Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Hidden

Who the woman was calling remains a mystery, as we searched the room and found her alone.Maybe she wanted to call out to the nearby neighbors, or maybe it was just a sign of fear.In any case, no one will hear her cries anymore. This apartment is a beautiful place and a great place to stay if you can stay for a while.But we do not enjoy such a luxury. "How long do you think it's going to be before they figure out how many of us are still alive?" I asked. "I think they could be here at any moment," Gale replied. "They know we're headed for the main street above ground. Maybe the blast will delay them a bit, but they'll be looking for our exit soon enough." .”

When I came to a window with a view of the street and looked out through the shutters, what appeared before me was not a vigilante, but a hurrying stream of people.Underground, we left the evacuated areas far behind and entered the bustling downtown area of ​​the Capitol.The crowd offers us our only chance to escape.I don't have Holo, but I have Cressida.She also went to the window, assured me that she knew where we were, and told me the good news that we were not far from the presidential palace.As long as he glanced at his companions, he knew that now was not the right time to attack Snow.Gail's neck was still bleeding and we hadn't even cleaned his wound.Peeta is sitting on a velvet sofa, biting the pillow with his teeth, either trying to keep himself from going crazy or trying not to cry out.Poros was sobbing, leaning against an ornate fireplace.Only Cressida stood firmly beside me, but she was pale and her lips were bloodless.Hateful rage burns in my heart, but when that rage melts away, I am useless.

"Let's go through her wardrobe," I said. In one bedroom, we found hundreds of women's suits, coats, shoes, wigs and enough make-up to coat an entire room.Across the hall, and in another bedroom across the hall, we find many men's clothing, perhaps these belonged to her husband, perhaps to her lover.Fortunately, he was not at home this morning. I beckon the others to come and change clothes.Seeing Peeta's bleeding wrist, I took the key to the handcuffs out of my pocket, but he shied away from letting me open it. "No, no, they keep me calm." "You might need to use your hands," Gale said.

"Whenever I feel like I'm dying, I press my wrist hard against the shackles, and the pain helps me focus," Peeta said.I also went with him. Fortunately, it was cold outside.We can hide our uniform and weapons under a baggy overcoat or hood.Lace up the boots and hang them around your neck so they can be hidden, then change into silly looking shoes.The real trouble is our faces.Cressida and Pollux are likely to be recognized by acquaintances, Gale is familiar with his face because he is often seen on TV or in the news, and Peeta and I are known to everyone in Panem.So we helped each other slather on makeup, wigs and sunglasses.Cressida covered Peeta's mouth and nose with the scarf.

The minutes ticked by, but we still took a few minutes to pack food and first aid supplies in our pockets. "Don't get separated," I said from the gate, and we walked out into the street.Snowflakes fell from the sky, and we passed by people in a hurry, and we heard them talking about rebellion, hunger, and me in their affected Capitol accents.We crossed the street and passed several apartment buildings.As we turned the corner of the street, three security guards walked past us.We, like ordinary citizens, keep our distance until the flow of people stops them.We didn't stop and kept going. "Cressida," I whispered, "can you remember the hiding place?"

"I'm thinking," she said. We cross another block when the siren goes off.Passing through an apartment window, I saw an emergency announcement on the television, our faces flashing across the screen.They haven't figured out which of us are dead yet, because I saw Finnick's and Castor's headshots.Before long, every passerby will be as dangerous as a vigilante. "Cressida?" "There's a place that's not ideal, but we can try," she said.We followed her a few more blocks, through a gate, and into what appeared to be a private residence.But this is to cut corners.We walked through a neat garden, out another gate, and at last came into a narrow back street that ran between two main avenues.There are a few small shops here - one for second hand goods and another for imitation jewellery.There were only one or two people around and they paid no attention to us.Cressida began to rave about fur underclothes, how necessary they were in cold weather, in a shrill voice. "You'll see the prices later! Believe me, it's half the price of the stuff on Front Street!"

We stopped in front of a dingy little shop with models in fur underwear in the window.The place didn't look like it was open, but Cressida opened the front door anyway, which creaked.Rows of shelves lined the dark, cramped store, and the room smelled of fur.Business must be bad here, we were the only customers.Cressida went straight up to a man sitting hunched over.I walked behind her, stroking the soft fur with my hands. Sitting behind the counter was a guy who was the weirdest person I've ever met, clearly an extreme example of plastic surgery failing.It's safe to say that even on the Capitol this face of hers was unattractive.Her skin is drawn tightly back and is patterned in alternating black and gold.The nose is flat, almost noseless.I've seen Capitol cat whiskers before, but nothing this long.As a result, her face became an odd half-cat, half-human face.At this time, the person with this face was looking at us with distrust.

Cressida took off her wig, revealing the cane fringe on her scalp. "Ticlis, we need your help," she said. Tigris (Tigris, homophonic in English and tigress tigress.) In my memory, I seem to have heard of this name.She's been an active part of the Hunger Games competitions - though younger and cuter then - from as far back as I can remember.She's a stylist, I think.I don't remember which district she served.Not District 12.So she must have gone too far with plastic surgery and turned herself into the obnoxious look she is now. Seems like that's where the outdated stylists end up.He ran a shabby lingerie store until his death, disappearing from the public eye forever.

I stared at her face and wondered if Tigress was the name her parents gave her, inspiring her to ruin her own face, or if she changed it herself after she chose a career as a stylist, To match the markings on her face. "Plutarch said I could trust you," said Cressida. very good.She is from Plutarch.So, if the first thing she does is not report to the Capitol, then she will inform Plutarch, and then Korn will hear about us.Yes, Ticlis' store isn't ideal, but it's the best shelter we can find so far, if she's willing to help us.She hesitated, looking back and forth between the old TV on the counter and our faces, as if she didn't know what to do with us.To help her figure it out, I removed my scarf and wig and stepped closer so she could see my face in the light of the TV.

Ticlis gave a low sigh, and was no more enthusiastic towards me than Buttercup.She got up from the stool without saying a word, and got behind the shelf where a row of fur knee pads hung.I heard the sound of something sliding, and saw her hold out her hand, beckoning us over.Cressida looked at me as if to ask are you sure?But do we have any other choice?In the current situation, if you run out, you will either be beaten to death or caught.I pushed back the fur underwear to find that Ticlis had opened a sliding door in the wall.There appears to be a steep ladder going down.She waved her hand and let me in.

I shouted in my heart that this was a trap.Feeling flustered inside, I stared at Ticlis' face and her tawny eyes.Why did she do this?She was not Cinna, not someone who would sacrifice her life for others.In this woman, there is a shallowness unique to the Capitol.She was always the star of The Hunger Games...until, until she wasn't.So, for this?pain?hate?revenge?In fact, I find this extrapolation satisfying to me.One's desire for revenge is strong and persistent, especially when one looks in the mirror and sees one's own ugly face. "Snow banned you from the Hunger Games?" I asked.She didn't speak, just looked at me blankly, her tiger's tail was wagging unhappily somewhere. "Because I'm going to kill him, you know." When she opened her mouth to say it, it looked to me like she was laughing.At this point, I was sure it wasn't crazy to believe her, so I walked through that door. I walked down the ladder, and when I was halfway there, my face bumped into a chain hanging in mid-air. I pulled it with my hand, and a faint fluorescent light bulb illuminated the hidden place.It was a small cellar, without doors or windows, very shallow, but wide.Maybe a void between two actual basements.It's a steal and you won't see it unless you're good with size.It's cold and damp here, and there are piles of furs that I guess haven't seen the light of day for a long time.Unless Ticlis betrays us, I don't think anyone will find us.As I stepped onto the cement floor of the cellar, my companion stepped up the steps.After that, the wooden sliding door was closed again.I heard the lingerie rack jiggle back into place.Ticlis strolled back to her stool.We were swallowed by her store. We came in just in time, and Gail looked like he was about to faint.We spread out the furs, removed many of the weapons on his back, and helped him to lie down on his back.At the end of the cellar, about a foot from the ground, there is a water spigot with a drain below it.I turned on the faucet, and there was a lot of rusty yellow water gushing out of it. It took a long time for the clear water to flow out.We cleaned up the wound on Gail's neck, I don't think a bandage is enough, a few stitches are needed, there are needles and sterile thread in the first aid kit, but what we need is a doctor.I immediately thought of Ticlis.As a stylist, she sure knows how to use a needle and thread.But then the store would be left unattended, and she's already done enough for us.Perhaps, I am the most qualified person here to do this.I gritted my teeth and sewed a lot of stitches on his neck.The stitches are ugly, but they work.I put medicine on it and bandage it up.I gave him some painkillers. "You can rest now, it's safe here," I told him, and he quickly fell asleep. While Cressida and Pollux were laying out furs for us to sleep in, I hurried to check Peeta's wrists.I gently wiped off the blood, disinfected it, and put a bandage under the handcuffs. "It has to be kept clean, or it will get inflamed, and in that case..." "I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss," Peeta said. "Your mom won't help." What he said surprised me and took me back in time.At that time, I was also treating the wound and applying bandages. "You said the same thing to me in the first Hunger Games. Really?" I said. "Really. And you risked your life to get the medicine to save mine?" Peeta said. "Really." I shrugged. "You were the reason for my life back then." "Really?" He was confused again.Some flashy memory must be grabbing his attention.The muscles in his body were tense, as was his freshly bandaged wrist.Then all the energy in him seemed to recede. "I'm so tired, Katniss." "Go to sleep." I said.He refused to sleep, so I had no choice but to handcuff him to the stair supports.It must have been uncomfortable for him to lie there with his arms over his head, but within a few minutes he was soundly asleep. Cressida and Pollux had already made me a place to sleep, food, and a first-aid kit, and asked me how to be on guard.I looked around. Gale was pale, Peeta was still in handcuffs, Poros hadn't slept in days, and Cressida and I had only slept a few hours.If a large number of Capitol vigilantes did arrive, we too would be caught like rabbits in a cage.Our lives are put on the old Tigress, and I can only hope that her hatred of Snow is still burning. "I don't think there's any need to be on guard. Let's all get some sleep," I said.They nodded blankly.So we all got into the fur pile.The fire of vengeance in my heart has faded, and I have no strength left. I surrender myself to the soft and musty fur, and I gradually fall asleep. When I sleep, dream after dream, I remember only one.In the dream I returned to District 12, what a tiring and long journey it was.My dream home is complete and the people are alive.Effie Trinket, in a bright pink wig and tailored suit, was traveling with me.I kept trying to get rid of her guard, but somehow she kept showing up to me, insisting that as my escort, she had to manage her time.But the schedule is always changing, and either something goes wrong because a spot isn't stamped, or it's delayed because Effie's heels are broken.We slept for days on a bench in a gray station in the seventh arrondissement, waiting for a train that never came.When I awoke, I was exhausted, more tired than I had been in those sword-ridden dreams. Cressida was the only one who woke up, and she told me it was evening.I ate a can of goulash and took another gulp of water.Then he leaned against the cellar wall, thinking about what happened yesterday.Death after death follows us along the way.I stretched out my fingers and counted.One, two - Mitchell and Boggs die in the street.THREE - Maisara is melted by Poud.Four, five—Li Geyi and Jackson died at the "meat grinder".Six, seven, eight—Castor, Holmes, and Finnick have their heads ripped off by a rose-smelling lizard mutant.Eight people died in twenty-four hours.I know this has all happened, but it doesn't seem real.Custer must be sleeping under the pile of furs, Finnick will be running down the ladder in a few minutes, and Boggs will tell me about his escape plan. To believe they are dead is to admit that I killed them.Well, maybe Mitchell and Boggs don't count -- they died in the line of duty.But others died protecting me during missions I made up.My plan to assassinate Snow seems so stupid now.I shuddered as I fingered the tassels on the shoes I had stolen from the woman and counted our deaths.Oh yes - I forgot.I also killed her, and I'm talking about an unarmed civilian. I think it's time to confess to everyone. When everyone finally woke up, I admitted to everyone that I had lied about the mission and that I had put everyone in danger for revenge.After I finished speaking, everyone was silent for a long time.Finally, Gale said, "Katniss, we all knew you were lying when you said Cohen sent you to kill Snow." "Maybe you know. But the fighters in the thirteenth district, they don't know." I replied. "You really think Jackson believed you had Cohen's orders?" Cressida asked. "Of course she wouldn't, but she trusted Boggs, and Boggs definitely wanted you to." "My plan was never told to Boggs," I said. "But at Command you told everyone! That's one of the conditions for you to be a Mockingjay. You said, 'I'm going to kill Snow myself.'" Negotiating with Cohen to kill Snow himself after the war was won and to go on a mission into the Capitol seemed like two separate things. "But not in this way to kill him, it's a total disaster," I said. "I think the mission was carried out quite successfully. We have penetrated the enemy's stronghold, which shows that the Capitol's defenses are not impenetrable. There is also news about us on the Capitol TV. They have been caught in the search for us. total chaos." "Believe me, Plutarch must be excited too." Cressida added. "That's because Plutarch doesn't care who dies. As long as his game succeeds," I said. In the following time, Cressida and Gail have been persuading me over and over again.Poros nodded as they spoke, agreeing with them.Only Peeta didn't speak. "What do you think, Peeta?" I finally ask him. "I don't think...you still haven't figured out the influence you have." He pushed the cuffs up the bracket to sit up. "None of these dead people were fools. They knew what they were doing. They followed you because they thought you could kill Snow." I don't know why I can listen to him but not others.But he was right, I think so.I owe someone a debt, and there's only one way to pay that debt.I took the map out of my pocket and spread it on the floor.I have a new idea. "Where are we now, Cressida?" Ticlis' store is five blocks from the City Circus and Snow's mansion.The pods in this area are closed for safety reasons, we can walk there.We've got a disguise, and maybe a few furs from Ticlis, and we'll get there safely.But what next?There must be heavy guards around Snow's mansion. The surveillance cameras are on 24 hours a day, and there are pods all over the place. Even a stroke of a match may trigger it. "We need to get him out in public. Then one of us can shoot him," Gale said. "Will he be seen in public anytime soon?" Peeta asks. "I don't think so. At least not in the last few speeches I've seen, in fact not before the arrival of the Rebels. I think after Finnick revealed his infamy, he became more vigilant ’” said Cressida. That's right.It wasn't just Ticlis who hated him now, many people hated him when they found out what he had done to their family and friends.It was a miracle to coax him out.But maybe... "I bet he could come out for me," I said, "and if I was caught, he would want as much public knowledge as possible, and he would have me executed at the gates of his mansion," I paused , let everyone think, "Afterwards, Gale can blend in with the audience and shoot him dead." "No," Peeta shook his head. "There could be multiple outcomes. Snow might keep you, and then torture you to get information about it; or execute you in public while he doesn't show up; or killed you in his mansion, and then displayed your body in public." "Gail?" I said. "This seems like a no-way solution, don't rush to do it, maybe wait until all other solutions fail, let's think about it." Gail said. A silence ensued, and we heard Ticlis's soft footsteps overhead.It should be almost closing now, maybe she's locking the door and shutting the windows.After a few minutes, the bulkhead at the top of the ladder was pulled away. "Come on," she said in a low, husky voice, "I've got you something to eat." It was the first time we heard her speak since we arrived.Whether she has a natural vocalization or years of training to do it I don't know, but she has a low feline purr when she speaks. As we climbed the ladder, Cressida asked, "Have you connected with Plutarch, Ticlis?" "I can't contact you." Tigris shrugged, "He will deduce that you are in a safe place, don't worry." Worry?I was immediately relieved to hear this, so that I wouldn't have to receive—or if I did have to ignore—an order from District 13, and not have to make any grandiose excuses for my reckless self-assertion the other day. . On the counter of the shop, there was some stale bread, a corner of moldy cheese, and half a bottle of mustard.It made me realize that not every Capitol can fill their stomachs these days.I felt the need to tell Tigris that I still had some food left. She waved her hand and said, "I hardly eat anything, only raw meat." This seems to be too in line with her characteristics, but I didn't ask too much.I cut off the moldy bits from the cheese and divided the bread among everyone. While we were eating, the Capitol news came on the television.The government has further identified the number of surviving rebels as five of us.Those who provide relevant information can get a large bonus.They emphasized that we were very dangerous, and the scene of us fighting with the security police was shown on the screen, but the scene of mutant animals tearing people's heads was not shown.They paid tribute to the woman I shot, who is still lying where I shot her, with the arrow still in her chest.For the needs of the shoot, she also did some makeup on her. The rebels did not interfere with this scene. "Did the Rebels make a statement today?" I asked Ticlis.She shook her head. "I suspect Cohn is not sure what to do when he finds out I'm alive." Ticlis said in her guttural voice, "No one knows what to do with you, girl." Then she gave me a pair of fur knee pads.Even though I can't afford it, it's the kind of gift you have to accept.Anyway, it was cold in the cellar. Returning to the cellar after dinner, we continued to rack our brains for a feasible plan.Never a good idea, but we all agree that five people can no longer act together, and someone must infiltrate the presidential palace before I can be used as bait.The reason I agree with the second point is to avoid disputes.If I decide to surrender myself, I don't need anyone else's permission or participation. After changing their bandages, I handcuffed Peeta to the ladder's legs and went to sleep.A few hours later, I awoke from a dream to hear whispers.It's Peeta and Gale.I couldn't help raising my ears to listen. "Thanks for getting me a drink," Peeta said. "You're welcome, anyway, I have to wake up ten or eight times at night." Gail replied. "To make sure Katniss is alive?" Peeta asked. "Pretty much," Gail admitted. There was silence, and after a while, Peeta said, "What Ticlis said was ridiculous. She said no one knew what to do with her." "Yeah, we don't even know," Gail said. They both laughed.It's so weird to hear them talk like that.It's almost like friends between them.But they were not, never were, although they could not be said to be enemies. "She loves you, you know. I saw it after you got spanked," Peeta said. "I can't believe it, the way she kissed you in the Ultimate Race of the Century... Well, she never kissed me like that," Gail replied. "That's for show, too," Peeta tells Gale, though his own tone is a little skeptical. "No, you won her heart. You gave up everything for her, and maybe that was the only way to make her believe that you loved her." They were silent for a while longer. "In the first competition, I should volunteer to replace you, to participate, to protect her." "You can't do that. She will never forgive you and you have to take care of her family. They are more important to her than her own life." "Well, soon that won't be an issue. I think it's unlikely all three of us will be alive when the war ends. And even if we were, it's up to Katniss to choose." Gale yawned , "Let's sleep for a while." "Yeah." I heard the sound of handcuffs sliding on the ladder rack as Peeta lay down. "I don't know what she'll decide then." "Oh, I know." I heard Gale's last words under the fur. "Katniss will pick the man who can't live without him."