Fawn In The Dawn | Peeta Mellark

thirteen

We landed in District 2 for a mission under Coins command. I geared up and held a gun strapped over my shoulder. Gale reached forward and handed me something I didn't think I'd see for a long while.

"Here." He nudged it to me, but my hands refused to grab it. "You've got skill with it. And to be honest, I trust you more with a blade than a firearm." He smirked slightly. I looked to him, and then hesitantly grasped onto it and felt somewhat safe holding it's handle. It may scare me now, but I always tried to confront the things that scared me most.

Placing it in the holder on my hip, I made my way to the group and stood listening to plans but I couldn't think or try to pay attention. Peeta was on my mind, as usual.

When the ships left us, I stood near Katniss and Gale, staring out the window to below, in the building we took shelter in. "Why would you support the killing of innocents?" Katniss sneared to Gale, as I looked to the two of them, uncomfortably.

"I support the killing of anyone who supports the Capitol." Gale said, and a part of me began to agree that people working for the Capitol should just die. Especially because I knew a lot of them and their intentions. Their pride on being the wealthy and successful and the way they looked down on the rest of Panem, made it so easy to despise them. But people were still people. And their lives weren't ours to claim.

"That's terrible. They deserve the chance to surrender." Katniss snapped at him. I sensed a fight coming on.

"Do they? District 12 didn't get that oppurtunity." Gale retaliated in defense. "What do you think, Arizona?" They looked to me. "You lived with these people."

"What? Oh, no, don't get me involved in this. This is between you two." I held my hands up in defeat, not wanting to piss either of the two off.

"Come on, Arizona, you know you want them all dead. You've seen them first hand." He insisted, trying to get me to agree with him, and he wasn't entirely wrong.

"But I also have seen the children and people who also despise the Capitol. It's really not all that black and white. But hey, if you can live with yourself for doing it, go right ahead. I mean, it is war." I said my piece and dipped out, quickly, not wanting involvement.

Explosions rang in the background. The darkness closed in on us and I followed the group as we were led to a filming location. I stood near the wall, watching as Katniss straightened herself up. She looked down the tunnel and turned back to the camera.

"This is Katniss Everdeen, speaking to all the loyalists from the heart of District 2." Behind her, a sudden train began its entrance and they held their guns up, including myself. We stood, staring, not prepared for what we'd see come out of there. But people jumped out and surrendered to the ground, hands in the air.

A man began towards Kat and I stepped forward as Boggs was demanding him to put his weapon down, but he looked tired, angry, and out of his mind.

"Drop it!" Boggs shouted. I put my arm out in front of Katniss and held my sword up. Gunfire rang out and he dropped, so ultimately, Katniss ran to him without hesitation.

"Kat, stop!" I called to her, not trusting this situation, but she went anyways. The man immediately popped up, holding a gun to her head.

"Drop it!" Boggs said once more.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't shoot you." The man said to Katniss.

"I can't." She muttered to him. "We blew up your mine and you burned my district to the ground. We both have our reasons." She said. "So make Snow happy and shoot me. I'm tired of killing his slaves for him."

"I'm not his slave." The man demanded, angrily. A cocking sound happened in the gun and I without a second thought, I whipped my sword forward, causing it to lodge into his neck, and him falling onto his back. Blood splattered on Kat's face and tears began streaming down her cheeks. I knew she would be furious with me, but I did not trust this situation and we were in no place to take chances.

"These people are not our enemies. Snow is!" She began. "He makes us go against each other. We need to stop killing for him!" She looked to me, and I looked down, slightly ashamed. Funny, how difficult it usually was for me to make the decision to kill others when it came to my own wellbeing, but he would have killed Katniss, and I couldn't hesitate. "Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol. Turn it to Snow!"

Another fire rang out and I lifted my gun as Katniss dropped to the ground. I began shooting the man with Gale behind me and Boggs next to my side. Gunshots rang consistently through the dead air, shooting all around us. Shit, Katniss you better not be dead.