Light the Way

Chapter Fifteen

Olivia headed home, exhausted and irritated. Her body felt heavy and she willed it to move through the front door of her family's apartment, barely noticing the ball of fluff who snuck in behind her. Brown tufts of fur ran past her, in between her legs, and plopped down onto the floor in front of her. Sprawling out as if he had been a welcomed guest.

Rolling her eyes at the furry intruder, she brushed past him and gave him a soft tsk tsk, his large yellow eyes stared back at her, comfortable with his break in and the warmth of this new place. She'd have to ask the Avox to grab her some old fish for the poor thing. He had made the strategic decision to ambush her at her worst and she respected him for it. An alley cat with some spirit, surely he had earned a few nights of rest and a consistent meal.

"Olivia, is that you?" A voice called from the kitchen. Beckoning her forward. She veered around the corner, and was met with her father, sitting on one of the island bar stools. A plate of sliced bread in front of him and some butter.

"Late night cravings, huh?" She quipped, smirking at him. Their relationship was different than most kids had with their parents. Built on a foundation of honesty, the two were quite comfortable with each other. She couldn't remember the last time she was really disciplined. Her father trusted she was making the right decisions; it was her life anyways.

"Just waiting on my only daughter to come home." He joked back and she let out a light laugh. He hadn't waited up for her since she started at the Academy.

"Ah, worried you'd have to find a new heir? I've heard the talent pool is quite weak this year." She quipped back, grabbing a slice of bread and adding a thin layer of butter to it. Waiting for him to ask the real reason that he was waiting up for her at midnight. Normally he'd be on a date with his Capitol lady of the week, touring art collections and showing her what a life of grandeur he lived. 

He laughed in response at his daughter, thankful for her sense of humor. It reminded him of his late wife, Ventis, and her crude jokes. Biting into the piece of bread, he took a few moments before wiping the crumbs away and speaking.

"How was the arena?" He asked, trying to hide the excitement behind his eyes. Since she could remember, her father had been obsessed with the Hunger Games, even being one of the biggest sponsors this year. Seeing the look on the District kid's faces when they were sent in there to fight to the death helped fill the void in his heart that was left when his wife passed away. The rebellion took her from him, and he'd take every ounce of happiness the Districts had. Stripping it away from them like the sheets on the bed after her passing.

"Much better than the last. It looks like they built an entirely new one just for the games. Larger, different terrains." She added on, looking up at him. "No bombs this time."

They were still hunting down anyone and everyone associated with the rebel attack during the Tenth Hunger Games. President Ravenstill was making it his personal mission, as he should, after the passing of his son. The snakes weren't enough, according to him. Anyone pushing or believed to be pushing rebellious ideology would all suffer the same fate as the kids in that arena. A brutal death.

Victor Lumen wiped his mouth with a tea towel, and looked over at his daughter, nodding at her words.

"Ah yes, Dr. Gaul was very adamant of that when she presented the idea to the council. It's been under constant surveillance since they began building it. Peacekeepers on it day and night. And for good measure. President Ravenstill is still processing his grief." Victor shared. Council business was confidential, but he had made an even bigger promise to his daughter after the rebellion that superseded this. They only had each other after that, and a relationship filled with lies would never survive, not in Panem, not in the Capitol.