𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 ☘︎ 2

Blood and roses. Those are the two things that I registered he smelled like last time I saw them. Now I smell them again.

"Such bravery," he comments, and I see he's looking at a projection of when I handed Austin the berries so we could both stay alive. "Such spirit. Such... contempt."

"President Snow," I say, for a second shocked. But then I realise that I've been waiting for him to come since the moment I got released back to Twelve. I say my last three words sardonically. "What an honour."

I walk forwards and sit in the seat opposite the desk he's at. "My dear, I think we can make this whole thing a lot easier by agreeing not to lie to each other, don't you think?" He asks me.

"Yes, I think that would save time," I nod.

He sits down and we pause for a second, then he goes into full fledged story time mode. "I have a problem, Miss Hawthorne, a problem that began the moment you revealed those poisoned berries in the arena. If that head Gamemaker Seneca Crane had had any brains at all he would've blown you to bits then and there. But here you are, and I assume you can imagine where he is."

I nod silently. Just by the way he says it I can tell that Seneca Crane has been executed. "Yesz I think so."

"Well, after that whole fiasco there was nothing left to do but let you play out your little scenario," Snow says spitefully. "And you were very good. That love crazed, besotted school girl act. Impressive, truly. You convinced the people in the Capitol.

"Unfortunately not everyone in the Districts fell for your act," this is when I know my punishment is coming. I'm going to be killed. An 'accident' is probably being arranged for me now.

Snow continues. "I mean, you can't know this but in several of them, people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance. Not as an act of love. And if a girl from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to prevent them doing the same, what is to prevent, say... an uprising?"

My heart skips a beat as he says that word. "And that can lead to revolution," Snow says dismissively. "And then in a fraction of time the whole system collapses."

"It must be a fragile system if it can be brought down by just a few berries," I voice my thought.

"It is, yes, very fragile," Snow looks straight into my eyes and I force myself to look back. "But not in the way you imagine."

"How should I imagine?"

"You should imagine thousands upon thousands of your people dead. This town of yours reduced to ashes, imagine it gone, made radioactive, buried under dirt as if it had never existed like District Thirteen."

I stare at him for a second as he puts it into perspective. "You fought very hard in the games, Miss Hawthorne, but they were games. Would you like to be in a real war?"

"No," I answer immediately.

"Good. Neither would I," Snow takes a frosted cookie from a plate in the middle of the table. "Did your mother make these?"

I look at the cookies and I'm compelled to smile. The frosting work is so acute that it can only be Austin's.

"Austin."

"Ah, Austin, he's a lovely boy," Snow takes another cookie. "At what point did he realise the depth of your indifference towards him?"

"I'm not indifferent-"

"Don't lie!" He raises his voice. "You promised."

I can't respond to this. I know I'm lying as much as he does.