The Runaway Victor | Book II

Chapter Thirteen | Sparked

[AUTHORS NOTE]
School is crazy right now, loves. So some chapters may be shorter than others and some may be longer. But if I stop updating completely, or just go on hiatus, I will not finish. I will get writers block. So please stick with me :) I'll do my best to get these chapters-- no matter what the length is, to the best it can be.

And, shout out to my beta reader(for Roxanne Wealsey)/friend from Mibba.com (SleeplessLetters) and fan (Ravenwit) for the ideas for the story! It means a lot to know someone is so excited to read about Quinn and takes the time to brainstorm plot twists that you think could happen!

Stay classy, and enjoy!

_____

The lullaby by had been a haunting melody that the Capitol was echoing ever since Katniss Everdeen sang it to dying Rue earlier that day. Everyone who has seen it, everyone who had heard the song-- they had all been moved by it in some way. Then the way Everdeen cared for her dead allies body before the ship arrived, that made grown men tear up. Snow couldn't deny that, he knew that everything he had built up was crashing and burning. He had thought having Katniss Everdeen, a volunteer from Twelve would be enough drama, enough to distract everyone from last years rebellious atmosphere that worked its way through the Districts. But it had done just the opposite.

"Orion, can you help me with my schoolwork now?" Celestia asked from the other side of the bedroom door.

Orion sighed, "Yeah, I'll be right there." he replied as he pushed himself away from the desk. Coin had requested that he take note of everything that happened inside the mansion, to help them later with Snows habits and techniques when it came to running his dictatorship.

"Okay," she replied.

He closed the notebook and then shoved it under his mattress until he got back and could think of a better place to put it. He quickly left his room, he didn't bother to lock it before he started to make his way towards the study where Celestia always did her homework. There really wasn't a good reason for her to do it, why would she ever fail? He never had and he never turned anything either. That was one perk of being the Presidents grandchild.

"Mr. Snow," Orion stopped in his tracks and turned to see Sargent Thomas, the new lead Peacekeeper in the Capitol. "Do you know if your grandfather is in his study or his office?" he asked, his voice was full of urgency.

"Why?" he replied as Thomas stopped in front of him.

"District Eleven," he replied, "It's important."

Orion sighed, "He's probably in his office. But it's late, he won't want you to bother him."

Thomas frowned, raised an eyebrow. "Like I said, it's important." then with that, Thomas turned and went on his way. Orion turned and began going towards the study again, but he could feel curiosity building up more and more. What was so important that he would have to talk to President Snow so late? What could be happening in District Eleven that would be so important?

Orion quickly turned around and began to make his way towards the Presidential office where Sargent Thomas was probably just arriving. He had usually avoided this part of the mansion, he had always wanted to stay as far from his grandfather as possible.

"Then what do you want to do about it?" Thomas asked.

The office was quiet, so Orion didn't move another step.

"How many?"

"Only two, sir." Thomas replied, "Both because of toppled over grain towers because of the riots."

President Snow was quiet again, "Take care of the ones who started it, and the ones responsible for the towers."

"Arrest them?"

"Take care of them, Thomas." Snow stated a bit more sternly than he had before. The office fell silent again, this time it didn't make a sound until a chair shifted across the floor, and then the sound of Sargent Thomas' heavy boots began to walk across the floor towards the door. Orion knew that the odds of him getting away from the office before the doors opened was slim. He couldn't just get away and not let his grandfather knew that he had over heard him tell Thomas to just take care of what had begun happening in District Eleven that afternoon. So he decided to just make himself known by knocking on the office door, and a short moment later Sargent Thomas pulled open the door to reveal the big, open, well lit office.

"Good evening," Thomas stated, his eyes looking Orion over. By the way he looked at Orion, he knew that Orion had been standing there and waiting. "It's Orion, sir."

"Oh," he replied from his desk, a bit of surprise in his voice.

Orion cringed a bit at the way Thomas acted around Snow. How he took ordered from him. Would that be his job if they ever got back to Thirteen? Thomas and every other Sargent who had gone through had been like President Snow's lap dog. They did everything he told them to. If Coin still wanted Orion to finish training, would he be her lap dog? Would he have to do whatever she told him? He knew that Coins plans were for the best, for the rest of Panem...but the idea of doing what he had grown up doing just to get rid of the people who had done it the first time. It was like it was a vicious cycle that he just couldn't get out of.

"I'm thought you were gone for the night," his grandfather stated as he walked into the office, closing the door behind him after Sargent Thomas stepped out.

Orion shrugged, "I was going to help Celestia, but I wanted to know what was going on."

Snow chuckled a bit, "So you follow Thomas, just to ease drop?" he asked.

"I guess so." he replied, and silence fell for a moment. "Can't you give Eleven a break?" Orion asked, running one hand through his hair before he crossed his arms. Before everything happened, he never would have asked his grandfather something like that. He would just silently question everything he did and keep up his facade.

President Snow's small, amused smile faded away and he leaned back again in his seat. "Orion, two peacekeepers were killed today because of this nonsense that Maverick started last year--"

"She didn't try to start anything," Orion said quickly. "You make it sound like it's all been intentional. She she just let her temper get the best of her past year, and things just happened."

"Most people when they're angry don't act out in such a defiant way that it can cause upheaval in the Districts." he responded, "She never put forth the effort to end things, instead she continued to fight things that weren't even in her control."

Orion sighed, shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

"As far as I'm concerned, Maverick is just as responsible for this as the men and women who did it in Eleven."

"It was Katniss Everdeen who did that in the arena today," Orion stated, "Quinn had nothing to do with it." he finished defensively.

Snow raised an eyebrow, "You still haven't put it together, Orion?" he asked, "If it wasn't for Quinn, you never would have gone to Thirteen, the radicals in the Districts wouldn't have begun acting out-- Katniss Everdeen wouldn't have had the courage to act out. Quinn Maverick has everything to do with this."

Orion stared at him.

"Don't you think I know that she has her own agenda as a Gamemaker?" he asked, "Neither of you have fooled me."

"She's a gamemaker to convince other people she's on your side, there isn't much more she could do. What happened today wasn't her fault." Orion stated, still standing his ground on the matter.

Snow looked at him for a moment, and then let out a long sigh and shook his head. "District Eleven can't get away with this. Nobody can get away with murder."

Orion rolled his eyes and scoffed as he turned to leave. "You must be nobody then."