Panem Forever

Chapter 24

Coriolanus took his seat in front of the very intimidating Volumnia Gaul. He took out all of the papers he had written on the night before and placed them neatly on the desk. He held his breath as the woman entered, her different colored eyes set on him intently.

"Good evening, Mr. Snow," she says, taking her seat at her higher desk. "Have you prepared anything new for me?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes. I thought of some new technology to make the Games even more interesting..." And then he told her every idea that he had not already mentioned before. It went on for hours, their ideas bouncing back-and-fourth. After a while, Coryo felt himself growing tired, and he had to stifle a yawn.

Gaul looks up from her desk. "Tired? You can go, you've been here long enough."

"Oh, no. I'm fine-"

"Go home, Mr. Snow. I'm quite through with you for tonight."

So he left, gathering all of his papers and binders, and tiredly walked home, only quickening his pace when the winter wind began to pick up. He arrived home quickly, for the temperature had dropped dramatically from when he first left, and he only had his suit jacket.

"Evelina?" He called. "I'm home." He set his binders on the counter, grabbing himself a glass of some strong liquor Sejanus had given to him as a gift. A 'way to ease his mind', he had said. And he certainly needed it tonight. He poured the liquid into the glass and stirred it around. He walked into the living room and sat down, turning on the television to watch the weather channel. "Evelina!" He yelled again from the couch. Lucretius Flickerman went on about a blizzard running right into District 12, and the Capitol will probably get the aftermath of it.

District 12. Coriolanus sighed as he remembered his and Evelina's past few fights. They were just in a rough patch. They would work through it in no time.

Coryo gazed around the empty room. Where was she? Did she go out without telling him? Did she go to Tigris's? He got up and walked into the kitchen. On the table, along with a fresh bundle of baby's breath, was a piece of old parchment. A frightening thought hit Coryo. Did she leave? Did she do what she had been threatening to do for weeks? Did she leave him? Forever? He felt his heartbeat quicken as he unfolded the paper. There, in unmistakeable handwriting, was a letter from Evelina. Coryo furrowed his brows as he began to read it.

Coriolanus,

May I start this letter by saying that I'm sorry. I should have never fallen in love with you. We are too different, you see. How could we ever work? Just think about it. I'm District, and you can't even imagine the idea of living the life I want. And the life that I want will never be enough for you. The Capitol will not truly accept me. I'm their Victor, but nothing more. If you had fallen for me and I didn't win, we would just be another tragic love affair. It wouldn't have meant anything. You would move on with your life and never think of me again. But I promise you this, Coriolanus, you will never forget me.

By the time you're reading this I'm already gone. Don't waste your time looking for me, it won't get you anywhere. Do you think I've gone back to 12? Maybe. Have I fled to 4? Maybe. You'll never know, because you're so self-involved that you won't even bother looking for me for long. You'll find a new girl, someone who will tolerate your mood swings. But it will not be me. It cannot be me. I'm not made for a love like that. Can we even call it love? I think it stopped being love when you murdered that man in 12. My turning point was what you did to Highbottom. Mysteriously, he died of an 'overdose' shortly after you were seen visiting him that day. Poison? Is that how you want me for remember you? As a snake? Also, don't ask anyone where I got the information from, it's not important.