what Snow says.
"You, in Thirteen, dead by morning." Guards come rushing in from all sides, one of them punches my jaw, effectively knocking me to the ground, forcing blood to sputter from my mouth. From the corner of my eye I see the broadcasting end when one of the workers slams down on a button. So they saw the punch.
Caesar is over there gasping with crowd, as they drag me back to my cell. We make it back there and they throw me in, not caring that I would've fallen and hit the floor face first if Finnick wasn't right there, catching me.
I don't know when all my energy drained, but it's gone now. I can't even walk, so Finnick picks me up and carries to the beds. He sits down placing me in his lap. I sigh and close my eyes, trying to silence the tears pricking at them. Finnick grabs one hand and Johanna grabs the other. I find it surprising that Johanna is the one to break the silence.
"You know, what you did out there was the right thing to do," I open my eyes at that, to see that she stares down at me. "If you didn't warn them they would be dead. Nobody wants that. No matter what torture they put us through, no one will blame you, and you better not regret warning them." She sighs and runs a hand through the half head of hair. "No matter what hell we go through, we love you."
"I agree with Jo, Kat. You did what you had to do. I have people I love there, you have people you love there. And none of us here want any of them blown to bits. And you are definitely not to blame, no matter what we endure. We love you, Kat."
I respond the best way I can. I smile. Hoping to show many feelings into it, "I love you both." I sit up and kiss both of them on the cheek.
I lay back down and close my eyes, relishing in the warm feeling in my chest I feel with these two. It smells like sweat in this cell. Every time I look around I hear the screams all over again. Nightmares, torture, pretty much the same thing. Except, one is physical torture and one is mental torture.
I suddenly sit up, remembering something. "How long have we been here?" I practically shout.
"Shhhh, brainless. We have been here for 3 months. Have you not seen that I have it marked on the wall with chalk right there?" She points behind herself, not look behind her to make sure that is the wall she wrote on. I nod, just now seeing the tally marks.
"Hey Kat, how you holding up? What are they doing to you?"
I take a deep, long breath. "I am doing okay, but they thing that bothers me the most is that I am not going to be the same when we leave here – "
"None of us are going to be the same when we leave here, Katniss. No one ever is! Whether you are coming home after being sold, in a casket, or as a victor."
"I know that, but they are hijacking me. I am going to see Peeta as my enemy. I will be a mutt! Do you understand me? I'll be a mutt! You stay as far as you can from me. Promise me that you will stay as far as you can from me? Finn? Jo? Promise me!"
"No! You are my friend! I will always be with you when you heal! I love you! Okay? I can't just give up all hope on you! I can't stay far away from you. You are the best person I have ever met. Please. Don't give up all hope on yourself. If you do than you will never get better. Promise me you will always have faith in yourself! Promise me!" Finnick practically shouts, causing the guard by our cell door to silence us.
"I agree with Finnick, that will never happen." Johanna says simply. Why doesn't she anything else? As if she read my mind she responds, "I love you, Katniss. You are like my younger sister. You look like her, too. She was the one who had this high confidence in herself and me. I can't lose you too. But the Capitol destroys everything and everyone I love. They are going to destroy you too. Make you something you aren't. Don't take that the wrong way. I can't let them make you just a piece in their games. I won't let them. I will do everything in my power to destroy them."
A/N: I am so sorry for the wait. I have been busy. I will try to make an update schedule. But I can't make promises. Especially if I get writer's block. Sorry for the sucky chapter :( We have a review goal! Try to get us to 13 reviews! I will post the schedule with the next chapter. I will try my hardest to stay to that schedule. I can't make promises for sure though, because I have other stories I have to write then too.