𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍, coriolanus snow ¹

vi. the zoo - part ii

REIGN WILL FOREVER BE IN DEBT TO MIZZEN. After Coriolanus and Lucy Gray had run off to the cameras to get a head start on their good publicity for the Hunger Games, Mizzen had told the rest of the tributes to scram. Yes, Mizzen isn't the most intimidating tribute in the enclosure by a long shot, but a few words from him reminding them of what Lucy Gray and Coral herself had claimed back in the truck was all they needed to start calming down.

Since then, Mizzen and Reign themselves had taken to talking to some of the Capitol citizens. It was quite calming seeing Mizzen interact with the other little boys and girls that came up to him as if they were equals.

That was they way it should be all the time. The Capitol had, and still has, no right to make the district people seem less than them. But when Reign glances at the parents of those same children, she sees shocked and disgusted faces and is then reminded that she is a part of the same Capitol.

"Why are you in the monkey cage?" Reign's head snapped back to the little boy in front of them as she caught herself lifting away into her thoughts.

Mizzen didn't seem like he had an answer for the little boy - not one that was going to be parental approved by any means, at least. It was Reign's time to jump in and help the boy like that countless other times he had done so for her already today.

"This is a monkey cage? I don't see any monkeys in here?" Reign looked around in faux confusion as the little boy laughed with the children around him.

"No, silly, the monkeys are normally in this cage. We see them all the time!" A little girl to his left shouted out through her laughter.

"Oh," Reign dropped her head in understanding, causing a jolt of pain to run through her skull again. The pain was becoming a bit more bearable, but it was still borderline immobilising. "The monkeys are usually here. Right, right." She nodded her head again. "And you see them all the time? You must really love the monkeys."

"We do!" The boy interjected and began asking Mizzen about random monkey facts, and Reign considered that diversion a job well done.

She just wished when she looked over to Coriolanus and Lucy Gray that she wasn't doing an equally good job with the crowd, too.

Reign also wished that Coriolanus would look back at her just once. Just so that she didn't feel left behind. Just so that she wasn't forgotten by him. Just so that all of his attention wasn't on perfect Lucy Gray for the rest of the day.

It was a selfish wish, considering the twenty-two lonely and quiet tributes scattered all around the enclosure. She should be more happy with having Mizzen there to talk to her and to be able to help him through these games, but Reign had grown an unexpected attachment to the Snow boy. It was about as unhealthy for her as it is neglected right now. But that was far from Coriolanus' fault. Maybe another apology is heading his way, or maybe that's just the probable concussion talking.

"Reign?" The girl in question lifted her head up to the parents on the other side of the bars. Most of them had taken their children off to talk to Lucy Gray by now, but one of the only parents stood there was a familiar face to Reign.

"Mom?"