Mocking Jay

"Oh, it's been a lot of changes all at once." Her eyes fill with tears. "But everyone's really nice here in
Thirteen, don't you think?"
Delly means it. She genuinely likes people. All people, not just a select few she's spent years making up
her mind about.
"They've made an effort to make us feel welcome," I say. I think that's a fair statement without going
overboard. "Are you the one they've picked to see Peeta?"
"I guess so. Poor Peeta. Poor you. I'll never understand the Capitol," she says.
"Better not to, maybe," I tell her.
"Delly's known Peeta for a long time," says Plutarch.
"Oh, yes!" Delly's face brightens. "We played together from when we were little. I used to tell people he was
my brother."
"What do you think?" Haymitch asks me. "Anything that might trigger memories of you?"
"We were all in the same class. But we never overlapped much," I say.
"Katniss was always so amazing, I never dreamed she would notice me," says Delly. "The way she could
hunt and go in the Hob and everything. Everyone admired her so."
Haymitch and I both have to take a hard look at her face to double-check if she's joking. To hear Delly
describe it, I had next to no friends because I intimidated people by being so exceptional. Not true. I had next to
no friends because I wasn't friendly. Leave it to Delly to spin me into something wonderful.
"Delly always thinks the best of everyone," I explain. "I don't think Peeta could have bad memories
associated with her." Then I remember. "Wait. In the Capitol. When I lied about recognizing the Avox girl. Peeta
covered for me and said she looked like Delly."
"I remember," says Haymitch. "But I don't know. It wasn't true. Delly wasn't actually there. I don't think it can
compete with years of childhood memories."
"Especially with such a pleasant companion as Delly," says Plutarch. "Let's give it a shot."
Plutarch, Haymitch, and I go to the observation room next to where Peeta's confined. It's crowded with ten
members of his recovery team armed with pens and clipboards. The one-way glass and audio setup allow us to
watch Peeta secretly. He lies on the bed, his arms strapped down. He doesn't fight the restraints, but his hands
fidget continuously. His expression seems more lucid than when he tried to strangle me, but it's still not one that
belongs to him.
When the door quietly opens, his eyes widen in alarm, then become confused. Delly crosses the room
tentatively, but as she nears him she naturally breaks into a smile. "Peeta? It's Delly. From home."
"Delly?" Some of the clouds seem to clear. "Delly. It's you."
"Yes!" she says with obvious relief. "How do you feel?"
"Awful. Where are we? What's happened?" asks Peeta.
"Here we go," says Haymitch.
"I told her to steer clear of any mention of Katniss or the Capitol," says Plutarch. "Just see how much of
home she could conjure up."
"Well...we're in District Thirteen. We live here now," says Delly.
"That's what those people have been saying. But it makes no sense. Why aren't we home?" asks Peeta.
Delly bites her lip. "There was...an accident. I miss home badly, too. I was only just thinking about those
chalk drawings we used to do on the paving stones. Yours were so wonderful. Remember when you made each
one a different animal?"
"Yeah. Pigs and cats and things," says Peeta. "You said...about an accident?"
I can see the sheen of sweat on Delly's forehead as she tries to work around the question. "It was bad. No
one...could stay," she says haltingly.
"Hang in there, girl," says Haymitch.
"But I know you're going to like it here, Peeta. The people have been really nice to us. There's always food
and clean clothes, and school's much more interesting," says Delly.
"Why hasn't my family come to see me?" Peeta asks.
"They can't." Delly's tearing up again. "A lot of people didn't get out of Twelve. So we'll need to make a new
life here. I'm sure they could use a good baker. Do you remember when your father used to let us make dough
girls and boys?"
"There was a fire," Peeta says suddenly.