The Last Mockingjay [ON HOLD]

18. Seaweed Eyes and Brown Dots

Let me start off by saying that I am very sorry I have not updated for quite a while. With that over with, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

'Where's... where's Rue?' A soft whisper escapes my lips. I shout it out once again, thinking that no one had heard me when it is clear that they are silent only because they don't know the answer either. My whispers turn into louder and louder sobs. 'Rue? What happened to her?'

However, mine is not the only sob I can hear. As I turn around, I see Orion, staring dumbfounded at his mother, now laying limp on the harsh ground. 'M-m-mom?' His upper lip trembles, as tears slowly race down his cheek. Looking at him makes me realise that I've now gone quiet, only to have a bucketful of tears forming in my eyes.

I look at my mother, who stares down at the ground in despair. 'Katniss... I don't know what happened. I did my best, I told Rue to stay with me. When you guys didn't come straight away, I thought... we thought... you'd left us.'

I breathe in a short and sharp intake of air. How could they possibly think that? Didn't they know how much we all loved them, as well as needed them?

'Mom,' I reply in a stern voice, wobbly because of my tears. 'What... what happened to Rue?' I stare into her pale blue eyes, waiting for an answer.

'They took her. They took her, Katniss.' With that, my mother also breaks into a frenzy of sobs.

'No... they couldn't have. Rue's strong. Rue would've defended herself.' Mom shakes her head slowly. I bite my lip, trying to control the salty water travelling down from my eyes. I grab onto Peeta, struggling to stay upright.

The capitol have taken Rue. My heart breaks in half as I realise, that death would be the best punishment for Rue's sake. Any other methods of torture would be worse than facing death. I shiver, and I feel a pair of arms wrap around me.

'We'll find her, Katniss.' Peeta whispers into my ears, his voice also breaking. 'I'm sorry,' he murmurs, as my whole body trembles in fear. I turn around and look into Peeta's mesmerising blue eyes. Somehow, I'm not too sure that we are going to find her. I breathe deeply, thinking as a leader. What would be the rational thing to do?

I turn around to face Orion, and an unanswered question pops into my head.

'How is Annie Cresta here?' I whisper. Mom looks down at the floor, in obvious shame.

'The Capitol... they took Rue, but gave Annie in exchange.' I stare at an empty spot, not even having the energy to question their decision. I shoot a quick glance at her. She's aged beautifully, with soft brown hair, slightly silver and elegant wrinkles. If anything, she is much more prettier than I remember. The only thing that seems out of place is a giant brown dot on her wrist, which must've formed when we got out of touch after Orion's first few birthdays. I stare into her eyes. Strange - I remeber them to be a delicious muddy brown, not a dark green.

 I see Orion staring at her, his eyes empty - and realise, she's already gone. He turns and looks at me in shock. 'Katniss... I've only not seen my mother for a couple of weeks, yet she looks like she's decades older.' I shrug, not seeing how this could be important in the situation I am in right now.

'What took you so long, Katniss?' Mom breaks the silence. I gulp silently. Although I would like some peace to think of what to do about Rue, I know that as a leader I must make the correct choices. 'We overheard Paylor talking.'

Mom stares at me in alarm. 'Katniss... you shot Paylor. Paylor is dead, no doubts about it.'

Suddenly, my mind swirls into chaos. How is it that Paylor has become alive suddenly? Was it definitely Paylor in there?

I clear my throat. 'We'll solve this, one step by one.' I mutter, as the rest of the group nod. I look over at my mother. Strangely, she isn't hurt. She looks tired and worn out, but that is it. I cannot see a scratch on her body. I see Orion staring at her too, and find myself believing that he is thinking the same thing as me.

I open my mouth. 'Mom... how come you didn't get hurt?'

'They left me alone. They snatched Rue up, but left me.' I stare at my mother, unsure whether to believe her or not. It is strangely suspicious, but at a time like this, I have no strength to be thinking about the slightest abnormalities.

'Any chance you know why they took Rue?' Orion asks my mother, as she hesitantly shakes her head. I sigh, unsure of what to do next. As a parent, it is only right that I find my children first... however, is it right that I do so, when everyone else is depending on me?

I pace up and down the road, internally killing myself for wasting so much time when each second might be vital. I decide to take a little walk, staring straight ahead when I trip over something. Wincing, I get back up and look at what I've tripped over. In front of me is an aged woman, so beautiful she almost looks inhuman. She's eerily still and unblinking, which causes me to believe she is not alive anymore. I look at her unnaturally long eyelashes, noticing her dark green eyes.

Dark green eyes... such a rarity. Who else that I knew had dark green eyes? I scan the rest of her body, my eyes stopping at her wrist. A brown dot, the same as Annie Cresta's. Then I remember. Annie also had the dark green eyes, when I was sure that hers were originally a brown.

I run past her, trying to see if the killer is anywhere near. I pause for a second, catching a breath.

I look up, and my jaw opens in shock as I see rows and rows of beautiful women, eyes the colour of seaweed, and their arms with a large brown dot.

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