I hear Coriolanus before I see him. Combined with his pathetic shouts of "Lucy Gray where are you? I just want to talk to you!" and his heavy stumble through the thick undergrowth, it's enough to scare away every sign of life.
He's wielding his Peacekeeper gun. The murder weapon. Peering through the tangle of leaves and branches, I see Coriolanus pause at the sign of my scarf and he bends down to pick it up after taking a closer look. Not letting my eyes leave him, I reach into my pocket and my hands find it. I unravel my secret on the forest floor, with my breath caught in my throat . Coriolanus's eyes travel around the forest, clearly searching for me.
Slowly, slowly, it slides over the twigs and branches.
Slowly, slowly, it slides over his trousers and shirt, up, up, towards his neck.
Coriolanus senses my snake too late. It sinks its fangs into his arms before he has time to defend himself. I wish it was venomous. Then, I would never have to worry, fear him, ever again. The thought of Coriolanus, future president of Panem, dead in the middle of the woods surrounding District 12, far, far away from the bloodthirsty Capitol brings a dark sense of elation to rise in me and an evil smile paints itself on my face.
A roar erupts from Coriolanus which echoes around the forbodding forest.
My eyes trap him under my gaze. He hesitates. He's thinking. He knows my next move.
I take off, trying to flee as quietly as I can. It's difficult and I have no choice but to circle around him to go back to the house, but amid all the fear, death and adrenalin, my plan is going perfectly. It's funny how easy it is to manipulate your lover.
Sure enough he calls out again. "Lucy Gray!" he screams.
The mockingjays mimic his desperate cry, turning it into something orchestral, almost like another ballad. It's perfect. The songbirds cover for me.
The ivory face of Coriolanus has turned sour, twisted with anger. He knows. He knows. Manipulation is a game itself. And I have played it perfectly.
Coriolanus lifts his heavy gun and holds it into position. I dive behind a thick tree trunk and press myself against the jagged bark, waiting for the end to come, willing for the world to plunge into darkeness. My heart hammers desperately in my chest, doing the best its ever done to keep me alive before the darkeness swallows me up. I screw up my eyes, tuck my head in and press my hands hard against my ears. I don't dare to breath.
His gunshots echo around the forest, leaving death stalking me.
The world goes silent.