Violent Ashes | Tigris Snow

two.

"Do you believe him?"

"In all honesty no." Vanessa answered "But I do know Starbo is desperate enough to hand the prize to you. That man will do anything to buy himself out of his problems. What better than having an old friends' daughter win the Plinth prize."

Judith winced as her mother braided her hair, feeling the roots of her hair nearly be pulled from her scalp "Why would he need to that? I thought dad had everything under control in district two or is there something-" Judith wondered.

From an early age Judith had realized that her family was friends to no one, no one that could not offer them a deal at hand. Because of Calix's disposition to the president, everyone seemed to want to be on good footing with the Lexington's. "Do you think the districts will-"

"The districts will do nothing." Vanessa affirmed "But you can imagine how they are this time of the year with the games underway. Those animals are always looking for a reason to start a fight Judith."

Her mother never hid her disgust to the districts, but who in the capitol did not. To her mother, they were deserving of a punishment. Vanessa had raised her to belief that all was well, life was simple before the war.

How could she not, when she benefited from everything the districts offered the capitol.

"Is it that difficult to imagine why?" Judith questioned looking at their reflections as she looked to her mothers stolid face "Would you be happy if one day I got taken from home, never to see me again."

To her words her mother cracked a smile "Please, they'd return you to us within a day."

Judith felt her manicured nails digging into the palm of her hands. Though she had come accustomed to her mothers remarks. Though no matter how old she would get, that did not make them hurt any less.

She understood she was a difficult person. She was arrogant, selfish and difficult, but a part of herself wondered if her mother was not supposed to love in spite of all of it? As Judith became older she started to understand, to her mother she could never be a daughter but rather a plagued doll she could dress up.

An old toy constantly being prodded and probed to look its best when an occasion arise. They'd return you to us within a day, her mothers word repeated itself in her head. Was she so unbearable that no one wanted her? Not even to kill her?

"Besides, if the districts are so unhappy with the games then maybe they should have never rebelled. It's their own fault if you think of it Judith." Vanessa wrapping a white ribbon around her ponytail as she stepped back "You've been spending too much time with that Plinth boy. You're starting to sound like him."

"No I don't, I just don't see reason for-" she could not finish her sentence as the scowl on her mothers face stared a hole right through her. Though she was pass the age of her mother hitting her with a hairbrush, the looks she gave her was still enough to make her feel like a five year old hiding in her wardrobe.

"Judith, that is enough." Vanessa warned "I expect your best manners for the next few days. I do not need you saying or even questioning matters that you do not want the answer to, do I make myself clear?"

Judith rolled her eyes as she felt the sharp sting of her nails digging through the skin. She nodded her head

"Remember, chin up, eyes wide and remember to smile. It makes you look pretty." Her mother exited her bedroom with a final remark. Judith opened her palms to see tiny specks of blood from the markings of her nails, wiping it off on with a scented tissue as she took one final look in the mirror.

She barely recognized herself. Her hair pulled back so tight she could feel a headache on its way to visit her. She took a sniff of her shoulder, still reeking of alcohol. Judith sighed as she drowned herself in perfumes reeked of roses and vanilla.