Catching Fire: Prim [Completed]

Chapter 6: What I Shouldn't Have Seen

Snow said no. He said no.

Fight or flight? It's time to run away now. I'll take Mom, Katniss, Gale and his family, and Peeta. Haymitch can tag along too.

"When will the wedding be?" Caesar Flickerman asks, breaking my thoughts.

"You shall have it here in the Capitol," Snow says before Peeta nor Katniss can reply.

"If my mom says yes, that is," Katniss tells the two of them.

In each district during the Victory Tour, we had dinner at the end of the speeches. But in the Capitol, there is a party, and it's at President Snow's mansion. The party was just a big blur of food. I remember stuffing myself up with all sorts of gourmet food until I felt like I was going to explode. The prep team suggested drinking something that would make me throw up so I could eat again, but I denied. I can't believe these people are throwing up on purpose just to stuff themselves again, while back in District 12, people are starving to death and wishing they could have just a little bit of food.

There was one more thing, other than the food. Plutarch Heavensbee. I was watching Katniss and Peeta dance together when he came up to me and asked for a dance. Unsure of what to do, I just went with the flow and accepted. At first we just talked about the party, then he started to talk about the games.

Plutarch is the new Head Gamemaker. I don't like gamemakers. They're the ones that made my life miserable in the arena. I was trying to decide whether or not I like him when he had told me that he needed to attend a strategy meeting. He had taken out a gold watch, popped open the lid, then frowned after checking the time.

"I think I should get going," he had said as he tilted the watch so that I could see the face.

"Yeah you shou-" I stopped in mid sentence when he rubbed his thumb across the surface and an image of a mockingjay materialized for a split second before he shut the lid.

"That's a nice watch," I had told him, hiding my surprise.

"Oh yes it is, one of a kind. I've got to head off now, but if anyone asks, tell them I've gone to bed, the meeting's suppose to be secret, but I thought it'd be safe to tell you."

"Oh okay, my mouth is shut," I told him and then we shook hands, and he disappeared into the crowd with his last words,

"It starts at midnight."

Right now? Katniss, Peeta, and I are at the train station, thanks to Effie. There was a lot of traffic, but Effie must have taken it into consideration when making her schedule, because we arrived at the station on the dot.

"No! Please don't kill me!" I scream as I wake up from a terrible nightmare. This time I was back in the arena, and Clove had been that close to cleaving my head with knife. I check for Peeta but he isn't next to me. I realize he's with Katniss. It makes sense since they're engaged now. I wonder how Katniss feels like, with the whole Peeta-Katniss thing. I'm pretty sure her plans were to marry Gale when she grew up, but now she got tangled up in this whole mess.

We've been on the train for a while, and now we're drawing close to District 12, home. The agenda there is pretty simple. First we'll have dinner at Mayor Undersee's, then a victory rally in the square, and finally we have the Harvest Festival, which is tomorrow. The Harvest Festival always happens on the final day of the Victory Tour. It's usually a small meal we have at home, or with friends if we can afford it. But with the Capitol here this year, everyone in District 12 will be able to have full bellies.

Once we're off the train, it's straight to Mayor Undersee's. I'm sure Katniss is thrilled, her friend Madge lives there. I like Madge, she's been to our house a lot after the games, and she's really nice. Plus she's a real good friend to Katniss, and I want Katniss to be happy.

The prep team fixes me up, then I change into a full length silver gown. The prep team's work is astonishing, as always, and the outfit is wonderful. I look around for the bathroom, but with so many rooms, it's hard to find it. I stumble across what looks like the Mayor's room, but it's empty. The television is on, and there are shots of Peeta, Katniss and I at yesterday's party.

I'm about to leave when something catches my eye. Or ear. I hear loud beeping noises. I turn back and see the words 'UPDATE ON DISTRICT 8' flashing on the screen. I realize it isn't for me, but my feet stay planted on the floor. There's an announcer, and she reports that the situation is getting worse, what she describes as a 'Level 3 alert'. No more textiles are being manufactured, and additional forces are being sent to District 8. Then the cameras cut to the main square, where I was about a week ago.

Some of the banners from the tour are still up, and below is...quite a scene. The words 'bedlam' and 'pandemonium' would best describe it. The people hide their faces with masks, and they are screaming, shoving and throwing bricks. You can see the buildings are burnt down, and there are Peacekeepers everywhere, shooting the crowd with no particular target. I've never seen anything like this before, but I know what it is, thanks to Snow. It's an uprising.

~A/N~ And...we're back! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, though I know it wasn't too exciting. I'm really having a hard time choosing who I'll put into the third quarter quell, Prim or Katniss. If you have an opinion, please do share it in the comments. I really need your help.

-Monica