𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (3)

The racist K3 crusaders are mad the Annabeth is being played by a black girl.

And going a step further by stealing FANART and whitewashing her, yikes😬.

@ notmyannabeth stay mad racist😘.

We’re getting Stranger Things, the official trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder and the first episode of Kenobi in the same week.

Life is good.

Eyes Never Lie: Part IV

gif made by nowadays

summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.

A.N: I’m not dead! Had a health emergency so that's why this is late (don't hate me), but part 4 is finally here!

word count: 4.9k

divider made by firefly-graphics

Felix Ravinstill was dead.

You went by the hospital to check on him, only to hear his ventilator sound off the time of his death, sunrise on the last day of the 11th Hunger Games. You watched from a distance as his mother and father held themselves as they cried over the loss of their son, and you walked away, saddened by the death of a friend; the death toll of dead or scarred friends now rising to 3.

These were friends you had known since childhood, people you had grown up together with, people who are now dead and scarred, lives forever changed in the blink of an eye. You were walking out of the room when you were suddenly pushed into a bathroom. Your hand grabbed the sleeve of the person and pulled them off of you. You were met with yellow eyes, black hair, and a long turtleneck shirt. Your mouth fell open as you recognized the person who pulled you into the room.

“Clemmie?” you whispered and wrapped your arms around her. She hugged you back as you let a tear fall. “Why won't you visit me?” she asked, her tone having an angry edge to it. “Gaul told us you had an infectious flu.” You said, looking at her sickly appearance. “She's a liar, that snake changed me. I haven't gotten anyone sick.” she seethed, and you noticed she would hiss as her tongue would twitch with her body. Her eyes then scanned you, “You need to stay away from her, she's gonna get you killed, she already wants me dead.”

She then added to her sentence, “Don’t let her poison get to you, she wants us to be like her test!” Clemensia started to hiss as she held your arms, prompting the hospital staff to open the door, catching you two. One of them grabbed, holding one of her arms tight as another did the same.

“Watch! Her games are gonna get us all a free ticket to the next life!” Clemensia yelled before a staffer pricked her with a needle, and she went limp. Before she was dragged into another room, her shirt rode up, revealing the bottom of her torso, and a batch of scales festering in the middle.

The walk to the academy made your mind race. Your thoughts drifted to Lucy Gray, who was hopefully still alive. She has a low chance of making it out alive, that you knew. She could charm a crowd bit when it came to physical strength… yeah. Walking into the lab, you made yourself a promise: If there was any way you could help her in the games, rules be damned, you would do it. Gual was already waiting for you.

“take it you know about Ravinstill’s son?” She asked, to which you nodded in response. “Death, a certain subject you’ve become friends with these last few days.” Dr. Gaul said before leading you to a stack of cages, starting a long day of learning about her creations and how they were made.

You caught glimpses of the games, only seeing the death of Lucy’s fellow tribute, Jessup, another innocent life claimed by the games. While you were writing in your notepad, you heard a scream on the screen that broke your focus. Reaper was holding Dill in his arms, blood streaming out of her nose. She was dead. “Her illness finally took over.” you said to yourself, noticing Gaul’s eyes glued to the screen, a curious look on her face. In a turn of events, starts to line the dead tributes up in a line. This broke your focus, making you look at what he was doing.

The most shocking part came when he tore the capitol flag down from the arena, making you stand up. As he laid the flag over the fallen tributes, Sejanus’ words came into your mind. They didn't deserve this. In the corner of your eye, you saw Dr. Gaul go to a desk in front of a camera. “Start the broadcast.” She said to one of her other assistants. Reaper's words were soon cut off by Dr. Gaul.

“Capitol citizens, I’m afraid I must interrupt our Games to announce a tragic loss, one that affects us all. Felix Ravinstill, son of our beloved president, has this morning succumbed to his injuries sustained in the rebel bombing.” A few of the lab assistants gasped at the news as you turned towards Gaul, watching her break the news to Panem.

“Out there in the districts, they will be celebrating this young boy’s death as a triumph. I will not allow my Games to give our enemy such a victory. I swear to you, here and now, before the sun goes down tonight, a rainbow of destruction will engulf our arena. Even if it means there’s to be no victor in these Games.” And with that, she cut the feed.

Your mouth fell open, “You did that to cut the tribute off.” She looked at you with a cold stare, “Just one more rebel to kill.” You saw the lab assistants start to cage up the snakes, and you watched the colorful creatures of death go into a cylinder and be pushed outside, you turned and saw Coriolanus walking towards you. He was looking between you and the tank, a concerned look on his face.

He was holding his handkerchief in his hand and put it in your hand. “It holds her scent, please.” Coriolanus begged. The memory of Dr. Gaul making you retrieve the paper came back to you: the snakes didn't bite you, so they won't harm Lucy Gray. You nodded and walked to the tank, sliding it between the slot in just as it was lifted off. He gave you a grateful smile as he walked off. You walked out and saw Dr. Gaul with her back turned to you, laughing to herself, “Go watch the finale, my rose,” she said, now turning to you, “Say your silent goodbyes to your friend.”

You speedwalked into the room, finding Tigris, and sat next to her. She gripped your hand as your eyes were glued to the screen, praying the handkerchief trick worked. You watched as the youngest tribute, Wovey, walked towards the tank, not knowing it would be the last thing she saw. Soon the snakes broke the tank, and covered Wovey, charging towards the tributes.

“Not candy! Down goes Wovey.” Lucky Flickerman said and continued to announce the death of all the tributes until it all got to Lucy. You looked between the screen and Coriolanus. The snakes weren’t charging towards her, now slowly creeping. “It worked.” You said to yourself, letting out a sigh of relief. “She’s won, let her out.” Corio said. “Afraid that’s not your call to make, Mr. Snow.” Lucky Flickerman said and nodded to Dr. Gaul.

You suddenly heard Lucy start to sing, trying to calm the snakes. The way her voice took the room over, you could only imagine what her voice was doing to the other viewers. Between the snakes wrapping around her dress and her powerful voice, tears started to form in your eyes. By the end of her song, you could only hear the sound of her humming and your breath. Coriolanus now turned to Dr. Gaul, “Dr. Gaul, please, get her out.” He shouted. Tigris and you shared a brief look before you both yelled “Get her out!”

Soon the room started to fill with the refrain “Let her out” while looking at Dr. Gaul. She raised her hand, silencing the students who waiting for her answer. With a pointed look at you, she turned to a person next to her and said, “Let her out.” You didn't even hear Flickerman’s words as you hugged Tigris and she held you. Your classmates began to walk towards Coriolanus while you stayed by Tigris. “The games are as I predicted!” Lucky Flickerman shouted, tearing up his paper and releasing doves from his hands.

Amateur magician my ass.

Eventually, he broke through the crowd and found you two in the middle of the group, Tigris coming up and holding him first. After a moment, he came to you and you enveloped him into a hug. “You did it.” you whispered to him, feeling his hands squeeze you. The games were over, Coriolanus had won, and all would be well.

That afternoon, you were finishing up writing down notes of formulas Dr. Gaul assigned to you when Dean Highbottom walked in, “I assume your friend is ecstatic he won the games, as he should be.” You turned to him, taking in his tone of speech. “I find it strange, this relationship between you and Snow,” he said, “coming so close while only meeting in the Academy even though you both grew up close together, did you not?” You nodded in response, “We had mutual friends, we knew about each other, but didn't cross paths until the first day.”

“It’s been nice seeing you two help each other as best you could these years,” Highbottom said, “but I’m afraid it's come to an end, dear one.” For a second you couldn't speak, but you leaned forward. “It appears your friend slipped his songbird a compact mirror full of rat poison, assisting the kills of that sickly tribute as well as another,” Dean Highbottom said, making your blood run cold, “And a handkerchief with his father’s initials was found in the bottom of the snake bin, saving his tributes life in the end.”

You covered your mouth and cursed, “Goddamit Coryo.” you whispered to yourself, but you pulled yourself together. “So now what happens to the prize, who wins?” you asked, looking him in the eyes. “Well, as I said, cheating will be punished. Being a peacekeeper will be one suited for him I assume. As for the winner of the Hunger Games, I'm still deciding on that one.” he said, standing beside you. “In some ways, I say the viewers for having a show. In other ways, I say his songbird is a winner, she gets to live after all. But I would also say you as well.” Highbottom stated.

Now you were confused, “How do I win?” He shrugged, “You got the experience of the games, up close and personal. You, a capitol student, are now an apprentice to the Gamemaker of the Hunger Games, a survivor of a capitol bombing, and top of your class, why aren't you anything but a victor of these games?” Dean Highbottom asked. “Come on, you didn't think the public forgot your little act in the zoo already, apprentice? You made a little name for yourself without even realizing it,” He chuckled as he looked up at you, “I congratulate you.”

“For what?” you asked, looking at him. “Surviving Snow, and his games.” Highbottom said, looking past you and at Dr. Gaul who entered the room. “Why would I have to survive him?” you asked, but he shook his head. “Later, apprentice, your teacher calls.” he said, and walked out the same way he came. Dr. Gaul approached while carrying a clipboard, a teasing smirk on her face, “Death’s resounding bell tolls once more, the number of friends lost rises to four.” She then looked up, “One last thing, the snakes are getting a bit much for the rest of my assistants, help them out for me.”

You had gotten used to her random “side quest” as you called them, so you went out of the door, missing the cold and hard stare she gave you. When you approached the arena, you looked for the rest of the people.

Why was the arena empty?

That was when you heard it, the slither of snakes coming from all corners of the arena. “No…” you said to yourself, seeing snakes come from all the crevices of the arenas. You let out a scream and backed into a barrier. You began to climb the debris, ironically ending up in the same area Lucy Gray did. As the snakes wrapped around your legs, you held your breath, knowing it would be your last. You kneeled on the ground, letting your last moments of life looking at the sunset. Surprisingly, they only wrapped around your body but made no effort to harm you.

You kneeled there and watched as they swarmed your body, making a rainbow blanket over your body. For some reason, you laughed at the revelation of the handkerchief not only saving Lucy Gray but you as well. “I had a feeling my theory was correct.” You heard the voice of Dr. Gaul say. You looked at the camera pointing at you and sighed, “You knew I helped?” “I had a hunch, little rose, and I’m usually right about a lot of things.” She chuckled. “So now what, you gonna turn me over to Highbottom, turn me into an Avox?” You seethed, now having a rush of anger. “And let the newest gem of Panem go to waste, I’m not that cruel. The fact loverboy is going to the districts as a peacekeeper is punishment enough for you.” Dr. Gaul chuckled.

“No child, you shall go to 12, have a little vacation away from home.” She said as you slowly stood up, the snakes still all around you. “And do what, just stay there spinning the story to have me a permanent resident for cheating?” You shouted, looking at the camera. “No, you shall adapt. Pack a simple bag.” Dr. Gaul said, “And you shall see how blessed you were to prosper and grow in the Capitol, not in the districts like the snake you saved.” And fine the camera’s red light turned off. You sighed and slowly walked out of the arena, the snakes, surprisingly letting you move. You walked home as if you were marching in a funeral procession.

You hit the bed cried yourself to sleep, and packed your bag in the morning. Dr. Gaul made up the perfect fabricated story to your parents, and you didn’t protest, the fear of her ratting you out shutting you up. You got dressed, put your jacket on and you were on a train to the districts that early morning. The train ride might as well have been one to hell. With each tree going past you was only a reminder of being far away from home. You held your necklace in your hand, watching the greenery of the land pass you by.

When the train stopped, your face contoured into one of emptiness, the reality of your situation setting in. You were alone. No parents to vouch for you. No Sejanus to make you laugh and comfort you. No Coriolanus, you had to stop thinking about his situation to keep yourself from crying. As you held your bag tightly a dressed officer walked forward. “Gual’s student?” He asked you, to which you nodded in reply. “Welcome to District 12, this way.” He helped you into the back of a vehicle and sat in front of you.

“You’ll be shadowing and assisting the scientist in the laboratory. You have the freedom to explore, you’ll be here for a while.” He said, watching the coal miners pass you all by. “What is there to do?” You asked, looking at the buildings. The officer nodded, “There’s the Hob, group that calls themselves the Covey performs there.” Your eyes met his at the mention of “covey.” Lucy Gray was covey, so she would be here. “When do they perform?” you asked.

“I'm not sure, but hopefully soon.” he said as the car stopped in front of a building. You were coached throughout the day about the jabberjays, as well as what they were made for. Only in the late afternoon did you finally catch a break. Your hands ached from the pecks and bites of the jabberjays. You walked through the streets, hands in your pocket, taking in District 12. Birds were flying around, peacekeepers walking the streets, and someone calling your name.

Wait…

You froze and turned around, seeing a blonde girl looking at you, behind her was Lucy Gray. She immediately ran towards you and enveloped you in a hug. “You’re here,” She said, looking you up and down, “Why are you here?” “Gaul figured out I helped Coriolanus cheat during the games.” You said, and she came to a realization. “The snakes, that was you?” Lucy Gray asked, you nodded “yes.” She then hugged you once more, tighter this time than the last. You hugged her back as she asked, “What happened to Coriolanus?” Your breath hitched, and then you let it out, “He has to serve as a peacekeeper for his wrongdoings.” Her hands rubbed your shoulders, “How long does he have to serve?” You shook your head, trying not to cry, “I don’t know.” Your voice came out weak, your emotion taking over your voice.

“I’m so sorry-.” “Lucy Gray!” A voice yelled. Her expression immediately fell. “Piss off Billy!” The blonde girl who was with Lucy yelled. “Nobody’s talking to you, Ivory!” Billy yelled at the girl. “This was Maude Ivory” you realized, slowly breaking out of your trance. “Why don't you go torture another poor girl.” You shouted. Now his gaze turned to you.

“And who might you be?” Billy asked, looking you up and down. Well, shit. You didn't want people to find out you'd been sent here, lord knows how the district feels about the capitol. So you put on your best smile and sarcastic tone, “Calanthe Hemlock, and I'm so glad to meet such a waste of air like yourself.” Billy purses his lips before looking at Lucy again, “This conversation ain't over.” You three watched as he walked off before Maude Ivory looked at you, “Calanthe Hemlock huh? Where’d that name come from?” She asked. “The name “Calanthe” came from a close friend.” you explained, not missing the sorrowful look Lucy gave you. “Hemlock is one of my favorite shades of green.” You said and leaned on the building close to you.

“How long will you be here?” Lucy Gray asked, looking you in your eyes, Maude Ivory following the same movement. “I don’t know, could be weeks, could be months.” You said. Her face slows turned into a smile as she looked at Maude Ivory. “What’s that face for?” You asked. “This hell is gonna turn into a vacation.” Lucy said, sliding her arm on your back and walking you deeper into town. “You won’t have to live in your Capitol dollhouse, you can just be you.” Lucy Gray said, holding your hand and squeezing it. “Calanthe Hemlock, resident of District 12. No one knows your name, or your past, all they know is that you’re my friend.” She said.

As you watched the sunset over the trees your face slowly broke out into a smile. Calanthe Hemlock just stepped into the streets of District 12, and she was gonna have the time of her life while she had the time. The first week you still had your walls up, nervous about being alone in a new environment for the first time. By the second week, you were hanging out with Lucy every day, and by the third week, you almost forgot your birth-given name.

When Lucy Gray & Maude Ivory introduced you to their family in the Covey several weeks later, you wouldn't lie and say you were nervous. Those nerves were soon soothed by their kindness and acceptance of you. Turns out that risking your entire future for a friend ends up giving you more of them. They walked you through the woods until they came to a lake, and all rushed to jump in, all except Lucy Gray, who was watching you.

“What's wrong, Calanthe?” she asked. “I haven’t gone swimming in a while.” you said as you took your dress off. Lucy smiled softly, “Jump in or I'll shove you in myself.” She was gone in a second, jumping over the dock and into the waters. You sighed, “When in 12.” You said to yourself and ran down the dock, jumped up, and let the water cover you.

When the water ran out of your ears, The cheers of the covey filled them, chanting your name. You spent the afternoon swimming. When you all took a break, Luxy sat beside you in the grass. “I never got the chance to ask you, now did they find out you helped me?” Lucy Gray asked.

For a second, you were back in the area, the snakes slithering up your body and over your throat. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. “Dr. Gaul, the game maker, told me I was helping the other lab assistants gather the snakes out of the arena. When I walked in I was the only one there, and the snakes swarmed me a minute later.”

Lucy Gray’s mouth fell open and closed before finally closing completely, “You know she’s an absolute nutjob right?” You nodded in response, looking out at the water. “Well, stand up. You're going out tonight.” Lucy said, grabbing your hands, and making you stand. “Where are we going?” you asked, letting her walk you down the trail. “You, Hemlock, are joining us in the Hob tonight.” Maude Ivory said, looking up at you.

You scoffed, “I didn't know I was the guest of honor.” “We’re playing tonight,” Barb Azure said, looking back at you, “and you’re dancing tonight.” You laughed, “I don’t have a choice, do I?” You asked, already knowing the answer. “Nope, now go on and kill some time, we’ll be looking out for ya.” Tam Amber said, giving you a playful wink as they walked ahead of you.

When the night was setting you took a quick shower and changed into a dress you packed and walked to the Hob. The dance was already in full swing, boots stomping on the floor and loud chatter filling the air.

A smile found its way upon your face, the change of scene is a complete 180 of the dancing you were used to, yet somehow more entertaining to see. Soon you were pulled into a dance, losing track of time and the worries being capitol fell away.

When the music stopped, you found yourself in the front, looking up at Maude Ivory. “Is it hot in here?” she yelled, you and the crowd yelling “yeah” in response. “Cause we’re plannin’ on heating it up a bet more. The one, the only, Lucy Gray Baird!” she shouted, and Lucy Gray came onto the stage. As she gave her small speech, she was given a bottle, you caught her gaze and she smiled.

“Everybody!” Lucy Gray suddenly yelled, to which the crowd responded, “Yeah!” “I'd like to give a special shoutout to my dear friend, someone who pioneered for my victory throughout the games. My dear friend Clanathe Hemlock!” She yelled, pulling you up on stage, the applause and whistles drowning out your nervous giggles. “Safe to say she's happy I survived.” Lucy Gray said, letting you back down. “Now, how about a song, huh?” Lucy Gray asked, and the music queued her in.

As soon as she started singing, you recognized the lyrics. It was the same song she sang at the reaping, but it sounded a whole lot better with the band. You then noticed she froze up on a lyrics and stopped dancing to follow her gaze, but you couldn't see who she was looking at. You did manage to see the smirk she gave shot you. That was when Billy waste of air Taupe broke through the crowd.

You turned and saw Billy Taupe shove a peacekeeper before getting shoved on his ass. You covered your mouth to laugh but that hand shot out to keep yourself between him and Lucy Gray. “Leave the girl alone, Taupe!” you yelled. His eyes met yours and all of a sudden you felt his hand slap the hell out of you, sending you back onto the stage.

The slap damn near knocked you out, but you got back up just in time to see a peacekeeper with blonde hair rush towards him, shouting “Don’t touch her.” You stood up and looked at the peacekeepers, and your eyes filled with tears as you recognized his eyes. Coriolanus was the one knocking the hell out of Billy Taupe. “Coryo stop!” you heard another familiar voice yell. “Nah get off me!” Coriolanus yelled, getting dragged away by Sejnaus. Why are you here? You watched Coriolanus look you in the eyes as your face broke into the biggest smile you ever smiled in your life.

You turned to Lucy Gray as she smiled back at you, “Well look who's here.” “You saw him when you stopped singing.” you said, putting two and two together. Her hand went to your cheek and sighed, ”Try and clean that up some, ‘Lanthe, don't want this on your record.” You rolled your eyes, “Shut up, before I make you my next test subject.” You joked. “Ya love me too much to do that.” Lucy Gray yelled as you walked away. “Unfortunately!” you shouted back, blowing her a kiss as you walked back to your barracks.

The next day the slap mark went down, but it still stung like hell. Pulling on your long sleeved dress and boots, you walked to the lunch hall. You heard from the other trainees you had the day off and immediately went to find Lucy. When you walked through town, you heard your name being called and saw Sejanus running towards you. You wrapped your arms around him and let out a laugh, “What are you doing here!” “Once I found out where Coryo was going, I followed close behind. I wasn't expecting you to be here.” Sejanus said.

Your hand ran over his hair, and you pouted. “I’m gonna miss your hair.” You said, making him chuckle. “Coriolanus was looking for you earlier,” Sejanus said, making your eyes widen. His eyes took in your expression, and he smiled softly. “You don't know how loved you are, Calanthe.” He said, smoothing out your hair before sighing. “It's nice to get away from the capitol, isn't it?” you asked, Sejanus nodding “yes” in response.

His gaze soon went behind you, and he rubbed your shoulders, “I gotta go, I’ll catch up with you later.” Sejanus gave you a short smile and then walked off. You sighed, wondering who he went to talk to as you walked around. The grass hitting the skirt of your dress. You saw a familiar figure walking through the grass and your heart jumped. Before you knew it, you broke out in a run towards him. “Coryo!” you yelled, a smile breaking your face open.

He turned and mirrored your smile, walking towards you as well. You opened your arms to bring him into a hug, which he was pulled into the second you got to him. His arms held you to his chest, so close you could almost hear his heartbeat. For the first few minutes, neither of you said a word. It wasn't until he broke the silence, “Why are you here?” Coriolanis asked. “Gaul found out I helped you, and I was sent to 12 the next day.” You saw his face flash from anger to confusion to worry.

“Your parents don't know the truth, do they?” He asked, making you shake your head “No”. Coriolanus then sighed, “It's nice to know you're here.” His eyes went to yours, to your lips, to your necklace, and then right back to your lips. “No capitol. Dr. Gaul can't control us.” He whispered, leaning towards you. His nose brushed yours, making you stand still. “We’re free, Calanthe, for once.” Coriolanus added.

You had gotten used to being called by that name, but nothing could ever beat the name coming from his lips. You hadn't realized how close he was to your face until his breath hit your lips. Looking up at him, your hands found the back of his head, and then his cheek, before resting on it. He closed his eyes for a second, soaking in the comfort of your touch. “When I was on the train, I almost wanted them to shoot me.” he said, now opening his eyes. “Why, Coryo?” you asked.

“I’d rather go through the games as a tribute than stay away from you.” He whispered, making a tear fall down your face. His hand came to wipe it away with his thumb, but his hand remained on your face. You didn't know when, but the moment changed with a soft gust of wind. Like magnets, your lips found each other in a passionate kiss. Bottled-up emotions come forth to be put into the moment. His hands went down to your waist pulling you to him and holding you there.

You wrapped one arm around his neck and one on his cheek deepening the kiss, making him chuckle. He didn't verbally respond, but he kept kissing you like he would never see you again, and you weren’t complaining. All memories of the games, you being sent to 12 faded away with every second of his kisses. This was all that mattered now.

Coriolanus Snow was here. Dr. Gaul and her meddlesome ways weren't. And right now you were kissing the boy you loved in a field of flowers; what more could you want? If Dr. Gaul wanted you to adapt, you would do as she asked: After you lived a little.

NEW LOVE AND THUNDER TRAILER DROPS TOMOROW!!!

Eyes Never Lie

gif made by margeretmarch

Coriolanus Snow x b!woc capitol reader

(Contains spoilers for T.B.O.S.&S)

A.N: what the hell is a p.o.v anyways, it bounces from one character to another. I am not the best writer so if you see a spelling mistake/ typo I apologize, I’ll get better.

A.N 2.0 : this might get a part 2 because my mind got one idea, then another and I just RAN with it.

Word Count: 4.2k words (trust me, it was more)

———

When the both of you first met, it just so happened to be your first year at the academy. At the time, you were only acquainted to one person, a nice boy who, despite his riches, was very humble, and dare you say good looking: Sejanus Plinth. He had approached you, making civil conversation, and before long you both discovered the two of you had similar thoughts and opinions, particularly about the capitol.

That was when you first laid eyes on him. The tall blue eyed blonde boy. From the look on his face, anyone could tell he was a little nervous, hell everyone was a bit nervous to be here, being the first day and all. But flexing your hand every 5 seconds is a clear sign you’re about to pass out from fear. That was when you approached him, Sejanus not too far behind.

When he turned to you, his eyes widened a little, shocked someone was looking to make conversation with him. While his eyes went from in between Sejanus and yourself, yours stayed on his face. He kept a calm face, not showing a lot of expression, one free lesson growing up you had mastered.

Even though you were blessed to grow up in the capitol, you never much cared for the people, viewing the other districts almost like animals and not people infuriated you.

But you were good at hiding your expression behind your eyes, and this boy was good at it too. Too good. In fact, you couldn’t tell what he was thinking, “Odd, I can usually tell, even guess what people think.” Not him, not Coriolanus Snow, as he introduced himself. You knew of him, just not anything about him other than his family name.

As years went by, it became clear the 3 of you would be close friends, but your feelings for Coriolanus grew deeper than yours for Sejanus. You couldn’t see Sejanus as much as you could Coriolanus, so naturally you would have a deeper connection. The both of you even walked to school most of the time because you lived so close together.

Today you decided to add a couple of beads onto your braids this morning and walked out of the house. After walking a couple of blocks, you spotted Coriolanus just walking outside, and waving to you. “You’re up early.” You said, giving him a short hug which he returned. “I didn’t want to be late.” You rolled your eyes as he said that, “You’ve never been late to class, ever.”

He looked forward, a smirk on his face. “Can’t afford to be late.” He always answered. You looked up at him, his eyes never wavering from the road ahead. “You know why.” He then added, to which you nodded as a reply.

You discovered his true reasoning of why he strived to be top of the class by chance. He had gotten sick as he was walking home, having an uncontrollable coughing fit and fell out on the grass. You refused to let him walk home alone and that was the first time you had seen him so vulnerable. He almost looked embarrassed when you helped him in his home and to his room.

As you helped him out of his jacket, he slowly laid back. You went to get a towel to wipe the blanket of sweat off his forehead. As you came back, he caught your hand. “I’m sorry you had to see this.” He weakly said, returning your attention to him,” Go ahead, laugh at me.” I shook your head, “Why would I? You’re my friend.” You then took the towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“I may have been raised capitol, Coriolanus, but I was also raised with a soul. I’d do anything to survive and succeed in this life, who am I to judge you for doing the same thing?”

For a moment the only thing in the room was the sound of his breathing as his hand reached for your hand, and kissed it, before holding it firmly, never looking away from you. You looked in his eyes, and for the first time you could finally see what he was thinking, “Thank you”. You then nodded, not needing him to say a word as you stood up, and kissed his forehead, “Get some rest, Corio, you need it.” As you walked out of the home, you walked in silence.

You felt like a terrible friend, not knowing how much he was going through. But that wasn’t the only reason, your heart soared when his lips kissed your hand. Sure it might have been an innocent gesture, but the way he looked at you made your heart stop for a second. Sometimes you swear he did it on purpose.

During the last academy year, the closer you got to Coriolanus, the more you realized you truly loved him, and sometimes you thought he loved you back. The walks to the academy became slower and somehow his hand always found yours. At one point you had to run to get there on time, earning the both of you harsh stares from Dean Highbottom and smirks from Sejanus.

The both of you also agreed to study together whenever you could, even including Sejanus whenever he was free. There was no doubt in your mind that either you or Coriolanus would be top of the class, and receiving the Plinth Prize. And if you were the one who came out on top, you would give Coriolanus the funds he needed, whatever they would be.

While you two studies for the last test, he smiled when you rolled his eyes. “Alright smartass, you’re going to pass.” You said. Suddenly, he pulled you into his arms, and hugged you tightly.

You then felt his voice break, “Thank you.” He softly said. “You’re my friend, I’d help you with anything.” You said, looking up at him, a smile splitting your face. As you walked to class the next day & took the exam, he had a sly smirk on his face the whole day. Even at lunch he didn’t drop it. “Someone in a real good mood.” Sejanus said, nudging his shoulder. “Yeah, what’s got you in a good mood?” You teasingly asked. “You know.” He said, looking at you, the smirk turning into a smile, which all of your mirrored.

As the two of you walked back home he had a smile on his face again. Confidence. As he stayed close behind you, you stopped when you got to his doorstep. “So, here’s to winning the Plinth Prize tomorrow.” You said, giving him one last hug, which he returned. That was when you lifted your head to look up at him, but he was already looking down at you. Once again, you couldn’t read the thoughts behind his eyes, but you could make a good guess. He only had that similar look when it was just the two of you together: admiration.

“What is it?” You asked, a nervous chuckle leaving your mouth. He only shook his head, offered you a smile, finally releasing you from the embrace. “See you tomorrow, Calanthe.” He whispered before going inside. “One day I’ll look up what that name means.” You said to yourself, walking home.

The next day, graduation day. You woke up early to get your makeup on, slicking your edges back, and, to enhance your braids, added a gold charm in the middle. Afterwards you got dressed in the outfit Tigris made for your graduation. She insisted on it and told you she wouldn’t take no for an answer. As you walked to their home, you heard your name being called from behind you. Tigris was waving you down before hugging you excitedly. “Turn around for me!” She said, making you twirl as she admired her work.

As you waited, you saw Grandma’am clip a rose and walk out of her room. “Oh, dearie don’t you look gorgeous.” She said, smiling at you and opening her arms to you. You met her in the middle and gave her a light hug. “Not a gorgeous as you, Grandma’am.” You said, smiling at her kind words. She then walked forward and after an exchange of words, pinned the rose to his vest.

His eyes finally met yours, and then they took in your dress. He walked forward and kissed your hand, a now normal occurrence between the two of you. “Shall we?” He asked, before walking the both of you out the door. As the two of you walked to the academy, you could feel his eyes on you. “You look beautiful.” He said, giving you a smile, and making your heart soar once more.

“And you look dashing today.” You complimented, not missing the red tint on his cheeks. As you two walked up the stairs, his arm looped into yours. “Never missed a class, never been late.” He said to himself. “Corio, you got this.” You said, encouraging him, he offered you a small smile just as a new and familiar voice broke the moment.

“Why Coriolanus Snow.” You saw the small smirk grow on his face. “Clemie.” He said, offering him his other arm. “Hey girl.” She said, nodding to you, and getting a smile in return. “Two girls on your arm, must be your lucky day.” Clemmie teased and making Corio roll his eyes. As she continued to talk, your mind went to the graduation. You were getting more nervous than usual.

Something felt off today, and you didn’t like it.

You didn’t realize you had stayed in a trance until Sejanus walked up beside you, breaking the gaze. “Sejanus, you made it to the reaping for once.” “And you made it to graduation, Festus, we’re both shocked.” After hearing Sejanus’ quips, you went to sit down. You didn’t know why your nerves were acting up, but you couldn’t kick this feeling. “You ok?” You heard a voice ask, Sejanus was standing over you, concern in his eyes. “I’m just nervous about today.” You said, making him nod in response.

“Well, you may be right.” He said, sitting done next to you. That made the hair on the back on your neck stand up. And the look on his face didn’t help either. “What do you mean?” You asked, but getting no answer. Then as the rest of the students sat down, you saw why he was so silent. After it was announced there would be no more Plinth Prize, you looked at Coriolanus, who had a worried expression on his face.

However, when it was announced that the graduates would be mentors of the Hunger Games, that was when you froze, and your mind started to race.

There’s 25 graduates.

There are only 24 tributes.

Someone isn’t getting a tribute.

Going from district to district, started to guess who had a good chance at winning. Your heart broke when one girl, Dill, was pulled out. You stared to wonder if she had been voted so she could die in the arena. When it got to the district 12 female tribute, it was down to you and Coriolanus. His hand found yours and held it tightly, but you didn’t know who was holding on tighter.

“The runt girl from district twelve, she belongs to Coriolanus Snow.”

And that was when you knew he was the one holding on to you. He squeezed your hand so hard you almost thought he broke it.

The tribute: Lucy Gray, was wearing a colorful dress with a corset top. You had to admit, she was beautiful, and so was her dress. You watched as she put a snake on a girls dress, making you smirk. “I love her already” you thought to yourself. But then your mind suddenly came back to reality, you didn’t have a tribute. What did I do wrong? Did I pass? Did I fail?

The only thing that broke your trance was a voice singing, then another. You saw Lucy Gray stand up, and continue to sing by herself. “YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!” She then screamed. As the rest of the people laughed at her, you and Coriolanus shared a look: I like her.

As the laughter started to die down, one voice spoke up. “If you didn’t receive a tribute, report to Dr. Gaul.” Highbottom’s voice spoke up, and then it was silent. All eyes turned toward you, and it made you want to curl up in a ball and die. Sejanus’ hand found yours, giving you a silent squeeze of encouragement, and Coriolanus’ did the same. You then walked towards the woman, a small smile gracing her face.

“Let’s have a talk, child.” She said, her hand finding your back, leading you away from the hall. You were only able to catch a small glimpse of Coriolanus’ worried expression as you went down the hallway. She started to hum a tune while she led you to her lab. You had never been here, but you always wanted to get a peek. “Guess I got my wish.”

“I’ve been watching you, dear, for a long time.” She said, going further into the room. “Almost the top of your class, but you could never quite get that edge.” Dr. Gaul said, pinching her fingers together. “Why am I here?” You asked, finally finding your voice. Dr. Gaul then raised her eyebrows, and then let out a dark chuckle. “Let me ask you: What do you crave most in this world?”

You sighed, “To survive and thrive in this world.” She nodded, “Good answer.” She said, smiling. “You and your friend, Coriolanus, you two are good friends. Bonds like that build trust, those bonds can help you live as much as they can destroy you.” Dr. Gaul said, going to one of her glass cases in her lab. You didn’t know what the hell was in it, and frankly, you didn’t want to know. “I’ve known President Ravinstill for a long time, and we both live well, and thrive.” She said, putting her hand on your shoulder before looking down at you.

“I see myself in you, child. You thirst for survival, but to thrive you need to reach for power,” that was when she gave you a deadpanned look, “that’s why I pulled you from the games.” Your eyes widened at the realization, and she smiled once more. “You don’t need the Plinth Prize when you got mommy and daddy’s money. Why settle for a housewife when you have the brains of game maker.”

You almost shouted when she finished, “Game maker?” You said, to which she nodded. “You’ve always been a curious child, a strong appetency for knowledge.” Dr. Gaul said, putting her gloved hand under your chin. “You want a look behind the curtain? You wanna know how the puppeteer makes the strings? You need to join the magic show.”

You thought about your options, but you knew this opportunity wouldn’t come around twice. Almost like she knew your answer, Dr. Gaul then took you hand, and led you deeper into her lab.

After talking for hours, you knocked on Coriolanus’ door and it immediately opened to a shocked Tigris. “Where’s Corio?” You asked, after hugging her. It didn’t take long for him to come around the corner and hugged you tightly. “What happened? Did you get hurt?” He asked, but you stopped his hand as he examined your face. “I’m okay. Dr. Gaul just pulled from the competition.” You calmly said, and immediately regretted it, the faces of Tigris and Coriolanus going from worry to shock. “Why?” He asked.

She told me she’d be mentoring me from now on. I’ll be studying under her from now on, as well as continuing my classes.” His eyebrows rose before hugging her again. “That’s great news.” He said, but then I hugged him tighter. “For a moment, I thought my life was done for.” He nodded, and then looked you deep in the eyes. “We will get through this. I promise you.” You left a few minutes later, but before you got down the street, Coriolanus caught you “Hey!” He shouted, making you turn around. He was running towards you, holding out a wrapped cloth.

“I meant to give you this at the graduation, but you were pulled away.” He said. You unwrapped it, and smiled when you saw the flower charm. You smiled and held it tightly. “I meant to get a charm for this one day.” You said, looking up at him. “Guess I beat you to it.” He said, before returning the smile. “Meet me at the train tomorrow. I have a plan on how to get in Lucy Gray’s good graces.” You nodded and went home afterwards.

The next morning you got up early and put your uniform on before walking to the station, where Coriolanus was already talking to Lucy Gray, who saw you walking up to them. “Another mentor?” She suddenly said, turning towards you, pointing a white rose in your direction, obviously a gift from Coriolanus. Smart.

That was when he turned to you, and put an arm around you. “This is Lucy Gray. Lucy Gray, this is my closest friend.” He said, and you gave her a smile. “Another rebel?” She said, looking at you. “If it fits,” you said, shrugging, before leaning closer to her. “ loved the stunt you pulled with the snake by the way.” You added, making her smirk.

The moment was cut short when a peacekeeper nudged her and the male tribute towards a vehicle. “It was lovely to meet you two.” She said, before being led away to the back of a van. You then saw his eyes go to the van, and then it clicked in your head. “Corio, don’t.” You said, but it was too late. He was running toward the van, and you were following close behind him. It finally registered what you just did when he slammed the door behind him and felt the van move, going wherever it was going.

And now here you two were.

In a vehicle.

Full of tributes who were looking at the two of you like lions to lambs. Corio put you beside him, putting you closer to the tribute from 2 and the wall. “Hi.” He said, his voice sounding weak. “You in the wrong cage pretty boy, pretty girl?” The tribute Realer asked, tilting his head to look at you. “This cage is delightful.” He said, and then Reaper went towards Corio, pinning him to the back. You yelped when you were then surrounded by the tributes. “Shit.” You thought.

Somewhere between the exchange between Corio and the other tributes, you felt the truck come to a sudden stop, getting everyone’s attention. That was when you felt the truck start to tilt forward, everyone started to slide down. In one swoop you reached for Lucy’s hand as she reached for yours as Coriolanus wrapped one arm around your waist and your free arm around his shoulders. The three of you were able to hang on to each other as the other tributes began to slide down and out of the van. The three of you followed suit after the harness broke, sending you all tumbling out of the truck.

Lucy slid down first, with you and Corio falling out last. He was able to wrap both of his arms around you before everyone let out groans and curses from falling on rocks. When you were able to look up, you realized exactly where you were: The Capitol Zoo. And if fate couldn’t make it any better, Lucky Flickerman was in front of the pen, with his entourage of cameramen. “You gotta be kidding me.” You said, groaning and leaving you head down, only to be met with a blue shirt.

As you lifted your head, you were face to face with Coriolanus, who, somehow, had managed to keep his hold on you when everyone tumbled out of the van. “You ok?” You asked, to which he nodded. “Yes. Are you ok?” He asked, and you nodded in response. His eyes went to your necklace and the rose charm attached to it, a smile blooming on his face. His hand touched it, “You put it on.” He said in a soft tone & a tender look in his eyes.

As you both smiled at each other, you felt one hand go to your cheek and to then the other to your waist. The rest of Panem melted away as his breath hit your face. You forgot about being in the capitol, being Gaul’s student, and the tributes around you as you looked in between his eyes and his lips. “Calanthe.” He whispered, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. That was until the voice of Flickerman broke the moment. “Are those academy students?” He said, and the both of you looked up to see the camera pointed directly at you.

“You guys ok?” Lucy asked, walking up to the both of you. “Yeah, you?” You asked, getting off of Corio and helping him up. The three of you looked around, and sighed. That’s when you began to brainstorm: how could you get out of this without getting expelled? “We gotta get them to love her.” You said to yourself. You then brought your necklace to the front of your shirt before unbuttoning the top button, making the rose charm more visible. “We give them what they want: a performance.” You then walked to Lucy and began to smooth out her hair while Corio broke the white rose and tucked it behind her ear.

He then put her hand out for Lucy to take, which she accepted. He then turned and opened his arm towards you, making you raise your eyebrows. “Trust me.” He whispered, and Lucy nodded towards his arm, and that’s how you found yourself being next to him as he presented Lucy to a pair of children at the cage.

You weren’t only shocked of how he fell into the role of a mentor, but how Lucy played her part as a tribute. She had a smile on her face when she talked to the children, and a calm expression when Flickerman approached and interviewed her. You couldn’t help but smile as she talked about her dress and where she was from. The Covey sounded like it was a homely group of people. You couldn’t help but picture how the nature of district 12 looked.

That was when Lucky Flickerman turned towards you. “And who might this lovely lady be? Are you also her mentor?” He asked, the camera’s filling the microphone as it was put in front of you. An innocent smile grew on your face as you shifted your tone into a kind voice, while still having a serious edge to it. “No sir, I’m taking courses from Dr. Gaul instead of being a mentor in the games. I’m here to support my dear friend, Coriolanus Snow.” You said, smiling up at him, which he responded by squeezing you closer to him. “You both seem pretty close for dear friends. How long have you known each other?” Flickerman asked, moving the microphone to Coriolanus.

“Since the first day we went to the academy. She approached me, and we’ve been close ever since. I’ve never known a more intelligent and alluring woman.” He said, and your eyes did a double take at his choice of words. Before you could answer, peacekeepers walked in and escorted you out of the cage. “I’ll come back later.” You said to Lucy Gray, holding her hand for a moment before you were taken away, Corio coming out a minute later. As the both of you walked back to class, you kept looking up at Coriolanus.

“On a scale of one to expelled, how fucked do you think we are?” You asked, making him chuckle. “He wanted us to make them spectacles, he never said how we had to do it.” He said, nudging your shoulder, making you huff out a short laugh. You then took his hand and gripped it tight, which he reciprocated. “To survive and thrive.” You said, walking closer to the classroom. “We will survive these games,” Coriolanus softly said, before stopping you, and making you look up at him. “I promise you.”

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

Eyes Never Lie: Part III

gif made by kvtnisseverdeen

summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.

A.N: Part 3 is here! Sorry it’s late

word count: 4.3K

divider made by firefly-graphics

You didn’t know how you got in front of the arena, but here you were, being led to the place where all of these innocent kids would die. You then froze, and Coriolanus’ turned and looked at you. “don’t want you to be alone right now.” He added, holding your hand tighter. “Please.” He whispered, letting you know he didn’t want to be alone too. You nodded and squeezed his hand as he walked you toward the arena once more.

Before you realized it you were standing behind Lucy Gray and were ushered to walk forward. The darkness of the tunnel made it a bit hard to see, but the red lights made it easier. Walking forward, the turnstile turned and a voice said “Enjoy the show!” Definitely not creepy. Now beside Lucy, you felt her hand slip into yours, and you welcomed it.

As you walked further in, the hold on your hand got tighter, and you looked at her. She was holding onto your hand for dear life, Lucy was terrified. Suddenly, a noise made you look up and see the arena opening up the top window panels, letting the light in. It was eerie, somewhat amusing, and haunting at the same time. But the decor couldn’t dispel you from an ugly truth: 23 kids are coming into this arena, but only 1 is coming out tomorrow.

“Welcome to the arena for the 10th annual Hunger Games!” A voice cut through the arena. “Tributes, mentors, you have 15 minutes to survey the space and discuss strategy.” You let go of Lucy’s hand and rubbed your hands together. You saw her face contort into one of worry as her eyes darted to you. “Please,” Lucy whispered. “Coriolanus, please don’t let me die in here tomorrow.”

Before any of you could answer, an explosion cut your train of thought off as you were thrown to the ground. You covered your nose as you watched the arena get blown to hell and back. You, Lucy, and Coriolanus stood for a moment as the debris started to fall to the ground, a scream finally leaving your mouth as you ran away, Lucy in front of you and Coriolanus behind you. While you were running, though looked back for Coriolanus and felt a piece of the arena slide across your face, making you fall.

You felt Lucy’s hand turn you towards her, “Where’s Coriolanus?” She asked, making your blood freeze. That was when a familiar voice yelled out, “Help me!” You immediately knew it was Coriolanus. Following the sound of his voice, you soon found him under a piece of debris. You immediately tried to lift it but had trouble. You saw the fire on his back, and it almost sent you into a panic. “Lucy! Help me, please!” You begged, looking into the smoke where you think you saw her last.

She soon ran towards you and joined in the attempt of trying to get it off of him. You were so focused on lifting the beam you almost missed a tribute trying to convince Lucy to run out of the arena with her. “He wouldn’t save you.” You heard Marcus, Senjanus’ tribute say, before running to the blown open doors. But your eyes didn’t leave the beam, and to your suprise, Lucy never stopped to run.

You both lifted it just enough so he could slip away from it. You turned to Lucy, saying a quick thank you before she www dragged away. In that moment, you finally noticed your hands were singing, and saw the beam had burned your hands. But that wasn’t it, your head was also singing a symphony. In fact, the world was spinning.

The next thing you knew, you were falling to the ground, and the next, you were in a hospital bed. Your mother sprung up and hugged you, “Honey! Oh, thank god.” She sighed, holding onto you. “What happened?” You immediately asked. “The rebels bombed the arena. One of those animals from the districts escaped.” Your father said, holding onto you tight. “Coriolanus? Sejanus?” You asked, sitting up, tears starting to well up. “They’re fine, Coriolanus came in right before you did, Sejanus is fine.” Your mother said, and a breath of relief left your lips.

“You, on the other hand, will have a scar on your forehead as well as sore hands.” Your dad said, handing you a mirror. There was a long red scar starting at your left forehead, going across your eyebrow and nose, and ending in the middle of your right cheek. It was ugly, but nothing makeup couldn’t smooth out.

You then reached for your, neck and felt nothing. “My…..my necklace.” You said in a soft tone. “I’m sorry honey. We can get you another one.” Your father soothed, but you shook your head, the sentimental value now gone up in smoke. “Should I be good to go?” You asked, standing up, and finally getting a good look at yourself. You still had your uniform on, riddled now with dust and smoke, as well as your face. Other than the scar now on your face, you looked okay, as well as an exhausted Capitol child who’s survived a rebel bombing and the loss of two friends in one week can be.

You then walked past the rest of the beds, and one sight made you get chills. You saw the president’s son, Felix, your classmate, on a ventilator, scars all over his face. You let out a surprised shout before a nurse turned towards you and shut the curtain, closing off any view from him. Then started to walk out of the hospital and passed a TV.

Turns out they were still going on with the games. Lucky Flickerman was enticing the crowds once more as they were bringing out the tributes to give them one final spotting before they had to die. That was when you got an idea. You walked with a purpose past the beds, but slowed down when you saw a familiar blonde boy asleep in a bed. Coriolanus was okay, he was alive. You forced yourself to run with sore muscles to your house, and go to the back of your closet. You recalled when Lucy said she could “play the strings,” today would be her chance to prove it.

You finally found your guitar, still in its white case, and brought it out. After giving it an experimental strum, you walked towards the last showing of the tributes, and tried to sneak past a peacekeeper.

Unfortunately, you weren’t the best at it. “Hey! What are you doing back here?” One shouted. “I’m here to do one last observation for Dr. Gaul.” You said in your best calm voice, almost scaring yourself from how much you sounded like someone else. You stared back at them when one looked at the other, “Stay right there.” He said and walked out of the room. The minutes going by made you shift from foot to foot until he came back, “Go right in, we’ll be outside.” He said, letting you pass.

Slowly, you walked to the back of the stage and saw Lucy picking at her dress. “Lucy.” You whispered, getting her attention. She immediately ran towards you and before the both of you knew it, you were hugging. She looked at you, her head going to the scar on your face, “Your head.” “I’ll be fine, but I need a favor.” You said, holding the guitar out to her. “I know you said you won’t sing unless you have something to say, I get it. But this is your last chance before the games.” You said, a more serious tone in your voice.

“One last song to put your memory in the minds of everyone who has and will know your name.” You said, watching as she took the guitar and gave it a strum. “You had this? She asked, to which you nodded. You saw her nod towards you, a look of thankfulness before she walked out. You let out a sigh as you watched from a screen as she sang her song, letting her story be told for everyone to hear, making you smile. For someone who just got to the Capitol, she sure learned how to make a lasting impression, one that wouldn’t be forgotten for decades you would say.

As Lucy finished her song, she walked back towards you and tried to speak, but you silenced her. “You did amazing,” you said, taking your guitar back. You then took her hand and held it tightly. “I know you’re not my tribute, Lucy Gray, but I hope you win.” You said, before giving her one last hug before walking home. You laid in bed that night hoping for her survival. That morning you dressed and could barely eat, thinking about the games. As you left, you passed a mirror and got a glimpse of your face. Even though you put concealer over the scar, it was still red.

As you walked to the academy, you ran into Dean Highbottom. “Ah, ms capitol flower, what are you doing up here?” He asked. You then turned to him, “Just wishing my friends good luck.” You answered. For a moment, he didn’t answer, obviously looking at the scar on your face. “I’d only wish one of your friends luck, little miss.” Dean Highbottom said and turned away from you. As you looked for Coriolanus and Sejanus, Sejanus found you first.

“Hey. I didn’t see you at the hospital.” He said, looking at your face and not your eyes. “I left, they had already treated me.” You said. He then held your hand and squeezed it. “Are you okay?” He asked. “I’ll be fine.” You said, knowing what he was implying. Sejanus’ focus then shifted to someone behind you. “Corio.” Senjanus said, walking up to him. “How are you doing? You all right?” He asked, to which Coriolanus shrugged off.

He then turned to you, his eyes widening at the sight of the scar. Before he could speak, a man got the attention of the 3 of you, and signaled he wanted a picture. Sejanus put his arm across you to put his hand on Coriolanus’ shoulder as you felt his hand go to your hip, the same mannerism he used in the zoo. You put your arm around Sejanus’ back & Coriolanus’, and gave a small smile.

The man snapped the camera, immortalizing the moment in the photo. Sejanus walked off and Coriolanus suddenly held you still, looking at the scar closely. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at you, his eyes, for once you could see how he was feeling: concerned. “I’m fine. It just stings.” you said, rubbing small circles on his hand. “Before I forget, here.” He said, holding up your necklace, the one you thought you would never see again. “How did you get it?” You asked, staring at the pendant dangling in front of you.

“I owed you and Lucy Gray a favor, this is yours.” He said, walking behind you and putting it back around your neck. You turned towards him, only to see him staring at you from over your shoulder. You two were so close to each other, you could feel the faint blow of his breath on your nose. Nervous, you broke the silence. “I hope you win, Corio.” you whispered, but he only looked at you in silence. “When I woke up in the hospital, no one had seen you, not even Sejanus. I thought you were dead.” he said, his voice breaking at the end.

“You haven't lost me, Cori, and you never will.” you said, putting your forehead to his, and kissing it. He then took your hand and kissed it, before smiling. “Happy Hunger Games.” he whispered. “And good luck to you.” you replied before walking out of the room and towards Gaul’s lab. As soon as she laid her eyes on you, that same sinister grin “Let me see you, my flower of death.” Squaring your shoulders, you approached Dr. Gaul, and her hand held your chin still. She chuckled, her eyes going over the length of your scar, before her other hand held one side of your face.

“Hmmm. This rosebud is tougher than I thought.” she then turned and went to her lab. “Come child, I have much to teach you today. For the whole day, you shadowed Dr. Gaul in her lab, learning her methods of creating her “babies” for the games, how to tame them, and how to make them vicious. During one moment, she looked at you as she handed you a snake, letting it get used to your scent. “One reason I chose the colors is to make an illusion. The colors are to make them enticing, the beauty masking their true nature, their deadly nature.” Dr. Gaul said, looking you dead in the eyes.

“Before you know it, you're too busy looking at the beauty of the colors to see you're about to be bitten with their poison, doomed to drown in the beautiful sea of death.” The snake was now circling your neck, before resting still, allowing you to let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. “Let me guess, I'm the fool drowning in the sea?” you asked. She only smirked in response, “Not yet, I'm still deciding if you're the snake not yet radicalized or the flower not yet fertilized with the malicious poison.”

“And how would the flower be poisoned, who does it?” You asked, wondering what her riddle meant. “That is a question that doesn't have an answer.” she said, chuckling as she took the snake from your neck. After a long day, you began to walk home just as a car pulled up in front of you. You began to reach up for your necklace to wrap around your knuckles just as a woman stepped out, looking frantic. You realized it was Senjanus’ mother. “Mrs, Plinth, what's wrong?” you asked. “Honey, have you seen Sejanus?” she asked, walking towards you.

“No. I haven't seen him since the games started. Did something happen?” you asked. “They captured Marcus and put him up in the arena before a tribute mercy killed him.” she said in a sorrowful tone. “One of the tributes mercy killed him, but he was home for one minute and the next he was gone.” she said, slowing her speech down to calm herself some. That was when something dawned on you, and the idea made your stomach do flips. “I'll help look for him.” you said and squeezed her hand.

“Thank you, dearie,” she said and walked back to the car. As you watched her go back, you noticed Mr. Plinth give you a nod before he joined his wife in the car. You, on the other hand, walked toward the arena and convinced yourself to not turn around with every step. You made a quick stop at Dr. Gaul’s lab, noticing she was already walking out. You both froze, looking into each other's eyes. “I take it you found out where your friend is.” She said, you nodding in response. “Go ahead, I'll send someone to go with you in a minute.” she said, and walked away from you.

“When you finally got to the gate, the peacekeepers eyed you, “Let me in, his mother is worried sick.” you said, looking between the two. It didn't take long for them to open the gates and let you in, as well as locking you in. You slowed your breath as you began to walk into the arena, missing the turnstile to avoid the sound going off. You looked around, making sure to keep your steps as quiet as possible so you could get to Sejanus. As you passed a pile of debris, you saw a bow and some arrows and decided to take one of them in case needed it. When you got close enough, his head whipped towards you and relaxed.

He didn't say anything, but he looked back toward Marcus’ body and you kneeled beside him. Against your better judgment, you helped him grieve for a moment, one of his hands finding yours, and you let your head rest on his shoulder. “Thank you.” he said, you only hummed in response. That was when you felt someone walking towards the two of you, raising the arrow in front of you, only to see it pointing at an equally nervous Coriolanus.

“I thought they'd send my ma.” Sejanus said. “I wish they had.” you said, looking back at him. “You need to go, Corio. Both of you.” Sejanus said, standing up. “I'd like to. I really would. But I promised I'd get you out.” Coriolanus whispered. So he was the backup Gaul sent? “Why?” Sej asked. “Because you're our friend.” You added, looking him in the eyes. “I have to do this. I had to go where the cameras are.” He argued. “You think anyone's watching this,” Coriolanus asked, “Gaul cut the feed. Tributes kill you in here, she's just gonna say you died of the flu.”

You then looked at the beam above you 3 and saw a tribute wake up and grab her weapon. You tightened your fist around the arrow as Corio started to pull you closer to his side. “You need to decide right now. Do you wanna fight these tributes, or fight for them?” Coriolanus asked Sejanus, “Because if you wanna make real change, you need to stay alive to do it.” “How can I make any change from out there?” Sejanus asked.

“You're rich, you have your father’s money. You're smart, you care,” you said, looking between Sejanus and the female tribute looking at you three, “You're the only one who stood up to Gaul in that class, not us.” That moment you heard a clatter from somewhere in the arena, putting all of you on edge. You could see Sejanus was starting to get antsy. “We're dead if we don't leave right now.” You whispered to Sejanus. “Come with us. Spend your father's money, and do some real good. Or just be another dead body in Gaul's war.” Coriolanus whispered, getting close to his ear.

“Please, Sejanus, trust us.” You begged, wanting him to leave with the two of you. That was when you heard a scream from the end of the arena, and saw a male tribute charging towards you. “Let's go!” you yelled and ran for the gate. Even though you were running as fast as you could, they both were faster than you. You saw Coriolanus’ hand reach for yours, and he helped you keep up with him. You were able to jump over the turnstile, Sejanus couldn't and you heard a bone in him snap. You ran over to help him up just as the tribute lashed at the three of you.

You were able to miss his first swing, but when he swung his blade low, he cut your leg, making you scream. By instinct, you swung at his leg with the arrow and surprisingly managed to get a cut on his leg before Corio bashed the boy with a piece of debris. Before you could get out the way you felt the boy's blade cut a long line up your back, dragging another scream out of your mouth.

For a moment your vision blurred, hitting the wall as Coriolanus pleaded with the tribute. It didn't work. You heard Coriolanus scream and then proceed to hit the boy with the beam before hitting him in the head, making him fall through the turnstile. You had just gone over to help Sejanus up with you saw Coriolanus hit the boy one more time, and he no longer moved. You and Sejnaus stared at the sight, the horrible display of the dead tribute making you sick. Your best friend just killed someone, and he didn’t need to.

You then heard a group of tributes start to run towards you. “Get up, Sejanus!” You yelled, hoisting him up with one arm and running towards the gate. “Open the gate!” Coriolanus yelled. You ran through the gate and let out a small sigh of relief when it slammed shut, stopping the tributes from coming through. That was when one female tribute, Coral, looked at you briefly before looking directly at Coriolanus. “Watch those screens, gorgeous. ‘Cause I may have missed you tonight, but your songbird’s next on my list.” She smirked before walking away from the gate. You let out a breath and. As you stood up, you then leaned on the gate, and a wave of pain went down your back to the cut on your leg.

Holding yourself up, you let out a whimper as you saw the blood going down your leg. You could also see the gash on Coriolanus back when Sejanus spoke up, apologizing, “I’m… I’m sorry, both of you, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, for all of it.” He looked up at both of you. Behind him, you saw Sejanus’ parents drive up. “My father. Let the buying begin.” He said, and slowly stood up and walked towards his mother. You had just managed to stand up straight again when you and Coriolanus caught the eyes of his father, giving you a silent but grateful nod.

You and Coriolanus were led away and back to Dr. Gaul’s lab. “Snow and his rose stormed down, down on their heads. It stormed down on their heads, and now the boy is...” She stopped and made a noise, imitating the sound of a knife slashing. “Dead.” You whispered to yourself while she chuckled. You two have had enough of the Games tonight, I see,” she said, “Come, sit, I'll stitch you up.”

Coriolanus tried to usher you forward, but you sat down in another seat, “You saved us, you first.” He didn’t argue further. As he sat down, you grabbed a stool and sat beside him. “Who could imagine Crassus Snow's baby boy fighting for his life in the arena one day? What happened in there, that's humanity undressed,” Dr. Gaul let out a sigh before continuing, “Fueled with the terror of becoming prey, see how quickly we become predator. See how quickly civilization disappears?”

“Those tributes didn’t have a choice.” Coriolanus said, finally finding his voice. “I was talking about the two of you.” She said, your eyes finding his stare. “All your fine manners, education, background, stripped away in the blink of an eye, leaving a boy with a club who beats another boy to death to stay alive.” Dr Gaul said, before looking up at you, “And a girl who takes up an arrow and draws blood out of desperation to keep her life.” “You wanna protect people, Mr. Snow? To govern them like your father?

Then it’s essential you accept what human beings are and what it takes to control them.” She then patted his back, signaling him to move.

He squeezed your hand before he slowly walked out of the lab, leaving you alone with your mentor. For a while she stitched up your back, she didn’t say a single word, and neither did you. When she turned you around to sew up your leg, that changed. “So, Snow’s rose is growing her thorns,” She chuckled, “The daughter of the Capitol goes into the arena, who would’ve thought?” “I didn’t intend to humor you tonight, I went in to get my friend.” You replied. Dr. Gaul raised an eyebrow in response, “Be cautious of your loyalty and friendship, young girl.” “They would do the same for me.” You said, looking at her. “Oh I’m sure they would, that’s why you all could’ve died tonight.” Dr Gaul chuckled.

“It’s like I said earlier. Friendship like the one you have with Snow and Plinth can help you thrive as easy as it can be to die following your friend and lover into danger.” Your mouth fell open, but she raised her hand in response. “For a child so wise, you’re very blind to see the eyes of affection that boy has for you?” Dr. Gaul teased. “How are you sure?” You asked, curiously getting the best of you. Dr. Gaul chuckled, “Do you want me to point out the fact he calls you Calanthe, which translates to beautiful flower?”

As she finished the stitch on your leg, she smirked. “Love is a funny thing, pupil. It can be your greatest strength, weapon, or weakness.” “I don’t have a crush on-.” “Don’t lie!” Dr. Gaul shouted at you, making you shut up immediately. “If you don’t love that boy why did you protect him with that arrow in your hand?” She asked, holding your arm up, showing you the arrow still in your clenched hand.

You forgot you still had it.

Dr. Gaul looked at the arrow and then at you, helping you stand up, the stitch now complete. “You’re a strange one, little flower,” Dr. Gaul said, “You don’t see your strengths.” You then looked up at her, “And what do you see?” You asked, grabbing your blazer, and getting ready to leave. As you turned to leave, her chuckle made you freeze and turn around, “I still see what I saw the first time we talked my dear: potential.”

Watching the new episode of The Sandman again I too would kill for Calliope.

You're gonna wish you… We could’ve had

never had met me. it all.

So I just finished The Umbrealla Academy I also saw THAT

HELP ME FIND A JAKE LOCKLEY FIC!

I RANDOMLY READ A SMUT FIC ABOUT THE READER BEING A BRAT FOR STEVEN AND MARC SO JAKE TAMES HER, RECORDS IT FOR MARC AND STEVEN AND SAYS “TAG YOU’RE IT” AND MY IDIOT SELF FELL ASLEEP & LOST IT! I BELIEVE IT WAS GONNA HAVE A PART 2! IF YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT PLEASE GIVE ME THE NAME I BEG!

UPDATE: I FOUND IT😮‍💨