Liberosis - The Hunger Games

32

Finnick disappeared once more shortly after the parade.

He squeezed my hand gently, to display remorse in his weird way, then he stalked off to another high-strung Capitol woman who paid for his time. I had gripped my nails into the palms of my hands, pressing down as hard as I could to wake myself up from the living nightmare, I was experiencing. Not his fault, not his fault, not his fault.

I hated President Snow.

Not just with that shallow dislike of every pompous arrogant tyrant, no, I hated his man. With the burning fury of the pits of hell, I hated him. So much so, every cell in my body begged to kill him, to rip him into ribbons of flesh and watch him suffer in the way the districts have suffered all this time. Not just for what he did to Finnick, but for what he did to all of us. To Reign, to Ophelia, to their growing family that would bear the brunt of his tyranny.

To Atlas and Lorelei- all the victors who experienced the same torture that Finnick underwent at every single game.

To Thorn, Elsie, Beck, even Sage. The people dead are not only at my hands but his.

Something overtook all my better judgement at that moment, I let the evil thoughts win.

Would I be any better than him? Perhaps not.

Would it feel amazing?

Fuck yes.

It was almost as if I had blacked out, I hardly knew where my vengeance-possessed mind was leading me until I was close to the living quarters of President Snow myself. I didn't even have anything to kill him with, I just knew how good it would feel to finally do it. In my determination, I barely noticed the person walking behind me until his hand was on my shoulder and I was pressed against the wall.

"What the hell do you think that you're doing?" Haymitch slurred.

He and Atlas stood side by side, any reasonable person would be intimidated, but all I felt was blind rage, "Just let me do this," I seethed, pushing against the force of Atlas' weight.

"Do what?" Atlas questioned with a dark laugh, "Waltz into the heavily guarded President's quarters and kill his with- your hands?" Haymitch grinned at Atlas' suggestion, but quickly sobered his face into a stern frown.

It was infuriating watching him trying to be an adult.

"Sounds pretty good to me," I hissed, struggling against his hold.

"Turn around and walk away with us," Haymitch uttered as a group of Peacekeepers passed us.

"Or I'll carry you," Atlas added threateningly, "Your niece and nephew are waiting for you at home, I promised to keep you alive, remember?"

"Fine," I snapped, "Fine,"

The three of us turned around and walked in the other direction, Pluto and Annie would already be up in their quarters, preparing for the day of training ahead. Finnick was God knows where, I had no one to turn to except for them. We wandered up several flights of stairs, Atlas' hand gripped my forearm tightly to prevent me from running. "Where are we going?" I muttered to Haymitch.

"Just you wait sweetheart," He mumbled.

Most of the victors were waiting at the rooftop for us, holding bottles of clear liquor with proud smiles. "What the hell?" I said aloud, a little too bluntly, causing the group to laugh.

"We're congratulating you," said Lorelei calmly.

"It's a right of passage to attempt to murder the President on your first year of mentoring," Gloss added with a cheeky grin, handing me a bottle of white liquor, "Most of us did it,"