I'm not quite awake, possibly on purpose, when they bathe and dress me. It won't do to meet the President with a few days of hospital stink on me. I think it must be more than a few days but I've been in and out, and there's been Mr Purple & Blue even though everyone insists I've only been visited by doctors, nurses and Portia.
I wonder if they'll put my leg back on, but they don't, because when I come fully too I'm in a wheelchair, and wearing a soft pale blue shirt and soft tan pants. It's a light room and it seems like it has large windows, but the light is not real. It must be projections like in the bedrooms in the training center. I'm near a table, and there's an Avox woman nearby. She pours a glass of water and offers it to me. My hands don't want to work so she holds it so I can drink.
"Thank you," I say.
She nods and smiles cautiously and then sets it down on the table.
Then a door in front of me opens and with crisp, clear steps he walks in and sits down across from me, with a bright cheery smile as though we were just two old friends meeting for afternoon tea. The avox woman pours him a glass of possibly white wine or champagne I can't tell if there are bubbles or not, and sets out a tray of small cakes and then goes back to her position.
"Ah, Peeta," he says, beaming, "So good to see you up and about. I was told you were recovering nicely."
"Thanks to the generosity of the Capitol." I muster.
His eyes flicker for a moment. He's a politician I imagine he noticed my sarcasm. I imagine I might not have been as subtle as I wanted either. Remember who the real enemy is.
"Now, now," he says, "I thought you would have realized the severity of the situation."
"I realize a great deal."
"Good. You always were a smart young man, and it's because of that you are going to do some things for me."
My mouth is quite dry all of a sudden. It's as if the Avox woman senses this because she brings me the water. Anger, though, helps me hold it by myself and drink from it. I hold it in my lap tightly. She nods and resumes her position.
Snow drinks from his wine glass, "Pastry? They really are very good. Of course, you would be the expert on these matters."
Well, if he wants me to do something at least they won't be poisoned and I am hungry. I select one with pink icing and take a careful bite. It's a sponge cake filled with some sort of berry jam that I can't place at the moment.
Remember who the real enemy is. Don't get distracted. The real enemy is President Snow. The real enemy is the Capitol.
"The people of the Capitol are scared. They want to know what happened in the arena. They need to hear from someone who was there. You and Katniss are by the favorite tributes of recent years-if not the entire decade." He dabs at the corner of his mouth with a napkin provided by the Avox. She takes it back and resumes her place, "and let's face it you and Caesar get on far better than Johanna Mason gets along with anyone. Can you imagine her in front of the nation?" He shakes his head.
"Nation? or Capitol?"
"I said you were smart," he turns to the Avox, "Didn't I say he was smart?"
She nods.
"The Capitol citizens want answers to what happened, and the nation...needs a cease fire."
"A cease fire?"'
"Surely you can imagine what madness is going on out there. Miss Everdeen and her merry band of dissidents are trying to incite havoc. I'm sure if all had gone according to plan you'd be out there with them; but it didn't and now, you are our special guest," he takes another sip of wine.
I put the cake down.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?" Snow's voice is icy now, "Miss Everdeen promised me that there would be love abounding and peace in the districts now I do believe, wholeheartedly, that the two of you have some sort of feelings for each other, there's definitely love in this room whether there's love where she is...who is to say."
Remember who the real enemy is.
"The fact remains that you then treated us to the Mockingjay display, the secret wedding, the love child and the hands across the districts. That was a brilliant way to keep up your end of the bargain. I also appear to be down a game maker once more. I wonder why that might be. What do you think?"
"I have no idea."
"Hm." Snow remarks, "So," he says, snatching the napkin from the Avox woman who jumps back as though bitten, "you will talk to Cesar and you will help to fix this mess you have helped create. This is not a request. This is an order. There are a great deal of people who will suffer if you don't. A great deal."
Who could he be talking about? Katniss is off somewhere. Does he know how things are with "my family"? That's not entirely leverage. The answer comes soon enough. The window becomes a different scene.
Portia and the rest of my prep team. Handcuffed and kneeling in front of a Capitol banner. Portia has been crying but the tears have dried. I remember her words to me. Do what they say. Is this now? Has this already happened?
"What's going on?" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
"I imagine you were wondering who I might be able to hurt." Snow says.
As the shots ring out and one by one they fall down dead, blood and brains splattering the ground, the banner, each other.
The enemy is President Snow.