Little Bird

Chapter 4

"If I'm going to be a caged bird, I'll sing the best song I can."

Ember couldn't stop rubbing her legs, feeling the smoothness of it as she sat at the breakfast table. "Could you stop fidgeting?"

Her movements pause, looking up to meet his condescending tone with her own. "I thought we knew that I don't know big words."

Coriolanus smirks, sitting the newspaper he had in his hand down. "Was that sarcasm?"

Looking away, she ignores his comment as she sees the full plate of food with three lines of forks, spoons, and knives. "Why so many?"

"Of?"

"These," she picks up the fork, shaking it in the air.

"You use each of them for something different."

Dropping it back onto the table, she lets out a deep sigh. "That's stupid."

The muscle in his jaw tightens, dropping the toast he had been eating back onto the plate. "You need to learn manners. It's impolite to speak such a way at the table. Especially towards the one who feeds you."

The words he had used seem to jumble up in her brain, causing an annoying headache. "I did not ask for this," she whispers to herself.

"Speak up."

"I. Did. Not. Ask. For. This."

"Bird, I thought you knew. It does not matter what you ask for. Not anymore."

The chair screeching against the floor does not go unnoticed by anyone in the mansion as she gets to her feet and storms off. "Ember!"

She continued marching on before she feels a hand grip her wrist, yanking her back.

The movement was so sudden, that she whipped her hand out and slapped it hard against his right cheek.

Ember froze as the coolness in his bright blue eyes suddenly turned darker.

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

Long fingers circled around her neck, slamming her into the nearest wall. "You fucking little-"

"President Snow," Castor calls out behind them. "You have an urgent phone call."

"NOT NOW."

Her toes were barely touching the ground as he lifted her by her neck to nearly his height. "Sir, it's Dr. Gaul. It's important."

Instantly he drops her to the ground, making her stumble and catch her breath. "Mariam!"

The little old lady quickly rounds a corner and stops in front of them. "Sir?"

"Take her back to her room and keep her there until I'm finished. Now."

Mariam flinched at the harshness of his words, looking over to see Ember shaking and crying. "Come along, miss."

Ember just stares at the movement of his back as he walks away. The look in his eyes were pure evil. The persona that he had put on for her since he took her completely washed away, showing her how cruel he truly could be.

And in that moment, she realized she needed to play her cards carefully.

"I told you to be careful," Mariam whispers to her as she helps her up.

"I really didn't mean to..."

They move up the stairs and down the hall towards her bedroom. "What did you do?"

"I..." Ember hesitates for a moment, worried about how she might react as well. "I hit him."

The gasp that erupted next to her nearly made her jump. "Miss Ember! How could you do something like that?! He could have you killed!"