The Hunger Games: Staying True. (Completed)

Chapter Thirty Two: Some Blackmail, Some Confessions. (Edited)

Only one person in the world knows me that well.

Plutarch stares at me.

"You told Coal to take Chaim."

He doesn't deny it.

"You told Coin that it would be the only thing that would spur me into a fight that I might not win." My words come in a rush, and I take a heavy seat on the bed. My heart beats so wildly in my chest that it hurts. "Because I've never in my life gone into a fight that I can't win. Because you trained me. Because you trained Coast. Because you taught us that to fight a battle you might lose is ridiculous. You taught us to manipulate and lie and cheat until the odds were in our favour.

"You knew the only way I'd fight Coal was if I was angry enough, but you made sure the order came from Coin, because the only way I'd throw my entire life away to make her suffer, make her pay, is if I was furious enough."

He says nothing. He just stares at me.

"You let that boy die." I accuse. "You may as well have cut his throat yourself."

"Do you want me to apologise?" He demands, glaring now. I've annoyed him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about Marie. I didn't know that Coin would use her against you. I didn't know that Coal would kill Chaim. I thought you'd save him."

"Don't you fucking dare pin his death on me!" I shout, furious again. I make an effort to calm myself; I don't want those soldiers rushing in, I've still got questions. "Did you tell Coin that my mother was alive?"

"No." He says it quickly enough and firmly enough that I believe him. "I think Snow might have, before he died. He knew that Coin was obsessed with you."

"Fine." I shrug, I can get over that. "Final accusation. Was it you who made sure I was a tribute in the Games?"

Because it was never a coincidence. How could it have been? There are hundreds of Noble children, but I'm one of the 24 tributes? Out of everyone, they pick the former Resistance soldier, the one that Coin was obsessed with? The one that Snow tortured?

Plutarch knew that I'd shake things up. He knew I'd fight. He knew that eventually Coin and I would come to a head. Come to blows. This has panned out exactly as he wanted it to. All because I got picked to participate in the Games.

"You know me better than anyone, or you did." I'm murmuring now. I'm actually afraid of the answer. "It's a stretch, and it was a gamble on your part. But you knew that I wouldn't have let my brother's volunteer. Knew that I'd come to the natural conclusion that I was the only Casteel child who might stand a chance in the Games. You made sure my family's name was picked, and by default you knew I would enter the Games. You couldn't have predicted that I'd end up killing Coin, but you knew I'd be angry. You knew I'd want to rebel. You knew I'd say everything that needed to be said to make the people angry, make them question Coin, question 13."

He's breathing heavy now. I'm staring at him, a little numb.

"And then you saw that I promised to protect Chaim. You saw that Coal wanted me. You saw that Coin hated me. So you moved us all into position. You made sure that I hated Coin enough that I'd kill her, even at the expense of my own life."

We stare at each other for a long time. His eyes are wide. Panicked. He never thought I'd figure it out. Because that's what he doesn't know about me. That's what I always kept from him. Even before he started to train me, even before Coast molded me into the perfect weapon, I was already a liar. Already a manipulator. Underneath my pretty smile there was a wicked, sharp mind.

He saw the pretty, frightened girl who just wanted to get back at everyone who'd hurt her. He never imagined I was more than that. He bought my vacant eyes, my vapid attitude. He was fooled just like everyone else.