As promised, Coin holds an assembly the next morning. I walk into the giant room beside Prim and my mother. Gale was watching Rose in the basement with Beetee while they were working. They had been excused from the assembly, luckily for them. They knew my conditions already and they didn't need any convincing. I'm just hoping the rest of 13 is as willing to go along with them. Ever since the broadcast I've heard multiple murmurs about Peeta and where his alliances lie. People talking about him carelessly as though I can't hear, as though his daughter isn't in my arms, just a couple feet away from them. They also haven't met my eyes when we've passed. He is nothing but a trader to them.
Coin approaches a microphone a few stories up and greets all the district 13 citizens and welcomes their guests from district 12, meaning everyone who came from my district is seen a guest here. Shortly after Coin welcomes us, she begins to talk about why she called the assembly.
"Katniss Everdeen has agreed to be the face of our rebellion. In exchange for her cooperation, I have agreed to several compromises. Firstly, all opportunities will be assessed to safely extract the victors being held in the capitol," I hear a very audible sigh as she continues, "Peeta Mellark..." She is cut off by a sudden chorus of loud objections, gasps, and screams. She takes a moment to allow the reactions before continuing.
"Johanna Mason, and Annie Cresta. Once they have been freed and brough to thirteen, they will be pardoned of any and all crimes committed against the rebel cause." There is again another loud outcry of disagreement, "However if Katniss is unable to fulfill her duties as promised, the entirety of the deal will be off. Thank you. Please resume your daily schedules."
Coin doesn't seem happy about making the announcement, but the important thing is she made it. I leave the room with Prim and go to the basement. As I approach, I see Gale walking back and forth with Rose leaning on his shoulder, a piece of cloth draped over his shoulder and an empty bottle on the desk across the room. He is patting her back and I think I hear a faint humming coming from him. I lean against the doorway to watch them. I know that Gale has always wanted children, and in a different world, I believe things could have been different. I could have been different. He smiles widely as he sees me standing there.
"Hey," he walks over to me, and I reach out for Rose, cradling her against me as he walks back across the room to get her things. "Are you hungry? I was going to grab some lunch if you want to join."
"Sure," I kiss the top of Rose's head as he walks back to me, motioning me to go on as he carries her stuff. We walk in silene to the cafeteria. As we walk in, he begins to tell me something.
"Katniss," he starts.
"Effie!" I can't believe that she is sitting in front of me, I quickly walk toward her and she gives Rose and I a hug, "What are you doing here? How are you here? Did they rescue you?"
"If that what you want to call it," she scoffs as she pulls away, "We were both in the dark Katniss. How are you adjusting?" She notices Gale sitting down beside us, "It's so nice to see you again. Rose is just getting so big," She reaches out for her and I don't think twice before letting her hold her. "I've never gotten to see her besides on the screen in the arena. She's beautiful Katniss. She has Peeta's eyes." She puts a black book on the table. I open the book to see sketches of different outfits jumping off the pages, all centered around the mockingjay pin.
"Cinna?" I ask her as I flip through the book. I see his signature and his classic encouragement written on one of the pages. I'm still betting on you.
"He made us promise not to show this to you until you agreed to be the Mockingjay on your own. He believed in the revolution, and he believed in you. But he knew the choice to take this risk had to be yours," She smiles at me as Rose begins to wrap her fingers in the cloth on Effie's head, taking pack of her usual wig. "We have it. We have the Mockingjay outfit. We don't have a prep team here in thirteen, but we have the outfit, and we will make you the best-looking rebel in history."
"I want to see it."
She leads Gale and I into a small room, much like a dressing room off of a stage. She turns on the lights and I see it hanging up. The outfit Cinna had so carefully designed, not missing a single detail. The tight fitting, solid black bodysuit and the armor to cover it, carefully designed to look like feathers on the back. She hands Rose back to Gale as he steps out to let me change. Rose begins babbling to him as they walk out of the room, and he softly tickles her.
"He's good with her Katniss." She helps me into the outfit and zips me up in the back, "Almost like he is a natural father to her..."
"She is Peeta's daughter."
"Oh Katniss..." she walks around so she is facing me, "I know this. Peeta knows this. Panem knows this. But Snow was voicing some obvious doubt about this from the minute Peeta announced it. Why do you think he let the games continue? He figured in time it would come out that she was Gale's baby. The strong, caring man that was taking care of your family. The boy back home waiting on you. Obviously, you love him. Snow had footage saved to air of your kiss and the way you interrupted the whipping for him. Planned to make you a scandal and paint Peeta as the innocent boy you used to survive the games. Everyone would have been shocked, most of Panem would have hated you for breaking Peeta's heart, you had everyone believing you loved him. But it wasn't until that first day in the arena, when Peeta's heart stopped, that all of us realized you truly did love him. I think Snow realized it then too. That's why he was so quick to take Peeta. He is trying to break you."
I try to fight back my tears. I already knew this; I already knew that everyone was in the capitol because of me. But hearing this, remembering how I felt when his heart stopped, thinking of breaking his heart, it hurt me to even think about. I just want him safe, far away from Snow, so that he can't hurt him. He knows how to break me; he knows my weakness. One thing I know from hunting, and from the games, you never exposure your weakness. If he thinks he can't use Peeta to hurt me, maybe he won't hurt him. I form a plan of my own, separate from the rebel's. One to keep him safe until we can rescue him.
"Thank you. We have to save him. Effie," I meet her eyes again, "Rose does not appear in any promo's. She stays away from the action at all times. She stays off camera with Gale when he is not appearing. If he is appearing with me, she is to be with my mom or Prim. I don't want her to be public. I need to keep her away from Snow." Once my hair and makeup are complete, Effie leads me out of the room to a platform surrounded by lights, handing me a card with lines on it.
"You look perfect. Everyone is going to want to kiss you, kill you, or be you," Gale chuckles as we walk past him and he overhears this, smiling at me as Rose sleeps against him, "Just a short promo shoot. Read the cards. Gale and Rose will be off to the side, and I'll be there too. Just deliver your lines and you're done for the day," I look over the card, not much to say. I have just stormed the capital and am addressing the citizens of Panem. This should be easy enough, "Ready?"
"I think so." I walk onto the platform and stand in front of the screen. A backdrop is being projected behind me, at least that's what they are saying over head as they instruct for wind to be blown. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be standing in front of. A fan is turned on, blowing a powerful stream of wind toward me.
"Katniss, start on your knee and then stand up, wave the pole around in your hand, it will be edited as a flag. Deliver your line upon standing up. Are you ready?" Plutarch's voice says, coming somewhere from overhead. I nod to him, "Action."
I rise up quickly and shove the pole in the air, moving it up and down a little bit as I think of my line.
"People of Panem.. we fight, we strive, we..." I can't remember my line and begin stringing stuff together before stopping.
"Does she know the line? She does know the line right?" I hear his voice overhead again.
"Yes. I know it. I'm sorry."
I kneel down again. As I do, I look over at Rose, sleeping peacefully with Gale. I am doing this for her, to keep her safe and give her a better future. I am doing this for Peeta, so he can be safe, at home with us soon. For Johanna, Annie, and all the other surviving victors so we can live in peace without the capitol using us as pawns. For Gale, my mom, and Prim, so that Snow won't decide to come after them one day to hurt me.
"With energy this time. Go," he calls from overhead again. I try the promo again, getting through my line this time, "You have just been in battle!" He yells, "I'm sorry. Go again."
I rise again and hold the flag stiff in the air. Delivering my line in a more serious tone, fiercer, and angrier in my opinion. After I finish the line, I hear a low groan coming from overhead. I look at Effie, she is gritting her teeth together and looking over at Gale. He rolls his eyes as he holds back a laugh. This is clearly not going well. I let the flag fall to my side. There has to be a better way to get this promo. I hear slow clapping from the corner of the room, growing louder as footsteps approach.
"And that my friends, that is how a revolution dies." Haymitch walks into view and up to the platform, "Hey Katniss," my face must show my annoyance, "is this how we great an old friend now?"
"Guess I don't recognize you sober."
"Looks as bad as it feels I guess."
"Okay. Let's just go to command and review the footage," the voice overhead say again. I'm suddenly thankful for the interruption since it means ending this conversation with Haymitch.
Gale stands up and rubs my back with his free hand as I walk over to him. I take Rose from him, waking her a little but she quickly falls back asleep on me, her warm breath feels comforting against my neck as we all walk toward command. No one says anything to me or talks about the promo. There is no way it was as bad as they're acting. My mom greets us outside the door to command.
"Katniss, let me take Rose back to our room. I have a few free hours before I'm needed back at the hospital wing. I can lay her down in her cot and let her finish her nap and feed her when she wakes up. That way you and Gale can focus on what you need to do right now." She kisses my forehead. I give her Rose and thank her. I'm grateful that my mom, Prim, and Gale are here. I'm grateful that Gale got them out. I don't know what I would do without them, and I don't want to find out.
Once in command we all take a seat around the table, facing a giant screen. I sit at the end, beside Gale. Plutarch sits at the middle of the table, Effie and Haymitch on one side and Coin on the other. They begin to play the promo on the screen. I sit back and watch it. Gale reaches over and squeezing my hand to comfort me as they play it. After the promo goes off, I sink down in my seat. It was worse than I thought. If I were a citizen of Panem, I wouldn't follow me. Haymitch clears his through and walks up to the screen.
"President, indulge me for a moment please," he addresses coins, "I want everyone to think of an incident where Katniss has actually moved you. Sometime when it wasn't her looks, outfits, or skill with a bow. A time when Peeta didn't make you like her." I roll my eyes.
"When she volunteered for her sister," Effie is the first to speak. Haymitch erases what was on the screen and writes the word volunteer, "and when she sang for Rue."
"You know Effie, I like you better without all the wigs and makeup," He winks at her as he writes on the screen again. I see a light pink blush reach Effie's cheek.
"I like you better sober," she smiles at him, and he looks back at her, their eyes meeting. They both blush as he turns back to the screen. Peeta was right, something was there between them.
"When she chose Rue to be her ally," Beetee suggests.
"Great. All great examples. Now, what do they all have in common?"
"Nobody told her what to do," Gale volunteers beside me. I look over at him.
"So, we leave her alone and wash all that makeup off her face. She is just a girl," I hear someone else volunteer this suggestion. I like this suggestion more than anything else I have heard here.
"So we are supposed to put her into an actual combat situation?"
"No. I will not allow an untrained civilian to go into battle for a publicity stunt. This is not the capitol and that is not how we will be doing things." Coin states this and leaves no room for argument.
"That is exactly what I am suggesting though. We need to put her in the field. If you want any type of reaction, it has to come from her."
" I said no. We can't protect her."
"You want her to be the symbol for your rebellion? She can't be coached into it. Trust me, I know."
"Maybe we can find some place that's less dangerous?" Plutarch suggests.
"District eight had a heavy bombing last week. There are lots of civilians left and lots of causalities. But all the military targets are destroyed. It would be safer than anywhere else."
"No. We can't guarantee her safety there."
"You will never be able to guarantee my safety. I want to go." I feel Gale's glare on me. I know he probably hates the idea.
"What the hell Katniss?" He says from beside me.
"I want to go. I need to be out there more. People need to see me. We need action shots from the field, to show what the capitol is doing to the districts."
"What if you get killed? What then?" Coin shoots her question directly at me. I finally meet Gale's eyes. He nods with understanding. He would look after Rose.
"Rose will stay with Gale until you rescue Peeta. You will still rescue Peeta."
"Ka..." Coin begins again.
"Make sure to get it on camera."
With that, the argument stops, and the plans are arranged. I'll be going to district eight. The only problem with the plan is that Gale refuses to stay in thirteen, so he will be going to district eight with me.