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hidden-poet · 2 months

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Commander Snow; chapter 5

Commander Snow

Summary; Under the advice of Dr Gaul Coriolanus returns back to district 12 where without blinding light of lucy-grey he could see you.

Warnings; dead dove to do not eat, stalking, unrequited love, breeding kink, violence, possessive!Snow, unco/dubco, sexual content, she/her pronouns, explicit, violence, death.

Editor: @hotline-to-hell

chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Commander Snow had been absent from your life for three days.

He had left boxes of food in anticipation but expected no reward in return. He didn’t turn up at the late hours of the night. No demands of you coming to the Compound with brownies were given.

It was a welcome change in your routine. It gave you more time to focus on your mother. She improved greatly with the extra attention and could be dropped down to half a bottle of morphling every 12 hours.

She still needed your help to rise from bed and wash but was now lucid enough to feel like your mother again.

You felt less isolated now that she was back. And with Edmund dropping by every day you felt almost normal.

You gave him the spare bottles of morphling to sell. Commander Snow would drop you quickly and it was important to have some money saved to tide you over until you got your job back.

You decided to use a small portion to buy your mother fresh bandages. She would only need one more batch before the wounds on her back were closed.

The walk into town was busy but no one paid you any mind. Most avoided looking at you.

You were used to the isolation now. It didn’t bother you as much now.

The nice day turns upon seeing Peacekeepers in large groups marching through the streets.

You stop walking to let people pass as they rush towards you. Peacekeepers formed groups as

you looked around, they were impossible to count. They moved too fast in and out of houses, and as you lost one, two more appeared in his absence.

You freeze seeing Commander Snow, marching through the streets with the cavalry behind him. They break down doors to people's homes and the Peacekeepers split up into groups of four as they search the houses before rejoining the group.

It was chaos as people ran to avoid their way. Demands of the Peacekeepers were yelled over crying children, and explanations of homeowners. You feel your heart pound at the scene.

Such chaos always brought danger. Agitated Peacekeepers after a hard day's work are always looking for a reason to use their power over the district people.

You press yourself against a side of a building, out of rushing people's way. You try and re-enter the stream of people but a breck never comes. More yelling is heard and you suddenly see why the rush was heading down stream. A large group of Peacekeepers all kitted up in their gear with vests and helmets come chasing the people. They grab who they can and throw them up against brick walls searching them for contraband.

The coins burned a hole in your pocket. If found there is little chance of retaining them.

They come closer and you try again to follow the rush but are pushed back. Somebody needed to be caught by the Peacekeepers.

You scan the area for another escape route and see the tunnel that leads to the Capitol train route. Peacekeepers and higher officials were sure to be swarming on the other side but you could hide in the darkness that the tunnel provided until the chaos settled,

The leader of the group blew a whistle and you took off to your path before you could figure out what it meant.

Unfortunately, a Peacekeeper had already set his eyes on you. And watching you run and hide was a worthy enough cause to follow you.

You barely make it into the darkness before you are caught and thrown into the wall.

“Do you have any weapons or contraband on you?” The Peacekeeper shouted.

He had brought along his partner who held his rifle out towards you.

“No sir,” you answer, but he runs his hands along you anyway. He keeps one hand on the back of your neck, pushing your face into the hard, dirty wall while the other patted down.

With your forced position, you stare at the other Peacekeeper. The uniform aged him. His face was soft and round but hidden under the shadow of the large helmet. He had beautiful green eyes that went wide just as the Peacekeeper was about to pat the pocket that held your money.

‘Whoa!” The other Peacekeeper places a hand on his friend's shoulders and pushes him back. “That’s Snow’s girl. I’ve seen her at the Compound.”

“Are you sure?” The hand that held you was released quickly.

He looks at you again, “I am pretty sure.”

“I am!’’

Maybe some good could come out of your predicament.

“Go get him. He could want her searched anyway.”

“There’s no need to go get him. I’ll go home.” You turn so you can be heard.

“Shut up.” The Peacekeeper ordered.

Green eyes took off back down the street, leaving you with his harsher friend.

He unclips his cuffs and locks them around your wrists, telling you to sit on the ground.

You knew better than to argue with Peacekeepers, so you sat and waited.

Five minutes pass in silence.

You hoped his business would be more pressing and he would send the Peacekeeper away with instructions to set you free. But you could see his shadow coming closer as you had the thought.

If it wasn’t for his darker uniform you would have thought he was just another Peacekeeper, and not Commander of District 12.

His eyes hit you on the ground before going up to his officer.

“The south exit is blocked, go help the others there. Search the people.”

They both leave with a ‘yes sir’, and a salute.

He moves quickly as they integrate back into the crowd.

He pulls you up, hooking your cuffed hands over his neck, and presses you up against the brick wall. His hands go under your arms and cement themselves to the wall behind, keeping them pinned up on his shoulders. He keeps his body close to hinder your movement and rests his left knee against the brick.

He kisses you so fast, you weren’t sure if he managed to pin you before or after. His kisses are fast and hard, you don’t manage to even attempt one back before he is moving again.

His greedy lips go to your throat, placing big kisses up and down it.

“What are you doing here?” He asks between kisses. You couldn’t tell him about the money. He was sure to demand it from you.

“Walking,” you push back on his shoulders but it invites him closer.

His lips go from just under your ear back down to the hollow of your throat.

“You shouldn’t. It’s dangerous.”

The danger followed him, not you. You had walked these streets a hundred times before without any worry.

He finds the spot he likes, just where your collarbone and neck meet, and begins to bite down. You wiggle underneath him to no avail. The biting upon your neck hurt but he seemed deaf to your pleas. You felt only a Peacekeeper beneath you, no sign of a man you could reason with. Your head only knocked against his hard helmet, you pushed yourself up on arms covered with the soft material of the peacekeeper uniform. Even your eyesight was blocked by the Peacekeeper's rifle slung over his shoulder.

You were in no better of a position than the people in the houses. You were offered the same situation; let them take what they wanted or suffer the consequences of them just taking it anyway.

“I’ve missed you,” he admits, “Why did you never come to see me?”

You let your head rest back against the wall now that it wasn’t tossing and turning to alleviate the pressure of his bites.

The truth was not an acceptable answer. You couldn’t tell him you had no interest in seeing him ever again.

“You were busy,” you tried.

“You could have come. I would have seen you.” He goes back to your neck. His kissing was slow and lazy

“Commander, please.” You could still hear the commotion outside.

A whooping sound is heard from outside the ally.

He pulls his head back in its direction.

“What did they find?” you ask.

“Rebels. Propaganda has been spreading around the district. Looks like we found the warehouse it was coming from”.

He ducks his head out from under the chain, releasing you from your prison, and quickly undoing your cuffs before softly shoving you towards the street.

“Go straight home.”

You nod your head in agreement and watch him rejoin his army.

You run away from the noise, dodging people as they run with you.

The same Peacekeepers that pinned you in the tunnel waited by a checkpoint but they didn’t bother you again as you ran past.

—------

It was the next afternoon when a Peacekeeper van turned up outside your house. Children playing ran back inside.

The Peacekeeper politely knocked at your door.

“Yes?” you answer. You keep the door in front of your body like a shield.

“Miss.” He nods his head, “I am here to take you back to the Compound”.

Your gut twisted. The holiday was over and you were back to playing puppet.

“I’ll finish my cooking and be right over.”

He places his hand on the door in case you try to close it.

“I’ve been given instructions to take you. I am afraid I can’t leave without you.”

He looked almost sorry to say it. He must have been a district-born Peacekeeper.

You take your hands off the door to show him you aren’t going to make it hard for him.

“Okay. I’ll turn the oven off and put on my shoes.”

“It would be appreciated, Miss.”

He waits by the door as you do as promised.

Your mother had only just taken her medicine leaving her dazed but still awake. You decide to tell her you’re going for a walk instead of the truth.

The Peacekeeper is kind, waiting patiently by the door without sound. He smiles at you as you near him, ready.

You lock the door and follow the officer to the truck.

You head to the empty bed of the truck but he continues to the passenger side door, holding it open for you.

He looked awkward as he held it, “Ah which would you prefer?”

You smile at him and take his offer of sitting up front. He shows you how to work the seatbelt as he gets into the driver's seat.

You thank him, telling him you’ve never been up front before.

“Oh, that’s okay. I remember my first time in a car. I thought it was amazing.”

You do not share the same enthusiasm. Being in a car only meant you were going to or coming from Coriolanus.

“I am Y/N,” you offer.

“People call me Smiley.” You thought the name suited him.

“How long have you been a Peacekeeper for, Smiley?”

“Oh for about three years. I was only a grunt for a year, though. Corio-Commander Snow promoted me to officer once he got back”.

Your head shot up to look at him, after his familiar way of talking about Coriolanus. Could a man like this be friends with a man like Coriolanus?

“Did you know Commander Snow before he was Commander?” You tried to act uninterested.

“Oh yeah! I met him on his first day here.”

You imagine Coriolanus in the blue uniform of a grunt, scared out of his mind.

“Used to go with him to the Hob to watch Lucy Gray and the Covey perform. He used to sneak off to see her after the show,” he laughs at the fond memory but it sent ice down your veins.

He had told you he never even met her. You have zero doubt in your mind now that he was the one who killed her.

“Shame about Lucy Gray,” you begin, “He must have been so sad when she disappeared.”

Smiley nods his head, “I reckon the Mayor killed her in revenge. Both her old boyfriend and the Mayor's daughter he ran off with turned up dead. There’s no way she didn’t do it.”

You wondered if Coriolanus framed her for murder so no one would go looking for her once she disappeared. If he does the same to you, would your community believe it? The girl with the baked goods stall on a Saturday, a murderer? Would they believe that yet another girl tangled up with Coriolanus could be a killer?

“Maybe she didn’t do it,”, you test the waters, “Maybe she was framed.”

Smiley laughs, “S’pose it’s possible, but she was no stranger to killing. She was the 10th victor of the Hunger Games.”

This information surprised you. You never went to the Reapings as you had a special pass that dubbed your work too important to be interrupted, and there were few working TVs in the district. And even fewer turned them on during the Hunger Games.

Was that her appeal to Coriolanus, that she was tough enough to be a victor? Was her refusal of him now the reason he targeted your soft demeanor?

“Victor of the Hunger Games and a Peacekeeper? How was that allowed?”

“Oh, it wasn’t,” he laughs again, “I was bunk mates with him. I used to hear him sneak out. Always a romantic."

You bite back the question wrangling your tongue; You don’t think that he is acting romantic now, do you?

Instead, you try learning more about Coriolanus.

“What got him sent from the Capitol to District 12?” You couldn’t imagine such a self-important Capitol citizen would volunteer.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what got him sent back here as Commander.” Smiley answers honestly, “There was a rumor that he knew her in the Capitol. Helped her in the games, but I am not so sure I believe it. Why go through all of that, and then try to get yourself sent off to District 2 for officer training? He was always planning to get back to the Capitol. Why would he do that if the girl he sacrificed everything for was here? Makes no sense to me.”

The car is let into the gates of the Compound and Smiley slows the car down as it tracks through.

“He’s over Lucy Gray though. Hasn’t mentioned her since he got back.”

He says after a moment, like he was worried that you were getting jealous of Lucy Gray and not terrified that you would end up like Lucy Gray.

The office building comes into view. It stood huge and white with unnaturally bright, clean, marble steps.

He drives right up to the steps, stopping in front of a waiting Coriolanus.

Coriolanus opens the door before you can and reaches over you to undo your seatbelt. It feels as if he yanks you down, but his touch is gentle and unharmful.

“Thanks, Smiley.” It was the first time you had ever heard him thank one of his Peacekeepers. Smiley places a finger to his forehead and tips it back to Coriolanus before he drives off.

“Hey,” he breathes. He takes your shoulders into his hands and kisses you quickly.

You don’t greet him back, still frozen from the talk with Smiley.

Coriolanus doesn’t notice as he leads you to his office with a hand on your shoulder.

He seemed eager to get into the room. His pace was quick and he only gave head nods to passersby who greeted him.

He sighs as he closes the door to his office. His hand goes to the back of your neck briefly before disappearing altogether.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he says like you had a choice.

He continues his quick pace over to the couch against the wall and pats the spot next to him.

You sit down and to your shock, he lays down across it.

He lays his head on your lap as he talks. It wasn’t enough for him as he forced your hand over his chest.

“This week,” he sighs, rubbing his hands over his face, “I wish it would just end.”

He throws his hands off his face to speak clearly, “First Tigris said that she was going to quit her job, but I called her last night, and she decided she’s not going to.”

“Tigris? Is that your girl back home?” You remembered his distaste for working women. Because she was Capitol, was she subject to better treatment than you and Lucy Gray, or did he have plans to frame her for murder as well?

“No,” he said firmly, “No, she’s my cousin. You’re my girl.”

“Hm,” you change the topic quickly, “Surely not enough to ruin your week.”

Coriolanus seemed pleased with the attention and continued.

“I have the Commander from District 4 visiting this week. He’s not out of the car two minutes before one of the new recruits shoots himself in the foot, right in front of him.”

You scoff back a giggle at the image, and he manages a smile back.

“He’s a pain, this Commander. Constantly after me. He’s heard I have a close relationship with Strabo Plinth and thinks I’ll help him make a connection.”

“Who’s-” he interrupts you before you finish.

“I’ll tell you another time.”

You scoff at him, “Another secret.”

He shifts so he is lying on his side towards you.

“It’s not a secret. It’s just complicated.” The whole Capitol knows about the district-turned-Capitol citizen fulfilling the father's role in Coriolanus' life. He would prefer to keep the clean image with you.

“Am I here for a reason, Commander Snow?”

“All I’ve wanted this week was to see you.”

You shift uncomfortably under him. A look of distress crossed your face.

“What’s wrong?” he sits up beside you.

“Am I the next Lucy Gray?”

“Ah! Lucy Gray,” he mutters, “If I hear that name again.”

He gets up to give himself distance from you, going over to his desk and leaning against it with his hands.

“Don’t deny it. Smiley told me you used to sneak off to see her after the shows.”

“I once had to carry Smiley back to the compound because he was so drunk he forgot how to walk. But you want to take his word over mine?”

“Yes. You’re a liar. Is Tigris really your cousin?”

He throws his hands up, astonished at the question. “Yes. I have a cousin and a Grandmother waiting for me in the Capitol. Both of which you will meet when we get back to the Capitol.”

“We?” You felt your heart stop.

He turns his head to you.

“Yes, we. Did you think I was going to leave you behind?”

“I can’t go to the Capitol. I belong here.” You think of your mother and Edmund.

His jaw clenched but his movements are slow as they come towards you.

“I belong in the Capitol. You belong with me. As soon as Ravinstill dies, we are on the first train out of District 12.”

What would happen to you once he got bored of you in the Capitol? In District 12 he would cast you out into familiar streets but would he even bother to get you back home once he decided you were no longer worth the time?

You shake your head no and he takes your face between his hands.

“You’ll like the Capitol, I promise. Pretty dresses. Food. You and Tigris will become fast friends.”

“What about my mother?’’

“We’ll send her money. She’ll be alright without you.”

“Coriolanus, no.” His name felt funny coming out of your mouth.

He adjusts to a more menacing position; his fingers tightened on your face, his body stiffened into a hard stance over you and his eyes squinted down on you.

“Do you honestly think you have a say in the matter?.”

You begin to cry “Please, I can’t go to the Capitol.”

He softens under your tears, the tight hold on your face turns gentle, and he drops himself to your height.

“I know this is your home, but you will be happy in the Capitol. I’ll make you happy in the Capitol.”

He won’t ever have to hear the name ‘Lucy Gray’ again and you’ll never have to keep wondering if you’ll have the same fate as her.

The buzzing from his desk saved you from any more useless begging.

He looked visibly annoyed at the interruption but answered it anyway.

Releasing you with a sigh, he walks over to his desk and presses a little button.

“Yes?” Coriolanus answers.

“Sir, Commander Bonza is looking for you.” The female voice spoke over the intercom.

“Show him to the conference room. I’ll be right there.”

He comes back over to you, taking your shoulder in his hand.

“Just stay here. I’ll only be an hour.” He leads you back over to the couch and you take a seat. “I’ll have them bring in tea.”

He doesn’t look back as he leaves the room.

You left as soon as you thought it safe enough to do so.

You try not to run to avoid looking suspicious but your quick pace could not be slowed. You had to get out of the compound.

A few stare at you as you pass but don’t try to stop you.

The gate opens freely, and you turn back to ensure you aren’t being chased

As you enter the dirt track back to the district, you hear your name being called.

Emerging out of the trees, Edmund stands tall in his worn jacket.

You throw your arms around his shoulders and allow yourself to be kept upright by him.

“What happened? Are you alright?” He frantically asks.

“What are you doing here?” You shot back a question of your own.

“I saw the Peacekeeper van take off with you. Look here” he shows you the hand-held wire cutters he held, “I was coming to get you. I promise, you weren’t alone”.

He pockets the cutters to use his hands to wipe away your running tears, “What happened? Did he hurt you?”

You shake your head no, pulling yourself back to his chest.

“The Capitol,” you cry, “He plans to take me back to the Capitol.”

“What? Why?”

The sound of a Peacekeeper van approaches and he pulls you back into the trees.

“We have to go to the mountains. We’ll take your mother, and I’ll pick up more shifts. We’ll be alright, okay? I promise”.

You cling to him as the car rolls past, certain that they are going to jump from their van and rip you from him.

“And if he finds us?” you ask.

Edmund brings his hand up to the back of your head, “He won’t. But if he does, then I’ll kill him.”

You look up at his beautiful, serious face. You knew he would kill for you and you knew you would do the same for him. But Commander Snow had too much power over District 12. Even just mentioning that you wanted to kill him could have you and anyone you have ever talked to hanged. But he wasn’t going to be Commander Snow forever.

President Ravinstill will die and Commander Snow will become Candidate Snow.

He won’t have time to chase you up the mountains. He’ll be on the first train out to shake hands and kiss babies.

You tell Edmund this. Going up to the mountains too early would only get you all killed. It was better to wait for the announcement of the President's death and take off then. That way you might only have to hide from Peacekeepers who don’t really care.

He would get busy with his election and forget about the girl from District 12. And you in turn would forget about Commander Snow.

Edmund disagreed. You need to move now. But with your mother in her fragile condition, you doubted she could even make it up to the cabins. And with Coriolanus occupied with the other commander, it would allow for more time to prepare for the move.

This argument won him over even if he wouldn’t admit it.

You knew him well enough to know that when he told you that he ‘had to get you home’, what he really meant was, ‘You’re right. We should wait. We can’t let our fear take over our sensibility’.

As you walked back home, you clung to his arm. He must have found it difficult to walk as you wrapped yourself around his arm but he made no complaint the whole journey. In fact, he said nothing the entire journey about anything, and you made no attempts to change that. Happily walking in silence.

You were almost disappointed when you had to release him on your front porch.

‘‘I have to go home, but I’ll be right back. I’ve got my brother waiting for me to take him hunting.”

“Why would you be right back then?”

“You want me to stay, don’t you? After today.”

“No.” You could almost laugh at his words if they weren’t going to make you cry.

“No. You should go with your brother. I’m fine. And Commander Snow won’t be back tonight if he’s seen me today.”

You brush your hands down the breast of his coat.

“If you bring me back a squirrel. I’ll make you squirrel stew.”

You smile up at him to see him already smiling down at you.

“You’ve got a deal, little lady.” His hands cup your elbows as he turns stoic again, “Are you sure you will be alright?”

You had been through so much worse just weeks prior.

You nod your head yes. “Look, can you go? I don’t want your brother to hate me.”

He smiles once more showcasing his slightly crooked front tooth.

“Never” he promises, “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow yeah?”

“Through-”

“Through the back door, yeah yeah. I know.”

He moves his hands from your elbows and grips your shoulders instead, stooping his head down to you. “I do love you. You know that, right? I always have, and I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

You were unsure of how to respond. ‘I love you too’ seemed appropriate but you weren’t sure if they meant the same thing anymore. He takes the words out of your mouth when he kisses you.

You kiss back. His lips felt softer than Coriolanus’. His kiss is much more gentle and less needy. You wished it was your first kiss but that now belonged forevermore to Coriolanus. This would just have to go down as your first real kiss.

Still the longer it lasted, the louder the sound of a firing squad sounded. He pulled back just before you did.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he offers.

“Goodnight, Edmund.”

You watch him track back down the steps and into the darkness.

You felt stunned that he had kissed you. That you had kissed him back and enjoyed it.

Your brother would be mortified. But no more mortified, you supposed, than the kisses received from Coriolanus.

The rush of the kiss doesn’t wear off as you enter your home. You reimage it as you sit at the kitchen table.

When Coriolanus kissed you, it almost hurt. They never came singular but again and again, until something else called him off.

But at least you knew he meant it.

Edmund's kiss was almost unsure.

Your brother's best friend had always held a special place in your heart but could it grow into seeing him as a separate man? As your man?

You wonder if he was thinking the same thing. If somehow he got confused amongst the pressure and took his love for you as something more.

Would he have kissed you any other way, for any other reason, if Commander Snow wasn’t in the picture? After he was gone would Edmund kiss you again, or flee into work from pure embarrassment?

A soft knock at the door interrupted your sprailing.

Thinking it was Edmund again, you rush to the door. Had he come to prove that the kiss was intentional and that he planned to continue his affections after Coriolanus?

As you opened the door, you readied yourself for another kiss. But your boss was not ready to give you one.

You stare at her surprised. She wore her normal gray dress and black boots but carried a moonshine bottle in her hand.

“Miss Escot.” You state.

“You ain’t come around. Figured I’ll come to you.” She steps forward to indicate her intentions of coming in and you step aside to let her.

“So, was it everything you dreamed of?” She laughs as she enters.

“You were wrong.”

She spins to you, shocked, “So he ain’t touched you.”

You felt your face turn hot and red as the subject came up. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Right, so he just ain’t fucked you, yet.” She looks surprised, almost worried. She turns back around and places the bottle on the kitchen table.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t come running back to me for a job.”

She sighs, sitting down on a chair that had its backing almost ripped out during the raid.

“Get two glasses.”

You do as she asks, bringing them to the table but she doesn’t unscrew the drink.

“He plans to take me back to the Capitol,” you admit.

“You don’t plan to go do you?”

“Of course not.”

“Strange man. You don’t take whores home.”

You flinch at the word but knew she meant no offense.

“So,” she uncorks the bottle and splashes the liquid out into the glasses, “What’s your plan?”

You had thought about telling her about yours and Edmund’s plan but didn’t fully trust her enough.

“I don’t know.”

Your boss laughs, throwing her head back.

“I can’t believe after all that, all he wants to do is a little roughhousing.”

“He ain't touched me. I told you.” You insist.

She stops laughing, “Save it for when your hickeys aren’t on display.”

You pull your dress to hide your neckline. The heat from the embarrassment steams your face.

“So you gonna kill him?” She asks.

“Why do you care what I plan to do.”

“Because I would hate to see you hanged and that’s what gonna happen if you try”.

“I am not going to try to kill him, and he aint taking me back.”

“Big words from a small girl,” your boss mocked, “Sometimes you just have to know when you’ve been beat.”

“I would rather die then-”

“Commander Snow.” Your boss spoke in a loud hard tone, and you turned to see him in the doorway.

A chill ran up your spine. He still wore the same hard expression from his office.

He leaves the door open as he walks in, keeping his eyes on you.

He turns to your little boss, glaring at her, but he keeps his hands clasped behind his back.

“Not here to offer her a job are you?”

“Of course not, sir. Just visiting.” It was the first time you had ever heard your boss speak respectfully to someone intimidating her.

“Just leaving,” he orders.

“Yes, sir,” she agrees. He passes the bottle of moonshine to her, not wanting it left on the table for you.

She rushes away with it in her hands but he calls out to her as she walks.

“Oh, you weren’t the friend hiding in the cupboard the other day were you?”

She turns to answer him but her face reads that she was surprised by his accusation.

You mentally plead with her to say yes. She must have seen it through your wide eyes.

“Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir”.

You were sure the words tasted like acid coming out of her mouth. She shrinks as he stalks towards her, grabbing her by the shoulder and tossing her out.

“Don’t come back again” He shuts the door on her

He comes back over to you.

“Imagine my surprise when I came back to find you had gone”.

“I have to check on my mother.”

He pulls you back by your arm, “There you go again. Running away.”

“No, sir.”

“Back to sir now?”

He pushes you down into a chair and you catch yourself on its arms.

You go to get up again, making an excuse about dinner but he puts his hand out.

“Don’t,” he warns.

He leans over you in the chair, and you shrink back as far as you can.

“You shouldn’t have left today.”

You nod your head, unsure of what to say.

“Say you’re sorry,” he demands.

‘‘I am sorry.”

“And you’ll do anything to make it up to me.”

His face was inches from you, if you moved a centimeter you could brush against his nose.

“Sure,” you grit. If you had learned anything, he could make you do what he wanted anyway.

“There’s a public hanging tomorrow, I would like for you to be there”.

“Yes, Sir”. You said a silent prayer that it was no one you knew.

Coriolanus picks up the cups from the table and douses the floor with the moonshine.

“And I don’t ever want you around that woman again. She’s a bad influence”.

“Yes, Sir” you doubted she would ever be back again anyway. You doubted that while Coriolanus was around, you would ever see a friendly face again.

—-----

Simley picked you up again the next morning but refused to utter a word to you.

It was a terrible feeling. You had just hoped Coriolanus had only given him a firm talking to. You now wished you hadn’t said anything to get him into trouble.

You were dropped off at the gate of the Compound this time where it was a Peacekeeper who escorted you from the car into Coriolanus’ office.

He was not there and did not turn up as the day went on.

The door only opened once and it was a young girl who brought in your lunch.

You watched from the window as the Peacekeepers set up for the hanging. The grunts laid the infrastructure of the stage and barricades while the higher-ups went around with vicious-looking dogs and metal detectors.

It was late afternoon by the time the blue uniforms came off and the official Peacekeeper uniforms were worn by everyone. They took their positions with rifles in the watchtowers, and the other Peacekeepers formed a line across the stage. It gave them a view of the takeaway metal fence that separated the divide between the stage and the audience, leaving a small gap for a family member to come grab the shoes. They chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the gate to be swung wide for the public.

A knock on the door told you that it wasn't Coriolanus. A Peacekeeper poked his head through the door and asked you to come with him.

You follow him out to where Coriolanus stood in front of the stage, speaking to a man dressed in a similar uniform.

You waited with the guard until he was finished. He takes your hand in his as he nears and dismisses the Peacekeeper.

“They are just about to open the gate,” he says. He takes you to the front of the where the audience would stand, taking his cuffs out, he clips one against your wrist and another onto the metal fence. It was the spot directly in front of the microphone in which he was to speak into in a few moments.

You pulled against it feeling embarrassed. You were like a dog that was chained to a post.

“Watch me up there,” he instructs.

He walks up the stage, saying a few words to an officer already up there. The officer pulls out a communicator from his pocket and must have given the go ahead as the gates swung wide and the people began to trickle in.

You took the scarf out of your hair and layed it across the chain. No one needed to know whose dog you were.

People soon surrounded you as the small area filled. Someone important must be getting hung today.

Coriolanus begins the opening remarks about the greatness of Panem, and the need to strive for a better future for all of us. It was a speech he repeated a hundred times and never held any meaning to him. You could see the same Commander from before standing up on stage behind him. He looked gleeful to be there and you shared Coriolanus’ same distaste for the man.

He returns to the cards as he reads out the first convicted man.

They bring him out from the prison as Coriolanus speaks, known as the dead man’s walk.

The man was crying softly as they forced him up the steps and onto the box. He was in his late 50’s and underfed. The peacekeepers easily got the noose around his neck despite his fight against it.

“For the betterment of Panem, and the safety of the Districts you, Benjamin Harrison, are sentenced to death”.

The box is kicked from under him and you shut your eyes until the sound of flailing feet stops.

They drop the body like it was nothing, but the peacekeepers allow a moment for a family member to take his shoes. No one does, and the body is dragged off stage.

You feel the crowd rustle behind you as someone makes their way to the front. They all tried to be quiet from the disruption as Coriolanus read the next name and charge. No one wanted to be caught disrespecting the Commander, and be the next name called up.

The person finds their way to the front, beside you. You don’t look at them, keeping your eyes focused on Coriolanus who sporadically looked up to ensure you were watching him.

“What a lovely day for a hanging.”

You recognised the voice but you still had to look to believe it.

“Edmund,” you grit through your teeth, “What are you doing here!”

“You’re not alone, remember?”

He doesn’t look at you as he speaks, but you can feel his fingertips brush yours while Coriolanus is busy reading out the charges.

You were thankful he was there, despite the danger of it. There was nothing more you hated than attending the death of another.

You could feel Coriolanus’ stare upon you and you made a note to look back at him.

Another man walks onto the stage with a solemn look. He is hanged without fuss and without tears.

Edmund seemed to know him as the box was kicked, his hands latched onto the bars of the fence, and he let out a ‘tsk’.

You lower your hand and take hold of his pant leg. The small connection made you feel safer under the gaze of the Commander. You were sure he couldn’t see your hold. There were too many bodies pressed together to really work out whose hand belonged to whom.

A woman in her early 40’s was called out next and she pleaded and begged but the peacekeeper wouldn’t even look at her. She mentioned something about her son before the box was kicked out from her and the words were strangled in her throat.

Coriolanus paused upon the next name and for once he actually had your real attention.

He clears his throat and his voice comes back strong, “Victor Tatin, a rebel and an informant to his higher-ups.”

They bring out a small boy. Doubtful he even had his name in the draw for the Hunger Games and yet still being killed by the Capitol. The shackles were too big for him and he tripped and stumbled as he walked. Edmund's hand clamped down on yours.

“Victor was the main distributor of anti-Capitol propaganda, who used his position as an errand boy here at the Compound to report back to those who wish the district harm.”

The boy is lifted up onto the stage as the stairs prove too difficult to climb in his chains.

"For this crime, and for the betterment of Panem, and the safety of the districts, you, Victor Tatin, are sentenced to death.”

You cry out as two boxes are moved from under him, and the small boy stops his tears.

You look up to Edmund who had fury in his eyes.

Coriolanus steps away from the microphone, watching as they gently lower the dead boy to the ground.

The Commander of District 4 takes the opportunity to say a few words himself.

“Let it be known that all rebels will be caught and be brought to justice. There is nowhere to hide, and no comfort to be provided. All rebels and sympathizers will be hanged!”.

Coriolanus retakes the microphone and wraps up the event with a statement of what was to be done with the bodies, and how the Capitol is rewarding the information given with a food drive occurring in the middle of town the next morning.

As people left as fast as they came, you were forced to tear your hand away from Edmund.

“Come on,” he turns to follow the crowd but you can’t.

You check to see that Coriolanus has his back turned to talk to his officers, and you take the chance to show Edmund the cuff around your wrist.

“He wants me to stay” you explain.

Edmund tugs the chain as if he had the strength to break it.

“Go,” you demand, seeing Coriolanus turn his shoulders back.

“I’ll wait for you,” he promises.

You were alone again but felt better for knowing that every second that passed brought you closer to meeting Edmund on the track back home.

Coriolanus remained on stage but another peacekeeper came to undo your cuffs and accompany you back to his office.

You break down in tears even before the door is closed. You knew the image of the small boy would haunt you. You couldn’t imagine what it would do to Coriolanus.

Is that why he brought you here? To offer him comfort for his crimes.

He doesn’t collect it in a reasonable time frame. You are left waiting for two hours before he comes to you.

He looked frail as he entered. His hat had disappeared, and his commander's jacket was folded over his arm. It left him in his gray trousers and formal light blue dress shirt.

“Everyone is gone,” he comments, throwing his jacket on the couch and walking over to where you sat in the guest chair.

You stand as he comes closer to let him know no comfort would be given.

“He was only a boy,” you whisper. Coriolanus nods his head in agreement.

“I tried to send him to the Capitol as an Avox but Commander Bonza was determined to see him hang”.

You wondered if it was a small mercy. Life as an Avox was a fate worse than death. Still, he was so small they had to use two boxes to prop him up on the stage.

“You could have stopped it. You’re the Commander of District 12, not him.”

Coriolanus sighs, sitting down in his chair, “And have Commander Bonza think I was weak against rebels? I need his support in the presidential run.”

“He was just a boy.” You repeat, the tears spilling freely from your eyes.

“I know, Y/N. I know.” You could see he was getting wound up.

“Come here,” he directs. Deciding not to push him too far, you do and he sits you on the desk in front of him. He wraps his arms around your waist and buries his head into your side.

“He cried for his mother in the holding cell”.

Coriolanus remembered crying for his mother on nights when the pain in his stomach from hunger was too much to bear. It felt almost therapeutic now to hear you cry for the boy. In a way, you were crying for Coriolanus too.

He holds you close for his own comfort.

“They don’t hang children in the Capitol. You’ll never have to see it again.”

You wanted to make the argument that they shouldn’t hang here but his temper was short, and your tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

Instead, you let him hold you, gently rubbing his back. You were surprised after all the terrible things he had done that this was the burden he struggled to carry.

He seemed content to lay against you as you comforted him. It seemed crazy to you that you were, but you felt so shallow that you allowed your default mode to take over. Besides, the sooner he felt better the sooner you could meet up with Edmund for your own comfort.

The time passed quickly with no movement or sound from Coriolanus.

The clock on the wall read 6:30. You decide enough time has passed to make your escape.

“I have to go, Commander.” You rise from him but he keeps your waist in his hands.

“Stay,” he begs

You shake your head.

“Please, just for tonight.”

“I have to get home to my mother.”

“Tomorrow will you stay?”

“No. I can’t.”

“You can,” he contests, “You just won’t”.

“My mother needs me.” You tear his hands off him and he shoots out of his chair.

“She should get used to your absence.”

“I am not going to the Capitol.” You seethe.

“I don’t know where else you think you are going.”

You turn to leave but he yanks you back.

“No, no. I need you to stay.”

“Get off of me,” you demand.

“You’re not leaving me.”

You repeat your demand and shove him harshly off you.

“You’re telling me no? After everything I’ve done for you?” he squints his eyes at you.

“If you don’t stay with me, you can forget about food for the next month.”

You freeze at his words. There wasn’t enough food to last a month. Maybe ten days. You would properly be ok with your saved money and Edmunds hunting, but it would be a dead give-away that you had other means beside him.

You stop struggling against him, and his grip loosens on you.

“Stop acting like this, alright?”

His hands go to the side of your face and he tugs you closer.

“We are on the same side. It wasn’t my decision to kill the boy but it was something I had to do. You’re my sweet girl, aren’t you? Can’t you act like that? Even just for tonight?”

His desperation was a dangerous thing so you nodded your head. The last time you ran from him after a hanging, he was so hurt, he made your life a living hell for months. You worried what he would do now that he has left you destitute and dependent on him. You had nothing more he could take, but the whipping post remained.

Your complacency returns him to a less manic state. His tired eyes soften, and his body falls back to the defeated state that he came in with.

“Okay,” he says softly and takes your hand.

He leads you back to his apartment with your hand in his. It was small but well-built. Everything was hard metal from the floors to the dining room table. He had a small kitchen space straight to the left with an old fridge. Directly across from it, separated by the hallway was a living space that only consisted of a worn green couch facing a mounted tv, and a small table with a radio on top.

“It’s not much,” he comments.

You had been to houses without roofs. This seemed like a palace.

He leads you into the center of the room, “Kitchen,” he points, “Ah, living room”.

Taking you down the hallway he opens the first door on the right, “That’s the bathroom”.

You peek into the small space to see a shower and a toilet.

He reaches for the door just down to the left and reveals his bedroom. The bed was unmade and there wasn’t a single personal item left lying around. Apart from the bed and a standing wardrobe, there was nothing else in the fairly spacious room.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

You shake your head no. You weren’t sure you could stomach anything after today.

He takes you back to the bathroom, “Why don’t you take a shower and we’ll go to bed?”

“Towel,” he places a hand on a white towel hanging up on a hook, and then opens the mirror to show three shelves, “Toothpaste and my toothbrush”.

Everything he offered was already something he used. You knew he at least had another towel to offer you but he wanted to share everything.

“I’ll leave some clothes on the bed for you to change into.”

“Thanks,” you knew he wanted to hear it.

He smiles and kisses your cheek before leaving.

The steam from the shower began to fill the room by the time you made yourself take off your clothes and get in. You noticed there was no lock on the door, and you were expecting him to come back.

He never did or at least you never noticed him. While most of the shower was just spent leaning against the wall. You did feel refreshed having fresh teeth.

Wrapping the towel around yourself you check outside the door. Both the kitchen light and the bedroom light were on.

If he was waiting in the bedroom you could just take the clothes and return to the bathroom. But only the clothes he promised sat on the bed. One of his white t-shirts, and a pair of boxers.

It covered you mostly. You place your clothes and boots at the end of the bed and return the towel to the hook.

You found him eating in the kitchen after you had done. He was eating mince from a bowl, his appetite now returned from killing a young boy.

He grins at you as he chews.

It makes you feel self-conscious.

“I am going to go to sleep,” you state, although you have little hope of actually sleeping.

“Okay. I’ll join you soon,” he takes another bite.

You turn back to the bedroom. You even managed to lay down in the dark room but you found yourself too preoccupied with what he was doing to succumb to sleep. You could hear the shower running. What you couldn’t see was him pressed up against the glass, his forehead resting against it next to his hand while he jerked himself off. He couldn’t enter that bedroom with you without releasing first. He imagined it though. Climbing on top of you and sliding his hands under his shirt that you wore. You wouldn’t fight him but invite him closer, letting him have free roam of your body. You would beg for it. Beg him to continue. Beg him to take you back to the Capitol with him.

He spills out onto his hand. After that, he washes himself clean and readies himself for bed.

He worries about waking you as he enters the bedroom in nothing but a towel.

You can almost feel him searching for his clothes. Normally he slept in only his underwear too tired to change at the end of the day, but this time he searches for his disregarded pajama bottoms. He can faintly see the blue stripes from the light outside the door and yanks them from the pile. He doesn’t bother looking for the matching top, just taking a white t-shirt from a stack. He liked that he was matching you.

You think he is going to undress in front of you but he takes his clothes back to the bathroom to change.

The lights turn off and Coriolanus sneaks back into the room. He is slow as he moves down into the sinking bed, careful of waking you.

You shuffle to let him know you are still awake. His movements turn less careful as he settles. He stills for a second but turns quickly towards you.

He leans over you, taking the wrist you were lying against and tugging it over himself so he was being spooned. He buries your hand under his cheek and you can feel his breaths against it.

You wonder if Edmund was still waiting outside of the Compound for you or if he had realized you weren’t coming and had gone home to his family. He’d stay. He was stubborn.

You hoped your mother was asleep and unaware of your absence. She was only taking her morphling at night but it kept her asleep for 14 hours at a time. If she had taken it at her normal time, you should be home well before she wakes up tomorrow.

Coriolanus’ scent fills your nose. It was oddly comforting. Every time you breathed it would come rushing up invading your senses. You could only feel him, only smell him. You went to sleep with Coriolanus surrounding you.

—------

The beeping of an alarm clock woke your restful sleeping.

You sit up, half unsure of what it was at first. It was Coriolanus who turned it off, but he rolled back over on the bed.

“What time is it?” you ask.

Coriolanus sighs, resting a hand over his eyes, “6:30.”

He looked exhausted but rose anyway. His movements were sluggish as he stood from the bed and leaned across it to flatten the bed sheet over you. You toss it off as he did.

“Go back to sleep”.

You tell him you’re already up and rise from the bed.

He was too tired to argue so he went about his morning routine. He takes a fresh uniform out of the cupboard and tells you he’ll be back.

You dress back in your clothes too. Feeling better for it.

You make your way to the main area and hear the tap running in the bathroom.

After not eating dinner, your hunger bore a hole in your stomach.

You check the fridge to find it is surprisingly bare. Two metal trays sit on top of each other, the food was mainly in tack but you could see small bits torn off. A half-bitten sausage, the grease of where food once sat on the small metal compartment. You unravel tin foil and find a half loaf of pre-cut bread.

You smell the leftover food, judging it right for consumption.

It takes you a bit to find your bearings in the kitchen. The top cupboard held food staples; flour, salt and pepper, oil. While the bottom cupboards held the pots and pans. There were only a few and they were worn down by the years.

They cook just the same, and you fry the mashed potato that was left, and reheat the sausages.

Coriolanus returns to the kitchen with his Commander jacket in his hand. He looked surprised to find you cooking.

He drapes the jacket over the back of one chair as he speaks, “I was about to go to the mess hall and bring something back but that smells too good to pass up.”

He comes over to you and stands behind you with his hands on your hips, placing a kiss to your cheek. You dip the stale bread in the grease of the sausages and fry it.

“Thank you.”

You were pretty sure it was the first ‘thank you’ you had ever received from him. You rack your brain for another time but only his hits and threats come to mind.

You stand silent. He was not welcomed to your cooking.

He moves from you at his own free will and goes to a small black machine on the kitchen counter. He is rough as he sets it up.

Dark liquid pours out and the smell of coffee battles with the smell of oil.

The first sips pleases him, and he turns to see you looking at him.

He offers you a drink from his coffee cup but you refuse it.

“Can you get the plates from the top? I can’t reach them”.

He does as you ask, bringing down two white plates and setting them on the counter. He reshuffled the items in the cupboard, so the plates were on the bottom shelf where you could reach.

You don’t talk further as you plate up the items and take them to the table. You place them opposite to each other, sitting down before he could move them.

You eat quickly while Coriolanus takes his time to chew.

He takes a break from his food and has another sip of coffee.

“You see those pants,” he nods to the folded pile of gray pants on the chair and you nod, “Can you iron them for me?”

It wasn’t a request so you confirmed you would.

“And my shoes need to be shined for tomorrow.”

“Sure,” you grit before softening your voice, “After that, I was thinking I would go home to my mother. She needs her next morphling dose soon.”

You have not told him that your mother was now only on one bottle a day. He would properly stop the supply altogether if he knew and you needed the money from selling the extra bottles.

Your real concern is that she would wake up and find you still not home.

Coriolanus takes a bite of his sausage, he looked to be thinking about your request.

“That’s fine,” he finally said.

He looks at his watch on his wrist before getting up and placing his dish in the sink.

“It’s Commander Bonza’s last night here. He wants a farewell ceremony. If you hear gunfire that’s all it is.”

He turns back to you and takes his jacket off the chair and slips it onto himself.

“I’ll visit when he is finally gone.”

You nod. At least you will be back on your own turf. Here you felt like an intruder.

He lifts your chin and kisses you before leaving.

You remained at the table but he could hear you had gone to wash the dishes as he closed the door.

His hand stilled. What if he needed you during the day? What if he managed to break away from the attention of Commander Bonza and could come back?

He wondered what you would do back home. Your mother would be close to dead. Would you bake? Go for another walk?

He felt sour. You were more important here than you were there.

Here at least he knew what you were doing. You were washing dishes, ironing, taking care of him.

If he let you roam free over the district, who knew what you were doing or who you were talking to?

The metal pan clanged as he twisted the lock with his key.

It was Commander Bonza’s last day, he couldn’t be distracted by these thoughts. Today he just needed the comfort of knowing you were here for him.

—

You rush through your chores without noticing the locked door. You find the laundry room next door to the bathroom and come across a stack of neatly folded towels. Shaking your head you grab the iron from the built-in white shelf and take it back to the living room where you had more space.

You finish the pants in no time but the shoes proved hard to shine. When you finally got them bright enough it was nearly 9 o’clock. Your mother would be awake soon and the walk home was still 20 minutes.

The cold that shoots through you when the door fails to open was one of the worst feelings you had ever felt. You yell, bang, and twist at the door but it remains unopened.

You wait, thinking that maybe he wanted to ensure that the work was done before letting you leave. But lunchtime passes and he doesn’t return.

You try wedging the door open with a butter knife but it bends the metal. The windows were sealed shut in the air-controlled room, and there was no back door that you could try.

From the window, you could see a group of Peacekeepers carrying a long and heavy wooden table. You bang on the window, gaining their attention.

They freeze as if you were a ghost before moving on.

—-

The ceremony turned into a party. You did hear the sound of saluting gun fire in the late afternoon but soon after it, you would hear the faint sound of music and dancing. Peacekeepers had strung lights across the compound. They were round and shone a dim yellow.

As night fell they became the only light over the place. You still were sat at the window, waiting for Commander Snow to return and release you.

Your mind drove you mad. Images of your mother crying out for you. Trying to walk on her own causing herself harm. She would definitely be up by now. Would Edmund tell her where you were or would he try to shield her from the truth?

She would be by herself surely. He would have had to return home to his own family. She would be by herself, worried sick. She wouldn’t believe Edmund no matter how good of a lie he told. You could picture her in bed with her sore back, crying.

By the time Coriolanus finally arrived home, you were a bilthering mess.

He drops his keys at the door and comes rushing over to you.

“What’s wrong?”

You couldn’t catch your breath through your tears.

“Hey, what happened?” he brushes your tears away with his thumbs.

You bash him in his chest for his dumb question.

“My mother,” you gasp between tears, “I need to go home. She needs me.”

“Okay, okay,” he soothes, ‘I’ll take you now.”

He takes your wrist into his hand and leads you out of his apartment. He doesn’t bother to lock the door. There was nothing to steal anyway, and the men here weren’t stupid enough to try.

You could hear the men over the music as you walked through the compound. Coriolanus must have left early.

A few Peacekeepers hid in dark corners smoking, only the light of the cigarette giving them away. You passed two, who scrambled back trying to go unnoticed as they carried their drunk friend back to the barricades.

Coriolanus doesn’t notice any of it. Or at least he pretends not to. You noticed he was far more observant then he led on.

He takes you to a two-story building that still had people working inside. He doesn’t take you in but around the back to a large shed that housed the cars.

He walks along a row of cars before coming to an acceptable one. It was a common patrolling car, with a cage in the back for rebels.

He looks at the number painted on the side, and leaves you by the passengers door.

“Wait here. I’ll go get the keys.”

“Hurry,” you tell him but it places no pep in his step.

There was no way she would have been able to eat anything. Her morphling dose was due hours ago. Even if she managed to get up. She wouldn’t be able to eat from the pain.

You thought about just leaving him and trying to sprint back to the house. But even with his slow pace the car would be faster. You were outraged by him. You were under the illusion that if you played to his wants, you could continue with your life with minimal distribution. But there was no leniency with him. He had a child-like temper. There was no give and take, there was only take with him.

He does return moments later with the keys and opens the passengers door to let you in.

“I’m sure she is fine,” he says as he buckles his own seat belt.

You don’t speak to him the whole journey, despite his attempts.

The only sound you made was upon seeing the red sign that marked the beginning of your community.

He parks outside of your house and you rush to get inside.

“Mum,” you called out before you had even opened the unlocked door.

You gasp as you see Edmund standing in your kitchen. He looked just as shocked to see you.

“Where have you been!” he demanded.

You try and shoo him, but Coriolanus was only two steps behind you.

You feel a protective hand go on top of your shoulder.

“She’s been with me. Who are you?”

“He’s the maintenance man.” You lie.

You feel Coriolanus’ hand tighten on your shoulder. Edmund knew the danger he was in. One wrong move and he would be sent to the noose the next morning.

“I was just fixing some damage in the roof. The door was open and I heard her mother calling out,” he showcases a couple of tools on the bench. You thank God that he did actually take the time out today to fix something, “Normally, Y/N is here. I got worried when she wasn’t.”

“And she planned to pay you with what? She has no money.”

“Food!” You call out, “I make food for his family in exchange.”

Coriolanus looked unsure but had no other proof he could object with.

“Go tend to your mother. I’ll make sure the work is finished.” Coriolanus ordered.

Torn, you don’t make a move. The sole purpose of your trip was to ensure that your mother was okay but you weren’t sure if you could leave Coriolanus and Edmund in the same room.

“No need. I took care of her. She’s asleep now”.

“All day? What a loyal friend”.

“Yeah, well someone had to look out for her.”

Coriolanus takes a step forward, positioning his body so it hides you behind it.

“Coriolanus Snow.” He held out a hand to shake.

“Commander Snow, you mean. The mighty Commander of District 12” Edmund holds his hands out in front of him, “I am unworthy to shake such a hand”.

Coriolanus keeps a still face as he withdraws his hand.

“That might be true,” Coriolanus shakes his finger at Edmund in an accusing manner, “Didn’t I see you next to my girl at the hanging?”

Edmund shrugs his shoulders, “I’ve stood next to many people, at many hangings. It all begins to merge into one.”

“I know what you mean,” Coriolanus agrees.

Talk of hanging makes you nervous.

“Coriolanus,” you pressed your hand against his shoulder and urged him forward,“How about I make you a cup of tea?”

He lets you push him to the table, and sit him down.

“Sure.” He answers but his eyes remain locked on Edmund as if he was the unwanted guest.

You felt better with him sitting. It would at least give Edmund a head start if Coriolanus decided to attack.

“I’ll have one too” Edmund states, turning with you into the kitchen but you stop him with a hand.

“No” you state, pulling items out of the fridge and placing them into Edmunds hands, “You’ve got to get home. That wife of yours must be cursing your name.”

Edmund silently begs you to let him stay with his big brown eyes. But you couldn’t. He had to leave before he got himself killed.

Coriolanus on the other hand looked smug. He sat proud and upright in his chair.

“I’ll show you the door.” Coriolanus looks to get up, and you feel a rush of panic go through you.

“No need. I built it!” Edmund snapped.

As much as you would have loved the protection of Edmund, sending him off was the best decision. It had barely been 5 minutes and Edmund was already losing his temper.

“Then you should have no trouble using it”.

Edmund gives you a pleading look to change your mind but can’t.

“Thank you for your kindness today. I am glad someone was here for my mother”.

“I still have work to do.” Edmund tries.

“You can come back tomorrow”. You push your friend to the door. He turns back to you once out of the threshold.

He says your name softly before the door closes in his face.

You turn back to Coriolanus who looked like the boy who won the biggest prize at the fair.

“I don’t want him in the house if I am not here.” He calls as you make his tea.

You try to act nonchalant as you answer, “Fine.”

You finish Coriolanus’s tea and bring it to him at the table.

He tugs your wrist as you pull your hand back and invites you onto his lap.

“You seemed close with the maintenance man,” he states, taking a sip of tea.

“Not at all. He’s my brother’s old friend. We’re just old acquaintances.”

He rubs your arm, “Why don’t you go pack a bag to take back”.

“Back? I thought that was a one night thing.” You bolt up out of his hold and he continues to sip his tea unbothered.

“You think I am letting you stay here after finding a man lingering in your house?”

You doubt if that was his plan long before Edmund was introduced.

“I told you who he was. My mother needs me here. She can’t even get out of bed by herself”.

“She seems to be standing just fine now.”

You follow his eyes to the hallway where your mother leaned against the frame out of breath.

You rush to her, trying to help her back to bed but she resisted.

“I was so worried,” she huffed.

“I am sorry.”

Coriolanus rises from his seat to join you and your mother in the hallway.

“She’ll be coming back with me, ma’am. You are welcome to visit anytime.”

Your mother wanted to argue and scream, you could see it on her face but she bit her tongue.

You spoke for her, “I am not. I am staying here”.

Coriolanus pushes past you to your bedroom where he yanks, opens the closet and begins searching for something. He tossed things out onto the floor before growing impatient and swifty going over to your bed and stripping the pillow case from the pillow.

He stuffs the things thrown on the floor into the case. Your underwear, and spare clothes are stuffed into the small sack.

He leaves the room to head to the bathroom and he sees you still with your mother as he passes.

He takes your toothbrush and a hair brush laying on the sink, packing it in the case.

“Lets go,” he demands with a strong hold on your arm.

You felt so frustrated as he pushed you forward. You scream and pull against him.

Your mother looked physically pained kneeled over the door frame. She looked as if she was yelling but no sound could come from her mouth.

You scream at him to let you go but he practically carries you out the door by your waist. He lets you go as if you were going to walk yourself only to pick you up by the waist again and throw you forward towards the car.

‘‘Let go of her!” You hear Edmunds voice before the force of his hit sends both you and Coriolanus off balance.

Coriolanus lets go of you to defend himself against Edmunds attacks. He grunts as Edmund gets a good shot to his mouth. His lip split instantly.

Coriolanus was stronger though. Well fed and well trained. He dodged the next swing and shot back one of his own. It landed against Edmund’s eye. It gave Coriolanus time to distance himself from the car. Now that he wasn’t backed into a corner, Edmund couldn’t rely just on his brute strength.

He lunged forward again but Coriolanus jumped back in time for the swing to miss.

With a clear shot to his face, Coriolanus throws his fist into Edmund’s nose. Blood gushed from it, leaving a large red patch. But it doesn’t deter him. He licks the blood off his lips and runs at Coriolanus with his shoulder.

Edmund’s tackle sent Coriolanus to the ground with an soft groan. With his knees cemented into the ground below, Edmund takes hold of Coriolanus' collar and uses it to bring his face up against his fist.

You could feel people watching from their houses but none came to help.

Not even whe Coriolanus managed to reverse positions. He didn’t make the same mistake as Edmund, he kept his body weight centered. One knee kneeling on the ground while the foot of his other leg stayed flat against the earth’s floor. It would be harder for Edmund to roll him over.

Coriolanus’s fists pounded into Edmunds face. You could see he was losing focus and his body lost power.

He was going to kill Edmund if he continued.

You throw yourself over his head, covering what you could with your own body. Coriolanus doesn’t swing down at you. Letting go of Edmunds hair and standing up.

He spits the blood from his mouth out on the ground, standing tall above you as he drinks in the position you were in. You could feel Edmund raise his hand to your shoulder, his tight grip bunching your shirt.

Coriolanus’s breathing was heavy but Edmund’s breaths were soft against your ear.

His lip was bleeding still into his mouth, and he had a cut above his eyebrow that he smeared across his face as he wiped it off.

You swore you heard him laugh softly as he picked up the pillow case and stuffed the lost items back in before throwing it into the car where it spilled once more.

He holds the door open for you, his hard stare telling you what to do without words.

You tear yourself from Edmund who was reluctant to let you go.

“No,” he groans but you follow your instincts and get into the car.

The door slams shut and you peer out the window to see Edmund trying to stand on shaky feet. The word must have felt like it was spinning for him.

Coriolanus gets in and begins driving without a word.

“Ah,” he sighs, wiping the blood off his lip.

You choke back tears as you watch Edmund fall down in the mirror.

“Kill them and you kill me,” you threaten, “I swear, there is not a single thing you can do that would stop me.”

Without your mother, without Edmund, there would be no point in being alive.

Coriolanus doesn’t answer you. You take it as a sign that he meant you were serious.

You both fall into silence on the drive back to the compound. You wondered if Lucy Gray was subjected to the same treatment. She was stronger than you were though. She was the victor of the Hunger Games, while you stood there frozen while two men tried to kill each other with their bare hands. If she couldn’t survive him, what hope did you have?

—------

The nightmare returns again that night.

It starts as it always does. He is in the forest hunting Lucy Gray as she taunts him with her song.

“Are you, are you comin' to the tree? Where they strung up a man, they say, who murdered three

Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree.”

He stalks through the vegetation.

“Wear a necklace of rope side by side with me?” He feels her once again, as a hand on his shoulder, a wet rasp in his ear. He spins with his gun to the air.

It was a fatal mistake. He feels the thick rope loop around his neck and yank him up to the trees. He drops his gun in an effort to loosen the knot around his throat.

Lucy Gray had strung him up in the tree like his father.

He gasps as he wakes from it, startling you too.

Your frightened figure was a welcomed sight to Coriolanus who scooped you up from the bed into his arms. His hold hurt you. It was far too tight, and his hot sweaty body overheated you.

You couldn’t tell him though, you doubt he would even hear you over his loud shaky breathing.

He presses his face into your hair, breathing in your scent.

He couldn’t have that cabin, that forest, that girl, haunt him the rest of his days. He would have to conquer this fear.

He would go back with you, where he would face Lucy Gray or leave the ghost of her in the trees.

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