Our Anthem

Clouds From Both Sides

I had scribbled down some important things to say on notecards that I held in my shaking hands as I prepared to go onstage. We were told to dress formally, as we didn't exactly have an official military uniform for commanders to wear. Commanders Paylor, Jackson and Lyme wore pantsuits, while I wore a peach-coloured dress with my brown curls hung loose around my face. Effie had insisted on the dress, considering I would be seeing Peeta afterwards. "He'd love to see you looking beautiful in his favourite colour," she told me softly, her Capitol accent having not faded one bit.

"He'd be happy to see her stark naked if that's how she chose to go," said Haymitch with amusement, and Effie shot him a glare while she did my hair.

"You stop that, Haymitch! Our Katniss is going to look beautiful for all of Panem but most importantly, for our Peeta," she replied, curling a piece of my hair.

I stood on the stage on Commander Paylor's left, and she stood between myself and Commander Lyme. Commander Jackson was up first, giving a speech thanking the men and women of her unit who gave their lives fighting for the rebellion by name, and also taking the time to name all the rebel soldiers who died in the siege. I could feel my stomach tying itself in knots at the mentions of Finnick Odair, Calum Fòlais and Donnel Mellark. And then it was Commander Lyme's turn to speak. She also thanked those in her unit by name, as well as honoured those in her unit who died, and she thanked each individual district and Senator for their support in the rebellion.

And then, it was Commander Paylor. Commander Paylor would be the one to announce the new government as a representative of the Senate, and the people of Panem cheered at the mention of the new government. They also cheered when Commander Paylor announced that she would be running for President, and it seemed obvious that Commander Paylor had a lot of support among the people of Panem, even from the people in the Capitol. The Capitol people loved that there would be two Capitol senators but were dissatisfied with the idea that they wouldn't be allowed their position on the Senate until the Senate Elections in a year.

And then, it was my turn. With my notecards in hand, I stepped forward and up to the microphone. It reminded me of how I once gave small speeches in each of the districts on the Victory Tour, now three and a half years ago, when I held Effie's notecards in my hand and had to stick to them to avoid causing an uprising in Panem. The heat of the August sun beat down on me and reminded me of how I failed as the heat brought out the pain from the burns beneath the artificial Capitol skins that were covering them. On a rather large screen above my head, I looked relatively unscathed and the image of perfection, all of my scars hidden beneath makeup, just like the way the Capitol had once wanted me to appear. I cleared my throat and looked down at the cards in my hands once more and then I sighed - I couldn't stick to the cards. I could never stick to the damn cards. I bunched them up in one hand and brought my hands to my sides.

"Hello, people of Panem," I said finally. "I am Katniss Mellark, Senator, Commander, tribute in the Third Quarter Quell and Victor of the 74th Hunger Games... I will start out by giving my thanks to the people who so bravely were a part of my unit as we converged on the Capitol in the final days of the rebellion. Those who are still with me today are Cressida Dubrow and Pollux Chatham, who provided video footage of the Siege that you all saw before we began to speak. I thank them both for their bravery, as they were non-combative, yet had to engage in combat when the dangers became too much. Carolina Abernathy, who I am privileged to call my dear friend, who was not assigned to a unit to converge on the Capitol but so bravely volunteered. Cailean Fòlais, my little brother, who was responsible for much of the technology both in combat and in medicine that we utilised throughout the rebellion. Gale Hawthorne, who was responsible for the success of the final capture of the President's Mansion. And finally... Peeta Mellark, my husband, who so bravely co-commanded our unit by my side, who cannot be here with us today due to the extensive injuries he received from his brave actions during the final capture of the Mansion." I paused at the mention of Peeta's name, feeling a knot in my throat. I swallowed it down and continued on.