Chapter 4

Trees

"What? What's in District Two, Katniss? Is that where Peeta is? How do you know?" Andy follows me. Once again, I had no idea where I would wind up, but walking must help me think. Like when I'm stalking prey in the woods. Almost relaxed, and thinking through every bit of my surroundings.

"Peeta, and with any luck, everyone else are in District Two." I said rather calmly.

"How?"

"The tree."

"What tree?" He asks.

"In the clip, it pans out. Just for a second, you can see it. There is a nest. It's a cone shape. Those nests belong to Montornii birds. I used to see them when I went hunting." Montornii are another Capitol creation. Supposedly they were a previous attempt at the Jabberjay. They didn't work out though, they are so beautiful. Rebels got too suspicious. And unlike the Jabberjay, Montorniis weren't sterilized, so they lived on.

"Katniss, a bird's nest found in 12 has nothing to do with District 2. They are on opposite sides of Panem," he said, discouraged.

"No, no, they live in mountains!" I said. We could get them. We would find Peeta.

"Several districts are in mountains…"

He was right. Thirteen, and Twelve are here to the east. One, Two, and Three are to the west. I cant help but cry, but Andy is there to console me. He said at least I had narrowed it down to three districts.

Andy calms me down without a syringe. The only person who I would have expected to be able to do that was Peeta. Although, Andy is a Mellark. We talk for a long time. He asks about my family and I tell him everything. My father and I in the woods, swimming, Buttercup the world's meanest cat, Lady the goat, trading at the Hob. I talk about Gale and how we met, I tell him about my mother's book of herbal medicine and the hundreds of people she and Prim had treated at our kitchen table. He listens kindly and for the first time in a very long while, I feel understood. Much, much later, I realize that there is a lot that I want to know about Peeta's family, but by then night arrives. Sleep syrup really does a number on your internal clock. Tonight I dream not of Peeta and the other tributes, but of bricks and mountains and Montorniis. And then, I know, Peeta is, in fact in District 2.

The next morning I'm delivered my very own pair of sterile, but used, grey clothes. Though the clothes are not what I'm used to, it's better than the hospital gown I've been sporting since I arrived. I don't see why they expect an army to follow me when I'm practically labeled 'mentally disabled.' I glance down at the plastic bracelet, and let out a huff of air while looking at the ceiling for a moment or two. Wait. That's right. I am labeled 'mentally disabled'.

"Great," I sigh, shaking my head and turning towards the door. Prim is waiting for me, ready to get down to the dinning hall for breakfast. But, just as always my apatite leaves me at just the thought of eating while the others are probably half starved somewhere on the other side of Panem. How greedy could I be? Very. I left them all to die. They will be killed because I shot the arrow into the force field. I should die. It should be me! My fist lands on someone's door, and a small child hurries out, but I start running.

Prim is after me, but she's not as quick. She never had to go into the woods, or anything! My mind is spinning. Now I'm blaming Prim? Sweet, innocent Prim? I'm a monster!

Something catches my arm. I thrash, trying to break free dreading that Coin had finally given up hope on me and has decided to kill off the Mockingjay. 'She was of no use anyways' I can practically hear her saying. I hang limply at the side of my capture until they pull me into a hug. I silently thank Andy until I smell pine, and earth on his clothes. I lift my head to find Gale's eyes looking back at me.

"What are you doing?" I pull away from him and cross my arms. I wait for an answer even though it'll be any second before he pulls out the syringe I can see poking out from his pants pocket.

"Trying to be your friend Katniss," Gale says slowly.

"Don't talk to me like that! I am not crazy!" I scream at him, not proving my point what so ever. "Be the person I knew back in District 12. Be the man who fed my family when I went into the games. Don't be my friend, be my best friend. Please Gale. I'm begging you!"

"I tried!" He yells right back. "I tried being that person, and what did I get? A crying girl that didn't know what to do with herself without him!"

"Okay, Gale! You try killing off helpless kids, and watching this small innocent little girl die! Then, right when you think your life is being put back together it all goes to hell again! All of it! Don't you dare say I don't deserve to cry because I lost him! You don't see anyone yelling at Finnick! He lost Annie! Yet, just because I'm the Mockingjay I get this bull shit from you?" I scream. My face is hot with anger, and tears are streaming down my face. I wipe my sleeve over my eyes, and barely catch Gale going for the syringe.

I don't think before I have him pinned to the floor, and the syringe is far out of site, rolling down the hallway. There's a light hand on my shoulder, and I smack whoever is behind me.

"Katniss," a familiar voice whispers. I turn around to see Finnick there, looking as weak as ever. I ignore Gale on the floor, and fall into his arms. Andy is behind him, and scoops me up. I let him carry me as we make our way away from the dinning hall, and away from Gale. His face is bright red with anger as he peels himself off the floor. Prim is by his side in a minute, and I suddenly feel ashamed. I didn't even realize that she was standing right there.

The door swings open to Andy's room, and he set me down on one of the two beds. The scent of ginger and sugar linger on the linens. The smell the Peeta used to carry with him through his life in our small, broke district.

"It's all over," Finnick whispers. I look over at him. His bronze hair is matted down while his usual stunning sea green eyes are blood shot. He looks terrible.

"What?" Andy asks him. He has his fists clenched, but he doesn't strike out at anything like I would have.

"We have no chance!" Finnick spits at him. "We're never getting them back anyways. Gale is right, we're changing into different people. We need to go back!"

"There is no back, only forward," Andy murmurs. Finnick's words sear into the back of my mind. I've thought the same thing since I arrived in District 13. But hearing him say it makes me angry.

"We need to save them!" I blurt.

"And how would we do that sweetheart?" Finnick asks from the other bed. His hands are on his face, and he looks like he's trying to block me out.

"I-I-" I stammer, losing my momentum.

"We need to talk to the rebels. Nothing is going to get done if we don't tell them about District Two," Andy recovers for me. Finnick sits up with a slight shine in his eyes, and that's my indication that this may work. Coin may not be my favorite person in the world, but she is my only hope.

~Hey everybody! Missed us yet? Haha, I did!

School is crazy, I think we can all agree to that, but I dug up this chapter for ya'll! Unfortunatly, after two months our beta hasn't responded so the grammer may be a tad off... I tried though! Please don't make a chapter just saying I suck please... If you would like to add to the story as a whole, then I'm willing to listen :)

-Emily, and Jenna :D