Forty-seven

                                    

                                          
"Peeta, don't be ridiculous," Marissa blurts out, shocked that he would even suggest they should take his life. "You're not dying, and nobody is killing you." 
"I just murdered a member of our squad!" Peeta shouts back. 
"You pushed him off you. You couldn't have known he would trigger the net at that exact spot," Finnick says, placing a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. 
"Who cares? He's dead, isn't he?" Peeta begins to cry, and Marissa's heart breaks at the sight of his tears. "I didn't know. I've never seen myself like that before. Katniss is right. I'm the monster. I'm the mutt. I'm the one Snow has turned into a weapon!"
"Peeta, it isn't your fault," Mira speaks up. "Any of us could accidentally do the same thing."
"You can't take me with you. It's only a matter of time before I kill someone else," Peeta carries on, ignoring Mira. "Maybe you think it's kinder to just dump me somewhere. Let me take my chances. But that's the same thing as handing me over to the Capitol. Do you think you'd be doing me a favour by sending me back to Snow?" 
"I'll kill you before that happens," Gale says. "I promise." 
Peeta hesitates, considering Gale's offer before he shakes his head. "It's no good. What if you're not there to do it? I want one of those poison pills the rest of you have."
There's silence for a moment as if people are really considering giving Peeta a Nightlock pill - the rest of the squad have them as a last resort in the event that the Capitol captures them. Marissa shakes her head, unwilling to agree that Peeta should have one as she worries he plans to take it now instead of using it for its intended purpose of a last resort. "No, Peeta, you don't need one."
"I'm not going back to Snow. Everybody else has one, I should get one too," Peeta argues back. "I'm not going back."
"If that's what you really want it for, you and I will stay behind when the squad leaves and we'll have less chance of being captured," Marissa says simply. Peeta clenches his fists together.
"They could still -"
"It's not about you," Katniss finally cuts him off. "We're on a mission. And you're necessary to it." She looks to the rest of the group now, not letting Peeta respond. "Think we might find food here?" 
Half of the group gets up to go and search for food. Marissa tries to join them but is ordered by pretty much everyone to stay sitting and rest given the fact that she's just died and been resuscitated only a few hours ago. The rest of the group thankfully return with about thirty cans, and they all get to take one each to eat - Finnick fetches Marissa's for her and returns with Mira, who is grinning with a can of carrots in her hand. 
"Look what we got," Mira says, sitting beside Marissa and presenting two other cans containing clam chowder and mushrooms. Marissa smiles at the sight of this as it's reminiscent of a meal they would have back at home, homemade by Mags. "We're supposed to have one can each, but if we mix them, it will be like a meal back at home." 
So, they get to work trying to mix up the contents of the can without spilling it before feasting on their rather unspectacular but sentimental, meal. Marissa closes her eyes as she eats the seafood, resting her head back against the sofa and sighing softly. "I miss home."
"Me too," Mira agrees. "I can't wait to get back."
"Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later," Finnick butts in. "We're long overdue for a beach day."
Some of the district thirteen members of the squad and Gale seem both surprised and a little put off by the fond memories of home the District Four family are talking about. In District Thirteen, free days are practically unheard of, and from what Marissa has seen in District Twelve, days off are reserved for the Reapings and the Victors and maybe a few wealthier members of the District, so it's no surprise that they would react in some way. Although, Marissa thinks if they knew what being a victor entails, they might not be so quick to turn scoff at the luxuries victors receive.
"Look what I stole," Finnick says as they finish their meal. He pulls a small box of chocolates out of his pocket, and Marissa's eyes widen. Truthfully, Finnick didn't steal the chocolates, he just convinced everyone that Marissa should have them as she would need an extra boost after just dying, and they all agreed or had to after Katniss approved of the idea. "They're your favourites."
Marissa eagerly takes the box out of Finnick's hands, thanking him before ripping the lid off and popping one of the chocolates into her mouth. They're small balls of soft milk chocolate coated in a shell of white chocolate, and Marissa has loved them since the first time she tried them in the Capitol. 
"Last time we had these was on the train to the Quarter-Quell," Marissa reminds Finnick, and he smiles softly. 
"I think it was the first time you've ever not finished a box of them," Finnick nods, remembering how she'd been too upset to eat chocolate. He quickly steals one of the chocolates from the box and eats it before Marissa can stop him, but she still sends him a very stern glare. "You can't be angry at me! I got them for you."
"Can I have one, please?" Mira asks politely, and Marissa smiles. She holds out the box and lets Mira choose one and Finnick watches them, a look of betrayal plastered across his face. 
"So, she can have one and I can't?" Finnick asks, and Marissa shrugs. 
"Mira is my little sister, I have to share with her. You can get your own chocolates," Marissa tells her husband. 
"I did get them!" Finnick says, pointing out the hypocrisy of Marissa's statement, and she just giggles. 
"Fine, you can have another one," she pretends to roll her eyes and lets him grab another one. 
The chocolates are finished very quickly after that, and the squad begin to pass around fancy, cream-filled cookies when the tv starts up again, President Snow's face staring down at the squad with a prideful gleam. They announce the squad's death once more before President Snow goes on to thank the Peacekeepers for a job well done and honours them for ridding Panem of the Mockingjay and her band of disloyal victors. He predicts the end of the war with no faces left for the rebels to follow and labels Katniss as a poor girl from District Twelve with a small talent with a bow. 
Then, President Coin's face flickers onto the screen and it takes a moment for the signal to connect but she introduces herself to Panem as the head of the rebellion and then reads a eulogy for Katniss. "Dead or alive, Katniss Everdeen will remain the face of this rebellion. If you ever waver in your resolve, think of the Mockingjay, and in her, you will find the strength you need to rid Panem of its oppressors." 
"I had no idea how much I meant to her," Katniss says. Gale snorts with laughter, and the rest of the group sends her a puzzled look, but Marissa glares angrily at the screen where President Coin once was. President Snow is back on the screen, and while he keeps his composure, it's obvious that someone is going to be losing their life due to the unanticipated interruption of Coin. 
"Tomorrow morning, when we pull Katniss Everdeen's body from the ashes, we will see exactly who the Mockingjay is. A dead girl who could save no one, not even herself." The broadcast swiftly ends after this with the Panem seal. 
"Except you won't find her," Finnick says, laughing. 
"You'd think they'd check for bodies before they announce our deaths to the whole of Panem," Mira says. "They've just boasted about us being dead to everybody, and tomorrow they're going to have to announce that we're not dead."
"We can get a head start on them at least," Katniss points out. "Any ideas?"
"Why don't we start by ruling out possibilities?" Finnick suggests. "The street is not a possibility."
"You're a genius," Mira remarks, pointing out the obvious nature of his statement. "What would we ever do without you, Finnick?"
"Shut up," Finnick shoves his sister-in-law's shoulder lightly. 
"The rooftops are just as bad as the street," Leeg 1 says. 
"We still might have a chance to withdraw, go back the way we came," Homes adds. "But that would mean a failed mission."
"It was never intended for all of us to go forward. You just had the misfortune to be with me," Katniss tells the squad. 
"Well, that's a moot point. We're with you now," Jackson replies.  "So, we can't stay put. We can't move up. We can't move laterally. I think that just leaves one option." 
"Underground."