Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"be the girl who decided to go for it." - ? _________
We're walking the streets of the once lively Capitol. Now, it's a ghost town. I don't have good memories of the Capitol, as the only times I had been there had either been for Snow's prostitution, being kidnapped, or going into the games. I could recognize a couple of houses.
"Are you feeling better?" Marina asks me. I had gotten sick twice already in the past few weeks. I nod; I felt fine. She nods, and continues to talk to Uncle Fletcher. I look up towards Finnick, who I'm walking by. "Not a dream?" It had become a common question for me to ask. Sure, my memories weren't altered like Peeta's, but they had taken away my reality. The dreams and Thist had convinced me that Finnick was dead. But he wasn't. Now, I wanted to make sure everything was real so I could grasp it better. "Not a dream." Finnick confirms.
It feels odd; wearing a soldiers uniform. The gun was heavy on my back, and the multiple layers make me sweat. The holo beeps, signalling that there are pods nearby. Boggs let Katniss ready her arrow so Cressida can get it on film. Katniss sighs as Cressida tells her not to shoot it yet. I'd noticed Katniss did not want to shoot propos anymore.
"Okay, go ahead." Katniss lets her arrow fly, causing a large explosion. I shield my face out of instinct, and watch as an abandoned car gets thrown around. "Let's move."
***
We find shelter in a half blown up building a few blocks down. I wince, causing Finnick to turn towards me. "Are you okay?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little pain. It's gone now." I tell him. Finnick still looks worried.
"What if something's wrong with your appendix? It could burst, and we would be helpless out here. Unless Katniss really studied her mother." Finnick mutters.
"I've won the Hunger Games, honey. God would really be out to smite me if he killed me with a burst appendix. I'm fine, Finnick. I get random pains all the time; courtesy of President Snow." I chuckle, and he rolls his eyes. We're interrupted by the sound of a large vehicle.
"Peacekeepers?" Mitchell asks, as we're all on our feet, weapons in hand. Jackson contacts back to base as we go outside.
"Weapons down! It's friendly." Jackson shouts, which confuses me. Were they sending more people to join the Star Squad? We hear the doors open, and within a few seconds, see Peeta walking towards us, mumbling to himself. Both of his arms are being held by guards.
Katniss immediately has her bow pointing at the baker's boy. Finnick pushes it down, and I put my hand on her shoulder, telling her everything was fine. Jackson moves towards him with handcuffs. I feel bad for the boy - all he had wanted to do was save Katniss. Now, he was what Marina referred to as; 'the Capitol's bitch'. He's gained some of his weight back, and his eyes aren't as bloodshot anymore, but he still looks rough.
"Soldier, this is just a precaution until we get everything figured out, alright?" Jackson puts the cuffs on him and he nods, still mumbling to himself. We head back inside and wait for Boggs to tell us why Peeta had just arrived. We're sitting down again, and it feels good to be off of my feet.
"Coin wants us to add him to the propo. Show them he's on our side now. We'll move forward a few blocks tomorrow and shoot the new footage." Boggs doesn't seem enthused to be saying this.
"He's not in control of himself." Gale says. He's not wrong - Peeta looked like he was either going to attack or pass out any moment.
"I suggest we schedule an around the clock watch on him The Leegs until 1700, Homes and Mitchell until 1900." Jackson tells Boggs, who nods. I look outside to make sure my uncle was still safe - he was keeping watch.
"Give me a watch." Katniss says. I know that if I were in her position, I would want to watch over Finnick, too. "Yeah. I'll stay awake with her." I pipe in.
"And if it really came down to it, you really think either of you could shoot him?" Jackson asks, mainly looking to Katniss. Though, the thought of killing Peeta makes me shiver.
"I wouldn't be shooting Peeta. I'd be shooting a Capitol mutt." Katniss says. I turn to Peeta, unable to read his response. Before being brainwashed, he was much easier to read than Katniss. Now, it was the opposite.
"I'm not sure that kind of comment recommends you for the job, either, soldier." Jackson sighs.
"Put her in the rotation." Boggs instructs Jackson, before stepping outside, next to my uncle. I can see them talking, but I'm not sure what about.
"Coralia, Marina, can you, uh, come with me for a minute?" I nod, standing up and following my sister. "What's up?" Marina asks.
"I have some questions, and they're about your mom. I figure you have every right to know what's going on." She tells us before we reach Boggs. He was no longer talking to my uncle; he was staring at the sky.
"He's going to try to kill me. Especially with all this going on...it's gonna set him off." It's true, Peeta did look like a ticking time bomb.
"We'll keep him contained." Boggs says somberly.
"Why would Coin do this?" Katniss asks, looking back at my sister and I for a second. Boggs looks at the three of us.
"Here's all I know; it was Peeta that she wanted rescued from the arena. She never liked you. As for you, Underfell and Odair, I've worked with her a good part of my life. She had said that she wanted to get away from her family and never look back. She's scared of you both, now. She doesn't like anything or anyone she can't control." Boggs tells us. I look towards the ground, wondering what kind of mother could do that.
"So she would put my life - our lives at risk?" Katniss asks.
"She'd deny it, but..."
"What?" Marina asks.
"One way or another, this war is going to come to an end. They promise a free election. Maybe she's starting to see you as a threat." Boggs explains.
"No one would think I would be a leader." Katniss shakes her head. I know our lives aren't as important to be a leader. My mother could care less if either of us died, and I was starting to see that.
"You three, you would throw your support to someone; would it be her?" Katniss stays silent, and I think of the woman I'd seen on the screens - I think her name was Commander Paylor. She seemed like a good leader. "No way." Marina shakes her head.
"If your immediate answer isn't 'yes', then you're dangerous." Boggs continues. I step away from Boggs and Katniss, and my sister follows me. I put my hand over my mouth, trying not to let my tears fall.
This was all to similar to Snow's story. Pretend to be allies with them, and then kill them if they don't agree with you. She claims she wants to put an end to the games, but I feel as if she'd create something just as bad. They were both snakes, and could not be trusted. At this point, I feared for my dad's safety back in District 13.
"She's not the hero we've been waiting for...she's slowly turning into the villian."
