hunted • haymitch abernathy

ten

"Does that mean you've fallen in love if you've thought of these things?" Caesar reached, hoping to reign in the crowd that was currently eating from the palm of Ember's hand.

Ember thought over his question before settling on speaking her truth, "I'm unsure, Caesar, I have an interest in someone that feels as though it peeks a bit beyond what I would call friendship but as I get older, sometimes I think of having children of my own as I am surrounded by some wonderful parents back home who have the most beautiful children, it gets you wondering, I suppose, or not considering my current situation."

Screaming, shouting, crying, as Caesar was left momentarily speechless and when he finally opened his mouth to speak, the buzzer signalling the end of her three minutes is up and the anger grows louder when the crowd realizes they had barely gotten anything Ember.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give a hand for the lovely Ember Tides." Caesar shouted, "The Capitol wishes you nothing but luck."

Ember hugged him once more and blew a kiss to the screaming crowd as she ascended the staircase behind the chairs where the rest of the tributes who had already had their interviews were already seated and she sat down in the chair beside Blight as Woof was called out onto the stage and he spent his three minutes discussing how proud he was that he could watch the people in the Capitol grow and get to know them, as well as a few other things that had Ember attempting to contain her laughter.

When Katniss Everdeen finally took the stage, people were already calling for change but at the sight of the wedding dress sent the audience into a spiral, especially after her brief words with Cinna before she was twirling, much like she had the year before, but this time, the flames engulfed her entire body and when the smoke cleared, the white silk had been replaced by feathers in the colour of coal and when the Girl on Fire raised her arms, it was apparent that the only white left on the dress was shaped into wings did Ember finally understand.

Katniss Everdeen was the face of this rebellion, she was the Mockingjay.

Haymitch had a plan.

She didn't know exactly what he was up to but she knew he had a plan.

"Feathers." Caesar spoke in awe, "You're like a bird."

"A Mockingjay, I think." Katniss responded, giving the wings a gentle flap as she glanced down at her dress, "It's the bird on the pin I wear as a token."

"She doesn't understand the meaning, does she?" Woof murmured to Ember who smiled faintly.

"Maybe not yet." She replied to him, "She will though."

Katniss and Caesar exchange a few more words and from the audience, Cinna gets to his feet and takes a bow before Katniss' time is up and Peeta is announced once she's seated, her dress bunched up around her.

It was Peeta who lit the fuse of the bomb that each victor's words had begun to build through their interviews in the shapes of a secret wedding and a pregnancy that had every person in the building turned to Katniss in shock.

It was silent for a short moment before the audience erupted louder than they had all night, accusations of cruelty and pleads for the games to be cancelled flew around the building that not even Caesar Flickerman and his quick words could rein in and as Peeta ascends the staircase and Katniss stands to greet him, the Capitol's anthem begins to blast so loud that Ember's teeth chatter due to the vibration of the volume.

Ember felt numb as the twenty-two victors not standing to begin to rise to their feet, she wasn't even sure if Katniss was truly pregnant but it hit close to home because she had volunteered to keep Aspen and her unborn baby safe and away from the games and now this.

She watched Katniss grab Chaff's hand from the corner of her eye and just as quickly, up and down the row, they all began to join hands, some rather quickly and others only doing it to appease the demands of those near them and when they are joined hand in hand, they raised their arms into the air in the very first public display of unity between all twelve districts since the Darks Days.

Ember looks over her shoulder as the screens begin to switch off and she smirks to herself because all of Panem has seen their display and she can't even bring herself to fight the Peacekeepers that rush to the stage as the lights switch out because the rebellion was in full force.

The games may go ahead in the morning but there was no stopping them and their defiance now.

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so far, i think this is the longest chapter i've written for ember and i'm incredibly happy with it.

thanks for reading and I hope you're all staying safe!

~r