Chapter Eighteen - Love Hurts
"So now that we're dead what are we going to do?" My brother wondered to the rest of us.
"Is't it obvious?" I turn to Peeta "The next move is to kill me."
"No!" I snapped at him and his gaze drifted towards me
"I murdered one of our squad members. You were right, I'm a mutt." I drop my bow and go over to him, damn the consequences.
"No, you aren't the real you." I knelt in front of him
"It's only a matter of time before I snap again. I'm not in control. I need a nighlock pill, so I can die when I need to." he started to tear up at what he had done, I could see cracks of the old Peeta there.
"If it gets to that point, I'll kill you myself." Gale huffed at him and i turn to my brother glaring at him.
"No one is going to be killing him." I retort then look at Peeta
"You're not well, Snow he did this to you. I know that you don't want to hurt me." I held onto his face and stroked it a little.
"But I have though."
"Yet I'm still kneeling right in front of you. I'm either insane or I must really love you. What I said about you being a mutt, I was angry. You were taken out of care too early. But you're here now." he nodded a little to me. Finn stood up and went in search for food. I joined him looking through cupboards.
"No, not in there." Mesalla told us "I used to live in a unit just like this, people in the Capitol are used to going through hard times. This is where they keep the good stuff." he opened a secret cupboard in the wall revealing the food. I walked over and lifted a packet of cheese.
"Meanwhile the rest of Panem , goes without?" Holmes asked
"That's how it works here."
-----
Sitting down I began eating. Gale held up and sweet that he'd bitten into, then examined it.
"I never really understood the Capitol until now. If we eat like this, you'll believe anything." The Panem tune came up followed my pictures of our squad. Like the fallen when in the games. it was sick. Lastly was me, before. Snow came up on screen.
"So. Lily Mellark, a poor unstable girl, with nothing more that a small talent with a bow and arrow is dead. Not a thinker, not a leader. Simply a face plucked from the masses. Was she valuable? She was extremely valuable to your rebellion, because you have no vision, no true leader among you. You call yourselves an alliance. But we saw what that meant. Your soldiers are at each other's throats." Static cut in before he could talk any more crap. That was when Coin showed up.
"Good Evening. For those who don't know me please, allow me to introduce myself. I am President Alma Coin, leader of the rebellion. I've interrupted a broadcast from your president in which he attempted to defame a brave young woman. 'a face picked from the masses' he called her. As if a leader. A true leader could be anything else, I had the privilege of knowing a small town girl from the Seam in district 12 who survived the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell. Who rose up and turned a nation of slaves into an army" She went all tearful "Dead or alive, Lily Mellark will remain the face of this revolution. She will not have died for nothing."
"I had know idea I mean so much to her." I stated sarcastically.
"Her vision and ours will be realised . A free Panem with self determination for all. And in her memory, we will all find the strength to rid Panem of its oppressors. Thank you and be safe."
Remember The Mockingjay with the three note tune that became famous.
I stood with the holo and went to place it on the table in the middle of the room. Jackson, Cressida joined my side. The others surrounding us as well.
"Snow is in his mansion. Where's that?" I asked bringing up the map of The Capitol and placing it on the table.
"That's us." Cressida pointed to where we were at "That the city circle. It's at least 70, 75 blocks north."
"Seventy-five blocks? Finn questioned
"Uh-huh."
"Nobody knows that we're alive. This is our chance." I told them "These buildings. Do these overlook Snow's gardens?" I asked
"I..." she shook her head not knowing.
"They do."
"If he goes outside at all, I could get a clear shot." I add
"We're getting head of ourselves here. Whether they're looking for us or not, we are pinned down. Hit that button, scan for pods." I did so and many little orange dots came up.
"Just about 10 steps."
"Yeah and that doesn't even show the new ones." Kat sighed
"And the rooftops are just as bad." Jackson commented. There was a silence when Castor spoke up.
"There might be another way."
-----
We packed up and moved to to the underground. Where Pollux guided the way through the tunnels.
"My brother knows these tunnels really well. He worked sanitation down here, right after they made him an Avox." Castor told us coming down last. pollux walked round the corner and we followed I could tell by his posture that this place wasn't filled with good memories.
"Hey. Hey. You're gonna be okay. Look at me. Look at me." Pollux looked at his brother "We're gonna get through this, I promise." He sniffled in agreement he walked forward
"Took us five years to buy his way out of here. He didn't see the sun once." I felt sorry for him, Pollux never deserved that. I held the pod up and I followed along side making sure there were no pods. We heard a train approaching, all of us ran for cover. It went past with peacekeepers inside. Once it was gone I huffed and looked at Pollux.
"We're to exposed here." He thought for a moment and told us to follow him to a door. We went event further down. Once touching bottom I scanned for pods."
"Looks clear." I told them and we went on. In one of the tunnels there was high pressured air shot at us. I winced slightly.
"Everyone Okay?" Jackson asked and I looked back at the others.
"Yeah." I answered. We then found our way into the sewers , I smelled awful but it needed to be done. I held the holo up shining the torch as well to held up. There water became shallow and we found somewhere to stop.
"Alright everyone, we're gonna stop here and get some rest for a bit yeah." We climbed in.
"I'll take first watch." Kat and I sat down.
"Hey Peeta, just tuck yourself in there." I leaned my head on Katniss shoulder and she on my head. We both were out like a light.
"Lily, your watch." Jackson told me. Kat had moved her head to Gale's shoulder. I stood up and moved to sit across from Peeta. I looked out making sure everything was okay, before my gaze settle back on him. His eyes fluttered open.
"You know The Capitol, they used tracker jacker venom on me. That's what the doctors in 13 said. You were stung once too. Real or not real."
"Real." I answered
"When they used the venom on me they would show me pictures of my life. But some weren't real, they changed them." He let out a deep sigh "At first, they all...They all blurred together. But now, now I can sort them out a little. Like the ones that they changed they have this quality. It's like they're shiny. They've been glassed over."
"You should get some rest." I told him
"You're still protecting me. Why?" I brought his hands closer to me and slid my left onto his showing my rings.
"The night before the games we promised we would look after each other in the most humanly way possible. Do you know why I became the Mockingjay?" he shook his head
"For you. I saw only one way to get you back and that meant becoming a symbol. I followed the rules, I did what the asked me too. It hurt me seeing you on the screen deteriorating, but I couldn't give up. Not until I had back. It's dawning on me that this was inevitable. Even if I was captured you would have done the same. The outcome and where we are now would still be the same because we're each other rock."
"You have your family."
"I do, but no one affects me like you do. I love them so much but everyone knows how much I love you."
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