Though now she lived in the districts, she was capitol born. She knew all of his hardships and never looked at him any differently. She handled him with such gentleness, and kindness. She was a rare bird, His Nightingale. Just like he had been for h...
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Coriolanus felt nauseous but was incapable of looking anywhere else. It would have been horrifying to see any creature displayed in this way but a boy? And a boy whose only real crime was running for his life? Had Marcus gone on a killing spree throughout the Capitol, it would have been one thing, but to his knowledge there was no such thing following his escape. Coriolanus flashed back to the funeral parades. Brandy dangling from a hook and the other tributes being dragged through the streets. The Hunger Games themselves had the twisted brilliance of pitting district against district, so the Capitol kept its hands clean of any actual violence. There was no real reason for Marcus's torture. Under Dr. Gaul's guidance, the Capitol had reached a new level of retaliation.
The image drained the once buzzing atmosphere from Heavensbee Hall. Inside the arena there were no microphones, except for a few around the oval wall, so none were close enough to actually hear if Marcus was trying to to say anything. Coriolanus desperately wished for the gong to sound, to release the tributes into action and distract everyone from the opening scene.
He could practically feel Sejanus shaking with rage, and he went to put a quieting hand on him, when the boy sprang from his seat and ran forward. The mentor section had five emply chairs in the front reserved for their missing classmates.
Sejanus grabbed the one on the corner and hurled it at the screen, smashing it into the image of Marcus's ravaged face. "Monsters!" he screamed. "You're all monsters here!" Then he dashed back down the aisle and out the main entrance to the hall.
No one had the opportunity to stop him, when the gong finally sounded, and the tributes scattered. Most fled to the gates that led to the tunnels, several of which had been blown open by the latest bombing.
Coriolanus could see Juniper heading for the far side of the arena, and his fingers gripped the edge of his seat, willing her forward. Run! he practically screamed to himself, Run June! Get out of there!
A handful of the strongest sprinted for the weapons, but after grabbing a few, Tanner, Coral, and Jessup dispersed. Only Reaper, armed with a pitchfork and a long knife, seemed ready to engage. But by the time he was on the offensive, no one remained to fight. He turned to watch the receding backs of his opponents, threw back his head in frustration, and climbed into a nearby stand to begin his hunt.
The Gamemakers took this opportunity to cut back to Lucky. "Wish you'd placed a bet but couldn't make it to the post office? Finally decided on a tribute to back?" A phone number flashed at the bottom of the screen. "You can do it all by phone now! Just call the number below, give your citizen digits, the name of the tribute, and the dollar amount you'd like to bet or gift, and you'll be part of the action! Or if you'd rather make a transaction in person, the post office will be open daily from eight to eight. Come on, don't miss out on this historic moment. It's your chance to support the Capitol and make a tidy profit, too. Be a part of the Hunger Games and be a winner! Now back to the arena!"
