Silencing The Songbird

Chapter 1

"Lucy Gray, where are you?"
He wanders a bit further into the woods.
"Hey has something happened? Because if something happened we can talk about it" he calls out. He pauses for a moment to see if she will respond.
"I know you lied Coriolanus"
He heard her call back. He looked around trying to find her frame in the woods. She could easily be hiding behind a tree with her small body.
"Come out Lucy Gray, I'm not going to hurt you" he says still holding the gun, constantly spinning his head ready for her to approach from any angle.
"Who did you kill" she asked.
The voice came from a different spot than the first time she spoke. He didn't want to answer the question so he continued to wander hoping to find her somewhere or send her scurrying. As he looks around he sees his mother's scarf on the ground. He goes up to it to grab it.
"You promised to take care of this Lucy Gray!" He says raising his tone. As he grabs it a snake slithers out startling him.
He backs away from the snake hoping it wouldn't attack. The snake didn't seem to mind Coriolanus and just slithered away to find a new home.

Coriolanus falls to the ground and throws the gun out of arms reach.
"Lucy Gray, please" he says begging. He lifts the scarf up to his nose to get his mother's scent. The scent has faded and now smells of lavender. He starts crying. He sits back against a tree.
"I never told you how my father died Lucy Gray" he said hoping she was still around. He gave himself a pause.
"He died here, in 12. He fell into a rebel trap. Is that what this is? Are you trying to trap me?" He says looking around.
"You've already trapped me Lucy Gray! I'm yours for the taking. Provide me the same fate as my father" he says. He hears quick footsteps approaching him. He looks up to see Lucy Gray grabbing the gun. She picks it up and points it at him.
"You told me I could trust you" she says boldly.
"I'm sorry" he said looking down.
"Who was the third" she asked again. He still refused to answer, not with a gun pointed at his head. He looked down at the scarf in his hands.
"You know this doesn't even smell like my mother anymore. All I get is lavender" he says.
"Coriolanus, tell me who you killed!"
He looks down, no more avoiding it.
"I killed Mayor Lipp before I left today" he said.
"Why would you do that?" She asked.
"I don't know. I was nervous he would look for us. Then he would have you killed so I just went over to his house and poisoned him" he said.
She lowered the gun slowly not 100% sure of him.
"You're telling the truth?" She asked.
"Yes Lucy Gray. I'm sorry I lied earlier" he said.
"Why did you lie? You know I value truth over everything" she said extending an arm to help him up. He looked for an answer.
"If you knew he was dead, I thought that you might return to 12 and leave me" he said. She looked deep into his eyes, trying to see if he was being truthful.
"I can't go back. Mayfair is dead because of me. That gun in your hands connects me" he said.
"Then we get rid of the guns and return" she said dropping the gun and holding his face.
"You can trust me Coriolanus, I'm not telling a soul what happened. I know that you did it to protect me" she said.
"I'll go to district 2 for officer training if I go back" he said.
"What?" She asked taking her hands off his face and stepping back.
"How long have you known about that?"
"A few days, but I didn't tell you because we were leaving together" he said taking a step closer to her. She shook her head.
"You are not telling me everything Coriolanus" she said in response, defiantly.
"I am telling the truth Lucy Gray! Let's go together, let's go to district 2. We can marry there" he said.
"Marry?!"
"What makes you think that I want to marry you after what you've done today" she said.
"Lucy Gray, I love you. Wherever you go, I go. If you stay in 12 then I stay here, as a peacekeeper forever. Whatever I have to do to be with you, is what I'm going to do" he says standing tall.
She looks down now.
"I don't want to hold you back" she said.
"Then come with me! We don't have to get married, let's just be together" he said. He approached her closer and wrapped his arms around waist. He pulls her into a tight hug.
"When does the train leave" she asked. He smiled down at her.
"9, we need to cover our tracks now" he says.
"If I do this, you better start telling me the full truth. And don't you dare try to change me" she says pushing a finger into his chest.
He grabs her finger and lets his hand intertwine with hers.
"I promise Lucy Gray" he says pulling her in closer. He leans down and gives her an intimate kiss.