Light the Way

Chapter Eleven

The next few days had gone by in a blur, and Coriolanus felt like he had been powering through the rest of his classes, operating on autopilot. All anyone could talk about was the trip to the arena. The new arena. The one being built specifically for the Eleventh Hunger Games. Where he had the potential to see his ideas come to life. Where twenty-three Tributes would be murdered in a fight to the death.

He'd been unable to sleep these past few days, tossing and turning, thinking about the arena. He didn't share the same worries as his peers, but still had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement. Olivia and him had hung out the night prior at her place, reasoning they should strategize a bit before the trip.

Strategize... sure... That was his goal... Not to spend some alone time with Olivia without Festus hanging around.

Perhaps some of her unbreakable confidence would rub off on him that night, that he'd leave feeling like he could conquer the arena. But he knew better than anyone – if Dr. Gaul was involved it wasn't going to be a fair fight. She'd have something up her sleeve, something to throw them off their game or risk their safety. To remind them that they too were not invincible. He'd just have to be super vigilant, be able to sense the danger before it happened. Make sure him and Olivia made it out in one piece.

"We agree to look out for each other in there?" Olivia proposed, offering up her pinky finger to him.

He couldn't help but smile at her, leaning down and intertwining their pinky fingers, treating it like a handshake.

"You have my word." He responded, bowing his head dramatically, staring into her eyes.

Any time there was a moment of silence between them they managed to fill it with a friendly jostle of some kind, which usually led to a kiss, which always led to more kissing. The energy between them was growing to be magnetic and they were finding it harder to hide around their friends and in public.

He buried that memory in the back of his mind, telling himself he'd let it seep through to him during the day if he ever felt uncomfortable. Olivia, his mother's compact, the smell of roses and vanilla all swirling together inside of him. It would bring him back to the present, make him feel strong and confident. Invincible, even if for just a moment. It had even helped him head to the train station early, as he planned on scoping out the best seat for him and his teammate. Hoping the quiet would let him work through his concerns.

"Snow, fancy seeing you here." He heard from beside him. He was so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't heard her walk up . Looking around, the train station was still fairly empty, not many people had to be up this early to travel. It was barely dawn.

"Lumen, always a pleasure." He tilted his head towards her.

"I heard some kids are actually packing a bag in case they have to stay overnight. One even asked if they could bring their Avox so they could cook for them." She said in a mocking tone, looking over at him, trying to hide her laugh.

"I think I'd rather just fight in the Hunger Games at that point." He joked back, bumping shoulders with her. They both shared a small laugh and the air lightened. At least he wasn't doing this alone.

She moved to stand closer to him, brushing against him arm. "I haven't been able to get much sleep." She said softly, not wanting anyone else to hear something that could viewed as a weakness.

He leaned into her and nodded in agreement.

"When have we ever?" he said back to her, whispering right in her ear. She tried not to shiver at the closeness.

She had been thinking about him these past few days like crazy. Snow, combined with the sheer idea of heading to the arena was enough to fight off sleep. They had stayed up fairly late at her place, never running out of things to talk about. Cuddling up in her bed and whispering stories to each other like little kids. Free from the responsibilities of the world. She couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they shared at the end of the night before he headed home. It was slow and soft compared to the others, not so rushed. Each of them taking their time to explore each other.