Thank you, once again, for taking a look at this story. I hope you enjoy it and would very much appreciate any feedback you might have, it especially means a lot after such a long break!

I do not own The Hunger Games nor its characters.

Chapter Sixty-Eight

I'm sitting next to Katniss' bed, pondering over how I'm going to tell her the news. She's already looking at me expectantly, wondering why I've come to visit her. I told Johanna the same news an hour ago and she almost slapped me. I finally take in a small breath and look her in the eye.

"You're not going to the Capitol," I say. "Coin and Plutarch-"

"What?!" She bellows and before I can even attempt to reason with her she's jumped out of the bed and is running through the hospital wing.

I run after her but don't bother to shout, I know better by now and just follow her through 13 until we reach Command where Coin is sat in front a screen with Boggs and Plutarch standing behind her.

"What do you mean, I'm not going to the Capitol? I have to go! I'm the Mockingjay!" Katniss screams.

Coin doesn't even flinch. "And as the Mockingjay, your primary goal of unifying the districts has been achieved. Don't worry- if it all goes well, we'll fly you in for the surrender."

Even I'm getting agitated with Coin and it's not even me she's patronising! I can feel my fist clenching as she continues to stare at her screen of Panem.

"That'll be too late!" Shouts Katniss, "I'll miss all the fighting. You need me- I'm the best shot you've got! Gale's going."

"Gale has shown up for training everyday unless occupied with other approved duties. We feel confident he can manage himself in the field. How many training sessions do you estimate you've attended?" Says Coin.

This stumps Katniss, she knows she hasn't been to any of the sessions and it's written all over her face. As much as she's a fighter she's never been a soldier in a war and soon Plutarch and Boggs are wading in on the argument, trying to convince her that they're right despite her efforts in 2 and 8.

Part of me doesn't want Katniss to go, if she stays here she'll be safe. She won't have to witness any more bloodshed. But then I think of Vieve when she asked me not to help the war effort and all I want is for Katniss to pick up a gun and fly out to the Capitol straight away. Snow has brought pain and hurt upon both of our families for too long and I just know that if my seventeen year old self were standing where Katniss is right now I would be saying the same thing. Just let me go.

"Well, you have three weeks," Coin says after much arguing. "It's not long, but you can begin training. If the Assignment Board deems you fit, possibly your case will be reviewed."

It's the best news we can hope for and I can see Katniss almost skipping out of Command. I stick around to see if there's anything I can help with but Coin quickly sends me on my way. I guess it's just another president using me as and when they want.

As the days go on I get regular updates from Plutarch on Katniss and Johanna's training, which sounds as if it's going fairly well but they need to be at the top of their game if they're going to head for the Capitol and that doesn't seem likely right now. Plutarch even tells me that they're living together and I can feel my eyebrows shooting sky high. War really does change people.

I know I should be checking in on Peeta a lot more than I am but it takes me hours just to pluck up the courage a lot of the time. It's not even the poisonous attitude that he has now that scares me but the way he can go from being so normal to a raging psychopath in seconds.

"You have to stop thinking that everything is your fault," Vieve says when we're alone in my room.

I shrug, "That's a lot easier said than done."

She sits next to me on my bed and leans her head against my shoulder. "I know it is but he's got people looking after him twenty-four seven. I have every confidence that he'll get better."

"Maybe…but I'm not convinced."

She stands up and grabs my hand. "Come on, let's go to dinner. You might feel better after you've eaten something."

I know for a fact that one single meal isn't going to change years of self-loathing but I follow her, anyway. After all, it would be ungrateful to get ill from malnutrition when 13 have actually kept what remains of 12 alive.

As we near the dining hall I see Finnick walking towards us, his hand holding firmly on to Annie's. From the stern look on his face I can tell that something's happened.

"Are you all right?" I ask him and he shakes his head.

"Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to bring Peeta to dinner," says Finnick.

"Oh no, what's he done?"

Annie's hands fly to her ears and I'm instantly worried that I've brought on some horrible flashback. Vieve's hand is in mine before I even have to reach for it.

"Just generally making Katniss feel awful and spouting a load of rubbish for the whole district to hear." He leans in to Annie's ear and whispers something and she eventually lowers her hands and takes his once again.

"I'm sorry, Annie," I say.

"Don't worry, Haymitch," she says but she looks like she could cry at any minute so Finnick swiftly walks past me and heads down the corridor with her.

"Do you know what? I'm not actually that hungry, anymore," says Vieve and pretends to yawn. "In fact, I'm actually quite tired."

I smirk and plant a kiss on her cheek before turning back and heading to my room. Every voice in my head is screaming at me to go in to the dining hall and see Peeta but my legs keep walking. I can't face seeing my decisions reflected back at me again.

The next day Plutarch calls me in for a meeting to discuss strategy for the Capitol, which gets me more excited than I had anticipated.

I head to Command to find only him there and a holograph of the Capitol in front of him. He presses a button and lights begin to flash.

"The Capitol doesn't know we have this," says Plutarch, grinning.

"What are those?" I say pointing at the lights and gradually moving towards them, mesmerized.

His expression changes and the smile disappears. "They are called pods and contain any number of nasty things from mutts to explosives. They're all designed to protect the Capitol."

I wonder if he can see it or if it takes a victor's eyes to notice. This isn't just a map, it's an arena. And it makes me feel sick.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"The Hunger Games never ends, does it?"

Plutarch sighs and turns back to the holograph. "No, I suppose it never will for you. But at least this time we have some sort of advantage, even if this holograph is out of date we know where most of the pods are."

I nod as he continues to speak, explaining the plan, but from what I can work out we're sending in our soldiers with the same strategy as the Games: stay alive for as long as possible.

"Of course, Katniss won't have to worry about this too much," says Plutarch.

"Why not?"

"Because we want to keep her out of harm's way as much as possible. It's crucial that she's alive and well for the surrender, it will show Panem that even the Mockingjay can cope after war."

"Let me guess, you just want her for propos?" I snarl.

"Mainly, yes. As well as the other recent victors. Providing they all pass their exams, of course."

I almost growl as I march out of the room, he just doesn't understand how everyone else thinks and feels sometimes! As much as I appreciate everything he has done over the years, and I do, even if I don't show it, Plutarch is still a child of the Capitol.

The day of the exams arrive but I'm not given any special instructions. I know that the candidates have to complete an obstacle course, a written exam and a weapons proficiency test before completing a combat simulation in a place called the Block. I'm so full of anxiety not knowing how Katniss , Finnick or Johanna are doing that I decide to talk my way in to watching the simulations in the hope that it will give me some sort of faith that this mission isn't entirely doomed.

The whole room is set up like one of the blocks in the Capitol, complete with explosives and holographic Peacekeepers. Each simulation will be altered to test every individual's specific weakness, which only makes me shudder because I have no doubt that Katniss' will have something to do with obeying orders.

I don't have to wait too long before Johanna storms in to the Block, gun in hand and a look of fury on her face. She's finally starting to look like her old self again, although I wouldn't like to say if that's a good or a bad thing.

A voice informs her that her mission is to basically reach the rendezvous point at the other side of the block without getting killed, which seems a little too simple to be true.

Johanna nods in understanding and hides behind one of the fake buildings while Peacekeepers descend. She easily takes them out as she moves through the block but as she raises her gun for a third time the block floods with water.

I look down at the technician controlling the simulation and he's as blanked faced as Snow when he's addressing Panem.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, "That's how they tortured her in the Capitol!"

"Exactly," says the technician and presses another button.

The water begins to rise rapidly and is at her knees within seconds. Her face contorts in to a look of terror as she screams out. She throws the gun on the floor and starts kicking at the buildings, begging for them to stop hurting her before she trips over a stray brick and falls to the ground.

The water quickly drains away and several medics descend upon the room and remove Johanna. I rush out of the observation room and in to the corridor where they're placing her on a bed.

"I'm going with her," I say but none of the medics take any notice of me. Once we're in the hospital wing they attach her to a drip and ply her with sedatives, even though she's knocked out they don't want her suddenly waking up in a rage.

I desperately want to go back to the Block and see Katniss' simulation but reminding myself of the look on Johanna's face when she saw that water instantly stops me from rising from my chair. I know we didn't get off to the best of starts but over the years I think Johanna and I have formed a mutual respect, it's easy to forget that she's only twenty-one with everything she's been through, sometimes.

And we both know what it's like to have everyone you love taken from you all at once.

An hour must pass before she stirs and her eyes begin to open. She sees me sitting next to her and there's a small expression of confusion across her face as she sits up.

"What are you doing here?" She says, "And where the hell am I?"

"What can you remember?" I ask, worried about what reaction I'll receive.

She wrinkles her nose in concentration. "Umm…the written exam and then the weapons…and then…oh no! The simulation! The water! The…the pain..Haymitch…" She's clutching at the bed sheet and crying hysterically.

I call for a doctor but even when one arrives she's still thrashing around in her bed and claiming that she's been electrocuted.

"Make it stop!" She screams, "I'll kill you Snow..I'll….I'll," her voice becomes dreamlike as the doctor stabs her arm with a syringe and she finally falls under the morphling's spell.

I leave the doctors to fuss over her while I go in search of Plutarch, checking in on Katniss along the way. Her and Finnick both passed the simulation but the news doesn't affect me too much, all I can think about is Johanna and the nightmares she's probably having.

"Is she hurt? What happened?" Katniss asks after I tell her and Finnick that Johanna has been hospitalised.

"It was while she was on the Block They try to ferret out a soldier's potential weaknesses. So they flooded the street."

"So?"

"That's how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric shocks." I'm not surprised that Johanna hasn't shared this information with Katniss but I thought someone might have by now. "In the Block she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation. You two should go see her. You're as close to friends as she's got." Katniss' eyes fall to the floor as I speak. "I'd better go tell Plutarch, he won't be happy. He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television." I could tell her about Plutarch's plan for her but I'm fed of being the bearer of bad news in Katniss' life, Plutarch can take on that mantle for once.

"Are you and Beetee going?"

"As many young and attractive victors as possible," I correct myself, "so, no. We'll be here."

I head off straight away, wishing more than anything that I was going to tell Johanna's parents that she's ill and not a Gamemaker.