Hunger Games - From the Ashes

Chapter Fourteen - Defiant

Of course my suit was bullet proof. Cinna would never leave anything to chance, since he was still betting on me. I was laid up in yet another hospital bed when the curtain was pulled back, causing me to jump. It was Johanna.

"Well there she is. The Mockingjay." She said mockingly then sighed

"Oh, that Speech you gave. Oh, man, feel...." she made me feel her arm as she sat next to me on the bed "I still have goose bumps. She then lifted my arm and took my iv out.

"You don't mint do you? They cut off my supply of morphling. There's this head doctor that comes in and sees me everyday , trying to help me to adjust to reality. Like some guy from rabbits warren actually knows anything about my reality." She breathes in relief as the morphling starts to kick in. "At least 20 times a session he tells me that I'm totally safe. Safe from the Capitol, Safe from Snow. What about you Mockingjay, feeling totally safe?"

"Till I got shot." I replied

"Oh please. The bullet didn't even touch you. Cinna saw to that. Of course your costume would be bullet proof. So what are your injuries." She looked at my arm

"Bruised ribs, bruised lung." I answered

"I'm surprised they haven't found you a new lung. I have two, you want one of mine? I mean it's everybody's job to keep you alive." She rambled sarcastically. I pushed myself to sit up in the bed. It was a bad idea as soon as I moved because my supply of painkillers was now with Johanna.

"Is that why you hate me?"

"I don't hate you I just find you hard to swallow. That your emotions are like ever-changing weather. Pick one and be done with already, especially the romance drama. Feel free to take any of this personally."

"You should have been the Mockingjay. Nobody would tell you what to say."

"But nobody likes me." She picked up the picture of my father and looked at it "They're afraid of you."

"Maybe here, but in the Capitol you're the only thing that they're scared of" She put the picture down and picked up Peeta's medallion

"Just things my family brought." I told her as she took the pictures of my family and friends out. Putting that back she picked up Peeta's pearl

"It's from Peeta."

"Yeah." I took it off from here and stared rubbing it between my fingers.

"They messed us up pretty good didn't they?"

"Yeah they did. But believe me, now more than ever I'm not letting them walk all over me this time." I stared at her defiantly

"Again with the emotions. Pick one."

"I did. The moment you hacked the tracker out of me and i was rescued when You and the others were left behind. Defiance is my emotion. Everything else right now is background noise." she nodded pleased with my answer not that i cared right this second.

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My bruises were being wrapped up in bandages with a herbal paste underneath to accelerate the heeling while Haymitch talked to me about Peeta.

"We showed him the footage of your speech from 2. He had real memories of you." he informed me. They were wanting me to go in and talk with him. After seeing how he was with his father, I knew Peeta wasn't well enough yet to even face me. For everyones sakes I couldn't get hurt again. Now when i needed to help win this war.

"That still doesn't mean I'm going in there. I saw how he reacted in the end towards his own father."

"He's strapped down. He can't hurt you."