Hijacked

Propoganda

"Hello and good evening people of Panem." Around the cafeteria, everyone begins murmuring and turning towards the screen. The Capitol has been broadcasting propaganda videos and footage of the bombings from 12. On screen though is Caesar Flickerman and seeing him all dressed up and colored in is making me sick. I'm debating on whether or not I should when he says, "and I have a special guest here with me tonight."

"Guest, what guest?" Katniss murmurs next to me.

"Who cares." I grumbled, picking up my tray as I head to the dish racks.

"Catora Melane." I freeze in my tracks and turn around. There she is, smiling for the cameras. God, that smile it's beautiful but it doesn't reach her eyes. Immediately people began murmuring. Catora? She was captured? Why hasn't she been killed? Why does she look reseted well fed.. Why is she talking to Caesar Flickerman willingly? But I know the truth. Capitol makeup can't hide everything. Her smile isn't true. She wouldn't be doing this unless someone's life was threatened. She's protecting someone.. Still. But who?

"Thank you Caesar. It's good to be here." She laughs a little. Laughs. My heart is breaking. "I actually thought I'd never get the chance to see you again." Caesar smiles gently as Catora pushes a strand of her brown hair out of her face.

"Yes, of course. As you made it clear in the games, you weren't out there fighting for you life but for Peeta's." Catora nodded her head slowly, licking her lips.

"Yes." Was her simple reply. Caesar nodded his head, tapping his chin.

"And you wanted to save him despite carrying his child?" Child? Why were they still playing up the baby game? There was only a split second of it, but Catora looked just as confused as everyone else in the room.

"She's not really pregnant." Katniss whispered next to me. It was half a question and half a statement.

"She's not. I don't know what they're doing." Catora touched her stomach lightly.

"Is that so bad? I wouldn't want my baby to be born into.. This." She was staring at the ground, rubbing the fabric of her white dress before placing her hand back on the arm rest.

"This? Do you mean the war?"

"I guess I mean the world and the violence that comes with it. He's too precious for that."

"So it's a boy." Caesar stated. Catora laughed a little, shaking her head.

"No, I'm not sure. I hope it's a boy. I want him to look like.." She stops and looks away. I know how that sentence ends because I've heard it before. My chest tightens. Caesar clears his throat, regaining her attention.

"So, Miss Melane or should we say Mellark now?" Catora shrugs and wrings her hands. "Tell us about that last night in the arena. Clear everything up for us would you please." Catora looks up then. Her eyebrows are furrowed and I can tell that she's angry and trying not to show it. What's going through her head? Does she know that I was rescued? That I'm alive? Does she know about the war? Have people told her?

"That last night.. It was chaos. Absolute madness. I was trying to find Peeta... I remember that." She stops like she has more to say but doesn't want to.

"Do you remember firing the arrow at the dome?" Catora looks up at Caesar with a look of confusion. "You broke the arena in two Miss Mellark." Catora is shaking her head vigorously.