CHAPTER 42
SPARK OF HOPE

HER body was more resistant to Coin's rules than ever. Bex only got around four hours of rest, but she woke herself up for the long day ahead as if she got eight.

A black tactical suit was folded up neatly outside her door, along with a handwritten note on top. Bex assumed this was left by Phoenix, who Johanna successfully rescued from the prisons, along with other Capitol folk. You'd think the relief from that situation would've granted Bex a few more hours of sleep, but alas. She was probably cursed.

Bex rubbed away the sleep in her eyes and unfurled the jumpsuit, grazing the heavy material. He also provided a black chest plate, a heavy-duty belt, and steel toe boots. She laid them out on her bed before unfolding the note, expecting some encouraging words from Phoenix, or even President Coin. But she recognized the perfect handwriting here.

It was from Finnick.

I heard where you'll be going today. The nurses love to gossip so much. Good luck. You're one of the strongest people I know.

By the way, heard about what happened to Phoenix and what you did to get him out. Badass, Flower Girl.

All my love,
F.O.

Bex's fingers brushed across the creases in the paper and the inkblots from his pen. She couldn't help herself from eyeing the words, All my love, and heart rate suddenly quickened. A small smile grew on her lips before she walked over to her bed to place the note underneath her pillow. Just for safekeeping.

It took a bit of time to put on the full suit. Bex tried to get used to the cargo material, but it was difficult to move in. She strapped on the chest plate and belt before attempting to lace up her shoes. Then, she figured out how hard it was to bend down with the chest piece on, so she had to take it off and start all over again. After completing the full outfit, she pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and grabbed her stamp tool. Her schedule told her where to meet for their trip today: the loading dock.

She took the elevator down to the bottom floor, and after walking in the opposite direction twice, a nice woman directed her towards the hangar. Bex thanked her with a kind smile and walked down a long, empty hallway, which ended with a tall set of doors. They opened automatically for her, and she was graced with the sight of at least ten thousand nukes around the room, just waiting to be used. She couldn't help but swallow hard as she strode by them, so casually, as if they weren't even there. This was all so different for her. She was used to weapons; she grew up learning to use them. But nuclear weaponry ... that was a whole different story.

The loading dock's entrance was opening ahead. A large hovercraft waited, the District Thirteen symbol painted on its side. Besides Beetee waiting by the ramp, she seemed to have gotten there early. The only other people she saw was a group of videographers already pacing inside the hovercraft. "Beetee," she called with a wave. "You're going on the trip too?"

"No, unfortunately, I don't think wheelchairs are made to be driven across rubble. Much safer for me here."

Bex looked down at his lap, where a sheathed weapon laid. Her brow shot up.

Beetee cleared his throat, "Uh – this is for you." He lifted the weapon and handed it over to her. Bex unsheathed the blade, eyes widening at the newly-sharpened axe. It even had a sturdy, rubber grip. "I apologize for not being able to make it more enhanced –"

"No need to be sorry," she said, still marveling at the design. "I can do better with this than anything else you've made."

Beetee bowed his head in gratitude.

As Bex placed the axe back in its sheath and secured it to her belt, another person stomped over to the hovercraft and walked inside, completely silent. Bex looked over her shoulder and recognized his face from the cafeteria. It was Gale, Katniss' friend. He really looked like he could be related to her: same dark hair, cold eyes, and olive skin. Except he was taller than she would ever be. Bex heard he was quickly moving up in the military, getting closer to Coin, but he clearly didn't seem interested in being friends with anyone else.

Katniss arrived minutes later with Colonel Boggs by her side. She was wearing the Mockingjay outfit again, her face clean and hair wrapped in the signature braid. She gripped her bow tightly as she adjusted the case of arrows on her back. Boggs nodded towards Bex and gestured for her to follow them inside. She did as she was told, trailing the second-in-command hastily.

Bex almost jumped out of her skin when she realized somebody else was pushing their way through the group of videographers. Plutarch clapped his hands together, gaining everyone's attention. "Quick introduction," he said, gesturing to the people behind him. "These people have come a long way to support the cause." He pointed to a bald woman on his right with green vines tattooed on her head. "This is Cressida. In my opinion, one of the best up-and-coming directors in the Capitol."

"Until I up and left," Cressida sneered, eyeing Katniss, Bex, and Gale individually. "Hey, all."

"Be careful everyone," Plutarch said, clapping his hands yet again before exiting the hovercraft. The doors began to close as soon as he stepped off the ramp. Bex watched him and Beetee wave goodbye from over her shoulder.

Cressida gestured to a slim man at her side with several sets of earrings and a piercing through the bridge of his nose. "This is my assistant, Messalla."

Messalla bowed his head and looked between the two Victors. "It's an honor to meet all of you."

"And your cameramen over there, Castor –" She pointed to a burly, sandy-haired man with a red beard, pale blue eyes, and close-bitten nails. They reminded Bex of her own. "– And Pollux." She finished, indicating the last man who looked exactly like Castor, but a bit shorter. He simply nodded in their direction.

Katniss cocked her head to the side and studied Pollux. "You're all from the Capitol? Plutarch got you out?"

Pollux nodded his head as Cressida answered, "Don't expect much chit-chat from him. He's an Avox. Capitol cut his tongue out years ago. And ... no, it wasn't any sort of rescue, if that's what you mean. We all fled on our own. For this. For you."

Bex was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea as she remembered flashes of Angelo. When she first met him in Seven to their last conversation in the Capitol. She remembered his bright smile that had slowly faded into nothing once they cut out his tongue. He had always been a good person, but was dealt with the wrong hand. Now he was dead.

She was so disoriented that she hadn't realized the engine had started and everyone was taking their seat. Her body jumped slightly when Boggs put a hand on her shoulder, but she settled once she saw his face. "Time to go, soldier," he said softly. Bex nodded and took the empty seat beside Cressida.

She tried to get more sleep on the ride over, but the hovercraft arrived at District Seven within thirty minutes. Bex rubbed at her eyes as the hovercraft landing shakily in the rubble. Looking out the window, she felt her chest tighten at what her home now looked like. Being told that Seven was destroyed felt like nothing compared to seeing it. Her District had been reduced to ash and dust.

She cracked her knuckles instinctively. It was starting to become a habit.

Boggs approached her as she unbuckled herself and stood up. "Do you mind walking out with me first to see if you can recognize anything?"

"I'll try," she replied, following his lead as soon as the entrance opened.

They were both hit with a cloud of ash when they walked off the hovercraft. Bex coughed as it entered her lungs. She didn't pay attention to Boggs commanding the others to move out. Her eyes were glued to the scenery around her, and she tried her best not to tear up. The hovercraft had landed near one of the great forests, but it had all been burned down. Wood chips scattered the dirt, taking its place. Almost every building and home were destroyed, even the Justice Building. She didn't want to think about what the Victors Village looked like, if it had been touched.

"This place ... is nothing like how it used to be," she muttered as the hovercraft flew away. "It's as barren as a desert."

Boggs appeared by her side. "That can't be. We have allies here. They have to be hiding out close by."

Bex looked to her left, where the District's oldest paper factory still stood, partly burned down with half a roof. Even the large window panes had been blown out. She pointed to the building. "If I had to guess, they would be there." Spinning on the heel of her boot, she told the others, "This used to be the largest paper factory in the District. We had others, but this one was closely tied to the Capitol. I think the owner was friendly with one of President Snow's advisors. Peacekeepers always surrounded this building. If I had to hide out right now, it would be here."

Castor had his camera zooming in on her face the entire time. It was attached to a helmet that covered his head. Pollux was wearing the same thing, while Cressida held a tiny camcorder for her own shots. Boggs raised a hand in the direction of the factory, "Let's head out. This has got to be fast. In and out."

With their weapons braced tightly to their chest, the group rushed over to the factory in ruins. Bex remembered when this building was crawling with Peacekeepers and how quickly they had pointed their guns to defend paper. Bex wouldn't be surprised if this factory had also been secretly used for something illegal, all under Snow's control.

A plastic sheet now covered the entryway, where two large double-doors once stood. It was moved out of the way as a familiar face walked out in rags and a handmade Mockingjay pin. A group of armed soldiers walked out with her.

"Mrs. Yance?!" Bex exclaimed.

The old, golden-haired farmer smiled in her direction. It felt like just yesterday that Bex had first seen her with the Mockingjay pin, the way she had flashed it towards a customer, how it reflected against the sun. Even knowing all that, it was still a surprise to see a familiar face. Bex assumed everyone she knew from Seven was dead. Most of them probably were.

Boggs sent Bex a confused expression before gesturing to Mrs. Yance. "Katniss, Bex, and crew, this is Commander Yance. District Seven."

Bex laid a hand on his arm. "No, I know her." She carefully approached the older woman with a pleading stare. "Mrs. Yance, do you remember me?"

She reached out and cupped her face with one hand. With a quivering voice, she said, "Of course, I do, dear."

Relief washed over Bex like a rainstorm. "I'm so happy to see you're ..."

"Alive? Yes, I'm one of the lucky ones. But we have some back in the factory that aren't looking so good."

Bex turned back as Boggs said, "Katniss and the other Victors have been recovering, but the Mockingjay herself insisted she come out here and see to some of your wounded."

Mrs. Yance nodded, "Well, we got plenty of those."

They followed the new commander through the plastic sheet, passing through a long hallway with mold growing on the walls and water trickling down from the ceiling. Flies swarmed around them. The scent of death wafted into her nostrils immediately, and Bex found herself covering her nose with her collar. Even that didn't suppress the smell. As they walked further down the corridor, she noticed the piles of bloody bodies that surrounded them on both sides. Bex's brow pulled together.

"We have a mass grave a few blocks west, where one of our forests used to be. We bury the bodies underneath the earth and hope a tree will sprout above them. But I can't spare the manpower to move any of these people yet," Mrs. Yance exclaimed, noticing Bex's perplexed expression.

Bex suddenly brought her collar down. "I didn't mean to insult. It's just – the smell of blood –"

"I understand. It reeks of death in here." She sighed, facing the direction ahead and pointed. "The hospital's past that curtain. Any hope you give them, Mockingjay, it's worth it. Capitol's done everything they can break us here in Seven."

Ain't that the truth, Bex thought.

"You turned an old factory into a hospital," Gale said, almost matter-of-factly. "Aren't you worried about having all your wounded in one place?"

"I think it's better than leaving them to die," she argued. "It's my only option. If you can come up with another, I'm all ears. But for now, this one of the last standing buildings. This is all we've got."

Mrs. Yance pulled back another curtain, leading them into a mess hall filled with people. Some were laying down in cots, some were running around to take care of the wounded, and some were just dead with flies flocking around their body. Chatter echoed around the room, as well as coughing, cries of anguish, babies screaming. It was terrifying to think that this was the last of Seven. Bex swallowed hard and tried not to breathe. She glanced at Katniss on her right and noticed the young girl was staring at her with an immense amount of worry.

"You should be talking to them, not me," she whispered. "I don't know them. I'm not from here. Whatever I say means nothing to them."

"It means everything to them," Bex countered, placing a hand on her arm. "All these people – they don't give a shit about me. They haven't for a long time. All of Panem cares about you. They're waiting patiently to hear what you have to say. This will do more for them than any doctor in the world could. You are a spark of hope, Katniss."

A crease formed between Katniss' brows, and she looked back at all the sick people crowding around each other. Her teeth pressed down on her chapped bottom lip. "Don't film me in here," she muttered toward Cressida. "I can't help them."

Cressida viewed down at Katniss. "Just let them see your face."

After a moment of hesitation, Katniss nodded, but she didn't move. Her feet were frozen for another solid moment, and then she walked forward, into the center of the mess hall. The rest of the group followed her inside, lingering in the background. Mrs. Yance stood beside Bex with a hopeful expression, while Bex's hand tapped impatiently against her mouth. She was praying this would go correctly.

As Katniss ventured more inside, Cressida and her team moved around the room, still staying towards the back. They needed to get this shot from every angle. The commotion got lower and lower when the citizens of Seven began to notice Katniss. Soon enough, not a soul spoke. They were only staring at her.

Katniss looked like she was struggling to take in the scene before her. She clenched and unclenched her jaw, stopping in the middle for the room.

Bex chewed on her nails then, watching everyone in the room stand around the Mockingjay.

"Katniss ... Everdeen?" A child with a slice etched down her face marveled at Katniss. She held a rag to her bleeding cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"I ..." Katniss swallowed and cleared her throat. "I came to see you."

"What about the baby?" An elderly woman asked. Her fine, white hair was stained with red.

Katniss breathed unsteadily. "I lost it."

Bex's face muddled. She was surprised some people still fell for that trick. But the way this woman was peering at Katniss told Bex that not everyone was in tune with Game tactics as Victors were. She wished she could make regular people understand what they had to do to simply stay alive, even after the Games. But looking around the room, seeing what was left of her District – Bex thought these people understood the meaning of survival even better than she did.

"You fighting Katniss?" A male spoke this time. He was tall with cropped black hair, a bandage wrapped around his neck, and several wounds lining his face. A rifle was strapped to his back. "Are you here to fight with us?"

Katniss nodded earnestly. "I am. I will. You're not alone."

The boy brushed three fingers against his lips before raising them in the air. "There it is!" Cressida whispered loudly, tightening her zoom around the room. The three-finger salute had become somewhat of a symbol for Katniss, but Bex had learned that it had originated from Twelve as a sign for showing respect or gratitude.

And now, everyone in the room was doing it, crowding around Katniss, staring at her. Their three fingers were held up proudly, telling the young Mockingjay that they were with her too. Bex got goosebumps from just looking at it. Katniss slowly turned in a circle, scanning every set of eyes in the room, lip quivering.

She stopped in place, looking right into Pollux's camera, and gave it a face that would even scare President Snow.

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A/N: despite how emotional it is, this was definitely one of my favorite chapters to write. having bex see what happened to her home and reminisce really makes both her and the reader see how terrifying the capitol truly is. hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! 💓