𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 * 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑

Venus's brain seemed to be running a million miles a minute.

"Poison?" She snapped, raising a brow. She took charged steps in his direction, her arms instantly pushing him in his chest. He was a few inches taller than her, and had a stronger build, but the amount of rage building in her body was enough to send him stumbling a bit. "I think you failed to mention that detail when I told you I was cheating the system."

Holding his hands up in surrender, he tries to reason with the girl. "I had to keep you out of it, Venus. You were already in enough trouble..."

"Trouble?" She hit him again, narrowly missing his face. "I'm about to die, Coryo, and you were the one that gave Lucy Gray the rat poison. You killed Dill, you killed me!" Grabbing him by the lapels of his blazer, she shook his body and sent him tumbling to the floor. "You're a liar! I trusted you and you sealed my fate. Was this your plan all along? That you'd do anything for her, even if it's at my expense?!"

"Enough!" A deep voice reverberated against the walls. Dean Highbottom dressed in his elaborate black robe walked into the room. It was the most levelheaded and sober that anyone had seen him in years. "Miss Hummingstill, release him. Obtain some composure and pull yourself together."

Venus complied reluctantly. Coriolanus got up from the floor, smoothing out his uniform and letting go of a breath he was unaware he held in. He wanted nothing more than to tell Venus he was sorry, that he didn't mean to hurt her. Telling her of the compact would have placed her in more danger than she was in already. Why didn't he just tell her the truth? How could he make this up to her?

"I warned you, Mr. Snow and Miss Hummingstill." Highbottom stood with his hands clasped, disappointment permanently etched into his face. "Cheating will be punished. More poetically than even I could have hoped."

Venus wiped an angry tear before it fell. "Where is Lucy Gray?" She asked, wanting to get her hands on the songbird as her last dying wish. There would be hell to pay and if she couldn't harm Coriolanus, she would harm what he seemed to treasure most.

"I would be more concerned with your own survival if I were you. Which we will get to in a moment." He stated, circling the two like a hawk with its prey. Facing Coriolanus, he scoffed. "It's fitting that both of your parents could be here for your big moment. That compact...how many times did I see your Mother use it, I wonder...to powder her beautiful face?" He taunted. "We all know that child from Eleven didn't die of disease or that lumberjack from Seven."

Venus let out a wail. Wanting so badly to hurt something or someone that it was harming her mental state. Her shoulders buckled under the pressure, sobs raking her body that were not met with compassion or grace.

"I said find an ounce of composure and exercise it." The man snapped, malice dripping from his tongue. "And that old handkerchief we found it in the snake tank, appropriately. Condemning you with your Father's own initials. But you know what stumped me?" He quizzed, picking up the glass vial and waving it around. "What was Capitol grade Tuberculosis medicine doing in the tank?"