A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter thirteen!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

Chapter Thirteen

"You can speak Mr. Mellark," Jackson said, leaning back on the couch and crossing her arms. "We won't hurt you for it." Peeta quirked an eyebrow at the woman but didn't speak. They'd obviously played this game before and he knew better than to actually listen to the woman.

Katniss glared at the women and said, "I speak for him." She looked at Peeta and smiled. Even though he couldn't return it, Katniss could see the thankful glint in his eyes.

"Oh really?" Harper replied. She nudged Jackson and grinned. "Maybe the duct tape worked better than we thought." A scowl formed on Katniss' face and she clenched her jaw in disgust.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"We told you, routine inspection," Jackson replied. She squinted at Katniss and frowned. "Are you Katniss Everdeen? Daughter of Rose Everdeen?"

"How do you know that?" Katniss asked.

"Her slave was publicly executed a few years ago for emotional compromisation," Harper explained. "You also have a sister called Primrose don't you? Believe me Katniss, we workers of the compound know everything."

"Shouldn't you be in District 5 Everdeen?" Jackson asked.

"I emigrated," Katniss replied through gritted teeth. Harper flicked through a bunch of papers clipped to her clipboard, wearing a large smirk as she read something apparently amusing.

"Says here you're in 5 to learn how to treat slaves properly. Your teacher filled out an emigration form," she said. "Apparently you were too kind." Katniss wanted to slap the smirk off Harper's smug face but held back. "I trust you've learnt how the law works correctly now?" The hard look in Harper's eyes told Katniss it was best to just lie.

"Yes, actually," Katniss replied.

"Then, tell us young Katniss, what is Mr. Mellark to you personally?" Jackson asked.

Katniss' jaw tightened in anger. She knew what she was trying to do. Catch her out, trip her up, make her slip and say something she shouldn't. Well, it doesn't work like that. Not even glancing at Peeta, Katniss steeled herself before answering.

"A slave," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What else would he be?"

"You tell me," Jackson replied. "We have encountered many cases of females who have had friendships or, even worse, relationships with their slaves. There's many words you could use to describe a person."

"True," Katniss said. "A person. But a male isn't a person, correct?"

Jackson smirked. "Very good," she said. "Effie has done well."

Harper didn't look convinced. She tugged on Jackson's shirt sleeve before pulling the woman over to her so she could whisper something into her ear. Jackson's face remained placid as Harper said something very animatedly to her. When she finally finished, Jackson nodded and turned to Katniss again.

"He's a good fuck isn't he?" she asked bluntly, flicking her head to Peeta. Katniss inhaled her own spit and choked, having to pound on her chest to get her breath back.

"What?!" she gasped.

"I said, he's a good fuck isn't he?" Jackson said more slowly. Katniss heard Peeta exhale shakily as she repeated the sentence.

"I wouldn't know," she said indigniantly. "I'm sixteen. They don't sell protection to sixteen year olds and I don't intend to get pregnant anytime soon."

"So you don't want to help the population issue?" Harper questioned. Katniss' eyes widened.

"No!" she blurted. "Of course I do . . . when I'm older." The red head didn't looked impressed but Jackson looked thouroughly amused.

"Of course," the blonde said. "I didn't have my first child until I was nineteen. Then again, it was a boy and had to be sent away so that doesn't count. Of course, since you're such the expert now Miss. Everdeen, you'd already know that."

"Uh, yeah," Katniss replied. She placed a hand on her chest and tried to look sympatheic. "I'm so sorry."

Jackson sighed. "It's okay. Some things just can't be helped." Harper rolled her eyes and wrote something else down on her clipboard. Jackson watched what she wrote with curiousity. Her eyes flicked up to Peeta-who was leaning against the wall by the door with his arms folded-and smirked. "I'm serious about you being able to speak. I'm not in the right frame of mind for our little game. Plus I've grown to miss that sarcastic tone of yours."

Peeta didn't rise to her bait. In fact, Katniss could swear he pressed his mouth closed tighter after the blonde spoke. His eyes were ice cold and sent a chill down her spine. She decided then that he definetly knew Harper and Jackson from the compound but she still didn't understand why they were so desperate to find out whether Peeta had been behaving himself or not.

"I don't know why you're being so silent all of a sudden," Jackson said. "From what I recall you'd normally have too much to say."

"Yeah, when there wasn't a strip of duct tape across his face," Harper muttered.

The scowl returned to Katniss' face. She didn't understand how they could speak so crudely about someone who was literally right there. Peeta didn't seem bothered though. He observed both women with calculating eyes as if trying to predict what they'd do next; what their next move was. Jackson caught the disapproval on Katniss' face and tilted her head at her.

"Surely you don't mind," she said. "I mean, males aren't people, right?"

Katniss clenched her fists and gritted her teeth together, turning the corners of her mouth up into a tight smile. "Obviously," she said.

"Believe it or not Miss. Everdeen, we used to have young Mellark here trained like a good little puppy," Harper said. She quirked an eyebrow at Peeta. "I don't know how much of it he remembers but there was a time when all we had to do was say one word to get him to work."

Peeta clenched his jaw and Katniss worried for his well-being. It was easy enough for her to sit here and lie but he was basically staring his time in the Capitol Compound in the face. She worried that he'd have a mental breakdown if they said the wrong thing. Katniss knew how hard it could be to face the past and it was hard. She knew from experience.

"How's the hijack these days?" Jackson suddenly asked. Peeta's eyes widened and he stood up away from the wall. The word had stirred something in him.

"Fine," he answered, breaking his silence. Jackson smirked.

"I knew that'd get you talking," she said.

"Wait, what's hijack?" Katniss asked, confused.

"It's a disease," Harper explained. "Mr. Mellark was born with it and as he grew up in the compound it just kept getting worse and worse. Caused great difficulty for us I must say."

"What is it though? How does it effect you?" Katniss questioned.

Jackson opened her mouth to answer but Peeta got there before her, "Don't you dare," he said. "It's none of Katniss' concern."

"Oh there he is!" Jackson said happily, nudging Harper. "There's the fire we've been looking for. Took longer than I thought it would but oh well, beggers can't be choosers." Katniss stiffened as the woman stood up and she felt compelled to do the same. Scrambling to her feet, she stood awkwardly by her seat as Jackson approached Peeta, stopping only when she stood inches away from him. "My, I have to say you haven't changed a bit."

"You've gotten older," Peeta replied quietly.

Jackson tsked. "Oh how lovely," she said sarcastically.

"How's the rebellion talk going?" Harper asked. "Still dreaming of the new society where everyone is equal and justice is real?" She spoke like these were fanciful ideas that could never come to stand.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Peeta answered.

"Oh what a horrifying world it would be if we didn't have men to work for us and an ass to grab when we're horny," Jackson said, pretending to swoon. "Believe me, we could cope just fine without you . . . men. But we were nice. Did you know that the first idea was for you all to become sex slaves only? To be kept in the dark only to come out when we needed a fuck? We were kind because that's what we women are. Kind."

Katniss bit down on the scoff she felt coming on when Jackson said that. Kind? What sort of fairytale land did she live in?! Katniss wanted to ask but she knew she couldn't without blowing her cover of indifferent woman who didn't give a damn about slaves.

"You're lucky Jackson had a soft spot for you Mellark," Harper added. "If it had of been me, you wouldn't even be here. About a month after your mother dumped you back on us we'd had an offer from Glimmer Sparkles in District one. She had wanted you for her male escort business in her district. Didn't have a blond apparently. But no, Jackson here decided to decline the offer."

Peeta frowned. "And what? You want me to say thanks? I doubt you'd it'd be any different over there than the extra four months with you Jackson."

"There's escort businesses in different districts?" Katniss asked, her curiousity getting the better of her.

"Oh yeah," Harper replied. "You see that man who was shot recently? Mr. Odair? Previously from four. Was an escort for years. The man was a god."

"But he belonged to that Annie woman didn't he?" Katniss questioned.

"Well, yeah. But that's because Annie bought him for an enormous amount of money and moved up here. Greedy bitch," Jackson explained. "Funny, I'd believed that you"-she poked Peeta in the chest-"could have been just as good as Mr. Odair."

"But sadly declining two offers in a row suggests emotional composition," Harper clarified. Katniss noticed that she said this with an edge to her tone. Maybe there was still a part of her that believed Jackson did have something with Peeta . . .

"I could have had you trained so perfectly!" Jackson wailed, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "You could have been amazing. Like a blond Finnick Odair. All I needed was a little more time!"

"To do what exactly Jackson?!" Peeta exclaimed. "You had the most unorthadox way of teaching where the only person who got anything out of it was you!"

"Aw, sounds like someone missed me," Jackson teased. Peeta burst out laughing at this.

"Oh yes Jackson of course!" he said sarcastically. "I've missed you so much!"

"I bet you did," Jackson replied flippantly. Katniss began to feel slightly agitated by the woman's attitude. She wanted to stand up for what she believed in, fight on Peeta's side, but she didn't know what the consquences of that would be.

"Believe me honey, I didn't," Peeta said, intimidating Jackson's horrid Capitol accent. "And I never will." Even Harper had to fight to suppress a smirk at his intimidation of her colleague.

"Watch it pretty boy, I'm this close to informing Miss. Trinket to duct tape your mouth again for a bit," Jackson hissed.

"You know what, no," Katniss snapped. "You can't talk to him like that!" Jackson looked at her in horror but Harper didn't look surprised.

"Stupid rookies," she sighed. "They never last long. I told you something was going on here Jackson!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever," Jackson sighed, rolling her eyes. She glared at Katniss. "People like you disgust me."

"People like me?!" Katniss exclaimed. "People like me!?"

"You're a disgrace to our country," Harper said. "If I had my way you'd be sent to the Capitol to rot in a cell. But it says here you have a mental inability."

"Which means special treatment," Jackson scoffed in disgust.

"Leave her alone," Peeta said. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. Is there anything else you wanted or are we done here? I have washing to do." Jackson did the last thing Katniss was expecting to happen right there in the living room. She scratched him. Her claw like fingernails scraped three long scabs across Peeta's cheek that immediately began to drip blood.

"Remember you place Mellark," she snapped. "You're dismissed. Clean yourself up and finish your tasks."

Peeta glared-cupping his injured face-but did as he was told. He picked up the basket of clothes and turned to leave. Jackson stopped him at the door, running her hands slowly up his back to rest on his shoulders to pull him backwards to press against her. "Just remember," she said in a low voice. "I'd have no problem in having you sent back to the compound. There's always room for more escorts and Glimmer is still in need of a blond. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause before Peeta finally nodded is understanding. Jackson grinned and surprised Katniss by opening the door for him. "Good," she said. "Now get out of here while we talk to young Everdeen here." To punctuate the point, she slapped his backside. Peeta gritted his teeth and clutched the basket so hard his knuckles turned white.

Katniss ached to follow after him as he left, to make sure he was okay and to comfort him after this horrible encounter with Jackson and Harper.

"And now for you," Harper said, focusing her attention solely on Katniss. "Do you know how lucky you are?"

"How so?" Katniss asked.

"If it had of been anyone else, you'd have been arrested," Harper explained. "But you're lucky you're considered mentally disabled."

"An other option could have been that we took your slave off you. A mentally disabled girl exposed to a boy who has such rebellious thoughts can be dangerous," Jackson said. "But we didn't do that either."

"I don't care about what you could have done but didn't," Katniss replied. "Peeta's been bought, I'm learning my way, leave us alone."

"We're going to need proof that you're learning your way," Harper said.

"What? How?" Katniss frowned.

"Have a child," Jackson elborated. Katniss' heart dropped and she gulped. "With Mellark obviously. Prove to us that you're learning how to behave right or we'll take you and your slave back to the Capitol."

"H-How long have I got?" Katniss asked.

Jackson sighed, picking her nails. "A month," she said. "Or else."

A baby? Like a real baby? Katniss felt dizzy and had to grab hold of the fireplace to steady herself.

"Oh, and did we mention, that you cannot tell Mellark about this," Harper added.

Katniss was hit by a wave of nausea and she wrapped an arm around her stomach. To prove herself she had to have a baby with Peeta or she'd spend the rest of her days in a Capitol cell rotting away while Peeta was trained to become an escort? No, she couldn't let that happen to him . . .

She was so overwhelmed that her knees crumpled out from underneath her and black spots appeared in her vision.

"We'll be back in one month Miss. Everdeen," she vaguely heard Harper said. "If you don't have a baby by then then, I can assure you, you'll be taking a trip to the Capitol."

The last thing Katniss remembered was bone chilling laughter before she passed out.

A/N: Duh, duh, duh! :D

Please R&R! :D