I'm dressed in the hastily made Mockingjay armoured suit and on the roof of the Justice Building with a clear view. I have a earpiece in connecting me to Haymitch in 13 just in case he needs to direct me to a good propo shot.
"The girl is just fine. Will you please focus so you don't go and get yourself killed like you did in the Quell?" His rough tired voice sounds in my ear. I roll my eyes and shake my head at him.
"Where is she right now?" I ask wanting to know that she's nowhere near a screen to see this play out.
"With Prim outside hunting and fishing and probably swimming."
"At night?"
"It's the only place without a screen showing this right now. So yes, she's out at night. She and Prim have Johanna and Annie and Finnick with them. They're fine. Focus!"
I look at the mountain as our hovercrafts are ignored by the commanders in the Nut and allowed to pass around. However after two rounds of bombing we have their attention. By the time their anitaircraft weapons fire it's too late and Gale's plan exceeds expectations.
Beetee was right about the inability to control the forced natural disaster. Once the mountain sides are set in motion they are crashing in like two waves meeting. The sides are naturally unstable, but to see the Nut completely collapse.
The Nut is now a tomb. The avalanche obliterated any sign that human beings ever set foot on the place and now we all stand speechless. We're tiny as the stone waves flow down the mountain as loud as thunder. The cloud of dirt and debris blackens the already dark night sky.
I can imagine the inside of the tomb we created. Much like when we were bombed in 13. Lights, sirens, and panicked shrieks. We are just like the Capitol. No different. Willing to kill anyone in our way to keep ahead.
"Peeta!" I hear Haymitch yell into my ear but I shake my head. No. I did not want to kill innocent people and they did it without a blink of an eye. "Peeta!"
I've seen the mine collapse and kill through the years. I've seen many mourn. I've seen the destruction of families. I've seen the tears. What have we done?
"Peeta, talk to me. I know you're there." Haymitch is obviously concerned and slightly angry.
"What? We just bombed and trapped innocent people. We are no different than the Capitol." I yell my hand pointing to the Nut even though Haymitch can't see. The other's on the roof have left and I just want to yell at them.
"Inside. Now. The Capitol may retaliate. Katniss won't be better if you're dead, boy. Inside." His voice is sharp and commanding. I trudge inside and look at the building. The same building I was in just a year ago getting congratulated for winning the Games. For killing children.
Where Katniss was failing to calm the districts even with my help. Where we faced Cato's family. The other blonde boy who I shoved to the mutts. The mutts with the eyes of every other tribute. The mutts that tore him apart just like we did the families of 2 with people in the Nut.
"Peeta, we didn't bomb the tunnel. Some will get out." Boggs has the glint of the white marble shining on his skin. I glare at him and just laugh.
"Oh, yeah. They'll get out then we'll shoot them. Face it. We're no better than them." I hiss out pointing to his gun.
"Only if we have to."
"And you will refuse to sent the train in to help evacuate wounded."
"We need to go."
"So my face and be plaster all of the screens and show that I'm some hero when we just hurt hundreds if not thousands of people including our own. So my face can be the center and I get all the credit for being the leader of the rebellion when I am just a pretty face for Coin to control."
"Peeta," Coin's stern higher pitched voice meets my ear. "The square or Katniss is locked up in her room. You do as I say or your little girlfriend pays the price."
I pull out my earpiece and follow Boggs to the square. Hours ago it was barren now there are hundreds of rebel soldiers with guns standing and waiting for the survivors, if there are any.
Gunfire sounds and it's most likely Peacekeepers trying to fight their way in to rescue their comrades. While we give no worry to save our soldiers.
"I'll get you a blanket." Boggs says and I look at him.
"I'd much rather you go in and help pull out the injured." I hiss at the man who stands not too much taller than me.
"Haymitch has news for you." Boggs says handing me my thrown earpiece before walking away.
"Katniss is back inside. There was a wild animal attack. Everyone is fine. Katniss is away from the screens, but Prim practically ran in." That doesn't sound like everyone is alright. "The girl had a giant smile on and she said that Katniss was doing a few chores in the kitchen with Sae and helped clean an animal."
"She's been cleaning animals with Sae in the kitchen for a while now." I am not in the mood.
"Prim says she was singing. Singing the meadow song."
"That song used to make her upset. Did she get upset?" More gunfire and I watch as murderer Gale runs out with a group of rebels. I don't go because I refuse to put my face on this event that I protested.
"Nope. Prim ran back to the kitchen, but I'm walking. You stay on and stop protesting you get to hear her sing."
And on that cue Cressida comes over and attaches a microphone to my suit. Great a speech. "I get to talk to her before I make any speech."
"Fine, but you say roughly what we say. Understand?"
"So I don't even get to make my own speeches anymore?"
"Not this time. You're too angry and it'll backfire on Coin. Then backfire on me and Katniss. I won't let you risk it and you shouldn't risk it." I head the door of the kitchens open and I can hear her soft voice singing with Prim harmonizing. I smile as Cressida continues to mess with my suit and then worries about my hair and some soot on my face.
"Katniss?" I ask and the singing stops.
"Peeta? You're okay." I smile and nod.
"I'm okay. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. Killed a mountain cat. We're going to have cat and potato soup tomorrow. Prim's a little upset because I teased we should throw Buttercup -NO!- in with the mountain cat."
"Don't tease her too much. Maybe I'll be back in time to eat that soup." I hear Katniss whine and I'm met with Haymitch's chuckles in my ear.
"Times up. We have to do the speech. The Nut is defeated. No one has come out and everyone is thought of as dead. We think if you go out and do our speech saying the Nut is defeated and the presence of the Capitol is finished then the rest might surrender."
"And the mic is for? Because I can't see the forces and I'm sure you want video of this."
"You'll be broadcasting to the emergency audio system and your image on the big screens. And be careful. You'll be exposed."
I walk out and click the on button for my mic. I look around and clear my throat. "People of District Two, this is Peeta Mellark speaking to you form the steps of your Justice Building-"
A pair of trains come screeching into the train station side by side and I quickly race down the steps to help if there are injured. I'm shoved down and covered as there's gunfire taking out the lights. They came armed. Of course they would. I would have if a place bombed me and waited for me to walk out of the frying pan and into the fire.
One of the trains is on fire as people try to escape the trains. A young man staggers out dragging his gun. He falls and he's burnt. I can't let this continue. I shove whoever covered me off and stand up at the base of the stairs. "Stop! Hold your fire!" I shout at the rebels the mic making my voice louder than it actually is. "Stop." I walk to the boy on the ground and stop when he drags himself up to his knees his gun trained on my head.
I step back and toss my own gun from my body to show I mean no harm. I hold my hands up and stare at the young boy. Couldn't be more than just a few years younger than me. He has a hole in his cheek from a rock punctured his face. He smells of burnt hair, meat, and fuel. His eyes terrified and glazed in pain.
"Freeze." Haymitch whispers in my ear. I don't move a muscle as I stand at the mercy of a man with nothing to lose. This image is most likely plastered on the screen of everyone in Panem.
"Give me-" The boy starts to cough and I just wait. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you."
The rest of the world seem obsolete. There's only me and this boy from the Nut. I should be able to come up with one, but with the things Coin has made me do. The things the games made me do. "I can't."
Logically the next move would be to put a bullet between my eyes, but my answer perplexes the boy. And it's true I cannot give him a reason not to shoot me. "I can't. That's the problem, isn't it?" I scoff and pull out my earpiece. "We blew up your mine. You burned my district to the ground. We've got every reason to kill each other. So do it. Make the Capitol happy. I am done being a piece in their games. I've been a pawn since my name was pulled. Make Snow happy."
"I'm not their slave." The boy mutters out.
"But I am." I say shrugging my shoulders. "That's why I helped kill Cato. He killed Thresh and Thresh killed Clove and Clove tried to kill Katniss and Katniss tried to kill me. The cycle goes around and around and around and who wins? Not us. We're dead. Not the districts, they're burnt to a crisp and abandoned. The Capitol. Snow. He makes us do his killing for him. We're all just pieces in their games. I'm tired of it."
I remember the night on the rooftop the night before our first Games. How I told Katniss I wasn't going to be a piece, but I was. I was in their hand the moment my name was picked. I hope she's not watching. But if she is I hope she can move on from me. I hope she can get better and live a life with Prim and be happy. I hope she can forget me and forgive me for not saving her sooner.
"When I saw the mountain fall tonight. I knew they had done it again. No matter how much I protest they won again. They had gotten me to kill you and the blood wasn't on their hands. Why? Why did I do it? I have no fight against you. I'm not even protesting you shooting me. Twelve never had a fight against Two. Only the one the Capitol gave us." I kneel down and stare at him. "And why are you fighting with the rebels on the rooftops? With Lyme, your victor? With your neighbors and possibly your family? Why are you fighting them?"
"I don't know." The boy whispers but he doesn't move his gun.
I stand back up and turn to Gale to the other miners who joined the rebellion. "And you? I'm from a mining town. I wasn't in the mines, but you are. When do miners condemn other minders to that kind of death? Then you stand there to kill whoever manages to crawl from the rubble?" I stand sideways and hold my hands out. "These people are not your enemy! You are not enemies. We have one enemy the Capitol, but not ourselves. This is our chance to put an end to their power, but we need every district person to do it!"
I turn back to the boy and hold my hand out. "Please, join us." I look to the screen to see if they are catching a wave of reconciliation.
They aren't. They just film me getting shot.