When the Mockingjay Sings - Coriolanus Snow/Treech

Chapter Three

After the ceremony, everyone remained in the room, talking about the news. Coriolanus Snow remained in his seat, not knowing what to do with himself. Thousands of thoughts ran through his head, but each led to the same goal—the Plinth Prize. The District 12 girl was a gift; he knew it. Her show-stop entrance had everyone engrossed, but he wondered what the best way to use that to his advantage. He must find a way to get the audience to invest in the girl and himself. The smell of baked food started to fill the room. Onions. Meat. Coriolanus felt his stomach flipping at the scent. His constant battle with hunger always lingers in his life, defining him.

Athena Brightsworth moved from behind him; even without looking, he could feel her eyes on him. He felt smug with Athena being assigned the District 8 boy; he wasn't anything special compared to his songbird or the boy from District 1, who seemed well-fed. Sejanus got the boy from District 2, which had insulted him. The Plinth family threatened the old order just by simply being present.

"Are you leaving?" Senjanus peered up at her, standing up from his chair.

"My father isn't ready yet, but I will wait for him outside." Athena smiled at her friend, completely ignoring Corionalus.

"Okay, see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," she agreed. She put her bag over her shoulder.

"Oh, Sejanus,"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry about Marcus," she gave him a sympathetic smile. When she smiled, Coriolanus noticed how her cheeks dimpled, and her eyes nearly glowed with sympathy.

"Me too," was all he said.

Coriolanus felt slightly relieved at the absence of the girl. He finally felt like he could move. He straightened out his pants, grabbed his bag and coat and went to the food. He tried hard not to show his eager, starved eyes as he picked up a plate, grabbed a linen napkin and cutlery and started to pile the food onto his plate. He used all his discipline to overfill his plate; he had to make sure not to look greedy. He sat down next to Clemensia and went to retrieve the desert as he had never gotten the chance to get one last year.

Athena let the cool hair soothe her hot skin; she couldn't tell if her overheating was coming from her anxiety about a mentor or because of the number of people that swarmed the room. She didn't feel like eating; her appetite was gone, even with her stomach growling from missing breakfast. She opened her flower bag and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. She knew she was too young to be smoking, but in the eyes of the Capital, she was basically an adult. She found the smell of the smoke burning her throat, and the nicotine helped calm her nerves. She always told her father that she would stop when he stopped taking morphing. That shut him up real quick.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Athena's head snapped to her side to see Coriolanus standing there; his head hung low, causing his blond locks to cover his intense gaze from hers. His jaw was clenched in either discomfort or anger.

"Why should I?" Athena raised an eyebrow at him, taking another draw of her joint.

Coriolanus was silent. He didn't know what to say. He thought she owed it to him for saving her all those years ago.

"We haven't talked since the war, Coriolanus; why now?" Athena dropped her joint and stepped on it, crushing it with her shoes. She examined his makeshift top; Athena knew it was Tigris who sewed the shirt, making it seem like it was expensive when she learned, in reality, it wasn't.

"I don't know," He spoke after a moment of silence.

"That's what I thought," she patted his arm as she walked by, leaving him to his thoughts. The feeling of her cold hands against his arm lingered.

Coriolanus watched the beauty walk down the stairs and towards the car that had the one man he hated the most—Dean Highbottom, the man who had it out for him since he stepped foot in that school.

"Hey," Athena paused. She turned around to see Coriolanus quickly running down  the stairs.

"Tell me one thing,"

"Yes?" Athena was looking up at him; he was standing a step above her.

"Is there a reason your father hates me?" He boldly asked. Athena let out a sigh and shook her head.

"He doesn't hate you," she reassured him.

"No, he doesn't, he hates everyone. Me, on the other hand, he despises." His blue eyes searched hers, almost like the answer would reveal itself.

"It has something to do with your father," she admitted.

"My father? What does he have to do with that?" Coriolanus was confused.

"That's all I know; I'm sorry," She apologized.

"Do you know too?" He asked, his frantic eyes searching hers.

"Does that matter?" she gave him a small smile before leaving him and getting in her car.

Coriolanus Snow watched the girl drive away. He rubbed his chest in annoyance, looking around to see if anyone witnessed their interaction, but thankfully, everyone was still enjoying the after-ceremony feast. It wasn't until the car was out of his eyesight that he returned back to the feast.

"What did he want?" her father grumbled, staring out the window. He had dream-like eyes; he could barely focus on what was being said in his sleepwalking state. The morphing nearly muted him.

"Nothing," she shrugged, shutting the car door, and off they went.

"Athena, stay away from that boy," it was the first time her father seemed stern and concerned.

"Why?" After her conversation with Coriolanus, she was more curious than ever to understand her father's hate for a boy who saved her life. For a boy who wore shoes two sizes too small and swayed at the smell of food whenever lunch came around during school, she couldn't help but think her father's hatred was misplaced.

"He's no good," he waved her off. She turned to look at her father in anger. She was used to never getting the proper explanations from her father; it was always riddles, never the straight answer.

"You've hated him since he came to the school; I want to know why?" Her father finally looked away from the window, and for once, it felt like he was looking at her for the first time.

"Listen, Athena, his father was no good. A terrible man who ruined my life. Coriolanus Snow is exactly like him."

"How do you know?" Athena asked.

"I just do." back to the vague and riddled answers.

Athena knew that was all she was going to get out of him.

"Any recommendations on how to be a good mentor?" Athena asked, changing the topic. Her father rubbed his face in stress.

"I don't know. I can probably get you on one with your tribute before they get put in the zoo, but that's considered cheating."

"And we all know the punishment for cheating," Athena grumbled. The rest of the car ride was silent.