The Third Everdeen

Chapter 36

I nodded, "Yep, that's a mockingjay," I smiled.

Pollux put his fingers to his mouth and whistled the four note tune, and it was repeated by the creature. There was an echo from all the other mockingjays in the area.

"Well now they'll never shut up," Gale chuckled.

Pollux tapped his mouth then made a gesture to the sky and pointed to me, I was confused, "You want me... to sing?" He nodded. 

I was about to refuse when Katniss stopped me, "Go ahead Lily."

I thought about it then thought of the song:

Are you, are you comin' to the tree?

Where they strung up a man

They say who murdered three.

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be,

If we met at midnight in the hanging tree. 

Are you, are you, comin' to the tree?

Where a dead man called out, 

for his love to flee

Strange things did happen here, 

No stranger would it be.

If we met at midnight in the hanging tree.

Are you, are you comin' to the tree?

Where I told you to run,

So we'd both be free

Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be,

If we met at midnight in the hanging tree.

~

We made it back to base, and they put together the footage from the day. They stacked my singing over the footage of us in 12. I was walking down a hall when suddenly the song started playing through the speakers in the whole building. 

I found out about the attack on the dam and how the Capitol lost power. I was in awe about how moved these people were from the video, Beetee told me every District saw it. We were really moving forward. Katniss grabbed me and brought me to the cafeteria to eat with her and Prim.

The three of us sat at a table and ate our food in silence. Not even ten minutes later Boggs approached me. 

"Lily, you're wanted in Command." I nodded and stood up, I smiled at Katniss and kissed Prim's head then followed him out of the room. 

~

I took a step in Command and immediately recognized Peeta's voice coming from the speakers.

"Tonight, we've recieved reports of detailed trains, of granaries on fire, and of a savage attack on the hydroelectric dam in District 5." I sped up and gasped, my hand covering my mouth from making any more noise. Peeta. He looked even worse than last time. His suit size seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, his head almost looked too big for his body. His eyes were sullen and lifeless, I could see his cheekbones protruding from the sides of his face, there were bags under his eyes. My poor Peeta. 

"What have they done? What did they do to you?" I whispered to myself as the live-feed continued.

Peeta's eyes looked red and puffy as if he was going to start crying again, "I'm begging for restraint and decency..."