"THAT OKAY WITH YOU..."
--¤☆¤--
"Okay." He whispers, making me smile.
"You will?" I ask, hoping that I heard him correctly.
"Yeah." He said, nodding his head with a soft smile.
"Okay. I'll see you at lunch, right?" I ask, hoping for everyone to be there so that me and Finnick could announce our wedding.
"Yeah." He said, when the creaking of the door handled jingle.
"I'll see you soon, Peeta. I promise." I said, promising him.
Patting his hand for comfort, I hear the door open up making me turn to find Boggs standing there with a guilty look on his face. I already knew what it meant, my time was up. Giving him a nod of understanding, I turn to Peeta who gives me a smile and lets go of my hand. Turning back to Boggs, I offer him a weak smile, he taps his watch once before looking at Peeta with a soft look.
It seemed like everyone was pitying Johanna, Peeta and me these days. I knew about the looks, the whispers and they weren't the most subtle either. So to see Boggs look this sad, made me feel how serious this was. Looking him up and down slowly, he sighs before turning to leave the room before stopping. His shoulders tense before sagging slightly.
"Your three o'clock meeting with Coin is about to start." Boggs said, nodding his head at Peeta.
---0---
Approaching the table, I held my head high as the others turned to look at me. Plutarch and Coin nodded their heads at me. While Beetee and the other woman, who had her back to me, were quietly talking. Scanning around the room, the T.V. screens were showing people burnt down Peacekeeper outpost's; cheering as they collapsed.
Some people were standing on top of car's, holding up signs and home-made flags with Mockingjay painted on them. Quick snips of wounded being treated and Peacekeeper's lined up show on screen. It was the same videos from last time I was here. Nothing seemed to have changed drastically.
"Welcome Miss.Grey I believe you know Mrs.Davis." Coin said, as I sat down in the nearest empty chair.
Hearing a chair turn in my direction, I look over to see Anna sitting there with sharp eyes pointed at Coin. Her eyes drift over to me and instantly soften up, tears brim in my eyes as I see her lips curl up into a sad smile. My shoulders tense up and my hands grip onto my jumpsuit; digging into the thick fabric.
Feeling all of the color drain from my face, memories flood my head of Klaudius. From the moment I met him, an innocent thirteen year old girl that was shoved into the Hunger Games. To the day before we went into the Arena for the Seventy-Five Hunger Games, it was a quick glance as we went our separate ways. I was no longer an innocent thirteen year old girl, I was now a twenty three year old woman.
Klaudius was like that once, innocent. He was forty-one, he would have been turning forty-two in December. He would like to stuff newspapers from the Capitol into the soles of his shoes saying, 'I want to absorb as much knowledge as I can'. He liked to eat his toast with jam and butter. A sinking feeling forms in my gut as it hits me again, he is gone. Her husband. The father of her child. Thalia's father. The man she loved. He. Was. Gone.
"Anna." I whisper, freezing in place.
"Hello Athena." She said, offering me a kind smile.
"I am so sorry about Klaudius." I blurt out, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them.
"You did everything that you could, for that I'm grateful. I have no hate or anger for you." She said, nodding her head at me with a faint glint of peace and wisdom in her eyes.
"If you don't mind me asking, where have you been this whole time Anna?" I ask, picking my words carefully.
"Taking my time in accepting his death. I had to be strong for Thalia. I needed that time away where I could grieve in peace." She explains, adjusting her hijab.
"Let's get started." Coin said, cutting our conversation short.
Holding back the urge to glare at the woman, I stop myself knowing that she had the answers to questions I needed answered. No matter how annoyed or upset that I felt with Coin cutting us off. I would hold my head up high and suck it up. Carrie and Damian needed me to do this. I needed to do this. Shifting in my seat, I broke my eye contact with Coin and started at Beetee. Clearing his throat, Beetee clicks on his tablet and fidgets with it under the T.V projects a loading screen.
"Firstly, for the information on Donna and Harry Moore of District Ten. We can confirm that both are alive and well." Beetee said, as the screen stops loading.
Clicking on a file, the screen zooms in to show a still image of a man strapped to a chair. Feeling my eyes instantly water up, I can feel everyone in the room tense up; their breaths stuck in their throats. Clicking again, the camera zooms in on his face making a tear fall at the sight. I knew those eyes. I knew that face. It was him. That man was my Dad. Theodore Grey.
Zooming out of my father, I could see another figure kneeling across from him; hands behind their back. Beetee clicks on the figure, making my blood boiled as I found it to be my mother. The video was both of my parents, more bloody and bruised than normal. My father was sporting a bruised jaw, while my mother had a split lip.
"Let us begin." Coin said, nodding at Beetee.
Pressing play on the video, Snow steps into the camera frame with two armed Peacekeeper's at his side. A typical move of his. Have others do the dirty work, while he hides behind his synthetic white roses. Taking a step to the side of my parents, the camera gives the perfect view of Snow with my parents in front of him. Looking up at him, my mother had a sneer on her face and her eyes were shooting daggers at him; almost daring him to come near her.
"Your mother and I have history, Lucille. She loved me once." Snow replies, making my Mom cackle.
"My mother never loved you, Coriolanus. You were her ticket out of the Arena, nothing more than that." Mom spat out, lunging for Snow but it stopped by the chains on her legs.
Shaking his head at her, Snow makes a small tutting sound and shakes his finger in disapproval. The two Peacekeeper's point their guns at her, but Snow raises his hand up; stopping them. Lowering their weapons, a sinister smile forms on Snow's face making both of my parents look at him bewildered.
"If that is the matter. What shall we do about your daughter then? Should we see if she can survive the Games? See if she can love a dear old man like me?" Snow questions, making both of them tense.
Instantly both of my parents start to thrash against their restraints trying to break free. For a split second, Snow's face goes from smug to fearful as the leather bounds strapped against my father making a tearing sound. The Peacekeeper's pull out their guns and point them at my parents, one puts a protecting hand in front of Snow. My Mom stops fighting and settles on glaring at Snow, while my Dad doesn't.
"You can kick me⎯punch me. But if you EVER touch my daughter⎯I will make Panem burn, Snow.." Dad growls, thrashing violently against the bounds.
"Pathetic threats." Snow scoffs.
"It's not a threat. It's a promise." Dad growls, spitting at him.
"It's a shame that you will never fully fulfill this promise, Theodore. You will never see her grow. Never see her alive again. Never see what happens to her." Snow said, raising his hand up.
Watching in slow motion as the Peacekeeper beside him raises his gun, I shut my eyes not wanting to see it. Covering my ears, the video cuts off before the gun shot could go off; saving me from the haunting sound.
Shakily opening my eyes, my entire body shakes as tears stream down my face as I see my Dad now hunched over. Blinking away the tears, I rock back and forth as the haunting sounds of Snow's voice echo in my head.
"Remember the Capitol is your friend..the Capitol has served you well..Panem will collapse without the order and structure of the Capitol..Panem will burn without the Capitol..Join the Capitol in eliminating all rebels and rebellion.."
Feeling a hand being placed on my shoulder, I flinch as I am pulled away from my thoughts. Blinking slowly, I see Boggs standing in front of me. His natural face was now contorted into one of concern. Scooting back, I wipe the tears from my face and try to keep my voice calm.
"You alright? Do we need to call off the wedding? We can arrange it! Give you time to grieve." Beetee offers, making me shake my head.
"No⎯I'm fine⎯See? I'm okay. I just wasn't really expecting some of the stuff, I found." I said, lying through my teeth; the last thing I need is everyone freaking out before the wedding.
+++++
And I am done with the chapter! Stay safe out there guys!
I hope you all are doing okay emotionally and physically in quarantine! I love you all!
×ADDITIONAL CAST×
Emily Browning as Annie Cresta
'THE KIND FRIEND'
"We all carry a piece of the world on our shoulders..That's why so many people think they have the weight of the world resting on them..."
Jennifer Connelly as Lucille Grey
'THE DEAD MOTHER'
"My mother never loved you, Coriolanus..You were her ticket out of the Arena, nothing more than that.."
Michael Fassbender as Theodore Grey
'THE MISSING FATHER'
"You can kick me...punch me..but if you EVER touch my daughter..I will make Panem burn, Snow.."
I hope that you are enjoying the book so far! A quick reminder to comment below about the story of what you think so far!
P.S. I am SOOOO SORRY for not updating sooner! Me and Ghost (my editor) were trying to figure out the story's flow! But we found it!
ALSO, I am on Spring Break! SO THAT MEANS MORE UPDATES!!!!