𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄 ‣ 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

xiii. epiphany

act three, chapter thirteen – epiphany

When Fallon wakes, somehow she feels even more drained, but the side effects of dissociation have reclined to the back of her mind. Physically, she can wiggle her fingers and stretch her legs but her heart remains hardened.  Cressida and Katniss are awake. They both stare at the girl as she slithers out of Finnick's arms–gently, as to not wake him–and props herself against the wall. Their faces are painted with a sort of sadness that drags their features down and clear sympathy. Fallon ignores them and looks down at her scarred fingers. Red crescents show in her palms.

Moving death by death, she counts numbers on her fingers. One, two--Mitchell and Boggs on the block. Three--Messalla melted by the light. Four, five- -Leeg 1 and Jackson sacrificing themselves at the Meat Grinder. Six, seven, eight--Castor, Homes, and Aris being decapitated by the devilish lizard mutts. Eight dead in twenty-four hours. The time couldn't have passed more slowly because Fallon can't grasp that it's real. Surely, all her friends will reveal themselves behind the shadows.

The only thing that refocuses her frantic thoughts is Snow. How she's going to make his whiteness run red.

When everyone else awakens, Katniss confesses. How she lied about the mission, how she jeopardized everyone for her own motives. There's a long silence after. Then Gale says, "Katniss, we all knew you were lying about Coin sending you to assassinate Snow."

"You knew, maybe. The soldiers from Thirteen didn't," Katniss replies.

"Do you really think Jackson believed you had orders from Coin?" Cressida asks. "Of course she didn't. But she trusted Boggs, and he'd clearly wanted you to go on."

"I never even told Boggs what I planned to do," Katniss says.

"You told everyone in Command!" Gale says. "It was one of your conditions for being the Mockingjay. 'I kill Snow.'"

She pauses. "But not like this. It's been a complete disaster."

"I think it would be considered a highly successful mission," says Gale. "We've infiltrated the enemy camp, showing that the Capitol's defenses can be breached. We've managed to get footage of ourselves all over the Capitol's news. We've thrown the whole city into chaos trying to find us."

"Trust me, Plutarch's thrilled," Cressida adds.

"That's because Plutarch doesn't care who dies," Katniss says. "Not as long as his Games are a success."

That stings. Aris sticks on the back of her eyelids with admirable resistance. Nothing will wipe the snapshots of him from her eyes. Playing in the water, going sailing, hanging out in Thirteen. Then the stab of reliving his death-drop comes. She shakes her head but the ghost of him lurks.

Cressida and Gale go round and round trying to convince the Mockingjay. Pollux nods at their words to back them up. Only Peeta, Fallon, and Finnick stay silent.