Chapter 8

It takes a minute for Bonnie's words to sink in. I feel as though everything around me is spinning out of control. I haven't had a single headache since the arena, and now my head is splitting. I'm not sure why. This shouldn't be a surprise to me. I know the old Peeta is lost. I know that he's dangerous. I guess I just didn't know to what extent.

The truth is I'm terrified. I have no idea what he's capable of anymore. And seeing how shaken Bonnie is only makes things worse.

Our conversation is put on hold when the others arrive. With great excitement Effie latches her arms around Bonnie, who forces a small smile, but for the most part remains unresponsive.

To my left Haymitch appears. One look at me and he knows something is wrong. However, he doesn't make any comment. He stays silent, remaining by my side as we follow Violet Shaw into District 8's intricate network of industrial warehouses.

I remember the last time I was here corpses practically flooded the streets. Now there's not much of anyone. Dead or alive. Violet explained that most of District 8 has moved underground already. But I suppose even the ones who haven't don't want to risk going outdoors anymore.

Walking by warehouse after warehouse, we finally come to what on the outside looks like the entrance to a coal mine. Just inside is a long narrow staircase that stretches far below the surface of the district. At the base of the staircase is a single metal door, which beyond leads to the fast-pace commotion of District 8. Unlike the desolation above, down here people are everywhere and constantly on the move. Dozens of doctors and nurses tending to wounded soldiers. Countless men and women constructing and reinforcing new walls and rooms. Every so often we run into people with clipboards, who look to be continuously inspecting and evaluating the conditions.

Most have no time to spare to even look in our direction. But the ones who do look as though they can't believe their eyes. Some are speechless. Several cry out and cheer. A few others are even on the verge of tears. One way or another, our emergence has brought elation to District 8.

Although the conditions aren't quite up to District 13's standards, they aren't inhabitable. There's enough ventilation for air and enough reinforcement to prevent the walls from collapsing in on themselves. However, at first sight I can't help but feel claustrophobic. The dirt floors and dim lighting draw a strong comparison to living inside a coal mine.

Thankfully they're still expanding, so our rooms will be on the surface for the time being. Right now Violet's brought us down here as a detour, so we aren't walking out in the open for too long. Plus she can update Paylor and Thatch with the construction's progress along the way.

We explore the catacombs beneath 8 for what seems like hours. Then we reach another door and staircase, which brings us back to the surface. But we're still not outside. For security purposes, the entrance to this particular tunnel feeds directly into the basement of District 8's Justice Building.

Even though the majority of 8 has relocated, a large portion still remain above ground. Hundreds have crammed into the Justice Building as well as a few of the warehouses. Given what little space is left in the Justice Building, they are splitting us into groups of three to four people per room. I'll be moving in with Bonnie along with Johanna.

Breaking away from the rest of the tour, Bonnie and I go directly to our designated room. Of the three cots that fill the empty space Bonnie chooses the one farthest from the door and collapses onto it. Planting myself beside her I wait for Bonnie to speak. She knows I want to hear about Peeta, so carefully she attempts to pull herself together before telling me what she knows.

"For months we waited for the Capitol guards to kill us," Bonnie mutters. "But they never did. They just left us in that cell without hope barely surviving. They said they still may have some use for us. At the time I didn't realize what they meant. Now I'm sure they were probably stocking up on tributes.

Then one day hope came. A new prisoner was moved into the cell right next to ours. Peeta.

Although he had been captured, he wasn't giving in. He knew the Capitol didn't have you and that you had to be alive. So he started planning an escape. An escape for all of us. And just as our hope returned to us it was taken away again. The guards took Peeta. Relocated him somewhere else. Twill and I were both certain that they would kill him.

A couple of months went by before we heard that he had been rescued along with a couple of other prisoners."

"Annie and Johanna," I say.

Bonnie nods and continues. "We thought that if a successful rescue could happen once, then it could happen again. We thought that maybe Peeta would remember to come back for us. But he never came, so we decided to come up with an escape plan of our own…" Bonnie pauses for a moment to clear her throat and dry some of her tears. "We had seen prisoners die before. It wasn't uncommon for some to starve in their cells. Each time the guards would come by to collect the bodies. Our plan was simple. All I had to do was die."

Bonnie can see that I'm taken aback by this, but she keeps going.

"It was just an act. I remained motionless on the ground and Twill screamed. She screamed until her voice went hoarse. Finally a guard came to our cell to collect me. Before he could even realize that I was alive Twill had taken his gun and… Well we made it out. All we had to do was escape into the vent. There was an old rusty one that we could break through easily. Twill boosted me up towards the ceiling first. Then I was going to pull her up. Before I could she… There was a shot.

By the time I looked down she was barely breathing, blood coming from her chest. I closed the vent, staying as quiet as I could when a man finally approached her. It was Peeta. Reaching out to him Twill smiled. She probably thought that he had come back for us. That's when he shot her the second time."

Bonnie can't speak anymore, so I hold onto her until the tears stop. There's nothing I can say. Nothing that will make either of us feel any better. Silently I sit with her until Bonnie falls asleep. Then I make my way over to my own cot.

I don't know what's more horrific. Bonnie's story or the nightmares that followed.

As I drifted off I found myself back in my home in Victors' Village with Peeta and our children. He was showing them how to roll out dough when he knocked over the flour. Laughing happily at Peeta's clumsiness, they each took turns throwing flour at one another. I couldn't help but smile watching over them.

Then the children turned to me, revealing their faceless heads. Their laughter distorted, changing into a painful shrieking before they both vanished from the room. This left me alone with Peeta who then transformed into a mutt not unlike the ones we saw in our first games together.

For the remainder of the dream I was running through the forest being chased by a blue-eyed dog with blond hair and a collar marked with the number 12.

"Katniss."

I feel myself shaken awake in a cold sweat surrounded by darkness. Without delay Johanna turns on a light. A concerned expression comes across her face. "Are you alright?" She asks.

"Just a nightmare," I respond.

"Well you've got to get up for the dinner," she whispers as Bonnie sleeps soundly across the room.

"Johanna, I'm not really hungry."

"Then don't eat anything. I was told to come get you either way. Paylor has called for some kind of meeting with all of the Victors."

"About what," I ask.

"How should I know," Johanna snaps. "Just get up and let's go!"

Following Johanna through the old Justice Building I can't help but wonder why Paylor is gathering all of us. We've only just arrived today. What could be so urgent already?

As we arrive at the dining hall Paylor and Thatch appear to be leaving. They instruct us to start dinner without them and that they would return shortly. Inside the dining room the first thing I notice is that the table is set for at least a dozen people. I know there can't be that many of us, so I'm wondering who else could possibly be joining us.

Off to the side I notice Annie exchanging a warm embrace with a young man with sandy brown hair and grey eyes. This is promptly followed by Finnick, who grabbing hold of him with one hand, ruffles his hair with the other. The young man quickly retaliates, which creates the appearance of two young boys wrestling.

"I didn't realize Finnick had a brother," I say turning to Johanna.

"What are you talking about?" Johanna looks at me like I'm crazy. "Finnick doesn't have a…" Her expression rapidly changes when she sees who I'm talking about. "Who the hell invited Henley?" she snaps.

A laughing Finnick finally loosens his hold on whom I suppose is Henley, while Henley's attention is now on Johanna. "Why so surprised Mason? They brought me here just for you!"

Rolling her eyes, Johanna cracks a smile and goes to greet him. However, it isn't until Haymitch joins them that I realize how they all know him. He's another Victor.

Henley Townsend. He must be the Victor they saved from 9. I should have recognized him right away. I remember watching him win the 68th Hunger Games when he was only twelve. The second person in the history of the Games to accomplish such a feat.

Somehow I always forget about Henley. I suppose everyone does. That's how the Capitol wanted it. He was known as the boy from two districts. Born in District 10 and orphaned at a very early age Henley was relocated to 9 where his last living relatives resided. It wasn't too long thereafter when he was finally reaped.

But it wasn't his past that the Capitol wanted to cover up. It was his interview. When he took the stage alongside Caesar Flickerman, Henley announced that he had no intention of killing his fellow tributes. Because of this no one expected him to make it through the first hour.

The Gamemakers figured the other tributes would kill him off immediately, since he was the runt of the group and wouldn't fight back. However, the tributes had kept their distance because they expected the Gamemakers had planted traps set to kill Henley at any moment.

Eventually the Gamemakers finally got tired of waiting and sent a pack of wolves after him. They chased him right up a tree. Then a rather large branch cracked and fell, pinning one wolf and causing the rest to scatter.

When Henley climbed back down he didn't kill the wolf. He rescued it. Having spent most of his life in District 10, Henley's true talents lied in taming animals. And that's exactly what he did.

He didn't think of using the animal though. It was very clear he had no intention to. In the end Henley walked knowingly to his death, allowing the last tribute to pin him to the ground. Unfortunately for that tribute, the wolf emerged from behind the cornucopia ready to repay Henley's favor.

"You must be Katniss," Henley exclaims enthusiastically.

"Ye-"

Before I can finish he's already run across the room to meet me. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ms. Everdeen," he says politely shaking my hand.

I don't think I've met another Victor quite so energetic and cheerful before. There's almost an infectious quality to it that lightens the mood of the whole room.

"Are any of you guys hungry?" Henley asks. "They said they can bring in the food whenever we're ready. Right now District 4's where we get most of it from though. So hope you all like fish. Personally I'm starting to get sick of the stuff."

The general consensus is that everyone is starving, so we send for the food. I pull up a seat beside Annie whose holding her son in her lap. Wide-eyed, little Tyler gazes around the table taking it all in. "He really does look like you Annie," I comment.

Annie just smiles looking from me to Tyler.

"Well considering the alternative I'd say the kid dodged a bullet there," Henley says with a smirk.

"Hey if you want to go for round two, then we can take this outside," Finnick chimes in.

The table is filled with laughter, and for a moment I forget about the war. I forget about Snow and Coin and even Peeta. I can't remember the last time I felt this happy. For the first time since I've woken I don't have to run. I don't have to look for an escape. I'm safe.

"Haymitch Abernathy," a voice calls out from the doorway. "Someone should call in the rebel forces and let them know our salvation has arrived."

Haymitch grins. "Well go and tell them then!" he shouts. "Maybe you can sing a song for them while you're at it."

A beautiful woman with flowing blond hair makes her entrance. She looks to be in her late forties. The way she glides across the room so elegantly looks as though she's about to perform a dance.

Once she's seated I wait for conversation to pick up again. I want to find out exactly who this woman is and why she's here. Finally someone mentions her name and I know right away she's another Victor. Livia Thorne.

I had heard the name Livia Thorne only once before. Back when we were training for the Quarter Quell, before we knew who our opponents would be. From District 2, Livia won her games exactly one year after Haymitch. Her tactics involved singing and dancing her way through the arena, creating the illusion that she was insane. However, it wasn't long before everyone realized that she was lethal with pretty much anything that had a pointed tip or a blade.

At least now I know why there are so many seatings at the table. In just ten minutes I've already met two more surviving victors. Four seats are left. I assume one is for Paylor and one is for Thatch. But who are the other two for?

The doors open, but it isn't another victor. It's the dinner. A large assortment of fish piled high on a number of platters. Judging by Finnick and Annie's reactions they're pleased with the selection. Finnick can barely wait before diving headfirst into his meal. I know I told Johanna that I wasn't hungry, but now that dinner has arrived it's easily noticeable how loud my stomach's grumbling.

Once everyone has settled in, questions as to why Paylor is gathering Victors spark up a great deal of conversation. Speculations and theories eventually branch off into stories including those of other previous Victors.

Livia and Haymitch both toast to Chaff from District 11. Apparently the three of them spent a great deal of the games together, drinking their way through them all one by one. With Livia being from 2, I wouldn't have expected her to be so close with Haymitch or Chaff. But I suppose it doesn't matter. Every victor has to find some way of coping with the aftermath of it all just the same.

Annie and Finnick both speak about Mags. Not how she volunteered to save Annie or sacrificed herself in the Quell. But stories from when they were children. I had no idea that either of them had already known Mags before they were reaped. All I can think of is that last image of her letting the fog consume her, so we could escape.

Across the table from me Johanna mentions a man, who must have been her mentor. She's never spoken of him before. From what it sounds like, he died shortly after she was crowned.

After Johanna's story, Henley shares a couple about the Victor whom he was closest to. Brutus. I nearly fell backward when Henley said his name. I expected a Victor from 9 or 10. Not the man from 2 who couldn't wait to get back in the arena for the Quell. Henley explains that when he won his Games he was made the sole mentor for District 9. Not that 9 didn't have other Victors.

As punishment for not killing in the arena Henley had doomed District 9. A thirteen year old mentor with no experience at killing. His tributes would usually give up before they even reached the Capitol.

Then Brutus came. With very little explanation he took Henley under his wing and trained him how to fight, so he in turn could teach his own tributes. Although they kept their training sessions a secret, Brutus looked out for Henley when no one else would.

In one instance Henley explains that Brutus had once beaten another man from District 2 unconscious, just for threatening Henley. Judging by the sudden bursts of laughter, this is something everyone else in the room seems to already know.

"Wait, wasn't that old Tiberius that he knocked out?" Haymitch snorts.

"Yes," Henley admits cautiously glancing over at Livia.

"Oh don't worry darling. I'm sure that senile old fool had it coming," she says reassuringly.

"Wasn't he one of your mentors Liv?" Haymitch chortles.

"Yeah, and if there's anyone who knows how badly Tiberius could use a good punch to the face, it's me," Livia states swiftly. "Brutus is just lucky that he beat me to it. Fortunately he hits harder than I do, so I didn't mind too much."

After hearing some of these conversations, especially the ones about Brutus and Chaff, I can't help but wonder if I should have reached out to them more when we were choosing allies for the Quarter Quell. It also makes me realize that I don't really have any stories of my own that the rest of them haven't already witnessed on screen.

At last Paylor and Thatch finally return followed by a somewhat stunned Effie and Cassie, who take the last remaining seats at the table. I can tell I'm not the only one who's confused by their appearance. Especially Johanna, who isn't exactly thrilled with Effie as it is.

"What is she doing here?" Johanna demands icily.

"As I said before," Paylor replies. "I wanted the opportunity to speak with all the Victors at once. This includes the Victors of the 76th Hunger Games as well."

This statement nearly causes Haymitch and me to choke on our food. Effie a Victor? That's something neither of us could have ever anticipated. The whole idea of it seems absurd. Even Effie looks as though she can't process it.

"But she's from the Capitol," Johanna scoffs. "She's –"

"The first of her kind." Paylor interjects. "A Capitol Victor and she's on the side of the rebellion. Do you have any idea what kind of impact this could have for us?"

I don't think any of us know what kind of impact this could have, but Paylor is right. Effie's a Victor now. And not just Effie. There's Cassie, Thatch and Paylor as well. I hadn't given it any thought before, but every single person in this room is now a Victor.

Now it makes sense why Paylor was so adamant about Gale coming to District 8. Both he and Jackson are Victors now too. She wanted to bring as many of us as she could. But why?

Before taking her seat Paylor stands at the head of the table to address us all.

"Since the beginning of this rebellion soldier Everdeen has been our symbol. She's been our mockingjay and she's done it alone. But why? Why should Katniss carry the weight of this war on her own?"

No one speaks. Paylor continues with such a firm commanding tone that it alone captures the attention of the room.

"A mockingjay is a remarkable triumph of nature. A painful reminder to the Capitol that they do not control everything in this world. In a way, so are Victors. We are the reminders of where the Capitol has failed. And just like the mockingjays our numbers have multiplied beyond their control.

The reason I've gathered you all here today is to explain that Katniss is no longer the only mockingjay. She never was. From this point forward we are all mockingjays."

End of Chapter 8

End of Part 1

End Notes:

The journey doesn't end here. Chapters 9-16 are available in Inferno - Part II: The Mockingjays.

In addition the backstories for Livia Thorne (A Song with Thorns) and Henley Townsend (To Die Or To Kill) are now available as well.

M. Cooper Jinks