Survivor - Coriolanus Snow [1]

6

The next day, Soteria along with her fellow tributes were shackled and brought into the capitol building where each of them were sat at tables waiting for their mentors. Soteria couldn't help but look at the empty table where Brandy should have been. Brandy was ruthless but was still a kid who had been taunted with food when starving.

Coryo along with the remaining mentors were told to meet at the capitol building. Walking in he was immediately accosted with the view of all of the tributes sitting at tables in shackles. Coryo had to bite back everything that he wanted to say. He looked at Soteria who subtly nodded to him indicating that she was alright.

"In spite of the tragedy of yesterday," we all looked as Dean Highbottom walked into the room. "Our president has decided that the Games must go on, to show everyone the Capital is unafraid of such acts of terror. To which end, Dr. Gaul wishes you to tour the arena with your tributes. Later this evening, there will be a special televised presentation of each tribute to our audience to, you know, get to know them. You will have an hour to discuss strategy."

Highbottom walked away leaving the mentors to their tributes. Coryo wasted no time in sitting across from Soteria taking in her poker face. Soteria looked at her mentor "I'm sorry about your classmate."

"Thank you," Coryo spoke before looking around quickly "are you okay? You aren't hurt?"

"No," Soteria smiled a bit at his worry. "No, I'm fine. Jessup and Reaper have been protecting me and Dill." Coryo nodded but he couldn't help but to wish that it was him looking out for her and not them.

************

He looked at her "I need you to put on the show of your life in the interviews later."

"No," Soteria shook her head. "I'm not marching to the capital's drums."

Coryo reached across the table and placed his hand on hers "look I know that you don't want to do this. Hell, I don't want to make you do this but in order for you to survive I need you to put on the show of your life."

Soteria stared at her mentor before reluctantly nodding. She really didn't want to play to the capital's drums but he was right in saying that she needed to in order for the people to like her and to have a chance to survive this thing.

They talked for a while longer before Coryo and Clemensia were both called to Dr. Gaul because of their proposal that he had turned in that morning. The two walked into the room where all of Gaul's experimentations were happening. As Coryo looked around, he couldn't help but to shudder at some of this stuff knowing that some parts of it had been used in previous games.

It made him sick that these mutations were set on kids who had no way to escape but he kept his thoughts to himself considering the fact that Gaul scared the shit out of him not that he was ever going to say anything. Gaul was at the end of a long hall standing next to a tank of what looked like slithering animals.

They both walked forward and stopped at seeing a ton of brightly colored snakes all smashed together in a jar. Clemensia looked at Gaul "is there a point to the color?"

"There's a point to everything," she spoke. She then looked at the two mentors in front of her "which brings me to your proposal. Which one of you actually wrote it?"

Clemensia spoke up "I did."

Coryo tried to hide his annoyance as he most likely should have suspected that. Gaul nodded "it was very impressive. With the sponsorships and the gifts in the arena. Unfortunately, my assistant mistook it for trash this morning and lined this very terrarium with it. So, please, Ms. Dovecote, retrieve it for us, won't you?"

Clemensia and Coryo both looked down at the terrarium full of snakes. Both looked nervous which they guessed Gaul could tell on their faces "don't worry. My little predators are perfectly docile with those they can trust." She picked a snake up and allowed it to slither around her arm "so if they're used to your scent, if you've handled their food, for example, or if they've inhaled the sweat of your palm on a page, they'll leave you alone. A new scent, however..." she put the snake back in. "You'd be on your own, little girl."

Clemensia reached in as Coryo watched knowing exactly what was going to happen. Coryo watched as she was bitten and ended up on the floor. Gaul looked at Coryo "your suggestions are good. I plan to implement as many as possible tomorrow." Coryo gulped but nodded. Inside he was happy both because he could say that his ideas helped shape the Hunger Games but also because now he could help Soteria win as he knew his own ideas.

It was then that as he was walking to the arena tour, Coryo silently thanked Dr. Gaul for she had just handed him a way to win the games.