Breaking

Katsa

Previously-

 “Everybody put your hands together for district twelve’s tributes... Po and Katsa!”

This was when we were supposed to shake hands, but neither of us held out our hands for the other to take. We wrapped our arms around each other and kissed. We kissed before district twelve, before the cameras, before Panem. Everybody was watching, but for a moment it was just us.

And everything was fine.

…

I was grabbed from behind by a peace keeper. My instincts took over before realized what I was doing.

I twisted out of his grip, grabbing his arm at the same time and twisting until it broke.  Another peacekeeper ran towards me, I ran a couple steps in his direction before jumping out of the way, his momentum carried him forward. I turned and ducked at the same time as a different peacekeeper’s fist came close to hitting the back of my head. I knocked his legs out from underneath him, shooting back to my feet to hit the other peacekeeper’s wrist, making him drop the baton that he had so kindly swung at my head. He received a swift blow to the temple. As he fell to the ground I turned to the other peacekeeper that was making his way to his feet. As soon as he got his feet on the ground, I hit him in the neck with my elbow.

I bent my legs, ready to spring at a moment’s notice. I looked around myself, checking that there were no more attackers. Everyone was looking at me in shocked silence. Effie had long ago feinted. I noticed that a few of the people that were just standing there, frozen, were peacekeepers. I had been wondering why there had only been a few guards.

I turned towards the audience and looked out over the crowd one last time. Then I turned to the camera that had been following me closely the entire time. I stared at the lens without emotion before giving a small bow.  I turned my back to everybody and took long, confidant strides through the doorway that Po had already been shoved through.

No one bothered me as I walked down the fancy hallway, yanking the doors open one by one until I found Po. I barely glanced at all the paintings on the wall, gold-framed pictures of long-dead mayors.

They must have been honoured to be the mayor of this fabulous district.

Po was in the fourth door on the right, the guard rushed to the side to let me through the door. The peacekeepers learned quickly, I could give them that.

Red walls with gold accents, made even more horrible by the dark red carpet. A little bit of luxury, bathed in blood. The room was designed as if to encompass the true meaning of the games.

Sitting in the middle of the couch at the back of the small room was Po, with Bitterblue sitting beside him. She was glaring at me as I walked in through the door. I ignored her in favour of sitting beside Po and glancing around the room for possible cameras.  I project my thoughts toward Po, hoping that he understood the need to be discreet. 

‘Snow will kill Bitterblue.’

Po looked into my eyes before speaking.

“I have always wondered what it would be like to compete in the games, I always imagined it would feel very freeing to be able to do things on my own and be in such a wide open space.”

‘Yes, I should just tell the president that I want to look into other job opportunities and not be under his control.’  I was so obviously sarcastic that Effie would have been able to tell.  ‘I am a highly trained mutt to him, and my only escape will be in my death.’

The president had told me that many times in the years that I spent in the capitol. He would invite important citizens to watch me train and present me to them as his property. When I found a loop hole in the instructions sent to me, he decided that I was too stupid to follow orders and sent ridiculously specific instructions.