Chapter 59: Trigger
After meeting with the Tributes, the Victors reassemble in the Village. Gale and Paylor are there to meet them and Plutarch will be arriving soon. They'll then gather to discuss the Gamemaker's plan and Katniss has been invited to attend the meeting as well. Right now, she is waiting for her mother to arrive. Katniss' mother will be staying with them for the duration of the Games as she feels Katniss may need some support, not only with the Prim and Pik. In the circumstances, it is too difficult for Katniss to focus both on Peeta and the children. Katniss' mother has not seen Katniss since she and Peeta left the Capitol, but has kept in touch by other means. Katniss had finally calmed down after realizing her mother had been correct in her assessment of the situation after Pik was born, but Katniss had fallen short of apologizing to her. Her mother's words had hurt Katniss at a time when she was very vulnerable. It was enough that they were still talking.
The other Victors walk into the meeting room and it's obvious that some of them have managed the situation better than others. Haymitch is already hitting the booze and Johanna decides she wants a drink, too. She is as bitter as she ever was and has served her Tributes up more than a few choice words about the past sins of the Capitol. They will probably be the most traumatized and the least likely to survive if Johanna continues to mentor this way…which she probably will.
Annie is quiet and seems a little shaken. She is too caring and this will be hard for her in spite of the fact she is much stronger now. Enobaria is a Career and she has no qualms about mentoring her Tributes to destroy or be destroyed. She is tough and has no time for weakness. Beetee has the most difficult job of all. Coriolanus Snow's granddaughter is one of his Tributes. He doesn't know this. Only Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch are privy to this information for now as they have been told not to share the details of her name with the other Victors. This is to prevent any bias, but all the Victors know that President Snow's granddaughter is amongst them. Peeta is just glad that she is not among his Tributes. To treat her without prejudice would be extremely difficult, even if she is only a child.
Paylor and Plutarch enter the room first and Gale follows behind. As they find their seats and are preparing to sit down Katniss finally arrives. Her eyes lock on Plutarch and she strides across the room towards him. Without warning, Katniss launches herself at Plutarch and slaps him hard across the face.
"You son of a bitch!" she shouts. "You told me he was dead! You lied to me. You lied to us all!"
Gale quickly grabs Katniss from behind and attempts to hold her back while Plutarch is stunned into silence before the meeting can even begin.
"Katniss!" says Paylor.
Gale's grip forces Katniss to realize she needs to calm down. He won't let her go until she stops resisting. But, Katniss can't. Plutarch is a trigger for her grief and pain over what has happened to Pik. He lied to her about Coriolanus Snow and his demise. He allowed her to live with a false sense of security, all the while knowing she would be the one at greatest risk. His Mockingjay! And then when the Capitol Rebels reared their ugly head, Plutarch had the arrogance to use her again to create his anti-rebellion Propos. Katniss starts to hyperventilate and Peeta decides Katniss is not ready to be part of this meeting. He is already out of his seat and moves to Katniss' side while Gale continues to hold her. Peeta tells her to breathe.
"It's OK, Katniss. I am going to take you back to the apartment. You are in no state to be here right now" he tells her.
Katniss looks around the room and feels everyone's eyes on her. Johanna looks particularly amused. Katniss tries to gulp in some air as Gale releases her into Peeta's care. They both realize she has been overwhelmed again with a sense of grief...and injustice. Injustice at what has been lost. That will always engender rage in Katniss. She is a fighter. Peeta wonders if the waves of grief and rage will ever stop. For now, they can only deal with them as they occur, sometimes unexpectedly…like today. Plutarch had lied to her and Katniss can't stand the sight of him.
Peeta leads Katniss back to their apartment.
"Katniss, I want you to stay here with your mother for now" Peeta tells her. "You are too vulnerable to be around certain people at the moment, people we both know have caused us harm. I feel the same, but I have to focus on the Games. That is the only way we're are going to finally have justice".
Katniss just looks at Peeta, searching his eyes for any hint of what she is feeling. All she sees is his steely determination. Katniss wants Peeta to feel her pain, but he is too focused on the task ahead. She feels abandoned. Katniss angrily turns her back on Peeta and walks into the apartment without a parting word. Peeta will have to deal with Katniss' emotions later. He has to go back to the meeting and deal with Plutarch first.
As Peeta returns to the meeting he doesn't offer an apology for Katniss before he sits down. Plutarch doesn't deserve it. Plutarch, in the meantime, has gathered himself and is ready to start the meeting.
"I'm here today to talk to you about the Tributes Parade and the Arena. First of all the Parade will be held in the usual place tomorrow night. The Tributes will be dressed in traditional District garb and will look as unimpressive as possible. The cameras will be there, of course, and that should start to get the Capitol people thinking about how much they want to protect their rebels".
Peeta remembers how his and Katniss' outfits had caused a sensation at both Games, thanks to Cinna, and he will be forever grateful that they had the chance to make such an impression. Of course, confessing his love for Katniss' was what really wooed the audience in the Capitol, but that had never been his intention. Haymitch had found a way to use that to their advantage, but just like Katniss had never meant to start a revolution with her handful of berries, he had never intended to draw the sympathy of the Capitol crowds with his admission. He just wanted Katniss to know, before either of them died.
Plutarch goes on.
"The arena consists of one central dome and six satellite domes. The central dome is for the final confrontations between any surviving Tributes. The six satellite domes each have a different theme and only one exit into the central dome. That means only one Tribute can escape from each of the domes and the others, if they aren't already dead, will die via a mechanism in that arena".
"So that means all of our Tributes go into a singular dome when they are launched into the arena?" asks Peeta.
"Yes" says Plutarch. "You will be given an opportunity to train them for the terrain in the initial arena, which will be all about survival. There will be no unnecessary weaponry at this stage as per President Paylor's request".
"And still the Capitol's children are being treated differently" scoffs Johanna.
Paylor intervenes.
"The idea is to get information on Snow, Johanna. This will help to draw the Games out and if we recapture him, then the Games will be brought to an end. This was the plan from the beginning".
Johanna is not moved by the plight of the Capitol children, but the others seem to accept it is the right thing to do.
"They will be supplied with resources, but will have to locate them and make use of them appropriately. It is still the Games and the Tributes will still be scrambling for the advantage" says Plutarch.
He tells them they will get more information over the next couple of days in preparation for training. Otherwise it is just a matter of ensuring the Tributes play their part tomorrow night at the Parade. While the others gather around for small talk about these details, Peeta knows he needs to get back to Katniss. She is more important right now. He wants her by his side.