"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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After the bombing of the hospital in District Eight, more and more citizens of Panem began to rise up against the Capitol. The Black Dahlia was sent to every corner of the districts carrying out political assassinations against rebel leaders and plotters. But still, resistance kept coming. Like cockroaches crawling out from under a rock, no matter how many throats she slit or bullets she fired, there were always dozens more emerging to take their place. Therefore, retaliation was needed.
She was recalled from District Seven, where an entire team of peacekeepers had been wiped out by hidden land mines, to appear on camera alongside Peeta Mellark. However her role was a more subtle, non-speaking part compared to his task. Once again, she was required to intimidate and terrify. Tales of the Black Dahlia's secret operations had become an effective deterrent for would-be revolutionaries. Her presence was just as much a weapon as Peeta's words.
"She was arguably our favourite tribute." Caesar pronounced with a feigned hint of disappointment to his tone. No doubt he was trying to win back the districts by garnering sympathy and remorse. "And I think that's what we all find most astonishing, is that this girl was adored in the Capitol. And I think for you, Peeta, it must be particularly painful.
The boy was slumped weakly in his cushioned chair, twirling a pristine white rose wistfully between his fingertips. His eyes were sunken and his face almost skeletal as he stared down at the rose with a longing gaze. Stuck in a mournful daze, he softly whispered under his breath, "I wish I could give this rose to you, Katniss."
"A sweet gesture," Caesar murmured in a vain attempt to appear considerate and comforting. The Black Dahlia could see right through the act as she remained in her position behind Peeta's chair. She had always been good at knowing when people were just pretending. In fact, the skill felt like second nature to her. "For a girl who has inspired such violence. You must love her very much to be able to forgive her. I don't think that I could." The Black Dahlia couldn't imagine anyone loving her in the slightest. She was a monster after all. No one wanted her, except Snow and the Madame. Under the girl's piercing glare, Caesar shifted slightly in his seat and continued, "Unless, of course, Peeta, you think that perhaps she's being... forced into saying things that she doesn't even understand."
Peeta paused at the obvious cue Caesar had just given him, prompting the boy's eyes to flicker over to the words flashing on the screen next to the camera. The words that are not his. The words that have been written for him. The words he's being forced to say.
Noticing his hesitance, the Black Dahlia stepped forward ever so slightly. Not enough to invoke suspicion, but enough for Peeta to understand that he's being threatened. If he doesn't say those words, worse things will follow.
Body stiffening and throat dry, he finally opened his mouth to shakily respond, "Yeah. That's exactly what I think. I think they're using her to whip up the rebels. I doubt she even knows what's happening. And what's really at stake."
