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

Nine

Whiskey sat across the table from snow. He was standing with his arms crossed, talking about strategy.

"The next interview we do, I'll make sure to be really close. Make sure you stare..."

Whiskey was trying to pay attention but her mind kept drifting to the short man behind Coriolanus. He looked so familiar to her, like she'd seen him before. When she entered, he looked at her with familiarity too. And now, even thought he was pretending not to see her, she could tell he was ignoring her. So who was he? And where had she seen him before?

"Are you listening to me?" Coriolanus suddenly asked, making Whiskey's attention snap back to the conversation.

"Sorry" She apologised, rubbing her eyes and fighting the exhaustion. All this thinking was hurting her head. "You said stare at you," she vaguely repeated.

"I said I was going to kiss you when the cameras are rolling," Coriolanus repeated himself, sounding frustrated.

Her eyes widened in sudden alertness, processing what he said "What?"

"What's wrong with you today, Everdeen? You seemed distracted."

This made Whiskey laugh and sit back. She found humour in his impatience. "Sorry, Snow. I'll do better. Just tired," she tried, sitting up straight. Her hand ached a soft pain and she imagined the blood in her hand turning into mush from the spider bite.

"Yeah? Is that why your arms bleeding all over your dress and you keep wincing," he asked suspiciously.

Whiskey was too tired to fight off her smile at his anger. "It is, actually," she smirked, wondering how far she could push the capital boy before he would do something about his frustration.

He sighed and crossed his arms over his hand made button up shirt, studying her with his eyes. "If we are going to win this, you need to be honest with me, Everdeen."

"Sorry master. I forgot you were in control of me," Whiskey smirked, crossing her arms as much as her chains allowed.

Snow clenched his jaw, showing his anger on his face. "Do you want to win or not?"

From this, Whiskey clenched her jaw, feeling guilty about her new spider bite. Now, there was no way she was going to make it close. She'd probably be poisoned before the day rolled around. At this rate the cameras would catch her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her lips frothing. But she couldn't let down Coriolanus like that.

"Well. There is something we could do," Whiskey thought of the alliance with the girls. "I've been invited to an alliance with some other people."

"Alliance?" Snow rolled his eyes. "Those never work. You'll be good enough to defend your own."

She frowned, feeling shooting pains up her tingling fingers. "What if I can't.."

Coriolanus suddenly leant forward and brought his face close to hers. She could smell roses. "Listen, Whiskey. You may have given up but I actually believe in you. The plinth prize has nothing to do with whether or not you win. There's nothing in this for me. I just care that you live because I care about you."

Whiskey raised her eyebrows in surprise. She did not expect him to say that. He cared?

Snow lifted himself upright and spotted Volumnia Gaul watching him from across the room. She smiled and nodded at him, knowing he was doing well. He looked back down at Whiskey, feeling a sense of hope. Maybe he might actually win the Plinth Prize.

-

It was after dinner by the time he visited Whiskey in the Zoo. He crossed the road and approached the cage with a sandwich in his satchel for her. Today he noticed her looking thinner than usual and he could tell she hadn't been sleeping. For her to be her fullest ability she needed to be eating food at least.

However, when he got there, Everdeen was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her friend from district 12, Ratley Reid, stood by the bars.

"What do you want?" Ratley asked with a slither of dislike in his words.

Snow brushed back his hair and looked over his shoulder into the zoo, "Is Whiskey there? I need to give her something."

"Why do you care? What's in this for you?" Ratley interrogated him. "Is this all for that prize money? She actually likes you, you know. Thinks you're cool. I don't see why."

Snow awkwardly clutched onto his satchel, "No, it's not all for the money. I actually like her too. I think she's cool and I want her to live."

"Right," Ratley crossed his arms, judging him. "Do you really care about her?"

"Why are you asking me these things? I just want to give her some food then I'll get out of your way, okay?" Snow sighed. "I know you hate me, which I get because I'm from the capital, but trust me I do care about her safety."

Ratley looked uncomfortable and looked over his shoulder quickly before saying the next part. "Can you help her then"

"What? Did something happen?" Snow asked, searching the cage for his tribute. "Where is she?"

"She'd hate me for telling you this." He looked annoyed but he set aside his ego for her survival. "She's gotten in a few fights recently and hasn't been sleeping,"

"Yeah I noticed."

"Well, last night she got a poisonous spider bite and there's no way she'll be able to fight it off herself. You need to get her out of this zoo before she dies in here," he informed him.

This caught Snows attention. He couldn't win the plinth prize if his tribute was dead. "A spider bite? Why didn't she tell me herself?"

"She's not thinking straight. The pain's getting to her." He looked over his shoulder. "Plus, she's one of the strongest people I know. She won't admit when she needs help. The idea of her getting special treatment would make her feel angry because she'd feel weaker than everyone else."

Suddenly Whiskey appeared from the edge of the fence where she'd been watching a bird. She smiled, seeing both Snow and Ratley.

Ratley glanced at Snow, "You don't have to help her, but if you don't, she'll die." Then he stalked off.

Snow grabbed onto the metal bars, trying to get a better look her, now he knew the problem. It annoyed him she wasn't upfront about the spider bite because it meant she didn't trust him yet. But now, in order to get her treatment, he'd have to pull some strings or she'd die before the games began.

She walked over to him, low on energy and looking paler than usual. She refused to move her left hand to stop the pain and it lay like a dead limb by her side.

By the time she reached him, she was rasping for breath. "Hey... Snow." She smiled bravely.

He clenched his fists, looking at the health of the other contestants. He had to get her healed otherwise it wouldn't be fair. His contestant should start on the same level as everyone else's in this competition.

Suddenly, Whiskey's vision went dark and she stumbled, almost fainting. He reached out and grabbed her hands through the bars to steady her, however, when he grabbed her left wrist she screamed in agony, causing the cameras so turn to them. For a moment he felt sorry for her, yet as she braved her way through the pain for the cameras, her smile was appreciated by him.

That's what was so irritating about her being poisoned, she had the greatest fighting spirit out of any other contestant there. If she was full health, she had the fight in her to win.

Her right hand squeezed his hand softly, thanking him for not letting her faint. With the tiniest smile she gave him, despite the blue tint in her skin, he knew he had to save her life and get the medicine before she died.