The Rebel Victor | I [THG]

Chapter Eleven | The Mockingjay Drifters

Like she had expected, she hadn't been allowed to go on her own. The peacekeeper who had the mockingjay pin accompanied her. He said nothing, and he left his helmet on. The only reason she knew it was him was because he had put it on just before stepping onto the elevator. He and the second peacekeeper had been in a heated discussion about something, probably some sort of bet about the District Four tributes because the conversation ended abruptly when Quinn approached them.

The roof was much nicer than Quinn had expected. She had expected maybe a few flower pots, a bench, and a decent view of the Capitol. But she should have known that it would have been much better than something so simple. There were rose bushes growing in big pots that surrounded the edge of the roof. Then there was some sort of plant mixed in with it that had vines growing up the wall. Quinn chose not to sit down on a bench she passed, instead she stood by the edge. She could see the bright and colorful assortment of lights reflecting on the water that surrounded the Capitol, she could hear the loud music that seemed to be the same as every other song that was played at the Capitol.

But her mind kept wandering back to Finnicks story about the riot in Four. The riot that got children ripped away from their families for something they had no part of.

"What's you're name?" Quinn asked abruptly, turning towards the elevator door where the peacekeeper stood, waiting to leave the roof garden. But he didn't move. "I'm going to die in a few days, ya'know. You won't lose your job if you tell me your first name."

She could see his chest rise and fall as he sighed heavily. After a moment of thought, he pulled the helmet off.

"Damien." he said abruptly and sternly, clearly not up for the conversation that he had managed to escape when she first noticed the pin.

"And you're from Four?" she pressed further, she thought about telling him she knew he was familiar, but decided against it.

Even in the dim lighting, she could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes at the sound of her question. If what Finnick said was true, then it must have been a sore topic to even think about.

But after a moment, he nodded-- giving into the fact that she wasn't about to let him off the hook this time. "Yeah, I am."

"Why were you taken to Two?"

He was quiet for a moment, "My dad was part of this riot sort of thing." he replied, "Me and my sister were both taken to Two. She's the commanding peacekeeper in District Eight."

Quinn raised an eyebrow sharply. There were a few peacekeepers in Four that were women, but a woman as a commander was almost unheard of.

"Why did you get sent to the Capitol?" she asked, even though it wasn't much of a conversation-- her questions just made him talk, him talking gave her something to pay attention to besides the games that would be starting in a few days.

He shrugged, "I'm actually a drifter." he replied, "I go back and forth on the train, keeping the people on it in line, doing business in the Districts and such." he shrugged. "That's why I got the pin...I lied when I said it was because of a promotion."

Quinn watched as he reached for his collar and quickly undid it as he began to take a few steps towards her. "What do you mean?"

"It's a mockingjay pin." he stated simply, as if it was obvious. But Quinn stared at him blankly, and took the pin in her hand as he held it out to her. "You do know what a mockingjay is, right?"

Quinn shook her head, "I didn't really put in much effort in school."

He sighed, "A mockingjay is something that the Capitol never meant to create." he said simply, "Four wasn't the first District to have kids taken from-- it's happened in nearly every District. A lot of them become peacekeepers just so their new home District will respect them more." he explained, "But there's a handful of us who have gotten one of these, and most of them are drifters. We do our thing, you know enforce laws and stuff...but-" his voice dropped and became much quieter, "-we work with the small groups of rebels that we know of. Mainly in Districts Eight and Eleven."

Quinn was quiet for a moment, thinking about his explaination of the pin.

"It's sort of like a symbol. If someone see's a peacekeeper with that pin-" he said as he motioned to the piece of gold in Quinn's hand. "-they know that they are against the Capitol." he said in a even quieter tone, if that was even possible.

Against the Capitol. Against Snow. Against the unfair social classes amoung and inside the districts. Against the Hunger Games. There were people in the districts against it all, wanting to fight back...there were people waiting for their chance to fight back against the Capitol even inside the Capitol.

"So you are kind of like the mockingjay," Quinn said, her voice only sounding like a whisper. "Something the Capitol never meant to create."

He thought for a moment, "I guess so, if you want to think of it that way."

Quinn looked down at the pin in her hand for a moment, turning it over in her hand over and over again before she finally held it out to him.

"Keep it." he shrugged as he turned his helmet over in his hands. "Consider it your token from the rebels. A good luck charm."

Quinn stared at him, "Really?" she replied, squinting a bit as if it would help her see that he was joking. "How did you know I didn't have a token?"

"The orphan from District Four who doesn't have a family, who's only friends seem to be other orphans." he stated plainly.

Quinn winced a bit at the bluntness of his statement, but decided not to keep trying to give the pin back. Even if she hadn't gotten it from anyone important to her, she still had something-- something she could pretend came from someone important.

"Well, thanks." she said finally.

He gave a curt nod, "And, don't tell anyone about what I said-- about the rebels." he told her, "Alright? Not even Finnick, tell him you found the pin up here."