Chapter 13

Katniss

Peeta and I walk out of that cold room, hand in hand. The masked person leads us down several different hallways.

There's a huge door at the end of one of the halls. The man presses a button and it slowly lowers into another, slim hallway. I've always hated elevators. They remind me of the mines in 12. We have to walk down the hall, one by one. I have to go first.

The hall comes to an opening. There are two tubes. They are identical to the ones that I had to go in, twice, to get into the arena. I start shaking, without even realizing it.

I turn and my eyes dart from Peeta's to the masked man. Except, I can't see his eyes. So instead, I looked at his helmet.

"What's going on?" Peeta asks. His voice is shaky and unsure. I don't even know if I can speak.

Is he putting us in the arena again? If not, what are these tubes?

"Get in," The man says, motioning to the two large cylinders. I shake my head and back into a wall. "Now."

"Where do they lead to?" I ask.

"You're not going to the arena again. Just get in," the man says. Peeta gives me a reassuring look and I take a step into the capsule. Peeta walks into the one next to mine.

I didn't know why I'm doing this. What if it's a trap? What if they separate Peeta and I? What if it is the games?

I press my hands to the glass as the door closes slowly. There is no escaping now. I feel as though I did during the first games. Although, it was Cinna standing there, not a stranger with a helmet. Cinna, the one who was killed right before my eyes. I was standing in a capsule just like this one, trapped.

Peeta and I begin to be raised into the air. I look down, but the soldier disappears into the shadows. If he even is a soldier.

Up ahead, light begins to shine in. I start feeling panicked. What's above me?

I can't see Peeta anymore. I think about how I lost him the last time I was in the games. I can't lose him again. He still has trouble knowing what's real or not real. And of course, there are still the flashbacks. I don't think they'll ever go away.

I'm almost completely above ground now. I'm not on a pedestal though. There isn't a golden cornucopia in front of me.

I'm standing in the middle of the city. The Capitol. Looming right before me is the President's house. Memories flood back. This is where Prim died.

I can see it. I see Prim's face, and the children rushing to the parachutes, thinking they contained supplies. They were wrong. . .so wrong. I see the back of my sister's blouse hanging out. My little duck, getting blown to bits, just like all of the other children.

"Katniss!" I hear Peeta yell. I have no idea where it came from.

"Peeta. . ." I whisper. "Peeta!"

I start to panic. Where is he? My mind begins to come up with the worst. What if he has been taken by the Capitol again?

"Peeta!" I scream. I quickly glance around me. Nothing but tall buildings. There aren't even many people. Not on the streets, anyway. Then I remember that my mother works near here. I have to find Peeta first, though.

"Katniss!" I hear Peeta behind me. I spin around and see him standing at the end of the road. I sigh a breath of relief and run towards him.

I embrace him tightly, and he did the same. "What's happening?" I whisper.

"I have no idea," Peeta whispers. I never want to let him go. I just want to stay here, in his arms. Although, I know it isn't possible.

When we finally do let go of each other my eyes drift back to the place where Prim died. Peeta knows exactly what I was staring at.

We walk, hand in hand over to it. There are ashes and pieces of broken buildings scattered around the broken building, scarred with the horrible memories of death. I start to feel sick when I think of how some of these ashes could be Prim's. The thought makes me dizzy.

I almost fall over, but Peeta catches me before I can. "Let's get out of here," he whispers and I nod, unsure of myself.

As we walk away, I can't help but look back. This is the last place I'd seen my little sister alive.

Peeta and I pass a ton of different buildings, until we finally find my mother's shop. I open the door, nervously. I haven't seen her since Prim died, when she abandoned me again.

Immediately, when we walk inside, her scent fills my nose. The place is empty for the most part. There are no people, no life in that opening room. "Hello?" I call. No answer.

"Miss Everdeen?" Peeta says, looking around. For some reason, it's odd for me to hear him speak to my mother.

My mom cautiously walks into the room. Her face lights up when she sees me. Her eyes fill with tears as she walks over to me. I don't know what to do or say. I just stare at her, motionless with my mouth hanging open slightly. Her light blond hair is pulled back into a bun.

She looks so similar to Prim, it hurts. I don't know how she can stand looking in the mirror. Maybe she doesn't.

My mom is right in front of my now. She puts her hands on my cheeks. The feel cold and bony. Suddenly, she pulls me into a hug. I don't know what to do, so I wrap my arms around her too.

I look at Peeta. He is awkwardly standing nearby, trying not to stare. I pull away from my mom. "Come with me," she says, the hurried look returning to her eyes. I look out the window at the front of the shop. I swear I can see someone, or something moving.

In the next room, there are a few patients lying on beds. It reminds me of the time I visited sick people in District 8. It seemed like it was so long ago.

Peeta follows closely behind me. I can tell he was unsure of what to do. People all around see us and their facial expressions change within a matter of seconds. Some look happy to see me, while others are giving me terrible glares.

My mom takes Peeta and I into a small room. It has a few chairs and a desk. "Sit," she says, smiling a little. I do as she says, sitting in the chair beside Peeta.

"What's going on? Why aren't there any people outside?" I ask suddenly.

"Fiona Snow," she mumbles. Fiona did this? "How did you two survive? The bombing, I mean. I saw footage. There was no way anything survived that."

"We were in the woods when it happened," Peeta says.

"I'm glad you're ok," she says politely. "But there is a new Snow. She's trying to take over as president."

"And bring back the games?" I whisper.

"No. At least not right away. For now, the games are illegal. The arenas have been destroyed, but they can be rebuilt. If Fiona becomes president, she can try to bring the Games back. I don't think she'll do it right away."

"So, why is everyone in hiding?" Peeta asks.

"Again, Fiona. She sends the 'masked men', her army, out onto the streets in every district, even the Capitol. They kill people all the time. We all have a card. It's called the Ticket. If you don't have it, they kill you on sight," she says. That's terrible.

"Why have we never heard of this?" I ask.

"Because it wasn't established in twelve. They didn't think there was enough people to do it. Once people started coming back, they decided it would be easier just to bomb it and to get rid of it entirely."

"Why does Fiona get this power? She isn't the president," Peeta asks.

"She has the power to kill. She will kill." I say. I don't have to be told the answer, I already know.

"That's right." My mother says, nodding.

"Does this mean another war?" Peeta asks.

I knew that question too. The answer was simple, just one word. Yes.

Hope you liked it! :) It was sort of a cliffhanger, so sorry for that! I've been doing a lot of them lately. Be sure to vote and comment! :)