THE HUNGER GAMES: the taste of Whiskey and Snow // CORIOLANUS SNOW

Seven

Note: this chapter has been majorly edited. I removed a bunch and added new stuff for re-readers.
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Whiskey hung upside down in the tree, waiting for Coriolanus to arrive. Her hair sprawled below her, just touching the grass. Most of the other tributes were occupied with their mentors by the edge of the cage so Whiskey was left alone.

There was something different about this years hunger games. Usually, each tribute was treated like a lamb to the slaughter, yet this year, they were being treated like humans. When Whiskey was younger, she never watched the games much, but she knew that this was unusual. It made her uneasy.

Why did the people in the capital suddenly care about the tributes? What was the point of humanising them if they were going to die anyway? Someone in power was changing the rules for their own entertainment. Someone was openly sharing their opinions of what the best way to kill her was. Someone in power cared so little for the value of life. Whiskey decided if she ever found out who they were, she would kill them. It was too dangerous to have someone like that around.

"Where's your mentor, lovebird?" A voice mocked from behind her.

Whiskey dropped her legs from the branch and turned around to see who had made the remark. Sure enough, one of the older female tributes and two of her friends stood in front of her with their arms crossed. Whiskey immediately felt intimidated. "I'm not sure," she replied simply, taking a step back for safety.

The eldest looking one brushed back her long brown hair and laughed, "Oh she's not sure." Her friends laughed along but Whiskey couldn't see what was funny.

Whiskey turned to see where Ratley had gotten off to when one of the girls grabbed her shoulder, holding her still.

"Listen, girl. We wanted to ask if you would join our alliance," one asked.

Whiskey was shocked, "me?"

"Yeah sure. You're quick and agile plus the boys seem to like you," they smirked.

"I.. I'll think about it," Whiskey smiled. "I have my friend, Ratley-"

"We weren't asking," one girl threatened, her voice growing annoyed.

In that moment, Whiskey realised that there was no way she could take any of these girls so it would be easier to just agree, even if she didn't mean it. She could run away later.

"Sure," Whiskey nodded awkwardly, wishing Coriolanus would finally show up and meet her like the other mentors. He was never late. Why was he late?

"Great," the eldest grinned. "But before you can join, you have to do us a favour."

"Okay," Whiskey questioned suspiciously. "What is it?"

"You know how you've got the best mentor?" She said. "And how he brought you food when he wasn't supposed to... which is basically cheating."

"That's not-

"Well we need you to ask him to bring us a knife," she interrupted, crossing her arms assertively.

"Why would he do that? He can't.." Whiskey frowned, looking over the shoulder to try and get out of the conversation. "Sorry."

One of the girls looked over at the tallest one and they frowned tightly. "Okay fine. Come with us."

"Why?" Whiskey held her arms around herself defensively.

"To see the other members of the alliance silly," she grinned, walking away with the other girls.

Whiskey stumbled on a stick, turned back at the edge to see if Coriolanus was there yet, then blindly followed the girls towards the cave in the corner. She didn't trust them at all but it was probably okay. What could they do in here that they weren't going to do in the arena?

They entered the cave and Whiskey could sense something was wrong. She couldn't see anyone else in the darkness. It was cold and quiet, dripping from somewhere. Whiskey looked at the girls feeling unsure but they ushered her forward regardless.

"Hello?" She called suspiciously as she walked further in. "I can't see anything."

"If you can't get us the knife, you're better off dead," the eldest girl said harshly, pushing Whiskey forward. "You can kill her," she ordered to the person in the dark.

A hand clasped around her mouth as she tried to scream. The other girls ran away leaving Whiskey fighting for her life in the darkness.

She thrashed her arms, punching and kicking at anything she could find. She connected with the attackers leg and heard him curse. This made it worse. In a rage, he tried to get ahold of her neck and twist it.

As her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, Whiskey began to make out his features. He had slicked back brown hair in a bun and was wearing a black singlet. His hands were painfully rough as he grabbed her face. In an instant she recognised him as the man from district 7.

She felt terror radiating through her and kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch, defending herself. He let go and stumbled back. But he didn't stop there, managing to grab her ankle before she could get into the open.

In the moment, Whiskey had a horrible thought of her being killed in this cave before the games even started. Overcome with emotion, she used her nails to scratch his face, his neck, and his eyes, trying to cause as much damage as possible. He thought she was an easy target, but she knew how to defend herself.

He swung at her in the dark, connecting with her cheek bone. The pain ricocheted through her brain, causing black spots in her vision for a moment.

She took the chance to kick him back and run away before he got to his feet. From the blood running down her hands, she knew she caused some damage to him. His blood was under her nails and her head ached, fighting off feelings of a concussion.

"Everdeen? Where are you?" She heard Ratley calling for her.

She steadied herself, catching a glimpse of the girls frowns. She was a target now whether she liked it or not.

He ran over to her, "Finally, I've been looking for you everywhere." He complained. "Apparently so has your mentor. Snows waiting for you," he rolled his eyes. Whiskey didn't feel she was doing a good job hiding anything but must've been putting on a great mask because he didn't notice anything. Instead he walked away, complaining about something useless. Whiskey's breath steadied with Ratley's complete dismissal.

She winced her way towards Coriolanus, focusing on keeping her eyes from spinning. She was very aware of the district 7 man watching her every move, making sure she didn't tell her mentor he tried to kill her. Not like there was anything he could do to her that was worse. Still, she didn't want it happening again.

Before she could sit, Snow reached through the bars and touched her face were her bruise was now forming. "What happened?" He exclaimed searching her face for answers. He looked genuinely concerned and even thought she knew it was a show for the cameras, she allowed herself the small comfort of his hand.

"I fell," She shrugged, pretending not to be in serious pain with every movement.

Snow frowned but accepted the excuse. "Oh, I wanted to tell you. Tomorrow there's a meeting for strategy at the capital hall. Be ready."