Chapter Five
Lies, Deception and Half Truths
Gleeful laughter echoed down the usually somber and dark hallways as Gale Hawthorne headed toward the medical wing of District 13 with his four year old daughter tucked securely under his arm.
Briar squealed with delight from her horizontal position in her father's arms, and she shrieked with renewed amusement every time he pretended to almost drop her.
"Daddy, again!" she demanded, dark brown plaits dangling as she was carried carefully toward their destination, where she was to spend the afternoon with her grandmother and the person she perhaps loved most after her parents - her Aunt Prim.
Setting the little girl down on her feet, Gale bent down to speak to her, his blue-grey eyes boring in to her identical orbs in a gentle demand to be listened to.
"Now Briar, you need to stay with Grandma and Aunt Prim. No wandering off!" he said kindly but firmly, "you stay with them until Mommy and I come to get you later on, okay?"
"Okay Daddy," she bobbed her head obediently, "I'll stay with Aunt Pwim."
"That's my girl," he smiled adoringly at his daughter, pressing a kiss against her cheek before lifting her into his arms and blowing a raspberry against her skin that made her giggle and loop her arms around his neck.
Briar landed clumsy kisses against his cheek and hugged him tightly, feeling all at once less excited about leaving her father, no matter how much she enjoyed spending time with her aunt.
"Daddy, can I stay with you and Mommy?" she asked hopefully, and Gale lifted her into his arms and stood up, strolling slowly toward the entrance to the medical wing with Briar on his hip.
"We talked about this, Briar," Gale replied, hiding an amused smile behind a stern expression, "Mommy and I are going to be busy this afternoon."
"Doing grown up stuff?" Briar checked, a frown twisting her rosebud lips downwards.
With a nod, Gale replied, "That's right. Lots of important grown up stuff."
Seeming satisfied, Briar allowed Gale to place her on her feet and grasped his hand, her little fingers weaving around his.
"Hi Gale... I mean, Captain Hawthorne..."
Gale and Briar simultaneously turned at the familiar sounding female voice, the former smiling kindly as he recognised Mona, one of the newer refugees from District 6 who had been assigned to the medical wing under Mrs. Everdeen's tutelage. As a recovering Morphling addict, Mona had been cast out of her district during the uprising that had occurred when the residents had decided to band together to make an effort to turn the ailing district around. A number of addicts and recovering addicts had been forcibly expelled from the district, some finding themselves welcomed in other surrounding districts and placed into rehabilitation programs, whilst others less fortunate were picked up by the Capitol hovercrafts. Mona was one of several who had manage to make their way to 13, and had expressed a desire to help at the heart of the rebellion. Many of the residents of 13 eyed the relative newcomers with unease and distrust, but Gale found himself pitying them, realising that it was a life-changing experience to find yourself forcibly expelled from your home.
"Gale is fine," he replied, his tone gentle as the willowy blonde wrung her hands apparently nervously. She offered him a smile, her eyes sparkling at his sudden and welcome attention.
"Daddy, I want Aunt Pwim," Briar stated, scowling at Mona, who ignored the child, continuing to gaze up at Gale.
"H-how are you?" Mona inquired shyly, her hands dropping to toy with the hem of the hospital apron she wore over her grey smock and shirt. Briar's brow creased and she glared at Mona, her dislike of the woman evident.
"Daddy!" Briar whined, her tone alerting Gale to the fact that she was several seconds away from a full meltdown.
"Briar, remember your manners, okay?" Gale chided gently, staring pointedly at the child who huffed a heavy hearted sigh and bobbed her head in obedience.
"I'm sorry, we're in kind of a hurry," Gale offered the woman a polite smile, and she beamed back at him to show no offence had been taken.
"So you're working here now?" he asked, hoping his surprise at her designated post had not coloured his tone of voice.
He wasn't certain that placing a recovering Morphling addict as a nurse's aide was perhaps the smartest decision, but then he knew how the administration of District 13 worked, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was a test of the young woman's willpower and desire to stay clean.
"Uh yeah. I mean...Yes," she corrected herself, her hands grasping nervously at the straps on her apron. Her gaze was suddenly drawn by the small child at the soldier's side, and she watched as the little girl hugged her arms around her father's leg in a gesture that seemed oddly territorial for one so tiny.
Mona cast her eyes analytically over the child, and she quirked an eyebrow as she gestured to her with the warmest smile she could muster, "She looks a lot like you."
Gale grinned automatically in response, always delighted to hear that his features or mannerisms were easily discernible in his adored daughter, no matter his own views on the subject.
Reaching down to place his hand atop of Briar's head, his smile only widened as she stared up at him with equal adoration; and more than a little impatience.
"This little beauty?" he began, as a wistful look overcame him and he found his thoughts drifting, as they were prone to do, to the woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago. He shook his head slowly, lifting Briar's chin and stroking his thumb down her chubby cheek, "No. She's all her Momma."
Mona had barely opened her mouth to respond when Briar suddenly let out a loud gasp and propelled herself clear across the room, her arms flung wide and a squeal spilling from her lips. She ran straight into the outstretched arms of a familiar tall, blonde woman, who flung herself onto her knees to greet the child.
"There's my little one!" Primrose said, her voice filled with warmth and exaggerated excitement as she allowed Briar to melt into her waiting arms.
"I missed you, Auntie Pwim," Briar cried, her features illuminated by the strength of her smile, which was the widest it had been all day since waking.
"Well, I missed you too, of course," Prim returned, straightening up and extending her hand to Briar, who latched onto her aunt's fingers immediately. Prim started over towards Gale, her smile only slightly dampened down as she moved to greet her brother in law.
"What about me? Did you miss me?" Gale teased, unable to resist the opportunity and knowing that Prim was still too good natured to ever be fazed by friendly teasing.
Prim only grinned, shaking her head as she bent to stage whisper to Briar, "Don't tell Daddy that I missed you the most, okay?"
Solemnly, Briar nodded, although a thoroughly pleased smile wound its way onto her lips as she regarded her father and aunt in turn.
Mona, who had yet to move from the spot in front of Gale, cast a wary glance in Prim's direction before adjusting her apron in an almost self conscious gesture.
"I guess I better get back to work," she said quietly, her eyes raised momentarily to Gale as she added, "maybe I'll s-see you later, Gale."
Gale and Primrose exchanged pointed glances, and he shot his sister in-law a reassuring look that told her he had not been blind to Mona's slightly love-sick demeanour.
Hooking his thumb back in the direction of the hallway he had just walked down, Gale offered her a polite smile, "I should get back to my wife."
Mona's smile faltered, not going unnoticed by Gale, who had pointedly chosen the more evocative word of 'wife' over using Katniss' name.
"Right," Mona nodded, shrinking back as Primrose swept up the giggling Briar and began to pepper her cheek with kisses, "I should... I should get back to organising the store cupboard."
Primrose watched the young nursing assistant with interest, noting that she had made no attempt to move. Hoisting her niece up into her arms in a subconsciously protective gesture, she made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the new arrival.
"Be good for Aunt Prim, okay?" Gale widened his eyes as he gazed down at his daughter, and she nodded solemnly in reply.
"I pwomise, Daddy," she continued to nod her head emphatically, grinning from ear to ear as her father bent his head to kiss her cheek,.
"Love you, ladybug," Gale said softly, finding her miniature smile infectious.
"Love you too, Daddy," Briar whispered, although her childish attempt at a whisper was comically loud enough for all to discern.
With a final backward glance, Gale strode from the medical wing, leaving the double doors gently swinging behind him as he disappeared down the corridor. He knew that the leaders of the other districts had already arrived and were doubtlessly waiting for him in the larger of the conference rooms, and he subconsciously quickened his pace as he realised that he would probably be the last one to arrive.
As it happened, he slid into his seat next to Katniss only moments before Coin meandered into the room, her white hair pulled back in a tight bun and a clipboard clutched in her hands. Her smile was fleeting and pinched, and she did not bother to occupy her own usual seat at the head of the table, instead choosing to stand in front of the large monitor that was affixed to the wall adjacent to the door.
"I want to thank you all for being here at such short notice," President Coin began, pausing to nod at each of the faces seated around the table in turn. "I know it's no easy feat, given the times we're in."
Gale started as he felt a small hand slowly and shyly slip underneath his, and he glanced to the side to find Katniss peering at him, her slate grey eyes wide. Reassuringly, he squeezed her fingers, a silent gesture of support and understanding, before he turned back to regard the president.
"We were hoping that coming together today will enable us to share valuable intel. gathered by the rebellion spanning the districts, as well as perhaps come up with a strategy to deal with the new presidents more... interesting demands," Coin continued, her eyes sliding surreptitiously to Katniss as she spoke the latter half of her explanation.
From around the table, the leaders of Districts 4, 6 and 11 all exchanged pointed glances, and Gale watched their faces closely to try to discern their views on the rather pressing matter at hand.
The leader of District 11, a large, imposing dark skinned man offered Katniss a friendly smile, and he waved his hand as if to dismiss the demands of President Mellark as nothing more than an inconvenience.
His voice was rich and deep, and he chuckled in mild amusement as he spoke.
"We intend to treat the demands of the new President in much the same way we did the last. They are... inconsequential to the folks in our district. As always, Madam President..." he nodded at Coin and then turned his gaze to the Mockingjay, "Katniss... our loyalties remain with you and the rebellion."
Katniss returned his smile with genuine appreciation, knowing that her brief and yet very real friendship with Rue had cemented a true, unyielding alliance between their districts. District 13 had no truer allies than her comrades in 11 and that seemed unlikely to change.
"Thank you," Katniss spoke softly, watching with relief as the other two leaders nodded in agreement.
Gale felt Katniss slowly relax, and the vice like grip on his hand subsided a little. He brushed his thumb over her fingertips, finding her hand was now devoid of the band on her wedding finger. He too had hastily removed his own ring, depositing it carefully in his breast pocket for safekeeping. As far as the other districts were concerned, Gale was simply Katniss' bodyguard and head of security, and it was a role he had learned to play out of necessity.
The private life of the Mockingjay could be used to exploit her, and Coin and the inner circle of District 13 went to great lengths to depict Katniss Everdeen as nothing but a soldier and the face of the rebellion.
"So far we know very little about President Mellark's plans other than what he chose to reveal to us in his recent broadcast," Coin said, her tone sour as she turned to face the monitor at her back. Immediately, a serious of typed notes appeared on the screen and Gale felt Katniss straighten up in her seat at his side.
"We're currently working off the assumption that he is using this time to regroup," Coin explained, a frown twitching at her lips as she continued, "Snow's death, whilst not wholly unexpected, came at a difficult time for the Capitol. They're still in the process of rebuilding and their current recruitment numbers for Peacekeepers are at an all time low. No doubt Mellark will make their dwindling military numbers a priority."
Katniss shifted in her seat, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched a summary of Coin's words swirl into being there. She fought the urge to shudder, unwilling to admit even to herself that the sight of Peeta as the new head of the Capitol had unnerved her.
During the Games, he had been her biggest ally and her last link to home. She had believed that they had forged an unbreakable friendship in the heat of the battle and the midst of the blood that had been shed, and yet the man had turned his back so easily on her all those years ago. Katniss found herself wondering just how much of the boy he had presented to her had been a lie, and just what she could bring to the table in regards to information on Peeta.
"Our people on the inside would agree, I think," the woman from District 4 confirmed with a subtle nod of her head. "Rumour has it that Mellark is pushing through a conscription law. We believe that if it goes ahead without much opposition, they'll be opening a new training centre to deal with the sudden influx of new recruits."
"Conscription law?" Gale repeated, taking a moment to digest this information before he continued on, "not exactly going to make him Mr. Popularity with the Capitol and Districts 1 and 2. That's a pretty dangerous move from a new President."
"He doesn't care," Katniss said quietly, and all eyes were suddenly drawn to the young woman as she lifted her gaze from the table top and regarded them all in turn, "this isn't about popularity, he doesn't care about winning them over any more. This is about revenge. Against the rebels... me... and the Capitol. This is about power, he's taking back control."
President Coin nodded before resting her chin on the tip of her clasped palms and eyeing each of the assembled leaders in turn.
"She's right. This is personal, which makes Mellark perhaps even more dangerous than his predecessor."
Gale leant back in his seat, casting a concerned gaze on his wife before he met the eyes of the President, "But that's gotta work against him too, right? He's an unknown variable right now to the folks in the Capitol. They're war weary, they're beaten down, and this guy's too arrogant to realise that now's not the time to quit playing to the crowd. He starts issuing executive orders and drafting kids, there's gonna be an uprising. And we've got the one thing he hasn't; an alliance, a common cause."
Katniss stared down at the wooden table before her, her thoughts muddied with images of reapings and the bloodied faces of children too young to have ever been thrust into such horror. Peeta had been taken from his home, at the time, an innocent in the Capitol's power play with the districts. But now the tables had turned; for 75 years the Capitol had taken the nation's children, and now he would take theirs.
The leader from District 4 smiled briefly at his summation, before she gestured toward the woman beside him and noted with an arched brow how the young soldier's eyes were never far from her pretty face.
"And of course, Captain Hawthorne, you forget to mention the most powerful weapon in this rebellion. We have the Mockingjay. Defectors from the Capitol are already arriving in our District. Katniss has made quite an impression on young minds these last few years."
Katniss seemed disturbed at the notion, still intensely hating the role she played in calling young people to arms, and placing them and their families in increased danger. The country was at war, but she was loathed to be the catalyst that summoned anyone to their death. Video footage from the districts frequently showed casualties of Capitol bombing raids that were now limited to the few districts that remained within the reach of the government's dwindling arsenal. Men, women, and children - all victims, and all weighing heavily on Katniss' conscience.
Briar's smiling face quickly invaded her thoughts, and she found herself wondering if her tiny daughter would ever know a life outside of the bunkers and military drills into which she had been born.
Gale's hand slipped discretely over his wife's, and she glanced up sharply to meet his gaze and offered him a watery smile of reassurance.
"So..." the leader from District 11 folded his arms across his chest and widened his eyes in anticipation, "let's give Mellark something to chew on, shall we?"
The group rose from the table with renewed purpose, and Katniss shrank back to allow the leaders of 11 and 6 to confer with President Coin. Gale walked a few paces ahead of her, conscious that their interactions could not give way to suspicion.
Feeling a hand land lightly on her shoulder, Katniss started and released a hiss of surprise. She turned to find the leader of District 4, Lyra Trupp, ambling beside her with a strangely amused grin spread across her features.
The woman's eyes creased as she smiled, and she inclined her head closer to Katniss' as if to divulge some great secret. Her sky blue irises shone with mirth, and she removed her spectacles from the bridge of her nose as she leant in, speaking in barely above a whisper.
"I think that young man is quite fond of you," she nodded toward Gale's back, beaming up at him as he chose that moment to turn around and regard the two women with apparent confusion. "He can barely take his eyes off you."
"We're old friends," Katniss replied reflexively, forcing a smile in place so as not to come across as too abrasive in her response.
The leader of 4 cocked her head and smirked almost conspiratorially at Katniss before slipping her arm through the younger woman's.
"That may be so but I'm no fool, Katniss," Lyra replied quietly, her fingers squeezing Katniss' bicep gently in a gesture that the Mockingjay could construe as either comforting or threatening. Instinctively, she found herself assuming the latter and her body was immediately tense.
"I don't know what y..." Katniss began, her mouth snapping closed as the woman walking at her side let out a bout of amused laughter, shaking her head as they continued along the corridors together.
"You don't need to worry about me," she stated, her tone firm and leaving no room for argument, "I know where my allegiances lie and that is most definitely not with the Capitol. You have nothing to fear from my district."
"Good to know," Katniss quietly countered, her eyes drifting to Gale's back as he walked in front of them. She watched the muscles in his shoulders ripple as his arms swung slightly at his sides, his gait strong and decisive. He fit the role that he had been cast in well, but Katniss had always known there was a chance that their facade would be discovered sooner or later. In fact, she was remarkably surprised that it had been later rather than sooner.
"I see it in the way you look at him too, like he holds the stars and hangs the moon," Lyra murmured, deliberately maintaining a low tone, "it's quite refreshing amid all this anger and bloodshed."
Katniss remained silent, half lost in her own thoughts and half rendered speechless by the other woman's observations.
"You should hold onto it, you know," she continued, her voice growing almost jovial now, "there's plenty in this world of ours that can beat you down and not much left that can lift you up, except of course for love."
"Like I said, we're just friends," Katniss lied, wondering just how alarmed she should be at the woman's intuition and powers of observation.
"Alright dear, whatever you say," she winked kindly, patting Katniss' arm before she moved from her side and caught up with President Coin and the other leaders. Turning to cast a quick glance back at Gale, Lyra caught his eye.
"Don't lose your chance there, young man. She likes you!"
Gale nodded, uncertain of exactly what it was he was agreeing with, but deciding that investigating further would probably be unwise.
Waiting until the other district leaders had been shepherded into the control room, Katniss caught up with her husband, who was wearing a comically smug expression.
"So... you like me, huh?" he teased, making sure to keep his voice low so others couldn't overhear. He nudged her shoulder and she rolled her eyes at the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"No. Not at all," Katniss dead-panned.
Gale chuckled and the low rumble that reverberated from his chest made Katniss smile. Slipping her hand behind her back, Gale followed her lead and slid his own hand around to meet hers. Threading their fingers together, the couple walked down the hallway, exchanging affectionate and not entirely innocent glances that sent a pleasant shiver to the pit of Katniss' stomach.
"You ready?" he asked, as they drew to a halt outside the sound stage adjacent to the control room that had been constructed solely for the Mockingjay's broadcasts.
"I guess," she murmured, steeling herself and taking a deep breath as she unwillingly released his hand and opened the heavy steel door to the studio, before stepping into the chaos of the prep team's lighting and sound tests.