I probably can't update tmw night because I'm sleeping over at my friend's house so we can work on a project, I'll try to update on Saturday night though. Thanks to akaine who has constantly been reviewing each chapter!
Katniss' POV
I had no clue I was pregnant. When I gave birth, I still didn't think the baby was mine, it had to be some sort of mistake. It would explain my mode swings and my cravings and why my dress wouldn't fit. But when Peeta told me it was girl and I held her in my arms and how much she looked like me, I couldn't deny I loved her. I picked out her first name which was Briar, and that means 'tree' or 'shrub' and Peeta picked out Evangeline which means 'good news' and despite our situation, Briar was good news to us, maybe even the best news we've both ever had, maybe aside from the announcement last year saying two tributes could win.
We haven't really figured anything out about the arena, we've heard several screams from tributes, but that could mean anything like someone dying, or any other terror. I'm holding Briar in my arms when I hear a scream, I jerk right up. I lay Briar down and listen closely, the same scream repeats, "Prim." I screach aloud. I'm up walking around until I hear her scream again. "Prim. Hold on, I'm coming." I yell, I grab my bow and arrows and start to sprint to where the noise is coming from.
I hear the scream again, but this time it is coming from my left, I keep following the voice until I notice it's a jabberjay. During the dark days, jabberjays were created to be used as spies, whatever you say, jabberjays can remember it and repeat an exact replica of it to whoever sent it to you. I take my bow and arrow and shoot the bird square in the eye. I feel relieved until I hear another scream, this time it's a deeper voice than Prim's. "Gale?" I yell. It's Gale's scream. I keep running until I'm out of breath, once I again I find a jabberjay and shoot it down.
"Katniss. Wait." Cries Finnick, another scream roars out, I don't recgonize it, but apparently Finnick does, "Annie?" The scream lets out again. "Annie?" He screams and runs to follow the direction the scream was coming from. When we find the jabberjay that was making the noise, I shoot it for him. It doesn't take long for the jabberjays to arrive in hundreds of numbers. I don't have enough arrows to shoot all of them down. Both Finnick and I sit on the ground crying and holding our hands to our ears trying to block out the screams of the ones we love. This was some cruel joke the capitol was playing on us.
It takes a while for Peeta, Johanna, and Mags to find us. But when they do, Peeta hands Briar to Johanna and wraps his strong arms around me. I think since we've been home, his muscles have gotten a lot stronger. "Katniss, these aren't real, they're just trying to get to you." Peeta says trying to keep me sane.
I shake my head in disagreeing way, "No, because jabberjays pick up the noises they hear. Where could they have gotten Prim's scream? Or Gale's? I can't remember the last time they have screamed." I ask blinking away tears.
Peeta stays silent, and normally when he stays silent, he doesn't know what to say, so he must know I'm right. "Okay, I don't know where they could have gotten those screams, but Katniss, how many tributes are left?" He asks.
I don't know why this matters on how many tributes, "I think maybe 12." I snuffle.
"Yes 12, and when they get down to the final 8, they interview your friends and family. They can't afford to kill Prim or Gale." He comforts. It does help some, but when I hear Briar cry, I perk right up wanting to protect her from whatever is hurting her or causing her to cry.
"Is she okay? Does she need anything?" I ask like a worried concerned mother should sound.
"She's probably hungry. She hasn't even eaten since she was born." Finnick says.
"Okay, well, how do I feed her?" I ask, normally mothers use baby formula in District 12 because it's safer and we haven't gotten any formula yet. Sponsor gift's must be crazy expensive if we haven't received anything for Briar.
"You have to get out your tits and have Briar suck the milk out of them for food!" Johanna says. I can't believe Peeta trusted her with Briar, because I know I wouldn't have. It makes me wonder if Briar now counts as a tribute. If she does, she won't even remember Peeta or me because we'll both instantly give our lives so she could win if it shall come down to us three, I now have a new mission, and it's not to keep Peeta alive, but to keep Briar alive. Hopefully Mother and Prim could raise her. But if Briar was considered a tribute, the capitol citizens would go crazy and I'm sure some Districts would too enough to cause an uprising and maybe from that could be enough to set a spark for a revalution, so Snow couldn't have our daughter as a tribute because that was a risk he could not afford to take.
Johanna hands Briar back over to me, I cradle her in my arms, she's still crying. I never liked it when anyone cried, especially young kids or babies when they're slowly dying of hunger. I lower my suit top as best as I can, I try to cover my breast as best as I can, but it's really no use. They all just watched me give birth, so I'm sure them seeing my breast can't be that big of a deal. Finnick shows me how I can get her to 'latch on' so she can breastfeed.
Haymitch's POV
"Dammit." I mutter to myself as Katniss was breastfeeding Briar, "This was never apart of the plan." Our plan was to break into the arena, rescue Peeta, Katniss, Johanna, Finnick, Mags, Chaff, Wiress, and Bettee. And to take them to the undergrounds of District 13 to officially start the rebellion. Now with Briar here, all of them are bound to be separated more easily. We were waiting for the right time to break into the arena, but now, this unexpected event us put us back some.
"When are we doing it?" Plutarch Havensbee walks into the mentor room. I don't know how he got a break from the Game Maker's Room, I always heard they were locked in there until the Games were over, but I guess not because Plutarch was right in front of me.
"I wanted to do it tonight, but now I don't know if we can now because of other priorities just came up." I say pointing at the screen of Katniss breastfeeding Briar.
"I think it needs to be tonight, we don't know what tomorrow could bring. Snow could give me orders to have them wiped out along with Briar. He had an avox bring me a note telling me that Briar WAS considered a tribute. So who knows what he wants us to do tomorrow." He says and walks back to the Game Maker's Room where he is needed.
I nod my head, "Please guys just stay together for a few more hours." I whisper even though I know they can't hear me. But if Peeta wants to protect Katniss, well I'm sure Briar now, they heed to all stick together, well at least them three do.
Peeta's POV
-Later that night-
We all were gathered around the campfire, we managed to run into Bettee, Wiress and Chaff, which we already agreed to be allies. Now I have to kill three more people to get Katniss and Briar back home. Even though it's been only two days since the start of the Games, we haven't had food or anything to drink.I remember Katniss telling me how she almost died of dehydration last year. I know Katniss needs even more food now since she has to feed Briar.
Haymitch has sent us one gift so far, we don't even know what it is or what it does. It's just a long and hollow stick. "We need food," Katniss says, "So I'm going hunting." Katniss says and hands Briar over to me and reaches for her arrows.
"No." I object.
"I'll be careful, I promise." Katniss pleads to me.
I shake my head in disagreement, "Remember what happened when you said that last time?" I protest referring to when she went into labor and almost had Briar without any of us to help her.
"I'll be back less than a hour." Katniss says and gives me a quick kiss before trotting off into the jungle.
"Just let Brainless go, she'll come back and I'm sure with food that we all desperatly need, especially your daughter." Johanna says with a devious smile, it makes me wander what she now has planned to kill us.
Briar is sound asleep. I can't believe how much she looks like Katniss. I mean she has my eyes, but she looks exactly like Katniss. We stay silent for a while, not wanting to wake Briar up. I see one of the planes that pick up the dead tributes, no one has died, I haven't heard the cannon in a while, but with it's crane it captures us and brings us up inside of it. I wonder if one has gone to pick up Katniss yet. It wasn't until I saw Haymitch in the blimp that I knew something was wrong.
"Why did you leave her?" Haymitch asks in a harsh tone.
"What do you mean leave her? She was looking for food. When am I going to get to see her?" I ask holding Briar in my arms.
"Katniss, that was how we were going to get you both out alive, but when she gave birth to the baby, we had to rescue you and her no matter what." Haymitch argues back.
"So where is she?" I yell back.
"I'm pretty sure that the Capitol plane got her." He screams back, I don't know why we're screaming at each other, but Briar wakes up from it and begins to cry, I try to calm her down but it's no use.
"We'll get her back won't we Haymitch?" He doesn't respond, but just looks down. "Won't we Haymitch?" I ask and feel a tear slip down my face, I know when he doesn't respond.
"On the bright side, we got every other survivor out, and I'm sure Katniss will be fine until we can get her." Haymitch says trying to comfort me, which he is sucking at.
"Where are we headed to then?" I ask.
"District 13. I need to tell Katniss' family the news." Haymitch says and leaves me alone with a screaming Briar, it makes me realize I may never see Katniss again, and now Briar might grow up without knowing her amazing mom.
bleehhh, sorry, this chapter was really short.