· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎ RUINS ▎
»»————-　act two. fan the flames
THIRTY FOUR ━━ a white rose

I know my place, we're all just
pieces in their games

— birdy

      ERIN SAT ALONE IN THE CAFETERIA, HER HANDS intertwined on her lap as she stared at the screen displaying Peeta Mellark in a typical fancy suit made in the Capitol. And like a puppet, the Mellark boy was displayed to all the districts and all the people inhabitating the places. The brunette looked at the small screen with hatred burning in her veins as the boy was showed like some priced possesion, like a subtle 'we won' spoken by president Snow himself. Even though no one knew for sure what was happening inside the walls of wherever there friends and allies were held, they knew it was not pleasant. It was torture for those stranded within the Capitol, in Snow's clutches. But even when the white haired man couldn't see them, couldn't touch them, he could hurt them all the same. And he did that in the form of Peeta Mellark, the boy just a pawn in the big game they were playing. They were all pawns in this game of life and death.

     Only it wasn't the Peeta she had known over the last year, the sweet and caring boy was just a shell of his former self, quaking in his seat, a tight grip on his armrests. His eyes lost their spark, only a hollow stare was gazing back at the camera as he talked with a strain in his voice, like every word that came out of his mouth hurt. His clothes hung limply at his thin figure and in his hand he held one simple white rose, absendmindly twirling it between his fingers in a nervous manmer. It was another subtle jab at them, the white rose was like a signature of the evil man they faced in this war. A sign of poison, a clever object to show them it was no longer Peeta Mellark the baker's son of district twelve, but a boy manipulated and poisoned by Snow. the sight alone made her stomach turn and her head spin.

     The sound of the elevator coming down brought Erin to momentarily look over her shoulder to see Gale and Katnnis entering the hall, solemn looks on their faces too when they realised it was Peeta's voice cuting the tense air inside the room. The cling of metal echoing through the room as the elevator doors opened and the two ex-district twelve residents stepped out.

     "She was arguably our favorite tribute and I think that what we all find most astonishing-" Ceaser's voice engulved the room in an eerie silence again as Erin heard Gale and Katniss coming closer to her.

     "-is that this girl was adored in the Capitol. And I think for you Peeta, it must be particulary painful."

     "Wish I could give this rose to you Katniss." Peeta's voice was void of emotion, his words a mere whisper as Katniss dropped her bag on a nearby table, her eyes not once leaving the screen as she looked at Peeta, sadness flickering in her dark orbs before she quickly took a seat beside Erin.

     "He's changed so much already," Katniss stated under the voices on the television, her words laced with disbelieve. "What are they doing to him?"

     "A sweet gesture for a girl who has inspired such violence. You must love her very much to be able to forgive her." Caesar replied to Peeta statement without his normal characteristic enthousiasm he always possed during the time of the Hunger Games. Only now his flamboyant smile and excited eyes were quite serious as he talked to the boy.

     Erin bit het lip anxiously as she glimpsed at Katniss before back up at the screen in distate. "He's shaking."

     "I don't think that I could." Caesar continued, stating his opinion on the matter that was probably forced down his throat, he was a puppet to Snow just like Peeta was. "Unless, of course, Peeta, you think that perhaps she's being forced into saying things that she doesn't even understand."

     "Yeah," Peeta said in a soft tone. "Yeah, that's exactly what I think."

     Erin bit the inside of her cheek as Peeta finally looked directly in the camera and as she took in the hollow cheekbones and dark circles under eyes her hatred was only fueled more.

     "Even his voice is different," Katniss breathed out as she inched her way closer to the screen, like if she could actually touch him, her eyes trained on Peeta as a scowl formed on her face by the mere thought of what they were doing to him.

      "I think they're using her to whip up the rebels. I doubt she even knows what's happening and what's really at stake." His voice was louder now as he spoke to defend Katniss. And Erin believed that whatever they did to him, deep down his heart would always beat for Katniss Everdeen, it was not engraved in his brain where the Capitol could mess woth it, it was engraved in his heart and no one could force it out of him.

     "Now, Peeta, I doubt that the rebels will ever let her see this, but if they do, what would you say to her? To Katniss Everdeen, the once sweet Katniss Everdeen. What would you say?" Caesar wondered turning to glance at the camera before he focusef back on Peeta.

     Peeta blinked slowly and turned away from Caesar to look to the camera, staring right through to them.

     "I would- I would tell her to think for herself." His voice trembled slightly and the tears he was holding back became more visible as the camera zoomed in.

     "Yes," Caesar urged him to continue.

      He let a couple of tears slip down his face as he tried to gather his thoughts,"Don't be a fool, Katniss. I know you never wanted the rebellion. The things that you did in the Games were never intended to start all of this. The rebels have made you into something that you're not, something that could destroy all of us." The crack in his voice made Erin glance at Katniss to see her cling onto every word, her normal stoic expression morphed into one of disbelief.

     "So if you have any power or any say in what they do or how they use you; please, please, urge them to stop this war before it's too late, and ask yourself, can you trust the people you're working with? Do you know what they really want?"

     "Thank you Peeta Mellark for these revelations about the real Mockingjay. "

     "We need to respond." Gale shook his head and both girls looked back at him in surprise.

     "Did you see what he looks like?" Katniss asked in surprise, now fully facing Gale as Erin stood up from the bench she was sitting at to stand beside Katniss.

     "I saw a coward." Gale replied instantly, a bitter tone laced withing his words as he nodded his head to the screen that had displayed Peeta's face only seconds ago.

     "You don't have any idea on what he's going through!" Katniss spit back.

     "I don't care! I would never have said those things he just said. Not if they tortured me, not with a gun to my head." Gale bit back in outrage looking between Erin and Katniss.

     "You don't know that Gale, you're not in his position!" Erin snapped, stepping up beside Katniss.

     "That is the same Peeta that defended you at the whipping post." Katniss stated, looking up at Gale with fire sparking in her eyes.

     "No it's not. He's only defending himself."

    Beeping cut through the tense silence and interupted Gale's shouting as he looked down at the device. "Coin called a meeting we need to respond."

     "When did we became you and Coin?" Katniss wondered harshly.

     "Everyone has a choice." Gale turned back around to look at the Mockingjay. "How can he sit there in the Capitol and defend the people who destroyed his home and murdered his family?"

     Realisation dawmed on Katniss' face before she spoke "He doesn't know. How could he? Nobody seen what the Capitol did to twelve. I have to show them."

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