Chapter 7: Propos
Annie tries to call Haymitch. There is no dial tone. What is going on? She tries Peeta's number, but all the lines are down. A flickering newscast appears on her screen.
"Citizens of Panem. Communications throughout all 12 Districts are currently down. This will be the only Broadcast until they can be restored".
Haymitch has seen the Broadcast, too. He thinks this is why they have not heard from Katniss yet. That's reassuring and he needs to let Peeta know as soon as possible. Peeta seems to have recovered from his flashback the other night and had wondered what Haymitch was doing sleeping on the floor next to his bed. Haymitch's excuse was that he stumbled in during the night while he was drunk.
The bakery is full of customers and so Haymitch waits for the last of them to leave before telling Peeta.
"Communications have broken down in the Capitol". Haymitch thinks the sooner Peeta knows not to expect a call from Katniss, the better.
Peeta, obviously concerned, asks Haymitch how he knows this.
"There was a short newscast just to let the Districts know".
Peeta doesn't like the sound of this. Katniss is in District 4 and now he can't contact her. At least she is far enough away from the Capitol to reassure him that she is safe, although he can't understand why he would think that Katniss might not be safe. Probably his protective instincts coming to the fore after the news she has given him about the baby. Thankfully, she will be back tomorrow and he will finally be able to hold her close again.
"Did they say when they might be able to restore communications?" Peeta asks.
"No, it was just to let people know that they were having difficulties, but I thought you should know, especially if you are expecting a call from Katniss".
"Thanks, Haymitch. Hopefully they will get them back up tonight" is all Peeta says.
Haymitch is not going to take any chances on Peeta having another relapse in the circumstances so he plans to call in on him tonight in case his flashbacks return. If need be, he will stay all night like he did the last time.
They have put Katniss in a room in the Presidential Palace while they create the idea for a new Propo. Nausea sweeps over her again and she promptly grabs a paperbasket which is next to her bed and throws up in it. They have organised room service for her, as they do not want her wandering around the Presidential Palace the way she did the last time and Plutarch tells her it is also for her own security. They need to know where she is at all times. According to him, there is a bounty on her head and it probably isn't just the Capitol rebels who might want her dead. Supporters of Alma Coin had not forgiven her for her brutal actions that day and, when she had left the Capitol, it was under nightfall and in secret. Plutarch, the ultimate Gamemaker, had organized everything and for that, at least, she could be grateful. Since returning to District 12 she has put the Capitol out of her mind and focused first of all on just staying alive and then on Peeta. Now she had something else to focus on, the most precious thing of all, their baby.
There is a knock on the door and a peacekeeper stands there waiting to be invited in. Katniss does not respond so he steps through and tells her that Plutarch wants to see her. She can't help but think of Gale and how he had stood at this very door, inviting her to a meeting with Alma Coin. These meetings never went well, simply because there was never anything good that came out of them. Katniss picks up the paperbasket and asks the Peacekeeper to empty it for her on the way out. She is still showing contempt for the Capitol.
Plutarch is sitting in the Oval Office with Paylor, Beetee and three other people she does not recognize, all in uniform.
"It's not good news, Katniss, I'm afraid" says Plutarch.
It never is, thinks Katniss, and suddenly her thoughts turn to Peeta and a small cry escapes her lips. Please, don't let anything have happened to Peeta, thinks Katniss. Paylor can see the fear in her eyes and joins the conversation.
"It's OK, Katniss. This has nothing to do with Peeta".
How did Paylor know her response involved Peeta? No one, not even Haymitch, knew how close they had become since his return to District 12. But then, the alcohol had probably dulled his brain. Had they been watching her? Katniss could not forget all the cameras that were in place prior to the Rebellion, but she just assumed most had been inactivated under the new regime. After all, this was the New Panem and people were free to do as they pleased, within the rule of law of course. Katniss decides she will be more cautious in her reactions from now on.
Plutarch interjects. "There has been a rebel attack on the Communicatiions Centre in District 3 and all communications are down in the Districts. This is their most serious attack so far on the new administration and the Capitol is now in lockdown. We can still go ahead with making the Propo, and will broadcast it as soon as possible".
Oh no! Katniss did not want Peeta to see another Propo of the Mockingjay without any warning. His hold on reality is better now, but it could still be tentative at times, and if he doesn't know where she is or why she is doing this, it might just push him over the edge. She hopes Haymitch is keeping an eye on Peeta for her and then Katniss realizes there is a good chance Annie has not been able to contact Haymitch either.
Paylor says "We need to keep you secure Katniss, for your own safety, so we will post guards outside your door day and night. We already have security in place in District 12, but it is low key as we don't want to alarm the people in the District. Peeta will be safe for now".
For now? What did that mean? Katniss needed to get back to District 12, so the sooner they got communications back and these Propos done, the better.
There is a new styling team to prepare her this time. She doesn't engage in conversation, even when they struggle to get her into her new Mockingjay costume. She insisted they allow her to bathe alone so they could not see her swelling abdomen and she had put the undergarments on before they returned to dress her. The costume design was the same as the one she had worn on that last fateful day when she had killed Alma Coin, but in a beautiful rustic red. Was this Cinna's choice, too? She imagined it was. He always knew how to make her look beautiful. So far they had not given her any weapons, but she was sure they would need them for the Propo. This could be interesting, Katniss thinks.
Guards accompany her to the Studio located in the Palace and set her in front of a blank screen. They would add the images in later. This time, Katniss has nothing she wants to say, no inspiration and no fire. She wonders how Plutarch will get around this and he soon appears with a set of cards that he wants her to memorize. She looks at them.
"Citizens of Panem, this is the Mockingjay. What I fought for, and what many people died for, has now come to fruition in the New Panem. I need you to listen. This new Panem is for you and for me, for our children". Katniss' heart skips a beat when she reads this part. Her child, Peeta's child, will be a citizen of the New Panem. She needs to get this right. "In free elections, the majority of you voted for the current leadership. It is necessary now to support them to ensure Panem can be secure. Capitol rebels are attempting to threaten our new found security and we must resist them. I ask you to join the Mockingjay in resisting the rebels!". Katniss gives the best performance she can under the circumstances and Plutarch does not complain. He doesn't have much choice really and, sadly, neither does she.
Katniss cannot believe how life seems to come full circle. First, she had led a rebellion and now she was encouraging people to resist one. The most ironic part of all was that she was still a piece in the games of the Capitol and they had managed to separate her and Peeta again.