𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑼𝒔

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 - 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒆

A letter slipped from one hand to another. "I'm done."

Dr. Gaul looked up, her black and blue eyes staring intensely back at him. "What would you like me to do with that, Alabaster?"

The dean swallowed, "I want you to give it to the president because I won't be here."

"You're resigning?" Dr. Gaul stared. She suddenly crackled out loud, chilling his bones. "And why would you do that? The Capitol always needs a dean, no?"

Dean Dovecote stared sweating, nervously tossing the letter onto the desk. "My wife requested to go to District 1 and live the rest of her life there."

"Of did she now?" Dr. Gaul lifted her eyebrow, a coy smile playing on her mouth. "But she didn't say 'we,' Dean, she said she wants to. What made you think she wanted to go with you? What if she's going to the districts to escape you?"

The dean stared at her, shock consuming him. He was at a loss for words for the first time since he had become dean of the Capitol.

"Now," D. Gaul said, pushing the strand of white, curly hair out of her face. "Take this letter and place it in that pit over there." The dean followed her finger and realized she was pointing at a pit of snakes. Snakes of every color, bronze, green, red. 

"That-?"

"Yes, those lovely snakes would love to meet you. In fact, when you first came in today, they were all excited, tangling around in that pit. Finally meeting the father of the liar."

Dean Dovecote flinched, glancing back at Dr. Gaul. "Surely this is a joke?"

"Does this face look like it is joking, Alabaster?" She gave a stone-faced response. "Go on now."

Dean Dovecote huffed, he had nothing to fear. Snatching the paper off her desk, he walked to the pit in a few strides and up the golden stairs that wrapped around it. When he arrived at the platform, Dr. Gaul opened the lid and smiled at him, inviting him to drop it.

Hesitantly, he arched his hand over the edge and slowly dropped the letter, watching as the snakes tore up the paper like it was nothing. 

"Fantastic, Alabaster, let's go down now." Dr. Gaul said, "Before anything else happens that may be...unfortunate."

The dean followed her down, shaken as he remembered feeling one of the snake's breath on his hand.

"Now you will go back to your study and find Coriolanus Snow. That is all there is to you. That was your goal."

"You will not talk to me like that," The dean said, trying to size her up. "I am the dean and you will respect me."

"What good is a dean that runs away from every little minor inconvenience? A dean that can get manipulated and riled up so easily?" The two reached the end of the stairs, once again touching the marble floors. "Now get to work and never mention this again."