Lethal Charm - THG [1]

22

Everything in district 13 was unlike anything they had experienced before. The rules were strict, too strict for Knox's liking, and everyone had to follow them.

Despite her distaste for the blandness of everyone following orders from one person like bees in a hive, Knox behaved herself all the same. She could have it worse; she could be where Peeta, Annie and Johanna were. Enobaria had been captured too but she was unlikely to be harmed by the capitol as she was not involved in their plans at all.

Her father had been in thirteen since the very beginning of the quarter quell. Haymitch had headed her plea and rescued him before snow could do him any harm which she was thankful for.

Everyone in thirteen dressed the same and everyone had set schedules. Everything was overwhelmingly grey.

"You should try to eat something, Knox," her father encouraged quietly during mealtime when he noticed she'd been staring at the table blankly, holding her fork loosely in her hand, "it's been a while since you've properly had anything to eat,"

"I'm fine, dad," Knox dismissed, "I'm just thinking,"

Eli placed his hand over Knox's, stilling her movements as she had been tapping her fork against the table slightly, "Care to indulge me in your thoughts?"

Knox shook her head, "nothing for you to trouble yourself with," she assured, dragging her eyes from the surface of the table to look at his face, "you worry too much,"

"Can you blame me?"

No, she couldn't blame him. Twice he had whitenesses his daughter thrown into an arena of killers. Twice he had had to sit helplessly behind a screen and watch his daughter, his little girl, fight for her life. Twice he had faced the possibility that she may never return home to him.

However before she could open her mouth to reply, the screens on the wall lit up with the Capitol coat of arms and the Panem national anthem blared through speakers.

All chatter died down and almost everyone turned their eyes to the screen as Caesar Flicker man's face became visible.

"Hello. Good evening. And a big welcome to all in Panem." Caesar began, "I'm Caesar Flickerman. And whoever you are, whatever it is you doing, if you are working put down your work. If you're having dinner stop having dinner. Because you are going to want to whiteness this tonight. There has been rampant speculation about what really happened in the quarter quell,"

Knox scoffed, "of course,"

"And here to shed a little light on the subject for us is a very special guest. Please welcome Mr Peeta Mellark."

The image panned out so that it showed Peeta sitting opposite Caesar, dressed in a full white suit. His face was bruised and he looked thinner than ever. He looked so different that Knox almost didn't recognise him.

More interested than before, Knox leaned her elbows on the table in front of her and folded her hands together in front of her face, she wanted to hear what Peeta had to say. To determine if Peeta was still himself or if he had been turned into nothing but a capitol mutt for them to play with.

She hoped for the former.

"Peeta a lot of people feel as though they are in the dark."

"Yeah, I know how they feel." Said Peeta.

Knox noticed that on the table across from herself and her father, Katniss had stood up, an expression of pained shock on her face.

"Now so set the stage for us," said Caesar, "talk us through what really happened on that final and controversial night,"

"We'll first off you have to understand that when you're in the games..." Peeta began, "...you only get one wish. It's very costly."

"It cost your life,"

"How would you know?" Knox found herself muttering bitterly. Year after year Caesar interviewed tributes before they were sent to their deaths but never once had he ever been faced with the idea of being sent there himself.

"I think it costs more than your life," said Peeta and Knox couldn't agree more. In the games, you will find every single molecule of your entire being lost. You don't come out the same person you were before. Even if you survive you'll never live again. The hunger games destroys you beyond anything fathomable.

"How do you mean? What's more than your life?"

Of course he would ask that.

"I mean to murder innocent people, that cost everything that you are," said Peeta and Caesar nodded in understanding, "yes,"

"So you-you hold on to that one wish. And that night my wish was to save Katniss."

"Yes,"

"I should've run off with her earlier that day like she'd wanted."

"But you didn't. Why? Were you caught up in Beetee's plan?" Caesar questioned.

Peeta sighed in what appeared to be annoyance, "No I was caught up trying to play allies. And then they separated us and that was when I lost her. And then the lightning hit and the whole force field around the arena just blew out."

"Yes, but, Peeta," Caesar interrupted, "Katniss is the one who blew it out."

"No," Peeta denied.

"You saw the footage,"

"No, she didn't know what she was doing." Peeta argued, "neither of us knew there was a bigger plan going on. We had no idea."

"You had no idea?"

"No."

"All right. Well, Peeta, there are many who find this suspicious, to say the least."

"Mmm-hmm"

"It seems as though she was a part of a rebel plan."

"Do you think it was part of her plan to get almost killed by Johanna and Knox? Or part of the plan to be paralysed by lightning?" Peeta questioned incredulously, "No, we were not part of any rebel plan. We had no idea what was going on."

"All right. I believe you, Peeta Mellark. Thank you."

"Yeah,"

"And I was going to ask you to speak about the unrest but I think you might be too upset,"

Peeta shook his head, "no, I can."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, absolutely,"

"Thank you,"

"Yeah." Peeta sighed and turned to face the camera directly, "I want everyone who's watching to stop and to think about what a civil war could mean. We almost went extinct once."

There were murmurs of upset around the canteen claiming Peeta to be 'one of them' ie a member of the Capitol.

"And now our numbers are even fewer. Is this really what we wanna do? Kill ourselves off? Killing is not the answer. Everyone needs to lay down their weapons immediately."

Peeta's words became inaudible over the clamouring of District 13 citizens.

Knox could feel her father's eyes on her but she did not meet his gaze. She was staring up at the screen as if trying to decipher what the Capitol had done to Peeta to make him say such a thing.

"Are you calling for a ceasefire?" asked Caesar.

"Yeah, I am." Peeta answered plainly.

A/N I apologise for the long wait but here it is the much-awaited chapter! i hope you enjoy this book, I know it has been too long since I last wrote it which I sincerely apologise for.

🖤H🖤