EVERMORE ⎯⎯⎯⎯ CORIOLANUS SNOW

xiv. game plan

-ˋˏ [ EVERMORE, ] ˎˊ-
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
❛ GAME PLAN. ❜

     CHARLI'S FACE LIT UP AS SHE NOTICED SELAH WALKING TOWARDS HER. It was pitch black, the only thing making the girl known was the color of her hair. Between her and the boy next to her it seemed as if they were glowing—both of their hair an illuminating shade of blonde.

     Selah bent down in front of her, slipping her hand through the iron gate to reveal the two napkins. Charli looked at them with wide eyes as she took them from her grasp. She gasped as she realized it was food, immediately going to shove it into her mouth before Selah's hand caught her own.

"Save it," She said softly, "for in the morning. You'll have more energy for when the games start. The other one is for Wovey—make her eat it."

Charli nodded, running over to lay the food beside her and Wovey's sleeping spot. She made sure Wovey was still sleeping before returning to where Selah was sat on the ground. Lucy Gray's and Coriolanus's soft whispers could be heard coming from the other side of the cage.

     "Are you nervous?" Charli asked as she took her own seat on the dirt. Her gaze was trained to the ground beneath her.

     Selah laughed quietly, "You're the one being thrown into an arena to fight to the death and you're asking me if I'm nervous?" Charli only shrugged her shoulders, not finding much humor since her question had been genuine. Selah may be an entitled brat, but there was a lot at stake for her in this competition, too. "Yeah, Charli, I am."

    "Me, too," The younger girl mumbled back. "What if I die within the first few minutes? What will happen to you?"

"You're not going to," Selah said sternly, hoping to make herself and Charli truly believe it. She knew it wasn't a promise, though—the games were unpredictable from the time they begin up until the last standing tribute. "I'm going to do everything to make sure of, Charli. And don't worry about me, I'll be fine. When you're in there tomorrow—when it gets tough—I need you to think about your siblings. You're fighting to see them again."

A singular tear ran down Charli's cheek, though she quickly wiped it away. Selah saw much of herself in Charli. The fact that neither of them liked to show vulnerability—it was seen as a sign of weakness to the both of them. Their attitudes were the same too, both quick with firing back witty and snappy responses.

"I will."

Selah's lips tugged upwards, "Good."

Coriolanus's voice cut them out of their silence. Lucy Gray followed him through the other side of the cage, taking a seat beside Charli and wrapping her comforting arms around the girls shoulders. Selah's entire body tensed as Coriolanus stood behind her, the front of his body almost completely flushed against her backside.

"So," He started, voice as commanding as it always is. "the games start tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock on the dot. Selah and I will not be able to see you beforehand since we will have to meet at our desks right away." Lucy Gray nodded as she looked at him, her eyes glinting with something Selah couldn't exactly make out.

"Wait," Charli turned to Selah full of worry, "I won't be able to see you in the morning? Why?"

"No," She answered, "they don't let us speak with any of you. Technically, we're not even allowed to be here right now." The reminder of that made Coriolanus do a quick scan over the area to make sure they were alone.

Charli's frown only deepened.

"Exactly, but we had to risk it. We need to go over the game plan one final time." Charli sent a quick glance to her mentor, searching in her eyes for confirmation to actually listen to what Coriolanus was saying. With the sly nod of Selah's head, she focused in on his words. "As soon as the horn is blown I want you both running. There's a huge gaping hole in the floor that was created from the bombing—go down into it. It's underground tunnels with separate rooms all throughout it."

     "Don't even think about attempting to grab a weapon from the center pile," Selah instructed. "It'll only heighten your chances of being killed."

     "So once we're down there what do we do? Try to sit and wait the whole thing out?" Lucy Gray asked, her country accent cutting through the chilly night air. "And what if it just comes down to the two of us? I can't kill nobody, especially not her, Coriolanus."

     "You won't have to," He huffed.

     "I'm not leaving Wovey."

     Coriolanus rolled his eyes, "You're gonna have to. She's more of a liability than she is helpful. She'll only weigh the two of you down."

     Charli casted a look in Selah's direction, begging for her to do something. "It'll be fine, Coriolanus." She turned to look up at him, her eyes full of so much pureness that it made Coriolanus want to drain it out of them. She had become softer and he didn't like it. "I swear. She's a good climber and she can very well fend for herself. She'll be weighing no one down."

     "I will not have her mentor thinking we are pulling any funny games with his tribute," Coriolanus bit back at her, "Or do you not recall the time I had to force him out of your face for that exact reason?"

     "Whatever," Selah sighed, "but if she chooses to ignore his tactics and join along with the two of them, we will not stop her."

     "Fine," He nodded, checking the time on his watch. "Alright, Selah, I think it's time we both head home. I suggest the two of you go to sleep now, so you will be well rested for in the morning."

     Lucy Gray's stomach growled, suddenly making Selah feel very ashamed that she had thrown the girls food to the ground. It wasn't her fault her mentor was the biggest dick alive. Coriolanus seemed to have heard it too, as he sent the girl below him a very pointed look.

     "Just remember; when you're in there tomorrow, nothing is off limits. Kill if you have to, even if you don't want to."

     Charli gulped, reaching her hand through the bars and grasping onto Selah's. She gave it a gentle squeeze before following Lucy Gray over to their sleeping spots next to Wovey.

     "Do not tell me you've developed a weak spot for her," Coriolanus scoffed as the two of them rounded the corner away from the zoo.

     "She's just a kid."

     He stopped, grabbing Selah by her shoulders and grabbing the bottom of her chin to force her to look into his eyes. Her stomach did a weird flip. "What she is, is District dirt. Do not forget that, Selah. All they're good for is entertainment and winning us that prize."

     Selah nodded, not because she agreed with him, but because she understood. That's the way it was and the way it always will be. She just needs to be grateful her role was not swapped. "Yes, but you can not tell me you don't feel something towards Lucy Gray."

     Coriolanus let go of her chin, picking up his long strides again. "I have told you once already that she is nothing but my tribute. And in all honesty, if the games did not have such a big prize behind them this year, I would not care if she was the first to go." Lie, lie, lie. He has been doing it his whole life, why stop now?

     "Whatever you say, Coriolanus."

( ୨୧ OLIVIA SPEAKS, )
hiiii💘💘miss u all.
side note: i can never remember
if i originally spelled charli's
name with an e or not