The Girl Who Sparked the Capitol - Book 2 - Peeta

Chapter 8

"No!" Alessia cries, and springs forward. It's too late to stop the arm from descending, and she instinctively knows she won't have the power to blockit. Instead she throws herself directly between the whip and Gale. She's flung out her arms to protect as much of his broken body as possible, so there's nothing to deflect the lash. She takes the full force of it across the left side of her face.

The pain is blinding and instantaneous. Jagged flashes of light cross Alessia's vision and she falls to her knees. One hand cups her cheek while the other keeps her from tipping over. She can already feel the welt rising up, the swelling closing her eye. The stones beneath her are wet with Gale's blood, the air heavy with its scent. "Stop it! You'll kill him!" Alessia shrieks.

Alessia gets a glimpse of her assailant's face. Hard, with deep lines, a cruel mouth. Gray hair shaved almost to nonexistence, eyes so black they seem all pupils, a long, straight nose reddened by the freezing air. The powerful arm lifts again, his sights set on Alessia. Alessia's hand flies to her shoulder, hungry for an arrow, but, of course, her weapons are stashed in the woods. She grits her teeth in anticipation of the next lash.

"Hold it!" a voice barks. Haymitch appears and trips over a Peacekeeper lying on the ground. It's Darius. A huge purple lump pushes through the red hair on his forehead. He's knocked out but still breathing. What happened? Did he try to come to Gale's aid before Alessia gothere?

Haymitch ignores him and pulls Alessia to her feet roughly. "Oh, excellent." His hand locks under her chin, lifting it. "She's got a photoshoot next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I supposed to tell her stylist?"

Alessia sees a flicker of recognition in the eyes of the man with the whip. Bundled against the cold, her face free of makeup, her two braids tucked carelessly under her coat, it wouldn't be easy to identify her as the victor of the last Hunger Games. Especially with half her face swelling up. But Haymitch has been showing up on television for years, and he'd be difficult to forget.

The man rests the whip on his hip. "She interrupted the punishment of a confessed criminal."

Everything about this man, his commanding voice, his odd accent, warns of an unknown and dangerous threat. Where has he come from? District 11? 3? From the Capitol itself?

"I don't care if she blew up the blasted Justice Building! Look at her cheek! Think that will be camera ready in a week?" Haymitch snarls.

The man's voice is still cold, but Alessia can detect a slight edge of doubt. "That's not my problem."

"No? Well, it's about to be, my friend. The first call I make when I get home is to the Capitol," says Haymitch.

"Find out who authorized you to mess up my victor's pretty little face!"

"He was poaching. What business is it of hers, anyway?" says the man

"He's her cousin." Peeta's got Alessia's other arm now, but gently. "And she's my fiancé. So if you want to get to him, expect to go through both of us."

Katniss appears out of the crowd and runs to Gale, shrieking. She faces the peacekeeper and gives the coldest stare Alessia has ever seen.

Maybe they're it. The only four people in the district who could make a stand like this. Although it's sure to be temporary. There will be repercussions. But at the moment, all Alessia cares about is keeping Gale alive. The new Head Peacekeeper glances over at his backup squad.With relief, Alessia sees they're familiar faces, old friends from the Hob. You can tell by their expressions that they're not enjoying the show.

One, a woman named Purnia who eats regularly at Greasy Sae's, steps forward stiffly. "I believe, for a first offense, the required number of lashes has been dispensed, sir. Unless your sentence is death, which we would carry out by firing squad."