The Wrong Victor

Chapter one: Peeta

Where am I? What's going on? I keep my eyes closed just in case there's someone nearby looking to kill me. I hold my breath and just listen. Sounds clear. My eyes shoot open. Where am I? I'm surrounded by metal walls that look like a box. Am I in a hovercraft? Do they think I'm dead? What happened.

I launch my body into a seated position and notice Beetee laying down unconscious on a mat not too far from my own. I am covered in wires. What happened?

Katniss and Johanna ran off with the wire. The wire was cut and we were attacked. I heard a cannon and immediately ran to find Katniss. I screamed for her to call out for me. I never found her. I circled back toward the tree killing a career that had gotten in my way. I made it back just in time to see Katniss shoot the arrow up into the force field. Then it was bright. Too bright for me to see. But I remember screaming for her.

That doesn't answer where I am. I pull out the needles connected to me and I struggle to stand. I notice my prosthetic is taken off. I don't have time. I need to find Katniss. I need something. A weapon. Anything. Air to the blood stream. I grab a syringe off the cart if medical supplies and hop to the door. It opens and I scope the area before hopping out of the room and into a hall. Where do I go now? I hear voices. Familiar voices. I hop towards the door concealing them.

"He's going to be angry. Angrier than she would have been had we gotten her." Is that... is that Haymitch? It can't be. This hovercraft is owned by the Capitol.

This time a second voice speaks to address Haymitch's claim. "He's better at words. We couldn't have predicted they would get there first and grab her. We couldn't have predicted this. We have to work with what we have." Plutarch? I only talked to him once at the ending of the Victory Tour. He and Katniss seemed to talk more that night. I never asked.

"It doesn't matter. What I'm saying is that boy is going to kill all of us because we didn't save her. You think Katniss started this revolution but that boy will end it in two seconds to get that girl back alive. Your president won't stand a chance against him." Haymitch again. Where is Katniss? Is this not the Capitol's hovercraft? If so, then why did he say "your president" instead of just Snow? Who is he talking about trying to save Katniss? Where is she?

"She'll make a deal. To save her he does the work."

This time it's a third voice. Finnick? "And what about Annie? They stole her too. What about Johanna? There's others that were kidnapped. Should I rely on Peeta to save them? He has a bum leg." Okay this is enough. They're talking about me. Katniss isn't with us and this is the revolution. I hide the syringe behind my back before hopping into the room.

"Mind to tell me what's going on?" I ask calmly knowing there's always a calm before a storm and a storm is brewing quickly. "Where is Katniss? Where are we? What's going on?"

Haymitch grabs my arm and tries to help me into a chair but I shove him off. "Plutarch wish to tell him what happened?" Haymitch obviously doesn't want to take any blame. However, is Haymitch sober? Doesn't matter.

Plutarch looks at me and let's out a sigh as he pulls up a video feed. "So when Katniss fired the arrow into the force field it broke. Everything went down. The rebellion could sneak in and rescue her and the others we could. It was originally planned to save her." He said before fast forwarding the video to show a hovercraft lifting Katniss' body. I feel my heart stop. She looks dead. Tell me she's not dead. "She's believed to be alive. However, the Capitol got to her first and captured her. We rescued you and Finnick and Beetee. We didn't have time to rescue Johanna either."

Katniss is gone. She's in the Capitol again. She's alone. I should be there. It should be me. "That should have been me. Not her." I growl out watching the video replay the hovercraft pick up Katniss in the claw and pull her into the chamber where her torture begins. I should be there! Not her!

"We cannot think about that right now, Peeta." Haymitch says grabbing my shoulder. And why not? "We need to go to District Thirteen and-" I cut him off.

"No we need to save Katniss and the others who were taken. So how are we going to do that?" I lean on the table and look at Finnick who looks worried and exhausted. I have a feeling I'll look the same as the days go one.

Plutarch sighs earning our attention. "President Coin will decide when the best time is. Until then we need to rally the Districts against the Capitol. Peeta, in Katniss' absence you are the Mockingjay."

I stare at him and just laugh. "I will not leave the rescue of those victors up to this President Coin. It's not happening. If you want anything from me then you'll rescue them as soon as possible. And if at any point I feel you are not doing everything to save them I will stop doing your dirty work until their rescue is back on track." I stare him down. He's not too much shorter than me but he's plump like the other Capitol workers. Well fed. I could take him out if I needed to.

He shifts under my stare as if knowing his life is on the line if he doesn't tell me what I want to hear. "President Coin will discuss that with you after you have been cleared by the infirmary and given a new prosthetic. Only then will she discuss the matters."

"No, they will be there in the infirmary waiting for my arrival. As I am being given treatment we will go over the plan of rescue. None of your rebellion happens without me, yes?" Plutarch nods, "Then your president will be there and a course of action will be made as soon as possible. Without it your rebellion never happens." Then I turn to Haymitch who has been avoiding blame. "But you. You promised me she would be the one you got out. You swore to me that she would be the one to save." I growl at him before I finally attack knowing Haymitch can handle it.

"Kid! We wanted to save her. We didn't know the Capitol would take her first." Haymitch says as he slams me into the wall holding the syringe to my neck. I fight against his hold.

"You promised. You promised me! I asked for one thing. One! For her to be safe. And you promised!" I shove on him but he keeps his grip.

"Kid, I wanted to save her. I wanted to save all of you." Haymitch says before turning to Finnick. "Annie too. Had I been in charge Annie would have already been on the way with someone from Thirteen to go to the hovercraft during the last few minutes of the games. I would have had someone tell you to be all together at midnight. You need to calm down."

I still struggle against him as tears finally make their way to my eyes and spill out to my cheeks. "She's being tortured, if she's not already dead! Telling me what you would have done is doing nothing for her!" I finally shove him off of me and look at the three. "Katniss is probably being tortured right now and what am I doing to stop that? Nothing! I'm stuck here with you three on our way to wherever to meet a president. And the president doesn't seem too worried about rescuing the victors who help start this rebellion." I sneer at them before finally lunging at Plutarch with my hands. Haymitch and Finnick grab me and pull me away from him only for a needle to be stuck in my neck and medicine pushed in.

I start feeling faint as Haymitch lays me down. I stare up at him with tears running down my cheeks. "You promised me. You lied. You're a liar." I cry. My eyes close of their own accord pulling me into a dreamless sleep.