FAILURE TO COMPLY ┃ f. odair

3.4 a game of trust

Calypso hardly slept. After the parade, she'd gone up to a shadowed corner of the tribute centre roof with Haymitch and spent an hour discussing the plans they were hatching. He'd told her things that kept her awake long after they'd parted ways. For one, head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee was in on the plan, having gone directly to Haymitch to say he was in cahoots with the higher-ups in Thirteen. For another, they were all well aware that Calypso was going to play a large role because her father had already been discussing it with them. The pressure was truly on.

And, as the sun began to rise over the Capitol, she returned to her secluded corner of the roof, this time with Monica in tow, pestering her about all sorts of things regarding training, interviews, fashion and decorum. Calypso was well-versed in all of it now, but that didn't stop her cousin from fretting about it.

"Calypso, this is really getting on my nerves," she groaned, dragging her manicured fingers down the sides of her face. "Something is up with you, and I'd appreciate not being left out like I always am. I get I'm Capitol, but you know I care about you and this family. Tell me what's going on."

"I'm just thinking about the games," Calypso defended. Still, she was a terrible liar, especially to Monica's discerning eye. "There's a lot to think about."

"So it has nothing to do with you sneaking out here last night with that drunkard from Twelve?" she questioned. "Unless you're cheating on Finnick, there's something else going on. And I know for a fact you'd sooner kill yourself than do that, so start talking."

There was so much to do and so much to lose. Calypso no longer had to worry about herself and her father. The weight of an entire rebellion was resting on her and Haymitch's shoulders. Telling Monica was something she was sure everyone involved would advise her against. And yet, she trusted her more than she trusted any of the faceless people from District Thirteen she'd been told about.

For all she knew, she was about to doom them all.

"Something is happening, Mona," she sighed. "This shouldn't be happening, so we're doing something about it."

"I knew it!" Monica exclaimed before catching herself, covering her mouth as she let out something akin to a squeal and a groan. She was so frustrated at Calypso for risking such a thing, and yet such a thing was inevitable for the SIlva family, was it not? "Whatever it is, I want in."

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?" she questioned, raising her eyebrow accusingly. "Because I'm Capitol? So are you! You may have grown up in Five, but Priya lived here before she had you. She saw the world the same way I did, and I understand that it's not a fair world in the same way she did. Let me help you."

"I-" Calypso tried to argue, but no words came. Monica could be a useful asset, that was for certain. The Feather-Creed family had connections, especially considering their generations-long friendship with the Heavensbees. Perhaps... "Do you think you could try and talk to Plutarch? It can't happen in the open, but we need to know how this is going to work. Are we doing something before the games start, or in the arena?"

Monica sighed. Suddenly, it became ten times more serious and a hundred times more dangerous. If she was caught, she'd probably face the same fate as her aunt, either having her tongue cut out or being strung up, or maybe both. But still, if she could be a part of something bigger than herself, it would be worth it.

"I'll see what I can do."

-

Training was more daunting than Calypso remembered it being. Already she was gaining the attention of her fellow victors for the way she held her father's arm slung over her shoulder upon entry and the way he hardly appeared present in himself. Gently, she sat him down at one of the empty stations. Combat was a useless skill when he could hardly support himself. This was what it was like on one of the worse days, but unfortunately for them, the gamemakers and Snow didn't have any kind of sympathy for their circus animals.