Thirty

                                    

                                          
"What's going on? Aren't we seeing the Twelve propos?" Katniss asks the crowds of people in command. She sits between Mira and Finnick, the latter of whom fiddles restlessly with the pearl bracelet around his wrist. 
                          
"Oh no," Plutarch says. "I mean, possibly. I don't know exactly what footage Beetee plans to use." 
                          
"Beetee thinks he's found a way to break into the feed nationwide," Finnick tells Katniss. "So that our propos will air in the Capitol, too. He's down working on it in special defence now. There's live programming tonight. Snows making an appearance or something. I think it's starting."
                          
The Capitol seal appears on the screens that are already up on the table, underscored by the anthem of Panem. Then, President Snow greets the nation. The camera pulls back and includes Peeta and Marissa. Katniss and Finnick had seen the state of Peeta in his last interview but, his condition has worsened even more since then. The thing that shocks Finnick and Mira is Marissa. Her arms are completely covered by a long sleeve white gown, her neck concealed by the silk fabric too but, they can see how much skinnier she is. The dress hangs from her frame, her skeleton visible through her pale skin. Her makeup does nothing to hide the hollowness of her cheeks and the purple bags under her eyes which glance around anxiously. 
                          
"He's worse," Katniss whispers. Finnick grasps onto Katniss and Mira's hands, using them both to anchor himself. 
                          
"Tonight, we've received reports of derailed trains, of granaries on fire, and of a savage attack on the hydroelectric dam in District 5," Peeta reports, frustrated. 
                          
"We're begging for restraint and decency," Marissa says. It doesn't sound like her, though. There's a lack of emotion in her tone and, it makes Finnick want to cover his ears. 
                          
The image of the two victors on the screen is suddenly replaced with a propo of Katniss, standing amongst the rubble of the Mellark's bakery in District Twelve which had been bombed after Katniss blew up the arena. 
                          
"He did it! Beetee broke in!" Plutarch shouts, jumping up to his feet. The room is buzzing with pride but, Finnick, Katniss and Mira cannot bring themselves to celebrate. Not after what they've just seen. 
                          
The focus is back on Marissa and Peeta now. Marissa sends Peeta a weary glance, waiting for him to pick up the speech but, he's too distracted. "The attack on the dam was a callous and inhuman act of destruction..."
                          
And then, it's Finnick on the screen. He's talking about Rue, Katniss' ally in the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, completely unscathed. Beetee and the Capitol fight between broadcasts. The next image they see is Marissa and Peeta looking thoroughly shocked by Finnick's appearance. 
                          
"He's not really here," Marissa breathes out. Peeta shakes his head at her, a warning. Finnick guesses that he's warning her not to say anything against the Capitol whilst they're on television. 
                          
Plutarch is spasming with delight every time a short five or ten-second propo is projected on the television, everybody else is cheering. Katniss, Finnick and Mira stay sitting in stunned silence, still clutching onto each other's hands. 
                          
The Capitol seal is put back up for about twenty seconds accompanied with a flat audio tone and then Peeta, Marissa and Snow return. Marissa doesn't say anything. She stares down at her feet, emotionless. President Snow says that the rebels are trying to disrupt the dissemination of information that they find incriminating, but both justice and truth will reign. Then, he asks Peeta if, given tonight's demonstration, he has any parting thoughts about Katniss Everdeen. 
                          
Peeta's face contorts with effort at even the mention of Katniss' name. 
                          
"Katniss... how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not in the Capitol. Not in the districts. And you... in thirteen..." Peeta inhales sharply as if he's fighting for air; his eyes look insane. "Dead by morning!" 
                          
"End it!" President Snow orders off camera. Beetee flashes a still shot of Katniss standing in front of a burning hospital at three-second intervals. But, between the images, they are privy to the real-life action being played out on the set. Peeta is still trying to warn them. The camera has been knocked down to record the white tiled floor. Marissa, through whimpers of pain, is pleading for them to not hurt Peeta. There's a scuffle of boots and the impact of a blow that's inseparable from Peeta's cry of pain. Marissa yells out in horror as Peeta's blood splatters the tiles before the camera cuts to static. 
                          
The people in the room begin to discuss Peeta's words, his warning. They're trying to decipher what he told them. None of them are concerned with the harm that Peeta and Marissa may be subjected to now. 
                          
"Shut up!" a voice calls the others to attention. It's Haymitch. Every pair of eyes fall on him. "It's not some big mystery! The boys telling us we're about to be attacked. Here. In Thirteen." 
                          
"How would he have that information?"
                          
"Why should we trust him?"
                          
"How would you know?" 
                          
Haymitch almost growls in frustration. "They're beating him and probably Marissa bloody as we speak. What more do you need? Katniss, help me out here!" 
                          
"Haymitch's right. I don't know where Peeta got the information. Or if it's true. But he believes it is. And they're -" 
                          
"You don't know him," Haymitch says to Coin. "We do. Get your people ready."
                          
❛ ━━━━━━･❪⚓️ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜
                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
A/n: I didn't like how this ended before so I just cut off the ending.