Archive of Our Own ^beta

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“Good luck to all, and to all good luck.” Absolutely not. “Good will and good hunting.” Too barbaric. “Don’t let the boot kick you on your way off the pedestal!”  That just might lead to my Father disowning me. I can read the headlines now: ‘ Crassus Xanthos Snow Disowns Son after Failing to Supply a Slogan for the Hunger Games. ’ At least people would find that entertaining.

It’s a tough job to come up with something catchy yet not a direct jab into the eye of the District’s children who are being tossed into an arena with nothing but good luck and a prayer. But my Father assigned me to create a slogan, a mantra if you will, to say before the future Hunger Games, something that says to the tributes ‘We believe in all of you!..... Equally !’ I know better than anyone it’s hard not to show favoritism amongst the Districts and their Tributes. It’s hard to not favor something that looks so sweet. 

Deciding to take a break from brainstorming, I head down to the foyer to receive her. Mother says it’s very rude to keep a lady waiting, she’s quite old-fashioned in some ways. I personally believe that if we can throw girls and boys alike into the arena, then a small walk from the front gate to the front door is manageable, still, I oblige. A Mother’s wrath is something all teenage boys do their best to avoid.

It would be safe to call me a Mothers boy, my Father rarely shows affection to my own Mother, let alone his only son and heir. His means of showing me love or any affection at all is and I quote: “Trusting you with the future of Panem just as my father did with me.” Sometimes I’d rather we play cards or give each other the occasional hug.

I glance at myself in the mirror in the hallway before heading down the stairs, it’s not that I’m trying to look good, I’m really not, but one can’t help it when they’re in her presence. One thing I’ve learned while growing up in the Capitol is that everyone is trying to impress everyone, it’s a vicious cycle really, the second some declares feathers are in, people look like haphazardly dressed birds. The second someone decides that it’s now scales, people look like ugly snakes.

It’s depressing really, I mean it could be worse, I imagine there’s much more pressure for the ladies than the men but still, one must look presentable at all times. I’m wearing a simple outfit, red pants, a red suit coat over my white button-up, and a fine pair of leather shoes. My golden curls are perfectly trussed up and my nails have a small amount of clear polish coating them. It’s not easy being this beautiful. 

I bound down the stairs into the grand foyer where my Mother has placed a vase of ugly-looking feathers on the table that sits in the middle of the entrance. I guess feathers are still in these days. I look over to the left hallway leading to the formal sitting room at the Avox currently stationed there ready to answer my beck and call, “Is she here yet?” I ask. They answer with a simple shake of their head, good , I think, no need to keep a lady waiting.

I walk over to the window and look out to see a tiny pink figure making its way down the paved walkway toward the mansion. I dust off my shirt one last time for good measure before yanking open the massive front door to greet her. She’s making her way up the stairs, her heels clacking on every step before she’s face to face with me. She smells just like vanilla. 

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“Hello, Coryo.” She says with a small smile. My god she looks perfect I think to myself, but I can’t let that show, I have to keep my cool. “Hello Soarynn, you know you really should let us send a car for you instead of walking all this way,” I say to her. She lives less than a block away, in fact, she lives across the street from the President’s Mansion in the best penthouse apartment that money can buy, but that’s beside the point.

She smiles at me and tucks her hair behind her ears as she begins to walk past me, “Really it’s no trouble at all,” she says, “Plus I like to walk.” Well, that’s the District in her, but we’ve come so far that I’ve learned to choose my battles wisely as my Father advised me when dealing with women.

I hum in agreement as I follow her into the house towards the dining room, as we walk through the halls I try not to notice every little thing about Soarynn, but it really is hard when she’s walking right next to you. She’s wearing a pink dress that falls at about mid-thigh, it’s shimmery but I know for a fact there’s no glitter on it since she absolutely despises the substance. She’s wearing white heels, with such a thin heel that I’m surprised she hasn’t snapped an ankle yet.

The dress has a straight neckline with strappy sleeves, showing off her collarbones, she’s wearing the watch I got her for her sixteenth birthday. Her hair is parted down the middle, curled and bouncy, and as always, blonde. She smells like vanilla.

Her nails are perfectly manicured to match this particular outfit, and I have no doubt that they’ll be tailored to her next outfit as well. Her face was without a blemish, her skin was smooth and clean, and her hair was a golden halo. She glances over at me and I immediately avert my eyes as if looking into the sun, as if I haven’t been looking at her since I was seven. 

When I first visited District Twelve I couldn’t believe this was what we were putting our money into. I mean really! These people had absolutely no ambition, I mean surely we beat it out of them during the war but the gratefulness was lackluster. As was the welcome ceremony we were given when we first arrived, I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to leave the train.

After the sad excuse District Eleven was, my younger self thought we should cut our losses and go back home to the Capitol, I could see my friends again, and most importantly not see my parents as often. I attempted to play sick, but my Mother checked my temperature and said it was “absolutely in tip-top shape” for me to visit the people of District Twelve.

I was not impressed, at least the people in District Eleven were clean, these people looked like they all decided to roll in coal dust right before we arrived. Why, if I knew the President of Panem was coming to my District, I would put on my Sunday best, but these people truly were the worst of us. We were to accept the District’s never-ending gratitude, eat a small dinner in the Justice Building, shake a few hands, and book it back onto the train. Our coordinator, Eudora Trinket had our schedules down to a science, thank goodness for her, or we’d still be in District Four!

The Mayor himself isn’t even worth mentioning, I mean we never mention him now, but even then, he would die the same way he was born, silently and without importance. I was stationed next to my Mother on stage who was next to my Father as he doled out the standard ‘ We must stand as one and act as one ’ speech, blah, blah, blah I really didn’t care, and apparently my Mother didn’t either because her focus was on someone else.

I looked to see what could be so important in this dinky little District and was shortly supplied with an answer when I first laid eyes on the Mayor’s daughter. It's easy to see why my Mother was so enchanted by Soarynn, even at five years old she was so naturally beautiful.

Why if we just wiped off the sheet of coal dust and brushed her hair out…patch up her dress maybe… I thought to myself, as I caught myself thinking, I quickly realized my Mother had done the thinking for the whole family. She wanted that little girl. Even if she had to gun down the entire square, that little girl was coming with us, to do what? I honestly had no idea at the time, I mean sure she was pretty but that was about it, she was from the poorest District in Panem.

Maybe if she got lucky she would be selected to be in the Hunger Games and everyone could witness her beauty before an ax was buried in her head, but that was as much luck as we could muster her.

Thinking the issue was resolved, I looked up to see my Mother had taken flight across the stage and was whispering into a Peacekeeper’s ear at the speed of light. By the end of dinner, my Father had placed a large envelope of money into the Mayor’s hand. By the end of dessert, my Mother had gotten the little girl she always wanted. By the time they cleared the table, a Peacekeeper had thrown a screaming Soarynn over his shoulder and was following us onto the train to go back home. By the time the door shut separating me and my Father’s cart from my Mother and Soarynn’s cart, I finally understood what had just happened. And by the time the shock wore off, my Father was pouring himself a drink as I watched District Twelve fade away in the window. 

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There’s always been tension between the two of us, always. When we were little it was obvious that we both hated each other in our own ways, I hated her for taking my parent’s attention away from me. She hated me because my Mother took her away from her family. As if she knows struggle.

My Father told me that my Mother always wanted a little girl and once they had me they saw no need to continue having children. They needed an heir, my Mother supplied an heir. My Father, I suppose, saw Soarynn as a way to please my Mother, in other words, to shut her up, keep her preoccupied. People in the Capitol love their children, always toddling around them, dressing them up, and buying them whatever pleases them.

My Mother says she brought Soarynn into this family for me and well I say, if it smells like shit, it’s probably shit. It was later revealed to both of us that the real reason she was brought with us was to supply me with a future First Lady.

Now my parents explained this the best they could without making it sound absolutely disgusting to a couple of thirteen-year-olds, who at the time thought that the opposite gender was revolting. So we tucked the idea in the back of our minds and moved on with our lives. Present day that thought persists in the front of my mind as we walk towards the dining room doors, how on Earth am I going to marry the girl I’ve spent my life growing up with?

If I had to pick someone to marry I suppose she’s not a bad option, she’s well-mannered, naturally pretty, funny, and well-educated. But she’s District. How one can look past that I simply don’t understand, all those around us have simply glossed over the fact that Soarynn was brought here and not born here, but most people around us work for us. It’s a delicate system to keep intact I suppose. “Is that a new dress?” I ask, trying my best to ease the tension growing between us, “Oh, yes. I had it made especially for tonight.” She says.

Ah yes, tonight is her birthday. My ever-so-generous Mother took it upon herself to give Soarynn a brand new birthday when she first came to the Capitol. The day my parents deemed her acceptable to present to the rest of the Capitol, simultaneously became her birthday, leading all of the Capitols citizens to celebrate for three days straight. Of course, they celebrate my birthday for five days but who’s counting?

“Well, you look quite lovely,” I say to her, and it’s true the Capitol look certainly looks good on her. Her sunken cheeks were now full and rosy, her bony legs were now long and elegant, and her once straw-blonde matted hair, was now an icy platinum blonde without a single knot. Say what you want about our Prep Teams, but they’re good. 

Soarynn has given me several accounts about what she went through when she first was brought to the Capitol, usually after we both had broken into my Father’s wine cellar supply, but who’s to know? I remember us huddled behind a barrel of wine while she whispered to me, “They gave me the Tribute Treatment Coryo,” a phrase I had not yet coined. “The Tribute Treatment?” I asked puzzled, she was a lot of things but a Tribute was not one of them, my Father saw to that himself.

“Mhmmmm, it’s what they do to all the Tributes when they come to the Capitol,” she explained, “they made me look like a doll, and cleaned me up until I was all sparkly.” My Mother did love sparkly things.

I can’t remember the last time we snuck into the cellar and told each other secrets, we were so young back then, so unaware of whatever was blossoming between us. “Say, why don’t we sneak down to the cellar later tonight and celebrate the birthday girl?” I asked, bumping my elbow with hers as we reached the doors. She looked at me with a glint in her blue-gray eyes that recently had begun to make my heart skip a beat.

“I’d like that Coryo.” She said, smiling, I offered my arm up to her, and she stared at me for a moment with something that looked like longing in her eyes, before taking it as we opened the doors and walked into the dining room full of people waiting to celebrate my parent’s latest crowning achievement. 

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My Father, being the man of the hour even if the party isn’t for him, took his seat at the head of the table. We were having dinner rather early, but when the party only begins to wind down around three in the morning, you learn to pace yourselves and get the ball rolling before the sun sets. “Let us toast,” he said raising his glass of champagne, ”To the Diamond of the Capitol, the Daughter we never knew we needed, and our living proof that even the lowest among us can become an Outstanding Citizen of the Capitol, to Soarynn!”

We all repeated the last phrase with great– forced –enthusiasm as we all raised our glasses and gave cheers to Soarynn. She then walked over and kissed Father on the cheek which looked as awkward for her as it was for him, both of them not being too comfortable with physical affection when it came to one another.

I looked across the long table to see my Mother dabbing her eyes with her napkin, she always got emotional at things like this, especially when they had something to do with something she did. She was also on what I believe to be her third glass of champagne since dinner started, but the night is still young.

Across from me sat my Mother, and next to her Soarynn, next to Soarynn was Eudora who had switched out her champagne for water. It must be exhausting trying to have fun while being on the clock. Next to me was Sejanus Plinth, one of my classmates and I suppose my closest friend as well. Next to him is his mother and father and next to them, well I really don’t give a shit.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this year Madame Snow,” said Sejanus, he was always a bit of a kiss-up, but him also being District tended to make up for it. My Mother waved him off  “Oh please, we must spare no expense for our sweet darling,” she said, smiling at Soarynn. Soarynn returned her smile and went back to picking at her plate, the first of many I assume, my Mother knew how to throw a seventeen-course dinner better than anyone.

 I think we were heading into the double digits when Sejanus swallowed his food and leaned over to whisper, “Are you going to ask her to dance tonight?” Such a simple yet bold question that led me to choke on my flower-flavored dish and gain me several concerned looks from those at the end of our table. I quickly waved them off, “Went down the wrong pipe.” I said with a smile, seeming satisfied they all went back to their own conversations.

It truly disturbs me how even the mention of her can cause me to lose my suave. “Well, I haven’t really thought that far in advance, but as of right now, no.” I said before taking a sip of my own champagne, the best part of the Capitol, no drinking age. “Why not?” He asked, giving me a puzzled look, Sejanus knew as well as the next citizen that Soarynn and I had our entire lives planned out including our marriage, it was logical, and no it’s not weird, we aren’t even related…directly.

“She should feel lucky to be marrying a man like you,” he said, jarring me out of my thoughts. “Well of course she should be, but she hasn’t given me much voice on the matter,” I replied. It was true, neither of us knew how to bring it up without making it extremely awkward although my Mother as of late seemed to love mentioning it, dropping little bombs such as: “Well we’ll have to air it live for all of Panem to witness your undying love for each other… or …. I can’t wait for my grandbabies to be running through these halls… or my personal favorite which we recently got after giving each other the side eye at the mention of our marriage … you two better get with the program because this marriage is happening whether you like it or not!” Nothing like a Mother’s love.

My Father stayed out of it as much as he could, almost always remaining silent during family dinners and discussions, dropping in a nod or a grunt of agreement from time to time. Part of me always wondered if our little press tour across the Districts was secretly an elaborate window shopping trip for my Mother to find the perfect girl for me to marry.

“She’s moving in the day after tomorrow isn’t she?” he asked, my eyes watched her as she bit one of her perfectly manicured nails, a nasty habit she picked up from whenever she was anxious, “Mhm…she is but that doesn’t change anything, she’s just turned seventeen.” I said not taking my eyes off her, they might do things differently where Sejanus and Soarynn are from in their respective Districts, but we in the Capitol have class. We don’t marry minors, in the Districts I guess you’re always on the cusp of death so it makes sense but not here in the Capitol. We like to drag things out for as long as the budget allows.

“Which is why it’s the perfect time for you two to get perfectly acquainted, thank you!” he said to the avox serving him his next course. I tried not to roll my eyes as he said that. Sejanus always treated the avoxes like they were people, as did Soarynn.

“Might I mention the fact that you yourself haven’t even held hands with a girl that isn’t your mother, let alone danced with one,” I said, glancing at his now red face. He sputtered, “Well! That’s different! Not all of us were blessed with good looks and a powerful family name.”

I shoved a spoonful of colorful soup into my mouth before saying, “Call me a nepotism baby if you want, but don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” I said batting my eyelashes at him, he in return made a kissy face at me, and we both turned when we heard snorting across the table to see Soarynn looking at us with eyebrows raised while trying her best to hide a smile. At least she was used to our antics.

When I first met Sejanus, his family had moved to the Capitol from District Two right after the war. My first impressions of him weren’t fabulous, but he’s proved to be a loyal friend who allows me to take the pressure off myself. I introduced him to Soarynn hoping they could bond over having to deal with the opulence of the Capitol, and they quickly became steadfast friends. Soarynn had her own friends as well, she was rather shy so it took her some time, although I’m sure my Mother wasn’t above bribing children under the table to befriend her.

Soarynn was easy to like, that’s how the Capitol fell in love with her so easily and she became the Capitol’s Darling, it’s very own Diamond that was here three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Unlike the Tributes that cycled through and provided enough short-lived excitement to hold the Capitol’s citizens off another year, Soarynn provided the same level of ‘districtness’ without ever having to step foot in the arena.

Winking at her I then turned to Sejanus in the most deadpanned voice and said, “Please finish your twenty-sixth course Sejanus, I’d hate to see you send my Mother to an early grave.” Sejanus immediately whipped his arm into a salute, “Yes Sir future President Snow Sir!”  he said. I looked at my pocket watch– a gift from Soarynn – to see that it was nearing nine o’clock, which meant dinner was winding down.

I knew for a fact that Eudora Trinket had this entire event planned down to a science, and would have everyone in the ballroom drunk by nine-thirty. I really don’t know how she does this sober. Eudora is probably the most organized woman, or person, if I’m being honest, that I’ve ever met in my entire life.

She’s coordinated in every way possible, with her hair always matching her outfit and strangely enough her eyelashes…and her pet mice? She’s been making sure my family hasn’t dropped a beat since I can remember. In fact, the Trinkets have been planning events for us for generations. I once joked with her that she probably had her future grandchildren’s names planned already, and I kid you know she whipped out a planner with at least three pages of names reading: ‘ Elodie, Elora, Elowen, Effie, Elspeth, Elvira, Emerald… ’As much as I’m scared of her, I respect her.

She’s pretty much planned every moment of our lives and has ensured for the past ten years that Soarynn and I have always been on time for school, doctor’s visits, and birthday parties for our fellow classmates. I secretly believe that she took one look at District Twelve Soarynn and willed her to be clean and proper. I can’t imagine what she’ll do if she gives birth to a boy.

Surely enough by nine twenty-nine, we were all being whisked away to the ballroom which made the pre-procession look like a joke. Tables lined up with every cake you could imagine, an orchestra floating on…clouds? A water fountain in the middle of the room, and of course the doors opened up to the backyard to the greenhouse which housed our infamous roses.

A rather tame event if you ask me. People in the Capitol know how to party, and they also love free things even if they’re rich already. Mother says the war affected everyone in that way but in the end, Snow still landed on top. 

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Truth be told. I don’t dance. Sober. And after that dinner, I intended on being unable to walk up the stairs. Call me a man on a mission. I didn’t even bother trying to find Soarynn since this was her special night. I knew she was being chatted up by a bunch of Capitol elites whose great-great-great grandmother knew someone who invented grape-flavored oysters.

I also knew that she would be hugged to my Mother’s side since the two of them in some odd way were inseparable. Perhaps Soarynn took one look at our household and had a silent agreement with my Mother that we don’t really do the whole family thing and decided to be her companion.

Clemensia, one of my fellow classmates suggested it could be Stockholm syndrome, which I thought was a bit outrageous. Soarynn really was the daughter my Mother never had, she was always doted on, and when she asked to move out until she turned seventeen my Mother surprisingly agreed. Now did this go over with my Father well? Absolutely not.

He’s surprisingly quite protective over Soarynn, never wanting her to talk to boys or really anyone outside of our immediate family, so her leaving the gated grounds was a big shock to him. He and my Mother had several hushed conversations– arguments – that eventually led to him bulldozing a museum of Panems History located across the President’s Mansion to build a very secure apartment building for her to live in. Capitalism at its finest.

I’ve been there more times than I can count, it lacks the normal Capitol glitz and glam and instead has a somewhat homey feeling to it. If she doesn’t marry me, she could always be an interior designer. 

Now that she’s seventeen, she’s moving back into the house and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited. It was always fun having someone my age to run around the house with, always waking up to a friendly face, so when she left I couldn’t help feeling a bit abandoned.

Dumped is more like it, I think now as I watch her talk to Lucky Flickerman who surprisingly managed to keep his role as the Hunger Games commentator. Thankfully, he abandoned the parakeet act and has since left his bird at home. Now he’s making her pull a never-ending scarf out of his handkerchief pocket and bless her heart, Soarynn is doing her best to seem fascinated.

It took my classmates and anyone in direct correlation to Soarynn time to realize that she wasn’t some dumb little girl from Twelve. She actually is at the top of her class, below me of course, but who's counting? She probably knows how to handle him best out of any of us if I’m being honest, considering she’s been getting interviewed by him as soon as she was deemed “Tribute Trained”. 

When Soarynn came to the Capitol she was assigned her own personal Prep Team, the same type of team all the Tributes get when they come to participate in the Hunger Games. Made up of four fierce women, Imogen, Jadis, Lavender, and Olympia who’s come the closest to beating my ass for almost breaking a freshly manicured toenail by stepping on it.

In other words, they’re absolute divas who would undoubtedly kill for Soarynn and adore her immensely. We have that in common. It’s when I see Lucky trying to get Soarynn to pull his finger that I’ve had enough voyeuring for one night and take quick strides to save my lady in waiting.

Putting on my best Capitol smile, I clap Lucky on the back and joke with him, “Now Lucky, you promised me you’d save that trick for the upcoming Games.” Realizing I’m not here to chop his dick and balls off– there’s still time –-he relaxes, “Well it never hurts to take a test drive!” He laughs while pointing finger guns at Soarynn who is doing her best to remain polite.

I don’t know why, maybe it’s the alcohol, maybe it’s getting too hot in here, maybe I’m tired, or maybe I just don’t like the way he’s making my girl uncomfortable, but I’ve had about enough for tonight. “Well,” I say, clapping him extra hard on the back as I take Soarynn’s hand, “We ought to head to the dessert table before there’s no cake left,” I say giving him a good-natured smile which he easily returns.

“Of course! Have fun you two…but not too much fun!” He says, wiggling his eyebrows. “Oh, Lucky! You sly bastard,” I say as I lead her away from that commentator turned sudden comedian.

“Gosh I thought after the handkerchief trick he’d run out of ideas,” she says wiping her brow. So it’s not just me getting too hot in here. “Why don’t we get some fresh air instead, hmm?” I ask looking down at her.

One thing you can’t take away from me is my height. Snow men are inherently tall, I myself stand at six feet two and my father at six feet three. Not only does it allow me to scope out the room, but it allows me to look down at her even if she’s in heels. Thank you genetics. “Oh I’d love that, thank you Coryo,” she says looking up at me. I could drown in those eyes.  

We head outside into the cold evening air where several partygoers have already passed out in the shrubbery. The best nights are the nights you don’t remember. I led her down the steps towards the greenhouse where we’d play hide and go seek for hours on end when we were younger.

“Remember when we’d hide in the greenhouse?” I say looking at her mischievously, she begins to smile, “Yes, remember when you had to pull me out of the rosebush that one time?” She says laughing. That moment put the actual fear of God in both of us, and we aren’t even a religious family. “Mother would’ve killed both of us if she found out one of her roses got hurt,” I say, rolling my eyes, she cares for them more than us sometimes.

“What did we end up telling her anyway?” She asked as we neared the greenhouse door. “We blamed it on a gopher,” I say, trying to keep a straight face. Seeing my attempt she breaks into the first real smile I’ve seen from her tonight, “I can’t believe she bought that,” Soarynn says, shaking her head. “Better the gopher than us,” I say, opening the door for her.

The greenhouse is filled with different colored roses, ranging from pink to purple to white, my personal favorite. “I always thought you were the Rose family, not the Snow family,” she says absentmindedly, tracing the petals of a rose. “The Rose family?” I ask, we’ve been called many things but the Rose family is new on my list. “Mhmm, you always had roses in the house no matter what season,” she says walking further in, towards the fountain that sits in the center of the greenhouse.

I suppose it makes sense, especially at a child’s age, my Mother would think it’s a flattering notion, and my Father would think it’s flat-out ridiculous. I think it’s adorable. I mean, adolescent. I watch as she sits on the fountain’s edge and reaches her hand in to touch the koi fish. 

Once upon a time, my Mother had a huge pond dug in the gardens, the size of an Olympic swimming pool. She filled it with all sorts of colorful koi fish from District Four during the Summer, and she and Soarynn would go out every afternoon to feed them pieces of bread.

Then Winter came, and well the pond was quite shallow and froze over. When the pond thawed out all the koi were belly up and far too gone to nurse back to life. Horrified, my Mother and Soarynn relocated the next school of koi inside the greenhouse, which was much more hospitable for them.

I sit next to her, our shoulders brushing as she runs her finger along their backs as they swim around. “Are you having a good birthday?” I ask. She looks over her shoulder giving me a smirk, “Oh yes Coriolanus, it’s been an absolutely splendid birthday I don’t know how Mother finds the time to plan these extravagant events.” We both smile knowing damn well Mother lives and breathes for these events, and would have eight more children if it meant getting to throw more parties.

I hum as I brush her hair behind her ear, “Well Soarynn I’m ecstatic that today has been so good to you…and don’t call me Coriolanus, you sound like Mother.” She laughs looking back at the fish who apparently have been expecting bread to be thrown into the water, “And why not? That is your name isn’t it?” She thinks she’s so smart. And I’ll let her think that. “I prefer Coryo is all,” I say, taking her hand from the water, we both know she’s the first person to ever call me that nickname.

My name is a bit daunting, but the people of Panem seem to have a knack for ridiculous names, and my Mother says I’m named after my great-grandfather on my Father’s side, so I hope I’m a decent reincarnation. “Hmm I know you do,” she says, watching as she laces our fingers together. We fit together perfectly.

“I believe I owe you a dance,” I say standing up, she looks at me and for a moment I fear that Sejanus told her about our dinner conversation, but instead she smooths out her dress and stands up. “I guess I saved the best for last,” she says, placing her other hand on my shoulder sending chills down my spine.

We of course dance like fools. Not at all like the way Eudora properly taught us, our way includes a lot of jumping, running, and me spinning and twirling her around while watching her giggle. We make our way around the fountain, stepping on each other’s feet, through a pathway, and to the back of the greenhouse near the maintenance cabinet which stores all the pruning shears and whatnot. It also stores my special gift to her.

Catching her breath she fans herself while I open up the cabinet door. “What are you doing? You didn’t bring me here to garden, did you Coryo?” I smile at my nickname before grabbing the small box, “No we both know you’d kill any plant you tried to take care of,” I say with a smirk. As far as the fish went, that was on Mother, but Soarynn couldn’t keep a plant alive if her life depended on it.

Gasping in offense, she shoves me as I turn around to reveal my small gift. “You take that ba-oh what is that?” She asks, last year I got her the wristwatch she’s wearing right now. A small token of my affection really, elegant yet practical. This year, however, I really did put my heart in it.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Soarynn, happy birthday to you,” I sing to her as she laughs, I couldn’t carry a tune that isn’t our anthem if there were a gun to my head. She’s the musically inclined one.

I place the box into her hands and watch as she unwraps the bow on the outside, “Really Coryo,” she says ripping the paper open, “you didn’t need to get me anything,” she says finally getting to the box. “I only wish I could give you more,” I murmur as she opens the box to reveal a small gold-plated locket. “Oh Coryo, it’s beautiful!” she says holding it up, even with the nonexistent lighting in the greenhouse it still shines bright.

“But how do you open it?” she asks, looking at the small keyhole. “You need the key,” I say, pulling my own necklace out from under my shirt. Call me manipulative, call me a genius, I’m just doing my best here. I pull the chain over my head and hand her the small lock in which her dainty hands unlock the locket to show one side empty end the other side engraved with the words: “ One single thread of gold tied me to you, ” she lets out a small gasp and I watch as tears well in her eyes as she wipes them from the back of her hand.

“Coryo…I don’t know what to say,” she says sniffing, “Well I was going to get you a necklace with a giant ‘C’ but that felt a bit too over the top, so I settled for the locket,” I say, holding her hands in mine.

She looks up at me, eyes glassy, but oh-so-beautiful. “Will you help me put it on?” She asks, batting her eyelashes. Oh, that little Vixen knows how to get what she wants. When we were little she’d do it to get me to share my snack or toys with her, but as we got older, she did it to get me to carry her bag to school or to help her rearrange her room for the fiftieth time in a week. At first, I persisted but she always got her way, I even tried to see if Sejanus could resist her but he ended up carrying her books for a week!

I lean down so my mouth is right next to her ear, “Turn around,” I say, and my god she shivers. I know damn well it’s not cold in here either. Being the good girl she is, she turns around and pulls her hair from the back of her head over her shoulder, as I put on the locket.

Once I have the clasp set I stand back to admire my handwork and lean over to press a chaste kiss to the side of her exposed neck. She gasps. I smirk. “It’s almost midnight, we should head back,” I whisper as she turns around, I don’t need the lights on to know she’s blushing.

She still has my necklace in her hands, and to be honest I don’t think she heard a word I said. I gently grab her chin making her look me in the eye, she looks like a deer caught in headlights. “You gonna give me my necklace back?” I ask, she nods, fingers fumbling to place the loop around my head. I tuck the necklace back under my shirt before pressing one more kiss to her forehead.

Before either of us can say another word, the sound of fireworks exploding over our heads lets us both know it’s midnight. We walk out to see people walking, stumbling , I might add, out to the veranda to watch the display. I look to see Sejanus smiling, shaking his head at the two of us from the crowd. I can’t wait till she moves back in. 

Chapter Text

“Who was the first District to surrender during the war?” Has her hair always looked this way in the sunlight? I wonder. “Hellooo, earth to Coryo, what District surrendered first?” Sejanus asks for the second time, it’s not that I’m trying to ignore him, I had a rough night.

I woke up in my bathtub so at least I was able to conquer the stairs. I, unfortunately, haven’t conquered the massive hangover currently looming over my head. Who has time to study when the world is still spinning?

I’m currently sitting at the edge of a picnic table bench in the Academy courtyard while we all wait for the first bell to ring. I pray it doesn’t so we can all go home and recover. I’m just about to resume staring at the back of Soarynn’s head when I’m shoved off my seat and whip my head around to see Sejanus taking off towards the lawn.

Grinning, I stand up sprinting past the table of giggling girls as I chase him down. Sejanus might be fast, but I’m much faster and catch up to him within seconds, tackling him and taking us both down.

Gasping for air he rolls over to his side, “Okay…so...which ... .District surrendered…first?” He finally gets out, I roll my eyes but humor him, “District Eleven was the first to surrender,” I say, closing my eyes. “Actually it was Thirteen if you’re being technical,” he says dusting off his slacks, “If you count being bombed to death a surrender, then yes, I suppose they were the first,” I reply.

Once Eleven surrendered it was a slow crawl to the finish line, but once Two and One surrendered, it was all over. “I think I drank too much,” he says, clutching his stomach, that makes two of us, I think. It’s safe to say none of our classmates rolled in today looking their Capitol best, but it’s the thought that counts.

“Well if you start feeling nauseous go to the nurse,” I say giving him the side eye, “I don’t need you throwing up on my new shoes.” I roll over next to him, letting the sun kiss our faces, and am rudely interrupted when someone blocks the sun from our view. I crack an eye open to see Soarynn looking rather unimpressed at the both of us lying on the grass, hands on her hips.

“So kind of you to join us this morning,” Sejanus says with a smile, Soarynn rolls her eyes, “I’m surprised you two have the energy to run around considering how much you drank after the fireworks,” she says.

Is it such a crime to have a good time with friends? “We were drinking in your honor,” I say with a smile, reaching my hand out for her to help me up. She quirks her eyebrow before taking my hand and hauling me off the grass and does the same for Sejanus. “It’s not my fault your Mother insists on providing a different flavored alcohol with every course,” Sejanus whines, it’s true, our Mother loves any excuse to drink.

I’m dusting off my slacks when I notice a bruise forming on her lower calf, “What happened to your leg?” I ask her. Did someone hurt her? Did she get into a fight? Who do I need to torture? “Oh I banged my leg when I was getting out of the tub this morning,” she says, brushing her hair behind her ears, at least someone in this family was able to take a bath this morning.

“Do you think you’ll be able to participate in today’s lessons with that severe of an injury?” Sejanus asks sarcastically, Soarynn in return rolls her eyes at him and starts walking back to the tables. “Yes, I think I can manage Mr. Plinth, but thank you for your concern,” she says with a smirk. We follow behind her grabbing our bags as the first bell rings. 

As schooling goes, I’ve got this in the bag. It’s my last year at the Academy before University, will I miss it? Absolutely not. I mean sure, it’s nice to see my friends, to see Soarynn, and talk to my Professors but I’m ready for bigger, better things. Like running this country, I think to myself as I sit at my lab table next to Soarynn.

Our regular Professor, Dr. Gaul is thankfully preoccupied with preparing for the upcoming Games. So instead we have Professor Clay whose idea of science is mixing random liquids in vials until something explodes. It’s happened before.

Today he announces we’re going to be watching a film about the science behind the Hunger Games– for the fifth time this month –which in return causes almost all the students put their heads on their desks trying to recover from last night.

Soarynn does the same, burying her head in her arms trying to catch up on some much-needed sleep. She looks good today, I mean she always looks good but today she’s braided her hair down her back. Some front pieces are sticking out, but nothing too messy which I appreciate, nothing is more unattractive than an unkempt woman.

As for her outfit well, she makes the uniform look like something out of a magazine. All the girls wear the mandated skirts, with long sleeve button-up shirts, while the boys wear slacks instead. Over her button-up, she’s wearing one of my sweaters, in Academy colors of course. She’s developed a habit of taking things from my closet and never returning them. Not that I mind at all, I like seeing her in my clothes, seeing how tiny she looks.

“Is that my sweater?” I ask nudging her with my elbow, she pops her head up and rests her chin on her arms, “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” she says, batting her eyelashes. Nine in the morning and this girl is already testing my self-control. 

Professor Clay kills the lights and we’re encased in darkness. I tried to pay attention, I really did, but after ten minutes I abandoned the idea of learning anything in class today. It’s hard with Soarynn sitting right next to me, smelling like vanilla, wearing my clothes and the locket I gave her. How dare she. At least she’s trying to pay attention, I look over to see Sejanus with his head fully tilted back asleep like most of our classmates.

We’re sitting in the very back corner and I decide to take this opportunity and have some fun. Last night was amazing, it really was, but I couldn’t help feeling like we could’ve done more. Like I should have done more. So as slowly and nonchalantly as possible, I slip my hand under the table under her skirt onto her thigh. She immediately snaps her head towards me as I feign interest in the presentation.

I don’t move my hand, keeping it firmly planted there while we watch the movie. It’s not until she moves to a more comfortable position that my hand slips up almost brushing her covered core. Now both of us are blushing. I quickly move my hand back down to its original spot and try not to think dirty, nasty things for the rest of the class. 

My meeting with the Dean ran over and I’m late leaving school. I push open the doors to find Soarynn sitting on the steps sketchbook in hand, waiting for me to walk her home. It’s safe to say she’s the best artist I know. Always capturing little moments, certain parts of people and places. I loom over her watching very pleased as she sketches me. What can I say? I’m a born model.

“What’re you drawing sweet thing?” I ask causing her to jump, she tilts her head back smiling, “Well I started drawing a face, and the further I got the more I realized I was drawing you,” she explains. “Hmm, well I’m honored to be your muse,” I say bending down to give her a proper kiss, the kiss she deserves when suddenly an unknown force is yanking on my backpack.

I turn to see Sejanus waving a piece of paper excitedly, “Coryo! They’re asking for men in the Capitol to enlist and become Peacekeepers!” He says this so happily as if he said: “ World hunger has been solved and we don’t get hangovers anymore! ” At least the second one would directly benefit me. I look at him, then Soarynn then back at him before speaking, “And…why is that good news Sejanus?” I ask, trying to give him a playful smile, the Districts almost always need Peacekeepers, but we get most of those from Two.

“Because it means I could finally go back home,” he says as if it were obvious. “But why would you want to go back to Two Sejanus?” Soarynn asks as she stands up, and I watch as his face contorts from excitement to anger. “You of all people should know what it’s like to want to go back home Soarynn,” he sneers, as he pushes by us heading down the stairs. What the hell crawled up his ass and died?

We watch as he crosses the street and walks into the park disappearing. “Are you alright?” I say turning to her, she hums in agreement, “Yes, I get that being from the Districts is our common ground, but I don’t understand how he can be so…vocal,” she says. I take her hand in mine and begin to lead us down the steps, “What do you mean vocal?” I ask.

Sejanus has always had a hard time adapting to his new life, but I thought after last night that maybe he’d gotten past it. “Oh I don’t know, I just worry that he might say the wrong thing in front of the wrong person, like Father,” she says looking up. Oh yes. That would not blow over well, when it comes to our lives, Father stays out of it for the most part. But if he found out Sejanus was a possible rebel sympathizer? Well, let’s just say my Father has a method of handling thorns in his side.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t worry too much, besides he’s probably just coming off his hangover,” I say, reassuring her. It’s not that I don’t appreciate her looking out for Sejanus, but, I’m right here . Call me an attention whore, I don’t care, I need to feel taken care of every once in a while. “I suppose you’re right Coryo,” she says, although she doesn’t sound convinced.

We’ve made our way downtown to the plaza where our home lies at the heart of the Capitol. The guards begin to open the gates when they see us coming, although one of them is a little slow. Good help can be so hard to find.  

We make our way into the home where we’re greeted by Eudora and Mother, both in quite a tizzy, and about a dozen Avoxes cleaning various objects. Mother turns to see us and speedwalks over to us before we step onto the lush carpet, “STOP!” she shrieks.

Soarynn and I both jump and the rude welcome, “We just had the carpets cleaned children, goodness knows what last night tracked into the house,” she says fanning herself. “Of course Mother, how brilliant of you to think of that,” I say with a smile. One thing I got from my Mother: the appreciation of words of affirmation.

Deeming us not a dire emergency anymore, she suggests we go up to my room until dinner is ready. Me, Soarynn, and my locked bedroom door? Count me in. After a brief exchange with Eudora who watches us skirt around the carpet with the eyes of a hawk, we make it upstairs.

“At least she’s not trying to paint the ceiling again,” Soarynn says while shaking her head, now that was a fiasco. “As long as she leaves my room alone she can do whatever she pleases to the rest of the house,” I say, opening my door for her. As far as teenage boys’ rooms go, mine is exemplary.

To the left of the door, my desk, to the right, my dresser. Straight ahead is my bed with doors on either side leading to the bathroom and the walk-in closet. Soarynn runs over to my bed and throws herself on top, finally being able to relax after a long day. I walk over, bend down, and begin to unclasp her heels, freeing her feet of those tiny prisons. How she runs around in them I will never know.

Standing back up, I pull myself onto the bed, crawling over her as she watches me. With an evil glint in my eyes, my hands fly to her stomach and begin tickling her. 

When we were little kids, I would chase Soarynn through the halls trying to tickle her. I myself am not ticklish, but it doesn’t take much to get her into a fit of laughter. Even when I was small all I wanted to do was make her laugh . It’s music to my ears as she thrashes trying to get away from my clutches.

I reach under her shirt and find her underarms, and that’s when the real shrieking starts as she laughs so hard tears roll down her eyes. Gasping for air she wheezes, “Okay, okay, I surrender Coryo,” not fully believing her, I sit back resting my hands on her stomach and sitting on her legs.

“Do you truly surrender Soarynn?” I ask with raised eyebrows, she answers with a smirk as she reels her body forward leading me to fall on my back. Before I know it she’s clambering on top of me, wrestling for victory. I let her think she’s winning for a moment before flipping us back to our original position, grabbing both her wrists in one hand, effectively pinning her against me and the bed.

We both stare at each other for a moment gasping for air, both becoming aware of our current position. I desperately search in her eyes, do you feel it too? Her eyes flick down to my lips and back to my eyes, and that’s when I think, fuck it, and crash my lips onto hers. 

Chapter Text

This isn’t the first time we’ve kissed. And I’ll be damned if it’s the last time. The first time we ever kissed was at Clemensia’s birthday party where we ended up playing spin the bottle. A wonderful way to pass along diseases if you ask me, but who’s asking? Now I don’t want to sound cocky, but I’ve always been good with the ladies. Always knowing what to say, when to laugh, it comes naturally to me.

I really only agreed to play for a chance to kiss her . I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to order an airstrike on Clemensia’s apartment when I saw my classmates eyeing up Soarynn. There was no question that she was attractive, and there was also no question that she’s spoken for.

When it was finally my turn I sent a quick prayer up to whoever was watching over us and spun the bottle. And that was our first and last kiss. But this is different. This is eager, hungry, and desperate as we find familiarity with each other’s lips.

I feel her hands break from my grasp as she runs her fingers through my golden curls. I grab her waist with one hand and prop myself up with the other, pushing my knee between her legs. We settle into a rhythm familiar to the both of us, and I begin to make my way down her neck leaving a trail of soft butterfly kisses to the base of her neck. I pull away and stare into her eyes wanting to burn this moment in time forever.

She smiles and leans forward and I follow her until she’s seated in my lap allowing me to run my hands all over her body. I reach to pull my sweater off her and she complies, helping me tug it off as I throw it to some dark corner in my room. I feel her small hands running under my shirt over my abdomen.

I’m not one to brag, but I run a tight ship when it comes to my body. I may not be the strongest or bulkiest in the group, but I’m well-trimmed and sculpted. Someone a girl like Soarynn truly deserves. I smile into the kiss and feel her return my smile, feeling whatever tension lay between us dissipate within an instant.

Soarynn has so many freckles dotted across her face. I wish I could memorize every single one as I watch her sleep. I’m supposed to be working on the mantra for Father and reasoned with her that I could do it lying next to her. As long as I kept my hands to myself. You’re all Victors in the eyes of the Capitol! No, twenty-three of them are losers, that doesn’t make sense.

Groaning, I sit myself up and slide off the bed, I need to change my shirt before dinner considering how wrinkled it’s become. I picked out a nice black one that will go well with my slacks. I pick up my hairbrush and ever so carefully restore my curls to their original beauty. Some of us are burdened with everlasting beauty.

I hear the clock strike six at the same time I hear Soarynn waking up. She trudges over into the closet and takes in her current appearance in the mirror. Her hair sticking up in all sorts of places, her mascara is smudged and her lip has a bruise. She’s never looked better.

“Were you trying to eat me Coryo?!” She asks as she touches her bruised lip, “Of course not, although I’m sure you taste delicious,” I say winking at her as I hand her a new sweater from my collection. Giving me the stink eye she slips it over her own shirt and smooths out her skirt to the best of her abilities. “Are you excited to move back in tomorrow?” I ask her as she attempts to style her hair in a presentable manner with my brush.

“Hmm, oh yes, it’ll be good to be closer to–” “To me,” I say, finishing her sentence for her with a triumphant smile. She rolls her eyes and sets the brush down, “Yes, closer to you and to Mother, you diva,” she says poking me in the chest. I grab my chest pretending to be wounded, “You used to love spending the day with me,” I tell her, and it’s true, we used to be inseparable.

“And you used to enjoy pulling my hair to tease me so I guess we both grew up,” she says walking out the door, I take long strides to catch up to her and wrap my arms around her. “And now I get to enjoy pulling your hair in an entirely new way,” I whisper into her ear. 

Before she can come up with some smart-ass reply there’s a loud knock at the door. We both wait for a beat, maybe whoever it is will leave and I can continue annoying her.

The knocking persists. “Coryo?” A voice calls from the other side of the door, “It’s me Sejanus, I’ve come to apologize for the way I acted earlier towards you and Soarynn,” she looks up at me and starts towards the door. When she opens it I don’t think Sejanus expected both of us to be together.

“Well lucky for you, we’re both here,” Soarynn says, offering him a small smile, as I come up behind her. “Oh, are you two a packaged set now?” Sejanus asks, raising his eyebrows at me, “Haha,” I say dryly leaning against the doorframe. “Is that a yes or a no?” He says looking quizzically at Soarynn who’s a blushing mess for the fifth time today.

“It’s an, ‘I’m working on it,’ ” I say resting my chin on top of her head. “Aren’t you supposed to be begging for forgiveness and pledging your undying fealty towards me?” I ask, to which Soarynn scoffs and jabs me in the ribs with her elbow.

“Well I can’t promise any begging or pledging, but Ma sent over some fresh gingerbread,” he says, reaching into his backpack. “Consider yourself forgiven!” Soarynn declares grabbing the gingerbread.

“So…nothing happened?” Sejanus asks me. “Define nothing,” I say watching all the birds fly back to their nests for the night. Sejanus stayed for dinner and now the two of us are taking a leisurely stroll around the gardens. “You know…” He says making some obscene gestures with his hands.

“Oh God no!” I say shoving him for good measure. “Well you need to be better at explaining things then,” he says, shoving me back. What’s there to explain? “We kissed and she fell asleep, that’s it,” I said definitively.

I won’t mention her bruised lip or the way we felt each other in an entirely new way for the first time. Love is in the details. And Sejanus doesn’t need to know all of them. 

Chapter Text

I truly can’t imagine what it must feel like to talk to my Father if you aren’t related to him. Sitting in his study, watching him go over whatever urgent documents he’s been sent is truly a humbling experience. Whenever a Tribute wins the Hunger Games, they’re paraded down the Avenue of Tributes, then they’re brought up to the podium where my Father, Mother, Soarynn and I are seated. There are usually some big higher-ups sitting with us as well, along with sponsors and of course, the Head Game Maker. My Father then presents them with the Victor's Crown and declares them the official winner of the Hunger Games.

Now, it could be the draft we feel that high up on the podium, it could be the nerves or the PTSD, but without fail, every Tribute my Father crowns is terrified of him. My Father once told me that it’s better to be feared than loved, which at the time my eight-year-old brain didn’t understand.

I knew I would want the people of Panem to love me. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to understand him, I’ve seen how unruly and disgusting the Districts are, and how they must be kept under our thumb at all times.

Right now I’m sitting under his thumb as he finishes signing a new treaty or something like that. “So,” he says, causing me to jump, “what new slogan, shall we say, have you come up with for me to use?” His piercing blue eyes bore straight through me as I struggled to find an answer that will appease him. “Well, I have a list of some contenders,” I say scratching the back of my neck, “but I don’t think they’d be up to your standards sir.”

I sometimes wonder if my Father looks at me and thinks: ‘ What a fucking idiot. Is this kid really going to be our only hope in leading the country? ’ Sure, I’m popular amongst my peers and Professors, and I sure as hell know how to hold a conversation, but that doesn’t mean shit. Not to him anyways, I don’t need to put on a facade for him to see right through me. 

After taking a sip of water he says, “I expect great things from both of you,” ah yes, Soarynn has her own problems when it comes to my Father , but the pressure has always rested on me. “I expect you to run this country, provide for this country, to keep it from falling into rebellion again.” He says looking at me with a glint of disappointment in his eyes.

I don’t know why I get so defensive around my Father, maybe it’s my fragile masculinity– Sejanus’ words, not mine –or maybe it’s because we’ve never really truly bonded. “This country will never see an uprising as long as I’m in charge,” I say to him in a tone that causes him to raise his eyebrows.

“Will you?” He asks as if he’s taunting me. “Will you be able to do whatever it takes to run this country while protecting the ones you love most?” He implores. Well, truth be told I only really love a few people, and he’s not one of them. “Can you guarantee their safety?” He asks jarring me out of my thoughts.

“Absolutely,” I answered. That was the wrong answer. “So, you would be able to ensure that your Mother and I face no ill will?” He asks this like he has a cameraman hiding in the closet waiting to jump out when I say the wrong thing and go: ‘ GOTCHA! ’ “Yes,” I say definitively.

“Even Soarynn?” Oh, he knows he’s hit a nerve. “What about Soarynn?” I ask clearing my throat. As his daughter, you’d figure he didn’t want anything to happen to her but I’ve come to learn that my Father is a sick man. “Could you make sure that she never steps foot in that arena?” He asks so innocently as if he were a child asking for candy. “I thought that was your job,” I say, there’s a slight shake in my voice.

It’s true, since she came to live with us Soarynn’s name has never been pulled at the Reaping. Some people– most likely rebel sympathizers –argued that she should have her name put in the same as everybody else’s. Safe to say, those voices were silenced effective immediately and her name has never known what it’s like to be inside the Reaping Bowl. 

“Yes, it is my job to guarantee her safety as long as she performs and acts accordingly,” he says, reaching for his glass of water again. Before I can even process what that means, he says, “Don’t think I’m unaware of what goes on in this house behind closed doors, I know about everything that happens in this country.”

Well, shit. “Um..sir…I thought you wanted us to marry in the future?” I asked, unsure of where he was going with this. “Well of course that’s expected of you two, in all due time of course,” he says tilting his head at me, “but don’t be a fool and trip over yourself because a pretty girl gave you attention.”

I’ve had my fair share of flings, it’s true. Don’t hate the player, hate the game, am I right? But none of them meant a thing! I always knew Soarynn was going to be the one I ended up with, and none of them were serious, just some good fun before I was tied down forever. “I will try to be more discreet sir,” I promise him hoping that’s the end of that. It’s bad enough hearing things from my Mother, but my Father too? I’d rather drink poison and die.

“See to it that you do,” he says with a nod that I’ve learned means: ‘ Get the fuck out of my sight. ’ Nodding like an idiot, I start towards the door, “Oh, and do finish your task I assigned you, the next Games are right around the corner.” It’s true, I officially have a deadline and the clock is ticking. “Yes sir,” I say, pulling the door open, “And if she’s going to be a distraction, I can arrange for that to be taken care of as well.” I don’t say a word as I slam the door shut.

Chapter Text

It’s a strange thing to see Soarynn perched on the sofa watching the television. When she first came to live with us she didn’t even know what it was. We, of course, watch the Hunger Games every year together as a family, but other than that, the family room collects a lot of dust. Mother says everyone who's anyone has a family room, a space to ‘ come together ’ and bond. Because we’re all about that in the Snow family.

She’s wearing one of my pullovers while absentmindedly petting Petunia as she watches the screen. Petunia, is her ugly, wretched cat that refuses to die. In order to placate Soarynn in her younger days, my Mother bought Soarynn a kitten. Now kittens are adorable, so cute, and full of life. We all adored Petunia. Then she got old.

She’s of the Ragdoll breed if that means anything to you, and she certainly looks like a raggedy doll. Once she got older, she started hating anyone who wasn’t Soarynn, but when Soarynn moved out, she took Petunia with her.

I’m not against pets per se, I’d like a dog if my parents would let me. Pets are a sign of true wealth in the Capitol. If you can afford to feed, bathe and house another living creature that gives back nothing in return, then you’ll know you’ve made it. It’s late at night, and both my parents have retired to their room so it’s just the two of us and the Avoxes, but who cares about them? Walking over I do my best to avoid eye contact with Petunia who's been known to take that as a challenge, as I sit next to Soarynn.

“What’re you watching?” I ask her, she’s playing with her locket with her other hand and that elates me. “Oh just an old rerun of the Hunger Games,” she says with a sigh. Although viewing the Games is mandatory in Panem while they take place, during the off-season old reruns are constantly replaying. You can even ‘ buy the whole set! ’ for your family to enjoy. “You know what we could be doing?” I ask, nervously shifting as Petunia begins to walk towards my end of the sofa, it’s not that I don’t trust her. It’s just…I don't trust her.

“Hmm, what could we be doing Coryo?” She says finally looking at me with those beautiful eyes. It takes me a second to regain my cool after that, but I recover smoothly, “We could be getting shit-faced off of Father’s wine.” I say playfully, wiggling my eyebrows. She breaks into a grin and puts a hissing Petunia on the floor. Petunia- 0 Me- 1.

“It has been a while,” she says wistfully, “and you never took me for my birthday,” she says, giving me a look. I gasp, offended at her attack on my beautiful character, “Well, excuseee me, I was busy giving you your gift,” I say, gesturing to the locket. Conceding defeat, she stands and offers me her hand which I gladly take.

The cellar is in the back of the house right by the servant’s kitchen. It’s old, dark, kind of smelly, and soundproof. I love it . I watch as Soarynn pads down the stairs when I begin to wonder if she’s wearing shorts under my pullover or if she’s throwing all caution to the wind tonight. She stops in front of one of the barrels we’ve secretly been drinking from, bouncing on her toes and looking around to make sure no monsters are lurking in the shadows.

When we were little, we would tell each other stories, her’s were always about love and flowers. Boring. Mine were about monsters and trolls, and battles, good interesting stuff for the kids . I unintendedly planted a fear of shadow monsters into her head and they’ve lived there ever since.

“There are no monsters down here coming to get you,” I say, pulling her against my chest. The only monster as of now is my Father. I still can’t get that conversation out of my head, so maybe blacking out will help. “Well now I have you to protect me,” she murmurs into my chest. Grinning like an idiot, I walk over to the cabinet that stores the wine glasses and grab two, picking a barrel at random, I pour the beverage into the cup. I’m not a wine connoisseur by any means, but it all tastes the same when you’re drunk.

It takes a while to get us properly drunk, growing up we began to build our alcohol tolerance. Her’s being substantially smaller than mine, but who’s counting? It’s when a light blush begins to creep over her face that I know she’s gone off the deep end.

“Has Father talked to you as of late?” I ask her. It’s an innocent question really, no reason to ask. “Umm, not really, why? What did he say to you?” She asks, her blue-gray eyes searching mine for answers. “Oh nothing important,” I say, picking at my nail as if to seem bored of this conversation already. She doesn’t buy it .

“Well, what about your mantra? I know he asked you to come up with one for this year's Games,” she says pinning me on the spot. Curse her attentive nature. “Oh yes, well, it’s still a work in progress,” I say scratching the back of my neck, “It’s hard to find a nice way of telling twenty-four children we hope they don’t die without sounding like we’ve gone soft,” I mumble the last part.

She thinks for a moment, finishing the last of her wine. “Well it’s not really about luck is it?” She asks. Even though we’re both sitting across from each other on the floor, leaning up against barrels of wine, it feels as though she’s pulled the floor from beneath me. “Go on,” I encourage her, she’s always been so perceptive.

“Well it’s really about the odds at the end of the day, if they aren’t exactly in your favor there’s no way people will want you to win or send you gifts,” she says brushing her hair back behind her ears. She has a point, we recently began showing what chance every Tribute had to actually win the Games. We displayed the odds. “THAT'S IT!” I shout causing her to jump, “Oh gosh Soarynn it’s perfect,” I say crawling over to her until I’m between her legs, inches from her face.

She looks at me like I’m a fool. And I am. A fool for thinking it would be this easy to come up with a mantra, a fool for believing my Father was a good man, and a fool for believing that I wouldn’t fall for her as hard as I already have. “May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor,” I say, grabbing her face in my hands, she ponders it for a moment, mouthing the phrase to herself. “Well it certainly says ‘ you’re on your own kid ’ without showing favoritism,” she says nodding her head. I’ve done it. I’m a genius. I press a kiss to her lips, a real true, passionate one which she eagerly returns. 

***

It takes us about twenty seconds for me to have her legs wrapped around my waist as I hold her against a wine barrel, my shirt ripped off, and me making quick work of the pullover. “I should start charging you every time you take my clothes,” I breathe against her lips, “Oh yeah?” She asks, “And what would I be paying you with Coriolanus Snow?” She teases batting her eyelashes. Effectively pissing me off, I nip at her bottom lip with my teeth while ripping off the pullover. I’ve never seen this side of Soarynn, exposed and intimate. And all for me .

She’s wearing a simple pink lace bra and I’m willing to bet the panties match. I press my lips to her chest, sucking, causing a bruise to form, I follow suit all over her chest. Claiming her . It’s when I bite her ear that she lets out a moan and my god, I’ve never heard a sweeter sound.

“You like that?” I ask, smirking as she blushes, “I’m drunkkk,” she whines as if that's a valid excuse, we both know she’s barely tipsy. Laughing, I begin to suck on her earlobe earning me some more precious moans. I fumble to undo her bra but whoever made them, didn’t have men in mind, those things are a pain to undo.

Smirking at my failed attempts, she reaches behind her and does it on the first try. “Show off,” I mumble as I take a rosy bud into my mouth and suck. I continued to pepper her breasts with kisses, occasionally taking a nipple into my mouth and sucking and even biting just to feel her tremble. I tried my best not to shiver as I felt her own nails raking up and down my back and my front, tracing my v-line and my muscles. 

She unfortunately was wearing shorts so I decided those would have to go. Gently, I placed her back on the floor and tried not to smirk when I saw her legs shaking. Pulling her down to the floor and pressing her back against the barrel again, I maneuvered her shorts off leaving her almost completely exposed to me. Coriolanus Snow you lucky bastard, I thought to myself as she watched me breathless from all the kissing. “You…you have to take your pants off too,” she said in such a whiny tone it made me laugh.

“Oh yeah?” I asked cocking my head, she might think she’s in charge, and I’m gonna let her think that for a little while longer. “Mhmm,” she says looking at my belt. “Well it’s not gonna unbuckle itself angel,” I say sitting up a little straighter. Huffing, she leaned over to undo the belt buckle which she undid with ease and watched as it fell to the floor. “I’m not taking off your pants,” she said crossing her arms as she leaned back against the wine barrel. Oh, so I have a little brat on my hands. “Considering the predicament we’re in, I’m gonna let that slide angel,” I say, pulling them off myself.

know most boys brag about their size even though they’re lying through their teeth, but I’m not one of those boys. There’s nothing quite like standing in your underwear in front of the girl you like as she takes all of you in . But I can’t blame her for staring. Gulping, she stands on her knees and shuffles towards me. Oh. My. God.

She has the audacity to look bashful as she grips my waistband and bats her eyelashes as she looks up at me and asks, “Can I Coryo?” Now my legs are shaking. “Go ahead baby,” I say nodding my head, I watch as she peels my boxers off my body and I step out of them, leaving me and all my naked glory hanging out. She’s speechless.

“Cat got your tongue Soarynn?” I ask playfully tugging her hair, she’s truly at a loss for words. “How the fuck is that gonna fit inside me Coryo?” She asks and immediately slaps her hands over her mouth as if she said that by accident. Smirking, I looked down at her, “Fit inside your mouth or fit inside your…” “You know what I mean!” She chides.

Smiling I run my fingers through her hair, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it baby, I’m in no rush,” Seemingly relieved, she nervously grabs my cock, almost looking comical in her small hand and starts to give the head small kitten licks. That little tease . But I’m patient, not wanting to rush her or hurt her, I’m a lot to take in, literally and physically.

Just as I’m beginning to wonder if she’s ever done this before, she takes most of me in one go. “Fuck Soarynn,” I hiss grabbing her hair into a makeshift ponytail, she could’ve at least given me a heads up. I let her set the pace for the most part, going back and forth, running her tongue all over my shaft, all while looking me in the eye.

She’s gonna be the death of me. It’s when I finally feel myself getting close that I take control, fucking her mouth and throat, listening to her struggle to breathe but taking it all like the good girl she is. “Just like that baby,” I breathe getting closer and closer, I look down to see tears running down her pretty face and that’s all it takes for me to finish in her mouth and down her throat.

She coughs, she gags, and then, she swallows. I bend down to kiss her, momentarily tasting myself before wrapping my arms around her. I pull away to see her hair a mess, and her mascara slightly running. She looks beautiful. “Was that good?” She asks, her voice a little raspy causing me to mentally pat myself on the back.

Smiling, I kissed her nose, “It was perfect baby,” she smiled at the praise and I helped her to her feet, her knees must be killing her by now. “Are you gonna let me return the favor?” I whisper in her ear.

It took a good ten minutes for me to convince Soarynn to let me give her head. But I finally had her where I wanted her, laying down, legs spread, core exposed, and head propped up by my pants and pullover. Most of her smells like vanilla but this was a different smell entirely.

“Stop looking at ittt,” she whined covering her face with her hands, smirking, I yanked her further down, putting her cunt right in front of her face. It was so perfect for her, small, pink, almost like a rose. When she told me she was a virgin, I was prepared to absolutely rock her world. Pulling her folds apart gently I can see that she most definitely is a virgin.

“Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?” I said, squeezing her hand, “Why would I want you to stop?” She asked breathlessly. “I don’t know, in case it starts hurting or you get overwhelmed,” I said tracing the outside of her folds, she shivered, “You certainly have faith in yourself Coryo,” she said looking down at me.

I grin at her, “No shame in being a confident man,” I say shamelessly. I begin to pull her folds farther apart, seeming unable to find... oh there it is . Her clit was small like the rest of her but I knew it would get her going. Part of me wanted to start out slow. I ignored that part.

I dove right in like I was fucking starving. Taking her clit between my lips and sucked hard , causing her to let out the biggest moan of the night, while my mouth worked on her clit, my fingers were delicately tracing the outside of her cunt, not going in just yet.

I wanted her to beg. And it didn’t take long. Within two minutes she was gasping and begging for something she didn’t even know about, “Please, please Coryo,” she panted as I teasingly almost pushed a finger into her tight entrance. “I don’t know Soarynn,” I said, taking my mouth off her clit, “Have you been a good girl for me tonight ?” I asked sitting up to watch her shake in anticipation and frustration.

“Yes, yes, yes, I’ve been good, I’ll be good, I promise Coryo,” she pleaded, she had tears streaming down her face and the sight made my cock throb. Leaning down, I spit onto her cunt watching it drip down into her entrance before pushing a finger inside. I swear she almost came from just that.

To say she was tight would be an understatement. I knew it would take me a minute to work another finger in, so I used my other hand to play with her clit, scratching it with my fingernails, pinching it, pulling it, reminding her who was really in charge here.

Once I could work two fingers in, I was done holding back and I started to slam my fingers into her cunt. She made the most beautiful sounds, the moaning, the crying, the squelching, all one beautiful orchestra just for me to hear. I knew she was getting close once I finally found her G-spot.

Once I found it, I locked in, abusing it until I saw her eyes roll to the back of her head, “Coryo,” she panted “Please, please let me cum, please, please, please,” she was fully sobbing now. So unaware of how to process these new feelings, I smirked and placed a kiss on her lips, “Don’t worry angel, I’ll make sure you cum to your heart’s content,” I murmured against her lips.

Pulling away, I brought my mouth back to her clit and it was all over. I looked up to see her waist rising off the ground as if she were a puppet on a string. She clenched around my fingers and I felt her finally cumming as her body shook. I’m pretty sure she passed out .

I worked her through her orgasm, not stopping my fingers once until I felt she was finished. Once she was done I pulled out my fingers to find them drenched in her cum. I put them in my mouth tasting her for the first time. She tasted just like vanilla.

Chapter Text

When I woke up this morning, I was disappointed to find another hangover forming in my head. Two days in a row. Can’t a man get a break? Miraculously, I made it to my bedroom after last night’s antics and looked down to see that I had a guest sleeping in my bed.

Soarynn’s always been attractive, but it’s when she’s sleeping and calm that you can truly appreciate her beauty. It’s kind of cute the way she breathes, inhaling through her nose, and letting little puffs of air out through her mouth. She’s perfect. Not wanting to disturb her, I carefully lean over to look at the clock on my nightstand. 7:24.

School starts at nine, and I highly doubt Eudora would let us skip a day this far into the semester. ‘ Uneducated people are the worst kind of people ’ she once said to me and Soarynn as she walked us to the Academy. Those were simpler times, back when we’d all play in the schoolyard and make arts and crafts. Now things are a bit more complicated.

Take the situation I’m currently in, for example, a beautiful girl pressed against my bare chest, and my morning wood standing loud and proud in my boxers. It’s not even that embarrassing really, just super awkward. Usually, I’m able to take care of that myself, but with Soarynn planted on top of me, my hands are tied. 

After I gave her the best head of her life, she passed out. Which meant I had to carry her up two flights of stairs, into my bedroom, clean her up, and dress her in some of my own clothes. Call me what you want, but don’t say I’m not considerate. She’s wearing one of my shirts and a pair of my boxers and she really does look adorable. It’s when I shift to reach for a glass of water to get rid of my morning breath that she wakes up. Taking in the current situation she’s in and realizing she’s not in her room, her eyes widen.

I watch as her eyes slowly take in her surroundings before landing on me. “Good morning,” I say, brushing her hair out of her face. “You couldn’t walk me to my own room Coryo?” She huffs. As if that was even an option right now, she still hasn’t begun to unpack all those boxes from her apartment. “Are you saying that you’d prefer to wake up alone instead of with me?” I ask, smirking as she turns pink. “You mean you and your little friend?” She asks, batting her eyelashes. Now I’m turning pink.

At my lack of response, she seems pleased with herself and props herself up on my chest. “I’m just trying to take care of you,” I say, holding her face in my hand, “I know you are,” she says, grabbing my hand in hers and pressing a kiss to it. “But I should get ready,” she says sitting up. “I don’t even get a good morning kiss?” I ask pretending to be hurt.

Laughing, she crawls up, planting her legs on either side of my chest, giving me a kiss that takes my breath away. I love this . It’s moments like these that make me forget about the rest of my problems. As we re-familiarize ourselves with each other’s lips, we’re jolted back to reality as my alarm clock begins to ring. “That’s my cue,” she says sliding off of me and onto the floor, “oh and brush your teeth will you? Your breath stinks,” she says, throwing a smirk at me from over her shoulder. 

Within thirty minutes I had: taken a shower, brushed my teeth, and hair, and picked out an outfit for today. I also rubbed one out in the shower but who’s to know? Pulling my shoes on, I glanced in the mirror that sat on top of my dresser before grabbing my bag and heading out the door. Soarynn’s room is at the very end of the hall, and it’s not unusual for me to visit her before school.

I knocked once before opening the doors, half covering my eyes, “You decent?” I asked, walking into her room. “You could at least act like you’re covering your eyes,” she says, looking at me through her vanity mirror. Her bedroom is very girly, Mother truly went overboard when it came to decorating this room.

The wallpaper is a dusty pink with little roses on it. Her canopy bed is pressed into the corner, surrounded by windows. To the right of her door, her vanity, to the left, her school desk and the door to her bathroom and closet. Oh yeah, and all over the room were the millions of boxes she had yet to unpack.

“Do you think you could qualify as a hoarder?” I asked, sitting down on a moving box. “Oh please, it’s not even that bad,” she says as she applies a coat of mascara to her eyes. I love seeing her like this. Rollers in her hair, in her pink robe, getting ready for the day. Truly in her element. “You can barely see the floor,” I say looking around, it’s true, the floor is barely visible. “You know what you can see?” She asks, turning around on the vanity bench and glaring daggers at me. Is this a trick question?

“What can you see?” I ask nervously shifting on the box. “THIS!” She shrieks, pulling her robe down revealing all the hickeys I gave her. Oh. OH. Grinning, I stand up and saunter over to her, “They’re not even that bad,” she scoffs as if it’s a lie. They really could be worse if I’m being honest. “They’re horrible! You’re lucky our uniforms have high necklines,” she says looking at them with disgust. “You certainly weren’t complaining when I gave them to you last night,” I say, grabbing her chin. I’ve got her there.

“Well…I was drunk,” she says defensively, ripping her chin out of my hand. “Oh please,” I say with a bark of laughter, “you were tipsy at most,” to which she glares at me again through the mirror. “How long will it take for these to go away?” She asks slightly changing the subject.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say scratching the back of my head, “like a week?” I mumble turning to walk into her bathroom. “A WEEK?!” She shrieks, standing up to follow me as I enter her closet. She hasn’t picked out her uniform yet, and someone’s got to get the ball rolling. “Mhm,” I say, trying to feign interest in her racks of clothes.

“Don’t act like you give a shit about my uniform, Coriolanus Snow,” she hisses. Oh, she’s pissed . “I think they look great,” I say earnestly, turning to face her. It’s hard to take her seriously as she stands in front of me, rollers still intact, blush on only one cheek. “Go finish your makeup so we can go to school,” I say, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around, giving her a gentle push. She huffs but heads back to her vanity, but not after giving me one last dirty look.

I’m entering my fifth class of the day when I notice all the girls huddled together whispering to each other. Now, girls like to gossip, there’s no denying that. And I’m not too concerned until I catch the eye of one of them and the whispering becomes more intense. “What’s up with them?” I ask Sejanus as I sit next to him. “Oh, you…you haven’t heard?” He asks nervously shifting in his seat. I really don’t have time for coyness right now, I’m still hungover.

“Haven’t heard what?” I ask exasperatedly, he turns towards me until our knees are brushing. He motions for me to lean in, I mean what could be so important he needs to whisper? “Someone said they saw Soarynn and Titus kissing behind the school,” he pulled away nervously searching in my face for any signs of rage.

“Titus would never do that,” I say, doing my best to keep my composure cool. Titus would never do that. Unless he was trying to get back at me, I think. Titus and I have always had a somewhat rocky relationship, we’ve been known to brawl in the boy’s locker room a couple of times. But it was all good fun! But kissing Soarynn? Well, he has to die for that.

“Who said that?” I say massaging my temples, I really need to stop drinking. “Umm I don’t know who exactly, but our whole class knows about it,” he says, still looking on edge. Needing to put his anxious thoughts at ease, I throw him a good-natured smile. “It was probably just one of the girls trying to stir up some rumors,” I say, planting the idea in his mind.

This seems to make Sejanus relax as the tension leaves his shoulder. Our English Professor walks in telling all the girls to take their seats. “You’re right Coryo,” he says, giving me a small smile, turning back to his desk. “It was just a rumor,” he decides. “Just a rumor,” I say more to myself than to him.

I elect to take my sixth class off and roam around the halls looking for Soarynn. She’s an office aid during this class, dropping off notes to other Professors and whatnot. With Titus . Part of me begins to wonder if he chose that just to be closer to her.

Sounds like him , I think rounding a corner and spotting her walking down the hall. I’m not one to run through hallways, so I settle for walking with purpose. When I finally catch up to her I grab her elbow, spinning her around to face me.

“Hey,” I breathe a little out of breath. “Coryo? Why aren’t you in class?” She asks furrowing her eyebrows. “Oh, I just wanted to see you,” I say, becoming very interested in the tiled flooring. “Are you sure?” She asks still not believing me. “Well, is there something you wanted to tell me ?” I ask, suddenly tired of her playing dumb. “Excuse me?” She asks yanking her elbow out of my grasp, backing away. Unfortunately for her, she backed herself into a corner allowing me to cage her in with my arms on either side of her head.

“A little birdy told me,” I say twirling a strand of her hand with my fingers, “that someone saw you and Titus… together,” I say not wanting to say kissing. “Well we do go to school together,” she says with a bratty tone. “Don’t get smart with me,” I snap, causing her to shrink back further into the wall. I need to calm down. “I just,” I say, rubbing my hand over my face, “I just need to make sure it wasn’t you that was with him.” She tilts her head before asking, “Doing what exactly?” She clearly has no idea what I’m talking about so I take this as a good sign.

“Kissing,” I say with as straight of a face as I can manage. A wave of shock rolls over her face, mixed with a hint of betrayal. “You literally had me in your bed this morning and now you think I’m running around kissing other boys?” She asks, clearly hurt by these accusations. “Well, I just had to make sure,” I say defensively. “Well then maybe you should ask Titus,” she says pushing me away from her.

I let her. Because she’s right. Soarynn would never do something like that to me, but Titus would let me think she did something like that. Straightening myself and regaining my composure, I turn to walk back down the hallway. “Where are you going?” She calls clearly confused by this entire confrontation. “To cut the head off the snake,” I called back, not even bothering to turn around. 

Chapter Text

I know I should probably be apologizing to Soarynn right now, but that can wait. Nothing a few kisses between her legs can’t fix , I thought as I continued my hunt for Titus. I found him out in the courtyard, stapling flyers to the bulletin board. Perfect, he’s alone . I’m not one for the element of surprise, but it’ll come in handy when dealing with this situation. Seeming pleased with his work, he takes a step back to admire the board.

I take this as an opening to press a firm foot to the back of his knee, causing him to topple over. I know it’s a childish trick, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Dumbfounded, he looks up to see me looming over him with a pissed-off look on my face. This, of course, causes the jackass to break into a smile. “Coriolanus Snow, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He asks not bothering to stand up. Good, because he’ll never be on my level.

“Oh just hoping to speak to you Titus,” I say, picking at my cuticle as if this is a perfectly normal occurrence. “About what?” He asks, playing dumb. He, I can actually get mad at. I squat down until I’m at eye level with his ugly little face. He’s not even ugly per se, but his character certainly is. “I heard that you’ve been spreading some rumors around and I don’t quite appreciate it,” I say, doing my best to remain neutral.

“I didn’t know you cared about rumors,” he replies, causing me to clench my jaw. “I do when they have something to do with my family,” I say, my voice dripping with false sweetness. Truth be told, I don’t care what other jealous people say about the Snows. “Well then there’s no reason for us to be having this conversation,” he says suddenly standing up, causing me to back up. Prick .

“You’re sure?” I ask giving him a forced smile. “Because I wouldn’t put it past you,” I’m not trying to piss him off, but it’ll be better if he throws the first punch. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” He asks clenching his fists. Ah, there we go. Titus is known for being very short-tempered, with other students, Professors, and even his parents. And we seem to have a knack for lighting each other’s fuses.

“Oh, it’s just that it sounds a lot like you to start a rumor about you and Soarynn to get some attention,” I say leaning into his face, “especially since she’s wayyy out of your league,” I say with a smirk. Before he can respond I’m turning on my heel to go back inside when I feel the first blow to my head. Titus can throw a punch, but I can throw a better one. It’s just as I’m turning around that the bell rings, meaning we’re about to have an audience. 

I clench my own fist and sock him right in the jaw. That’s gonna leave a bruise, I think with glee. I prepare myself as he regains his footing and starts back towards me, ready to grab his fist and stop it from hitting me in the eye. He almost always goes for the eye on the second punch. Sure enough, my prediction is right, allowing me to catch his fist. It's painful but better than a black eye.

I start to hear yelling and know that we most definitely have an audience. Wanting to get this over with, I deliver a quick kick to his stomach causing him to go tumbling backward, falling on his ass. What I don’t expect is for this psycho to start crawling toward me, grabbing both my legs. Now we’re both on the ground. It’s a nasty little catfight we have on the ground, rolling on top of each other, punching and scratching any part we can reach.

It’s when I hear Sejanus yelling, “KICK HIS ASS CORYO!” I look up to see him and Soarynn standing amongst our classmates watching this play out. Titus decides to take this as an opportunity, directly connecting his fist with my skull. I think I hear a crack. Lying on my back, wondering what the fuck was that? I quickly gather my bearings and decide I’ve had enough roughhousing for one day. I tear a page out of his book and crawl towards him, pinning him under me and my punches.

All I see is red. And there’s a lot of red. A lot of blood. He’s probably going to need braces once I’m done with him. It’s when he finally lets his hands fall to either side of his head that I know he’s done for. Shakily, I stand up, wiping my bleeding nose with the back of my sleeve.

Stumbling over his body, I make my way over to the crowd who immediately makes way for me. I steal a glance at Soarynn who has a single tear running down her cheek. I’ve torn away from her when I hear Dean Casca Highbottom’s voice, “Mr. Snow,” he starts, “ I know,” I said, cutting him off  “Your office.”

It’s not that the Dean has a vendetta out against me, my Father is to blame, really. The way my Father tells it, he and Highbottom came up with the idea together and Highbottom coined it off as his own. I salute him for being able to pull the rug out from under my Father, it’s not an easy feat. But ever since I started attending the Academy, it just felt like he really had it out against me.

I suppose he thought he could get to my Father through me, jokes on him though, my Father doesn’t even like me. But, he can tarnish the Snow family name, and that’s something my Father doesn’t take lightly.

Titus was whisked away to the hospital, taking the easy way out, whereas I actually had to deal with the consequences upfront. We didn’t say anything as we sat in his office waiting for my parents to arrive. It was the telltale clacking of high heels that let us know Mother was nearby, bursting through the door already in tears.

“Oh, my darling!” She cried, grabbing my face, “Are you ok? Is anything broken? Who did this to you? Do we need to call our lawyers?” I tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal, but I guess beating the shit out of another student tends to lead to pushback. My Father walked in, his eyes flitting to me, taking in the damage. I had a scraped chin, bruised jaw, and probably a mild concussion. You should see the other guy, I thought as my Mother coddled me. 

Highbottom cleared his throat, “Please take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the two empty chairs. My parents took their seats, Mother next to me taking my hand, still crying by the way. “Who did this to him?” My Father asked, not one for diplomatics. “Titus Fenton,” Highbottom replied. He almost seemed bored. Surely this wasn’t my first time in his office, but to act so casually, that worried me. “And where is this boy?” My Mother snapped, “I mean, look, at Coriolanus’ face!” Of course, Mother cared more about my face than my well-being.

“I’ll have to reschedule our annual family portraits, I mean with the Hunger Games starting soon Coriolanus must look his best,” she said looking at the Dean like this was his fault. “Madame Snow,” he said rubbing his temples, maybe he was hungover too, “This isn’t the first time your son has had… altercations, with this student, and we don’t take things like this lightly,” he said, focusing his stare on me. Maybe it hadn’t been the first time me and Titus got into a scuffle, but it certainly was the last.

“Exactly!” Mother exclaimed, “Which is why you need to have this young man expelled immediately,” she said looking at my Father for support. My Father was a man of few words, so when he spoke people tended to listen. “Who threw the first punch?” He said without looking up from his lap.

“We reviewed the footage from the courtyard, and it appears that Titus threw the first punch,” Highbottom said scratching his beard, “However, it does look like your son pushed him to the ground moments before the fight broke out,” he said, bringing our attention to the projector.

My Mother scoffed watching the entire thing play out, “Coriolanus didn’t mean anything by that, it could’ve been an accident or playful banter,” she said, clutching my hand so tight it turned white. “Yes,” my Father agreed, “If anything, your concerns should be focused on this young delinquent attacking our son, rather than Coriolanus, who has yet to receive any first aid,” he said pointedly. “Titus’ condition was more severe,” Highbottom deadpans.

My Father scoffs at that, “We are willing to let this go, under the condition, that you have this student expelled immediately,” he says, finally looking up at the Dean. The Dean raises his eyebrows as if he wasn’t expecting my Father to strike a deal so early on in the conversation. “Your son seems to have a track record of getting into fights,” he says casually, throwing a file toward my parents. My Mother, hesitantly, lets go of my hand and reaches for the file.

It has of course my grades, but it also had all my infractions. It appears old Highbottom has been keeping a track record of me, “Well, I never,” she said, throwing the file back onto his desk. “Coriolanus is simply defending himself, lots of the children are jealous of him, it only makes sense for them to try to gang up on him.” I nod, yes, yes it does Mother.

“Sir,” I say, speaking up for the first time, “Titus was spreading some vicious rumors about Soarynn when I went to confront him…he got angry and attacked me,” I say, doing my best to look shaken up over the whole ordeal. “Hmm, well considering this isn’t Titus’ first infraction either, I will see to it that he does not return to the Academy once discharged from the hospital.” And there it is, Snow always lands on top. 

Doing my best not to look smug as my parents breathe sighs of relief, I speak up one last time, “Sir, would it be possible for you to tell me which hospital Titus is in?” I ask trying my best to look concerned, “I’d like to make sure he’s alright.” Mother croons over what an absolute angel of a son I am, before my Father stands up, “Yes, I’ll look into that,” Highbottom says, giving me a look that shows he doesn’t buy into my little act.

Mother and I stand up and we walk towards the door, “I’ll be seeing you, Mr. Snow,” Highbottom calls as we walk out the door. My Father and I both turn, but he doesn’t indicate which one he’s talking about. We exchange silent glances, realizing that we’re both on his radar now. 

Chapter Text

It’s dark, by the time we return home. Mother insisted I go to the doctor and be given a full body examination. Aside from a few bruises and scratches, I got off easy. I can’t imagine what Titus is going through right now, how embarrassing. I mean, it’s one thing to start a fight, but to lose a fight as well? He’s lucky he’s expelled because it would be pretty hard showing his new, ugly face at the Academy again.

Mother went straight to bed since today was clearly exhausting for her. My Father was just beginning to walk to his study when I called out, “Sir?” He turns around, but it’s too dark for me to be able to read his expression. “I’ve come up with a mantra, I think it shows real promise,” I say, nervously shifting on my feet. I’ve caused enough trouble for an entire year, this would be the cherry on top if I fucked this up as well.

“And what, have you come up with Coriolanus?” He asks. “May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor,” I say with a small amount of pride. He stands there for a moment, both of us staring at each other, reflections of each other. I’m what you could never be, and you’re what I could be. After the silence has been long enough to be awkward, he turns and starts walking. “You surprised me today,” he says, disappearing down into his study. 

Stairs are hard. Not enough people talk about how difficult stairs are after a long day. The doctor confirmed my suspicions that I have a mild concussion, and he told me to refrain from any intense physical activity for the next two weeks. Happily Doc. Finally, I make it to my room ready to take a hot shower and possibly never wake up, it’s when I open the door that I realize my plans have been foiled.

My adrenaline kicks back in when I see Soarynn, curled up under my sheets, sleeping soundly. She’s told me before that my scent was comforting, but I never thought I’d see her in my bed again after today’s fiasco. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I pad over to the bathroom and shut the door.

I opt for a shower instead of a bath, when Mother first insisted on a tub I thought she was being ridiculous. It did, however, take me one try to become addicted and start taking several a week. Fragile masculinity my ass. I make quick work of scrubbing down my body, finding new bruises along the way. I lather on some lotion, comb through my hair and throw on a pair of boxers before calling it a night. 

When I come out of the bathroom I find Soarynn sitting on the edge of the bed slouched over sleeping. Waiting for me . After seeing her cry, I was scared of what she thought of me. It was no secret I could get into a fight, but I wasn’t inherently violent either. I just knew how to put people in their place. But the way I talked to her–talked at her today? Well, my behavior towards her today was unacceptable.

Since she came to live with us I always treated her like fragile glass, delicate and ready to shatter at any moment. Abandoning all those precautions over Titus? Maybe these bruises would serve as a reminder for today. I didn’t care what other people thought of me, but her being afraid of me?

It was like rubbing salt in the wound. Slowly approaching her, I gently lifted up her chin with one hand. Her eyes fluttered open, seeming surprised to see me as if she wasn’t in my bedroom. Perhaps she thought I’d have to stay the night in the hospital. Neither of us knew what to say, so I decided to break the silence with a joke.

“Well,” I said, gesturing to my bruises, “Now we both have bruises.” Her eyes welled with tears, “Oh Coryo,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I crouched down to pick her up, carrying her back to the top of the bed where we both could lay down and forget this day ever happened.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted today,” I said, running my fingers through her hair. We were in the same position we woke up in this morning, I realized as she propped her chin up on my chest. “You were only looking out for me,” she said softly.

“Still,” I said, grabbing the side of her face, and stroking her cheek with my thumb, “I should’ve been upfront with you from the beginning.” “I just wish no one had to get hurt,” she said, tracing her nails along my stomach. “Well if it’s any consolation, Titus won’t be coming back,” I say, not knowing if this will be good news, or bad news to her.

She looks back up at me, “Who started the fight?” She asks, eyes boring right through me. “Titus,” I say automatically. I almost want to offer to show her the security footage. “Coryo, who really started the fight?” She asks one more time. She knows.

I sigh, rubbing my head, my poor beautiful concussed head. “I wasn’t gonna let him think he could talk about you like that and get away with it,” I say looking down at her. She processes that for a moment before speaking, “I understand, but I’m not some damsel in distress, so please, promise me no more fights,” she says, grabbing my hand with her own. I lace our fingers together. “No more fights,” I promise her.

She lets out a small sigh of relief, “Good, there’s enough excitement going around with the Hunger Games starting next week, we should leave the fighting to the arena,” she declares. I can’t help but smile at her, she’s always been one to think ahead. “It feels like they just happened,” I say, playing with the rings on her fingers.

“Hmm, it always goes by fast in the Capitol,” she says before crawling up to the pillows and sinking into them. “Well, Father seemed to like the new mantra, but I doubt he’ll use it,” I say, reaching to turn off my bedside lamp. “Why not?” She asks in the darkness. “Because,” I say, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “he hates any ideas that aren’t his.” 

Chapter Text

“I think that’s enough,” I say, pushing away the hand of my makeup artist. Today’s the Reaping, and I need to look my best. “Of course sir,” he says, dropping the brush, and giving me a polite smile. This morning every member of my family has been getting prepped for our public appearance for today’s Reaping. It’s a rather boring event if you ask me. It’s not that I’m afraid of a little touch-up, but Atley, my makeup artist, was going a little heavy on the blush.

The Reaping takes place across all of Panem at different intervals, so the citizens of the Capitol don’t miss a thing. Not that there’s much to miss. There’s always the rare Tribute fainting, or their mother screaming: 'NOT MY BABY!’ but other than that, it’s a rather slow event. It takes course over the entire day, but food and alcohol are always provided, and we get to miss school.

I don’t know why the children in the Districts cry and fight, they should be grateful. Before tossing them into the arena, we make them beautiful. To the best of our abilities of course. We feed them, clothe them, and house them in the state-of-the-art Tribute Center. We even allow them to train with professional trainers for three days. We truly are the most considerate people. Once I’m done with my makeup, I allow the Avoxes to put on my red suit jacket before stepping into my shoes.

We might prefer white roses, but my family always wears red when watching the Reaping. I can imagine Soarynn’s just about finished with her hair and makeup, so I leave my room in search of her. Surely enough, she’s sitting in a makeup chair, chatting away with her Prep Team. How these women can simultaneously do her hair, makeup, and nails at the same time truly baffles me. They’ve got this down to a science.

“Oh, Coriolanus!” Imogen says looking up from her work, all their eyes fly to me, taking me in, making sure I look up to their standards. Olympia gives a silent nod of approval, which is all you can really get when it comes to her. “You look very handsome Coryo,“ Soarynn says, looking up as Lavender applies a coat of mascara to her bottom lashes. “Why thank you,” I say, brushing my hand through my curls, that idiot hair stylist put in too much gel, making it crunchy instead of soft.

“I wonder if there’ll be any standouts,” Jadis says as she adds another bobby pin to Soarynn’s ornate hairdo. “One and Two always show great promise,” Lavender says as she paints Soarynn’s nails red, they all nod their heads in agreement. One, Two, and sometimes Three, almost always win the Games. We call their Tributes “Careers”. Even though we do our best to remove ourselves from the Districts entirely, we’ve almost always provided a training program for their children.

So it’s not uncommon for people to place their bets on those Tributes, but still, once in a blue moon, a Tribute from one of the lower Districts wins the Games. “I wonder if anyone will volunteer,” Imogen says, rarely does anyone volunteer. Unless you’re a Career. Those kids are thirsty for blood by the time they hit sixteen, and it’s a mini Hunger Games just for them to volunteer. What idiots. Still, they see it as a thing of honor, and we’ll let them think that.

By the time we arrived at the Viewing Plaza, I desperately needed a drink. The Plaza is where people– sponsors –can watch the Games from every angle on the big screens. Showing action from all over the arena at once instead of having to cut from Tribute to Tribute if you’re watching at home. Almost everyone is drunk already. People make way for our procession as we walk into our booth. The booth houses any food you can imagine, endless drinks, several screens to watch the Reaping and a small arena below where performers keep the young children entertained.

I remember the first time we brought Soarynn to the Plaza, when it wasn’t hosting the sponsors, sporting events and performances were also held in the arena below. The circus was performing and I can still see Soarynn’s eyes lighting up in excitement.

That seems like forever ago. She looks perfect today in her red dress, as she stands next to my Mother who was already helping herself to several cocktails. Father is sitting at one of the tables, conversing with his fellow Game Makers and sponsors alike.

Next to me is Eudora who’s sporting a bright red wig to go along with her dress, heels, and of course, her eyelashes. “Love your hair Eudora,” I say, turning to face her, “Why thank you Coriolanus, I had it done especially for today,” she says, patting it as if it could fall off at any moment. It probably could.

“How thoughtful,” I said, reaching up to touch my own hair. After the Reaping, I’m firing my hair stylist. It’s the telltale of the trumpets that let us know the show is about to begin. Soarynn takes her seat next to me, giving me a small smile before smoothing out her own red dress.

“I hope the Tributes are older,” she murmurs. It’s always a little more brutal when the Tributes are freshly thirteen, but then again, children dying in any fashion is brutal. Taking her hand I look over at her, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” She nods before turning to look at the screen where District One is live for all of Panem to see. “Oh, we didn’t miss the first one!” Imogen says scurrying in, drunk, followed by the rest of Soarynn’s Prep Team, also drunk.

As they take their seats on the couch next to us, the escort for District One walks on stage thanking everyone for this “ wonderful turnout, ”. She gives the basic speech on why it’s an honor to be selected for the Games before walking over to the female Reaping bowl. “Ladies first!” She says digging around, pulling one name out.

She opens the card, reading, “Briella,” she says looking around. Surprisingly, no one volunteers for her. Tough crowd. Briella makes her way towards the stage, chin held high. Fake it till you make it I guess. “Now for the boys,” she says as she reaches into their bowl, “Beckett,” she calls. We all watch as possibly the biggest, strongest Tribute makes his way to the stage, “He certainly hasn’t been missing any meals,” my Mother says, still stationed at the beverage cart. 

Most Tributes are so small and sickly that it’s a miracle they even make it onto the train, but Beckett, he’s a tank. He confidently takes his place next to Briella and the screen goes black, displaying the Capitol seal as we wait for District Two. Knowing this might take a while, I decide I’ll have that drink now. “Do you want anything to eat?” I ask Soarynn who’s nervously messing with her hair as she shakes her head. She’s going to give Jadis a heart attack. I walk over to the buffet to find the latest Head Game Maker helping himself to the food.

“Coriolanus, you look more like your Father every day,” he says, looking at me. I could throw up. My Mother, excited to talk about anything she made or did, teeters over to join in, “Isn’t he so handsome?” She asks dusting off my jacket.

“He’s a true Snow if I ever saw one,” he agrees. I think his name is Aslen. “Whatever happened to your jaw?” He asks touching his own, looks like I need to fire my makeup artist too. “Oh, he was attacked, ” my Mother says, holding her hand to her heart as if she was the one in the fight.

“But I won,” I say with a pleased smile, “I have no doubt,” Maybe-Aslen says, nodding with approval. “Back in the day, your Father would spar with anyone he could get his hands on,” he says as he scoops a serving of berries onto his plate. Oh great, it seems he only chose to pass down his worst traits to me.

“Did he?” I ask, trying to sound like I give a shit about my Father. “Oh yes,” Mother says as if reminiscing, “he was quite a scoundrel,” she says, fanning herself. “Well, it was lovely to meet you,” I say, reaching out to shake hands. “Yes, you as well Coriolanus, and Happy Hunger Games!” I return the phrase with much less enthusiasm as I head over to the beverage cart. 

Just as I’m sitting down, District Two is on the air, it’s the same routine, an escort– always a woman – walks out on her too-high heels, talks in an extremely shrill voice about how much this is a wonderful honor, and pulls two names.

The girl and boy from Two look like they could survive on nothing but pure spite, the girl, Cleo, is small but looks deadly. The boy, Finn, looks like he could eat Titus for breakfast. I wonder how Titus is doing, I really should go visit him. Three and Four come on shortly after, Three’s Tributes, Ember, and Callix look pretty promising.

Four isn’t too shabby when it comes to supplying Tributes, but they’re no Careers. Four’s Tributes, Lark and Florian look impressive enough, but I don’t think they’ll win. I can hear the sponsors talking to my Father already about who shows real promise.

I look over at Soarynn to see she’s pale as a ghost, “Are you ok?” I ask worriedly, maybe she’s coming down with something. “Oh yes, the Reapings just always make me nauseous,” she says, bending towards the table in front of us to grab my drink. Maybe she shouldn’t be drinking, I think as she chugs the whole thing in one go.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy there,” I say, taking the glass out of her hand. “Sorry,” she says wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, “maybe it’ll go by faster if I can’t remember it,” she has a point. Before I can come up with something witty to say, District Five is on, I wonder how Sejanus is doing with all of this. I’ve always offered him a spot in our booth, but he and his family have always declined. Too personal I suppose.

District Five’s Tributes look like they couldn’t tip the scale at sixty pounds dripping wet. There’s little Hollis, who stares at her escort wide-eyed the whole time, and Grover who’s doing his best to keep his lip from quivering. Pathetic.

Six provides some entertainment, with the Tributes apparently being siblings. Arabella and Leo hold hands while holding back tears on the stage. I hear hushed whispers throughout the room, “Oh no, how tragic,” Eudora says fanning herself with a napkin. “Hopefully they go together,” my Mother says dabbing her eyes as if picturing Soarynn and me on that stage instead. “This’ll make for an interesting Game,” I hear Maybe-Aslen say to my Father.

“Oh Coryo, how terrible,” Soarynn says clutching my arm. I look down to see her eyes welling up with tears, “Don’t cry Soarynn, if they’re lucky, they’ll die quickly in the bloodbath,” I say patting her hand in reassurance. The bloodbath is by far the easiest way to get killed. Once the gong goes off, lots of Tributes rush towards the Cornucopia that lies in the center of the arena, hoping to get weapons or supplies.

It’s so gory and fast that it usually takes the Gamemakers around an hour to sound off the cannons, signaling the number of fallen Tributes. Seven produces some sad excuses for Tributes if you ask me, scrawny Bitsy and Marshall, who are cowering on stage as if they’re going to be shot on sight. Only if they run, I think to myself. But that would be the easy way out. 

Every once in a while, one of the lower Districts is able to supply a somewhat decent, promising Tribute, an outlier if you will. Eight takes its claim as Elmira and Onyx climb onto the stage, both looking in promising health. Nine passes by like a blip, Finola and Vicus will be dead by sunrise if they’re lucky, those two look absolutely useless.

It’s when we get to Ten that I stand to have another drink, I watch from the side as a burly Zeren takes the stage before a tiny Juniper takes her place next to him. Zeren is built like an ox, clearly a top contender and an adversary to the Careers. District Eleven’s Tributes seem to be in shock as they stand next to each other, Freya and Byron looking like they’d be winded after a flight of stairs.

We finally get to Twelve, the escort scurrying onto the stage ready to have her five minutes of fame apparently, as she fixes her hair and dress. I look over at the couch to see Eudora rolling her eyes. She’d rather die than be an escort, especially for Twelve. “First, the boys,” the escort says, which is unusual to draw the boys first. “Jessup,” she says, looking through the crowd.

I watch as Soarynn covers her mouth in shock. “Did you know him?” Eudora whispers to Soarynn. She nods her head silently as she watches Jessup mount the stage. He’s not in horrible condition, for someone coming from Twelve. “And now, for the ladies,” she says reaching into the bowl.

I pour myself another glass of champagne. I watch the escort as she rips open the paper, her face faltering before looking at the Mayor. Finally, she reads the name, “Soarynn.” I only hear the shattering of my glass as it hits the floor.

Chapter Text

No. no, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening. And there’s so much happening. I can hear Mother screaming at Father to do something, and I can hear Eudora telling Soarynn over and over again, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I can also hear Soarynn’s Prep Team in absolute hysterics. She doesn’t say a word. She’s in shock. Jessup and the rest of Twelve are too apparently, as people begin to whisper in the Mayor’s ear. I can’t imagine he ever thought his daughter would be in the Games after we took her.

The screen goes black and that’s when I hear the sound of Peacekeeper boots marching into the booth. They stop behind Soarynn who hasn’t looked up from her lap, tears running down her face. “Miss, you’re going to have to come with us,” one of them says, as two more circle around the couch. It’s when they yank her off the couch, that all hell breaks loose. I see my Mother falling to the ground screaming, “CRASSUS DO SOMETHING!” As he stares vacantly at her.

I see Eudora trying to rip the Peacekeeper’s grip from Soarynn’s arm, while scolding them, “In all my years, I have NEVER seen this type of behavior, unhand her IMMEDIATELY!” As tiny as Eudora might be, her voice makes up for it.

“We’re on strict orders to bring her into our custody until the other Tributes arrive, ma’am,” one of the Peacekeepers says. It’s like he’s reading from a script, I think to myself watching all of this unfold. And my Father loves a good script. I have no doubt in my mind that he arranged this, to punish me, to hurt me.

They begin to march her around the couch when she finally looks my way, there’s hurt and betrayal written all over her face. How could you do this? She seems to be asking me with her eyes. You were supposed to protect me, why aren’t you protecting me? I snap out of my daze and rush forward. I had no qualms about beating the ever-loving shit out of Titus, and I certainly don’t care about some faceless Peacekeepers. They’ve made it out the door where there’s a crowd looking to see what’s going on.

“STOP!” I yell running out after them, they halt, turning around, letting me see her face still in tears. “There must be some misunderstanding, my Father can explain,” I say gesturing back into the room. “Sir, we have to follow the protocol,” one replies. Fuck protocol. Before I can open my mouth to tell him to count his fucking days, I feel a hand grab my shoulder. I turn to see my Father, stone-faced, “I gave the orders Coriolanus,” he says looking at Soarynn. I look at him, horrified, never in my life did I think he would do something so low.

“You, what?” I hissed in his face, finally looking back at Soarynn. But she’s not looking at me. She’s looking at Father. And there’s hatred in her eyes. My Mother, finally collecting herself off the floor with the help of the Prep Team and Eudora, comes hobbling out, “Don’t worry sweetheart, we’ll take care of you in there!” She says before blowing her nose. “Just find a safe place to hide and we’ll do the rest, won’t we Crassus?” She says looking over at him. His eyes still on Soarynn, he nods, “Of course we will, we’ll have you home in no time,” he says.” I’m going to fucking kill him.

Soarynn gives Mother a tearful nod, trying to be brave. She then looks over at me and I can’t help it, I rush over to her, ripping her out of the arms of the Peacekeepers, holding her tighter than I ever have before. She wraps her arms around me as she whispers, “Don’t let me die in there Coryo, promise me,” she says looking up at me, her blue-gray eyes glassy. I nod, of course, I’ll try to help her, “Of course, I’m gonna do everything I can to see you again,” I say holding her face in my hands.

Nodding, she seems content. “Okay,” she whispers pulling away. I don’t want to lose her. Not knowing if it’ll be the last time, I pull her back in, planting one last kiss on her soft lips. I don’t care who’s watching. They can’t hurt me if the only thing I care about is in the arena. The Peacekeepers, seemingly having had enough, pulled her back out of my arms.

I watch as they walk her into the back of an armored van and drive away. No one knows what to say. Mother is silently sobbing, the Prep Team is in shambles. Eudora is shaking her head, muttering, “This wasn’t in my plans,” over and over again. It appears that the odds were not in our favor this time. 

Chapter Text

It’s quiet at dinner. Besides the occasional scrape of cutlery, no one says a word. Not that my Father normally speaks at dinner, Mother and Soarynn used to do all the talking. “ Did you see her shoes? I heard he’s having an affair. We need to remodel the entire second floor again. ” I miss her. Mother misses her too, although she seems to be doing her best to keep it together.

And besides, my Father won’t be doing any talking once I cut out his tongue and make him an Avox. It might take some time, but I can wait. “Well,” Mother says finally breaking the silence as she dabs her mouth with a napkin, this is it, I think, she’s gonna tell us the plan to get Soarynn out of the Games. “I think it’s best if we start considering our options dear,” she says looking at me pitifully, my Father grunts in approval.

“Our options to keep Soarynn from entering the Games?” I ask. That must be what she’s talking about. “Oh, darling, that’s out of our hands now. Right now, we need to focus on finding you a new future wife,” she says reaching for the wine. What the fuck?

“Excuse me?” I ask, my tone causing my Mother’s head to snap up, “You mean you’re just gonna let her die?!” I exclaim, I mean surely they understand the severity of the situation. “Of course, we’re going to try to help her darling,” my Mother says, her eyes beginning to well up, “but you saw those other Tributes, they’ll eat her alive.”

She’s not wrong. Soarynn is pretty skinny herself, not underweight, but lean. And while she’s well-fed, I highly doubt she’ll last long in the arena hungry without food. It’ll be up to us to get her whatever she needs. “You don’t think there’s any chance she could win?” I ask, looking at my Mother pleadingly, she looks up at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry. “The odds are slim,” my Father says, finally speaking up. “Not with us helping her,” I shoot back. “People in the Capitol would suspect an unfair playing field,” he says as if that’s his best line of defense. “The people love her!” I cry.

It’s true when we left the Viewing Plaza, people made Soarynn’s Prep Team look like a joke when it came to crying. I’m pretty sure one woman had to be taken to the hospital. “They do love her,” Mother says, looking at Father. “And we love her,” I say, adding onto the bandwagon. My Father looks at me, doubt written all over his face.

“Do you?” He asks. “Do I what?” I ask a slight shake in my voice. “Do you love her?” I think I do, I mean we needed more time, we just started before the world we knew was burned to the ground, catching fire, all because of my Father. It all leads back to him. I say nothing. It’s silent again. 

Clearing his throat he motions for the table to be cleared as he stands up. “Let me give you a piece of advice Coriolanus,” he says, grabbing my shoulder which I immediately rip away from him. He seems unfazed, it’s not like we touch each other a lot, to begin with. “Love will get you killed, and it’s going to get her killed too,” he says. My Father truly is a monster.

He looks at my Mother, it’s then that I realize he truly has no love in his eyes for her, for anyone. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not going to let it destroy us like it did to you,” I snap. I don’t care if I’m being rude or defiant, I don’t care anymore. He turns to walk out of the room, not bothering to look at me as he says, “It’s the things we love most that destroy us.”

I slept in her room that night. Wondering where she’s sleeping, how she’s feeling, and being treated. Is she scared? Have they fed her? Does she miss me? I feel like such a loser. I may win fights against my classmates, but I’ll always lose against my Father. Which is why he has to die , I remind myself. But in all due time, of course, I can wait. I decided to unpack all the boxes that were still littered on the floor.

Not that I could count on her Prep Team to do it, Imogen had to be sedated, and Olympia actually showed real emotion by tearing up after the Reaping. It was a hard day for all of us. Last I saw of Eudora, she was sitting back in the booth, drinking herself to death with what was left of the beverage cart. We all cope differently. At least the Prep Team gets to see her again. They weren’t allowed to see her once she got to the Tribute Center since there was virtually nothing to fix. The other Tributes needed all the help they could get.

But they did get to see her before all the Tributes were paraded down The Avenue of Tributes, and before her interview with Lucky Flickerman. Then technically , I also get to see her one last time. We always go to watch the interviews, sitting front row, and I’ll be damned if we decide to break tradition this go around. Feeling quite pleased with myself after unpacking all the boxes and finding a loophole, I was ready to go to bed. Today already felt like a nightmare, so my dreams couldn’t get any worse.

I heard a meow.

But my life certainly can, I thought as I slowly turned around. Petunia. That ugly, wretched little thing was still in here, waiting for her to come back. “She’s not coming back,” I said to the little beast. She meowed again. “I said, she’s not coming back!” I said, raising my voice. She meowed again. “SHE’S GONE, SHE’S FUCKING GONE AND SHE’S PROBABLY NEVER GONNA COME BACK SO JUST GO,” I screamed, falling to the floor. I let the tears fall. There weren’t many, but there were enough for me to be embarrassed by.

Maybe it was a sign from Soarynn or God, or whoever was watching over me, but Petunia slowly crawled into my lap. I hugged the cat. Rocking on the floor, holding her so tight as I thought about Soarynn. Get a grip. I sniffled, finally standing up and walking towards the bed.

“I suppose you could sleep here with me just this once,” I said to Petunia, placing her on the bed. She immediately jumped off and ran into the bathroom. So much for friendship. Exhausted, I finally turned off the bedside lamp and curled up, pressing her sheets against my face and inhaling sharply through my nose as I drifted off. Smells like vanilla. 

Chapter Text

If you’ve never been to a Lucky Flickerman show, count yourself lucky. The past few shows have been rough, to say the least. Of course, there was the time he brought in his bird, and that was a disaster. I think after a few bumps in the road, he finally got the memo to cool it down. I’m nervously sitting in the front row along with my parents, Soarynn’s Prep Team and Castor, her Stylist, and Eudora, who finally turned up after a two-day bender.

Soarynn’s Stylist has been doing the Lord’s work making sure all eyes have been on her since the Reaping. I completely forgot I would see her at the Parade, even if it was for a brief moment. She looked beautiful on that chariot, I mean she’s always looked beautiful, but Castor really did his best to make her stand out even more. She was wearing a long coal-black dress that had small glowing embers on the end. She was a sight for sore eyes.

What I didn’t appreciate was her counterpart, Jessup, grabbing her hand as they rode down the Avenue. As if he wasn’t going to try to kill her the second the gong rang. As they rounded past the podium we always waved from, she looked up, not at me, but at Father. If I didn’t kill him, she surely would. But tonight we finally get to hear about how she’s been processing these past few days away from me, I mean, her family and friends, of course. 

School was out of the question for me at the moment, I refused to go, saying I would only start more fights or try to kill myself. I know that was a little dramatic, but when it comes to Mother, you’ve gotta sell it.

After listing out my reasons, she broke down– for the seventh time in a day –and hugged me so tight she nearly cracked a rib. “Don’t worry darling, we’ll get through this together, I won’t leave your side until this is all over,” she said, stroking the back of my head. I wish you would, I thought as she squeezed harder.

Still, it did its job. Sejanus came over on the second day, and my Professors sent all my assignments with him, along with their regards. We didn’t really know what to say to each other at first. “I wish it was me,” he finally said, tracing the carpet, we were in Soarynn’s room, it was almost like she was in there with us.

“You know that wouldn’t have worked,” I said petting Petunia, we’ve been trauma bonding a lot recently and I think this newfound friendship was showing a lot of promise and growth. “I know,” he sighed, “I just felt so helpless.” Take a number pal.

The lights begin to dim signaling the show is about to start. The trumpets begin to play, the screen begins to flash and soon enough, the room is filled with, ‘ LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S HEAR A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR YOUR MASTER OF CEREMONIES, LUCKY FLICKERMAN!’ The crowd cheers as he takes the stage, with various unflattering closeups of him flashing on the screen behind him. After telling one too many bad jokes, he starts to get the ball rolling.

I can’t even see my Father from where I’m sitting, refusing to let him or Mother put me in a bad mood, I had wedged myself in between Lavender and Eudora. Call me childish, I don’t care. Every year the male and female Tributes from every District come out on stage and are given a five-minute interview, in hopes to increase their chances of getting sponsors. Just another thing Soarynn has a leg up on, she and Lucky are old pals by this point. Since the girls went first last year, the boys came out first.

Beckett came out hot, talking about how he “can’t wait to bring pride to my District,” as if anyone cares about his District. Briella is a bit more realistic, talking about her family back home and how she can’t wait to see them again. It’s hard to focus when her rhinestone dress keeps flashing the audience in the eye though.

Finn from District Two comes out ready to stir the pot, giving his opinions on this year’s Reaping. “Just because you live in the Capitol doesn’t mean you’re safe,” he said to Lucky, clearly referencing Soarynn. This caused quite a few gasps from the audience. Cleo has a lot more class than her counterpart, telling Lucky about how hard she’s been training and how she was and I quote, “born for this”.

Three through Five flew by quickly enough, none of these Tribute’s clearly had any media training. Maybe they should, I think as Leo from District Six walks out. Ah yes, the sibling. Lucky must have been banking on this sibling thing because he immediately brings it up before Leo’s ass can even touch the seat.

It’s clear that little Leo has been sheltered his entire life because he has no clue how to respond when he’s peppered with questions. Among all of them, my favorite being, “I wonder if your mother knew you two were going to die together? Or maybe your father? Grandmother? Family friend? Teacher?”

The buzzer sounds meaning his time is up, and Leo books it backstage, maybe he might stand a chance in the bloodbath after all. It’s when Arabella comes out that the audience’s heartstrings are pulled, she’s wearing a small tufted dress that perfectly matches the color of Leo’s suit. Based on her interview, she’s clearly the older sibling. She answers Lucky’s questions with such grace and sureness, I start thinking she might actually have a chance.

She ends her interview with a line I just know she’s been holding onto since the Reaping. "I just hope at least one of us can go back home to our mom,” she said looking straight into the camera, “if she can’t have both of us, she should at least have one of us.” The crowd is in hysterics, Eudora is dabbing her eyes with a tissue and Lavender is on her fourth drink of the night. I chose not to drink this evening, wanting to remember my last moments with Soarynn sober. 

By the time we finally get to Twelve, I’m practically bouncing out of my seat. First, we have to see Jessup, ugh. He walks out, a bit awkwardly, but waves to the audience giving them a thumbs up. A bit odd, but maybe that’s his strategy. He and Lucky talk about what an interesting Reaping it’s been this year, Jessup solemnly nods his head. “I just wish I didn’t have to end this way, Lucky,” he said, rubbing his temples. “What Jessup? Your life?” Lucky asked, Jessup paused for a moment, for dramatic effect. "No, not my life, I’m willing to lay it down if it means she can live,” he said looking away.

The audience begins to stir as they begin calling out, “Who? ” I think I even hear Imogen asking. “Well don’t keep us waiting boy, tell us!” Lucky cries. “Soarynn,” he says, and the buzzer goes off. The crowd breaks into a frenzy, the Prep Team is wide-eyed looking at each other. “Well, you can’t get this at home,” Eudora says, taking a glass of champagne from an Avox walking by. Did I just hear that correctly? Jessup is in love with Soarynn? Before I can even begin to process it, Lucky manages to calm down the crowd long enough for Soarynn to make her grand entrance.

The crowd loses it. She’s dressed in a cream-colored dress made of feathers and silk and diamonds, with a small white headband made of pearls and diamonds. She truly looks like an angel. My eyes don’t leave her for a second. She looks okay, well-fed, unharmed, and not a shell of a person just yet.

“Well,” Lucky says, “here we are again,” he says giving Soarynn a sad smile. “Here we are again,” she agrees sadly. “Will this be the last time we see each other?” Lucky asks, placing his hand on top of hers. Giving him a small smile, she places her other hand on top of his, “I hope not,” she says.

The crowd ‘ awwws ’ at the sweet, tender moment. “Oh she’s good,” Eudora says to me, I nod. She’s very good. “A bit of a confession took place moments ago,” Lucky says to her, she nods her head. “Did you hear…that confession?” He asks.

“I did,” she says. “She did,” he says looking around at the audience. “And what did you think about that, my dear?” He asks squeezing her hand. She thinks for a moment, “I thought it was very kind and very brave,” she replies giving a small smile to Lucky. “Indeed it was, indeed it was,” he says patting her hand.

“But, it puts you in a bit of a tricky situation doesn’t it?” He asks raising his eyebrow. She nods looking at the floor, “Yes, yes it does,” she says sadly. “Especially since you’ve already been promised to another,” Lucky says turning his body to look at me.

I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, except hers. “Yes I am,” she says finally looking me in the eye. “Well then,” Lucky says turning back to her, “this is a very unfortunate situation you’ve been put in.” She nods, tearing her eyes away from me. “Yes, I suppose it’ll have to be fought out in the arena,” she says sadly.

Lucky nods, taking her hand into his again, “Well, I think I speak for all of the Capitol,” he says looking around at the audience, “and all of Panem, even your star-crossed lover,” he adds, “that we are all praying for your safe return, my dear.” He kisses her hand as he stands up bringing her with him. “Thank you, Lucky,” she says, kissing him on the cheek, causing the audience to begin to cry out for more time to be allotted, not wanting their last moments with her to end.

I look down the row of seats to see the entire Prep and Stylist Team in tears, my Mother’s mascara is running down her face and next to me, Eudora is crying out for five more minutes. Sensing her time is up, Soarynn pulls away from Lucky and begins to walk towards our end of the stage, toward the backstage entrance.

It’s in that split second when we make eye contact, that I know, and she knows, that we will be forever known as star-crossed lovers. 

Chapter Text

After Lucky’s show, I blacked out. Right after Soarynn walked off stage, everyone was ushered out of the theater and back outside, where the nightly celebrations were starting to take place. The week leading up to the Games is absolute madness in the Capitol.

Most of the streets need to be shut down at night for all the excessive drinking and partying that takes place. People love an excuse to drink. Which is why the second we got home, I began to help myself to several glasses of the strongest alcohol I could find in the house.

I’m on my fifth glass of the night, hate watching Lucky’s show on the television. I hate them, I think watching all the Tributes walk out, thinking they actually have a chance at winning this thing. I hear the clacking of heels walking down the hall, and I mentally prepare myself to hear Mother scolding me for drinking.

“I know,” I say, not even looking away from the screen, “no more drinking.” “Honestly, do you think I’m in the position to tell you what to do?” I looked up in surprise to see Eudora walking toward me, still in her outfit from tonight. “I suppose not,” I say, reaching to offer her a fresh glass which she takes.

“Thank you, Coriolanus,” she says, taking the glass and sitting next to me. We sat in silence watching the show for a while, leading me to realize that we’ve never really spent any time together alone, despite her knowing me since the day I was born. “So, Eudora,” I say, turning to look at her, “what do you think of this year’s Games?”

She scoffs before taking another sip, “I think it must be dreadful to plan.” I can’t help but laugh. Eudora is a strictly by-the-books woman, never deviating from the plan. “Yes, I guess it would be pretty stressful to plan out something this ornate.”

She nods watching as Jessup takes the stage, “That boy,” she says turning to look at me, “is going to get her killed.” Not the pep talk I was hoping for. “Umm,” I said shifting nervously, with my luck, Eudora was a psychic turned event coordinator, “what do you mean by that exactly?” She looked at me like I was an idiot for not putting it all together already. “Well,” she said gesturing to him on the screen as if that explained it, “the boy’s clearly out of his mind.” Is he? A little awkward maybe, but not crazy. “Out of his mind to think Soarynn could fall in love with him?” I asked, scratching the back of my neck.

She laughed while taking another sip, “No, if she can fall in love with you, I suppose she could fall in love with any boy,” she said, watching as Soarynn came onto the screen. “Ouch,” I said, putting a hand on my chest. “Coriolanus, you have spent your entire life surrounded by people telling you that you’re always in the right,” she said, placing her hand over mine.

Now I’m scared. I nodded. “So let me be the first and most likely the last to tell you that whatever acting you see from her on the screen,” she said pointing at Soarynn as she walked out, “is the same acting you’ve been seeing since she got here.” And with that nugget of wisdom, she stood up patting her hair. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, the Games start bright and early!” She said turning to leave.

Was it all acting? Had Soarynn just been playing the part we placed on her shoulders the entire time? Was any moment we spent together real?

The Hunger Games always start at ten in the morning. Most Capitol citizens would be sleeping off last night’s hangover until the last possible second, whereas my family had to be camera ready by nine. I really could care less how I look right now, but Atley– who I decided not to fire –insisted that we go for a rugged, disheveled look. “You’ve got to look like you haven’t slept a wink since she’s been gone sir,” he explained to me. And you know what? Maybe Atley was onto something.

So we went for a more messy hair-do, not covering up my stubble, and he even painted on some eye bags for dramatic effect. It’s not easy looking like a hot mess. Once finished, I got dressed in a blue suit and headed downstairs where everyone had gathered in the foyer.

“Oh, Coriolanus!” My Mother cried, basically flying across the room to meet me at the bottom of the stairs, “You look like you haven’t slept a wink darling.” I nodded somberly, “I just…I just can’t stop thinking about her,” I said. My Mother and the Prep Team crooned over my apparent sleeping troubles, and I silently reminded myself to give Atley a raise. 

I wasn’t too keen on returning to the Viewing Plaza after the events that last took place here, but it was always customary for us to show our faces on the first day. Now, in the beginning, the Games took place in the small arena that lay in the center of the Plaza. Now it’s used for recreational use, performances, the circus, sporting events, and things like that. Now we just watch from the screens. The arena itself is far away from the city, having to take a hovercraft just to get there.

Usually by Day Two or Three, my Father likes to take me to the control room to see the Game Makers at work. It’s a beautiful, deadly orchestra they have going on in that room, making trees fall, sending poisonous hail down on Tributes, firing off canons. I kind of admire them. It’s when we make it into the booth that I’m greeted by Sejanus who never watches the Games outside of his own home. “Oh, Sejanus, how lovely to see you!” Mother says rushing in to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Where are your parents?” She asks pulling away, he shoves his hands in his pockets, “They couldn’t make it but I wanted to be here, to show my support,” he says, meeting my eyes. Nothing like a true friend. “Oh,” my Mother says, placing her hand over her heart trying not to cry, “what an angel, I mean it’s really been so hard for us, and I mean, us of all people for this to happen to, I mean really,” she said fanning herself. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” Sejanus agreed, nodding. Seeming pleased with the amount of condolences she’s been given, she walked over to the beverage cart.

We stand there looking at each other before embracing one another. “Thank you for coming,” I whisper as I pull away. “It’s the least I could do, plus, you look terrible,” he says with a smirk. “It’s makeup,” I whisper. And we both burst out laughing. It feels good to laugh again. We take our seats on one of the couches waiting for the Games to start.

Every year the arena is different and not even the viewers get to see it until the Tributes do. The Game Makers always place a camera on one of the Tribute’s platforms so we can see them as they’re lifted up into the arena, immersing us in the Games.

“Do you think she’ll go for the bloodbath?” He asks, looking at me. I shake my head, “No, if she’s smart she’ll get the hell out of there.” I say, for all our sakes, I hope she does. Unless you’re a Career, the bloodbath is a death wish. “Maybe she formed an alliance,” he said, reaching to grab his plate from the table, “Maybe,” I mumbled.

Suddenly the Capitol fanfare begins to play and all the screens light up displaying Lucky Flickerman in his bright pink suit running around his studio like a lunatic. “Isn’t this exciting?!” He said jumping up and down, “For the first time in Hunger Games history we will have a District Twelve Citizen, turned Capitol Citizen, turned Tribute!” He says. And I thought he was going to miss her. Lucky rambles on for a few more minutes until suddenly we’re live, looking into the Tribute’s platform. No one is in there yet, but the automatic voice in their holding room signals that they have thirty more seconds. 

Twenty seconds. 

I hope she runs.

Fifteen seconds.

I hope no one finds her in there.

Ten seconds. 

I hope she thinks of me. 

Five seconds.  

The Tribute steps onto the platform. 

And it’s Soarynn. 

She’s looking around, breathing nervously, waiting for it to take her up. Of course, the Game Makers would show her , I think. They’d want to make a spectacle of her. The glass door slides shut cutting her off from the room and her eyes widen in fear. I look around to see how the others are reacting, and not even my Father can take his eyes off the screen. The pedestal begins to rise, and it finally opens up to a beautiful meadow, surrounded by trees, with a wooden Cornucopia in the middle. Soarynn gasps in awe.

She’s not the only one, all the other Tributes are looking around, wide-eyed, taking it all in. They’re so amazed that they don’t even realize the countdown has almost reached zero. Lucky Flickerman appears in the corner of the screen, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the 11th Annual Hunger Games are about to begin!” His voice booms throughout the arena, “And May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor,” he says. Looks like I made my Father proud after all. 

Jarring herself out of her thoughts, Soarynn prepares herself on the platform. Most of the Tributes are still looking around, but she’s ready to go, her eyes flitting across the circle of Tributes. What are you looking for? “Oh, there he is!” Jadis says as a camera focuses on Jessup who’s standing across from her on the other side of the Cornucopia. 

Ten, 

Nine,

Eight, 

Seven, 

Six, 

Five, 

Four, 

Three, 

Two, 

One.

“Run,” I whisper as she takes off. She veers left, not taking the bait that lies in the Cornucopia but still manages to grab a backpack lying on the ground. Another girl grabs it at the same time she does, causing a small struggle, I think it’s Lark, from District Four. The struggle ensues and I can tell Soarynn’s getting frustrated, anxious to get away from the bloodbath. “Just drop it,” Sejanus whines covering his eyes. It’s when we see Onyx from Eight, lumbering towards the girls with a giant ax that Soarynn begins to panic.

Within seconds, she’s kicking Lark in the gut causing her to topple over, dropping the bag, as Soarynn sprints off into the woods. We lose sight of her, the Game Makers wanting to show the bloodbath play out in real-time. We watch as Lark tries to crawl backward away from Onyx, but it’s no use as he brings the ax down onto her head. “One down,” I hear Sejanus whisper.

The bloodbath is gory, I think I counted nine bodies, not too bad for the start. All of the Careers seemed to make it through, helping themselves to their pick of weapons and supplies before running off into the woods together.

From what I can see in the carnage, Jessup also seemed to make it out alive. It’s a few minutes until we finally see Soarynn again, booking it through the woods until she feels like she can stop. Breathing hard, she sits down on the ground opening her backpack. The backpack she almost died for, I think bitterly.

She goes through her supplies meticulously, there’s some rope, a small water bottle, a switchblade, some mittens, and a bucket hat. Unsatisfied with her findings, she huffs and puts on the bucket hat, putting everything back into the pack. She stands up taking in her surroundings. There are trees everywhere, with leaves covering the ground. She stands up, dusting off her pants. 

Every year, the Tributes are given the same outfits, fit for the climate they’ll experience in the arena. She’s wearing a black zip-up jacket that looks rather thick with a hood, brown pants that look slick like they might be water-resistant, and brown leather boots with lots of grip on the sole. She begins to walk when her foot sinks quite deep into the ground. She quickly backs up, crouching down, pushing the leaves away. “What’re you doing?” I whisper to the screen. She pushes a finger into the ground, finding that the ground is quite muddy.

Considering the situation, she unceremoniously takes off her boots, electing to put them in her pack, and starts walking again barefoot. Jadis gasps at this, “Her pedicure!” Shaking his head, grinning, Sejanus looks over at Jadis, “If she wore the boots she’d be easier to track, she was smart taking them off from the start.” The Prep Team registers that information looking back at the screen with pride. “She’s always been so smart,” Mother says, still at the beverage cart. Deeming Soarynn’s activity uninteresting, the Game Makers switch over to the Career pack.

I suppose I could go outside where you can see all the Tributes at the same time, but the booth has air conditioning. Plus, I wouldn’t even know where to look. Beckett and Briella are leading the pack, clearly in charge, while Cleo and Finn walk next to them looking around, Ember and Callix trail behind them bringing up the rear, constantly looking behind them. As if anyone would try to ambush them. Most Tributes spend the first few hours recuperating, and getting their bearings. “We should look for a place to make camp,” Callix calls from the back, Briella nods, looking at Beckett.

They saunter through the woods for a while longer, probably looking for some poor Tribute to pick off before settling down. Whatever Soarynn was hoping to find in her pack, they had. They began to assemble a giant tent that could easily hold ten people.

Ember and Finn went off to forage for firewood, while the rest stayed behind. “So what’s our plan?” Cleo asked, bouncing on her toes excitedly. Maybe she was made for this. “We should head back to the Cornucopia in the morning,” Beckett says, digging his toe in the ground.

“Set up camp in the middle and go out hunting in pairs,” he says, looking for anyone to challenge him. No one does. The others nod, getting back to work with the tent while Ember and Finn came back with lots of wood. “It’s all wet,” Ember complains, dropping her stack on the ground. “What do you mean all of it?” Briella asks, looking up from tying the tent down to the stakes, “She means,” Finn says, also dropping his wood, “all the wood in this forest is soaked.”

They all look around at each other not knowing what to do. “We’ll eat what’s in our packs,” Beckett decides, “tomorrow we can start a fire in the meadow, it wasn’t wet there.” They all nod in agreement, “The only thing soaking it was all the blood,” Cleo says with an evil glint in her eyes. Seeming pleased with their plan, they go back to setting up camp.

The Game Makers switch over to Florian when I decide I’m gonna help myself to a little breakfast. I watch from the buffet as Florian stumbles through the woods, clearly injured. He freezes when he hears crashing coming through the forest. Is it another Tribute? A mutt the Game Makers sent to finish him off?

It’s a stag. With beautiful horns, not even taking a glance towards Florian before running by him. Now, if Florian has a weapon to his name, he could have taken down the stag and had a lovely meal. But Florian doesn’t have anything. Not even a toothpick.

“Well he won’t last long,” Olympia says, shaking her head, “Not without Lark,” Eudora says, agreeing with her. They switch it over to the siblings who surprisingly made it out together . I thought they might have split up, taking their chances alone, but they’re holding hands as they walk through the woods. They seem to have a decent amount of supplies with them, Arabella holding a big sword while Leo has… a slingshot? I know for a fact he couldn’t hit the side of a house with it, but at least he has something.

They’ve also seemed to figure out the mud because they’ve stuffed their own boots into their packs, no doubt filled with other supplies. They’re breaking into a small clearing when they come face to face with Soarynn.

They all pause, not knowing what to do. Arabella protectively pushes Leo behind her, gripping her sword so tightly her knuckles are white. Soarynn takes them in, nodding in approval when she sees them barefoot. Leo, cautiously steps out from behind Arabella, loading his slingshot with an acorn and shooting it at Soarynn.

He of course misses, it doesn’t come within five feet of her head as it sails behind her. Arabella, clearly distressed, shoots Leo a nasty look. Soarynn breaks into a smile, “That was a pretty good shot Leo,” she calls from across the clearing. Leo nervously fumbles with his slingshot, “You know my name?” He asks, looking at her with his wide brown eyes. She nods, deeming it safe, Soarynn begins to slowly walk towards them, raising her hands to show she comes unarmed. “Get back,” Arabella says, her voice shaking, as she lifts up the sword that’s clearly too heavy for her. “If you wanted to kill me you would've done it by now,” Soarynn reasons.

Contemplating, Arabella lowers the sword, still seeming skeptical. “You know we have no problem making you our enemy,” Arabella says shakily, Soarynn gives her a small smile, “Yes, but I’d rather we be friends for a while.” Leo looked at his sister then at Soarynn, “You want…us as allies?” He asked hesitantly. Soarynn nodded at him, “You two seem resourceful,” she said jutting her chin at their bare feet, “and we can call it off whenever you want,” she says looking back at Arabella.

Leo looked ready to become good friends with Soarynn, but Arabella was still thinking, finally, she relented and walked towards Soarynn, offering her hand. “Just until we’re ready to go off on our own again,” Arabella said, more to Leo than to Soarynn. Soarynn smiled, “You have a deal.”

Chapter Text

They finally shot the cannons off two hours into the Games, we watched as Soarynn and her little posse stopped, silently counting as the rounds went off. “I counted eight,” Soarynn said, looking at Arabella who nodded. “Better them than us,” Leo said, running ahead of them looking for more acorns to collect. “He seems to be handling this well,” Soarynn remarked, “I think he thinks this is a game,” Arabella said, “he hasn’t taken anything seriously since we got here.”

Soarynn hums in agreement, “I was the same for a while when I first got to the Capitol, it’s a lot to process.” Before Arabella can respond Leo comes running back to them, “Are you gonna marry that boy with the white hair?” He says putting his hands on his hips. White hair? I’m a natural blonde! People pay for this color. Sejanus is trying to cover up his laugh with a cough as he looks at my pissed-off face.

Soarynn smiles at him, “I was supposed to,” she says poking him, “and his hair is blonde, not white, he’ll have a heart attack if you call it white.” Well, I’ll be damned. The trio continues their trek through the woods, clearly looking for shelter before the sun sets.

“You’d think we might see some smoke,” Arabella said looking around, “or at least smell some.” Soarynn brushed her fingers on the nearest tree she was walking by, “Hmm, the bark is damp,” she said, rubbing her fingers. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Leo asks, turning around and walking backward.

“It means it’s been raining in this arena before we even got here,” Soarynn says. “It also means stop walking like that before you fall over,” Arabella said, rolling her eyes. Leo stuck his tongue out but humored her and turned back around. It’s after that when we first get to see Jessup. He’s not ugly like I wanted him to be, he’s got a rugged look to him, short brown hair that hangs just above his brow, a decent build, and he’s got a lot of baggage.

He’s carrying what looks to be a duffle bag on his back like a backpack, he’s also gone shoeless and is carrying the biggest hunting knife I’ve ever seen. And he’s making this look like a walk in the park. He’s also got not one but two bows slung across his back with at least five quivers of arrows. He seems determined to get to wherever he’s going, not even stopping when the cannons go off. 

The screen turns to Lucky Flickerman who’s giving out the weather forecast, “Hey there folks! Looks like the weather and the fighting is cooling down, so now might be a good time to head home, make some dinner and tune in tonight because it looks like rain!”

Well great, I think, I get to go back home and deal with my parents while Soarynn is running around with the District Six crew. Standing up, I look down at Sejanus who’s watching Lucky do some balancing act with sticks and plates.

“Come over for dinner?” I ask him hopefully, he shakes his head as he rises from the couch, “I ought to head home,” he says. “Ma will be worried about me, she always gets stressed around the Hunger Games.” I nod looking over at my own Mother who’s having to hold onto Lavender for support as she downs her tenth drink of the day, “Yeah, mine too,” I say looking at him, “well, thank you for coming,” I say reaching my hand out. He takes it, giving it a firm shake. “Of course, Coryo, will I be seeing you at school tomorrow?”

I shake my head, “Not until this is over, I don't want to miss a thing.” Sejanus laughs as he walks towards the exit, “Then how are you gonna sleep?” He asks, raising his eyebrow. I point to my drawn-on eyebags, “I haven’t been sleeping, remember?” Shaking his head, he bids me goodbye as he walks out to his family car waiting to take him home. “Well he seems nice,” Eudora says, walking up behind me.

I nod, “He’s a good kid,” she hums in agreement as we watch the crowd of sponsors and viewers walk to their cars to go home for the night. “I’m surprised no one’s been sent a gift yet,” I say, watching two children run by with plastic swords.

“Oh, that rarely ever happens this early on dear,” Eudora says, looking back into the booth to see the rest of our party making its way out. I wonder what Soarynn needs, I think. Some sponsors send things like antibiotics for injuries or weapons, some just send water. It’s all about what the Tributes need to survive.  

Once we got back home, I opted out of dinner, walking straight into the living room to keep watching the Games. The sun was just beginning to set in the arena just like in real-time, but that wouldn't last long. The arena was designed to exhaust you, with unrealistic time periods, barely allowing you to rest. The Careers were going through all their loot and let me tell you, they hit the jackpot . They had knives, spears, swords, and enough food to last them weeks .

I thought about Soarynn with just a switchblade, Arabella with a sword so heavy she could barely lift it, and little Leo with his slingshot. They wouldn't last one minute against the Careers and I knew for a fact that Soarynn would die trying to protect those kids. They aren’t your responsibility, I wanted to tell her. It seemed that she and the siblings had found a cave to hunker down in. It was more like a shelf to huddle under, but the ground was relatively dry, and Leo was tired.

Arabella and Leo began to unpack their loot to show Soarynn, between the two of them they had some crackers, sunglasses, chapstick, four glow-sticks, a whistle, and one sleeping bag. “How did you get all of this?” Soarynn asked, amazed at what they managed to get.

“Oh the girl from Ten, Finola, dropped it before they killed her,” Arabella said so casually as if it were an everyday occurrence. “Yeah, we got really lucky!” Leo said happily. Soarynn offered to go look for some berries but Arabella volunteered, claiming she saw some blueberries when they were walking around nearby.

“Don’t abandon us,” Leo said, looking up at Arabella. She gave him a smile and a kiss on the head, “I won't, but you listen to her okay?” Leo nodded, clearly happy that he was trusted to be left somewhat alone. Arabella looked at Soarynn, she had to be a good four inches shorter than Soarynn, she had green eyes, and long red hair that was braided in two pigtails. “You take care of him,” she said, Soarynn nodded, “With my life,” she promised. Seeming satisfied, she walked out in search of some berries.

“So,” Leo said, turning to Soarynn, “why’s that other boy in the Games say he likes you so much if you’ve gotta get married to the fancy one in the Capitol?” Soarynn laughed at his question, ruffling his hair, “Oh I don’t know, I haven’t seen Jessup in years.” She said as she began to put their things back into their packs, “Why didn’t you decide to team up?” He asked helping her roll out the sleeping bag, she thought for a moment, biting her lip. “I don’t know, it’s easier to not get attached in things like these,” she said zipping up the backpacks.

“But you’re attached to me,” Leo said linking his arm around hers with a smile, she smiled back, “Yes Leo, I’m attached to you.” “And Arabella.” “Yes, and Arabella.” Happy with this newfound confirmation, Leo crawled into the sleeping bag playing with some sticks he found on the ground. Soarynn kept watch for Arabella, scanning the forest, until she finally saw her. “Is he asleep?” Arabella asked, sitting down next to Soarynn.

“No, he’s playing with sticks,” Soarynn said trying to hide a smile, “That’s my brother,” Arabella agreed. She shook the sleeping bag, “Leo I brought berries.” He popped his head out, gladly eating a handful. The three ate their berries as they watched the sunset. Suddenly, the fanfare began to play and all the fallen Tribute’s faces began to flash in the sky.

“All the Careers made it through,” Arabella said, rubbing her temples, “So did we,” Leo said, playing with his sticks. Soarynn nodded in agreement, “We should get some rest, I’ll take the first watch,” she offered. Taking her up on that offer, Arabella and Leo curled up next to each other, Leo in the sleeping bag, Arabella spooning him. 

The night was calm. At first. Lucky Flickerman came on the screen to announce all of the fallen Tributes: Lark from District Four, Hollis and Grover from District Five, Bitsy from District Seven, Elmira from District Eight, Finola and Vicus from District Nine, and Juniper from District Ten.

Lucky then began talking about what skills the Tributes had been displaying so far, how the Careers seemed like they were going to be difficult to pick off, how Soarynn’s alliance with Leo and Arabella was a surprising choice, and if it would cost her, and how Jessup and Onyx seemed to be the ones to keep your eye on. Lucky signed off for the night and it cut to Marshall from Seven who I could honestly care less about. He was cold, and shivering, he wouldn’t make it to the next morning on a prayer. 

Mother walked in to bid me goodnight, “Go to sleep Coriolanus, nothing is going to happen to her while you’re resting.” I humored her of course. “Of course, Mother, you’re right. I’ll head upstairs in a bit,” I said, kissing her on the cheek and bidding her goodnight. I did end up falling asleep. On the sofa, but still, I needed my beauty sleep. I looked over to the screen to see that nothing was happening, the camera seemed to be jumping from Tribute to Tribute.

The Careers were snug as a bug in their tent, Soarynn was still keeping watch, Jessup had fashioned a hammock high up in the trees, Florian was slowly bleeding out to death, Marshall was still shivering, Onyx was on the prowl, Zeren was camped out in the Cornucopia, and Freya and Byron were picking berries in complete darkness. Interesting bunch this year. Soarynn’s eyes were starting to get heavy and just as she started to nod off, her eyes snapped open.

She heard something. It was a tap, then another tap, and then another until it was pouring rain. Marshall was definitely going to die if he didn’t have a chance before, he was fucked now. Jessup who was sleeping peacefully, opened one eye to take in the situation, deeming it not an absolute emergency, he zipped up his hammock and went back to sleep. The Career’s tent stood strong against the rain, the water sliding right off. Oh so not only did they get a tent, they got one that’s waterproof. Great, that's just great.

Arabella woke with a start, “What’s happening? '' She asked, looking at Soarynn who was watching the rain. “It’s just rain, go back to sleep.” She said to Arabella. “No I better take watch so you can get some rest,” Arabella said sitting up, “No it’s fine,” Soarynn countered back. “I don’t like the rainnn,” Leo whined, apparently awake now. “Why not?” Soarynn asked, “we never get rain in the Capitol,” she said looking out into the forest.

“Really?” Leo asked, “Mhm,” Soarynn said. “But I can’t go to sleep, not without one of mom’s songs,” he said looking at Arabella. She sighed, clearly still tired, “You don’t need her songs to sleep Leo, lie back down.” Frustrated, Leo threw his little stick figures into the rain and muddy ground. “Leo!” Arabella said, appalled by his behavior.

“I’ll sing to you Leo,” Soarynn said, turning to look at him. “Though I doubt it’ll be as good as your mom’s,” she said as she looked into Arabella’s eyes. Silently asking permission. Seeing how worked up Leo was, she nodded. Leo scooted over in his sleeping bag until his head was in Soarynn’s lap. She began to sing. 

Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass,

a soft green pillow. Lay down your head. And close your eyes.

And when they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe and here it's warm.

Here the daisies guard you from every harm.

Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true.

Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away.

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray.

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay.

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, Here it's warm.

Here the daisies guard, you from every harm.

Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true.

Here is the place where I love you.

I don’t even realize I’m crying until a tear lands on my hand. Pull yourself together. After she sings the song, she and Leo fell asleep while Arabella dutifully keeps watch. Watching over my girl for me while I can’t. 

Chapter Text

Sleeping on the sofa is not for the faint of heart. Some might claim that it’s better than sleeping in a bed, but I’m not one of those people. When I woke up– for the second time –on the sofa, I decided it was time for a shower, and maybe a little breakfast.

There was no action in the arena, all the Tributes sleeping as soundly as the people in this household. I looked at my pocket watch to see it was nearing six in the morning. The only person who might be up at this hour would be Eudora, and she usually doesn’t arrive until around eight.

I headed upstairs to take a shower, somewhat pleased to find Petunia asleep on my bed. We really had gotten closer, her seeming to adopt me as her new human until Soarynn came back. Oh to be a cat who doesn’t know what’s going on in the world.

I stood under the running water examining my bruises, most of them were fading, and my chin had healed nicely thanks to the Capitol’s advanced medical care. I started to think about all the other people whose eyes were on Soarynn whenever she came on the screen. Sure my family was watching, but what of my classmates? Was the Mayor in Twelve watching, as his daughter was holed up with two scrawny children from Six as allies?

A small part of me wondered if he missed her every now and then. When we had dinner with him, he was very quiet and soft-spoken, so it was easy to see where Soarynn got it from. She never mentioned her mom, although my own Mother said she was pretty sure she died in childbirth.

Soarynn rarely spoke about her past life, not wanting to upset Mother or agitate Father, and well, I didn’t really care that much to be honest. Not much could’ve happened to her during the five years she lived in Twelve. 

By the time I made it back downstairs, Mother was wide awake, sitting on one of the sofas in the living room while sipping tea. “Well isn’t this a surprise,” I said walking into the living room, “What? Me being up this early?” She asked looking over at me, “No,” I said sitting on the chair across from her, “you not drinking an alcoholic beverage this early.”

She scoffed, setting down her tea, “Are you calling me an alcoholic Coriolanus?” I pondered for a moment, Mother did love to drink. “I guess I am,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “Well, it takes one to know one,” she said, quite pleased with the shocked look on my face.

As much as I hated to admit it, that was good. “Has anything happened?” I asked, gesturing to the television. “Oh, no,” she said looking at it herself, “although it hasn’t stopped raining all morning in there, it must be dreadful.” I think the whole thing is dreadful. I nodded, wondering when the rain would stop.

We watched as the Tributes started to slowly wake up. Jessup was the first one, slowly unzipping his hammock, seemingly displeased with the weather as he frowned up at the sky. He pulled up his hood and began untying his hammock and stuffing it into his duffle bag that was hanging on a nearby branch.

“Well he seems quite limber,” Mother remarked. She wasn’t wrong, Jessup knew his way around a tree, skillfully untying his duffle and securing his weapons before clambering down with ease. He hit the ground with a thud and began studying it. I guess he was looking for tracks because he was soon a man on a mission, glancing up at the sky every once in a while. He eventually found what he was looking for, a wild turkey. We had one every year for the holidays, but I had never seen one alive, and so, ugly.

Slowly, he pulled an arrow out of his quiver, and drew his bow, aiming at the foul. Within a second, the arrow pierced through the turkey’s skin, causing it to let out a loud squawk. Suddenly it was as if the trees had some alive, several voices mimicking the turkeys' cry.

Looking around, Jessup called out, “Hello.” Silence. Then, the voices began to reply by the hundreds, “ Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, ” Pleased with whatever that was, Jessup turned back to the turkey, ready to finish his first technical kill of the Games.

Soarynn woke up with a jolt, as the words “ Hello, ” floated through the trees around the cave like a wave of water, getting softer as it passed by. “What on earth was that?” Arabella asked, rubbing her eyes. “I don’t know,” Soarynn admitted, “but we should get moving.” Arabella nodded, looking at Leo still asleep, she gently began to shake him, watching as his eyes slowly opened. “Are we still alive?” Leo asked with a yawn, “You bet we are,” Soarynn said as she stood up, dusting her pants off. “But it’s still raining,” Leo complained, glaring at the sky.

“Well we aren’t made out of sugar,” Soarynn said, smiling at him. Annoyed with her reasoning, Leo hesitantly got up, helping Arabella roll up the sleeping bag while Soarynn stepped outside of the cave. “Does it seem poisonous?” Arabella called from under the cave, Soarynn shook her head, “If it was, I think we’d be dead by now,” she reasoned. “You know what we should do?” Leo asked, looking excitedly at Soarynn and Arabella. “What should we do?” Arabella asked, crossing her arms, Leo must have a lot of bad ideas.

“We should spy on the Careers!” He said jumping up and down. Maybe Leo was the crazy one, not Jessup because that sounded like a death wish. Soarynn considered the idea for a moment, long enough for Arabella to speak up, “Absolutely not! We should try to put as much distance between us and them as possible.” She said with a huff. “Until what?” Soarynn asked, “Until the Game Makers get bored and decide to send who knows what after us? This game is about hunting, not gathering .” She said, the girls glared at each other. This was a standoff.

“If you don’t like our company,” Arabella said, getting inches away from Soarynn’s face, “then maybe you should leave.” Soarynn held her position for a few more seconds before relaxing, “Okay,” she said, picking up her own pack, “if that’s what you want,” she called as she began to walk out into the rain.

“Wait!” Leo cried, grabbing Arabella’s arm, “We need her!” Arabella rolled her eyes, ripping her arm from his grasp, “Need her for what? To tell us what to do?” Not knowing what to say, Leo watched sadly as Soarynn trekked further into the woods until he could no longer see her. 

It’s when Mother decides she’s had enough excitement for one morning and walks out of the room, that our good friend Lucky Flickerman is coming on the screen. Decked out in a silver suit that looks like one giant rain cloud, and a lightning bolt necktie. This is what entertainment has come to. “Good morning folks! Looks like it’s still raining, and it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be stopping anytime soon! Let’s check in with our Tributes from the top three Districts to see how they’re doing with this weather.”

The screen cut to the Careers finally emerging from their tent, Beckett angrily stormed out into the rain, waving his sword in the air, “What the fuck is this?” He yelled, looking at his small crew, who all seemed unsure what to tell him. Looking rather sick of his attitude, Briella plastered on a fake smile and stepped out into the rain.

“Let’s just stay here until the rain lets up,” she said sweetly, pulling his sword-holding arm down. Beckett shot her a nasty look, “No,” he said, shoving her off, walking towards the rest of the pack who was watching the scene unfold from inside the tent.

“Break down the tent, we’re sticking to my plan and heading to Cornucopia.” They all looked at each other before walking back in to pack up their things. Briella walked over to Beckett, getting close to his face, “Look, why don’t we just ditch them while we still can and take most of the supplies ourselves?” She asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Oh please, that only works when Soarynn does it. Clearly unamazed by her shitty plan, Beckett shook his head, “We need to pick off a few more Tributes before we can think of splitting, with our luck, the rest of them will get lost in the woods, and we can use the Cornucopia to keep all the supplies protected.”

Briella thought it through while pulling up her hood, “Okay,” she said nodding, “but we’ll have to watch our backs.” Beckett laughed, “From who?” Briella rolled her eyes, beginning to walk back to the tent, “From Jessup,” she said, looking back at him as if it were obvious. “Oh please,” Beckett said, putting his sword away, “he’s probably looking for his one true love, not us.”

Briella looked around before speaking, “Well we might as well look for her too.” “Who, Soarynn?’ Beckett asked, clearly amused that Soarynn was on Briella’s radar in the first place. “Yes Soarynn,” she hissed through her teeth, “Her parents are in charge of the whole country, for all we know, she’s loaded with weapons and gifts.”

Little did Briella know, not a single gift had been sent. But I needed to change that. “Her family abandoned her the second she stepped foot in this arena,” Beckett reasoned, “if they really cared about her, she wouldn't even be in the Games.” Have at least a little faith in us young Beckett.

Tired of this conversation, Beckett pushed past her and walked into the tent, barking orders. Briella closed her eyes, clenching her fists, before blowing all the air out of her body. Once she calmed down, she put on her smile again and walked back into the tent. It’s not easy being a Career. 

It’s officially Day Two in the Capitol, and people have gone all out. Parties all throughout the streets, people stumbling drunkenly everywhere, and lots of people screaming and cheering at the screens in the Viewing Plaza as Onyx and Byron are going head to head.

It’s quite early in the Games for a brawl, but these two unexpectedly ran into each other, and I have a feeling they don’t want to be allies. It’s clear from the start that Byron is protecting Freya, who climbed into a tree just as fast as Jessup climbed down one, watching the fight from above. Onyx is wielding the ax he used to kill Lark and it’s still dry with her blood.

But Byron is surprisingly pretty strong too, holding a giant metal club that could crush skulls in a matter of seconds. He must’ve been practicing. The two are about to charge when a cannon goes off, causing everyone in the arena to freeze. The screen cuts to Florian, glassy-eyed, and dead. From the looks of it, he did in fact make it through the night, but not the morning. Taking advantage of the distraction, Onyx charges at Byron, bringing his ax down on him. Byron quickly snaps back to the task at hand, meeting Onyx’s ax with his club, a loud clang sounding throughout the woods.

Freya’s doing her best to be supportive, hitting Onyx with acorns with the aim Leo wishes he possessed. “Oh I hope he doesn’t kill the little girl,” Jadis says, sporting an all-white look for today. We hadn’t even made it into our viewing booth before the fight broke out, leading to our entire entourage watching from the big screens outside.

Bryon brings his club back and slams it into Onyx’s legs, as we hear a loud crack. And as someone who’s still got a concussed head, I know that crack. But Onyx doesn’t even falter as he swings his ax at Bryon, substantially missing his target.

He might not have let onto being hurt, but he’s limping now. Realizing this, Bryon swings his club again, hitting Onyx’s kneecap hoping to injure him further. And he sure does. Onyx lets out a brutal cry, before falling to the ground, he tries to get up, but the rain is causing the ground to be too slick for him to gain any traction from it. Pleased with the outcome of this fight, Byron turns and starts to run towards Freya, who’s climbed down the tree and is waiting for him; they both run off into the woods, leaving a wounded Onyx lying in the rain.

Lucky appears back on the screen, holding a silver parachute, the ones used to deliver gifts to Tributes. “It’s not too late to send a helpful gift to Onyx folks! Just get in contact with one of your local sponsors for your chance to play a part in the Games!” Lucky says with a smile.

“We should send Soarynn a gift,” I say, looking right at Mother. She looks at Father and then back at me, “Well what would we send her Coriolanus?” She asks as if we haven’t watched her eat anything but berries and walk barefoot in the rain. “I don’t know! A weapon, some food, some warm clothes, just something.” I say, looking at Father.

He looks at Mother before looking at me, “Perhaps a spear would help her gain some advantage.” He says, before turning to walk into the booth. So we send Soarynn a spear. She’s currently collecting more water in her water bottle while sitting under a tree for some shelter from the never-ending rain. She looks remarkably calm at the moment. She’s fumbling with something in her hands and that’s when I see it. The locket. She kept it? They let her keep it? I suppose the Game Makers ruled it okay for her to bring into the arena, lots of Tributes carry tokens from their Districts.

But she’s wearing her locket, the locket I gave to her. Before I can go tell Mother, a chiming sound begins to play, causing her to tuck the locket back under her shirt. She stands up and watches as the parachute descends towards her, catching it in her hands. “About time,” she mumbles, unhooking the parachute from the actual package itself. Ripping it open, she finds a silver tube, with a button on the side. Not understanding what an amazing gift we just gave her, she huffs in annoyance before looking around.

I realize she’s looking for a hidden camera, they’re all over the arena so that we get the Games from every angle. She finally finds one up in a tree and holds her arms out waving the tube. “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?” She says shaking it, she must’ve accidentally pressed the button, because it immediately expands into a seven-foot, metal spear with a deadly sharp tip at the end. She’s speechless. She grabs it with both hands, testing its weight in both, and then in each hand.

Choosing to go lefty, she twirls it around with such finesse, I begin to wonder if she played with spears in her spare time. Without warning, she turns and launches it into a nearby tree, watching it sink its sharp end into the bark. She walks over pulling it out, before looking back at the camera nodding in approval. Mother claps delightedly while Soarynn’s Prep team all do a little group hug. I smile at the screen proudly. The playing field has been leveled.

With her new weapon, Soarynn gathers up her water bottle and decides to put her boots back on. She doesn’t walk far until she comes across a struggling Onyx who’s dragging himself through the mud, clearly unaware of her presence behind him. She steps forward for a moment, looking ready to take him down once and for all, but stops as Onyx reaches a tree to pull himself up to. Deciding against her attack, she quickly keeps walking, leaving Onyx with his tree.

Even severely injured, Onyx could still snap Soarynn’s small neck if he got his hands on her. She’s made a good amount of distance between her and where she started when a scream pierces through the trees, “LEO!” Followed by thousands of small voices also crying out, “ LEO, LEO, LEO, LEO, LEO, LEO, LEO! '' Soarynn immediately turns on her heel and begins to sprint toward the scream.

No, run the other way, I want to tell her. But that’s not like her, Soarynn is good, kind, and generous. She keeps running until she’s out of breath and stops for a moment, leaning against the tree for support. She looks around, freezing as she hears footsteps, but they aren’t coming in her direction. She slowly creeps forward, stopping behind a rock as she hears laughter, “Did you hear the way she called for her little brother to save her?” A voice asks, clearly Finns. Soarynn clenches her spear, but she doesn’t move.

“I know as if that was going to save her,” Ember says laughing. The Career Pack is clearly laughing and reminiscing about their most recent kill as they walk away, most likely to the Cornucopia. Soarynn stays still, biting her nail, when a moment of realization dawns on her.

“What is it?” Eudora asks, she looks a bit like a bird today, wearing all white feathers on her dress, hat, and of course, her eyelashes. What did she realize? I wonder to myself. Deeming it safe, Soarynn slowly pads around the rock, and heads in the direction the Careers came in.

She’s clearly distressed as she looks around the woods, “Where are you?” She mutters to herself, her question is shortly answered when she hears a sob coming from somewhere in the woods. She jogs towards the crying and finally finds a crying Leo, bent over Arabella, with a cut across her chest. “Soarynn,” Arabella breathes, although it looks painful for her to even breathe. Leo looks up, more tears filling his eyes as he sees Soarynn, spear in her hand. “Don’t kill her!” He cries. Soarynn’s eyes widen, realizing he means the spear, dropping into the wet, muddy ground without hesitation.

“What happened?” She asks, trying to stay calm. “They found us,” Leo said, rubbing his eyes, as he held his sister’s head in his lap. “And then they tried to catch me but I ran away.” Soarynn crouches down next to them, assessing the damage.

It’s a nasty scene, Arabella is bleeding out fast, the mud becoming a brown-red color, she’s got a nasty cut on her cheek, and her hands are trembling. No amount of sponsor gifts can save this, and Soarynn knows it. “What did they cut her with?” Soarynn asks Leo, gently cupping his face with her hand. “He…he cut her with a sword,” Leo sobs, clearly scared for his sister's life.

“And they left you?” Soarynn asks, not believing the Careers would have such mercy. Leo nods, “They didn’t want to look for me in the rain,” he said sniffling. Nodding, Soarynn gently reaches out to brush some hair from Arabella’s face. “Leo?” She says, not taking her eyes off Arabella, “Go look for some berries over there, take my spear with you.” Leo looks at the spear lying on the ground and then back at Soarynn, “What’re you gonna do?” He asks. Soarynn looks into Arabella’s eyes, as they pass a silent agreement between one another.

“I’m gonna help her get all fixed up,” she said, smiling at Leo. “Ok,” Leo mumbles, looking at Arabella. He placed a kiss on her forehead, “I’ll be back soon Bella, don’t go anywhere.” Smiling at her brother, Arabella nods, “Ok Leo, be brave. I love you.” She says, tears running down her face. “Love you too,” Leo says, gently transferring her head into Soarynn’s lap as he grabs the spear and goes to look for berries. “I’m gonna die,” Arabella whispers into the air. “No you’re not,” Soarynn insists, but there’s a shake in her voice.

“I’m sorry we fought,” Arabella says looking into Soarynn’s eyes. Soarynn grabs her hand, gently squeezing it, “It’s ok,” she says, a tear running down her face, “sisters fight all the time.” Arabella smiles, then winces in pain. “You have to take care of him,” she whispers, looking into Soarynn’s eyes.

“No,” Soarynn says, “we can fix you, we can, we can look for some plants and we can nurse you back to health and–” “Soarynn,” Arabella cuts her off, with a sad smile. “It’s okay, I was always willing to get hurt if it meant he didn’t.” Soarynn nods in understanding, brushing her fingers through Arabella’s hair. “Promise me you’ll take care of him,” Arabella whispered, becoming more pale by the second. “I will,” Soarynn said, her voice trembling as more tears fell down her face, “with my life.”

Seeming happy with that promise, Arabella looked up into the raining sky. Her breaths began to slow, her face becoming more and more pale. “I’m scared,” she whispered. “Don’t be scared,” Soarynn whispered, stroking her cheek. She began to sing.

 Lay down your head. And close your eyes.

And when they open, the sun will rise.

Arabella sighed before closing her eyes one more time. A cannon shot off. Shaking, Soarynn slapped her hand over her mouth as she silently sobbed over Arabella’s dead body. Rain now pouring down over them, the sky thundering. She only stopped when she heard Leo making his way back towards them. Wiping off her tears, she hurriedly got up and ran in his direction, finding Leo holding blueberries. “I found berries!” Leo said proudly.

Soarynn managed a small smile, “Good job Leo,” she said, ruffling his hair. “I heard a cannon,” Leo said, looking in the direction where Arabella was. “Oh, I think it was for Onyx,” Soarynn said, grabbing his shoulders and turning him in the opposite direction. “Oh,” he said, as they began to walk.

He stopped. “Where’s Arabella?” He asked looking up at Soarynn. For a moment her lip quivered before she recovered, “She resting, and said she’ll catch up to us as soon as she feels better.” She said with a smile. “Oh, okay,” Leo said, poking the mud with the spear. They walked a few more feet before he stopped again, looking up at her with a seed of doubt planted in his face, “You promise?” He asked. Soarynn nodded. “I promise, with my life.”

Chapter Text

There’s not a dry eye in the room, probably in all of Panem after we just watched Soarynn sing Arabella to sleep. I look around to see my Mother blowing her nose, while Eudora sits next to her, wiping away her tears.

To say Soarynn’s Prep Team handled that scene well would be generous, they were wailing . “What if she’s next?” Olympia asked, snot dripping down her nose. “Who will sing to her?” Imogen asked, using the fiftieth tissue of the day to wipe her tear-ridden face.

Who would sing to her? Soarynn was always the kid in our class that could carry the best tune, always singing songs she learned in Twelve. None of them ever made sense, they were about gray birds who were ghosts, and valleys, and who knows what else. At least her meadow song made sense.

I dabbed my own eyes, as much as we loved the Hunger Games, they didn’t come without moments of grief. The screen was now showing Lucky Flickerman who was somberly telling the audience that if they wanted to help Soarynn keep her promise to Arabella, they could send gifts to Leo at any time. How on Earth was she going to win the Games now that she had to take care of Leo? 

The Careers were not affected by the cannon going off whatsoever, in fact, they cheered when it went off. “One more down!” Cleo said, dancing in the rain as they made their way back to the Cornucopia. To say their setup was decent would be an understatement. They had positioned the tent to be right next to the Cornucopia and had lined the perimeter with snares, any unsuspecting Tribute would be caught up in a trap in seconds.

Their celebration didn’t last long though, as they neared the edge of the woods to go back to their little military base, Finn caught sight of the stag Florian had encountered earlier in the Games. Wanting to be a hero, he sauntered over towards it, calling over his shoulder, “Guys, I think I just found our next kill,” he said with an evil grin. Realizing what he had found, they all followed close behind him, trying to be as slow as possible, so as to not spook the stag.

“Get it, Finn,” Cleo whispered encouragingly, passing him a long hunting knife, he took it from her hand and slowly walked up to it. The stag didn’t seem to care about any of them, standing still as the trees around it, that is until Finn raised his knife going in for the kill. If you’ve never seen someone get skewered by a wild stag, I envy you. The stag's eyes widened, realizing what Finn was about to do, and reared up before charging towards him and running its antlers through Finn's body.

The Careers were a mess , screaming, falling over, and running away from this suddenly murderous creature the Game Makers had created. Finn was screaming for help, but it was no use, as the stag kept ramming his body into a tree, pushing him further onto its antlers with every blow. Tired of Finn’s dangling body weighing it down, the stag whipped its head to the side, sending Finn flying off and landing on the ground with a thud.

The stag then let out a terrifying screech, as if telling Finn: ‘ Fuck around and find out you little shit, ’ and then walked away as if nothing had happened. I guess the Career pack wasn’t as tight-knit as they made themselves out to be, because no one came back to check on Finn, who was currently bleeding out of his now mangled body, on the wet muddy ground. The sky thundered as Finn began to cough up blood, before taking his last breath. The cannon went off. 

Back at their base camp, the Careers had just made it back into the tent, zipping it up for good measure, checking to see if the stag was pursuing them next. “Okay, what the FUCK was that?!” Beckett yelled, putting his hands on his head while he tried to catch his breath. “It killed Finn,” Cleo said, crying on the floor, rocking back and forth, “I can’t believe it just killed him like that.” Briella looked at Beckett, trying to figure out their next move.

“Okay, now we know that the only food we can depend on, is the food in the Cornucopia,” Callix said, shaking the rain off his jacket, the others nodded, “And we’re the only ones with most of the food,” Ember chimed in, scraping some mud off her face, I’m pretty sure she face planted trying to run away.

“This is just the beginning,” Briella murmured, she looked around at them, “I mean, it’s what? Day Two? And they’re already sending crazy mutts after us!” No one knew what to say to that, she wasn’t wrong.

“The only thing we need to hunt,” Beckett said, picking up his sword, “is other Tributes.” They all looked at each other, nodding, “I say we take out the ones from Eleven before nighttime.” Beckett said, wiping the blood– most likely Arabella’s –off his sword.

“What about Soarynn and Jessup?” Cleo asked, wiping her eyes, “What about them?” Beckett snapped. “They’re still out there, and I don’t wanna run into Jessup alone, not after what happened at the Tribute Center,” Cleo said, standing up to look at Beckett.

What happened at Tribute Center? While the rules stated that the Tributes couldn’t get into fights while at the Tribute Center, that didn’t stop them from happening. Still looking offended at his authority being questioned, Beckett sighed, “We’ll go after them tomorrow,” he said to Cleo, before unzipping the tent and walking out. The others had no choice but to follow him. 

For lunch, we had lobster, all the way from District Four. Or at least that’s what the chef told us, but he was probably just trying to impress Mother who kept asking him questions, as if she cooks. I decided I deserved a drink after what I had to witness today, maybe the chef decided anything deer related wasn’t the best thing to serve right now, so he went with lobster. “Oh, there’s your friend Coriolanus,” Eudora said, pointing towards the entrance. I turned, very surprised to see Sejanus walking toward the booth.

I walked out to meet him, “What’re you doing here?” I asked, I still couldn’t believe he came on Day One, but Day Two as well? “My family got in contact with some sponsors, we’re sending Soarynn a gift, although I don’t know what it’ll be,” he admitted. “Are you kidding me?” I asked in disbelief, “Anything will help her in there, I’m sure it won’t matter.” I told him as we walked into the booth.

“I sure hope so,” he said looking at the screen, “especially after that stag,” he shivered after saying the last part. I nodded, the stag murder was pretty gruesome, but creative, leave it to the Game Makers to come up with something new. With our luck, bunny rabbits would be next. 

We ate our lobster as we watched Jessup come across Onyx, who still was unable to walk. Onyx was leaning up against a tree, clearly in pain, not caring as Jessup walked towards him with his giant hunting knife. “Just get it over with,” he said, not even bothering to look at Jessup. “What happened to your leg?” Jessup asked, ignoring Onyx’s request. Onyx looked up at him, shielding his eyes with his hand from the rain, “Why does it matter?” He asked.

Jessup shrugged, “It’s gotta take a lot to knock someone like you off their feet,” he said pointing to Onyx’s bloody pants. Ah, so it looks like Byron did in fact break his kneecap. “The boy from Eleven,” Onyx finally said, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the tree.

“Was he with the little girl?” Jessup asked, looking around as if she might ambush him with acorns. “He was protecting her,” Onyx said, shifting to find a more comfortable position. “Alright,” Jessup said, causing Onyx to open his eyes again.

“Alright?” Onyx asked, Jessup nodded, looking into the woods, “I’ll kill him,” he said casually, “but not the little girl, those Career kids can do with her what they want,” he said looking back at Onyx who was in disbelief. “So, you’d kill me and him, but not the little girl?” He asked, starting to rethink this entire conversation. “Yep,” Jessup said, picking some dirt out from under his nail with his knife, “I don’t like killin’ little girls,” he said as if he wasn’t in the Hunger Games.

“You think your girl is still alive?” Onyx asked him, and I’m glad he did because Jessup didn’t seem to be too concerned about Soarynn’s wellbeing, considering how much he was willing to die for her. “Nah, she’s doin’ pretty good so far,” he said to Onyx, walking closer, “unlike yourself,” he said with a smile.

Onyx glared at him, looking at his bow and arrows, “Just shoot me then,” he said, defeated. Jessup raised his eyebrows at that request, “You can shoot can’t you?” Onyx asked, Jessup nodded, turning on his heel and walking a few paces back, “Better than anyone you know in this arena,” he said.

“Okay, make it quick,” Onyx said, squeezing his eyes shut. Jessup pulled an arrow out of his quiver and knocked his arrow, “See you on the other side, my friend,” he drew back the arrow. “See you there,” Onyx said, bracing for the arrow. I thought Jessup would go for the heart, but he went for the head, letting the arrow fly, killing Onyx in an instant.

The cannon went off, and Jessup went to retrieve his arrow. “I bet he’s gonna be getting a lot of sponsors,” Sejanus said, nudging me with his elbow, “he’s good with the bow and arrow.” I nodded in agreement, maybe it was for the best if he found Soarynn, at least he could protect her and Leo if it came down to it. 

Leo asks a lot of questions. I was surprised at the amount of patience Soarynn had, but I guess she felt like she owed it to him. Not telling someone their sister is dead does that to you. “Where are we going?” Leo asked, Soarynn seemed dead set on walking aimlessly through the woods, with no rhyme or reason. “We’re looking for food,” Soarynn said looking back at him, she had gotten her spear back from him, telling him that his slingshot was the real deadly weapon.

“What’s that?” Leo asked, pointing up at the sky, Soarynn squinted into the rain to see a parachute descending. “Oh…OH, OH, Leo! Leo, it’s a gift! Someone sent us a gift!” She said jumping excitedly, Leo started jumping too as it floated towards them, landing in Soarynn’s hands. They crouched down together, opening it. Inside was a thermos of some kind, a piece of fabric folded up very neatly, and a water bottle. Soarynn twisted the thermos open to find warm soup and a spoon inside,

“Oh Leo, our first warm meal,” she said, showing it to him. Leo dipped a finger in, licking it, “And it’s warm,” he said happily. Closing the thermos, she reached for the fabric, feeling it in her hands, “I think this is a tarp,” she said, standing up to unfold it, and sure enough it was, looking to be quite big.

“What do we need a tarp for?” Leo asked, clearly more impressed with the soup. “To stay dry,” Soarynn replied, folding it back up, “here let’s put it in your pack,” she said, unzipping his bag. She tucked the soup and water into her bag and they started walking again.

I looked over at Sejanus, “How much did something like that cost?” I asked him. He waved me off, “It doesn’t matter, and plus, Ma really likes Soarynn,” he said, shooting me a small smile. “Still, thank you,” I said to him, he looked at me, “Well, I’d hate to see what sort of a trainwreck you’d become if she didn’t make it, so whatever helps,” he said.

I rolled my eyes, “You act like I’d need to be hospitalized,” I said, reaching for my drink. “Maybe not, but you definitely wouldn’t be the same, she brings out a side in you I only see when you’re with her,” he said, looking back at the screen. Yeah, the side that beats the shit out of Titus in the courtyard and plans on killing my own Father, I thought. But still, I appreciated the Plinths helping her out. 

Marshall refused to die. He was very tiny to begin with, so his hunger with a mix of pouring rain, didn’t go well together. Maybe it messed up his logical reasoning too because when he broke through the tree line and saw the Cornucopia in all its glory, with a pile of goodies inside, next to the tent, he sprinted towards it. Now, a normal, smart person would’ve stopped and thought, “ Could this be a trap? ” But Marshall wasn’t normal, or smart.

He made it about twenty feet, before tripping on a wire and falling into what looked like a bear trap, snapping around one of his knees. He let out a howl as he tried to break free, but he was too stuck and too weak. It was at the same time that Cleo was coming back to their base when she saw Marshall thrashing in the wet grass.

Grinning with absolute glee, I kid you not, she started skipping towards him, with a big smile on her face. I thought losing Finn might have taken a toll on her, but maybe killing a defenseless child was just the kind of ‘pick me up’ she needed.

Marshall looked over at her, skipping towards him, and really started to struggle, but it was no use. She circled around him, singing a little song, “ Looky-who, I trapped you ” she sang as he started to cry, knowing the end was near. She stopped to assess the damage before kneeling down by his face. “You know, it could be worse,” she said to him, “Beckett could’ve found you, or Briella, and she’s not very good with weapons,” she said matter of factly.

“But,” she said, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a knife, “I am.” She started looking through all of them before deciding she actually wanted to spear him to death, “For the viewers at home,” she explained to him, gesturing to the sky. By the time she came back from the base, Marshall was on his last leg, literally and physically.

She raised the spear with glee and plunged it into him before pulling it out and plunging it into a different part of him. This went on for a while, to the point where I was hoping the stag might make a surprise entrance and take her out. But she finally plunged it through his heart, when the cannon went off.

The rest of the Career pack emerged from the woods, most likely back from their daily murder patrol through the woods. “Who is that?” Briella called, walking towards Cleo. “Well it was Marshall,” Cleo said, wiping the blood off the spear tip, “but, not anymore,” she said smiling at Briella as she came up to investigate.

“One more down,” Briella said, smiling at Cleo, they then hugged, before walking back to the group to celebrate. “Well they’ve gotten close,” Mother said from one of the tables, still eating lobster.

Sejanus nodded, “I wonder what she meant by Briella not being good with weapons,” he said looking at me, I thought for a moment, even though we offered training, it didn’t mean we could make you a killer overnight. “Well if she says those things around the wrong person, it’s gonna get her killed,” I said to him. He nodded, Cleo seemed confident, a bit too confident if you asked me. If she wanted to keep her alliances, she’d have to watch her mouth. 

Chapter Text

With Marshall being speared to death by Cleo, that only left eleven Tributes standing. Lucky was now in a purple suit, explaining to the people of the Capitol and all of Panem that because over half of the Tributes were dead, the Games were only going to get harder.

Great, just great. Sejanus turned to me, “Do you think she’d die trying to protect Leo from them?” He asked, pointing at the Careers who were all huddled under the Cornucopia, most likely planning out their next gruesome murders.

I nodded my head bitterly, “Unless Jessup finds them,” I said looking at my lobster, not so hungry anymore. My attention was drawn back to the screen when we saw Zeren, emerging from the forest, taking in the Cornucopia and the Career’s setup. Lucky appeared in the corner, excitedly talking about how this was the first we were really seeing of Zeren since the Games started. He slept in the Cornucopia the first night, but we hadn’t seen him since.

No news is good news, I thought to myself. Zeren seemed to be a little smarter than Marshall because he didn’t dare to go any further toward the Cornucopia. Electing to go back into the woods instead, Zeren was one of the standouts at the Reaping, he looked built.

I’d love to see him and Beckett get into a fight, but based on Zeren’s elusiveness, I don’t think we’d see much of those two together. Zeren had an ax, a small backpack and was carrying a machete in his hand. He looked like he could chop Leo down in an instant.

He was walking for quite a bit when he stopped, he knelt down to study the mud, noticing footprints. He followed them all the way to a tree, where they suddenly stopped. I heard murmurs throughout the booth, wondering what happened to the owner of those footsteps.

Zeren seemed to know, because he immediately looked up to see a tiny Freya hiding in the trees, looking wide-eyed at him as he stared her down. She must’ve heard him coming and clambered up the nearest tree, with no Byron in sight.

Zeren seemed to realize that and looked around to see if maybe this was an ambush, deciding he was safe, he dropped his pack and began rummaging through it. “I wonder what he got,” Sejanus said. Zeren answered his question by pulling out a skinny metal tube, and what looked like a feather of some kind. He unceremoniously crammed it into the tube and looked back at Freya who was nervously watching him, her acorns couldn’t save her now. He brought the tube to his lips and blew into it hard, launching a needle into Freya’s arm.

She screamed and then fell out of the tree, landing in the rainy mud, with a loud crack, breaking her arm no doubt. Still revved up on adrenaline, she stood up and ran away, screaming, “BYRON!” She made it about twenty feet, before falling to her knees, clawing at her throat as she began to foam at the mouth, suffocating. It took around a minute for her to finally choke to death, as she slowly twitched on the ground, suddenly going still. The cannon went off. 

“What a terrible thing to do!” Eudora said, looking at Zeren as if he were the devil reincarnated. The whole thing was pretty awful, but as far as deaths go, Freya got off easy. Unlike the Careers, Zeren didn’t stick around to celebrate his kill, he quickly gathered up his pack and sauntered off into the rainy woods.

The Game Makers kept the screen on Freya’s body for a few minutes, making me wonder what they were trying to show. Then, ever so quietly, Jessup jumped down from a neighboring tree and made his way over to Freya’s body.

He pulled the dart out from her arm, examining it before throwing it in the mud, he crouched next to her for a moment, thinking, when the snapping of branches and splashing of muddy puddles let him know Byron was near.

Sighing, Jessup stood up, pulling an arrow out of his quiver, and knocking his arrow. He let Byron get close enough to see Freya’s body, but not too close before he launched an arrow into his chest. Byron fell to the ground, clutching his chest.

Deciding his work was done here, Jessup turned to walk away, not realizing Byron was getting back up. “Oh no, behind you!” Imogen called to the screen as if Jessup could hear her. Byron shakily stood up, before sprinting like a madman at Jessup who was still walking away. He got within a foot of Jessup, ready to bring down his club and avenge Freya, when Jessup turned around, slashing his hunting knife through Byron’s throat.

Mother gasped as we watched blood squirt from Byron’s neck, and Byron trying to stop the bleeding. But it was no use, Bryon bled out in seconds, the mud turning red around him. The cannon went off. Jessup looked around the woods, “Anyone else?” He asked, waiting for another contender. No one responded. Deeming it safe, he turned around again walking into the woods, looking for his next victim.

Soarynn and Leo jumped when they heard the second cannon go off. “Must’ve been a fight,” Soarynn said, looking around. Leo nodded, eating another spoonful of the soup they had been sent. They were huddled together under a cluster of trees, Soarynn had used her rope to fashion the tarp as a makeshift roof for them to sit under while they ate. They were having a small lunch of soup, crackers, and water.

“They’re really burning through us, and this is just Day Two,” she said, looking at Leo who was now dipping his crackers into the soup. “Yeah, but they haven’t gotten the three of us yet,” Leo said happily. Soarynn nodded, but it was clear that the guilt was eating her alive. “Where is Arabella anyway?” Leo asked, looking around as if she might pop up somewhere. “She’s probably still resting,” Soarynn replied, nibbling on a cracker.

“In the rain?” Leo asked, not believing his sister would still be out in the open. Soarynn nodded, “I’m sure she’s fine, here, drink some water,” she said, handing him one of the water bottles. Leo took a sip before asking, “Will we see her before bedtime?”

Soarynn looked into the woods, trying to find an answer. “Maybe,” she decided, Leo nodded before looking at the soup, “Can I have more?” He asked her, she looked down at him, “Only a little bit, we don’t know when we’ll get more food,” she said, biting her nails.

“The Capitol makes the best soup,” Leo said, taking in another spoonful. “Do they?” Soarynn asked, Leo nodded, “Mhm, when we got on the train, we had soup, and chicken, and candy, and cakes, and then I threw up,” he said, looking at Soarynn with a proud smile. Soarynn couldn’t help but smile back, “Sounds like your eyes were bigger than your stomach Leo,” she said, poking him in the stomach.

Leo laughed, “It was so good! Back at home, mom would heat up some water and put some mint leaves in it,” he said, watching the rain fall. “Do you miss her?” Soarynn asked, before wiping off his chin with her jacket sleeve. He nodded, “Yeah, I miss her, but she said that as long as I had Bella, I would always have her,” he said, wistfully looking into the forest. Soarynn closed her eyes before replying, “Well it’s a good thing you two have each other.”

The training we provide to the top Districts might teach the Careers how to fight, but it certainly didn’t teach them how to work together, they had to learn that themselves. While they had managed to get a small fire going inside the Cornucopia, it wasn’t much use to them considering all the forest animals were probably mutts in disguise. Briella was sitting by the fire, nervously watching a bird as it hopped by the entrance of the Cornucopia as if that might be the thing to kill her.

“Even in the Games she’s beautiful,” I heard Jadis whisper to Lavender who nodded in agreement. Briella had fair skin, with yellow-blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, her eyes were blue, and it was clear she was used to getting by on her looks. Ember came out to sit with her, both snapping their heads towards the woods when they heard the cannon go off.

“I wonder who that was,” Briella said, poking the fire. “I hope it was that Capitol girl,” Ember said with a sneer. Briella looked around nervously as if my family might smite them down for talking badly about Soarynn. We might, I thought as I looked to see my Father speaking with several sponsors.

It was when the second cannon went off that Beckett and Callix decided it was worth leaving the tent for, they stood out in the rain, looking for any signs of wounded Tributes running from a fight. Just as they were turning to go under the Cornucopia, a parachute started to descend toward them. “Oh look, a gift!” Briella said, jumping up and running to the tent to tell Cleo. They all stood in the rain, watching as Beckett opened the gift to reveal a single piece of paper that read: ‘ Zeren ’.

Beckett turned the card over as if it might be hiding a gift of actual importance before throwing it into the mud and stomping under the Cornucopia, “What the hell was that?” He asked, kicking some dirt for good measure.

Clearly all disappointed, they joined him under the Cornucopia, all sitting in silence before Callix piped up, “Oh! They’re trying to tell us something,” he said, looking around at them. “Well then tell us something ,” Briella said, rolling her eyes.

Callix crouched down, “Okay, we just heard the cannon go off twice, which must mean there was some sort of fight or ambush,” he said, looking around to see all of their nodding heads. He reminded me of my Professors, always looking to see if we actually understood what they were saying.

Callix started to draw on the ground, “We know Jessup and Soarynn are supposedly in love, so it’s safe to say they’ll be together, and we’ll throw the kid in there too,” he said, drawing three stick figures in the dirt.

They all nodded. “We also know that Byron and Freya are probably together as well since he seemed pretty protective over her at the Tribute Center,” he said, drawing two more stick figures together. “So who does that leave us with?” He asked, looking around. “Not Marshall,” Cleo said with a smile, Callix nodded, writing the letter ‘ M ’ on the ground before crossing it out.

“And Onyx made it through the night,” Beckett said pointedly, Callix nodded, “Yes, but we heard the cannon go off after we killed Arabella,” he said to Beckett, writing an ‘ A ’ before crossing it out.

“But that could’ve been anyone,” Beckett countered, Callix smiled at him the way my Professors do when you get something so blatantly obvious wrong. “Let’s assume they don’t kill off Jessup and Soarynn right away, for the ‘star-crossed lovers’ ploy they have going on,” Callix said, “the only other obvious alliance would be Byron and Freya, and they’d most likely be together,” he said, pointing at the stick figures.

“And they’d probably die together,” Briella said, perking up at the realization. Callix smiled, “Correct, or at least, very close together, in the same time frame, that is, not knowing who went first.” He said, drawing a line through their stick figures.

“So why did the sponsors send us the gift?” He asked, looking around for an answer. “Because Zeren did it,” Cleo said sadly, probably upset that she didn’t get to do it herself. “And he probably killed Onyx too,” Ember said, “Or Jessup did,” Callix said, “either way, we’ll find out tonight.”

He drew one lone stick figure for Zeren. They all nodded. “So that means Zeren is our next target,” Beckett said looking around the fire, they all nodded, looking ready for another team bonding exercise. Pleased with his young pupils figuring it out, Callix stood to walk back into the tent, Beckett following after him, the girls all stood up, ready to pack for their next kill. Cleo walked over to Callix’s drawing of Zeren, and drew a line through it with one of her knives, “Let the Games begin,” she said, before skipping into the tent. 

Watching kids kill each other is exhausting. I was ready to pack it up and head home for the night, watching any show is much better on your own sofa. But Mother had different plans, or so she said while we were in the car. Driving in the opposite direction of home might I add.

When we pulled up to the front of Lucky Flickerman’s theater, I was not a happy camper. “Tell me again why I have to be the one to be interviewed?” I asked, rubbing my head, I didn’t drink a lot today, but I was wishing I had. Dealing with Lucky sober is not for the faint of heart.

“Because,” Mother huffed, fixing my hair as we walked inside, “Soarynn needs all the help she can get, so it’s time for you to do your part.” I stopped in my tracks at that, “ My part? ” I asked, turning around and raising my eyebrows. I wasn’t the one in the arena, and we didn’t need to start acting like it now. “Yes, your part Coriolanus,” Eudora said, giving me the stink eye for good measure, “so go fix your hair and be camera ready in ten,” she said, shoving me towards one of the dressing rooms. Rude .

Atley was already waiting for me, fussing over my hair and my face, until Eudora came in and declared I was “ Camera Ready ”, her words, not mine. I was ushered to the wings of the stage where I could see Lucky talking to the crowd.

“Now folks, I have a real special treat to end the night with, our future President, Coriolanus Snow!” I hope this entire theater gets bombed. I walked out with my best smile. Lucky and I shook hands and took our seats. This wasn’t my first time being interviewed by Lucky, but it was the first time it was done on live television.

Normally, all of our family interviews were done in the comfort of our own home, willingly . Mother must have been really desperate to pull these strings. “So, Coriolanus, how have you been finding the Games?” Lucky asked me, “Well, not with a map,” I said, shooting him a smile, the crowd erupted in laughter.

What can I say? I was born to be a star. “But really, it’s been an interesting two days,” I said. “In what way?” Lucky asked, “Well for starters, we’re one member down in our viewing party,” I said, gesturing to the screen behind us, playing live footage of Soarynn and Leo trekking through the woods.

Lucky nodded somberly, “How very brave of you and your family to continue to show your support outside of your home,” he said looking at the crowd who nodded with him. “It hasn’t been easy,” I agreed. “Still, your dearly beloved seems to be holding her own,” he said, he wasn’t wrong , I nodded, “Yes, she’s been doing a good job at avoiding trouble.”

Lucky shifted towards me in his seat, here it comes , “So what are your thoughts on Jessup?” He asked, he looked earnest too. Called it. I thought for a moment, what did I think of Jessup? The kid sure had an interesting way of going about the Games.

“I think he’s a top contender for sure,” I finally said, “Do you think he could win?” Lucky asked, I nodded. “He probably could, but so could Beckett,” I looked behind Lucky to see Eudora in the wings, pointing aggressively at the screen, “And Soarynn,” I quickly added. Lucky nodded, “Yes, now she seems to have formed an interesting alliance with the siblings from District Six,” he said, motioning to Soarynn and Leo inspecting a tree as a possible contender to rest in. “She certainly has,” I agreed. I really didn’t want to elaborate on Arabella’s death, or Leo to be honest.

“Have you heard the song she sang to Leo and Arabella before?” Lucky asked. He caught me off guard with that one, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, “Um, no, no I haven’t heard it before the Games, must be a song from Twelve,” I said, anxious to shut this topic down. “Well, that’s one thing Twelve has going for them,” Lucky said looking at the audience, as they all laughed. “Now, I have just one more question, before we go,” He said, looking me in the eye. I nodded at him to go ahead.

“If Soarynn does win, what will you do?” He asked. Getting married and putting this whole thing behind us seemed like the right answer in my mind, but not the answer that would appease the people watching.

I looked into the wings to see Eudora and now Mother, hugging, a bit obscenely if you asked me. OH. “I’ll hold her tight and never let her go,” I said to Lucky. He placed his hand over his heart as if he was so very moved by my answer, the entire audience ‘ awwing ’ and even some tearing up.

“And hold onto her you shall,” he said, patting my shoulder. We stood up, and he took my arm and held it up, “Straight from the President’s Mansion, Coriolanus Snow!” The crowd went crazy, they were all cheering and calling my name as I bid Lucky goodbye and headed backstage. I was greeted by Eudora and Mother, who were both clapping excitedly.

“You did fabulous darling!” Mother said hugging me, Eudora nodded, “Thank goodness you got our message,” she said, fanning herself. “Maybe next time be a little more discreet with the charades,” I said, rolling my eyes. They both looked at each other, “We were just working with what little we were given,” Eudora said, gesturing to all of me with a sweet smile. Oh, she’s good. And on that note, we finally all headed home.

Chapter Text

I didn’t want to go to the control room with my Father, but I had no choice. Mother insisted that I accompany him since we seemed and I quote: “ distant ”. I wanted to tell her that once I became President, I was going to put a lot more distance between him and me, preferably six feet underground. But not now, I can wait.

The control room is where the Game Makers have their fun, controlling all aspects of the arena with the tap of a button. I watched as they cued lightning to strike near the tree Soarynn and Leo had decided to sleep in for the night, coming a little too close for comfort in my opinion. Maybe-Aslen stepped away from the controls to say hello to me and Father, “Well what a lovely surprise,” he said with a smile.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of having both Snows in the control room at this hour?” He asked, and thank goodness someone was asking the important questions around here because I should be in bed. Not watching Soarynn and Leo trying to sleep thirty feet high in a tree in the middle of a storm. “I wanted Coriolanus to experience the Games the proper way,” my Father said with a proud smile.

Enjoy talking while you can, old man, I thought as I slapped on my best smile, “Yes, nothing like seeing what goes on behind the scenes,” I agreed. It really was fascinating, it was just more fascinating in the morning when I had a good night's sleep. Maybe-Aslen nodded, “It certainly has been an interesting few days,” he said looking at the screens, “but we’re just getting started,” he said, giving me a smile.

This wasn’t your normal Capitol smile, this was the smile we saw on Cleo as she skipped toward Marshall, on her way to kill him. This was the smile of a murderer. I shifted on my feet nervously, “Well hopefully you don’t have to pull out all the stops,” I said.

Normally, I would have told Maybe-Aslen to flood the arena and take all the Tributes down with him. But Soarynn was still in there, and as long as she had a chance, I had to try to keep her alive.

He nodded, “I’m sure you’ll find our next surprises very…out of body,” he said, giving my Father a knowing look. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I decided that talking to Maybe-Aslen after ten minutes was substantial enough, so I made my way to the other side of the room, far away from Mr. Cryptic Messages. I watched as a Game Maker dragged an emblem of the Capitol Seal onto the projected arena's sky and began playing the anthem, showing all the fallen Tributes. 

Soarynn and Leo were well concealed in their tree, both sharing a sleeping bag. Leo was fast asleep while Soarynn watched the fallen Tributes flash across the sky.

From District Two was Finn, Arabell from District Six, Marshall from District Seven, Onyx from District Eight, and Freya and Byron from District Eleven. All in all, not a bad second day for the Games, but with Maybe-Aslen’s attitude, the Games were just getting started.

The screen then cut to the Careers, armed to the teeth with weapons as they walked through the woods, looking for Zeren. They walked for quite a while, they even walked by Soarynn and Leo’s tree, not even glancing up to see Soarynn clenching her spear, ready to fight if need be. But it was clear she wasn’t on their radar, Beckett was dead set on Zeren, probably seeing him as the closest thing to competition in the arena.

The rain had slowed down substantially since they started their walk, but it was clear that the Game Makers planned on keeping the Tributes drenched until the last cannon went off. “What if he went to the Cornucopia?” Briella asked, shining her lantern around the forest, looking for any signs of Tributes. “He wouldn’t do that,” Callix said, holding his own lantern. Oh great, so now they have lanterns , I thought.

All Soarynn and Leo had were glowsticks, what a joke, “And why not?” Ember asked, she was holding a spear in one hand, and rope in the other. Were they planning on tying him up and then slowly torturing him to death? I wouldn’t put it past them. “Because we have lots of nasty traps waiting for him,” Cleo said with an evil smile on her face, she had her own lantern and it cast an evil glow onto her face. 

Little did they know that Zeren had in fact made his way back to the Cornucopia, I guess he figured it was either him or Jessup they would be going after next, especially after seeing that Onyx was dead. He slowly but surely made his way towards the Cornucopia, careful of where he was stepping. We didn’t need a repeat of Marshall’s mistake.

He somehow managed to clear their line of defense and walked under the cover of the Cornucopia. He took in their small fire, and then walked into the tent, helping himself to some food and weapons before heading back out. He grabbed a piece of firewood that looked relatively dry and held it in the fire.

Now, torch in hand, he walked back over to the tent. He was going to set the whole thing on fire . Crazy? Yes, but also smart. Without their little military base, they would be more exposed to the elements like the rest of the Tributes.

I suppose Zeren figured he might as well go out with a bang because he held the torch to the tent and watched as it began to burn up. The Career’s tent might have been waterproof, but it wasn’t fireproof. 

Having leveled the playing field, Zeren turned and walked back into the woods. The Careers were still on the hunt, looking for tracks but finding none. It seemed they were the only ones who were cocky enough to wear their boots full-time.

Ember stopped in her tracks, sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?” She asked, looking at all of them. “No, what is it?” Briella asked, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re telling me you guys don’t smell the smoke?” Ember asked, not believing she was the only one.

They all paused, “How would there be smoke if we’re the only ones with a fire?” Callix asked, eyes widening as he realized he had just answered his own question. Most Tributes in the Games can run fast, but the Careers booked it through the forest, finally breaking through the tree line to see their tent had become a bonfire. “Oh my God,” Briella said, covering her mouth. “Our weapons!” Cleo cried as she watched the tent collapse on itself.

Callix and Ember stood there in shock, watching as their little slice of paradise burned to a crisp. The Cornucopia must have been fireproof because even though it was wood, it stood tall. Briella nervously looked at Beckett, who was so red you would’ve thought he was part of the fire. It was clear that Beckett had a short temper, he was a ticking time bomb, and Zeren had set him off.

He turned to Callix who was still watching the ongoing fire, “This is your fault,” he said, walking towards him. Callix’s head snapped towards him, “My fault? I’m not the one who left the fire going,” he said, clearly pissed off at Beckett trying to place all of the blame on him, “you’re the one who wanted to camp out in the Cornucopia in the first place,” he said defensively.

Beckett gripped the hilt of his sword, “But who was the one who said Zeren was our next target?” He asked, Callix’s mouth was wide open in shock, “YOU DID!” He yelled, looking at the girls for backup.

They all looked down at the ground, not wanting to be involved. “Maybe it was your plan all along,” Beckett growled. Callix started to back up, getting nervous, all he had in his possession was a lantern.

“Beckett, I’m on your side,” he said, giving him a nervous smile, “I would never try to sabotage us,” he said, still backing up. “I don’t think I believe you anymore Callix,” Beckett said, lifting up his sword, and Callix ran. 

As far as runners go, Callix could kick ass in any race. He bolted through the woods, stumbling as his boots slipped in the mud, but Beckett was hot on his heels, the girls chasing after both of them. Callix was nearing a tree, Soarynn and Leo’s tree, ready to climb up and escape Beckett. Soarynn was watching wide-eyed as the chase was nearing closer and closer to them, she was trapped.

She quickly shook Leo awake, “Leo, Leo wake up,” she whispered urgently. Leo cracked one eye open, “What’s happening?” He asked, Soarynn hastily pointed at Callix making his way towards their tree, with Beckett and the girls in tow.

Leo looked wide-eyed at Soarynn, before opening his mouth. Soarynn slapped her hand over his mouth, putting her finger against her lips. Maybe if they were quiet, Callix wouldn’t notice them.

Callix made it to the base of the tree, dropping his lantern, and grabbing onto the nearest branch, when an arrow came out of nowhere, piercing through his hand. Callix let out a horrified scream, looking at his hand. Beckett stopped in his tracks, realizing that they were not alone in these woods. Soarynn and Leo watched from above as Callix struggled to pull the arrow out of his hand. Gasping he looked around, before turning back to the tree, ready for attempt number two.

He grabbed onto the same branch again, looking up to see Soarynn and Leo huddled together, and just as he opened his mouth to call out to his allies turned assassins, an arrow pierced right through the back of his head, the tip jutting out from his mouth.

The cannon went off. Soarynn covered Leo’s eyes as if that would keep him from remembering this moment for the rest of his life. Beckett’s head was on a swivel, looking around the woods for the bowman.

He quickly turned on his heel, running back in the direction he came, smacking straight into Briella, knocking her to the ground. “Ouch! What the hell was that for?” She asked, rubbing her head. Beckett was finally at a loss for words. “Well, did you kill him?” Briella asked, looking up at her counterpart who was still mute. He nervously looked over his shoulder at Callix’s body, now lying at the base of the tree, and he took off back towards the Cornucopia, leaving the girls in his dust.

“Well that was rude,” Ember said, bending down to help Briella up, just as she was about to pull her up, an arrow flew right between their heads and into the tree next to them. They all snapped their heads in the arrows' direction, to see nothing but dark forest. “Oh hell no,” Cleo said, running after Beckett. Briella and Ember practically fell over each other trying to run away, making their way back to the Cornucopia.  

Feeling it was safe, Leo pushed Soarynn’s hand from his eyes, looking down at Callix, “Who shot the arrow?” He asked, looking back up at Soarynn, who was as speechless as Beckett. “I don’t know,” she finally said, “But they’re still out there, so we need to be quiet.”

Leo thought for a moment, “Maybe they saved us,” he suggested, Soarynn looked at him the same way she’d looked at me when I tried to get her to go streaking through the gardens that one time. She almost said yes.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in this arena who would try to help us,” she said to Leo. He shrugged, “Maybe it was Arabella,” he said, cozying back up against Soarynn’s chest. She hummed in agreement, as she watched him drift back to sleep. 

I broke away from the screen as I heard footsteps approaching, it was my Father. “I think that’s enough excitement for one night,” he said to me, and for once, I agreed with him. We bid Maybe-Aslen goodnight and drove back home. I really needed to get some sleep. I didn’t even bother to shower or change my clothes as I stumbled into Soarynn’s room and collapsed in her bed.

I heard a strangled meow and realized Petunia had been sleeping under the covers. “Drama queen,” I mumbled as I watched her jump from the bed, hiss at me, and run into the bathroom.

When I woke up it was nearing ten in the morning, Eudora was rapping on the door, telling me that they were heading to the Viewing Plaza in half an hour. Yipee. I took a fast shower and got dressed, in the dark, and I’m not even hungover, I thought.

Mother was so very chipper during the car ride, talking nonstop about how everyone loved me on Lucky’s show last night. Was that really just last night? So much had happened, hopefully, today would be less eventful.

We walked into the booth to find Soarynn’s Prep Team already there, enjoying breakfast and mimosas. “Mimosa?” Imogen asked, offering one to Mother, “Gladly,” I said, taking it from her, ignoring my Mother’s stink eye. After the day I just had, I deserved a drink or six.

Zeren had made it through the night, enjoying his new stockpile of weapons and food, as he sat on a rock in the middle of the woods. The Careers had also managed to make it through the night, although none of them looked like they got much sleep. Finally, something we can relate on. The girls kept shooting each other's looks as Beckett paced back and forth in the rain.

Briella scooted closer to Cleo and Ember, whispering, “Look, whoever took out Callix, is probably gonna take out Beckett next,” she said, they nodded. While Cleo might be a worthy opponent, Briella and Ember didn’t seem to be killing much these days.

“I think we should leave,” Briella finally said, looking at their faces for a reaction. Maybe she expected them to go tell Beckett her plan, or maybe she thought they’d pop up and go, ‘ Absolutely! Let’s all make friendship bracelets and braid each other's hair! ’

They did neither of those things. “I want to make sure Zeren’s dead before we go,” Cleo finally said, looking at Briella. “Do you think it was him that shot the arrows?” Ember asked. Cleo shook her head, “No but he definitely burned down our tent.”

Ah yes, the tent. It was ashes now, taking whatever was inside with it in the fire, this was probably the Careers idea of ‘roughing it’. “Ok,” Briella nodded, “we’ll let Beckett kill Zeren, he’ll probably get hurt along the way,” she said hopefully. So much for friendship.

Soarynn and Leo were not sad to leave the tree. They jumped down, next to Callix’s body, and took in the gruesome scene. Normally, the Game Makers remove the bodies from a hovercraft, but I guess they were too close to the body.

“Let’s put some distance between us and the sharpshooter,” Soarynn said. Leo could probably win an award for the most questions asked in under an hour. How Soarynn hadn’t kicked him out of the tree, I’ll never know.

Some of the questions being, “How old are you? Why is it raining? Are you cold? When are the Games gonna be over? Do you miss your family? What’s your favorite soup? Do you like salad? Why are you even in the Games if you’re the President’s daughter?”

The last one was an excellent question, my Father hadn’t even come with us today, claiming he had work to do. Probably plotting how to make my life more miserable. But Soarynn remained ever so patient with Leo, answering every question honestly.

Except for one, the one question Leo kept bringing up. “Where’s Arabella?” He asked for the thousandth time this morning, Soarynn sighed, “I don’t know Leo, but she’s probably not far behind,” she said, rubbing her head.

She looked exhausted, I don’t think she slept at all after Callix’s death, probably scared the sharpshooter would come for them next. Leo’s next question stopped her in her tracks, “Why is he here?” He asked, pointing into the forest. She froze, as she looked into the woods, the camera panned out and I heard gasps coming from inside and outside the booth. It was me.

Well, clearly it wasn’t me . But it sure did look like me, I was in my Academy uniform, with a big smile on my face. I now understood what Maybe-Aslen meant by “ out of body ”, it was strange to see myself, doing things I would do, but not doing them myself.

I looked over at Mother who was just as speechless as I was. Soarynn was too, nervously stepping towards me. “Coryo?” She called, there was a shake in her voice. This was evil, I had seen enough Games to know that this was actually above evil, this was personal.

While they might have been able to pin down my body movements, they didn’t get my voice because I didn’t respond to her. Soarynn slowly walked towards me, her hands trembling, not knowing what to feel.

She was about five feet away from hologram-me, when I backed up, looking her up and down with disgust. She instantly recoiled, hurt by my rejection. I put my head in my hands, not wanting to watch this anymore.

Leo walked towards Soarynn, clearly confused about why she thought this was real. “He’s not real,” Leo said, looking up at her. “What?” She asked, not tearing her eyes away from me. “He’s not real,” Leo said again, taking out his slingshot and an acorn, launching the acorn straight through hologram-me. My hologram looked behind at the acorn as if it also couldn’t believe Leo managed to shoot a decent shot.

The acorn jarred Soarynn out of her thoughts as she walked towards the hologram, putting her hand through my body. “You’re not real,” she whispered, a tear rolling down her face. My hologram looked sad, it reached out to hold her face, as I’ve done a thousand times, but its hand went right through her.

Wiping her tears, Soarynn looked down at Leo, who looked concerned. “Come on Leo, let’s go,” she said, sniffling. They turned around and began walking away, “They only did that to hurt you,” Leo said, taking her hand.

She nodded, “I know,” she said. They probably walked for a minute before they stopped dead in their tracks again. In front of them was another hologram. It was Arabella. 

Chapter Text

“Oh no,” Mother said, looking at the screen horrified as the hologram of Arabella smiled at Leo. Oh no indeed. Soarynn had been doing a good job of covering her tracks when it came to Arabella’s death, but Leo was going to figure it out quickly enough.

Leo ran towards her, “Bella!” he cried, “We missed you.” Soarynn didn’t move, she was probably still in shock from seeing me, coming across Arabella probably wasn’t doing her any good, or easing her guilt.

Arabella kneeled down, opening her arms for Leo to run into. He ran right through her. Confused, he turned around and looked at her. Slowly, he walked towards her and pushed his hand through her body, watching the hologram flicker around his hand.

“Where is my sister?” He asked, looking at Soarynn. She had tears in her eyes, “Leo,” she said, stepping towards him, he backed up, “No, no, you stay away from me,” he said, his voice trembling.

“Leo please,” Soarynn pleaded, tears running down her face again, “I promised her I would take care of you,” she said. “But you didn’t promise to lie!” He said the rain was now pouring down on them, thunder shaking the arena. “I know,” she said, “but Leo, please, let me protect you,” she begged.

Leo shook his head, tears now falling from his eyes, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he said, voice breaking. “YOU DIDN’T EVEN LET ME SAY GOODBYE,” he screamed at her, Soarynn looked around the woods, nervous someone might hear them.

“Leo, please, calm down, we can talk about this somewhere safer,” she said, reaching out to touch him, he slapped her hand away. “No, you, you stay away from me, I don’t need you anymore,” he said, turning around. “Where are you going?” She called, watching him walk into the woods, away from the hologram of his dead sister. “Wherever you aren’t,” he said, not even looking behind him. Arabella’s hologram disappeared, leaving Soarynn by herself in the woods. 

I looked at Mother, who was shocker , at the beverage cart. I stood up and hastily walked over to her, “We need to send her another gift,” I said. She nodded while watching Soarynn sit on the wet ground, head in her hands. “We’ll send her some food,” she decided since Leo’s pack was currently holding all their food and the sleeping bag. I knew Soarynn didn’t care about any of that, she just cared about Leo.

Mother went outside to go talk to some sponsors, while I helped myself to a glass of champagne, watching as Soarynn sat motionless in the pouring rain. Eudora walked over to me, “She’s going to get sick,” she said to me. I nodded, I was surprised she hadn’t gotten pneumonia or hypothermia, maybe she did and we just didn’t know yet.

The Game Makers could see the Tribute’s vitals, but that was it. “She’ll get moving eventually,” I promised Eudora, who didn’t look convinced. Maybe this is a good thing , I thought, sure, it was a sad thing to watch. But now Soarynn wasn’t trying to feed two mouths anymore. 

The Careers didn’t experience any holograms, they probably didn’t have much love for anyone to be affected by the holograms the way Soarynn and Leo had. They were walking through the woods, still looking for Zeren. I had to give it to them, they were committed.

Lucky Flickerman appeared on the screen, sporting a baby blue suit today, and was excitedly telling us that the Careers were getting close to Zeren and that there was gonna be a fight any minute now. At least someone was enjoying the Games.

I thought Zeren would be enjoying his food, and laying up in a tree somewhere, but he was prepared. Maybe he figured out that the Careers had narrowed it down to him being the one who burned down their tent and decided to take some precautionary measures.

He was standing on a large boulder, holding onto an ax in one hand, and his blow dart in the other. I hope he shoots Beckett. The Careers finally made it to the boulder, where they could see Zeren standing tall at the top.

Before Beckett could get a word out, Cleo yelled at Zeren, “Did you burn down our tent?” She called out. Zeren nodded, very pleased with himself. Cleo gave him a nod of approval, “I would’ve done the same thing if I was in your position,” she said to him, causing Beckett to look at her, appalled. “What?” She asked, “It was a smart move, unfortunate on our part, but still, smart.” Cleo was definitely the crazy one in this arena.

Beckett nervously took two large side steps away from Cleo before calling out, “If you come down now, we can make this as painless as possible,” he said, smiling as if he offered Zeren a gold coin. Zeren thought about it for a moment before responding, “And if I don’t?” He asked, Ember pulled the rope out of her bag, “Then we can make it very painful,” she said with a smile. Now, I hadn’t seen much of Ember during these Games, sure she was in the pack, but she didn’t seem to offer much, and Zeren thought that too apparently.

Because without warning, he brought the blow dart tube to his mouth and launched a dart into Ember’s arm. She screamed, ripping it out and dropping the rope. The Careers watched wide-eyed as she began to foam at the mouth and fall to the ground, convulsing.

“Oh my God, Ember!” Briella cried, running to help her friend. But it was no use, Ember kept gasping, looking at Briella’s face with her eyes bulging as she took in her last breath. The cannon went off. Briella was now crying as she rocked her and Ember’s bodies back and forth. She looked up at Beckett, “Make him pay for it,” she growled.

Zeren was out of darts, so it seemed he was going to have to go hand in hand with the Careers. Cleo pulled out an assortment of knives, and little stars with pointy ends from her jacket, “I’ll take the back side,” she said to Beckett, running behind the boulder. “You’re going to die for that,” Beckett said, looking down at Briella who was wiping Ember’s hair from her face.

Zeren shrugged, “We’re all going to die here,” he said. He wasn’t wrong. Tired of playing his mind games, Cleo quietly clambered up the boulder, trying to catch Zeren off guard. The boulder itself was very tall, the height of a one-story building, not to mention slippery from the rain, and Cleo was very small.

She was struggling to climb it without dropping a knife, but she managed to get right behind him. She tried to cut his Achilles tendon but missed as she slipped, cutting his calf instead. Zeren reeled around to see Cleo, looking up at him, bloody knife in hand.

He brought down his ax, banging it against the rock, inches from Cleo’s head. She let out a squeak, and slid down the boulder, not wanting to end up like Lark did. While he was distracted, Beckett had made his way up the boulder to take down Zeren once and for all.

I heard yells coming from outside the booth, the people were finally getting the fight they’d been waiting for. The Game Makers had been waiting too apparently, causing lightning to strike behind the boys as their sword and ax met in the air. “Oh my,” Eudora said, fanning herself. Briella clearly wasn’t a team player anymore, because she finally let go of Ember’s body and took off into the woods. “Where are you going?” Cleo called, as she made her way around to the front of the boulder.

“I’m not dying fighting someone twice my size,” Briella called back as she ran. “That’s half the fun!” Cleo cried as she watched Briella disappear into the woods. Beckett and Zeren were still going at it, Zeren had brought down his ax into Beckett’s shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. Beckett swung his sword, cutting Zeren clean across the forehead, blinding him with his own blood. Zeren screamed into the air, rain pouring down on the two as they fought to the death.

He wiped the blood from his face, to see Beckett looking at his wounded shoulder. He smiled, this was it. I heard people cheering from outside, “Kill him!” People called to the screens. Zeren lifted up his ax, ready to strike down the leader of the Career pack when a knife flew straight into his eye. Beckett watched in absolute shock as Zeren stumbled back, clutching his eye, screaming bloody murder, and dropping his ax.

Cleo, making her way to the top finally, ran towards him, slicing his neck open with another knife. “That’s for Ember,” she hissed, she then kicked him off the boulder, and watched as he fell down, landing on his head. The cannon went off.

She turned to look at Beckett, who was looking at her in shock, still not believing what had just happened. “Thank you,” he finally said. Cleo shrugged, “It was fun,” she said, going to help him up. They made it down from the boulder, looking at Ember’s body, Beckett looked around, “Where’s Briella?” he asked.

“Oh she left,” Cleo said, holding him up as they walked away from Ember’s body. “She what ?” He asked, not believing she would just leave like that. “Well, what did you expect her to do? Fight?” Cleo asked, looking up at him. He shook his head, “No, but, she was…she was from home,” he finally said. Cleo nodded, “Well so was Finn, and look where that got him,” she said. Beckett nodded, as the two stumbled towards the Cornucopia. 

Mother walked back into the booth, “Well, that was something,” she said to me as she sat down. “What did the sponsors say?” I asked, she looked at the screen which had now cut to Zeren’s dead body, “They said they would send her something as soon as the fight was over.” Good.

The screen cut back to Soarynn who was now walking through the woods, with a vacant look in her eyes. What I wouldn’t give to see them sparkle like they used to. She didn’t stop when she heard the first cannon, but she did when the second one went off, she looked around to see if anyone was coming her way, but it was just her and the rain.

I was surprised she didn’t go after Leo, but what would she do when she found him? He clearly didn’t want to hear her out, in fact, he seemed a little ungrateful if you asked me. Soarynn kept walking until she came across the stag. “Oh no,” Jadis said, covering her eyes with her hands. I couldn’t believe this was how Soarynn was going to die.

The stag stood as still as it did when Finn approached it, in fact, it still had a part of his jacket hanging from its antlers. “Oh,” Soarynn said, “here, let me help you,” she put down her spear, and slowly walked towards it. “Don’t walk towards it, run!” Eudora cried.

Soarynn made her way to the murderous beast and gently unhooked the jacket from its antlers. Here it comes , I thought, she was about to be skewered to death. But it didn’t happen. Instead, the stag bent its head down, nuzzling her hand.

“How on earth did you get this on your antlers?” She asked as she scratched its neck. She threw the jacket onto the ground and the stag let out a huff as if the jacket was the real problem here. “Well, you better get going, before someone finds you and tries to make a meal out of you,” she said, scratching its head.

The stag lifted its head up and looked at her, two living creatures stuck in an arena fighting for their lives. An understanding passed through them. The stag slowly turned around, walking off into the woods. Soarynn watched as it disappeared into the trees, “Goodbye,” she whispered.

A chiming sound began to play, and she looked up to see a parachute descending. She caught it and opened it, revealing another thermos of soup, a water bottle, a sleeping bag, and a white rose. I looked at Mother, “A rose?” I asked her, not believing she thought that was necessary.

She scoffed at me, “It’s practically our trademark Coriolanus, and besides, I wanted the viewers to know it was from us,” she said, watching as Soarynn tucked the rose into her pocket. I figured there was no harm done, so I looked at Mother appreciatively, “You’re right Mother, I’m sure she needed that reminder of home,” I said, giving her a smile. “Of course, darling,” she said, patting my arm. Soarynn did still have her tarp, so she set up a small camp, sipping her soup and water, as she watched the rain fall.

The cameras cut to Leo, who was doing surprisingly well for being on his own. He still had his slingshot and was slowly emerging from the forest, as he watched Beckett and Cleo make their way back to the Cornucopia, slowly but surely.

Leo looked down at his slingshot and decided that he wasn’t going to win this fight, even with Beckett injured. Leo hadn’t seen Cleo kill Marshall, but we sure had, she’d gladly recreate that moment with Leo. Leo turned to run back into the woods and ran right into someone’s chest. Jessup.

He looked up, opening his mouth to scream before Jessup slapped his hand over Leo’s mouth. “Shhhh, let’s not give away our hidin’ spot kid,” Jessup said, watching Beckett hobbling into the Cornucopia. “Zeren must’ve burned down their tent,” he said, looking down at a terrified Leo.

“I’m gonna take my hand away, and you’re not gonna scream, and we’re both gonna survive another day, okay?” He asked, Leo nodded. Jessup removed his hand. “How did you find me?” Leo asked, seeming more amazed than scared now that Jessup didn’t look like he was going to murder him. There was still time .

“I’ve been watching you two since last night kid,” Jessup said, pulling Leo into the woods with him. “You two?” Leo asked, “Oh, you mean me and…” Leo couldn’t bring himself to say Soarynn’s name, still hurt by her lies. “You and Soarynn,” Jessup said nodding, “which leads me to ask, why aren’t you with her?” He asked, looking down at Leo. Leo huffed, “She lied to me,” he said, looking up at Jessup. Jessup tried his best to hide his smile, “Well this is the Hunger Games,” he said, gesturing to his bow and other weapons he had on deck.

“So?” Leo asked, stopping to put his hands on his hips, “it doesn’t mean you have to lie,” Jessup stopped and turned to face Leo, rubbing his face with his hand. “Listen, kid, as far as I’ve seen, you’ve been doin’ alright by sticking with Soarynn, so what did she lie to you about?” He asked, I realized that Jessup didn’t know about Arabella, surely he knew she was dead, but not the drama that ensued after her death. Leo’s lip quivered, “She told me Arabella was resting, but she wasn’t, she died, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he said, looking at his boots.

Jessup let out a deep sigh, “Look kid, I’m sorry about your sister okay? I really am, but this is the Hunger Games, she knew the risks, and I’m sure Soarynn didn’t tell you for a good reason,” he said, toeing the mud with his boot.

“It doesn’t matter what she felt,” Leo snapped, “and it doesn’t matter what you feel either, since she’s in love with the Capitol boy,” he said. Did no one outside of the Capitol know who I was? I figured I’d be a household name by now.

Leo turned and started walking away from Jessup, “Where are you goin’?” Jessup called out to him, Leo kept walking, “Away from anyone from District Twelve,” he said. Jessup didn’t follow him, “It’s your funeral,” he called out to him. And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away. 

Chapter Text

I liked to imagine I was in the arena with Soarynn, protecting her, sleeping with her, making sure she ate enough. But I wasn’t. Thank goodness, I mean, don’t get me wrong, if I could I would…I think.

And right now, I was glad I wasn’t as I watched her take down the tarp, the rain had let up a bit, but it still hadn’t stopped. Sighing, she packed up her pack and headed towards the boulder Zeren had fallen off of. She was making good progress, until she tripped on a loose tree root, sailing into the mud.

“Shit,” she said, pushing herself up, overall she had managed to stay relatively clean, but not anymore. “Oh her hair!” Jadis cried out, “And her skin,” Lavender said sadly. Suddenly, the forest came alive with little voices, “ Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit ” Soarynn gripped her spear as she looked around, unable to find where the voice was coming from, she pushed herself up and sped walked towards the boulder. She rounded the boulder and gasped when she saw Zeren’s body, knife still lodged in his eye. Looks like the Game Makers had not come to collect his body just yet.

Soarynn took in the knife, “Cleo,” she said, nervously looking around. She decided to climb the boulder, and sat there, looking at all the blood spilled on the rock. “What am I doing?” She asked herself, pulling her knees up to her chest, and resting her head on them.

A little bird flew down next to her, whistling a tune, she looked at it, a small smile appearing on her face. She humored the bird, whistling back the tune. The bird went nuts, very excited to have someone to talk to, as it chirped back at her.

Soarynn reached out her hand and it jumped right in as if they had known each other for years. “I used to see birds like you all the time in the meadow by my house,” she told the little bird, “my dad said that all the little birds would sing with my mother,” she said. The little bird excitedly whistled another tune, which she then whistled back to it.

They went back and forth for a while, until a flock of birds took off from a nearby tree, calling out to their friend. The bird looked at Soarynn, chirping a goodbye, and then flew off to join his friends. “Goodbye,” she whispered. Alone again, probably for the first time since the Games started, she looked around, taking in the arena.

She was just about to pull out her thermos when she heard a scream, “HELP!” The forest came alive, screaming back, “ HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP. HELP ” She jumped up, grabbed her spear, and slid down the curved side of the boulder, hitting the ground and taking off toward the scream. It was Leo’s. “Leo?” She called, as she ran through the woods.

The trees responded to her, mocking her, “ Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo, ” She huffed, but kept running until she came across Leo and Briella rolling around in the mud. Briella’s hair was a rat's nest, mud all over her face, holding a knife, trying to plunge it into Leo’s face.

“GET OFF OF ME!” Leo screamed, spitting in her face for good measure. “NO!” Briella screamed back at him, “I HAVE TO PROVE I’M GOOD ENOUGH TO BE A CAREER.” Oh, so this was a pride thing. If Cleo didn’t think Briella was good with weapons she was probably right, but Leo wasn’t either. Soarynn ran towards them, Leo’s eyes lighting up when he saw her, “Soarynn!” he cried out.

Briella turned around, but not before Soarynn was grabbing her ponytail and ripped her off of Leo, slamming her to the ground. “You spoiled brat!” Briella spat out, shakily standing up, no longer focused on Leo. “I’m not the one trying to murder an innocent child,” Soarynn shot back.

Briella rolled her eyes, her face now covered in mud, “Oh please, you think you’re so good and righteous just because you live in the Capitol,” she sneered, “well guess what? You’re in here like the rest of us, you’re just like the rest of us,” she said, motioning to herself and Leo. “You think I don’t know that?” Soarynn asked, her voice shaking.

“You think I don’t feel like an outsider?” She asked Briella. “Well it doesn’t matter now,” Briella said sweetly, before throwing the knife at Soarynn, catching her in the head. “NO!” Mother screamed, falling to the ground as Soarynn fell back. Leo ran towards Soarynn, slingshot in hand, and shot Briella in the face with an acorn, “Ow!” she yelped.

“Soarynn, wake up,” Leo cried, shaking her. Briella had recovered from the acorn, and was searching for her knife, she found it. She stalked towards Leo from behind, plunging her knife into his back, he gasped, turning around in horror to see her behind him, panting like a lunatic. Before he could move, she stabbed him again in the gut, and he toppled over, clutching his stomach.

“One down, one to go,” Briella said, walking towards Soarynn. She bent down near Soarynn’s head, preparing to stab the knife through her skull, when Soarynn’s hand grabbed her spear from the ground, slamming it against Briella. Briella screamed as she was thrown back, watching as Soarynn shakily stood up, spear in hand, and she looked mad.

She looked at Leo, who was slowly bleeding to death, “Just like his sister,” Briella said, with a sadistic smile. “Don’t you dare,” Soarynn said, walking towards her, Briella nervously scooted back, “You’re gonna die in here,” Briella said to her.

Soarynn stopped a good ten feet away from her, “Maybe,” she admitted, “but not the way you’re going to,” she threw the spear towards Briella who watched as it flew right through her face, killing her instantly. I heard the loudest amount of cheers I had ever heard, from outside in the Plaza. The cannon went off. 

Soarynn immediately ran over to Leo, who had a faraway look in his eyes. “Leo, Leo, hey it’s me, Leo look at me,” Soarynn said, voice wobbling. She pulled his head into her lap, gently unzipping his jacket to see his shirt soaked in blood. “I’m cold,” he whispered, a tear running down his face. “Oh Leo,” she said crying, “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” she cried, wiping the rain off of his face.

“Did we win?” Leo asked, finally looking at her, she nodded, “Yes, we won Leo, we did it,” he smiled. “Good, Bella will be so happy to see us, are we gonna see her?” He asked, touching the cut on her forehead. She nodded, “Mhm, we’re gonna see her real soon okay?” He nodded, “Okay.” They sat there in the rain, holding each other as Leo’s breaths became more shallow.

“I don’t wanna go,” Leo said, tears falling from his face, “I know sweet boy,” she said, cupping his face with her hand. “Can you sing your song?” He asked her, looking at her own teary eyes. She swallowed a sob, “Of course,” she said, brushing his hair. She started to sing.

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray.

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay.

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, Here it's warm.

Here the daisies guard, you from every harm.

Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true.

Here is the place where I love you.

Leo looked into her eyes, “I love you Soarynn,” he whispered. Soarynn was sobbing now, pressing kisses all over his face, as she watched him take his last breath. The cannon went off. Her hands shakily closed his eyes, and she sat in the rain, sobbing and shaking, letting the guilt pour out of her. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m so sorry.” She hunched over Leo’s body, holding it so tight. She sat there for about half an hour, not moving, still as the trees, before she stood up.

She was looking around, looking for something until she found some clovers growing under a tree. She ripped them from the ground and walked back towards Leo’s body, rolling him onto his back and placing the clovers in his hands. “Goodbye sweet boy,” she said, placing a kiss on his forehead before walking over to Briella’s body.

She stared at her with such hatred before pulling her spear out from her body. She took one last look at Leo, who looked as if he was just sleeping, before walking into the forest. 

Soarynn’s Prep Team was in absolute shambles, crying more than she was, and they weren’t even in the Games. I looked over at Mother who was dabbing her eyes, “Well, she’s just one step closer to coming home,” she said as she stood up to go get another drink. I nodded, as bad as it sounded, Briella was right. “ One down, one to go ” was what you had to live by in the arena. Maybe she didn’t want to live anymore, maybe she had seen too much, been through too much. Maybe she was done.

But I needed her, Mother needed her, her Prep Team needed her… and Petunia needed her. Lucky Flickerman appeared on screen, blowing his nose, “Well folks, looks like today’s weather has been all around dreadful,” he said, wiping a stray tear. “But! The Games are finally heating up!” He said, “So make sure to stay tuned to see who will be the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games, Victor!” He said as confetti fell down from the ceiling.

Watching Lucky go from sad to partying gave me whiplash, so I decided to help myself to some food. I was filling up my plate with the roasted duck when I realized that there were only four Tributes left. Soarynn could win this thing. If she wanted to, that is. She needed something to live for, like love, or friendship, but she had neither of those in the arena. Unless she found Jessup.

Cleo was dabbing Beckett’s shoulder with some antibiotics they had been sent when they heard the first cannon go off, “Wonder who that was,” Beckett said, wincing as Cleo cleaned his wound. “Probably Briella,” Cleo replied, not even bothering to look up. Beckett nodded, “I guess we’ll find out tonight,” he said, Cleo finished cleaning his shoulder and started wrapping it up with bandages.

It never failed to amaze me how the Careers seemed to have an entire pharmacy at their disposal thanks to sponsors. When all Soarynn had was a bloody head and some soup. And a spear, but I doubted she’d want to use it again. She killed someone , I thought.

Could a murderer be my First Lady? Would people accept her after what she had done? Not only did she kill someone, but a Career. Beckett spoke up, pulling me from my thoughts, “We need to kill off Jessup soon,” he said, looking at Cleo. “Tonight?” She asked, looking at his shoulder with doubt written all over her face.

He huffed, “Tomorrow morning, we should get some rest tonight,” he decided, she nodded, “Sounds like a plan, then we’ll kill Soarynn,” she said smiling. “How do you know she’s alive?” Beckett asked her, she shrugged, “I just know,” she said. 

Soarynn looked like she was about to fall over. She hadn’t even attempted to stop her head from bleeding, she just kept walking. And crying. And walking. She was multitasking. Day Three had been rough for her, but it was almost over.

The rain was starting to come down harder as she trudged through the woods, not even bothering to pull on her hood. She was about to walk by a giant oak tree when an arrow came flying out of nowhere, sinking into the tree, right in front of her. She looked in the direction the arrow came from to see Jessup, armed with his bow.

“Jessup?” She whispered, not believing he was real. He pulled down his hood, squinting his eyes through the rain, “Soarynn? I thought you were Briella,” he said, lowering the bow. Soarynn ran towards him, jumping into his arms as he held onto her tight. I clenched my jaw and tried not to let my jealousy show, but it was not an easy thing for me to do.

I watched as he ran his fingers through her dirty hair, and finally pulled away to see the cut on her forehead. “What happened?” He asked, touching it gently. Soarynn stifled a sob, “Leo,” she said, Jessup raised his eyebrows, “Leo did this?” He asked, knowing that kid couldn’t even reach her forehead on his tiptoes.

She shook her head, “No, Briella cut me, then she…she killed him, and I couldn’t save him, Jessup,” she said, fresh tears falling from her eyes. Jessup wiped her tears, “Did you stay with him?” He asked her, she nodded, “Then he didn’t die alone, and that’s all that matters,” he said. She didn’t look too convinced, he looked down at her spear, “And what about Briella?” He asked, looking around as if Briella could pull off an attack that coordinated on them as they reunited.

“I killed her,” she said. He nodded, “Good,” he said, he unslung the extra bow he had and presented it to her. “Oh, Jessup, how did you get two bows?” She asked, taking it in her hands. He shrugged, “I knew we’d meet up eventually, figured I might as well bring you somethin’ useful,” he said, handing her a quiver of arrows.

She reached to take them but hesitated, “I shouldn’t,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ears. Jessup looked at her like she had three heads, “You should,” he said, pushing the arrows into her hand, “and you’re the only other person in this arena who can shoot,” he said as he went to retrieve his arrow from the tree. Soarynn can shoot?

I looked over at Mother and Eudora who were sitting at a table, they both looked as confused as I was. Sighing, she shouldered the bow and quiver and walked over to him. “We should hole up before it gets dark, the Careers like to hunt at night,” he said looking at her. She looked up at the tree he had shot at, “Was it you who killed Callix?” She asked, looking at him.

He nodded, “Gotta look after my girl somehow, now come on, I know a place,” he said, taking her hand. My girl . Jessup hadn’t seen Soarynn in twelve years and now she’s his girl ? I wanted to rip him out of the Games and rip him a new one. But I couldn’t. I shouldn’t.

Plus, he could keep her safe through the night. At least that’s what I told myself as he led her to a small cave, concealed by rocks and vines. They walked in to see some weapons leaning against the cave wall, and a small fire. “You have a fire?” She asked, amazed he managed to pull something off in such wet terrain.

He nodded, “Got tired of sleepin’ in trees, and found this place and figured it was the safest place for me to be,” he said, looking at her. She sat down by the fire, breathing a sigh of relief as she warmed her hands for the first time since the Games started. “Here, let’s take off your jacket so it can dry,” he said, helping her pull it off.

Her gray undershirt was relatively dry and clean, “Wanna dry off your pants too?” He asked, smiling, she rolled her eyes at him, “Not a chance,” she said. I hope the cave collapses on top of them . Jessup rummaged through his bag until he pulled out a small tube, and walked over to Soarynn, sitting next to her.

“What’s that?” She asked, “I don’t know,” he admitted, “But I got it at the Cornucopia, and maybe it’ll help with your head,” he said, offering it to her. She took it and unscrewed the cap, sniffing it. “Does it smell like it’ll fix you up?” He asked her. She smiled before handing it back to him, “Oh, I don’t know, Coryo’s the one who's always getting into fights and needing to be patched up, not me.”

Rude. “Do you miss him?” Jessup asked, shifting nervously as he squeezed some of the ointment onto his finger, and grabbed her face gently so he could put it on her cut. She closed her eyes as he rubbed it on, “I do,” she finally said.

I could hear Mother sniffling. “You think he’s watching?” Jessup asked, moving closer to her face, she opened her eyes to see how close Jessup was, immediately leaning back, “Yes, yes I do, my Mother’s also watching this, so no funny business,” she said. “Come on,” he said, “you haven’t seen him in days.” She went quiet, Jessup looked over at her face, “You…you haven’t seen him right?” 

Soarynn told him all about her first few Days in the Games, how she teamed up with the siblings, how Arabella died, she told him about the holograms and the stag, and about how Leo died. “Just goes to show you how evil they can be,” Jessup said bitterly.

Soarynn looked up at him, “Oh, no Jessup, some of them are good people,” he looked at her, “You’ve been gone for a long time Soarynn, you might live with them, but you’ll never see them for who they truly are.” She looked at him the same way she looked at me when I told her Titus had started the fight. “I think you’re wrong,” she said quietly.

He scoffed, “Yeah, sure, because they aren’t the ones who took you from your family,” he said, her eyes snapped up at him, welling with tears. “Stop it,” she whispered. “Do you know how sad your dad was when you were taken? You were all he had left, and they just took you like you were their property!” He cried out.

She looked down at the fire, “I’m gonna get some more wood,” she said, standing up. She walked out of the cave, into the rain and walked a good fifty feet before crouching down behind a tree and began to sob silently. She shook as she cried, leaning her head against the tree.

After a few minutes, she collected herself and walked back in, to see Jessup had spread out some food and two sleeping bags. “I’m sorry I made you cry,” he said, walking towards her, she brushed her hair behind her ears, “It’s okay, I know me leaving wasn’t easy to deal with,” she said looking at the floor.

He nodded, “Well, help yourself to some food and then get some rest, I’ll keep watch.” She looked at all the food and the sleeping bags before looking up at him and kissing him on the cheek, “Thank you, Jessup,” she said.

He smiled at her before walking to the entrance with his bow. She had some soup and some sort of bird he must’ve shot down before drinking an entire water bottle. She then grabbed her jacket, now dry from the fire, and crawled into the sleeping bag, using her jacket as a pillow.

Getting probably her first real sleep since the Games started, while Jessup watched over them. Keeping my girl safe for me while I couldn’t.

Chapter Text

Normally, I would wake up next to Soarynn, and count the freckles on her face while she slept. But these aren’t normal circumstances. And I’m not the one counting her freckles. Jessup is. I hate him.

He kept watch all night long and went to wake up Soarynn once the sun started to rise. But Jessup got a bit distracted by her beauty, it was no secret that Soarynn was absolutely gorgeous, even in the Games.

He was crouched down by her head, watching her as she slept. Creep . Eventually, he woke her up, “Hey, wake up, it’s morning already,” he said, gently shaking her awake. She groaned and let out a huge yawn before opening those beautiful blue-gray eyes.

“Why didn’t you wake me so I could take the watch?” She asked him, eyebrows furrowing. He smiled and stood up, “You needed as much sleep as you could get,” he said, walking over to his supplies. She huffed as she sat up, “Well from now on, we’re taking turns,” she said, crossing her arms.

He turned around and raised his eyebrows, “So now there’s a ‘from now on’?” He asked, smirking as she turned pink. She picked at her sleeping bag before replying, “Only if you want me around,” she said quietly, he padded over to her, crouching back down and grabbing her chin in his fingers, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” he said smiling.

She smiled back, “Okay,” she whispered, grinning, he stood back up, “On one condition,” he said over his shoulder. Soarynn crawled out of the sleeping bag, “And what are your conditions?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips. He turned around with the two bows in his hands, “You’ve gotta learn how to hunt.” 

Great, just great. Now we get to watch those two have some real team bonding moments in the woods, while I have to watch Lucky Flickerman start his interviews, and those were not easy to get through. It was at this point in the Games where all the Tribute’s immediate family members were being interviewed by Lucky, it was easy to see where all these kids get their personalities from.

Beckett’s dad looked like he could eat my Father for breakfast, he stood six foot three, had the same shaggy blonde hair and brown eyes Beckett had, and only answered Lucky’s questions with one-word answers. ‘ Yes ’ and ‘ No ’.

Cleo’s parents looked like one flew over the cuckoo's nest, so it was easy to see where she got it from. Her mother was small like her, but she kept clenching her hands like she wanted to hit someone. People definitely went out of their way to avoid these people.

Jessup’s father looked like a lump of coal. I mean, surely he was a coal miner, but he could’ve washed up before being interviewed. When Lucky asked what he thought about Jessup and Soarynn’s “ romance ” he said: “ Well, the boy struck gold I’ll give him that, ” I hated that man. I assumed Lucky would interview next us since we were Soarynn’s family, but after Jessup’s father, came Soarynn’s dad.

Last I saw of the Mayor, he was on stage in shock after hearing his daughter’s name being called in the Reaping. He looked the same from when I first met him, he was rather clean and talked in such a quiet voice that they had to ask him to speak up.

Lucky asked him what he thought about Soarynn being put in somewhat of a love triangle during these Games, and the Mayor simply said: “ I just hope she’s able to win and live a quiet, simple life .” Not happening old man.

Finally, Lucky was strolling into our viewing booth with a big smile on his face. He interviewed all of the families remotely, but it appeared that we were the first and last family in the Capitol to have a child thrown into the arena. In a way, Snow landed on top.

Lucky started by interviewing Mother who was a mess before he even sat down. “How have you been coping with her absence, Madame Snow?” He asked, patting her hand as she blew her nose, “Oh, it’s been dreadful, I mean, the amount of things we’ve had to reschedule because of this, it’s just unthinkable,” she said. It was also safe to say that she was on her seventh glass of wine today. But who’s counting?

Eudora managed to have a bit more class, and when Lucky asked her if she and Soarynn were close, her answer surprised me. “Yes, I love the children immensely, I’ve watched them grow up and become closer than ever, their love blossoming into something more, passionate and real, I can only hope for them to be reunited,” she said, dabbing her eyes for dramatic effect. Say what you want about Eudora, but she can sell it.

I was the last one to be interviewed, Father opting out, of course. “So, Coriolanus, what do you think of the Games' most recent events?” Lucky asked, gesturing to Soarynn and Jessup sitting together by the fire. What did I think? To be honest, I hated every event that had occurred since I spoke to my Father in his study, but now wasn’t the time to complain, now was the time to sell.

“I think Soarynn’s been playing the Games much better than people have given her credit for,” I said. Lucky raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean by that? She’s only just killed her first person,” he said, I nodded, “Yes, and she’s already one of the last four, making it this far without having to fight to the death is not an easy triumph,” I told him.

He nodded, “And what do you make of Soarynn and Jessup’s newfound alliance?” He asked. It was clear Lucky wasn’t going to drop their little romance, so I decided to put my own spin on it. “Her strategy seems to be working well for her,” I said, pleased when Lucky’s face contorted to confusion. “Her strategy?” He asked, looking at the screen as if I saw something he didn’t, I even saw Mother looking.

“Yes, she’s managed to let Jessup do all the heavy lifting so far, he can take out Beckett and Cleo, and then she can take him out when the time comes,” I explained to him. Hearing it out loud made sense, Jessup was bound to get hurt fighting Beckett and Cleo, and if he was actually willing to die for Soarynn, then she was a shoe in as the next Victor. Lucky pondered that for a moment, “So you’re saying she turned Jessup’s star-crossed lover’s strategy against him?” He asked, I smiled, “Absolutely.”

After the interviews, we called it a night and headed back home. “You were brilliant darling,” Mother said to me in the car, Eudora nodded, “Yes, you definitely helped us with the damage control,” she said, throwing Mother a knowing look. “Damage control?” I asked. They nodded, “When Soarynn wins, people are still going to believe she and Jessup were in love,” Mother explained, “even though you two are to be married, Jessup threw our entire plan off its course,” she said, sounding rather annoyed.

“Yes,” Eudora agreed, “although I would never say this anywhere else,” she said looking at me and then Mother, “people aren’t too fond of you Coriolanus, in the Districts that is, so Jessup’s little lover’s plan has given them something new to root for.” She said, looking for my reaction.

People in the Districts don’t like me? “Do they hate me?” I asked, hating Father I could understand, but I wasn’t even President yet! Mother grabbed my hand, “Oh of course not darling, not yet that is, but if it comes down to Soarynn and Jessup, and she kills him, people would be angry with her,” she explained. “But that’s the point of the Games,” I said, confused why people would be mad at another death in the Games.

Eudora gave me a small smile, “Yes Coriolanus, but now they have something new to root for, but after your interview, they’ll start to question the legitimacy of their relationship,” she said, “and of course, Soarynn can repair her relationships with the people of the Districts during her Victory Tour,” she said, my Mother nodded. “When would the Victory Tour take place?” I asked.

The Victory Tour is a tour that the Victors go on after winning the Games, they visit each District, pay their respects to the fallen Tributes, and finish with a party at our mansion in the Capitol. It’s a rather strung-out event if you ask me.

“Oh not for a few months,” Mother said looking out the window to watch the sun beginning to set, “I mean, it would be before the wedding if that’s what you’re asking,” she said looking back at me.

The wedding?! “The wedding?” I asked, I always knew we’d be married, but this soon? We were nowhere near ready, even if Eudora had been planning this for the past ten years or so. “Yes, the wedding,” Eudora said, as if she and I had talked at length about what florals we were going to use. That was Soarynn’s territory, not mine. They should be happy if I even show up.

“I haven’t even graduated,” I said looking at Mother, she immediately turned her body to face me, “And you will graduate darling,” she assured me, “Soarynn won’t need to continue school once she’s the First Lady, but the wedding won’t be for at least….nine months,” she said, looking at Eudora for confirmation.

Eudora nodded her head, “Yes, that should give us time for Soarynn to acclimate back to life in the Capitol, go on the Tour, and plan out all the details,” she said happily, weddings seemed to be Eudora’s bread, and butter, “and of course, enough time for you to propose.” The car pulled up to the side entrance of the house and they began to get out of the car.

“Propose?” I asked, running in front of them, Mother and Eudora gave each other another look, “Well did you think you’d just be married off like that Coriolanus?” Mother asked, having the nerve to look surprised. “Um, yes, yes I did,” I said to her, putting my hands on my hips, “Well I hate to break it to you, but this wedding isn’t about you, it’s about the bride, and Soarynn deserves a proper proposal, so get started on that,” Eudora said, pushing past me and walking into the house.

I looked at Mother for backup, but she was no help, “She’s right dear, Soarynn would be heartbroken if you didn’t ask her to marry you, it would have all been for nothing,” she said, gesturing to our surroundings before walking inside. All for nothing? What? Taking Soarynn from Twelve? Putting her in the Games? We could cross that bridge when we came to it, but right now, she needed to win. 

After a shower and some dinner, I planted myself on the sofa, determined to support Soarynn through the screen, even if Jessup was in every single shot. They were walking through the woods, still raining, of course, looking for something to shoot. They eventually found a fat-looking bird perched on a branch, ripe for the taking.

Jessup looked at the bird and then at Soarynn, nodding. She nervously pulled an arrow from her quiver and knocked it, pulling back the arrow and letting it fly. Leo could’ve gotten a better shot. It almost flew in the opposite direction of the bird, Jessup tried to cover up his laugh, but couldn’t hold it in as he leaned against a tree for support.

“Gee, thanks for your support,” Soarynn said, watching him, rolling her eyes. Jessup managed to collect himself, “Sorry, it’s just, I thought you’d be better,” he said walking over to her. “Jessup, I haven’t held a bow in years , it’s a miracle I didn’t shoot my eye out,” she said, trying to give her bow back to him.

“So what if you’re a bit rusty?” He asked, pushing the bow away, “that just means I’ve gotta teach you the way our dads taught us,” he said, walking to retrieve the arrow. She followed him, “Jessup, they had only begun to teach us when I left, I mean, we were still learning to hold the bows, let alone shoot them,” she said, watching as he pulled the arrow from a tree.

He turned to look at her, “You act like you didn’t learn a thing while you were still in Twelve,” he said, putting the arrow back in the quiver, “Because I didn’t!” She said, attempting to give the bow back again. He shook his head and walked back toward the fat bird, “Then looks like you’ve got a lot to catch up on,” he called over his shoulder. And so she learned.

I tried not to feel absolutely envious as I watched Jessup correct her form and grip, touching her hands, her waist, and all of her in general. I bet the viewers are eating this up at home, I thought bitterly. Anything I said in my interview today didn’t mean shit after this little stunt, and as much as it pained me to admit, Jessup was a pretty good teacher.

It was very clear from the beginning of Soarynn coming to live with us that Soarynn didn’t like being told what to do by people her age. Adults? No problem. Professors? Without question. Me? Well, I can go fuck myself. And Jessup seemed to notice that, giving her space, letting her find her groove as she shot countless arrows.

She got good pretty quickly and was able to shoot the smallest branch from a far distance within an hour. Pleased with his pupil, Jessup walked over to Soarynn, and pointed at the fat bird, “Time to redeem yourself,” he said. She nervously glanced at him, before drawing her bow, “Go for the neck,” he advised, watching as she shot the bird in the head.

“Or the head,” he said, walking over to grab their new meal. “I did it!” She said, running over to hug him, he smiled at her little celebration and kissed her on the forehead, before taking her hand and leading them back to the cave.

Mother walked in to see the two of them walking back to the cave, and she had clearly forgotten about our earlier conversation in the car because she found those two adorable, “They’re holding hands,” she said sweetly. I want them dead . She then told me she was turning in for the night and made me promise her I wouldn’t stay up all night watching the Games. If this is what I have to watch, she didn’t need to worry about me. 

They had made it back to the cave, and Jessup was skinning the bird, preparing it to be roasted. “Looks like you learned a thing or two from your old man,” Soarynn said as she took off her jacket. He smiled, “Yeah, he’s a got a way of passin’ down his knowledge,” he said, skewering the bird with a stick before putting it over the fire.

“He was real sad when you left,” he said, looking up at her, she looked at him and then at the ground, “Well it was a bit of an abrupt departure on my part too,” she said. He nodded, “I’ve really missed you Soarynn,” he said, she looked back up at him, “I know,” she whispered.

“Then come here,” he said, patting the ground by him, she contemplated it for a moment before scooting over to him. “Remember when we’d pick berries in the meadow?” He asked she smiled at the memory, “Yes, and we’d try to catch frogs and crickets even though your mom told us not to.” He laughed, “And remember all the songs our dads would teach us?”

She nodded, “I remember the meadow song,” she said, we had all gotten to hear that one firsthand. “Remember the Hanging Tree song?” He asked, looking at her with excitement in his eyes, “We should sing it,” he said, she looked at him with a small grin, placing her finger on his lips to silence him.

“Let’s not,” she said, “I don’t think it would be very Capitol-friendly,” she explained, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Right, as long as they’re happy,” he said with a bit of spite, she watched as the bird turned a golden brown before asking, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He sighed, “It’s just…it feels like nothin’ I do matters as long as there’s someone like your Capitol boy doin’ something bigger,” he said, turning to look at her.

She cupped his face in her hand, “Of course what you do matters, Jessup,” she said, looking into his eyes. He shook his head, “Not as long as the Capitol exists,” he said, “it’ll always be their comfort and their needs before ours, even if it kills us,” he said, looking down at her.

She didn’t know what to say. “Did you know that over fifty men died in a mining accident the day of the Reaping?” He asked her, she shook her head. “That’s because no one cares about us little people, not as long as they’re entertained,” he said bitterly, Soarynn spoke up, “I care about you,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I care about all of you, the people in the Districts matter, the Capitol would be nothing without them.”

Nothing? Inconvenienced, maybe, but nothing was a bold assumption. Where she came to gather that confused me. He shook his head, “I appreciate the sentiment darlin’, but they won’t care about us till we have nothing left to give them.”

He pulled the bird from the fire and placed it on a leaf before standing up, “I’m gonna go collect some water, make sure you eat something,” he said before grabbing his bow and walking out. Leaving Soarynn alone, in the cave with her bow and her thoughts.

Chapter Text

Going to the control room again with my Father wasn’t my idea of a sunny afternoon. But, it was better than spending the day with Mother, who was “stress cleaning”. Meaning, she had all of the Avoxes doing the actual cleaning, while she watched.

The house was no longer safe as long as she was in a cleaning mood, so my Father and I figured it was best to stay out of her way. When Father said he was going to the control room, Eudora practically flew down the stairs to tell him it was a “ fabulous idea sir, in fact, take Coriolanus with you! ” Rude.

Maybe-Aslen didn’t even see us walk in, too busy coming up with new evil ideas I suppose, so we sat in the viewing room. It was now Day Five and the Careers were on the hunt again, watching Cleo and Beckett walk through the woods and plan out their next murders wasn’t easy, especially since there was no alcohol provided in the control room. Wouldn’t want to hit the wrong button.

“You think they’ll be together?” Beckett asked, using a large stick as a cane, it seemed Zeren wounded him more severely than we thought. Thank you, Zeren, I thought, it would make it much easier for Jessup to kill Beckett if he was injured. “They have to be,” Cleo said, looking up at the trees as if Soarynn and Jessup would be hiding up there.

Little did they know that Soarynn and Jessup were sleeping in their little cave, a bit too close for comfort if you asked me. “And it’ll be easier for us,” Cleo said, looking back at Beckett with her evil grin, “like killing two birds with one stone.” A small part of me wanted Beckett to cut Cleo down with his sword and get rid of her once and for all, but I knew he wouldn’t, not with him injured.

Plus, Cleo was a good shot when it came down to fighting. I suppose it would be better for Jessup to fight Cleo rather than Beckett, at least Soarynn had more of a chance against an injured Beckett. “Yeah,” Beckett said, panting as he pulled his stick out of the mud, “the sooner we find them the better.”

At the pace they were going, they weren’t going to be finding anyone soon, they were constantly having to stop for Beckett. His walking stick kept getting stuck in the mud, and it was clear that Cleo was getting more annoyed by the minute.

They reached a small clearing with some large rocks lying on the outskirts, allowing Beckett to rest while Cleo looked around. She walked into the clearing, covering her eyes as she looked up into the rain, “We should probably head back soon if we don’t find them,” she said, looking back at Beckett. He nodded as he stood up, making his way toward her. He almost face-planted as his foot shot deep into the ground, he tried to pull it out but it wasn’t budging.

He shot Cleo a nervous look, his eyes becoming more alarmed as he saw that she was sinking too. “Oh my God,” she said, nervously looking at her boots, now almost completely submerged in the mud, “It’s like quicksand!”

They both lost it, trying to pull themselves out, and doing so very slowly. Cleo was a bit more resourceful than Beckett because she started to rip her feet out of her boots, and began crawling across the mud, trying to reach one of the rocks.

Beckett saw what she was doing and did the same, abandoning his boots to try to make it to safety. The mud was relentless, trying to pull him in the entire time he was crawling. This can’t be good for his shoulder , I thought as he army-crawled through the mud.

He eventually made it to the same rock Cleo was lying on, catching his breath. He looked at her as she watched the mud completely submerge their boots, “Looks like we’re going barefoot,” he said to her. She nodded, standing up shakily, “Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said, helping him up. 

Maybe-Aslen walked into the viewing room with a proud smile on his face, “We almost got them,” he said to my Father who returned his smile. “Yes, leave it to you Game Makers to pull the ground from under their feet, so to speak,” my Father said.

Maybe-Aslen nodded, “But don’t worry,” he said, his attention now focused on me, “We have lots of surprises in store.” Yipee. “I can’t wait to see them,” I said, giving him the fakest smile I could manage, “Come watch,” he said to me and Father as he walked back out to the control room.

We watched as the Game Makers decreased the downpour substantially to the point where it was a drizzle. Soarynn was now keeping watch from the cave entrance, running back in excitedly to tell Jessup. “Jessup! The rains almost stopped,” she said to him, he looked up from sharpening a piece of wood, “Well that calls for a celebratory stroll,” he said with a smile.

Jessup opted to light a makeshift torch from the wood with his hammock wrapped around the top. “No more sleeping in trees for me,” he had said to Soarynn as he cut the hammock apart. They walked out, torch in hand, to scavenge for berries. “Haven’t seen much from the Careers,” he remarked as they walked deeper into the forest, Soarynn shot him a look, “Don’t say that, no news is good news,” she said.

He nodded, “Who showed up in the sky the other night?” She asked, Soarynn had been fast asleep when they displayed the fallen Tributes. “Ember, Callix, Zeren, and Leo,” he said, grabbing a berry from a bush. “Gosh, there’s only four of us left,” she said looking at him. He nodded, inspecting the berry, furrowing his brow before placing it in his pocket and grabbing more. “Aren’t you going to eat those?” She asked, watching him place the rest into his pocket, he shook his head.

“These are night lock berries,” he said, looking at her with a rather serious expression, “they’d kill you in an instant.” She looked at the bush and then at him, “So…why are you taking them?” She asked, why was he taking them, I wondered.

“In case the Careers happen to come across my body or my jacket,” he explained, “it’d be a real shame if they ate some berries,” he pocketed a few more before walking further into the woods. She followed him deeper into the woods, collecting more berries as they went along, berries that wouldn’t kill them instantly or cause a third eye to grow out of their heads. You never know with the Game Makers.

“You seem pretty knowledgeable about berries,” Soarynn remarked as he picked some blackberries, he nodded, “Hunting meat’s good n’ all, but fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to come by in Twelve, figured I better stop relying on just my hunting abilities,” he said looking at her. She nodded, “It must be easier for your conscience too,” she said as she found another patch of blackberries.

He raised his eyebrows, “My conscience?” He walked over to her and watched as she picked, “I mean, I felt guilty killing that fat bird a while ago, I can’t imagine how awful it feels to kill bigger animals,” she explained looking up at him, “But you’ve killed people,” he said. She stopped picking. “One person,” she said quietly, he looked into the woods, “A kill is a kill, people are no different than animals in the arena Soarynn.”

She looked at him dumbfounded as if he was wrong, I mean, he wasn’t wrong. “How on earth could you say that Jessup? You of all people, I mean maybe the Careers but you? ” He moved even closer to her, the torch light casting a glow on her face, “In this arena, the Careers are trying to kill you, everything is trying to kill you, and when it comes down to it, you’ll kill me too,” he said walking away. She chased after him, “I would never kill you,” she said, grabbing his arm, he looked down at her, “Yes you would.”

She shook her head and he gave her a small smile, “If it meant going back to your family, back to him, you would, even if you won’t admit it, you love him Soarynn, I can see it in the way you light up when you talk about him, and the way his eyes never left you during your interview.” Our friend Jessup is very perceptive. She didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t have to. 

I watched as Maybe-Aslen pulled up a screen that read: “ Jabberjays ”. Now, there are two birds that have given the Capitol absolute hell. There’s Jabberjays and there’s Mockingjays. Jabberjays were made to spy on the rebels and listen in on their conversations, they could memorize what they heard, and repeat it word for word back to us.

The rebels unfortunately caught on and started feeding them rubbish, so we let them go into the wild, thinking they’d die off. But one should never underestimate the will to live.

The Jabberjays mated with Mockingbirds and created Mockingjays. These birds are a bit less vocally inclined, they can repeat sounds, not words. If you hummed a song, they would whistle it back. Far less annoying creatures than the Jabberjays, but still very annoying all the same. Maybe-Aslen presses a button that says: “ Initiate '' and it’s like the entire forest has come alive.

Thousands of voices screaming,

“ JESSUP, JESSUP, JESSUP, JESSUP, JESSUP, HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME ''

And Jessup is running, sprinting through the woods trying to find the source of the voice, but it’s everywhere. “BEA!” He screams, waving the torch around, looking for the voice. Soarynn sprints after him and finally catches up to him, looking around wide-eyed at the trees until she catches sight of the birds lining the branches, we can’t even hear her for a moment as she grabs Jessup’s arm and yells at him.

The Game Makers finally zero in on their voices and we hear her trying to tell him, “Jessup! Jessup! Jessup, it’s just Jabberjays! It’s ok, they’re not hurting Bea, she’s ok! Jessup!” But Jessup is too far gone to notice her trying to help him, he’s in tears, trying to break out of Soarynn’s grasp.

He does so but ends up dropping the torch on the ground before taking off into the woods again, leaving her alone. The rain is barely coming down in the arena, and it only takes a moment for the torch to light up the ground around it.

Soarynn looks at it in shock before looking around for Jessup, not knowing what to do. I immediately look at Father who’s watching the screen with interest, as if this is a little test for her to prove herself to him in this now life-or-death situation. Before I can call him out and tell the Game Makers to stop all of this, I hear my voice. 

Whoever was calling out to Jessup has gone quiet now, because now all I hear is my voice, screaming and crying for Soarynn to come save me. And I can’t tear my eyes off the screen. She looks around frantically as the birds begin to pick up on the new chorus.

” SOARYNN, SOARYNN HELP ME! SOARYNN PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME! I LOVE YOU, PLEASE HELP ME SOARYNN HELP ME! ”

Never in my life have I said the words “ I love you ” to Soarynn, so for the Game Makers to come up with that alone is evil. She loses it. She’s screaming and running through the woods, looking for me, crying, unable to find me, getting scratched up by low-hanging branches. “CORYO!” She screams, but I’m not there, I’m not there to hug her, or to tell her the shadow monsters aren’t coming to get her. She’s all by herself.

She’s sobbing now, calling out to me and unable to find me. Jessup suddenly materializes, running up to her, and grabbing her face in his hands. “Soarynn! It’s not real! You’re right! It’s not real, he’s not here!” She shook her head, pulling away from him still calling out for me. “Coryo! Coryo where are you? Why did you leave me?”

I want to die.

I watch from the corner of my eye as one of the Game Makers brings up the hologram of a man standing still, and it’s me. Well, not me, but hologram me. “No,” I whisper. If they do that to her, it’ll break her. But that’s what they want. I watch in horror as they put my hologram in the woods, about fifty yards away from Soarynn and Jessup. In the midst of the now burning forest fire, Jessup has started.

Soarynn sees me and she immediately runs toward me, running between flames as they close around her. Blocking Jessup out, drowning out his voice. Never did I think I would want Jessup to be able to hold her, but now I do.

I watch as she reaches for my hologram and it disappears, leaving her in a ring of fire, along with my voice still taunting her. She looks around frantically trying to find a way out, and watches as Jessup runs away from her, and falls to her knees.

Finally hitting that mental break she’s been avoiding the whole time she’s been in the arena. She covers her ears and lets out a heartbreaking scream that turns into a coughing fit.

The fire is only becoming more intense and hotter by the second, catching fire all around her, smoke filling her lungs. She tries to crawl away but fails, falling to her side and coughing so violently she throws up. Her eyes start to water and turn red, she’s clawing at her throat and is gasping for air.

I look at the control table to see her heart rate is slowing down drastically. No. No, no, no, this can’t be happening. Where’s Jessup? The fire has now spread to one-third of the arena, and it’s choking Soarynn to death, with our luck, its smoke was poisonous. The Jabberjays don’t seem to mind, they continue to taunt her with my voice as she chokes to death, tears in her eyes. She’s going to die. I’m going to watch her die. 

Then suddenly, I see Jessup, running towards her, with a sleeping bag. But he’s not going to make it. I watch as Soarynn takes her last breath and her heart stops. I’m in shock. I’m in shock as I watch Maybe-Aslen about to fire off a cannon. “STOP!” I yell at him, and he jumps, looking at me like I’m the crazy one. Jessup runs straight through the fire, ignoring his now searing burns, and falls onto his knees, grabbing Soarynn’s now dead body.

He checks her pulse, swearing when he finds none, I then watch in even more horror as he kisses her. Maybe she is better off dead if this is her alternative. Wait. Wait, he’s doing CPR. We learned about that in school for a day but I never thought someone from the Districts would know how to do it.

It could be a shot in the dark for all I know. Maybe-Aslen snaps his head from watching the screens and goes to sound off the cannon again when I absolutely lose my mind and grab his hand. 

You would have thought I stabbed this man in the heart from the way he reacted, the sheer terror that was on his face made me think it was him in the Games instead. “Stop!” I said again, looking frantically at him and then at Father. He’s definitely going to disown me now , I thought. I’ve completely gone off my rocker. “She could live!” I said to Maybe-Aslen, he looked at me like I suggested the impossible.

“She’s dead,” he told me, watching as Jessup tried to bring her back to life, I shook my head watching, “If she lives, people would be mad at you for sounding off the cannons, I mean, there could be…there could be uprisings.”

Such a fragile yet loaded word to use in the Capitol. He immediately looks at my Father who’s watching us both with a rather bored expression. I look over at the screen again to see Jessup giving up, shaking his head, tears in his eyes. She’s gone. She’s truly gone.

I let go of his hand, truly ashamed and angry. I begin to walk to my Father to tell him that we need to get the hell out of here when I hear one of the Game Makers speak up, “Sir?” There’s no way. I turn around to see her vitals, to see the faintest heartbeat. Then, so very slightly she takes a small breath. Anyone else wouldn’t have noticed, but Jessup did, he’s her one true love after all.

“Soarynn?” He asks. He shakes her body, fumbling in his jacket until he finds a water bottle, he uncaps it and pours some water into her mouth. Nothing happens. “Come on,” he whispers, “come on Soarynn.” She takes a deep breath and coughs up the water. She’s coughing up a storm again, and Jessup is frantically grabbing the sleeping bag and putting it over her head and body, and carrying them out of the fire.

He must be exhausted from the smoke and burns himself, but he keeps going until he reaches the cave. Once inside he collapses and drops her body. His hands are trembling as he pulls the sleeping bag off of her body, and off of her head. And staring back at him, are her blue-gray eyes. 

Chapter Text

The rain started back up immediately. Of course, it did. I hope these Game Makers are disappointed in the little stunt that they just pulled. My Father may not care, but I do. And once I’m President, I’m gunning down everyone who works in this room. I don’t know why these people think they’re performing something as serious as open heart surgery, but they’re not, and someone needs to tell them that.

The screen cut from Soarynn and Jessup to Lucky Flickerman who was animatedly talking to the viewers at home, “Looks like things are heating up in the arena folks! Let’s check in to see how Cleo and Beckett are dealing with this heat wave!”

Lets not . I turn away from the screen and shoot Maybe-Aslen the nastiest look I can manage before storming out of the control room, brushing past my Father who doesn’t even attempt to stop me or console me. I get that he hates me, but he didn’t care one bit when he saw his own daughter die on screen.

And I bet my money that the Mayor back in Twelve cared when he was watching that scene unfold, I almost want to send him my condolences. I walk out of the control room lab building, where everything Hunger Games is created, and walk towards our car, ripping the door open and flopping into the backseat.

“Take me back home,” I say to the driver as I slam the door shut. I couldn’t give a shit about my Father right now, he can walk back home for all I care. The Avox driver nods and begins to drive me home, we drive by the Viewing Plaza where I see several people collapsed and crying on the floor as they watch a replay of the forest fire. Mother can’t be doing much better. 

I’m proved right when I walk into the living room to find everyone in absolute hysterics, Mother is crying so hard that her mascara is running, Eudora is trying to hold it together but she keeps fanning her eyes, and Soarynn’s Prep Team? I think they might have to be sedated.

Mother finally notices me, “Coriolanus! Oh darling, did you see it? Are you alright?” She runs over, embracing me, and for once, I return the hug. “Yes, I’m fine,” I say, looking up at the ceiling. Now I might start crying .

She pulls away and takes in my face as I take in hers, she looks like a raccoon that lost in a fight. “Do I look like I’ve been crying?” She asks. “No,” I tell her, walking towards the sofa to sit down. I grab a half-full glass of champagne sitting on the table and down it in one sip. “Where is your Father Coriolanus?” Eudora asks, watching me reach for another glass, “The control room,” I reply.

I hear the Prep Team gasp, unable to believe he’s not here, seeking comfort from our family. Well, that makes one of us , I think, taking another sip of champagne. “Oh, tell me you didn’t see the whole thing,” Mother says as she walks over to the sofa, sitting next to me.

I look at her, and for once, I truly feel bad for her. It must be horrible to watch one of your children fight for their life and the other slowly become a horrible person in their own special way. Nothing another party can’t fix. 

I nod, “I saw the whole thing,” I tell her, watching as her eyes well up again, “And what did your Father say?” She asks before reaching for a tissue. “He said nothing,” I said bitterly, it might be childish to throw him under the bus, but I don’t quite care about his reputation anymore. Eudora gasps, “What do you mean nothing Coriolanus?” She asks, I look over at her, she’s wearing a green sparkly dress, with hair and lashes to match.

She looks like a sparkly patch of grass. “I tried to stop the Game Makers from sounding off the cannon while Jessup brought her back to life,” I say, looking at the television which is currently showing Cleo and Beckett watching as the fire begins to die down from the rain.

Mother shakes her head, “I’m sure he’s talking to them right now,” she assures me, “He’ll be sure to fire that Head Game Maker.” Or I will, I think, “The hologram stunt was horrible,” I tell her, her lip quivers and she nods, “It was a terrible thing to do to her,” she agrees.

At least someone in this family has some sort of empathy. Jadis gasps and I turn to see that Soarynn and Jessup are back on screen. Soarynn is coughing up a storm, wrapped up in a sleeping bag while Jessup runs around the cave like a madman looking for anything to help her.

He has some pretty bad burns on his face, but it seems that his clothes saved him from the brunt of the fire. Soarynn’s face has a few small burns but is horribly scratched up and bleeding from running through the branches to get to my hologram. He digs through his supplies and comes up with another water bottle, and the ointment he used to heal the cut on her face.

He stumbles back over to the corner she’s pressed herself against and offers her the water bottle while he fumbles to unscrew the lid for the cream. She brings the bottle to her mouth with such shaky hands that I’m surprised she hasn’t dropped it, she takes a sip but immediately coughs it up.

Jessup looks up concerned and finally manages to get the cap off, he squeezes some of the ointment on his fingers and rubs it on her face, his own hands trembling as well. “I’m so sorry Soarynn,” he whispers as she goes into another coughing fit. She shakes her head, “It’s not…it’s…it’s not your…fault,” she finally gets out, her coughing and wheezing constantly interrupting her.

Her voice sounds hoarse and her eyes begin to water again. “You died,” he whispered, looking at the ground, “I thought I lost you forever,” he says, looking back up at her, she cupped his face in her hand before leaning forward and kissing him.

There’s a war going on inside my head. One part of me hates her, how could she? After all, we’ve been through together, she’s out there kissing other boys for the whole country to see? The other part of me realizes that he saved her life, the least she could do is kiss him and sell this ‘star-crossed lovers’ act.

And besides, once he’s dead, the only person she’ll be kissing is me. She pulls away and breaks into another coughing fit, tears falling down her face as she struggles to breathe. Jessup helps her lean back against the cave wall, shushing her and trying to get her to calm down.

The sun is setting outside and the fire has completely burned out. Besides the grass, the trees seem to be unharmed by the fire, as do the animals in the forest. Jessup tries to coax some more water into her, but it’s useless with Soarynn’s coughing fits.

Frustrated and exhausted, she turns away from him, closing her eyes. He sighs and stands up, walking over to his supplies and taking a sip of water before sitting down, looking at the fire illuminating the cave with absolute hatred. “It’s all my fault,” he whispers, looking over at her as she breaks into another coughing fit. 

I look at Mother whose eyes are glued to the screen, “We need to help her,” I say. She tears her eyes away from the television, “How darling? We don’t even know what’s wrong with her besides the nasty cough.” I struggle to come up with an answer, “We need to send her something ,” I tell her again, “The Game Makers clearly put something in the fire to upset her breathing, I mean, she…she choked to death in a matter of seconds .”

Mother looks down at her lap and sniffles, the sun is just now beginning to set in the Capitol, and that means Father must be coming home soon. She stands up and looks down at me, “I’m going to make some calls,” she promises me before walking out of the living room. Feeling like today has had enough excitement for the rest of my life, I decided that a shower is much needed. 

Soarynn’s shower is just like mine but with ten times the amount of products. I don’t even know how she leaves this thing with the number of soaps she has, not to mention that the shower itself has about six hundred different settings, to brush your hair, dry your body down, and even shave all of your body hair within seconds. It must be tough being a girl. But I like showering in here now, it smells like her, and that’s all I really have at the moment.

Petunia watches me through the glass door which is both unsettling and somewhat of a sweet gesture. We’ve grown even closer and she even sleeps on the bed with me now. Granted, she sleeps on the end whilst I sleep under the covers, but progress is progress. Soarynn will be proud of us. If she makes it through the night , I think, but I need to think positively. My fingers are pruning so I get out and brush through my hair.

I throw on some pajamas and slippers before going back downstairs to find Sejanus standing in the foyer, talking to Eudora. He looks up to see me and bids Eudroa goodbye before climbing up and meeting me halfway, “Nice pajamas,” he says, looking at my outfit. “Well, I can’t run around in my boxers all the time,” I say before asking, “What are you doing here so late?” He looks down the stairs before looking back at me, “Let’s talk in your room.” 

We end up going to Soarynns room and that’s when Sejanus tells me about the riots that occurred in the city after Soarynn died. “They’re angry Coryo,” he tells me, “Angry about what?” I ask him, dumbfounded at why anyone in the Capitol would be rioting right now.

“No one wants her to die,” he explains, “and today’s events really made people angry with the Game Makers,” he says, tracing the rug. I nod, “Well I’m not too happy with them either,” I tell him, he watches Petunia hop onto the bed before saying, “People are also angry with your Father.”

What? People in the Districts I can understand, but the people of the Capitol love my Father, he’s the one who instated peace in our country again. Without him, we would still be at war, even I know that. “Why are they mad at him?” I ask, he sighs before looking at me, “They wanted him to call off the Games the second Soarynn’s name was pulled, but now? People are pissed Coryo, I mean, she is his daughter after all, you’d think he would try to do something,” I don’t miss a beat before telling him, “He doesn’t care about her.”

He looks at me like I’ve lost it, we both know my Father isn’t the most welcoming man, but to watch his own daughter die without remorse? Well, you’d have to be a heartless monster to do that, thankfully, I’d decided that I wasn’t going to end up like him.

“None of it matters now,” I say, rubbing my face with my hand, “not as long as she can’t take a single breath without hacking up a lung that is,” I say looking at him, he nods, “Well, have you spoken to your Mother about helping her? Or Jessup?”

Now he looks like the crazy one, “Why would I want to help Jessup?” I ask him, wondering if he secretly is a part of this little ‘star-crossed lovers’ fan club. “Because he saved her life!” He cries, “You at least owe him that.” Owing someone something isn’t what Snows are known for.

“I don’t owe him a thing. If he didn’t drop the torch, the fire would have never started,” I say, crossing my arms, he shakes his head, “You saw him in there, he was freaking out, they both were with all those voices yelling at them.” It pains me to do so, but I nod, “It was pretty horrible.” Before we can say anything else, there’s a knock on the door and Mother is bursting into the room, “We sent her a gift!”

We’re all sitting in the living room, watching as Jessup tries to get Soarynn to slow down her breathing again. But it’s not helping, whatever’s gotten into her lungs isn’t coming out and she’s starting to get worse, her eyes are bloodshot red, and her lips are cracked.

I don’t even know how Jessup can hear the chiming of the parachute over her coughing and the rain, but he does, he runs out to find the parachute, filled with hopefully something useful. He fumbles to open it, hands shaking as he pulls out what looks to be a pump of some kind.

I whip my head to the other end of the sofa where Mother is sitting, what kind of gift is that? He looks at it confused, there looks to be two parts, a metal part and a plastic part with a hole at the end of it. He cautiously pushes down on the metal canister, holding the device away from him as it lets out a puff of air.

That was it? He looks around nervously, sniffing the air, and inspecting the pump some more when a light bulb goes off in his head. He almost falls over as he runs back into the cave and to Soarynn who’s shivering in the corner, despite the fire and sleeping bag.

“Looks like your family sent you something darlin’,” he says, gently shaking her. She opens her eyes to see what he brought and looks just as disappointed as I am, “What…what is that?” She croaks, he gently brings the pump to her mouth and presses down on the canister, releasing another puff of air into her mouth. Her eyes widened at whatever filled her throat. She shoves his hand away and coughs, “What was that?” She asks, giving him a wary look before looking down at the device.

She then stills as she takes a breath and breathes out, her wheezing breath seeming to become less severe. They both sit there for a moment before she’s grabbing the pump and releasing several shots of air into her mouth, deeply inhaling the air. She finally drops it when it stops dispensing air and she looks at him, waiting for another cough attack, but it doesn’t come.

He runs to grab the water bottle, bringing it back and shoving it into her hands, she nervously unscrews it and cautiously takes a sip, and swallows. They looked at each other realizing that whatever was in that pump had cleared out her lungs, and I think it was safe to say that we all let out the breath we were holding in. 

Chapter Text

It was officially Day Six in the Hunger Games, and people were getting restless. Father came home late last night, going straight to his bedroom and locking the door. Now, the walls in the President’s Mansion might be thick, but the doors are not.

So I elected to become a third party in my parent’s hushed conversation by pressing my ear up against their bedroom door. Childish, I know. But I had to know! I had to know what they were saying, it was no doubt they were talking about the riots that had taken place in the Capitol after Soarynn’s death.

Mother sounded frantic, “Well what are we going to do Crassus?” She hissed, I heard the clinking of glass that let me know that she was helping herself to another drink. A bar cart in the bedroom, how very classy , I thought as my Father finally replied, “We’ll just have to wait this out, as long as the Districts aren’t rebelling, we have nothing to worry about.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong, the war was between the Capitol and the Districts, but the citizens of the Capitol didn’t do much fighting. That’s what the Peacekeepers and hovercrafts were for. The sheer thought of the Capitol’s citizens going up in arms against our family was comical. My Father had given the citizens of the Capitol everything they ever wanted and more, he gave them riches, opulence, over-the-top galas, and the Hunger Games.

But, as I have recently learned, what can be given, can also be taken away. “Well, let’s hope it does, or we’ll be run out of the Capitol!” Mother cried, which led me to think about where we could possibly go to guarantee our safety. Surely we had our safe houses scattered across all of Panem, but another uprising could last quite a long time. And I could only last so long with my family.

“If Soarynn wins, they’ll forget all of this ever happened, especially with the wedding,” Father told her. So our wedding was a cover-up! Or at least, now it was. It was awfully convenient for them to marry us off and sell our ‘happily ever after’ story to all of Panem. Mother sighed, “Yes, let’s just hope she pulls through, she’s so close,” she said, with a sniffle.

Part of me wondered if she’d be this distraught if it were me in the Games, I highly doubted it. “Yes, let’s hope,” Father said. I could hear him making his way toward the doors so I quickly padded around the corner and into my bedroom, gently closing the door. I hadn’t been in here for a while, I think the last time I slept in my own bed was with Soarynn after I beat the shit out of Titus.

Sejanus told me that he was in fact expelled which gave me a small amount of satisfaction. It also made me feel entirely stupid, getting in a fight over a girl who was now in the Hunger Games? Maybe I won the physical fight, but Titus had won the real one. 

Cleo and Beckett were not rushing to sell any sort of story to the viewers at home, while Soarynn and Jessup were cuddled up in the same sleeping bag, recovering from the fire, Cleo and Beckett slept on opposite ends of the Cornucopia. Day Five had been awful so I was hoping today would be better. It probably wouldn’t.

Cleo woke up first, sitting up and looking into the forest to see that the fire hadn’t done any real damage to the arena. She then turned to see Beckett sleeping on his side, his back turned to her. She watched as he took in deep breaths, the smoke from the fire clearly not affecting either of them.

She then ever so slowly grabbed the spear lying next to her. Do it , I thought, it would make this whole thing much easier for all of us if Cleo killed Beckett. He wouldn’t even see it coming, it would be an act of mercy considering his shoulder was injured. At least that’s what I told myself. She stood up and quietly made her way over to him, she lifted up the spear, and just as she was about to bring it down onto him, he let out a yawn.

Cleo practically fell over trying to back up, and ended up falling on the ground while throwing the spear behind her. He groaned and rolled over to see her sitting, looking at him, “Good morning,” he said with a yawn. She gave him a smile, “How’s your shoulder?” She asked him, he sat up and rolled it around, “It’s getting better,” he told her.

She nodded and stood up, walking outside to feel the rain, it was pouring, to the point where you couldn’t see that far ahead of you. Anyone could sneak up on them. “We should stay put,” Beckett said as he joined her, she looked up at him, “What? We need to kill them!” She gestured to the woods, he shook his head, “The woods aren’t our terrain anymore, it’s too risky.” He walked back under the Cornucopia and Cleo followed him with a huff.

Lucky Flickerman appeared on screen wearing a bedazzled white suit and was sitting next to none other than Maybe-Aslen while they talked about the final four Tributes. Now as an official new member of the ‘Maybe-Aslen hate club’, I opted out of watching and stood up walking over to the buffet table.

We were at the Viewing Plaza again, I’d had enough of the control room for one lifetime, and Mother wanted us to show our support for Soarynn as a family. Publicly of course. Perhaps it was a way of us telling the people of the Capitol that the Snows were here to stay, rioters or not. Last night as Sejanus was leaving, he told me he’d come around to watch the Games with us, and I was banking on that promise.

Father was sitting next to Mother, quiet as ever, while Mother was talking a mile a minute to Eudora about the rioters from last night. After helping myself to another lovely spread of food, I sat next to Eudora on the couch and acted like this was the first I had heard of this new development, “What happened last night Mother?” I asked, feigning innocence.

Mother put her hand on her heart like she was there when it happened, “Oh, Coriolanus, it’s just awful. Some Capitol hoodlums vandalized a statue of your Father and broke into an establishment near the Academy!” Well, kudos to the statue vandalizers, I thought, I would have been with them if I could.

“Oh, that sounds terrible, will you be alright going out in public from now on Father?” I asked, feeling quite proud of myself for being able to pull one over his head. He grunted, “Yes, I think I will be able to manage, but thank you Coriolanus, for your concern,” he said, giving me such a fake smile that it was easy to see where I got mine from.

Mother fawned over our little act, “Oh, this has been so hard on all of us,” she said, gesturing to Eudora and the Prep Team as well, “but we must stay strong for Soarynn,” she said, pointing at the screen where Soarynn and Jessup were now displayed on. 

I guess the sleeping bag Jessup had used to carry Soarynn out of the fire got damaged because the two of them were sharing one. I actually had to tell myself to breathe when I saw Jessup stroking her hair while she still slept. Soarynn eventually woke up, her eyes slowly opening and taking in Jessup’s face, just inches away from hers.

“Good morning,” she said, yawning, he smiled and placed a kiss on her lips before pulling away and responding, “Morning darlin’.” They stayed like that for a while until a boom of thunder shook the entire cave, “Looks like they’re back at it again,” Soarynn grumbled, clearly tired of the Game Makers, that made two of us .

She tried to burrow back under the sleeping bag but Jessup pulled her back up, “We’ve gotta get out and hunt,” he told her, she furrowed her brows, “For food, or for people?” She asked him, probably remembering the little talk that they had before Jessup started a forest fire. He gave her a small smile, “Whichever we come across first,” he said, pulling himself out of the sleeping bag and standing up to stretch.

She sat up inside the sleeping bag and frowned, “How do we know if there’s even anyone else out there? The fire could’ve killed the Careers,” she said, pushing her hair behind her ears. I heard Jadis sigh when we saw her rat’s nest of a hairdo. We might as well send her a hairbrush as a gift while we’re at it.

“No, we would’ve heard the cannons,” Jessup said as he zipped up his jacket, “Maybe they went off during the fire,” she countered back, Jessup sighed and looked at her with a hard look in his eyes, “Listen, if you wanna stay in here all day, be my guest, but I’m gonna do some huntin’,” he said grabbing his bow and arrows.

She huffed and crossed her arms as she watched him walk out of the cave. Around three days together and already having their first fight, I thought with a sick amount of satisfaction, with our luck, Jessup would run into the Careers, kill Cleo and Beckett, and then die from severe wounds. It was a win-win. 

Soarynn didn’t seem to think so, but she also didn’t go after him, she sat in the cave watching as the fire crackled, her breathing seemed to be back to normal, although I was willing to bet that the Game Makers were keeping a close eye on her vitals, just in case she wanted to make another quick dramatic exit like last time.

She reached into her shirt and pulled out the locket which had remained unharmed throughout the past six days. She looked at it before bringing it up to her lips and pressing a kiss to it, causing my heart to beat faster. Was she thinking of me right now? She must be, otherwise, she wouldn’t have done that. Get a grip Coriolanus , I told myself, she was in a dark, cold cave, on her second life while I was second-guessing her feelings for me while sitting on a couch eating stuffed goose.

She stood up and rolled up the sleeping bag before going over to their supplies and helping herself to some water. She turned to look out of the cave entrance, it was still pouring rain, and Jessup didn’t seem like he was coming back anytime soon. She looked at her bow and arrows and contemplated for a moment.

I wanted to tell her to stay put and not leave until she heard three cannons go off, but I knew she wouldn’t listen. Resigning to a life of murdering other children, she grabbed the bow and her backpack before catching sight of something in one of Jessup’s bags. She squealed in excitement and pulled out what looked to be an elastic hair tie, gathering up her hair into a ponytail and securing it.

She originally had her hair braided down her back, but it had fallen out over the past few days playing in the Games, falling around her face ever since. Now, a new woman, she pulled the hood of her jacket over her face and headed out into the woods. 

“Do you know where she got the locket from?” Imogen asked me, I proudly turned to look at her before saying, “I got it for her for her seventeenth birthday.” All the women gasped and ‘ awed ’ over my sweet gesture, “I’m sure she misses you dearly,” Eudora told me, I smiled at her, Eudora was rarely wrong, and she couldn’t be wrong now.

I heard someone saying hello to the Avoxes stationed in our booth and knew that Sejanus had arrived. I waved to him as he walked over to the couch Eudora and I were sitting on, saying hello to everyone before sitting down next to me. “She seems to be doing better,” he said as we watched Soarynn walk through the woods, looking for Jessup, I nodded, “Whatever was in that gift did the trick.”

The screen switched over to the Careers who looked bored out of their minds as they watched the rain fall, Cleo sighed before standing up, “I can’t just sit here like a duck waiting to be killed off while Soarynn and Jessup are probably planning on how to kill us,” she said to Beckett, putting her hands on her hips for good measure.

He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, “Cleo, I’m in no condition to get into any sort of hand-to-hand combat with Jessup right now,” he told her. She scoffed, “So take Soarynn, I can handle Jessup on my own,” she said, he raised his eyebrows at that and looked her up and down, “ You? Against Jessup? Please, you wouldn’t last five minutes,” he said with a laugh.

“Neither would you,” she shot back, “I just need him within ten feet of me and I can take him down,” she said, gesturing to her knives and spear lying on the floor. Beckett grimaced at her choice of weapons, “You certainly know your way around anything you can stab someone with,” he said.

She nodded, very pleased with his candor, “Exactly!” She said as she picked up her knives and put them inside her jacket, she seemed to be wearing a vest under her jacket that was designed to hold various knives, because that’s just what she needed. She then picked up her spear and walked to the mouth of the Cornucopia, “I’m going out there to look around, but you can stay here and take it easy,” she said, placing her hand against the Cornucopia and leaning against it.

Before Beckett could say anything, an arrow came whizzing out of nowhere and landed right next to her head. Cleo whipped her head towards the woods, dropping her spear and looking for the owner before running back into the Cornucopia, looking wide-eyed at Beckett, “It’s the shooter!” She told him, he looked at the arrow before comprehending what she meant.

He quickly stood up, grabbing his sword, “Where did they go?” He hissed, she nervously looked out into the rain, “I don’t know, I can’t see anything with this rain,” she admitted. He huffed, “But they can see us,” he said, walking outside into the rain, Cleo ran after him, “Beckett! What’re you doing? That’s suicide!”

Beckett paid no mind to her and yelled out into the rain, “Whoever you are, come out and fight me like a real man!” Cleo nervously looked around trying to find the sharpshooter. You could barely hear it, but a voice called back out to Beckett, “How do you know I’m a man?” So it’s Jessup, great.

Beckett rolled his eyes, “Give it up Jessup, let’s fight this out the real way.” Jessup slowly emerged from the woods, with a wild, scary look in his eyes that made me realize something was truly off about this kid. He was a born hunter. Thunder rumbled the arena and a flash of lightning flashed across his face, even though it was daytime in the arena, it was very, very dark.

“You killed Callix,” Cleo called out to him, looking at his bow, he shrugged, “Guess you could say he was barkin’ up the wrong tree.” Cleo thought and looked up at Beckett, “Soarynn was in that tree! We could’ve killed her!” She hissed, Beckett, ignored her, and called out, “Guess I’ll have to thank you, he was becoming a problem.”

Jessup smiled before looking at the remnants of their burned-down tent, Beckett’s shoulder wrapped in bandages, and their bare feet in the mud and rain. “Looks like y’all have got lots of problems right now.” Cleo reached for a knife but Jessup raised his bow, loaded with another arrow, “You can consider the first shot a warning shot darlin’, the next one, I don’t intend on missing.”

Cleo growled before looking up at Beckett, “Let’s get this over with,” she said to him, he nodded, “You go right, and I’ll go left,” he told her. Lightning flashed across the sky, momentarily blinding Jessup, and that’s all they needed to run in opposite directions. Cleo elected to sprint behind the Cornucopia, whereas Beckett took the more direct approach and barreled right towards Jessup, who fired an arrow at him, but Beckett raised up his arm and it planted itself in his forearm.

He didn’t even cry out in pain, he just kept running until it was him and Jessup on the ground. I could hear yelling from outside of the booth, the Viewing Plaza was as full as I had ever seen it, and this was what people had been waiting for. The shakedown. 

Beckett landed a nasty punch onto Jessup’s face before Jessup raised up his knee and kicked Beckett in the crotch. I winced in empathy, Hunger Games or not, a kick to the balls was something all men avoided. The two rolled around in the mud, punching, kicking, and even biting, while Cleo stood behind the Cornucopia, picking out which knife to use.

Finally, picking a deadly sharp looking one, she walked back around the Cornucopia and watched as the boys fought it out. She seemed in no hurry to help her counterpart, maybe she was waiting to see if Jessup would finish him off for her. Jessup rolled on top of Beckett and started landing punch after punch to his face, Cleo seemed to be getting tired of being a bystander and pulled back her arm, ready to launch the knife, when she was shoved to the ground, letting out a scream of surprise.

She rolled over to see Soarynn, panting and standing over her, holding her bow with a deadly look in her eyes. “You bitch!” Cleo said, reeling up to grab Soarynn, but Soarynn anticipated that and swung her bow, hitting Cleo in the face hard , and sending her flying back into the mud. I heard screaming now, coming from outside, people chanting, “KILL HER! KILL HER!”

It looked like Soarynn had broken Cleo’s nose from the way it was bleeding, but Cleo paid no mind to that, she scrambled up and started running around the Cornucopia, Soarynn in hot pursuit. Soarynn ran after her, loading her bow and launching an arrow into Cleo’s calve, causing Cleo to retaliate and turn around to throw a knife at Soarynn, she must have misjudged how far she was, because she hit the side of the Cornucopia, lodging the knife into it.

Soarynn looked at it for a moment, realizing that the knife was meant for her head, and Cleo took that as an opportunity to rush her, knocking her down onto the ground. “I was going to kill Beckett!” Cleo screeched, scratching at Soarynn’s face, Soarynn dropped the bow and tried to push Cleo away, “Likely story you little psycho!” she said, reeling her hand back as Cleo bit into it.

Soarynn brought her feet up behind Cleo’s back and used the momentum to roll their bodies backward, landing Soarynn on top of Cleo. “KILL HER!” Olympia screamed at the screen, I looked around to see everyone on the edge of their seat, even Father. Soarynn was trying to hold Cleo down with one hand while she reached for her bow with the other, Cleo took this as an opportunity to reach into her jacket and grab another knife, slicing Soarynn’s wrist open with it.

Soarynn let out a horrifying scream, clutching her wrist and falling off of Cleo. Jessup must’ve heard her cry because he whipped his head over to the Cornucopia where Cleo was now dragging Soarynn by the hair towards the mouth of the Cornucopia, most likely to finish her off with her spear.

Jessup landed one last punch onto Beckett’s now black and blue face before taking off towards the girls and knocking another arrow in his bow, he launched it and it flew into Cleo’s side, causing her to scream and drop Soarynn’s hair. Soarynn scrambled off of the ground and grabbed the shaft of the arrow before shoving it deeper into Cleo’s side, Cleo gasped in pain, before whacking Soarynn in the face with her elbow.

Soarrynn stumbled back, clutching her face, and looked back up to see Cleo grabbing her spear and turning back around, Jessup must’ve thought the playing field was leveled again because he turned around to finish Beckett off but found he had disappeared.

Cleo was struggling to breathe but lifted up the spear and threw it at Soarynn, Soarynn stepped to the side and watched as it whizzed by her, landing behind her, and sprinted towards Cleo, tackling her and hitting Cleo’s head on the Cornucopia. Cleo gasped, “He’s just gonna kill you,” she wheezed, trying to push Soarynn off of her, Soarynn bared her teeth, “Everyone’s trying to kill me,” she sneered before Cleo landed a punch onto Soarynn’s jaw.

Soarynn fell off of Cleo and landed on the side of her face in a muddy puddle, Cleo crawled towards her and pushed her face completely into the puddle, trying to drown her in two inches of water. And it might work. Soarynn’s hands were grabbing the ground around her until she found Cleo’s arm and pulled it hard , causing Cleo to slip off of her.

Soarynn lifted her head, gasping for air with pure hatred in her eyes, and crawled towards Cleo, grabbing her head and slamming it into the Cornucopia. Cleo gasped in shock and tried to push Soarynn off, but it was clear this fight was over.

People were still screaming at the screen, everyone in the Capitol must’ve been chanting the same thing, “FINISH HER! FINISH HER! FINISH HER!” Soarynn grabbed a muddy rock lying by them and brought it down on Cleo’s head, again and again, and again until there was mud and blood all over her face and she was panting hard. What was left of Cleo stared up at her, glassy-eyed, as the cannon went off.

The Plaza erupted in cheers, Mother and Eudora clapped and the Prep Team was jumping up and down in excitement. Sejanus threw me a smile, “Two more,” he said, holding up two fingers. That’s right, now all she needed to do was kill Beckett and Jessup. Her star-crossed lover.

Chapter Text

The celebration didn’t last long. Thanks to our dear friend Jessup, of course. Soarynn shakily stood up from Cleo’s now dead body, with mud and blood drenching her face and clothes, clutching her wrist that was still bleeding from the fight.

She was trembling as she took in Cleo’s bludgeoned face, she stumbled away from the body, covering her mouth to contain her cries. She fell to her knees, sobbing, as she looked at her blood-stained hands in disgust.

Jessup was still looking around the tree line, trying to spot Beckett, but he was nowhere to be seen, and he was in no condition to get into another fight. Deciding they were safe, he walked over to Soarynn, crouching down in front of her and gently grabbing her hands. “Looks like she cut you up pretty good,” he said, looking at her bleeding wrist.

She looked up at him through the rain, tears still in her eyes, “I killed her,” she said, Jessup nodded, “And you did a pretty spectacular job too, I bet the folks at home enjoyed that little catfight,” he said with a small smile. Soarynn looked up at him, her blue-gray eyes looked black, void, and lifeless, “Catfight?” She asked, her voice tight and no longer trembling.

He nodded and pulled her up, “Beckett got away though,” he pointed towards the tree line. She looked around them, “You didn’t kill him?” She asked him, looking at his own badly bruised face, he shook his head, “I had to help you with Cleo, didn’t think he had it in him to get away,” he said with a shrug.

He turned to walk inside the Cornucopia and that’s when I noticed he was now walking with a limp, good , I thought, the more injured he is, the better . She followed him inside, walking past Cleo’s body, to find Jessup crouched down rummaging through their bags looking for bandages, he pulled out a roll of gauze.

“This should fix you up,” he told her, tossing her the roll. She sat down, clearly exhausted, letting her bow fall onto the ground, and began to diligently wrap the gauze around her wrist, wincing as she tied it off. 

“What I wouldn’t give for a Capitol doctor right now,” she mumbled, Jessup’s head shot towards her direction, “Can’t handle a little scratch?” He asked her, with some edge in his tone that made me nervous. She shifted nervously, “I mean…it’s more than a scratch Jessup,” she said, giving him a good-natured smile, but he didn’t return it.

“Are you tired of all of this Soarynn?” He asked her, gesturing to their surroundings, she looked at him puzzled, and he laughed to himself, shaking his head, “No, no, I bet you’re bored, ready to go back to the Capitol and get married and forget about all of this,” he said, looking at her.

She swallowed before dropping the gauze onto the floor, “I never said that Jessup,” she told him quietly, he scoffed, “It’s more of what you didn’t say darlin’,” he stood up, one hand gripping his bow and the other clenching so hard his knuckles were white. “But don’t worry, I know how to keep them from winning,” he told her, giving her a creepy smile that sent chills down my spine.

Soarynn grabbed her bow and stood up, “I think we should split up now Jessup,” she told him, turning around to walk out, but Jessup lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Soarynn didn’t even think before whipping her bow across his face and breaking out of his grasp, running into the pouring rain.

Thunder rumbled throughout the arena, Jessup wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and smiled, stalking towards her slowly, into the rain. “They don’t have to win Soarynn,” he said, pointing up at the sky, she shook her head, taking a few more steps back, “Jessup, you need to calm down,” she told him, she was shaking like a leaf.

“NO!” He yelled at her, “THEY,” He said, pointing at the sky again, “They don’t get to win!” Soarynn had tears running down her face now, “Jessup please,” she whispered, “please, let’s just split up, and you never have to see me again,” she told him, trying to reason with this suddenly turned madman.

He shook his head, “Oh, you’re not getting away this time,” he said, “you and me, we’re meant to be together Soarynn,” he walked towards her, reaching into his pocket. She nervously looked at his hands before looking back up at his face, he was standing right in front of her, “Jessup, please, please,” she said, tears streaming down her face, “we can…we can work something out,” she told him, grabbing his face in her hands.

He shook his head, “I already worked it out,” he said, “and this way, we get to be the winners,” he said with a smile. She opened her mouth to try to reason with him when he pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing the night lock berries, and shoved them into her mouth before covering it with his hand.

Soarynn’s eyes widened as she realized what he had done and immediately bit hard into his hand. He ripped his hand away, reaching into his pocket to grab more, as she stumbled backward, leaning over to spit them out, coughing and hacking onto the ground.

“Oh my goodness!” Eudora cried, watching as Soarynn fell to the ground and shoved her fingers down her throat to throw up. I could hear people screaming outside, screaming for the Game Makers to do something, to stop the Games.

Soarynn looked up from the ground at Jessup, hatred, and betrayal written all over her face, “ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!” She screamed at him, he looked at her with a blank face, his fist crushing the rest of the berries, dripping onto the ground.

“We can still work this out,” he told her in a surprisingly calm voice, she shook as she stood up, backing away with her bow in hand, “No, no, you stay away from me, stay away or I’ll fucking kill you,” she told him, tears falling from her face.

She made it to the tree line and turned away from him, covering her mouth as she sobbed, she stopped when she heard him call out to her, “This isn’t over, I’ll see you when we’re the last ones in this arena.” She took a deep breath before trekking into the woods, in the opposite direction of Jessup thankfully. 

I looked at Eudora, “You were right,” I told her, she looked at me quizzically, she was almost always right, but I almost never admitted it. “He’s crazy,” I told her, and she looked at the screen which was now showing a panting Jessup standing in the middle of the arena.

She nodded, “He did seem off, but now it all makes sense,” she said, Sejanus nodded, “I’m surprised Soarynn’s been able to keep him calm for this long,” he said. Mother craned her neck to look at Sejanus, “Whatever do you mean Sejanus?” She asked, looking at Eudora before asking, “And why does he seem off? Am I missing something here?” She looked around at us as if we had been holding secret meetings to talk about the Games behind her back.

 Sejanus gave her a small smile, “No Madame Snow, you’re not missing anything, I didn’t realize it until just now, but Jessup isn’t all there in the head,” he explained. She looked back at the screen to see Jessup trying to rip his hair out of his head while screaming at the ground, “Well now he seems crazy, but I thought he was in love with her!” She said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

 Soarynn’s Prep Team nodded, “I thought he was willing to die for her,” Lavender said, her purple mascara running down her face. Sejanus shrugged, “Maybe in the beginning he was, but now there’s no telling what he’s capable of, Soarynn was probably terrified of saying the wrong thing the second they found each other.”

Was she? I mean, I obviously didn’t get to talk with her at length about her and Jessup’s relationship Pre-Hunger Games, but they clearly knew each other, or their dads did at least. Jessup’s dad seemed pretty stable for someone from Twelve, but one can never be too sure from a two-minute interview.

Either way, I was glad Soarynn had gotten away from Jessup, with our luck, Jessup and Beckett would duke it out to the death and she could come home before sunset.

Soarynn was not coming down from the tree. After Jessup’s little episode, she walked through the woods until she found a tree she felt was worthy to hide in, the branches and foliage concealed her nicely and sheltered her from a bit of the rain. The Game Makers seemed set on keeping it a torrential downpour from now on, so there was only so much she could do.

And going back to the cave was out of the question. She had lost her backpack in the midst of the fight, it was probably lying somewhere by the Cornucopia, and she didn’t seem to be missing it. She had her bow and arrows, and that was all she really needed right now. She sniffled as she rubbed her face with the heel of her palm, she looked exhausted, she was so close yet so far.

Even with Beckett and Jessup being wounded, she wouldn’t survive any hand-to-hand combat with them. I looked behind the couch to see Father talking to a sponsor. I highly doubted he wanted to help Soarynn, but with everything going on with the possibility of an uprising, he had to plan his next moves carefully.

The camera switched to Beckett who was leaning up against a tree trunk, motionless. For a moment I thought he was dead, but he took a deep breath before opening his eyes, he looked horrible. Completely bruised and I was pretty sure Jessup had further injured his shoulder. It would take a miracle for this kid to win this thing. The chiming of a parachute began to play near him. There was no way.

With my luck, Father sent him something that would finish off Jessup and Soarynn. Beckett made no sudden moves to collect his parachute, but it landed right next to him, and it was huge . He slowly reached to open it and found a new sword and a breastplate with reinforced armor around the shoulders. Maybe he could win this thing.

He smiled before squinting up into the rain and calling out, “Thank you! With this gift, I will bring honor to my District!” What a kiss-up. The camera cut back to Soarynn because she, too, was getting a gift. The parachute floated down towards her and she reached out to catch it, now this was possibly the smallest gift I had ever seen, but she opened it, revealing a red pointy tip.

I looked over at Father who was sitting next to Mother again, watching Soarynn with intent. Soarynn held the tip in her hands before coming to a realization, she reached behind her and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, and unscrewed the tip of it, she then screwed on the red one and looked at it with a triumphant smile on her face. Her smile fell as she began to realize what she would have to do with this special arrow, and my bet was that it was meant for Jessup and Jessup alone.

I looked at Father and asked, “Did you send that to her?” He didn’t take his eyes off the screen but nodded, “We’ll see if she uses it for its intended purpose,” he said. I wanted to ask what the purpose was exactly, but the screen cut to Lucky Flickerman who was running around his studio with sparklers and yelling.  

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are down to the final three! Make sure to cast your votes on who you think will win the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games! The winner will receive an all-expenses paid tour of the arena from the Tenth Hunger Games and front-row seats to my show where we will interview the Victor! Happy Hunger Games!”

Sejanus rolled his eyes, “Who on earth would actually vote for stuff like this?” He asked, looking at me, I opened my mouth to speak but stopped when Soarynn’s Prep Team practically flew off of their couch, “We have to go vote for Soarynn!” They cried, running out of the booth. “Well, there you have it,” I said to Sejanus, trying to hide my smile. As over the top, as those women could be, they really did love Soarynn, and for their sake, I hoped she could win this thing. 

The screen flipped to Jessup who was now sauntering through the woods like a psycho, he was panting and gripping his bow so hard I thought he might break it. He was clearly looking for someone to get into a fight with, he probably got his kicks from it, maybe he was more like the Careers than I thought he was.

Day Six was coming to a close as the Game Makers started to dim the light in the arena, probably hoping to wrap things up by Day Seven. We had about an hour until sunset ourselves, but it was clear that no one was going home until we had a Victor. Soarynn seemed to realize that because she slowly clambered down from her tree, ready to get this over with.

It became darker every minute she spent walking until she could barely see a thing. She already had her bow drawn and ready to kill whoever got in her way, then, there was a snap of a branch. She whipped her head around to see Jessup. She nervously took a step back, “How did you find me?” She asked, her voice shaking. The poor thing was terrified, but Jessup didn’t seem to care, “I’ll always find you little nightingale,” he said, smiling at her.

She shook her head, “You need to leave Jessup before I have to do something I don’t want to do,” she told him, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “You mean something you’ve planned on doing since our names were pulled in the Reaping?” He asked her, cocking his head, she sighed, “Jessup, it’s the Hunger Games, I don’t…I don’t have a choice,” she pleaded, Jessup shook his head, “No, no you do have a choice, you have one with me ,” he told her as he took a step towards her.

She lowered her bow, “You know it doesn’t work that way,” she said, her voice now a whisper, “They always win,” she told him, tears falling down her face. Jessup sighed, “Not if we do things my way,” he reached into his pocket, probably for more berries, when they heard a loud snap come from the woods.

They both froze, nervously looking around, “Is it Beckett?” Soarynn whispered, spinning around, Jessup shook his head, “Couldn’t be,” she huffed, “Well then it’s something else, something worse.” Jessup reached and grabbed her arm, dragging her along with him as he stalked through the woods, she pulled, trying to free herself from his grip, “Jessup, Jessup let me go!” She hissed, he didn’t even look back at her, “I’m trying to save you Soarynn,” he said.

She shook her head and started to dig her heels into the ground, he whipped his head back, frustrated and yanked her towards him, “I’m trying to save you! STOP FIGHTING ME AND LET ME SAVE YOU!” He screamed, Soarynn trembled as she shook her head, “You’re wrong Jessup, whatever you’re trying to do is wrong,” she told him. He laughed, “Please, between you, me, and Beckett, I know these woods better than anyone, nothing can stop me,” he told her, a sinister smile appearing on his face.

But Soarynn wasn’t looking at his face anymore, she was looking behind him, paralyzed, eyes frozen in fear, Jessup looked at her face before turning around to see what she was looking at when something huge swiped at him and sent him flying into a nearby tree, and he landed with a thump and a piercing scream.

Soarynn shook out of her initial shock and bolted away from Jessup and whatever that was, running from Jessup’s screams of agony. Soarynn has always been a quick runner, but now, she was moving with such swiftness through the woods like she was born for it, running hard as if her life depended on it.

Because it did. She was nearing the tree line, the Cornucopia in sight, thunder shaking the arena, she ran out of the tree line and slammed into something. 

It was Beckett, wearing his new breastplate and wielding his new sword, they were both lying on the ground and he turned to her, “Time to end this,” he told her, but Soarynn was already on her feet and running away. “Hey!” Beckett yelled, expecting a dramatic fight only to be turned down.

Soarynn made it to the mouth of the Cornucopia before a screeching roar came out of the woods. She froze, nervously scanning the tree line. Beckett scrambled up after hearing the roar and ran towards her.

She was shaking as she nervously spun around on her heels, bow drawn and ready to shoot, Beckett made his way up to her, I braced myself for her death, he was going to cut her down and probably win this whole thing. But he didn’t.

He stopped next to her, panting hard, “What is it Soarynn?” He hissed, his eyes flitting across the dark and rainy landscape, she shook her head, “I don’t…I don’t know,” she admitted, “but I think it killed Jessup.” Beckett swore under his breath before another roar came from the woods, this time it was all around them.

“There!” He said, pointing to a pair of glowing eyes, watching them from the tree line, “And there,” Soarynn whispered, her trembling finger pointing at several more pairs of eyes, watching them. The creatures slowly emerged from the woods, and they looked horrible, they were forest animals turned rabid and murderous. Mutts.

A bear, the stag, what looked like a mountain lion, a coyote, and a bobcat, all with glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth. Soarynn aimed her bow at the bobcat, letting an arrow fly into its neck, causing it to let out a terrifying screech before dropping to the ground. The other mutts looked at its dead body before turning back to Soarynn and Beckett, baring their teeth.

The mountain lion and coyote lunged forward, running towards Soarynn and Beckett, and without a word, they pressed their backs to each other, ready to fight the mutts off. Beckett slashed out his sword at the mountain lion, cutting through one of its front legs, causing it to roar out in pain. It then lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.

Soarynn was preoccupied with the coyote, she launched an arrow into its back, but it didn’t even slow down its approach, Soarynn loaded another arrow, launching it into its chest before it reached her, biting into her arm. Soarynn let out a scream before swinging her arm, flinging the mutt off of her, and sliding onto the ground.

She ran towards it and brought her bow down onto its head, stunning the creature long enough for her to send an arrow into its head. She turned her head to see Beckett fighting with the mountain lion, he was screaming at it while trying to keep its sharp fangs from sinking into its face, it let out a roar before snapping its teeth at him.

Soarynn knocked an arrow and sent it into the lion’s leg, causing it to fall off of Beckett. He rolled over, grabbing his sword before leaping up and bringing his sword down onto the lion’s face, cutting it straight in half. Soarynn’s attention was drawn back to the tree line when the stag let out a bellowing screech before running towards her, head bent and ready to run her through with its antlers. 

Their friendship was quickly forgotten, as Soarynn knocked another arrow and shot at its head, missing by an inch and lodging her arrow in its antlers. Effectively pissing it off, the stag poured down on its speed, drawing close to her, realizing what it planned on doing, Soarynn dove to the side at the last second, landing in the muddy ground, watching as the stag ran straight into the Cornucopia, lodging its antlers in the wood.

The stag tried to pull its antlers out, but he was stuck, Soarynn pushed herself off the ground and ran towards it, Beckett was finally recovering from his fight with the lion when he saw Soarynn closing in on the stag, “Soarynn!” He called out, she looked at him as he threw his sword to her, she caught it, dropped her bow, and brought it down onto the stag’s back legs, cutting them off in one swift motion.

The stag screamed out at her, watching as she drew the sword one last time, slitting its throat, blood splattering all over her face. Panting, she turned away and looked at Beckett, giving him a nod before stumbling towards him, and handing back his sword.

“Thank you,” she said, he nodded, “Unexpected allies make the best allies in situations like this I suppose,” he told her, “Yes, I guess they do,” she said, wiping some blood from her eyes. Beckett looked at her quiver before asking, “Where’s Jessup again?” The bear answered his question as it let out a roar and ran towards them, closing in at an alarming rate, Soarynn gasped, looking at her bow lying on the ground, too far for her to reach.

She looked up at Beckett, tears in her eyes, he gave her a sad smile, “It’s okay,” he told her, turning towards the bear, “I can handle this.” Before she could protest, Beckett charged at the bear, letting out a war cry as he raised his sword. The bear stopped and stood up on its hind legs, raising its arm and swiping across Beckett’s breastplate, claws raking straight through it.

Beckett let out a scream as he flew onto the ground, Soarynn watched in horror and turned on her heel, sprinting towards her bow, she grabbed it and turned around to see the bear standing over Beckett, both paws resting on his chest. Soarynn went to grab an arrow and faltered, she had one left. One special arrow was left.

Beckett was screaming at the bear, and turned his head to see Soarynn, watching them as the rain fell around them, she let out a sob before knocking the arrow. No, you can win this, just let him die. She pulled back the arrow, turning her head away as she prepared to shoot when she saw the stag’s body lying on the ground.

Her eyes homed in on the arrow stuck in its antlers, she fumbled to put the arrow back in the quiver and ran to pull the other arrow out, knocking it and letting it fly, sinking into the bear’s head. The bear was mid-roar when an arrow flew through the side of its head, popping through the side of its mouth as it staggered backwards, before falling over. 

Soarynn ran to Beckett, falling to her knees as she took in the damage, there was blood everywhere , and the bear had cut through his skin, showing his cracked ribs. “Pretty bad huh?” Beckett croaked, looking at Soarynn, she looked at his face, “You killed Arabella,” she whispered.

Beckett looked taken aback at that statement, “I guess I did,” he finally said, “feels like forever ago,” he wheezed, looking up at the sky. Soarynn nodded, tears falling from her face, “I can’t hold it against you, we’re all just kids trying to survive,” she told him, he nodded and looked at her face, “I never got to tell you this at the Tribute Center, but you’re a pretty good opponent for a girl from Twelve,” he croaked before coughing up blood.

She laughed before wiping her tears, “Thank you, Beckett, I owe you my life,” she said as she grabbed his hand, holding onto it. He gave her a small smile, “We all owe each other our lives in here,” he whispered. He looked up into the sky, his breaths slowing. “I wish I could see the moon,” he said, tears falling from his eyes. Soarynn scooted closer to him, stroking his hair, and began to sing. 

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away.

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray.

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay.

Beckett took one last breath, his eyes becoming glassy, and the cannon went off. Leaving Soarynn with his body. All that was left between her and coming home, was the boy from District Twelve. 

Chapter Text

Sejanus jostled my shoulder, “She could win this Coryo!” he said excitedly, I nodded, still in shock from watching Soarynn and Beckett kill all of those mutts. They did it so effortlessly like they were trained assassins.

I looked over at Mother who was clutching onto Father’s hand so tight that he looked like he was losing blood flow in his arm. I was secretly hoping that the bear had done the same amount of damage to Jessup as it had done to Beckett and that he was lying somewhere in the forest, slowly dying.

Soarynn was still sitting by Beckett’s body, motionless as the rain fell around them. Lightning struck the Cornucopia, pulling her from her thoughts, she grabbed her bow and slowly stood up, walking away from Beckett’s body. She made it to the tree line when the anthem began to play, displaying Cleo and Beckett’s faces in the sky.

Soarynn frowned, looks like Jessup was still in this thing, they were the final two. Eudora fanned her face, “Well he must be injured,” she said, looking around at us, I nodded, “So is Soarynn,” Sejanus pointed out.

It was true, she had sat down again, leaning against a tree close to the edge of the forest, rubbing her arm. The coyote had ripped away a good chunk of flesh, her face was scratched up again, and her wrist was bleeding through her gauze.

“She just has to hold on a little longer,” I said, if she won, she would be picked up by hovercraft and rushed to the Tribute Center’s hospital, housed in the basement where she’d receive state-of-the-art treatment for all of her wounds. She could make it, I believed in her.

Thunder rumbled across the arena and the screen flipped to Jessup, who was, still , alive. His breathing was shallow as he stumbled through the woods, slipping on mud and tree roots. I couldn’t make out his injuries that well in the darkness, but his shirt looked like it had been ripped off. The sun was setting in the Capitol, normally people would be turning in for the night, but everyone was watching the Games.

Imogen told us that when they had gone to vote, the Viewing Plaza was the fullest they had ever seen before. Sejanus nodded, “I heard some Peacekeepers saying it might be past capacity,” he told them, Jadis gasped, “The Games are surely going to be a hit this year,” she said, the others nodded.

“The Game Makers certainly have outdone themselves this year,” Olympia said. I shot Father a nasty look while nodding, I hope the Game Makers enjoyed the Games this year, because next year, they wouldn’t be alive to create them. 

Soarynn was trying to stay awake, she hadn’t lost a lot of blood, but the adrenaline was wearing off. Her eyes flew open when lightning struck the Cornucopia again, “Okay, we get it,” she mumbled, she watched as the rain fell and began to lower her head again when she perked up. She saw something in the distance, on the other side of the woods, a figure stumbling toward the Cornucopia. It was Jessup.

I heard gasps throughout the booth, throughout the whole Plaza as Jessup limped out of the woods. His face was a bloody mess, his shirt was tattered, with bloody claw marks raking across his chest, and his leg squirted blood with every step he took.

How he was still alive, I had no idea, but slowly but surely, he was making his way toward the Cornucopia. His eyes were dead set on Soarynn, who sat there watching him, a vacant look in her eyes.

Thunder shook the ground and Soarynn nodded, it was time. She stood up, grabbed her bow, and stepped out of the forest. Jessup stopped, panting as he watched her walk out before also coming to a stop. They had to be around fifty yards from each other, neither of them making an effort to move forward, both planted in the mud, Soarynn sighed, “Please don’t make me do this,” she whispered.

Jessup started coughing, blood coming up along with his spit, he wiped his mouth and stumbled towards Soarynn, who took a step back. She shook her head at him, he was going to die without her killing him, that we all knew, but if Jessup attacked her, she’d have to defend herself.

Jessup didn’t even have his bow anymore, it was probably lying somewhere in the forest, along with the rest of his shirt, but from the look in his eyes, he could kill her with his bare hands if he wanted to.

Lightning struck the Cornucopia again, startling Jessup who looked up into the sky, glaring, “YOU CAN’T KILL ME!” He screamed into the sky, his gaze then turned back to Soarynn who was watching him, bow in hand. He spread his arms out like a bird, “It’s just you and me,” he slurred, blood dripping from his mouth, he began to walk towards her slowly. “

You’re dying,” Soarynn said, her voice shaking, tears now falling from her face. He shook his head, “I’m…I’m fine….just a little..a little scratch,” he pointed to his chest where pus was now starting to ooze out of. Soarynn stifled a sob, “Please Jessup, don’t make me,” she cried. Jessup was still walking. 

Thirty yards.

 “ I’m not making you do anything little nightingale, THEY ARE!” He yelled, looking around. Thunder boomed, shaking the ground beneath him, causing him to stumble. 

Twenty yards. 

Soarynn watched as he grew closer, standing still as the trees that surrounded her. “Kill him!” Eudora cried, covering her eyes with her hands, Mother was crying, again , as Jessup continued his advances. 

Fifteen yards. 

Soarynn’s breath shuddered as she pulled the arrow from her quiver and drew her bow. The crowd was screaming, chanting, yelling, crying, all of Panem was watching this play out. Soarynn held her bow, ready to release the arrow meant to kill her star-crossed lover. 

Ten yards.

She choked back a sob as Jessup grew impatient and broke into a sloppy sprint toward her. “Let it fly,” I whispered, she pulled the arrow back, ready for the kill, “LET IT FLY!” I screamed at the screen. Soarynn let go of the arrow, watching as it flew right into Jessup’s heart, exploding and ripping a hole in his chest. He stopped in his tracks, gasping, looking at her in shock as he fell to his knees. He looked down at the hole now protruding through his chest, before falling over.

The cannon went off.

“ LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I PRESENT TO YOU, THE WINNER AND VICTOR OF THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES!”

Mother and Eudora were screaming and hugging each other while the Prep Team was jumping up and down in joy. Sejanus smiled at me, “She did it Coryo,” he said, I nodded, unable to process what had just happened. The rain finally came to a stop as the arena began to brighten. Soarynn dropped her bow and fell to her knees, crying while she looked at Jessup’s body. She crawled over to him, and turned him over onto his back, brushing his hair from his face.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered through tears, “I’m so sorry.” The arena roof opened up, and a hovercraft descended to collect her and take her to the hospital. Soarynn squinted up at the hovercraft and looked back down at Jessup’s face, she said something I couldn’t quite catch due to all the noise, but it looked like a goodbye.

She stood up and stumbled towards the Cornucopia where a ladder had descended from the hovercraft, she grabbed a hold of it and a current caught her, rendering her frozen as the ladder brought her up. 

“She did it,” I said, looking at Mother who was crying, she nodded and wrapped her arms around me, “She did it, darling.” I hugged her back, unable to believe that it was all finally over. Now things could go back to normal. I could go back to school, Soarynn and I could pick up where we left off, and eventually get married. Everything worked out in the end.

Mother let me go, running over and celebrating with the Prep Team who was popping champagne. I looked over at Father who was still looking at the screen, the Capitol seal now displayed, “She did it,” I said to him. He nodded, “You both surprised me.” 

Walking out of the booth, you would’ve thought we won the Games. People were cheering all of us on, calling out our names, and shaking my hand as I walked through the crowd, they were even shaking Sejanus’s hand. “I wonder when we can see her,” I said into his ear, he shook someone’s hand before responding, “I’d give her two days, plus, they’ll want to air your reunion live.”

I nodded, it made sense, now that Jessup was permanently out of the picture, we were the real ‘star-crossed lovers’ of Panem. We finally made it into the car and were able to catch our breath. “Well, now we can begin,” Mother said, looking at Eudora who nodded. “Begin what?” I asked, shifting towards Sejanus, “Begin to rebuild Soarynn’s image,” Eudora explained. “What’s wrong with her image? She just won the Games,” Sejanus said, looking as puzzled as me.

“Yes, but some might perceive her as barbaric now,” Mother told us, fanning herself with a napkin, “So it’ll be up to us,” she focused her eyes on me, “to rebuild it.” I scratched the back of my neck, “Okay…so when do we start” I asked, the sooner the better I imagined, she sighed, “Oh, it’ll officially start when she’s interviewed by Lucky, and you’ll be there with her Coriolanus.”

I almost choked on nothing, “I will?” I asked, she nodded, “She’ll need you for support dear,” Eudora told me. She would? I mean, of course, she would. And I couldn’t wait to see her, to have her in my arms again, to smell vanilla for the rest of my life. 

We dropped Sejanus off before we went home. I walked him to the front door of his apartment, “Thank you for everything,” I said, reaching my hand out, he shook it, “Of course Coryo,” he said with a smile. Maybe having friends wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

I tuned out most of the car ride home, Mother kept going on about the celebrations we would need to have now that Soarynn had won the Games. In the end, it was all one big party for Mother.

I couldn’t help but feel a spike of jealousy when Jadis mentioned what makeup look they should do on Soarynn for the interview. They would be the first of us to truly see her again since the Games, and her Stylist Castor as well. Still, I would be the most important one. It was nearing eleven when we got home, I headed straight upstairs to go tell Petunia the great news.

She was sleeping on Soarynn’s makeup vanity and I picked her up, holding her in my arms as she let out a hiss of annoyance. “She did it Petunia, Soarynn’s coming home,” I told the cat, she blinked, meowed, and jumped out of my arms. So much for a celebration. Knowing Petunia, she would ignore me the second Soarynn got back home, but I didn’t mind, as long as I had Soarynn, I had everything I needed.

Chapter Text

Two days is a long time for a man to wait to be reunited with his true love. Well, we weren’t in love, yet , but there was still time. I think Mother was growing a strong feeling of regret for ever pushing me out into the world considering the amount of pestering I had been doing as of late.

Every time I asked if I could see Soarynn I was given the same answer: “ No ”. Now, I don’t consider myself spoiled, but “ No ” wasn’t a word I was used to hearing. But eventually, two days passed, and I was sitting backstage in Lucky Flickerman’s theater being prepped for his show.

Atley was just putting on the finishing touches when Eudora came in, wearing a dark blue shimmery dress, with of course, shoes, nails, hair, and lashes to match. I would never expect anything less from her. I was sporting my own navy blue suit, with a white rose pinned to my lapel.

“Is she here?” I asked, Eudora nodded her head, “I haven’t seen her yet,” she told me, “but I saw her dress and it’s gorgeous!” I really could care less about what dress Soarynn was wearing, but I knew every woman in the audience would. I gave her a smile, “I can’t wait to see it,” I say, letting Atley powder my face before stepping away and proclaiming, “My work here is done .”

A little over the top if you asked me, but after giving him that raise, he seemed to have a bit more of a dramatic flare. Eudora looked me over before giving me the nod of approval, and walking me to the wings of the stage, “Where’s Mother ?” I asked her, I expected she’d come to visit me before I went on stage, but she was nowhere to be found. And trust me, I would have heard her.

Eudora waved me off, “Oh she’s sitting in the audience, dear, front row like the rest of us, now, remember what we talked about Coriolanus, you must be there for her on stage, no matter what.” I nodded, the past few days hadn’t been without a few bumps in the road, and by bumps, I meant being trained and drilled by Mother and Eudora on what to say for tonight.

I knew Soarynn would be going into this interview blind, but Mother said that she wanted at least one of us to have a strategy. Last night as I was headed to bed, she pulled me to the side and told me something that was still playing over in my head. “ The Games aren’t really over once that last cannon goes off darling, they’re never truly over .”

I wasn’t used to my Mother being so wise and acting so… sober , but I nodded as if I understood and went to bed. But now, as I was being pushed out onto the stage, I started to understand what she meant. The Games never really leave the Victors, the Games were only the beginning.

Lucky must have gotten the dark blue memo, because he was decked out in a studded dark blue suit, and was wearing glittery shoes that sparkled under the light. I’ve seen worse from this man if we’re being honest, much worse. After the applause died down, Lucky and I took our seats.

My seat was a loveseat, perfectly fit for two people. I couldn’t wait for my other half to join me. “So, Coriolanus, how are you feeling tonight?” He asked me as he leaned in. I couldn’t even come up with an eloquent and sophisticated answer, “Excited,” I told him, bouncing my knee up and down.

The audience ‘ awed ’, and he chuckled, “Excited to see someone special hmm?” He asked as he looked into the crowd, and raised his eyebrows pulling some laughs from the audience. I nodded, “Yes, I think we’re all excited to see her tonight,” I told him, looking into the audience to see people nodding.

“Yes, indeed we are, indeed we are, but tell me, what did you think of the riveting ending of these Games?” He asked me. This is what I had been training for over the past two days. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of her,” I say, he placed his hand over his heart.

 “Were you worried for her?” He asked me, I nodded, “I can’t imagine my life without her, so to have her ripped away, I couldn’t bear it much longer.” I glanced into the audience to see Mother wiping a tear as if she didn’t write this herself.

“Well, lucky you, because Soarynn is the Victor of the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games!” He said, smiling as the audience roared in excitement, I couldn’t help but smile, the odds must have been in our favor this time around, lucky me indeed.

Lucky calmed them down, turning back to me with a rather serious expression, “Now, Soarynn has been recovering and receiving the medical care and treatment she needs for the past few days, am I correct Coriolanus?” I nodded, “So, you two have not seen each other since she was last interviewed here?” I nodded again, I was starting to get anxious, but Eudora warned me about this.

“ Let him build it up ,” she had told me, he was going to try to drag this out for the viewers. “Is your family excited?” He asked, smiling down at my family sitting in the front row, “Yes, we can’t wait to have her back home,” I told him, he looked at Mother, “Then would I be thinking a little too forward to believe that I smell a celebration coming soon?” He asked.

Mother waved him off, “Oh you tease!” She said, drawing laughter from the audience at their little banter, “Well, let me stop teasing you folks watching, because I am being told that our very own Diamond of the Capitol is ready to be reunited with us again!” He announced, the audience erupted into cheers as images of Soarynn began to flash across the screens behind us, some were professional photos whereas others were candids taken straight from the Games.

“Ladies and Gentleman, make some noise for Soarynn, the Victor of the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games!”

My heart stopped for a second. I stood up as I watched Soarynn walk out of the wings across from me. She looked beautiful. Her messy hair was now perfect again, parted down the middle and curled at the ends. Her scratched-up skin was smooth once again and her face had a glow to it.

Her dress really was beautiful, she looked like a golden-dark blue flower, and it had petals that shimmered under the stage lights. She was looking out into the audience, smiling as she waved. I started to walk towards her, my hands shaking a little too much for me to not be embarrassed by, but I didn’t care.

She turned and her eyes locked onto mine, her smile fell as she took me in, as we took each other in. She was okay, she was alive, and she was here with me. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took in a shaky breath, she sniffled and then gave me that smile that I never thought I’d see again.

We rushed forward, I felt her body fall into mine and I held her so tight I thought I might crack one of her ribs. I wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her head, she buried her face into my suit jacket, letting out a deep breath. I inhaled her scent, vanilla , she was holding onto me just as tight, both arms wrapped around my waist.

For a moment, we were the only ones on this stage, the only people in this theater, in this world. I pulled away looking down at her as she pulled her face off of my chest, looking up at me with those blue-gray eyes, I smiled, brushing some hair behind her ear, “Hi,” she whispered. I laughed, “Hi,” I said before leaning in to kiss her, she returned the kiss eagerly and the audience lost it, crying, cheering, screaming.

Young love had won once again despite all odds. We finally pulled away and turned back to Lucky who was wiping away a tear and presenting the loveseat to us, ready to continue the interview. I know I told Lucky that I would never let her go, but I really meant it, I wrapped one arm around her waist and took her hand with the other.

That’s when I noticed how small she had become, she was always on the leaner side, but the Games had stolen much more from her than I thought. We slowly made our way to the loveseat. I could tell that she was still exhausted because every step she took was a shaky one. She looked into the audience and gave Mother and Eudora a small smile, immediately warranting tears from both of them.

I helped her sit down and noticed that she wasn’t wearing high heels, in fact, she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She quickly pulled down her dress, covering her feet before turning to Lucky. “Here we are again,” he said with a smile, “Here we are again,” she agreed, reaching out her hand, he took it and planted a kiss onto it, and the audience ‘ awed ’.

“How have you been my dear?” He asked, releasing her hand, she shifted in the seat, pushing her body further into mine, like she wanted to crawl into my skin. “It’s all been a little disorienting,” she said, picking at her nails, I gently grabbed her hand and laced it with mine.

Lucky nodded, “Yes, I can imagine this whole ordeal has been something else entirely, so why don’t we watch it from the beginning?” He asked, and the lights dimmed as the screen began to play clips from Soarynn’s Games.

 Soarynn immediately put her head on my shoulder as the screen flashed with clips of her fighting Lark for the backpack. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder when I felt her entire body shaking. She must be cold , I thought as I planted a kiss on her temple.

We then watched as she became allies with Leo and Arabella and when she sang her meadow song to Leo to help him sleep, then as she sang it to Arabella as she died. I looked down to see a tear rolling down Soarynn’s cheek. We saw her come across my hologram, I tensed when she ran towards it, only to realize it wasn’t me, then came her and Leo’s falling out.

When it came to her and Briella’s fight, the audience cheered as she killed Briella, and I heard them sniffling as she sang Leo to sleep. She turned her head and buried her face into my shoulder when Jessup came on screen, I rubbed my hand on her shoulder, and stroked her face with my other hand, “It’s okay, it’s almost over,” I whispered.

She peeked her head out and watched as she kissed Jessup on the cheek, we watched Jessup give her archery lessons, and we watched them become victims of the Jabberjay attack, Soarynn running through the woods, and eventually dying. She was full-on crying now as we watched Jessup bring her back to life.

I wanted to tell her that I actually helped her out in the control room, but there was a time and place for all of that later. I began to get fed up with the amount of screen time Jessup was getting as he helped Soarynn clear her lungs out. I was fuming inside when she kissed him before that, but I didn’t let it show, it was finally down to the final four.

Soarynn and Cleo fought it out and the audience cheered again when she killed Cleo, she wiped her tears, but new ones came shortly after when Jessup tried to kill her by shoving night lock berries down her throat. The audience gasped as if this was the first time they were seeing this, I think one woman even passed out.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as Soarynn and Jessup came across the bear and she and Beckett teamed up against the mutts. People cried out as the bear took out Beckett, and Soarynn sang him to sleep.

The room became quiet and tension filled the air as we watched Soarynn and Jessup face each other down, people were hanging onto every word, and everyone erupted into cheers when she killed Jessup and the lights came back on. 

Soarynn quickly wiped her tears and sat back up, while Lucky quieted down the audience. “Well it seems you’ll never be short of fans here in the Capitol,” he told her as he gestured to the crowd, she gave him a small smile, “Yes, I’m so grateful and lucky to have them, and my family, and anyone who helped me in the Games,” she said while looking straight into the camera.

Maybe she didn’t need any training for this interview , I thought as Lucky began to talk again. “Now, you spent a total of seven days in the arena, seven folks,” he said looking at the audience, Soarynn nodded, “Yes, it seemed much longer than that,” she replied. He nodded, “What were you thinking about when you were in there?”

She thought for a moment, reaching up to grab something when I realized it was her locket. The locket . “I just thought about getting back home, while trying to do the right thing,” she said, Lucky leaned forward, “Can you tell us about the song you sang to Arabella and Leo?” He asked.

I felt her tense next to me, but she didn’t falter, “My dad taught it to me, back in Twelve that is,” she explained, “He said my mom would sing it to me when she was pregnant with me, it’s all I really have of both of them now,” she said quietly. “I see,” Lucky said somberly, “Would you ever sing it again?” He asked, people began to pipe up, “Sing it!” They cried from their seats.

She smiled but shook her head, “I’m sorry, it’s all becoming a bit too much for me right now,” she told Lucky who immediately nodded before signaling to his stagehands who ran out with a glass of water for her. She took it, thanking the stagehand before drinking the whole thing.

“What can we expect from you two Coriolanus?” Lucky asked, giving Soarynn a break, I bit my lip, I wasn’t prepared for that one. “Well, sooner or later we’ll be embarking on Soarynn’s Victory Tour, we hope you’ll come to see us off,” I said, looking into the audience as they nodded excitedly. Lucky joined them, “I don’t know what we’ll do without you while you’re gone,” he said looking at my family in the audience, “Well, you’ll have a lot fewer parties,” I joked, drawing laughter from everyone.

“How true, although, I do believe we all are excited for a certain celebration,” he said looking at me and Soarynn, wiggling his eyebrows. Soarynn blushed while I tried not to choke on nothing while trying to come up with a response for that . “Right now, all I care about is spending every moment I can with her,” I told him as I brought up our intertwined hands and placed a kiss on hers.

“How sweet,” Lucky said as he stood up, signaling the interview was finally over. I stood up, helping Soarynn onto her feet, both of us looking into the audience as Lucky called out, “Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been my honor to interview the Victor of the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games and the future President and First Lady of Panem, Coriolanus and Soarynn Snow!”

The crowd stood to their feet, chanting our names as they threw flowers onto the stage. Lucky kissed Soarynn on the cheek before shaking my hand and we made our way off the stage, waving goodbye to the audience. 

We made it backstage and while I wanted to stop and tell Soarynn how much I had missed her, I realized how unwell she really was. She was shaking, there was sweat coating her forehead and her breathing became labored.

She should not have done that interview this soon after the Games, whoever’s idea it was to put her back out into the world days after the Games, needed to be fired immediately. I grabbed her shoulders, “Hey, hey you’re okay, you’re okay Soarynn just breathe.” She shook her head, pushing my hands off of her as she stumbled away from me, grabbing at the wall for support, “Soarynn?” I called, walking towards her and grabbing her waist.

She bent over, gasping for air. “ Soarynn? ” I asked again, growing more and more worried as she struggled to breathe, she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself as she began to rock back and forth. I frantically looked around for someone, anyone to help her.

Lucky was still out there, continuing his show, and while I knew my family would be coming backstage to see us, I didn’t know where exactly. I crouched down, lifting her chin to find her face white as a ghost, “Hello?” I called out, realizing she needed medical attention immediately. I could hear Mother and the Prep Team’s voices from down the hall, but Soarynn’s condition was getting even worse.

I then watched in horror as her eyes rolled back and she fell forward onto the ground and began convulsing. “MEDIC!” I screamed, grabbing her body and pushing her hair from her face, there was spit coming out of her mouth and she was jerking violently, she was having a seizure. I could hear my family running now, I could hear Mother’s screams when she saw us on the ground.

I looked out to see Lucky Flickerman realizing what was happening, his face turning from a smile to a look of absolute horror. I could hear the medics pushing past Mother as they knelt down next to us, taking Soarynn’s body from my arms and putting her onto a stretcher, and placing a respirator over her mouth as they lifted her up and carried her away.

I felt Mother grabbing me and pulling me up to follow them to the hospital. And I could hear the beeps of the heart monitor as I sat in a chair next to Soarynn’s bed, realizing that Mother was right, nothing would truly be the same after the Games. 

Chapter Text

I hate hospitals. I hate how sterile they feel, how formal and uptight everyone is, and how I don’t understand what’s really going on around me. Maybe that’s why I didn’t visit Titus. That’s definitely why. Mother tried to convince me to go home and get some sleep, but I refused. I wanted to be the first person Soarynn saw when she woke up.

She was sleeping now, after her seizure, she was rushed to the hospital where they ran several tests on her and locked us out of the room. Mother was, of course, hysterical, and Lavender had to be given a sedative.

The Head Doctor then came out after a few hours and told us that she had double pneumonia, head trauma, and severe lacerations on her right forearm. In other words, she was nowhere near recovered, and had no business doing that interview last night.

She looked the same as always when she was sleeping, calm, her face dotted with freckles, like an angel. The nurse had come in a few times to check in on her, and me, offering me a hospital bed to sleep in but I declined, opting for the chair I had been perched on for the past seven hours.

Uncomfortable, yes, but it was worth it. I was worried I might be suffering from separation anxiety, not wanting to be apart from her ever again, but Mother said that she was going to arrange for Soarynn and me to see a therapist weekly. Thank goodness, I needed someone to hear what I had been through this past week. 

I was nodding off for the tenth time when Soarynn’s heart rate picked up, I snapped my head up to see her slowly batting her eyes open. I jumped up and walked over to the side of her bed, brushing her hair out of her face as she slowly woke up. Her eyes widened when she saw my face and she sat up fast, so fast that she immediately became dizzy and fell back into the bed.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re safe,” I told her, she looked at me warily before taking in her surroundings, I could hear the heart monitor going crazy, “Soarynn, you’re okay, you’re in the hospital.” She shook her head and tried to sit up again, but five nurses and the Head Doctor flew into the room, pushing me away from her as they fussed over her, checking her vitals.

“Miss, can you tell me your name?” One of the nurses asked Soarynn looked at her for a moment before opening her mouth, “My name…is Soarynn,” she told her, the nurse smiled, “Very good, you’re at the hospital right now Soarynn, your family will be here soon to see you.”

Soarynn nodded and let her head sink into the pillow as they inserted a new IV into the catheter in her arm, her body immediately relaxed and she closed her eyes. “Let’s get some more,” the Doctor said to the nurses who nodded before leaving the room. “What is that?” I asked him, he glanced up from his tablet before looking at the drip bag, “Oh, this? This is morphling, we administer it to all of the Victors after they win the Games,” he explained.

I was speechless, morphling was also a highly addictive painkiller that could cause death if used in an abusive way. And they were just pumping it into her? No wonder she didn’t seem okay during the interview, she was probably coming off of all sorts of drugs!

This led me to question the Capitol’s methods of medical care when it came to the Victors, the rest of them would be shipped back to their Districts, forced to deal with the withdrawal symptoms after the drugs wore off.

The Doctor must’ve seen my face, “Don’t worry, we only administer small doses at a time,” he said as a nurse walked in with a new bag, full of it. The nurse nodded before attaching it to the IV pole, “It helps them forget,” she told me, I was speechless again, “Forget?” I asked, baffled at the gaul these people had. “Well you wouldn’t want to remember those Games would you?” She asked me, she had me there , I shook my head, “I guess not,” I mumbled.

Once the new bag was set in place, the nurse and Doctor left, promising they’d be back soon to check on her vitals. Part of me wanted to rip that needle out of her arm and keep her from falling into a possible morphling rabbit hole, but the other part of me didn’t want her to suffer more than she already had. 

I could hear Mother’s heels from down the hall, bursting through the door and immediately bursting into tears when she saw Soarynn asleep, “Oh, my darling!” She cried, running to her bedside. I looked at Eudora who was watching her, “Do they serve alcohol in the hospital cafeteria?” I asked her, Eudora nodded, “makes sense,” I said, turning back to Mother who was petting Soarynn’s head.

“They gave her morphling,” I told Mother, ready for her to hunt down the Head Doctor and rip him a new one, but she just nodded. “Good, that’ll speed up the healing process, she’s to be crowned the Victor in five days.” Five days?

That seemed so soon, would she even be able to stand? Let alone have Father crown her and then attend the after-party? “That seems too soon,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, Eudora walked to the foot of the bed, watching Soarynn sleep.

“Oh, she’ll barely have to do a thing Coriolanus, she doesn’t even have to give a speech, just smile and wave to her adoring fans,” she said wistfully. “When can she come home?” I asked, changing the subject, Mother tore her eyes away from Soarynn, “Well hopefully this evening dear, she’ll still need all of this,” she said gesturing to all the medical equipment, “But I think she’d be much more comfortable at home than in here.” I nodded, having her back home would be nice, no one could bother her as long as she was with us.

“Where’s Father?” I realized that the old man was nowhere to be seen, and I highly doubted he was getting a drink or visiting other patients, “He had some meetings, darling, you know how crazy things get after the Games,” Mother told me. It was true, after the Games, there were a lot of things to figure out and plan, and these Games had been like no other.

“It wouldn’t kill them to add a splash of color in here,” Eudora said, looking at the white walls distastefully, Mother nodded, “Yes, why if we just added some feathers…” Ugh. “And some wallpaper,” Eudora agreed, “it would brighten the place up, we should work on that,” she told Mother. The last thing these two needed was another “ passion project ”, but who was I to stop them? 

Soarynn was still sleeping when they discharged her from the hospital. I don't know what they gave her, but her double pneumonia had worked its way out of her system, leaving her with a bandaged arm and orders to not do any strenuous activity for two weeks. Like that’ll be hard, I thought as I watched her sleeping. We were in the back of an ambulance, driving directly to the President’s Mansion where she could recover in the warmth of her own home.

Mother and Eudora had left beforehand, to prepare her room for her arrival, and prepare a room for Soarynn’s new nurse. Florence was Soarynn’s new assigned bedside nurse, who would be keeping her alive until she was deemed “healthy” again.

This woman had to be at least sixty. She had gray hair tied into a tight bun and looked like she could body-slam you without even breaking a sweat. I began to wonder if we had hired a nurse or a bodyguard as we turned into the driveway.

Soarynn’s eyes fluttered open as the ambulance came to a stop, focusing on me. I smiled and grabbed her hand, “You’re home now,” I whispered. The doors opened and I let them take her bed out of the ambulance, she was looking around, watching as all of these people ran around, trying to ensure she was comfortable.

She slowly sat up, rubbing her head when she noticed the bandages on her right forearm, she looked at me and I gave her a small smile before walking over to her. “Do you want to stand up?” I asked her, I knew I would want to be back on my feet after the day she had just had, and she nodded.

I looked at Florence who was watching us with the eyes of a hawk, she gave me a nod. I gently grabbed Soarynn’s hand and helped her swing her feet over the hospital bed railing, she used her other hand to push herself off, her feet planted on the gravel driveway.

She was shaking again, but I had a feeling she was more disoriented than scared or hurt. She hesitantly let go of the railing and grabbed onto my arm, slowly taking a step towards the side door of the house.

We slowly made our way into the house, the side door leading into one of the many grand hallways we had, where Mother, Eudora, the Prep Team, and even Father were waiting for us. Imogen immediately burst into tears when she saw us together, the rest of the Team managed to keep it together which I appreciated. Mother rushed forward, taking Soarynn from my arms and hugging her tight, “Oh my darling, we’ve missed you so much, we thought about you every moment you were gone,” she said, pulling away and holding Soarynn’s face in her hands.

Soarynn smiled, “I missed you too,” she told her and Mother started to tear up, “You must be exhausted,” Eudora said walking over to us, Soarynn nodded, blinking several times. “Well, let’s get you to the elevator so you can rest in your room,” Eudora said, brushing her hair behind her ear, “Thank you Eudora,” Soarynn said, Eudora nodded, blinking back tears, “Of course dear.” 

Rarely did we ever use the elevator in this house, but there was no way we were going to make Soarynn walk up all of those stairs. We weren’t monsters. Soarynn was leaning against me again, probably tuning out Mother who was chatting with Florence who was also probably tuning her out.

Soarynn sighed as she rested her head on my shoulder. “It’s so wonderful to see you two together again,” Mother said, looking at us, “I mean, you two haven’t been apart ever until now, so unfortunate that this had to happen to us all.”

I nodded, “Yes, well thank goodness it’s over,” I told Mother as the elevator doors opened. Soarynn made it about ten feet down the hall before I elected to scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way. She was light as a feather which worried me, but I also didn’t think she had much of an appetite as of late. We all made it into her room when we heard a meow.

Soarynn gasped, “Petunia!” She said, wiggling out of my arms and kneeling down as Petunia ran and lept into her arms. Soarynn hugged her, whispering into her ears as she rocked them back and forth on the carpet.

“I forgot all about the cat,” I heard Mother whispering to Eudora who nodded, thankfully, I had been keeping an eye on Petunia while Soarynn was gone. Petunia popped her head over Soarynn’s head and hissed at me, “Oh please, until now, I was your only friend,” I said to the cat, who continued to hiss as Soarynn stood up.

I helped her over to her bed where Florence began attaching all sorts of things to her, hooking her up to the IV and heart monitor and helping her get comfortable. “She needs to rest,” she told us, Mother and I looked at each other before looking at Soarynn who was already fast asleep, “Can I…can I stay with her?” I asked, Florence shook her head. Well, that was that. 

We trudged out of the room, jumping when Florence slammed the door shut, “Well, she’s a woman of few words,” Eudora said, patting her hair, Mother nodded, “I think I’m going to have a drink now, join me?” She asked Eudora who nodded, “Gladly,” she said. They walked down the hall, chatting about how good it was to have Soarynn back home, but I lingered outside her room. Just in case she needed me. 

She did in fact, not need me. Not until the day she was to be crowned the Victor that is. I stopped by her room several times the past few days, popping my head in, offering to watch over her while Florence took a break, but that woman was relentless.

And besides, every time I visited, Soarynn was fast asleep. I brought it up at dinner last night, but Mother waved off my concerns, telling me that this was “ perfectly normal behavior darling ”. As if she knows what perfectly normal looks like.

I also visited Soarynn last night, camping out behind the enormous curtains that hung from the windows, waiting for Florence to go to her own room that night. A bit excessive, yes, but I needed my alone time with Soarynn. And Florence was a bit of a buzzkill if you asked me, and she clearly didn’t understand the magnitude of what was at stake here. As soon as I heard the telltale click of Florence’s bedroom door closing, I tiptoed over to Soarynn’s room, quietly opening the door.

I expected her to be asleep, but she was awake, looking out the window next to her bed. I padded my way over to her bed, clearing my throat to announce my presence, but she didn’t seem to care. “I didn’t think you’d be awake,” I said, shifting on my feet, she said nothing, she just continued to stare out the window. Petunia climbed out of her lap and walked over to me, purring as I scratched behind her ears. “You know, we’ve really gotten close since you’ve been gone,” I told Soarynn, she said nothing.

It was at this point that I was beginning to grow some resentment towards her, I mean, I was trying , no one could accuse me of not trying. And she was just looking out the window, saying nothing, she certainly wasn’t an Avox, and she would have to start talking once she got crowned. Mother had been planning a big party to celebrate her homecoming, and everyone who was anyone would be attending, all desperate to align themselves with the Capitol’s Diamond-turned-Hunger Games Victor.

“I really missed you,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. Nothing. “Um, do you need anything before I go?” I asked, hoping she’d turn around and say that the only thing she needed was me . But she didn’t, she just stared vacantly out the window. And I knew for a fact that there was nothing of interest out there.

I placed Petunia on the carpet before rubbing my face with my hand, “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I turned on my heel. If this is what Florence had to deal with on a daily basis, it was a miracle she hadn’t quit yet. 

It was now the day of the crowning, and I honestly couldn’t have cared less. Not if Soarynn was just going to ignore me for the rest of her life, I mean, I was going to become President soon. Who cares if she won the Games? She had it in the bag the whole time if I’m being honest. Who needed a crown? At least that’s what I told myself as Atley was hissing at my new hairstylist. I did in fact fire the old one, my hair was no light matter.

The new one, Octavian, I think , was under strict orders to not use any gel or gel-like substances on my precious curls. Mother came into my room, looking like a bedazzled Q-tip. The whole family was wearing white, so I could only assume that’s what Soarynn was wearing. But, I didn’t care what she was wearing, obviously. “Oh, you look so handsome Coriolanus, just like your Father.” I had to swallow a bit of vomit before responding, “Thank you, Mother, you look lovely as ever.”

She waved me off before Eudora teetered in, donning her own sparkly white outfit of course, “Is he ready?” She asked Atley. He nodded, slapping Octavian’s hand away from my hair, “Have a wonderful time sir,” Atley said, giving me the fakest Capitol smile I’ve ever seen. “I plan to,” I deadpanned, watching as they scurried out of my bedroom. I also planned on getting blackout drunk, but that wasn’t until later tonight. First, we had to get through this ceremony. 

I had made my way down to the foyer, to find that Father was already there in his own white suit, so naturally, we stood on opposite sides of the room. Mother had replaced the vase with the ugly feathers with beautiful white roses, thank goodness she had come to her senses. Although, as I watched her come down the stairs, it was easy to see where the feathers had gone. I guess she decided to add some to her ornate hairdo since I last saw her because her hair looked like a haphazard bird’s nest.

“Your hair looks wonderful darling,” Father said. Well, it was easy to see where I got my habit of lying from. “Why thank you Crassus,” she said, walking towards me to fix my hair. “Would either of you like a feather?” She asked, looking at the two of us, “Hard pass,” I told her, looking up at the top of the stairs again to see Soarynn making her way down with the help of her Prep Team. She looked good, even I can give credit where credit is due, but it was strange seeing her outside of her room, not dressed in an ugly hospital gown.

Her current dress was elegant, with a straight neckline that turned into a sleeve that draped all the way to the floor, covering her right forearm. It was silver and gold, the colors flowing intricately throughout the fabric, with small pearls sprinkled along the bodice. She seemed to have recovered from her little scare after Lucky’s show nicely, maybe the morphling wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Knowing my role, even if it hadn’t been spelled out in front of me, I made my way to the bottom of the stairs, holding my hand out for her to take. For a moment, I was scared. Scared of being rejected, scared of losing her, and scared of everyone watching my failure.

But she took my hand without batting an eye, giving me a smile which I returned. “You look beautiful,” I told her, and she really did, her hair was parted down the side today, it was wavy with little pearls interwoven in the small braid Jadis had done.

“Thank you,” she said, stepping down onto the floor. Eudora flew down the stairs shortly after, not wanting to be a minute behind schedule, and ushered all of us out of the door and into the car, taking us to the Avenue of Tributes. “It seems we were just here,” Mother sighed as we pulled into the Tribute loading dock.

This was where the Tributes mounted their chariots and rode down the Avenue, before coming to a stop in front of the podium where my family sat, and waved to us before my Father doled out the same boring speech he gave every year for the Games.

The crowd loved it though. We could hear them from the car, screaming and cheering Soarynn’s name. Two Peacekeepers opened the door and helped Soarynn out, she would be on her own until she got up to the podium to be crowned. “Good luck darling, we’ll see you shortly!” Mother called as Soarynn walked towards her chariot, stopping to pet the horses, not even looking back at us.

How odd it must be for her, last time she was here there were twenty-three more people waiting to be paraded down the Avenue, one of them being Jessup. Good riddance , I thought as the car pulled away, Jessup had been nothing but trouble for Soarynn. 

We really could use some shade up here. At least, that’s what I wanted to tell my Father as we all sat up on the podium, waiting for Soarynn to make her way down the Avenue. We had been up there for all of five minutes, and I was already over it. The sun would be setting in about an hour, why we couldn’t do this at night made no sense to me. I was jarred from my thoughts when the drums began to play and the anthem began to sound throughout the Avenue.

We all stood, watching as the crowd came alive when the large doors opened up, revealing Soarynn on her chariot. I kept my face neutral as she rode down towards us, clapping politely, of course, Soarynn waved to all of her fans, who in return screamed her name at the top of their lungs. She finally made her way to the bottom of the podium where she was helped off of the chariot and brought into the skeleton of the podium itself, where there was an elevator waiting to bring her up to us.

When the doors opened, I expected her to be looking at me, but her eyes were dead set on Father, and if looks could kill, he’d be a dead man. The podium we all sat on had a podium of its own for Father to stand on, after Soarynn took her seat next to me, he began his speech.

“People of Panem, Citizens of the Capitol, today we have come together to witness and to crown the Victor of the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games. And what a special year it has been, for this has been the first time in our history, that one of our own, one who we welcomed wholeheartedly into our hearts and home, was taken from us, stripped away. But, it appears the odds were in our favor, for it is my honor and my privilege to present and crown our new Victor, Soarynn.”

The crowd lost it, everyone was on their feet chanting, “ SOARYNN, SOARYNN, SOARYNN, SOARYNN, SOARYNN! ” Soarynn stood, wobbling for a second before finding her footing, and made her way up the podium to Father who was holding the golden Victor’s crown. It was the same crown that all the Victors before her had worn, and the same crown those after her would wear as well. I watched as he placed the crown on her head, neither of them breaking eye contact even as the fireworks shot off in front of us.

Mother and our entire entourage were clapping, rushing out of their seats to congratulate her in front of the masses. It was when they all looked at me that I realized I was still sitting down, watching them with a displeased look on my face, even Soarynn was looking at me. I quickly stood up and made my way to the podium, taking her hand and waving to the crowd.

The chants quickly turned from Soarynn’s name to, “ KISS, KISS, KISS, KISS, KISS, KISS ,” normally, I would have been happy to kiss her. But this felt different like there was a wall between us, and I think she felt it too. But we had to give the people what they wanted, we had to feed the monster.

I turned to face her, gently grabbing her face and planting a soft kiss on her lips, it was at that moment that I realized the next time we would be doing this in front of the crowd would be after saying “ I do .” My eyes flew open as we pulled away, trying to shake away those thoughts as I gave her a quick smile before stepping down from the podium. 

Everything after that was a rush, we made our way to the elevator and into the car where the Prep Team kept fawning over our little kiss. You should’ve seen us before the Games , I thought as I looked at her hand. She was quite tense as she sat next to me, and under normal circumstances, I would have taken her hand without even thinking to comfort her. But now? Well, I was scared she might bite me or do something rash.

The sun had just begun to set and we were making our way back home, where quite possibly, the party of the century was waiting for us. We pulled to the front gates where partygoers had already lined the walkway to the front door.

Mother was, of course, the first one out, greeting guests, followed by Father, Eudora, and the Prep Team. I really didn’t want to leave the car, but duty calls. I looked down at Soarynn’s hand again before reaching mine out to her, “Together?” I asked her, she looked down at my hand, hesitating before taking it, “Always.”  

Chapter Text

Part of me has always wondered how Mother has the energy for things like this. Is she not absolutely drained once the last guest stumbles off of our property, through the gates, and onto the street where they will most likely throw up?

Because right now, she was living . Normally, a walk from the gates to the front door should take three minutes, it took us thirty, and to be honest, we could’ve taken longer. It didn’t help that our entire entourage was in front of us, keeping Soarynn and me from pushing through the crowd, and trust me, I wanted to plow down everyone I made eye contact with.

I did my best to smile for the cameras, there were so many of them taking our photographs, flashing and nearly blinding us as the photographers yelled at us to get closer. Like that’ll happen , I thought, thinking back to last night.

Soarynn was clutching onto my hand with such a grip I thought it might fall off of my arm, but I was glad to have some physical contact, we were both keeping each other grounded. People were more interested in her than me, touching her dress, her hair, and even her shoes.

One man reached out to touch her face and she immediately jerked back, watching as a Peacekeeper grabbed the man to kick him out. The nerve of some people . 

Once we made it inside, I wanted to go back outside. Soarynn let out a gasp when she saw the number of people in our house, Mother truly had gone all out for this party, the second floor of our home was always off-limits to guests– unless we brought them up there, but that’s a different story –so the first floor was packed .

Most people were chatting it up with Mother and Father, but all their eyes turned to us as the large door slammed behind us. “Just smile and wave,” I whispered to Soarynn who nodded and put on her best Capitol smile.

We weaved our way through the crowd saying our hellos, I was aiming for the ballroom, but we ended up in the formal dining room, the same room we had celebrated Soarynn’s seventeenth birthday dinner in.

It seemed so long ago, even though it had only been about two weeks since everything had happened. The dining room was lined with tables, filled with every soup, cake, drink, and over-the-top dish you could imagine. Thank goodness because I was famished.

Soarynn was too because she immediately pulled me towards the dessert table, it was undoubtedly her favorite table at any party, and who could blame her? I watched her, smiling to myself as she dipped her tenth strawberry into the chocolate fountain. I remember when she first discovered the wonders of a chocolate fountain, she had just turned nine and we were at the Plinth’s celebrating the New Year.

Mother had almost popped a blood vessel from scolding her when Soarynn had taken a cup from their cabinets to drink the chocolate itself. But Mrs. Plinth didn’t mind, she just laughed and told Mother that children should enjoy the little things in life. How good the Plinths had been to me and Soarynn. 

“I’d be careful with those, wouldn’t want to ruin your appetite,” someone said behind us. We both turned to see Sejanus smiling at us, I returned his smile, reaching out my hand to shake his. “I didn’t know if you’d be able to make it,” I said, he laughed, “I couldn’t miss the party of the year,” he said as he made his way to Soarynn.

It took her a moment to realize that it was Sejanus, she broke into a grin and put down the strawberries, giving him a hug. Oh, so he gets a hug and I get nothing. “I never thought I’d see you again,” Soarynn said as she pulled away, he nodded, “Me neither, but you pulled through.” She frowned, looking down as she picked at her cuticle, “I’m sorry about Finn and Cleo,” she said, he shook his head, “Don’t be, Cleo was always that way,” he told her.

She looked up, “Still, I could’ve done it in a better way, and I feel awful about Finn, especially since I ran into the stag shortly after.” So she’s been watching the Games, I thought, strange considering every time I went to see her she was supposedly asleep. He nodded, “Finn wasn’t much better,” he admitted, “always throwing rocks at birds and little animals.”

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, “Then I suppose he got what was coming to him,” she said, Sejanus nodded, “They all did in their own ways.” It hadn’t even occurred to me that Sejanus personally knew Cleo and Finn and really any Tribute that had come from Two.

No wonder he and his family avoided watching the Games at all costs, it was more than personal for them than anyone. And yet, they sent Soarynn a gift, and Sejanus had stood by me the whole way through. A true friend indeed.

Sejanus looked at me and then at Soarynn, perhaps he could sense the tension between us despite our best efforts to look madly in love. “Why don’t you two go dance?” He asked us, to which I shot him a look of disdain, it was bad enough having Mother micromanage us, but him too?

I sighed and nodded, “It’ll probably be empty in the ballroom anyways,” I said to Soaryn who looked at me skeptically before taking my hand and following me. I was wrong of course. All the bigwigs of the Capitol were in the ballroom, laughing at jokes that weren’t funny and acting interested in stories that weren’t interesting.

If anyone had a story to tell, it was Soarynn, and she had become a woman of few words as of late. I could hear Mother’s laughter over the noise of the crowd and spotted Father talking to a group of Game Makers, I suppose the Games were their own triumph as much as they were Soarynn’s.

I tried not to grip Soarynn’s hand even harder as Maybe-Aslen made his way toward us, Soarynn looked up at me and then at him, not putting the pieces together yet. But she would soon if Maybe-Aslen couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. “I’ve come to pay my respects,” he said, bowing at waist to Soarynn, “I’m sure you have,” I said, causing his head to snap up.

“I see someone hasn’t recovered from the control room after the Jabberjays,” he said, playfully wiggling his finger at me, while Sejanus might have known what he meant, Soarynn didn’t.

But it was so very fascinating to watch her face as she figured out what he was talking about, her face morphing from a polite smile to a look of a murderer, she tilted her head, looking him up and down, and just as she was about to open her mouth, the pop of a champagne cork sounded throughout the room, startling all of us.

“Well, it was lovely meeting you, my dear, and thank you, for making my first Games so very interesting,” he said with an evil smile. “Hopefully they’ll be your last,” she said to him, causing him to drop his smile, and causing me to put one on. That’s my girl .

Seeing no need to continue this conversation, I led us away from Maybe-Aslen and towards the center of the ballroom where people were actually dancing. Sejanus had disappeared, probably looking to find something to drink after having to witness that conversation, that made two of us. 

We slowly danced to the best of our abilities. It didn’t help to know that all eyes were on us, and it also didn’t help that Soarynn had flinched when I placed my hand on her waist. It’s like she was trying to make me feel bad. I’m sure Eudora was watching with disappointment from somewhere in the room at our sad attempt at a slow dance. But we couldn’t help it!

I kept looking down at Soarynn, hoping to see those beautiful blue-gray eyes looking up at me, but her eyes were focused on my chest. My attention was drawn to one of the many doors lining the ballroom where I saw Florence talking to Mother who was nodding her head up and down like a bobblehead until Florence gave her a curt nod and picked up her suitcase and walked out.

“Is Florence leaving?” I asked, looking at Soarynn who raised her head, giving me a small nod. “Oh, that’s great!” I said, I mean Florence knew what she was doing, I’m sure, but she was more of a warden than a bedside nurse. Soarynn’s eyes snapped up at me, furrowing her eyebrows, “Oh, I mean, it’s great that you’re feeling better,” I said, trying to recover from my outburst.

She sighed and nodded, “You are feeling better right?” I asked. The deal was that Florence would hit the road once Soarynn was doing much better, and she did seem to look much healthier. She nodded again, “My arm still has some scarring,” she said, lifting it out of her sleeve before grabbing my shoulder again.

I hummed, “I’m sure it’ll fade soon,” I told her, happy she was starting to talk to me again. “I take it you watched the Games,” I said, thinking back on her conversation with Sejanus, she stopped dancing, “I did,” she whispered, turning to walk away. I grabbed her hand but followed her, the last thing we needed was for it to look like we had some sort of fight. 

She led us out to the veranda, abruptly stopping at the steps, causing me to run into her. “What’s wrong?” I asked, worried she was truly upset with me for bringing up the Games. She let out a shaky breath as she looked at all the stairs that led to the grounds and the greenhouse, “I still can’t go down the steps,” she said.

Oh. To me, it didn’t seem like such a big deal, but to her it clearly was. I watched as tears welled up in her eyes, and quickly grabbed her hand, “I’ll help you,” I assured her, taking a step down. She looked at me and for a split second, and I could see how truly broken she was. The act she had been putting on since getting back from the Games was starting to crack, and with our luck, the stairs would be her last straw.

She nodded, a single tear falling from her face before stepping down. It took us five minutes to make it down the stairs, granted, there were a lot of them. The second we made it to the grass, she kicked off her heels, opting to go barefoot, I raised my eyebrows but said nothing as she began to walk through the grounds.

Our grounds were extensive, Mother saw to that herself, the greenhouse was made specifically for the roses, but we had lots of botanical life growing at the President’s Mansion. There was the maze of hedges that Soarynn and I would chase each other through it all the time when we were kids; and the statue garden with lots of marble statues of half-naked men and women, Soarynn and I tended to avoid that section even as we grew older.

And there was the outdoor pavilion where Mother hosted her tea parties and luncheons, it was also where I tended to bring most of my dates to sneak around, but who’s to know? And besides, the only date that truly mattered was right next to me, leading me into the maze of hedges.

I was a bit hesitant, only because we hadn’t been inside the maze in years and the last thing we needed was a search party, but Soarynn seemed confident, and after winning the Hunger Games, there was little she couldn’t do. We walked through, having no rhyme or reason for the turns we took. I couldn’t help but appreciate the way her skin looked in the moonlight, she truly was beautiful.

She turned to look at me, “What?” She asked, I shook my head, “Nothing, you just look so beautiful tonight,” she scoffed and dropped my hand, taking a left and leaving me by myself. “Hey!” I protested, I mean, how rude, just leaving me after I gave her a compliment. 

I followed after her, she had hit a dead end and I took satisfaction in slowly making my way towards her, watching as she turned around and realized she was trapped. When we were little, I’d chase her around, trying to catch her, tickling her when she hit a dead end.

I was planning on doing the same thing now but stopped in my tracks as she began to shake, her breathing becoming erratic. Oh no . “Soarynn?” I asked, not daring to take another step toward her, she looked around, clawing at the hedges, but she had nowhere to go.

“Hey, hey it’s okay, you’re okay, you’re safe here with me,” I said, taking a step towards her. She looked back at me, eyes wide with fear as she sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in them. Well, shit . I scratched the back of my neck and looked around, this was not what I had planned when we came in here, I was hoping for a heart-to-heart, to clear the air between us, and maybe steal a couple of kisses.

But she was nowhere near being able to kiss me right now, and I needed her to pull it together, considering how long we had been away from the party. I let out a sigh before walking up to her and crouching down, “Soarynn?” She didn’t respond, I didn’t hear any more crazy breathing or dramatic sobbing so that was a good sign.

“They’re going to be looking for us,” I said quietly, I wasn’t trying to rush her and her little breakdown, but I did need her to wrap this up. She sniffled before looking up at me, my heart broke a little when I saw her eyes were all puffy and her mascara had run down her face a bit. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” I said, wiping her face with my sleeve, who cares about stains when my reputation is on the line?

“Mother said she’s found a therapist for us to talk to,” I said, reaching for her hands to pull her up, she looked at me, “Why do you need a therapist?” She asked me. Ouch . I scoffed before standing up and wiping my pants off, “Well, it wasn’t easy watching you go through all of that,” I told her, reaching my hand out which she took, pulling herself up from the ground. “Okay,” she said, brushing past me. 

We made it out of the maze and back to the steps where she put the heels back on and we conquered the steps once again. We walked into the ballroom to find everyone waiting for us, people whispering and blushing at the thought of what we could have been doing alone, if only they knew , I thought bitterly.

Mother rushed over to us, “It’s time to cut the cake you two!” Cake was a generous word for the monstrosity Mother had ordered. It had to be at least ten feet tall, decked out in buttercream icing, pearls, and of course, white roses.

It looked very much like a wedding cake, which Eudora must have been thinking too because as she handed me the knife she whispered, “Wait until you see our plans for your wedding cake!” She smiled at us, Soarynn said nothing and I smiled back at her, “I can’t wait,” I said as I turned to cut the cake.

I handed the knife over the Soarynn– hesitantly –since it was her special day after all, and we both walked around the base, looking for a good spot to cut. We eventually found one, everyone clapping as she cut the cake, smiling for the photos of course. 

While the cake was being served Sejanus found me, I was watching Soarynn as she stood with her Prep Team, looking utterly exhausted. “She seems to be doing better,” he said, bumping my elbow. I nodded, “She’s…okay,” I agreed.

He raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean?” He asked and I sighed, rubbing my head, “I mean…she’s just different now, like everything we did before the Games doesn’t mean anything anymore, it’s like when she first got here from Twelve,” I told him, looking at him as he watched her.

“Take things nice and slow,” he advised, “a scared animal is just as likely to attack as it is to bolt,” he said. I nodded, thinking back to our brief time in the maze, I was lucky she hadn’t lashed out, things could’ve turned ugly and I honestly don’t know how I would have reacted if she tried to attack me.

Hitting her was out of the question, I was capable of a lot of things, but I would never lay a hand on her. But I guess the only thing I could do was run, which didn’t look any better. ‘ Help! She’s gone Hunger Games Victor on me! ’ No one would want to be near her again if that happened. We might as well cut our losses now and ship her back to Twelve.

I watched as Mother came over to Soarynn, chatting with the Prep Team for a moment before Soarynn leaned over to whisper in her ear, Mother gasped and nodded, signaling for Eudora to come over. Maybe Soarynn had told her about what happened in the maze.

Eudora ran over and spoke with Mother before looking Soarynn up and down and saying something to the Prep Team who all immediately nodded and began to walk towards the door that led to the elevator. Soarynn and Eudora followed after them, Mother returning to her guests and more importantly, the alcohol.

I walked over to her, stepping over several passed-out partygoers, “Where did Soarynn go?” I asked Mother, who turned her head so fast that she almost took my eye out with a feather, “Oh she went to bed darling, today has been so exhausting for her.” I nodded before helping myself to a drink. Sleep was good, Soarynn would feel much better in the morning.

I think Soarynn could be an actress. Because she sure as hell had me fooled. The way Eudora tells it, the moment she got into her room, she locked the doors and pushed her desk in front of the doors for good measure. How she found the strength to do that , I will never know.

Eudora tried knocking, but Soarynn didn’t answer; it was after the party had ended that Mother tried knocking, then Father, then me. Soarynn must have fooled Florence too because she had packed before the party even really started.

Mother of course broke down, upset at Soarynn blocking us out, but Eudora was the voice of reason, saying we would just have to “ deal with it ”. I wanted to let someone else “ deal with it ” but that wasn’t an option right now. It had been three days after the party, and Soarynn’s door still was locked, she made no efforts to let us know if she was okay, or alive for that matter.

It was Father who came up with the idea to use the tracker she’d been given in the Games to check her vitals. We all let out a sigh of relief when we saw she was still very much alive, and I suppose she could drink water from the sink, the food she would have to get from outside her room.

But she won the Hunger Games for a reason, this was a walk in the park for her. It was on the fourth day that she cracked open her door, and after walking in, I honestly wish she’d left it locked. 

Chapter Text

It’s been a month since Soarynn locked us out. She eventually unlocked her doors, but we were still so very locked out of her mind. At first, I tried to help her, but you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, especially someone who looks right through you as you try to coax them out of their room.

I ended up going back to Academy, viewing home as a lost cause as long as Soarynn was roaming the halls. Everyone welcomed me back with open arms and a pat on the back, my peers and Professors alike. I had been keeping up with my schoolwork from home, so catching up wasn’t an issue for me, but staying focused was.

I began to watch people, I began to envy them. They surely didn’t have to go through what I was dealing with back at home. I watched the girls as they whispered to one another and twirled their hair when they walked through the halls; I began to think that Mother had been right to look for someone else to marry me to before the Games started. My future bride-to-be had officially lost it.

I watched the boys, so oblivious as to how easy they had it, none of them had the future of Panem resting on their shoulders, or the future of Soarynn’s well-being on top of that. And while Mother had grown desperate to reconnect with Soarynn, her attempts were futile. 

When Soarynn first unlocked her doors, I heard a scream. Mother’s . I had been doing some school work but rushed out of my room and down the hall to see Mother running out of Soarynn’s room. Had she attacked Mother? I wouldn’t put it past her.

Father heard the scream too, rushing up the stairs to console Mother who had collapsed by one of the windows. “What happened?” I asked, rushing over, she shook her head, “Her room! It’s a disaster!” She cried, looking back at Soarynn’s doors which were still wide open.

I looked at Father and hesitantly walked over to the bedroom, part of me wanted Father to stop me, ‘ Oh, no Coriolanus! I’ll go instead! ’ But he just watched me as he rubbed Mother’s back. I slowly stepped into the room, Mother was wrong, it wasn’t a disaster, it was a cry for help.

Soarynn had ripped the wallpaper from the walls, shreds of it hanging off the walls, her bedsheets had been ripped off and her curtains drawn shut. I nervously walked farther into the room, Soarynn’s dress from the crowning was on the floor, lying there like a carcass, there was a little bit of blood on it.

I looked around, seeing no signs of life, and I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. Her vanity mirror was shattered, her school books thrown off her desk, and pillows scattered across the floor. Petunia walked out of the bathroom, meowing at me, and then running out of the room, Mother flinching as she ran past her.

I walked into the bathroom to find it in no better shape than the bedroom, but at least the mirror was still intact. The shower walls had traces of blood on them, and her hospital bracelet had been tossed onto the floor. Her bottles of perfume and lotions were knocked over and had spilled all over the bathroom counter. It looked like a crime scene. I turned towards her closet, noticing the door was slightly ajar, found you , I thought as I pushed it open.

Soarynn was curled up on the floor, surrounded by a nest of fur coats and clothes. There were barely any clothes left on the hangers, she had used them all to make a little nest on the floor. She was sound asleep, her hair a tangled mess, pearls still braided in from the party, and makeup smudged but still intact. She was also stark naked.

I tried to avert my eyes as best I could, she was curled up in a fetal position, her right arm covering part of her face. I saw that she had ripped off the bandage covering her scar, now an open wound again, well that explained the blood everywhere. Not wanting to see what would happen if she woke up, I slowly backed out of the closet, closing the door and legging it out of her room and into the hallway.

Eudora had joined my parents and gathered Mother from off the floor, “What happened? Is she alright?” Eudora asked me, taking in my face of disbelief. I scratched the back of my neck, “Well, she’s…alive, but she tore up her room pretty badly, she’s sleeping in her closet right now,” I reported to her. Eudora bit her lip before looking at Mother, “What are we going to do?” 

I was walking back home from school with Sejanus when I stopped in my tracks. Sitting on the front steps of our house was Soarynn. And she was never awake during the day. During the day, she slept, to the best of her abilities that is. You never knew where you would find her, but we began to notice her frequenting the same spots.

Her closet of course, behind the massive curtains looming in the hallways, in the elevator, in the cleaning closet near the living room, in the greenhouse under the maintenance cabinet, under the dining room table, and in the closet near the servant’s quarters. She had a thing for closets.

In the beginning, she had scared Eudora and I to death when we couldn’t find her. Eudora was near tears when she realized we would have to tell Mother, but one of the Avoxes showed us where she was, sound asleep in the elevator. Thank goodness for them, or we would’ve still been searching! The other spots were just as odd, but all the same in the end, somewhat dark, and small.

Somewhere she felt safe, or at least that’s what the psychologist Mother brought in had told us. She only slept for a few hours. Before I had given up on her, I tried to get her to go on walks with me, or eat a little bit of food, but she just stared right through me.

At night was a different story, I became acquainted with her odd sleeping habits when I was returning from a party late at night. I wasn’t going to let her mood sour my social life, so I began to attend more gatherings, anything to get out of the house. And besides, people loved me.

I was stumbling back inside, barely making it up the stairs when I almost fell back down them. Standing in the middle of the hallway was Soarynn, wearing a simple white nightgown, eerily watching me. “You scared the shit out of me,” I said to her, holding my heart as it pounded against my chest. I didn’t expect a reply from her, nor did I wait for one as I passed by her to go to my room.

And as much as I hated to admit it, I had also begun to lock my doors at night. Better safe than sorry. When I brought it up to Mother at breakfast the next morning, I found out this was old news. Apparently, Soarynn always walked around the mansion when we were all asleep these days. The Avoxes were of course awake, but they didn’t do much talking themselves, perhaps Soarynn had found solace in them. But not me . 

“What?” Sejanus asked, looking at me as I stood frozen on the walkway, I shook my head, looking at her as if she was an apparition, “She’s never awake during the day.” He looked at her, none of us making an effort to move, “Maybe today’s different,” he suggested, walking towards the steps, I hesitantly followed him.

We found that she was asleep when we made it up the steps, leaning against the railing. Neither of us wanted to disturb her as we quietly made our way inside, where we found Eudora and Mother watching her from the window. “She’s asleep,” I told them, Mother nodded, “She walked out about an hour ago, she’s been sitting there ever since, but we think this is progress darling,” she told me excitedly.

I nodded, it certainly was different than what we were used to. “She probably missed the sun when she was in the arena,” Sejanus said, I hadn’t even thought of that. I guess if I was constantly being rained on for seven consecutive days, I’d miss the sun too. Sejanus stayed right up until I had to get ready for dinner.

Maybe-Aslen, along with Soarynn’s Prep Team, was joining us. Soarynn probably wouldn’t, but again, that was old news. She was still asleep on the front steps when Sejanus left, and as I walked by her bedroom, I couldn’t help but peek in. Since Soarynn had absolutely destroyed it, Mother had done some repairs to the best of her abilities, it seemed that certain things set Soarynn off more than others. 

The vanity had been fixed, but nothing could be on it. The sheets were back on the bed, but absolutely no pillows were allowed. She was funny that way. She didn’t even sleep in the bed anymore, opting for the closet or her bathtub. Petunia was lying on the bed, seeming pleased to have most of the room to herself again.

She meowed and I walked over to her, scratching her ears, Mother had also begun feeding her, not trusting Soarynn to do it. Petunia jumped off the bed and crawled under it, I sighed, getting on my hands and knees and pushing up the bed skirt to coax her out. I could see Petunia on the other side of the bed, pressed against the wall, and I could also see a briefcase of sorts lying near me.

I pulled it out, examining it, this wasn’t the briefcase Father used, it looked like a medical bag of some sort. And my heart sank. Oh no, oh Soarynn, no, no, no. My hands were shaky as I opened the case, revealing tons of vials of morphling, ready to be administered via a needle through the vein.

There were also syringes and empty vials, all falling out and rolling on the floor. There had to be at least thirty empty vials, and Soarynn had been acting like this for around a month now. I began to put the pieces together in my head, the vacant stares, her going nonverbal, only sleeping during the day, barely eating or drinking.

She was addicted to morphling. 

I didn’t know what to do as I stared at the untouched vials, filled to the brim with this addictive drug. She must’ve hidden it from Florence before she left, waited until she had gone to bed one night, and stashed it under her bed. Well, we had the Head Doctor to thank for this.

Dinner would be starting soon, and I knew Soarynn would flock to her room, hiding from any visitors. I quickly gathered all of the empty vials and all the other pieces of evidence, shoving them all into the case and snapping it shut. Petunia crawled out from under the bed, clawing and hissing at the case.

She knew . Or at least that’s what I told myself. “Good cat,” I told her as I stood up. I quickly made my way to my room, locking the door before going into my bathroom, locking that door too. I had to get rid of this. But how? I drummed my fingers against the case, I couldn’t just hide it anywhere. No, she’d find it, she’d know where to look, I thought.

Soarynn knew me like the back of her hand, she knew where I’d want to hide something. And I knew her like the back of my hand, she’d be relentless trying to find it. I choked up for a second, I’ll admit it. How stupid I had been, how rash and cruel I had been to just shove her away when she clearly needed help. I had never dealt with an addict myself, although Mother was another thing entirely.

But to just give up on her? This had to stop, I had to stop punishing her for something that wasn’t her fault. So, I poured every vial down the sink. It took some time, but I could wait. Once I was finished, I walked downstairs, case in hand, and beelined for the living room. There I found the mantel, lined with family photographs and a roaring fire under it.

I threw the entire case into the fire, watching as it and its contents melted away. I had done the right thing. Soarynn wouldn’t see it that way, but she couldn’t even talk right now. In the end, I was a hero.

I surprisingly enjoyed dinner. Everyone was happy to see each other again, lifting up each other’s spirits as we all chatted away. Even Maybe-Aslen wasn’t too terrible, although he couldn’t tell a joke to save his life. But it didn’t matter, I was still going to have him killed. Eventually, though, I could wait.

Dessert had just been served when Mother perked up, “Oh, Soarynn darling, come join us!” I looked up from my plate to see Soarynn’s silhouette standing in the doorway. Perhaps the sun had done her some good. She stepped into the room and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, she looked mad . She was shaking, fists clenched as she scanned the room, glaring at us.

Everyone nervously shifted in their seats when she looked at them, her eyes locking onto me. Her breathing increased when she saw my poker face, she knew . “Are you alright dear?” Eudora asked worriedly as Soarynn’s eye began to twitch. I hadn’t told anyone about Soarynn being a raging drug addict yet, feeling it wasn’t polite table talk, but I was starting to wish I had.

“Where is it?” Soarynn asked me, her voice shaking. “What?” Mother asked, looking at me confused, but my eyes didn’t leave Soarynn. She stalked toward me, and I won’t lie, I was scared. “Where is it?” She asked again, her voice razor sharp.

I swallowed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, a slight shake in my voice. Soarynn slammed her fist on the table, “The case,” she hissed, “where did you put it, Coriolanus Snow?”

Oh shit .

I looked at Mother before looking back at Soarynn, she was actually standing very close to me now, only a good five feet away. “I took it,” I said calmly, Mother whipped her head around to look at Soarynn, “What case?” She asked her, but Soarynn didn’t respond. “You took it?” She asked, tilting her head, and grabbing a fork.

I was shaking in my seat, I nodded, “It’s gone, I threw it in the fire,” I told her. She froze, her mouth falling open, shock and betrayal rolling over her face as she dropped the fork. I thought she would start crying, but she surprised me.

She lunged at me, knocking me off of my chair and onto the floor, screaming and scratching at me. 

All hell broke loose. Everyone yelling and trying to break us apart, “HOW COULD YOU?” She screamed at me, tears now falling from her face as she grabbed my shirt. I didn’t know what to say, I was in shock as she ripped the buttons off my shirt before clawing at my throat. “HELP ME!” I screamed, looking at Mother who was covering her mouth with her hands as she watched us rolling about on the dining room floor.

Eudora was screaming for Peacekeepers as I finally regained my senses and grabbed her wrists, “I HATE YOU!” She screamed, her voice breaking as she sobbed, “I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, HOW COULD YOU?!” There she was . The true, broken, Eleventh Victor of the Hunger Games. She had put on quite a show for all of us, but the curtains had closed.

Withdrawing from a deadly drug can do that to you.

Finally, someone dragged her off of me, and it was Father of all people. He yanked her up in the air, before slamming her to the ground. “CRASSUS!” Mother screamed, falling to her knees as Soarynn flipped to her back, prepared to lunge at Father.

But she never got the chance, ten Peacekeepers ran in, grabbing her and holding her down as she screamed at all of us, me specifically, as she thrashed against their grip. One of them produced a syringe and unceremoniously jabbed it into her thigh, causing her to gasp, go completely still, and pass out.

We all caught our breath, looking at this now sleeping angel from hell, sound asleep on the floor as if nothing had happened. Mother looked at me, taking in my disheveled state, shirt almost completely ripped off, “Coriolanus, what did you do?” She asked, tears running down her face.

What did I do?

I looked around to see everyone looking at me wide-eyed. I looked back at Mother, and I told her everything. 

Chapter Text

“ Recovery is not an easy road, it’s often an uphill battle, but even you can overcome addiction. ” I crumpled up the pamphlet and threw it into the trash. Who was writing this shit?

Soarynn didn’t need to worry about any hills, not when I was prepared to blast them to rubble. Dinner ended early if you can imagine. Mother looked mortified as she sent Maybe-Aslen home early after her two children duked it out on the dining room floor. But I had a feeling he enjoyed it, he was probably taking notes on how his Games had affected the lone survivor.

I hadn’t gone to see her since she was pulled off of me, at first she was taken to the hospital for a psych evaluation. While she wasn’t crazy, she was coming off very heavy and strong drugs, and the withdrawal periods could sometimes last months. But we didn’t have months. Eudora had pushed back the Victory Tour once already, but now she had to do it again, and I know she wanted to throw us all on the train and get this show on the road.

There wasn’t much of a show to give at the moment, Soarynn was now back at home, confined to her bedroom. Mother had tried to convince me to visit her and try to lift her spirits, but I wasn’t in the lifting mood.

I had gotten off rather easy, with a few small bruises on my neck, and a decent scratch on my face. Nothing Atley couldn’t fix. Mother told me Soarynn was sorry for attacking me, which I didn’t buy for a second. She hated me, she had said it herself. 

The therapist Mother had hired finally made his appearance, he was five feet tall, a little chubby, and had a very whimsical mustache. I thought he was here to see Soarynn since she clearly needed all the help she could get, but he was here for me at the moment.

We talked for a while, I told him about school and my friends, how helpless I felt when Soarynn was taken away, and how blocked out I felt now that she was back. “Maybe you should ask her how she feels,” he said as he twirled his mustache. I sighed, “I have been, I’ve asked her a hundred times how she’s feeling and she never answers!”

I mean honestly, did he think this was amerature hour? He smiled, “How have you been listening?” I shifted nervously in my seat, we were in one of the many sitting rooms we had in the house, and I was almost certain that Mother was just around the corner, ready to make this all about her.

“I mean, she doesn’t talk anymore,” I told him, scratching the back of my neck, “kind of a waste of time don’t you think?” He wrote something down before looking up at me, “Maybe her way of speaking right now isn’t through words.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut. “I don’t know how to get her to speak to me then,” I said exasperatedly, I felt like a failure to this complete stranger, I had known him for all of fifty minutes and here I was, pouring my heart out to him. I don’t even talk to my Mother this way. “Well, before the Games, what did she enjoy doing?” He asked, well she liked being around me, but that wasn’t what he was looking for.

She liked to spend time with her friends, feed the koi fish, kiss me, go on walks, sing, draw… DRAW . “She was an artist,” I told him, sitting up straight in my seat, he raised his eyebrows, “well, she could draw, she might have been an artist, before all of this,” I said gesturing to our surroundings. He nodded, scribbling in his notes, “Then it appears you’ve found your way of speaking,” he said, giving me a small smile.

My hour was up with this strange man with facial hair, and I actually felt as if some progress had been made. I walked him to the door, “Thank you…” I still didn’t know his name, he smiled up at me, grabbing his briefcase, “Tiberius, Mr. Snow, my name is Tiberius,” I opened the door, “Well, thank you, Tiberius.”

He walked down the steps before I called out, “Wait! What if…what if I don’t love the new version of her?” I asked, horrified of what might be waiting for me behind her bedroom doors. He stopped and turned around, “Then you’ll just have to tolerate it, sir.” 

If anyone in this household would understand what I needed, it was Eudora. And while she doesn’t live with us in the President’s Mansion full time, she does have an honorary room for the instances where she has to stay the night. I didn’t even knock, bursting into the room, “Eudora!” We both let out a scream when seeing each other, her screaming out of pure shock and surprise, me screaming because she was bald.

Now don’t get me wrong, lots of people are bald in the Capitol, in fact, Jadis was bald, ironic since she was in charge of all of Soarynn’s body hair. But I had always expected something to be under Eudora’s wigs. “Coriolanus! What on earth are you doing here?!” She shrieked, snatching a wig off of a mannequin head and pulling it onto her head.

“I live here!” I cried, she huffed, making sure her hair was straight, “Well, yes, of course, you do, dear, but it isn’t like you to forget to knock.” She had me there, I always knocked, unless it was with Soarynn. “My apologies,” I said, looking at my shoes as she fixed her appearance in the mirror, “but I need a favor.”

Her eyes shot up, meeting mine in the mirror, “A favor?” She asked, blinking like an owl, with pink eyelashes. I nodded, “It’s for Soarynn,” I explained, her expression softened, “How can I help?”

Say what you want about Eudora, but she’s punctual. I expected her to get everything by tomorrow at the latest, but in less than an hour, she was running up the stairs, with a giant white bag in her hands. She shoved it into my arms before leaning over, catching her breath, “That…that should be everything dear…I’m…I’m going to go lie down now,” she said as she turned to go back down the stairs.

“Thank you! I called, and she gave me a weak thumbs-up as she hobbled down the stairs. I peeked into the bag, perfect , I thought, she really had gotten everything. Now all I needed to do was gather up my courage and face Soarynn. Maybe tomorrow. No! I needed to man up, if I was in Soarynn’s position, she’d be doing everything in her power to break down this wall between us.

I took a deep breath before marching over to her door and knocking. Nothing. Maybe she was asleep. I slowly opened the door, peeking my head in to see her sitting up in her bed, petting Petunia and looking out her window. I slowly walked in, not making any sudden movements. We hadn’t seen each other in about five days, and I also didn’t know how much she remembered.

She looked away from the window, looking at Petunia as she spoke, “Come to check me off your list?” I stopped in my tracks, my list? Surely I was an organized man, I mean, failing to plan was planning to fail, Eudora had drilled that into both our brains from a very young age. I swallowed, taking another few steps towards her bed, “I came to see you,” I told her, watching her face for any signs of anger.

She reached up to brush her hair behind her hands when I realized she was strapped to the bed, her hands in cuffs, only letting her reach so far. I finally looked back at her face to find her looking at mine, “Don’t worry,” she said, “they probably threw away the key,” she raised her arm to reveal that you not only needed a key, but a fingerprint to unlock her from the restraints. Her eyes didn’t hold the void they used to, there was life in them now, not a lot, but it was there.

She had bags under her eyes, she looked exhausted, her hands were shaky and she was blinking a lot. “Morphlings a bitch,” she said, tilting her head at me, I nodded, “So I’ve seen.” She shook her head, “Out of all the things you could have done for me, that was the most unexpected one.”

Was that supposed to be a compliment? I really couldn’t tell right now. Before I could respond I watched as her facial muscles relaxed, her breathing coming to a very slow pace, and her blinks slowing, her hands were still now.

“Are you okay?” I asked nervously shifting on my feet, she looked up at me slowly, and the vacant look was back in her eyes. Oh, great, she’s gone nonverbal again, I thought bitterly. I dropped the bag of supplies, causing Petunia to startle awake, hopping off of Soarynn’s lap and running over to investigate me. I grabbed a sketchbook and a marker, I figured a pencil could be used as a weapon, and Eudora had agreed.

I walked over to her bedside, opting to sit on the very edge of the bed, right next to her. She looked down at my hands at the sketchbook, “I thought you’d like to draw something,” I said, offering her the book and marker. She stared at the offering for a moment, before cautiously taking both from my hands, brushing against them with her own. Her hands were freezing.

“I don’t know what you’d want to draw,” I admitted, standing up to grab the bag and bringing it over to her, “but I brought a lot of things.” In the bag were crayons, pastels, and even watercolors. She peered into the bag, before looking back at the sketchbook and opening it, she uncapped the marker and held it over the paper, ready to draw, then she stopped. She looked up at me.

Oh . I was still not welcome, I was an intruder in her personal space, and I needed to leave immediately. I nodded, standing up and making my way to the door, “I’ll come visit you tomorrow,” I promised her. She was already scribbling on the sketchpad, paying me no mind.

This wasn’t exactly how I had planned out this surprise, but it was a start. And she couldn’t hate me forever, but until then, I would have to tolerate it. 

Chapter Text

 “Were the handcuffs really necessary?” Mother dropped her fork at my question, it was just the two of us enjoying dinner tonight, Father had a meeting and Eudora was probably busy planning out the next twenty years of our lives.

She swallowed her food, “You know I didn’t want to do that darling, but it’s a precautionary measure,” she told me, I picked at my plate, no longer hungry. “We’re treating her like she’s an animal,” I said quietly, she sighed, “Well, she certainly attacked you like one,” she said, reminding me of our little fight.

I got caught off guard if I’m being honest, I had been in a lot of fights for one lifetime, but never with a girl. Titus was usually my opponent, but he was out of commission since our last fight and I didn’t really have the energy to fight anyone else these days. Soarynn had been right about one thing, we should leave the fighting for the arena.

“I take it you visited her,” she added, I nodded, “Tiberius said I should try to talk to her.” She hummed, “She doesn’t do much talking does she?” I shook my head, “Will she ever be the same?” I asked Mother, looking at her from across the table, her eyes welled up with tears, “Oh, Coriolanus, I hope so, but we have to come to terms with the fact that a part of her died in that arena,” she sniffled.

So she really was gone, if Mother had given up hope, then it really was a lost cause. We both managed to keep it together through the rest of dinner, Mother deciding to go to bed early after the day she had. That makes two of us , I thought as I trudged into my own bedroom.

I didn’t lock the door since Soarynn was rendered immobile for now, I felt awful about that, but there was nothing I could do at the moment, we just couldn’t trust her to not lash out at us. Will I always feel this way around her? I wondered while washing my face, I mean, we had to get married to each other, and we couldn’t just pump her full of sedatives to calm her down. We had learned firsthand what happened when we gave her any sort of drugs. 

It was odd to be sleeping in my own room again, I had grown accustomed to sleeping in Soarynn’s but now it was out of the question. I crawled into bed, ready to put today behind me, it hadn’t been awful, but it hadn’t been great either.

I was just drifting off when I heard a scream. My eyes shot open, our house was very quiet unless we were having a party, but maybe I imagined it, after all, I was tired. Deciding it was nothing, I closed my eyes again. Another scream.

Something was up, I got out of bed, slowly walked into the hallway, there was no one out there, not even an Avox, and they certainly weren’t making any noise. Maybe I was going crazy. I turned on my heel to go back to my room when I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from Soarynn’s room.

I ran to her doors, ripping them open, Petunia flew out of the room, and I turned my head just in time to see her flying down the stairs. I looked back into the room to see Soarynn jerking all over her bed, screaming, crying, and shaking, all with her eyes closed. She was having a nightmare . Night terrors were probably a better word for what she was having, nightmares were for children.

I hesitated for a second, but then I ran to her side, grabbing her arms, “Soarynn, Soarynn it’s okay, you’re having a bad dream,” her eyes flew open, and she gasped for air, her hands grabbing my wrists. She blinked, taking in the dark room, and me right next to her, she sniffled, cautiously looking around the room as if something might be hiding in here.

I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed her, pulling her body into my chest, inhaling the scent of her hair, vanilla . I thought she’d push me away, but she relaxed into my hold, burying her face in my neck. “It was just a bad dream, there’s no shadow monsters coming to get you,” I whispered into her hair, her hands clutched onto my shirt, I heard a sniffle, then a sob. I hated it when Soarynn cried. 

When she first came to live with us, she cried a lot . Sure, she missed home, but there wasn’t much to miss in my opinion. She cried when she scraped her knee on the sidewalk, she cried when Mother went on a lady’s retreat for two days and left us with Father– I cried for that one too –She cried when she broke her arm when we were running around in the gardens and she fell from climbing on a statue.

And she cried during the Games, but at least that was expected, still, I always feel so helpless when she cries. There was nothing I could do or say to make her feel better, or at least that’s how I felt. I shushed her, wrapping my arms around her waist, finding that she had a thick strap confining her to the bed.

I sighed, I couldn’t help her if she was tied down like an animal. I let go of her, standing up and walking over to her school desk, ripping the drawers open looking for… found it . I walked back over to her, scissors in hand, she was watching me from the bed, still crying, warily eyeing the scissors as I sat back down next to her.

“Hold still,” I murmured as I began to cut through the strap across her waist. I wouldn’t free her hands, not yet, but her waist was a bit excessive. The strap fell off the side of the bed, Soarynn looked at it before looking back at me, I threw the scissors on the floor, far away , before pulling her body onto mine.

She tensed for a moment, but relaxed, sinking into my hold as I rocked us side to side. I couldn’t sing to save my life, that we both knew, so I settled for humming, watching as her tears dried and her eyes fell heavy. Oh my sweet girl , I thought as I brushed her hair out of her face, had she been having these night terrors every night? Or were these new?

I’d have to ask her tomorrow. I myself was exhausted so I maneuvered myself onto the bed, still holding her while I laid my head down on the pillow. If worse came to worse, I’d be waking up to her gouging my eyes out, but that was tomorrow's problem. 

I woke up with my eyeballs intact. Thankfully. I cracked my eyes open to see the sunlight peeking through the curtains, I still had all my fingers and toes, and she hadn’t escaped in the middle of the night. Soarynn was curled up next to me, I guess the hand restraints didn’t let her move very far because she was laying near the edge of the bed, she looked so angelic when she was asleep.

I wasn’t woken up by any more abrupt screaming, so I guess she didn’t have any more night terrors. No wonder she liked to sleep during the day, it was much less scary than at night. I didn’t want to wake her up, but I actually had some things to do today, and I knew Eudora would have an aneurysm if I was late for anything.

I brushed my fingertips across her face, touching all her little freckles. Despite kickstarting her drug addiction, the hospital had done a good job at fixing all her cuts and scratches from the Games. You could barely tell what she had been through.

“Soarynn,” I whispered, gently shaking her. She was sleeping on top of my right arm, and I kind of needed her to move as it had fallen asleep as well. Soarynn can sleep like a rock if she wants to, the Capitol could be in the middle of being bombed and she’d sleep right through it, so I knew I’d have to use some extreme measures.

So I pinched her nose.

Mean, I know, but it works every time. Sure enough, her eyes flew open, landing on mine, “Good morning,” I said, she yawned, stretching out her hands to the best of her abilities. She hummed but didn’t say anything as she sat up, scratching her head, I sat up too, I was in a shirt and boxers, while she was in a little white nightdress.

She looked cute, bedhead, dress almost falling off her shoulders, eyelashes sticking together, the girl of my dreams really. “I have some things to do today,” I told her, flexing my right arm to wake it up, “But, I’ll be back to visit you this afternoon.” I watched her as she played with the bedsheets, “I promise,” I added, hoping that would help.

I didn’t want her to think I was abandoning her, she nodded, looking up at me and meeting my eyes. I wanted to kiss her. But I didn’t. It was too soon, I didn’t want to scare her or make her feel like all I wanted was sex. I could get that anywhere, but with her it was different, it was special. I crawled out of the bed, padding over to the door before looking over my shoulder to see she had already fallen back asleep. 

“What would you say are your greatest strengths?” Besides my natural charm and good looks? Well, I actually had to think about that one. “I’m a born leader, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure this country never faces rebellion again,” I told the interviewer.

I was being interviewed for the news, thankfully, Lucky didn’t work for the news. I had already had hundreds of photos taken, signed autographs for everyone's kids, and now I was answering a few questions about why I was going to be the best President this country has ever seen.

Not that it would be hard, after the little stunt my Father pulled by throwing Soarynn into the Games, I was already everyone’s favorite.

“Excellent answer sir, I believe that’s all I have for you today,” the reporter said, standing up from his chair and gathering up his notepad. Mother scurried from the side and onto the set where we were being recorded.

 “Oh, don’t you want some photos of him with his Mother?” She asked, batting her eyelashes, I tried not to roll my eyes, “Um, no Madame Snow, but thank you, I believe your family photos will be taken right before Coriolanus is sworn in as President,” the reporter explained with a strained smile. I stood up too, wanting to get the hell out of here before Mother made this all about her. 

The car ride was quiet, besides the clinking of Mother’s wine bottles of course. “Soarynn has been having night terrors,” I said, looking out the window, we were driving by the Academy. Would Soarynn ever return to school? Or was she done forever? She was a year below me but was at the top of her class, she’d probably graduate with honors if she went back.

“How do you know that darling? Did she tell you?” Mother asked, putting down her glass, I scoffed, “You can hear her screaming from down the hall,” I told her, unable to believe she didn’t hear Soarynn last night. “Well we have thick walls darling,” she said, as if that was an excuse.

“But I’ll station some Avoxes outside her door from now on,” she patted my hand as if that fixed everything. I pulled my hand away, “Don’t bother, I helped her through it.” She raised her eyebrows, “She let you near her?” She asked with a gasp, this was progress, a step in the right direction.

I nodded, “I slept in her bed with her, I’m sure she wasn’t very comfortable considering the number of restraints she has,” I gave Mother a pointed look and she sighed. “Do you feel safe around her?” She asked, do I feel safe around her? I knew I could defend myself, she had caught me off guard at dinner, and I could definitely wrestle her to the ground before help came in if it came down to it.m

“I do,” I said. She looked out the window as we pulled into the driveway, “Okay, let me get the key.”

The key was in Mother’s nightstand, I would have never found it. Soarynn might have, but I avoided my parent’s bedroom at all costs, when I was little I ran around in there all the time, jumping on their huge bed, and watching Mother do her makeup in the bathroom mirror.

Their room is slightly bigger than mine and Soarynn’s, they even have a little sitting area with couches, and of course, the bar cart. “I’ll let you do the honors darling,” Mother said as she presented me with the key. I took it, “What about the fingerprint?” I asked and she waved me off, “Oh, your fingerprint will work just fine, it’s the key that really matters.”

I nodded, here goes nothing , I thought. Soarynn was wide awake, Petunia had since recovered from her rude awakening and was back on the bed, hissing as I walked in. Soarynn had been busy, there were drawings lying all around her bed, I picked one up to reveal a sketch of me, walking towards her in the maze of hedges.

I picked up another, it was Mother, crumpled on the ground after Soarynn’s name had been called in the Reaping. There were more, some of her Prep Team, Eudora, even Sejanus. “You haven’t drawn Father yet,” I observed, she stopped drawing and shook her head, “I don’t blame you,” I said as I sat next to her.

She looked up at me, she still looked exhausted, “Do you need anything to eat or drink?” I asked, looking at her half-eaten plate of breakfast on her bedside table, she shook her head. I pulled the key from my pocket, and her eyes zeroed in on it, “I bring good news,” I told her as I grabbed her left hand.

“Mother gave me the key to your restraints, under the condition that you don’t try to run.” I looked up at her, gently grabbing her chin with my other hand, “Are you gonna run Soarynn?” I asked her, she shook her head fervently. I gave her a smile and unlocked her left hand, moving to grab her right hand and doing the same.

She rolled her wrists, moving her arms and finally being able to stretch. She turned to me and did something that surprised me, she hugged me.

I could barely believe it, I hugged her back, of course, holding her so tight.

We did it .

Well, we made it past first base I suppose. And I was so caught up in my happy celebratory thoughts, that I didn’t even notice her reaching over to her bedside table and grabbing her breakfast plate before she brought it down onto my head and ran .

Chapter Text

As someone who’s just recovered from a concussion, I was not expecting that. I swear I lost my vision for a moment, once I recovered, Soarynn was running out the doors.

Oh no you don’t, I thought as I chased after her. She made it down the stairs quickly, with me hot on her tail. Soarynn can run fast, she’s always been the fastest runner on the girl’s team whenever we’d do sports at school, but I’m much faster. And while I’d usually let her win, this wasn’t a game.

I thought she’d go for the front door, but she took a right, sprinting down the great hall leading to the main dining room where we hosted all our extravagant dinner parties. She flew past an Avox who was so surprised that they dropped their dustpan, head whipping as I ran past them.

I was getting closer and she knew that. The doors were wide open to the dining room and she sailed right through them, headed for the ballroom. I was already starting to lose my breath, so I had no idea how she was still going, adrenaline I guess. She ran into the ballroom, sliding across the freshly mopped floors towards the doors that led out to the veranda.

Soarynn was barefoot, but I was still in my dress shoes and suit from my interview, I almost fell on my ass, but I managed to stay upright as I pursued her across the slick floors. She ripped the doors open, stumbling onto the veranda and coming to an abrupt halt when she reached the steps. I wasn’t planning on her stopping so suddenly, and I ran right into her, sending us both down the stairs.

I grabbed her in the middle of us falling, trying to slow down our descent as best I could. We came to a stop one step before we would have rolled onto the grass. Figures . Soarynn was gasping for air and she rolled out of my arms and onto the grass, looking up at the sky as she regained her bearings. I rolled over next to her, doing the same.

“Didn’t…didn’t think…you…had it in…you,” I gasped, looking over at her as my vision started to return to normal. She looked at me, looking up at my hair and her eyes widened. “Tell me there’s no blood,” I groaned, her eyes flitted back to mine before looking back at my head, she looked scared. She sat up, probably to run again, but I was tired of these games, my hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back down.

I rolled on top of her, my legs on either side of her waist, and my hands on either side of her head, “I’m not…mad,” I said looking down at her, I reached up and touched my head, there was definitely blood. “A bit stunned, but not mad,” I told her. She didn’t say anything, her breathing had returned to somewhat normal.

“I don’t want to tie you up again,” I whispered, brushing her hair away from her face, “but if you ever do that again, I’ll make sure you never leave your room again,” I promised her.

I would do it, I had no problem doing it. She glared at me, I scoffed, sitting up and looking around, no one had come running out of the house, so I guess our little chase had gone unnoticed by the majority of the household. Good , I thought, we didn’t need an audience. I looked back down to see her squirming as if she could get out from under me. I laughed at her attempts.

I had always been bigger than her, but since the Games, I had sixty pounds on her easily. “You know I hate to see you struggle,” I said in a condescending tone, she let out a huff before grabbing my arm and sinking her nails into it. I yelped, falling off her and shaking her grip off of me, she slowly pushed herself off the ground, until she was standing up.

She looked up at the steps before looking down at me, reaching out her hand for me to take, I hesitated, I didn’t need another plate to the head, but I also needed a doctor.

I took her hand, pushing myself up and brushing off my pants. We both said nothing as we trudged up the stairs and into the ballroom where Mother was questioning the Avox we had run by earlier. “Well, where did they…oh! Children! What happened?!” She cried as she ran over to us, almost slipping on the floor, I scratched the back of my neck as I took in our appearance.

I had a bloody head, grass stains on my suit, sweat dripping down my forehead, and nail marks on my arm. Soarynn looked as ragged as I did, her white nightdress stained green and brown, with some scratches on her arms from the fall down the stairs we took, and her face shining with sweat as well.

“We umm…we took off the restraints,” I said sheepishly, dusting off my suit. “Well, I can see that Coriolanus, but you two look awful! And what happened to your head?” She reached to touch it causing me to flinch, Soarynn had nailed me with that plate, I hope I don’t need stitches. “Oh, I scratched it with my nails,” I said as casually as I could manage. Mother and Soarynn both raised their eyebrows. “Your nails?” Mother asked, looking me up and down, I nodded, “I have really long nails,” I said as I shoved my hands into my pockets.

She looked at the two of us, trying to figure out what had happened, “Well, we’d better get you two checked out by the doctor,” she said, turning around, giving me a side-eye. “Sounds great,” I said with a forced smile. 

I didn’t need stitches. I did need to lie down though. I don’t think the doctor bought my lie about scratching myself with my nails for a second, it also didn’t help that Soarynn looked guilty as sin as we sat on my bed together while he fixed me up.

Since Soarynn’s room was basically a condemned warzone, Mother had corralled us into my room, ordering us to sit still until our family doctor showed up. Soarynn only had a couple of serious scratches, but I could tell from the way my body ached that we were both gonna have bruises by the end of the night. After deeming us not a total emergency, the doctor told me to take it easy, and that the bleeding should stop soon. That was very comforting.

We watched as the doctor shut my doors, we hadn’t been in my room together for a while now, and I didn’t know if it held good or bad memories for her. I nervously shifted on my bed. Normally, I’d already have her on my lap while we did things that required the doors to be locked, but these weren’t normal circumstances, and we were here because she hit me with a plate.

“Sorry about your dress,” I said, her night gown had seen better days, she’d probably have to throw the whole thing away, she had tons more in her closet though, unless they were now a part of her nest. She shrugged, brushing her hair behind her face, this incident was only a minor setback, and I needed to get us back on track sooner than later.

“You should join us for dinner,” I offered. I knew Mother would love it, and it would probably spite Father. So it was a win-win.

She picked at her cuticles, looking up at me for a moment before looking back down, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I said. She sighed, then she nodded, I perked up, “You’ll come to dinner?” I asked excitedly, I didn’t think it would be this easy to convince her if I’m being honest. She nodded again, looking up and giving me a small smile. I hopped off my bed, reaching my hand out, “We should get cleaned up,” I said. She slowly took my hand, sliding off the bed and following me to the bathroom. 

Unlike her bathroom, mine was still in one piece. I would have loved to take a shower, but I had company, so I settled for washing my face in the sink. Soarynn watched me as she was perched on the bathroom counter, “Do you want to wash your face too?” I asked, I didn’t really know how she had been keeping up with her hygiene as of late, but she looked pretty clean for someone who kept having nervous breakdowns.

She glanced at the sink before looking back at me, “I’ll be gentle,” I promised, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. She turned to take in her appearance, she did have some grass on her face, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little cleanup, and I wasn’t going to go all Tribute Treatment on her. That was her Prep Team’s job.

She nodded, scooting closer to me, pulling her dress further down over her legs as it rode up. I tried not to blush, this was the last place I needed to be thinking about her that way, I needed to focus. I grabbed a clean towel and ran it under the sink, I looked up to see her sitting expectantly with her hands in her lap and her eyes closed, I smiled to myself.

I loved when she let me take care of her. I gently cupped her face with my hand, wiping the grass and dirt off of her face. I didn’t miss how she was clenching her hands so tight, or how she was stiff as a board. I pulled the towel away to admire my handiwork, she blinked her eyes open, staring up at me with those beautiful eyes.

“All done,” I whispered, she gave me a small smile, looking in the mirror to see a new clean face staring back at her. I handed her another towel to dry off with while I walked into my closet to find something to wear. I threw my suit away, deciding it was a lost cause altogether. I was just fastening my belt when Soarynn came in, looking like a deer in headlights when she caught me half-dressed.

It could be worse , I thought, watching as a blush crept across her face. Maybe seeing me shirtless would remind her of the man she had waiting for her whenever she was ready. “Could you hand me a shirt?” I asked her, turning around to look for a pair of shoes to go along with my outfit. I heard her fumbling to grab one off the rack.

I opted for some white shoes, not much more could happen between now and dinner to get them dirty. I turned around to see her undoing the buttons one by one, I walked over to her, watching as she worked her way down, she peered up at me, looming over her, “We’re gonna need to get you changed too,” I said.

She held out my now unbuttoned shirt, I took it and slid it on, “Thank you,” I said as I buttoned it up. I led us back out into my room, catching a glance of my reflection in the mirror before heading out of my room and into hers. 

The remnants of the broken plate and her breakfast were still on the floor. I stepped over the shattered pieces, helping her since she didn’t have shoes on. Soarynn’s closet is a mystery to me, how she’s ever able to pick an outfit out and leave with so many options I will never know, because she makes my closet look like a joke .

I forgot that she had ripped basically everything off of the hangers, so we didn’t have a lot to work with. “Do you like sleeping in there?” I asked her as I pointed at her nest of clothes, she nodded, I carefully stepped around it and looked at the clothes that were still on their hangers. She had a few dresses, so I went with a white one, to match my shoes of course.

I turned around to reveal my selection, and she raised her eyebrows, “Well then you can pick one out,” I said, putting it back on the rack, she brushed past me, her fingers lingering on a light blue one. “Oh, I like that one,” I told her as she felt the fabric between her fingers, “it brings out your eyes.”

Everyone in the Snow family has blue eyes, I don’t know if it’s coincidence or genetics, but we all have them, even Soarynn who Mother literally plucked off the street. And we all looked fabulous in blue. She nodded, taking it off the hanger and going to slip her night dress off when she stopped, looking at me. Oh . “I’ll…I’m gonna wait in the bathroom,” I said as I stumbled out of her closet.

The old me would have offered to help her out so I could help myself out. But this wasn’t the old me, and this wasn’t the old her. I began to think of all the things we could be doing if she never set foot into that arena if Father hadn’t decided to punish me by punishing her. Using someones loved one as bait, as a way to hurt them, well that was just unthinkable. It was evil.

She came out, looking straight into the mirror and fixing her reflection as if she needed any fixing. I expected her to put on some makeup, maybe just a little lipgloss, but I realized these were old expectations. Only things I could expect from the old Soarynn. She turned to look at me, giving me a slight nod, “Ready?” I asked, holding my hand out, she looked back at her nest before taking my hand.

We took the elevator, both of us having enough of the stairs for one lifetime. It wasn’t unusual for us to get all fancied up for a casual family dinner, Mother always dressed up, even if it was to go to the gardens, and Father always had to look presentable. Which means I’m going to have to look presentable all the time , I thought as we walked into the dining room.

Mother and Eudora were already sitting down, gossiping about who knows what, probably about someone's socks. They both looked up in surprise to see me and Soarynn walking in, hand in hand. “Well isn’t this a lovely surprise,” Mother said, taking a sip of her champagne. “It is lovely to see you again my dear,” Eudora said to Soarynn as I pulled out a chair for Soarynn to sit in. Soarynn gave her a small smile before the Avoxes came in to serve us dinner.

“Where’s Father?” I asked, with some edge in my voice, Mother I could handle, but I needed to have some alcohol in my system when dealing with Father these days. “Oh, he had to fly to District Two,” Mother said as she began to spoon some of her soup. Soarynn and I snapped our heads towards her, District Two?

“Why is he there?” I asked, Mother waved me off, “They’ve been late with some shipments, apparently it’s been stalling construction all around the city,” she told us. District Two was known for masonry and stone mining, for them to be falling behind must have meant something was wrong. Soarynn must’ve been thinking the same thing because her eyes met mine for a moment before looking back at her soup.

Cleo was from District Two, and Soarynn had brutally murdered the girl, perhaps they were angry with her. “There’s nothing for you to worry about children,” Eudora told us, “your Father has everything under control.” Did he? I mean, I certainly would when I became President, but to fly all the way out of the Capitol to deal with one of the Districts?

I mean, what would he do? Yell at them? Give them a scolding and tell them he’s very disappointed in them? If that didn’t work on me, then it certainly wouldn’t work on a bunch of starving, poor nobodies. 

The rest of dinner was uneventful, thankfully. Soarynn didn’t say a single word, but Mother and Eudora did most of the talking for all four of us. I had school in the morning, so I called it a night right after dinner. Taking the elevator up with Soarynn and walking her to her room. The Avoxes had cleaned up the plate, and the key was placed neatly on her bedside table.

“If you need me, I’ll be in my room,” I told her, hoping she’d ask me to stay with her. Instead, she just nodded, walking into the bathroom and into her closet before she shut the door. Maybe it was better this way, we didn’t need to finish the day how we started it. I took a glorious shower, using every setting humanly possible, before putting on my boxers and falling into bed.

I looked up at the ceiling, staring at the stars Mother had gotten painted for me when I was a little boy. The younger me was obsessed with space, wanting to know everything, I read every book, watched every film, knew every planet. It was, however, very unfortunate that you could barely see the stars from the Capitol. Too much light pollution.

Maybe I could see them in the Districts when we were on Soarynn’s Victory Tour. I wondered if she would stare up at the stars when she was a little girl, they certainly didn’t have to worry about light pollution in Twelve, they barely had power, to begin with. She probably didn’t remember much from Twelve anymore, she had a lot more to remember these days than running around some dingy old District. How lucky she was that we found her when we did. 

Chapter Text

This will probably make me sound like a horrible person, but I’ve begun to look forward to Soarynn’s night terrors. They all start out the same way, in fact, we’ve established some sort of a routine if you will.

It begins with me walking her to her bedroom. I offer to stay with her, just until she falls asleep, but she declines with the shake of her head. I get that she’s trying to be brave, but it would be much easier on the both of us if she just let me stay in her room, it’s not like she’s been sleeping in her bed these days, she either sleeps in her bathtub or her closet.

Still, I oblige and humor her, telling her I’m right down the hall if she needs me. Then, I get ready for bed, brushing my teeth, laying out my clothes for school the next day, and finally going to sleep. I can usually sleep for a few hours until the screaming starts. I’ve grown so accustomed to hearing Soarynn’s screams, her cries for help, her shouting at people who no longer exist.

I rush into her room, into the closet or bathroom to find her thrashing and crying, her voice hoarse from all the screaming.

I hold her, rock her, comfort her, and watch as she falls back asleep.

And I stay with her.

I’d always stay with her.

At first, it was a little uncomfortable sleeping in her nest of coats and who knows what else, but I’ve grown used to it, and I’ve noticed that she’s begun to rearrange her little nest so that we can both fit into it. The bathtub is its own thing entirely, she’s lined the whole thing with towels and plush coats, whenever I find her in there, I crawl inside, letting her lay on top of me and listen to my heartbeat.

There’s been a few times where I’ve caught her screaming out a name, Jessup’s, Leo’s, even Cleo’s. I try not to let my jealousy show, I know she’s not trying to hurt me on purpose, but I almost wish I was a part of her terrors, at least then she’d be screaming my name.

She’s grown more accustomed to me touching her, at first we’d wake up with a foot of space between us, but as the night terrors got worse, she began to seek me out for comfort more and more. Now, she practically burrows inside of me, wanting to be on top of me at all times, with my strong arms wrapped around her.

It’s hard not to blush when my hands brush up against her bare legs. All she wears these days are her little night dresses, and those already leave little to the imagination. I myself sleep in my boxers, so there’s no contest there, but we’ve gotten to the point where I can rest my hands on her hips or splay my fingers out on her stomach under her dresses. It’s the little things.

I woke up this morning in her bathtub, it’s a bit disorienting, but my eyes soon adjusted to the dark bathroom. I looked down to see Soarynn wrapped around my waist, sleeping soundly. Eudora had once walked in on us, and from the way she was blushing, you would’ve thought she walked in on something else .

After explaining the situation to her, she produced several different colored pills, all for sleeping. I told her that I’d pass the idea along to Soarynn, but I never did. Eudora didn’t mean any harm in offering them up, in fact, I’m glad she did, but I never mentioned them to Soarynn for fear that she might become addicted.

Or worse, not need me anymore.

I checked my watch, 8:03, school would be starting soon and I really can’t be late, it was my last day at the Academy.

Yes, I survived all twelve years of schooling and landed at the top of my class with all honors. I suppose I’ll have to give a speech or something like that for our graduation, but I’m sure Eudora has had one prepared since the day I was born. I hate to wake Soarynn up, but I needed to get going, and she doesn’t like to wake up alone.

I had slipped out of her closet just once, thinking she'd prefer it over waking up next to me, and she went into hysterics. Mother had collected me from school early, telling me that Soarynn had a nervous breakdown when she woke up alone. I felt horrible, and also a bit stupid.

It was no secret that we had begun to repair the bridge that Father had inevitably burned down, and as we repaired it, Soarynn grew more attached to me. I didn’t mind it in the slightest, I liked having a little shadow following me everywhere.

If I was at dinner, she was at dinner, if I was in the gardens, she was in the gardens, if I was in the shower, she was perched on my counter waiting for me to come out.

And I desperately needed a shower, so I ever so gently shook her shoulder, “Soarynn, wake up,” I whispered. She, of course, ignored me. I sighed, the girl loved to sleep. Accepting that I’d have to resort to more drastic measures, I slipped my hands under her dress, landing them on the sides of her waist, and began to tickle her.

Despite all she had been through, she still loved it when I tickled her. Her eyes flew open, squirming as she tried to break out of my hold, giggling into my chest. “Oh, so now you’re awake,” I said, pinching her sides, she bashfully looked up at me, a smile on her face, I returned the smile, pulling my hands out from under her dress and brushing the hair out of her face.

“It’s my last day at the Academy,” I told her, she raised her eyebrows, this was very big news in my family. Now that I was done with school, the next steps were obvious, marriage, becoming President, children, and of course, world domination and killing my Father. Piece of cake .

We had all tried to convince Soarynn to return to the Academy, but it was clear she had no desire to return. I didn’t blame her, I was happy to say goodbye to those halls forever. We both slowly made our way out of the bathtub, stretching and yawning, Petunia sat in the doorway and she watched Soarynn get ready, she did very little these days, just lotion and brushing her hair. But, she had begun to wear actual clothes during the day, and according to Tiberius, this was a huge step in recovery. 

Soarynn had begun to see Tiberius once a week, and I won’t lie, Mother and I eavesdropped every time, using very advanced spying skills: pressing our ears up against the doors. Childish, we know, but we were desperate to hear what they were talking about, and we certainly didn’t hear about it from Soarynn.

We could always hear his voice, but if Soarynn was talking, we couldn’t hear a thing. It was when Mother suggested we bug the room that Father had to step in and tell us that we were not going to have the entire room wired.

Soarynn saw Tiberius in the library, it was huge , filled to the brim with books, even though none of us were readers. Their sessions lasted only an hour, sometimes even less depending on Soarynn’s mood, but we had seen substantial progress. Over four months had passed since the plate incident, and we were practically old friends again.

She still didn’t talk, but she had begun to write, it was little scribbles, most of the time it didn’t make sense. She’d write random words or phrases, and she’d leave me notes to decipher. Some were easier than others, she always had neat handwriting, but the words were all over the page, still, I kept all of them. 

We had made our way downstairs, Mother and Eudora were standing in the foyer, ready to give me a proper send-off. The second Mother saw the two of us she broke into tears, “Oh, look at you two. And look at my little graduate, I remember when you first started going to school darling, so smart, and confident,” she said as she took me in.

I wasn’t wearing anything special, just my Academy uniform, Soarynn was wearing white pants with a light blue sweater that brought out her eyes beautifully. “We better get you going, wouldn’t want to fall behind schedule on your last day,” Eudora said, shoving me towards the door. Were they that desperate to get rid of me?

Once I left, I knew exactly what would happen, the three of them would have breakfast, go for a stroll in the gardens, and then start planning. I tried my best to avoid the planning, it was a tedious process that reminded me of why we paid Eudora so well.

We were planning out the Victory Tour, it was finally time for us to hop on the train and make our way through the Districts, and Eudora had binders full of notes for this Tour. She had even called it “ The Tour of Our Lives ”, while the logistics had already been planned out, there were other things to consider, clothes being a big topic of conversation.

Father and I got off rather easily, only having to wear suits for more formal occasions, but the ladies, especially Soarynn, had hundreds of outfits planned for each stop. I had come home from school several times to find them in the middle of fittings, for Mother and Soarynn, they had their own separate issues.

Mother was constantly worried her outfit “ wasn’t enough ”, she apparently wanted us to be able to see her from outer space because she was constantly having things added to her wardrobe, feathers, diamonds, sequins, ruffles, I don’t know how we’ll manage to fit it all on the train.

For Soarynn, there was one main concern, everything was too big on her. When Olympia and Castor had begun designing her Tour wardrobe, they used her measurements Pre-Hunger Games; they didn’t take into account the substantial weight loss Soarynn would have gone through during and after the Games.

She had been eating better, and she was always skinny, to begin with, but she couldn’t tip the scale at one hundred and ten pounds dripping wet. And so, everything had to be taken in, every dress, every pair of pants, even things like her bras and underwear had to be taken into consideration.

Comfort, was clearly not a top priority for these looks, because some of them I found myself feeling claustrophobic by just looking at them. Beauty is pain I suppose.

Everyone was in good spirits when I arrived at school, on time I might add. To be honest, the last day of school is a joke, some people don’t even bother showing up, but I obviously had to make an appearance. Sejanus and I were on our way to our fifth class of the day when he caught me off guard.

 “So, when are you going to propose to her?” What was it with him and these crazy questions? I scratched the back of my neck, my palms were getting sweaty just thinking about it, “I don’t know,” I admitted as we sat in our seats. He raised his eyebrows at me, “I mean, you’ll have to do it after the Tour,” he pointed out, he was right, after the Tour, we’d have to get married and then I would become President.

Eudora had only explained it to us a thousand times over the past two months. I felt like a parrot, ready to repeat the schedule she had set up for us for the next five years of our lives on command. “I know,” I said, rubbing my face with my hand, “I just want her to talk to me, before I ask her to marry me, you know?” I asked, looking at him, he nodded, “She still hasn’t said anything?”

I shook my head, “Not unless she’s having night terrors, but those have been getting less and less.” He thought for a moment, “Is she going to come to our graduation?” He asked, I honestly didn’t know, it was tomorrow night, the ceremony itself would take forever, then there was the Academy after-party.

From what I’ve heard, the party is legendary, the Academy goes all out for the graduates, and I knew for a fact that Mother would be taking notes. Soarynn might come to the ceremony, but I highly doubted she’d attend the party. “Maybe,” I said, shrugging my shoulders, “depends on what kind of mood she’s in.” 

Eudora did in fact, have a speech for me to read. Once the final bell rang, we were freed of the shackles that were mandatory schooling. The Dean, of course, couldn’t let me walk away unscathed, pulling me into his office and telling me I was to give a speech at tomorrow's ceremony.

I didn’t let that faze me, in fact, I acted with such enthusiasm that he began to look as if he was regretting his decision. As I was leaving his office, I gave him a sorrowful look, “I’d hate to think this is…goodbye, but thank you, for keeping track of me every step of the way sir, it’s been a pleasure,” I said, giving him a big fake smile.

He didn’t crack a smile as he replied, “The pleasure has been all mine, Mr. Snow.” Oh, the fun we had together. I returned home to find, shocker , more fittings taking place in the living room. Apparently, this was a team effort because all of Soarynn’s Prep Team was there as well.

“Well, I just feel as if it’s missing something, perhaps more feathers,” I heard Mother saying as I walked in to see Soarynn on a pedestal wearing what I would call ‘ an interesting choice ’. It was a silver dress and looked like it was entirely made out of feathers, so it was clear that Mother had picked it out.

Eudora nodded, scribbling something down on her notepad, “All right! Do we have any more concerns before we wrap this up?” She asked, looking around the room. What once was our living room with couches strategically placed around the television and coffee table, was now a stylist’s makeshift studio.

There was, of course, the pedestal in the middle of the room, couches in a makeshift circle surrounding it, clothes everywhere on the floor, racks of dresses wrapped in plastic, gigantic ballroom dresses on mannequins, and shoes scattered across the rug. “I just worry about her District Three daytime look,” Castor said, sporting giant black sunglasses even though we were inside, the Prep Team nodded, “I think it says ‘ distinguished woman ’ without saying too much,” Jadis said to him.

“Well, too late to change it now!” Eudora said, snapping her fingers at two Avoxes who then wheeled away a rack of dresses. Her eyes landed on me, “Oh, Coriolanus, how was your last day?” She asked me, I plopped down on one of the couches, sitting next to Mother, “I need to give a speech tomorrow night for the ceremony,” I told her.

This caused several excited gasps throughout the room, Eudora waved me off, “Oh, I’ve had that planned for months dear.” I nodded, happy the issue was resolved that quickly and looked up at Soarynn, who was still waiting for someone to take off her dress.

Her hair was in some sort of an updo, the front pieces falling and framing her face perfectly, “You look like a molting bird,” I told her, Mother gasped, slapping my arm, “Coriolanus! That is high fashion!” I raised my eyebrows at her before looking back at Soarynn who was trying not to laugh, “A beautiful molting bird,” I decided, looking at Mother for approval.

She rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her wine, “Will you miss your school friends?” She asked me, I shook my head, “Nope.” I loved my friends, but I was itching to throw away all of my uniforms and move on with my life. We all were.

One should never underestimate the amount of time it takes for a simple procession. Graduation was in full swing, and it was taking forever . All students had to arrive at the arena where the event was being hosted by three.

Which meant Eudora had me out of the house by two.

We were all donned in a red Academy robe, along with a cap, and cords if you had been involved in any extracurriculars. Being an overachiever, I was drowning in cords, and of course, my special stole signifying that I was at the top of my class.

It was now beginning to get dark as it was nearing six, and everyone had finally taken their seats in the audience. We walked out in alphabetical order, so I was near the end, nowhere near Sejanus which meant the worst, I had to talk to people I barely knew.

Our class had one hundred and fifty students graduating, and while I made my best efforts to get to know everyone, there were still some people I didn’t know. Once the line got moving, cheers could be heard from the crowd as students walked out. We were lined up backstage, standing in the wings, and waiting for a Professor to tell us we could walk out while the Dean called out our names.

I was finally nearing the front of the line, I hoped I didn’t look like a try-hard with all my cords. I also hoped Mother would keep it classy and not lose it when I walked out on stage, she probably wouldn’t.

I was surprised to find it was Dr. Gaul who was metering us onto the stage, “Mr. Snow, I haven’t seen you in my lab yet,” she said to me. I'll be honest, I tried to avoid the woman at all costs. She made Maybe-Aslen look like a joke. I gave her a polite smile, “My apologies, you’ve been missed at the Academy,” I told her, I did miss her engaging lessons, one could only watch the same film so many times in Science class before they were bored to tears.

She nodded, “I suppose I’ll see more of you once you become President.” Before I could ask her what that meant, she was pushing me out onto the stage and my name was being called. “Coriolanus Snow, Top of His Class, Graduating with Honors.”

The crowd roared as I walked out, waving to them of course, I couldn’t see my family, but I could hear Mother shrieking, “THAT’S MY SON! YOU LOOK FABULOUS DARLING!” She really needed to stop drinking . Once I snatched my diploma from one of my Professors and posed for a photo with the Dean, I mentally clocked out.

Backstage we were allowed to go to the dressing rooms to change into our evening wear for the party. Sejanus found me, decked out in his own black tie attire, I gave him the nod of approval, “Looking sharp Plinth,” he laughed, “Guess you forgot about your speech huh Snow?”

My speech . I groaned, “Maybe they’ll forget,” I said hopefully, my English Professor then tapped me on the shoulder, “Time for the big speech,” he said with a smile. I turned around, plastering on a smile of my own, “Can’t wait,” I told him as I followed him out. It was a bit intimidating to walk out on stage all by myself, but I managed it, stepping onto the podium they had set up for me.

I whipped out the cards Eudora had prepared for me, I didn’t even bother to look at them when she gave them to me before slamming the car door and speeding off back to the house when she dropped me off at the arena. This better be good , I thought as I smiled at the audience. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow graduates, I was asked to deliver a speech to you all tonight, and as a Snow, I intend to deliver.” The crowd broke into a laugh, it was clear Eudora had written this speech better than I imagined, it sounded like me, but better, if that was even possible.

“It’s hard to believe this time in our lives had come to a close, I still remember my first day at the Academy. It has truly been an honor and a privilege getting to know all of my fellow students and Professors alike, I truly would be nothing without their shaping of my character.” I wasn’t a fan of that line, but I kept reading.

“Although this year has been a more interesting year than most, we persevered, and we will continue to do so, together, as one country, as one nation, as one Panem. Thank you.” The crowd roared with applause, standing up as they cheered my name. I gave them one last wave before legging it off the stage and into my dressing room.

When I came out Sejanus was waiting for me, “I could tell that your speech came right from the heart,” He said, placing his hand over his heart as if he was moved by my speech. “More like Eudora’s heart, but it’s over and done with,” I said, walking towards the doors that let out into the banquet hall where the party was already raging. “Let’s see if it lives up to its name,” Sejanus said as we walked in.

It most definitely lived up to its name. Most of the parties I’ve attended have been in my own house. The food lavish, the people classy, and the music slow and instrumental. This party had to be planned out by a student because it was the opposite of my Mother’s parties.

Lights were flashing, strobe lights illuminating the dance floor as students danced their hearts out. There was a bar that took up an entire wall of the room. The food looked delicious, all finger foods that you could eat on the go. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I made my way through the crowd, taking pictures with students and Professors alike. I shook hands with some higher-ups I knew worked for my Father and let them congratulate me.

Most of them had to be at least sixty, but they were trying to look forty, eyelids too new for their wrinkly old skin, and lips far too puffy for the average human face. I would never get my lips done when I was older. “You must be excited for this next chapter in your life,” one of them said, I nodded, taking a sip of my champagne, “Yes, I can’t wait to…” My voice died in my throat as I saw the crowd of people parting, making way for someone.

I almost dropped my glass, it was Soarynn.

She was smiling, waving to people, hugging her friends, and talking . If we weren’t in public, I would have cried tears of joy. And she looked so beautiful. She was wearing a purple floor-length dress, it looked like it was made of beads, intricately woven with different shades of purple, the neckline plunging low, with straps to keep it from falling.

It had to weigh a ton, but she carried it as if it weighed nothing. Her eyes finally locked onto mine, she gave me a smile as she made her way towards me, “Excuse me,” I said to the old man, shoving my champagne glass into his hand and making my way towards her.

I couldn’t believe she was here, but I also couldn’t act like it. No one besides Sejanus knew what she had been going through behind closed doors.

To the public, this was a regular appearance, to my family, this was a miracle. 

I finally reached her, unable to hold back my smile as I took her in, “You’re here,” I said, taking her hands in mine. She smiled, “I’m here.” I couldn’t contain myself, part of me wanted to run out of the room so we could talk privately, but the party was just getting started and I’ll be damned if I missed any of it.

So I settled for one of the many couches that were spread out across the room. I caught sight of Mother, talking to Eudora while pointing at the table cloths, taking notes . We sat down, I had put us in the corner of the room, wanting to be as far away from everyone else as possible.

I looked over at her, still unable to believe she was actually here, “I can’t believe… I…I can’t believe I’ve never seen this dress,” I finally said, causing her to laugh and grab my hand with both of hers. I mean, I had seen a lot of dresses as of late, and I definitely would’ve remembered this one.

“I wanted to surprise you,” she said, “so I told Eudora to make sure you never saw this one during the fittings,” she explained, causing my eyebrows to shoot up. “You talked to Eudora?” Of all the people to break her oath of silence with, she chose Eudora? She was practically family, but still.

She nodded, “Don’t be mad, I just, I didn’t know how to talk to you . I’ve been talking with everyone else for a while now.”

Oh.

I looked back at Mother who had us pinned down with her eyes, as if she could hear us from all the way over there. I looked back to see Soarynn nervously watching my face for any signs of anger, “I’m not mad,” I promised, “but, did you ever want to talk to me?” I asked, she sighed, “For a while, I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I felt like you all just brushed over the Games entirely,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ears, “but, I also had some other things going on at the same time,” she said quietly.

Ah yes, her morphling addiction . “I tried to stop them from giving it to you,” I said, causing her eyes to widen, “they gave it to you after Lucky’s show, after you had your seizure,” I explained, I could see the gears turning in her head. “That seems so long ago,” she murmured, “I thought I’d be that way forever,” she told me, “like it would never get better until you found out.”

I didn’t expect us to talk about our dinner smackdown this early into the conversation, but here we were. “Are you still mad at me?” I asked, grabbing her hand, she shook her head, “No, of course not, you were doing the right thing, I…I owe you my life,” she said. I’m glad she finally saw it that way because that’s what I had been thinking from the very beginning.

“When did you notice the case was missing?” I had always wanted to know, was it intuition, or had she been watching me the whole time? She sighed, “Oh, I went straight to my room when dinner started, I saw the case wasn’t under my bed and I just knew you had something to do with it, plus, you looked guilty as sin when I walked into the dining room,” she said with a small smile.

I put my hands up defensively, “It was really Petunia’s fault,” I told her, throwing the cat under the bus, she raised her eyebrows, “The cat? Maybe you two have gotten closer since I’ve been gone,” she said, shaking her head. I nodded, “She was all I had of you for a while,” I admitted.

She watched as our classmates thrashed on the dance floor, pulling out some moves I didn’t even know existed. “I know I haven’t been easy, but thank you, for not giving up on me,” she said, looking into my eyes, I cupped her face with my hand, “I almost gave up on you,” I admitted, ashamed of myself, “but, once I found the morphling, I realized how much I needed to keep fighting for us.”

Tears welled in her eyes, “I’m sorry for waking you every night too,” she added, I scoffed, “I’ll always be there to chase away the bad dreams,” I promised her. She nodded, grabbing my hand and pressing a kiss to it, “We should dance,” she told me, something of a slow song had made its way into the queue and I knew people would be watching.

I stood up, took her hand and helped her up, and led us to the dance floor. We kept it classy, saving our ridiculous dance moves for behind closed doors, and besides, we had an audience. Despite how big her dress was, I held her close, her face pressed up against the crook of my neck as we swayed side to side.

We were the only people in the room who mattered right now. 

Sejanus was happy to see Soarynn, both catching up while we patrolled the food tables, tasting everything the party had to offer. “Champagne?” I offered Soarynn, who had stayed glued to my side the entire night, not that I was complaining, it was wonderful to have her back.

She shook her head, “Maybe someday, but not now,” she told me, and I understood, it was scary when your mind was foggy. It was also a lot of fun depending on what was causing the fog. Mother found us eventually, dabbing her eyes with a napkin when she saw us linked together, “I never thought I’d see you two together like this again,” she said tearfully, “and your speech was lovely darling.”

I smiled at her, “Thank you, I put a lot of time and effort into it,” I told her, earning me an evil eye from Eudora before she focused in on Soarynn. “How are you feeling dear?” She asked her, pressing her hand against Soarynn’s forehead like she might be running a fever, “I’m a little tired, but that’s nothing new,” Soarynn replied, I looked down at her, she was wearing a bit of makeup, some mascara, and blush, nothing crazy, but she did look a bit tired.

The party was beginning to wind down, people slowly stumbling out of the banquet hall and spilling into the street. Sejanus had already said his goodbyes, promising to come to see us before we left for the Tour. “Then let’s head home,” I suggested, Soarynn looked up, “Oh, Coryo, we don’t have to leave just yet, you should enjoy yourself.”

Coryo. How long has it been since she called me Coryo?

I smiled down at her, “No party matters more than you,” I told her, causing Mother and Eudora to croon at us before we all called it a night. It’s not easy leaving a party when you’re the most popular person in the room, but we eventually made our way to the door, Mother snatching Father from a table where he was talking to several other old men who looked just like him, “You can talk business later,” she told him. 

Once we got inside the car, I was exhausted, maybe Soarynn was right about being tired, because I was beat. We held hands the entire car ride, I was content to never let her hand go again, but I had to as she needed several people to help get her dress out of the car and into the house.

We bid Eudora and Mother goodnight, both of them off to have some tea and go over more schedules. We took the elevator, too tired for the stairs, the doors had just opened when Soarynn’s head popped up from off of my shoulder, “Oh, how’s your head?” She asked me, for a moment I had no idea what she was talking about.

“My head? OH. My head, yes, it’s fine, I’ve forgotten about it already,” I assured her as I led us into her bedroom. “Are you sure?” She asked as she bit at her nails, I nodded, “You certainly have a strong arm,” I told her as I walked into the bathroom, ready to rip this suit off and go to bed.

She followed me, washing off her makeup before making her way into the closet to undress. “Umm, could you help me with the back?” She called from behind the closet door, “Certainly,” I said with a smile as I pushed it open to find her struggling to get the dress off.

She turned to see my smile, “Don’t get any ideas,” she warned me, I gasped, “Is that all you think of me?” I asked, she looked me up and down, “I must say, your hands have been quite explorative while we’ve been sleeping as of late,” she said, she had me there . “Do you want help with the dress or not?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

She nodded and turned around. I placed one hand on her lower back while I slowly pulled down the zipper with the other hand, it went much farther than I thought it would, I stopped when I could see her lacy underwear peeking out. “Do you need any help getting out of it?” I asked sweetly, I couldn’t help myself, and it didn’t hurt to ask.

She threw me a look from over her shoulder, “I’ve got it from here,” she assured me. Conceding defeat, I walked to my own room to change, coming back in my boxers ready to get some sleep. She was in a pink silky nightdress tonight, her hair in a braid down her back.

“Closet or bathtub?” I asked her, usually I would be kicked out until her night terrors came to haunt her, but I was determined to stay with her the entire night. She looked into her closet before looking at the tub, “The tub,” she decided.

I climbed inside it, spreading my legs for her to crawl in between, and wrapping my arms around her waist as she cozied up to me, rubbing her face into the crook of my neck. “How long have you been having night terrors?” I whispered, she shifted, propping her head up on my collarbone, “I can’t remember, but I remember how much better they got once you started to sleep with me,” she whispered back.

Though I couldn’t see her entirely in the dark bathroom, I knew she had a tear running down her face, I gently wiped it off her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Only sweet dreams from now on,” I said.

She sighed, “I hope so,” she mumbled as she laid her head on my chest. I stayed awake for a while, listening to her breathing as she fell asleep.

Finally being able to truly hold my girl once again.   

Chapter Text

The next week and a half flew by, all consumed by all things Victory Tour. Considering it wasn’t even for me , you’d think Mother and Eudora would leave me out of it for the most part, but I was dragged to every single meeting. But I had Soarynn now, and that was all that mattered.

I was fitted for all of my suits, all my shoes had been shined, and I was down one hair stylist and makeup artist. It was brought to my attention yesterday that Atley and Octavian had eloped and were currently on their month-long honeymoon, leaving me abandoned, discarded, thrown onto the side of the street like trash.

I mean, I didn’t expect their lives to revolve around me, but they could have at least mentioned it! Or invited me to the wedding. Either way, I was fucked.

I was able to sulk for a good five minutes before Soarynn said her Prep Team had no problem taking care of me, so the problem was quickly solved. I also found out that Castor wouldn’t be joining us, too busy with his new clothing line since he had become Soarynn’s Stylist, so it was our usual group. Yipee .

I also was informed that there were a lot of rules and protocols to follow when on the Victory Tour. Eudora had slammed a binder in front of me and Soarynn and advised us to memorize it front and back and know it by heart.

I had absolutely no intention of doing that, and Soarynn looked intimidated by the sheer size of the binder, so Eudora dumbed it down for the two of us. She showed us the schedule we would adhere to every day, and all the rules we had to follow, the schedule was mostly the same for each District. 

8:00 AM: Depart from Train

9:00 AM: Meet the Mayor

10:00 AM: Tour the District 

12:00 PM: Lunch

1:30 PM: Victor’s Speech

6:00 PM: Dinner 

10:00 PM: Depart from Train Station

The rules were self-explanatory, no wandering off alone, anyone could try to hurt us if they found us alone. Always be in the Peacekeeper’s line of sight, try to avoid touching the people we came across, wouldn’t want to contract any diseases, stick to the prepared speeches, be polite, smile for the cameras, and I couldn’t wear my boxers on the train.

The last one really upset me, I mean, I wasn’t walking around naked . That I could understand, but Eudora told me flat out that she wasn’t going to let me wander around the train in my underwear, when I asked her why she said because there would be “ ladies present ” when on the train.

I wanted to tell her that Soarynn was no lady behind closed doors, but I kept that to myself, accepting the pajama pants she produced for me. When it came to Eudora, there was little room to argue. 

Soarynn and I had been playing catch up, reconnecting, and filling in the gaps she had since the Games. She remembered the hovercraft picking her up, but after that it was fuzzy. We had begun to hide out in the greenhouse, desperate to hide away from Mother and Eudora and their cursed itineraries.

I was telling her about Lucky’s show and how I felt she had done it way too soon. She nodded, “They pumped me full of painkillers and sent me out,” she said, picking at her cuticles. We were sitting on the bench by the koi fish, watching them swim in circles. “You were barefoot,” I remembered, she had pulled her dress over her feet when she sat down, she looked down at her feet, currently bare.

“I could barely walk, so heels were out of the question,” she replied, “Olympia told me no one would notice, they’d be too busy watching us.” I nodded, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze, “Are you ready for the Tour of Our Lives?” I asked her, doing my best to look serious, she laughed, “Oh, I think Eudora is more ready than all of us, but I think it’ll be fine,” she said.

If Eudora had anything to do with it, it would be perfect . “Is Petunia coming with us?” I asked, although we had gotten closer, I wasn’t too keen on being in such close quarters with the cat, Soarynn shook her head, “Sejanus is going to take care of her, Mrs. Plinth said she could stay with them while we’re gone.”

Thank goodness for Mrs. Plinth , I thought as I did my best to look sad. “Oh, that’s too bad,” I said, looking down at the fish, Soarynn rolled her eyes, “I know how you can get, so I figured it was for the best,” she told me as she stood up and walked towards the doors.

I followed her, lengthening my strides so I could beat her to the doors, blocking it with my body, “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, cocking my head, she tried to push me out of the way, but I didn’t budge. She huffed, “It means, that if you had it your way, you’d have me to yourself and no one else would ever be allowed around us,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

I scoffed, stepping to the side and letting her out, “I’m not that selfish,” I said as I followed her up the steps, she laughed, “No, you’re not selfish, but you also don’t like to share,” she said pointedly. Well, she had me there . “I’ll try to work on that,” I promised her as I pulled open the door for us, packing for the Tour was in full swing considering we left the day after tomorrow. The halls were filled with boxes, clothing racks, trunks, and of course, wine. 

We found Mother and Eudora near the front of the house. Eudora had climbed up a stack of trunks and was ripping out scarves left and right, all of them flying onto the ground like rain. “Found it!” She shrieked, popping her head up and waving a pink scarf. Mother let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank goodness, I don’t know what I would have done if we left it at home.”

I rolled my eyes, gathering up the scarves and handing them up to Eudora, “Are we moving onto the train?” I asked, turning to look at Mother who gave me the stink eye, “Better to have and not need, than need and not have Coriolanus,” she told me, Soarynn covered her laugh with a cough, “Are we almost packed?” She asked, Eudora slammed the trunk shut, “Almost, we just have this hallway left,” she told us, gesturing to the expansive hallway we had just walked down.

“Oh, well that’s light work,” I told Eudora as I helped her down from the tower of trunks, how she had gotten up there, I would never know. “Thank you dear,” she said, dusting off her skirt, “Now, tomorrow will be a full beauty makeover day, all the works before the big trip, so don’t touch anything on your bodies tonight,” she told us, glaring at me especially. I put my hands up in surrender, “Don’t have to tell me twice,” I said to her. 

Eudora did tell me twice, just as Soarynn and I were heading upstairs for bed, “Remember, makeovers start at nine o'clock sharp!” Eudora trilled as she was leaving for the night. I sighed, why did we have to get makeovers? We were already leagues above the people in the Districts when it came to looks and overall cleanliness.

But there was no getting out of this, not if I wanted to live. Soarynn’s room had also fallen victim to the packing epidemic, boxes all over the floor as we prepared to leave, so we went to my room instead. It was nowhere near bedtime, but we were both lying on my bed, shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the stars. Well, the fake stars on my ceiling, but it felt romantic in my head.

“Can you see the stars in Twelve?” I asked her, a small smile splayed out on her lips, “You can see all the stars in Twelve, even some constellations, I’ll show you when we go there,” she said.

It must be strange to be going back home, I can’t imagine Soarynn thought she’d ever go back to Twelve, let alone see her dad again. “Are you excited to see Twelve again?” I asked her, she sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest, “Kind of,” she mumbled.

I sat up next to her, “If it’s Jessup’s family you’re worried about, I highly doubt they’ll hold it against you,” I assured her, Cleo’s family might have it out for Soarynn, but Jessup’s dad seemed somewhat levelheaded. She shook her head, “The Yearwoods were like a second family to me, Jessup’s mom died right before I left, but his dad was always so kind to me,” she said, “I know he’d have wanted Jessup to help me win, even if it meant him dying.”

Damn, my Father would have told me to play dirty and that it was every man for themselves, and to look out for number one. That was the difference between us and the District folk, we actually understood what was important and what was at stake, whereas they were just throwing their kids’ lives away in the name of “ doing the right thing ”.

I nodded, “Who’s Bea?” I asked, suddenly remembering how Jessup had cried out her name during the Jabberjay attack, Soarynn perked up, “Bea’s his little sister, she had to be three when I left, he’s got an older brother too, Jett,” she said, “it was a terrible thing to do, using Bea’s voice like that, I don’t even know where they got it from,” she admitted.

I nodded, they had only interviewed Jessup’s dad, but the Game Makers were creative, even I could give them that. “I was there,” I whispered, her head snapped towards me, “During the Jabberjays?” She asked, her eyes wide, I nodded, “I watched your heart stop, and I stopped them from sounding off the cannon, I couldn’t believe you were just… gone ,” I whispered, cursing myself as I felt tears welling up.

Get a grip , I told myself, I was starting to act like Mother, and that scared me. Soarynn leaned over, cupping my face with her hand, “Oh, Coryo, you should have told me,” she said, I bit my lip, “Father didn’t even care,” I said bitterly, throwing the old man under the bus once again. Her face hardened as she pulled her hand away, “I wouldn’t put it past him,” she said grimly. 

Our Father really was a terrible man to both his children. No wonder Mother drank, I couldn’t fathom being married to the man, being his child was hard enough already. “Did you ever mean it, when you kissed him?” I asked, I had to know, I had to know it was all an act, for the sake of my mental health.

She sighed, “For a while, he was all in had in there Coryo, I wasn’t in love with him, but I’ll always love Jessup, we grew up together,” she explained, looking at my face, I finally nodded, “You did what you had to do to survive,” I decided. She raised her eyebrows, “Why do you ask? Were you…jealous?” She asked, a smirk forming on her lips.

 I scoffed, “As if,” I said, scooting away from her for good measure, she laughed, “Come back! I’d be jealous if you were kissing another girl,” she told me, crawling towards me. My head snapped up, “You would?” I asked, Soarynn wasn’t the jealous one in this relationship, that title belonged to me, and she had always let me do what I wanted, always being polite to every girl I brought home.

She nodded, slowly crawling into my lap, “I guess you’ve rubbed off on me because I don’t like to share either,” she whispered. Our faces were now inches apart, and besides the occasional kiss on the forehead or kiss on the back of a hand, we hadn’t kissed in months , not since she was crowned the Victor.

“Oh yeah?” I asked, my voice a little too shaky for my liking, she smiled, looking at my lips before looking back up at my eyes, “Mhm,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

Was this really happening?

We weren’t even dressed for this! I was in pants and a button-up with a vest over it, and she was also in pants, wearing a cream-colored blouse. But that didn’t stop us. 

I gently grabbed her face with one hand, using the other to maneuver her on top of me at a better angle as we finally shared a true genuine kiss. I almost forgot what it felt like. What started out slow and sweet soon turned desperate and sloppy, her ripping off my vest and fumbling to unbutton my shirt while I was letting my hands roam all under her blouse.

Finally, shirtless, I went to remove her own blouse when I hesitated. We were both of sober mind and body, but did she want to be doing this? Did she feel pressured?

She must have felt my hesitation because she pulled back, giving me a small smile before pulling the blouse off, revealing a lovely cream colored bra, “I’m not having sex with you,” she told me, I raised my eyebrows, “I can wait,” I told her with a smirk, she returned it before fumbling to take off her pants.

Oh, we’re actually doing this , I thought as she kicked off her pants, revealing she was wearing a matching set. I gulped, leaning back on my elbows as she crawled on top of me, sitting on my legs as she went for my belt buckle. “Stop!” I said, her head shot up, fear in her eyes, “I…I want this to be about you tonight, let me make you feel good,” I said, trying not to blush.

After all she had been through, she deserved to be treated like a goddess and worshiped like one too. She had the audacity to look shocked as if I hadn’t given her the time of her life the last time we had done this.

“Don’t look too surprised,” I scoffed, “I can be very generous,” I told her, causing her to grin before crawling right up to me until we were face to face, “Then let’s see what you have to give,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

I wanted to make her regret saying that. And I’m sure she was as she clawed at the bed sheets while I worked her through her third orgasm of the night. I had no intention of stopping, and I had her right where I wanted her, face pressed into the mattress, ass up, her entire body trembling as I relentlessly slammed my fingers into her.

The last time I had given her the time of her life, she passed out right after, but my girl was a trooper, taking everything I gave her. I watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she let out another beautiful moan as she soaked my bed sheets again.

“And you thought I wasn’t generous,” I said, smirking as she tried to crawl away, I just pulled her right back onto my fingers, watching her take it like the good girl she is. “What do you say, angel?” I asked, my voice dripping with false disappointment.

It had taken me around ten minutes to figure out Soarynn got off on praise, and she freaked out if she felt she was disappointing me. So naturally, I used that to my advantage. “I’m…I’m sorry Coryo,” she moaned, biting into the mattress as my thumb rubbed her clit in tight circles. I sighed, “Are you gonna be good for me now?” I asked, she nodded as she looked back at me, tears running down her face, she looked perfect.

“Use your words, baby,” I reminded her, she bit her lip, “I’ll be good,” she promised, letting out a moan as I slipped another finger into her cunt. I didn’t know if she could take three, but I guess she could, and she was doing so well too. I hummed, as much as I wanted to mark her with love bites, I knew her Prep Team would be in hysterics if they found a single scratch on her body tomorrow morning and would probably hunt me down.

So I settled for her lips, I grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking her head back until she was almost bending backward, and pressed a kiss to her lips, which she eagerly returned. “Can you give me one more?” I asked, scratching at her clit and relishing in the face she made, she nodded, looking up at the stars as more tears fell back, “Yes,” she croaked, her voice breaking.

I dropped her hair, letting her fall back onto the mattress as I zeroed in on that sweet spot that made her go crazy. “Please,” she panted, her nails raking across the mattress, “Please what angel?” I asked, watching as she desperately rocked her hips back onto my fingers, trying to cross the finish line.

But this was a marathon, not a sprint.

“Please…please let me cum,” she cried, looking back at me with those beautiful eyes, how could I resist? I nodded, using my other hand to grab her neck, gently squeezing it and cutting off her airflow. She gasped, for a moment I thought she was scared, but I felt her get even more wet if that was possible, she loved being choked.

I let go of my grip when I saw her eyes start to roll back, watching as she gasped for air, I positioned my body on top of hers, leaning my head right over hers as I brought her to her last orgasm of the night. “Give me one more Soarynn, be my good girl, and give me one more,” I said into her ear.

She let out a sob as my thumb scratched at her clit, I pressed a kiss right under her pulse before sucking and that’s all it took for the floodgates to break loose. My eyes widened as she shook, her mouth open in a silent scream as she squirted all over my fingers, her cunt sucking me in as she rode out her last orgasm.

I finally pulled my fingers out, covered in cum, I looked down to see her out cold on the mattress. I brushed her hair from her sweaty face, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as I gathered her up in my arms, she was a sticky mess and I always cleaned up the messes I made. 

Chapter Text

No one came to see us off at the train station. I know I asked the audience at Lucky’s show to give us a sendoff, but I didn’t think they’d actually follow through, and they proved me right when we arrived at the station to find it a ghost town. Not that I could hold it against them, it was six in the morning, and the only person who seemed chipper enough to talk was Eudora.

Sejanus had come to say goodbye yesterday evening and collect Petunia and all of her things. I tried to tell Soarynn that she was a cat, not a child, but she wasn’t having any of it, bombarding Sejanus with routines, schedules, lists of do’s and don’ts, and all of Petunia’s favorite toys. I can’t imagine how spoiled our children will be.

When Eudora said we had to be at the station by six, I thought she was joking, she wasn’t, and here we were, moping, tired, and cold. Although it was summer, the air was cold in the mornings, and none of us were up before eight most days.

Soarynn’s Prep Team lacked their usual enthusiasm and chatter as they stumbled onto the train and into their rooms before falling back asleep. They had the right idea though, once on the train, I beelined for my own bedroom, throwing my bags into some dark corner of the room and falling back asleep on the bed with Soarynn.

Eudora had told us that we both had our own rooms, but I think everybody knew her attempts were futile, we would be sleeping in the same bed every night. It was so lovely to sleep in a real bed again too, last night had been rough, to say the least, the whole day had been rough, but Soarynn and I didn’t get any sleep.

Our makeover day went well enough, I was still upset I had to go through with it, to begin with. Soarynn’s room had been cleared of all the boxes, so we started in there.

 First, came the body hair, Jadis scoured my body for the tiniest hairs, ripping anything out she could find with her tweezers. She even waxed my facial hair, not that I had a lot, to begin with, but from the way she acted, you would’ve thought I had a full-grown beard. I don’t know how Soarynn dealt with all of this, I watched as they waxed her entire body, from head to literal toe. She didn’t even flinch when they ripped off the hot wax.

Then we each were taken to our respective bathrooms where we soaked in numerous liquids, all horrible smelling until the Preps felt we were clean enough. They painted all my nails with clear gloss, plucked my eyebrows, gave me a facial, and moisturized me head to toe. Eudora came in to give the two of us her stamp of approval, claiming we were “ good enough ”, but that was all you could really get from her. It was at night when the real problems started.

In the midst of stripping our bodies of everything they’ve ever come in contact with, the Prep Team cleared out Soarynn’s bathtub so she could soak. I know they didn’t mean anything by it, and it didn’t help that there were mostly towels laying inside, but Soarynn was hysterical when we found it empty.

I tried to tell her that we could just put new towels in, but she wasn’t listening. I started to get scared when her breathing turned heavy, I helped her sit down on the floor hoping she would be able to catch her breath, but she just rocked back and forth.

The closet had remained untouched, so I figured we’d sleep in there, but Soarynn was still worked up over the bathtub. So I had the Avoxes bring us some tea, the last thing I needed was for Mother or Eudora to see Soarynn having a mental breakdown over a bathtub ten hours before we left. The tea helped, it was chamomile mixed with lavender to help her fall asleep. I stupidly thought that was the end of that, and curled up next to her in her little nest.

How wrong I had been.

Out of all the night terrors I’ve experienced, these were by far the worst. Maybe it was her conscience trying to punish her right before we embarked on this Tour, reminding her that she’d have to face the parents of the children she murdered. Or maybe it was the bathtub, either way, we didn’t sleep a wink last night. I kept getting woken up by screams and cries, and shaking fits, having to console her and tell her she was safe.

Her voice was hoarse by the time five rolled around, and neither of us wanted to try to fall back asleep, so we gave up, packing up the last of our things and ending up being the first ones in the foyer. Eudora was pleasantly surprised when she found us ready for her, the rest of the group joined us shortly after, and we were on our way to District One. 

When I woke up, I could see the sunlight peeking through the window shades, I yawned, looking down to see Soarynn hugging a pillow sound asleep. We hadn’t even made it under the covers, passing out the second we hit the mattress, were we really that tired? I wondered. I was feeling refreshed now, I slid off the bed, the room was as big as it could be for a train, sleek and elegant, wood cabinets lined the walls, all mahogany of course, it looked a lot like our house.

We had a television screen that popped out of the dresser across from the bed, and a private bathroom as well. I didn’t want to wake up Soarynn, we needed her in good shape for when we got to One, so I quietly slipped out of the room. There were lots of cars on the train, the front of course held the conductor and all the attendants’ quarters.

The first three cars after that held all of the clothes and other things we didn’t really need to pack, then there was the bar car, then the dining car, then the lounge car. All of our rooms took up the next three cars, and in the back was the viewing car, where there was a panoramic window that went all the way up to the ceiling, encasing the entire car in glass.

I was starving so I hung a left towards the dining car, I passed through the lounge to find Father working at a desk near the window, I didn’t even bother to acknowledge him, and he did the same for me. Typical.

 I walked into the dining car to find everyone in much better spirits, the Prep Team was in full glam even though we’d be on the train until tomorrow morning, and Mother and Eudora were going over the schedule.

“Oh, there you are darling, we thought you’d never wake up,” Mother said, patting the space next to her at the dining table. I took my seat next to her, helping myself to pancakes and hot chocolate. “What time is it?” I asked her, looking out the window to see the landscape passing by like a blur, the train traveled at two hundred and fifty miles per hour, getting us from District to District in about half a day or so.

“Twelve thirty,” Mother said, glancing down at the schedule, I hummed, I had only slept six hours, but I felt like a new man, and I wouldn’t mind a shower. “Did we forget anything?” I asked Eudora, and she sighed, “I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow when we arrive at One, we’ll need to be up by six-thirty to prep all of ourselves for the day,” she told me. Oh great, more prepping . 

I knew it was mostly for Soarynn, she was the entire reason we were all on this train to begin with. I looked around the car, it had a small bar in the corner, and a counter pressed against the window so you could eat while watching the world go by. The table we were currently eating at could easily seat ten people, and there was a coffee table near the door leading to the bar car that had several sitting chairs around it.

I finished my pancakes and went to fill up my hot chocolate when I thought Soarynn might like some, so I grabbed a croissant and another mug and headed back to the bedroom. I briskly walked through the lounge car, and made it to the bedroom to find it empty.

I would’ve seen her on my way back , I thought, so I made my way to the viewing car. I found Soarynn in the very back, sitting on the sofa that lined the entire car, looking at the tracks that fell behind the train.

There wasn’t much to see right now, just a lot of rocks and some trees. I walked towards her, carefully setting down our mugs and her croissant on a nearby table, “Good morning,” I said, sitting next to her. Her head was perched on the top of the sofa, she looked an awful lot like Petunia when she’d sit on the sofa at home.

“Good morning,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the tracks. “I brought breakfast,” I said, reaching for the food, that got her attention, her head snapping towards me and happily taking the croissant.

“Thank you,” she said, ripping it apart and taking a bite. She let out an appreciative moan as she chewed, nodding her head at me as she swallowed, “I love bread,” she told me, I smiled, “Does Twelve have a bakery?” I asked her, she nodded, “Yeah, it’s right by my house in town, my friend Dorothea’s dad is the baker, he makes the best rolls,” she told me as she took another bite. “We’ll have to visit them,” I said, wiping some flakes of the croissant off her chin, “did you sleep better?” I asked her.

Last night was horrible, that we could both agree on, but Soarynn was always able to sleep during the day after the Games, she nodded, “I feel horrible for keeping you up,” she confessed. I scoffed, “Don’t be, I can never sleep before a big event anyways,” she didn’t look too convinced, but she looked back out the window, “I haven’t seen this much green since the arena,” she said.

The Capitol was mostly concrete, sure we had the park across from the Academy, but other than that and the grounds that surrounded our house, we didn’t get a whole lot of green.

“You’ll love District Seven then,” I told her, I knew I wouldn’t, it was the perfect way to get a splinter if you asked me. I grabbed my mug, taking a sip before offering it to her, she drank some, “I remember the first time I ever had hot chocolate, it was on this train,” she said, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows, we both loved hot chocolate, but I didn’t know she had never had it before coming to the Capitol, “Mother told me I could have all the hot chocolate I wanted when we got to the Capitol,” she remembered, “I think she was just trying to get me to like her.”

Mother had gone as far as to getting Soarynn a cat and her own apartment, so to offer a five-year-old all the hot chocolate in the world didn’t seem out of character for her. I opened my mouth to say something, but I never got the chance as Mother burst into the car, telling us we were wanted in the lounge.

Would you believe me if I said we went over another schedule?

Eudora informed us we would be doing this before every District, and to look forward to these little briefings. “Now, District One is Luxury, so the outfits will be absolutely fabulous!” Eudora said as she paced the length of the car, Soarynn and I were perched on a lush sofa, while the rest of the group was spread out, listening to Eudora’s mandatory speech.

“I’ve prepared speeches for every District, no need to worry about those, it’s custom to give a brief word about the District’s Tributes that you faced in the arena, for One, that’s Briella and Beckett,” she said, stopping in front of us and giving Soarynn a look of pity. Soarynn nodded, not only had she lodged her spear in Briella’s head, but she was also indirectly the cause of Beckett’s death, and in the end, they had been allies.

Eudora’s briefing went on for the next few hours, telling us what to do, what to say, and what to expect. She also told us what not to do, but I kind of tuned her out on that part. “Will we be going on a tour of the training facilities?” Imogen asked, raising her hand. Districts One and Two were provided with training for all their children, creating vicious little monsters like Cleo and Beckett.

One also was our of most favored District’s, their people being considered some of the ‘wealthiest’ in Panem, but still dirt poor to us in the Capitol. By the time Eudora had finished with her speech, we were all exhausted, again.

We made our way to the dining car, watching the sunset as we feasted on lamb stew, pork chops, and Soarynn’s favorite, chocolate-covered strawberries. It was only seven o'clock, but we had to be up early, so Eudora suggested we all head to bed bright and early so we could start “ The Tour of Our Lives ” on a good note tomorrow. 

We didn’t go the bed until midnight.

First, we showered, and we got a little hung up in the bathroom. It was nowhere near the size of the ones we had at home, but it was spacious enough for two people to fit in comfortably, the shower was probably built for one person, but we made it work for two. Since the other night, we had a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves, and I wasn’t complaining when Soarynn got down on her knees for me before we turned off the water.

We eventually got out of the shower though, freshening up before exploring the train. No one was awake, so we made our way up the train, car by car, and I must say, these pajama pants Eudora got me were very comfortable. Maybe she was onto something. The bar car was stocked, to say the least, and I had a feeling we’d all be needing a drink or two during this Tour.

The clothing cars were something else entirely, how the Preps were able to find anything in here was beyond me, all the clothing racks had been rolled right onto the cars from the station, and I began to realize they had broken the cars down by the Districts. The One through Four in the very first car, Five through Eight in the second, and Nine through Twelve in the last car, the one we were currently in.

“I can’t even remember what I’m wearing tomorrow,” Soarynn murmured as she opened a trunk to reveal nothing but pink high heels, she closed the trunk, “But nothing I’m wearing requires this many pink heels,” I laughed, “You never know when you might need to do an outfit change,” I told her.

Tomorrow would probably be the best night in terms of people, though they were leagues below us, the people of District One, the important people that is, were probably the most civilized.

The rest of the Tour would be a slow walk to the finish line, filled with awkward tension and long stares from envious people. As if I chose to be rich and famous. We didn’t go any farther than the attendant’s car, not wanting to disturb them, or worse, have them tell Eudora.

We made our way back to the bedroom, taking turns in the bathroom to brush our teeth, I was just finishing up when I came out to find Soarynn pressed against the headboard, hugging a pillow in her lap.

“Are you okay?” I asked warily, we really couldn’t afford another breakdown right now. She nodded, her chin wobbling, “I just…I don’t know how I’m going to get through this Coryo,” she confessed, looking up at me with tears spilling down her face. I climbed onto the bed, pulling her into my arms, “We’ll get through this together, I’ll be with you every step of the way,” I told her, rubbing soothing circles onto her back as she wept.

“Even if I have to do something by myself?” She asked, pulling away and looking me in the eye, I nodded, gently grabbing her face with my hands, “Of course, where you go, I go, no matter what the rules say.”

She sniffled, “I just feel like everybody probably hates me,” she said.  I furrowed my eyebrows, “What do you mean sweet thing? No one could hate you,” I told her, brushing her hair behind her ears, she shook her head.

 “I mean, we had to postpone the Tour because of me, and now we have to talk to people who probably hate me because I killed their children,” she said, fresh tears falling down her face as she burrowed her face in my chest.

I ran my fingers through her hair, survivor's guilt was a bitch.

“You were just trying to survive,” I whispered, “those kids were doing the same thing, you said it yourself,” I said, remembering her last conversation with Beckett. I heard her hiccup, her head popping back up, tears gone, but eyes red, and nose runny, I wiped her nose off with the bedsheets, “If you want, we could try to sleep in separate rooms, see if that helps,” I suggested, maybe we were becoming two double negatives at this point.

She shook her head fervently, “No, I don’t…I don’t want you to ever leave me,” she whispered, looking up at me with those blue-gray eyes that held the entire world in them. I kissed her on the forehead, “Okay, we’re sticking together on this Tour then, no matter what,” I promised her.

She seemed content with that, her eyes fluttering shut, I turned off the bedside lamp and helped her crawl into bed, pulling the covers over us as we settled in for the night.

We sat there in the darkness, her head laying on my chest while I waited for her to fall asleep. Just as I was starting to doze off, she spoke up, barely a whisper, “Coryo?” My eyes blinked open, “Yes?” I asked, stroking her hair, “You’re not gonna leave me in the middle of the night..right?” It broke my heart that she thought I’d leave her, I kissed the side of her head, “Of course not angel.”

She hummed, pressing her head further into my chest and looking up into my eyes, even though it was pitch dark, I could see her perfectly. Her angelic face looked at me like I put the stars in the sky, and for her, I would. We both started to drift off when she spoke up one last time, I could barely hear her, but I did, I would find her voice in a crowded room every time. 

“Stay with me.”

“Always.” 

Chapter Text

No one prepares you for the smell. Not that the Capitol smells like sunshine and roses, but the combined smell of thousands of smelly, unwashed, unkempt people can build up and really attack your sense of smell.

We pulled into the station at six, the train coming to a slow stop, I figured we’d have a few more minutes to sleep, but Eudora was already banging on all of our doors, “Time to get this show on the road!” she called as she made her way down the hall.

I groaned, sitting up to find Soarynn burrowed under the covers, “Wake up sleepy head,” I say, gently nudging her leg with my foot, she groaned, “It’s too early for this shit,” she mumbled, popping her head out. She had a serious case of bedhead, my curls probably didn’t look much better.

We could hear the Prep Team slowly emerging from their rooms, “I’ll see you soon,” I said to her as our door slid open revealing four sleep-deprived Prep Team members. She nodded, slipping out of bed and walking down the hall with them. 

Not wanting to rely on District One’s idea of breakfast, I helped myself to a lovely spread of waffles, sausage, and orange juice, looking out the window to see Peacekeepers and townspeople alike running around the station. There were a few photographers, the people back home would want to keep up with us during the Victory Tour, so photos getting on and off the train were expected.

Mother made her way to the dining car, dressed in a blinged-out jumpsuit, with actual diamonds in her oversized headband. “Keeping it casual today,” I noted, she scoffed, “ Someone has to show these people what true fashion is,” she said, reaching over me for a muffin.

Father came in, wearing a gray sweater with dark gray slacks, I’d probably be wearing the same thing myself. Eudora flew in, decked out in her own shiny silver outfit, “Coriolanus, go get dressed, Soarynn should be done soon,” I nodded, stuffing another sausage in my mouth before heading back to the bedroom.

Eudora had laid out my daywear, a dark gray sweater with a button-up to wear underneath, along with light gray slacks and black dress shoes. I’d basically look like the slightly younger version of my Father, great .

The outfits were really about the ladies though, I walked back into the dining car to find Soarynn eating breakfast while standing up, not that she could really sit with that outfit.

She was wearing a silver dress, short but not too provocative, it looked very shiny, covered in what looked like little silver beads and it looked like she could poke someone's eye out too. The shoulders were pointy, and the neckline had a built-in choker around her neck, she looked like she was suffocating.

“You look lovely,” I said to her, she raised her eyebrows, “I don’t feel lovely,” she said. Mother gasped, “Darling! That is couture, you look fabulous,” she assured her, but I didn’t have time to talk, the Preps practically kidnapped me, shoving me into the clothing car where they had set up a makeshift makeup studio.

They didn’t do much, granted, I didn’t need much done, but a little concealer and blush can go a long way. As they were making me look beautiful, the ladies were chattering about how excited they were for today, “I heard the food is going to be amazing,” Imogen said, “I heard we’re touring the training facilities,” Lavender whispered, “I heard we’re all anyone’s been talking about back in the Capitol,” Jadis said excitedly.

We had only just left, but I wasn’t surprised that people were already talking about our Tour. In fact, Lucky had started a whole new segment on his show, covering our progress across the country.

And guess what he called it, “ The Tour of Our Lives ”, I can’t make this up.

Once Olympia gave me the nod of approval, I shot out of the car, ready to get the hell off of this train and get this Tour over with. 

Eudora had us all line up, Mother and Father first, then herself, then the Preps, then me and Soarynn.

The fanfare began to play as our procession made its way out, quite a few people had gathered on the platform to welcome us, providing a polite applause. “Are you ready?” I ask, looking down at Soarynn who looked white as a ghost, she nodded, grabbing my hand in hers, “As long as I have you with me,” she murmured.

The Preps finally stepped off the train, waving to all of the twenty people who were watching, I tried not to roll my eyes as we stepped off after them, garnering the loudest round of applause. The smell was something else entirely, I tried my best not to wrinkle my nose in disgust, cameras would be ready to catch every reaction.

I smiled, waving to the photographers, as we made our way towards our group. We had all gathered near the stairs, where District One’s Mayor was waiting for us. Behind him was his wife, his two boys, ten Peacekeepers, and two cars ready to drive us into town.

“It is an honor having you visit us,” he told our family as he reached his hand out for Father to shake, Mother put her hand over her heart, “Of course it is,” she told him, his smile wavered for a moment.

Soarynn reached out and took his hand, “Thank you for welcoming us into your District,” she said with a kind smile that the Mayor happily returned, “Of course, and congratulations on your victory in the Games, I’m sure your family must be very proud.”

Father grunted, “Yes, yes, very proud, shall we get going?” He asked, I looked over to see Eudora checking her wristwatch while tapping her foot, we wouldn’t want to fall behind schedule within our first ten minutes of the Tour. The cars were fine, nothing like in the Capitol that’s for sure, they seemed to be more armored, when I brought it up, Eudora waved me off.

“Oh, it’s just for our safety dear, all important diplomats are driven in cars like this,” she told us, I nodded, looking out the window Soarynn was looking out of. There were a few large factories, and we could see lots of houses lining the roads, though it didn’t seem like anyone was home. When we arrived in town, we were welcomed by all sorts of people, all shaking our hands, all of them mostly excited to see Soarynn.

The Mayor led us to the square where banners displaying Soarynn’s face were flying on all of the buildings, she didn’t seem too thrilled about those. The tour we were given was as expected, severely boring.

He walked us through all the shops they had, and we got a tour of the Justice Building where dinner would be served. Then we got back into the cars to see the factories where all the luxury goods were made. The Preps were very excited about this part of the itinerary, they practically fell out of their car as it rolled to a stop.

The factory was huge , blocking out the sun and expanding over what had to be thousands of acres. “Is everything produced here?” I asked the Mayor who was trying to convince Mother to put on a hairnet, “Oh yes,” he said, turning his attention to me, “well, we have two other facilities, but everything is made in-house.”

The inside of the factory was loud , so loud that the Mayor offered all of us earplugs, which we all gladly took. I grabbed Soarynn’s hand as we walked past an assembly line filled with all sorts of jewels.

Imogen gasped, “Are these emeralds?” She asked loudly to the Mayor over all the noise, he nodded, picking one up and handing it to her, “This emerald costs precisely three hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” he told her, Imogen's face turned white as she shakily handed him back the emerald.

He tossed it back onto the line as if it were a worthless rock, “Let me show you where the real magic happens,” he told us excitedly, yipee , I thought, I suppose this was a highlight of his career, his whole life, if we’re being honest.

We made our way to a walled-off room with a giant window we could look through, inside were at least fifty men and women, meticulously banging away at different sheets of metal. “What are they doing?” Soarynn asked the Mayor, “They’re flattening out the metal we produced this morning,” he explained, “This metal is used for things like car doors, office supplies, school supplies, and other machinery used in the Capitol.”

Well, I certainly found myself favoring One, they seemed to produce all sorts of good things for us to use. The last stop in the factory was the diamond division, where we watched ten people decked out in lab coats and glasses carefully crafting diamonds.

“Oh, those look just like the ones in my headband,” Mother said proudly, I nodded, “So you just make diamonds?” I asked the Mayor, unable to believe people like him could produce such an amazing miracle.

He nodded, “Well, thanks to the technology from the Capitol, we can make almost any precious metal or jewel,” he said. He walked over to the table where the diamonds were being handled, took a tiny one, and walked back over to us, handing it over to Soarynn, “For the Diamond of the Capitol,” he told her, she smiled, taking it from her, “Thank you,” she said.

Eudora didn’t let the sweet moment last for long, looking at her watch before shrieking out, “LUNCH!” Causing us and several workers to jump. 

We had lunch on the train, Eudora told us that the chefs in One were still busy making us dinner. We hadn’t changed out of our clothes just yet, still needing to get the Victor’s speech out of the way, and we needed to tour their training facilities.

A couple of Peacekeepers escorted us to the Justice Building where Soarynn would give her speech. It must have been everyone’s lunch break because the square was packed with people, all standing like cattle as the Mayor introduced us.

Eudora handed Soarynn her cards, “Just read the cards, and remember, big smiles,” Eudora told us before shoving us through the doors and out onto the veranda. I plastered on my best smile as I waved to the crowd, Soarynn did the same as we walked to the microphone.

Although I wasn’t the one giving a speech, Mother wanted both of us front and center for any public appearance, we had to sell a story to the people.

A love story.

Soarynn cleared her throat, looking down at the cards before reading out her speech.

“Thank you, people of District One for welcoming me and my family into your homes. It is an honor to visit your District, learn about your history and heritage, and meet so many of you. Your sacrifices mean a great deal to the people of the Capitol, we are forever grateful for your servitude. I’d like to give my condolences to the families of Beckett and Briella, both fought valiantly to the end.”

Soarynn looked into the crowd where both families were standing on their own makeshift platforms. She put down the cards, and I heard Eudora gasp.

“Beckett wasn’t my friend, but he was my ally, and in the end, he saved my life,” Soarynn said to his family, her voice wavering, “and while I didn’t know Briella, I knew her beauty, I knew her ability to connect with others no matter the circumstances.”

Beckett’s mother nodded her head at Soarynn, “Both put up a fight until the very end, I’m sorry for your children,” Soarynn said, looking at all of the crowd now, tears welling in her eyes. The crowd began to clap, cheer, and chant her name as we made our way off the stage, Soarynn dropped my hand once we were inside the Justice Building.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I wrote in the cards, but it’ll do dear,” Eudora told her, Soarynn nodded, “I couldn’t just treat them like some pre-written speech, they were more than that, they were kids,” she said, wiping away her tears.

Her Prep Team nodded somberly, helping her fix her makeup before the Mayor walked back in, “What a beautiful speech,” he said to Soarynn, she gave him a tight smile, and he looked at all of us, “Shall we continue our tour?”

The training facilities were intense. You could just feel the hatred in the air as you walked through the doors, it was a large facility, it reminded me of the gymnasium we had back at the Academy.

Inside, there were obstacle courses, weaponry lessons, classes about different plants, and of course, hand-to-hand combat. Some of these kids couldn’t be older than thirteen, but they all looked like they could take me down in seconds.

The Mayor kept us on the perimeter of the facility, not wanting to disrupt any of the lessons. “And do they receive special diets?” Lavender asked him, and he shook his head, “No, they eat what their families can manage them, but they’re all very lean and strong,” he said, gesturing to a little girl scaling a rope hanging from the ceiling with ease.

There were two boys, both looking huge for barely eating, they had been going at it for a good ten minutes, fighting with just their bare bands, because, why not?

They were covered in bruises, and one had a bloody nose, but neither of them stopped. I found it strange that all these kids were training when only two of them would actually have a chance to be in the Games, better safe than sorry I suppose, and besides, One was notorious for having volunteers.

They were still going at it until one of them turned his head, seeing Soarynn and getting socked right in the jaw, falling to the ground, I winced watching him fall, that was definitely gonna leave a mark.

He didn’t even seem fazed, he stumbled off the ground and ran towards us, two Peacekeepers stepped in front of us, keeping him from getting too close but he didn’t even acknowledge them. “Soarynn? Is that really you?” He asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

She looked at me before looking back and him and nodding, his jaw dropped, “You were incredible in the Games! I mean, the way you and Beckett teamed up against the mutts? We were all watching and we couldn’t believe it!” He said as I watched a drop of blood fall from his nose, “Do you need a tissue?” I asked him, shaking him from his thoughts.

 “What? Oh this? It’s fine, I get these all the time,” he told me, I nodded, this kid had to be about sixteen but he looked ferocious. Other kids started to notice us and stopped whatever they were doing to come over and meet Soarynn, none of them even glanced at the rest of us, all focused on Soarynn, asking her questions about the Games and complimenting her.

A small little girl pushed her way to the front, she had a black eye and was missing a tooth. I didn’t know if that was from a fight or if she was still losing teeth, but either way, I was concerned.

The girl looked up at Soarynn in wonder, “You’re so beautiful,” she told Soarynn, she reached out to touch her dress but the Peacekeepers stopped her, “Oh, it’s alright,” Soarynn said, pushing past them and into the crowd.

I heard Eudora gasp, but she didn’t say anything as Soarynn knelt down to talk to all the kids, complimenting them, asking for their names and what their favorite color was. The toothless girl’s name was Jemma, and she had just turned thirteen, “I’m gonna volunteer next year!” Jemma said to Soarynn, other kids starting piping up, “Me too Soarynn! I’m gonna volunteer too!”

Soarynn tried to look excited, but it was clear that her heart wasn’t in it, “I’m sure you’ll make your District very proud,” she told them. One of the trainers blew their whistle, scaring all of us, and yelled at the kids to go back to their training.

After saying many goodbyes, we finally made our way out of there, heading back to the train where we could get ready for dinner. “They really liked you,” I said to her as we walked into the lounge car, she nodded, “I can’t tell which is worse, them hating me or them loving me,” she mumbled.

I raised my eyebrows, I’d much rather have fans than people who hate me, but I guess she saw things differently. Eudora walked in happy to see us, “Oh, you two are already here, wonderful. Let’s go over tomorrow's schedule shall we?” She asks, looking into the hallway where the rest of our procession was making its way through.

District Two would be relatively the same, though it was in the mountains and they trained many of our Peacekeepers and manufactured a lot of our weapons. Eudora told us we’d be given a brief tour of “The Nut'' which was where a lot of the Capitol and District military personnel worked. It was located inside the mountains, making it almost impenetrable to the rebels. I couldn’t wait to see it.

Happy with her schedule overview, Eudora sent Soarynn off to go get ready for dinner, it was nearing four, and dinner was at six. I elected to go back to the bedroom, taking a short nap before I was woken up by Soarynn.

She looked like luxury, her floor-length silver gown shimmering in the light. The dress had a high neckline, but a cut-out just below the chest area with long sleeves. She looked great, I sat up, taking all of her in, “Wow,” I finally said.

She laughed, “This is one of the tamer looks if I’m being honest,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ears. The hair had been simple today, parted down the middle, with beautiful curls at the bottom, her eyes were shimmery and her complexion was flawless. I really was a lucky man.

“What time is it?” I asked, watching as she walked into the bathroom to take in her look for tonight, “I think it’s five thirty, do you think Petunia’s alright without me?” She asked, truth be told, I had already forgotten about Petunia, I scratched the back of my neck, “I’m sure she's fine. I’m gonna go get ready.”

She hummed, watching me through the mirror as I left. The Prep Team was very excited about dinner, guessing what we’d be eating, who would be there, and most importantly, what everyone would be wearing. I tried my best to tune them out, every dinner would be the same, boring and uneventful.

It was moments like these where I was glad for Eudora being a stickler for being on time, because I knew she’d have us on this train the second it would be pulling away from the station and not a minute longer.

My look for tonight was a gray suit with a white rose, of course, my dress shoes had small diamonds encrusted in them, they probably cost more than the entire District.

The Preps shooed me away so they could do some final touch-ups on their own makeup and get dressed, so I went back to the bedroom, hoping to get some alone time with Soarynn. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, and sitting was a generous way to put it, it looked more like leaning if I’m being honest.

She caught sight of me, “I don’t think I can physically sit down at dinner tonight,” she said, pulling at the dress. I grinned, leaning against the door frame and taking her in, “You could always sit in my lap,” I offered, she rolled her eyes, “Ha, ha, ha, like that’ll happen.”

I raised my eyebrows, “I do believe we’re supposed to act in love with each other on this Tour,” I reminded her, she sighed, “I know, but…let’s keep the PDA to a minimum in public if you don’t mind, I’m still getting used to all of this again.”

Getting used to what? The intimacy?

That began to worry me, maybe I had pushed her too far the other night. She must’ve seen my expression because she stood up, making her way over to me and grabbing my hands, “The other night was great, okay? I don’t want you to worry about that part,” she assured me.

I nodded, “Then…what do you need to get used to?” I asked, scratching the back of my neck, her face fell, “The guilt,” she whispered.

Oh .

“I don’t know if this will help, but I don't think the guilt ever really leaves you, some of it is supposed to stay. Guilt is supposed to remind you of what you have, what you’ve taken for granted, and what can be taken away.” I said, gently cupping her face with my hand.

She looked up at me, “When did you become so wise?” She asked, I grinned, “I’ve always been wise, you’re looking at the man who was top of his class,” I bragged, getting a laugh from her. Her face turned serious again, “Do you know when you’re going to propose?”

That caught me off guard. I dropped my hand, brushing past her and sitting on the edge of the bed, “I don’t know,” I admitted. Usually, you didn’t tell your girlfriend when you were going to propose, but we were unusual people.

She made her way over to me, crouching down and taking my face in her hands, “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, because I already know there’s a lot Coryo, but, if you can, give me a heads up.” I looked at her, if you told me four months ago we’d be having this conversation, I wouldn’t believe you, I wouldn’t even believe Soarynn was talking .

I nodded, “I just…I want to be able to give you..”

Why couldn’t I just say it?

Her brows furrowed as I hesitated, “Give me what?” She asked, I sighed, looking down at my shoes, “Give you…my love,” I confessed. Of course, there was love between us, but we weren’t in love, not yet anyway.

She thought for a moment, “I don’t want your love,” she said quietly. My head shot up, looking at her with anger, hurt, and betrayal written all over my face, she gave me a small smile. Stroking my cheek with her thumb, “I don’t want your love, I want your soul and everything that comes with it.”

I didn’t even know what to say, I never thought anyone would really want my love, let alone my soul. I tried my best to remain emotionless, but I couldn’t hide my endearment as I pressed a kiss to her lips.

She returned the kiss, but it wasn’t like our usual kisses, either for the camera or deep and passionate, full of lust. This one was gentle, and slow, like we had finally realized that we had all the time in the world. I stood up, encasing her in my arms as we continued to explore each other’s lips, we were interrupted when we heard a knock on the door.

“We’re leaving! Don’t make me drag you off this train!” Eudora called from the other side of the door, I pulled away, giving Soarynn a knowing smile, Eudora was a force to be reckoned with. “Coming,” I called, not taking my eyes off Soarynn. 

The dinner went surprisingly smoothly. The food really was delicious, it was a large roasted goose with all the appetizers and desserts to go with it. Soarynn was able to sit down, although it took us five minutes to get her situated and Eudora advised her not to breathe too often.

The Mayor and his family seemed nice enough, his boys really seemed to like me, which was refreshing considering Leo didn’t even know my name. “Are you really gonna be President?” One of them asked me, and I nodded, “Pretty soon actually,” I gloated, glancing down the table at Father who was giving me a look.

There were some other people at dinner, diplomats from the Capitol who mainly stayed in One, the escort from One who hit it off with Mother and Eudora immediately. The Preps loved all the attention they were getting, telling the Mayor’s wife about all the makeup she needed to try and how to curl her hair with socks.

I tuned everyone out for the most part, Soarynn was right next to me and that was all I really needed.

I couldn’t stop thinking about her question though, when would I propose?

It would have to be soon, right after this Tour in fact, and before I became President. The clock was ticking, and unbeknownst to me, I had another deadline. 

Chapter Text

I never knew my Father snored. I’ve been alive for almost nineteen years now, and not once have I heard him snore. Granted, I avoid the man as much as possible, treating him as if he’s the plague reincarnated, but that’s beside the point.

We got back on the train just before it pulled out of the station. Eudora had told all of us to go to bed and to be ready to do all of this again tomorrow, I was thrilled .

Soarynn and I stayed up late though, first, we raided the bar car, helping ourselves to the finest of wines, before stumbling to the viewing car. We couldn’t see any stars in the sky, the clouds blocking out everything, but it was nice to have some alone time on the train. It had to be around one when we tiptoed our way back to our bedroom, now, our bedroom is the farthest away from the viewing car.

So we had to pass the Prep’s bedrooms, Eudora’s bedroom, and our parent’s bedroom. And when we were passing by Mother and Father’s door, we froze in our tracks. Father was snoring . It sounded like an engine being revved up. Soarynn and I did our best to cover up our snickers as we stumbled back to our room, trying to not cause a racket.

We fell asleep right after, exhausted from the first day of the Tour. When I woke up, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

Soarynn was pressed up against my side, out like a light, but I didn’t hear anything besides the sounds of her breathing. The train had stopped, that I knew for sure, but I didn’t hear Eudora, ready to give us another rude awakening.

Maybe something had happened, maybe we weren’t stopping in Two, maybe everyone decided this Tour was a lost cause and we were refueling before heading back home, that was fine with me .

Happy with the conclusion I had come to, I closed my eyes again, ready to fall back asleep. But then, I heard it.

The heels.

The clacking, the fast pace, the anger .

Eudora probably would’ve ripped through the door if she could have, and I watched in terror as it slid open, revealing a furious Eudora. “YOU’RE LATE!” She shrieked, her face red, and her wig tilted to the side.

Soarynn startled awake, sitting up and taking in the situation, “What’re you talking about?” Soarynn asked with a yawn, clearly not as scared as I was. Eudora looked like she was having to manually force herself to breathe as she glared at us from the doorway, “It is seven fifty-one, and we need to be off of this train in nine minutes!” She cried, looking at us as if this was a national emergency.

“Well, why didn’t you wake us?” Soarynn asked, my eyes widened as I looked down at Soarynn, Eudora’s jaw actually dropped from shock. She rubbed her temples, muttering some phrases to herself that I’d much rather not repeat before she collected herself.

 “The Preps will get Soarynn ready, Coriolanus, you will get ready yourself, and if we are not walking off of this train in fifteen minutes so help me…” she then made a scary gesture with her hands that looked an awful lot like strangling someone’s neck before giving us one last glare, and spinning on her heel, and taking off down the hallway.

Soarynn looked up at me, “Well, that was scary,” I nodded, “I really did think someone would wake us,” I said earnestly as I threw the covers off of us. Soarynn nodded as she swung her feet onto the floor and stood up, doing a big stretch before heading to the door. She looked back at me with a somber expression, “Pray for me,” she said, I nodded, holding back a laugh as she slowly walked out and down the hall. 

I was miraculously ready in fifteen minutes. I was in the dining car, about to help myself to a little breakfast when Eudora flew in, slapping my hand and grabbing my other hand, and dragging me out of the car, “Oh no you don’t! The early bird gets the worm, and you’re a very late bird! Now remember, smile for the cameras!” She said as she flung me into the line she had already formed, consisting of Mother and Father, the Preps, and Soarynn who looked like a shiny rock.

District Two is masonry, all the stonework they provide helps build our city, and I guess Castor and Olympia took that as an excuse to make Soarynn look like a cavern of rocks exploded onto her body.

Her dress was short and silver, with what looked like crystals that sometimes grow in caves all over it. Part of me felt that this outfit was better suited for District One, where actual diamonds were made, but who was I to be the judge of fashion?

And besides, we were both in the doghouse for being late. Her hair was in a ponytail, the front pieces pulled out and framing her face, with tiny little pieces of silver tinsel strewn through her hair. Her Prep Team had really done magnificent work for fifteen minutes.

I was in my own silver attire, wearing a silver dress shirt with black pants, my dress shoes were silver though. And I had on a heavy overcoat, so I’m guessing it was going to be a chilly day in District Two.

I took in Soarynn’s dress and noticed a few details, such as the rather high slit it had going up her right thigh, or the very tiny, thin strap that ran diagonally across her chest and over her left shoulder. She barely had anything on, and I was beginning to worry about how she would stay warm.

Before I could even voice my concerns, we were all being paraded out onto the station. Mother was, of course, soaking in all of the attention as she waved to the crowd. Today’s crowd was much more impressive than yesterday's crowd, there were hundreds of Peacekeepers, all cheering as our procession made its way out.

I quickly grabbed Soarynn’s hand, “Ready?” I whispered, she nodded, watching as the Prep’s made their way down the roped-off walkway, “As I’ll ever be,” she whispered back.

We stepped off the train, immediately blasted with cold air, the cheering got even louder as we made our way down. I couldn’t help but notice how some of the Peacekeepers were eyeing up Soarynn and her suggestion of a dress, I wanted names, and I wanted them fired, immediately .

The Mayor from Two was a very sturdy man. He was as tall as me, had a very long beard, and smoked a pipe. He was certainly a character. He cleared his throat as we made our way up to him, “Welcome, to District Two Miss Snow, and congratulations on your Victory,” he said as he reached out his hand.

Soarynn gracefully took it, allowing him to plant a kiss on the back of her hand while I tried not to gag. “Thank you,” she said sweetly, “and thank you for your warm welcome,” she said, gesturing to the Peacekeepers.

 His face brightened, “Of course, we’ve all been very excited for you all’s arrival, now, let’s get you loaded up in the cars.” The cars were heated, thank goodness. “Is it always this cold?” I asked Eudora who had shoved her way into our car, making it just me, her, and Soarynn.

Apparently, we couldn’t be trusted to do anything by ourselves now.

She nodded, patting her wig, “Oh yes dear, especially with all the mountains,” she said, pointing out the window at the icy peaks that jutted into the sky.

Two was an impressive District, there were small clusters of houses spanning all over the terrain, on flat land, and up the mountains a bit. Their town was substantially smaller than One’s, I guess there wasn’t much need for a town square when everyone was either a Peacekeeper or working in the Nut. 

“How many Peacekeepers are trained here?” Imogen asked as we made our way up to the Justice Building, this one was made of marble, much more impressive than One’s which was made of basic concrete.

“Oh, it’s hard to say, depends on the year I guess, I’d say…three thousand,” the Mayor said. I raised my eyebrows, “That seems like a lot,” I remarked as we walked inside. The Mayor nodded, “Maybe, but we send em’ to every District plus the Capitol, of course, there were much more in training during the war of course,” he said, giving my Father a knowing look.

“In fact, we got so desperate, we thought about recruiting the damn civilians,” he said with a laugh. There had been maybe two hundred Peacekeepers at the station, so I couldn’t imagine three thousand, or even more. But the more I thought about it, it made sense.

There were Peacekeepers everywhere in the Capitol, in our house, the Academy, the Viewing Plaza, Lucky’s show, the control room, everywhere you looked, there was a Peacekeeper. And I could imagine there were ten times the amount in the Districts.

“Have you ever trained any female Peacekeepers?” Soarynn asked him, rubbing her arms to keep warm, it was ice cold in the Justice Building, and she was shivering.

He took a long drag of his pipe before answering, “I’m afraid not little lady, we’ve always recruited men since the very beginning, they see it as a thing of honor, especially here in Two.” Soarynn furrowed her brows, “Isn’t it an honorable thing to do?” He shrugged, “If it makes people want to join, then yes, lots of boys volunteer because their old man was a Peacekeeper before them, and the pays not too bad either,” he said as he led us to the veranda where Soarynn would give her speech in a couple of hours.

I began to wonder if maybe Mr. Plinth had been a Peacekeeper before coming to the Capitol, especially since Sejanus seemed so gung-ho on doing anything to get back to Two.

“Did you know the Plinths?” I asked him, the Mayor stopped in his tracks, “Did I know them? Boy, everyone knows them! They got up and left right after the war, old Strabo struck gold and never looked back,” he said before taking another drag of his pipe.

“Oh, they’re such lovely people,” Mother told him, “you almost forget they’re District.” The Mayor nodded, “The Plinths are practically household names here in Two, how’s their boy doing? Sejanus right?”

It baffles me how most people in the Districts didn’t even know my name, but Sejanus was practically a celebrity! “He’s doing lovely, shall we continue with the Tour?” Eudora suggested, wanting to keep this thing moving.

 We didn’t take the cars to the Nut, we took a heavily armored truck that looked like it could run over the cars we drove in.

The Mayor had also so graciously provided Soarynn with a coat since she was bound to get hypothermia at the rate this was going. The Nut was very impressive on the inside. There were train tunnels running in and out of it, multiple levels, air hangars for the hovercrafts, and sure enough, thousands of Peacekeepers.

There were lots of other personnel as well, we met all of them as we made our way through the Nut, they had smaller carts that we drove on, Soarynn and I with the Mayor, and the rest of our group was on the other two carts.

“How long did it take you to build all of this?” Soarynn asked as we drove over a bridge, below us a squadron of Peacekeepers was marching in formation. The Mayor scratched his beard, “Well, we still haven’t finished it if I’m being honest Miss, the Nut is an ever-growing military base, so whatever the Capitol needs, we build, but the majority of it was built during the war.”

That made sense, this place was in full swing during the war, serving as a home base for all our military operations. “Is there an age limit for being a Peacekeeper?” I asked as we drove by a Peacekeeper who was at least seventy, he looked like he could barely stand let alone fire a gun.

The Mayor swung a left, taking us down a ramp, “Well, yes and no, you’ve gotta be at least eighteen to join, but as you can see, not all of the men are spring chickens, but we usually discharge them with honors when they start getting up there in age, we don’t need any liabilities,” he said, turning to give me a knowing look.

And boy, did I understand that, I had my biggest liability sitting in the front seat. “I thought they couldn’t get married,” Soarynn said as we came to a stop in one of the hangars.

The Mayor hopped off the cart and helped her off, “Some of the men join after being married, so we tend to make exceptions if they’re from Two, other Districts aren’t as lenient when it comes down to it from what I’ve heard,” he said as we walked over to the rest of the group.

“Well, I reckon you all will be heading to lunch soon, but we are able to take you up if you want to go for a ride,” he said, gesturing to one of the hovercrafts. Eudora frowned, looking the hovercraft up and down, “We really have a schedule to keep Mr. Mayor…” She looked over at me and Soarynn who were slowly drifting towards the hovercraft, desperate to take a ride, it wasn’t every day we could ride one.

Father took them a lot for business, but I didn’t want to wait until I became President to ride one. Soarynn gave Eudora her best puppy dog eyes, Eudora sighed, giving in, “Fine, you two can go, but , no more delays,” she said, wagging her finger at us. We both nodded our heads, swearing up and down that we’d never be late for the rest of our lives, and ran up the loading ramp.

The inside was standard, some crafts had tables for meetings, while others were empty, meant to transport goods from one place to the other. This one had seats lining the walls, with large windows for us to look out of.

We watched as everyone hopped back onto the carts, Father giving us a look that made me think he was secretly praying for this hovercraft to go down and take us with it.

The pilot emerged from the cockpit, telling us we’d have to remain seated during takeoff, but we could walk around once we reached cruising level. I helped Soarynn get buckled in before strapping myself in, “I haven’t been in one of these since the Games,” she told me.

The only way to reach the arena was by hovercraft, I could only imagine how awkward that ride must've been, sitting next to kids you were about to kill.

“Was it scary?” I asked as I watched the loading ramp close, encasing us in darkness, beside the glow from the windows. She nodded, “The trackers hurt like a bitch,” she rubbed her wrist as if reliving it being inserted, “They give them to you right before the Games?” I asked, shocked they waited so last minute.

She nodded as the hovercraft began to move, “Wouldn’t want to lose a Tribute.”

We sat in silence, listening to the hum of the machinery, I could hear the craft gearing up, we were headed down the runway, I felt the pilot punch it and we were off, shooting out of the Nut and into the sky.

Soarynn looked at me, grinning as the hovercraft tilted to the side, letting us see all of the mountains running through the earth. We leveled off, and the pilot announced that we could safely walk around now. We made our way to the large window in the back, pressing our hands against it as we saw how tiny District Two looked from above.

“There’s the train,” Soarynn pointed out, it looked like a tiny little caterpillar next to the station. “I wonder if you could see the other Districts from up here,” I said to her, she scanned the ground below us, “Maybe, but I don’t think they want anyone from two different Districts seeing each other, even if it’s from the sky,” she said, giving me a knowing look.

We tried to keep the Districts as separated as possible, the only time they ever came together was during the Games, so it was always interesting to see them form alliances with each other.

We were above the clouds now, making every building look like a tiny little dot, Soarynn sank to the ground, propping her back against the window. “How am I gonna give another speech?” She groaned, pulling at her hair. I sat down next to her, gently taking her hand into mine, “You know Eudora has a speech already prepared for you,” I reminded her.

Knowing Eudora, she probably had a speech written for every future event we’d ever go to in our lives. She nodded, “It just…it doesn’t seem personal,” she looked at me, those beautiful eyes searching mine for something I was afraid I couldn’t give her, “I killed Cleo, it doesn’t get more personal than that.”

She wasn’t wrong, Soarynn and Cleo had fought each other to the bitter end, well, Cleo’s bitter end but still. By the time Soarynn was done with Cleo, you couldn’t even make out her face, but that tends to happen when you repeatedly slam a rock into someone’s face. But still, I was nervous for her.

“Nothing bad is gonna happen to you,” I assured her, although I felt as if I was saying that more to myself than her, “and you didn’t even kill Finn, so there’s no bad blood there.” We had the stag to thank for Finn’s quick and untimely death.

She sighed, “I suppose you’re right Coryo, it’s only a short speech, I don't know why I’m so worried,” she said, giving me a small smile, but I wasn't convinced. “You’d…you’d tell me if you were going through something…right?” I asked her, it wasn’t a secret that she had been through a lot, it also wasn’t a secret that she could keep a secret, and I always tended to find out about them when she was hitting her breaking point as of late.

She squeezed my hand, “Of course, I’ll tell you everything from now on,” she promised. I squeezed her hand back, kissing her cheek before I felt the hovercraft starting to dip below the clouds, heading back down. Soarynn sighed, tilting her head against the window, “Back to reality.” 

The wind was howling as we stood out on the veranda, we had garnered quite a decent crowd in the square. Mother told us many people had been given the day off of work to come see us because I bet that’s just how they wanted to spend their day off.

But it didn’t really matter what they wanted. The Mayor had done a good job at introducing us, telling the people that we were “ the nation’s future ,” I liked the sound of that, it made Father sound like he was already in the past.

And he would be, once I killed him.

Soarynn’s hands were shaking as she held up her cards, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold, or from the look she was getting from Cleo’s family.

“Thank you for taking the time out of your day to welcome me and my family to your District. We have been honored with the opportunity to explore the place you call home, and the place you work in, we thank you for your service. I’d like to give my condolences to the families of the fallen Tributes, Cleo and Finn. I didn’t know Finn personally, but he never left Cleo’s side, he stayed with his fellow Tribute to the bitter end, I only wish I could have done the same. But I did know Cleo.”

Soarynn’s eyes met the eyes of Cleo’s family, “I was scared of her, I respected her, she could have won, that I have no doubt. She was a worthy opponent, she never stopped fighting, she never backed down from a fight, I hope she made you very proud. I’m so sorry for what I did, for what you had to lose. Thank you.”

Soarynn wiped a tear from her face before taking my hand as we walked off, we could hear the applause, probably from all the Peacekeepers, I looked over my shoulder to see Cleo’s mother, she gave me a nod, and I think that’s all we could really get from any of the Tribute’s families. 

The train was so warm, I could never leave it again and die a happy man. Soarynn was exhausted after her speech, going straight to the bedroom once we got on. I made my way to the dining car, I had missed both breakfast and lunch, and I was beginning to feel like I was in my own personal Hunger Games.

I loaded up on all the good stuff, sandwiches, fruits, rolls, champagne, and cupcakes, a perfectly balanced meal if you ask me. Everyone else had retired to their respective rooms, all wanting to rest before dinner, but I had just gotten my second wind.

I was just finishing off my third roll when Mother came in, “Looking for the bar car?” I asked, taking in her outfit. She was also wearing silver, her dress looked like it had real fur on it, and I wouldn’t put it past her to have skinned some rare animal for a dress she’d be wearing for six hours.

She rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to me, “No, I’ve come to talk to you darling,” her eyes flitted to the hallway, making sure no one was coming. I shifted nervously in my seat, I didn’t like spending a lot of alone time with Mother, at least not sober.

“And what did you want to talk about?” I asked, hoping she’d forget and leave me alone with my food. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box, “I wanted to give you this,” she presented it to me, I cautiously took it from her, turning it over in my hands.

I looked at her and she nodded at me to open it, I pried the box open and almost dropped it, it was her wedding ring.

My eyes widened. “You and Father are getting a divorce?” I gasped, shocked it had taken this long, she scoffed, slapping my arm, “No! Of course not Coriolanus, your Father and I have been married for a very long time and we plan on staying that way until he dies.”

Our eyes met, so she knew , or at least she had a feeling that he’d be dying before her, and she was right, I intended on my Mother living a long life after my Father died. And I think she knew that too.

“Then…why are you giving me your wedding ring?” I asked, placing the box on the table and looking at it, it was a beautiful ring, Mother got compliments on it all the time, the band was gold, and the diamond was beautiful.

She placed her hand over mine, “Darling, you and Soarynn are going to get married very soon, that we all know, but I wanted you to ask her on your own terms, with my blessing.” I felt myself getting choked up, “Oh, how…how kind of you Mother,” I said, blinking back a tear, she gasped, “Oh darling! I know this hasn’t been easy on you, but I was hoping that this would take some of the pressure off of you, and I don’t know when you’ll ask her, but I wanted you to have this for whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet, maybe she had been listening to me and Soarynn talk about marriage, but either way, I was thankful for the sweet gesture.

“Thank you, Mother,” I finally said, looking her in the eye, she smiled, caressing my face with her hand, “I can’t believe you’re all grown up darling, it seems just yesterday you were my little boy, and now you’re going to be President,” a tear fell from her eye, “you’ll make us all very proud.”

I gave her a small smile, “I sure hope so.” 

It was finally time for dinner, thank goodness because I was starving.

My night look was classy, a dark gray suit, with my curls all trussed up, I looked fabulous. I was waiting in the bar car for Soarynn to be done, I was leaning up against the bar and almost fell over when she walked in.

She looked stunning, Her silver dress trailed behind her on the floor, and she put everyone else’s looks to shame, including my own. Her dress was strapless, all silver with what looked like sequins and diamonds alike sewn in all over the dress, with some parts being see-through mesh.

Her hair was piled on top of her head, in a messy yet put-together bun. “Wow,” I finally said, she laughed, floating over to me, “Is it too much?” She asked, trying to pull it further down as she had another high slit going up her left leg this time.

I shook my head, “It could be less if I’m being honest,” she shot me a look before taking my arm, “Let’s get this over with shall we?”

Dinner was very small tonight. It dawned upon me that the Mayor had no wife or children, and while I thought no one would bring it up, Mother almost immediately mentioned it.

The Mayor just waved her off, “Too busy right now for things like that Madame, besides, I figured my time has passed when it comes to having children,” he told her, Mother nodded, “Children are certainly a lot of work,” she said giving me and Soarynn a look. I rolled my eyes as if she had been sober enough to remember putting in the work.

Tonight, we had steak. And it was delicious, I had three, because, why not? Soarynn just finished hers when I was reaching over her to grab another glass of wine, “Shouldn’t you slow down?” She whispered, not that anyone could hear us, all the adults were chattering about import taxes and boring things like that, “On what? The steaks?” I asked, she knew I could put away some food.

I almost always finished her plate for her, she shook her head, “On the wine,” she gave me a pointed look. I shrugged, “I need something to help me relax,” I explained, “you don’t want me to be all tense when we’re in bed.”

Her eyebrows shot up, “And what will we be doing in bed Coryo?” She asked, taking my glass from me, I felt my face heating up, “Whatever you want,” I replied smoothly, gaining me another look.

Dinner wrapped up rather early, according to Eudora, the drive to Three would take longer so we had to be on the train pronto. We said our goodbyes to the Mayor, and hopped back on the train where Eudora briefed us on our itinerary for tomorrow.

“Tomorrow is District Three, they specialize in technology, including things like this train and every gadget on it,” Eudora gestured to the car we were all currently seated in, “We’ll be given a brief tour of the schools and the factories where they make everything, there’s a lot of smart people here, so try to look interested,” she gave us a pleading look before flipping through her binder.

“This District’s Tribute’s are Ember and Callix, don’t recall you running into them dear, so this should be a piece of cake,” she said to Soarynn who gave her a polite smile. Eudora sent us off to bed and gave me and Soarynn a warning to be up bright and early and on time. We both promised her that today’s events would never happen again and went to our bedroom. 

***

Even though Soarynn cut me off with the alcohol, I was still properly buzzed. And while I didn’t know what I meant at the time when I told her that she wouldn’t want me to be tense in bed, I certainly knew now.

I wanted her.

Naked, preferably.

And she complied so easily as I made quick work of her zipper, rendering her completely bare to me. I quickly discarded my own clothes, leaving me in my boxers, and within seconds we were tossing and turning on the bed. We had to keep quiet.

That’s what I told her after I revealed my idea to her, it took some convincing, but I assured her I was a strong boy who could handle it. Which is why I was currently lying down, with Soarynn’s thighs on either side of my face while she was whimpering above me, biting down on the headboard to keep quiet.

She tried to pull herself off of me, but I grabbed her thighs, wrapping my arms around them and slamming her back down onto me. She tasted fucking delicious.

I had never had anyone ride my face before, but I was starting to wonder why more people weren’t talking about it. I was able to explore her from an entirely new angle, my tongue going in and out of her cunt, while I felt her body trembling.

I could see her trying to hold it together, biting her lip as she grabbed the headboard for support, she kept trying to move but she wasn’t going anywhere. I wrapped my lips around her clit, giving it a hard suck and she let out a moan, slapping her hand over her mouth as I continued my assault.

I could tell she was getting close, she was dripping wet already, so I let go of one of her thighs, maneuvering my hand until I could push two fingers in her cunt, her walls wrapping around them so tight.

Soarynn let out a whimper as my fingers pressed against her G-spot, I pulled them out before slamming them back in, ramming into that sweet spot while I continued to tease her clit with my teeth, “Coryo, please, please, please, please,” she panted, tears falling from her eyes.

I didn’t reply as I increased the speed of my fingers, earning me another moan, I pulled away from her clit, pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh, “You can do it, baby,” I encouraged her, watching as she looked down, her glassy eyes meeting mine.

She nodded, her head jerking as my fingers got faster, I wrapped my lips around her clit again, biting and licking and sucking, listening to her muffled moans as she bit into the headboard again.

I watched as she finally tipped over her peak, pulling away from the headboard, mouth open in a silent scream as her eyes rolled back, her hands flying down to grab mine. My fingers were coated in cum when I pulled them out, letting myself taste her before gently maneuvering her off of my face.

She had been worried about me being unable to breathe as if that wasn’t the entire point. She flopped onto the bed, motionless as a ragdoll as her stickiness seeped onto the sheets, coating her thighs.

***

I sat up, proud of my work, and gently rolled her over to her back where I could see her eyes closed, her breathing heavy. I slipped into the bathroom, running a washcloth under warm water, and returned to clean her up, her eyes flew open when I pulled her thigh to the side, taking me in.

“How’re you feeling?” I asked, smirking as her face turned pink, I gently wiped between her legs, happily noticing the bruises littered all over her thighs.

She bit her lip before looking up at the headboard, “I think Eudora’s gonna kill me if she ever finds out about the headboard.” I laughed. Eudora did love mahogany, but she’d never know.

“Well, you had to find some way to stay quiet,” I said, she groaned, covering her face with a pillow, “Stop,” she whined, I grinned, dropping the washcloth and crawling onto the bed and over her until I was right on top of her.

I grabbed the pillow, surprised when she pulled back. We fought for a moment, but I won, ripping it away and throwing it to some dark corner. She gasped, “I was using that!” She cried, glaring up at me, I gave her a lazy smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “You can use mine,” I said, slipping my hands under her shoulder blades and lying on top of her. m

She let out a squeak, “You’re crushing me Coryo,” she complained, I watched amusedly as she tried to push my body off of hers, we both knew it was pointless, I was much bigger than her to begin with, and I was a deadweight when I slept.

I buried my face in the crook of my neck, “You’re so warm,” I murmured against her neck, I felt her hands wrap around my own waist, her nails tracing lines along the panes of my back. We lay there for a moment, our feet tangled with one another's, wrapped around each other until I felt a pair of teeth pressed against my collarbone.

I popped my head up to see Soarynn already batting her eyelashes at me, “Can I please be on top?” She asked sweetly, I raised my eyebrows, “Like while we cuddle or like while we…”  “While we cuddle you pervert,” she said, rolling her eyes.

I smirked but rolled off of her, planting my head on my pillow and watching as she crawled on top of me and made herself comfortable. She rested her head in the middle of my chest, letting out a sigh of contentment as I felt her body completely relax.

I watched as she breathed in and out, and ran my hands all over her body, her arms, her back, even her butt. “Do you wanna put some clothes on?” I asked her, she propped her chin up on my chest, looking me in the eye, “Hmm, I’m okay for right now,” she replied, tugging at the covers until her lower half was covered.

“I was enjoying that view,” I complained, she gave me a smile, “You can enjoy it later.” 

I ran my fingers through her hair as she slept, plucking out pieces of tinsel that the Preps had instructed her to take out before she went to bed. I already knew she wouldn’t do it, but she certainly wouldn’t now.

I thought about the ring, Mother’s ring. I had already hidden it, I didn’t want Soarynn to find it even though she wasn’t one to go through my things in the first place, you never know.

So, I hid it in the bar car, a bit of an unusual place, but that was the idea. I placed it on a shelf that only me or Father could reach, making sure it was well hidden by all the bottles of bourbon.

I felt myself drifting off, finally giving in to sleep after the long day this had been. We’d have to wake up even earlier to shower, but that was tomorrow's problem. I laced my hand with hers, squeezing it three times before falling asleep. 

Chapter Text

They say it’s good to know what you’re getting yourself into, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into when it came down to sex with Soarynn.

We still hadn’t done the deed yet, but we were growing more and more adventurous, and she was growing more and more confident. I was fast asleep, ready to be woken up by Eudora rapping on the door, but I was given a much better and sexier wake-up call.

Waking up to a blowjob is hands down one of the best things a man can wake up to.

I didn’t even realize what was happening at first, I could feel my body reacting, but I brushed it off as morning wood, and I wasn’t one to have sexual dreams. But the pleasurable feeling was persistent, so I eventually cracked my eyes open, adjusting to the dark room and looking around to find some answers.

I didn’t see Soarynn, but I quickly found her under the covers, or my hand did as it grabbed onto her hair, setting the pace she was going at. I hissed through my teeth, doing my best to stay quiet.

Was this payback? I wondered, there was no way she knew about all the bruises I had left, not yet anyway , I thought as I felt her take me in go. I groaned, bucking my hips up and into her mouth, trying to keep it together as I heard her gag.

I couldn’t even see her, the covers still hiding her from my view, but that had to change. I lifted them up with my other hand to reveal a heavenly sight, Soarynn’s lips wrapped around me as her eyes met mine, that little vixen.

I was close and she knew that, doubling down and bobbing her head even faster, I let out a moan, not missing the pleased look on her face as she kept going. “Fuck Soarynn,” I whispered, I felt her tongue press against my tip and I almost blacked out, gripping her hair with such vice that she let out a whimper of her own.

“I’m close baby,” I gritted out, trying to keep it down as I finally felt myself spilling out into her mouth. She took it like a champ, not stopping until I was done and finally pulling off and swallowing all of me. She smirked at my shaky thighs, crawling up to me until she was planted on my chest.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice a little scratchy. I looked up at her, still unable to believe what the hell just happened, “Was that a complimentary wake-up call?” I finally asked, she laughed, bending down and pressing her lips against mine, I carded my hand through her hair, gripping the back of her head as I pulled her down on top of me.

We explored each other's mouths for a while, only stopping when we felt the train come to a stop.

We were in District Three.

“Hopefully it’s warmer here,” she whispered against my lips, I pulled away, “Yeah, I can tell you don’t do well with the cold,” I said, looking at her nipples that were rock hard, she scoffed, pinching my own nipple causing me to yelp.

I flung her off of me, sending her to her side of the bed in a giggling mess as she rolled back over to see my pissed-off face.

She stuck her tongue out at me, shrieking when I grabbed her and started to tickle her, “Coryo,” she gasped, trying to break free, “We…we need to shower!” She said with another shriek as I tickled under her arms, watching in adoration as she laughed so hard tears began to fall from her eyes.

“I don’t think you deserve a shower after pinching me,” I said, climbing on top of her and pinning her hands on the sides of her head, she gasped, finally catching her breath, “Even after my complimentary wakeup call?” She joked I rolled my eyes, letting go of her wrists and running my fingers through my hair.

We did desperately need a shower, and we could be quick. “I’ll let it slide this one time,” I said, slipping off of her and onto the floor. “How generous of you,” she remarked, standing up and running her fingers through her own hair, “did you take my tinsel out?” she asked.

I nodded, grabbing the sheets off the bed and wrapping them around me, it was too cold to be naked at this hour. “I’m very generous,” I told her with a somber expression, she snorted, crouching down and pushing her way under the sheets until her face popped up right under my chin, “Thank you,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

I grinned down at her, “Mhm, you’re welcome,” I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. 

We managed to shower without getting too distracted, besides a couple of stolen kisses, we behaved ourselves. We were just drying off when I heard Eudora banging on the door, “Rise and shine you two! Time to get ready Soarynn!” She called from the hallway.

 Soarynn grabbed the shirt I was about to put on myself and threw it on, “Thanks,” she said, shooting me a smirk before padding over to the door. Eudora was tapping her foot, taking in Soarynn’s appearance as the door slid open, wet hair, a couple of hickies on her neck, barefoot, and wearing just my shirt.

Eudora did not look impressed.

“I take it you slept well,” she finally said, looking Soarynn up and down, “You don’t know the half of it,” I called from the bathroom, Soarynn gasped, shooting me a nasty look before brushing past Eudora to go get ready.

I gave Eudora a smile through the mirror, I just had a towel wrapped around my waist, so I wasn’t completely naked.

She glared at me, holding two fingers up to her eyes before pointing them at me and walking down the hall to wake up our parents. 

Since District Three was technology, our outfits today were very sophisticated. I was wearing glasses even though I had perfect vision.

I was in a long sleeve button-up with a  sweater vest over it, wearing black pants with white shoes. I wasn’t let down by Mother’s outfit, which looked like it was made of pages from a book. Father had an outfit similar to mine, although he actually did wear glasses from time to time.

“Oh, darling, you look so smart,” Mother said to me, dusting off my shoulder. I nodded, taking another bite of sausage, I was actually on time today, which meant I could enjoy breakfast.

Eudora flew in, dressed similarly to Mother, checking her watch, “We leave in ten minutes,” she told us before going to check in on Soarynn. Even though they said they could take care of me, I wasn’t feeling a lot of love from the Preps, not that I was complaining, I was grateful for them.

But, I found myself getting ready alone more and more as this Tour went on. I could hear their excited whispers and looked up to see Soarynn in a very interesting outfit.

It looked like a very long suit jacket, but it was a dress. The dress was cream colored, it fell to mid-thigh, and of course, had a slit going up her right leg. It was bedazzled with pearls and sequins, and had long sleeves, with a collar going straight across her neck.

Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail today, she looked good, she looked like she could be a teacher. “Nice glasses,” she said, I raised my eyebrows, “Nice suit,” I shot back.

Mother slapped my arm, “Be nice you two, now, today after your speech, you’re going to do a small segment for Lucky’s show.”

We both snapped our heads towards her at that, “We what?” Soarynn asked, reaching over my shoulder to grab a donut, “You two will be doing a segment for Lucky’s show,” Mother repeated, “just read the teleprompter and you’ll be fine.”

Lucky’s new segment “ The Tour of Our Lives ” was apparently a huge hit in the Capitol, people were even writing us letters while we were away. I knew there was no room for arguing, so I relented, “Sounds like a plan,” I said to Mother, earning me a pleased smile.  

The Mayor looked like he could be a scientist.

Everyone who was waiting for us on the platform looked incredibly smart, and they were all wearing glasses so maybe my outfit wasn’t too outrageous.

The Mayor gave us a curt bow at the waist when we finally reached him, “Welcome to District Three, we have been anticipating your arrival,” he said to Soarynn who gave him a small smile, “Thank you, we try to be punctual,” she gave Eudora a knowing look.

The Mayor perked up, “Oh, yes, by the time you left the station in District Two, it must have been eleven, and considering the velocity that the train travels that would put you at our station at exactly six twenty-four.”

Eudora’s mouth dropped open, could this be the man of her dreams?

“You’re very good with math,” I observed, the Mayor nodded, wiping his glasses with the hem of his shirt, “Well, velocity is more of a scientific term, referring to the vector qualities of magnitude and direction, magnitude being a…”

I could not believe how much this man knew, I always thought that we in the Capitol received the best education, but clearly not. I also didn’t pay that much attention in school, but still, all these people looked like they could ace any test.

There were only a few other people on the platform, save for the Peacekeepers, and they were all wearing lab coats, the Mayor included.

We made our way into the car where we would be taken to one of the factories where they made all of the technology we used. “He can talk a mile a minute,” Soarynn whispered to me, we were all in one big car with several rows of seats, the Mayor in the front talking Father’s ear off.

I nodded, “Makes me feel like graduating with honors was light work.” We both snickered but stopped when Eudora shot us a nasty look from the row in front of us. That woman had the eyes and hearing of a hawk.

This factory wasn’t as gigantic as the factories in One, it looked sleek, made of all sorts of different metals. The doors made of stainless steel slid open, blasting us with smoke that the Mayor told us was part of the decontamination procedure.

We were then all given lab coats to put on and we made our way into the factory, we came in from an upper level, allowing us to scope out everything. It was incredible watching all the machinery operating seamlessly.

The Mayor led us down the stairs where we could see robotic hands putting together thousands of hard drives. “Is everything made by robots?” I asked, the Mayor nodded, “Mostly everything, we of course make the robots, but they’re able to yield the high amounts of products required in a single day,” he explained.

I watched as the robot put together a hard drive in seconds. I had to do that once for a school project, I ended up passing the job along to Sejanus who ended up paying some other student to do it for us. Safe to say, we wouldn't last five minutes in District Three. 

We saw lots of things being made, alarm systems, showers that had every setting you could imagine, door knobs that unlocked from a fingerprint, hologram projectors, and more.

I was very impressed, some Districts seemed like they gave us nothing, but Three had proven itself to be very useful.

The Prep Team was very interested in the new vanity mirrors that were being made, the mirror would scan your face and show you where to perfectly place your makeup.

This was apparently going to be “ all the rage ” back in the Capitol.

No one stopped to look at us or congratulate Soarynn, one man even ran into me, his face buried in an instruction manual. “Everyone in here is very busy,” I noted, “Oh yes, we operate at maximum efficiency,” the Mayor said proudly.

“Does everyone work in the factories?” Soarynn asked him as we watched toy cars go past us on the assembly line, “Ninety-five percent of our population does,” the Mayor answered.

Well, that was news to me, “What about the other five percent?” Lavender asked him, he pulled us to the side of the walkway so a group of engineers could walk past us, “The other five percent are made up of the children and the elderly, we need every person available considering how high of a demand we receive for our technological goods,” he explained.

We did love our technology in the Capitol, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much of it we used. Just like the Peacekeepers, we truly enjoyed the District’s resources. 

We went to the school before lunch, it reminded me of our science labs, all white, no fun. We walked through the halls, they had some bulletin boards with some flyers commending the Capitol and even a few with Soarynn’s face on them.

“Can we go inside?” Soarynn asked, stopping to look at a class of students currently toying with wires and switches.

The Mayor pulled the door open, “I suppose we could observe them and their creations,” he said as we walked into the classroom. There had to be thirty kids in here, all sitting at three long tables, all their heads down and focused on the task at hand.

I looked at the chalkboard to see their lesson had been written out, ‘ Circuits ’, the teacher looked up from their desk and popped up, quickly walking over to us.

“Mr. President, it’s an honor, sir,” she said, fixing her crooked glasses and fussing with her hair, Mother didn’t look too impressed, “They wanted to see what the students are working on,” the Mayor told her, she nodded her head.

 “Of course, class, the President of Panem along with his family and the Victor of the Hunger Games is here to see what you’ve been learning today,” she announced, all their heads flew up, looking at us with wide eyes.

They were all wearing little lab coats, their mouths gaping as they took all of us in.

Soarynn walked over to one of the students and sat in the empty chair next to them, “What are you making?” She asked him, he blinked several times before realizing he was talking to him, “I’m making a circuit,” he said, proudly showing her a bunch of wires and switches and light bulbs.

 Soarynn nodded, looking very impressed. “How does it work?” She asked him, his face lit up, “Well, the electrons come out of the power source and then they travel along the conductors…”

I tuned him out, walking around the classroom to see that these kids were already beyond their years of schooling.

The teacher was trailing behind me, so I decided to ask a few questions, “So, just out of curiosity's sake, could you, perhaps, take a recording of someone's voice and use it to make it sound like they’re saying something else?” I asked her, picking at my cuticle as if that’s what they were learning right now.

She perked up, “Oh yes, replicating someone's voice is very easy sir, in fact, the children learn how to do it at a very young age, I assume you’re referencing the Jabberjays used in this year’s Hunger Games?”

I was taken aback, looking down at her to find her looking up at me expectantly. I hesitantly nodded, “I just…I never said all of those things out loud,” I scratched the back of my neck, “but I figured the Game Makers must have done something to edit my voice.”

She hummed, “Yes, it’s very easy to manipulate things once you figure out what makes them tick.”

Well isn’t she just a ray of sunshine?

I looked around to see our group chatting with the students. All the kids were happy to have someone to explain things to, I suppose they were all so smart that they were eager to have people with our low levels of intelligence to finally dumb things down to.

Nothing like a child teaching you a thing or two about electricity.

Eudora glanced up at the clock on the wall and excused herself from the table, “We really should be going,” she said to our group. I nodded, making my way over to the door.

Soarynn was the only one left, still talking to the same student, “Well, it was wonderful meeting you Callum,” she reached out to shake his hand, he looked at it before looking at her, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

 “Yes, you as well, you’ve been lovely, it’s a shame that your loving nature is going to be the thing to get you killed.”

Mother and the teacher both gasped, the teacher strode over to where Soarynn was sitting, speechless as she looked at Callum who was already back to working on his circuits.

“Callum! You apologize to her this instant!” The teacher hissed, Soarynn quickly stood up, placing her hand on the teacher’s shoulder, “No, it’s alright, we should be going, but thank you for letting us meet your class,” she told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

The teacher nervously returned it, her eyes flitting towards our parents before looking back at Soarynn, “Of course, have a good rest of your Tour.”

It was silent as we drove back to the train and we had Callum to thank for that.

Soarynn looked uncomfortable as we sat in the backseat, pulling her hand from mine once we pulled up to the station. Lunch smelled delicious, but Soarynn headed to the bedroom, telling Eudora she didn’t sleep well last night.

That’s a lie , I thought as I watched her walk towards the bedroom.

We all sat down, the clinking of cutlery being the only sound we made. Mother took a sip of wine before breaking the silence, “Well, what an interesting child,” she said, we all nodded, “What a horrible thing to say,” Eudora said, shaking her head.

I agreed, Soarynn had already been through so much, her loving nature still surviving after all of it, and to be told by a child that it would get her killed?

No wonder she wanted to be alone.

“Who would want to kill her?” I asked, looking up at Mother, she sighed, reaching across the table to grab my hand, “No one darling, that child is clearly unstable, and said that to upset her, no one is going to hurt Soarynn,” she promised. 

But I wasn’t convinced. I finished my meal rather quickly, and beelined for our bedroom where I found Soarynn very much awake, sitting on the shower floor.

I sighed, crouching down across from her, “Are we back to sleeping in bathrooms?” I asked her, she looked up at me, “No,” she said quietly.

I held out my arms and she pulled herself off the floor, crawling into them, I slowly stood up, picked her up with me, and walked us to the bed where we could sit down more comfortably.

She rested her head against my shoulder, “You know, you promised me that you’d let me know if you were going through anything,” I reminded her, I felt her grab my hand, “I know,” she whispered. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb, using my other hand to wrap around her shoulders.

“Then…tell me,” I pleaded, looking down at her face, she sniffled before looking up at me, “What do you want me to say?” She asks, her voice breaking as tears fell down her face.

My expression softened, “Do you need a break? Do we need to go back home because we can,” I told her, we could if we really had to. Eudora would understand, especially after the fight we had been through to get Soarynn ready for this Tour to begin with.

We didn’t want to go back to square one.

Soarynn shook her head, wiping her tears, “I’m fine,” I gave her a look, “I mean…I’m not fine , but I can do this, as long as you don’t get mad at me,” she said quietly, my heart broke for a second.

“I’m not mad,” I promised, gently grabbing her chin with my fingers, making her look at me. “You’re not?” She asked, blinking like an owl, I nodded, “I’m not, I promise, I’m just worried, that was an awful thing to say to you.”

I mean really, what the hell was wrong with that kid?

She shook her head, “He was right,” she mumbled, my eyes widened, “What?! How can you say that?” I asked, wondering how she had already resigned herself to her new promised future, she shrugged, “It almost got me killed before,” she told me, ah yes, Jessup almost killed her .

But that was different, kind of. “You were in the Games,” I gently reminded her, she gave me a knowing look, “We both know the Games aren’t really over once that cannon goes off,” she whispered.

I couldn’t argue with her there, even Mother had said so. I sighed, “Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? I plan on you living a very long and happy life,” I told her, she gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand.

“Sometimes,” she said, looking down at our intertwined hands, “I still don’t know if you’re real or not real.”

I didn’t know what to say. The holograms had definitely done a number on her in the Games, but I honestly didn’t think she remembered them that well, so much had happened since then.

She continued, “It’s like, I see you, and I can’t believe it’s actually you until you’re holding me, and then I can let myself calm down, and let my guard down,” she whispered. “Especially with the night terrors, I mean, you have no idea how much you helped me with those, but I’d always wake up from them and I wouldn’t be able to tell if you were actually there, plus I thought you hated me,” she added.

I raised my eyebrows, “You thought I hated you?” I ask, appalled that she could ever think that, she looked up at me quizzically, “Well, didn’t you? Even for a moment?”

I thought for a moment, how could I answer her loaded question? I sighed, “I did,” I admitted, “but only for a moment, once I found the morphling, I hated myself for the way I acted towards you, for how I felt towards you.”

The words tumbled out of me like a confession, but it felt good to get off my chest. “Thank you,” she said, “for always being honest with me, I know lots of people haven’t, but I can always count on you to tell me the truth and to always pull me out of my thoughts,” she whispered.

I nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what,” I promised.

I could see her eyes getting heavy, maybe she was tired. “Always,” she mumbled before falling asleep.

Eudora had to push back the speech by an hour, but when she saw the state Soarynn was in, she understood.

She had brought the Mayor to the train while we waited for Soarynn to wake up, he had asked to see the mechanics of the train itself and by asked, I mean he was practically on the train already before we could say anything.

Eudora was trailing after him, me right behind her, not wanting someone who was District, even a Mayor, to be touching our things.

I wish I could have captured the look of surprise on both my parent’s faces when the Mayor walked past them in the lounge as if he lived there, Mother gave Eudora a puzzled look but Eudora raised her hands in the air as if telling her, “ I’m trying my best here lady .”

We did eventually get the Mayor off the train, and Soarynn woke up, ready to give her big speech. She still looked tired, but we were on a schedule and even she understood the gravity of that.

She took the cards from Eudora and didn’t stray from the pre-written speech as she had in the past as we stood out on the veranda. 

“Thank you, people, of District Three, for educating us and providing us with all the technology we use in our daily lives back in the Capitol. We are forever grateful for your creations. I would like to take a moment to honor your fallen Tributes, Callix, and Ember, both of whom I believe made you very proud. Together we will build a better world for our children. We will build a better Panem.”

No one clapped after that speech, but this didn’t look like the clapping crowd we were used to receiving. These people looked like they were just itching to go back to work, we made our way back inside of the Justice Building where the Mayor gave us a tour.

This building was made of what looked like stainless steel, it was very impressive, and I could already smell dinner being prepared. I heard Soarynn’s stomach growl, she had skipped lunch, so I made a mental note to myself that we’d swing by the dining car before getting ready for dinner.

The Mayor told us he would see us at dinner and disappeared down a hallway, leaving us standing in the Justice Building. “Well, I suppose we will just take ourselves back to the train,” Eudora said, awkwardly turning to walk out the doors.

We all followed her, I expected we’d run into some people in the square, but everyone had cleared out already. This place was a ghost town, although it wasn’t much of a town to begin with.

These people learned what the words ‘ bare minimum ’ meant, and ran with it because that's what this town was. District One had shops and people, but this one had the standard post office, Mayor’s house, and clinic.

Seeing the post office reminded me that I should send Sejanus a letter, “Say, why don’t we write Sejanus and Petunia a letter when we get back on the train?” I asked Soarynn, she looked at the post office before looking up at me, “Can we do that?” She asked, I nodded, “There’s lots of stationary on the desk in the lounge,” I said as we neared the platform. “Okay,” she said as we made our way up the steps. 

Dear Sejanus, 

We hope this letter finds you and Petunia in good health. We miss you dearly, we just visited District Two yesterday, and your family is quite famous there. Giving the Snows a run for our money. We saw the Nut, it was very impressive, it was also very cold. How is Petunia? Has she been sleeping okay? Please let us know if she needs anything. We’re visiting District Four tomorrow, maybe we’ll send you a seashell or some sand if we go to the beach. We can’t wait to see you again. 

Best wishes, Coriolanus & Soarynn 

“Send him some sand?” Soarynn asked, giving me a look as I sealed the envelope. I shrugged, “He’s never been to the beach,” I said, it made sense to me.

Soarynn looked out the window, all we could see right now were flattened-out patches of concrete and weeds, not a very scenic District.

“I’ve never seen the ocean,” she said, placing a stamp on the envelope, “I only saw it once, before we visited Twelve,” I remembered, it was a cloudy day and Mother didn’t want me to track sand back into the train, so we looked at the ocean from the Justice Building.

“Was it cold?” Soarynn asked, looking up at me as we made our way to the dining car, I shook my head, “I wasn’t allowed to go in, but I’m sure we can tomorrow,” I said.

Granted, we didn’t have any bathing suits, but we could always put our feet in. There was still a decent spread from lunch, so we helped ourselves to the leftovers before Soarynn was whisked away to get ready for dinner.

I handed one of the train attendants our letter and he went to put it in the mail for me while I got ready. My suit was shiny, I looked like a motherboard from a computer.

Eudora peeked her head in to inspect me, she had her own metallic wig on today, matching her dress, lashes, and shoes of course. We waited in the lounge for the rest of our party to finish, Mother and Father came out next, Mother was wearing a floor-length gown covered in wires, gears, and all things technology.

Father was dressed in a suit similar to mine, although I looked much better. We had done a good job of avoiding each other on this trip, and I hoped we could keep up the good work.

 “We’re already one-fourth of our way through this Tour.” Eudora said to us as she scribbled something down on her list.

I felt like this Tour was never going to end, but I appreciated her positive spin. “Oh, and you and Soarynn need to do your segment before dinner Coriolanus,” Mother reminded me. I had forgotten all about that, to be honest, but there was no getting out of this.

Soarynn walked in, looking perfect as always, her dress was metallic, strategically opening up in the chest area without revealing too much, the shape was futuristic, and her hair had been left the same. “Time for your segment!” Mother said, grabbing Soarynn’s hand before grabbing mine.

She took us to the viewing car where there was already a whole filming crew waiting for us, “This is pre-recorded, so don’t worry if you mess up,” the camera guy told us as they placed the mics on us.

The fanfare for Lucky’s show began to play and we plastered on our best smiles for the camera, “Hey folks! It’s Coriolanus and Soarynn! And we can’t wait to see you all again once we get back. Make sure to tune in to “ The Tour of Our Lives '' every night at nine to keep up with us so you don’t miss a thing!”

We both kept smiling, waving to the camera until the fanfare ended, “Cut! That was good you guys, we can use that one,” the cameraman guy said, giving us a thumbs up.

“Thank you so much,” Soarynn said as she stood up, grabbing my hand as we walked out. “I hated that,” I whispered, “Me too,” she grumbled. Mother flew off of the couch when we walked back in, “That was fast, how was it darlings?”

I smiled, “It was great!” Soarynn nodded, “We loved doing it.” How did we both become so fluent in lying?

Dinner was as awkward as I imagined it would be.

The dishes were all flown out by drones, which was impressive enough, but the Mayor wanted to explain every single thing about them to us.

He even took one apart during the main course, sending a screw flying into Eudora’s soup.

The Prep Team tried their best to look interested, but even they couldn't keep up the facade. Dessert was chocolate cake, it was delicious and it was served by regular human beings, so the Mayor couldn’t take them apart.

Once we were done, the Mayor walked us back to the train and bid us farewell, “I hope you found today informative and engaging,” he said to us, Eudora gave him a strained smile, “We’ll never forget it,” she said as she slammed the button to close the door.

She let out a sigh of relief when the train began to pull away from the station. “Well, that was an interesting man, now, tomorrow is District Four, which means fishing, so prepare yourselves for the smell.”

She bid us all a good night and we all went off to our rooms, ready to put today behind us. I held onto Soarynn extra tight as she slept, wondering who on earth would want to kill her.

I mean, what sick individual would ever want to instill harm on such a kind human being? Whoever they were, I’d be ready for them. 

Chapter Text

Soarynn was running.

From me.

And I didn’t know why.

But I chased after her, we were back at home, in the maze of hedges. She seemed to be running for her life, checking over her shoulder to see if I was still there, out of breath, trying to put distance between us.

I seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, my slow steps matching her quick ones, as she led us further into the maze.

The hedges were taller, as tall as the Tribute Center, blocking out the sun. She was wearing a white dress, it was torn and falling to pieces, caked in mud and what looked like splatters of blood. She ran around one of the hedges, gasping for air, fear in her eyes.

I continued my pursuit, taking my time as she ran, I watched as her dress caught onto the bushes, she looked back, desperately tugging on the dress, trying to free herself.

She saw me closing in, her attempts began to grow stronger as I grew near, she had tears in her eyes as she realized she was trapped. I was finally right in front of her, right on top of her and she let out an ear-piercing scream as I reached out to grab her and–

“Coryo, Coryo wake up.”

My eyes flew open, I was gasping for air as I took in my surroundings, I was in bed, on the train, with Soarynn.

My entire body was shaking, covered in sweat, and my fists were gripping the sheets as I panted, I looked over to see a concerned Soarynn. “It was just a bad dream,” she whispered, stroking my cheek with her hand. I let go of the sheets, nodding as I tried to catch my breath.

“Are we…are we in Four yet?” I asked, my eyes glued to the sheets, I didn’t trust myself to look at her right now, I didn’t trust that she wouldn’t be looking at me with that fear in her eyes, the way she was in my dream.

“We are,” she said gently, “do you wanna talk about it?” I shook my head, “We should get ready,” I mumbled, pushing the sheets off of me, she grabbed my wrist, “Coryo, we promised to tell each other the truth,” she reminded me.

I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands before finally looking up at her, she looked beautiful, with her bedhead and her little nightdress, and not one bit afraid of me.

“You were running away from me,” I whispered, “you were scared of me.” She grabbed my hand, “You know I’d never be afraid of you,” she said, giving my hand a squeeze, I nodded, “It just…it seemed so real.”

She gave me a sad smile, “That’s always the worst part, how real they seem.” I realized that Soarynn must be an expert in bad dreams, she’d probably love to have what I considered a bad dream. “I’m sorry I woke you,” I said, I wasn’t used to the roles being reversed when it came to pulling each other from our nightmares, she pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“Don’t be, we need to have each other’s backs.” I nodded, she was right, all we had was each other. I opened my mouth to say something, but Eudora was already running up and down the halls, banging on all our doors and waking us up for today.

I sighed, “Time for District Four,” I groaned, Soarynn laughed, sliding out of bed and walking over to my side, “Come on, today we get to see the ocean,” she said excitedly, reaching out her hand for me to take.

I gladly took it, I walked her down to the dining car where she’d part ways with me to get ready, we couldn’t see the ocean yet, but we would soon.

Breakfast was pancakes, my personal favorite, I tried to eat as much as possible, but I didn’t have much of an appetite after my nightmare. Mother came in, dressed in a coral-colored dress, with tulle sticking up in all sorts of places, and practically covering her entire face, she looked like a scary piece of coral reef that came alive.

“Love the outfit, Mother,” I told her as she sat down next to me, “Why thank you, darling, do you think it’s too much?” I looked her up and down and was delighted to find that it also lit up , “Not at all,” I assured her.

Father was sporting a blue button-up with some navy blue slacks, which meant I was probably going to be sporting a very similar outfit. Eudora teetered in, her dress had small bubbles and fish on it, she looked like a walking aquarium.

“Coriolanus, go get dressed, Soarynn should be done soon.” I nodded, not wanting to get on her bad side this early in the morning, I found that I was in fact, wearing an outfit similar to Father’s. Yipee . I was just putting on my shoes when the door slid open, revealing Soarynn’s outfit, and she looked great .

Her dress was short, with no slit thankfully, it was pink, completely made with sequins and she actually looked like a piece of coral. She had one long sleeve, her other arm bare, with tendrils of what looked like coral reaching across her neck.

She was definitely dressed for District Four, “You look like you rolled in with the tide,” I said, she rolled her eyes, “And you look like Father’s twin.” I scoffed, “Touche.” 

The Mayor smelled like fish.

Everything smelled like fish.

I could see the Prep Team pinching their noses when they stepped off the train. Soarynn and I managed to keep it together, but the smell was awful. The Mayor just laughed when I brought it up, “You’ll get used to it,” he said, slapping me on the back.

That man had an arm to him, he almost sent me flying off the platform!

“Well, welcome to District Four, we’re happy to have you,” he said to Soarynn, she smiled at him, “Thank you for having us.” He gave us a quick tour of the town, there were nets and buckets everywhere, this really was a fishing town, and there were seagulls everywhere.

“Do you feed the birds?” Imogen asked the Mayor, he shook his head, “Once you feed one, the rest come in hoards,” he warned her. Well, I would not be feeding the seagulls.

We made our way up to the Justice Building, it was made from old seastone walls and dried-up coral, with shells pressed into the walls. We could feel the ocean breeze from inside as the Mayor told us about Four’s history.

It was hard to listen when the wind was so strong, blowing seawater through the air, but he was actually dressed for the weather, wearing a yellow raincoat with a hat and rain boots.

The rest of us looked ridiculous, but we were Capitol, so we really looked great.

broke away from the group, walking down a narrow hallway, Eudora hissed her name but it was pointless, “I’ll go get her,” I said, desperate to find shelter from the wind. Soarynn had already made her way to the end of the hallway, turning right and disappearing, “Soarynn,” I whispered, “you’re gonna give Eudora a heart attack.”

I finally made it to the end of the hall, turning to see Soarynn leaning against a balcony wall. I walked up to her and realized she was looking at the ocean.

It was beautiful, dark blue, and powerful as it crashed against the cliff rocks below us. “I never thought it was this big,” she whispered, watching as a flock of seagulls flew by, I nodded, “It’s hard to wrap your head around,” I agreed.

I could already hear Eudora calling our names, I sighed, “We’ll come back at dinner,” I promised Soarynn, who looked hesitant to leave, but she nodded, “Okay.” 

The Mayor took us to the fishing docks. District Four provided us with all the seafood we needed, and the Capitol people loved seafood, there was always a seafood table when Mother threw a party.

We had all been given ugly yellow raincoats to wear, along with boots, the Preps wrinkled their noses at the attire but ended up wearing it when they saw how nasty the docks looked.

There were fish everywhere , and in different pieces, fish guts, fish heads, fish bones. People were on all sorts of boats, casting nets into the sea, spearing fish with tridents, hauling in huge nets full of fish, it was fishing madness. There were some larger boats, they were bringing in the larger hauls, dropping nets onto the docks before going back out to sea.

“What stops them from escaping?” I asked the Mayor, if they could easily take the boats and leave, and they’d have all the fish in the world to survive on.

The Mayor pointed to the horizon, where I could see the faint silhouette of a wall. “Nothin’ gets past those walls,” he said, “there’s grates at the bottom for the fish to come through, but the walls keep us in, plus we have Peacekeepers out there as well.”

I raised my eyebrows at that, you couldn’t pay me enough to be all the way out there. A wave rolled in, shaking the dock and it almost sent me flying into the ocean.

I looked over my shoulder to see the Mayor helping Mother stay upright while the rest of the group stumbled around, trying to find their footing. “Are the waves always this bad?” I asked, cautiously making my way over to the Mayor, he laughed, “That was a little wave, the big ones are by the Justice Building, on the other side of the cliff.”

He pointed to where you could just make out the tiny Justice Building. “Is there a beach?” Soarynn asked, “Like, one we could swim in?”

The Mayor scratched his chin, I noticed he had scars everywhere , on his face, his hands, his arms, was fishing really this dangerous? “I reckon there is, but the waves can get pretty big past the break,” he explained, shooting Eudora a look that read, “ Help me out here lady ,” Eudora grabbed Soarynn’s hand, “We have a schedule to keep to dear,” she said sweetly.

Soarynn pulled her hand away, “We’re barely doing anything today,” she countered, plating her hands on her hips.

It was like watching live-action sports as Soarynn and Eudora fought it out, I lost fights to both of them on a daily basis, so I really didn’t know who was going to win this one.

But Soarynn pulled out all the stops, turning her attention to Mother, who was more focused on staying upright in her boots, currently clinging onto the Father and almost taking both of them down.

“Mother, can we please go to the beach?” Soarynn asked, batting her eyelashes. Mother didn’t even look up from the ground as she stumbled sideways, “The beach? Why would you want to go there, darling? The beach is messy.”

I rolled my eyes, that was the same argument she had used against me when I wanted to go all those years ago, and I’d be damned if she succeeded again. “It’ll be quick,” I said, butting in, “we’ll be back before lunch,” I added, doing my best to make this sound like a winning argument.

Maybe it was the seasickness, or the desire to get out of these raincoats, but Mother and Eudora gave in. 

So, we went to the beach.

It was a cloudy, dreary, cold day, but we didn’t care. The Mayor led us down a beaten path near the Justice Building, we all cautiously made our way down the side of the cliff, I didn’t know where this beach was considering all I saw were jagged rocks below us, but as we came around the bend, I could see that there was in fact a very large beach.

It wasn’t like the one where the docks were, the Mayor said that was the wharf, this was a true beach. Soarynn kicked off her heels, and I heard Jadis gasp as Soarynn sank her feet into the sand and took off running down the dunes. I followed her lead, kicking off my own shoes and sifting down the sand.

I made my way to Soarynn who was standing right where the dry sand became damp from the tide. She looked at me, her eyes matching the color of the sea, “I’m nervous,” she whispered, I couldn’t help but smile, “About what?” I asked, this was nothing to be nervous about, not with the eight adults watching us like hawks from above the dunes.

“What if it isn’t everything I imagined it to be?” She asked, backing up as the water came towards us, I hissed as the cold water washed over my feet, “Well, if you imagined it to be cold, you won’t be disappointed,” I promised her, “but if it isn’t everything you imagined it to be, then it wasn’t worth your time, to begin with.”

She nodded, nervously taking a step towards an oncoming wave and let the water wash over her feet, coming all the way to her ankles, she shrieked, “Oh! It’s freezing!” She cried, looking back at me with excitement lighting up her eyes.

We walked a bit farther, not wanting to get our clothes dirty, I rolled up my pants, not wanting to deal with Eudora’s wrath if she found me with soggy pants.

Soarynn was running around like a lunatic, letting out little shrieks of excitement and happiness as she splashed in the water. She ran up to me, teeth chattering and her whole body shaking, “We should move here,” she said, I raised my eyebrows, “Here?” I asked, looking around to make sure we were talking about the same place.

She hummed, “I love, love, love the beach Coryo, we should build a house here!” I shoved my hands into my pockets, “I’m sure we can visit,” I offered, she nodded, “All the time?” She asked, batting her eyelashes, I could feel myself getting weak in the knees, and it wasn’t from the salt water, “All the time,” I promised.

Satisfied, she ran back towards the waves, bending down to run her hands through the water. “Coriolanus! We have to go!”

I looked back to see Eudora slowly but surely making her way down the sand dunes, holding onto her wig as she almost slipped down, “We’re coming!” I called back, not wanting to see Eudora lose her wig, she nodded, turning back around towards the group.

Soarynn walked over, brushing her hair from her face, “Do we have to leave?” She asked sadly, I nodded, “Wouldn’t want to be late,” I said, she sighed, “Okay.” She took my hand and we made our way up the sandy hills, where Eudora was tapping her foot, “Wonderful, now, let’s go to lunch,” she said to all of us, marching towards the path.

We all followed her, not wanting to push our limits, walking single file up the cliff. I don’t consider myself out of shape, but I was winded by the time we made it back up to the Justice Building, and the Preps were in no better condition than I was.

“This…this isn’t what…I signed up for,” Imogen gasped, leaning against a wall to catch her breath.

“I didn’t sign up for this either,” I heard Soarynn mutter as she walked towards the train.

Well, she wasn’t wrong there.

We were all so happy to be back on the train. Lunch was lobster, the last time I had lobster was when Finn was skewered by the stag, so it brought back lots of warm, fuzzy memories for me.

Eudora didn’t miss a beat as we all ate, “Now, today for your speech, you will be honoring Florian and Lark,” she said to Soarynn, handing her the speech she had written out for her. Soarynn nodded, looking over the cards.

Lark was her first unofficial, unintended kill in a way, she had gotten Lark an ax to the head after fighting her for a backpack when the gong went off. I’m pretty sure Florain died from natural causes, well, as natural as they can be in the Hunger Games.

“I don’t think either were going to make it that far,” Eudora added as if that would soothe the wound Soarynn carried around since the Games. “Yes, I suppose it was for the best,” Soaryn agreed, giving Eudora a polite smile.

After lunch we had some time to kill, Soarynn disappeared into the viewing car, while I took some time in the bathroom to shave. It’s not that I have a lot of facial hair, to begin with, I honestly don’t know why the Preps made such a big deal out of it.

I highly doubt I’ll ever grow a full beard, but I do have some upkeep to deal with, and while Soarrynn has never brought it up, I think she prefers a clean, shaven face. And since I’ll always put her needs before my own, I made quick work of my growing stubble.

Not that Soarynn had any issues with her hair, besides her hair and eyebrows, the girl was hairless. I assume she gets waxed, or maybe she’s been given some special pill that stops most of her body hair growing too long.

Must be nice , I thought as I washed my face clean of any remaining shaving cream. I admired my handiwork in the mirror before going to find Soarynn.

She was drawing, painting more like it, using all the blue watercolors at her disposal to paint the ocean. I peered over her shoulder as she worked, admiring all the little details, including a tiny me standing in the corner.

“I’m not that short,” I said, frowning at how small I looked, Soarynn tilted her head back to look at me, “Yes you are,” she said with a grin. I scoffed, giving her hair a playful tug before sitting next to her.

“Was the ocean everything you dreamed of?” I asked, propping my chin on the couch as she continued to paint, she nodded, “I bet it’s beautiful and a force to be reckoned with at night,” she said wistfully.

It was probably terrifying, but I kept those thoughts to myself.

“Kind of like you,” I said, her head shot up from her painting, “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, looking me up and down, I grinned, shrugging my shoulders, “It’s just…you can be pretty aggressive in bed, that’s all,” I said innocently, she didn’t buy it for a second, scoffing before shoving me for good measure.

“ You’re the bossy one in the bedroom,” she said, “always putting me in the most awkward positions.” I raised my eyebrows, scooting closer to her, “Awkward positions as in, physically? Because you really seemed to enjoy the position I put you in the other night,” I countered, causing her face to turn pink.

“Whatever,” she huffed. She looked down at her painting, a frown crawling over her face, “Do you ever get tired?” She asked, I was baffled by her question, I considered myself a man of high stamina, I could go for a very long time before growing tired, and I figured she knew that already.

I shook my head, “No, I think I can usually last a long time,” I replied, scratching at the back of my neck, we both knew I had some flings before we both got serious, so it was safe to say I had some skin in the game if you know what I mean.

But I never thought I’d talk about it with Soarynn, especially now, on this train, in District Four of all places.

She sighed, “Not that…I mean, do you ever get tired of waiting for me to be ready?” She looked up, her eyes nervously searching mine for an answer. I tried not to let my shocked expression show, but I couldn’t as I gently grabbed her face with my hand, “I would wait forever for you, I mean, I don’t want anyone else but you, you’re the only one I’ve truly fallen for Soarynn,” I whispered.

“So, you’re not…bored?” She pressed, I tilted my head, “Do I act bored?” I asked, her eyes widened, “No! No, you don’t,” she assured me, “I just, I worry that I pushed you away too far once the Games were over,” she admitted, biting her nails.

I sighed, those few months of trial and error hadn’t been easy, and navigating them while trying not to cross any physical boundaries had been nerve-wracking.

“You could never push me away, I’ll always be here waiting, waiting for whatever you want to give me, whatever you think I deserve” I promised, “and I know that you and your heart could give me everything and more.”

Her eyes fell to the floor, her fingers nervously fumbling with the couch fabric, I shifted in my seat, “Did I say something wrong?” I asked, worried that I had fucked everything up.

She shook her head, “No, but, I can’t give you everything you deserve,” she whispered.

“What could you possibly not give me sweet thing?” I asked, not believing her for a second.

Her eyes met mine, tears forming oceans in her stormy blue-gray eyes as she blinked them away.

“I could never give you peace.” 

“How did you get your scars?” Soarynn asked the Mayor, he was walking us to the front of the Justice Building where everyone had gathered to hear Soarynn’s mandatory speech.

“Oh, well, I got this one on my arm from wrestling a barracuda, see, I fell into the ocean trying to grab it and…”

I tuned him out, as much as I wanted to hear his stories from out at sea, I was still thinking about my conversation with Soarynn.

“ I could never give you peace ,” how could she think that?

She was my peace, she was my refuge, my best friend, the only person I could truly trust in this fucked up world.

If anything, the roles were reversed, I wasn’t the most peaceful person on this planet, I tended to get into fights and plot out my Father’s murder, but no one was perfect.

I needed to tell her, to show her that she could give me peace, that she could give me everything I ever wanted.

What do I want?

A family would be nice, a normal family, one where we could watch our children run around in the gardens, and grow old with each other. Surely she could give me a child or three, and I of course wanted her to marry me. I wanted her to be my wife, my First Lady, my confidant.

Had I acted so badly towards her in the past few months that she felt she couldn’t give me any of that?

I felt that peace was low on the priority list for us right now, we could cross that bridge when we came to it. Eudora was right behind us, pulling me from my thoughts as she pulled us to the side, fussing with our hair, and handing Soarynn her cue cards.

“And remember, you’re madly in love,” she reminded us, I grabbed Soarynn’s hand, “Of course we are,” I said with a tight smile. Eudora seemed happy with that, running off to find where Mother and the Preps had wandered off to.

We could hear the Mayor addressing the crowd, I peeked through a window to see that this was a motley crew we had rallied, everyone was grimy, and wet. Like they walked out of the ocean. They probably did if I’m being honest.

“You know, if you think about it, you only have eight speeches left to give,” I said to her, she shrugged, “I guess, but it doesn’t get any easier,” she looked up at me.

I didn’t even want to know what type of mess she’d become when we reached District Six, that was another bridge we hadn’t come to yet. I could hear the Mayor introducing us, and while Eudora was nowhere to be found, she trained us well. We made our way to the giant doors, ready to make our entrance. 

People gave us polite applause, I was grateful for that, although I know I didn’t look grateful as the wind blew salt water through the air and into my face. Soarynn managed to have some decorum as she whipped out her cards and stepped up to the microphone.

“Thank you, District Four, for welcoming us and showing us your skills and your contributions to our wellbeing in the Capitol. I speak for all of us when I say that we enjoy seafood immensely back in the Capitol. I would like to give my condolences to your fallen Tributes, Lark and Florian. I didn’t know Florian, but I know that I put Lark at a disadvantage. A disadvantage that cost her life, so early in the Games when she could’ve had a chance, when she should’ve had a chance. I’m sorry, if I could go back and change things, I would. I’m sorry for your children, I hope they made you and your District very proud.”

Soarynn’s eyes met the eyes of Lark’s parents, both looking at her with equally somber expressions. Though I highly doubt Lark could’ve won, Soarynn was right, she could’ve had a chance.

We turned to leave, not staying to bask in the light applause, or the heavy winds. Eudora was waiting for us inside, “Not exactly what I wrote in the cards dear, but the sentiment was there, now, let us head back to the train and get ready for dinner!”

I knew dinner would be good tonight, fresh seafood right from the Justice Building’s backyard sounded delicious. 

Once on the train, Soarynn was whisked away while I sat in the lounge, still replaying our conversation in my head. Father hadn’t even come to the speech, opting to stay on the train for “ business ,” I couldn’t wait to be President so I could pull that excuse.

He walked into the lounge, making brief eye contact with me, leading me to stand up, deciding that was enough interaction between the two of us for the rest of the trip.

“No, sit down,” he said. I plopped back onto the couch, nervously waiting. He took his time sitting down in the chair across from me, I’m sure he was relishing every moment he had control over me, and for his sake, I hoped he enjoyed it before I killed him.

“You two, have…surprised me,” he said, stroking his beard.

I tilted my head, “We’re funny that way,” I said, folding my arms, not wanting this conversation to get too long.

“Did you know that I approve every speech Eudora writes for you two? Every word, sentence, everything , is approved by me, even your little graduation speech.”

I raised my eyebrows, that was news to me, I had always figured that Eudora had written these things ages ago, based on sheer premonition. “I didn’t,” I said, “I didn’t know that you read all of them.”

He nodded his head, “So, I’d like you to imagine Coriolanus, for just a moment, the surprise I’ve felt the past few days, when Soarynn had gone off the record, not reading exactly what Eudora had written for her.”

He looked at me like this was my fault. And who cared? We got the major points out of the way, Soarynn said ‘ thank you ’ and she said ‘ sorry about you dead kids ’ what more could he want?

He must’ve read my confused expression, “These Games could’ve had a very different ending for her,” he explained, that got my attention, “especially how she was handled after the Games.”

I shifted nervously in my seat, how differently could things have gone? “I…I don’t think I understand sir,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, he nodded as if he expected this all along.

“She’s a very beautiful girl, isn’t she?”

I hesitantly nodded, “Yes, yes she is.” He reached for the bottle of whiskey sitting on the table next to him, pouring himself a glass and taking a sip before continuing, “She’s such a lovely girl, the people of the Capitol just adore her, even those in the Districts seem very fond of her,” he said, “and of such young age too, so innocent and pure.”

I could feel my fists clenching, and the gears in my head turning. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked through gritted teeth, he held up a finger, as if telling me to wait, like I was a dog, he took another sip of whiskey.

“Many people would pay good money to spend the night with her you know, I’ve gotten several offers already, many people we know have offered, many of them long in the tooth if you get what I mean, but I’ve turned them all down. Because of you.”

I was fighting every fiber in my being not to lunge at him, not to claw and rip his throat out. “Because of me,” I repeated, not trusting myself to say anything else.

“Because of your marriage , because she is already spoken for, because she has already agreed to play the part. But, if she continues to go off script, and you continue to take your time in proposing, well, I can arrange for her to meet some of my gentlemen friends.”

I was shaking, I was furious, I stared holes through his face as he stood up, slowly making his way down the hall and towards the dining car.

Once he was gone, I felt my body sink into the couch, had I been holding my breath the entire time? I didn’t know what to do, what to say, who to tell. I didn’t know what to do. 

“I want him dead, I want him killed, I want him mutilated, I want him torn to pieces, I want him to be tortured, slowly , so that I can watch.”

Soarynn watched as I spewed out my venomous thoughts as I paced our bedroom, she had just come in from being all dolled up for dinner and I had told her everything.

She was sitting on the bed now, letting me blow off my steam, we both knew that all I could do right now was voice my thoughts, I could take action later. And I would take action later.

She sighed, “What are we going to do Coryo?” I stopped in my tracks, she looked scared, I had been hesitant to tell her everything , but we didn’t keep secrets from each other anymore. It was us against the world.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “at least, not yet, we just have to get through this Tour, once we’re married, I’ll become President, and I’ll take care of Father.” Soarynn looked up at me, watching my face carefully, “What are you going to do to him?” She asked I put my hands on my hips, “Well, to be honest, I have a lot of ideas.”

She raised her eyebrows, “You have a lot of ideas about killing our Father?” I nodded, “Don’t you? I mean, out of anyone, you should hate him the most,” I reasoned.

She bit her lip, “I could never hate anyone enough to want them dead,” she said, I sighed, “That’s the difference between us I suppose, but still, he’ll be taken care of one way or another.”

She nodded, nervously playing with her dress, she looked lovely, like she came right from the ocean, her floor-length gown was stunning. It was long-sleeved, probably for the wind, and was made of sequins and feathers, the top a light purple and it slowly faded into turquoise at the bottom, making her look like the ocean had come alive.

There was unfortunately a slit, but there was mesh everywhere, covering her leg and the large cut out on her chest, still, she looked amazing. Her hair was parted in the middle, long pieces tucked away in the back, showing off her beautiful complexion.

“You look beautiful,” I said, she gave me a small smile, “Thank you, now, what are we going to do right now?” I thought for a moment, there wasn’t much we could do, we just had to stick it out. “We’re going to be madly in love,” I told her, causing her to roll her eyes, “and, you’re going to stick to the cards Eudora gives you, and we’re not going to let anyone else know what’s going on,” I gave her a knowing look.

The last thing we needed was for Mother to find out about this, she knew Father was a terrible man, but selling out his daughter for prostitution to get revenge on his son? Even I didn’t believe that. Soarynn stood up, smoothing out her dress and giving me her brave face, “Okay, let’s go to dinner.” 

Dinner was lovely. Well, as lovely as it can be with a psychotic President sitting at the head of the table.

The Mayor was a riot, he had all the ladies cackling all night long, apparently working on a boat for a living can cause for some very interesting stories. And us Capitol men didn’t live much of an adventurous life, so he truly was a fish out of water, no pun intended.

I tried my best to keep it cool, I ate my shrimp, and my salmon, laughing at all the Mayor’s jokes. But Soarynn was taking a different approach, while she also laughed at all the right times and gave her compliments to the chef, I caught her giving Father a look to be reckoned with.

The same look she gave him at the Reaping and when she was crowned.

A look that told him that he was fucked.

“Well, I’m sure your wife loves hearing all of your stories,” Eudora said to the Mayor as dessert was being served. He shook his head, “I’m afraid marriage isn’t in the cards for me,” he said, all the ladies gasped, including Soarynn, “Why not?” She asked.

He gave her a small smile, “I was married once, a long time ago, before the war, she was my everything, but then, the war came.”

A hush fell over the table, I felt like I was watching the Games again, not wanting to miss a second.

“I, of course, fought for the Capitol, I was next in line for Mayor, and it seemed like the right thing to do, but she had always been a rebel at heart, so the war finally gave her a cause to fight for. So, we went our separate ways, fighting on separate sides, didn’t hear anything from her or about her for months, even after the war was won. Still, I wait for her every day, hoping she’ll come back to me, listening to the waves to see if I can hear her song.”

I looked over to see Soarynn dabbing her eyes, everyone at the table was, even Eudora. “You have such a gift,” Soarynn said, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand, “the way you tell stories, makes me feel like I’m living them with you, and I’m sure she loved it when you told her stories.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, “Thank you kindly, I just hope she’s at peace, wherever she is, I think we all could use a little peace.” He looked around, and we all nodded, peace was good.

We needed peace. 

After dessert, we made our way to the balcony, watching the waves crash below us, sending a spray of sea breeze onto our faces, Soarynn sighed, “I could live here,” she decided, I looked at her, the moonlight painting a ghostly glow onto her face, “I could vacation here,” I offered.

She smiled, “Do you think it’s true?” She asked, looking out into the sea, “Do I think what’s true?” I asked, turning to make sure Father wasn’t about to shove us off the balcony, but he was still at the table with the rest of the group.

“That you can hear the Mayor’s wife singing with the waves,” she looked up at me, I looked down at the sea, it was loud and powerful, there was no room for music down there.

“Maybe,” I said, taking her hand and lacing her fingers with mine. “I hope I can be like her,” she said wistfully, I raised my eyebrows, “A dead rebel?”

I nervously looked over my shoulder, the last thing Father needed to hear was Soarynn wishing she was a rebel.

She shook her head, “I hope people listen for my song, I hope they’re haunted by my lullabies,” she looked at me. “And would I recognize any of your lullabies?” I asked her, amused that she had put so much thought into this, she nodded, “The meadow song is one of them, although, I suppose they’re stolen in a way, my dad taught me all of them.”

I nodded, knowing this was a sensitive topic for her. “Well, if I ever hear your lullabies coming from anywhere else, I’ll know it’s you haunting me,” I said, giving her a playful shove, she laughed, “Good, I’ll haunt you forever Coriolanus Snow, even when I’m good and dead.” 

We said our goodbyes to the Mayor, Soarynn even gave him a hug, thanking him for a wonderful evening. He was by far my favorite Mayor so far, maybe the Districts weren’t all that awful.

Eudora didn’t think so, she shoved us all on the train, ready to take off the District Five. We all felt the train lurch forward a moment after the doors shut, it slowly pulled away from the platform, making it about fifty feet before screeching to a halt.

I flew into the wall, grabbing Soarynn as she flew past me. Eudora flew into the door, grabbing it as she looked around, nervously checking her wristwatch.

“We shouldn’t be stopping, I don’t know why we’re stopping,” she said nervously, one of the train attendants ran down the hall, weaving through us and running even further down the train. I looked down at Soarynn who looked just as confused as I was, Eudora huffed, “Well, what does one have to do on here to get some information?”

She tapped her foot as we watched the same attendant run back towards us. “Well?” She barked, “There had better be a good reason we’ve stopped,” she said, glaring at the attendant, he nodded, “Yes ma’am, it appears the train has broken down, we’ll have to stop here for the night while we wait on repairs.”

This sent Eudora into a state, she was shrieking at the attendant, running to her room and coming back with six binders, shoving them all into his hands, “I will have you know that I have already pushed back this Tour two times, and I will not do it a third time. We need to move IMMEDIATELY!”

The attendant flinched, looking down at the binders before turning and handing them to Mother who surprisingly took them from him, “Ma’am, the part we need to fix only comes from the Capitol, so we have to send for the part and wait for it to be delivered, the earliest we can leave is four in the morning.”

I looked at my own wrist watch to see it was nearing ten, Eudora gasped, “That’ll put us behind schedule! We need to leave now! Where is the conductor?” She demanded and the attendant sighed, “He’s in the front of the train ma’am, fixing the train, there’s nothing we can do but wait, so I suggest you all make yourselves comfortable while we wait for the part to be delivered.”

And with that , he walked off, leaving us all standing in shock.

Eudora made a clawing motion in his direction before turning to us, “Well, as he said, there’s nothing we can do but wait…unless we want to walk,” she said, looking at all of us hopefully.

I coughed, “Hard pass,” I told her, her shoulders sagged, “Then let’s all head to bed and hope we’re moving by four.”

We were sitting in the lounge, most of the power had been shut off to conserve energy for the train. Or at least that’s what another attendant told us.

We were still in our dinner clothes, my cerulean suit looked fabulous in the moonlight that was shining through the windows. I looked outside to see that the waves had calmed down quite a bit, and the moon really did look beautiful.

That’s when an idea crossed my mind. A wonderful, beautiful, magnificent idea.

I turned to Soarynn who was picking at her fresh manicure, “Do you wanna do something we shouldn’t be doing?” She perked up, giving me a mischievous smile, “Like what?” She asked, I looked around, everyone had gone to bed already.

Eudora had taken four different sleeping pills in fact, claiming she wanted to forget this night ever happened, so the coast was already clear.

“Let’s go swimming in the ocean,” I whispered, and I watched as Soarynn’s face lit up. “Can we?” She asked, bouncing in her seat, I shrugged, “I mean, we really shouldn’t, but it’s our one chance.”

She bit her lip, weighing out the pros and the cons, the pros must’ve won her over, “Okay,” she whispered, “let’s do it.” We changed out of our dinner clothes, throwing on comfy pants and pullovers, and sandals. I grabbed some towels from the bathroom and we tiptoed into the hallway and towards the viewing car.

We decided it was the safest bet, not wanting to pry open any doors, so we opened up the back window, a common thing to do, nothing to raise any suspicion.

I tried to jump out and make it look graceful, but my jump was anything but graceful as I hit the tracks. Soarynn’s jump had a bit more suave to it, “Do you know where we’re going?” She asked as we ran along the tracks, “Yeah, we’ve gotta head towards the Justice Building,” I said, grabbing onto the maintenance ladder that led up to the train platform.

I helped her up, grabbing the towels, and we made our way through town, not a soul was awake, they were probably under curfew as long as we were here.

We ran to the side of the Justice Building, finding the same beaten path the Mayor had taken us down earlier, “Watch your step,” I told her as I took the lead, she nodded, grabbing my hand as we made the trek down.

It was much scarier at night, one wrong step and poof , you’re dead.

But we managed it, we finally made it to the dunes, Soarynn ran ahead of me, sliding down the sand and running her fingers through it. I clambered down, sitting next to her as we watched the waves.

There were some large rocks far out from shore, waves beating into them. “Do you think there’s anything scary out there?” She asked as I shook my head, “No, I think we should be fine,” I assured her, “just don’t go too far out.”

Deciding it was safe, Soarynn stood up, tearing off her pullover and then her pants, leaving her in her underwear. I looked up, taking it all in, she was wearing a matching set, of course, it was white with little pink roses all over it, she kicked off her sandals and looked down at me, “You coming?” I grinned, standing up and stripping myself of my own clothes, shivering when the wind blew against us.

I was just in my boxers, but we didn’t have a lot to work with, and she said no to skinny dipping.

The wind was howling, and Soarynn’s hair was whipping all around, covering most of her face as she looked up at me, excitement in her eyes and a big smile on her face.

“Race you!” She said, before taking off to the beach, “Hey!” I called, running after her, my footing became more sure as the sand turned damp, I could feel the water lapping at my ankles, but I didn’t stop until I finally caught up to her.

She was knee-deep, arms wrapped around herself as she looked into the ocean, I came up behind her, grabbing her waist, and she shrieked, “Coryo! Put me down!” I smirked, “Oh, I’ll put you down,” I promised, wading into the water, she yelped as a wave washed up against us, soaking her bottom half in cold water.

 “It’s freezing!” She cried, kicking her feet and trying to break free, but it was no use, “Better hold your breath,” I warned, her head whipped back to look at me as I pulled us both underwater. I let out a gasp as the saltwater filled my nostrils, I pulled us up, both of us gasping for air.

I opened my eyes to see her brushing her hair from her face, looking up at me, “We’re swimming!” She said, pulling from my grasp and diving back under. 

She did that for a while, diving and jumping off of me, splashing me the entire time.

I considered going under once enough experience for me, but Soarynn was having the time of her life. Once she got tired of swimming, we made our way to shallower waters, where I could be safe from large waves as I sat down, watching her do handstands in the water.

I was smiling like an idiot watching her, she looked so happy, so carefree as she ran through the water, jumping and spinning, coming up for air just to go back under again. She made her way over to me, plopping down in my lap as she finally caught her breath.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, we were both freezing, but I always found her warm, like my own personal heater. “Are you having fun?” I asked her, resting my chin on her shoulder, she hummed, “This is the best,” she told me, grabbing some wet sand and slapping it onto my knee, “You think I could find a pearl?” She asked, picking through the sand, but finding nothing but rocks and my leg hair.

I shrugged, “I think you have to go farther out, or everyone would be wearing pearls,” I teased, she laughed, “Oh, I’m too scared to go out there,” she said, jutting her chin at one of the rocks.

I tilted my head, it didn’t look that far, fifty yards maybe, and I was a strong swimmer, we all learned to swim in the Academy pool. “We can make that,” I said, standing up and pulling her with me, she wiped her face, looking up at me, “You think so?” I nodded, “Definitely, just stay close to me hmm?”

I looked down at my little waterbug who was already nodding as she pulled my hand, taking us further into the sea. We walked until our feet couldn’t touch the sand, both of us opting for a slow paddle as we made our way out.

The waves weren’t too bad, a current was what I was mostly worried about, but there weren’t any. We got close to the rock but realized it was already occupied, there had to be at least a hundred crabs sitting there.

We both looked at each other as we trod water, busting out in laughter as we realized there was no getting onto this rock without getting pinched. “Well, we tried,” she called over to me.

I nodded, swimming closer to her, it wasn’t hard keeping my head up, but it was tiring. I definitely couldn’t live here. I grabbed her hand, pulling us away from crab rock and into the middle of the ocean, just the two of us.

I looked at her as the moonlight shone on the water, illuminating both our faces, she gasped, “Look at the stars Coryo!” I looked up to see the stars, actual stars in the sky.

“Wow,” I whispered, these stars put the ones on my bedroom ceiling to shame.

I looked back down to see Soarynn looking up with amazement written all over her face. I could also tell that she was getting tired of staying above water, her chin dipping below the waves more frequently.

I grabbed her waist, pulling her against me until she could wrap her legs around my waist. “What a gentleman,” she murmured against my ear, I grinned “Just keeping you afloat, now, tell me all about the stars.”

She looked back up, “Well, that’s Orion's belt, and that’s the north star, and that’s Ursa major, and that’s the little dipper, and that’s the big dipper…”

I wasn’t even looking up, I was just looking at her.

She was so beautiful.

And the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she was passionate about, I mean, she could be a school teacher or a counselor.

Or a mother , I thought.

She looked back at me, “Are you paying attention Coryo?” I grinned, “No,” she scoffed, “I’m just looking at you,” I explained, she rolled her eyes, “Not much to see right now,” she replied.

But she was wrong, so, so wrong. I looked at the cliffs, where you could see the Justice Building, and a small part of the train station, where our family was sound asleep, unaware of the two Snows that had snuck away onto the beach.

Only she would do stuff like this with me, only she would willingly do this life with me, no one else would even try.

She rested her chin on my shoulder, letting out a sigh of contentment as she relaxed her body, fully trusting me to keep her safe. I had put her through a lot, we all had, but I hadn’t been easy, I knew that.

But she was here, with me. She would always stay with me.

I love her .

It was then that the waves picked back up, crashing around us, loud and strong. There was no way she would be able to hear me, to hear my confession, but I had to say it, with the moon and the stars as my witness. 

“I love you.”

I felt her fingertips brush against my shoulder blades, and I felt her push her chin up, looking at me in the moonlight.

My girl, my Soarynn, my everything.

“I love you too, Coryo.” 

Chapter Text

We ran around like fools after that.

Lovesick fools.

We chased each other through the sand, not able to keep our hands off each other for long. Once we grew tired, we made our way back to the towels, drying off and putting our clothes back on. We lay in the sand, her head in my lap while I braided her hair.

I was actually quite good at braiding hair, I had used my skills to get close to Soarynn when she first came to live with us. I’d always offer to braid her hair, seeing it as the only way she’d let me get close to her.

But now, well, we couldn’t get much closer. I looked down at her to find her already looking at me, with those gorgeous eyes that I could drown in. Father was wrong, I loved her the most in this world, and there was no way this girl could destroy me.

She smiled, “I love you.” I smiled back, “I love you more.”

We sounded like drunken fools, we kept saying the phrase back to each other, it still felt fresh and new on our tongues, so foreign yet familiar, as if it had been there all along. The love had been there all along, it just took us a while to find it.

“What a night,” she whispered, looking at the waves, I nodded, “Tonight was perfect, just the two of us.” She looked back up at me, a smile splayed across her lips, “We aren’t alone,” she said, I raised my eyebrows, nervously looking around trying to spot Eudora hiding in the dunes, waiting to catch us.

Soarynn laughed, “The stars,” she said as if that explained everything.

I must’ve looked hopelessly lost because she sat up, dusting the sand off her pants before grabbing my chin, making me look up into the sky, “The stars saw us,” she whispered.

“Whatever we did here tonight, we did in front of the moon and the stars.” I liked the sound of that, we wouldn’t have the stars back at home, so we’d better take full advantage of them now.

“I love you to the moon and back,” I said, testing it out, she looked at me, a surprised expression painted across her face, “Well, you must love me a lot then.” I smiled, “I do, I really, really, do. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you.”

She scoffed, grabbing my hand, “We both weren’t ready until now,” she assured me, “and besides, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I raised my eyebrows, “You wouldn’t change a single thing?” I asked, knowing myself, I would’ve changed a couple of catastrophic events, but she shook her head.

 “No, everything happens for a reason, the good and the bad.” I hummed, we sure knew all about the bad. “Well, how about some good?” I asked, grabbing her face and leaning in, we hadn’t truly kissed in a while, and tonight was definitely the night to steal a couple of kisses.

With just the moon and stars as our witness.

She smiled into the kiss, crawling into my lap and threading her fingers through my curls, I smiled back, running my hands under her pullover and splaying my fingers across her waist.

I love this girl , I thought. I was so, so lucky, and so fucking happy.

We eventually pulled away from each other, catching our breath and watching the waves, I didn’t have on my watch, but I knew we needed to leave soon. I perked up, looking at her neck to find it empty, “Do you still have the locket I gave you?”

Her hand flew to her neck, “Oh yes, it’s in the bathroom,” she said. I nodded, “I couldn’t believe they let you keep it in the Games,” I confessed, I couldn't believe she wanted to keep it.

She nodded, “The Game Makers ruled it okay for me to wear, although you should’ve seen them trying to open it,” she grinned, shaking her head, “they were so mad when I told them you had the only key.”

I beamed with pride, just another thing I had over the Game Makers. “Well, it made me very happy to see you wearing it,” I said, she nodded, “It was all I had of you, lots of kids had nothing, but I had you, and that was all that mattered.”

I pressed a kiss to her temple, “Well, you’re stuck with me now,” I said, pulling her into me, I could feel her smiling, “Uh oh,” she said, peeking her head out, giving me a look that I could get lost in.

“We should head back,” she whispered. I was sad to go, but she was right. “Alright,” I agreed, helping her up. The walk back was just as humbling as the first time. But we made it, we both ran through town, giggling and holding hands the entire time.

When we made it to the train, I was relieved to see the window was still open. We threw the towels in and then I gave her a boost, a small part of me waited for the yelling, the reprimands of every adult that had woken up to find us missing, but Soarynn just popped her head out, smiling and stretching her hand out for me to take.

We slipped back into our room letting out a breath of relief when the door slid shut. We were both too tired to shower, so we just threw everything in the hamper and called it a night.

I pulled on some boxers before slipping into bed, watching as Soarynn put on some of my pajama pants and one of my pullovers before getting into bed, crawling on top of me and resting her head on my chest.

I pressed a kiss to her head, rubbing her back as we fell asleep. “Goodnight Coryo,” she whispered. I gave her a squeeze, “Goodnight Soarynn,” I whispered back, closing my eyes.

“I love you to the moon.”

“I love you to the stars.” 

For once, I woke up in a good mood.

Nothing could faze me. Not even Eudora banging on our doors, “Rise and shine everyone! We’re not stuck in Four, so it’s a good day!” Thank goodness , I thought, Eudora would be singing a very different tune if the train hadn’t been fixed.

I looked down to see Soarynn still sleeping, the covers pulled over her head, I ran my fingers through her hair, “Wake up sleepyhead.” She groaned, snuggling up to me, “I’m tired,” she mumbled, cracking one eye open.

I smiled, pulling the covers off of her, “I think we’re almost to Five, and you know Eudora is gonna want us off this train before it even pulls to a stop,” she sighed, “I know, at least we didn’t get caught.”

I nodded, that could’ve been very bad, so bad that Father would’ve made our lives an actual hell.

Defying him like that?

Well, he was still President, and he had made it very clear that he didn’t care about his children.

The door slid open, revealing Eudora who was dressed up in a silver dress that lit up, “District Five today children, they specialize in power and electricity. Their fallen Tributes are Hollis and Grover, Soarynn, go get ready.”

Soarynn gave her a salute, crawling out of bed and making her way to the door, following Eudora down the hall. Five powered all of Panem, the entire nation in fact, mainly with their hydroelectric dam. I was almost sure we’d get a lengthy tour of it, but I didn’t mind.

I took a quick shower, brushing my hair and teeth before getting dressed. I was wearing a short-sleeved button-down with some blue slacks, I guess they didn’t have wind the way Four did. I made my way to the dining car, throwing smiles around to all the train attendants.

Mother and Father were already eating, Mother wearing a dress that looked like aluminum foil, and it, of course, lit up. I sat down, grabbing the pitcher of orange juice, “Good morning,” I said to both of them, flashing them a smile.

Father raised his eyebrows at my joyous mood, but he didn’t faze me. “Good morning darling, you seem to be in a good mood,” Mother said, passing me a plate of scrambled eggs, “I am, I slept well last night,” I said as I took the plate from her.

She nodded, “Thank goodness they fixed the train, I was afraid Eudora might actually make us walk!” She probably would , I thought as the train drove by a river, the trees cleared up enough for me to see the dam, it was huge, churning water out at a rapid pace.

“Do we get to see the dam?” I pointed out the window, Mother nodded, “Yes, I was hoping to get some cameos of you and Soarynn walking around on it, for Lucky’s show,” she explained. Lucky’s show was slowly turning into the bane of my existence, but I just smiled and nodded.

We felt the train slow down, pulling into the station, and Eudora ran in, “We’re here, and only twenty minutes behind schedule,” she fanned herself, leaning up against my chair.

I raised my eyebrows, “How did we get here so fast?” I asked her, and she waved me off, “Oh, I talked the conductor into making the train go at five hundred miles an hour, he said we might crash, but that was a calculated risk I was willing to take dear.”

I swallowed, “Well, good thing we didn’t crash,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, “Hmm, yes, now, Soarynn should be done any minute now, and then we can leave.”

Soarynn came in a few minutes later, wearing her own short silver dress. I really liked this one, it was super sparkly, with a high neckline, and it was sleeveless. It had some sort of bow on the side, and her hair looked great, pin straight and pulled back into a half up, half down look.

“You look electrifying,” I told her, she rolled her eyes, “How witty”

District Five’s Mayor met us wearing a hard hat.

‘ Safety first ’ must be taken very seriously over here, because everyone had on a hard hat. “Welcome to District Five, we’re glad you were able to make it,” Eudora nodded, “It’s been quite a night.”

He shook all our hands, “Congratulations on your win Miss Snow,” Soarynn gave him a smile, “Thank you, and thank you for having us.” He smiled, leading us to the cars where we would be taken to see the dam.

The dam was huge in person, and it was loud, the roaring waters drowning out most of our voices as we stood outside on one of the bridges.

“How many people work here?” Olympia yelled over the water, the Mayor looked back at the dam, “Almost all of the District works here, all the children are taught how to operate everything in school.”

We walked up to one of the doors, Peacekeepers standing on each side, the Mayor turned to us, nervously looking at Eudora’s very tall wig, “Um, it’s the protocol for everyone to wear hard hats when inside the dam,” he scratched his neck, trying to avoid the look Eudora was giving him, “but, I think we can make an exception,” he told her.

So, we all wore hard hats, except for Eudora who had promised to be “ extra careful .”

Inside of the dam was nice and cool, and quieter. We could see the water running through it, spinning through the turbines. “So, how does it work?” I asked him, he excitedly showed us a diagram of the dam hanging on the wall, “Well, when the water is released through the dam, it spins the turbine connected to the generator thus, producing electricity.”

He looked back at us with a proud smile, I could hear Jadis clapping, “How fascinating,” Soarynn finally said, filling the awkward silence. I shifted on my feet, “So, what would happen if the dam stopped working?” He frowned, “Well, during the war the rebels would mess with the turbines, cutting the power to the Capitol.”

I raised my eyebrows, I remembered the war, but I didn’t remember all the power outages. Father nodded, “Yes, it would interfere with air raid sirens, they would catch us off guard.”

The Mayor nodded solemnly, “Yes, that’s why we have Peacekeepers stationed outside at all times, we don’t want another catastrophe.” No, we most certainly did not, especially since I was going to be President soon.

I was sure of one thing I had promised my Father, this country would never see an uprising when I was President.

The workers were very excited to see Soarynn, all of them shaking her hand and congratulating her. They ranged in age, some looking younger than me, and some looking older than Father, which was hard to pull off. “You were amazing in the Games,” one of them gushed, Soarynn gave them a polite smile, “Thank you very much,” she told them.

People had started to crowd us, which I didn’t think was possible inside of the dam, but it felt like the entire workforce had come to pay their respects.

“I wanna be just like you when I grow up.” A girl told Soarynn, she had to be a couple of years younger than us, looking so small in her giant jumpsuit and hard hat, Soarynn frowned, watching the girl walk away as some Peacekeepers finally showed up to disperse the crowd.

“I hate that,” she said to me, I watched as the Peacekeepers patrolled their way around, making sure everyone was back to work, “The Peacekeepers?” I asked, she shook her head, “Everyone treating me like I’m some sort of hero, I’m not, I killed people.”

Mother gasped, “Darling! You are a Victor! These people should be thanking their lucky stars that they get to meet you, and speaking of lucky, let’s go shoot some cameos shall we?” 

Mother was not going to win any awards for being a creative director.

She ushered all of us back outside to one of the many walkways that led up to the dam where a camera crew was already waiting. “Now, you two just walk over there,” she pointed to another walkway, “and make sure to hold hands, and look in love.”

I smiled, taking Soarynn’s hand, “Well, that should be easy,” I told Mother, leading us away from the group. I could hear the cameras clicking over the sound of the rushing water, we slowly walked back and forth, trying not to look awkward.

“You should tell me a joke,” Soarynn said, I raised my eyebrows, “A joke?” She nodded, “I’m sure Lucky would love to see us laughing and having a good time,” she explained, “everyone back at home would.”

That made sense, but a joke? I didn’t tell a lot of those. I scratched the back of my neck, I thought back to District Four, and the Mayor who could easily crack a joke, I also thought about the crabs we had come across.

“Why are crabs so bad at sharing?” I asked her, she looked up, clearly not expecting me to go in that direction, she held back a smile, “I don’t know Coryo, why are crabs so bad at sharing?”

I tried to put on my most serious face, “Because they’re shellfish.”

We both stopped, looking at each other before we both lost it, Soarynn wiped a tear from her eye, “That was the stupidest joke I’ve ever heard, how did you even come up with that?” She asked, still laughing, I shrugged, “I’m just a born comedian.”

She rolled her eyes, “And humble too,” she said, giving me a poke, I poked her back, grabbing her waist and holding her in my arms as we waddled down the walkway.

“This is a very efficient way of walking,” Soarynn noted, I hummed, resting my chin on the top of her head, my feet were on either side of hers, and we were making decent progress, “As long as I’m with you,” I told her.

I could hear Mother yelling, we looked over to see her and Eudora waving and giving us a thumbs up, we had survived another pointless photoshoot. Soarynn pulled away, nodding to them, “That wasn’t too bad,” she said, grabbing my hand. I nodded, “It could’ve been much worse,” I agreed.

I didn’t even want to know what it would be like for our wedding. We made our way back to the group, Mother and Eudora were gathered around one of the cameramen, clapping as he showed them the pictures, “Oh, you look fabulous darlings!” Mother said, running over and pinching our cheeks.

“We try” Soarynn said to her. Eudora nodded, “Well, let’s try not to be late for lunch.” 

Lunch was lamb stew, I was already on my third bowl when Eudora spoke up, “I know it’s a bit of a sensitive topic, but let's discuss District Six while we’re all here.”

Soarynn dropped her spoon, not looking up from her bowl as she slowly nodded. “District Six is transportation, they make everything we use for travel, including this train. Their fallen Tribute’s are Leo and Arabella.”

Silence fell over the table. I looked over to see Soarynn gripping her napkin so hard that her knuckles were turning white. “Excuse me,” she said, standing up and walking out of the room.

Mother sighed, “I wish we could just skip over it all together,” she said to us, I nodded, it would make things much easier, but people were counting on her appearance in Six.

“Six and Twelve will be the most difficult Districts for her,” Lavender said sadly, the rest of the Prep Team nodded. “Well, we just have to make sure to give her lots of love and support,” I said, earning a lot of nods and sympathetic smiles. 

I excused myself from lunch, heading straight to the viewing car where I found Soarynn curled up on the sofa, looking out the back window at the train tracks. I sat down next to her, rubbing her back, “Are you okay?” I asked.

She didn’t take her eyes off of the tracks as she responded, “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay Coryo.” I sighed, this wasn’t the pep talk I was hoping for. “I’m sure they don’t hold it against you,” I assured her, there wouldn’t even be two sets of parents looking at her from the crowd, only one, Leo and Arabella’s parents.

She sniffled, “But what if I hold it against me?” She turned to look at me, tears spilling down her face, “I watched them both die, I sang to them as they died, as if that was better as if that was enough.”

I grabbed her face in my hands, wiping the tears from her face, “Everything you do is enough Soarynn, and what you did for both of them was enough, you were in the Hunger Games, no one can hold that against you.”

She shook her head, “I should’ve never let him leave me, I should’ve lied instead of telling him the truth.” She was sobbing now, I pulled her into my chest, letting her cry as I held her so tight, rocking us back and forth.

“Soarynn, you did everything you could for Leo, he knew that Arabella knew that, that’s why she trusted you with him.” I knew they still haunted her, she’d scream out their names when I would pull her from her night terrors, and while she hadn’t had one since we got on the train, I wouldn’t be surprised if they started back up again.

“I just, I wish I didn’t have to see the look on their mom’s face,” she confessed, looking up at me with her tear-stained face, “Well, I guess it isn’t about you then, is it? It’s about what Leo and Arabella would have wanted, and they would have wanted you there, in Six, in front of their mom.”

Part of me was scared I had gone too far, but she nodded, wiping her eyes before sitting up, “I know, I don’t know why I’m so emotional, I’ve had months to process this, but it still feels so new.” I laced her fingers with mine, “Grief never truly goes away, it starts out as anger, and then slowly becomes grief.”

She looked up at me, “You’re pretty smart Coryo,” she sniffled. I gave her a small smile, “I know someone really smart who teaches me these things.” I poked her playfully, and she let out a small laugh, “Okay,” she whispered, “today should be easy, I never even met Hollis or Grover.”

I doubted there was much to meet . They both looked terrified in the Reaping, and I don’t think they survived the blood bath. “Let’s just take it one day at a time,” I said, she nodded, “Okay, one day at a time.”

District Five’s Justice Building was made of the same material the dam was made out of. The Mayor excitedly pointed out certain things as he led us through, “So, besides this, what do you use this building for?” I asked, wondering why every District needed one of these.

He turned around, now walking backward, “Oh, we use it for lots of things, ceremonies, funerals, the Reapings of course, and after the Reapings, the Tributes are held in here until they’re escorted to the train, they get to say their goodbyes here.”

Their goodbyes?

I turned my head to look at Father who was looking straight ahead, it must be nice to have a proper goodbye, I sure as hell didn’t get one with Soarynn when she was ripped away from us in the Viewing Plaza.

We stopped in front of the massive doors that led out to the veranda, the Mayor gave us a small smile, “I’ll go introduce you.” As if we needed introducing. Eudora came up behind us, handing Soarynn the cards, “Now remember dear, stick to the cards.”

Does she know? I wondered, I’m sure Eudora knew the magnitude of Soarynn’s words, the weight they held, but she couldn’t know about Father’s threats. No, this was between the three of us, soon to be the two of us.

I looked down at Soarynn, she looked beautiful, she had retouched her makeup before we left the train. I was very pleased with how little makeup the Preps had been putting on her for this Tour.

You could see all her freckles, every bump, and dip on her skin, every small, little imperfection that made her more perfect. I gently took her hand, shaking her from whatever she was thinking about.

I could hear the Mayor finally introducing us, “I love you,” I told her, and she squeezed my hand. “To the moon and back.” 

“And lastly, I would like to give my condolences to the families of your fallen Tributes, Hollis and Grover, who both fought bravely for their District and for Panem. Thank you.” Soarynn had done beautifully, reading the cards word for word, the crowd broke into applause as we walked back inside, these people really did like Soarynn.

I peered over my shoulder to see Hollis and Grover’s families already making their way back into the crowd, so much for semantics.

Mother greeted us when we walked in, “You did wonderful darling! And it appears that you’ve received a letter,” she held out an envelope to us, “A letter?” I asked, Mother nodded, “Yes, it seems to be from your friend Sejanus, such a lovely boy.”

I had completely forgotten about the letter we had written to him, it seemed so long ago already. Soarynn took it, giving Mother a small smile, “Thank you, Mother, we’ve been writing to him, making sure Petunia is doing alright.”

Mother nodded as if she even remembered the cat, one thing I had learned when being raised by my Mother was that she lived by the phrase “ Out of sight, out of mind .”

We found a quiet corner in the building, the Mayor was giving everyone else a breakdown of every room, so we used the letter as a perfect excuse to break away from the group. “I wonder what he said,” Soarynn whispered as she tore open the envelope. 

Dear Coriolanus & Soarynn,

I’m happy to let you know that Petunia is in very good health, she seems to be very taken with Ma, so Coriolanus, you’ve been officially bumped from the roster of Petunia’s favorite humans. I’m glad you enjoyed Two, my family’s roots grew deep there until we uprooted and moved to the Capitol, but still, I miss it from time to time. I hope you enjoyed the beach, don’t feel pressured to send any sand, I have a feeling it doesn’t travel very well. I can’t wait for you two to get back, Lucky’s show has been allowing all of us in the Capitol to keep up with the “Tour of Our Lives”. Did Eudora come up with that? It sounds a lot like her. Anyways, I can’t wait to hear how everything has been going. Petunia says hello!

Yours truly, Sejanus Plinth

I frowned, “Bumped down the roster?” I asked, looking at Soarynn who was trying not to laugh, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it Coryo,” she reasoned, I scoffed, “I took care of her!” I cried, Soarynn placed her hand on my shoulder, “For a week, you took care of her for a week,” I held my hands in the air, “It was a long week!”

Soarynn shook her head, standing up and folding up the letter before handing it back to me, “You can write him back this time, I have to go over some planning with Mother and Eudora once we get back, maybe you two can hash things out.” I nodded, “I’ll give him the what for,” I promised, she smiled, “I’m sure you will.”

I had a hard time coming up with something to write. So much had happened since we last wrote to him, and this letter was all me this time, with no input from Soarynn.

Which meant I could be gross.

Well, more vulgar. Soarynn was all about etiquette and being a good example, or at least she was publicly, privately was a different story. I thought for a while, looking out the lounge window to see nothing but the Peacekeepers stationed outside the train. I pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and a pen and prepared to tell Sejanus everything. Within reason, of course.

Dear Sejanus,

It’s just Coryo writing this letter, Soarynn is busy with Eudora planning out the rest of our lives, so I’m afraid you’ll have to settle. So much has happened I don’t even know where to start. District Four was amazing, it also smelled really, really bad, but it was still amazing. The Mayor is an amazing storyteller, you’d really like him, I know Soarynn did. We got to go to the beach, the water was freezing but we didn’t let that stop us. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows though, I can tell that the guilt is slowly eating away at Soarynn, even though she puts on a brave face. But we’ve made a promise to tell each other the truth and it seems to be holding up well. We had a wild night in Four, the train broke down, then Eudora broke down. So Soarynn and I went to the beach again and it was perfect. We told each other ‘I love you’ and it felt so right. I never thought she’d fall in love with me but it happened! Despite everything, I’m very happy and I can’t wait to see you soon. Good luck with the cat.

Your Future President, Coriolanus Snow

Satisfied with my writing, I sealed up the letter and handed it to one of the attendants. I didn’t write a lot of letters in general, I used to write letters to my grandmother, even though she lived one block away.

Mother insisted it would make her happy, I insisted she had dementia and didn’t remember who I was, but I still wrote the letters.

Soarynn walked in, and I was about to tell her about what great a letter I wrote when I stopped myself, she looked exhausted. She slumped onto the sofa, looking out the window with a sigh.

I stood up from the desk and made my way over to her, sitting next to her and taking her hand, “How did the planning go?” I asked nervously, she had been pretty vague about what exactly was being planned, but with Eudora, you never knew.

She peered over at me, giving me a tired smile, “It was fine, we got most of it done anyways.” She picked at the sofa fabric absentmindedly, I swallowed, “Um, what did you all plan if you don’t mind me asking,” she shook her head, “Oh, just florals.”

I scratched the back of my neck, “Florals.” I repeated, she nodded her head, “For the wedding,” she elaborated, “you have to plan these things months in advance.”

The wedding .

I could see how tired she was, and I was too, how was it that we were both tired over something that hadn’t even happened yet?

I still had to propose, my mind drifted to the bar car where the ring was safely stowed away, and out of my sight and mind.

“I see, and what did you ladies come up with?” I asked, with our luck, we’d be on a parade float with every flower to ever exist. Soarynn bit back a smile, “White roses.”

I laughed, of course, it would be roses, why I expected anything less was beyond me. “And it took us an hour ,” she says, rolling her eyes, “just to land on roses, but it’s done now, just one more thing we don’t have to worry about in the foreseeable future.”

We locked eyes for a moment, we both knew we had a lot to worry about at the moment, and in the foreseeable future, including our psychotic Father.

But I was going to kill him, so it was fine.

I decided to change the topic, not wanting to talk about the wedding or our evil Father anymore, “What are you wearing to dinner?” I asked her, Father and I basically rotated through different colored suits for dinner, but the ladies pulled out all the stops.

Soarynn bit her lip, “I think it’s the silvery blue one, the one with sequins and mesh?” She looked at me as if I could remember which one she was talking about.

She had tried on hundreds of dresses for this Tour, but I nodded, “Oh, that one! Love how it brings out your eyes,” I told her, she rolled her eyes, “You’re a terrible liar Coryo.” I smiled, squeezing her hand, “That’s why you love me,” I said, she smiled back at me, “Yes, yes I do.”

The dress was everything Soarynn had described, it was very pretty and it really did bring out her eyes.

But the excitement for tonight's look didn’t last long for us once Mother announced that we had to do a live interview for Lucky’s show. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but it did, and I was really starting to hate what television had come to.

Eudora already had everything set up on the train station’s platform, there was the camera crew, and a banner with the Capitol seal flying behind us. Because we’re so patriotic .

Mother hadn’t given us any prep or advice, we were truly on our own. I could hear the countdown as Lucky’s trumpets started to play, “Just don’t say anything that will give Father a reason to have us killed,” I said to Soarynn through my smile, she nodded, also wearing her best Capitol smile.

  We could hear the audience cheering as we came into their view, and I could hear Lucky’s screams and him running around as we looked into the camera, the set lights nearly blinding us.

“Here you have it folks, our favorite star-crossed lovers, Coriolanus and Soarynn Snow!” The crowd erupted in applause as we waved, “Hi Lucky!” Soarynn said, “Hello my dear! How have things been going?”

Soarynn looked up at me, and I smiled, “Things have been going great Lucky, I can’t believe we’re almost halfway done,” I said.

“Yes, we can’t wait to have you two back with us, we’ve been keeping up with the whole family in fact, with my new segment, “ The Tour of Our Lives ,” I glanced over to see Eudora looking very smug that her branding had caught on.

I nodded, “Yes, so we’ve heard,” Soarynn grabbed my hand, “And we’ve been loving all the letters you all have sent to us, we read them whenever we’re on the train,” she said sweetly.

I had to try really hard not to let my smile slip as I nodded, we hadn’t read a single letter since this Tour started, besides the one from Sejanus that is.

I could hear the audience getting excited, “How fantastic! Folks, you can in fact write to Coriolanus and Soarynn while they’re on their Tour, just make sure to drop it off in the mailbox in the front of the theater.”

I could tell Soarynn was getting anxious to be out of the spotlight and I was right there with her, “Well, we’d better head to dinner, I hear it’s going to be electrifying,” I said, earning me a roar of laughter from the audience.

Maybe I was a comedian .

“Yes, yes, we don’t want to keep you for too long, but we’ll be keeping up with you on the rest of your Tour! Have a good night you two lovebirds!”

I tried not to roll my eyes as we waved goodbye, the lights finally turned off and we could no longer hear Lucky. The silence was such a sweet, sweet melody. “Perfect! Now, off to dinner children!” Eudora said, running over and grabbing our hands, we apparently were late, five minutes, but Eudora was counting.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Soarynn whispered to me as we made our way up the steps of the Justice Building, I nodded, “I just hope we don’t actually have to read any letters now,” I say, shooting her a look.

She held her hands up in surrender, “I didn’t know what to say!” I raised my eyebrows, “And besides, it sounded like something Eudora would want me to say, so I went with it,” she reasoned. She had a point there.

I took her hand as we walked in, the table had already been set and people were already eating, so much for etiquette. “You did great, really,” I assured her, pulling her chair out for her. She smiled at me as I sat down next to her, “We make a pretty good team don’t we?”

I grinned, “The perfect pair,” I agreed. 

Dinner wasn’t electrifying, but it wasn’t awful either. The Mayor had brought a book of diagrams to show us, telling me he thought I’d enjoy them since I displayed such interest when we toured the dam.

I told him what a kind gesture it was and he produced another copy, for me to take home.

Yipee!

It was clear this man was passionate about his job, I guess it was better than him slugging his way through it, but it wouldn’t kill him to take it down a few notches.

Safe to say, I wasn’t sad when we wrapped things up.

We all said goodbye to the Mayor and I beelined for the nearest trash can where I could discard the book immediately. Soarynn raised her eyebrows when she walked into our bathroom to find me shoving the book into the trash bin.

“I thought you might actually read it,” she said, I scoffed, “I don’t do much reading,” I retorted.

She hummed, walked to the sink, and began to take her makeup off. “Can you help me with the dress?” She asked, our eyes meeting in the mirror, I nodded, “Of course.”

I had found that dresses could either be very easy or very hard to take off, especially when you were in a rush, but we weren’t in a rush, and this one was easy. I watched her through the mirror as I pulled the zipper down, she looked beautiful.

I stepped back, “All done,” I announced, and she smiled, “Thank you, this thing surprisingly weighs a ton,” she said as she shrugged it off, letting it pool around her ankles.

Soarynn had lost a lot of weight since the Games, it was something that had to be taken into serious consideration during all of the fittings, but I could see that she was slowly but surely gaining some of it back, along with her strength.

Mother had told me that some other Victors had their bodies surgically modified and that the same could be done for Soarynn if need be.

I was horrified at the very idea of it, Soarynn was perfect the way she was. Every part of her was flawless, the way her back dipped and bent, the way her arms were littered with freckles, how smooth her stomach was when I ran my palm over it, the way her breasts fit perfectly into my hands during our most passionate, sacred moments.

She didn’t need a thing changed. 

Her eyes met mine in the mirror, and she blushed, covering herself as if I hadn’t seen her naked before.

I walked towards her, wrapping my hands around her waist, and perching my chin on her shoulder, “Don’t hide from me,” I murmured into her neck, she sighed, “Sometimes I feel like you could do much better.”

My head shot up, “What?” I asked, not sure if I heard that right. She pulled herself from my arms, walked into the bedroom, and pulled open one of the dresser drawers, grabbing a night dress.

“I know I have a lot of…baggage, everyone does, but, I don’t have a lot of baggage ,” she said, gesturing to her body. I raised my eyebrows, in my opinion, she had all the right baggage in all the right places, but she clearly didn’t see it that way.

She slipped the dress over her head, plopping onto the edge of the bed, “I don’t know what I mean, I’m sorry, I’m just…I’m tired.”

She looked up at me, she looked like she was on the brink of exhaustion, I walked over to the edge of the bed, kneeling down in front of her. “Don’t apologize, but don’t ever think about yourself that way ever again,” I said, giving her a pointed look, “You’re perfect Soarynn, I mean, you’re so beautiful, everyone who meets you would agree. I’m sure everyone wishes they looked like you.”

She ran her fingers through her hair, “Oh yes, I’m sure everyone wants to look like some sickly child who has scars and used to have a morphling addiction,” I frowned, she didn’t look sick, she had always been small, but she didn’t look sick, not anymore at least.

“You know, I barely even need to wear a bra anymore,” she told me, looking down at her chest, “there’s no point anymore, whatever I had before the Games is gone now.”

I could see tears welling up in her eyes, these weren’t just tears of sadness, these were tears of frustration and anger.

The Games had taken a lot from her, including her girlhood, her body, her confidence.

I gently grabbed her hands, “Soarynn, I love you, I love every bit of you, no matter how big or small, and to be honest, I haven’t noticed anything you’ve pointed out.” Granted, men tended to not notice a lot of things, but still.