Revolution

Images

12: Images

Katniss POV

Snow calls some guards to bring in his evidence, and he starts up a large screen projected onto the side of my cell. It's discouraging that he thinks he has so much.. No, Gale loves me, I can't give up on him for the word of someone I know to be a liar.. But he's working with District Thirteen. He could have got me killed. No. That wasn't Gale. It can't be.

An unknown voice comes loudly and clearly from one of the machines, filling the room.

"If we retake Katniss, she'll hate us even more for dragging her away from Snow. What Snow has told her about us is largely true, as Primrose admitted, and exposing her to that will only strengthen her belief that President Snow is right. If we imprison her until we can trust her, she never will trust us. But we can't let her spread her beliefs to the people of the Districts."

That must be somebody from District Thirteen. One of their commanders, perhaps even their president. No, their president is female, this voice sounds male.

"I can convince her that Snow was lying."

My heart skips a beat, and for a second, irrational longing takes over me. Gale's voice. That is Gale's voice. It sounds real in the way that even the jabber jays from the Games weren't. But then the rational side takes over. Gale wanted to lie to me for District Thirteen. No, he wouldn't do that. He must be trying to help me. But he knows that Snow was telling the truth, so he's still as willing to lie as the rest were.

"Snow wasn't lying, not about that part. But Katniss is too dangerous to be left alive. If she starts spreading what she's been told from the Capitol channels across Panem, people will doubt this rebellion. They'll leave. They love Katniss Everdeen, they don't love District Thirteen."

It's the man's voice again. He must be the one who ordered the assassin here. The people don't love Thirteen, he said. They support me, I can turn them away from Thirteen's influence if I'm allowed an interview!

"You're right."

It's Gale again, but he sounds angry. Is he angry with me about District Thirteen and betraying his idea of the rebellion or is he angry that they want to kill me? But he says they're right, he wouldn't say that if he was angry with them. Gale would fight anyone for me, so he must be angry with me. No. I can't believe it, I won't.

"I will help you. I'll do what you say."

No. It can't be. Gale can't do that, he always helped me. He always loved me, he fought for me, he was my guardian. I remember our wedding, when my dress went up in flames and he commanded the people of the Capitol to support me. He was my protector then, and had been since. Could he really have gone over to Thirteen so quickly? How long has it been? A month? Two? Could he have been with them before..

He was my mentor in the Games, I realise. He was my mentor, and he told me nothing about the plan to let me be captured by the Capitol for District Thirteen's purposes. He was taken out himself though, he got out and went to Thirteen. Could he and Haymitch and the other victors all been in on this?

The last words are an extra stab. Not only has Gale seemingly abandoned me, but he's done it for Thirteen. Thirteen. I feel my eyes burning, my cheeks must be red. I want to destroy something, burn it until nothing is left but ashes. District Thirteen. I will have my revenge for what they did to my Gale, I will end their lives, end their District.

I can feel tears running down my cheeks and bring up my hand instinctively to wipe them away. There is a twinge of pain in my shoulder as I flex the muscles with only a few hours ago housed a bullet. I drop my arm and wipe my eyes with another. I will not be a crying girlfriend, the likes I sometimes saw in Twelve and ridiculed in my mind for their worry over such issues.