𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 ༄ 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗂𝗋

chapter six

The man only watched them like they were fools, smiling menacingly as he pulled the letter from his pocket and held it out as if it was a prized delicacy.

"Believe it or not, this is me helping." He spoke in all seriousness. "You can take it or leave it."

༄༄༄

It was too dark. Everywhere in The Capitol was. She's been around long enough to know she couldn't escape it.

     She wasn't only up because of the lack of lighting in her room, but also the thought of what could've happened to Emory was lingering in her mind and making her more restless than usual.

Her eyes were pointed out the big window in the main room of her floor, her knees tucked against her chest as the sound of footsteps came from behind her.

     "Hey." She turned to find Apollo with tired eyes and messy hair, a smile finding her lips as he'd missed a few spots taking off his makeup from the parade.

He sat across from her, looking out the window as her eyes remained in a focused gaze upon him. Apollo was one of her best friends and knowing she might lose him left her taking in his appearance every chance she got so she could remember him forever.

"You read the letter?" He asked, meeting her stare. She nodded, the man referring to the envelope from Plutarch.

     Cyrus had shown them the letter a few hours after having read it himself, the contents in the pages making this year's games a hell of a lot more complicated.

"Do you think it's real or could it be some odd joke Plutarch is playing on us?" Apollo inquired, wanting so badly to believe it.

She shrugged, a humorless snicker sounding before she spoke. "I'm sure he's already planned several ways to torture us during the games. That would just be cruel if he gave us a phony letter explaining a way to keep us alive."

"Would you really put it past him?" He raised his brows, looking at her like she was crazy.

"No..." She muttered, a sigh falling from her lips. "Then again, trust isn't something I've ever been good at giving up, so my doubt isn't saying much."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Apollo shuffled from beside her, repositioning himself to get more comfortable on the windowsill.

"Isn't it?"

He shook his head drastically. "Not at all. In my opinion, trusting too easily can end with a worse pain than living in doubt."

She chuckled, never figuring her inability to trust people was a good thing. "You're pretty wise for someone who's only thirty-one."

His smile widened. "I get that a lot."

"Oh, please. Who else do you shower with your expert advice?" She asked through a chuckle.

"You'd be surprised."

     She was glad to see his smile again, another little thing that could bring her so much comfort. She felt horribly for making him upset the other day and now was as good a time as any to make up for it.

"I'm sorry." She said, gaining his attention. "For bringing her up."

He huffed, but he wasn't irritated or angry. "That's okay."

"No it's not. It wasn't fair." She stated and the man was slightly amused that she seemed offended by him not being mad at her.

"No, I can understand where you're coming from. I know Emory means just as much to you as Tilly did to me. It's nothing I should be upset about." He assured, leaning forward now against his knees. "Especially not with you."