The Wrong Victor

Chapter thirty-four: Katniss

It's time. We're moving in towards the Capitol. I tightly hold on to Prim's hand since Peeta has to carry his gun in case of mutts. Prim and I are put between him and Finnick so they can protect us from the front and the back. Then we have the Leegs on either side. Prim carries her medical supplies while I carry nothing. They deemed me too erratic to carry anything of importance.

"Just keep your eyes on Peeta. Okay? Just keep your eyes on him." Prim whispers as we make it into the inner part of the city.

I try my best to keep my eyes on Peeta. It's so hard. I can't go crazy. I can't. I'll mess up the plan. I need to stay sane. I can't go mutt mode.

Boggs instructs the soldiers to infiltrate a nearby home before allowing us to enter.

"Grab heavy coats, grab any extra food you see. Prim check the medicine cabinet to see if we need anything from there." Boggs instructs before grabbing my arm. "You sit down and keep your eyes on the floor."

I hear some shuffling and the clicking of a gun. "Get your hand off of her." Finnick says and my arm is released. More shuffling and I'm gently wrapped in an arm. "Let's sit down for a minute. Okay?"

I nod and am guided to a couch. I sit down and close my eyes. "It might be best if we blindfold me." I whisper to Finnick as I start to play with my rope. "I don't want to freak out. Please. This way I won't accidentally look up at something."

"Has anyone seen a handkerchief? If so bring it here." Finnick instructs.

There's some shuffling around me, people having small conversations. Then someone kneels next to me. Their hands are soft but calloused, but not rough. Baker hands. "Hey, we found you a coat." Peeta says before he drapes it over my shoulders and helps me slip my arms in. He gently pulls the hood over my head. "Can I take your braid out? So no one can recognize you from that?"

I nod and his skillful and gently hands take my hair out of my braid.

"We found a handkerchief. Are you sure you want to blindfold yourself?" Peeta asks brushing over my cheek.

I open my eyes a little and stare at him. "It will make me safer. If I can't see anything going on then I won't be a danger to anyone. I don't want to mess up everything." He nods and gently pushes the hood down for a moment. "Thank you." I whisper and close my eyes again.

Peeta gently ties the handkerchief around my eyes and uses hairpins to make sure it doesn't fall off my eyes. I feel him kiss my forehead. "I love you." He whispers as he pulls the hood back over my head. "We're going to be okay."

I nod and sit back on the couch silently waiting for my next orders. It doesn't take long for us to be moving again. We leave the house. This time, we aren't in the other formation.

"We have to blend in. No weapons out. We have to act like citizens." Peeta whispers to me as we walk together. He keeps our arms linked tight not wanting to accidentally lose me.

"Where is Prim?" I ask as I lean on him completely doing my best to walk since I'm blindfolded.

"She's in front of us with Finnick. She's safe." He tells me as we continue to walk.

As we walk our surroundings get louder and louder. We're getting closer to the crowds. I tighten my grip on Peeta as I try to block out all the sound. It's getting it be too much.

"I have you. It's okay." Peeta whispers. We turn right then left then right again. We take a curve then we go down a few steps. We turn right then left and up a ramp. Then stop.

"Tigris, open up." Cressida says knocking on the door.

I hear the door squeak open and I assume this Tigris person is there. "Hello, come in."

"I know you." Peeta says softly as he guides me into the building. "You were a stylist."

"I was, until my snake like cousin decided I wasn't pretty enough." Tigris says before she shuffled around and I hear a metal door open. "You'll need to take off your blindfold dear, to make it down the ladder."

I don't want to. I could hurt someone. I shake my head. "No."

"Katniss, it'll just be a second. Just so you can climb down the ladder safely." Peeta says softly as he guides me closer to where the metal door has opened. "Come on, just for a second then I promise I'll put it back on."

"No, I could hurt you. I could hurt Prim or Finnick." I say pull away from him. "I can climb a ladder blindfold. Just help me find it. I've climbed trees in pitch black. I can climb a ladder."

"It's probably best." I hear Prim say her gentle hand holding my elbow. "I'll go down first and touch your hip when you reach the bottom. Okay?"

I nod and hear shuffling around. I hold on to Peeta's arm as I wait my turn.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" Peeta asks and I gently kick my feet around until I feel the hole. I slowly lower myself down to the ground before trying to get my feet on a rung. Slowly I climb down making sure to keep myself stable and close to the ladder. After a few rungs Prim touches my hip and helps me off.

"Come over here and sit down. There's a mattress over here." Prim says guiding me around this basement area until my feet hit a mattress on the ground. Prim helps me sit down and holds me. "We're almost done." I know she doesn't mean setting up for the night, she doesn't even mean done with the war. She means done with this group of people. Done with my life on the line because of them.

"Hey, you okay?" I feel Peeta cup my cheek and I nod into his warm hand. "We'll be safe soon. All of us. Until this all blows over we'll be safe."

I have doubts, I have questions, I have the infinite possibilities floating around my head. But this isn't the time. This isn't the place.

"Dinner will be soon." Finnick remarks. "Prim why don't you and Peeta help out in getting it ready?"

The plan is set. We're leaving this safety the moment we got here. We're going off on our own. I can only hope we all survive this.