Stay with me, always.

Chapter 63. Snow on the Beach

"Now, seein' a whale is rare, especially since we can't get that far into the open sea, but you can see em' from the wall sometimes. One of the perks of workin' out there." I had a feeling it was the only perk of being stationed to work out on that massive sea wall, hopefully, those Peacekeepers were paid well.

"Maybe we'll see some tomorrow," Soarynn said, her hand squeezing mine under the table. I squeezed it back, not wanting to worry her. I was worried. Again. But when is life ever fair for me?

I kept thinking about how Soarynn's life had played out so far, I tried hard to focus on the pros, the good parts. She got to marry me, her soulmate.

Because you stole her, kidnapped her, it's probably Stockholm syndrome.

She was going to have a baby.

Because she probably feels obligated to keep it, especially since she's only seventeen.

She's Victor.

She was put in the Games to punish you.

She's going to be the First Lady.

She's going to be under so much scrutiny and pressure from the public.

Soarynn's life seemed easy on the surface. But I had been pulled under her surface many times, I had seen the shell of a person she really was. We could blame the Games for that all we wanted, for making her skittish, for giving her night terrors, for causing her to shut us out but that wasn't the truth. The Games had been a catalyst, the delicate string that finally snapped and caused her to open her eyes.

Does she love me?

"Coryo?" My head snaps up, Soarynn and the Mayor both looking at me with concern written all over their faces, "Um, yes?" I ask, scratching the back of my neck. The Mayor raised his eyebrows, "Was wondering if you've ever seen this toasting ceremony before," he said. I shook my head, "Just found out about it today actually," I squeaked, immediately reaching for my glass of whiskey.

I had asked the Mayor if he had any good wines and he laughed in my face, I guess real men only drink whiskey.

He nodded, "We have our own traditions here in Four, but I'm glad to help you two out with yours, there's an old fireplace down the hall." Soarynn tilted her head, "Have you ever used it before?" He nodded, "During the war, we used this building as a military base if you will, kind of like that Nut in Two. Winters got real cold, so cold we actually used the damn thing," he said with a laugh.

I smiled, we had quite a few fireplaces in our house, the biggest one was in the living room, photographs of the family lining the mantel. During the war we also used the fireplaces frequently, the power and heating would often go out due to the bombings. And with such a big house came the struggle to keep it heated.

Mother kept all the fires going at once, she once told me she'd rather the house burn down than see the Snows be reduced to being cold. A noble sacrifice she was willing to make.

"That'll be perfect then," Soarynn said with a smile, she was in a surprisingly good mood considering the talk we had beforehand but I wasn't going to question it. The rest of dinner was without a hitch, I managed to pull myself together long enough to enjoy the Mayor's company and his stories. He told us stories of how he got into a wrestling match with an octopus, how he almost fell off the sea wall, and stories about life before the war.

"Definitely was a time to be alive," he reminisced as we ate our dessert which just so happened to be marble cake. "Never thought we'd see a rebellion, and never thought we'd see it come to an end."

Soarynn dabbed her mouth with a napkin, "Do you think we'd ever see one again? A rebellion?"

Rebellion . Another loaded word in this country.