The Lie

"Talia, Talia, over here!" Bright, scary Capitol people fill my eyes, along with microphones and pens, and paper notebooks. They don't even bother to ask the question, I already know. "I'll never say, not ever." Some faces are sunken, some are furious. I just want to leave, leave all of this I've gotten in to and just go to back to Bluebelle's smiling face. I can feel the warmth of her skinny arms wrap around my body, and for a second forget where I am. The face of all of Panem. I quickly push everyone away, getting back to Johanna and Gem, where I see an overwhelmed and confused Jonah. "Jonah, I.." He grabs my arm and I'm scared by the fierceness in his voice. "What are you doing?" His voice is filled with anger and dissapointment. I look around to make sure no one is listening, but really, when you're a tribute in the Hunger Games, especially me, when do you have privacy? I have to tell him anyway. "Jonah, calm down. I don't know anything, it's... all a big lie." I feel tears coming down my face when I realize the reality of this situation. "I know that, and where do you expect to get with this?" His grip loosens when he sees my tears. "They can't kill us, if we know where they are. Katniss and Peeta... they're the face of the Capitol, the symbol of the rebellion, they mean the world to them." He still looks confused. "They'll probably cancel the Games." "They'll never cancel the Games." He is probably right. The Games are their baby; no one hurts them. "But really, the Games are slowly being eliminated. Can't you see? The rebellion of the 74th, there wasn't even a winner in the 75th! They never expected this. They're going crazy out there!" Now I'm really crying, and his hands have moved to my shoulders. Am I the new Katniss? I don't know. Will there be uprisings because of my actions? Probably. The one thing I've managed not to do is pretend, well, not really, to love Jonah, which I'm glad for. He strokes his hand through my hair, and talks in the sweetest way I've heard anyone talk since Bluebelle told me she loved me. "Now come on, Talia, we have 14 lives to save." He backs away, and the last thing I remember is his eyes flash up and away on the girl from District 4.