𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐖 ❀ the hunger games

CHAPTER SIX

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chapter six: repaying the favour

63 YEARS AGO...

CORIOLANUS' FIRST IMPRESSION OF LAYLA Blue Baird was how pretty she was. She had gorgeous olive skin and dark shiny black hair that fell to her waist. She wore old dresses that Capitol citizens would've frowned upon, and whilst he thought they were tasteless, she managed to pull them off.

So when he seen her with his good friend Sejanus, a spark of jealousy ran through his head and his heart.

The two Baird sisters were so close, but like two sides of a coin. Lucy Gray was the front woman, a powerful singer that was sure to get anyone on their feet and dancing. But Layla Blue's enchanting flute was sure to hook in their audiences, so talented.

Layla was the Covey's guardian, that role she had taken on by herself when her mother passed. Their Covey wasn't really district, that's not how Layla viewed them.

Coriolanus loved Lucy Gray, but a part of him wondered what outcomes would've happened if it was Layla Blue that was reaped — not that she could've been at the age of 19.

That lead him to where he was now, in the Covey's cabin by the lake, watching as the oldest sister sorted all the clothes and towels into a separate piles, making it easier for when they were done.

She hadn't noticed he was there yet, deciding to voice his presence as he leaned against the door frame. "Aren't you going in?"

The raven haired girl turned to face him, as if suspecting his presence, and smiled. "Just organising, it's a bad habit of mine."

He chuckled a little, glancing to the lake where everyone had already jumped in besides the two. He turned back to face her. "How long have you been taking care of everyone then?"

"Since my mother died," she seen no harm in his questions. He probably just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray's family. "I'm the oldest, it almost became second nature to me."

Coriolanus nodded, his hands nervously fiddling as he waited for her to finish. He didn't know why he was waiting for her, Lucy Gray was already in the lake.

Then, in a flash, she pulled her tank top over her head, revealing her white bra as she folded the clothing, then doing the same to her long skirt. He watched with widened eyes, glancing to the floor to give her modesty, but ultimately giving up once she turned around.

She didn't seem bothered by his reaction, placing both hands on her hips as she stood before him in her undergarments and gestured to his outfit. "Well, aren't you coming?"

His eyes travelled down her body. Her legs were unshaven, something that normally would've made Coriolanus turn his nose up at. But it only made him want to take her back to the Capitol and let Tigris shape her into one of his own.

That daring personality, her bad posture, her unshaven legs and her wild spirit — those were things he could fix. Coriolanus could groom her into the perfect first lady.

He smirked slightly, shrugging off his bottoms and his tank top, his eyes never leaving her figure as she walked out the door. He joined her outside a moment later, watching as she ran across the deck and cannonballed in without looking back at him.