Hunger Games - From the Ashes

Chapter Twelve - Hell to pay

Sitting on the edge of my hospital bed, letting my mother remove my neck brace as Plutarch watched to see if his Mockingjay was still his Mockingjay. Peeta had done a lot of dance to my neck and my vocal chords. Not enough to kill me but enough to keep me out of action for a while. It had been a couple of months of revery before this moment. Things had gone quite for me but the rebellion continued without me. Not that I was surprised.

"okay." she muttered and touched either side of my neck i backed away looking at her like what the hell. "i know. I know sweetheart. I'm sorry it's tender. Hmm." she examined my neck as I stared at her.

"Okay. Let's try your voice. My name is Lily mellark and I'm from district 12." she gave me a nod of assurance.

"My..." I wheezed out.

"Take your time. You've still got a lot of swelling in your vocal chords." she soothed

"My...name is...Lily....Mellark." I stated slowly then turned my attention to Plutarch "I want..." I cleared my throat

"I want to talk to him." Plutarch shook his head.

"No. He needs time. But, um, we're trying something new today. He's been calmer with the doctors but they're strangers to him. So we're gonna test his response on someone he remembers from home. Someone he trusts." he informed me and I was left to get dressed before being escorted into a viewing room that overlooked peeta in his white padded room. Katniss, Haymitch, Plutarch and Boggs were with me.

"Send him in." Boggs stated and the door buzzed then opened. From the right Kol came in to see his son.

"Are you sure he's safe doing this?" I question

"Yes." Boggs assured. Kol went over to his son who in the past couple of months didn't looks as deathly as he had once been. He was a lot calmer than throttling me to near death.

"Dad?" Peeta asked

"Hello son." Kol sat himself on the side of Peeta's bed, taking his hand.

"How are you doing?" Kol wondered

"H's too close." Haymich voiced concern. Plutarch shook his head dismissing the thought

"It's okay." I turned my attention back to my husband and father in law.

"How'd you get here?" peeta questioned

"Well, we live in District 13 now. it's a real place not just stories and rumours you hear. You were rescued by a team that included Katniss and Gale." Kol explained

"You're the only one that's come to see me....there was an attack on 12."

"Yes."

"The Bakery?" Kol looked away then back to his son.

"Son. I was the only one to leave and survive. I'm so sorry." I rested my hand against the window as my heart broke for him all over again. Peeta looked away and there was nothing that shifted with his demeanour.

"It's Lily. It's all because of Lily." my breath became laboured as i tried to calm it down.

"No. No. Not because of her. Peeta, all she's done is to get you back. Your all she's fought for, her love for you is why you're here safe." Kol insisted defending me.

"Did she tell you to say that?"

"She didn't tell me anything." Kol denied

"She's a liar, Dad, it's a trick."

"Peeta, what you're saying isn't real. She loves you so much, no matter what she loves you and all she wants to do is make sure your safe and protected."

"She sent you here to talk to me. She knows your here now! She knows...You can't trust her!" he became more aggressive and kol backed off "She's a monster! She's a mutt that The Capitol created to destroy us!"

"Get him out of there." Haymich ordered

"You understand me?! You have to kill her Dad! You have to kill her! She's a mutt!" he yelled as Kol was taken out and the doctors came back in.

"Lily. This is just a conditioned response. It's not him."

"No. It's not." I turned to Plutarch "I will have their heads for what they've done to him. Do you understand, I will have his head." Plutarch nodded and i walked away.

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I was then taken to see Coin, she was in a meeting with other advisors. She saw me and gave me her attention as Boggs stood behind me.

"Please, come in. Will you excuse us for a moment." the cleared up headed out a different door and I walked down to be across from her "Have a seat. I'm glad you're feeling better" I sat my self downing pulled myself closer to the table.

"Snow has to pay for what he's done. I want to help the rebels in any way that I can." I told her seriously. Now more than ever I was commented to the cause.

"It's hard to see Peeta that way."

"That's not Peeta. Send me to the Capitol, I'll do anything." I insisted

"I can't..." she stooped looking at me "I can't send you there. We can't get into the Capitol until we get into District 2."

"Then send me to 2. I can fire up the troops, speak to people, do more promo's. Call out to the loyalists. You've seen what I can do and now more than ever I'm committed to the cause."

"Yes I have." she agreed and i went to get ready to leave.

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Thirty Minutes till touch down, prepare for landing." is what woke me up and a willed myself into a sitting position.

"This is another version of a booby-trapping resource." I heard my brother and looked up to the other deck to see he was talking with Beetee.

"Right i see.

"This one is designed to blind smoke clings to the eyes." i got up and went over "that's an application of the humming bird trap. You scare people so they flee in this direction into what they think is a safe haven."

"Two tiered explosion."

"You allow people enough time to rush in, help the wounded, then ...."

"A second bomb." I voiced hearing what he was planning. My brother really had changed and not for the better. I was commented to the cause but he had gone to a different level and right now it sounded like he was staying there with ideas of destruction.

"Right. Second one goes off here."

"I guess there are no more rules what a person can do to another person. I should be surprised, but even that's been robbed these days" i folded my arms and tilted my head

"I don't think Snow used any rulebook when he hijacked Peeta." Gale replied and I clicked my tongue turning on my heel and going to change