The Third Everdeen

Chapter 35

We got back to base and President Coin immediately called a District meeting in the center. She played the video of me. 

"We've seen what they do to people who don't agree with them!This is what they do!" I kept my head down solemnly, I could see Coin smiling out of the corner of my eye. 

"Plutarch's faith in you wasn't misplaced." She faced me. I turned to her and nodded a thanks, "Come up with me for the speech." she said more as a statement than a request. The video ended with a mockingjay on the screen and the words "Join the Fight" and the people cheered and clapped. Coin and I walked forward side by side and she quieted the people. "There is no progress without compromise. No victory without sacrifice. But I stand here with The Mockingjay," she took my hand, "to announce that our moment has arrived!" She brought our hands up in the air much like Peeta and I had done when we won the Games the first time. I smiled but deep down I was thinking about him again. People cheered. Coin lowered our hands and nodded to me, I gave a small smile and turned to walk away. I stood between Finnick and Prim and Coin finished her speech. "Beetee has increased our use of airwaves tenfold. We will broadcast this message to all the districts tonight. The Mockingjay's words inspiring everyone to join the rebellion. Together, we will become an alliance to be reckoned with." She put her fist in the air as the people started chanting "hoorah!" 

My face was a lot more serious when I was standing by Finnick and Prim. He turned his head in my direction, "You don't like hearing a fight song at a funeral?" He asked me, I turned to look at him but his face wasn't that of someone trying to make a joke. He was saying it to get my attention, "The more people on our side, the closer we are to Peeta and Annie." He raised his eyebrows, my eyes watered but I nodded in agreement.

"Yep." was all I could say. At that point all I wanted was to make sure Peeta was alive and well by my side. But seeing all those people looking at me, all the people joining because of me, it made me understand how much they all needed to be liberated. I wanted it too.

~

A few hours after Coin's speech I sat in my room. There was nothing for me to do but sit there pondering my own thoughts. There was a ladybug by my bed, I slowly touched my index finger to it, it would scurry away and my finger would follow it. Suddenly my door was opened; bringing me out of my little game. 

"I've got good news," Gale said when he walked in.

I looked at him confused, "Coin is letting us hunt above ground!" Katniss hurried in and put some of my old hunting knives on my bed. 

~

A little while later the three of us were stalking the woods nearby; it felt just like we were back in 12. The only difference was the clothes, we were wearing the standard blue 13 suits. I opted to wear a jacket that used to belong to my dad that Katniss had brought before 12 was destroyed. 

I paused when I saw a rather large moose drinking from the river. I got a knife and slowly poised to shoot. It stopped drinking and looked right up at us. It looked like it was telling me to throw it; like it wasn't scared to die. I lowered my knife and the moose lowered its head to drink again.

"He's not afraid," Katniss noticed.

"It's cause they've never been hunted before." Gale told us.

"It's not right," I turned and put my knife back in the sheath and walked away.

We started exploring more of the surface of 13. We made it to the ruins of an old building, it was so quiet in the middle of the forest. There was nothing to disturb the peace. I heard running water and followed the sound to a babbling brook that went into a large river. There was a waterfall that cascaded down into the river and the sight was stunning. A look of awe crept onto my face. I approached the edge of the land and sat down looking at the water in front of me. Katniss and Gale sat down on either side of me. I could feel them looking at me, I know they've been worried about me since I'd arrived. I sighed and put my arms around their shoulders bringing them closer to me. I could see Katniss smile out of the corner of her eye and she put her head on my shoulder. Gale put his arm around my shoulder and put his hand on Katniss' head. There sat the three of us, it was blissful. I wished that it would stay that way, that we wouldn't have to go back underground. But the ringing in Gale's pocket interrupted us.