A/N: I know you guys don't want to hear my excuses. I'm sorry for the wait anyhow. And I dread to say I can't promise another update soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

Chapter Twenty Five

About halfway between District 12 and District 11, the rebels within the rebels stopped caring about their uniforms. Clove had somehow managed to obtain a gun anyway so if they got stopped, they had defensive. The walking was gruelling but the fear of what would become of them if they stopped kept them moving.

"So," Clove said, sick of the silence, "if you don't know what you're doing, as you claim, which-trust me-I believe 100%, why do you think loverboy has put all his eggs in your basket?"

Katniss found the question surprising. She shrugged, which seemed like the only feesible thing to do. "I don't know," she admitted, "I honestly don't." It was a question she asked herself mutiple times. Why did Peeta have so much faith in her? They barely knew each other!

"Wait, so our faith in you is just a product of a boy's insanity?" Cashmere asked, sounding alarmed.

"Peeta wasn't insane!" Katniss snapped defensively. "I just don't know what he thinks I can do. I am but one person."

"And look how many people you've got behind you now," said Rue.

Katniss knew there were many people behind her. That there were now a multitude of people looking at her for guidance, but she didn't know what to tell them. Clove was currently being a better leader than she ever was. Why couldn't they see that Katniss wasn't who they were looking for? Peeta had been who they were looking for. But he sacrificed himself and now Katniss didn't even know if he was alive or not.

"I know what you're thinking," Cato said, surprising Katniss by having suddenly appeared beside her.

"Oh, really?" she asked. Her eyes focused on a beetle that was crawling along the ground, seeming to be almost following them on their path. "What am I thinking, then?"

"If your boyfriend's alive or not in the Capitol," Cato answered.

Katniss tried not to show her surprise on her face. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. And I can safely say that he won't be killed in the Compound, if that's what you're worrying over."

"How do you know?" Katniss fired back. Now that it was out in the open, she couldn't hide her fear over the fact that they might arrive in the Capitol to find that Jackson had murdered Peeta in cold blood. Because that's the sort of woman she was. "How do you know they won't kill him? He's a threat, isn't he?"

Cato wasn't bothered by her anger. In fact he barely flinched at her outburst. "I know what it's like to live in there, in that . . . place. I've been a subject of Jackson's experiments too. Maybe not treated like a pet like your boy has been but I still went through it."

Katniss felt her anger melt away almost as quickly as it came. "You've been experimented on, too?" she whispered.

"Sure. I developed hijack when I was five which was, of course, the big hoo-ha that it always was. Immediately pulled out of lessons, dragged to the cold experiment room, strapped to a table and poked and prodded," Cato explained. "But when I turned ten, Jackson accidentally cured it."

Katniss stopped. The movement made everyone else stop too. She barely noticed, all she focused on was Cato. He seemed to know what she was thinking again, because he just stared right back at her. "Jackson has a cure for hijack?" Katniss said slowly. She had to be confirmed what she thought she just heard.

Cato nodded. "Yes, she does."

"So you're telling me that she can cure Peeta of his disease and she's choosing not to?" Katniss' voice was rising. She couldn't help it. The more truth that dawned upon her the more angry she got. "You're telling me that Peeta has been suffering all this time for no good reason just because Jackson couldn't be bothered to drag herself off her pervert ass and cure him?!"

"I'm not saying it was because she couldn't be bothered to," Cato answered. "I'm saying it's because she has something against him. Something we don't know about."

Katniss had never felt more angry in her entire life. She had to swallow the urge to scream as loud as she could and forced herself to take a moment, walking off into the trees on her own. Peeta being born with a disease was one thing. Being an experiment because of this disease was another. Being denied treatment that could cure said disease was yet another thing.

Katniss was beginning to realize the extents of the women's cruelty.

They were nearing District 11 when they heard the rustling.

"Everyone, down!" Clove hissed. Everyone dived behind a tree, crouching to the floor and holding their breath. A blonde girl appeared, stumbling and out of breath. Katniss squinted, trying to make out a face, but couldn't see anything. A man was holding onto the girl, keeping her supported as they tripped along the path. Clove held up the one gun they had. "Freeze!"

Both of the froze, stock still, too afraid to even breathe in case they were punished for it.

"State your name, rank and intent," Clove demanded.

"Glimmer," the blonde girl gasped. "Rebel. Join the revolution."

"Pretty much the same except my name's Marvel," said the man.

Clove came out of the shadows and everyone else followed. Katniss thought for the second time that day how much more efficient everything would be if Clove had been the Mockingjay. "What District are two from?" Cashmere asked.

"One," Marvel answered.

"Whoa, long way on foot," said Clove. "You're in a worse state than Cash and her brother had been when they arrived from One."

"I thought all the rebels were in 12?" Glimmer asked. "How do we know we can trust you?"

The group parted. Katniss almost sidestepped as well until she realized they were clearing a path so that Glimmer and Marvel could see her. Their 'Mockingjay'. Both rebels from 1 stared at her like she were an anomoly of some sort. Katniss forced herself to smile, trying to seem comforting. "Hello," she said.

"Oh my god, it's Katniss!" Glimmer exclaimed, pointing at her as if she were a celebrity. "Marv, it's really her!"

"Wow," Marvel breathed. "This is an honour."

Katniss laughed nervously. "Um, thanks, I guess? Sorry, I can't be doing with the whole shock and awe thing. I've really done nothing," she said. "If anything, Clove is doing a better job than I am."

Clove snorted. "Yeah right, girlie. Don't be pushing that title on me," she said. "You're the one who started all this."

"Technically, Peeta's the one who started all this," Rue corrected.

"Does it really matter who started it all?" asked Katniss. "Isn't it more about who works the hardest to get this problem solved? Which, at the moment, is you, Clove."

"Look Kat, I'm not a Mockingjay, and I never will be," Clove said firmly. "I'm a follower, not a leader. I take the initiative but don't be pushing roles and titles on me that I didn't ask for. Because I know it ain't no picnic and I don't want it!" Cato put a hand on her shoulder and she inhaled slowly, putting her hand ontop of his and breathing out calmly. "Okay?"

Katniss wanted to scream. She didn't want the Mockingjay title either! She didn't ask for the roles and titles to be pushed onto her either, so why did she have to act like she had intended for all of this to happen? It wasn't fair.

Fair. Did a word like that even exist now-a-days?

Katniss turned back to Glimmer and Marvel. "What's your second names?"

"We're both Sparkles," said Glimmer, threading her fingers with Marvel's.

Then Katniss remembered.

"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."

Filled with rage, Katniss snatched the gun off Clove and pointed it right at Glimmer's head. "What do you want from us?" she yelled at her. "Why are you here?"

"To join the revolution," Glimmer answered, confused by the sudden outburst.

"No, that's not it. You're with them," Katniss accused. "You have a male escort business back in 1, a successful one at that. You used to go to the Compound in the Capitol and pick the males up, taking them back to your District just be used as sex slaves!"

"Katniss," Cashmere said carefully, "where are you getting this from?"

"Harper said so! She told Peeta when they came to visit us in 12! She said that a Glimmer Sparkles from District 1 had wanted to buy him for her male escort business because she didn't have a blond! That's all he was to her! A fucking blond!" Katniss was seething, unable to control her anger. What did this . . . did this . . . witch want with them?

Glimmer's worried features softened. "Katniss, it's alright," she said. "I'm not one of them. The escort business was a front, so that Jackson and Harper and all the others would sell me as many men as I asked for. I looked after them and made sure they were okay. I didn't force them into slavery, you have to believe me."

Katniss scowled. Despite the fact she didn't know how the gun worked, she wanted to make it look like she did. "If that's true, why did you leave them all behind to find us?"

"We didn't," said Glimmer.

"Then where are they all?"

For the first time since she had arrived, Glimmer couldn't meet Katniss' eyes. "Killed, along the way. Marvel and I are the only ones left."

Katniss faltered. The gun shook in her hand. With a cry of frustration, she threw it to the ground and walked off. They had barely even started and everything was beginning to be too much to handle.

Katniss didn't know how much longer she was going to last.