Peeta. I hear a sound, a combination of gasp and groan. The same kind that comes from being drowned in water, deprived of oxygen to where you're at the point of pain but you can't make a sound without more water filling your lungs. I can only assume the sound came from me. I feel arms around me, Gale probably. I shrug him off and place my hand on the screen. I search Peeta's face for any sign of hurt or torture, but I see none. He looks healthy, I can't connect him to the bleeding boy who haunts my dreams most nights. I miss the introductions but hear Peeta say something about a plan.

"I think we all know what you had planned, Peeta. To sacrifice yourself in the arena so that Katniss Everdeen and your daughter could survive," Caesar says to him.

"That was it. Clear and simple. But other people had other plans," Peeta says. Had he guessed how we had been used? How they had planned to rescue me from the beginning? How Haymitch had betrayed us, in more ways than one. I notice the lines that have formed between his eyebrows. He has either guessed or been told. But he has not been killed or punished and that is more than I had allowed myself to hope for.

"Peeta, tell us about that last night in the arena. Help us sort out a few things."

"First off, imagine what it felt like in that arena, all around you jungle. The giant clock ticking away your life. Promised to be greeted by a new horror every hour. Sixteen people dead, some died trying to defend you. The way things were going, the last eight would have been dead by morning. Save one, that will be crowned victor. And your plan is that it won't be you." I break out into sweat, my hand hanging limply at my side. I was more than thankful that Rue was safe with mom and not around to see me like this.

"The rest of the world," he continues, "becomes distant. Everything and everyone you loved and cared for most cease to exist. The only reality you are left with are the tributes who want your blood, just to spare their life. No matter how bad it makes you feel, no matter what monster it creates of you, you're going to have to do some killing. You only get one wish in the arena and it's very costly."

"It costs your life," Caesar agreed.

"No. A lot more than your life. To murder innocent people? It costs everything you are. Katniss could barely sleep after our first games." A hush had fallen over the room. "You hold onto your wish, hers was to save Prim, our daughter, and me. That last night, yes, my wish was to save Rue and Katniss. I was regretting not running off with her and Rue earlier in the day, like what she had wanted. At that point though, there was no getting out of it."

"Too caught up in Beetee's plan," Caesar suggests.

"Too busy playing allies with all of the others. I let them separate us. I never should have let them separate us. When they did, that's when I lost them. Then the lightening hit and the force field just blew out."

"You've seen all the footage, Peeta. Katniss blew it out."

"She didn't know! She had no idea what she was doing. None of us could follow Beetees plan! We had a daughter we had to think about! There weren't just twenty-four tributes that had entered that arena. There were twenty-five. One of those tributes was our daughter. Our daughter who was just a couple days old! Katniss wasn't thinking. In the footage it's clear she didn't know what would happen. You can see her trying to figure out what to do with the wire! Neither of us knew there were other plans at work."

"All right, all right. It just looks suspicious, that's all," Caesar says to him, "As if she was part of the rebels plan all along." Peeta quickly rises to his feet and leans right into Caesars face, Peeta's hands on the arms of Caesars chair.

"Was part of her plan to get pregnant? Get reaped again? To have Rue in the arena? It was part of her plan to have to try and protect another human, who was defenseless, as well as herself? It was part of her plan for Johanna to almost kill her? To be paralyzed by the electric shock? To trigger the bombing?" I've never heard him yell like this before. "She didn't know! Neither of us knew anything except that we were trying to keep each other and our daughter alive!"

"I believe you, Peeta. So, what about you mentor, Haymitch Abernathy?"

"I honestly don't know what Haymitch knew."

"He could have been part of the conspiracy. Correct?"

"He never once mentioned it to me or to Katniss."

"What does your heart tell you?"

"I shouldn't have trusted him."

I know that I'm shaking. Nothing seems real anymore. I try to run through my list, but everything is too scrambled together. Haymitch. I want to ask him what he knew, have my own question answered, but I haven't seen him once since the hovercraft, when I had attacked him. He's in seclusion until he's dried out and suitable for public display. I lost all sympathy for him though, the moment I found out he had deceived us.

"We can stop now if you would like," Caesar continues.

"Is there more to discuss?" Peeta answers wryly.

"I was going to ask about your thoughts on the war. However you seem too upset."

"I'm not too upset for that," Peeta faces the camera. "I want everyone watching to lay down your weapons. Think about what this war could mean. We almost went extinct fighting each other before. Our numbers are fewer now. Is this what we want to do? Kill ourselves off completely?"

"So you're calling for a cease-fire?"

"Yes, I'm calling for a cease-fire."

"I think that wraps it up. Back to our regularly scheduled programming."

I can't form a thought. I hear endless chatter behind me. Words being thrown around, the accusations against Peeta building. Since I cannot do anything, join in or counter the rebels outrage, I decide to leave. As I'm exiting, one of Coins men lay a hand on my arm.

"You have not yet been dismissed, Soldier Everdeen." I jerk my arm free and take off running down the hall. I quickly go to my room and sit on the bed. I'm alone, glad Rue is still with my mom.

"You're alive," I whisper. Nothings clear in my head. Peeta is alive. He defended me. He knew I was trying to save him and Rue. He was trying to save Rue. Peeta is alive. But now, Peeta is also a traitor.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12, there is no district 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. I was in the Quarter Quell. I had a daughter. We escaped. The capitol hates me. Peeta was taken prisoner. He is alive. He is a traitor but alive. I have to keep him alive.

My door slides open. I jerk and jump to my feet, startled by the door. I'm shaking still as I sit back onto the bed and take deep breaths, noticing Gale walking inside. I notice a stream of red coming from his nose and am on my feet and across the room to him instantly. He sits down on one of the chairs and I kneel in front of him.

"Gale! What happened?" I pull the end of my sleeve over my hand and reach up wiping his nose.

"I got in Boggs way," he shrugs then winces. "Watch it!"

"I'm sorry," I pat his nose, trying to be gentler. "Who is he?"

"The one that tried to stop you," He puts his hand on top of mine and moves it carefully away from his face. There was more blood than before streaming out.

"You fought with him? Really Gale?"

"No. I just blocked him from following you. His elbow hit my nose."

"You know that Coin will punish you," I sigh.

"She already has," he holds up his wrist to me, "She took my communicuff."

"I'm sorry, Soldier Gale Hawthorne."

"Don't be, Soldier Katniss Everdeen."

"Maybe we should let my mom look at your nose. I have to get Rue back anyway." I stand up and he grabs my wrist.

"It's just a bloody nose Catnip. Nothing serious. I already spoke to your mom. Prim and her are going to keep Rose tonight, she saw the broadcast."

He stands up and pulls me into his chest. I relax into him, laying my head against him and closing my eyes. I pull back and notice his nose still trickling blood. I sigh and pull the shirt over my head, balling it up and placing it on his nose. I feel his eyes on me.

"I don't want you to bleed to death." He laughs at my comment and moves my hand, tossing the shirt into the corner.

"Look, no blood," He walks over to the bed and sits down, motioning me to sit beside him. I do, leaning my head onto his shoulder, "Peeta may have done a lot of damage tonight. The cease-fire is clearly Snow's idea, but it sounds so reasonable coming out of Peeta's mouth."

"I know he doesn't believe that. Why do you think he said it?"

"He was probably tortured or persuaded. Honestly, my guess is he made some type of deal to protect Rue and you. If Snow let him present you as the innocent confused new mother who had no idea what was going on when she was taken prisoner by the rebels, he'd mention the idea of a cease fire. This was if the rebels lose, there's a chance at innocence for you, and a life free of treason for Rue." He looks at me and then slowly begins. "Katniss... he's still trying to keep Rue and you alive."

I search Gales eyes for any sense of annoyance or hurt, but there is nothing. He was just stating a fact. I feel my face grow red and my eyes fill with tears.

"There can't be a cease-fire. We can't go back."

"I know."

"Peeta is wrong. I don't care what his reason was for saying it. He's wrong."

"Katniss, I know." I'm not even listening to him.

"He doesn't know about what they did to 12! If he could see it! If he could have seen the ground. If he could have seen what was on the ground."

"Katniss! I am not arguing with you. If I could kill every last soul working for the Capitol, I would. No hesitation." He wraps his arms around me and holds me against him, "The question is, what are you going to do?"

What am I going to do? I need to keep Rue safe and away from Snow at all costs. I need to keep Prim safe. I need to keep Peeta alive and unharmed. I need to keep Gale safe. What am I going to do?

"I'm going to be the Mockingjay."

Gale doesn't say anything. He keeps his arms around me as I lay against him. I don't know if this is the right choice, if we win, they may execute Peeta as a traitor. After a while, Gale pulls his shirt off and slides it over my head.

"Get some sleep Mockingjay."

Gale covers me up once I lay down, sitting on the edge of the bed and promising not to go anywhere. It's not the same as having Peeta here, but it's close enough to allow me a few hours of sleep. When I wake, he is sleeping sitting up against the wall. I gently shake him and tell him that he can lay back. He lays down as I get up, questioning where I'm going. I don't know the answer to this question either, but I assure him I'm just going for a walk.

I end up in my mom and Prim's room, careful not to wake Rue as I cross to the other side of the room. There is a drawer of my things from the arena here. The pin and the locket lay on top. I eventually find the parachute and open it, holding the pearl that Peeta gave me our last night in the arena.

"Katniss?" Prim keeps her voice low as she gets out of the bed and walks over to me, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep." She touches my hand that is holding the pearl.

"Your cold," She grabs an extra blanket and wraps it around me, "You could tell me you know. I'm good at keeping secrets, even from mom."

I look back to where Rue is sleeping, my daughter who has no idea where her home would've been. My daughter who doesn't know she is in the middle of rebellion that her mother started, that her father is a prisoner because of her mother. I turn to face my sister, the little girl with her shirt sticking out like a duck tail is gone. She's been forced to grow up too fast, to stich bleeding wounds and learn our mother can only know so much.

"I'm agreeing to be the Mockingjay. I have to, if it will help us defeat snow," she meets my eyes, "But I'm afraid of if we win, they will execute Peeta as a traitor."

"Katniss, important people usually get what they want. You could keep him safe if you want to."

"I could ask that they grant him immunity?"

"You could demand anything, and they'd have to agree to it. But how do you know they'll keep their word?"

"It will be public."

"Good, it will be harder for them to pack out of their promise that way."

"I should wake you more often, my little duck."

"I wish you would. Now get some sleep and leave my niece here. Take the pearl with you and put it in your room, it might make you feel closer to him," She looks at me, noticing me in Gale's shirt, "You know, I don't think he barely slept until you and Rue got here safely. Goodnight."

I walk back to room, setting my pearl on the dresser and laying back down in the bed, covering up with a blanket and letting my body rest against Gale. He isn't Peeta, but with my eyes closed, it's still a warm body beside me that keeps the nightmares away.