Make Them Burn

Lying

CHAPTER 8: LYING

After we finished shooting, I gave the little girl to Paylor. She promised me she'd find her the best home she could, and keep her safe.

When I got back, Finnick was in the hospital again, vicious nightmares where he was attacking his pillow. They were worried he'd attack someone.

Haymitch looks worse, skin yellow and eyes sunken in. When I approached him, he embraced me and asked if I was okay. Not for details. That's what I like about Haymitch.

Haymitch and I are called in for a meeting. So we heave ourselves up in the morning, and drag ourselves to Command.

Coin calls the meeting to order just as we walk in. "Our Airtime Assault has officially launched. For any of you who missed yesterday's twenty-hundred broadcast of our first propo, or the seventeen reruns Beetee has managed to air since, we will begin by replaying it." That must be about the bombings.

Coin shows us the propo, and everyone applauds Everdeen's work. Even me... a little. Claudius Templesmith's voice announces Everdeen to thunderous applause.

"Did it play all over Panem? Did they see it in the Capitol?" Everdeen asks.

"Not in the Capitol." Plutarch tells her. "We couldn't override their system, although Beetee's working on it. But in all the districts. We even got it on in Two, which may be more valuable than the Capitol at this point in the game."

"Is Claudius Templesmith with us?" She asks stupidly.

This gives Plutarch a good laugh. "Only his voice. But that's ours for the taking. We didn't even have to do any special editing. He said that actual line in your first Games." He slaps his hand on the table. "What say we give another round of applause to Cressida, her amazing team, and, of course, our on-camera talent!" Fulvia and him loudly clapped.

Coin silences everyone. "Yes, well deserved. The result is more than we had hoped for. But I do have to question the wide margin of risk that you were willing to operate within. I know the raid was unforeseen. However, given the circumstances, I think we should discuss the decision to send Katniss into actual combat."

What? The decision to send her into actual combat? So she doesn't know about Everdeen's disobeying orders. Boggs and Plutarch must not have told her. I look around. Everdeen is trying to hide her shock.

"It was a tough call." Plutarch lies, furrowing his brow. "But the general consensus was that we weren't going to get anything worth using if we locked her in a bunker somewhere every time a gun went off."

Coin folds her hand. "And you're all right with that?" She asks Everdeen.

Everdeen hasn't been paying attention, but Gale kicks her and she looks at Coin. "Oh! Yeah, I'm completely all right with that. It felt good. Doing something for a change."

"Well, let's be just a little more judicious with her exposure. Especially now that the Capitol knows what she can do," says Coin.

Haymitch smiles evilly. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to lose our little Mockingjay when she's finally begun to sing." Someone's a little angry.

Coin looks at Plutarch, Fulvia, and Cressida's team. "So, what else do you have planned?"

Plutarch nods at Cressida to speak. "We have some terrific footage of Katniss at the hospital in Eight. There should be another propo in that with the theme 'Because you know who they are and what they do.' We'll focus on Katniss interacting with the patients, particularly the children, the bombing of the hospital, and the wreckage. Messalla's cutting that together. We're also thinking about a Mockingjay piece. Highlight some of Katniss's best moments intercut with scenes of rebel uprisings and war footage. We call that one 'Fire is catching.' And then Fulvia came up with a really brilliant idea."