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𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 : 𝘳𝘶𝘦
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lil a / n : who's ready for a action and romance packed chapter?! i'm not. i have to edit all this shit. anyways, on with the chapter !

"where's finnick?" hattie asked while running through the train parking lot. "he's gone." "what do you mean he's gone, everdeen?" she yelled, dodging the lights and staying ahead of the actively-destructing concrete. "i mean he's—" "miss me?" suddenly, finnick appeared at hattie's side. "oh my god, i'm so going to kill you when this is over." hattie sighed, continuing to sprint until she didn't have to anymore. turning around, she saw peeta on the floor.

"peeta, come on." hattie said, bending down to stay with the boy. he held his head on the ground, "im a mutt ! i can't keep control ! leave me ! im a mutt !" "yes, you can ! look at me ! peeta, look at me." she grabbed peeta's face in her hands and made eye contact. "you've got my back." "always." he said, without missing a beat. she nodded, teary eyes. "yeah?" "yeah. yeah." he nodded. she kissed his cheek hard, then started to stand up, "come on." as she ran away, peeta and finnick caught pace with one another. "nice kiss you got there." finnick smirked.

there was a pomegranate colored kiss mark on peeta's cheek. "wonder when she applies the lipstick." finnick mumbled to himself. "i know where we are !" hattie yelled up ahead. "and there she strikes again." finnick shook his head with a smirk. "me too ! i know a place. up those stairs." cressida ordered. up the stairs, katniss could spot WANTED posters as they flew by. mostly of them. "keep going !" cressida and hattie yelled.

they kept running until they reached a bedazzled store, cressida started to knock on the door. "someone's coming." peeta said. a woman opened the door, and everyone rushed in. "close the door ! close the door !" cressida urged. katniss nocked her arrow at the woman with a tiger mask. "it's okay, katniss. put it down." hattie said. katniss hesitated, before pulling her bow down. "tigris, do you remember me? i'm front of plutarch's underground. we need your help." "clear !" gale called.

"yeah, shitbird, it's a jewelry and dress boutique, who's gonna pod it up?" hattie scoffed, shaking her head as she stood with cressida. 'tigris' looked at hattie, before walking past her, and quickly, they followed. katniss, hattie, and cressida. at a doorway, tigris reached down and opened a trapdoor. "hey, i know you," katniss said, "you were a stylist in the games."

the woman took off her hood. "until snow decided i wasn't pretty enough any more." "...tigris?" the women turned the girl, and hattie finally remembered her. her fathers cousin. "cousin tig?" "hattie." she nodded. she must've recognized her. "...i'm here to kill him." hattie commented. "his own daughter, hm? i like the sound of that." she nodded as she opened a door in the ground for them. "thanks... tig."

soon, everyone lowered themselves into the trapdoor and found themselves in the woman's 'closet'. "nice." hattie nodded. tigris closed the trapdoor behind them. "gale's gonna need stitches." cressida said as pollux sobbed. hattie sighed, and suddenly, words started to spill.

"i made it all up. we made it all up. there is no special mission from coin. only our plan. everyone that's dead is dead because of me. i lied." hattie confessed, shaking her head.

she wasn't worthy. why did she think she was worthy to kill her own father? she wasn't strong enough. she never was.

"we know. we all knew." hattie looked up from the ground. "the soldiers from 13...?" "they did too. did you really believe that jackson thought you had special orders from coin? she trusted boggs and he clearly wanted you both to go on." "no, i... i failed, though. i killed them. i never wanted to kill them. it's all my fault. i am so sorry, pollux. it was all on me, and i failed." hattie's voice broke as she pursued the sentence.

"glimmer, marvel, mags, clove, wiress, rue. what do all those deaths mean? they mean that our lives were never ours. there was no real life because we didn't have a choice." peeta said. "our lives belong to snow and our deaths do, too. but if you kill him, hattie... if you end all of this, all those deaths, they mean something. you get to decide who and what belongs to them." finnick encouraged. "cinna, boggs, castor, jackson, ava." hattie slightly gasped when peeta said her mother's name.

"they chose this. they chose you. and katniss. don't let their deaths mean nothing."

« « « » » »

hattie softly patted peeta's injuries with a wet cloth, "keep them clean, or they'll get infected, you hear me?" she gently told him, and he subtly nodded at her. "stay still." katniss hissed to finnick. "it hurts !" he whined. "cry baby." hattie muttered. "you should cuff me. it's not safe with me yet. i have moments when i'm here. and my memories are getting better," peeta mumbled.

"that's good," she encouraged, blotting his bloody arm. "but other times it's like i'm sleepwalking. you should cuff me." he repeated. hattie was about to disagree, to tell him that he should never say that to her again, but against her better judgement, she grabbed the cuffs. "i'm sorry." she muttered.

"don't be. i want this." he assured.

« « « » » »

hattie slept on katniss' stomach, in a blank sleep until she heard light clattering.

she opened her eyes, glancing over to where peeta and finnick stood, and she looked away. "i can't sleep." peeta confessed. "yeah, i've barely slept in days, either." finnick agreed. they stayed silent for a moment. "she really loves you." the man told the teen, "the way she's been caring for you since she met you is seriously insane. i've never seen anyone care for someone that much." "it's just part of the friendship." peeta shrugged, lying laying obviously in his tone.

"no. no, you won her over. i mean, with your incredible charm, how could she not? you saved her without even trying. it's just your natural instinct... i wish you both a happy ending, dude." "thanks, finn." "let her know she's loved. she doubts that a lot." "...i will." peeta nodded.

suddenly, artillery exploded in the distance. hattie finally sat up. "mortar shells. it's not ours." "nice observation, shitbird." she yawned. "peacekeepers must be shelling the rebels outside the city." gale said. "that's not outside the city." cressida said.

...

"sun's comin' up," gale came down the stairs, "there's some small-arms fire. could be payload, maybe lyme. rebels are close." "this is it." hattie sighed. the fanfare played on the TV. "yay, my favorite part of the day." the small girl sarcastically said.

"to all capitol citizens more than a half mile outside the city circle, i am announcing a mandatory evacuation. come to the mansion. i am promising you shelter and sanctuary. all refugees, come to my home. and there you will be provided with food, medicine, safety for your children, and you will have my solemn oath to protect you until my dying breath."

"wish he'd hurry up with that last part." cressida commented, and hattie snorted. "our enemy is not like us. they do not share our values. they have never known our comfort and our sophistication." hattie raised her hand, "beg to differ, father." "and they despise us for it. make no mistake. they are not coming to liberate us. they are coming to destroy our way of life. they are coming to bury us." "is he still in the mansion? peeta?" katniss asked. "yeah, i recognize the room." "did you guys hear that? party at my house." hattie said, standing up.

"it's about five blocks away." cressida said. "we're right here. off the avenues." hattie pointed, "home sweet home is right there." "what about the pods?" katniss asked. "they'll probably deactivate the pods around here for the residents safety." cressida said. "that could work. i could get close enough." hattie nodded. "every PK is gonna be waiting." gale said. she ignored him, turning to peeta, "can i have your gun?" "next to our faces on every billboard. snow's offering shelter to all the refugees." cressida scoffed at gale.

peeta gave her his gun, and she held it up to her face. with her free hand, she held her machete and pressed the grey button. she aimed for the poster on the wall with a target on it, and once aimed from across the room, hattie threw her machete and... "bullseye. yeah, this'll work. i need a pack. shitbird, i need a pack."

...

"head straight north. there's gonna be thousands of refugees. just get into that stream and don't look up." cressida instructed hattie and katniss as hattie braided her hair into two dutch braids. "we got one shot." hattie sighed. "let's make it count." gale said. katniss pulled a fluffy jacket onto hattie's shoulders. it reminded her of the one she used to wear every winter around christmas when she was a small child in her single digits.

"good luck, girls." cressida said. katniss and hattie both reached into a hug with the blonde girl. "thank you." they chorused. "pollux." katniss turned to the man. "again, i'm so sorry." hattie mumbled. he shook his head at her, and did gestures with his hands. 'all is forgiven'. she gestured back 'thank you'. "tigris, thanks babe, for everything." hattie thanked.

"hattie, let me come with you, okay? i could be a good distraction. they know my face." "no. i am not losing either of you again. i can't." hattie pointed to the two boys, throwing herself onto finnick. "okay, okay." he muttered into her ear. once they seperated, hattie slowly brought peeta into her arms, hugging him tightly. "i love you." she whispered. "i... i love you too." he murmured.

she separated herself, putting her hands to his face. "don't leave me just yet." "wasn't planning on it." he smiled. "what if PKs are searching the houses? and if he's captured..." "then give me a nightlock pill, okay? i'm not going back." peeta said. gale unzipped his jacket and handed the boy the pill. "peeta." he turned to hattie, and she finally unlocked his cuffs. she handed the key to finnick, "i swear to god, man—" "i got you. don't worry." finnick smiled.

hattie looked at the blonde boy, and realized what she had laying in her pocket. slowly, she pulled out the golden ring and opened peeta's hand to lay it in his palm. "stay alive. stay alive so you can have my back a little longer, okay?" she then grabbed his face and kissed his cheek, before hesitating and pecking his lips. "if i see you again, it's gonna be a different world. i promise you." "ready, 'ettie?" katniss asked. hattie turned, then looked back at peeta, quickly hugging him once more, taking in the smell of his body.

cinnamon and roses. but not in the way her father smelt of. his roses smelled of dewy freshness, like you had just picked them from a dandelion field. it had a nice, delicate, smell. she wanted to stay there forever. but, she forced herself to pull away.

she softly smiled at his stained lips, a deep pink on and outside his lips. "bye." "bye." he smiled.

katniss gently grabbed hattie's hand, and the brown girl turned away from the blonde. "let's go." she pulled the hood over her braids, and let katniss walk her out the door. gale followed after them.

as they watched them leave, the door shut closed, and they stood in silence for a moment. finnick turned to peeta, to wipe the lipstick off his cheek and lips, but peeta stopped him. "it's okay... i like it like this." finnick hesitated, but nodded a small nod with a smirk on his face.

"okay, if you're sure."

« « « » » »

"by order of president snow, all residents must proceed to the presidential estate. please, continue to move forward in a calm and orderly fashion. additional food, medicine, and clothing will be provided upon arrival."

as the message repeated, the three walked through the empty streets of the capitol. hattie found it cold, how these streets were empty. they were never empty. there was always at least one group of people walking about, chatting and gossiping, yelling with laughter. but now, it was just silence.

they didn't speak as they found the massive crowd of people moving towards the mansion, seeing people in desirable clothes and makeup. she remembered when she looked like that. yet, she still smelled of the caramel and expensive chocolate that she always had. they moved into the crowd, walking towards the capitol with everyone else.

as they walked past PKs, hattie noticed a small blonde baby was staring at her. she must've recognized her from her daily appearances on TV for the last 16 years of her life.

shortly, hattie realized a problem. PK were checking people in. she grabbed katniss, and turned around, making her get gale. then, another problem. PKs up ahead, walking through the crowd. she cursed under her breath. as they got closer, hattie felt the weight of the gun in her pocket but she ignored it. the rebels, on the other hand, didn't. an explosion. the three ducked down, and hattie thanked whatever gods that were helping her. it was probably peeta and cressida.

or, it wasn't.

bomb after bomb. explosion after explosion. bullet after bullet. "mama ! mama !" the blonde girl yelled at her dead mother laying on the ground. katniss got up and ran towards the nearest barricade, but hattie quickly ran over and grabbed the baby through the bars, before sprinting after her friends. "hi, baby. hi. i know." she comforted. "what are you doing with the baby?" gale asked. "you expected me to let this poor girl watch her mom die, sh—?" she cut herself off. the young child didn't need to hear that.

gale kicked an already down PK, and stole his gun. "come on !" the girls got up and ran after gale. they ran over the barricade, avoiding gunshots and explosions as gale sent a couple shots ever once in a while. they hid back behind the front of a truck, until it exploded a couple moments later. the toddler started to whimper. "run !" hattie shouted, getting a head start. the two immediately followed, and the truck flipped over in flames.

katniss fell, and hattie stopped. "kat !" katniss just stared through the flames, and hattie turned around to see gale being walked off by PKs. katniss stood up on her own, and stole her bow from the ground. "here." hattie gave her an arrow that was stashed in her deep pockets. "thanks." she mumbled, pulling the arrow back. "shoot me ! shoot me !" they heard from afar.

something hattie had never expected to experience in her life had just been witnessed. katniss hesitated based off a weakness.

she didn't shoot gale. she watched him get thrown into the back of the truck, and soon get snapped back into the rest of reality and rush back for shelter. hattie ran after her. "it's okay." she kissed the little girl's head, and turned to katniss, realizing she was panting. "that's not your fault. it's okay. it's okay." all of a sudden, all emotion was sucked from katniss' face. "kat?"

she abruptly brought her hood over her head, and started to run, dodging falling debris and running towards the crowd. obviously, hattie followed. "stay quiet." she pulled her cape over the small girls body, and threw the hood over her own head.

best believe she quickly caught up with katniss, weaving through the crowd and making sure to rock the baby under her jacket. she remembered how her and cypress would weave through lines when they were young and small so they could get into the amusement park rides first. luckily, hattie was still small. she watched as katniss climbed onto a truck and watched as children got taken away from their parents, PKs ripping them away from their families. "make no noise." hattie warned the baby. she listened.

up above, an aircraft flew over, and gifts fell from the plan, just like the games. everyone reached for them. hattie looked around, her eyes widening as she noticed what was happening. she ducked down and covered her head with her other hand. soon, explosions. explosions, explosions, explosions. hattie lost her balance and fell onto her back. she felt katniss fall beside her.

she didn't get up. katniss did. medics were falling in, starting to aid the people. "prim?" katniss must've seen her sister. "primrose." she heard the blonde correct. she was a medic. "prim !" then, it went up into flames. a bomb has been dropped.

"prim?" hattie slowly sat up, looking around. she realized katniss was down on the ground again, flames on her clothes. "kat... where is prim?" though scared to ask such a question, hattie asked it anyway. katniss didn't respond. like always. she just let her clothes start to burn. hattie quickly extinguished the flames, lightly stomping on them with her combat boots. she felt herself become faint from the amount of smoke entering her brain. she felt herself lose balance, but she checked under her jacket. the baby was fine.

but then, hattie lost her balance completely and fell to the cold ground. she lost consciousness. black is all she could see.

« « « » » »

hattie woke up with a start. like always. she found the nurse and haymitch near her bed. "woah, honey, slow it down—" "where's the baby?" she asked quickly, as if insane, looking around. she didn't want the PKs taking her. "don't worry, she's fine." "then where is she?" hattie asked, tears filling her eyes. haymitch pointed to her left. she was sleeping in her own tiny bed, yellow jacket still on.

she let out a sigh of relief, a hand flying to her chest. "don't scare me like that again." "and you don't scare me like that again. sneaking out here? what were you thinking?" she looked at the man. "...we're even." she let herself fall back onto the bed. "what i thought. where'd you get the kid? get her on a discount?" the man casually asked, leaning back in his seat. "dad..." "kidding, kidding. but, seriously, where'd you get her?" "her... the PKs killed her mom. i couldn't leave her alone." haymitch slowly let a smile grow on his face. he ran a hand over the girl's braids. "that's my girl. can never think of herself first." "that's me." she softly said.

"you wanna know her name?" just as he said that, hattie realized she had never asked the toddler for her name. she looked about 2 or 3 years old. she must've known her name. "yeah, what is it?" "rue." hattie turned her head to haymitch with wide eyes. "no way." "way. about 3 years old. her birthday's next week. her father died after she was born. she's an orphan." he looked back at hattie. "you gonna adopt her?"

hattie knew it was legal to adopt at the age of 15. it was one of the many laws of panem. "i... i dunno." just as she spoke, katniss started to stir awake. haymitch stood up and pushed hattie's bed, so it would lay right next to katniss' bed. "don't sit up, the ointment's working." hattie recognized the nurse now as katniss' mother.

"everyone felt it. PKs, palace guards. they had kids in there, too. it was... it was over after that." haymitch spoke, voice breaking as he approached the last sentence. he raced over to hattie and kissed her head gratefully. "mom?" katniss looked at her mother. the woman didn't respond.

now hattie knew where she got it from.

a / n :
WARS OVER ! yay ! but we still have another chapter or two with some stressing stuff. PLEASE FORGIVE 🙏🏽 😭. anyways !
xoxo,
mel 💋