I tighten my fists. I can see Vicky bury his face in his hands and Hazelle pull Posy closer to her. I stay standing, my eyes on the door as one, only one person walks through the door. Posy's face, oh god her small face.S he looks at the person and tried to get out of Hazelle's grip, Vick makes a noise. I let myself lookup. His grey eyes lock him mine.
"Gale."
------------------------------ Gale's POV ----------------------------
She stands in front of me, not looking any better than she did hours ago. Her dark hair in a messy braid, her clothes hung over her figure as if she was a stick, her hands in tight fists, grey eyes locked with mine.
The pain in my chest doesn't fade, it only begins to hurt worse at the sight of what would be my mother. At the sight of two children, I recognized as Posy and Vick. The mutt version of my mother had grey hair, the kind eyes I remembered, and wore a simple dress with leggings. Vicky, his mutt looks nothing like he did. His usually light hair was now dark and his grey eyes were brown with a slight green fade, he wore a T-shirt and jeans. I look at the sweet little dirty blonde haired girl who is struggling to get out of the arms of the mutt version of my mother. Oh, how beautiful Posy would have been. Her blue eyes were on me, her small little hands reaching towards me. The dirty blonde hair I used to braid was flowing over her shoulders. She looked so much like my mother had years ago.
"What do you want." My eyes find her again.
"Answers." Is all I manage to say.
"Momma let me go!" I can see in the corner of my eye the small mutt was still struggling. It was desperate to get out of my mo- the older mutt's arms.
"Why would I tell you anything."
"Because I'm not the bad guy."
"You kidnapped your family. You hurt me." The mutt's voice cracks. I can barely breathe from the pain in my chest.
"I kidnapped mutts for information," I say.
"What do you want to know? How they took you from me again? How they are mad at me, at you? How you made a promise? How much your mother is working to take care of me? How much your siblings miss you? How I miss you."
"Stop," I demand.
"You promised me." The mutt ways, it's voice cracked and broken. "You promised you'd stay."
(Flashback)
"Gale, will you stay with me?" Katniss's voice is tired and quiet.
I nod my head slightly and walk back to my best friend. I let her guide me so I am laying down next to her. I wrap my arms around Katniss as her body tangles into mine and her head falls against my chest. We lay there for a few seconds. I take a deep breath and say one word. One word that was a promise, one that I would keep for as long as I could.
"Always."
(End of flashback)
"I made a promised to a friend, not a mutt," I say back, snapping back into reality.
Something changes on its face. I don't know what exactly but something changes and I watch as the older mutt, stands. The smallest mutt was now in the arms of what as supposed to be Vicky. Not once had it stopped it's struggling, not once.
"Katniss, he's not Gale." The older mutts whispers.
Your not my mother. I wanted to say. You're not really my siblings, you're not really Katniss.
"They've messed with your head Gale." Those grey eyes lock with mine.
They killed you Katniss.
"I'm not a mutt, nor is Hazelle or Posy or Vick."
I watched you fade. I watched the life drain from all of you.
"Don't let them take you from me again." I watch the tears fall down its face, I can hear the crack in its voice, the demand.
"Hawthorne." I turn to the voice of Peeta. His eyes were on the mutt Katniss, but he was speaking to me.
"Mellark." I snap.
"You are wanted in command, it looks like you are going after the mutts after all." He seemed excited about this and for the first time since seeing the mutts, I felt bad for them. If Mellark was taking the job of getting the information, they weren't going to be able to walk at the end of the day.
I can only smirk. I was getting out of this stupid place one again and I was going to be doing what I loved to do the most. I was going to hunt. I walk out of the cell, past Mellark. Peeta turns to the guard, I recognize him. I'm pretty sure his name was Tom.
"Have them separated."
"The child from mother?"
"Separate them, Thomas."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Peeta turns to me. It was odd to think that years ago he was the son of a baker. He was the weak bread boy Katniss and I traded with. Now he is third in command and a jackass.
"Go on then." He snaps.
"Gladly." I snarl. Before I can move a hand grabs my wrist, two hands grab my wrist, Two small hands grab onto the cold skin of my wrist. I look to see the small "child" looking up at me with its blue eyes.
"Don't hurt brother and Prim." It demands, its voice scratchy,
"They're mutts," I say. "Mutts can't feel pain."
"What happened to bubba?" It asks me. The voice of Posy sends more and more pain.
"Exactly what happened to my Posy." I rip my wrist from the child's hands and turn away.
I start to walk away from the cell. For once I was thankful for Peeta Mellark. He was going to claw information from the mutts, he was going to have the look at the people I loved all day and not care at the stabbing pains it brought him, the memories that flashed across his eyes. He was going to do his job and wasn't going to care about the mutts that where programmed to destroy Panem. I walk through the halls rubbing my wrist with my hand. I could still feel her grip on my wrists, her small cold hand against my skin.
Walking into command I saw Mara talking with two people on the net screen. It surprised me to see who the familiar faces were. Haymitch Abernathy and Beete Latier. I walk to Mara standing at her side, away from the camera. I have never liked the cameras although during the war and after it I had to get used to them. I have gone two years without having to be in front of a camera, I hoped to go longer. She glances at me and smirks.
"I have something you don't Abernathy," Mara admitted.
"And what's that." Haymitch laughed.
Mara motions me to stand next to her and I take a deep breath knowing that arguing with her wasn't a very good idea. I walk to stand next to her. I was in view of the camera, I didn't pay attention to that. I watched Haymitch's face pale, his expression change from pissed to terrified.
"I have him." Mara bragged.
"The damn boy is alive." Haymitch trembled.
"I'll give you what you want if you give me what I want."
"You're not having Panem." Beete states.
Mara sighs and shakes her head as if she was disappointed, "Then you shall not have your Mockingjay."
Both men are silent. The woman turns to me. Of course, she had to brag to these men that she had me even though I didn't volunteer to be hers I am.
"I was told It is me who will be finding the . . . kids." I am unsure what so say as Haymitch and Beete can hear me.
"Mellark wasn't up the task." Mara mumbles.
"I am. When am I leaving?"
Please be soon, I want to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Gather up a few men and leave immediately if you wish. We can't let the capitol get them before we do."
"You leave those children alone Hawthorne, they are the property of the capitol!" Haymitch barks.
I look to the screen and give the old man a twisted smile, "Your men better find them before I do then."
And without saying anything else I turn around walking from command. I hear Hatmiych curse and bark orders, I hear Haymitch yelling my name and Mara laughing.
You're so fucked up. My brain screams.
The following hours are full of barking orders, loading guns, loading hovercrafts, and landing in the woods that I once used to hunt in with Katniss. In the hours that follow, me and six other men are dropped in the forest of District 12, we are told that the children are to be found and brought to 13. We are told to kill any capital soldier, person, or official that gets in our way. We are told not to have any mercy.