The Last Mockingjay [ON HOLD]

4. Confusing Answers

'Gale, why did you come back?' I ask demandingly.

'Woah there, no small talk with you, huh?' He laughs and waits for a sarcastic comment from me. I keep staring at him, questions floating through my mind. He clears his throat, almost on purpose.

'District 12 is where I grew up. Don't you remember, Katniss? Those amazing days? I wish it never disappeared.' He stares at a blank spot on the wall as a few seconds of silence begins to smother us. I don't lose my focus on him.

'Really, Gale.'

'I missed you. I had to come back and see how much Paylor improved our home.' Paylor. Without thinking, I ask him another question.

'Do you know why there is another Hunger Games?'

'You heard. In memorial of the Quarter Quells.'

Somehow, I know that what he is saying is not true. Even though I haven't seen him in a drastically long time, I am not one that he can fool.

'Okay...' I pause. 'And Beetee? Why the name Beetee?'

'You... remember Beetee from District three, right?' I don't reply. Of course I do. He practically designed the bomb that killed my sister. He ignores the fact that I have not bothered to speak. 'He died about three years after you left.' Is that supposed to make me sad? I stare at the floor, and wait for him to go on.

'And in memorial of him, I named my son Beetee. Beetee was... really the one person that I knew when everyone scattered. My son, Beetee... Well... He's... I guess, really smart. And he's only seventeen! He can sense things. It's strange, because I am not the brightest person on the planet. The original Beetee, the one I named him after, says that my Beetee is... intuitive.' Suddenly, Wiress pops into my head. Wasn't she like Beetee too? Gale keeps on talking. 'Aren't your children named Rue and Finnick?' A shade of recognition flickers across his eyes. I nod politely.

'Well, I know you understand then why I named him what I did.' And yes, I do. In memorial. To show that he remembers. Suddenly, I want to find out how he died. But just as I open my mouth to ask,  Johanna appears out of nowhere. Though before, I couldn't see her properly, I can now gasp at the impact that the past 25 years had made on her.

'Jo... Johanna?' She smiles and nods. Beneath her eyes are sagging skin, dark and tired. On her right cheek an unseen scar slashes across. Even from here, I can see that it is quite deep, and she never had the chance to take it to a professional like my mother. 'So... you and Gale? I never knew!' I try to hide the pain I feel inside. What's wrong with me? It feels unnatural and strange.

She smiles once again, though it appears as if it is forced. 'Yeah, no one would've guessed!'

Though I didn't realise before, I can see Beetee hiding behind one of the walls of the house. The fire in his eyes has not died yet. Quite like Gale's own grey eyes, I can see that behind it hides pain and desire. Very strong desire, actually. He speaks to me with his eyes. I don't know how, but between those slight flicks to the door, I understand what he is saying. I catch on his message.

'Well, I'll talk to you later.' I quickly walk out the door, as Johanna tells me to visit again soon. I smile and wave, but as soon as they are out of sight, I hide behind one of the walls. The door quickly opens again, and Beetee pops out.

'Hey', he says, shyly. 'Okay. I know you have a lot of questions... and Dad doesn't always answer them in the best way. So here I am!' I look at him. His dark hair stays perfectly gelled on, even in the slight breeze. It's almost too artificial, and I realise that I will have trouble adjusting to him. I knit my brows and wonder why. Is it because Gale doesn't seem that old? Because of the name Beetee? Then I realise. It's because Gale had a child. And because that child, Beetee, was not mine too.

'What do you know about Paylor?' I ask, without wasting another second.

Even though I was thinking that he would make a sarcastic remark much like Gale, he tells me what he knows. 'I don't know exactly, but from what I've gathered, it seems like Paylor's getting threats.' What? From who? Why? Paylor is the president. She has the Capitol's finest guards. It's impossible.

'Paylor? No way.' I deny Beetee.

'It might be from Plutarch. He's my biggest suspect, anyway. Doesn't it all fit together? Plutarch, who always said he wanted rebellions, here, to cause another one. By re-introducing the Hunger Games. You know, so that the districts would go against Paylor. And by the looks of you, it's working.' He replies.

'How do you know about Plutarch?' I ask, suspicious. Just how much has Gale told him?

'I just know,' he replies. 'Anything else?'

'Wait, this is all to shocking just for one afternoon.' I pause for a couple of seconds, taking it all in. What does it mean? Is Plutarch Heavensbee looking for a new rebellion? More blood? It just doesn't fit in. How could Paylor be threatened to do such a thing? Was Beetee really telling the truth? How could I trust him, when next week I would have to kill his father?

'Wait.' I stop Beetee from walking in the door. 'Why was there a deer in the forest? With muttation-like qualities?' I shudder, thinking of the eyes so close and resembling to Finnick Odair's. Although when I think it over in my head, it sounds stupid to be asking a seventeen year old boy this, I have this cruel feeling in my gut that he knows what I am talking about. He eyes me closely.

'You mean the one you shot?' What, is he stalking me now? A weird pang comes over me, making me shiver. I don't know why, but I decide that I cannot trust Beetee, even if he is Gale's son. Does that mean I can't trust Gale either? After all, our purpose is to kill eachother.

'Yes.' I answer to his  question, sighing at how easily I get distracted.

'Like the mockingjay was the symbol of the rebellion, the muttated deer is the symbol of the Capitol. Of the Hunger Games. Of anything you fought against It's designed with something that could hurt you, like for instance, someone's voice. Someone's eyes. Even someone's behaviour.' I nod my head. I had been suspecting this. It's just like the jabberjays back in the Quarter Quell. As I bury my mind in thoughts, he turns the doornob and enters his house. I turn back, just about to leave, when I hear Johanna laugh.

'Well done, Beetee,' she says, in that mean, cruel voice that I hadn't heard in a while.

Okay. I try not to interrupt the book with my personal writing, (I know, I really lack in professionalism) but really guys, can I please have some more support? Any ideas? Comments? Should I continue? Any feedback is good. And VOTE!

*Also, if you have any good ideas as to what the title of the book should be, write it down!