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𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯 : 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱.
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TW : sexual assault and human trafficking

"hattie, hattie."

hattie opened her eyes from cypress' shoulder, and saw colonel boggs and katniss standing over her. "come on." he told her. "comin'." she sighed, rubbing her eyes and taking katniss' offer of her hands to help her up.

they walked into the control room, where president coin sat awake. "we took their best shot. didn't we?" she asked the girls. "yeah." they mumbled. "your mother and sister okay?" she looked at katniss. "yeah, they're fine." "your boyfriend and aunt okay?" she turned to hattie. "he's not my boyfriend, and she's not my aunt, but they're both fine." "oh. my apologies." "none necessary." hattie smiled.

"i need you to do something for us. i need you to tell panem that we survived an attack by the capitol with no casualties. and we remain fully operational. okay?" the girls nodded at the president. "you should know something. we had eight extra minutes of civilian evacuation because of peeta's warning. i won't forget that." katniss and hattie looked at each other with teary eyes.

"thank you." they said.

« « « » » »

"so, katniss, it's '13 is alive and well and so am i.'. hattie, you can sit there and look pretty." effie told the girls. "job already done." hattie said. "katniss? katniss. never one to waste it in rehearsal, i know." effie sighed.

as soon as the two walked out, their mouths parted in shock. "oh, shit." hattie sighed. gale and cypress followed after the girls. at the deepest pit of the place, hattie spotted something. "hattie?" cypress called for the girl, watching her walk into the bowl-like dent. "hattie." katniss called as well. hattie didn't stop as she ran to the bottom of the pit and ran to the center. there, she picked up a white rose. porcelain and white. around her, surrounded by hundreds of roses. some a deep and light pinks, and others white, like the one on hattie had in her hand. "why would they drop these?" gale asked.

hattie looked up at him. "for me and kat."

"hey, ready to go, guys?" cressida, the blonde director asked, "we're gonna do this, just like district 8. tell me about the roses. tell snow 13 is alive and well." katniss joined hattie at the bottom of the pit. "he's gonna kill peeta." hattie muttered. katniss looked at her. "let's try again. can you speak up? we don't have a micon you. '13 is alive and well and so am i'." "he's gonna kill peeta." katniss repeated after her friend.

"i can't." the girl said. "katniss?" "you can do it, katniss." gale said. "i can't do this. we can't do this." katniss shook her head. "'13 is alive and well and so am i'." "he's just gonna keep... as long as i'm the mockingjay." hattie and katniss' eyes started to weep, and haymitch walked to them. "cressida, we should cut the cameras." effie said. he hugged the two. "it's okay, katniss. hattie. it's okay." "no. he warned me. he warned me about this. he's doing this because i'm the mockingjay. he's punishing peeta to punish me and his daughter. no. no, i can't do this." katniss said. "katniss—" cressida started.

hattie turned her head at the blonde, eyes venomous, "don't make her do this ! or so help me, i will use my fire machete on you. victim's choice." after she didn't respond, hattie went and followed katniss. "i gotta get out of here." the girl panted.

"okay, let's go, babe." hattie encouraged, effie following.

« « « » » »

katniss rocked herself on her butt and feet as hattie sat beside her, alternating from playing with her hair to playing with her necklace every couple minutes.

haymitch walked in, and sat down beside the two. "so, this is the end, huh? i s'pose you're gonna just hide down here forever?" "i can't be the mockingjay." katniss said with a shuddering breath. "not the mockingjay. just katniss... you know, you're the only real friend i have down here." he confessed, and hattie gave him a look.

"come on, you're my daughter." he looked at her, and she just clicked her tongue at him like her mother used to do when rue got into trouble, getting him to roll his eyes. "you and hattie are my only real friends down here... i don't suppose they gave you any kind of medication?" "you are unbelievable." they chorused. "okay, but i meant what i said." he sighed, "look, the reason i'm here is to let you know they're rescuing peeta."

hattie looked up at him. "seriously?" "what?" katniss breathed out. "you better not be shitting me right now, 'mitch, or i'll kick your ass." "the dam went down in district 5, took out most of the power to the capitol. knocked out their signal defence. beetee's inside their system right now, wreaking all kinds of havoc. a window is open to us. how much longer? i don't know. i guess until the capitol can get the power back on." haymitch rambled.

"and president coin?" katniss asked. "you know, i can never fully support that woman in light of the prohibition they have going on around this place, but plutarch got word that peeta and the others are in the tribute center. and with the power out, coin sees this as an opportunity. she knows that peeta is the capitol's weapon and means a lot to you girls, the same way you are our weapon. and as opposed to have you three pointing at each other, she's going to get him." hattie laughed with tears filling her eyes.

"i have to go help." katniss stood up. "hey, hey, whoa, kiddo. wait." haymitch chuckled, grabbing her arm. "come on. what, are you just gonna jump outta the vent and go storm the capitol?" haymitch asked rhetorically. "that oddly sounds like a lot of her plans." hattie commented. "besides, it's already underway. six soldiers went in. volunteer only. and guess who was the first brave soul to sign up." haymitch and katniss looked at each other. "gale." katniss whispered. "wrong." he shook his head.

hattie's eyes widened, "cypress." "ding ! ding ! ding !" haymitch sounded. "that dumbass," she sighed.

« « « » » »

finnick stood outside again, and cressida directed finnick to where katniss and hattie once stood. "go in the center there. those tricks. castor, to left. pollux, you're with me. so we'll go straight to camera. okay? finnick?" "yeah." "okay." he cleared his throat. "take your time. just remember to keep talking and don't stop." she reminded him.

he sighed, "this is finnick odair..."

« « « » » »

"winner of the 65th hunger games, and i'm coming to you from district 13, alive and well." katniss and hattie walked in to see finnick talking to the screen, haymitch behind the girls. "we survived the assault from the capitol. but, i'm not here to give you recent news." "why is finnick doing a propo?" katniss asked. "it's a lot more than that." haymitch replied. "beetee's commandeered the system." president coin told the girls.

"now that they're down to generator power, there's a more limited range of frequencies available to them. and i'm filling them all up with finnick." beetee explained. "yeah, clog them up with odair. i like it." hattie nodded. "not many will see it, but whoever does will think it's another propo." plutarch said. "what they don't know is this broadcast is jamming their entire system with noise. early defence warning, internal communications, everything. as long as the broadcast goes through, our team should be able to get in and out undetected." beetee said further. "whatever it takes." hattie said, a wave of nostalgia coming in from a couple months ago, but what felt like forever ago.

katniss noticed herself glancing at the pilot cams, seeing gale, but continuing to look for cypress. "top left." hattie mumbled, knowing what she had been looking for. how? katniss would never know. "the truth. not the myths about a life of luxury. not the lie about glory for your homeland. you can survive the arena. the moment you leave, you're a slave." luckily, one of the things hattie knew most about finnick was : he could talk until the sun rises. "president snow used to sell me. or my body, at least. i wasn't the only one."

hattie remembered when for her 14th birthday, her fathers gift was finnick. she was confused, why he had gotten her a person. she didn't want a person for her birthday. she wanted a scooter to ride around the halls in. "to have some fun with", her father told her. he had sold finnick to hattie for the night, when she didn't even ask for him. president snow tried to have his daughter's first time be with a 22 year old. when she lead him to her room, she told him that she didn't want to have sex with him, that she didn't even want him for her birthday. they spent the whole night talking, instead.

"if a victor is considered desirable, the president gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them. if you refuse, he kills someone you love." she remembered how hard her heart raced when her father told her he wanted her to have some fun with finnick. she knew finnick wasn't doing this because he wanted to rape a young teenager, it was because he didn't have a choice. the way relief crashed into his eyes when she told him she didn't want to have sex with him would forever be ingrained in her head.

"we're inside capitol airspace." beetee hit the table in victory. "to make themselves feel better, my patrons would make presents of jewelry. but i found a much more valuable form of payment. secrets. see, i know all the depravity, the deceit, and the cruelty of the capitol's pampered elite, and someone made me realize how valuable secrets could be as payment when they told me they didn't want to use me. they were 14. i was 22." he was talking about her. "and from them, i got the biggest secrets about our good president, coriolanus snow."

"it was me." hattie said. katniss turned her head, "what?" "i... i was the 14 year old girl." "you mean..." "no, no, of course i didn't buy him. my father did it for my 14th birthday. until this day, he thinks my first time was with finnick odair. in reality, we just jumped on the bed until we got tired. i'm still a virgin." katniss shook her head. "that's.. that's a lot."

hattie shrugged, "yeah, i know. i just.. i wanted to get it out." katniss bit her lip and nodded at her.

"such a young man when he rose to power. such a clever one to keep it. how, you may ask, did he do it? one word. poison." who knew that? of course it was hattie. "he stopped every mutiny before it even started. there were so many mysterious deaths to adversaries." katniss and hattie watched the gun squad cam. "even to allies who were threats. snow would drink from the same cup, to deflect suspicion. but antidotes don't always work, which is why he wears roses that reek of perfume. help cover the scent of blood from sores in his mouth that will never heal."

katniss looked to hattie. "did you—?" "everything he knows about snow came from me." she answered. "but he can't hide the scent of who he really is. he kills without mercy. he rules with deception and fear. his weapon of choice is the only thing suited to such a man. poison. the perfect weapon for a snake."

suddenly, the cams filled with a white light. "beetee?" the girls chorused. "i'm losing them." "powering back up." president coin said as beetee groaned. "ma'am, the capitol air defence system is rebooting. it's coming back online." "must be diverting power from another source. and filtering transmissions." beetee concluded, "another 60 seconds and we'll be cut off."

"madam president, should we call the hovercraft back?" in a panic, hattie and katniss blurted : "broadcast me." "if snow's watching this, maybe he'll let the signal in, if he sees me. and his daughter. put me on the air so he can see her. can see us." katniss reasoned. "yes. yes." plutarch nodded. "put them on." coin said. "can we do this? can we still get in?" haymitch asked. "yes, for the moment. the lines open, he will only see you two."

"okay, guys, go." "president snow? president snow, it's katniss." "and hattie." hattie said. "president snow, president snow, i need to speak with you. are you there?" "president snow, it's hattie, your daughter, can you hear us? we need to speak with you." "...president snow, it's katniss. president snow, are you there? can you hear us?" hattie looked back at plutarch, and he slightly shook his head.

she turned back around, "father..." "miss everdeen. hattie. what an honor. i've missed you, darling. i don't imagine you're calling to thank me for your roses." president snow showed up on the big TV. "i never asked for this. hattie... hattie never asked for this. i never asked to be in the games. i never asked to be the mockingjay." "i never asked to be your daughter. i never asked to have a fucked up family." hattie added. "i just wanted to save my sister." katniss said. "i just wanted to save my sister." hattie sighed.

"and keep peeta alive." they chorused. "please, just let him go, and i will stop being the mockingjay. i will disappear. you will never have to see me again." "miss everdeen. you couldn't run from this... any more than you could have run from the games." "please. you've won. you've already beaten me. release peeta. and take me instead." katniss spoke. "kat—" "no. hattie. it's okay." she assured. president snow shook his head. "we're long past the opportunity for noble sacrifice."

"then tell me what to do." katniss said, "i've always kept my promises, haven't i?" "you said you didn't want a war. and that's just what's happened. i told you what a fragile thing peace was. and still, like a child, you took pleasure in breaking it." president snow exclaimed. "it's only a fragile thing when it's been built on so many lies, empty promises, and... not good stuff !" hattie yelled to her father.

"i know what you are. the both of you. i know you can't see past your narrowest concerns. but please, miss everdeen, miss snow. i doubt you know what honesty is anymore." the moment she heard what he called her, she started to reach for her earrings. "take my hoops—" haymitch went in behind her and wrapped his arms around hers, but she continued to take out her first and second piercings, which were both sets of hoop earrings. "i said take my hoops. watch me—" "woah, slow down, fire. that's a wall you're talking to." haymitch said. "and i'll fuck it up if i have to." she remarked, trying to push against the man's restricting hold.

now haymitch understood why she called herself 'fire'. the minute she thought of something, spoke of something, started something, it spread like wildfire. it couldn't stop. it spread so quickly, she did it so fast, that no one ever knew how to stop her.

"you asked me to convince you that i was in love with peeta." katniss spared a look at hattie, "havent i at least done that?" "miss everdeen, it's the things we love most that destroy us." "yeah, like my mothers death ! huh? you heard about that one, didn't you? not as protected as i thought, isn't she, mister snow?" hattie yelled to her father, still being held in the arms of her haymitch.

"i want you both to remember that i said that. don't you think i know your friends are in the tribute center?" hattie stopped struggling against her dad. "cut them off." "oh, shit shit. this is why i hate my father !" hattie shouted, shrugging the arms off of her. "what happened?" katniss asked, realizing beetee couldn't come into contact with boggs anymore. "he knows that they're in there. it's a trap." she told haymitch. he grabbed her arms, "katniss, hold it." "if anyone ever wants to kill the president, i will do it ! gladly, for free." hattie's eyes widened in realization. "hattie, what is it?" haymitch asked her. "...cypress is there. cypress is in there !"

as both of the girls went into their own little spirals, hattie laid down on the floor, standing up was too much. "i need a xanax." she sighed, before she started to tear up. did she just lose her best friend and her potential love interest in one night?

she covered her eyes with her hands.

« « « » » »

katniss and hattie sat in the silence of the cafeteria. hattie waved her long curly hair back and forth, trying to figure out whether she'll die first, or her best friend. she played with the medallion. why was it always blank? she felt the details of the necklace, and opened it up. looking down, this time, there were pictures. it wasn't blank.

'I HAVENT FORGOTTEN YOU.' it read, it's pictures of him and katniss and him and her. she put her head into her hands, softly crying from happiness. though she didn't know if it was real, she held onto hope. she didn't show katniss... she didn't need her to lose hope as well. suddenly, she heard footsteps. the two looked up and saw president snow. "there's no news. i'm sorry." the woman slid into the bench to sit with them.

"it's the worst torture in the world. waiting, when you know there's nothing you can do." katniss nodded, and wiped at her nose. hattie helped wipe her tears. then she helped hattie. "especially for people like us. but whatever strength, courage, madness, keeps us going. you find it, at times like these. you have it, soldiers. it's what kept you alive all this time. and it won't fault you now." katniss nodded, and hattie let out a frigid breath.

her best friend.

« « « » » »

hattie sat between finnick and katniss, laying on the bed they sat on. finnick played with some sort of rope, and katniss sat there, crying. hattie didn't have any more tears left to cry, but her anxiety could never get enough overthinking.

"stop playing with it. you're going to tangle it." finnick reminded her when he spotted her trying to braid her hair. he was right. she stopped. they heard the door open, and hattie sat up instantly. it was haymitch. "they're back." hattie spent no time jumping out of the bed and sprinting out the door, the others behind her.

when they entered the hospital area, they slowed to a stop. "i don't want it !" over to the left, they saw johanna... with a shaved head. "johanna." hattie let out. "hey, sweet cheeks." she smirked. "finnick ! finnick !" then, they saw annie. she had grown from the last time hattie saw her, ginger hair down to her shoulder blades and bangs. "annie? annie !" they ran to each other, annie sobbing.

katniss stood beside hattie, until she spotted gale. hattie looked around for anyone. cypress. peeta. "there." haymitch said from behind her, pointing to the right. hattie turned, and sure enough, saw her best friend standing there, wrapping a wire around his four fingers. "cy !" he looked around and saw the small girl running towards him. "oh, hattie !" the two embraced the minute they were close enough, and didn't let go for a couple minutes.

when hattie backed away, she looked up at him once more before slapping hard him in the chest. "ouch ! what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his abdomen. "that's for volunteering without telling me !" then, she hit him in the shoulder. "and that was...?" he asked her, wide eyes. "for fun. i'm still kinda mad at you." cypress rolled his eyes at her, before walking away, his best friend presumably following him. "peeta's in there. there was a kinda gas that knocked him out, but it should be wearing off now. come on."

hattie followed cypress into the room outside of peeta's, and saw katniss was already in there. "let's wait a minute." he warned. "yeah," she nodded. simultaneously, they crossed their arms, and watched katniss walk in front of peeta's sight range. he looked at her for a few quiet moments,