Liberosis - The Hunger Games

36

After all, we had suffered the past week, here the President was once more, pouring saltwater into the open wounds he had been responsible for creating.

Annie sat beside me, curled up in the chair and gripping my hand so tightly I noticed the whites of her knuckles. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. I was infuriated, not only at him, for cursing us with his presence but because I felt powerless to comfort the girl beside me.

Finnick shared a wave of similar anger, his jaw was clenched tightly, his hands clasped into fists. The devil on his shoulder was close to winning, and the devil on mine wanted to encourage him.

The President broke the tense silence in an indifferent voice, "There has been some..." he paused in search of a word, "tension- about the occurrences of the most recent Hunger Games, even some in the Capitol believe the events have gone too far,"

Finnick and I shared a look perhaps the understatement of the century, "Some of our citizens believe that Miss Cresta's emotional health has been completely discarded for the sake of the Capitol's entertainment. Word is now spreading of the lack of unity between the Capitol and the Districts, with a nation divided- we risk chances of another uprising,"

He paused, allowing the words to mull over the angry faces of the room. Of course, we were a divided nation, every time a member of the districts closed their eyes, they would see Pluto's eyes staring back. The ocean blue colour prevalent in the people of district four, it was in our reflections, in the faces of the people we held most dear, in the strangers we passed on the streets trying to scrounge up their next meal from scraps.

"This nation depends on unity-"

"This nation depends on fear," I shot back callously, "Do not mistake compliance out of fear for unity," Finnick gripped my hand as a warning, though I knew he wanted to say something similar.

"In regard to the Capitol," President snow interrupted, disregarding my statement, "The people feel angered over the death of Mr Portello and the state in which Miss Cresta has been left to live. The people of the Capitol have begun to doubt the games and if I do not have control of my own people, how will I have control of those in the districts?"

You have never had control in the districts- Is what I wanted to say, instead, I nodded my head slowly, gripping Finnick's hand even tighter under the table.

There were eight people in the room Finnick, me, Annie, her entire prep team, and the President, all of us sat in a tense state, gripping the arms of our chairs tightly and glancing around the room as if a bomb were to drop at any second. And finally, it dropped from the President's mouth, and I felt a blast of pressure from every direction as his snake-like eyes settled on me. "There's no better way to create unity between the people of Panem than a royal wedding, is there not?"

The words made my stomach twist into knots, a royal wedding- I was the Capitol's Princess in their eyes, Their Pearl. Even worse, I had somehow gained the respect of most of the districts, even though I knew I was the perfect candidate for a wedding- it was either that or a funeral.

I felt everyone's eyes on me as I tried to remind myself to breathe, Finnick's eyes had especially burned into my temples, and I couldn't resist turning to face the man. All I saw in his eyes was the same thing I was feeling, heartbreak- there was no saving me, or us now. The President always got what he wanted, whether that be an execution or a wedding, he would have it with a single word from his forked tongue.

"Who would she be marrying?" Finnick's voice broke, he tried to sound hopeful, but there was no use in assuming anything good could come of this occasion.