Blaze

The Mockingjay

"What are you going to say when you get up there?" Peeta asks me lightly as we watch Cashmere and Gloss take the stage. They go up together with six minutes because they're brother and sister and refused to be separated. I wish Peeta and I would have done something like that. Cashmere is already crying, fanning her eyes so her makeup doesn't run. I wonder if it's all for show or if it's real.

"Well, they'll probably ask about my dress. I guess I'll just go from there." I said lightly. Peeta nods and smiles. "Do you know what you're saying?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"I'll probably try to lighten the mood. The crowd will be an absolute mess when they get to us." I arch an eyebrow at him confused, but I can see it. The crowd is crying with Cashmere and it dawns on me that these victors, are their victors, the Capitol's. They've watched us all fight our way to the top and they must feel some sort of remorse seeing us go back in.

"Sounds like a good idea." I say with a small smile. Cashmere is spewing some speech about how through this whole training process she's been in tears thinking about how their beloved Capitol will react to watching them die on screen. There's shouts and protests. People telling them it won't happen but some look horror stricken because they know she's right. If one of them doesn't die, the other will

"What are they doing?" I asked after their six minutes are up. The crowd is riled up, reveling in grief as they take their place behind Caesar Flickerman. Unlike last year, we're being forced to stand onstage. Maybe so they can see our grief or maybe so they can see us in all our glory, one last time.

"They're trying to get enough people mad." Johanna says, coming up behind me. I jump at the sound of her voice, which is harder than it sounds in this dress.

"For what?" I ask. She rolls her eyes at my stupid question.

"Because we think.." She glances at Blight, the guy from her district. "Well, some of us think that if we get the Capitol mad enough, the President will back down on these games and change the Quell to something else."

"That would set the Games back though." Peeta points out.

"Who cares. If the Capitol is unhappy, President Snow will have to sedate them somehow and they probably won't be satisfied unless we're in the clear." I shake my head. It won't work. President Snow wants Peeta and I dead. He won't stop until he's accomplished that. He doesn't care whose feelings he hurts.

"It won't work." I murmur. Johanna sighs.

"Always the optimist Girl on Fire." I bite my bottom lip as she walks away. Peeta grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly.

"Don't let her get to you." I nod my head but don't reply.

Enobaria and Flickerman talk about Capitol affairs, all very un-interesting to me. Brutus talks about how he's going to use his brute strength to win before proceeding to show off his bulging muscles. I shudder thinking about how he could snap my neck. Beetee brings up the topic of whether or not these games are legal. Victors are supposed to have immunity and here we are going back into the arena.

Finnick recites a poem to his "one true love". Girls are swooning and falling out of their seats all over the place. Everyone thinks he's talking about them. By the time Johanna gets up there, I can tell there's been a change in the air by the way the Capitol reacts to the next few Victors. Johanna wonders if they Quell could be changed because all of us have formed "such a great bond" with the Capitol. They love us and we love them.

Seeder, quietly talks about how President Snow is all powerful and could change the Quell if he wished it. It would happen in an instant and nobody would question it. Chaff goes on to talk about how he thinks the President doesn't care that much about us. I'm surprised we're not all dead already with all the propaganda we're throwing around.