Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Happy Wedding

"always like this." Peeta whispered this to me in a post-morphine hallucination as I searched for him.It was a misty, violet world, where everything was round and smooth, and there were many hidden places to hide.I pushed through the mist and followed the vague trails, the aromas of cinnamon and dill.For a moment, I felt his hand brushing my cheek, and I reached out to grab it, but his hand turned into a mist and slipped away from my fingers. When I finally woke up from the hallucination and my consciousness was pulled back to the ward in the thirteenth district full of disinfectant water, I remembered where I heard this sentence.It was District 12, and I hurt my heel jumping from above the electrified fence back into District 12.Mom gave me sleep syrup, and Peeta carried me to bed, and I begged him to stay by my side as I drifted off to sleep.He whispered something in my ear, but I didn't understand.But the words were imprinted in my brain, and now they are resurfaced in my dream to tease me. "always like this."

Morphine can soothe people's extreme emotions, so I don't feel pain at this time, but just feel empty in my heart, like a bunch of dead bushes where there used to be blooming flowers.Unfortunately, the medicine wasn't strong enough and I could still feel the pain on the left side of my body.The bullet hit here.I run my hands over the tight bandages around my ribs, wondering how I'm still alive. It wasn't him who shot me, the young man kneeling in front of me in the square with burnt body.He didn't pull the trigger.It was someone from a distant crowd who shot at me.When I was hit, it didn't feel like a bullet had penetrated me, but more like a sap.The moment the bullet hit me, there were gunshots all around, and I fell into a melee.Now I try to sit up and all I get is a groan of pain.

The white curtains between the beds were parted, and Johanna Mason appeared in front of me, looking at me intently.At first, I felt threatened because she attacked me in the arena.I had to remind myself that she attacked me to save me, it was part of the plan.But that doesn't mean she no longer despises me.Maybe she did this to me purely to carry out a plan against the Capitol? "I'm still alive." I said hoarsely. "Yeah, fool." Johanna came over and sat down on my bed, causing a prickly pain in my body.She grinned happily when she saw that I was uncomfortable, and I knew in my heart that the enthusiasm and joy of old friends reunited would not appear between us. "It still hurts, huh?" As she spoke, she skillfully pulled out my morphine infusion needle and inserted it into the infusion tube in her arm. "They started reducing my dose a few days ago. They were afraid I became that weirdo in District Six. So I had to borrow some from you while no one was around. You don't mind."

mind?How could I care if she was almost tortured to death after the Century Xtreme race?I have no right to mind, and she knows it. When the morphine entered Johanna's blood, she sighed, "The person in District Six may have figured it out a long time ago. First, he anesthetized himself with drugs, and then painted flowers on his body. This kind of life is not bad, it seems to be better than all of us." happy." In the few weeks I've been away from District 13, she's gotten a little fatter, and a little fuzz has grown on her shaved head, hiding some of her old scars.But if she's still borrowing my morphine, she's still struggling.

"There's a brain doctor who comes in every day, he seems to want to help me recover. After half my life in this rabbit hole, and now he comes to treat me, what a fool. Every session he tells me is 100% It's safe, you have to say it at least twenty times." I smiled wryly.Yeah, that's really stupid to say, especially from a winner.As if there really was such a thing as "100 percent safe". "How are you, Mockingjay? Do you feel 100 percent safe, too?" "Oh yes, before I got hurt," I said. "Oh, come on, the bullet missed you at all, Cinna thought about it for you," she said.

I thought of the layers of protection on the Mockingjay suit, but I did feel the pain. "A broken rib?" "That's unlikely. Maybe a bruise. Your spleen is shattered. They can't fix it." She waved her hand nonchalantly again. "Don't worry, you don't need a spleen. If you do, they can't fix it." I'll find you one, won't I? It's everyone's responsibility to keep you alive." "Is that why you hate me?" I asked. "That's part of it," she admits, "and jealousy, and I find you a bit overwhelming, with your cheesy romances and your act of protecting the underdog. But no. Acting, that makes you even more unbearable. Please understand, this is my personal opinion."

"You're supposed to be a Mockingjay. No one has to read your lines," I said. "Yeah, but no one likes me," she told me. "But they trust you, they exclude me," I reminded her, "and they're afraid of you." "Here it is, but in the Capitol, you're the only one they're afraid of." Gail appeared at the door, and Johanna quickly removed the morphine needle and put it on my IV line. "Your cousin is not afraid of me." This is what she said in her heart.After finishing speaking, she quickly got off my bed and walked towards the door.She pushed Gale's leg with her butt as she passed. "How are you, handsome?" We can still hear her laughing down the hallway after she's gone.

Gail took my hand and I looked up at him. "Scared?" he whispered to me.I laughed, but a burst of pain made me frown immediately. "Relax." He stroked my face with his hands, and the pain gradually eased, "Don't be so reckless in the future." "I know, but someone blew up the mountain," I replied. Gail didn't move away, but leaned closer, looking straight into my face, "You think I'm cruel." "I know you're not, but I can't say you're right," I said. This time he moved away, even a little impatiently, "Katniss, what do you think is the difference between crushing an enemy into a mine shaft and knocking an enemy out of the air with Bit's arrow? The result is not the same."

"I can't tell. First of all, we were attacked in District 8, and the hospital was attacked," I said. "Yes, but those planes came from the second district, so our defeat of them is equivalent to preventing their further attacks." "But if you want to think about it...it's justifiable to kill anyone at any time. You can also say that sending the children to the Hunger Games is to prevent the districts from rebelling," I said. "You say that, I can't accept it." He said to me. "I think you are. It must be because I went to the arena for the Hunger Games that you have a deep hatred."

"Okay. We've always disagreed, and it's always been the same. Maybe it's good. Let me tell you a secret, we've taken the second district." "Really?" Suddenly, I felt a wave of triumph spread through my body.Then I thought of those people in the square again. "After I was injured, did the two sides fight again?" "There wasn't much fighting. Workers in Hard Bones pointed their guns at the Capitol soldiers. The rebels just watched and didn't fight. In fact, the whole country didn't fight anymore," Gale said. "Well, this is the best." I said.

I thought that if I lost an organ, I would definitely be able to rest for a few more weeks.But for some reason, my doctor told me to get out of bed right away, and then I was able to move.Even with the morphine, I still felt heart-piercing pain in my body for the first few days, but gradually, the pain lessened greatly.Of course, the bruise between my ribs will take a while to heal.I started complaining about Johanna taking my morphine, but I'll let her use it anyway. Rumors of my death spread, so film crews were sent to the hospital to film me lying in my hospital bed.I showed the stitches, the bruises on the side of my ribs, and congratulated the second district for finally winning the battle and uniting the district.Next, I warned the Capitol that we would attack soon. I walk around every day as part of my recovery plan.One afternoon Plutarch came to see me and told me about the latest battle.Now that Sector 2 has united with us, the rebels are taking a short truce to readjust the joint camp, while strengthening the logistics supply line, treating the wounded, and reorganizing the team.Although the current Capitol still has a nuclear threat to other regions, it has been completely isolated from the outside world and cannot receive any assistance.This is the same as the thirteenth district in the dark age.But unlike the thirteenth district, it is no longer able to reform to form a completely self-sufficient system. "Oh, this city may last for a while longer. Of course, they have their own contingency reserves. But the biggest difference between the thirteenth district and the Capitol is the expectations of the people. The thirteenth district is used to a difficult environment, and in Capitol, all people know is Panem and Thursens," said Plutarch. "What does that mean?" Sure, I knew about panham, but nothing about the other word. "This is an idiom handed down thousands of years ago. It is written in a language called Greek, and it talks about a place called Rome." 'Bread and circuses,' the writers meant to say that the common people abdicated their political responsibilities, and thus their rights, in order to be fed and entertained." I was thinking that in the Capitol, one could have plenty of food and crazy entertainment, aka The Hunger Games. "So that's what the districts do, supplying the Capitol with bread and circuses." "Yes. As long as bread and circuses keep feeding them, they can keep this little kingdom going. But now, it has nothing left, at least by the usual Capitol standards. But we There's food, and I've got an entertainment show to direct, which will be popular. Anyway, everybody loves the wedding scene," said Plutarch. After hearing this, I stayed there, feeling disgusted by his suggestion.As soon as the director came out about my extravagant wedding with Peeta.Since returning to District 13, I have been afraid to face the single-pane window of Peeta's ward.In fact, at my request, it was only Haymitch who kept me updated on Peeta's condition.Haymitch doesn't say much each time.After everything has been tried on Peeta, there's no way he'll ever truly heal.And now, they want me to marry Peeta for a show? Plutarch quickly explained to me, "Oh no, Katniss. It's not your wedding. It's Finnick and Annie. All you have to do is show up and act happy." "It's one of the few things I don't have to pretend, Plutarch," I told him. In the next few days, I was busy planning the wedding again.On the holding of the wedding, the Capitol and the thirteenth district showed completely different ways of thinking.Cohen's so-called "wedding" means that two couples sign a piece of paper and then get a newly assigned room.In Plutarch's view, the concept of "wedding" is hundreds of people dressed in gorgeous costumes, participating in three days of celebration.It was a real treat to watch Cohn and Plutarch haggle over details.Plutarch fights for every guest, every repertoire he invites.When his proposals for parties, entertainment and drinking were rejected by Cohen, he yelled, "If no one is having a good time, what's the point of this show!" It is really difficult for a competition organizing committee chairman to streamline the budget.But even a quiet wedding can cause a stir in the 13th arrondissement, where people don't seem to have holidays at all.When the call for child actors to sing the wedding songs of the four districts was issued, almost every child enthusiastically signed up.There are not a few people who voluntarily come to decorate the wedding scene.In the restaurant, people chatted excitedly about all kinds of topics about the wedding. Maybe the excitement and joy isn't just about the wedding, it's about a desperate desire for something good that everyone wants to be a part of.It also explains Plutarch's tantrum over what the bride wears.The solution was that I volunteered to bring the bride to my home in the 12th arrondissement, because in the basement closet I had many evening gowns that Cinna designed for me.All the wedding dresses he designed for me have been shipped back to the Capitol, but I still have some left over from the Victory Tour gowns.With Annie, I was on my guard because all I knew was that Finnick loved her and everyone thought she was crazy.On the plane to District 12, I found her more emotionally unstable than crazy.When we talked, she would either laugh or stop talking absentmindedly.Sometimes those green eyes would stare so hard at an object that people thought she was actually seeing something in the sky.Sometimes, for no reason, she would cover her ears with her hands, as if to block out some painful sounds.Well, she's kind of weird, but if Finnick loves her, I have nothing to say. I got permission to have my makeup artist come and help me, so I didn't have to worry about what to wear myself.We were all dumbfounded when the closet was opened, for Cinna could be seen in every fiber of the garment.Octavia fell to her knees, pressed a skirt to her cheek, and burst into tears. "It's been a long time," she choked out, "I haven't seen anything so beautiful." Despite Cohen's fears that the wedding would be too extravagant and his efforts to keep everything simple, and Plutarch's view that the wedding arrangements were too dull, the wedding was still a great success.Three hundred citizens and many refugees carefully selected from the thirteenth arrondissement attended the wedding in everyday attire. The wedding scene was carefully decorated with autumn leaves. The violin brought out when fleeing in the second district played for everyone.By Capitol standards, it was indeed an austere wedding, but what did it matter?The newlyweds were radiant at the wedding.Annie was wearing the green silk dress I wore on the District Five tour, and Finnick was wearing a modified version of Peeta's original dress.But their beauty was not due to the borrowed clothes--although the clothes were beautiful, but because of the happiness that radiated from their faces, you know, this is a wedding that was supposed to be impossible!Dalton, a cowboy from District 10, officiated at their wedding because it resembled their district wedding.The most special thing is the creativity of the four districts. When the bride and groom took oaths, they covered a pair of new couples with long grass-woven nets; A wedding song, this song compares a wedding to a long voyage on the sea. No, I don't need to pretend to be happy for them at all. After the bride and groom kissed each other, there was a cheer from the guests, a toast of cider, and a cheerful tune from the violin.Now people in District 12 are attracted by this tune.Although District 12 is the smallest and poorest in Panem, we people in District 12 can dance.Dancing wasn't part of the original plan, but Plutarch, who was coordinating everything in the control room, must have been praying for a successful filming at this point.Gracie Ser took Gale's hand and dragged him into the middle of the hall, where she stood face to face with him, ready to dance.Many people joined in, and everyone lined up in two long lines, and the dancing began. I stood by, clapping my hands to the beat.At this moment a thin hand reached out and squeezed my arm.It was Johanna, she said to me with a glare, "Don't you want Snow to watch you dance?" She was right.What better way to express victory than a mockingjay dancing to music?I spotted Prim in the crowd.During the long winter nights, we have a lot of time to practice, so we are a good partner.I told her not to worry about my ribs, and we joined the queue.My wound was painful, but the thought that Snow would see me and my little sister dancing made all the pain feel nothing. Dancing makes the atmosphere more lively.We taught the dance steps to the guests in the 13th district, and insisted that the bride and groom dance according to special dance steps. Everyone joined hands to form a big circle, showing their beautiful foot skills.It's been a long time since I've had such fun and crazy fun, and everyone would have danced all night like this if it weren't for the special segment that Plutarch arranged for the TV show.I hadn't heard of Plutarch's other plans beforehand, so this was a complete surprise. Four people came in from the side room pushing a large wedding cake on a trolley.Everyone stepped back to make way.This is a dazzling big cake with beautiful shapes made of icing sugar. The blue sea water rolls up white waves, sailboats float on the water, fish and seals are swimming, and there are beautiful flowers in the water.I hurriedly pushed aside the crowd and came to the front, wanting to confirm my first feeling.Yes, just as Cinna had made the fine lace on Anne's dress, so Peeta had made the icing flowers. This seemingly inadvertent little discovery meant a lot to me.Haymitch must be hiding a lot from me.The last time I saw that boy screaming like crazy trying to break free, he couldn't have done something like that, he couldn't have focused, he couldn't have held his fingers, he couldn't have designed something so perfect for Finnick and Annie. modeling.Haymitch seemed to anticipate my reaction, and he was already standing beside me. "Let's talk," he said. Outside the lobby, after hiding from the cameras, I asked, "How is he?" Haymitch shook his head, "I can't tell, no one can tell. Sometimes, he looks sober, but somehow, after a while he gets confused again. Making cakes is a kind of therapy. Been doing this all the time. Watching him make cakes, it's almost the same as he used to be." "So he's been allowed to walk around?" I asked.When I think of this, my heart flutters for a while. "Oh no. He's making the cakes under close surveillance. He's still locked in the house. But I've talked to him," said Haymitch. "Have you talked to him face to face? Is he not crazy?" I asked. "No, but he is very angry with me. Of course, I didn't tell him about the rebellion plan and so on. He also has reasons to be angry with me." Haymitch paused here, as if hesitating whether to say the following words Say, "He said he wanted to see you." I feel like I'm on a sailboat made of icing sugar, the deck bouncing under my feet as the blue waves roll over.I quickly put my hands on the wall to stabilize myself.It was completely unexpected, and I already thought Peeta was beyond repair in the second district, and then I would go to the Capitol, kill Snow, and kill myself.Getting shot at just temporarily interrupted my plans.I shouldn't have heard those words.He said he wanted to see you.But now that I've heard these words, I can't refuse. At midnight, I stood outside the door of Peeta's room at the hospital.We had to wait until Plutarch finished filming his wedding scene, and while it lacked the dizzying boisterousness he'd hoped for, he must have been pleased. "The Capitol has been ignoring District 12 all these years, and the best thing about it is that the common people still keep their natural instincts. The audience likes it. Like Peeta declaring that he loves you, and the berry tricks you used, all of which are suitable for TV. ’ said Plutarch. I was hoping to meet Peeta privately, but a whole bunch of doctors were already standing behind the single glass wall, pens and notebooks in hand.I slowly opened the door after Haymitch's command to be ready came through the headset. Those blue eyes stared at me intently.He wears three straps on each arm, and has an infusion set and medication ready to put him unconscious in case he loses control.However, he didn't try to break free, but still looked at me with vigilant eyes, and it could be seen that he still thought that the person standing in front of him was a mutant.I walked over and stopped just a yard from his bed.I didn't know where to put my hands, so I crossed my arms across my chest to cover the bruises on my ribs and said, "Hey." "Hey," he replied.It was his voice, almost his voice, but there was something new in it.A little doubt and a little blame. "Haymitch said you wanted to talk to me," I said. "Look, for a start," he said slowly, as if waiting for me to turn into a coveted wolf mutant.He stared at me for a long time, so I had to sneak up to the glass wall, trying to get an order from Haymitch right away, but there was no sound in my earphones. "You're not tall, are you? And you're not very pretty." I know he came back to us through a lot of pain, but his words still make me angry. "Well, you look better." Then Haymitch ordered me to back off, but his voice was drowned out by Peeta's laughter. "It's not even good at all. I've been through so many things, and you're telling me this." "Yeah, we've all been through a lot. You're pretty good of all people. But I'm not." I felt like everything was wrong, I was always on guard for some reason.He was tortured!He was kidnapped!What's wrong with me?Suddenly, I felt like I was going to yell at him - I wasn't even sure of that - so I decided to call it quits. "Oh, I don't feel well, maybe I'll come back tomorrow." As soon as I got to the door, he said something and I had to stop. "Katniss, I remembered about the bread." bread.That was the only real contact I had with him before the Hunger Games. "Did you watch the videotape of me telling this story?" I asked. "No, you have a videotape of the story? Why didn't the Capitol use it against me?" he asked. "I recorded it the day I rescued you." I replied, the pain in my heart clamped around my chest like a giant pincer, and I couldn't breathe.I really shouldn't have danced just now. "So, what do you remember?" "You, in the rain." He said softly, "You dig the burnt bread in the trash can. My mother beat me and told me to take the bread out to feed the pigs, but I gave it to you." "Well, that's exactly what happened. I wanted to thank you after school the next day, but I didn't know what to do," I said. "We were all outside the campus that evening. I wanted to look into your eyes, but you looked away. Then...you seemed to have picked a dandelion." I nodded.He does remember.I've never mentioned it to anyone before. "I must have loved you very much then." "Indeed." My voice froze, and I quickly pretended to cough. "Did you love me then?" he asked. I looked down at the tiled floor. "Everyone says I love you. People say that's why Snow tortured you, to break me." "That's not really an answer. I didn't know what to think when they showed me the video of you, in the arena, where you seemed like you were going to kill me with a killer bee," he told me. "I was trying to kill all of you and you drove me up a tree," I said. "After that, there were a lot of kisses, and you didn't seem to mean it. Do you like kissing me?" he asked. "Sometimes," I admitted, "you know that people are watching us right now?" "I know. How's Gale?" he went on. I started to feel angry again.I don't care if he's in rehab - the people behind the glass, it's none of their business. "He kisses well, too," I replied curtly. "Can we both live with this? You kiss people?" he asked. "No, it's not good for either of you, but I don't need your permission to do this," I told him. Peeta laughed coldly and contemptuously again, "Oh, you were made, right?" Haymitch didn't object as I walked out.I ran down the hall, from room to room, until I found the warm pipe in the laundry room and hid behind it.I can't be calm for a long time, but I don't know why.When I finally figured it out, I didn't want to admit it because it was all too embarrassing.Yes, I took it for granted that the days when Peeta thought I was perfect were over.Finally, he saw the real me, tyrannical, untrustworthy, manipulative, and dangerous. For that, I hate him.