A Rebellious Spirit | Book III

Chapter Seven | Outside the Fence

The District was full of people gossiping about the Victory Tour-- everyone had been surprised at the demeanour that Katniss and Peeta both had despite the circumstances. Some people had even been disappointed with their stop in District Four. Many people wanted a riot-- as if one riot would change something. There had been tons of riots all over the nation, and not one had made too much of an impact. That's why Quinn decided to just stay quiet about things, there was nothing more she could do at that moment to get anyone anywhere but killed.

"You do this often?" she asked, looking across the orange fire at Colemans face. The dancing flames caused dark shadows to cover half his face.

"Every Friday," he replied, "Usually Isabella comes too, but she's still got that flu or whatever it is."

"You've never gotten caught?" she asked raised an eyebrow sharply.

"I got caught once last winter...but that was before we got new peacekeepers." he explained simply as he pulled apart some of the bread that Quinn had brought along with her. "Seriously, the shit hit the fan as soon as you went off at your private session." he said as he took a bite, and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry..." she muttered quietly, her finger nails scratched at the bark on the log that they had moved there to be a seat.

"Sorry?" he echoed. "Why?"

"The warehouse-- everybody else..." she said quietly, "That was all my fault."

Coleman said nothing for a moment. He only say there. Completely still for a moment. His eyes bouncing from Quinn's face to the small fire between them. Then after a moment he began to fumble with the bread in his hands.

"Nobody blames you," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Everyone blames Snow."

Quinn sat there for a moment, "Coleman," she sighed pausing for a moment. "How'd you get out?"

"I was on one of the boats when it happened." he stated plainly. "When I went to the Peacekeepers Head Quarters to...ask them what happened they said it had been specific orders from Snow. Then they offered to send me to Two with the younger ones, or help find me a place here in Four since I was a good worker." he explained, "I had nobody in Two, and nobody in Four. But I like the weather here..." he said, smirking a bit at the end.

Quinn didn't say anything, "It's much better in Thirteen than it is here-- and that's saying something." she sighed.

"I like it outside the fence," he sighed, "I'd rather live nowhere than a District."

"Do you think that would even be possible?"

The idea was almost like one of those stupid, ancient fairytales that she over heard a few people talking about in the Capitol. At least the idea felt like it. Actually having a life that wasn't just running outside the fences, seemed like it would be nice. Stress free too.

Coleman sighed and nodded a bit, "I practically do already. I just go in there when I have to."

Until you get caught, Quinn thought to herself. The thought of Coleman getting caught...it made her sick to her stomach. If anyone deserves to be punished for anything, Coleman wasn't one of them. He wasn't confrontational, he just wanted arguments to stop. But if something had to happen, if he had to choose a side-- he would. If someone was hungry, he'd try to help them out. He'd catch a few rabbits and bring them to people who needed them. But he was stubborn, and would do things his own way if they weren't hurting anyone. That's why he wouldn't just sit and follow every single rule in Four, being in the woods wasn't hurting anyone. It was helping some people, and he enjoyed it.

"That's really nice of you to teach Isabella a bit of what you know." Quinn sighed, changing the subject only a bit.

He shrugged, "Won't hurt..." he sighed, "She's still got...four more years in the Reaping."

Quinn sighed a little in relief, they were on the same page.

"Four?" she asked, "She's fourteen? I thought she was twelve, maybe thirteen."

Coleman scoffed, "Yeah...heard to believe..." he shrugged, "I hope she gets by though." he confessed, "She's too...she's just too..."

"Innocent, naive, sweet...take your pick." Quinn sighed, "None of those get you out of the arena alive."

He raised an eyebrow, "You'll be one hell of a mentor." he said.

She sighed, "But really, that's really nice of you to do. Especially with the Quarter Quell next year."

He nodded, "Did you...did you hear about those games at all while you were in the Capitol?" he asked, "Any hints?"

Quinn shook her head, "I barely heard anything about the seventy-fourth games." she confessed, "I was just there for the title, for show kind of."

Coleman looked down at the ground, a bit disappointed with the answer but didn't say anything else for a moment. He let the silence fall again, and the only sound was the crackling fire. Quinn watched the flames, then watching a few sparks go up into the sky and disappear. But after one disappeared, there were already tons more going up toward the sky to take its place.

Quinn felt a small smile tug on the corners of her lips. The metaphor everyone had been using for the rebels and what they were doing made sense. Quinn had questioned it a few times, thinking that it was stupid. But really, it made sense. The spark that Quinn watched disappear, that was a rebel. The fire was the idea and reality of the games. The spark that started the fire had been Quinn.

The games had once been just another accepted part of Panem. Without the games, without the poverty in the Districts, without Snows dictatorship-- it wasn't Panem. But when Quinn went into her games, determined to finally call Snow out on the way he ruled the nation. When she was positive to make sure she wasn't just forgotten like other orphans, when she wanted to stop the games because each dead tribute would be replaced by a new child the next year-- that all turned the games into a controversy. Something that only the Capitol and few in the Districts wanted, and everyone else wanted abolished. The games became something that people-- the rebels began to fight to end even if their small riot didn't go far. Like the riot that Quinn had gotten involved in, people had died-- they had been sparks that just disappeared. But when they died, more people got angry, more people wanted to fight back.

The sparks wouldn't disappear until the fire was out. The rebels wouldn't disappear until the games were over. President Snow thought that if Quinn, the initial spark, just disappeared or calmed down, that everything would return to normal. But no matter what she did, nothing would stop the fire that was already roaring. Every spark was already keeping the fire going. Every other rebel was keeping the rebellion going.

It didn't matter what Quinn did. She wasn't the only person who was part of the rebellion. And thinking of things that way made her feel like there was a giant weight off her shoulders.

"So," Coleman sighed heavily, breaking the silence. "Quinn Maverick ended up with Orion Snow." he sighed, smirking a bit at his statement. "Orphan from Four and all...its sort of funny."

"I didn't end up with him," she replied. "We're just friends."

He raised an eyebrow, "Sure."

He chuckled, and Quinn had to fight back a scoff. Despite the circumstances, it felt...good to be sitting in the quiet woods actually having a conversation and not running from district to district and from firebombs.