Safe and Sound

Chapter Thirteen - A Mockingjay's Song

I woke up the next day, hanging by my stomach from the branch. My sleeping bag was still wrapped around me because of my belt, so I looked very much like a cocooned caterpillar. I must have tossed and turned more than my belt could handle, meaning I had toppled off from the branch. I was just lucky that my belt was strong and I wasn't very big, because if not, I would have been undoubtedly lying on the floor, neck broken and very dead.

I hadn't had the best night's sleep, but it wasn't full of nightmares. Just shadows and constant screams in my mind. The screams might have been my own, but I couldn't have been too sure. So I just hung there in my cocoon of a sleeping bag, staring at the ground, not wanting to move. I didn't think I had the energy to move in the first place. My legs still ached from all the running the day before and my cheek was throbbing from where Midas' knife had sliced me. I sighed and eventually groaned and managed to crawl my way back up onto the branch. My stomach now hurt from being suspended by my belt for too long.

"Only four days in." I muttered to myself as I massaged the aching part of my stomach, before deciding to eat some more of Peeta's beautiful cake. After finishing my slice, I then put the remainder back into the pot and zipped up my backpack once more.

I decided I was going to stay up in my tree, as I still had no energy left. I packed up my sleeping bag and put my backpack and quiver on and leaned against the limb of the tree, staring all around me. I ran my fingers up and down my bow subconsciously. It was going to be a 'boring' day for me, but I didn't care; I couldn't have cared less. I needed a day without near death experiences and long, wild goose chases. I had had enough of them already and it was day four of the Games, despite how much it had felt like four years. Four decades, even.

It was quite a quiet day, no deaths and not a Career to be seen. I was quite thankful for that, I had had enough of the Careers. I had had enough of the blood-lusting monsters that they were and that they shouldn't be. No teenager should be craving the blood of others. No teenager should be thrown into an arena to fight to the death for entertainment. No teenager should die young. But life was unfair. Always has been, always will be for generations to come. Especially here, in Panem. Bread and Circuses all round.

I watched as the mockingjays in the trees threw tunes and melodies at each other, bouncing them between each other. They were all I had now. I then spotted a young mockingjay fly out from a tree, still singing its little tune, and come flitting over towards my tree. It sat down on a branch right above my head, singing its song proudly and quite loudly for such a young bird. It was as if it were showing off to me, showing that it was a good singer. And that it was.

"For such a small bird, you can definitely sing." I whispered up to the young bird. It didn't stop singing, but it looked down at me, tilting its head to the side, confused, "I'm not singing, don't stop your melody for me." The bird then started chirping lightly instead of singing. We both looked at each other. It then fluttered down and landed on my shoulder and proceeded to hop down my arm until it stood on my hand. Its little, clawed feet tickled as it hopped about on my fingers, causing me to laugh a little bit at the feeling. The bird then stopped chirping and fell silent, looking up at me as I laughed at the tickling sensation of its feet. It then, to my surprise, started to copy the pattern of my laughter. It mimicked the notes, making them into a sweet little song. It then started to sing it louder, causing the other mockingjays to fall silent and listen to this new song it had to offer.

Then, one by one, the black and white birds started to copy my laughter song that the young mockingjay was now belting out, practically shouting out to the other birds in such a beautiful way that I wanted it to keep going and never stop. I needn't have worried, the young mockingjay kept singing the song and took flight, zipping away towards the other birds. The sound of my laughter being turned into a song made me smile as it bounced around and mixed and matched all around me. Each note from my laughter overlapped, creating an unforgettable melody.

I then carefully stood up on my branch and closed my eyes, so I could concentrate on listening to the song the mockingjays were singing to me. I spread my arms wide, imagining myself in my mockingjay dress, feeling infinite and beautiful. As I straightened my back even more and pictured my wings on my elongated arms, my small smile started to break out into a much wider grin, my chest rising and falling slowly, my head held high. The breeze hit me as it carried the notes of my tune. I was one of them - a mockingjay, and no one was going to take that away from me. Not even the Careers or the Gamemakers. Not even the Games were going to take it away, no matter how dead I ended up and how soon that day might have been.

I smiled as the song was sung by each mockingjay. I lowered my arms and opened my eyes, but my grin remained as I watched the birds fly about, singing the song and swapping notes. I forgot about the Games and smiled, finally feeling good about the future, no matter how black it seemed.

After all, a mockingjay isn't a mockingjay without its song.

* * *

That night, I went to sleep to the song of the mockingjays, which admittedly was dying out, but was nonetheless beautiful. It was funny how such a small creature could make an everyday noise sound so majestic, mystical and wonderful. I curled up in my sleeping bag, belted into the tree, still grinning like an idiot. The mockingjays had made the arena seem much brighter, like my forest back at home, back at District 12. I hummed the tune and breathed in time with the music, this melody becoming a part of me, part of my mockingjay.

As I curled up, my chest rose and fell in time with the melody. It was calming. As the last of the mockingjays finished the little song, my eyes started to close. I drifted off into sleep, the song swirling about in my mind.

And I didn't have a single nightmare.