ACHILLES' HEEL 2
━━ duck, duck, goose!
All eyes were trained on Lucy Gray Baird and Jessup Diggs, the male tribute from 12, as she curtsied and pulled him into a bow too. They vanished into the darkness off-stage, and the circus show had finished. Juno could barely believe what had happened. She couldn't even fathom why she hadn't been assigned a tribute like her classmates. She was the odd one out. Why, why, why. Had her grandmother concluded she'd never be able to complete the task at hand? Why, why, why.
Strange, because Volumnia Gaul would never allow for her granddaughter, the face of the family for the new generation, to be left out. If anything, it should've been none other than Coriolanus Snow, whose family didn't even have a pot to piss in, as Dean Highbottom had informed her. But Volumnia had other plans in mind. Testing the young Snow in the assignment and watching him align ideas and complete the task, being driven by desperation and need, or by compassion. It was an interesting show she would be willing to watch.
The reaping had concluded after revealing all the other tributes from the remaining Districts, but Juno couldn't care less about the rest of them. Her questions consumed her mind bit by bit, she barely noticed people rising from their seats to be pulled away by the smell of food from the buffet. Among them, rose Coriolanus. He left without a word to Juno, not that she expected far more than that from him.
It was precisely at that moment that Volumnia's gloved hand pulled at Juno's arm and dragged her away from the eyes of outsiders. Juno hadn't gotten the chance to protest against her doings, but it would've been pointless if she could have anyway. She knew what her grandmother was about to demand — to bribe her into doing, no explanations at all — but she still hoped she could've said anything to stop the bruising on her arm.
She halted to a stop near the biology lab door, a place Juno wished she could abolish and destroy. The smell of formaldehyde triggered her gag reflex every time she came down and looked at all the mutts her grandmother had created and probably mutilated.
Volumnia loosened the grip on her arm. "Hippity, hoppity! How happy are you from one to I-love-you-Nana-you're-the-best, hm?" She smirked, but her smile was stripped from her face when Juno only glared up at her.
"Why?" She spat, "You expected me to be happy, after embarrassing me in front of the entire faculty and student body?" Juno gritted her teeth and ran her hands through her locks desperately. "Why would you do that?"
The elderly woman caressed her cheek gently, while Juno searched for a way to pull away from her poisonous touch. "Oh, darling," She whispered delicately, "I did you a favor." She told, eyes boring into hers with such wrath, that Juno was forced to glance away. "Or would you have preferred to be assigned a weakling from Eleven?"
Without a second thought, Juno ripped from the student bulletin board they stood beside the piece of paper that listed off the 10th Hunger Games Mentor assignments, with each tribute and their mentor. "I would've preferred to be involved in the assignment like everyone else." She hissed as she firmly held the paper in front of her, "Is it so hard for you to think I'm capable of —"
Volumnia sealed Juno's mouth after her palm came in contact with her face. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she fixed her gaze on her shoes. "Don't think you're the only one with special treatment here. Plinth paid for his son's tribute," She mentioned, referring to Sejanus. "If you want that prize, then you need to have an advantage here." She trailed off. She harshly forced Juno's chin up so she could face her. "Which is why you will be choosing the girl from District Twelve. Snow's tribute. That little songbird."
Juno Gaul's world collided.
She gulped down her anger, ignoring the wet trail of tears that painted her cheeks. "Why her? She'll die in the arena in less than a minute. She can't just sing her way out." She frowned, trembling under her touch.
Volumnia chuckled, "Darling, do you think Snow will allow her to succumb to her death? He's got the assignment clear. While he lives, so will her, honey." A smirk pulled at her lips. "Or have you forgotten about the filthy conditions his family resides in?" She mocked, laughing on her own. "He needs that prize more than you do."
Juno's thoughts trailed back to the words she shared with him earlier. You need it more than I do. She had ignored the stiffness of his body and the frantic look behind his eyes when those words slipped past her mouth, since it had been the reaction she expected from him. Fear. She wanted him to fear her. She had been referring to the position he was in regarding his family's power, not the fact he couldn't afford tuition. He needed the prize more than she did, because if she failed to achieve it, she'd still attend University, per her grandmother's wishes.
He needs that prize more than you do.
Silence embraced the two. Volumnia grabbed the paper from Juno's hands and shredded it to pieces as she smiled down a Juno, the same smile Juno wished she could easily wipe from her devious face. "So? Shall I tell Highbottom?" She cleared her throat.
Juno was left with no other choice. Her grandmother wasn't entirely wrong. He needed that prize, and he was sure to do everything in his power for Lucy Gray Baird to win, but she wished she didn't have to depend on him. She could've easily won the prize on her own, without his or anyone's help.
"Do I have a choice?" Juno mumbled, wiping her tear-stained cheek. She hated being weak in front of her. She hated showing her how vulnerable she could get.
Volumnia caressed her face. "That's my girl." She laughed. "If it helps convince you, dear, I've got a good feeling about him. Don't be scared."
Juno was ushered back to the Heavensbee hall by Volumnia, who claimed to have parted ways to search for food at the buffet. The smell of posca in every corner of the room welcomed her once again, as well as a very worried Clemensia Dovecote.
She approached her with a deep frown and even placed her drink aside before grabbing Juno's shoulders. "Juno!" She startled her with her sudden appearance. "Where on Corso have you been? I've looked for you everywhere!"
Juno and Clemensia Dovecote were close friends. They'd pair themselves together for a couple of assignments, therefore having spent a lot of time together prior to the mentoring task. She was a smart and determined girl, but only Juno knew how far her ambition could get her.
Somehow, she always managed to get outstanding grades in every class and made it look as if it were a competition against her own friend. Juno didn't mind, though. It was something Clemensia held against herself — some type of brainiac-maniac doing — to be better than everyone at everything. It wasn't anything that they'd get in the way of their friendship.
"Oh, I was with my grandmother," She told shortly before she could pressure her for more answers. She avoided Clemensia's stare and instead focused on the other students. She even spotted Coriolanus on the side near a cart eyeing the apple pie wedges, sharing a few words with Dean Highbottom. She couldn't see his face, but he was likely losing his sanity.
"What was that about?"
"Huh?"
"In the ceremony." Clemensia folded her arms. "Your special assignment? Everyone is talking about it. Even the professors." A worried laugh escaped her lips.
Juno could barely muster any words out. She met her friend's eyes and sighed, "I'm choosing the girl from Twelve." She murmured, avoiding the risk of someone eavesdropping and spreading the word.
Clemensia went wide-eyed and gasped loudly, "You're choosing Coryo's tribute!? Are you mental!? Why would you —"
"Clemmie!" Juno covered her mouth in an instant and glared down at her. Surrounding students eyed them before returning to their conversations. "I have to. The girl has a lot of potential, and she already caught everyone's attention."
Clemensia shrugged as she slapped her hand away. "How's that of any help?" She argued, "You know better than to pick her. She can't do anything else but sing!"
Juno pulled her closer, "Have you forgotten what this assignment is about?" She whispered, "People need to watch the Hunger Games. You basically have to sell your tribute to the Capitol for people to engage in the games." She said, her own words being painful to hear. Clemensia remained silent. "Besides, Coryo's good. Determined enough."
"It's a District Twelve girl, Juno."
"It's Coriolanus Snow. I can't risk losing the price over such a thing."
Clemensia freaked, "I thought you'd be helping me! I'm your friend, and Reaper actually has a chance at winning the games," She pointed out, referring to her tribute.
"I'm sorry," Juno breathed. Even she had trouble convincing herself about him, "I'll try to help you as much as I'm allowed to, as long as it doesn't go against the rules," She reassured, placing a hand on her arm and bringing comfort to the girl somehow.
"Surely, you will." Clemensia hummed bitterly as she looked over Juno's shoulder. "Excuse me, I'm grabbing the piece of my dessert. Have fun." She spun around on her heels and left Juno to collect her thoughts.
She grabbed the cup with posca Clemensia had left on a table and took a shameless sip after swooshing it. She sighed, and found herself unconsciously scanning the room for a certain whitehead, a dear classmate of hers she so wished to avoid for the rest of her life. She hated having to face him. Why not just publicly announce she'd be working with him? Why hadn't Volumnia thought about that instead of pushing Juno to humiliate herself in his eyes?
The thought of working alongside him for the prize they both yearned for seemed nearly terrifying to Juno. She barely knew him, but she knew about him. He seemed genuine and a smart person, and she could tell from his looks he had everything wrapped around his finger. She didn't know him on a personal level, but it surprised her to see him so composed after his given tribute was announced to him. Maybe it was a test they had for him, maybe he had taken it as an opportunity.
"She's lovely." His touch on her exposed lower back snapped her back to her senses. As she spun, she was met with his stare. Just who she needed to appear in front of her. "So? Missed the buffet?" He questioned, glancing down at the almost empty glass of posca, while his arm snaked away from her waist.
Juno chuckled, "I prefer homemade food anyway." She retorted, folding her arms over her chest and eyeing him cautiously. "What brings you here? Weren't you having an endearing chat with High-As-a-Kite-Bottom?" She teased, knowing his nickname for the Dean could land him in threatening trouble.
A laugh dared to escape his lips. "Turns out there are better things for me to do. Like talking to you, for instance." He trailed off. Juno frowned at his choice of words, "Would you mind?" He gestured to the door, and once again held his arm out for her as he had done before the ceremony started.
Juno huffed. The fact he had reached out to her first pushed her buttons. Maybe he had found a way to wrap her around his fingertip. She studied his grim expression and walked past him, ignoring his arm and murmuring in his ear, "It better be worth my time, Snow."
She avoided the stares of the Academy's students as she barged outside the door. It felt refreshing to step out of the eyes of people and escape their savory comments that would surely destroy Juno's ego in seconds.
She turned to him, watching as he quietly closed the door behind him. She stood there impatiently, her foot lightly tapping the cobblestone while he paced around. "So?"
Coriolanus picked on his bottom lip. "Have you already decided which tribute you're choosing?" He threw at her, avoiding her eyes at all costs.
Her muscles tensed and she shifted in discomfort. "I have. Why do you ask?" She said bluntly, catching a glimpse of despair in his pale blue gaze.
He turned to her, "Who did you choose?"
"Answer my question first."
"I want you to mentor with me. The girl from Twelve."
Juno suppressed a smile. "Why's that?"
Coriolanus approached her slowly, enclosing the gap between them. He stood so close, she could taste his rose-scented cologne impregnated on the skin of his neck. It also granted her the opportunity to notice the rose tucked in his vest. Charming, but too classy for her taste.
"We would win."
Her jaw clenched at his words, "How do you know she's not some underfed weakling who will reach her final destiny inside that arena?" She groaned. Her mind had traveled to the prize and the prize only.
"Ah, ah. It's your turn to answer."
Juno laughed at his cockiness. "You, the Coriolanus Snow, the one with roses planted on his roof, the same boy whom I battle against in this task, is begging me to work with him?" She teased, enjoying the sarcastic smirk on his lips. He remained silent, eyes boring into hers. She huffed, "Now you're playing my own game." She murmured.
He raised his brows. Even he didn't expect such a reaction coming from her part.
She gulped down the sudden nerves that washed over her and dared to answer. "Well, Dr. Gaul personally handpicked me to work with you. She has a good feeling about you, Snow."
Handpicked. She had been duck, duck, goose'd.
She told truthfully, noticing the relief that swept over his face.
Coriolanus felt so glad he could've embraced the girl he had cornered in a hug. Of course, he restrained himself from celebrating with her. Perhaps they could make a toast once they claimed the victory of Lucy Gray Baird. Maybe. Just maybe.
And so the missing puzzle piece had been found.